Pastor Jeannine tells the children about the true meaning of Memorial Day. Article by Joyce L. Wiedrich 06-05-2025 Pastor Jeannine told the children how men and women bravely fought for us and our freedoms in the United States. Jesus also fought for us, for our sins. Jesus gave his life up for our souls. Memorial Day was made a national holiday May 30, 1971. The birthplace of Memorial Day is nearby Waterloo, New York. In Pastor Jeannine’s sermon she told that the traditions of decorating graves of the Civil War dead began in 1868, after the Civil War. Pastor Jeannine explained that Memorial Day is so much more than a barbecue. We have a free strong nation worth fighting for, where we can freely preach God‘s word. Heroic acts on the battlefield have made our country what it is today. Every Sunday is a Memorial Day for Christians. Michele Covert read a poem by Blanche Fingar entitled Memorial Day. We are so fortunate to have Blanche as our poet! Thank you, Linda and Mike Folts for tasty treats after our service. Welcome back Leah Dibble. We know you have enjoyed the sunny south this winter but now it’s great to have you back on Keuka Lake! Many of us enjoyed the patriotic service and Memorial Day parade in Dresden on Memorial Day, with a chicken barbecue at our sister church, Dresden United Methodist Church. It was a beautiful sunny day!

Pastor Jeannine spoke to the children today about being prepared- for cold, for sun, and for rain, as Jesus prepared the disciples for what was going to happen. Article by Joyce L. Wiedrich 05-29-2025 Whether it be sunny, cold, or raining, it’s important for us to be prepared. Pastor Jeannine put on some sunglasses and got out her rain umbrella, showing the children how to be prepared for different conditions. Jesus tried to prepare the disciples for his death. He told them that he loved them, and that he would be back. Pastor Jeannine reminded us of the song by Tina Turner, What’s Love got to do with It? Love is the center of everything. Jesus ministered to the unwanted, he loved the unlovable, he came to serve, not to judge others. Pastor Jeannine explained to us that sometimes we need practice to love one another as Jesus has loved us. Before Jesus died, he washed the feet of many. Jesus loved us, he healed us, he fed us, and he died for us. We need to love just as he did- it’s not a negotiable command. Prayers for the family of Matt Davison who recently passed away. Many of us in the congregation knew him well. Thank you, Marilyn Sands and Christie Mosch for your tasty fellowship treats after our service! Welcome back travelers!! The Stempiens and the Wyants recently returned from exciting journeys. Many of our snowbirds are also returning back to us! So good to see them! .

Pastor Jeannine used a toy transformer to show the children how Saul changed. He not only changed from being not a nice person to being a follower of Christ, but he also changed his name to Paul Article by Joyce L. Wiedrich 05-15-2025 Pastor Jeannine told us a fascinating story about novelist Lee Strobel. Mr. Strobel had been an atheist in his adult life. An incident occurred while one of his daughters choked while with them in a restaurant. A woman helped save his daughter’s life. The woman had initially been going someplace else, but said that God had told her to come to this particular restaurant where she was able to help this young girl. Mr. Strobel‘s wife had always wanted him to find Christ. One of his issues was that he did not have a good relationship with his own father. He later found out that his father had never stopped loving him, but that Lee was the one that had closed the door on his dad. Mr. Strobel‘s life was changed as a result of this incident and he turned to Christ. Our lives can also change through Christ. God is always a loving and forgiving God. Our scripture lesson was from Acts 9: 1-20. Saul was torturing followers of Christ until he heard a voice. He then asked the Lord where he was. He called on God for an answer and got a response he did not anticipate. Pastor Jeannine told us that scripture has no power unless it is a message for our lives. Saul’s life with changed. He changed his name to Paul and transformed his life. Remember that our annual Methodist conference is May 22-24. We are welcome to attend. Kids choir practice will start after service on May 18. The kids always sing on our music Sundays. See you in church at 9 AM on Sundays!

Marguerite Miller shows a quilt that will be donated during Yates County Christmas. She is part of a group that puts these together throughout the year Article by Joyce L. Wiedrich 05-08-2025 Margaret Miller showed a quilt that she tied is part of the Our Brothers Keeper project. Members make and finish quilts to be given out at Yates County Christmas in December each year. The group meets Mondays from 10 to 2 PM at Saint Mike’s church in Penn Yan. She is collecting bedsheets and blankets to help finish the quilts. Anyone is welcome to come and join the projects. This summer, on July 16, we again will have an opportunity to participate in an Erie Canal boat ride in the Waterloo/Seneca Falls area. The cruise goes through a lock, and it’s a lot of fun. The boat can take 50 people with a cost of $30 each. See Ron Miller if you’re interested. Our road cleanup for Adopt a Highway will be on May 7 (Wednesday) at 9 am. We hope many of you will show up to help. Many hands make light work! It usually takes us about an hour to do the 2 mile route. Pastor Jeannine asked the children if there was anything that they couldn’t believe. Do you have to see things to believe them? Sometimes we just hear things and know that they are true. We need to trust. The Scripture lesson today was from John 20: 19-31. After the resurrection, Jesus appeared and showed the disciples his hands. There were nail marks on his hands. Jesus told Thomas not to doubt. He said that blessed were those who have not seen, but still believe. Pastor Jeannine continued on her sermon. If you don’t see it, is it real? Mary had seen the Lord. Jesus was gone from the tomb. They were terrified. The people had seen Jesus arrested and had seen him die a horrible death, and then he suddenly appeared. Was this real? We today have not seen this, but we believe in the word of Christ, and the stories passed to us in the Bible by accounts from those that were there. Snacks today by Christie Mosch and Joyce Wiedrich. Thanks to Michele Covert and Brian Mosch for helping! See you Sunday at 9 AM!

The cave is empty, where Jesus was buried. The stone has been rolled away. Pastor Jeannine shows the cave structure that Jean Murdock made for the sanctuary. Until today, the stone was over the front of the cave, but now it has been pushed to the side. Article by Joyce L. Wiedrich 05-01-2025 Easter blessings from Bluff Point United Methodist Church. It was nice to have many visitors at the service, which also included communion. Pastor Jeannine gave me a message to the children. She had them hold up signs of how they thought Jesus‘s friends might have felt during various events in time as she discussed Jesus‘s death and resurrection. The signs said: angry, happy, sad, surprised, and afraid. She recounted how Jesus’s body had been placed in a tomb- the women that came to prepare his body for burial found that the stone has was rolled away in the tomb was empty. Her message to the children was that whomever believes in Jesus will have everlasting life. Pastor Jeannine felt that the woman who came to prepare Jesus’s body wondered how they would move the rock. When they saw that the stone had been moved, angels dazzling in white appeared and told them that He is Risen. Peter also came to the tomb and was baffled at what had happened. Pastor Jeannine‘s message to the adults concerned whether one would look at these events as fiction or non-fiction. How would the people believe Mary? When she told of the events around the tomb with people think it was an idle tale or a fact? Our Christian faith tells us that Jesus is risen indeed- we recount a story that has been passed down for over 2000 years. Jeannine told us to always share the excitement and the love of Jesus. Jesus is alive through us! Our next women’s coffee time at the Wagner restaurant is April 30 at 9 AM. All are free to join in. The men meet at Oak Hill at 10 o’clock every Tuesday for coffee and discussion. See you Sunday at 9 AM! We welcome all visitors.

The kids participated in a Passover-Seder feast after bringing the cross into position in our sanctuary. Article by Joyce L. Wiedrich 04-24-2025 Today Pastor Jeannine related the story of Jesus’s final journey to Jerusalem. She told of how Moses led the Jews out of Egypt, as the children ate a Seder meal. She told the children, as written in the book of Exodus, that the King Pharaoh of Egypt was worried that the Jewish people would fight against him. He made the Jewish people slaves. God chose Moses to help the Jewish people out. He wanted the Jews to go into the desert and be set free. God turn the water in Egypt into blood, locusts ate the Egyptians food, and plagues were sent to Egypt. After the 10th plague, the Jews were told to leave Egypt. They left so quickly that their bread dough did not rise, which is the significance of matzah. The Red Sea opened up with a dry sand path, and the Jews were allowed to escape. The Seder meal is one sign which signifies the path of slavery to freedom for the Jewish people. Pastor Jeannine told the children the significance of the items and the Seder plate. These included celery dipped in saltwater, Matzah bread, bitter herbs, charoset (a paste of apples and spices), egg, and meat. The adults learned about the Seder tradition as well! Easter Blessings, as we celebrate the most important period in our Christian lives during holy week. Jesus is risen. He is risen indeed. Please join us at our Sunday services as we worship together at 9 AM. We have nursery services in Sunday school for the children.

The Sunday School kids were busy! Becki Whitford had Rory, Meridyn, Charlotte and Remi make boxes for Jesus where they could write ideas in the boxes of how they could give their best to Jesus. Article by Joyce L. Wiedrich 04-17-2025 Pastor Jeannine related the story from John 12: 1-8, of how Jesus came to Bethany, where Lazarus lived. Jesus had recently raised Lazarus from the dead. Martha was working in the kitchen preparing a meal while Jesus was their guest. She was somewhat annoyed at Mary because Mary was not helping her but was spending time with Jesus and was anointing his feet with expensive perfume. Martha then served the dinner. Judas was mad because he wondered why the perfume was not sold at the market rather than being used on Jesus. The story shows that Mary’s time was most importantly spent with Jesus. Jesus defended Mary saying they would not always have him with them. Jesus knew what was coming next. The kids made beautiful boxes in Sunday school and placed ideas of how they could best serve Jesus, by things that they could do or just by praying. This is a lesson to all of us to be quiet and pray with God. We welcome our snow birds, beginning to come back from the sunny south. Norm and Sherri Hunt and Blanche Fingar have returned, and it was so good to see them all in church this past Sunday. Only if they had brought warmer weather with them!!! This is Easter week. There are many activities locally that people can join to remember the events of this week- including its sadness with the last supper on Maundy Thursday, the crucifixion of Jesus on Good Friday , and then Jesus’s triumphant resurrection on Easter Sunday. Our Easter service will be at the regular time at 9 AM at church. Please feel free to come and join us for a beautiful service.

The kids sang their hearts out for music Sunday Article by Joyce L. Wiedrich 04-10-2025 We enjoyed Music Sunday this past Sunday, with lots of familiar hymns, including three choir selections from our adult choir and three adorable selections from our kids. In addition, Meriden Whitford sang a triumphant solo, God is Good! We are glad many friends and relatives could join for our special Sunday. Marguerite Miller has been working over the past month with our children for their musical presentations. They knew their lines and the songs by heart. Ron Miller picked out special music for choir to sing for music Sunday. Thank you, Ron and Marguerite for tedious work making music Sunday a terrific success, and our organist Elly Stempien for always choosing the hymn selections for us to sing every week. Our next 5th Sunday musical Sunday will be in June. Pastor Jeannine shared with the kids how exciting it is to find things. Sometimes we may feel lost, but when we come back to Jesus, he is always so excited. We are always welcome into Jesus‘s loving arms. Pastor Jeannine had a big box labeled, lost and found, including a ring, a sock and various objects. Our nurture committee has decided that on fifth Sundays we will also pass the buckets for a donation to a charity. This month we chose Care Net as our charity. They do so much locally in our Penn Yan area, and spoke with us earlier in the year about their goals and programs. We love to get together for fellowship! This past Saturday we had a taco dinner where everyone brought fixings for the tacos. Were they ever tasty! There were over 30 people in attendance. Thanks also to Jean Murdock and Marilyn James for Sunday snacks. We welcome our visitors! Come join us at 9 AM Sunday for our weekly service and Bible Study Mondays at noon.

Welcome Carol and Jerry Warren and Megan Reay to our congregation. They joined our fold this past Sunday. We enjoy worshiping and sharing with you! Article by Joyce L. Wiedrich 04-03-2025 Pastor Jeannine shared with us today that faith is like mustard seed. If we have belief and have faith, we will grow like the tiny mustard seed that is planted. Pastor Jeannine gave the children little packages of mustard seeds and placed one in each of their palms, so they could see how tiny and mighty the seed actually is. Pastor Jeannine explained that there is a difference between being sure in your faith versus being mature in your faith. We want to be grounded in our faith. Faith is like weightlifting. You need to exercise your muscles so as not to have them get weak. Our faith needs to be exercised and shared as well. Faith needs to be moving. In First Corinthians 10: 1-13, Paul reminded us that God is faithful. We want to shout our faith from the mountain tops. God helps us grow our faith like that little mustard seed if we allow it to be planted and thrive. Pastor Jeannine shared with us the lighting and extinguishing of the altar candles. We bring the light of Christ to the beginning of the service. As we extinguish the candles, we take back the light into the world. We are the light of Jesus. We welcome our new members. Carol Warren, Jerry Warren and Megan Reay joined our BPUMC this past Sunday. Welcome again! We are so happy to have you all join us. We also welcome visitors and remind them that we have nursery and Sunday school services for the children during church time.