May 2024 Newsletter

Fremont United Methodist Church



We seek to share the joy of God's love so that all might live with dignity and purpose.

"Pentecost Sunday, May 19"

Dear Fremont Family,

The Great 50 Days of Easter ends on Pentecost with the arrival of the Holy Spirit to transform the terrified disciples bewildered by the resurrection and ascension of Jesus into empowered leaders ready to live as the new community of God's peace. This year, Pentecost is on May 19, and we have a wonderful day of worship to look forward to! First, you are invited to wear red to worship. Red is the liturgical color for the day that signifies the flames of the Holy Spirit that rested on everyone who was gathered that day in Jerusalem. Second, there will be special refreshments for us to enjoy following worship. Our Congregational Life team will be preparing strawberry shortcake for us to enhance our "sweet" fellowship in the Spirit. Also, our children will be working on a Lemonade stand for the outdoor patio to contribute their gifts for the day. We will have special music, the bells will be present and the choir will sing. There will be lots of testimony as various participants of the Fremont community will be speaking about how the Spirit has been moving in their lives. In other words, you won't want to miss it.

Pentecost can sometimes feel strange. What does the Spirit coming upon the gathered disciples 2,000 years ago have to do with us today? What sense do we make of the "tongues" of flame that enabled the disciples to speak and understand different languages? What needs translating in our time? What do signs of empowerment in the Spirit look like for us? Do we even believe that we can still be transformed from disciples into leaders?

The growth and recovery of our fellowship since the pandemic continues to amaze me. It feels like once again we are on the threshold of a new day. The church is changing from established "institutionalized" religion into a community connected to Jesus's liberating love and new energy with our neighbors. Is this the Spirit's doing? I think so. Come celebrate with us on Pentecost, and share the joy of this Spirit-filled day.

Grace and peace,

Erin

Women's Retreat

May 18th, 10am to 3pm

Cost: $10 including a salad bar lunch. Please register with the office or Jan Plummer.

Jonathan, Alyssa, and Moses greet baby Adeona

Jonathan and his partner, Alyssa, welcomed daughter Adeona in January. Moses loves his new sister!

Don't be shy to ask Jonathan to show you a current photo of his beautiful blessing!

Sorry this took so long to share here!

Sending a Thank You to:

Jan Plummer: For deciding that it was time for a Women's Retreat and making it happen!

Kathy Elliott: For sharing prayer requests to the prayer team. Her beautiful words for each need always express deep love and comfort.

The Worship Design Team for all of their vision and time given to create the meaningful sanctuary themes.

Check out the new Community Hub pages on our website.

Find the following pages:

• Main Community Hub page with Alameda Neighborhood Activity Calendar.
• Block Party 2024 Event Page
• Building Partners page with information about what each offers in our building with their contact information,
• A community Events Page! Find more information about the events here on this page.

Event Hosts Needed

There is an increasing number of Community Hub events which are planned and organized by outside partners. Right now, Pastor Erin often ends up being the church 'host' and running around to help set up and stay late to lock the door.

It's time for us to step up and make sure that we can do a better job hosting and supporting events here in our building. Each helps us build relationships! We can share the role of host! This is a list of the possible things that might be needed.

• Show people where things are or find what is needed.
• Make guests feel welcomed and honored.
• Make coffee
• Show them where tables are.
• Help them Identify what post event clean-up needs to happen.
• Make sure that doors are locked when all leave.

We want to create a list so that when an event is planned the office can send out an email to find one or two volunteers who are willing to serve as the Event Host(s). All tasks for that event will be identified for you beforehand.

Last Day of School - Ice Cream Social

Last year, we had so much fun greeting kids and families on the last day of school with ice cream bars, popsicles and sparking water. Their surprise, delight, and appreciation was obvious!

This year we need a couple of people who would be able to go purchase the supplies. Perhaps we need a few fun signs? Other decorations? The office can help coordinate volunteers. Let Diane in the office know if you would like to be part of this team.

*Last Day of School Friday, June 14th*

Save-the-Date! June 29th for the Second Annual Fremont Block Party

Bring the kids and family to join in a couple of community art projects, shop at BIPOC vendor booths, enjoy free hot dogs and spend time hanging out with your neighbors.

Watch for the sign up Genius coming soon!

Chair: Rebecca Kenney

Fremonter Details

Fremont Newsletter Articles and Production 

The Fremonter Newsletter has always been a critical part of how we communicate, worship, prayer and celebrate together. We would love to encourage everyone to contribute articles to the monthly news letter. Interested in sharing, here is how and when to do it. 

• Fremonter articles are always due 5 days before the end of each month.
• Need a couple more days? That's ok, just contact Diane and let her know you will be submitting a piece.

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