Monday, April 29

5 p.m. - Ladies Armor of God Bible Study in the FLC Meeting Room

Tuesday, April 30

7 a.m. - Men’s Prayer Breakfast

11 a.m. - JOY Choir Rehearsal

6 p.m. - SPR Committee Meeting in the Office Conference Room

Wednesday, May 1

10 a.m. - AIM Fitness Classes

6 p.m. - Youth “Everyone's Birthday Party” in the FLC

6:45 p.m. - Sanctuary Choir Rehearsal

Thursday, May 2

11 a.m. - National Day of Prayer with the Perry Ministerial Association at the old Perry Courthouse

12 p.m. - Prime Time Luncheon in the Fellowship Hall

2 p.m. - Walking in the FLC

“See that you do not despise one of these little ones. For I tell you that in heaven their angels always see the face of my Father who is in heaven.” – Jesus (Matthew 18)

This morning I had the pleasure of attending one of the “High Holy Days” of any school year –Field Day! Do you remember Field Day at school when you were growing up? Watching the kiddos compete in various events this morning really brought back memories. There is just

something about watching all the girls and boys compete against other classes. And it doesn’t matter what the event is! Whether it’s the sack race, sponge relay, hula hoop competition, 40-yard dash, or the obstacle course, these kids dig deep and give it their all. And the PRIDE on the faces of those that win an event! They had the winners of each grade line up for a championship 40-yard-dash. The winner sprinted back to his class – arms straight up in the air, chest poked out, beaming smile – like he had just won the Olympic Gold Medal!

I remember at Field Day back at Moore Street Elementary School in Dublin, Georgia. All the official events were completed, and some of the girls started doing back handsprings. Then someone started to see how many back handsprings they could do in a row. The girls were of course dominating, since tumbling was largely their arena. But then, up walked Benwhan

Taylor, a guy in my grade who was basically the best athlete in the school. He could do anything. I will NEVER forget the moment when Benwhan proceeded to do nineteen back handsprings in a row! Nonstop! And of course, all the boys began celebrating, “We won! We

won!” I can’t even do a cartwheel, but there I was celebrating because “the boys won!”

I’m so thankful we live in a culture that does so much to protect children, to educate them, and even to make life fun. Two thousand years ago this was not the case. In Jesus’ day, children were a nuisance at best, and despised at worst. But thanks to Jesus, the world has changed. Jesus treasured the children, and he made them front and center. When others tried to shoo

them away, Jesus would reach down and pick up each child individually, giving each on a special blessing. In the verse above, he comments that each child has an angel that is always before the face of our Heavenly Father. I’m not sure exactly what that means, but I do know one thing. It means children are special.

I’m THRILLED that this Sunday, our children at PUMC will be leading the way in worship. We will bring them front and center, and we will allow them to speak to us so that we might grow closer to God. Children indeed possess an energy and a vitality that we need to remember. So I hope and pray that every single one of you will be in your place to worship this Sunday! May

we worship God with the joy of children. May we serve God with the energy of children who do nineteen back handsprings in a row!



Grace and Peace, Tom

We want to make sure that our membership records are 100% accurate so we are working to try and verify everyone's membership status. If you are a member, please contact the church office at 478-987-1852 or fill out the form here.

Currently, only 22% of our 800+ members have verified their status.

Our program will be about the Georgia National Fairgrounds in Perry. Our lunch will be catered by Firehouse Subs. 

Call the church office at 478-987-1852 to reserve your spot by Monday, April 29, 2024.  

On Tuesday, May 14, we will host an Appreciation Dinner for our Houston County Foster Families.

We will have a meal for all the parents in our Family Life Center, and have a separate meal and program for all the children in the Fellowship Hall and Youth Center. We will need lots of volunteers to help make this happen! Sign up here to volunteer! All volunteers must complete a background check to serve. If you have not done one with us, please click here.

May is Foster Care Appreciation Month so we are collecting $25 gift cards for gas, groceries, and restaurants to gift to the foster families. These gift cards can be dropped off in the church office.

We are in great need of Communion Servers that will help Rev. Tom serve Communion on the first Sunday of the month. There is no special training needed. Volunteers will serve juice and bread along with Rev. Tom. If you are interested in serving, please click here.

All men are invited to join us for a time of prayer on Tuesdays at 7 a.m. Come early for breakfast!

Todd Edenfield

Scott James

Terry and Denise Housel

Marlene Gray

Leelee Lewis

Tom Roberts

Vera Scott

Jackie Cooper

Irene Tuggle

Carolyn Ball

Ann Gregory

Wayne and Charlotte Bohanan

Rick Sheffield and family

Rev. Tommy Perkins and family



Submit your prayer requests on our website

at perryumc.org/welcome/i-need-prayer

Click here for a Care Card

General Conference, the official legislative body of The United Methodist Church, will be meeting in Charlotte, NC, from April 23 through May 3. Please be praying for all the delegates, especially the members of our South Georgia Conference delegation. For helpful background information, visit www.sgaumc.org/gc2020. I hope every member of Perry UMC will take some time to watch the livestream. 

Whether you have already made up your mind about PUMC’s future denominational home or not, it is vital for us to be informed about the future of the UMC as we prepare to make our decision. I hope and pray the future UMC will be fruitful and do God’s will, and I hope you will join me in praying for that, especially over the coming weeks. 

Grace and Peace,

Tom  

We will collect a special donation for Magnolia Manor in Macon this Mother's Day, May 12 at both morning services. If you write a check, make it out to Magnolia Manor and place it in the offering plate! You may also donate online here.

Thanks to contributions from choir members and friends of the church, it was possible for us to purchase one of Dr. Carol Goff's grand pianos for the choir room. This fine instrument will aid our choir in learning vocal parts more efficiently, and help us to prepare to sing even more beautifully in worship.