| First United Methodist Church Service Opportunities |
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Serving Within (Serving within our church family) |
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We Need U! At First Church, we offer child care and programs for kids up to fifth grade to help them learn about who Jesus is, what the Gospel means for them and who God calls them to be. In order to fulfill this calling, we are always looking for volunteers to serve in our KidsMinistry. We are looking for one volunteer to assist our K-5th grade teacher, during the 11:00 a.m. worship service. Each volunteer role takes place one Sunday a month with the ability to switch Sundays if a scheduling conflict arises. Volunteers will need to provide their clearances to the church. If you would like to know more information and what would be involved with serving, please contact Katie Knorr, Director of Children and Family Ministry at kidscount@fumchurch.com. |
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Sunday Morning Coffee is Back! Sunday morning coffee is back for the fall and we can always use a few more folks to help with this ministry. We have made it so simple, find all the details here. Offering a cup of coffee to a visitor is a great way to show hospitality! Questions, contact Lisa Aronson at discipleship@fumchurch.com. Thanks for being a part of the team!
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| Reaching Beyond (Serving in our Community and Beyond) |
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Supporting Northside Elementary Weekend Food Program First Church is excited to partner with New Hope Ministries to support the students at Northside Elementary by bagging food for the Weekend Youth Food Program on the second and fourth Tuesdays of each month. Volunteers will put together food bags for the students from 10:00 a.m. to 11:15 a.m. at New Hope Ministries, 5228 E. Trindle Road, Mechanicsburg. Volunteers are required to complete a volunteer application through New Hope Ministries, see the website here. Watch for all the details and registration on the Time to Sign Up. Thanks for helping us to bless the students at Northside Elementary! See details about bagging and sign-up here. |
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Yams and Potatoes for New Hope Ministries We are collecting Canned Yams and Instant Mashed Potatoes to support New Hope Ministries’ Thanksgiving Distribution. Your donation helps local families enjoy a warm, delicious holiday meal.
Collection Period: Now through October 25th Dropoff Location: First United Methodist Church Main Entry Door
Let’s come together and share the spirit of Thanksgiving with our neighbors! Contact the church office with any questions, thanks for your support! |
Reduce, Reuse, Recycle - Go Green! United Women in Faith are encouraged to participate in creation care practices, therefore, we will be partnering with Staples to recycle common items in an effort to keep them out of landfills and provide for others. You can now recycle the following items at our collection center. · Pens Pencils Colored Pencils· Crayons Markers· Highlighters Glue Sticks No need to separate the items, just place in the marked bins at the Donation Station located near the Alley Entrance. These items can be empty, unused, dried out, broken, etc. The crayons will be recycled through the Crayon Initiative and distributed to children’s hospitals across the U.S. Questions about the recycling initiative, contact Lori Hoffnagle at l_hoffnagle@yahoo.com. Read more here about how the United Women in Faith members are taking action to care for God's creation. NO Scissors please. |
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Broad Street Cooking and Caring for Families | Thursday, November 12 First Church will once again be partnering with other community churches to cook and serve a meal for Broad Street Elementary families on Thursday, November 12 at 5:00 p.m. First Church will be providing the BBQ and volunteers. First Church is responsible for 70 pounds of BBQ (the amount is increased due to more people attending the meal) using a simple recipe provided by the school (see below).We plan to serve over 300 for dinner and provide take-home meals to families unable to attend. Please consider making a 5 lb. batch of BBQ or more for the families at Broad Street. Questions or if you can provide BBQ, please contact Lori Hoffnagle at l_hoffnagle@yahoo.com. We just need two more batches of BBQ! 5 lbs. Ground Beef (80% lean or higher, please only use beef) 1/2 cup White Vinegar 1/2 cup Brown Sugar 3 and 3/4 cups Ketchup 1/4 cup Mustard Cook beef and drain fat, mix in other ingredients and heat thoroughly. Thanks for cooking and caring for our community! Details will be sent out closer to the date on drop off times, thanks!
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Neighborhood Center Reimagined! A message from Pastor Kris Sledge, Lead Pastor, Journey Church, After more than two years of discernment, prayer, legal work, and intentional preparation, The Journey United Methodist Church officially owns the historic Neighborhood Center property at 1801 N. 3rd Street in Harrisburg! The Journey's new 3rd Street Campus will become the home of the Harrisburg Neighborhood Center, a newly established nonprofit ministry and community hub committed to walking alongside individuals and families through meaningful programs, partnerships, and greater access to resources. Our vision is simple: Empowered lives. Better communities. A flourishing Harrisburg. This important work is already underway under the leadership of our new Program Director, Kyra Gonzalez! We envision a vibrant community hub where neighbors can find belonging, access essential resources, build meaningful relationships, and experience opportunities to flourish. Through community programs, partnerships, and the continued involvement of churches and community members, we believe this historic United Methodist mission can have a renewed and lasting impact in Harrisburg. But first, we need to love this building back to life! On Saturday, November 14, from 9:00 AM to 3:00 PM, we're hosting a community workday to clean, organize, paint, and prepare this historic space for its next chapter of ministry. We would love for you to join us! See all the details and registration here.
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Isaiah 61 Homeless Ministry, October 21, 2026 | Sign-Up Sheet Now Available! First Church is pleased to support Isaiah 61 Ministries, a local organization that serves the needs of the homeless in Dauphin County. First Church members prepare the meals at our church and then serve to the homeless in downtown Harrisburg on the third Wednesday of each month, starting at 6:30 p.m. We have made it easy for you to volunteer! Just click on the Time to Sign Up link here to find all the volunteer opportunities and descriptions. If you have any questions, please contact Tiffany Holland, Isaiah 61 Coordinator, at tholland1967@gmail.com or 717-961-9644. Thanks for your support of this ministry! |
| Little Free Pantry Thanks for your continued support of the Little Free Pantry through your donations and monetary contributions. We welcome your donations which can be dropped off at the church office or at the Alley Entrance in the marked basket. We are blessed to be able to offer this ‘no barrier access point to food’ to our neighbors. If you have questions about the Little Free Pantry or would like to make a contribution, please feel free to contact Lori Hoffnagle at 717-732-6430 or l_hoffnagle@yahoo.com. Click here for a list of most needed items. UPDATE: We are very low on cereal, please help us to build up our cereal supply, as we try to put a box in the pantry each day, thanks! |
| Mission Focus - Operation Christmas Child It’s time to start filling a shoebox with gifts for the upcoming holiday season! Start by picking up the instructions and a shoebox at church (or use your own shoebox). You’ll find these items on the display table in the main entrance hallway, starting in October. Next, fill your box with items suggested on the list (also available on the display). Finally, remember to bring your filled shoeboxes back to the church display in the main lobby no later than November 22 (by 12:00PM). On that day, we’ll load them in the truck after the 11:00 am worship service and send them to the distribution center for delivery by Christmas! See all the details and instructions on Church Center here. |
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Penny Bucket First Church has been collecting change to help provide clean water through the UMC Advance to areas in Africa. Change, and bills, are welcome to continue to care for existing wells and drill new wells for clean water in the Mulungwishi, South Congo area. We thank Barb Strock who as part of the Mission Team will care for this international mission project. |
Donating Your Clothing is Easy! Now you can bring in your clothing and shoes and place them in our Community Aid Cart just inside the Main Entrance doors! The United Women in Faith benefit from the proceeds from the cart (the items are weighed and we are paid by the pound). The cart will remain indoors, where the items will stay dry and neat. In addition to the cart, you can drop off your items to Community Aid on Carlisle Pike, give them our name and Partner Number: 10113 and we will get the credit. Questions, contact Lori Hoffnagle at l_hoffnagle@yahoo.com.
New Update! Community Aid will now give us credit for other items you drop off at the store. If you have donations, other than clothing, (household items, electronics. toys, etc.), you can give them our number, 10113, and we will now get credit for them! You can find the list of accepted items here. |
| Volunteers in Mission United Methodist Volunteers in Mission (UMVIM) is the short-term mission agency of the United Methodist Church. An UMVIM volunteer is any United Methodist who engages in outreach as a member of a United Methodist Church in service of their neighbors near and far. Click here for more information on upcoming trips and other VIM opportunities. |
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Central Pennsylvania Blood Bank is in need of blood donations! Help them keep the blood supply at safe levels by coming out to donate blood and encouraging others to donate. If you are interested in donating at a Blood Donation Center or an upcoming blood drive, please call 1-800-771-0059 to pre-register. While walk-ins are permitted, those who pre-register will be taken first and you may have to wait. For more information and an up-to-date list of nearby donation drives, visit the website. See the upcoming blood drives for October here. |
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Would you like to know more about First Church? Visit our website at fumchurch.com.
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