Our Newest Members

Today, we welcomed three of our young people into the membership as they celebrated their Confirmation during this morning’s service. They worked hard to complete their Confirmation classes and we are all very proud of them!

Congratulations to:

Hailey Crawford

Dallas Ecker

Kyle Norton

Sue Baker on the Autoharp accompanying the Confirmands, who sang and signed “Step By Step”

Dallas giving his testimonial

Kyle giving his testimonial

Hailey giving her testimonial

Proud sponsors – Sue Baker and Larry Fisher

The Confirmands with their Sponsors

Pastor Linda

Confirmation Ceremony

Parents and Sponsors

Hailey receiving her Bible and certificate

Dallas receiving his Bible and certificate

Kyle receiving his Bible and certificate

The Confirmands assisted in the service of Holy Communion

Hailey with her family

Dallas and Kyle enjoying some cake and conversation

Red carnations adorned the tables

Kelsey and Lindsay Crawford

AFUMC Joyful Good Shepherd Ringers

Our very own Joyful Good Shepherd Ringers Hand Bell Choir was one of the local performers at the An Albion Family Christmas Concert event on Sunday, December 3, 2017. The event was a fundraiser for the Albion High School Alumni Foundation and is an annual concert featuring local talent ringing in the holiday season at the Albion First Presbyterian Church. For more information and photos of the event, click here!

Here are some photos taken of the Bell Choir in action at the concert:

Bravo……

Sold!

Well, it is official…..our beloved, historic church building has been sold and is now the home of the congregation of North Point Chapel. As you may know, if you have been following this blog or if you know our congregation, we moved out of our building at 19 N. Platt Street in Albion two years ago and put the building up for sale due to structural repairs that came with a cost far beyond our means (a renovation project performed more than 100 years ago removed critical struts that are now causing serious structural problems for the building). Since then, we have been worshiping in the Christ Episcopal Church building on Main St. in Albion and have been actively searching for a buyer for our building. It has been a very positive move for us and we have made the Christ Church our home – at least for the foreseeable future. The sale of our building is bittersweet, indeed…..while we are sad to see it go, we are happy to be relieved of the burden of its care and are very pleased to know it will continue to be a church to serve our community.

Check out the article in the Orleans Hub:  click here

Here are some photos taken of the process to commemorate this historic event:

November 17, 2016 – signing the documents accepting the offer of purchase:

Catherine Moore, Secretary of the Trustees, signing the Purchase Offer with Reid Cole, Trustee Chair, looking on

And, Reid signing with Cathy looking on

Reid Cole, Marie Follett, Leslee Lockwood, and Catherine Moore at the signing

April 21, 2017 – Final signatures at the Closing of the Sale – Orleans County Clerk’s Office:

Catherine Moore, Secretary of the Trustees, Sanford Church, Attorney for AFUMC, Erin Gromley, Attorney for North Point Chapel, and Mike Outten, Pastor of North Point Chapel reviewing and signing the closing documents

NOTE: Reid Cole also signed the documents, but did so in Sanford Church’s office the day prior

Erin Gromley, Mike Outten, Leslee Lockwood, Marie Follett, Cathy Moore, and Sandy Church

And, the torch has been passed:

North Point Chapel is now worshiping in their new building at 19 N. Platt St – they have renovated and are using the Sunday School wing for their services until repairs and restoration can be completed on the main part of the building. We’re told they have extensive plans to restore the building and look forward to filling it with people raising their voices in prayer and song!

I had to capture this – it was an emotional sight to see another church name on our wonderful building and the tulips we nurtured ready to bloom below!

We wish the congregation of North Point Chapel luck in their future and their new home! As for us…..we’re happy to have found such a welcoming home at Christ Church – we’d eventually like to pursue a building of our own, but for now, let’s take a deep breath and enjoy some time to reflect on the heavy weight that has been lifted from our shoulders.

Peace be with you…..

Dedication of New Choir Robes

On Sunday, January 22, 2017, Pastor Linda Glantz performed the Order of Dedication For Choir Robes to bless and put into service our brand new robes. The choir is so happy to have new robes in a vibrant light gray with burgundy accents. Here are some photos from the service:

Organist and Choir Director, Marie Follett, playing the prelude.

Choir leading the congregation in the opening hymn – “Here I Am, Lord“

Choir gathered for the Order of Dedication

Pastor Linda leading the Order of Dedication for Choir Robes

Our Pastor, Choir, and Choir Director

(l-r): Pastor Linda, Kim Pritt, Kae Wilbert, Cathy Moore, Wilma Richardson, Jack Richardson, Reid Cole, Terry Wilbert, and Marie Follett

Extra robes were also blessed and put into service to accommodate future additional choir members – anyone interested in joining our choir?

The choir singing our first anthem in the newly dedicated robes – an Acappella rendition of “Sing Out The News“

A big THANK YOU to Melanie Norton for taking the photos for me! I rarely get photos of the choir because I can’t sing AND take photos at the same time….and, I really didn’t want to miss capturing this important event! Thanks so much, Melanie!

Merry Christmas

Recent Photos

I took several photos today and recently. Thought I might take the opportunity to share them!

2016 Consecration Sunday Cake:

2016 Hat and Mitten Tree Up and Ready to Load:

Tree courtesy of Lockwood Tree Farm with the first of many hats, mittens, and gloves our congregation donates each year

11-27-16 Pancake Breakfast:

Rachel Marasco whipping up the pancake batter

An awesome plate of pancakes and sausage

Blessing of the Prayer Shawls:

Pastor Linda blessing the prayers shawls knitted by the Prayer Shawl Ministry group. These shawls and lap robes will be gifted to church family and friends who are ill or going through a tough time and could use a warm hug.

First Sunday of Advent Service:

Advent Wreath

Pastor Jack and Wilma Richardson lighting the first candle of Advent

Al Capurso singing a special song – “All The Trees”, based on Isaiah 55:12

Pastor Linda offering the morning’s Message

Our Congregation:

One of our members is in the hospital, so we took these photos to send her a room full of smiles and well wishes!

I’ll leave you with this photo of the Advent Wreath and Angel Window…..

October 30th – Pastor Appreciation

October is Pastor Appreciation Month. Throughout the month, the congregation showed their appreciation to Pastor Linda in various ways. Today, we ended the month with a cake during our Coffee Hour after the service.

Pastor Linda Glantz

Also, today, the men of the Chancel Choir sang Be Still, My Soul for the Anthem.

(l-r): Pastor Linda (seated to the left), Jack Richardson, Reid Cole, and Terry Wilbert – accompanied by Marie Follett on the piano

AFUMC Perk Me Up Purse Ministry

Last year, the Albion First United Methodist Church Adult Bible Study had discussed setting and implementing a Big Hairy Audacious God-Sized Goal (BHAGG) in the form of a local community outreach ministry.  Three ladies – later to become known as the “Bag Ladies” – took the idea and ran with it. Cathy Moore and Judy Manley of Albion and JoAnne Fisher of Kendall, all members of the Albion First United Methodist Church, came up with the idea to gather gently used purses and fill them with supplies to make available to women in need within our community. As the plan developed, they decided to donate these gifts to Orleans County agencies specifically servicing battered women and women going through rape crisis situations. The idea was to provide “Perk Me Up Purses” to women who left bad situations with little more than the clothes on their backs.

(l-r): Judy Manley, JoAnne Fisher, and Cathy Moore with a few of the many purses they gathered and assembled for donation to Orleans County Agencies serving battered women and women going through rape crisis in our community. 

Each “Perk Me Up Purse” contains personal care items, such as a comb or brush, toothpaste, toothbrush, body wash, nail file, tissues, eye shadow, perfume, nail polish, candy, small purse-sized package of feminine pads, and a personal note of encouragement. The goal is to provide women in these most dire situations with a few essential items to help them get by, freshen up, and find a bit of encouragement to move on. When the Bag Ladies presented their plan to the congregation, donations of purses, supplies, and cash began to come in to help them meet their goal. They soon were able to start assembling purses that will be blessed by Pastor Linda Glantz in the coming weeks and they will be ready to pass on their first bunch of “Perk Me Up Purses” to the designated Orleans Country agencies.

Table loaded with purses – some filled, some still waiting to be filled – for the “Perk Me Up Purse” Ministry.

Gallon-sized baggie filled with supplies, including a comb or brush, toothpaste, toothbrush, body wash, nail file, tissues, eye shadow, perfume, nail polish, candy, small purse-sized pkg of feminine pads, and a personal note of encouragement.

Supplies are placed in a gallon sized ziploc baggie in each purse.

The project was originally going to be a one-time goal. But, as the project grew, the ladies decided to continue to coordinate efforts and turn this project into an on-going ministry for the community. Donations of supplies (listed above) or money to purchase supplies (one baggie costs approximately $10.00 to fill) to help this effort are greatly appreciated. Contact the church at 589-6430 to make a donation or you may mail your donation to Albion First United Methodist Church, P.O. Box 361, Albion, NY 14411 – please specify “Perk Me Up Purse” Ministry when making a donation.

The Albion First United Methodist Church holds worship services ever Sunday morning at 9:30 am at the Christ Episcopal Church at 26 S. Main Street, Albion, NY.

AFUMC On Commemorative Wine Glass

The Albion Merchants Association chose the Albion First United Methodist Church as the historic building to be featured on their wine glasses for the Third Annual Sip & Stroll Through History Wine Walk in Albion on August 13, 2016. The congregation is deeply honored.

If you wish to purchase one of these glasses, see Lisa Stratton at The Hazy Jade Gift Shop August 23rd or after – they will be available for sale while supplies last.

August 2016 Ladies Lunch – Adams Basin Inn

A wonderful group of ladies get together for lunch at a different location on the second Tuesday of every month and usually like to venture out of town during the good weather months. This month, we had to change the week to be able to go to the Adams Basin Inn in Adams Basin near Spencerport – we went today – the first Tuesday of August. I had never been there before, but several of the ladies said they went some years ago and enjoyed it. Well, today didn’t disappoint! It was just lovely!

Adams Basin Inn is a wonderful B&B right on the canal in a historic building dating back to pre-canal years. In addition to being a B&B, they also cater to special occasions, like weddings and our ladies luncheon. Much of the home is still original or very well restored and has quite a colorful history. We were seated in the dining room after gathering in the parlor. Lunch consisted of chicken salad sandwiches with cranberries and walnuts, potato salad, and a green leafy salad with water or lemonade – very good! After we finished eating lunch, we were treated to a guided tour of the Inn, where we learned all about the history of the Inn and the canal and how it all evolved through the years to the present time. The house is full of wonderful original artifacts and vintage decor — just stunning! After the tour and history lesson, we returned to the dining room for a dessert of pound cake with strawberries and whipped cream…..YUM!!! Dessert was served up with LOTS of wonderful conversation and sharing of stories and memories. What a fabulous day it was!

I wish I hadn’t left my camera in my purse as we toured the Inn, but I did get some lovely shots of the grounds outside as we were leaving. Here are some photos that prove that perfect serenity and absolute peace do exist!

Luckily, Betsy Kennedy got out her phone for a group photo and the owner offered to snap it so she could be in the photo, too!

Can’t you just imagine yourself curled up on that porch with a good book watching the world go by on the canal?

Or, maybe on this comfy looking glider?

Or, how about on this wonderful gazebo?

And, look who pulled up with the top down on her sports car and a super cute hat!!! Sue Baker – a real sporty momma! 🙂

Next month is our annual trip to the Glen Iris at Letchworth for lunch! Oh, boy!