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First United Methodist Church of Shelton, CT
We are a welcoming family of GOD. Committed to becoming more and more like Jesus Christ. Together we are growing in faith, knowledge, and love of GOD.
Our parking lot is plowed, and we are open for worship. If you are coming, allow extra time and drive slowly. Or join is online. STAY SAFE.
There will be IN PERSON worship tomorrow at 10 AM despite the weather. DO NOT feel that this means you must attend. Please be safe and make the best decision to join in-person or online. SAFETY FIRST. Peace, all.
The February 9th Worship Live Stream link and the associated Worship Guide are now available: ![]()
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- 10:00 AM Sunday Moring Worship: youtu.be/ESfISqK6614![]()
- Worship Guide: umcshelton.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/2-9-25-with-Hymns.pdf![]()
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Visit our website for much more information @ www.umcshelton.org
An important message from our Bishop Bickerton.TIME FOR COURAGE, ENDURANCE, STRENGTH, AND CONVICTION![]()
A couple of weeks ago, I was truly blessed to be a part of the 55th Annual Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Breakfast in downtown Boston. This event is the longest running of its kind. The music was breathtaking, the speakers put me on the edge of my seat, and the keynote address from esteemed author, activist, and feminist Angela Davis, revealed how the long journey toward racial equality continues to rely on endurance, strength, and conviction. ![]()
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The journey is long, and it so easily tempts those of us on the journey to get discouraged and worn down. Yet the speakers bore witness that in times of discouragement, we can find endurance and inspiration in each other. It was mentioned several times that on the very same day—in the very same moment, the inauguration of a new president and a new administration was taking place. ![]()
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What I found intriguing as an ultimate act of discipline, one speaker after another said, “We are not here to talk about what a new administration stands for. We are here to talk about what Martin Luther King, Jr. stood for and how we keep those principles alive in our quest for truth, justice and racial equality.” ![]()
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Those words gave me a needed reminder of what our role is and how we live it out in our leadership, and with one another. We can spend a lot of time bemoaning what is, or instead, we can invest our time in working toward what can be. ![]()
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This is a constant temptation facing us. It doesn’t matter what the subject is, everything, and I mean everything, has a problem associated with it. If you look hard enough, far enough, deep enough, you’ll find it. It’s there. There’s an underbelly, a consequence, a risk. There’s a mistake made, or an alternative path taken that leads us to say, “if given the chance I would have followed that direction instead.” ![]()
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Conversely, if you look for a blessing, a possibility, a promise, a hope, you’ll find that too. It’s all in how you look at it. ![]()
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Personally, I believe that’s what the Apostle Paul was alluding to when he said in Romans 8:28, “All things work together for good for those who love the Lord and are called according to his purpose.” Even amid the ugly, the unfortunate, the negative, there is a way through the morass, a chance to rise above and make a meaningful impact. It’s more than making lemonade out of lemons. It’s believing in the transformation of the world.![]()
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The struggles to maintain a positive and hopeful spirit is getting more and more challenging these days. Black History Month began just four short days ago, and already, there are attempts to cast a pall over those who want simply to honor those who came before them with joy and celebration. It has been reported that the federal government, specifically the Department of Defense, will not officially mark any “special observances,” including Black History Month. No Women’s History Month observance. No Pride Month, no Holocaust remembrance. The list is long.![]()
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As I write, immigrants are being deported and those who have not, are afraid. The poor and hungry will no longer receive global aid. Diversity, equity, and inclusion are being deemphasized or eliminated completely. The fallout is great. And the temptation to resign ourselves to this new reality is greater. How do you fight city hall? ![]()
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A few days ago, a prominent leader said these words,![]()
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“I feel as though if Christ himself walked through these doors and said what he said thousands of years ago that we should love our neighbor and our enemy, that we should welcome the stranger, fight for the least of us, that it's easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to get into the Kingdom of heaven, he would be maligned as a radical and rejected from these doors. And I know, and it is part of my faith, that all people are holy, and all people are sacred unconditionally and that is what makes faith. Sometimes that's what prompts us to transform because it is unconditional. It's not up to us to love parts of people. We love all people ... It is not up to us to deny medical care. It is up to us to feed the hungry, to clothe the poor, to protect children and to love all people as ourselves.” ![]()
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That person was Democratic Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, (NY). She is a Congressperson. She writes laws. She speaks out. She said what we should be saying. She said what we need to say. ![]()
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Friends, these days, it doesn’t take long to find a problem and even less time to focus on talking about it. But these days, are days to follow the lead of Rep. Ocasio-Cortez and speak up, act out. It’s time to love all people. Time to feed the hungry. Time to clothe the poor. Time to protect the children. It is time to welcome Jesus into the room and into our hearts with open arms and celebrate Him as the way, the truth, and the life.![]()
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The Journey Continues, . . .