CHILDREN’S MINISTRIES Children’s Ministry is looking for energetic people interested in working with the children of Asbury First this year. We have many different opportunities to volunteer depending on your schedule. Please call Paula Dugan at 271-1050 x111 if you feel called to help. Do you like celebrations? Well, then, we need you! We are looking for two or three people interesting in being our birthday celebration committee. This new ministry will begin in September. We know how important birthdays are to children and want to celebrate with them here at church. Please call Melissa Bohrer at 271-1050 x111 if you are interested in celebrating the children of Asbury First. Calling all Sunday School Families: please join us for a Sunday School Open House on Together in Ministry Sunday on September 12 from 9:45-10:45 a.m. Come and meet your shepherd and get to know your class. We are looking forward to seeing you all there! Beginning on Together in Ministry Sunday, September 12, we will offer two opportunities for Enrichment. We will be adding the Enrichment program for children four years old through second grade to the 8:30 service, following the children’s sermon. We will continue to offer this program during the 11:00 service. Is Children’s Ministry meeting your child’s special needs? Are there accommodations that we are not making that would be useful to you and your child? Please contact Ashley Eckman, co-chair of the Children’s Education Work Area ( This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it or 442-3130) to explore possibilities. GENERAL ANNOUNCEMENTS We invite you to join us in praying for members of our church families known to be serving in the military, at home or abroad: United States Air Force Lt. Col. Tom Casey; Vernon M. Collier; Staff Sergeant John Huther; Staff Sergeant Charles Key; Airman Patrick “Rick” Smith. United States Army SGT. Christopher M. Birdsall; Major Thomas Donatelle; 2nd LT. Nathan Lubba; CPT. Matthew Ristau; SGT. Richard K. Salazar; Isaac Scott; Private Tim Dickerson; SGT. Christian T. Dahl; SPC. Michael DiPaola. United States Marine Corps Capt. Joshua Girton; LCPL William Gates; Lt. Chad Lennon. United States Navy Ensign Adam Kreutter; LTJG Jason Kreutter; LTJG Christopher Mosko; Commander Jeffrey A. Ward; HR Abigail H. Spicer; BMC SW/AW Andrew Stukey. United States Army Reserves Sergeant Philip Noland Bell. Thanks to John White and Jeanne Ristau for helping to update the list of those serving in the military. If you would like to add the name of an AFUMC member or their family to this list, or if you know of someone on this list who is no longer serving in the military, please contact us at This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it , or (585) 271-1050, x109. Calling all 8-12th Graders We are in great need of new volunteers to serve as worship service acolytes and crucifers. The commitment is to serve one Sunday every six to eight weeks. Training is provided. This is a wonderful opportunity to participate in, and make a contribution to, Asbury First’s worship services. If you are interested, please contact Beth Rice ( This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it ) or Ellen Williams ( This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it ). We look forward to hearing from you! Heavenly Grounds Today is our last day for Summer Punch Fellowship. Your hosts (and snack providers) today are members of Team 3. Next Sunday, Sept. 12, is our Together in Ministry Sunday. Team 4 will host you and provide snacks from 9:30 until 11:00 ONLY. Please join members of the congregation for the bring-a-dish-to-pass picnic which will take place after the 11:00 service. What a wonderful way to get caught up on news of friends you may not have seen over the summer! FELLOWSHIP OPPORTUNITIES Appetizer Group Gathering The Appetizer Group will meet on Sunday September 12 at 5:00 p.m. in the Red Room of 1010. Please bring an appetizer or dessert to share. Invite a friend or two to join you! If you want more information about the Appetizer Group, please call or email Judy Bristow at 473-9220 or This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it Weight Watcher News It’s a new year . . . school year, that is! It’s a great time for a fresh start. If you’ve been thinking about joining Weight Watchers, now is the time. Join us on September 22 for our registration and information session. A new 17-week series begins on September 29! We meet at 6:20 in the Gathering Space. Email Jane Beamish at This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it with any questions.
Lose for Good! Our Weight Watchers group will be participating in the “Lose for Good” campaign, a national/international effort to aid those who go hungry every day. We will be asking Asbury First members to support us by matching our weight loss, pound for pound, with donations to the Dining & Caring Center. Stay tuned to the bulletin and look for tables in the entryway for updates on this worthy cause. WOW Starts the Year with Mark Ralls as Speaker September 8 is the first meeting of Asbury First’s WOW (Women on Wednesday), and the fall session begins with a special guest presentation by pastor Rev. Dr. W. Mark Ralls on the topic of heaven and the afterlife. The summer project of WOW was the reading of books on the subject of heaven and the afterlife with members scheduled to summarize their reading at meetings in September. The invitation is open for women who enjoy reading and learning to join WOW at noon on Wednesdays in the dining room at 1010 East Avenue. Roudebush Circle News Roudebush Circle of the United Methodist Women begins their Fall season on Tuesday, September 28. Everyone is welcome – including men! They will meet at 6:00 p.m. at 1010 East Ave. Evening includes a catered dinner for $8.00 (please bring your own table service). The speaker is Jobina Robinson, who will lecture on “My Experiences in Haiti as a Registered Nurse.” Please call Joan Closson by Friday, Sept. 24 for dinner reservations at (585) 671-5534. Items will be collected for Asbury First’s Dining and Caring Center. For more information on the Circle, call Ginn Fitch at (585) 381-6464. SERVICE OPPORTUNITIES
AFUMC Joins Metro Habitat Coalition Asbury First has joined the newly-formed Metro Habitat Coalition. This coalition is a group of Rochester city churches dedicated to improving housing conditions and neighborhoods of low income and inner-city families in the Rochester area. Next spring, Asbury First will work with the Metro Coalition to build a Habitat house in the JOSANA neighborhood. This area is part of Rochester’s “Crescent of Poverty” and is located west of PAETEC Park and North of Interstate 490 West. The Metro Coalition, working with other coalition groups, hopes to build 18-20 new houses in Rochester in the next six years. More information will be coming in the next few months in the bulletin and The Visitor, with sign- up for opportunities to work on the house. This is an exciting outreach mission project for Asbury First. If you would like to be part of the Asbury First Habitat planning committee please join us on Monday, September 27 at 7:00 p.m. We will meet in 1050 East Ave. in Mark Ralls office. International Mission Trips Have you felt God’s call to serve those living in extreme poverty? Are you interested in seeing firsthand the difference Asbury First’s support and love has made to the homeless and hungry in India and Nicaragua? Is so, please consider joining mission teams traveling to Miracle Garden Children’s Home in Tamil Nadu, India and/or Project Chacocente in Masaya, Nicaragua. December 21-29, 2010: Michelle Pandian, Asbury First member and Miracle Garden Global Ministries Board President, is leading a team to southern India to visit and volunteer at Miracle Garden Children’s Home, the newly opened Miracle Garden Matriculation School and Lydia Tailoring School. Asbury First has been in relationship with Miracle Garden since the Pacific tsunami of December 2004 which left thousands of children behind as orphans. Estimated cost is $2000-$2500. It will be a Christmas you will never forget! For more information, contact Michelle Pandian at This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it or Elizabeth Church at 461-9802. February 13-20, 2011: District Superintendant Ted Anderson will be leading the third Genesee Valley District mission trip to Project Chacocente in Masaya, Nicaragua. Here, in the second poorest country in the hemisphere, you will witness the faith and determination of families working to build a life of hope for themselves and their children. Estimated cost is $1750. For more information, contact Robyn Gage at 264-0807 or This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it Grocery Bag Ministry: Sharing God’s Grace “If you offer your food to the hungry and satisfy the needs of the afflicted, then your light shall rise in the darkness and your gloom be like the noonday.” – Isaiah 58:10 Our church’s greatest outreach impact may not come from asking for great things from a few people, but for many small things from a lot of people. Grocery Bag Ministry needs this month include: jams, tuna fish, canned fruit, soup, canned vegetables, rice, and spaghetti sauce. A receptacle is available in the Welcoming Hall. Again, thank you for your continuing support. Our next delivery date is Saturday, September 18 to Zion Hill Missionary Baptist Church. Questions? Want to volunteer? Please call Bill Lisi at 223-6608. Support School #41 on September 12 In keeping with tradition, you may support the School #41 reading project by bringing in, on Sunday, September 12, school supplies that will help get the children of School #41 off to a good start for the new school year. Needed supplies include: notebook paper, spiral notebooks, pencils, pens, erasers, glue sticks, scissors, crayons, activity books, coloring books, and back packs. School #41 will also be expanding their uniform policy to include grades 3, 4, 5, and 6. Needed are girls and boys short sleeved/long sleeved golf shirts in red (sweatshirts too!) and beige khaki pants. Sizes range from girl’s small to junior/young men’s large and everything in between. In this, our fourth year of outreach ministry at School #41, thank you for your on-going support. Help Children at School #41 We need volunteers to help children at School #41 with reading and math skills. Additionally, the school would like some help during lunch hour(s). There are no special skills needed, only the love of children and the support of the school’s mission: “to maximize the learning potential of every student.” Join other Asbury First volunteers and reap the rewards of helping a child learn. Call or e-mail Nancy Davidow at 544-4333 or This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it The Transportation Ministry needs volunteers! There is no ongoing commitment if you do not wish it. If you would consider giving a lift to someone, I will pass your number on to those who are looking for a ride. I try to match you with someone on your route. The rider will call you to discuss arrangements. Some people do it one time, others an occasional ride or regular ride. If it doesn’t work, the rider can call someone else. No obligation until you and the rider agree on a plan. Please consider adding your name to the driver list. This service is for AFUMC members. To volunteer or ask questions, contact Virginia Duffy at 300-5947 or This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it DCC Baking Team The Dining & Caring Center baking team will meet on Saturday Sept. 11 to bake desserts for our guests. Please bring an electric mixer if you have one. We would like to have you join us! Any questions, contact Deb McLean at 442-3349 or Judy Bristow at 473-9220. Dining & Caring Center Dinner A message from Meredith Pixley regarding the Dining and Caring Center fundraiser: Another steamy, summer night and my husband and I have just returned from enjoying an “ice cream dinner.” I am a volunteer baker one Saturday a month at the Dining and Caring Center and I think of myself as a dessert connoisseur. I am looking forward to the sweet agony of choosing an elegant dessert at the Dining and Caring Center fundraiser on October 2. If you are unable to host or attend a dinner why not consider being a “dessert sponsor” for this event. Checks for any amount can be made out to the AFUMC with a note on your check that states you are a “dessert sponsor.” Please send the check to the AFUMC office or drop in the offering basket on Sunday. Consider this a fun way to make a tax deductible donation which will be used to provide meals for our guests at the Dining and Caring Center in the coming year. Any questions about the event please contact Deb Mclean at This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it or Meredith Pixley at This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it for more information. Altar Guild Invitation The Altar Guild is seeking new members to begin in January. Members serve for one month each year preparing the chancel for church services and clearing it following the 11:00 a.m. service. Bouquets from the altar arrangements are delivered to designated church members by the Guild members serving that month. Each member serves on one or more committee: candles, floral remembrance, special decorations, special services, and weddings. Other members coordinate acolytes, memorial and altar flowers, and serve as hostesses for Guild meetings three or four times a year. The officers serve as the executive committee, as well as on Guild committees. This is a unique opportunity to contribute to the worship services, support the pastors, connect the shut-ins/hospitalized members with the church, and become acquainted with other Guild members. Please contact Joanne Zelazny, 381-2106, Marty Garland, 235-6376, or Melody Guadagnino, 271-1050 x103, for more information. Reception Desk at 1050 Please consider volunteering to work as a receptionist in the church office. The hours are 9:00 a.m. -12:30 p.m. or 12:30 p.m.-4:00 p.m. You will answer the phone and the door and may be asked to do a variety of clerical tasks depending on the needs of the day. This is a unique way to enjoy the remarkable beauty of this historic house as you provide a helpful service to Asbury First. Please call Jeanne Ristau at 223-4356 or email This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it for more information. Library News September marks the start of school, church school, the 11:00 a.m. church service, and the Library News column. Books for all ages and on all topics can be found in the Church Resource Library. Take a look at the September book selections available in the library’s collection of books for children, young adults, and adults. The library is located just off the Gathering Space near the elevators. When the church is open, the library is open, and everyone is welcome! Children: If Jesus Came to My House by Joan G. Thomas First published in 1951 and newly illustrated, Thomas’s rhyming reflection on the place Jesus has in a young boy’s life provides inspiration and comfort to today’s readers. The narrator imagines greeting Jesus, a child “about the age that I am/and about the height of me,” at his front door. He describes how he would make Jesus feel at home, giving him a “comfy seat,” making him tea, and sharing his toys. The child realizes that Jesus will never come to visit, but comforts himself with the prospect of going to church to pray, sing, and worship. He takes to heart the timeless mandate from the Gospel of Matthew to do for the least of Jesus’ brothers what you would do for him. Painted in glowing jewel tones, McElrath-Eslick’s luminous illustrations mirror the old-fashioned charm of the text. She depicts Jesus as a barefoot boy dressed in shorts and a T-shirt and in the latter half of the book portrays the young narrator offering a cup of tea to a friend, giving his toys to less fortunate children, and taking a bouquet to an elderly woman. Youth: Teens Write Through It: Essays from Teens who have triumphed over trouble (305.23) by Fairview Press A collection of winning essays written by teens that relates their struggles in overcoming problems such as anorexia, racism, death, and sexual assaults. These honest and straightforward accounts present a heartbreaking picture of the realities that today’s youth face, and provide hope and inspiration for teens and adults alike. Adult: Eternal Life: A New Vision: Beyond Religion, Beyond Theism, Beyond Heaven and Hell (236.2) by John Shelby Spong Bishop John Shelby Spong, author of Jesus for the Non-Religious, Why Christianity Must Change or Die, Sins of Scripture, and many other books, is known for his controversial ideas and fighting for minority rights. In Eternal Life: A New Vision, the author details his spiritual journey of his lifelong struggle with the questions of God and death. He reveals how he came to a new conviction about eternal life. Spong argues that the discovery of the eternal can be found within each of us if we go deeply into ourselves, transcend our limits and become fully human. According to Spong, the pathway into God turns out to be both a pathway into ourselves and a doorway into eternal life. To Job’s question “If a man (or a woman) dies, will he (or she) live again?” he gives his answer as a ringing yes! Blood Brothers (956.94) by Elias Chacour , David Hazard, James Baker In Blood Brothers, Author Chacour blends his riveting life story with historical research to reveal a little-known side of the Arab-Israeli conflict and the birth of modern Israel. He touches on controversial questions such as “What behind-the-scenes politics touched off the turmoil in the Middle East?”, “What does Bible prophecy really have to say?”, and “Can bitter enemies ever be reconciled?” Originally published by Chosen Books in 1984 and now expanded with a new introduction by the author, a new foreword by former Secretary of State James A. Baker III, and a “since then” epilogue by writer David Hazard, this compelling book offers readers hope-filled insight into living at peace in the most volatile region of the world. Church library Adds Special Section of Books Read by the Asbury First Women on Wednesday More than 30 books on religion have been added this summer to the reading room of the Church Resource Library. These books were donated by Women on Wednesday (WOW) members from selections read and discussed by the group since their inception in 1989. Plans are to make these books that were used for reading and discussion by the WOW group available to Asbury First members through the lending services of the library. The WOW collection will serve as a resource to members of the reading group as well as to all church members. Regular additions will be made to the collection as they become available. Come take a look at this new collection and check out those of interest. LEARNING OPPORTUNITIES Sunday School Classes ALL ARE INVITED to participate in our Sunday morning adult classes which meet at 9:45 a.m. The fall season begins next week, September 12. Visitors are warmly welcomed to all classes! Topics for next week Sept. 12 include: Doublers: 1010 Red Rm.; Please join us. Friends: 1050 Main Office; please join us. Fifty Plus Fellowship: 1010 Dining Rm.; “Welcome Back Sunday” Ida Hickman. Growing Spirits: 1010 Rm. 21; Please join us. (meeting with Living Edge) Living Edge: 1010 Rm. 21; Please join us. (meeting with Growing Spirits). Partnership: 1010 Meditation Rm.; Please join us. Young Adults: 1050 Dining Rm.; Please join us. Music & Arts Ministries AFUMC Concert Series Begins Internationally-known organist Cherry Rhodes will launch the 2010-2011 concert series at Asbury First.The concert will be held in the AFUMC Sanctuary on Saturday, Sept. 25 at 8:00 p.m., and is co-sponsored by the Rochester chapter of the American Guild of Organists, WXXI, and Asbury First. Tickets are $10/$5 for full time students, and will be available at the church one hour before the performance. Ms. Rhodes is a world-renowned organist who was the first American ever to win an international organ competition; she has performed with orchestras and at music festivals throughout the United States and Europe; and teaches at the Thornton School of Music of the University of Southern California. Please join us for this opportunity to hear this extraordinary musician in the beautiful setting of our own Sanctuary. Sanctuary Choir William Weinert, director First rehearsal: Wednesday September 8, 7:30-9:00 p.m. in Wesley Hall. (Sanctuary Choir and Asbury Singers members are invited for this joint first appearance with brass choir on Together in Ministry Sunday, Sept. 12. Asbury Singers Brian Bohrer, director First rehearsal: annual fall retreat/read-through on Saturday, September 18, 9:00-11:00 a.m. in Wesley Hall. New members most welcome! First service: Sunday, September 19, 7:45 a.m. warm-up. (Please join with Sanctuary Choir as above on September 8 at 7:30 p.m. and September 12 for Together in Ministry Sunday. Asbury Ringers Elizabeth Church, director First rehearsal: Sunday, September 12, 5:00 - 7:30 p.m. in the Bell Room. Please bring a dish to pass for potluck dinner break. Asbury Orchestra Laurie Kennedy, director First rehearsal: Sunday, September 19, 8:45 a.m. in Wesley Hall. Additional rehearsals on September 19, September 26, October 3 and October 17 at 8:45 a.m. in Wesley Hall. Mens Choir Brian Bohrer, director First rehearsal: Sunday, October 3m 12:15-1:00 p.m. in Wesley Hall. Youth Choir Brian Bohrer, director First rehearsal: Sunday, November 28m 5:00-6:00 p.m. in Wesley Hall. Youth Bell Choir Brian Bohrer, director First rehearsal: Sunday, November 28, 4:00-5:00 p.m. in the Bell Room. Youth Musical “Suessical:” Larry Dugan, director Auditions: Tuesday, August 31, 6:00-9:00 p.m. in Fellowship Hall (email Brian Bohrer at This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it for more information). Children’s Choir Erik Koski, director Information forthcoming. Halleluia Kids Erik Koski, director Information forthcoming Children’s Bell Choir Erik Koski, director Information forthcoming.
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