Read Pastor Steve’s Sermon: In case you missed it, I preached yesterday on love and obeying God’s commandments. You can read it here.

St. Pauly Textile Shed
On Wednesday, we will have a shed delivered to the church from an organization called St. Pauly Textile. It will be a collection place for used textiles (anything from shirts and pants to purses and blankets). They collect these items and distribute them all over the world to organizations and businesses that need it. In addition to the good cause, we will receive a portion of their proceeds which we’ve been told can be anywhere between $1000-$2000/year. We are also allowed to go into the shed and take anything we need that might benefit the community (think coats or sleeping bags for the homeless). The trustees voted on this initiative with the understanding that if it degrades our church property in any kind of way or becomes more work than it is worth, we can ask the company to come get their shed. So, this week we will begin a trial period to see how it goes. I, for one, am excited to what God does with this new partnership.

VBS is Coming: May 31 – June 1 
Get your hard hats ready! This year’s theme is Concrete and Cranes. We will gather Friday, May 31st, 5:30pm – 8:30pm and Saturday, June 1st, 8:30am – 12:00pm. A 2-Day VBS experience at Pleasant View UMC. Free for children ages 3 to upcoming 5th grade. Your kids will explore a world of concrete and cranes, rivets and rebar, bulldozers and backhoes. Life is a hard hat zone. But wait ’til you see what God will do! Together we will build lifelong friendships and faith-powered by prayer, inspired crafts, meaningful music, yummy food, crazy games, and Biblical exploration. To register click here.

VBS Wish List
Click this link. It will take you to an Amazon wish list that our VBS team has set up for people to donate needed items to make our VBS a great one!

Silent Auction: May 18th (9:00am – 5:00pm)
In the Fellowship Hall. We will be giving away a 65″ TV as a door prize (you do not have to donate to win). Please see Trina Chance for more information. 

55 & Alive: Thursday
Our 55 & Alive crew will be dining at Ruby Tuesdays in Clarksville on Thursday. Meet at the church at 10:30am!

General Conference Recap
The United Methodist Church has produced a really helpful video that recaps last week’s General Conference. You can watch it by clicking here. Again, if there is anything you would like to discuss about the decisions made at GC, please don’t hesitate to come see me. My office is a safe place to discuss and pray, wherever you are at with the direction of the denomination.

Save the Dates
May 9th – 55 & Alive
May 18th – PVUMC Silent Auction
May 19th – Pentecost Sunday
May 23rd – Bunco
May 31 – June 1 – VBS

Grace to you and peace in the name of Jesus Christ. I am reaching out to all of you after what was one of the more consequential General Conference days in our denomination’s history. After so much fighting and chaos in our denomination these last couple of years, it was incredible to witness unity and civility in a gathering that is usually full of contention and razor thin margins.

I invite you all to read our bishop’s reflections on the day: https://bishopbillmcalilly.com/2024/05/01/general-conference-decisions/

I want to assure you all that if you have any reservations or concerns or just want to process some of things you are hearing in the news or seeing on social media, my office is always open and it is a safe space for you to discern God’s will no matter what you are feeling.

To be clear, after this General Conference, NOTHING will be different about our mission and work here at PVUMC. We are still committed to studying scripture and wrestling with God’s Word. We are still committed to forming our hearts, minds, and souls into the image of Jesus Christ. We are still committed to serving the needs of our community with God’s loving kindness. I believe in a church that can not only hold space for people on all sides of the political/theological spectrum but is more whole and representative of the Kingdom of Heaven when it does.

This Sunday, will be a Communion Sunday. The Lord’s Table is an open table for anyone desiring right relationship with God and God’s people. It is not my table or your table or anyone else’s table, it is God’s table and all who gather there will find oneness in Jesus Christ. I look forward to sharing in that gift with all of you on Sunday morning.

You matter to me.

Pastor Steve

I am still glowing at how well the Yard Sale went. We raised over $2800 for our General Fund, which is somewhere between 10-15% of our projected budget shortfall for the year. Thank you to Dawn Brading for chairing the event. Thank you to the Prayer Shawl ladies for leading the bake sale. Thank you to the our team working the kitchen making delicious breakfast goodies. Thank you to everyone who donated and thank you to everyone who worked the event and represented our church so well to the community. Thank you to the cleanup crew and thanks Goodwill for taking all our leftovers. My heart is so full!

Read Pastor Steve’s Sermon: In case you missed it, you can read my sermon on choosing love and forgiveness over resentment. Read it here.

Fuel Bagging: This Sunday (after church)
Come and spend a little time packing Fuel bags for Cheatham County children. After church we will gather in the Fellowship Hall to serve and put our love into action. All ages and visitors welcome, don’t miss it!

VBS is Coming: May 31 – June 1
Get your hard hats ready! This year’s theme is Concrete and Cranes. We will gather Friday, May 31st, 5:30pm – 8:30pm and Saturday, June 1st, 8:30am – 12:00pm. A 2-Day VBS experience at Pleasant View UMC. Free for children ages 3 to Upcoming 5th grade. Your kids will explore a world of concrete and cranes, rivets and rebar, bulldozers and backhoes. Life is a hard hat zone. But wait ’til you see what God will do! Together we will build lifelong friendships and faith-powered by prayer, inspired crafts, meaningful music, yummy food, crazy games, and Biblical exploration. To register click here.

Silent Auction: May 18th (9:00am – 5:00pm)
In the Fellowship Hall. We will be giving away a 65″ TV as a door prize (you do not have to donate to win). Please see Trina Chance for more information. 

General Conference Info
Our every four year denominational meeting is continuing this week. This is the postponed 2020 General Conference finally happening. Our conference’s delegates are reporting far more positivity and unity than typical General Conferences in the past and it fills my heart full of hope for the United Methodist Church.

Here is a helpful infograph to understand more about it. If you have any questions about General Conference feel free to reach out to me.

Save the Dates
May 5th – Fuel Bagging (after church)
May 9th – 55 & Alive
May 18th – PVUMC Silent Auction
May 19th – Pentecost Sunday
May 23rd – Bunco
May 31 – June 1 – VBS