Faith connections that come early often last a lifetime. In a world that is increasingly complex, demanding, and, frankly at times, very scary, it becomes more important to offer a truly safe sanctuary for not only our children, but for entire families – a place to worship, heal, learn and grow. At the Hicksville United Methodist Church, our tag line has often been “Grow in Faith with Us”. We believe in a Triune God – the Father, Son and Holy
Spirit. We observe the Sacraments of Holy Communion and Baptism. We are a Bible-based Church and offer many ways to develop a relationship with God and a faith community.
Our children and youth ministry ensures that every Sunday School classroom or youth meeting/event, has at least two trained adults. Every adult that works directly with children has cleared a criminal background check. Every week the Sunday School will focus on a different lesson plan from the “Grow, Proclaim, Serve (GPS)” curriculum. On Sunday mornings, during the 10:00 am worship time, following a brief time of family worship in the main sanctuary, all the students and their teachers will move to the classrooms on the second floor. There will be three 15 to 20-minute rotations every Sunday covering the a variety of areas such as art, music, science, story time (scripture reading and refection), drama, games or cooking, all developed for their grade level. We will use these different areas to teach a new bible lesson every week. Each week is independent so a student can miss one week and easily be able to join his/her classmates the following week. Friends and visitors are always welcome.
After class, all the students and teachers are brought together for a “Get Connected” moment, a brief prayer, hand out of any materials (please see the Hop on Home from early September on the reverse), with blessings for a great week and a safe return to Sunday School. Communion will be available on the first Sunday of every month.
There is never a fee for any class but we do encourage registration so we can obtain contact information (snow days do occasionally happen), send out birthday cards and find out about any special needs or allergies. Our students are placed into three groups:
Fishers: Pre-school to 2rd
Carpenters: 3th grade to 5th grade
Disciples: 6th to 8th grade
Our Senior High youths are an active part of our teaching and support staff and will have their own break out session after Sunday School is completed. The Senior High youths are always with our teaching staff. If you need more information or have any questions, please do call the Church office at 516-931-2626, or ask anyone with a name tag – they are our volunteer teaching staff. We thank God for the abundance He has placed in our lives and in our Church. We thank God for you! We hope we see you soon.
Yours in Christ,
Missy and Karen
Sunday School Co-superintendents
“May your unfailing love rest upon us, O Lord, even as we put our hope in you.”
(Psalm 33:22)
August 27, 2014
Dear Christian Friends,
I greet you in the name of our Lord and Savior, Jesus the Risen Christ!
Let me express my deep gratitude to all of you; it is my honor and privilege to be your servant/ leader. I believe that together we can do something bold for the kingdom of God right here in
Hicksville, throughout Long Island, and beyond.
Please know that it is my heartfelt desire to see HUMC growing as a vital, vibrant congregation. I spend many hours on my knees in prayer to God, seeking guidance and direction on how to lead the congregation in this changing world. It is very challenging to grow a church in these times, yet we must do everything we can not only to sustain HUMC, but to grow our church “for such a time as this.”
Over the summer, we have been worshipping together in one combined worship service beginning at 10:00 am. We also added a time of blended praise and worship starting at 9:45 am, which ushered in the Holy Spirit. The worship service was followed by fellowship in the social hall, which allowed us to spend time with our church family, for those who so desired.
Our goal is to continue to take bold steps in order to strengthen our Sunday worship experience, in an effort to grow our church for now and into the future.
With this goal in mind, and to continue our combined experience of fellowship in Christ, we will have two worship services on Sunday mornings – 8:00 am and 10:00 am. The early service will be more meditative, and the later service will continue the experience of our summer combined worship service, including praise and worship at 9:45 am. This schedule will continue to allow time for fellowship in the social hall after the second service.
“The apostles said to the Lord, ‘Increase our faith!’ He replied, ‘If you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mulberry tree, ‘Be uprooted and planted in the sea,’ and it will obey you.'” (Luke 17:5-6 NIV)
Faith is so vital to the Christian life that Scripture tells us, without faith it is impossible to please God (Hebrews 11:6). And yet faith is such a powerful gift from God (Ephesians 2:8-9) that with just a tiny measure of it, the size of a mustard seed, Christ told His disciples they could move mountains. So, what does it mean to have “mustard seed faith”?
Certainly, the statement about uprooting trees by faith is not to be taken literally. No one can do such thing, no matter how great their faith. But the key to understanding the passage is the nature of faith, which is a gift from God. The mustard seed is not the smallest seed known today, but it was the smallest seed used by Palestinian farmers and gardeners. Under favorable conditions the plant could reach ten feet in height. Therefore, the conclusion is that the amount of faith needed to do great things is very small indeed. You see, the mustard seed even though small, will eventually grow into a huge tree. So, too, does the tiniest bit of faith, when it is faith in God, grow to immense proportions in the lives of believers and spreading out to influence all those they come into contact with. Thus, the key is not to be consumed with how small our faith is in regards to other people’s faith; but intead is to have faith in God, and trust Him to increase our faith.
“Dear Lord, I come before You in faith, trusting in Your ability and willingness to hear and answer my prayers. And Lord, when my faith is not as strong as it should be; when my faith is shaken by life’s trials, please Lord, increase my faith. Amen. Pastor Marjorie
Jesus comforts and assures His disciples, and also us:
“Do not let your hearts be troubled. Believe in God, believe also in me. In my Father’s house there are many dwelling-places. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, so that where I am, there you may be also.” (John 14:1-3)
Following is a brief reflection titled, “What’s With the Fork?”
A woman was diagnosed with a terminal illness and had been given three months to live. As she was getting her things in order, she contacted her pastor and asked him to come to her house to discuss some of her final wishes.
She told him which songs she wanted sung at her funeral service, what Scriptures she would like read, and what outfit she wanted to be buried in. She requested to be buried with her favorite Bible.
As the pastor prepared to leave, the woman suddenly remembered something else. “There’s one more thing,” she said excitedly.
“What’s that?” said the pastor. “This is important,” the woman said. “I want to be buried with a fork in my right hand.” The pastor stood looking at the woman, not knowing quite what to say.
The woman explained. “In all my years of attending church socials and potluck dinners, when the dishes of the main course were being cleared, someone would inevitably lean over and say, ‘Keep your fork.’ It was my favorite part of the meal because I knew something better was coming-like velvety chocolate cake or deep-dish apple pie.
“So, when people see me in that casket with a fork in my hand and they ask, ‘What’s with the fork?’ I want you to tell them: ‘Keep your fork. The best is yet to come!'” (Alan Carr, Biblical Facts about a Place Called Heaven)
“Thomas said to him, ‘Lord, we do not know where you are going. How can we know the way?’ Jesus said to him, ‘I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” (John 14:5-6)
“Thank You Lord Jesus, that You have prepared a place for us; for those of us who believe in You as our Lord and Savior. Thank You Lord Jesus, that the best is yet to come with You. Amen.”
Pastor Marjorie
God Loves You, and Will Use You, Just the Way You Are!
“O Lord, you have searched me and known me. You know when I sit down and when I rise up; you discern my thoughts from far away. For it was you who formed my inward parts; you knit me together in my mother’s womb. I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Wonderful are your works; that I know very well.” (Psalm 139:1-2;13-14; NRSV)
I once read a story that beautifully illustrates the value of cracked pots: (God Uses Imperfect People Too!)
A water bearer in India had two large pots hanging at the ends of a pole that he carried across his neck. One of the pots was perfect and always delivered a full portion of water at the end of the long walk from the stream to the master’s house. The other pot had a crack in it, and by the time it reached its destination, it was only half full. Every day for two years the water bearer delivered only one and one-half pots of water to the master’s house. Of course, the perfect pot was proud of its accomplishments—perfect to the end for which it was made. The poor little cracked pot was ashamed of its imperfections and miserable that it could accomplish only half of what it had been designed to do. After two years of what the imperfect pot perceived to be a bitter failure, it spoke to the water bearer and said, “I am ashamed of myself, and I want to apologize to you.”
“Why?” asked the bearer, “What are you ashamed of?”
“Well, for these past two years, I have been able to deliver only half a load of water each day because this crack in my side allows water to leak out all the way back to the master’s house. Because of my flaws, you have to do all this work without getting the full value of your efforts,” the pot said.
The water bearer felt sorry for the old cracked pot, and in his compassion he said, “As we return to the master’s house, I want you to notice the beautiful flowers along the path.” Indeed, as they went up the hill, the old cracked pot noticed the beautiful wild flowers on the side of the path. But at the end of the trail, it still felt bad because half of its load had leaked out once again.
Then the bearer said to the pot, “Did you notice that there were flowers only on your side of the path and not on the other pot’s side? That’s because I’ve always known about your flaw and took advantage of it by planting flower seeds on your side of the path. Every day as we walked back from the stream, you watered those seeds, and for two years I have picked these beautiful flowers to decorate my master’s table. Without you being just what you are, he would not have had this beauty to grace his house.”
“Dear God, thank you for using me, “one of your cracked pots.” I give You my gifts and talents, and all that I am, to be used in service to You, dear Lord, and to others, as You see fit. Thank You, Lord, for looking beyond my faults and my imperfections, and for seeing my need and desire to be used by You. Most of all, thank You for loving me. Amen.” Pastor Marjorie!
