This winter we will be offering different groups online and in person. Each group is featured in this Group Source catalog which will give you a group description, dates and times, as well as leader, and contact information. But don’t worry, sign-up will be easy; simply use your Connection Card on Sunday morning or complete and submit the green form at the end of this catalog. I am excited about the way in which God is using this new system of doing small groups to ignite authentic life in Christ in the lives of those in our church and beyond. The Spirit is on the move at PUMC! See you in a group! (or two, or three…!) -- Pastor Tish
Please note: A sign-up form is given in the green shaded box at the end of the catalog information.
Connect with others and build spiritual friendships.
1. Membership Exploration – Scheduled as needed Interested in learning more about the ministries of PUMC? This is the ticket for you. Indicate your interest, and we will set up an appointment to meet with the pastor to learn about our commitment to prayer, presence, gift sharing, service, and witness. Those who do so are eligible for church membership, but joining is not required. Come explore membership with PUMC and its mission! Pastor Tish Bowman (pastortish@gmail.com) 517-994-8545
2. PLEASE NOTE: The March 19 event has also been canceled. Bunco Night - Saturday - January 15 & March 19 - 6:30 pm - Fellowship Hall Have you ever played Bunco? It’s a simple but fun dice game played in rounds, beginning with a bell, punctuated with cries of ‘Bunco!’, the passing of a cape and the awarding of prizes. Intrigued? (or possibly just bored on a wintery Saturday night)? Then join us for fun, snacks and prizes. It’s a great family night. Appropriate for ages 4 and up. Pastor Tish Bowman (pastortish@gmail.com) 517-994-8545
3. Please note the April 9 event has been canceled. Bingo Night - Saturday - February 19 & April 9 - 6:30 pm - Fellowship Hall Looking for a fun evening with friends? Here it is! Join us for fun and games and snacks. Pastor Tish Bowman (pastortish@gmail.com) 517-994-8545
4. Hymn Sing & Dessert - Saturday - May 7 - 6:30 pm - Fellowship Hall Love the hymns? Want to get together with a group to sing your favorites? Want to do so while enjoying a little something sweet? Come and invite a friend. Pastor Tish Bowman (pastortish@gmail.com) 517-994-8545
Grow in your relationship with God and in the character of Christ.
5. Monday Bible Group - Ongoing One-Year Bible Study - 4:00 pm - 5:00 pm - Church Lounge or Esther Room. Each day we read a passage of the Old Testament, the New Testament, Psalms, and Proverbs. We discuss our readings of the week with the group. A wonderful way to keep the Lord’s word in your daily life.
6. Wednesday Night Study Group - A Six-Week Study Beginning April 6 - 6:30 pm - Fellowship Hall Determined: Living Like Jesus in Every Moment. Live intentionally and embrace the abundant life! Do you drift through the day not appreciating the gift of every moment? It’s easy to do. Learn how to make the most of each day by following in the footsteps of Jesus—The One who lived with a joy-filled determination, laser-focused on his mission to love the world. Carol McLane (carolmclane0350@gmail.com) 517-526-3608
7. PLEASE NOTE: This event has been canceled. Leadership Ground School Saturdays - February 5 thru March 12 - 9 am to 11:30 am - Esther Room Did you ever play ‘Follow the Leader’ as a kid? It wouldn’t have worked without the leader, would it? The church is the same. The church needs leaders willing to follow Jesus by helping others to follow. While leaders are an essential part of the church structure, we don’t expect that everyone will know how to do it.
If you think God may be calling you to some form of leadership in the church (leading a class, a work team, a committee, a game night) or if you would like to expand your leadership skills, please join the Nominations and Lay Leadership Team for this intriguing 6-week course using the book Launching Leaders. Those who complete the course will be given follow-up mentoring and have the opportunity to discuss where they might best serve. Pastor Tish Bowman (pastortish@gmail.com) 517-994-8545
8. PLEASE NOTE: This event has also been canceled. Pastor's Study Group - Sundays - March 20 - May 1 (No class on April 17) - 6:30 pm - 8:00 pm - Esther Room / Zoom Could there be anything more to learn from the Sermon on the Mount?! Yes!!! Amy- Jill Levine is a Jewish New Testament scholar who brings a particular insight into the scriptures. We will use her book ‘Sermon on the Mount: A Beginners Guide to the Kingdom of Heaven’ to strengthen our resolve to live more faithfully this year. Pastor Tish Bowman (pastortish@gmail.com) 517-994-8545
10. Backpacks for Bellies - Meets 2nd and 4th Wednesdays This is a community endeavor to ensure local school children have enough to eat on weekends and when school is not in session. PUMC has given space for the storage of food items, as well as a place to sort and pack food items for Friday deliveries to the Portland schools. Michelle VanSlambrook 517-285-6518
11. 2nd Thursday Meals - January - April 2022 We deliver meals to our homebound friends. Asking for help to plan, cook, and/or deliver. It’s a wonderful way to share the love of Jesus in a concrete way. Sherry Miller (sherrymillersings@gmail.com) 517-285-0640 Linda Sandborn (lsandborn@hotmail.com) 517-899-9848
12. PUMC’s Prayer Team - Weekly Receive a weekly e-mail from our Prayer Chain coordinator with an update on how to pray for our church and with prayer requests from the congregation. Pastor Tish Bowman (pastortish@gmail.com) 517-994-8545
13. UMW - 1st Thursday of the Month - 10:00 am - Fellowship Hall The United Methodist Women (UMW) is a community of women whose purpose is to know God and help others know Him too!
This group is open to all women, and all women are invited. Two of the best benefits of our group are fun and friendship! Our focus is missions, especially local missions in our own community. We are all about helping others with meals, adopting a family at Christmastime, and helping children with payment for school lunches, to name a few. We also offer financial support to the Grand Rapids United Methodist Community House and to the needs in other countries through our UMW district. We like to come up with a new mission project every few months and are looking for new ways to help others. To financially help do these things, we have a few fundraisers during the year. Jan Mosser (jmosser62@gmail.com) 517-647-6458
14. Chicken BBQ - Monday - May 30 - 11:00 am - 2:00 pm - VFW Post 4090, 1324 E. Bridge Street, Portland, MI Proceeds will be split between PUMC and VFW. Contact Connie Almy if you are interested in helping. Connie Almy 616-443-9436
15. Media Team - Weekly - Year Round - 9:00 am service Have a good ear for music but don’t play an instrument or sing? How about running a sound board or the computer. Help with inputting the weekly service into the computer for projection. Help with picture-taking for events, services, programs & anything we can use for our web site and Facebook Page. Pastor Tish Bowman (pastortish@gmail.com) 517-994-8545
16. Worship Design Team - Various - Via Zoom Join our team of creative worship planners as we brainstorm sermon series themes, interactive elements, music and video ideas. Each person brings their own set of gifts to the table, and we are always looking for someone new to spur u son to better and better worship. Pastor Tish Bowman, (pastortish@gmail.com) 517-994-8545
Grow in your relationship with God and in the Character of Christ
17. SONIC Youth Group - January 9th - June 5th - 6:00 pm - 7:30 pm Who: Students in 6th through 12th grade What: A community of teens having fun and learning what it means to be a Christian today. Where: Thee Feldpausch home around the bonfire pit. 6316 Gibbs Rd. Portland, MI Additional Information: We will be starting out the semester with a Half Truths study. The Half Truths study wraps up at the end of February. Beth Feldpausch (bethbeckett@gmail.com) 989-640-5250
A place for children to learn about God and have fun while learning
18. Sunday School – Every Sunday - 9:00 am Ages 3 years - 5th Grade Mary Bresnahan (marybresnahan331@yahoo.com) 517-526-7571
Bring Your Group to the Table
Our Vision: Transforming lives, families, and our world through Jesus Christ.
Would you like to introduce a group to our church? Have an idea for something, but not sure how to go about it? We can help you get started with a new ministry for the love of Christ. It can be youth oriented, Christ oriented, Fellowship oriented, mission oriented, or learning oriented. Any theme that ensures we are reaching out for the good of Christ. Vickee Balser, Office Administrator (portlandmiumc@gmail.com)
You may register on the sign-up form below for any of the events in our catalog or email or phone the contact person listed with the event.