Come Worship With Us!
If Memorial Day is the official start of summer, then summer is here. It’s in the 80s and the outdoors is (or the air conditioner) calling many of us!
“But,” you ask, “what about church?”
Historically, summer has been a time when fewer people make church a priority in their weeks. But this year could be different. The pandemic, with its church building closures, has made many people aware of things they had taken for granted – and church is one of the things they specifically mention. They want to come back to church!
We do church fall, winter, spring and summer. We never disappear. Remember this from a recent post?
We are the church. As you can see from the pictures on page 2, church activities continue. Martie makes videos and sends packets to children. The youth and their leaders meet on Zoom. The Personal Needs Closet continues to serve our community. The Missions Ministry Team and the Board of Trustees still take their ministries seriously and do their part.
“But,” (maybe louder this time) “what about church?” As we have been through the spring, First Church will continue to record our worship services and post them online.
Find us by typing “facebook.com/wausaufumc” in Facebook’s search bar. Click the link or picture and you’ll be taken to First Church’s Youtube channel.
You can also find the service through First Church’s website (fumcwausau.org). Find the
“COVID-19 OUTBREAK” box. Click on the pic- ture and you’ll be taken to the latest worship ser- vice. You can also find past sermon recordings and manuscripts here!
Alternatively, you can go straight to First Church’s YouTube channel to find this Sun- day’s, or any of our recent, worship services.
Pastor Jayneann and the Staff Parish Relations Committee have been working diligently to deter- mine when in-person worship can happen. Bonnie Goertz, our Lay Leader and interim SPRC chair writes about this on page 3 of this newsletter.
This summer is one of transition, as Pastor Jayneann departs and Pastor Rebecca joins us.
While we will continue to post worship videos every week, on June 14th at 9 am, you are invited to join an al fresco (open-air) worship in the church court- yard as we bid farewell to Jayneann. We will pra tice social distancing. And masks are a must! We will also celebrate Holy Communion (BYOB!) You will need to bring your own chairs. You may also want a water bottle since we’ll be in the sun.
For those who are well and are comfortable doing so, it is a one-last-time to join with this pastor in worship.
This Farewell service is unique. Do not be concerned that First Church is starting back to the building too quickly. In the weeks following this farewell, the church will again worship only online and at home.
More window art facing parking lot on Fulton Street.
Caring Bridge
If you haven’t already been visiting
CaringBridge, to keep up with the latest posts about Claire, you will want to.
To visit Claire’s page, type “
caringbridge.org/visit/clairehornby” in the site address line in your browser. Press Enter. You’ll be taken right to her page. Once there you can click “Follow” and you’ll get an email notification when Kirsten posts a new entry.Sunday
UM's and Holy Communion
The United Methodist Church recognizes two sacraments, baptism and communion. These two acts have a special place in the church because Jesus commanded them and participated in them. Through the years, Christians have used other sacramental acts to draw closer to God. While we do not recognize these others as sacraments, we participate in many of them.
The Lord’s Supper, Holy Communion, and the Eucharist are all names for this sacrament celebrated by United Methodists. Each of these names highlights an aspect of this act of worship.
According to This Holy Mystery, The United Methodist Church’s official document on communion, “The Lord’s Supper reminds us that Jesus Christ is the host and that we participate at Christ’s invitation.… The term Holy Communion invites us to focus on the selfgiving of the Holy God which makes the sacrament an occasion of grace, and on the holiness of our communion with God and one another.… Eucharist, from the Greek word for thanksgiving, reminds us that the sacrament is thanksgiving to God for the gifts of creation and salvation.”
Who can assist the pastor in communion?
Communion is one of the responsibilities and duties of a pastor. The pastor may "train deacons and lay members to serve the consecrated communion elements.” During worship "lay persons as well as other clergy may assist the pastor in giving the bread and cup.”
This Holy Mystery explains, "The Communion elements are consecrated and consumed in the context of the gathered congregation. The Table may be extended, in a timely manner, to include those unable to attend because of age, illness, or similar conditions. Laypeople may distribute the consecrated elements in the congregation and extend them to members who are unavoidably absent…."
Do United Methodists believe the communion elements actually become the body and blood of Christ?
This Holy Mystery says, “The Christian church has struggled through the centuries to understand just how Christ is present in the Eucharist. Arguments and divisions have occurred over the matter. The Wesleyan tradition affirms the reality of Christ's presence, although it does not claim to be able to explain it fully.… Our tradition asserts the real, personal, living presence of Jesus Christ. For United Methodists, the Lord's Supper is anchored in the life of the historical Jesus of Nazareth, but is not primarily a remembrance or memorial. We do not embrace the medieval doctrine of transubstantiation, though we do believe that the elements are essential tangible means through which God works. We understand the divine presence in temporal and relational terms.”
Why do we serve grape juice instead of wine for Holy Communion?
In the history of the church, wine has been the normal drink. In the 19th century, Methodists and other denominations were persuaded that unfermented juice was an important witness to the grace of God and of the churches’ resistance to the abuses of alcohol. The United Methodist Book of Worship explains, "Although the historic and ecumenical Christian practice has been to use wine, the use of unfermented grape juice by The United Methodist Church and its predecessors since the late nineteenth century expresses pastoral concern for recovering alcoholics, enables the participation of children and youth, and supports the church's witness of abstinence.
Can children take communion?
In The United Methodist Church, children are welcome to receive communion. Our Book of Worship explains, "All who intend to lead a Christian life, together with their children, are invited to receive the bread and cup.”
May a person who has not been baptized participate in Holy Communion?
Yes, our church does not seek to close God's Table, although the historic and normal order of the sacraments is baptism first – as birth into the family – and communion following, as continuing nurture at the family table.
Why Bother with Choirs?
Singing in Choir...
Provides a healthy creative and artistic balance to heavily data-based education.
Is therapeutic, giving singers the chance to momentarily put aside their other pressures and concerns.
Is an effective vehicle for developing faith using music and church history.
Develops poise under pressure.
Teaches the value of teamwork.
Develops young people’s sense of culture and sophistication by adding beauty and aesthetic depth to worship.
Teaches the value of careful preparation in reaching goals.
Teaches a sense of responsibility and setting priorities.
Provides the foundation for a lifetime enjoyment of music.
Gives members a sense of pride and self-worth by showing singers that their individual leadership, demeanor and discipline make a significant to the success of the group
Sunday Worship Times
8:00 a.m Morning Chapel
10:00 a.m Worship in the Sanctuary
With Holy Communion on the 1st Sunday of the month. As United Methodists, we practice Open Communion. All who are seeking God are welcome at Christ’s table.
Worship services have temporarily moved online. Live Worship will reconvene based upon the direction from the Marathon County Health Department, Wisconsin Department of Health, and/or CDC. Please stay safe.
It is important to take care of ourselves right now. If you do have needs that require the pastor or other staff members, please call the church office (715) 842-2201 and someone will get back to you as soon as possible.
Please watch and share our Virtual Online Services by clicking the link provided on our Home Page or by clicking on either of the links below.
Links to download each week's Order of Worship, Sermon and News and Updates from Pastor Jayneann are provided on our Home Page also.
Your Offering...
You can give by going to wisconsinumc.org.
Click “Donate to Your Local Church” then scroll to the bottom to find “Wausau: First UMC.” It’ll take 2 minutes to create a profile, then you’re set to give.
Not sure how to access First Church’s Facebook page?
- Open the browser on your computer—Chrome, Firefox, Edge, Safari... 

- In the Address Bar at the lop of the window, type in “facebook.com/wausaufumc” then press ENTER.
- Scroll down to look around. You’ll probably find a link to the latest worship service or devotional as well as other useful or simply fun notices.
- If you haven’t already “liked” our webpage, this might be a good time to do so. Then you can receive messages when something new is posted.
Having trouble accessing First Church’s website?
- Open the browser on your computer— Chrome, Firefox, Edge, Safari...
- In the Address Bar at the lop of the window, type in “fumcwausau.org” then press ENTER.
- This is the “homepage” to the First Church website. Notice the list (called a “ribbon”) on the left side. You can click on anything there to explore what else Jon Goertz has included.
- f you scroll down on the homepage, you will see a big box entitled, “COVID-19 OUTBREAK.” In that box, you’ll also find a link to the latest worship service or devotional. (Click on the picture.)
Follow FUMC Wausau on YouTube
If you the hit the "SUBSCRIBE" button in the upper right corner you will be notified when new videos are posted.
Growing Generous Givers. It’s another part of the MCCI resourcing initiative. What we do is look at First Church’s ways and talk about how we do things that encourage (or discourage) people from being active and involved in church, and about ways we can teach people to practice the kind of generosity that we are called to model in our lives as Christ-followers.)
Beginning this year, we are holding “Family Worship” times during the 10 a.m. worship service on 5th Sundays (which generally happen quarterly).
Wait, you say, we already have family worship! What makes this different? Yes, we have families - oldsters, youngsters and in-betweeners in worship.
On 5th Sundays, we will have some of each of these participate in the service leadership (and not only in ushering and greeting). We will have more family friendly songs, scriptures and sermon (shorter, too). And we will encourage families to worship with their youngsters who usually play in the nursery. Afterward everyone’s invited to gather for juice (okay, coffee, too), snacks and conversation in the Parlor, as usual.
