Author Archive: Curt Christiansen
Backpack Buddies for the New School Year Begins August 18
According to Feeding America’s website, twenty-two million children receive free or reduced-price meals through the National School Lunch Program and the National School Breakfast Program. For many of these children, school meals may be the only meals they eat. As a result, fifteen or so years ago, Feeding America started their BackPack Program to help make […]
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Ordinary Time? No Way
The season after Pentecost, is the season known as Ordinary Time in the United Methodist Church. The word ordinary, according to the dictionary means with no special or distinctive features; normal. So does that mean that there is nothing special going on at Sterling UMC this summer? There is nothing distinctive? Everything is just normal? Actually […]
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2019 Local Missions Week
Sterling UMC will once again host a week of local missions work focusing on serving those in our local Sterling and Loudoun community. The opportunities to serve will occur the week of July 8 through July 13. The Sterling United Methodist Church has supported our local seniors with luncheons over many years and starting with […]
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Sterling UMC Annual Yard Sale
For many years now Sterling UMC has held an Annual Yard Sale to support our worldwide missions teams and our local missions efforts such as Backpack Buddies and GRACE Ministries’ monthly food and clothing distributions. Over the years the “yard” has gotten much larger as the annual sale has taken on Event status with shoppers […]
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Eastertide: The Season Continues
When everything was dark and it seemed that the sun would never shine again, your love broke through. Your love was too strong, too wide, too deep for death to hold. The sparks cast by your love dance and spread and burst forth with resurrection light. Gracious God, We praise you for the light of […]
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Sound The Alarm in Sterling
Last month the American Red Cross launched a program known as Sound the Alarm which is a home fire safety effort with a goal to install 100,000 free smoke alarms across the country. “Smoke alarms cut the risk of dying in a home fire by half,” said Gail McGovern, President and CEO of the American […]
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Holy Week at SUMC
“Rejoice greatly, O Daughter of Zion! Shout, Daughter of Jerusalem! See your king comes to you, righteous and having salvation, gently and riding on a donkey…” (Zechariah 9:9) The greatest time of the Christian year, the week that includes the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, begins on Palm Sunday. On that day, the Sunday […]
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Lent Sermon Series
He was not rich or educated, but was familiar with hard work. He was quick-tempered and impetuous, but possessed a passion that would change the world. He left everything to follow his teacher, yet struggled with doubt and fear. (from Simon Peter, by Adam Hamilton) Simon Peter was thirty years old, married, and had three […]
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Response From Pastor Steve Regarding the Special Session of the General Council
Dear Sterling United Methodist Church Family, On Tuesday, the 2019 Special Session of the General Conference of the United Methodist Church voted to adopt the Traditional Plan, which makes no changes to the church’s position on human sexuality. This decision affirms and strengthens the position that United Methodist Clergy do not officiate at same-sex weddings […]
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Sterling United Methodist Players to Perform “Godspell”
The Sterling United Methodist Church Players will present the musical “Godspell” on March 1, 2, and 3! This performance is a production of the 2012 revised version of the original 1971 musical composed by Stephen Schwartz. Godspell follows the story of Jesus Christ as he forms a community of lovable disciples, who teach lessons through […]
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Super Sunday at Sterling UMC
This Sunday, the New England Patriots will square off against the Los Angeles Rams in Superbowl LIII at 6:30 EST. However, the Superbowl isn’t the only exciting thing happening on Sunday! The Sterling United Methodist Women will have their annual Super Bowl Pancake Breakfast from 8 AM until 12:30 PM in the church’s Gallihugh Fellowship […]
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Summer Mission Opportunities!
Sterling United Methodist Church has announced two Summer Mission Trips for this year and applications are now available! The first trip is scheduled for July 7-12 heading to the UMCOR (United Methodist Committee on Relief) Sager Brown Depot in Baldwin, Louisiana. The UMCOR Sager Brown Depot is the hub of UMCOR’s relief-supply operations. Each year, […]
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God’s Messy Family: A New Year Sermon Series
In his book, God’s Messy Family: Finding Your Place When Life Isn’t Perfect, author and pastor Jacob Armstrong takes a look at our faith lineage by focusing specifically on the messy family dynamics found in the Book of Genesis. By looking at the life stories of Abraham and Sarah, and their direct descendants – we […]
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King Street Bluegrass to Perform at Sterling UMC
Speaking about bluegrass music, bluegrass pioneer Bill Monroe once characterized the genre as: “Scottish bagpipes and ole-time fiddlin’. It’s Methodist and Holiness and Baptist. It’s blues and jazz, and it has a high lonesome sound.” Bluegrass music is referred to as a form of American roots music, an offshoot of country music that was inspired by mainly […]
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Teddy Bear Brigade
“Right now there are children in poverty who have never had a toy. There are children who have survived a natural disaster who need a friend.” (from the GFTW.org website) What difference can a stuffed animal make? When a disaster strikes and the relief efforts have provided food, water, medicine, and shelter, what about the […]
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Re-Imagine Your Discipleship Journey
By Vincent Williams, Director of Discipleship Fall’s programs are now in full-gear at Sterling UMC. Our adult discipleship and fellowship opportunities have all re-launched this week with our Growing Deeper at Ten small groups on Sundays and our newly reimagined Wednesday Night Fellowship starting tomorrow September 12. This time of the year offers us all […]
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Fall Kick Off!
The kick-off celebration Sunday at Sterling UMC has finally arrived and this Sunday, September 9 we will present our new adult and young adult Bible studies, the Deep Blue Kids Sunday School, new sessions for our youth and youth group, and new opportunities to serve. And at noon, we will celebrate with a “Fall Fiesta” […]
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SUMC Youth, Reaching New Heights
“Your love has given me great joy and encouragement, because you, brother, have refreshed the hearts of the Lord’s people” – Philemon 1:7 The Sterling UMC Youth Program has been in a period of transition for the past year or so, but now we are getting ready to launch a new program to reach youth […]
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Welcoming Our New Staff Members
This is the time of the year when the church staff is fully engaged in planning, developing, promoting, practicing, implementing, and praying over the new programs that will begin in the next couple of weeks. Along with the lay leadership who have also invested a great deal of time and energy, everyone is working towards […]
Continue ReadingOur Senior Activity Group Has a Busy Summer Planned
(Updated August 23) Here is a brief update of the Senior Activity Group’s schedule for the upcoming months: Sunday, August 26 will be the SAG Monthly Meeting from 3 PM to 5 PM at the church. The program will be “Live Wildlife Encounters – Birds of Prey” and the speaker Liz Dennison who will […]
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