studies & small groups
DYING TO LIVE - ALDERSGATE FELLOWSHIP SUNDAY SCHOOL
Sundays | 9:30 - 10:00 AM in Wesley Hall
The cross is God's action to set right what has gone wrong in human life. Together we will discover God's power to transform our lives.
THE MESSAGE OF JESUS – MARVIN WILLARD SUNDAY SCHOOL
Sundays | 9:30 - 10:00 AM in Room 174
Consider together explore six of the most important themes in Jesus' teachings, why they matter.
EMBRACING THE UNCERTAIN: A Lenten Study for Unsteady Times
Sundays |9:30-10:30 AM in Room 303
Join together to wrestle with life’s uncertainties, not ignore them, while following Jesus in hope.
YOUNG ADULT GROUP
Sundays | 9:30 AM in the Atrium
Join with other young adults to discuss Nadia Bolz-Weber's book Accidental Saints.
BOOK STUDY: SACRED RESISTANCE
Sundays | 6:15 - 7:30 PM in Room 206
Consider together how Christians should respond when something is wrong in our world.
GIVE UP COMPLAINING FOR LENT
Mondays beginning March 10 | 7:00 - 8:00 PM in Room 206
Seek to give up complaining this Lent and turn that complaining-energy into action.
PASTORS’ BIBLE STUDY – PAUSE: Spending Lent with the Psalms
Wednesdays beginning March 12 | 7:00 - 8:30 PM in Room 103
Thursdays beginning March 13 | 10:30 - 12:00 NOON via Zoom Video Conferencing
Join Pastors Dave, Meghan, and Troy for this 6-week journey of taking up the spiritual practice of encountering, sinking into, and deeply engaging with one psalm each week.
UNDERSTANDING YOUR GRIEF
6 Sundays beginning March 16 | 3:30 PM in Room 174
Find support, fellowship and hope among others experiencing grief with leadership from Nancy Rivero and Barbara Feagin as they guide you through Dr. Alan Wolfelt’s book. Understanding Your Grief.
events
SISTERS IN SPIRIT WOMEN’S RETREAT – THE CUP OF OUR LIFE
March 28-30 | Williamsburg Christian Retreat Center, Toano
This retreat is for any woman seeking a more intimate and disciplined life of prayer. Using ordinary cups as an illustration you'll see how each day can become sacred vessels that connect us with life and bring us into closer union with the Divine. Together, you'll explore how the cup is a rich symbol of life, with its emptiness and fullness, its brokenness and flaws, and its overflowing blessings. Rev. Nancy Robinson, former Minister of Discipleship here at WUMC, will lead this retreat for women of all ages.
ANNUAL EASTER EGG HUNT
Saturday, April 19 |10:00 AM
Join us for a Messy Church Easter Egg Hunt! Come search the WUMC grounds for hundreds of Easter eggs before exploring the mysteries of Easter through games, crafts, music, and Bible stories. We'll close our time with a free lunch on the lawn!
Candy Donations
We invite you to donate candy (any type, but no nuts or peanut butter please!) to fill plastic eggs at our annual Easter Egg Hunt! The Egg Hunt is a great way to celebrate with our community through faith formation and Easter fun for families with young children. Donations can be dropped off in the “Easter Candy” bin in the Collection Closet located next to our Connection Corner desk, by the parking lot entrance, by April 10th.
2025 services
Wednesday, March 5 | 12:00 PM & 7:00 PM in the Sanctuary
Start off the Lenten Season with a reflective service that includes the imposition of ashes.
Tuesday, March 11 | 5:30 PM in the Atrium, Sanctuary, Fellowship Hall
We'll start the season of Lent together with a focus on journeying with Jesus through the ordinary things of life. After a brief skit, we'll move to a time of spiritual practice stations where your family will learn different ways you can connect with God over these 40 days of preparing for Easter. You'll learn new ways to pray, read, reflect, and praise—and you'll get materials to take home to use however your family feels called to grow in relationship with God and each other.
Tuesday, April 8 | 5:30 in the Atrium, Sanctuary, Fellowship Hall
We're trying something a little different this Spring Break week. Join us for a night around the table with family and friends as we encounter Jesus and his disciples while we share a meal. We'll sing, pray, listen, share, and celebrate Holy Communion together as we draw closer to Easter. So let's listen closely to how Jesus is inviting us to share our lives with him and each other as we share an evening together, around the table.
Sunday, April 13 | 8:15 & 11:00 AM
Music, song and dramatic readings will guide us in following in Jesus’ footsteps through the gates of Jerusalem, hearing shouts of acclaim, and into the silence of the olive grove at Gethsemane. We will witness his condemnation by Pilate and travel the city streets to the Cross on Golgotha. Finally, we will conclude with the silence of a tomb.
Thursday, April 17 | 6:00 PM
Join us in the Fellowship Hall for an interactive time that combines engaging craft and activity stations, a festive meal and worship, as we consider Jesus' supper in the Upper Room with his disciples. This is a great opportunity for children, Youth, and adults to share time together.
Friday, April 18
6:00 PM – A simple service of prayer and quiet.
7:00 PM – On Good Friday, Christ voices the cries of a world tempted by the perennial question: "God, why have you abandoned us?" We grieve and sit in the darkness of a world overcome with hate, injustice, and corruption of power, not seeking definitive answers but longing for one to emerge out of chaos. Join us for a service where the story of Christ's suffering meets us in the depths of our own through confession, music, contemplation, and silence.
Sunday, April 20
6:30 AM – Join us on the front lawn for our Sunrise outdoor service, where we will welcome the dawning light of Christ’s rising.
8:00 AM & 11:00 AM – Gather in the Sanctuary for the joy of Easter Sunday worship through dramatic readings, choral and orchestral music, preaching, prayer and song.
9:30 AM – We also welcome you to Easter Sunday worship on the front lawn! This service will also feature diverse and wonderful music, proclamation, prayer and praise.
4:45 PM - Come worship with us at The Table. Share in the Easter joy, a potluck meal and good conversation about wondrous hope.
As you come to Easter Sunday Services, we invite you to pause by the cross on our front lawn, say a short prayer, and add flowers to it. Purchased flowers or fresh flowers from your garden are welcome. Let’s make our cross bloom and proclaim in a visible way that Christ is risen!