MidWeek Christian Connection
First Church of Bakersfield
Starting this Sunday, Sunday-morning childcare will meet in the Narthex Family Room instead of the Children’s Center & Nursery.
This change will help us keep families near and together on Sundays!
New: Articles Feature Optional Narration
Dear Church Family,
In my sermon before leaving for England, we examined how Jesus sent out seventy of his followers, two by two, into the towns and villages he was planning to visit. He told his disciples, "Whatever house you enter, first say, 'Peace be to this house!' And if a son of peace is there, your peace will rest upon him."
What does it mean to be a "house of peace" or a "son of peace"? The Greek word used here is eirene, which means so much more than the absence of conflict. It speaks of a deep sense of well-being—a life that is settled, calm, and free from overwhelming troubles and anxieties. Jesus was sending his disciples to find people who were receptive to this profound peace and to establish a base of operations within their homes.
And what were they to do in that house of peace? Jesus commanded them: "Heal the sick." Again, the original language gives us a richer understanding. The word for "heal" is where we get our word "therapy," and the word for "sick" can also mean weak or helpless. Jesus wasn't just commissioning them for physical miracles; He was calling them to offer spiritual and emotional therapy to those who felt weak, lost, and helpless in the world.
This is the vision Jesus has for His Church. We are called to be a "House of Peace" in the midst of a world that is anything but peaceful. We are meant to be a community where anxious and troubled hearts can find rest. We are called to be a place of healing—a source of spiritual therapy where the weak are made strong, the helpless find support, and the lost are welcomed home.
Jesus told them, "The harvest is truly great, but the laborers are few." The world is filled with people yearning for something missing, seeking a better way, and looking for a community of friends where they can be truly heard. The harvest is plentiful. The question Jesus asks each of us is, how can I be a laborer in that harvest?
Here at First Church, we want to be intentional about being those laborers and extending that invitation. That is why I am so excited to invite you to be a part of Alpha. It is the perfect, non-threatening way to invite someone who is curious about faith. As we prepare to launch our first Alpha course this September, I am asking you to do two things.
First, pray.
Second, consider participating. You don't have to have all the answers; you just need a willingness to be a friend.
Let us answer the call of our Lord. Together, let's make our church the House of Peace Jesus calls it to be.
What an amazing summer we've had in Growing in Faith Together! We began June with a memorable celebration of the Ascension through our homing pigeon release, followed by the church's birthday party on Pentecost, complete with red decorations in the Narthex. Father's Day brought us together to explore "God's Toolbox" and discover the different gifts we each possess.
The heart of our summer has been our journey through the Fruits of the Spirit. Since late June, our children have been diving deep into what it means to live out these spiritual qualities in their daily lives:
August continues our Fruits of the Spirit journey with some exciting developments! We'll explore Faithfulness and the importance of keeping our promises, followed by lessons on Gentleness and Self Control. The month will culminate with hands-on activities including a group exploration of "A Tree and its Fruit" and a special Labor Day weekend video project where we'll create 3-D crafts representing all the Fruits of the Spirit we've learned about.
As we prepare for a new school year, everyone is invited to a special time of prayer & commissioning during worship. We will pray for:
Whether you have school‑age children or not, you are warmly invited to participate in this traditional moment of blessing & community support.
It's time to start preparing for one of our most beloved annual events, previously known as the Harvest Bazaar!
Highlights from the 2025 Cal-Nevada Annual Conference
Just a couple weeks ago, our church’s own Pastor Jason Thornton, Pastor Brian Mark, Diane Carothers, and Melinda Edwards traveled north to Sacramento to represent Bakersfield First UMC at the 2025 Cal-Nevada Annual Conference. This yearly gathering brings together United Methodists from across our vast California/Nevada region for a time of worship, legislation, and fellowship.
Our delegates returned with hearts full of gratitude and a renewed sense of purpose. The experience was a powerful reminder of the scale, diversity, and collaborative spirit of the United Methodist denomination.
The theme of the conference was a challenge to move outward.
Diane Carothers paraphrased keynote speaker Stephanie Moore Hand (of North Carolina) as having passionately declared, "Everybody knows the church is not the building, it's the people inside. But we need to get out," urging active ministry to our neighbors and city, especially to the marginalized.
This vision was echoed by our Bishop Olewine. Meeting her for the first time was encouraging for our delegation. They described her as enthusiastic, with a great sense of humor that immediately put everyone at ease. Her opening sermon set a wonderfully positive tone for the entire event, and her guidance to the conference was simple but profound: "We need to thrive."
One of the most moving moments of the conference was the Ordination and Commissioning service on Sunday. As hundreds of current Elders entered into the hall in their robes, the sheer number of dedicated servants was a great sight. "Just seeing how many Methodists there are was really comforting," shared Diane.
We celebrated the ordination of five new Elders and two Deacons. In a special moment for our church family, Darrell Arnold, our former youth minister and son-in-law of members Matt and Shannon Brady, was commissioned to begin his journey toward becoming an Elder. We send our heartfelt congratulations to Darrell as he also moves to a new appointment at St. Paul's UMC in Stockton.
Closer to home, there were twenty-two newly recognized Pastors in our Central Valley District, including Bakersfield Wesley UMC. We were thrilled that Pastor Jason Thornton was reappointed to serve another year with us at First United Methodist Church!
The conference wasn't just about inspiration; it was about practical action. In workshops focused on climate and environmental topics, our delegates explored ways our church can be a better steward of God's creation. Melinda Edwards was particularly inspired by the idea of creating a "green team" and "rewilding" parts of our church grounds.
By replacing water-hungry grass with beautiful, drought-resistant native plants, we can conserve precious water, lower our costs, and create a more sustainable campus for all to enjoy. She’s also interested in the possibility of gardening plots - though this is still in the exploratory stages. Stay tuned for more on this exciting initiative!
From beginning to end, the conference was a testament to the strength of our connection. It was a joy to worship and fellowship with a diverse group of Methodists, including our neighbors from Wesley, Taft, and Tehachapi, with whom our group shared a wonderful dinner.
This spirit of community was especially felt among our own traveling party. Our delegates were so grateful for the incredible hospitality shown by our pastors.
The group also shared some laughs, particularly when their "short walk" to the conference center turned into a longer-than-expected adventure. As Melinda and Diane jokingly recounted, their feet were aching, but "towards the end, Jason was being very kind. He'd leave early and he'd go back and get the car and then come pick us up!" These small, fun moments perfectly captured the group's caring and collaborative spirit.
Both Melinda and Diane felt that the annual conference was an experience that ought to be known to many at First Church, and it might be a great idea to invite a few new people each year! Over time many people may be able to personally visit the conference and bring that experience back to Bakersfield.
The conference left our team with a renewed spirit and a clear, hopeful message summed up by a pin they all received: "Love boldly, serve joyfully, and lead courageously." It’s a message we can all take to heart as we continue our mission together. We invite you to share in the renewed energy of our delegates as we seek to thrive – right here at home.
Our church kitchen volunteers work tirelessly to serve our congregation. To help support their important ministry, we're collecting donations of kitchen hand towels for our church kitchen.
Do you have spare or gently used kitchen towels at home? We'd love to put them to good use! Whether you have one towel or a dozen, every donation helps our volunteers maintain a clean and efficient workspace while they serve others.
Come play on Wednesdays at 9:30AM in Room 6!
🎵 The Choir Returns
Our choir is wrapping up their summer break. Here are the key dates:
We can't wait to have the choir back after a well‑deserved break!
"Therefore encourage one another and build each other up, just as in fact you are doing."
1 Thessalonians 5:11
This first edition of Between Sundays shares much with the monthly edition of The Spirit, but going forward this will become a mid‑week digital release with new types of content, such as an outline of each previous Sunday’s sermon and week-to-week highlights that may be too numerous or time-sensitive to find a way into a monthly print.
As we move ahead, The Spirit will showcase the best content that’s been released digitally through Between Sundays in the prior weeks. It will remain a core part of our chuch communications and freely available.
Between Sunday’s rapid midweek release schedule will help us step into social media, where frequent yet smaller releases do best, while also spreading The Spirit’s authorship through the month.
This first release is larger than normal to "catch up" with The Spirit, and the differences will show more clearly next week!
Next week will include a Women’s Retreat recap, photos from the Family Night at Tarzan, and more!