Students in the 6th through 12th grades are invited to join us on Sunday nights for Sunday Night Gatherings from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. in the Youth Center (“The Fish Tank”), located on the 1st floor of the Sheldon Family Life Center. Sunday Night Gatherings include great dinners, fun games, amazing worship, inspirational and relevant messages and life-changing small groups.

The Sunday Night Gathering schedule for March is:

• Sunday, March 22nd: Sunday Night Gathering at 5:30 p.m. in the Youth Center (“The Fish Tank”);
• Sunday, March 29th: Sunday Night Gathering at 5:30 p.m. in the Youth Center (“The Fish Tank”).

Please click on YOUTH MINISTRY for more information.

Questions? Please contact Rev. Min Lee, Director of Youth Ministries, by e-mail at mlee@duluthumc.org.

We are actively recruiting new members to the Flowers Ministry, a fun ministry which creates beautiful floral arrangements used to adorn the worship spaces in the Sanctuary and Hinton Hall for Sunday morning worship services. A training workshop will be held in April where you will have the opportunity learn how to make beautiful arrangements that will be placed in the Sanctuary and Hinton Hall to add beauty to our worship spaces.

If you are interested in being part of our Flowers Ministry, please contact Verena Lucía Anders, Minister of Music & Worship Arts, by e-mail at vanders@duluthumc.org or speak with James Dykes.

The Road Runners invite you to join them as they re-launch on Tuesday, March 24th, and travel to Cartersville to visit the Booth Western Art Museum. The group will leave the church’s front parking lot at 9:00 a.m.  The cost is $35 per person and includes entry into the museum and transportation via a 15-person van (please see notes below). The cost of lunch will be on your own.

PLEASE NOTE:

• In order to attend you must be able to get in and out of a 15-passenger van and be healthy enough to travel several hours by car.
• We must have a minimum of 12 people to sign up in order to rent a van, otherwise travel will be via caravan.
  

To register please click on BOOTH WESTERN ART MUSEUM, or cantact Rev. Dr. AnnaKate Rawles by e-mail at arawles@duluthumc.org. All registrations must be received by Tuesday, March 10th.

Our Food Ministry staff, along with our amazing Dinner Belles and Beaus volunteers, prepare excellent meals at very reasonable prices. Enjoy fellowship around the table with family and friends.

The menu for Wednesday, March 25th, is pork loin, creamed corn, Brussels sprouts, carrots, rolls, and dessert. For the kids – hot dogs and French fries. Dinner service hours are 5 to 6:30 p.m., with to-go boxes available from 6 to 6:30 p.m.

The prices for Wednesday Night Dinners are:

• $10.00 for adults (including seniors and from 11 years up);
• $7.00 for children 10 years and younger;
• $30.00 for family meals (nuclear family members only – husband, wife, and their children under 18 years);
• $7.00 for salad bar only, which includes the salad bar, a choice of baked potato or sweet potato, dessert and a drink.
  

Credit/debit card payments, as well as cash and checks, are accepted. Menus are subject to change.

Join us on Wednesday evenings at Duluth First UMC for the following activities - we have something for all ages!

• Wednesday Night Dinner: 5:00 to 6:30 p.m. in Hinton Hall, 2nd floor of the Sheldon Family Life Center;
• Book Bunch for kids (ages 3 – 4): 6:15 to 6:30 p.m. in The Louise McDaniel Memorial Library, 2nd floor of the Sheldon Family Life Center;
• DuluthKids (ages Kindergarten through 5th grade): 5:45 to 7 p.m. in the Dorothy L. Rainey Fellowship Hall;
• Youth Bible Study (grades 6 – 12): 6 to 7 p.m. in room F149, 1st floor of the Sheldon Family Life Center;
• Parent Connection Group: 6 to 7 p.m., room F207, 2nd floor of the Sheldon Family Life Center;
• “The History and Archaeology of the Bible” Class for Adults: 6:00 to 7:30 p.m. in room F145, 1st floor of the Sheldon Family Life Center;
• Yarn Art Ministry: 6 to 7 p.m. in room F205, 2nd floor of the Sheldon Family Life Center;
• Happy Sacks: 6 to 6:15 p.m. in room F152, 1st floor of the Sheldon Family Life Center;
• Handbell Ensemble Rehearsal: 6 to 7 p.m. in the Sanctuary;
• Wednesday Night Food Drive: 5:00 to 7:00 p.m. outside of the main entrance to Hinton Hall, 2nd floor of the Sheldon Family Life Center;
• Chancel Choir Rehearsal: 7 to 8:30 p.m. in the Don Lee Music Suite.

The Wednesday Night Food Drive at Duluth First UMC for the Hands of Christ Duluth Co-Op is our weekly mission project, combined with the many Wednesday evening activities offered at the church.

Items needed during the month of March are:

• March 25th: canned fruit.

Items needed during the month of April are:

• April 1st: spaghetti or pasta

A table for donated items will be located outside of the main entrance to Hinton Hall.

Join us for a delicious dinner and fellowship in Hinton Hall, pick up a to-go dinner for your family, join us for any of our Wednesday evening activities, and drop off food items to help other families in need. We thank you for your support.

Hello!

The season of Lent is underway, and we are excited to kick off our Lenten Devotional Series as we explore what it means to draw near to God. 

Every Wednesday during Lent, we will post a short devotional video by one of our students on our Youth Ministry's YouTube channel. We would love for you to journey with us by watching and sharing these videos with others! Also, please hit the subscribe button to get notifications whenever we post new content on our YouTube channel. 

We hope you enjoy the videos, and thank you for journeying with us during this Lenten season!

Have a blessed day!

March 18, 2026 (week #4): Sarah Johnson

Please Note: There was no video for week #3.

March 4, 2026 (week #2): Caleb Ballantine

February 25, 2026 (week #1): Chase Parrish

On Saturday, March 28th, our church’s Missions Ministry and Children’s Ministry will be hosting an Easter Egg Hunt and Easter lunch for families of Rainbow Village and those families served by the Duluth Care Team of Duluth High School, Collins Hill Care Team of Collins Hill High School, and Hands of Christ Duluth Co-op. The Easter Egg Hunt will begin promptly at 11:30 a.m., followed by lunch. We need your help in creating a special, memory-filled day for these families.

Help is needed for the Easter lunch in the following areas:

• Setting up, cleaning and resetting Hinton Hall;
• Serving food and drinks;
• Bringing in foods, deserts, and drinks;
• Greeters and hospitality folks.
  

Please click on EASTER LUNCH VOLUNTEER to sign-up to volunteer for the Easter lunch, or to sign up to bring food for the lunch. You can volunteer for however much time you can, or you can join us for the entire event. Additional information will be made available as we continue our preparations for an awesome day of celebration and fellowship with our community.

If you would like to volunteer, bring food, or have any questions or would like to head up a team, please contact Rev. David Burchett by e-mail at dburchett@duluthumc.org. Thank you for your support!

Children of all ages are invited to join a special Easter Egg Hunt event being held at the church on Saturday, March 28th, promptly at 11:30 a.m. We will meet in the Dorothy L. Rainey Fellowship Hall. Please be sure to bring your own Easter basket.

The Worship Committee invites you to remember or honor a loved one with a lily on Easter. The lilies will be used to adorn the Sanctuary and Hinton Hall on Easter Sunday, April 5th. The cost per plant is $20. You may pick up your lily/lilies following the Easter morning service you attend. Printed copies of the Easter Lily Remembrance/Honor listings will be available at the Contemporary Worship and Traditional Worship services on Easter morning.
 
All proceeds go to Seeds of Hope, whose funds are used to help meet the needs of God’s people living in Duluth and Suwanee--often strangers, widows, orphans, homeless, those who are lost, and those who are without hope--who come to Duluth First United Methodist Church seeking assistance. In 2025 the number of assistance requests through Seeds of Hope was much higher than in past years. If you would like to contribute extra above/beyond the cost of your lily/lilies, we thank you for your additional support of Seeds of Hope.
 
You can place your order for lilies online with a credit/debit card payments. To order online please click on EASTER LILY ONLINE ORDER. NOTE: Please do not use any of the church’s other online giving forms to place your Easter lily order.
 
If you wish to pay by check or cash, order forms will be available:

• At the Welcome/Information Centers;
• Online for download by clicking on EASTER LILY;
• Available in the Sunday Orders of Worship for all services on March 15th, 22nd, and 29th.

Please place your form/forms, along with a check made payable to Duluth First United Methodist Church and marked Easter Lilies in the memo section, in the Church Staff Drop Box located in the Atrium, or send it to Duluth First United Methodist Church, Attn. Ken Willi, 3208 Duluth Hwy. 120, Duluth, GA 30096. NOTE: All orders must be received by Sunday, March 29th, at 5:00 p.m.

Our Food Ministry staff, along with our amazing Dinner Belles and Beaus volunteers, prepare excellent meals at very reasonable prices. Enjoy fellowship around the table with family and friends.

The menu for Wednesday, April 1st, is lemon pepper chicken, rice pilaf, asparagus, broccoli slaw, rolls, and dessert. For the kids – chicken tenders and French fries. Dinner service hours are 5 to 6:30 p.m., with to-go boxes available from 6 to 6:30 p.m.

The prices for Wednesday Night Dinners are:

• $10.00 for adults (including seniors and from 11 years up);
• $7.00 for children 10 years and younger;
• $30.00 for family meals (nuclear family members only – husband, wife, and their children under 18 years);
• $7.00 for salad bar only, which includes the salad bar, a choice of baked potato or sweet potato, dessert and a drink.
  

Credit/debit card payments, as well as cash and checks, are accepted. Menus are subject to change.

Make plans to join us for a Good Friday service on Friday, April 3rd, beginning at 7:00 p.m. in the Sanctuary. Our Good Friday service will include a Passion narrative with musical reflections. It will be a contemplative service offering an opportunity for deep and personal prayer. 

It is a wonderful service to bring a neighbor or a friend. Childcare, for ages newborn through Pre-Kindergarten, will be available in Childcare Corner during the worship service. The service will be live-streamed on the Duluth First UMC Worship channel on YouTube.

Sunrise Service with Communion: 7:00 a.m. in front of the church
Join us Easter morning at 7:00 a.m. in front of the main entrance to the Sanctuary for our Easter Sunrise Service with Communion. This service includes singing, prayers, devotion, and Holy Communion. The 7:00 a.m. Sunrise service will be live-streamed on the Duluth First UMC Worship channel on YouTube.

PLEASE NOTE: We will not be holding our 8:30 a.m. Traditional Worship service on Easter morning. Please make plans to join us at the 7:00 Sunrise Service and/or at either of the 11:00 a.m. Contemporary Worship or Traditional Worship services.

Easter Morning Fellowship: 9:30 to 10:45 a.m. in the Dorothy L. Rainey Fellowship Hall
Join us on Easter morning for a time of fellowship from 9:30 to 10:45 a.m. in the Dorothy L. Rainey Fellowship Hall. All ages are welcome! Pastries and coffee will be available.

Contemporary Worship Service with Communion: 11:00 a.m. in Hinton Hall
The worship band, technical team, prayer team and pastor will be energized and ready to join with you in the celebration of the resurrection of Jesus Christ. The 11:00 a.m. Contemporary Worship service in Hinton Hall, located in the Sheldon Family Life Center, will be live-streamed on the Duluth First UMC Contemporary Worship page on Facebook.

Traditional Worship Service with Communion: 11:00 a.m. in the Sanctuary
At the Traditional Worship service in the Sanctuary, the music will be as glorious as the day deserves with the choir lifting praises to God, ending with our annual Easter acclamation, Handel’s Hallelujah! The 11:00 a.m. Traditional Worship service will be live-streamed on the Duluth First UMC Worship channel on YouTube.

PLEASE NOTE:  Childcare, for ages newborn through Pre-Kindergarten, will be available in Childcare Corner for all worship services, and during the 9:30 to 10:30 a.m. Sunday School hour.

The Worship Committee invites you to bring fresh flowers from your home to adorn the resurrection crosses that will be located outside of the Sanctuary and inside Hinton Hall on Easter morning, April 5th.

The Library Book Club will meet on Monday, April 13th, at 10:00 a.m. in room F145, located on the 1st floor of the Sheldon Family Life Center, to discuss Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet by Jamie Ford.

Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet is set in 1986. Henry Lee joins a crowd outside the Panama Hotel, once the gateway to Seattle’s Japantown. It has been boarded up for decades, but now the new owner has discovered the belongings of Japanese families who were sent to internment camps during World War II.

As the owner displays and unfurls a Japanese parasol, Henry, a Chinese American, remembers a young Japanese American girl from his childhood in the 1940s—Keiko Okabe, with whom he forged a bond of friendship and innocent love that transcended the prejudices of their Old World ancestors. After Keiko and her family were evacuated to the internment camps, she and Henry could only hope that their promise to each other would be kept.

Now, forty years later, Henry explores the hotel’s basement for the Okabe family’s belongings and for a long-lost object whose value he cannot even begin to measure. His search will take him on a journey to revisit the sacrifices he has made for family, for love, for country.

If you work during the day and would like to find an opportunity to serve in your community, the Missions Ministry has the day for you. If you would like a chance to serve in your community with your children, we’ve got just the day for you too! Join us on Saturday, April 18th, as we will be serving at the Hands of Christ Duluth Co-Op from 9 a.m. to noon. The Duluth Co-Op is located at 3649 Rogers Bridge Road in Duluth.

If you would like to be a part of this day, please click on HANDS OF CHRIST and sign up. We can’t wait to see you there!

All are invited to attend an interactive seminar on brain health and the power of gratitude, being held at Duluth First UMC on Saturday, April 18th, from 9:00 a.m. to noon in the Dorothy L. Rainey Fellowship Hall. Join us and our friends at Senior Provisions as we explore how to keep our minds sharp. 

The main topics of discussion will include:

• Brain Health: Warning Signs of Cognitive Decline and Prevention. We will discuss the top 10 warning signs of memory loss or cognitive decline, and learn to recognize when it might be time to get a baseline. There are real things you can do daily to help reduce brain aging and maximize your thinking capacity.
• Power of Gratitude: The Impact of Gratitude on Aging. God created us with an internal system that works in beautiful balance. When we endure increases in stress due to change and circumstances, our bodies get out of balance. We will look at depression in aging and the physical impact on body and mind. We will explore how God defines gratitude and how putting it into practice not only is a biblical precedent, but serves to improve our overall health and well-being. You will learn practical ways to implement thankfulness in your community.
  

Snacks will be provided, and we invite you to make a donation to offset supply costs. To register and request childcare if needed, please contact Rev. Dr. AnnaKate Rawles by e-mail at arawles@duluthumc.org, or call 770-476-3776, ext. 128, by Wednesday, April 1st.

Parents of Christian Beginnings Preschool & Kindergarten kids are invited to a Parents Coffee Get-Together, with coffee provided by Break Coffee Roasters, on Tuesday, May 12th. Come hang out together beginning at 9:45 a.m. and enjoy a hot cup of coffee in the cul-da-sac area outside of the church offices located on the 1st floor of the Sheldon Family Life Center.

We thank Break Coffee Roasters, with locations at 3122 Hill Street NW in Duluth and 235 N. Perry Street in Lawrenceville, for providing the coffee.

Mark your calendars and save the date for “Rainforest Falls: Exploring the Nature of God” Vacation Bible School. Registration is underway for the 2026 Vacation Bible School, being held Monday, June 22nd through Friday, June 26th, at Duluth First United Methodist Church. Vacation Bible School, held from 9 a.m. to noon each day, is for kids going into pre-Kindergarten (age 4 as of September 1st) through rising 6th graders. The cost is $30 per child with a maximum of $70 per family. Each day participants will participate in Bible story time, sing songs, play games, make crafts, and eat snacks.

In addition to registering participants, we are also registering adult and youth volunteers. We especially need shepherds, who are adult volunteers in charge of a group of 6-10 kids. Shepherds do not need to prepare anything in advance. They lead their group to the various activities where other volunteers are in charge. If you would like to help but are only available one or two days that week, you can put your available dates on your registration. We often need substitute shepherds. Also, the Childcare Corner is available for the children of volunteers if you have a child who is not old enough to be a participant.

Everyone who registers by May 24th is guaranteed a VBS t-shirt and copy of the music. All Vacation Bible School participant registration forms, as well as volunteer forms, are available by clicking on VACATION BIBLE SCHOOL 2026.

For more information, please contact Leslie Yokeley, Director of Children’s Ministries, by e-mail at lyokeley@duluthumc.org, or call 770-476-3776, ext. 138.

It is time for summer camp registration at Glisson Camp and Retreat Center! Registration for Summer 2026 is open for members of North Georgia United Methodist churches and returning families of Summer 2025 campers.

Glisson Camp and Retreat Center offers Summer Camp in the forests surrounding Cane Creek Falls near Dahlonega, GA. Since 1925, this place has become holy ground as thousands have had their faith strengthened through God’s presence there in creation and Christian community. Glisson Camp and Retreat Center is part of the North Georgia Camp & Retreat Ministries of the United Methodist Church’s North Georgia Conference. To see the schedule and/or register, as well as view promotional materials/videos, please go to https://glisson.org.