Join us on Sunday, June 28th, in Hinton Hall following the 11:00 a.m. worship services as we celebrate the 250th anniversary of the independence of the United States. A meal will be provided by the church and the choir will lead patriotic music.

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 June is:

• Sunday, June 28th: Sunday Night Gathering at 5:30 p.m. in the Youth Center (“The Fish Tank”).
  

The Sunday Night Gathering schedule for July is:

• Sunday, July 5th: Sunday Night Gathering at 5:30 p.m. in the Youth Center (“The Fish Tank”);
• Sunday, July 12th: Sunday Night Gathering at 5:30 p.m. in the Youth Center (“The Fish Tank”);
• Sunday, July 19th: 2026 FIFA World Cup Final Watch Party. Time TBA in the Youth Center (“The Fish Tank”;
• Sunday, July 26th: Sunday Night Gathering at 5:30 p.m. in the Youth Center (“The Fish Tank”).

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

Over the last six years it has been a joy for our congregation to be part of the Summer Reading Camp at Seneca Street UMC in Buffalo, NY, by packing backpacks here in Duluth with school supplies for the children in Buffalo. After being shipped to Buffalo, backpacks are distributed to children at the end of the two-week camp for use in the upcoming school year. A portion of the backpacks will be processed as we have done in the past, while for the rest of the backpacks we will buy and collect school supplies and have a “packing party” for filling them with collected school supplies.

If you would like to pack a backpack with school supplies:

• Grades 1 – 8: Select one or more school supply cards to be used to buy supplies with. School supply cards will be available in the Veterans Memorial Gathering Room. Please return all school supplies by Sunday, July 5th. The packing party will be held on Saturday, July 11th, beginning at 10 a.m. in Hinton Hall, where you can come and fill backpacks with collected school supplies.
• Kindergarten and grades 9 – 12: Select an empty backpack which will include a school supplies list and note on the return process. Empty backpacks will be available in the Veterans Memorial Gathering Room. Shop for school supplies to fill it with and return completed backpacks no later than Sunday, July 12th.

This approach was very successful last year as it allowed a greater number of our members to participate in the ministry. Backpacks and school supplies can be left in the collection areas located on the Dorothy L. Rainey Fellowship Hall stage, and outside of room F145, located on the 1st floor of the Sheldon Family Life Center.

If you have any questions, please contact Charlie Doerlich by e-mail at chaz3d@gmail.com or 678-662-2215.  Thank you for your continued support of this important ministry.

Thank you for your outstanding Food Drive support during the Wednesday Night Dinners, as your weekly donations enabled Hands of Christ Duluth Duluth-Op to serve an increasing demand for food. However, during the Spring and Summer months, a slowdown in donations is experienced. Hands of Christ’s food inventory is at very low levels. It’s not a crisis but is something we need to be attentive of, as more individuals are being served than ever before.

Over 60% of the food distributed by Hands of Christ comes from donations. Their current need is based upon the increase in the number of clients served each week. On a typical week, over 125 clients are served, resulting in a weekly distribution of over 4000 pounds of canned and dry products.

Duluth First UMC will be holding a Food Drive for Hands of Christ Duluth Co-Op on Sunday, July 12th, during service hours for the donation of the following items:

• canned peas,
  
• canned fruit,
• canned tomatoes (diced, whole, stewed),
• spaghetti/pasta,
• jelly (plastic squeeze bottles are preferred).

There will be multiple locations around the Sanctuary and in the Sheldon Family Life Center to receive your food donations.

Thank you for your continued support of Hands of Christ Duluth Co-Op. If you have any questions, contact Charlie Doerlich by e-mail at chaz3d@gmail.com or call 678-662-2115.

The summer is too long to go without seeing our friends! Preschool-aged children, their siblings, and their grown-ups are invited to come play at the church on Monday, July 13th from 10:00 to 11:00 a.m. We will have popsicles for the kids and iced coffee for the grownups!

Join us on the playground if the weather is nice, and if it is raining or way too hot, we will be in the Dorothy L. Rainey Fellowship Hall. If you have any questions, please contact Rev. Dr. AnnaKate Rawles, Associate Pastor, by e-mail at arawles@duluthumc.org.

Be on the look out for other meet up opportunities this summer by following us on:

• Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/DuluthFirstUMC;
• Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/duluthfirstumc.