NWhat an exciting August it has been! We started our school year together with our church picnic, full of BBQ, bounce-houses, and more cakes than you could eat. We kicked off our ROOT345 and UTH programming, with nearly 100 students gathered for scavenger hunts around the church and throughout downtown Newnan. We started a rhythm of weekly Wednesday Night Fellowship, and we hard the joyful noise of choirs of all ages singing (and ringing!) together for the first time this academic year. Our team completed a successful international trip to Guatemala, and an inspiring group of volunteers has planned out older adult ministry outings for the entire fall season. God is doing wonderful things here at Newnan First UMC.
In September, we welcome Rev. Andrew Chappell back from his paternity leave as we begin a series on the Nicene Creed together in worship. We are excited to have him return, and also excited to have Annie as a joyful addition to their family! Some other things to note for September:
• New Members Class - Are you a member who has recently joined or someone interested in learning more about membership? Join us for a two-part series during the Sunday School hour 9/7 and 9/14. Sign up below.
• Preschool consignment sale is September 19th-20th. Come support our NFUMC Preschool through buying good quality used kids clothing, toys, and furniture at a great price!
• #ServeCoweta is Saturday, September 20, from 9AM to Noon. Sign up at our website (newnanfumc.org/events) and we will all meet together that day at Newnan Utilities Park.
Be in prayer for our church as we discern budgets for 2026 in September, and be praying that we continue to keep our eyes and hearts open to how God’s Spirit is moving in our midst during this season.
Grace and Peace, Rev. Connor Bell
Lisa Dempsey
Interim Associate Pastor
ldempsey@NewnanFUMC.org
770.598.5066
Fall 2025 Study Topics
Ihope the women of the church will join our Wednesday study this Fall for a fresh look at the Book of Acts!
• Read: the dynamic story of the birth of the church as we know it today.
• Engage: in the history, take time to inductively study together, by reading, reflecting, seeking touch points that engage us.
• Discern: the meanings it may have held when written, and then let the Living Word of God come alive as we sit into today’s meanings.
Life application is made as we conclude each week, being intentional about what we will take away with us from each gathering. Bring your Bible and join us beginning September 3, either at 10-11:30am or 6:30-8:00pm in the Annex Hall. Email me for questions about the morning study, or Kelly Stephens (kellyfstephens@gmail.com) with questions about the evening study.
*NOTE: It has been recognized that we have difficulty in hearing clearly in the Annex Hall. The Trustees are working diligently to address the sound issues. We are thankful for this progress!
ADULT SUNDAY S L
Polly Crowley The Life of Peter by Derek W. H. Thomas (60+)
Friendship
WEEKDAY BIBLE STUDIES
WEDNESDAYS
10:00 AM | Annex Hall | Returns Sept. 3
“The Top Ten Lists For Christians” by James W. Moore
Henry Kitchens Journey Through the Bible vol.5 1 KingsEsther The Shepherds Revelations
Agape
Insights To Love as God Loves by Roberta Bondi (All Ages) (All Ages) (50s-90s) (65+)
Studying Esther in Sept & Oct
Open Hands
Nicene Creed
(Young Adults)
Abide Guardrails series by Andy Stanley
Life in the Spirit Spiritual gifts
(30s & 40s)
(All Ages) (50+)
Bereavement Committee
Please let us know if you can assist and we will add you to our list. Please contact either Lee Berry at lee@leeberry.com or Sandra Johnson at sandyj1227@att.net.
WOMEN’S MORNING BIBLE STUDY BREAKING BREAD
Fall 2025 study: The book of Acts. Bring your Bible! Our lesson is 10-11:30am, with an optional social time starting at 9:30am.
WEDNESDAYS 3rd MONDAYS
Noon | Gathering Room (Main Bldg)
Bring your own lunch for weekly discussion of the upcoming Sunday’s scripture lesson
WEDNESDAYS 1st & 3rd TUESDAYS
WOMEN’S EVENING BIBLE STUDY
6:30 PM | Annex Hall | Returns Sept. 3
Fall 2025 study: The book of Acts. Bring your Bible! Join us for breakfast, prayer and bible study.
MEN’S PRAYER BREAKFAST
MARTHA CIRCLE
8:30 AM | Gathering Room | Returns Sept. 2 9:45 AM | Main 200 | Returns Sept. 15
Studying “What Happens Next” by Max Lucado. All are welcome, contact the Church Office for information.
Bereavement Committee
The Bereavement Committee wants to thank everyone who has participated in this vital ministry of the church. Many of you have assisted by providing food, serving at the receptions, and praying for us as we serve our church families in their time of need. Would you like to help when you’re available? For receptions, we usually ask for help at the reception and/or people to make finger foods such as small sandwiches, cookies, or other food that can be handled without silverware.
Recently, we provided receptions for the famlies of Rich Rye and Mason Awbrey. Thank you to everyone who provided assitance!
If you’d like to assist, contact Lee Berry at lee@leeberry.com or Sandra Johnson at sandyj1227@att.net.
Susan Mitchell
Preschool Director
smitchell@NewnanFUMC.org
770.253.1237
We have wrapped up our summer camps and are excited for the upcoming school year to begin! Welcome back to all our preschool families! We are so excited to welcome our wonderful students and families to a new year at NFUMC. As we begin this exciting journey together, we are reminded of God’s love and guidance in all that we do. Our days will be filled with joyful learning, laughter, and growth as we explore, discover, and create! We look forward to partnering with each family to help our little ones grow in faith, friendship, and knowledge. Here’s to a blessed and joyful school year ahead!
We are also gearing up for our Fall consignment sale! Our fall sale dates are Friday and Saturday September 19th and 20th. Please tell a friend and come shop with us!
Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go. - Joshua 1:9
We have fully kicked off the new school year and with that there are exciting things happening in the Children’s Ministry! We had a wonderful Back to School and Church Picnic! We had a fun and exciting Promotion Sunday recognizing teachers, students, and blessing backpacks to help everyone remember that we never have to be afraid that God is not with us. We are so excited about the things that are happening this fall. Come to Sunday School! We have a great time while we build that foundation of faith! If you have a 3 year old, we have the best time learning about scripture and having fun activities and crafts while we get that exposure to the Bible! ROOT345 is back in action! If you have a 3rd, 4th, or 5th grader, you will want to join the fun on Sunday evenings. If you have questions about how to get plugged into any of our programs, please email me astuart@newnanfumc.org.
The next several weeks are going to be great for 4 year old to 2nd Grade in Sunday School. We are going to wrap up August and move into September learning about people in the Bible that were called to use their gifts. We will be looking at the “Spies of Canaan” and moving towards others. It will be an action packed Fall as we learn the stories in the Bible, do fun activities, and make super fun (and cute) crafts! In our older Sunday school class they are continuing to travel down Route 66, and diving into the fun and exciting lessons in the Bible. They are touching on all 66 books! They will be embarking into the Book of Psalms and Proverbs in September. So don’t miss the fun!
In Wiggle and Worship and Children’s Worship we are having a blast exploring the scripture. We get to do games, activities, interactive lessons, and crafts! During the 11am service our younger kids have fun in the Wiggle and Worship Class (2 and 3 year olds in the Preschool) and Children’s Worship (4 years old to 2nd grade). We will be focusing on all the amazing gifts we receive from God. We will continue to talk about receiving and giving God’s love to all those around us. Wiggle and Worship is in the nursery in the lower level of the Parish Hall in the Preschool. Children’s Worship is on the Children’s Floor. Children’s Worship is released from the Main Sanctuary in the Big Church. You can pick your children up upstairs on the Children’s Floor! We play, pray, and praise.
ROOT345 started back August 1, and we will dive into being “overwhelmed.” The beginning of the school year can be a time of excitement but also a time of fear. We are going to talk about stressing less. We will explore ways of handling times when we feel “over it.” We will be running to God, literally and in scripture. We are so excited to talk about all the ways we can put our trust in God and overcome the fears that we have in life. ROOT meets on the Children’s Floor on Sunday evenings, from 6 to 7:45. We have dinner together and then go into our lessons. Our lessons are packed full of games and activities. If you have a 3rd, 4th, or 5th grade child, we would love to have them join the fun!
Paul Mosley
Youth Director
pmosley@NewnanFUMC.org
770.253.7400 (x219)
School started back for most of our students on August 1 (which is just way to early!), and our students have been going nonstop since then. We had a fabulous start at Bite Nite, our photo scavenger hunt across downtown Newnan, where we had over 70 students join in the fun. We also launched our first series of the school year called Close Friends. You can read more about that series below! Finally we started meeting at 7:00 am on Wednesday mornings for Biscuits and Bibles, a devotional before school in the middle of their week. All of this on top of school, choir, and extracurriculars. We are so thankful to be part of these students’ lives!
As all the busyness of the school year picks up, we want to encourage our students and parents to continue making UTH and church a priority. Our hope is that our youth group is a space where students can be themselves and really dive into their faith and some awesome friendships, and to do that, their attendance and participation is vital. When preparing for the school year, one of our UTH Shepherds shared that UTH was a place where students could unashamedly be their authentic selves and ask the questions they are really struggling with or even just curious about. That is something that is so precious to our students, and we don’t want anyone to miss out on the goodness! Our goal is to walk alongside families as they do this thing called life, being an advocate for families and the values that they are working hard to instill in their children. We thank you for the opportunity to do that and rely on your continued prayers and support!
New Series: Close Friends - Friendship is a huge part of life, especially as a student. Whether it’s figuring out where you fit in, deciding who really has your back, or navigating the complexities of changing relationships—friendships shape our school experience in big ways. And whether you have 50 friends or a few, one thing is universally true, your friends will play a key part in your journey. So join us as we dive into building and maintaining healthy, lasting, and meaningful friendships through our series “Close Friends.”
Confirmation - We are preparing for the 2025-2026 Confirmation Class to get started this September, and need to collect information about who will be participating this year. We are so excited for this milestone in each of these student’s lives! Once you fill out the information, we will follow up with each of you then. Confirmation starts September 7th.
Uth RETREAT
6th-12 graders are invited for a weekend of fun and fellowship! Worship sessions throughout the weekend will dive into the Word, looking at essentials of our faith We’ll also have a blast at the waterpark!
th Cost is $325 for travel, 2 nights at GWL, 3 days at the waterpark, and all meals Can register with deposit October 17, 5:00pmOctober 19, 1:00pm
We’re so happy to have our children and youth back in rehearsals and filling the halls with music again - it’s a joy to see their energy and excitement return after the summer!
Plans are already underway for our upcoming Youth Choir Tour, and you should be seeing our Sponsor-a-Day calendar fundraiser launching to help support the trip. Here’s how it works: our youth choir members have a calendar with each day of the month numbered 1–30. Supporters can “sponsor” a day by donating the dollar amount that matches that date (for example, $5 on the 5th, $20 on the 20th, and so on). You can choose one or multiple days, and every gift goes directly toward travel, lodging, and ministry opportunities for our youth. It’s a fun and simple way to help us fill the calendar and reach our goal!
In lieu of fruit, we’re also excited to introduce a brand-new fundraiser this year - Butter Braids! These are delicious, hand-braided pastries that come frozen and ready to bake fresh at home. They’re available in a variety of flavors (like apple, cinnamon, strawberry & cream cheese, and more) and are perfect for family breakfasts, holidays, or anytime you want a special treat. Alongside the Butter Braids, we’ll have several cookie dough flavors to offer with those sales starting next month - so get your freezer space ready! Sales start on October 19th with delivery the first Saturday in December, just like the fruit sale.
We also have other choirs coming back for rehearsal this month: Inspirations, our treble ensemble, will resume on Monday, September 8th at 5:45p.m., and Celebration Singers will resume on Tuesday, September 9th at 9:30a.m. In order to accommodate some travel schedules, Joybells, our adult handbell ensemble, will be delaying their start until October 6th. We can’t wait for the wonderful music these groups will bring to worship in the coming months. If you are interested in participating in any of these choirs, please don’t hesitate to reach out to me.
I am also excited to announce a new singing opportunity coming up in October - The Gathering Choir! This will be a special opportunity for anyone who enjoys lifting their voice in worship - but might not be in a season of life where regular choir participation is possible. We hope you’ll consider joining us for a one-weekend choir experience that brings people together to sing, worship, and make a joyful noise for Christ - without the long-term commitment. We’ll rehearse on Saturday, October 25th from 10:00am–2:00pm (UGA has a bye that weekend), and then share what we’ve prepared in the 11:00am worship service on Sunday, October 26th. Whether you’re a seasoned singer or simply someone who loves to sing in the car or pew - you are welcome. No experience needed, just a willing heart! We will be providing lunch and child care that day. Please sign up at the QR code provided.
Soli Deo Gloria, Caitie
MYOU ARE a Mission Team Member!
Where Will You Serve?
HOW TO VOLUNTEER FOR MISSIONS
Contact Peter Sheren peterandivonne@gmail.com, Lee Berry lee@leeberry.com, OR the Church Office churchoffice@newnanfumc.org
issions is starting an exciting new outreach program with an official launch date of November 30. It is called the Art Ministry Outreach (AMO) and is an art gallery that will be housed in the Annex Hall. The AMO is a new way for our church to extend a hand of Christian fellowship to our members and local community by sharing religious-based art. A working committee has been formed and details are being finalized. More news will follow as we move closer to the opening date. Stay Tuned!
ERT Leader Training | September 14 | 12:30-5pm - The ERT is looking for people ready to lead when we head out for disaster response missions. Those interested must have completed Basic ERT training already. Contact Ted Burnett, theoburnett61@gmail.com.
#ServeCoweta | September 20 - We encourage you to sign up for this one-day event as we serve our community! Teams are assigned in Coweta county to help various homeowners in need with minor home repairs and lawn care. You can sign up through the River Life website, which is linked on the events page of our website, and select the group Newnan FUMC.
One Roof Donations | September 21 - Please see the list below and note that you can donate cash for us to purchase perishable items. Due to low donations in the summer WE NEED TO FILL THE PANTRY! Please help us feed our neighbors!
Munchkin Masquerade | October 31 - This is a free event for children to show off their costumes and get their candy in a safe encironment. NFUMC will be passing out hundreds of bags of candy along with information about our upcoming events and Advent. Help will be needed to stuff the bags of candy!
Rise Against Hunger | November 16 - There are volunteer opportunities for ALL members, all ages, all abilities! This church-wide event is a great way to lead us into Thanksgiving and the Advent season. More details will be in the October Shepherd.
--Mission Guatemala 2025 Recap--
On Saturday, August 1, our team of ten traveled to Guatemala. A three-hour flight was followed by a five-hour drive took us into the mountains and western lake region. Our team was housed at the Mission Guatemala River House. We enjoyed staying in apartments, and having a dining room that served many tasty meals featuring local cuisine. Our 2025 community service project was to refurbish, clean, and paint the interior of an elementary school dining hall and kitchen. We also orchestrated two craft and sing-a-long sessions with more than 80 of the school children. It was great fun learning Jesus Loves Me in Spanish! After four days of work we enjoyed a day of cultural tours, sightseeing, and shopping around beautiful Lake Atitlan. We returned home August 23, filled with joy after having done “All the Good.” Please take a moment to enjoy some of our photos included on the next page!
VIsit the website (QR) for the most up-todate events schedule and all the sign-up links.
In The Life of Our Church
Extending our Christian Sympathies
Mason Awbrey
February 6, 1931 - August 4, 2025
Pictured to the right are lay delegates and clergy for Newnan First UMC attending the NGUMC Annual Conference. Back Row (left-toright) James Shepherd, Rev. Andrew Chappell, Rev. Connor Bell. Front Row (left-to-right) Lee Berry, Connie Psathas, Carol Crook.
Annual Conference Recap
Carol Crook, SPRC
Although I am a longtime Methodist, this was my first time to attend an Annual Conference, and what a learning curve I had ahead of me! And what a conglomeration of the Saints! It was exciting to see among the 1800 delegates attending a variety of colors, backgrounds and life experiences gathered under the same roof to conduct the work of the church. I learned more about what our church is doing beyond the local congregation level. The committee reports updated us on United Methodist colleges and scholarships to those institutions, the Missions ministry in our conference, and the work of various other committees that operate yearround to enhance our outreach efforts. The high collection rate of apportionments in the North Georgia Conference allows us to expand the work of the church as well as offer support to our local congregations.
Although we did do some work, the worship services were an important part of the Conference. We celebrated retirements, commissioned and ordained new clergy, and held a memorial service to recognize the service of those we have lost. At the closing service, we recognized 100 years of Camp Glisson and Retreat Ministry which has impacted the lives of so many people.
Among the highlights and actions of the session, we:
• Received the first full One Georgia Task Force Report and offered a blessing to the committee to continue the study of potential unification (visit www.georgiaumc.org regularly for updates and information.)
• Adopted a 2026 budget of $10,493,931. (A 5% reduction from 2025.)
• Adopted two resolutions, the “Joint Resolution on Immigration” and the “Resolution on Full Inclusion and Justice for People with Disabilities.” The final text of the resolutions will be posted at www.ngumc.org/ac2025
• Made a change to our Standing Rules to add an LGBTQ Advocacy Representative to the Conference Connectional Ministries board.
• Celebrated the 5th anniversary of the Barnes Evaluation and Administration Team. Since its inception, BEAT has awarded more than $5 million toward innovative missions and ministry in our Conference. In 2024, the spending policy allowed $1,527,474 to be awarded, which funded 32 BEAT grants. Learn more at www.ngumc.org/beatdashboard.
• Approved a motion from the floor to establish a task force to study and report back on clergy salary inequities.
• Adopted the conference nominations report. The 24-page document includes more than 750 names. These volunteers now make up our 2025-2026 Conference boards, committees, and commissions.
• Voted on four proposed constitutional amendments. The purpose of these amendments was to change previous language to conform to the new church structure passed at General Conference 2024, mainly focused on regionalization- the flexibility to allow regions of the church to better adapt non-essential parts of the discipline to their contexts.
Five members of our church and two of our clergy attended and voted at Annual Conference: Brad Bohannon and Carol Crook (myself) were lay delegates for Newnan First UMC, Connor Bell and Andrew Chappell are members of the conference and currently appointed to our church. Lee Berry, Connie Psathas, and James Shepherd all attended as delegates for the Southwest District, our district of the North Georgia Conference. We would be happy to answer any questions you have.
