Christ Methodist Church of Auburn

Jesus as the Bread of Life: Nourishment for the Soul

In John 6:35, Jesus declares, “I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never go hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty.” This statement is not just about physical sustenance, but spiritual nourishment—offering us a way to truly be filled by Him. This revelation speaks to His divine role as the One who satisfies every longing of the human heart. Bread has long been a symbol of provision and sustenance, something people in every culture understand. But Jesus takes it further. He is the Bread of Life—meaning He offers not just temporary satisfaction, but eternal life and a relationship that continually fills us. When we turn to Him, our souls are fed in ways that nothing else can provide. In our world today, we are often tempted to fill our lives with things that do not last. We seek fulfillment in material possessions, achievements, or temporary pleasures. Yet, these leave us empty. Just as our bodies need daily nourishment, so do our souls. Jesus calls us to come to Him daily to be filled, strengthened, and refreshed.

As a church community, let us remember the importance of seeking the Bread of Life. We individually and collectively long for purpose, connection, meaning, and love that can never be filled with worldly things—no achievement, relationship, or material possession can fully satisfy it. This hunger reflects our need for something greater, a deeper communion with the One who created us. Jesus, as the Bread of Life, speaks directly to this universal craving, offering Himself as the only true fulfillment.

This Sunday as we celebrate communion together, we remember in John 6:51 where Jesus says, “I am the living bread that came down from heaven. Whoever eats this bread will live forever.” This invitation is not merely about receiving His teachings but entering into a relationship with Him. Just as bread nourishes the body, Jesus nourishes our spirit, offering eternal life through His sacrifice on the cross. In this light, Jesus’ declaration, “I am the bread of life,” becomes a powerful invitation to both receive and give. He invites us to come to Him, to find true satisfaction for our souls, and then to go out and share that bread with a hungry world.

In Christ, we are sustained, strengthened, and filled—both now and for evermore.

Pastor Tony

We have an amazing team of leaders who will be guiding us over the next few weeks in gathering all of the school supplies, personal items, toys, and games that we will use to fill the Shoebox Gifts. Our goal this year is to fill 500 boxes! Let's do it together!

We need your help!

If you would like to sponsor a box or several boxes for Operation Christmas Child, each shoebox gift will be designated for a boy or a girl from 5-9 years old and will cost approximately $35. This will include all of the items placed in the boxes as well as the shipping cost of $10 per box. To donate to OCC, please click the link below. You may also write a check to Christ Methodist Church of Auburn and write OCC in the FOR line. You may mail the check to CMCA, P. O. Box 2491, Auburn, AL 36831, or place it in the offering plate on Sundays.

If you and your family would like to do the shopping for and packing of your own shoebox, we will be happy to provide a packing list of do's and don'ts as well as a shoebox and label. Please contact Liz Kenemer at info@christmethodistauburn.com for more information. These shoeboxes will need to be turned in by October 27.

We will also need help in making and putting together some of the toys and supplies that will go into the boxes. For example, we will need to make 500 "medical kits". This will be a ziploc bag with wipes, bandaids, and cotton balls. We will be making 500 tic-tac-toe games. We are going to begin meeting on Wednesday afternoons at 1:00 at Greystone to work on these kits - starting this Wednesday, October 9th. Please email or call if you're interested in helping construct these items.

And lastly, we'll be having a CHURCH-WIDE packing party event on Sunday, November 10, immediately after our worship service in the cafetorium at Lee-Scott. We will not have Sunday School on 11/10. Instead, we invite every class and ALL CMCA attendees and members - from the youngest to the oldest - to plan to come help us pack 500 shoeboxes starting at 10:45 a.m.

On Saturday, November 9, we will need "All Hands on Deck!" to help set up the boxes and all the items to put in the boxes. We will meet at 9:00 a.m. at the Cafetorium at Lee-Scott for this Pre-Packing Party set-up. Please let us know if you can be there for the morning to assist.

Please be listening for further announcements and instructions concerning Operation Christmas Child 2024.

If you have questions, please call or email the church office and let’s do God’s work! (email: info@christmethodistauburn.com or phone: 334-209-0074)

Click to donate

This letter is from Ron Toole, the AECC coordinator for Disaster Response. It outines the many ways we as individuals, as a church, and as a conference can help those affected by Hurricane Helene. If you have any questions, please call our church office. If you have questions, please contact David Smalley at davids15@gmail.com.

"I want to thank each and every Church in the Alabama Emerald Coast Conference of the Global Methodist Church, because you do so much in a time of need. This act of kindness shows God’s love when you help the survivors in a Disaster event. Again, thank you!

Last week our conference escaped the damage from Hurricane Helene, but our sister conferences to the east need our help. There are 7 conferences to our east that are needing help as of today, and every one of our Churches can help and here’s how.

1st...There is a big need for volunteers to go and help with the cleanup. Currently, if you are able and want to go for a day or multiple days, please let me know. The most important thing is please do not self- deploy. There is limited space, fuel, food, and other resources in these disaster areas. When we deploy after a disaster event, we (not knowingly) tie up resources that are importantly needed right after an event. We do not want the survivors to suffer any more than they have to in waiting on their needed resources. Again, if you want to deploy, let’s coordinate your effort and make the best for everyone involved.

2nd...A lot of us cannot deploy, but there are other things we can do that are needed after a disaster event. Please look at the short list below where you can help the survivors after a Disaster.

Build Cleaning Buckets that are needed -Your church can make cleaning buckets. There is a need for more than 14,000 of them just in the state of Florida. These buckets cost about $85.00 each to make. Instruction are on the website.
Make Health Kits that are needed -Your church can make Health Kits. These items are always needed in every disaster. Instructions are on the website.
Aid in Logistics Support -When we are collecting items in our Church, District, or Conference, we need to transport these items to a pickup point. Once they get to the pickup point, they will be picked up and delivered to the disaster area or to a warehouse.

So, we need volunteers that can pick up and move items around in the local area (estimated travel is 40-to-100-miles max). These volunteers do not have to be able to lift heavy things, but they need to have the time and a vehicle that could haul items so they can get these items to a pickup location for distribution of disaster supplies. If you are interested, please let me know.

Monetary Donation: Everyone can go to the AEC Conference website (https://donorbox.org/alabama-emerald-coast-conference-global-methodist-church) and donate money. 100% of that donation will go to other Global Methodist Conferences currently in need to help the survivors of this Disaster Event in their Conference.
There are many other tasks that need to be done, and we need as much help as we can get. Please let me know if you want to help in a different area.

Ron Toole, AEC Conference Disaster Response Coordinator (email: AECCDisaster@gmail.com or cell: 850-582-2605)

Music Celebration Sunday on October 20th

Mark your calendars to attend this inspiring worship service on October 20th. This will be a very special service featuring the Christ Methodist Chorale and full orchestra as they present an inspiring collection entitled "Hymns Triumphant." What a grand assortment of hymns! There are hymns of praise, hymns of quiet devotion, hymns of personal experience of God's goodness, hymns of the cathedral, and hymns of the country. The congregation will join in singing many of them. From the stirring orchestral introduction, the singing begins with a joyful invitation to "Come, Christians, Join to Sing."

During the service the upcoming 2024 Christmas Artist Music Series will be announced. This annual tradition will feature some of our country's most beloved and gifted Christian performers. Don't miss this exciting announcement on October 20th!

Children's Music Ministries

It's Not Too Late for Your Children To Grow in Their Musical Gifts!

We're thrilled that our children's choirs are up and running. It's not too late for your children and grandchildren to join the fun. We've started a new Cherub Choir for ages 3 - Kindergarten as well as a new Handchime Choir for Grades 4 - 6. They are having so much fun.

All groups will continue to meet each Wednesday at Greystone - SIGN UP TODAY (gary@christmethodistauburn.com)

Cherub Choir - Ages 3-5 (3:45-4:15pm)

Genesis Childen's Choir - Grades 1-6 (4:30-5:15)

Children's Handchimes - Intro to Handchimes for 4th-6th graders (5:15-6:00)

Sign Up Here for Children's Music Program

Don't Miss Your Opportunity to Travel With Us to Austria and Switzerland

A few spaces still remain for joining our church family on a spectacular and inspiring trip to Austria with an optional extension to Switzerland. This is one you don't want to miss. You can join us as a non-singing guest or as a choir member. While there, our choir will join singers from around the world to perform in two of the most beautiful cathedrals in Europe: St. Stephen's Cathedral in Vienna and the Salzburg Cathedral in Salzburg, Austria. While singers are in rehearsals, guests will have opportunities to explore on their own for numerous excursions and the full group will experience together the wonderful sights from the beloved "Sound of Music" movie, the phenomenal Melk Abbey, the majestic Alps, the Schönbrunn Palace, and much more. We're also developing a lot of fun opportunities to grow together by offering basic German lessons, an introduction to Baroque and Rococo art and architecture, a movie screening of "The Sound of Music," and even a walking fitness challenge. It's going to be a wonderful journey. Join us and help spread the word to singers, family, and friends. For more information contact our Director of Worship and Arts, Gary Klarenbeek, at Gary@christmethodistauburn.com.

Video Link

Please be in your seats by 9:25 for the announcements and prelude to begin. The service will start at 9:30am.

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LOST AND FOUND

We have accumulated several items from the gym at Lee-Scott following worship services. These items include a pair of prescription glasses, umbrellas, a journal, a child's retainer, and more. If you are missing any of these items, you make pick them up at the receptionist desk at Greystone during the week.

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*We are still in the process of gathering names and street addresses of those in our congregation who do not receive our weekly Newsletter by email. We would like to begin mailing them a copy of our email. If you know of someone who would like the weekly Newsletter mailed to them, please let us know.

Let's continue to make a habit to check the Connect Cart and tables as you enter the lobbies for worship each Sunday. In addition to hymnals, we have guest name tags as well as regular name tags for regular attendees who forgot theirs (Pastor Tony appreciates those as he learns everyone’s name). Also, there are "Our Daily Bread" devotional booklets, volunteer forms, car stickers and magnets, packets with CMCA note pads and pens to have or share with friends, maps to Sunday School classes, order forms for plastic magnetic name tags, worship kits for children (they can take home), offering envelopes, Connect Cards (place in offering plate), VBS flyers, etc. Another suggestion is to give your worship bulletin to a friend and invite them to worship with us.

*As you arrive at Lee-Scott on Sunday mornings, we encourage you to be aware of marked parking spaces in the back entrance and to make sure you park in a marked space. Please be aware that the trailer used to transport our equipment will be parked at the back entrance and does not need to be blocked so that it can be moved or it can be opened in the rear area. Thank you for your cooperation in this matter!

We are so grateful for each and every one of you and for your commitment and faithfulness to serve our Savior, Jesus Christ.

Please continue to pray, and pray some more for our body of believers as we move forward together and seek God’s guidance in the days to come. You are all so loved and appreciated!

“May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that you may abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.” Romans 15:13

CMCA Website

Christ Methodist Church of Auburn

Worship Service, Sunday, October 6

Global Methodist General Conference Presentation

CMCA Youth Parent Meeting

Youth Serve Event - Hurricane Helene Relief

Operation Christmas Child

AECC Hurricane Helene Response

CMCA Fall Festival and Trunk-or-Treat

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Fall Adult Ministry Offerings

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Altar Flowers for 2024

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