August 2025 - "A Movement of the Heart"
When staff and delegates from Main St UMC met in Roanoke, VA for Annual Conference earlier this summer, they did so under banners and signs calling for “A Movement of the Heart” within the Virginia Conference. This theme was a commitment and an invitation to reflect deeply on how the Spirit is stirring within us - individually and collectively - as we embrace the renewed vision of the United Methodist Church - to love boldly, serve joyfully, and lead courageously. Read on to hear how we’re attempting to do just that here at Main St UMC!
A Word from Pastor Rich
Dear Friends,
I hope that you have been able to find some cool spots during the heat wave we have been experiencing this summer. July was a scorcher, and the month of August has historically promised the same! I know that I am ready for some cooler temperatures, but I think they are still a few months away. As we enter August, we will return to our normal worship schedule on August 10 and kick-off a new sermon series.
As the United Methodist Church looks forward as a denomination, the Council of Bishops has asked us to embrace a renewed vision that will move us into the future,
“The United Methodist Church forms disciples of Jesus Christ who, empowered by the Holy Spirit, love boldly, serve joyfully, and lead courageously in local communities and worldwide connections.”
Which beautifully complements the Church’s long-standing mission statement inspired by Matthew 28:1-20,
“The mission of The United Methodist Church is to make disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world.”
This new guiding vision that United Methodists are being encouraged to embody can be broken down into the three overarching principles:
Love Boldly: Passionately love God and - like Jesus - embrace and include people of every age, nation, race, gender and walk of life. Inspired by Matthew 22:37-39 and John 13:34-35
Serve Joyfully: With a Christ-like heart, journey alongside the most vulnerable - offering care and compassion with joy. Inspired by Psalm 100:1, Nehemiah 8:10, John 13:14-15 and 1 Peter 4:10
Lead Courageously: Follow Jesus’ example by resisting and dismantling all systems of evil, injustice, and oppression, while striving for peace, justice and reconciliation. Inspired by Joshua 1:9 and Ephesians 6:10
“This new vision is not simply a statement or a plan, it is a catalyst for transformation,” said Bishop Tracy Smith Malone, President of the Council of Bishops. “It is a vision that will help the Church embrace the opportunities before us, to follow where God is leading us, and to more fully engage in our mission of making disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world.”
The Council of Bishops and the Connectional Table will work with our general boards and agencies to create resources that inspire and equip disciples, leaders, and congregations to live into this vision. Denominational resources have already been shared with clergy and lay leadership at Annual Conference sessions across the connection this summer, with additional lay member resources anticipated to follow in late 2025/early 2026.
All of this is a “Movement of the Heart” - which happened to be this year’s Annual Conference theme. For me, this speaks to our willingness to be open to the movement of the Holy Spirit in our hearts - which in turn leads us to actively live out our faith.
Our upcoming sermon series will start with Jesus’ words in Matthew’s Gospel as he sends his followers out to make disciples, baptize, and teach. Jesus sends the early disciples with the promise that He goes with them - and we are sent with the same promise - but we also go with the promise that the Holy Spirit will empower, inspire, and lead us. I look forward to sharing more about this new vision over the coming weeks!
Grace and peace, Pastor Rich
August Worship Schedule
August 3rd - Messiah and the New Covenant - Holly Richardson (communion)
August 10th - A Movement of the Heart : Go Therefore - Pastor Rich
August 17th - A Movement of the Heart : Love Boldly - Pastor Rich
August 21st - A Movement of the Heart : Serve Joyfully - Pastor Rich
August 28th - A Movement of the Heart : Lead Courageously - Pastor Rich
Staff Spotlight - Julie Heard, Organist & Accompanist
Hello! My name is Julie Heard and I have had the pleasure of being the organist here at Main Street for just over two years. I grew up right here in the city of Suffolk and even visited Main Street a few times as a high school student.
As the organist of the church it is my job to interpret the poetry of hymn text and bring it to life with music. Consider the first verse from the hymn “How Great Thou Art.”
“O Lord my God! When I in awesome wonder
Consider all the worlds they hands have made,
I see the stars, I hear the rolling thunder,
Thy power throughout the universe displayed.”
These are powerful words of praise that deserve a large registration on the organ to support the written words. I color the text in the moment speaking up thunder with the rumbling of the 32 foot pipe. This gives the singing congregation the sound and feel of “rolling thunder.”
The voluntaries and postludes are the bookends of the service. The theme of the music is usually based on either the sermon topic of the day or the hymns we will be singing as a congregation. This coming week, I will be playing as a prelude Offertoire by Cecile Chaminade - a French composer who wrote this sacred music as an offertory for a mass. Though this music has no words, it was written to honor God. It has a contemplative feel and I hope, upon listening, that it provides a way to center ourselves at the beginning of our worship.
Atrium Refresh (First Impressions Team)
By now, most of you have seen the freshly painted Atrium, and we are awaiting the new furniture, which is expected to arrive late September/early October. This project is being overseen by the First Impressions Team, which is working to refocus our Sunday morning hospitality procedures and needs. We will have many volunteer opportunities available, with details coming soon, so be on the lookout. In the meantime, if you are interested in being a part of this team (and you haven’t filled out a “Called to Serve” card), please let Holly know. Several of you have already contributed to the funding of the enhancements to our space, and we extend a huge thank you! We are still in need of an additional $3,000 for completion. Please mark any donations to “First Impressions”, and contact Holly Richardson (hrichardson@mainstumc.org) with any questions.
Care and Concern Corner
New “Care Teams”
With the reorganization of staffing, we have been examining the groups under Care Teams. These are the “in-house” groups serving our own congregational needs. Phil McPhail continues to oversee our Missions team, who serve the community and world. Within our “in-house” groups, we’ve realized a need to be more mindful at working together in order to serve better. One way is by intentionally opening these groups to all, so everyone can find a comfortable place to serve (we have traditionally broken these teams into only women or only men for specific tasks).
There are two “in-house” teams right now: The Care and Concern team, led by Ashley Hogg, coordinates food, meals and rides; The Sharing is Caring team is led by Charlie Henderson, and they focus on yard work and minor home repair. Holly has been meeting with these leaders and others to join efforts in finding better ways to serve each other. If you would like more information about any of these groups or have ideas for new ways to serve, please contact Holly Richardson, Ashley Hogg or Charlie Henderson.
Quarterly Fellowship Dinner Wednesday, August 27th
Please join us Wednesday, August 27, 6:00 p.m. for our first Quarterly Fellowship dinner, sponsored by our Care Teams. Along with our meal, we will uplifted by a local inspirational speaker. We hope you will join us as we strive to find news ways to keep our minds and our hearts focused on serving and making Disciples of Christ. Everyone is welcome, and more information will be available as the date gets closer! Click here to sign-up or log into your Realm account and sign up there directly.
Taste of Suffolk at Main St Church
We’re excited to let y’all know that for the first time ever, Main St UMC will be officially participating as partners with the City of Suffolk in the Taste of Suffolk Downtown Street Festival on September 13th! We’ve dipped our toes in the water for the last few festivals, and this year we’re jumping all the way in with a number of offerings from Main Street UMC to the broader Suffolk community.
For starters, the Main St UMC Classic Car show has now become the official car show of Taste of Suffolk! Charlie Henderson and his crew have built something great, and folks have had so much fun that the city has asked us if we could share it even wider. If you would like to volunteer with the car show - or display your own classic ride - contact Charlie at 19HSC74@gmail.com.
We will again also be hosting our own Main St UMC Member Art Show in conjunction with the Taste of Suffolk and the Plein Air Wet Paint artist event, and we'd love to show off your work! We will be displaying art created by members of Main St throughout the Atrium as a way to let the rest of the downtown Suffolk community know who we are and what we are all about!
Regardless of age, skill level, or medium, all of our artists at Main St are invited - and encouraged - to participate. This is a non-juried event and free to participate for all Main St. UMC community members, but all artists must register here and artwork must be approved in order to be displayed. Registration will close on Sunday, Aug 31.
In addition to these two main focal points, we will be offering sanctuary tours, demonstrations on our historic organ, lawn games, and a water re-fill stations with volunteers situated throughout the property. For more information about the art show or ways to volunteer contact Andy Millman at amillman@mainstumc.org.
Children/Youth Update
As we plan for the upcoming ministry year, Andy Millman - our Director of Children/Youth Discipleship - has been hosting “Table Talks” with families of children and youth at Main St. These are informal dinners that provide an opportunity for folks to meet one another, think about priorities for ministry, and dream up ways to serve our young folks into the future. All families of children and youth should have already been contacted, but if you have not please reach out to Andy directly at amillman@mainstumc.org and he’ll get you on the schedule!
Safer Sanctuaries Updates and Trainings
As we begin a new ministry year, it is time once again to talk about how we engage in ministry with children, youth, and vulnerable adults at Main St UMC. A team of folks has been reviewing our current Safe Sanctuaries policy, and will be proposing updates to Church Council in accordance with newer guidelines established by the Discipleship Ministries with the “Safer Sanctuaries” updates.
We will be offering two Safer Sanctuaries trainings - Monday, Sept 15 6:30-8:30 pm or Sunday, September 28 4:00-6:00 pm - on this policy, and anyone from the church who engages with children, youth, or vulnerable adults at Main St UMC - either directly or indirectly - is strongly encouraged to attend one of the two. Trainings will be approximately 2 hours long and childcare can be made available upon request. Please let us know if you plan on attending a training session by emailing amillman@mainstumc.org.
Missions & Outreach Opportunities
Throughout the month of July, we asked y’all to help us pack the food pantry for our partners at the Suffolk Christian Fellowship Center, and we are well on our way towards getting those shelves fully stocked! We have been longtime supporters of Lorna Slaughter and her team at SCFC as they strive to meet the needs of our less-fortunate neighbors, and we are deeply grateful for the ways that you all continue to support this vital ministry.
Looking forward to Summer 2026 - we would like to offer a number of different missions experiences for our children and youth at Main St UMC, but we need your help to make that happen! If you are a parent, youth, or adult volunteer, please use the following brief survey to share your thoughts on what you’d like to see missions with young people look like at Main St. We will have an interest meeting on Sunday, August 17 from 9:45-10:30 where we’ll go through survey responses as a group and start hammering out a youth missions calendar for the year!
Upcoming Events At Main St UMC
As a reminder, we will switch back from our summer worship schedule to our usual Sunday morning format on August 10 - with services at 8:30 and 11:00, and Sunday School in between. Here’s where else you can plug in this month.
Summer 2026 Children/Youth Missions Interest Meeting Sunday, August 17, 9:45-10:30
Quarterly Fellowship Dinner - Wednesday, August 27, 6:00-7:30
Taste of Suffolk Downtown Street Fair - Saturday, September 13
Safer Sanctuaries Training I - Monday, September 15, 6:30-8:30
Walk Through the Bible: New Testament - Saturday, September 27, 9:30-Noon
Safer Sanctuaries Training II - Sunday, September 28, 4:00-6:00
For a full calendar of events at Main St UMC, click here!
