October 25, 2021
“And they devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching and the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers. And awe came upon every soul, and many wonders and signs were being done through the apostles. And all who believed were together and had all things in common. And they were selling their possessions and belongings and distributing the proceeds to all, as any had need. And day by day, attending the temple together and breaking bread in their homes, they received their food with glad and generous hearts, praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord added to their number day by day those who were being saved.” Acts 2:42-47
Greetings Family and Friends of Branchport United Methodist Church~
The above passage from Acts tells of the beginning of the Church and the essentials elements needed in Christian Discipleship. They are components the apostles had learned from their experience with Jesus: His teaching about His person and work and their Christian responsibility as His followers, the fellowship of Christ with His disciples, the Lord’s Supper—the breaking of bread, and His prayer life for and with the disciples. I see so much evidence coming forth from our church and we have so much to be thankful for!
We have entered into the final months of 2021 and perhaps some of the plans we made have fallen through, but we also have so much to be thankful for as we reflect on the accomplishments of the year. Our Blessing Cupboard continues to be stocked and available to the community, we provide lunch on the first Monday of each month at The Living Well to serve approximately 50 Grab and Go lunches, we send snacks to the Penn Yan School district so they are accessible to the students, we have hosted several fellowship opportunities on our church lawn, we worked alongside The Living Well at the 4th of July Parade and raised funds for their mission, we served over 400 Chicken BBQ dinners between our Drive Thru events on Memorial Day and Labor Day weekends and we have sent a special offering to Yates County Habitat for Humanity.
One of our greatest accomplishments this year is the beautiful gazebo, ready to be a place of gatherings and fellowship for many years to come! We have visions of special music events, of Bible Studies and perhaps times of conversation as we build relationships and shine the light of Jesus in Branchport.
As we have had to say good-bye to a few beloved members of our congregation we feel more than ever the desire to be together in one another’s presence and embrace the paths that God has brought together. Though we are so grateful for technology and ZOOM and the ways we have remained connected through cards and phone calls I am certainly missing our fellowship dinners and the amazing meals that we share. So, here is a chance, as we still are being cautious and not planning any sit-down meals in the near future, to share together in a special meal. Welcome to our No Muss, No Fuss Dinner 2021. Please join us! No need to get dressed up, no need to leave the house, no need to do any baking! Please take a moment to share a little note with us about a favorite fellowship dinner you have attended, or what you would bring if we did get together. Share your story and include a donation in the amount of what you would have spent on the ingredients or how valuable you feel the meal would have been. This will be a great opportunity to help us to collect funds for when we have a family in need or a community member in crisis who could use a care package of love and support. A portion of what we raise in our NMNF Dinner Fundraiser will be set aside for this mission project. I can’t wait to hear from you and all about the amazing meal and memories we will share.
From the very beginning God desired His church to be relational. Journeying together, in ministry together, fellowshipping together and EATING together! I am so glad to be a part of the church with all of you! “They received their food with glad and generous hearts, praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord added to their number day by day those who were being saved.” The church belongs to the Lord, and He is the one who sovereignly builds His church! Praise God from whom all blessings flow!
With a glad and generous heart~
Pastor Kim
Donations to our NMNF Fundraiser can be sent to the church address (PO Box 2, Keuka Park, NY 14478) or to Dave Thorn (3988 Belknap Hill Road, Branchport, NY 14418). Feel free to email me your dinner stories at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..