Worship
Service Information
Children in Worship
Music Ministry
Serving Christ through Worship
Pastor’s Page

Devotional Literature
Our Daily Bread
The Upper Room
Revised Common Lectionery

Christian Education
Sunday School
Youth Breakfast Club
Confirmation Class
Adult Classes
Disciple Bible Studies
Serving Christ through Teaching

Getting Involved
United Methodist Women
Men’s Fellowship
UMCC Newsletter

Preserving our Historic Church

Gifts and Offerings

Service through Mission
Saturday’s Bread
Prayer Shawl Ministry
Prayer Chain
Vacation Bible School
Jail Ministry of Otsego County
Cooperstown Food Pantry
Angel Network
Ecumenical Council of Churches


Link to November Newsletter

Saturday’s Bread
Saturday’s Bread is a hot meal program provided without cost for anyone who would like to share it.  The program provides nutritious food in the friendly atmosphere of the Greater Oneonta community.  Dining facilities are provided by First United Methodist Church, located at Chestnut and Church Streets in Oneonta.

The program began on May 23, 1992 during a worship service AT First United Methodist Church, Oneonta.  Its purpose is to feed the hungry and to provide a sense of community for everyone involved.  It is a total communal effort to feed all who come to the table without regard to economic background or religious affiliation.

The Program:
-- is an unselfish offering provided by the individuals and organizations that support it.
-- is free to all who attend.
-- is officially recognized as a “Soup Kitchen” and is eligible to purchase and receive food   from the government.
-- serves 52 Saturdays a year from 11 a.m. – 1 p.m., and take-out service is available for all    patrons, their families, and neighbors.

The Menu is planned in advance for 300; 150-200 patrons are served and the balance is packaged for take-out.  The meal is prepared on Friday by a cook and volunteer crew.  The food for the buffet is cooked on Saturday and served by the kitchen crew..  Twelve  volunteer waiters/waitresses each Saturday serve soup and salad, beverage, and dessert.  Takeout service includes two sandwiches, a hot dish, and bread.

Many civic, business, educational, community and religious organizations contribute their time, finances, food, supplies and love to make the program a success.

UMCC shares in supporting Saturday’s Bread.  Four times a year, 12 volunteers from our church work at the program.  They set up and wait on tables and clean up from 9:30 a.m. – 2 p.m..  To volunteer, contact Rena Lull.

Prayer Shawl Ministry
Shawls are symbolic of an inclusive, unconditionally loving God.  Shawls are knit with prayers, blessings or wishes in mind for the recipients.  They are given to people in need of spiritual comfort, persons who are ill, suffered a loss, are in the midst of a life crisis, or to celebrate a milestone.  They wrap, enfold, comfort, give solace, mother, hug, shelter and beautify.  If you know of someone who could use a shawl, please let us know.

On our prayer list are church members, families, and friends in the community. Keep them in your prayers – perhaps a shawl will provide comfort.  

For knitters, there is a book of instructions and patterns for prayer shawls on the display case in the back of the sanctuary.  Feel free to borrow it.  If you give a prayer shawl, be sure to pick up a printed prayer with envelope to enclose with it.

Prayer Chain
The United Methodist Women coordinates a Prayer Chain that connects our church family to offer special or immediate prayer needs.

Vacation Bible School
The origins of Vacation Bible School can be traced back to Hopedale, Illinois in 1894.  Sunday School teacher D. T. Miles, who also was a public school teacher, felt she was limited by time constraints in teaching the Bible to children.  She started a daily Bible school during the summer.  The first school enrolled forty students and lasted four weeks.  A local school was used for classes
while an adjoining park was used for recess.

In 1989, a Baptist Church in New York City started an “Everyday Bible School” for slum children.  Dr. Robert Boville of the Baptist Mission Society, became aware of the summer programs and established a handful of schools which were taught by students at the Union Theological Seminary.  In 1922 he founded the World Association of Daily Vacation Bible School.  The following year, Standard Publishing produced the first printed VBS curriculum, with enough material for a five-week course for three age levels.

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