Welcome to Central United Methodist Church! We are a vibrant, Christ-centered, family-friendly worshiping community. We will be honored by your visit!     8:00 AM  Traditional hymns &                      worship -- Holy Communion     9:30 AM  Spirited contemporary music                      & worship in a casual atmosphere  11:00  AM  Traditional hymns and worship with                      classical anthems by Central UMC's                      chancel choir.

Pastor's Sermon Topic    May 11 - Pentecost Sunday                         Sermon: Diversity without Division     It is one of the great human dilemmas. Each of us wants to be valued for our uniqueness, to be differentiated from others. My mother dressed my twin brother and me alike for much of our early elementary years. Neither of us minded very much. But the time came when neither of us would tolerate being dressed alike. I was Bob, not Bill, and I didn't want there to be any confusion! I was quiet; Bill was rambunctious. I was more serious; Bill was the life of any party. But even as we struggled to differentiate ourselves from each other, we wanted desperately to be accepted, to be part of a group. How do we reconcile the seemingly conflicting needs? On May 11, Pentecost Sunday, I will lead us in considering the question, How can we assert our uniqueness without incurring the rejection of others? Join us for helpful insights from Scripture.          more

Contemporary Guest Artists  May 4 -   Shana Bousard May 11 - Renee Morgan Brooks May 18-  Ken Taylor May 25 - Orgena Rose

May 2, 3, 9, 10, 11, 16 & 17, 2008                 All Friday & Saturday- 8:00 pm                 All Sunday matinees - 1:30 pm.     Directed by Sally Jo Bannow and presented by Central Community Theatre, The Fantasticks is the longest-running musical in the world, and with good reason: at the heart of its breathtaking poetry and subtle theatrical sophistication is a purity and simplicity that transcends cultural barriers. The result is a timeless fable of love that manages to be nostalgic and universal at the same time.    Try to remember when life was so tender that dreams were kept beside your pillow.    Try to remember and if you remember, then follow  . . .     A classic coming-of-age story, The Fantasticks features two meddling, matchmaking fathers who scheme to get their children together. But once the couple is united, the real drama begins!     Featuring the beloved songs "Try to Remember" and "Soon It's Gonna Rain," this is a celebration of love?first love, lost love, and ultimately, true love.     Written by Harvey Schmidt and Tom Jones, The Fantasticks has delighted audiences across the world?including a record shattering 17,162 performances at the Sullivan Street Playhouse, where it made its Off Broadway debut in 1960. Whether it's an old favorite or your first time, you won't want to miss this timeless show that's certain to steal your heart.   more

FELLOWSHIP LUNCHEON             ALL CHURCH POTLUCK AND PICNIC                 SUNDAY May 18 - 12:30 pm             KENDALL HALL -- Inside-cool and no bugs!! COME AND HELP US CELEBRATE THE BEGINNING OF SUMMER                Hamburgers, hot dogs, ice cream sundaes bar & beverages                  will be furnished by the Congregational Care Committee       Last Name A - M = Bring Salads       Last Name N - Z = Bring Cookies, Brownies       Amharic Members = Ethiopian Food                           more

Take Me Out to the Ballgame!     This is the Diamondbacks tenth anniversary and Central UMC will be joining them for four more games during the regular season.     June 15 - vs. Kansas City Royals     July 20 - vs. L.A. Dodgers     August 10 - vs. Atlanta Braves     September 28 - vs. Colorado Rockies Tickets are $18 and include lunch and the game. We will be meeting after the 11 AM Worship in Kendall Hall for lunch and to carpool to the game. Please reserve your tickets with Don Campbell, runningcrzy@aol.com or 602-242-0630.                  Everyone is invited!!

MEMORIAL DAY 2008 In May 1864, PRESIDENT LINCOLN proclaimed, "MAY 30 SHALL BE A MEMORIAL DAY, WHEN THE NATION REMEMBERS THE DECEASED VETERANS OF THE ARMED FORCES OF THE UNITED STATES."     May 27, Central will join other churches, synagogues, and temples in honoring this MEMORIAL DAY HOLIDAY with sincere gratitude for their service to this nation deceased members and associates who served  in of the ARMED FORCES OF THE UNITED STATES. This holiday is known as "Decoration Day" in many areas of our country, including Arizona because of a practice which still continues of placing flags and/or flowers on the graves of our veterans. We acknowledge the ULTIMATE SACRIFICE made also by the FALLEN HEROES of THE UNITED STATES ARMED FORCES in the most recent combat operations in  foreign lands. John Anderson                                        Lester Grant Harvey David N. Applegate                                 Stephen Hall  Meredith E. "Butch" Awe                         Marvin Hutchinson Hammer Larry K. Black                                        James F. Hanson Hubert Lee Burch                                    Donald Hardy Howard Leroy Caldwell                           Jesse Hardy Sheridan Keith "Sherry" Campbell             Theodore Baxter "Ted" Hardy Byron W. Clemens                                  Lester Grant Harvey James Carl "Jim" Crowson                      Herman Heubach John Robert "Bob" Davis                         Raymond V. Hisey Raymond Demaine                                 Dewey Jack Isaacs David Carroll Deskins                             Robert Edwin "Bob" Jameson Merlin Fields                                         James C. "Jim" Johnson John Edward Frajman                             Antoinette Denise "Ann" Lancaster Robert "Bob" Gale                                  Eugene Stuart Lee Frank Wallace Gilleland                          Chilton C. McPheeters Bert Darll Goff                                      Walter George Mills David O. "Dave" Moore                         Warren LeClair Niccum John David Owen                                  E. P. Pearson Clyde S. Phillips                                    Wendell S. Phillips W. Dean Shields                                    Charles J. "Charlie" Shoup, Sr. Robert Patman "Bob" Turner                   Edwin Myron "Ed" Tyler James Gentry "Jim" Vaughn                    Erwin A. "Erv" Voth Jackson M. White                                 James P. "Jim" Winningham, Sr.

Summer Camp Registration Begins     The schedule is set and Mingus Mountain is getting ready for you! Get your summer camp brochure and pick a week for an incredible time at camp. There are camps available for Elementary, Jr. and Sr. High, Music, Sports, and many others. Don't miss out on what God has for you!     Check the conference website for more information. Click on Desert Southwest Conference. Brochures are availabe in the Church Office on Sunday mornings. Scholarships are available. Please contact Pat in the church office, 602-258-8048 ext 102 or at patriciag@centralumc.com.

Bon Voyage Concert -- May 18th     Canticum Novum, the touring chamber ensemble of the Sanctuary Choir invites the church family and friends to its Bon Voyage concert, Sunday, May 18 at 7:00 PM, at All Saints Episcopal Church, 6300 North Central Avenue. This is a choral journey you will not want to miss The concert tour, managed by Incantato, with offices in New York and Berlin, is entitled Sacred Kaleidoscope and features five sacred texts set to music by composers of the Spanish and Italian Renaissance, and American and Spanish Contemporary composers.     Canticum Novum departs for Spain on May 23 to present a series of five concerts/masses in Toledo, Madrid, Sevilla, Santiago di Compostela, Bilbao, and Malaga. If you are interested in sponsoring one of these concerts, please contact Jeannie Chang, Nancy Connolly, or Richie Renfrow, or call the church office, 602-2 5 8 - 8 0 4 8 .     Your support will be greatly apppreciated.

Serving the Homeless by Paul Estes           Every time we serve a meal at the Watkins Shelter the value of what we do is multiplied by our Lord several times over. First our association with the Food Bank allows us to more than quadruple the value of dollars we spend on food we are able to purchase with the donations we receive. Meat, for example, is donated to the Food Bank, and the Food Bank charges only a nominal "maintenance fee" of 18 cents a pound (to pay for their expenses of handling and storing the meat in their freezers.) There is no charge at all for other food stuff like fresh produce, milk, or eggs when they are available. Every Thursday morning we usually return from the Food Bank with 300 to 700 pounds of food that has cost us as little as 12 to 30 dollars.    more

Sonoran Brass Quintet Artists in Residence                 at Central United Methodist Church                                           They will add their considerable talents to our worship.                                                              more

2007-2008 Season   Central Community Theatre CCTStage.org

Tim Boyle Greetings April 2008 To Our Friends and Supporters:           Belated Easter Greetings from Japan! Usually, at this time of year in early April, we would be preparing for Passion Week and a glorious Easter among the cherry blossoms. This year, however, Easter came just about as early as the lunar calendar allows it to, and so it came and went long before the cherry blossoms. When considering the power of tradition in our lives, one thought that occurred to me was how nice it would be if the World Council of Churches could discuss the issue of the timing of Easter and choose a particular Sunday (for instance, the second Sunday of April) as the day we celebrate it every year. Here in Japan, the beginning of both the school year and the fiscal year is April 1, and so the end of March and beginning of April is an especially busy time for most people. This often makes if difficult for Japanese Christians to fully  participate in the Passion Week/Easter events. So, having a set time after that would certainly be much more pragmatic than having the timing of Easter so  different from year to year.   .... more                               Terry & Muriel Henderson         Serving Families in the Rural Section                of Mexico for 30 Years      1977:  At Annual Conference in Mexico City, Terry and Muriel Henderson were appointed to establish and direct a new rural development program which the late Bishop, Dr. Alejandro Ruiz, named "Give Ye Them To Eat." or GYTTE for short.  It was determined that the program would be located in Puebla, Mexico, so the Hendersons moved from the mission project they had served their first five year in Mexico to the city of Puebla.    more

Central United Methodist Church 1875 N Central Avenue Phoenix, Arizona 85004 602 258-8048 info@centralumc.com Click here for Map