The worship committee is planning another Lenten devotion booklet and needs your help. This year Lent begins in early February, so time is short. Please take a minute and write a short devotion, just a few lines, a scripture passage and a simple prayer. Email your devotion to Joan Symes. This opportunity is open for adults, youth and children.

Many of you have shown interest in going to Camp Quarternote at Blue 
Lake this summer.  Rosanne Junkins contacted the program director Keron 
Kyzar about availability.  Keron said as long as registration and fees 
are in by the end of March, slots should be available.  Lets shoot for 
having everything in by Sunday March 13th so it can be mailed on the 
14th just to be on the safe side. Registration forms are on the table in 
the church foyer.  Any questions contact Rosanne Junkins at 621-0675.

     SPANISH FORT, Ala. – Christian motivational speaker and former television news anchor Drexel Gilbert will deliver the message during morning worship Sunday, June 13, at Providence United Methodist Church.

       Gilbert’s message, titled "Who, ME?", is based on Philippians 4:13.

     “No matter who you are, where you're from or how you got there, God has an amazing plan for your life. Sometimes it's not what you expected, but He will make certain that it's more than you could have ever hoped for,” Gilbert said.

The worship service begins at 10 a.m. at the Spanish Fort church, located at 32200 Jimmy Faulkner Dr., between Spanish Fort middle and high schools.  Sunday School begins at 9 a.m.  A nursery is provided which has met certain safety requirements so that Providence UMC has been designated “A Church for All God’s Children.”

For more information, call the church office at 626-2510 or visit the website at www.providencemethodist.org.

          Gilbert, a member of Providence UMC, has developed a series of faith-based speeches and workshops. Rooted in scripture, her inspiring messages are generously sprinkled with humor and practical advice for living a better life and becoming a better example.

     She is the owner of Dynamic Impact, a business specializing in individual and corporate image consulting; and in corporate and faith-based motivational programs and publications.

     While still in college, Gilbert embarked on a television news career that would span nearly 30 years. She spent most of that time reporting and anchoring for television stations in the Mobile-Pensacola market.
     The Rev. Bob Sweet is pastor of Providence UMC, a growing congregation of more than 350 members.

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ProvidenceUMC Races to Beat Cancer

Church Plans Catfish Chase 5K Run/Walk, 1 Mile

 Fun Run, to Raise Funds for American Cancer Society

     SPANISH FORT, Ala. – One look at the prayer list at Providence United Methodist Church shows why beating cancer is a ministry of this congregation. Of the 37 names listed, 21 are members, friends, family or co-workers who are battling cancer.

     There is another list, not printed in the church bulletin, but imprinted on the hearts of the congregation. It is the list of those whose battle is over and who, like the Apostle Paul writing in 2^nd Timothy, have “fought the good fight…finished the race…kept the faith.”

     Now the community can join in the race to find a cure and keep the faith, at the first Providence UMC Catfish Chase 5k Run/Walk and one mile fun run Saturday, April 24. The event is a fundraiser for the church’s American Cancer Society Relay for Life team.

     “The disease of cancer has profoundly touched the lives of our congregation.  Either someone is battling cancer, has lost a loved one or friend to cancer, or knows someone whom cancer has affected.  The Catfish Chase is just one way Providence can help make a difference in the search for a cure for this evil disease,” said the Rev. Bob Sweet.                                                                                               

     Race organizers named the event the “Catfish Chase” in recognition of the church’s first meeting place, David’s Catfish House in Spanish Fort, a catfish restaurant. The 330-member church now meets in a new building at 32200 Jimmy Faulkner Drive in Spanish Fort, located between Spanish Fort High School and Middle School.

     The out-and-back 5k certified course will start at the church and proceed north on Jimmy Faulkner Drive. The family-friendly event includes a 1-Mile Fun Run.

     Entry forms may be downloaded at www.providencemethodist.org or are available at the church weekdays from 9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., and Sundays from 8:30 to 11:30 a.m. Entry fees for those who pre-register for the 5k run by April 16 are $18 for those over age 12, and $12 for ages 12 and under and include a Catfish Run t-shirt. Discounted pre-registration not including t-shirts are $15 for over age 12, and $10 for ages 12 and under.       

      Registration will also be taken the day of the race from 6:30 to 7:30 a.m. at the church and will be $20 for ages 12 and up, including a t-shirt while supplies last, and $15 for those 12 and under. Race day registration for those not wanting a t-shirt will be $18 for those over age 12 and $8 for those age 12 and under.

     Police, firefighters and active military personnel may participate for free.

     The 1-mile Fun Run is free to runners registered for the 5K, and $7 for all others.

     Pizza, fruit and beverages will be available after the race.

        Carmelita Hartley, one of the Catfish Chase organizers, said the enthusiasm with which Providence UMC has organized and embraced Relay for Life activities is “amazing.”

     “Since our first year of participation – two years ago – the church has raised over $25,000 for the American Cancer Society. Almost everyone has been touched by cancer, and it is this personal connection with this dreadful disease that encourages the members in their quest to do everything possible to help find a cure. I lost my 28-year-old brother to a rare form of cancer years ago; that cancer now is much more treatable and even curable, thanks to research and the subsequent development of new drugs and treatments,” Hartley said.  

      “We encourage everyone to come out and enjoy a nice run while helping work toward the goal of a cancer-free world,” she added.

    For more information, visit the Providence UMC website at www.providencemethodist.org or call the church office at (251) 626-2510.

Providence United Methodist Church welcomes the Rev. Dr. Thomas Lane Butts Jr. to the pulpit on Sunday, March 14.  Dr. Butts is a nationally renowned preacher and is frequently featured on the Day 1 Radio Program (formerly called the Protestant Radio Hour).  After serving churches in Alabama and West Florida for 48 years, Dr. Butts is presently Pastor Emeritus at the Monroeville United Methodist Church in Monroeville, Alabama.  

Dr. Butts will speak during the 10 a.m. worship service at 32200 Jimmy Faulkner Dr., between Spanish Fort middle and high schools.  Sunday School begins at 9 a.m.  A nursery is provided which has met certain safety requirements so that Providence UMC has been designated “A Church for All God’s Children.”

For more information, call the church office at 626-2510 or visit the website at www.providencemethodist.org.

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The 300-member congregation is celebrating its first Christmas in its new church building at 32200 Jimmy Faulkner Dr., between Spanish Fort middle and high schools. The Rev. Bob Sweet, a retired navy pilot and graduate of the Candler School of Theology at Emory University, is pastor.

The children’s Christmas program, titled “Shepherd, Sheep and Savior,” will be held Sunday, Dec. 6, during the 10 a.m. worship service. The children of Providence UMC will help the congregation discover the joy of Christmas through the eyes of a group of shepherds tending shaggy, smelly sheep on a hillside outside of Bethlehem.

The Providence UMC choir will present the choir cantata “Celebrate the Gift” on Sunday, Dec. 13, during the 10 a.m. worship service.

The community is invited to the annual Christmas Sing-A-Long, a favorite Christmas tradition at the church. The casual Sing-A-Long is a chance to sing favorite Christmas carols and enjoy the musical talents of church members as they perform Christmas favorites. The Community Christmas Sing-A-Long will begin at 6 p.m. on Sunday, Dec. 13.

The annual Christmas Eve Candlelight and Communion Service will be held Thursday, Dec. 24, at 6 p.m.

“We invite the community to bring your family and friends to the Christmas Eve Candlelight Service, one of the most holy and blessed worship services in the Christian year,” the Rev. Sweet said.

Sunday School begins at 9 a.m. and worship is at 10 a.m. each Sunday. A nursery is provided which has met certain safety requirements so that Providence UMC has been designated “A Church for All God’s Children.”

For more information, call the church office at 626-2510 or visit the website at www.providencemethodist.org.