Graham United Methodist Church

10/22/2026

Graham UMC Weekly Newsletter
Thursday October 22, 2026
Good afternoon,
Whew! I’m still catching my breath from the Fall Festival last night, but I’m so grateful for the wonderful time and for all of you who helped make it a success. It truly takes ALL of us. Surrency UMC partnered with us and they were a HUGE part of the blessing.

I also want to thank the church for the lovely pastor appreciation luncheon last week and the gifts! Thank you for your generosity; your support means more than you know. I consider it a privilege to serve here at Graham UMC.

Our church, like many others, has weathered a lot of change in recent years. It takes faith to keep showing up, serving and reaching out with love. We cannot always see the impact we have on others, but we trust God to take our imperfect human efforts and use them as a blessing in God’s kingdom.

This Sunday we continue in 1 Thessalonians 2:1-8. Paul candidly recalls how he and his companions were mistreated in Philippi, and he affirms their motives in preaching the gospel. Paul’s aim was not to please human beings, but God “who tests our hearts” (2:4). The word for “tests” in the Greek can mean to “examine” or prove to be genuine as in the testing of metals.

Think of a checkup: a good doctor examines us not to condemn us but to guide us toward health. In the same way, God examines our hearts to refine us and shape us more like Jesus.

We welcome you to join us this Sunday as we worship. We have Sunday school classes at 10:00 a.m. and our worship service is held in the sanctuary at 11:00 a.m.
Watch online on Facebook Live or on YouTube: youtube.com/

Events this week:
Saturday October 24th - Pumpkin Patch @ Treetop Farms – This Saturday is our final day at the Pumpkin Patch from 10:00 a.m.-5:00 p.m.
Monday October 26th - Finance Meeting at 6:30 p.m.
Tuesday October 27th - Prayer meeting at 1:00 p.m. in the fellowship hall.
Wednesday October 28th - Choir practice at 5:45 p.m. (No Bible study this week.)

Coming Up:
Sunday November 1st - Retired Educators Sunday. During worship, we will honor those who have served so faithfully in the education field.
Also, FALL BACK: Daylight Saving Time ends, so set clocks back one hour Saturday night.
Sunday November 8th - All Saints Sunday observed with Holy Communion

Blessings,
Pastor Lauren, 706-577-8730
[email protected]

10/22/2026

We were so blessed by all who came to our Fall Festival for Graham and Surrency UMC yesterday evening. What a fun time! We thank the Lord for this opportunity, and all of our amazing volunteers who helped make this happen!! 🎃😊🍁🍂❤️🙏

10/19/2026

10/18/2026

11:00 Worship Service

10/15/2026

Graham UMC Weekly Newsletter
Thursday October 15, 2026
Good morning,
It’s hard to believe it is mid-October already. We have several significant events in the life of the church coming up this week.

This Sunday October 18th the church is hosting a pastor appreciation luncheon in the fellowship hall after the 11:00 service and it is a potluck. I’m humbled by the thought, and grateful for each of you.

Our church has a lot of things for which to give God thanks and praise. It seems especially appropriate as we journey towards the Thanksgiving season, but giving thanks is something we as believers are to observe year round.

This coming Monday October 19th at 6:30 p.m. in the Fellowship Hall, the United Women in Faith (UWIF) will be hosting a “White Elephant” auction to benefit UWIF mission programs. All the women are invited to bring a gently-used item you no longer want or need to be auctioned. Come join us for a fun time!

Then on Wednesday October 21st we will have the Graham and Surrency UMC Fall Festival at Graham (206 Graham Methodist Church Rd.) from 5:30 - 7:30 p.m. There will be games, crafts and face painting as well as a free hot dog supper. We do need a couple more volunteers specifically to help with guests parking and crossing the street, and maybe one or two more people to help with serving food or games. Please contact me via phone or email below if you can help. We invite you to come and bring your friends and loved ones, especially any children! This is a wonderful opportunity for us to welcome and host our community.

One special note for this week is that due to the Fall Festival being on Wednesday, our regularly scheduled choir practice will be on Thursday October 22nd at 5:45 p.m. Sandra, Neal, and the choir are hard at work preparing our Christmas cantata, and the church is sure to be blessed!

Our passage for this Sunday is 1 Thessalonians 1:1-10, where we read of the apostle Paul’s thanksgiving for the believers at Thessalonica. He is grateful for their faith, hope and love and for their Christian example among other things (1:3,7). Paul affirms the Thessalonians as “beloved” and “chosen” by God (1:4). Friends, that is something we as believers can all give thanks for, that we are beloved and chosen by God. How might it impact our day if we approached today knowing we are beloved and chosen by God?

We welcome you to join us this Sunday as we worship as the chosen and beloved people of God! We have Sunday school classes at 10:00 a.m. and our worship service is held in the sanctuary at 11:00 a.m.
Watch online on Facebook Live or on YouTube: youtube.com/

Events this week:
Sunday October 18th – 10:00 a.m. Sunday School 11:00 a.m. Worship in the Sanctuary. Pastor Appreciation Luncheon after church
Monday October 19th - 6:30 p.m. United Women in Faith - White Elephant Auction. Bring an item to be auctioned!
Tuesday October 20th - Prayer meeting at 1:00 p.m. in the fellowship hall.
Wednesday October 21st - 5:30 p.m.-7:30 p.m. Fall Festival with hot dogs and games for the kids!
Thursday October 22nd - Choir Practice at 5:45 p.m.
Saturdays in October: Pumpkin Patch @ Treetop Farms – we will have a booth each week (Oct 17, 24, 31) from 10:00 a.m.-5:00 p.m.

Coming Up:
Monday October 26th - Finance Meeting at 6:30 p.m.
Sunday November 1st - FALL BACK – Daylight Saving time ends. Also, this is “Retired Educators Sunday.” During worship, we will honor those who have served so faithfully in the education field.
Sunday November 8th - All Saints Sunday observed with Holy Communion

Blessings,
Pastor Lauren, 706-577-8730
[email protected]

10/13/2026

Wednesday night Choir Practice @ 5:45 pm.
Family night supper with Bingo and prizes @ 6:45 pm.
Bring sides to go with sausage dogs and chili. 🍂🍁

10/11/2026

11:00 Worship Service

10/08/2026

Graham UMC Weekly Newsletter
Thursday October 8, 2026
Good morning,
Happy October! I hope everyone has enjoyed the “cooler” temperatures and rainfall this past week, though it did get soggy! It’s a blessed relief for many of us when the “highs” are only in the 70’s-80’s!

We have a Fall Festival on Wednesday, October 21st from 5:30-7:30 p.m. We welcome our community to join us for a hot dog supper and games for the kids. If you have kids, know or love a kid, bring them to join us! We are collecting candy for prizes. If you can, please bring individually wrapped candy to the church; we'll have a box set out to collect it. Thank you!

This Sunday we finish our series on “Pressing On,” with “Rejoice in the Lord!” from Philippians 4:1-9. This passage contains several different exhortations from Paul to the believers. He tells them to stand firm; he urges two church members in particular to be of one mind in the Lord. He tells the believers to rejoice in the Lord, to let their gentleness be known, to pray to God with thanksgiving as an alternative to anxiety, and more.

I look forward to digging into the Scripture with you again this Sunday. I believe this passage in particular contains some very helpful instructions to believers about choosing to have a certain mindset. For example, we can choose to rejoice in the Lord even though not everything in our lives causes us to rejoice. It is not ignoring problems, but consistently choosing to direct our focus to God in the midst of life.

Join us this Sunday as we explore what it means to consistently direct our hearts and minds to God in Jesus Christ. Blessings to all of you!

Sunday School: 10:00 a.m. Worship: 11:00 a.m.
Watch online on Facebook Live or on YouTube: youtube.com/

Events this week:
Sunday Oct. 11th – 10:00 a.m. Sunday School 11:00 a.m. Worship in the Sanctuary
Tuesday Oct. 13th - Graham Evergreens Luncheon 11:30 a.m. - 1:00 p.m.
Prayer meeting at 1:00 p.m.
Wednesday Oct. 14th – Choir Practice at 5:45 p.m.; Family Night Supper 6:45 p.m.

Coming Up:
Sunday October 18th - Pastor Appreciation Luncheon after church. Contact Rita Williams or Sandra Smith for details.
Monday October 19th - 6:30 p.m.- United Women in Faith - White Elephant Sale. Bring an item to be auctioned!
Wednesday October 21st - 5:30 p.m.-7:30 p.m. Fall Festival with hot dogs and games for the kids!
Saturdays in October: Pumpkin Patch @ Treetop Farms – we will have a booth each week from 10:00 a.m.-5:00 p.m.

Blessings,
Pastor Lauren, 706-577-8730
[email protected]