Fishburn Church

06/15/2026

06/15/2026

SERVE JOYFULLY by Judy Mase Kennedy

Of the three phrases that our church is focusing on (Love Boldly, Serve Joyfully, Lead Courageously), each one seems to get increasingly harder for me personally. I’m not a bold person by nature, but add in some colorful paint and this message can’t be anything but bold. Serving is easy in theory, but doing it joyfully takes it to another level that can be tough. And, don’t even get me started on leading…I’m good standing safely in the middle or back of the line, certainly not up front with the "qualified leaders"...and maybe/probably, I’m already stressing about next week’s message.

So, let’s talk about serving. Sure, I’ll help at the class holiday party. Of course, I’d be happy to help decorate for VBS. I don’t mind pulling weeds or spreading mulch at the church (just make sure we don’t start too early in the morning). But doing any of these things with a smile on my face or joy in my heart…give me a minute to think about it.

Thankfully, for all of these acts of service, I’ve had the pleasure of working beside some pretty great people. And, for me, that’s where the joy comes in. I’ve found that it is possible to smile, even at 6 a.m., setting up for a fundraiser. It is possible to laugh and joke around, even while working outside in the rain and mud. I remember fondly the feeling of friendship and belonging when I was sleep-deprived and struggling to stay on my feet, chaperoning a youth group lock-in. The hours I’ve spent transforming the church sanctuary for Christmas services were long and frustrating, but my heart was full and joyful.

In all of my service projects, it was the people that God put around me that helped me find the joy in serving, even if it wasn’t there from the start. And, while I still prefer to work alone at times, mostly because I’m not really sure how something will turn out, I look forward to the times that I will be surrounded by my church family and friends, loving boldly, serving joyfully, and leading courageously.

06/14/2026

Join us as we take a break from our Sunday evening book study to enjoy a movie together. We'll discuss the movie after, and because of some adult content, we're asking that attendees be 16+.

06/10/2026

Cancelled for 6/10.

06/08/2026

Love Boldly by Judy Mase Kennedy

I’ve always struggled to find my place, and once I figure out what I want to be when I grow up, I imagine things will really get exciting. I’ve wanted to be a teacher, writer, baker, floral designer, or the person who names paint colors, but never an artist. Years ago, my youngest had a friend over for a playdate and while they were playing outside, I was there too, keeping an eye on them while I worked on a project. When my daughter’s friend asked what I was doing, my daughter responded, “My mom is an artist.” Wait a minute…what? Sorry, sweetie, I’m just a person with a love of color, a paint brush, and no fear of getting paint on my shirt.

While I’m still not an artist, I do love to paint, and when the idea came from the leadership of Fishburn UMC about painting a mural on the outside of the church building, I questioned my abilities, but I was all in. And, even though I didn’t get to name the paint colors (believe me, I could have done so much better), I was able to pick the design, the color scheme, and the placement. Several weeks ago, I started with simple colors on the front steps of the church building. It was bold and beautiful. Then, I moved onto a simple statement. Again, it was bold and beautiful. This week, I finished the third part of the mural. No words, but so many colors. Even more bold and beautiful. And most of the passersby that saw the mural drove right on by without any comments. There were a few who shared their dislike, rude comments, and slurs. But there were more who loved it, dear, sweet people who slowed down or stopped completely to share what these messages meant to them: acceptance, hope for unity, healing from pain, and a plea to “keep going and not let them make you stop” (thank you, Wendy!).

A friend wrote this about the first part of the mural at Fishburn, “At times, we let art do the talking and we simply stand with our arms open.” We invite you to stop by Fishburn UMC in Hershey and take a picture with our newest mural, the butterfly wings, or join us on Sunday mornings for worship at 10:30, and find out more about our mission to Love Boldly. These quiet, colorful messages along a busy road in Hershey are talking more loudly than I ever could, shouting bolding and unapologetically: YOU ARE LOVED.

06/07/2026

Fishburn UM Church
Hershey, Pa
June 7, 2026 - 10:30am Weekly Worship