Hillsdale First United Methodist Church

Hillsdale First United Methodist Church We are located in downtown Hillsdale on the corner of Manning & North streets.

06/07/2026

Welcome! Thank you for attending this service.

All rights reserved. Permission to podcast/stream the music in this service obtained from One License -723218 and CCLI #20153811. More Information and Credits at the end of the video.

Rev. Dr. Anthony J. Tomasino, Pastor
Calista Brunett, Music Director
And many others whose help behind the scenes makes this happen!

Have you ever heard someone say they’re “putting a fleece before the Lord”? Typically when people say this, they mean th...
06/06/2026

Have you ever heard someone say they’re “putting a fleece before the Lord”? Typically when people say this, they mean that they’re asking God to fulfill some conditions in order to make God’s will clear to them. For example, a man might pray that if God wants him to quit his job, then he’ll hear the song “Copacabana” on the radio while driving to work. Or maybe they say that they’ll start to tithe on their paycheck if the Lions win the Superbowl. Typically, the less someone wants to do something, the more unlikely they’ll make the conditions.
The expression comes from the story of Gideon in the Book of Judges, who put a fleece on the ground and prayed that if God really wanted him to fight against the Midianites (as God had commanded him to do), the fleece would be wet with dew in the morning, and the ground around it dry. When the fleece was wet, Gideon prayed a second time, asking for the fleece to be dry and the ground wet. Again, God answered in the affirmative.
We all wish sometimes that we had a clear signpost before us showing us what God would like us to do, but we shouldn’t take Gideon’s behavior as our example. Gideon wasn’t really a man of faith—he was a man of doubt. God had clearly told Gideon what he was to do, but Gideon repeatedly tried to find ways to get out of his responsibility. He put God to the test in the hope that God would fail.
God never promised us that we would always have a plan for our lives. He never even said we would always know the next step with certainty. Instead, God gives us instructions in the Bible, solid principles that should guide our steps and our thinking as we face important decisions in life. Listen to the Scriptures, step out boldly, and trust that God can stop us if we’re about to make a serious mistake. That’s how we live as true people of faith.
Join us this Sunday at 9:30 A.M., in person or online, as we celebrate the God who has promised to be with us always, guiding our steps by the Word and the Spirit--no fleeces required!

05/31/2026

Welcome! Thank you for attending this service.

All rights reserved. Permission to podcast/stream the music in this service obtained from One License -723218 and CCLI #20153811. More Information and Credits at the end of the video.

Rev. Dr. Anthony J. Tomasino, Pastor
Calista Brunett, Music Director
And many others whose help behind the scenes makes this happen!

05/24/2026

Welcome! Thank you for attending this service.

All rights reserved. Permission to podcast/stream the music in this service obtained from One License -723218 and CCLI #20153811. More Information and Credits at the end of the video.

Rev. Dr. Anthony J. Tomasino, Pastor
Calista Brunett, Music Director
And many others whose help behind the scenes makes this happen!

Pentecost Sunday has arrived! On this day, we celebrate the gift of the Holy Spirit—the One who brought the power that t...
05/23/2026

Pentecost Sunday has arrived! On this day, we celebrate the gift of the Holy Spirit—the One who brought the power that transformed the disciples from a rag-tag group of misfits into a world-changing army of apostles. Sometimes when we think about the people of the Bible, we might imagine saintly figures of unshakeable faith and personal charisma. But the fact is, the biblical heroes seldom fit that description. In the Book of Judges, we find fearful men who had to be forced to accept leadership; we meet a warrior driven by lust and anger; we find a low-borne bandit ignorant of the fundamental laws of God. But God used these people to deliver his nation from oppressors—not by their wisdom or virtue, but through the power of the Holy Spirit working in them.
This Sunday, we’ll be talking about a fellow who wasn’t an especially bad person, but not particularly virtuous, either. Ehud’s claim to fame was the fact that he was left-handed. In ancient Israel, left-handedness wasn’t considered wicked, like it was in ancient Rome and Medieval Europe, but it was regarded as a significant handicap. The fact that God actually used Ehud’s “uniqueness” to bring about the deliverance of Israel should serve as a lesson to us: in the power of the Spirit, God cannot only work in spite of our flaws, but through our flaws, to accomplish his will in the world.
Join us this Sunday at 9:30 A.M., in person or online, to celebrate the gift of the Holy Spirit and to continue our journey through the Book of Judges.

05/17/2026

Welcome! Thank you for attending this service.

All rights reserved. Permission to podcast/stream the music in this service obtained from One License -723218 and CCLI #20153811. More Information and Credits at the end of the video.

Rev. Dr. Anthony J. Tomasino, Pastor
Calista Brunett, Music Director
And many others whose help behind the scenes makes this happen!

I never really understood the Book of Judges as a child. Like most Sunday School kids, I had heard the "heroic" stories ...
05/16/2026

I never really understood the Book of Judges as a child. Like most Sunday School kids, I had heard the "heroic" stories about Gideon and Samson, and never given much thought to their darker aspects. But when I took a closer look at this book as an adult, I found there was a lot of troubling material here. In fact, every story in the book is a little "twisted," in a way. And the last two episodes in the book are quite horrifying.
This isn't just a case of judging ancient people by modern standards, as critics sometimes do. No, I believe the author of Judges knew exactly what he was doing. The Book of Judges is pretty much designed to illustrate the situation described in its closing verse: "There was no king in Israel in those days. Everyone did whatever they thought was right." When people are left to their own devices, without moral guidance or accountability, they typically make the wrong choices. And those choices can have tragic consequences.
For the next few weeks, we'll take a close look at some of the episodes from Judges. They won't always be the most inspiring stories (but some of them will be--I promise!). But throughout the book, there are some recurring themes that we will find encouraging, even in the midst of the chaos. First, Judges affirms that God is committed to his people, even when our commitment falters. Also, God is patient with us, ever mindful of our fallibility. And finally, God can use even the most flawed among us to do marvelous works for his Kingdom. Our mistakes won't invalidate his purposes. And never forget--his purpose is US, to help us become the people that God believes we can be!
Join us this Sunday at 9:30 AM, in person or online, as we kick off our exploration of the Book of Judges. And stick around for breakfast afterwards, and a celebration of the Ascension of Christ. Hope to see you there!

05/10/2026

Welcome! Thank you for attending this service.

All rights reserved. Permission to podcast/stream the music in this service obtained from One License -723218 and CCLI #20153811. More Information and Credits at the end of the video.

Rev. Dr. Anthony J. Tomasino, Pastor
Calista Brunett, Music Director
And many others whose help behind the scenes makes this happen!

Ever have to deal with a pesky peccadillo? One that’s typically easy to ignore, but that occasionally becomes a bit of a...
05/09/2026

Ever have to deal with a pesky peccadillo? One that’s typically easy to ignore, but that occasionally becomes a bit of a nuisance? Maybe it was your own peccadillo. Maybe it was someone else’s. And often, they’re not a real issue. But sometimes, a little peccadillo can become a big problem.
So, you ask, what is a “peccadillo”? It’s not a cross between a pig and an armadillo. Nor is it an Italian dish made with cucumbers. A “peccadillo” is a little sin. The kind of things most people are willing to let slide. Maybe it’s gossip. Maybe it’s unhealthy anger. Maybe envy, or lust, or vanity. But whatever the form, a peccadillo is often overlooked. After all, we’re only human.
But according to the Bible, every sin—great or small—can cause trouble in our relationships and our communities. Many of our sins have a direct impact on others, and the consequences might set off a chain reaction that affects people far beyond the immediate victims. A little gossip might destroy friendships. A few angry words could drive someone away from the church. A bit of innocent flirtation could cause a rift in someone’s marriage. Even misbehavior that we think of as personal or secret can have effects that reach far beyond the privacy of our inner lives. There’s no such thing as “harmless” sin. I imagine you wouldn’t tolerate a few little roaches in your kitchen. Nor should we just overlook a little bad behavior in ourselves. And we shouldn’t just excuse it in others, either. No, we’re not perfect in this life. But we should never stop aspiring to be the best we can be. And we should encourage others to do their best, as well.
Don’t feed the peccadillos! Deal with them—through prayer, through counseling, or through confrontation, if necessary. The little peccadillos that seem so harmless now might cause major issues down the line.
Join us this Sunday at 9:30 A.M., in person or online, as we thank God for the grace that reaches us no matter where we might be, and lifts us up to seat us in heavenly places!

05/03/2026

Welcome! Thank you for attending this service.

All rights reserved. Permission to podcast/stream the music in this service obtained from One License -723218 and CCLI #20153811. More Information and Credits at the end of the video.

Rev. Dr. Anthony J. Tomasino, Pastor
Calista Brunett, Music Director
And many others whose help behind the scenes makes this happen!

Address

45 N Manning Street
Hillsdale, MI
49242

Opening Hours

Tuesday 10am - 2pm
Wednesday 10am - 2pm
Thursday 10am - 2pm
Friday 10am - 2pm
Sunday 9:30am - 10:30am
11am - 12pm

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