First Methodist Church of Mart

05/31/2026

5-31-2026 Worship 10:30am
Bible Stories...Grown Up
*Camper blessing and commissioning
CCLI # 1693018

Bible Stories...Grown Up*Camper blessing and commissioningCCLI # 1...

05/30/2026

Join us tomorrow for a special Sunday in worship! We will be blessing and commissioning our first group of campers as they prepare to head to church camp this week. This is such a meaningful moment for our church family to pray over them, encourage them, and send them out knowing they are loved, supported, and covered in prayer.

We will also begin our new summer sermon series: Bible Stories…Grown Up. These are the favorite Bible stories many of us first heard as children, but we are going to open them again with grown-up hearts, grown-up questions, and a grown-up call to faith. These familiar stories still have power to challenge us, convict us, strengthen us, and teach us what it really means to follow Jesus.

Come ready to worship, pray, celebrate our campers, and rediscover the Word of God in a fresh way. We can’t wait to see you tomorrow!

Sunday opportunities for Worship and Fellowship at First Methodist Church of Mart include:
Traditional Hymn Service- 8:30am
Sunday School for all ages- 9:30am
Contemporary Praise Service- 10:30am
*Breakfast offered every Sunday beginning at 8:00am

05/28/2026

DIVING DEEPER
Thursday: Take Inventory

“So those who accepted his message were baptized, and that day about three thousand people were added to them. They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching, to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread, and to prayer.” -Acts 2:41-42

Pentecost did not end with a powerful worship moment. It ended with changed lives. People heard the good news. Hearts were convicted. Souls were saved. People were baptized. The church grew by amazing numbers. And then those new believers devoted themselves to teaching, fellowship, breaking bread, and prayer.

That matters. Because the fire of Pentecost was never meant to be a one-day celebration. It was meant to create a Spirit-filled community. A church alive with the presence of God. A people devoted to Jesus and devoted to one another.

Pentecost reminds us that the Holy Spirit does not just stir us emotionally. The Spirit forms us spiritually. The Spirit draws us into the body of Christ. The Spirit gives us gifts, grows our faith, deepens our love, and sends us out with purpose. This is why we celebrate when someone professes faith. This is why baptism matters. This is why the church gathers. This is why we pray, worship, serve, invite, teach, and testify.

Because every soul matters. Every yes to Jesus matters. Every baptism matters. Every person added to the family of faith is evidence that the Spirit is still moving. The church was born at Pentecost, but it was never meant to stay a baby. It was meant to grow. And not just in number, but in devotion, holiness, unity, generosity, prayer, and witness.

Pentecost Sunday may be over, but Pentecost people keep burning.

Ask yourself today: What would it look like for me to continue living in the fire of Pentecost? How can I help my church grow — not only in numbers, but in devotion and witness? Who can I invite, encourage, pray for, or walk alongside in faith?

05/27/2026

DIVING DEEPER
Wednesday: Word and Worship

“When the day of Pentecost had arrived, they were all together in one place. Suddenly a sound like that of a violent rushing wind came from heaven, and it filled the whole house where they were staying. They saw tongues like flames of fire that separated and rested on each one of them. Then they were all filled with the Holy Spirit…” -Acts 2:1-4

Pentecost was not quiet. It was not casual. It was not convenient. It was wind. It was fire. It was filling. It was movement. It was God interrupting ordinary people with extraordinary power.

And maybe that is where the conviction begins for us. Because many of us want the comfort of the Holy Spirit, but not always the disruption of the Holy Spirit. We want Him to calm us, but not change us. We want Him to bless what we are doing, but not send us somewhere new. We want the feeling of fire, but not the responsibility of carrying it.

But Pentecost was never just about a room being filled. It was about people being filled. The Holy Spirit did not come so the disciples could have a beautiful private worship experience and then go back to life as usual. He came to turn fearful followers into faithful witnesses. He came to give the church power, boldness, unity, conviction, and a holy burden for the lost.

That same Spirit is still available to us. But the question is, are we available to Him? Are we willing to be filled if it means being sent? Are we willing to be convicted if it means being changed? Are we willing to be set on fire if it means our old comforts have to burn away?

Pentecost reminds us that the church was born in fire, not formed by preference. It was birthed through prayer, waiting, surrender, and obedience. The early believers were not trying to build a church around convenience. They were becoming a people consumed by the presence and purpose of God.

And here is the loving truth: God loves us too much to let us stay powerless. He loves the church too much to let us only gather, sing, smile, and go home unchanged. He loves our families too much to let us keep silent. He loves the lost too much to let us be comfortable while they are dying without hope. He loves us too much to let our faith become routine when He has called us to resurrection life.

The fire of Pentecost is not just something to admire. It is something to receive. But fire does what fire does. It warms, but it also burns. It comforts, but it also consumes. It lights the way, but it also exposes what has been hidden.

So today, as you pray, do not only ask God to bless you. Ask Him to search you. Ask Him to fill you. Ask Him to burn away whatever has made you cold, quiet, distracted, disobedient, or comfortable with powerless Christianity. Because Pentecost is not over. The Spirit is still speaking. The Spirit is still filling. The Spirit is still calling. The Spirit is still sending. The church does not need more spectators watching the fire. The church needs Spirit-filled witnesses willing to carry it.

Remember the song...
Spirit of the Living God
Fall fresh on me
Melt me mold me
Fill me use me
Spirit of the Living God
Fall fresh on me
-Spirit of the Living God by Daniel Iverson

Prayer: Holy God...Forgive me for the times I have wanted Your comfort without Your conviction. Forgive me for asking for Your power while resisting Your purpose. Forgive me for treating the fire like something to admire instead of something I am called to carry. Search my heart. Burn away what does not look like Jesus. Wake up what has grown sleepy. Stir what has grown cold. Break what has become prideful. Heal what has become wounded. Fill what has become empty. Make me more than a church attender. Make me a witness. Give me boldness to speak, humility to serve, courage to obey, compassion for the lost, and a heart that burns for Your Kingdom. Amen.

05/26/2026

DIVING DEEPER
Tuesday: Truth to Carry

Scripture: Acts 1:8- “But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses…”

Pentecost was never just about a feeling. It was not simply about wind, fire, noise, or emotion. Pentecost was about power — but not power for show. Power for purpose.

Jesus told His disciples they would receive power when the Holy Spirit came upon them. But He did not stop there. He immediately told them what that power was for: “and you will be my witnesses.”

That means the fire of Pentecost was never meant to stay locked in an upper room. It was meant to move into the streets. It was meant to turn fearful disciples into bold witnesses. It was meant to take people who had once hidden behind locked doors and send them out to proclaim that Jesus is alive.

The same Spirit that raised Jesus from the dead is the same Spirit that fills believers today. That means Pentecost is not just a moment we remember. It is a calling we live.

We are not filled so we can simply feel better. We are filled so we can live different. We are filled so we can speak truth. We are filled so we can love boldly. We are filled so we can carry the good news of Jesus into a world that desperately needs hope.

The resurrection gave us life. Pentecost gave us power to live that life out loud. Not everyone is called to preach behind a pulpit, but every believer is called to witness. Your home can be a place of witness. Your workplace can be a place of witness. Your conversations, your compassion, your forgiveness, your invitation, your testimony — all of it can point someone to Jesus.

Pentecost reminds us that the church was not born to sit still. The church was born in fire, filled with power, and sent into the world.

Ask yourself today: What am I doing with the power God has given me? Where have I been asking God for power, but avoiding the purpose? Who needs to hear or see the hope of Jesus through my life this week? Am I living like the Holy Spirit has truly been given to me?

05/25/2026

“Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.” — John 15:13

Memorial Day is a day of remembrance. It is a sacred pause in the middle of busy lives, full calendars, cookouts, and summer beginnings. It is a day when we stop to remember men and women who gave everything in service to this country. We remember courage. We remember sacrifice. We remember families who still carry an empty seat at the table. We remember that freedom has never been free.

And as the Church, we remember through the lens of our faith. We know what it means to honor sacrifice because we follow a Savior who laid down His life for us. Jesus did not run from suffering. He did not choose comfort over calling. He gave Himself completely so that others might live. His love was not just spoken; it was poured out.

As we walk through the Pentecostal season, we are also reminded that Jesus did not leave His people powerless. After His death, resurrection, and ascension, the disciples waited in the upper room until the Holy Spirit came. And when the Spirit fell, ordinary people became bold witnesses. Fearful hearts became courageous. Closed doors opened. A movement was born.

That same Spirit still empowers the Church today. The Holy Spirit gives us courage to live faithfully, to serve sacrificially, to love boldly, and to carry the message of Christ into a world that desperately needs hope. Memorial Day reminds us of those who gave their lives for freedom. Pentecost reminds us that we have been given power to live for something greater than ourselves.

So today, may we remember well. May we give thanks with humble hearts. May we pray for grieving families and for all who continue to serve. And may we ask the Holy Spirit to make us people who do not waste the freedom we have been given—freedom in this nation, and greater still, freedom in Christ.

Prayer: Lord, today we pause to remember. We thank You for the men and women who laid down their lives in service and sacrifice. We ask You to comfort the families who still feel the weight of that loss. Surround them with peace that only You can give.

And Lord, in this Pentecostal season, fill us again with Your Holy Spirit. Make us bold in love, faithful in witness, and willing to serve beyond ourselves. Help us honor sacrifice not only with our words, but with lives that reflect gratitude, courage, and Christlike love.

May we remember the fallen. May we cherish freedom. And may we be set on fire by Your Spirit to live for Your Kingdom.

In Jesus’ name, Amen.

05/24/2026

5-24-2026 Worship 10:30am
Pentecost: When the Fire fell
Baptism of Zander Lee
CCLI # 1693018

Pentecost: When the Fire fellBaptism of Zander LeeCCLI #1693018

05/24/2026

05/22/2026

This Sunday, we gather for Pentecost Sunday. For some, that word may sound familiar. For others, it may feel like one of those “church words” we have heard before but are not completely sure we could explain. So let’s make it plain:

Pentecost is the day we remember and celebrate when the Holy Spirit came upon the followers of Jesus in power.

After Jesus rose from the grave, He told His disciples to wait in Jerusalem for the gift the Father had promised. They did not know exactly what it would look like. They did not know exactly when it would happen. But they gathered. They prayed. They waited. They obeyed.

And then, in Acts 2, the Bible tells us that suddenly there came a sound like a mighty rushing wind. Flames like tongues of fire rested on each of them, and they were filled with the Holy Spirit.

Pentecost was not quiet.
Pentecost was not casual.
Pentecost was not ordinary.

It was the moment the church was set on fire. It was the moment frightened disciples became bold witnesses. It was the moment a waiting room became a launching place. It was the moment the Spirit of God filled the people of God so they could carry the message of Jesus to the world.

And church, that is why Pentecost still matters. We celebrate Christmas because Jesus came to us. We celebrate Easter because Jesus rose for us. And we celebrate Pentecost because the Spirit now lives within us.

Pentecost reminds us that our faith was never meant to be powerless. The church was never meant to simply gather, sing, listen, and leave unchanged. We gather because God is worthy. We gather because Jesus is alive. We gather because the Holy Spirit is still moving, still filling, still calling, still sending, and still setting hearts on fire.

Pentecost was also the birth of the church. On that day, the church did not just begin — it grew by amazing numbers as people heard the good news and responded in faith. And this Sunday, as we celebrate Pentecost, our church family will grow too as we celebrate the profession of faith and baptism of Zander Lee at our 10:30am service. What a beautiful reminder that the same Spirit who moved then is still moving now, still calling people by name, still growing the church, and still writing new stories of faith.

For those who have walked with Jesus for years, Pentecost is a holy reminder: we do not live this life in our own strength. We do not serve, love, forgive, endure, preach, teach, parent, lead, or witness by our own power. We need the Holy Spirit.

For those who are new to faith, curious about faith, or wondering if church is for you, Pentecost is a beautiful invitation: God is not distant. God comes close. God fills ordinary people with extraordinary power and purpose.

This Sunday is not just another Sunday. It is a day of celebration. It is a day of remembrance. It is a day of expectation. It is a day to come hungry. It is a day to come ready.

So we invite you to join us this Pentecost Sunday.
-Come if you are on fire.
-Come if your flame feels low.
-Come if you are waiting.
-Come if you are wondering.
-Come if you need fresh wind.
-Come if you need fresh fire.
-Come if you need to remember that God is not finished with you yet.

Pentecost is not just history. Pentecost is the heartbeat of the church. And we are believing that the same Spirit who moved in Acts 2 is still moving today.

Come expecting. Come ready. Come worship. Come celebrate. Come because the church was born in fire — and we are still called to burn bright for Jesus.

Traditional Hymn Service- 8:30am
Sunday School for all ages- 9:30am
Contemporary Praise Service- 10:30am
*Breakfast offered every Sunday beginning at 8:00am