First UMC Passaic

09/20/2025

We planned our barbecue until 3 but we had so much fun we kept it going for 4 hours!

09/20/2025

BBQ today 12 pm-2 pm
145 Paulison Ave. Passaic NJ 07055
Food and Fun!

09/10/2025

Dinner Church resumes tomorrow 6:30 pm. It is Potluck style. Come as you are!

06/07/2025

Church Clean Up Day & Fellowship 6-7-25

06/01/2025

We are a church who loves God and cares very much about serving the community as well as taking care of one another. To battle storms is no stranger to us and we always handle it in stride with God's grace.

06/01/2025

For Memorial Weekend a special visit from the Ojoye family! What a blessing!

06/01/2025

Today was a beautiful day for First UMC: Celebration of Baptism, a Pastor, and United Methodist Men continuing their work!

05/17/2025

Church barbecue @ Van Saun Park

03/21/2025

03/17/2025

Day 13
by Pastor Bob Strauss

Again Jesus said, “Peace be with you! As the Father has sent me, I am sending you.” And with that he breathed on them and said, “Receive the Holy Spirit…” - John 20:21-22 (NIV)

DEVOTIONAL THOUGHT –
There is so much brokenness and division in our world today. From ongoing wars, natural disasters, division within our nation, division within our denomination, sometimes it is difficult to know which way to turn.

My family’s personal journey of healing is a physical and emotional one. In 2016, my wife, Laurie, was diagnosed with breast cancer. It was a long journey that included surgery, chemotherapy, radiation…our family was broken and sometimes we did not know which way to turn. Laurie was so anxious at times that she needed to be reminded to breathe. She would take a deep breath and begin to relax.

One of the songs that was meaningful to her was Danny Gokey’s “Tell Your Heart to Beat Again,” which was written at time when his wife had passed away from complications during her third surgery to treat her congenital heart disease:

Tell your heart to beat again

Close your eyes and breathe it in

Let the shadows fall away

Step into the light of grace

Yesterday’s a closing door

You don’t live there anymore

Say goodbye to where you’ve been

And tell your heart to beat again

And just to let you know, Laurie’s journey of healing has been successful – she is a cancer survivor. But she sees life differently since cancer. She is now even more alive!

REFLECTION QUESTIONS –
1. Have you ever been in a situation where you needed to be reminded to breathe?

2. Can you allow God’s breath to guide you on a journey of healing?

03/17/2025

Day 12
by Lela Hartranft

Delight thyself also in the Lord: and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart. - Psalm 37:4 (KJV) | Psalm 37:1-10

My fraternal grandmother, Lelah Jewell passed away in her early forties. My twin sister and I were born prematurely and were critically ill. My parents had decided that the first twin born, my sister, would be named after our grandmother. However, the doctors did not think she would survive. My daddy did not want to lose another “Lelah” and so I was named Lela Jewel. We survived. A few times after that my daddy had to face the possibility of losing another “Lelah,” when we were ill with diphtheria, when I had to have major surgery, and when I was ill with Covid-19.

My daddy delighted in the Lord, daily reading his Bible and praying, In Exodus 15:26 we read, “I am the Lord, who heals you.” Every time I was critically ill, prayers were offered and I was healed. Knowing intercessory prayers on my behalf had been answered, my faith increased as I began praying for family members and others for their journey of healing. I prayed with people in parking lots, stores, etc. desiring that God would heal everyone I prayed for.

When I became a Lay Supply Pastor, another of Daddy’s desire was fulfilled, that one of his children would become a preacher. Because of the healings in my life, God granted the desire of my daddy that aligned with God’s plan and purpose for my life.

QUESTIONS:
What does Psalm 37:4 teach us about the relationship between our desires and God’s will for us?

What role does trust play in healing, and how does Psalm 37:4 reassure us that God desires to bring us wholeness?

When facing illness or pain, how does Psalm 37:4 remind us that God sees our struggles and wants to bring healing?

CLOSING PRAYER:
Heavenly Father, we come before You, thankful for Your promise to give us the desires of our hearts as we delight in You. Guide us on our journey of healing, and may we always find comfort in knowing that You are leading us toward wholeness. We surrender our desires to You and ask that Your will be done in our lives. Thank You for walking with us. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

GNJ 2025