First United Methodist Church - Rantoul

10/29/2026

10/28/2026

Midweek Reflection: Beyond Us and Them

Does anyone else feel like the world has become one giant game of picking sides?

Us or them. Agree or disagree. You're either on this side or that side, and apparently there's not much room left for saying, "Well, hang on a minute..."

I've been thinking about that alongside Jesus' words about loving God and loving our neighbors as ourselves.

Somewhere in all our opinions, disagreements, and labels, I wonder if we're forgetting that the people on the other side are just that. People. With their own worries, struggles, hopes, and stories we probably know very little about.

And here's a thought that makes me smile a little. While we're busy dividing everybody into "us" and "them," to God, we're all "them!"

Every last one of us needs His love and grace. None of us has everything figured out, and thankfully, we don't have to.

But there's another part of those words that's been rattling around in my head.

Love your neighbor as yourself.

We hear a lot about being kinder to one another, but what about being kinder to ourselves?

Think about it. How many of us would ever dream of saying to a friend some of the things we say to ourselves? We can forgive someone else for making a mistake, yet still be beating ourselves up over something that happened ten years ago.

And don't even get me started on that little voice in our heads that likes to remind us of everything we've ever gotten wrong!

Sometimes I think the person we have the hardest time loving is the one looking back at us in the mirror.

But if God loves us, imperfections, mistakes, scars, and all, why do we sometimes act as though we're the one exception to His grace?

I don't have some grand solution for a world that seems increasingly divided. But I do wonder what might happen if we stopped looking at everyone, including ourselves, through the lens of what's wrong with them.

Maybe we'd discover we have more in common than we thought.

And maybe we'd finally recognize that the same God who loves the person across the divide also loves the person in the mirror.

There's room for all of us in God's love. Even on the days we have a hard time believing that includes us.

📣 Call to Action 📣

💜 Catch yourself thinking "us versus them"? Take a moment to consider the person behind the opinion.

🪞 Pay attention to how you speak to yourself. Would you say those same things to someone you love?

🤝 Look for something you have in common with someone who sees the world differently.

❤️ Give yourself a little grace today, too. God's love includes you!

🙏 Let's Pray 🙏

Heavenly Father,
Sometimes this world gets so caught up in who's right, who's wrong, and who's on which side that we forget we're all Your children.

Help us look beyond our differences and remember the humanity we share. And when we're being especially hard on ourselves, remind us that Your love and grace aren't reserved for everyone else.

Help us make a little more room for love, understanding, and kindness, both for others and for ourselves.

In Jesus' name we pray, amen.🙏💜🙏

🪞 Reflective Scripture 🪞

1 John 4:19 (NIV)

"We love because he first loved us."

Have a Blessed Day,
~Yvonne

10/27/2026

What's coming up at RFUMC!
There's something for everyone!

10/27/2026

☀️ Tuesday Morning Bible Trivia Answers

Good morning! ☕📖 It’s time to see how you did with last night’s Bible Trivia!

🔹 Who was David’s captain of his army?
Answer: Joab.

🔹 When David stayed in Jerusalem, what woman did he see and commit adultery with?
Answer: Bathsheba.

🔹 Who was Bathsheba’s husband?
Answer: Uriah.

🔹 When Bathsheba became pregnant, what did David make happen to Uriah?
Answer: He was killed in battle.

🔹 What prophet came to rebuke David?
Answer: Nathan.

🔹 What happened to Bathsheba’s child?
Answer: The child died.

🔹 What did Solomon build for the Lord?
Answer: A temple.

🔹 What famous queen came to visit Solomon?
Answer: The Queen of Sheba.

🔹 Who was David’s son who started a rebellion against him?
Answer: Absalom.

🔹 What capital city did David abandon as Absalom came toward it?
Answer: Jerusalem.

How many did you get right? Come play again next Monday! 😊

10/27/2026

📖 Monday Night Bible Trivia

It’s Monday Night Bible Trivia time! 🧠📖

Let’s see how much you remember about King David, Solomon, and a little family drama along the way!

📝 No Googling, no peeking, and no giving away the answers in the comments!

🔹 Who was David’s captain of his army?

🔹 When David stayed in Jerusalem, what woman did he see and commit adultery with?

🔹 Who was Bathsheba’s husband?

🔹 When Bathsheba became pregnant, what did David make happen to Uriah?

🔹 What prophet came to rebuke David?

🔹 What happened to Bathsheba’s child?

🔹 What did Solomon build for the Lord?

🔹 What famous queen came to visit Solomon?

🔹 Who was David’s son who started a rebellion against him?

🔹 What capital city did David abandon as Absalom came toward it?

Come back tomorrow morning for the answers and see how you did! 😊

10/25/2026

Welcome to Worship! We are so glad you're here!!!
Let us know you are here in the comments!

God is Good! All the Time!

10/24/2026

Sorry for the delayed post, I scheduled it to publish next week. Oops!

Midweek Reflection: Whose Image Do We Carry?

I've been thinking about the conversation Jesus had with the Pharisees when they tried to trap Him with a question about paying taxes to Caesar.

Jesus asked to see a coin, pointed out Caesar's image on it, and told them to give Caesar what belongs to Caesar and God what belongs to God.

And that got me thinking.

We spend so much of our lives giving to the world. Our time, our money, our attention, and sometimes more of our energy than we really have to spare.

But what about the things that belong to God?

We're created in His image, after all. And I can't help but wonder whether giving God what belongs to Him is about more than what we put in the offering plate or the time we spend in prayer.

Maybe it's about what we carry in our hearts and what we share with others.

The world certainly gives us plenty of opportunities to pick up things like greed, resentment, hostility, pride, and unkindness. And goodness knows, there are days when responding to unkindness with a little unkindness of our own sounds awfully satisfying!

I'm human. I have those moments, too.

But I don't want those things to be what I carry through life or what I leave behind in someone else's heart.

I'd much rather fill my heart with the things God so freely gives us. Love, thankfulness, humility, compassion, empathy, grace, and kindness.

Not because I have some perfectly pure heart that never gets tangled up in frustration or hurt. Believe me, that would be quite a stretch! But because I believe that when God pours those beautiful things into our lives, we have opportunities to share them with others.

And maybe that's one way we give them back to Him.

Every act of kindness, every moment of compassion, every time we offer grace instead of judgment, we're sharing a little of the love He's given us.

Of course, there are days when I get it wrong. Days when I hold on to something I should release, or when my mouth gets moving before my heart has had a chance to catch up.

But even those moments can be brought to God. He doesn't ask us to hide the messy parts of ourselves. His grace meets us there, too.

I keep coming back to that coin bearing Caesar's image.

If the coin belonged to Caesar because it carried his image, what does it mean for us to carry God's image?

I don't have all the answers, but I find something beautiful in the thought that the love God gives us can find its way back to Him through the way we love one another.

And perhaps that's something worth carrying in our hearts.

📣 Call to Action 📣

☕ A Moment to Ponder: What does giving God what belongs to Him look like in your everyday life?

💜 A Little Heart Check: Are there things you're carrying that you'd rather place in God's hands?

🤲 Share the Love: Maybe there's someone who could use a little extra compassion, encouragement, or kindness.

🌱 Something to Carry: Think about the love and grace God has given you and how those gifts might find their way into someone else's life.

🙏 Let's Pray 🙏

Heavenly Father,

I've been thinking about all the things we give our time and attention to, and how easy it is to forget that our hearts belong to You.

You fill our lives with so many beautiful gifts, Lord. Love, compassion, kindness, grace, and the ability to see something good in one another, even when life gets messy.

And You know how messy we can get!

There are days when frustration gets the better of us, when our hearts are carrying things that feel awfully heavy, and when loving one another isn't nearly as easy as we'd like it to be.

Thank You for welcoming us just as we are, even with all those rough edges.

Help us recognize the things we've allowed to settle into our hearts that don't reflect Your love. And as we place those things in Your hands, fill those spaces with more of You.

May the love You pour into us flow naturally into the lives around us. Not because we're trying to prove anything, but because we're grateful for everything You've already given.

And Lord, when we forget whose image we carry, gently remind us.

In Jesus' name we pray, amen.

🪞 Reflective Scripture🪞

"Give therefore to Caesar the things that are Caesar's, and to God the things that are God's."

— Matthew 22:21 (WEB)

10/23/2026

💕 Sometimes hearing someone else's story is just the reminder of hope we need!

Join Keely Burton this Saturday at 1:00 p.m. at the Rantoul Public Library as she shares her breast cancer journey and the mighty ways God showed up along the way.

Come be inspired, encouraged, and reminded that hope shines even in life's darkest moments! 💗

10/23/2026

Friday Newsletter
October 23, 2026

Get Out the Vote!

"My dear friends, your vote is precious, almost sacred.

It is the most powerful nonviolent tool we have to create a more perfect union."

(Rep. John Lewis, addressing the 2012 DNC)

Have you voted yet?

The midterm elections are a pretty big deal in these United States - especially this year. If you are an American citizen, your vote and your voice are needed to help determine the direction of the nation. Early voting is open now in nearly every state, including on weekends in many precincts; take the opportunity to cast your ballot now, so if your car breaks down or you wake up sick on November 3, your right to be a part of our decision-making democracy won't be wasted.

Some of us may take voting and free elections for granted, as we have had easy access to the ballot box since we were 18 years old. Others have had to fight for our right, or access, to vote: to organize, rally, and undergo significant risk, in order to claim what the Constitution says should be guaranteed. Many of us entered the voting booth on the shoulders of those who fought and sacrificed before us.

Perhaps you're wondering why I'm writing about national elections in a column for the Church. Maybe you feel like voting represents your civic duty but has nothing to do with your discipleship. One involves your church life; the other relates to politics (different topics, different arenas). But the "separation of Church and State" represented by our First Amendment does not suggest your faith isn't welcome at the voting booth; in fact, quite the opposite, it protects your freedom to exercise your beliefs as you cast your vote. Christians should, and must, bring their religion, their faith, their passion and compassion with them to the polls. It's part of our duty - not only our civic duty, but our religious duty, as well. We may be a nation of many faiths and traditions, but followers of Jesus seek a society where his example and teaching about love for neighbor, justice for the marginalized, compassion for the children, welcome for the stranger, care for the hungry and the poor, are realized.

Here's what our General Board of Church & Society says on its "Sacred Voting" webpage:

"In a democratic society, our Methodist faith calls us to actively engage in the political process as part of our Christian witness, including the sacred act of voting. Guided by the Wesleyan Quadrilateral of Scripture, tradition, reason, and experience – we are compelled to support laws and policies that safeguard and extend the rights of all citizens to vote and ensure that every vote is counted. We also uphold efforts to eliminate barriers to voting and advocate for fair and transparent elections, believing that such participation aligns with our call to seek justice and love mercy in all aspects of life."

The website includes resources on Voter education, Voter engagement, and Voter protection; check it out.

Our Bishop Kennetha Bigham-Tsai has said, "The call to love was at the center of Jesus’ ministry and is at the heart of the Gospel. And that Gospel call to love has shaped the guidance from our Social Principles about how to engage in civic life. As the preface to the section on the Political Community states, "Our involvement in political systems is rooted in the gospel imperative to love our neighbors, to do justice, and to care for the vulnerable." (UM Social Principles, paragraph 163, "The Political Community.")

If you are interested in learning more about voting rights (and responsibilities), visit our IGRC Church and Society Voting Rights page,

See you at the Polls!

-Sara Isbell, East District Superintendent