Worship

Join us in person or online!

Times of worship

9:00 AM Factoryville Church

10:30 AM Dalton Church

9:15 AM Online Worship

For Our Online Worship Click on our Facebook to view our live streams

https://www.facebook.com/FactoryvilleUMC

MESSAGE FROM OUR DISTRICT SUPT.

Friends at Dalton and Factoryville UMCs,

In this season of ministry, our Cabinet continues to work diligently to fill pulpits that are open for the coming appointment year.  Please know that we are doing our best and ask that you keep our Bishops, myself and the rest of the Cabinet in continued prayer during this appointment season, just as we are holding all of you in prayer.

As soon as I have further information, I will contact the chair of your Pastor Parish Relations Committee.

In Christ,

Rev. Judy Walker

Conference Superintendent

Scranton Wilkes-Barre Supervisory Area

UM General CONFERENCE NEWS

Our United Methodist Global General Conference (GC), meeting every 4 years, was held April 23-May 3, 2024 in Charlotte, NC with 1000+ worldwide clergy and lay delegates, observers and volunteers participating. This assembly reflects our smaller denominational base, due to disaffiliated churches. The GC began with deep prayer and faith-building worship. Delegates connected and communicated to build relationships and effectively make decisions. A focus on our Christ-centered unity rather than on what divides us, allowed much work to be completed. 

Worldwide Regionalization, a complete restruck-turing of the denomination was approved to honor the diversity and equality of all world regions of the church.  Items of interest to one region, Africa, Europe, the Philippines, or the US, e.g. pastoral pensions or other contextual decisions, can now be decided in the appropriate region without the others having to participate. This will not change our core beliefs. We will still all follow the United Methodist Book of Discipline (UM BOD).  The mission and ministry of our local churches will not see any changes because of regionalization. 

The General Conference voted to remove the restrictive language in our BOD around LGBT+ participation in the life of the church. The ban on gay clergy was lifted, (93% votes in affirmative). The restriction on same-sex marriages was also lifted to move the BOD to a neutral position, allowing people in different contexts with different convictions to be able to come together in mission and ministry without compromising their faith. 

Pastors as previously, retain control of whom they marry and will NOT be required to perform any marriage they are not comfortable with nor will churches be required to host any type of marriage they are not comfortable with. No Annual Conference Board of Ordained Ministry will be required to ordain or appoint gay persons as clergy nor will they be penalized for doing so.  No church will be required to receive a gay pastor nor will they be penalized for not receiving one. In Pennsylvania, the State Supreme Court has ruled that churches and denominations have the right to set their own protocols for marriages and no PA court has jurisdiction on our UM BOD nor on any individual church’s policies pertaining to marriage.  

Revised social principles. These were revised to be concise, theologically grounded, and have global relevance – not just a U.S. viewpoint. Our Scriptural theme is Jesus’ promise in John 10:10a: “I have come in order that you might have life—life in all its fullness.” Many United Methodists from around the world gave input over the last 12 years to create this needed update.  The social principles are not church law, but our guidelines for social holiness, and are housed in a separate chapter in our BOD.  

A new clergy pension program, COMPASS, will start in 2026 to ensure long-term viability. The new plan will reduce the local church’s contribution amount and allow pastors to contribute more.  It will also provide a benefit to clergy repaying student loans. 

The General Conference budget set for 2024-2028 is significantly lower reducing ministry shares to the Annual Conference via a 30-40% cut to our General Church Agencies’ budgets.  This budget also reflects a lower number of bishops. 

Other decisions and affirmations: Deacons will now have sacramental (Baptism and Holy Communion) authority in their ministry contexts; New missionaries were commissioned;  Apology was offered for acts of sexual violence perpetrated by the church, and repentance offered for the church’s role in the overthrow of the legitimate Kingdom of Hawaii; A full communion agreement was voted in with the Episcopal Church; Also reaffirmed was that our local churches are where we do ministry, touch lives,  and hold fast to our firm faith in the saving power of Jesus Christ for our world. 

The Susquehanna Conference team of lay and clergy delegates to General Conference 2024. For all details and news go to https://www.umnews.org/en/category/general-conference

SUMMERTIME STEWARDSHIP

MAKES SENSE

  It’s summer! Life is good and getting better every day.  For those of us who watch church finances, this is typically the time of year when giving goes D.O.W.N. Thiscan be very scary, especially for our churches who don’t have much margin for error in their budgets. Giving to God through the ministries of our churches is a way we honor our faith in and following of Jesus Christ. Generosity is a Christian virtue and something we all need to be reminded of throughout the year…summer included. Summer programs. Vacation Bible School. Our food and clothing ministries. Picnics. Work parties. Adult classes. The work of our congregations doesn’t stop simply because we might go on vacation. The Good News is we are open for ministry all year round!

Every week in church, we offer our gifts to God in worship – you can place your gift in the offering plate on your way in or out on Sunday. For those worshipping online or from afar, you can mail your offerings in to Factoryville UMC, P.O. Box 326, Factoryville 18419 and for Dalton UMC, to P.O. Box 683, Dalton 18414.  We also encourage you to think about sending your offering automatically from your bank to our church.  All contributions are kept confidential. If you need assistance, please contact our financial secretaries: Virginia Fiore at Factoryville UMC (570)-836-5945 or Rich Klinkel at Dalton UMC. (570)-955-9576.  Summertime Stewardship makes sense and you make a difference. We’re thankful for the generosity of you and all our church friends who help us reach out to our communities with Christ’s love in ministry.  

Summer Concert Sunday June 23

FActoryville UMC at 2 pm

The Factoryville United Methodist Church Music Committee will be presenting a musical program on Sunday, June 23rd at 2 pm.  There will be many talented people singing and playing music that Praises God’s Holy Name. Refreshments will be served by the Factoryville UMC Hospitality Team.

Vacation Bible School!!!

The Dalton/Factoryville UMC Vacation Bible School (VBS) Team is busy planning this summer’s VBS: “SCUBA, Diving into friendship with God. SCUBA is a Bible-rich program grounded in hands-on multi-sensory learning and offering fun, friendship and spiritual growth for kids, ages 5 and up.  All are welcome!

VBS will be held at the Dalton United Methodist Church, 125 So. Turnpike Road, Dalton, PA 18414.  Dates are June 24 – 28 from 9 am to noon. Friday evening, 7 pm there will be a closing celebration with a special mission collection for our local Dalton and Factoryville fire companies.For more information, to register, or to volunteer, call Chandra 570-591-8259. Please pray that our community children and families come to know Jesus more and learn to live in ways that shine light into the world.

Wanted – Old Jewelry

My daughter is collecting old jewelry in any condition – even broken. She loves to craft and make things out of jewelry. This year, if she collects enough jewelry, she has decided to make craft items to sell and donate what she makes to needy kids at Christmas time. Any amount of old jewelry will help and be appreciated. Thank you! Please contact Jenn @ 570-219-3500

FOODSHARE AT FACTORYVILLE UMC

A drive thru mobile food pantry is offered every 3rd Friday each month at the Factoryville United Methodist Church, corner of College Ave & Wilson St, for Wyoming County & 18419 zip code residents. Please bring your ID & proof of residence. Food is distributed 2-4 pm. To volunteer to help, call the Factoryville UMC Church at 570-945-5854. Upcoming Food Share days:  June 21, July 19, & August 16, 2024.

Dalton Community Food Pantry

The Dalton Food Pantry gratefully accepts monetary donations and gift cards from local grocery stores only. Send to the Abington Ecumenical Ministerium (AEM).  Mark for the attention of the Dalton Food Pantry:  AEM, PO Box 125, Clarks Summit, PA 18411.  Food pick-ups are drive-thru only, every Monday evening at the Dalton United Methodist Church, 6-7:30 pm.For information, please call the food pantry at 570-563-1619, Mondays, 6-7 pm only, for more information. 

Summer Youth Group Meetings

Beginning this summer our Dalton/Factoryville UMC Youth group, open to all community youth, 6th grade and Jr/Sr high, will begin meeting on Sunday evenings, 6 pm in an outdoor location in Dalton, weather permitting. Call or text our youth group leaders, Melissa Coggins 484-568-2415   or Chandra Lenz 570-591-8259 for details. We encourage our youth to participate in this enriching and fun Christian youth community. Open to all. 

We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.” – U.S. Declaration of Independence

DALTON FIRE CO. CARVNIVAL OUTREACH

This year the Dalton Fire Company celebrates 101 years of service to the community. The Dalton United Methodist Church will make their booth at the carnival a special one of outreach and community building. Come to the carnival, Jul 9th through the 13th to support the Dalton Fire company. Come to our church’s booth to get some refreshing treats and learn how you can join with neighbors and friends in a special mission project to bless our community. 

UMC Annual Conference 2024

Each Spring, clergy and laity of the United Methodist Churches of the Susquehanna Conference in NE & Central PA gather to care for the administration and spiritual growth of our connection. Our 2024 Annual Conference (AC) takes place on May 30-June 1 at the Community Arts Center in Williamsport, PA. Our Bishops, Rev. Cynthia Moore Koikoi and Rev. Virginia Steiner Ball, will lead in worship, prayer, and caring for church business.  The spiritual theme for this year’s AC is “The Harvest Is Plentiful” from Matthew 9:37 and Like 10:2. Livestream videos of the conference can be viewed on the Susquehanna Conference Website: www.susumc.org/annual-conference. The daily QuikLINK news on the website gives summaries and highlights of business conducted each day. Many good ideas for church growth will be presented.  

Some of our business this year will be consolidation after the disaffiliations of last year: the number of districts is expected to be reduced from 7 to 5; and, UM camps in Central PA will go from 4 to 2. Thanks to Pat Purdy who serves as our charge’s elected Lay representative to the Conference. Pat will give a report to our charge shortly after the conference in June. For more information, please see her or Pastor Jean, our clergy delegate. 

THANK YOU!

Many thanks to all who are helped to make our Spring fundraisers times of rich community sharing: The Easter Cookie Walk, the Spring Rummage Sale, and the Election Day Hoagie and Soup Sales!  

Thanks to our Leadership Teams for their faithful work in continually addressing the many ongoing and immediate cares at our churches.

Thank you to all who work in our ministries (Sunday school, TGIF Bible Fun, VBS and Youth group) with children, youth and vulnerable adults both leading and participating in our Safe Sanctuaries procedures with training, background checks, covenants, awareness and love.