Our church’s mission is to proclaim the Good News of God’s grace to all people, to invite all persons into a loving relationship with God, and to model and teach Christian discipleship. We believe every person is a child of God, and is to be valued as God would value them. We welcome all kinds of people, from all backgrounds and age groups, into worship and fellowship. We especially welcome children, and offer a variety of programs and activities just for them. We believe that we must put God first in our lives, and recognize the need for all Christians to move into a deeper relationship with God through prayer, Bible study, worship and service. We are the family of God, and as such we bear each other’s burdens, rejoice with each other’s joys, and care for and comfort each other. We believe that the world is our parish and that the mission field starts at our own doorstep.

"I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful."     - John 15: 1 - 2

Greetings in the Name of the One who calls us all The Beloved;

    I had an interesting experience this summer; one I've never had before.  I actually had to prune the tomato plants in the garden.  Now I can't say I've had a garden every summer of my life, but when I was a kid my Dad always planted a garden, and sometimes I would help him work in it.  When we first moved into our home we planted a garden every summer.  But after our daughter was born, we let go of that concept for a time.  This year we once again had a small vegetable garden in the side yard.
    But I've never known tomato plants like these!  When we first set them in the ground, they were tiny little plants.  For a  couple of weeks we let them grow, then used some small bamboo stakes to tie them upright.  But they soon outgrew the bamboo.  We placed wire baskets around them.  One by one they pulled the baskets over to the ground.  I went out and bought 4 foot tall stakes to hold them up.  But in tying they, I discovered the branches of these plants had grown far beyond a mere 4 feet!  These were giant plants, which dwarfed the pepper plants standing beside them.      In my efforts to straighten and secure the plants to the stakes, thereby keeping dozens of green tomatoes out of the dirt, I found more plant than I could deal with.  Reluctantly at first, but then with increasing zeal, I did the unthinkable;  I pruned the plants.  I didn't cut off anything that had a tomato on it.  I wanted every possible little green tomato to keep growing.  But any section of vine with no fruit went into the waste heap.       I don't know why it surprised me so to do it.  I've been accustomed to pruning pumpkin vines in the same way.  Once the fruit begins to grow, you cut off beyond it, so all the energy goes into growing the pumpkin that's there and isn't wasted on the vine that's not producing fruit.  In the case of the tomatoes, the vines were so long they were weighed down, and sunlight couldn?t reach the fruits.  Not an ideal growing situation!
    Jesus said the same thing about our spiritual lives;  we need to focus on what's producing fruit, and prune anything that distracts us from it.  As our gardens and farms turn to thoughts of harvesting and preserving what we've grown, I invite you to take a moment to consider what fruits of God's spirit are growing in your own soul, and whether there's anything that needs pruning in order to be more fruitful.   Connected to the True Vine, cut off from anything that hinders our growth, we cannot help but flourish in God's Garden!


On another note, I know you join me in wishing God's blessings on Joan Holdsworth as she departs this week for Florida.  Her address will be published in the upcoming newsletter.

In Christ,

-Pastor Sharon

Pastor Sharon's new office hours are Monday, Tuesday, and Thursday 8:30-2:30 and other times by appointment.

Used Clothing Dropoff

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Welcome one and all!

Hello and welcome to the Sauquoit Valley United Methodist Church. In addition to our regular services every Sunday @ 10:30am, we try to improve our community by hosting both Boy and Girl Scout Troops along with our Church Youth Group. We give back to the community by hosting dinners throughout the year, allow the use of our building for various groups to meet and even have a Good Samaritan fund to help local folks in dire need. We believe we are all God's children and our doors are open to all who seek comfort. Please stop in if you get a chance; we promise to welcome you with open arms.

We hope you enjoy your visit to our website and return often. We will make every effort to keepit fresh and vibrant, and if there is anything you would like to see added or if you would like to make a comment, please contact us here.

Sunday School
What is WoRM?  WoRM stands for Workshop Rotation Model, and is a new way (for us) to do Sunday School for kids.  This workshop model spends more time on a single lesson, and incorporates different workshop opportunities, such as drama, music, cooking, crafts, games and even movies and stories!  Every month the Bible story changes; each week your class visits a different workshop.  All ages are welcome, even high schoolers!   Come and experience the WoRM!


Youth Group
Youth Group for grades 4 and up is Sunday at 6pm. Come with an open mind, and be prepared to get real with Gods word!

Youth Center
We are looking for a volunteer to take charge of the Youth Center and schedule some Friday nights. Please let Pastor Sharon or another church officer know if you are interested, thanks.

Got a Second or Two?

Drop a line to our soldiers serving overseas if you have a chance. Mail from home is always welcome along with your thoughts and prayers.

• Jason Rozell is back in Watertown!

• Winchell, Scott E. AUAB/CAOC/AMD/CAPCC APO AE 09309

• Jake Addington is headed for sunny California

Church Calendar

Thursday, Sept 2 - Spaghetti Supper to benefit a church youth going on Mission of Peace to China in December of this year.  Ticket prices: $8 adults; $5 kids ages 5 - 12; kids under 5 free!  Menu: spaghetti, sauce, meatballs, bread and butter, salad, applesauce, beverage and dessert.

Sunday, Sept 12 - Celebrating Seniors - Senior Citizens, that is!  Join us for worship with special guest speaker Rev. Carol Jubenville, then stay for a chicken and biscuits luncheon following worship.

Sunday, Sept 19 - 9:15 am - Sunday School for children gets underway!

Sunday, Sept 26 - CROP Walk for World Hunger stepping off from the Clayville Library at noon.

Note: Our Youth Group is raising funds with a bottle drive. You can take your refundable bottles and cans to Reillys Redemption Center and ask them to credit the church's account. Reillys will send us a check every month. Thank you.

If you have a community-oriented link you'd like to share, please email us here and we will be glad to post it.


Our Church Conference
Methodist Mohawk District

Don't forget to bring canned goods, etc. for Your Friends and Neighbors in Clayville. Proceeds are distributed to local needy families.