Click HERE for Advent resources and information (devotion signup, Advent map, One Room Schoolhouse, etc.)
Providence, 2025 is our year! It will be our year to read through the whole Bible together using the “One Year Bible” reading plan!
Why? Well, because it’s a critical step in growing as a Disciple of Christ. It’s not just for learning about God. It’s so much more. Scripture is God’s love letter to each of us. Together, we will find hope, peace, joy, and love! Using the reading plan, together we will grow closer to God & closer to one another. This plan is designed to give you daily readings in the Old Testament and New Testament along with a Psalm and a Proverb. The daily readings aren’t overwhelming amounts of reading at all - approximately four pages per day! Click HERE for the full reading plan.
Do you want to use your Bible or purchase the “One Year Bible”? If you use your own Bible, we will provide you with the monthly reading list. Which translation would you like to read? See below for recommended translations. Consider partnering with a friend or forming a discussion group with friends. Throughout 2025, your group can meet whenever works best. Providence UMC will provide opportunities to dive into the reading challenge with clergy each month, but we encourage you to form these small groups to continue building bonds within our church family.
Recommended Translations:
NRSV One Year Bible
NLT One Year Bible
Life Application Study Bible
Bibles that provide a place for notes
Audio Bible App such as “Dwell”
Join us during the 8:30 and 11 AM worship services this Sunday, December 22 for A Festival of Nine Lessons and Carols. Based on ancient sources, the service was composed for Christmas Eve in 1880 by the Right Reverend Edward White Benson, then Anglican Bishop of Truro, England. The Nine Lessons given have been customarily used in recent years at King’s College, Cambridge. The scripture lessons lead followers of Christ from the fall of mankind to mankind’s ultimate salvation through Christ. Each carol is chosen to illuminate the scripture lesson that precedes it. The Chancel Choir, Junior Choir, Providence Handbell Ringers, and liturgists will present the Christmas story through scripture and song.
11 AM - Children & Family Service with The Net (Contemporary in Wolfe Hall)
4 PM - Holy Communion Chapel Service
5 PM - Festival Service (Traditional with Brass in Sanctuary. Nursery will be provided.)
11 PM - Holy Communion Candlelight Service (Traditional in Sanctuary)
The 11 AM (watch HERE) and 5 PM (watch HERE) services will be available via livestream.
“Every person deserves a decent place to live.”
Each year, Providence UMC dedicates 100% of the Christmas Eve Offerings to making a big impact for God’s Kingdom. This year’s Christmas Eve Offering will address the affordable housing crisis in Charlotte, enabling us to sponsor a new home for a deserving family through Habitat for Humanity. Nothing could be bigger and more life-changing than helping someone have secure housing of their own!
The Mission Council seeks to make meaningful changes in the lives of those who struggle with affordable housing. Habitat for Humanity has a long history of helping families make the tremendous shift from renting to home ownership. And that one change affects generations after. Truly, home ownership is life-transforming!
Click HERE to learn more about the home we’re building and how you can be a part!
You may donate anytime this season by noting on a check to “Christmas Eve Offering” or giving online (HERE), and/or by bringing an offering to one of the Christmas Eve services.
Carols & Creches, presented by Providence UMC's Music Ministry, will be held on Tuesday, December 17, between 6 and 8 PM. Drop in to sing some Christmas Carols in the Chapel, view lovely Nativity displays in the Atrium, and partake of cookies & hot chocolate with friends. All are welcome!
If you have a Nativity you would like to display that evening, please contact Lisette Helveston HERE or bring it to the breezeway on Sunday, December 15 (9:30 AM – noon).
Providence UMC’s Children’s Ministry will present the Nativity during the Net Worship Service (9 AM) on Sunday, December 8. To prepare for this special occasion, we will have a rehearsal on Sunday, December 1. Please join us for Nativity Practice and a delicious spaghetti dinner. We will meet in Wolfe Hall at 4:30 pm for rehearsal and have dinner following rehearsal at 5:30 pm in Wolfe Annex. Information about costumes and roles will be shared closer to the date.
During the Sunday School Hour (10 AM) on December 8, all are invited to join us for "A Night in Bethlehem". Costumed characters will discuss their trades and share stories about that special night when Jesus was born. We will begin in the Mission Center.
Providence United Methodist Women's Cookie Walk and Christmas Market will return on Saturday, December 7 from 9 AM to 12 PM. Stroll down our cookie line and fill your box with your favorite cookies! Shop our specialty sections with sweet & savory food items, Christmas decor, and more!
All proceeds will support UMAR and Dr. Eugene & the New Hope Hospital in Haiti.
The 27th Annual Providence United Methodist Women (PUMW) Christmas Dinner and Program will be held on Tuesday, December 3 at 6 PM in Wolfe Hall. A festive medley of Christmas music by Tyris Washington and Amanda Hampton will follow the dinner. The cost of the dinner is $16 per person. To make reservations, please click HERE. The deadline for reservations is noon on Wednesday, November 27. Please bring a donation of adult or children's socks for those affected by Hurricane Helene. Join the UMW for this wonderful way to begin the Christmas season!
Providence UMC, Dilworth UMC, St. Francis UMC, and St. Stephen UMC have a collective Men's Fellowship group. This group meets quarterly. Dilworth UMC (605 East Blvd, Charlotte, NC 28203) is hosting the next meeting at 6 PM this upcoming Tuesday, December 3. The free event will include a meal and a program. Click HERE for more information.
RSVP online HERE as soon as possible.
Providence UMC will partner with the American Red Cross this Sunday, December 1 from 10 AM to 2 PM. If you can, please consider donating blood in PUMC's Mission Center that day. Register online HERE!
Honor and remember your loved ones on Sunday, December 22 (Lessons & Carols services) and December 24 as we fill our Sanctuary with a beautiful poinsettia arrangement. You must complete an order form; they are available at the Welcome Desk (or download HERE). You may send a check with your order, (Providence UMC, Attention: Lisette Helveston, 2810 Providence Road, Charlotte, NC 28211) or pay online HERE. Contact the Music Ministry office, 704.366.7442 if you have questions. Contributors may pick up their flowers after the 11 PM Christmas Eve service.
All are invited to Living with Loss During the Holidays on Sunday, November 17 at 6:30 PM in the Chapel. The service will be led by the Reverend Walt H. Windley, IV, and hosted by our Stephen Ministry. Whether suffering the loss of a loved one, a job, or a broken relationship, this service will help you prepare for the coming holidays.
In recognition of Veterans Day 2024, all PUMC members, veterans, and their families are invited to join the Friends and Families of Veterans Committee in the Atrium immediately following the 11 AM worship service on Sunday, November 10.
At that time, we will be showing a recorded interview with Mr. Vernon Brantley, a 100-year-old Army Veteran, who participated in the Battle of The Bulge, which took place from December 14th 1944 until January 25th 1945. Mr. Brantley is a resident of Columbia, South Carolina, and he will be sharing the story of his service and what it meant to him. We are grateful to Mr. Brantley for his service and for joining us to mark the observance of Veterans Day.
Veterans Day is the day set aside to thank and honor ALL those who served honorably in the military – in wartime or peacetime. Veterans Day is largely intended to thank LIVING veterans for their service, to acknowledge that their contributions to our national security are appreciated, and to underscore the fact that all those who served – not only those who died – have sacrificed and done their duty.
On Sunday, November 3, we will observe All Saints and remember those Saints in this world, and particularly in our church, who have gone before us into the Church Triumphant. That morning, we will celebrate Holy Communion and hear the names of those in our church who have passed away in the last year.
That evening at 6:30 PM, we will continue this observance in our Sanctuary with a service of music and readings centered around Malcolm Archer’s setting of the Requiem texts. Archer, a British composer, has written a beautifully complex and mysterious setting of this liturgy that our Chancel choir will sing accompanied by a chamber orchestra of musicians from the Charlotte Symphony. Please plan to come and be uplifted as you hear gorgeous music sung by the best church choir in Charlotte!
Please join us as we beautify our St. John's campus (4305 Monroe Rd.) on Saturday, November 2 from 9 AM to noon! Bring your rakes, shovels, hedge trimmers, clippers, weedeater, and any other appropriate landscaping materials. We will mulch, plant bushes, trim existing bushes, rake, collect debris, and complete any other related tasks the campus may need. Please make sure you wear long pants and a long-sleeve shirt.
On Sunday, October 27, we will again support Rise Against Hunger. Just as our congregation is doing now to support those in Western North Carolina who were decimated by the hurricane, RAH is an organization that addresses those in immediate need of food and responds to global natural and man-made crises, including droughts, floods, conflict zones, and transitioning political situations) by hosting our 20th meal packaging event! It will be held in the Mission Center and will start at noon, right after our worship services. Not only is this event great for individuals, it is also great for the entire family, as anyone over the age of 5 can participate.
This time, rather than packing our normal 10,000 meals, we're packing 20,000, which means we'll need at least 80 volunteers. So, please sign up to help make it happen. During our 19 previous events, PUMC has packaged over 357,000 meals. Our goal is to pack 500,000 meals by the end of 2027 and these 20,000 will help us get there! To volunteer, please Click HERE. If you are unable to volunteer, but wish to help cover the cost of the meals ($0.42 per meal), please click HERE.
Join us at Providence UMC on Sunday, October 20 (4-5:30 PM) for our annual Fall Festival!
Trunk-or-Treating • Face Painting • Hayride • Bounce House • Hot Dog Meals • Pumpkin Patch • Photo-Ops • and crafts!
If you have any questions, please contact Cannon Hunt HERE.
OPEN 7 DAYS A WEEK / BUY PUMPKINS TO SUPPORT PUMC YOUTH
The PUMC Pumpkin Patch has returned! The Patch serves as an important fundraiser for the Youth’s service projects, trips, and general costs.
You can also help out by working a shift or two while our youth are in school (HERE). To find more information, please contact Olivia Tobin (HERE).
Cash, checks, and most credit cards will be accepted.
Providence UMC, Dilworth UMC, St. Francis UMC, and St. Stephen UMC have a collective Men's Gathering group. This group meets quarterly. Providence UMC is hosting the next meeting at 6 PM Tuesday, September 17. The free event will include a meal, speaker, and devotion. Our very own John Calcagni will be the guest speaker for the upcoming gathering. Click HERE for more information. RSVP online HERE.
The Providence United Methodist Church Chancel Choir will present He Never Failed Me Yet, a music program by Black composers, on Sunday, September 15 at 6:30 PM. Centered around Robert Ray’s Gospel Mass, the Chancel Choir, under the direction of Adam Ward, will also sing music by Florence Price, John Stoddart and Rollo Dilworth. The Chancel Choir will be joined by a combo of area musicians on drums, bass, and John Richardson at the piano. This concert promises to be an enjoyable and inspiring evening of music. (This is the rescheduled spring concert.) Please plan to attend and invite a friend.
Join us from 5:30 to 6:30 on Wednesday nights in Wolfe Hall for Dinner at Providence!
We are so excited about the new Music Ministry program year, and we are hopeful that your child(ren) will be here to jump into the fall with us as we raise our voices (safely) in song, learn about how and why we worship, and learn music rudiments through games, singing and playing instruments. Click HERE for a brochure on Children’s Music. Registration forms for Children’s Music and Genesis Ringers can be found below.
We are in great need of A/V volunteers for the 8:30 and 11 AM services. There will be a training session this upcoming Wednesday, September 11 at 6:30 (after Dinner at Providence) in the Sanctuary. If you are interested in helping or have any questions, please contact Stephen Duraski HERE.
Our Asbury Ringers (rising 6th — 12th graders) is a dedicated group of amazing young people who enjoy making music together. See more information HERE. Sign up by filling out the form below.
September 8 will be a day to celebrate the children of the church going back to school. We begin the day by blessing the backpacks during the 9 AM and 11 AM services. Then, the whole church is invited to join us for a hotdog cookout in front of the Mission Center. (We will have some tables set up inside the Mission Center if you would prefer to eat inside.) We will also have a homemade ice cream contest (details below), pack Blessing Bags for the teachers at Oakhurst, and there will be a big waterslide in the field. This will be a fun day for everyone and we hope all ages will join us at “the Bash!”
ICE CREAM CONTEST: To enter your homemade ice cream in the contest for the September 8 Bash, email Elaine Cobb HERE to get your super-secret entry number. Please label your disposable container “Ice Cream Contest with your number on it and with a detailed ingredients list. If you have a special name for your ice cream, please include that as well. Place your entry in the kitchen freezer during normal church hours from Tuesday, September 3 through Sunday morning on September 8.
It's time for PUMC College Ministry's Secret Link program to begin! Sign up to be a PUMC Link for a college student. Pray for your student and keep them LINKED to Providence by sending them an occasional card, gift card, and/or care package. Just remembering them near exams and their birthday will help them feel connected to the church while they are off at college. Click HERE to register. If you have any questions, please contact Olivia Tobin (HERE).
Rhonda Hermann is retiring as Minister of Children; her last Sunday with us will be September 8. We will be honoring and celebrating Rhonda with a special dinner Wednesday, September 4, at 5:30 PM in Wolfe Hall. The menu will include fried chicken, mashed potatoes with gravy, green beans, Asian slaw, rolls, chocolate cake, and tea & coffee. We hope as many as possible will show their appreciation for Rhonda at this dinner! Please register for the dinner HERE no later than this Sunday, September 1.
The next Providence UMW General Meeting will be held on Tuesday, September 3 at 10:30 AM in the Chapel. Denny Hammack will share the latest information about the What's Next Ministry during the meeting. Lunch will be served after the meeting for those with reservations. Please call 704-714-9382 to make your reservation.
For some time now I’ve been hoping to lead a group from our church on a daytrip to the International Civil Rights Museum in Greensboro, site of the Woolworth sit-in in 1960 that significantly propelled forward the civil rights movement. It’s an engaging museum that both teaches and challenges. I anticipate this trip taking place either in September or October using one or both of our church buses, depending upon the number of persons participating. We’ll tour the museum in the morning and then have lunch together on our return to Charlotte. The admission cost is $20.
If you might be interested in joining me on this journey into history, please fill out the form below. Once I have an idea who may be participating, I’ll try to determine a date that suits as many as possible.
Pastor Randy
Mark your calendar for the twelfth Attic Sale for Missions! This favorite church tradition will continue to raise money for the local and global missions of Providence United Methodist Church. Click HERE for more
