Providence, 2025 is our year to read through the whole Bible together using the “One Year Bible” reading plan! Click HERE for details, podcast links, resources, and opportunities!
Join us from 5:30 to 6:30 on Wednesday nights in Wolfe Hall for Dinner at Providence!
Pastor Randy is leading a Bag Lunch study again this year during the Season of Lent. Everyone is invited to join him in the Parlor on Thursdays at noon for a weekly study of Living with the Mind of Christ, by James Harnish. There’s no need to purchase the book or read it in advance, as Pastor Randy will present and lead the discussion. Bring a bag lunch if you wish, though, and enjoy the conversation!
Connections in Christ is a new ministry for the 55+ community (although all ages are welcome).
Programs will be held on the third Tuesday of each month in Providence UMC’s Atrium. These gatherings will include fellowship, refreshments, a speaker, and music.
Providence UMC’s Maundy Thursday Service will be held on April 17 at 7 PM in the sanctuary. The service will include the Sacrament of Holy Communion. Maundy Thursday recalls the new commandment (mandatum novum) and refers to Jesus' commandment to the disciples to “love one another.” (John 13. 34).
The service will also be livestreamed on the website under the “Worship” tab.
Providence UMC’s service of Tenebrae will be held on April 18 at 7:30 PM in the sanctuary. The Tenebrae service will include music led by our Chancel Choir, soloists, full orchestra, and meditative reflection on the last words of Christ. Music will include Théodore Dubois’ The Seven Last Words of Christ, a powerful choral work, often performed during Holy Week, that sets the seven sayings of Jesus on the cross to music, exploring themes of sorrow, forgiveness, and ultimate triumph. The service of Tenebrae (which means “shadows” or “darkness”) is an ancient service of the Christian Church, dating back to the seventh or eighth century and is characterized by the successive extinguishing of light, symbolic of Christ's suffering and death. Please plan to attend this powerful service.
The service will also be livestreamed on the website under the “Worship” tab.
7:00 am Sunrise Service, Outside behind the Columbarium
8:30 am Relaxed Traditional Service in the Sanctuary
9:00 am Contemporary Service in Wolfe Hall
10:00 am Family Easter Celebration - We will first meet in the Atrium and travel to the Columbarium to release butterflies. All ages are welcome to join, whether you have butterflies or not!
11:00 am Traditional Service in the Sanctuary
A nursery for infants through preschoolers will be provided from 8:15 AM to 12:15 PM
Livestream will be offered for the 9:00 and 11:00 am services.
All are invited to gather in Wolfe Hall during the Sunday School hour (beginning at 10 AM) on Sunday, April 27 for a very special gathering to hear what goes on “Behind the Hammer” with our Habitat for Humanity build project. Bob Glusenkamp, Senior VP of Programming, and Crista Ray, Faith Relations Senior Specialist, from Habitat for Humanity Charlotte Region will share the amazing story of our Habitat site, Habitat’s history in Charlotte, partnerships, how financing works, and more. This is a great way for you to be connected to our church-wide mission to do something real and tangible to tackle the affordable housing crisis in Charlotte. Don’t miss it!
Calling all women for a fun night of service & fellowship on Tuesday, April 29 at 6 PM!
Not in a United Methodist Women Circle but you would like to serve one night and meet some other PUMC women? Here is your chance! We meet in the PUMC kitchen and make 300+ sandwiches to be delivered to Roof Above Day Services Center the next morning. Then we will all go to dinner (Dutch treat) together at a nearby restaurant for social time/fellowship. The sandwich supplies for our service project will be provided. All you have to do is show up! If you can help, please RSVP to Beth Carpenter HERE.
David Bashor Memorial Organ Concert Series
Friday, May 2, 7:00 pm
•••
Richard Pinel, Organist
Professor of Organ at the Royal Academy of Music, London
•••
Please mark your calendar!
The Providence United Methodist Women General Meeting will be held on Tuesday, May 6, at 10:30 AM in the Chapel. Our speaker will be Meredith Marks, Development Director of Furnish for Good, an organization dedicated to resolving issues of economic inequality by the repurposing of quality home furnishings for our underserved Charlotte neighbors.
Lunch will be served after the meeting to UMW members and guests with reservations. To make reservations, please call 704-714-9382 by noon on Friday, May 2.
Registration for Vacation Bible School (VBS) is open! VBS will take place Tuesday, July 22 through Thursday, July 24 (9 AM to noon). Register your children (ages 4 through 5th grade) HERE.
Children and Families are invited to participate in our Palm Sunday processions this Sunday, April 13. We will be processing in both the 9 AM Contemporary service with The Net and the 11 AM Traditional service. Families are welcome to participate in one or both services!
For The Net service, please meet at 8:50 AM in the lobby near Wolfe Hall to receive your palms. For the 11 AM Traditional service, meet at 10:50 am on the ramp outside the Sanctuary to receive your palms.
Honor and remember your loved ones this Easter with a gift to missions. This year, in lieu of buying a flower for the Sanctuary altar, you are invited to give a tax-deductible gift to missions in support of Oakhurst STEAM Academy. The recommended amount is $20; however, please give as much as you are led. It is important to complete a form; they are available at the Welcome Desk or online HERE. You may pay by cash, check (made payable to Providence UMC) or credit card (Fund: Oakhurst STEAM Academy). A list of dedications will be printed in the Easter, April 20 bulletin.
Oakhurst STEAM Academy is a Title One school that we have had a long relationship with by providing support for teachers and students with needed supplies, meals, training materials, weekly tutors and encouragement. As we approach the 2025-26 school year, the situation is more dire as federal Title One funding will be cut by 35% and CMS District Funding has been lowered for Oakhurst leading to a decrease in their staff-to-student ratio from 1:15 to 1:25. As a result, our tutoring partners at the school, Heart Math Tutoring, may also no longer be sustainable. The PUMC Oakhurst STEAM mission is entirely funded by generous donations and is not part of our current mission budget.
Join us this Saturday, March 8 at 7 PM as we celebrate the many talented folks here at Providence UMC in an evening of free entertainment in our Atrium. Please plan to attend and invite friends. You’re likely to hear anything from old jazz standards to opera arias to songs from current musicals! And who knows what other surprises might be in store! The evening will include a time for dessert and fellowship. We hope to see you there!
Two Ash Wednesday services will be offered in the Sanctuary on March 5: 12:30 PM, and 6:30 PM.
The 6:30 PM service will be available via livestream. Click HERE to join online.
It is time to order butterflies! We will once again hold the butterfly release event on Easter Sunday (April 20). Click HERE to order your butterflies. The deadline to order is March 16. Butterflies will be ready for pickup on March 30.
nstead of a weekend retreat away from Charlotte, this year’s Women’s Retreat has pivoted to a Friday, February 28 gathering at Providence UMC from 6 to 9 PM. Dinner will be provided, along with many of the retreat highlights we have all come to love. If you’ve never gone on a women’s retreat, this is a great place to start!
We hope you’ll join us! Click HERE to register.
Questions? Contact Rev. Teresa Dunn HERE.
Save the dates! Providence UMC, Dilworth UMC, St. Francis UMC, and St. Stephen UMC have a collective Men's Gathering group that meets quarterly. Gatherings include a meal, speaker, and devotion. Please mark your calendar for the next three meeting dates: February 27, May 13, and September 18.
St. Francis UMC is hosting the next meeting at 6 PM on Thursday, February 27. St. Francis UMC is located at 4200 McKee Rd, Charlotte, NC 28270. Click HERE for more information. RSVP online HERE by Monday, February 24.
The next David Bashor Memorial Organ Concert will take place in Providence UMC's Sanctuary at 7 PM on Friday, February 7. Nathaniel Gumbs, Director of Chapel Music at Yale University, will be performing.
Join Cannon Hunt, Providence UMC’s Director of Children’s Ministries, for a six-week Bible Study to discover how God made us feel. We will be studying Jennie Allen’s “Untangle Your Emotions”. We will meet in Providence UMC’s Parlor on Thursdays from 9:45-10:45 AM for six weeks (February 6, February 13, February 20, February 27, March 6, and March 13). While this study is designed for young mothers, all are welcome!
If you are interested in joining, please email Cannon Hunt HERE.
High School Winter Retreat 2025
From Friday, January 31 at 4:00 pm to Sunday, February 2, 2025 at 1:00 pm
This weekend we will spend time at Winterplace ski resort learning about how we can transform the world by following the teachings we find in the Bible. The youth will also be able to participate in skiing, snowboarding, tubing and other fun winter activities this weekend as well. It’s going to be a weekend filled with fellowship and fun!
Pack List
*Money for lunch at the lodge on Saturday/pit stop on the way there and back!
*Bible
*Water bottle
*Sleeping bag/pillow/air mattress if you don’t want to share one of the beds already there
*Toiletries/towels
*Clothes for the weekend
*Shareable snack for large group (boys bring something salty, girls bring something sweet) and a drink!
*Any missing forms
*Swimsuit if you want to utilize pool
Our PUMC Centering Prayer group meets every Monday at Noon on Zoom. Through the practice of centering prayer, as taught by Dr. Thomas Keating, we embrace the process of transformation in Christ, both in ourselves and in others. This is a time to rest from the busyness of our daily lives and restore our spiritual strength and purpose.
"As we sit in Centering Prayer, we are connecting with the Divine life within us" -Thomas Keating, Intimacy with God
For more information or to be added to our contact list for the Zoom link, contact Pam Bashor (HERE) or Bill Jeffries (HERE). All are welcome.
All are invited to join us in the Sanctuary at 6:30 PM this Sunday, January 26 for the next Providence Chamber Music concert, Sensational Strings. Click HERE for more details.
The Western North Carolina Conference's Equip & Connect Conference will be held virtually January 26-30. This event is for all local church leaders (e.g. lay leaders, council members, volunteers, and all who lead). This is an opportunity to connect with other leaders across our conference and learn about roles, best practices, and new ideas for ministry. Click HERE to learn more and register.
Cross and Key Prison Ministries (CKPM) will hold a workshop for anyone interested here at Providence UMC on Thursday, January 23, from 6:30 PM to 8:30 PM.
CKPM helps local churches learn about the need for prison ministry, including our Methodist history of prison ministry, the biblical and theological foundations for prison ministry, and the current societal needs. If you have any questions, please contact Pastor Randy, who is currently CKPM Board Chair (HERE). Mike Smith was previously a Board Chair for CKPM.
To learn more about CKPM, visit the organization's website HERE.
If you are interested in participating in the workshop, register online HERE.
Middle School Lock-In
From Saturday, January 11 at 5:00 pm to Sunday, January 12 at 9:45 am
Join us for a fun night at Big Air followed by Chipotle and a movie/game night!
The first Providence UMW General Meeting of 2025 will be held at 10:30 AM on Tuesday, January 7 in the Chapel. PUMC member Christopher Lawing will present "71 Years of Providence", a look at the history of our church.
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.
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.
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!
Click HERE for Advent resources and information (devotion signup, Advent map, One Room Schoolhouse, etc.)
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.
