Published: Sept. 6, 2024

A BIG thanks to everyone who donated school supplies. Asbury First continues to show us time and time again how generous they are and we could not be more grateful for your support. Thanks to you, your generosity will make
a difference to the students at School 17!!
There is still time for you to join the Help Me Read Tutors. To sign up please contact John Smalt at 924-8624 or at jhsmalt@gmail.com.


RETURNING TUTORS: Please call Ms. Linda
at 766-8440 to schedule your start date.

Published: Aug. 30, 2024

If you are interested in joining Asbury First, we will be having four New Members classes in the next several months. These classes take place over two consecutive Monday evenings, and will teach about the history of Asbury First and United Methodism, while also providing an opportunity to meet other new members of Asbury First. The first pair of classes are September 30 and October 7. If you are interested, please contact Deb Bullock-Smith at dbullocksmith@asburyfirst.org or by calling the office at (585) 271-1050.

Published: Aug. 30, 2024

This Fall, there will be a variety of opportunities to support the Community Outreach Center at Asbury First:

COC Pledge Drive • Dining In for Outreach • East Ave Grocery Run Storehouse Holiday Craft Sale • Thanksgiving Ingathering 

Thank you to those who have immediately responded with donations to cover 
the financial gap at our new Community Outreach Center at Asbury First. Asbury First has a heart for Outreach and we’re appealing to that heart now to meet this need. The $70,000 gap is shrinking, but there’s more work to be done to close 
this gap by year’s end. 

When you consider making a donation to the COC, remember that for every 
$1 donated to Asbury First Outreach, $2 comes out in the form of goods and services. Going forward, our annual pledge drive will offer the option to 
designate a portion of your annual pledge to Outreach. Whether you donate online, by Venmo or by check, please indicate in a memo line or comment box 
if you would like a portion of your donation to specifically support the COC. 
Thank you for helping us to Do More Good.   

If currently employed, your company may have a matching gift program for which your gift to Outreach programs at Asbury would qualify. If you need to make a Required Minimum Distribution from your investments at year’s end, please consider the COC as a recipient.

To give, please visit asburyfirst.org/give-outreach/

Published: Aug. 30, 2024

Join us for a discussion of our inaugural Banned Book Club book, "The Handmaid's Tale" by Margaret Atwood!

Monday, September 16, 7-8 pm

1010 East Avenue,
Red Room OR by Zoom

To register for Zoom, email Mike Mullin at mmullin@asburyfirst.org

Future Dates: Nov. 18, Jan. 20, Mar. 17, and May 19

Books to be chosen by participants

Published: Aug. 30, 2024

We have reports of a new scam going around claiming to be Michelle. Please hover over the email to make sure it is from an @asburyfirst.org email account. The Asbury First staff will never ask you to send cash immediately or to give your personal information over an open email.

Here are a few guidelines to recognize scam/phishing emails or texts:

• Be suspicious of urgent demands for information
• Often spoofed e-mails will make some form of urgent request.
• Look for misspelled words or grammatical errors in the message or link
• Avoid e-mailing personal or financial information
• Be watchful of general greetings

Contact Asbury First directly to verify the request before responding.

Staff will only contact you using official email addresses.

For more information, please contact David Strong at dstrong@asburyfirst.org.

Published: Aug. 23, 2024

Join the Asbury First Banned Book Team for Sunday school on September 22 and 29, 9:45-10:45 am, in the Red Room (1010, COC) for a discussion and update on censorship in America in support of the American Library Association Banned Book Week, which runs from September 22-28, 2024. September 22 will focus on the national level. On September 29, Adrienne Pettinelli, Director of the Henrietta Public Library, will facilitate discussion on what is happening at the local level and how we can be advocates for the freedom to read in our schools and local libraries. Class will be held in person and on Zoom. Contact Mike Mullin at mmullin@asburyfirst.org for details. 
 

Published: Aug. 23, 2024

Join us for a compelling discussion on American Carnage: Shattering the Myths that Fuel Gun Violence by criminologist Thomas Gabor and Parkland father Fred Guttenberg.

This weekly series runs every Wednesday in October from 6-7 pm in the Red Room, (1010). Whether you've read the book or not, you're welcome to participate. Come early for dinner at 5:30 pm and stay for this powerful conversation. Books are available for purchase in the Welcome Hall starting in September. Can't make it in person? Join us on Zoom HERE. (passcode: 578697)

Published: Aug. 23, 2024

We are each born of God, and when we die, we return to God. Death is a part of our earthly lives, and yet it is not our favorite part. When someone we love dies, our lives change forever. We grieve and we question and we suffer. Asbury First is offering bereavement support in the form of group meetings beginning this October. If someone in your life has died and you would like to be part of a loving and supportive group of others who are grieving the death of a loved one, please contact Rev. Kathy Thiel about joining a bereavement support group. Please call (585) 271-1050 x106 or email kthiel@asburyfirst.org. God Bless You.
 

Published: Aug. 23, 2024

Children’s Music at Asbury First begins Wednesday, September 11 and we’d love to see your children for some musical fun and fellowship! We offer a community dinner at 5:30 on Wednesdays in the Gathering Center to make the night a little easier for parents. We also have great adult classes throughout the year from 6-7 pm if you'd like to drop your child off for music and then enjoy one of the classes. Click HERE to register. For more information contact Holly Temming at htemming@asburyfirst.org. 

Hallelujah Kids (Room 201, 1040),
Wednesdays, 5-5:30 pm
Music fundamentals class for ages 4 through 1st grade. 
Playful music, percussion instruments, dance, and games designed to foster creativity and develop a love for children’s music and classic church songs.

Wesley Singers & Ringers (Room 201, 1040),
Wednesdays, 6-7 pm
Vocal & Handbell Choir for children in 2nd - 5th grades. 
Singing, handbells, chimes, and percussion instruments will be used to foster creativity and develop a love for children’s music and classic church songs. We end the year with a children's musical in May.

Published: Aug. 19, 2024

School is open and we are looking for tutors for the Help Me Read program at School 17 grades K-4. New Tutor Training/Orientation is scheduled for Monday, September 23, at 9 am, OR Wednesday, September 25, at 2 pm. All orientations are held at 1000 North Winton Rd., Rochester NY 14609. To register for the training, call Ms. Linda HMR Coordinator at (585) 766-8440.

If you are interested in tutoring please contact John Smalt at jhsmalt@gmail.com or at (585) 924-8624.

RETURNING TUTORS: Please call Ms. Linda at (585) 766-8440 to schedule your start date. Thanks for your support!

Published: Aug. 16, 2024

With a unanimous vote by the Preservation Board, Asbury First’s Columbarium project is moving ahead! We will keep you updated on ground-breaking and building plansin the coming weeks.

To learn more about the Columbarium, our park-like outdoor refuge for funerary urn memorials built into the southeast wall of the church, or to inquire about securing a spot for you or a loved one, visit asburyfirst.org/columbarium or call the office at (585) 271-1050. 

Published: Aug. 2, 2024

The Prayer Shawl Ministry is praying for you. Do you need prayer for health issues, parenting struggles, financial needs, issues with your job or any other reason? We have you covered in prayer and want you to have a Prayer Square to remind you that you are not alone. You can pick up a prayer square for yourself or someone else you know who needs to know they are being prayed for at the Welcome Desk. 

Published: Aug. 2, 2024

We will be collecting school supplies again this year for students at School 17. This is a Pre-K - 6th grade school. We will be collecting Aug. 18 through
Sept. 8 in the Welcoming Hall. Just leave your donation at the table. Items needed include: backpacks, 24-count crayons, pencils, colored pencils, erasers and eraser tops, ink pens (blue, black, and red), color-safe markers, highlighters, child-safe scissors, rulers, glue sticks, pencil boxes or pouches, index cards, sticky notes,solid-colored folders with pockets, three-ring binders, composition books, notebooks, hand sanitizer, and tissues. Many thanks to YOU for your continued support! For more information, please contact John Smalt at 585-924-8624, or at jhsmalt@gmail.com

Published: July 26, 2024

This Saturday, August 3, from 10:00-6:00 the Park Ave neighborhood will be hosting a “Summer Stroll.” 

You can learn more by visiting the website.

And if you—or someone you know—will be heading
to the “stroll," you can support our Youth Missions
by parking at Asbury First for $5 on Saturday!
 

Published: July 26, 2024

The 11 am Worship Service on Sunday, August 11 will have a different shape, and we'll be filling the service with your favorite hymns! If you have a favorite hymn that we haven't sung in a while, let us know - we will include as many of your submissions as we can. Contact our Director of Music Ministry, Carl Johengen at cjohengen@asburyfirst.org to submit your favorite. 

The cut-off date for submissions is Monday, August 5.