Thank you, Marguerite Miller for directing the children and providing us with several cute songs as we celebrate music Sunday and Easter week beginning today with Palm Sunday. Article by Joyce L. Wiedrich 04/09/2026 Pastor Jeannine related to the children and the congregation the story of Palm Sunday. Jesus entered the city with great cheers of Hosannah and a parade. Coats were put on the ground for the donkeys to walk on. As the week progressed . the cheering of Palm Sunday turned to proclamations to crucify Jesus. This week reminds us what Christ went through for us. The tomb could not keep him or his message from us. Pastor Jeannine showed the children how Jesus is their living hope and has set us free. Please save any bed sheets, mattress, pads, or blankets for quilts that will be made by the group from My Brothers Keeper. These quilts are distributed at Christmas time for Yates County Christmas. Michele Covert read a beautiful poem entitled- God Speaks to us, written by Blanche Fingar. This past Sunday was also Music Sunday. The choir performed several numbers and Meridyn Whitford provided a beautiful solo entitled Sunday Sermons. In addition, Meridyn has been singing with the adult choir! Thank you, Meridyn, and our wonderful choir under the direction of Ron Miller. Our children also had two choir numbers. They are such an addition to our service. They also passed out palm crosses to the congregation members. Several of us will be traveling to Gettysburg for the memorial service of Bruce Westerdahl to be held there on April 25th. Bruce was our pastor for many years and a devoted member of our church along with his wife Nancy. He spent most of his growing up years in Gettysburg. For years, several of us joined the Westerdahl’s to decorate wreaths to put on the Gettysburg national Cemetery, and also the military cemetery at Quantico. We participated along with school children in the wreathlaying ceremony at Gettysburg. It’s nice to see the spring flowers popping up. It’s been a long winter. The sunshine and warm temperatures are so appreciated. It’s also good to see our snowbirds returning from the south. Norm and Sherri Hunt were back in church with us on Palm Sunday. See you in church at 9 AM on Sundays!

Deaconess Connie Glover gave us a presentation telling us of some of the programs that she has created in the Penn Yan area, including the PY Community Cafe. Article by Joyce L. Wiedrich 04/02/2026 Our Bible study this week centered around the scripture from John 11: 1-45. Pastor Jeannine first ask the children if they ever cried when they fell down or when they were sad, or even because someone else cried. It was mentioned in the Bible three times that Jesus cried, including when his best friend Lazarus, brother of Mary and Martha died. When Jesus arrived after being summoned when Lazarus was taken ill, he had died and already was in the tomb. Jesus was able to raise Lazarus from the dead and then rejoiced. This was another one of Jesus‘s miracles. We were fortunate to have a wonderful presentation from Deaconess Connie Glover in church this week. Connie started the Penn Yan community Café out of the PENN United Methodist Church 17 years ago. The community café has dinners twice monthly with takeout in addition to a sitdown dinner. She also had started community Thanksgiving and Christmas Eve dinners. Through Keuka advocacy services, Connie helps people in need with utility, housing and enrollment in programs, including finding and obtaining birth certificates and identification when needed. People need these items to sign up for many services. She also has started a weekend, food pantry, and a senior meal program with seven meals a week at Saint Marks in Dundee. Miss Connie‘s house is in progress which is going to be a woman’s shelter. There also is a warming and cooling center in progress. Connie needs not only financial support but volunteers to help with these many programs. One of her main goals is in helping people find jobs and financial independence. Thank you, Connie in enlightening us in ways that we also can help. On this coming Sunday we are passing the bucket for the community café. We’re invited to join the Tenebrae service on Monday Thursday, April 2 at 6 PM at Dresden UMC. There are many services and opportunities during Lent in our community. Our sincere condolences to the family of Meredith Nielsen who passed away recently. Her memorial service will be later this spring. Meredith was a lifelong member of Bluff Point United Methodist Church. She was able to come to church with us as recently as this January. Meredith remained active in church throughout her lifetime. She participated in many church activities and events including Bible study, church committees and road cleanup. Meredith was loved by all and will be missed. Our Easter service will be at 9 AM Sunday, April 5. Please come and join us as well as all of our other Sunday services.