Fountain City United Methodist Church

Making Disciples. Changing Lives.

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Lent

Lent is a particularly profound season in the life of our church and of the Church. If Advent is the catalyst of a long-awaited messiah, Lent is the climax of that story. Lent is a season when we as the body of Christ collectively and intimately reorient ourselves around the life and love, purpose and passion of Jesus Christ, culminating in His sacrificial death and – mystery of mysteries – His ultimate resurrection.

Lent is forty days of focus; a way for us to practice intention in our awareness of a God willing to do everything to win us back. It is the story of redemption and reconciliation, as is every story God tells, drawing us into the deepest darkness of our human depravity before throwing open the veil to invite us into the holy throne room of heaven. A full schedule of our Lenten services is below. And be sure to join us on Sundays in between the highlights and on our Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter pages as we narrow our gaze on the cross in Calvary.

  • March 6 : Ash Wednesday service begins at 6:45pm. We will observe a sermon, followed by the imposition of ashes, an ancient tradition of ashes and oil to remind us of our humble dust beginnings.
  • March 6 – April 14 :  Kids Can For Christ, our Fountain Kids ministry’s annual Lenten mission is underway. We will be collecting canned goods until Palm Sunday for the Fountain City Ministry Center. We are asking each person (or family) to collect 40 food items during Lent for donation. Our goal is to collect one month’s supply of food. A cart will be available outside of the gym on Sunday mornings for Journey drop off and a table will be in the Narthex for Traditional drop off. Thank you for supporting Fountain Kids Ministry as our children learn service to their community in this project.
  • Lenten Study : Join pastor Tom Ballard on Wednesday evenings at 6:30pm for the special Lenten study, Entering the Passion of Jesus by Amy-Jill Levine. Sessions will be on March 13, 27, April 3, 10, 24, and May 1. Dive deep into the history of the last days before the crucifixion in this six-week study. If you would like to join the class, please call the church office at (865) 689-5175.
  • April 14 : Palm Sunday services at 8:30am (Traditional) and 11:00am (Traditional and The Journey Contemporary Worship) as we celebrate Jesus’ triumphant entrance into Jerusalem, the shadow of the cross looming over Him as He gathers in the praises of “Hosanna!”
  • April 18 : Maundy Thursday service begins at 7:30pm. We will partake in Communion, remembering the Last Supper of Jesus with His disciples.
  • April 19 : Good Friday Tenebrae service at 7:30pm as we settle into the gathering darkness of a world without Jesus Christ, considering the price He paid for our sins.
  • April 21 : Easter Sunday! Join us for one of our Sunday morning services at 8:30am (Traditional) and 11:00am (Traditional and The Journey Contemporary Worship) as we celebrate and rejoice in an empty tomb, a resurrected Jesus, a living God!
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Fountain City UMC
212 Hotel Road
Knoxville, TN 37918
(865) 689-5175
spirit@fountaincityumc.org

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  • Mark your calendars! Our Missions Celebration weekend is March 29-31. For details, check out our website at fountaincityumc.org or call the church office at (865) 689-5175.
  • Join us for the Spring Edition of this popular event on April 7 from 4-6pm! Learn more at fountain cityumc..org
  • Our Sunday services are still on as scheduled! Please use your best judgment out there - stay dry!
  • All Tuesday activities at the church have been CANCELLED due to the forecast of snowy weather! Celebrate Recovery is still tentatively scheduled - stay tuned!! And stay warm!
  • Happy New Year from your FCUMC staff! For a lot of us, 2018 was a mixed bag. Whether or not you're ready to kick 2018 to the curb, let's focus on what January 1 can mean. Here's to a fresh start, a new dawn, a whole new year! In case you need some ideas for a new year's resolution, we share some of our goals for 2019! . We resolve: "Not to lose my religion at the I-640/Broadway exchange..." -Tom Ballard, senior pastor, probably not future Uber driver; "To count every moment." -John Gargis, associate pastor, reigning corn hole champion; "To have a piece of chocolate every day." -Melissa Greene, administrative assistant, scheduling czar; "To make healthy choices!" -John Patterson, director of operations, lead chaos wrangler; "To share laughter with a coworker, family member, and friend every day." -Donna Lewis, director of children & family ministries, benevolent pied piper; "To not make any resolutions." -Daniel Doubleday, director of youth ministries (probably speaking for ALL OF US, let's be honest); "To walk myself to better health while seeing the sights of Fountain City." -Jenny Cook, early childhood ministries coordinator, baby whisperer; "To stop thinking I can cut my own bangs." -Jessie Buttram, director of communications, fashion novice. What are some of yours?
  • I don't know how it happens every year - the date never changes - but every year I find myself on the threshold of Christmas day wondering how we got here so fast, standing in a daze covered in cookie crumbs and an irreverent amount of glitter and scotch tape. (You feel me.) . Despite all of its hype, its frantic kinetic energy, its mall traffic and long lines, Christmas is really just the culmination of a season of waiting, of keeping watch for what's to come. We've said it many times here, #Advent is anticipation. And as we finally cross that threshold of Christmas, we hope you have a place to stop for a moment and focus on what we as the Church believe is paramount: for unto all of us, a Savior is born, Jesus Christ the King, born to die and resurrect and reconcile. If you don't have a place to hear that good news, we invite you and your family to join us during any of our Christmas Eve services or Christmas Day televised programs. #fcumc #fcumcadvent
  • Let it be healing. . For many, the holiday season can be bittersweet. Sometimes, for some, just bitter. For some, it’s something heavy when the whole world around you celebrates while you hold grief and pain in your heart. . Pain, by design, demands notice. It’s a way for our bodies to tell our brains and our hearts that something isn’t right. The long story is, we aren’t meant for this dim existence. We were created for eternity and wholeness, yet here we are, fastened to a life that can be brutal. . We believers subscribe to the truth that God - in His infinite kindness - brought that eternity and wholeness back down to where we are, right here, right now. He gave us His creation, His Spirit, His Son. Here on earth, we get glimpses of heaven, of how God always intended for life, and life abundant, to be. . Here on earth, we get a God who delights in the healing; of body, of mind, of spirit and soul. . We pray this season of #Advent brings you a sense of healing, of wholeness. If you need prayer or just someone to reach out to you this holiday season, call us or leave us a comment and a pastor will reach out. . #fcumc #fcumcadvent
  • Let it be peaceful. . On this second Sunday of #Advent we light the candle symbolizing peace - the hope for peace and the working toward it. For those of us who struggle with the virtue of patience (::raises hand::), any season of waiting and anticipation does not feel peaceful. Rather, it feels charged, anxious, fidgety. But one of Jesus' divine titles is the Prince of Peace. His arrival long-awaited, and often not patiently so, and with Him comes redemption, triumph, and yes, finally - at last - peace. Join us this Sunday of peace as our chancel choir and gifted musical guests testify to this Advent season, ushering us into God's presence through music. You have two chances to catch this program live - this afternoon at 3pm and tomorrow evening at 7:30pm. Join us! #fcumc #fcumcadvent #fcumcchoir

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