Dalton First UMC

A Good Way to Pray

Mon, 02 Nov 2026 07:37:15 +0000

What Would You Ask For? The Wisdom Solomon Chose and the Prayer We Often Forget

There is a game most of us have played at one point or another, even if only in our imaginations. If you could have anything, what would you ask for? More money? Better health? More time? The ability to make your problems simply disappear? It is a revealing exercise, because the things we reach for first say something about what we believe we need most.
In 1 Kings 3, God appears to Solomon in a dream and offers him exactly that kind of open-ended invitation: ask what I should give you. Solomon has just inherited the kingdom of Israel from his father David. He is young, the responsibility is enormous, and the people he is now responsible for are described as too many to count. By any measure, this is a moment that would make even the most confident person feel the weight of their own limitations.
And that is precisely where Solomon begins. He does not reach for wealth. He does not ask for a long life or victory over his enemies. Solomon asks for wisdom, specifically for a listening heart, an understanding mind capable of discerning between good and evil, between what is right and what merely seems right. It is one of the most remarkable prayers in all of Scripture, not because of what Solomon asks for, but because of what he does not ask for.

The Prayer We Forget to Pray

So much of our prayer life is oriented around changing our circumstances. We ask God to remove the obstacle, ease the burden, resolve the conflict, or clear the path. And those are not wrong prayers. But Solomon models a different kind of prayer altogether. He does not ask God to make his job easier. He asks God to make him capable of doing it faithfully.
That distinction matters more than we might initially realize. It reflects a deep spiritual truth: sometimes what we need is not a different situation but a different kind of heart to meet the situation we are already in.
Many people recognize this instinct in the Serenity Prayer, which asks God for the serenity to accept what cannot be changed, the courage to change what can be changed, and the wisdom to know the difference. At the center of that prayer, holding the other two together, is wisdom. Not information. Not willpower. Wisdom. The capacity to discern what the moment actually calls for.

Wisdom Is Not the Same as Knowledge

We live in a time of extraordinary access to information. Nearly any question we can think to ask can be answered in seconds. And yet, for all that access, we do not seem to be living in an especially wise age. That is because knowledge and wisdom are not the same thing.
Knowledge tells us what is. Wisdom helps us understand what matters. Knowledge can be downloaded. Wisdom has to be cultivated. And the cultivation of wisdom, according to Solomon's example, begins not with accumulating more answers but with acknowledging our limitations and turning toward God with a listening heart.
A listening heart does not rush to speak or defend. It does not assume it already knows. It remains open, attentive, and willing to be shaped by something beyond its own instincts. That kind of heart is rare, and it is worth praying for.

A Gift Meant to Be Given Away

When God responds to Solomon's request, the response is generous beyond what Solomon asked. Solomon receives wisdom and discernment, and then God adds riches and honor on top of that. But this should not be read as a formula for prosperity. The point is not that asking for the right thing unlocks a divine reward system. The point is that God delights in equipping people to fulfill their calling.
Solomon's request was not self-serving. He asked for wisdom so that he could care for others, so that he could govern justly, so that the people entrusted to him would be served well. His prayer was oriented outward. And God's response reflected that same outward orientation.
This challenges us to examine not just what we pray for but why. There is a difference between asking God to bless what we are already doing and asking to be part of what God is already blessing. The first keeps us at the center. The second puts God there. Solomon's prayer, at its heart, is an act of decentering himself in favor of the calling he has been given.

The Wisdom We Learn From Those Who Came Before

On days when we pause to remember those who have gone before us in faith, we often find ourselves reflecting on what made their lives meaningful. It is rarely the accumulation of things or the achievement of status. More often, it is the quality of their presence, the faithfulness of their love, the way they listened, the way they served, the way they trusted God even when the path was unclear.
Those lives were not perfect. The people we remember made mistakes. They did not always get it right. But many of them taught us something about what it looks like to seek wisdom rather than simply seek advantage, to ask not just what they wanted but what God desired.

A Good Way to Pray

Solomon's story does not end with this dream. His reign will be marked by both great faithfulness and serious failure. One extraordinary moment of humility and one remarkable gift from God do not exempt any of us from the ongoing need for guidance. Wisdom is not a box we check. It is a posture we return to again and again throughout our lives.
The invitation in Solomon's story is not limited to kings. Every person carries responsibilities and relationships that require discernment. Every community of faith faces decisions that demand more than good intentions. And all of us, at some point, encounter the limits of our own understanding.
The good news is that wisdom is something God appears eager to give to those who ask. Not to make life easier, necessarily, but to make us more faithful in the life we have been given.
That is a good way to pray.

The Chimes 11.1.2026

Thu, 29 Oct 2026 10:59:52 +0000

November 1, 2026
All Saints' Sunday

Sermon: A Good Way to Pray

Scripture: 1 Kings 3:1-15 (NRSV)
Rev. Don Landen

If you are unable to join us in person, you may view our 9:30 AM Modern Service and our 11:00 AM Sanctuary Service live on “Dalton First UMC” Facebook or by clicking “Watch Live” below.

Click here to get the Traditional Worship Guide

This Week

Sunday November 1st / All Saints' Sunday

Daylight Saving Time ends - Be sure to turn your clocks back one hour!
Modern Worship Experience - 9:30 AM
Sunday School Classes - 9:30 AM
Traditional Worship Experience - 11:00 AM
Handbell Ministry Rehearsal - 12:15 PM

Monday November 2nd

Monday Morning Ladies Bible Study - 10:00 AM / Join us in the Parlor as we study "Simon Peter" by Adam Hamilton.
Pickleball - 6:30 PM
Charge Conference - 7 PM / Famber Hall

Tuesday November 3rd

Saturday Sacks - 10:30 AM / Want to help students have a meal to take home on the weekend? This is an easy way to get plugged in and serve the community in a big way!
Shuffleboard - 1:00 PM / Meets every week in the Gym. Free and everyone is invited!
GriefShare - 6:00 PM / Are you mourning the passing of a family member or friend? This 13-week ministry meets in the Library. A $30 registration fee is required.

Wednesday November 4th

Wednesday Morning Ladies Bible Study - 10:00 AM / Join us in the Parlor as we study "Not One Moment Late: Trusting God's Timing for Your Life " by Lisa Toney.
Dulcimers Club - 2:30 PM
Wonderful Wednesday / Dinner - 5:00 PM / Programming - 6:00 PM
Modern Worship Rehearsal - 6:00 PM
Chancel Choir Rehearsal - 7:00 PM

Thursday November 5th

Sounds of Joy - 9:30 AM / Want to be a part of our community choir? Here is your chance!

Friday November 6th

None

Saturday November 7th

Minis Outing - 9:00 AM - 12:00 PM

Sunday November 8th

Modern Worship Experience - 9:30 AM
Sunday School Classes - 9:30 AM
Traditional Worship Experience - 11:00 AM
Handbell Ministry Rehearsal - 12:15 PM

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TRUNK OR TREAT FOR HUNGER

Trunk or Treat for Hunger Was Wonderful!

A huge THANK YOU to everyone who came, hosted a trunk, volunteered, donated, or helped in any way to make our Trunk or Treat for Hunger such a success!

We hosted 37 trunks and welcomed over 550 people to our campus, which was an increase in attendance from last year! We also served over 650 hot dogs and collected over 700 food items for the City of Refuge!

What an incredible way to bring our community together for a fun-filled event while making a meaningful difference in the lives of others.

We are so grateful for each and every one of you who helped make this event possible. Thank you for sharing your time, talents, and generosity to make a difference in our community! Together, we made a BIG impact!

FOOD DRIVE CONTEST RESULTS:

1st place: Don Landen/UGA - 214
2nd place: Erin Smith/TN -177
3rd place: Mat Napp/AU - 144
4th place: Matthew Dean/AL - 135

And now for the celebration! Since Don Landen was our contest winner, UGA Spirit Day will be November 8! Wear your red and black as we celebrate a successful City of Refuge food drive!

Wonderful Wednesday

MENU:
Nov 4: Taco soup, grilled cheese sandwich, salad, dessert
Nov 11: Sloppy Joe, baked beans, tater tots, salad, dessert
Nov 18: Turkey in gravy, dressing, green beans, mashed potatoes, roll, dessert
Dec 2: Chicken bacon pasta, steamed broccoli, roll, salad, dessert
Dec 9: Soup, sandwich, salad, dessert

NEW CLASSES:

The Psalms are the ancient hymn book of the Hebrew people. But it is also a prayer book that can guide us in our prayer life. Join Rev. Ted Smith as we study selected Psalms that can teach us a pattern for prayer.

Conflict is a part of every relationship, but it doesn't have to divide us. Scripture gives us practical wisdom for addressing disagreements. Join Rev. Don Gotham in exploring conflict resolution and strengthening relationships to grow together as the body of Christ.

STEWARDSHIP CAMPAIGN

On October 4th, we began our annual stewardship campaign, “There’s No Place Like Dalton First.” Pledge Sunday was October 25, but it's not too late to make your pledge.
Pledge cards are available at the church, or you can print one using the button below. If you would like a pledge card mailed to you, please contact the church office at
706-278-8494.

Click Here for Pledge Card

Click Here to Pledge Online

The Stairway of 2026 Giving

Will you grow one generosity step in 2027?

Find your step

Type what you give and we will light up your step. Nothing you type is saved or sent anywhere.

205 giving units on 12 stepsTap a step for more

Each big number is how many giving units are giving at that step. Every step is shown per month and per year.

Did you know?
More than half of Dalton First's budget supports the staff who lead and care for our congregation, while another 29% supports the buildings and grounds where we gather. The rest funds ministry programs, administration, and our connection to the broader United Methodist Church. Every slice of this chart helps make ministry possible!

UPCOMING EVENTS

The Rooted Retreat is the North Georgia Conference fall youth group gathering featuring powerful worship experiences and inspiring speakers. There is dedicated youth group time where youth leaders and volunteers can develop and strengthen relationships with their groups. The Rooted Retreat is focused on group formation, community involvement, and outreach (while the spring SLR youth retreats look inward, the fall retreat encourages youth to live out their faith in the world).

Click Here to Register

OASIS NEWS

DALTON FIRST FAMILY RETREAT

We are exploring the possibility of planning a Dalton First Family Retreat and would love to hear from our families. Would your family be interested in attending a family retreat? If so, what weeks would work best for your family, and what location would you most like to visit? Please take a few minutes to complete the survey below. Your feedback will help us determine the level of interest and begin planning a retreat that works well for our families.

Click Here for Survey

IN LOVING TRIBUTE: HONORARY & MEMORIAL GIFTS:

In Memory of Jane Clark
Sarah & Charles Maret
Janie & Clay Osborn

In Memory of Ginger McKinnon
Nancy & Kevin Sanders

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Dangerous David: When Gifts Become Possessions

Mon, 26 Oct 2026 07:00:48 +0000

What Do You Do With What God Has Given You?

There is a question that sits quietly at the center of the Christian life, one that does not announce itself loudly but shapes everything about how we live. It is not complicated. It does not require advanced theology to understand. But it has the power to reorient our entire existence if we let it sink in deeply enough.
The question is this: What will you do with what God has placed in your hands?
That is the question of stewardship. And it is far bigger than a budget line or an offering plate.

More Than Money

When most of us hear the word stewardship, our minds go immediately to finances. And that instinct is not wrong. How we use our financial resources is absolutely part of what it means to be a faithful steward. But stewardship, rightly understood, encompasses everything God has entrusted to us. Our time. Our relationships. Our abilities. Our influence. Our opportunities. Our power. The whole of our lives, held open before God.
Stewardship begins with a foundational conviction: everything we have is a gift. Nothing we possess came to us apart from the grace of God. The abilities that led to our success, the relationships that sustain us, the opportunities that opened before us, the very breath in our lungs -- none of it originated with us. It was given. And because it was given, we are not owners. We are stewards.
That distinction matters more than we might think.

A King Who Forgot

The story of David in 2 Samuel is one of the most sobering passages in all of Scripture. David had been chosen by God as a young shepherd boy, elevated from obscurity to the throne of Israel, and declared by Scripture itself to be a man after God's own heart. God had given him position, power, influence, and a kingdom. By any measure, David had been extraordinarily blessed.
And then David forgot that he was a steward.
The account opens with a telling detail. It was springtime, the season when kings went out to battle. But David stayed behind in Jerusalem. He was not where he was supposed to be. And in that idleness, he saw Bathsheba, and rather than turning away, he took what was not his to take.
What follows is a cascade of decisions, each one worse than the last. David abused his power. He attempted a cover-up. He manipulated the situation to protect himself. And when none of that worked, he arranged for Bathsheba's husband Uriah -- a loyal soldier -- to be placed in the most dangerous position on the battlefield and then abandoned there to die. Uriah was killed. Others died alongside him. And all of it flowed from one man's decision to act as though everything belonged to him.
David had stopped asking what God wanted him to do with what he had been given. He had started asking only what he wanted for himself.
Sin often works this way. One poor decision creates the need for another. A compromise here leads to a deeper compromise there. And beneath it all, there is frequently a root cause: the slow, quiet drift from gratitude into entitlement.

The Word That Cuts Through

God sent the prophet Nathan to confront David. But Nathan did not walk in and issue a direct accusation. Instead, he told a story. A rich man with vast flocks and herds had a poor neighbor who owned a single ewe lamb. The lamb was not just livestock -- it was beloved, part of the family. When the rich man needed to provide a meal for a visitor, rather than taking from his own abundance, he seized the poor man's only lamb.
David heard the story and was furious. The man deserved to die, he said.
And then Nathan delivered one of the most piercing lines in all of Scripture: "You are the man."
David could see the injustice in someone else's story with perfect clarity. He could not see it in his own. That is not a uniquely ancient problem. It is a deeply human one. We are remarkably skilled at recognizing others' failures while remaining blind to how we have treated what we hold as our own.
Nathan went on to remind David of God's faithfulness. The Lord had given David the kingdom. The Lord had blessed him beyond measure. And if that had been too little, God would have given him even more. David's sin had not come from scarcity. It had come from abundance, from forgetting that abundance was a gift.

The Opposite of Stewardship

We might assume that the opposite of stewardship is stinginess. But that is not quite right. The opposite of stewardship is entitlement -- the belief that what we have exists only for us, that we owe nothing to God or neighbor, that our resources and influence and time are ours to do with entirely as we please.
Entitlement is learned early. Anyone who has watched small children navigate a room full of toys has heard the word that gives it away. Mine. It is one of the first words we learn, and for many of us, it is one of the last habits we surrender.
Scripture continually calls us back from that posture. Everything is a gift. Everything belongs to God. Everything we hold has been entrusted to us for a season.

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A Clean Heart and an Open Hand

The good news in David's story is that failure is not the final word. David heard Nathan's words and repented. Psalm 51 preserves his prayer -- a cry for a clean heart, a new and right spirit. It is the prayer of every person who has held too tightly to what was never theirs to keep.
That prayer is available to all of us. And it is perhaps the truest beginning of faithful stewardship. Not a pledge card or a percentage, but a posture. Lord, give me a clean heart. Help me remember that all I have is gift. Help me live not as an owner, but as a steward.
So the question remains, and it is worth sitting with today: What has God placed in your hands? And what will you do with it?

The Chimes 10.25.2026

Thu, 22 Oct 2026 10:12:56 +0000

October 25, 2026
Reformation Sunday

Sermon: Dangerous David: When Gifts Become Possessions

Scripture: 2 Samuel 11:1-5, 26-27; 12:1-9 (NRSV)
Rev. Don Landen

If you are unable to join us in person, you may view our 9:30 AM Modern Service and our 11:00 AM Sanctuary Service live on “Dalton First UMC” Facebook or by clicking “Watch Live” below.

Click here to get the Traditional Worship Guide

This Week

Sunday October 25th

Handbell Ministry Rehearsal - 8:45 AM until 9:30 AM
Modern Worship Experience - 9:30 AM
Sunday School Classes - 9:30 AM
Traditional Worship Experience - 11:00 AM

Monday October 26th

Monday Morning Ladies Bible Study - 10:00 AM / Join us in the Parlor as we study "Simon Peter" by Adam Hamilton.
Pickleball - 6:30 PM

Tuesday October 27th

OASIS Meeting - 11:00 AM / (Older Adults Sharing In Service) is our initiative for adults 55+ that provides opportunities for inclusion, learning, and fellowship. We will offer lectures on topics of interest to seniors, day trips to nearby activities, and social gatherings.
Shuffleboard - 1:00 PM / Meets every week in the Gym. Free and everyone is invited!
GriefShare - 6:00 PM / Are you mourning the passing of a family member or friend? This 13-week ministry meets in the Library. A $30 registration fee is required.
Modern Worship Rehearsal - 7:00 PM

Wednesday October 28st

Wednesday Morning Ladies Bible Study - 10:00 AM / Join us in the Parlor as we study "Not One Moment Late: Trusting God's Timing for Your Life " by Lisa Toney.
Dulcimers Club - 2:30 PM
Trunk or Treat for Hunger- 4:00 PM - 7:00 PM / Join us for a fun-filled Trunk or Treat for Hunger! Enjoy an evening of decorated trunks, candy, costumes, family fun, and a FREE dinner beginning at 4 PM! We’ll also be collecting canned goods to benefit City of Refuge. Bring your canned goods to help stock their shelves and support those in need in our community. Bring the whole family and invite your friends for a fun evening of fellowship and giving back!
Chancel Choir Rehearsal - 7:00 PM

Thursday October 29nd

Sounds of Joy - 9:30 AM / Want to be a part of our community choir? Here is your chance!

Friday October 30rd

None

Saturday October 31th

None

Sunday November 1 / All Saints Sunday

Daylight Saving Time ends - Be sure to turn your clocks back one hour!
Handbell Ministry Rehearsal - 8:45 AM until 9:30 AM
Modern Worship Experience - 9:30 AM
Sunday School Classes - 9:30 AM
Traditional Worship Experience - 11:00 AM

Download The App

TRUNK OR TREAT - WEDNESDAY OCTOBER 28TH

We want to show our love for the Dalton Community by going ALL OUT with our Trunk or Treat for Hunger this year! Our goal is to have 40 trunks participating and help make this a fun and memorable event for everyone. Set-up will begin at 3:30 PM, and trunks will open at 5:00 PM. Each person or group will be assigned their own parking spot, which will be marked with sidewalk chalk prior to set-up. Don’t be afraid to get creative with your trunk decorations and themes! We will be collecting candy for the event (anything nut-free), as well as food donations for City of Refuge. Donation drop-off is available in the Atrium. Let’s come together to support our community, have some fun, and make this year’s Trunk or Treat for Hunger a huge success!

FOOD DRIVE CONTEST UPDATE!
The competition is heating up! Here are the current can counts:

1st place: Erin - 165
2nd place: Don - 131
3rd place: Mat - 102
4th place: Matthew - 100

The stakes are high! One Sunday, everyone will wear the team colors of the winner’s favorite team! The loser of the food drive contest will have to spin the Wheel of Misfortune!

STEWARDSHIP CAMPAIGN

Click Here for Pledge Card

Click Here to Pledge Online

The Stairway of 2026 Giving

Will you grow one generosity step in 2027?

Find your step

Type what you give and we will light up your step. Nothing you type is saved or sent anywhere.

205 giving units on 12 stepsTap a step for more

Each big number is how many giving units are giving at that step. Every step is shown per month and per year.

UPCOMING EVENTS

All Saints Sunday is November 1. We will honor all members who have passed away in the last year at both services.

Click Here to Register

OASIS NEWS

DALTON FIRST FAMILY RETREAT

Click Here for Survey

IN LOVING TRIBUTE: HONORARY & MEMORIAL GIFTS:

In Honor of Jackie Pope
Lydia & Tom Bartley

In Memory of David Brown
Janette & Ken Brown

In Memory of Gloria & Bee Brown
Janette & Ken Brown

In Memory of Jane Clark
Lydia & Tom Bartley
Bennieta Chappell
Sally & John Poehlman

In Memory of Jerri & Jack Cooper
Janette & Ken Brown

In Memory of Sue Tuggle
Palmer Pace

In Memory of JoAnne & Tom Wright
Palmer Pace

Click Here to Access rightnow MEDIA

FOLLOW US ON SOCIAL MEDIA

What Are You Really Worshipping?

Mon, 19 Oct 2026 10:42:50 +0000

The Choice That Shapes Everything

There is a moment in the ancient story of Israel that feels surprisingly modern. The people are gathered at a place called Shechem. They have traveled a long road to get there — through slavery, through wilderness, through decades of wandering and wondering. And now they stand at the edge of everything they were promised. The land is before them. The journey is behind them. And their leader, Joshua, gathers them together not to celebrate, not to strategize, but to ask them a question.
Whom will you serve?
It is one of the most searching questions in all of Scripture, and it turns out it is just as searching today as it was then.

Before the Ask, the Gift

What makes Joshua's challenge so compelling is the order in which he presents it. He does not begin with obligation. He does not open with a list of expectations or demands. He begins with a story — the story of what God has already done.
He walks the people back through their own history. God called Abraham out of obscurity and made a promise. That promise produced Isaac, and Isaac produced Jacob, and Jacob's descendants found themselves enslaved in Egypt. And then God sent Moses and Aaron. God parted the sea. God led the people through the wilderness. And now here they stand, in a land they did not build, in cities they did not construct, on promises they did not earn.
This sequence matters deeply. In Joshua 24:14, after recounting all of this history, Joshua uses the word "therefore." That word is doing significant work. Everything that comes next — the call to revere God, to serve in sincerity and faithfulness, to make a choice — flows out of everything that came before. The obligation is grounded in the gift. The response is rooted in grace.
This is a pattern woven throughout Scripture and throughout genuine faith. We do not serve God in order to earn favor. We serve because favor has already been extended. We give not to purchase blessing but because we have already been blessed. We follow not to prove ourselves worthy but because we have already been declared worthy by a God who chose us before we could choose anything at all.

A Story Bigger Than Yourself

Joshua's recounting of history carries another powerful message. He reminds the people that this story did not begin with them. Abraham was their ancestor. Moses was their forefather. The Exodus happened generations before any of them drew their first breath. They are not the authors of this story. They are inheritors of it.
And that inheritance is profound. Someone else trusted God in the dark. Someone else walked through the wilderness without a map. Someone else built the altars, sang the songs, and passed the faith down through the generations until it reached the people standing at Shechem that day.
The same is true for anyone who has grown up in a community of faith. Someone else built the church. Someone else taught Sunday school on an ordinary morning when no one thought it particularly significant. Someone else sat beside a grieving neighbor and showed what love looks like in practice. Someone else sang the old hymns with enough conviction that the words took root in a child's heart and stayed there for decades.
We are all standing on someone else's shoulders. We have inherited something precious.
But here is the challenge that comes with that inheritance: it is entirely possible to receive the traditions without receiving the faith. It is possible to know all the right words, to show up in all the right places, and to never actually make the story your own. The faith that was handed down must at some point be personally embraced. The inherited story must become a chosen story.

The Paradox of Too Many Choices

Joshua is clear-eyed about the difficulty of choosing. He does not pretend the decision is simple. He lays out the alternatives plainly. The people can serve the gods their ancestors worshipped before they knew the Lord. They can serve the gods of the people around them. Or they can serve the Lord who brought them out of Egypt and through the wilderness.
We might be tempted to think the choice is obvious, that anyone standing at the edge of the promised land after all God had done would naturally choose faithfulness. But Joshua knows better. He has watched people go astray before. He has seen how quickly gratitude fades and how easily ordinary things become ultimate things.
The challenge has not changed. We may not carve statues or build altars to foreign deities, but the human heart has always been remarkably creative at finding substitutes for God. Security, wealth, status, comfort, ideology, even religious tradition itself — any of these can quietly move from their proper place into the center of a life and begin demanding the kind of loyalty that belongs to God alone. Martin Luther understood this clearly: whatever a person fears, loves, or trusts above all else is, in the most practical sense, their god.
And in a world of endless options, the sheer volume of choices can itself become paralyzing. When everything is available, it becomes easy to keep scrolling, to never quite commit, to live in a permanent state of considering without ever actually deciding.

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As for Me

Joshua cannot make the choice for the people. He knows this. He cannot legislate their loyalty or manufacture their faithfulness. What he can do is declare his own intention with clarity and conviction.
"As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord." (Joshua 24:15)
This is not a private sentiment whispered in a quiet moment. It is a public declaration of direction. It is witness. It is the beginning of a faith that moves from the interior life out into the visible world.
Every generation is invited to make this declaration fresh. Not because God's faithfulness is in question, but because ours requires constant renewal. Every day carries within it the quiet question Joshua asked at Shechem.
Whom will you serve today?
The story is still being written. The invitation is still open. And for those who are willing, the choice, when it comes down to it, is really only one.

The Chimes 10.18.2026

Thu, 15 Oct 2026 08:16:06 +0000

October 18, 2026
21st Sunday after Pentecost

Sermon: Choose This Day

Scripture: Joshua 24:1-15
Rev. Don Landen

If you are unable to join us in person, you may view our 9:30 AM Modern Service and our 11:00 AM Sanctuary Service live on “Dalton First UMC” Facebook or by clicking “Watch Live” below.

Click here to get the Traditional Worship Guide

This Week

Sunday October 18th

Handbell Ministry Rehearsal - 8:45 AM until 9:30 AM
Modern Worship Experience - 9:30 AM
Sunday School Classes - 9:30 AM
Traditional Worship Experience - 11:00 AM

Monday October 19th

Monday Morning Ladies Bible Study - 10:00 AM / Join us in the Parlor as we study "Simon Peter" by Adam Hamilton.
Pickleball - 6:30 PM

Tuesday October 20th

Saturday Sacks - 10:30 AM / Want to help students have a meal to take home on the weekend? This is an easy way to get plugged in and serve the community in a big way!
Shuffleboard - 1:00 PM / Meets every week in the Gym. Free and everyone is invited!
GriefShare - 6:00 PM / Are you mourning the passing of a family member or friend? This 13-week ministry meets in the Library. A $30 registration fee is required.
Modern Worship Rehearsal - 7:00 PM

Wednesday October 21st

Dulcimers Club - 2:30 PM
Wonderful Wednesday - Be The Church / Come for a delicious dinner at 5 PM and then at 5:45 participate in various on-campus activities as we serve our community and support our mission partners! These activities are open to the whole family!
Chancel Choir Rehearsal - 7:00 PM

Thursday October 22nd

Sounds of Joy - 9:30 AM / Want to be a part of our community choir? Here is your chance!

Friday October 23rd

None

Saturday October 24th

None

Sunday October 25th / Pledge Sunday

Handbell Ministry Rehearsal - 8:45 AM until 9:30 AM
Modern Worship Experience - 9:30 AM
Sunday School Classes - 9:30 AM
Traditional Worship Experience - 11:00 AM

Download The App

WONDERFUL WEDNESDAY

Wednesday, October 21st: Come for a delicious dinner at 5 PM and then at 5:45 participate in various on-campus activities as we serve our community and support our mission partners! These activities are open to the whole family!
Activities will include:

Packing dental bags and writing notes for City Park Elementary School
Baking cupcakes and writing notes to staff at all local ministry partners
Installing a small outdoor food pantry box at the Thornton Ave side of the church, and stocking it with food
Creating artwork and encouraging posters for our school partners, Friendship House and City Park

MENU:
Oct 21: Spaghetti, corn on the cob, garlic bread, salad, dessert
Oct 28: Hot dogs, slaw, chips, cookie
Nov 4: Taco soup, grilled cheese sandwich, salad, dessert
Nov 11: Sloppy Joe, baked beans, tater tots, salad, dessert
Nov 18: Turkey in gravy, dressing, green beans, mashed potatoes, roll, dessert
Dec 2: Chicken bacon pasta, steamed broccoli, roll, salad, dessert
Dec 9: Soup, sandwich, salad, dessert

STEWARDSHIP CAMPAIGN

On October 4th, we began our annual stewardship campaign, “There’s No Place Like Dalton First.” Pledge Sunday will be October 25.
Pledge cards will be available on Sunday, or you can print one using the button below. If you would like a pledge card mailed to you, please contact the church office at
706-278-8494.

Click Here for Pledge Card

Click Here to Pledge Online

The Stairway of 2026 Giving

Will you grow one generosity step in 2027?

Find your step

Type what you give and we will light up your step. Nothing you type is saved or sent anywhere.

205 giving units on 12 stepsTap a step for more

Each big number is how many giving units are giving at that step. Every step is shown per month and per year.

UPCOMING EVENTS

TRUNK OR TREAT - WEDNESDAY OCTOBER 28TH

We want to show our love for the Dalton Community by going ALL OUT with our Trunk or Treat for Hunger this year! Our goal is to have 40 trunks participating and help make this a fun and memorable event for everyone. Set-up will begin at 3:30 PM, and trunks will open at 5:00 PM. Each person or group will be assigned their own parking spot, which will be marked with sidewalk chalk prior to set-up. Don’t be afraid to get creative with your trunk decorations and themes! We will be collecting candy for the event (anything nut-free), as well as food donations for City of Refuge. Donation drop-off will be available in the Atrium beginning Wednesday, September 30. Let’s come together to support our community, have some fun, and make this year’s Trunk or Treat for Hunger a huge success!

Click Here to Register

OASIS NEWS

DALTON FIRST FAMILY RETREAT

Click Here for Survey

IN LOVING TRIBUTE: HONORARY & MEMORIAL GIFTS:

In Honor of Jackie Pope's 95th Birthday
Patty & Dick Spanjer

Click Here to Access rightnow MEDIA

FOLLOW US ON SOCIAL MEDIA

The Ten Commandments

Mon, 12 Oct 2026 09:21:01 +0000

No Place Like Home: The Ten Commandments, Stewardship, and the God Who Carries Us on Eagle's Wings

What if the Ten Commandments were never meant to feel like a burden?
That question might seem strange at first. Most of us grew up with some version of the Ten Commandments presented as a list of prohibitions, a divine set of rules handed down from on high to keep humanity in line. Heavy. Demanding. Non-negotiable. But what if that framing misses the entire point? What if understanding the context behind these ancient words changes everything about how we receive them?
There is an old teaching story about a song called Waltzing Matilda. Many people know the lyrics. They can sing along confidently, hitting every word. But ask them what a swagman is, what a billabong is, or who Matilda actually refers to, and the room goes quiet. Knowing the words is not the same as understanding the song. Context is everything.
The same is true of the Ten Commandments.

A People Already Loved

Before God spoke a single commandment, something remarkable happened. In Exodus 19, God addressed the Israelites with a declaration of love and identity. The passage describes God reminding the people of how they had been carried on eagle's wings, how they had been pursued and protected, and how God now considered them more precious than all the peoples of the earth. They were called a kingdom of priests, a holy nation. And the people responded with one voice, committing themselves to everything God had said.
This is the context that changes everything.
The Ten Commandments were not handed down to a group of strangers being brought into line by a demanding deity. They were given to a people who had already been rescued, already been loved, and who had already said yes to a relationship with the God who saved them. They were not rules imposed on the unwilling. They were a framework given to a freed people so they could understand how to live as freed people.
God was not puffed up or heavy-handed. God was saying, here is how you protect what we have together. Here is how you protect each other. Here is how a community of grace actually functions.

Honoring God in the First Four

The first four commandments deal with the relationship between people and God, and they are worth sitting with carefully.
No other gods before me. In the ancient world, every town had its own god. The command was a call to stop dividing loyalty among countless competing deities. In our world, the idols look different. They are the pursuit of admiration, financial security, career advancement, and comfort. To truly honor this commandment is to look honestly at our calendars, our priorities, and our finances and declare that nothing comes before our relationship with God.
No idols. An idol is anything we try to control or manipulate in order to feel safe or secure. People make idols of their relationships with powerful people. They serve money rather than allowing money to serve them. God is calling us away from those manipulations and toward something far more satisfying: a relationship built on truth and grace.
Do not misuse God's name. This one cuts deeper than simply watching our language. How we represent God in our daily lives matters enormously. When someone who claims to follow Christ treats a server poorly, underpays a worker, or sows division in a community, they distort the world's understanding of what belonging to God actually looks like. Honoring God's name means living in a way that reflects God's fairness, generosity, and grace.
Remember the Sabbath. God had more to say about this commandment than any of the others, which is worth noting. Rest is not wasted time. Coming together in worship on the Sabbath is a declaration that the world does not depend on our striving. It depends on God's grace. Rest is an act of trust.

Protecting Each Other in the Last Six

The remaining commandments address how free people treat one another, and they form the backbone of any community that wants to last.
Honoring parents is about treasuring legacy. Communities thrive when they value the wisdom and experience of those who came before. The commandment even carries a promise: when a people uphold this, they will flourish in the land God has given them.
Do not murder and do not commit adultery are about protecting life and emotional safety. They call us to treat every person as worthy of our time and our care, recognizing that the people around us are precious in the sight of God.
Do not steal carries an economic dimension that is easy to overlook. John Wesley put it plainly: earn all you can, save all you can, so that you can give all you can. God has a purpose for wealth. Respecting others means not taking advantage of them and not consuming beyond what is just when neighbors cannot meet their own needs.
Do not bear false witness. A community of free people cannot sustain itself on lies. Shading the truth to get ahead, minimizing the contributions of others, or outright dishonesty all dishonor God and harm the people around us.
Do not covet. This final commandment addresses the lie that having what someone else has would finally satisfy us. It would not. God's provisions are enough. When we genuinely believe that, we stop grasping and start giving. Contentment in God naturally produces generosity toward the world.

The Framework That Changes Everything

At Mount Sinai, God did not show up to control a frightened population. God showed up to tell a shaken people that they were deeply loved, and then gave them the structure needed to build a community where no one is exploited, where God is honored, where time is kept holy, and where neighbors are genuinely cherished.
That same framework applies to how we approach our spiritual communities today. The question of how we invest in the communities that have nurtured us, whether through our prayers, our presence, our service, our witness, or our financial gifts, should never be answered out of duty or obligation.
It should be answered in light of the God who carried us on eagle's wings.
When we understand that we were loved first, the question stops being what is the minimum required of me. It becomes something far more natural: how could I not give generously to something this good?

The Chimes 10.11.2026

Thu, 08 Oct 2026 08:11:10 +0000

October 11, 2026
Twentieth Sunday after Pentecost

Sermon: Nineteen Comes Before Twenty

Scripture: Exodus Exodus 19:3-7 and Exodus 20:1-17 (CEB)
Rev. Don Gotham

If you are unable to join us in person, you may view our 9:30 AM Modern Service and our 11:00 AM Sanctuary Service live on “Dalton First UMC” Facebook or by clicking “Watch Live” below.

Click here to get the Traditional Worship Guide

This Week

Sunday October 11th

Modern Worship Experience - 9:30 AM
Sunday School Classes - 9:30 AM
Traditional Worship Experience - 11:00 AM

Monday October 12th

Monday Morning Ladies Bible Study - 10:00 AM / Join us in the Parlor as we study "Simon Peter" by Adam Hamilton.
Pickleball - 6:30 PM

Tuesday October 13th

Shuffleboard - 1:00 PM / Meets every week in the Gym. Free and everyone is invited!
GriefShare - 6:00 PM / Are you mourning the passing of a family member or friend? This 13-week ministry meets in the Library. A $30 registration fee is required.
Modern Worship Rehearsal - 7:00 PM

Wednesday October 14th

Dulcimers Club - 2:30 PM
NO Wonderful Wednesday / Fall Break
Chancel Choir Rehearsal - 7:00 PM

Thursday October 15th

Sounds of Joy Performance - 11:00 AM at Dalton First UMC Chapel

Friday October 16th

None

Saturday October 17th

None

Sunday October 18th

Handbell Ministry Rehearsal - 8:45 AM until 9:30 AM
Modern Worship Experience - 9:30 AM
Sunday School Classes - 9:30 AM
Traditional Worship Experience - 11:00 AM

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NO WONDERFUL WEDNESDAY October 14th /
Fall Break

Wednesday, October 21st: Come participate in various on-campus activities as a whole family as we serve our community and support our mission partners! Activities will include cupcake making, building an outdoor food pantry, and more. These activities will take place after dinner from 6:00–7:00 PM and are open to the whole family!

STEWARDSHIP CAMPAIGN

Click Here for Pledge Card

Click Here to Pledge Online

The Stairway of 2026 Giving

Will you grow one generosity step in 2027?

Find your step

Type what you give and we will light up your step. Nothing you type is saved or sent anywhere.

205 giving units on 12 stepsTap a step for more

Each big number is how many giving units are giving at that step. Every step is shown per month and per year.

UPCOMING EVENTS

TRUNK OR TREAT - WEDNESDAY OCTOBER 28TH

We want to show our love for the Dalton Community by going ALL OUT with our Trunk or Treat for Hunger this year! Our goal is to have 40 trunks participating and help make this a fun and memorable event for everyone. Set-up will begin at 3:30 PM, and trunks will open at 5:00 PM. Each person or group will be assigned their own parking spot, which will be marked with sidewalk chalk prior to set-up. Don’t be afraid to get creative with your trunk decorations and themes! We will be collecting candy for the event (anything nut-free), as well as food donations for City of Refuge. Donation drop-off will be available in the Atrium beginning Wednesday, September 30. Let’s come together to support our community, have some fun, and make this year’s Trunk or Treat for Hunger a huge success!

Click Here to Register

OASIS NEWS

DALTON FIRST FAMILY RETREAT

Click Here for Survey

IN LOVING TRIBUTE: HONORARY & MEMORIAL GIFTS:

In Honor of Jackie Pope's 95th Birthday
Ann & Bill Bowen

In Memory of Tom Wright
Brenda Cooley

Click Here to Access rightnow MEDIA

FOLLOW US ON SOCIAL MEDIA

Exodus

Mon, 05 Oct 2026 09:01:54 +0000

When the Army Is Behind You and the Sea Is Before You

There are moments in life when every direction looks impossible. The path forward seems blocked, the way back feels unbearable, and standing still appears to be nothing more than a slower version of defeat. If you have ever found yourself in that kind of moment, you are in good company. The people of Israel knew exactly what that felt like, and their story — recorded in Exodus 14 — speaks with remarkable clarity into the human experience of fear, change, and the faithfulness of God.

The Story That Defines a People

To understand Exodus, you have to know where it begins. Genesis ended on a hopeful note. Joseph and his family were reunited in Egypt, and Joseph held a position of extraordinary influence, second only to Pharaoh himself. All seemed right with the world. But Exodus opens with a sobering shift. Time had passed, a new Pharaoh had risen, and this ruler had no knowledge of Joseph or any sense of gratitude toward the Hebrew people. Fear took root in Pharaoh's heart. The Hebrews were too numerous, too foreign, too threatening. So he enslaved them. He oppressed them. He even ordered the murder of their newborn sons.
Yet the more they were oppressed, the more they multiplied. Out of that darkness, Moses was drawn from the Nile River, called by God at a burning bush, and sent to lead his people to freedom. After ten devastating plagues, Pharaoh finally relented and let the people go.
But freedom, it turns out, can be terrifying.

The Back to Egypt Committee

No sooner had the Israelites been released than Pharaoh changed his mind. His army gave chase, and the Israelites found themselves trapped — the Egyptian forces closing in from behind, the Red Sea stretching out before them. In that desperate moment, they did something painfully familiar. They panicked. They complained. They turned to Moses and essentially said, "Were there not enough graves in Egypt? Why did you bring us out here to die? We would rather be slaves than be free and face the unknown."
This is the first recorded meeting of what might be called the Back to Egypt Committee. And if we are honest with ourselves, that committee has never stopped meeting. It convenes whenever change feels overwhelming, whenever the future looks uncertain, whenever the comfort of what was known — even if it was painful — seems preferable to the risk of what is new.
Change is hard. There is something deeply human about wanting to press the button that says "back to classic." We want the familiar. We want the predictable. We want to return to what we understood, even when what we understood was not good for us. The Israelites had been slaves. Egypt had been brutal. And still, in the face of uncertainty, they wanted to go back.

Do Not Be Afraid

Into the chaos of that moment, Moses speaks words that echo throughout the entire Bible: do not be afraid. It is worth noting that this command — do not be afraid — appears more frequently in scripture than perhaps any other. And there is a pattern worth paying attention to. Whenever those words appear, good news follows. Every single time. The command is not a dismissal of fear. It is an announcement that something greater than the fear is about to be revealed.
Moses tells the people to stand their ground, to watch what God is about to do. He tells them that God will fight for them. And then he says something that cuts against everything our culture tells us: be still.
Psalm 46 carries the same instruction, assuring readers that in stillness they will come to know that God is God. That is a countercultural word. We live in a world that equates busyness with importance, activity with faithfulness, and noise with progress. But stillness is not passivity. Stillness is the posture that allows us to recognize who God is and what God is already doing.
Martin Luther, the German reformer, is reported to have said that he had so much to do each day that he needed to spend the first three hours in prayer. That was not a retreat from responsibility. That was the source of everything that followed. The stillness was not wasted time. It was the foundation on which everything else was built.
There is a meaningful difference between asking God to bless what we are doing and asking God to allow us to be part of what God is already blessing. One posture places us at the center. The other places God there, where God belongs.

Walk Into the Sea

But stillness is not the end of the story. After the call to be still comes a call to move. Moses stretches his hand over the sea, and God parts the waters. The people walk forward on dry ground, the sea walled up on their left and on their right. They are delivered not by retreating to Egypt and not by standing frozen on the shore, but by walking forward into what had been, moments before, an impassable barrier.
The Hebrew word used for the sea in this passage, Yom, is also the name of the Canaanite god of chaos and death. The imagery is deliberate. God is not simply parting water. God is leading people through chaos, through death, and into new life. This is salvation. This is the God who makes a way where there is no way, who leads people through the very thing that threatened to destroy them.
It is no accident that this same God, in the person of Jesus Christ, would later cross the chaotic waters of another sea with his frightened disciples. When the storm rose and the waves crashed, Jesus spoke into the wind and the water — peace, be still. And those words were as much for the disciples' hearts as they were for the storm itself.

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The Wisdom to Know the Difference

The life of faith requires both stillness and movement, and the wisdom to know which one the moment calls for. Sometimes the faithful thing is to wait, to be quiet, to let God be God. And sometimes the faithful thing is to stretch out your hand and walk into the sea.
The remarkable good news is this: God is present in both. In the waiting and in the walking. In the stillness and in the storm. That presence — steady, faithful, and unrelenting — is the real miracle.

The Chimes 10.04.2026

Thu, 01 Oct 2026 09:13:22 +0000

October 4, 2026
World Communion Sunday

Sermon: The Way Through the Waters

Scripture: Exodus 14:5-7, 10-14, 21-29 (NRSV)
Rev. Don Landen

If you are unable to join us in person, you may view our 9:00 AM Modern Service and our 11:00 AM Sanctuary Service live on “Dalton First UMC” Facebook or by clicking “Watch Live” below.

Click here to get the Traditional Worship Guide

This Week

Sunday October 4th

Handbell Ministry Rehearsal - 8:45 AM until 9:30 AM
Modern Worship Experience - 9:30 AM
Sunday School Classes - 9:30 AM
Traditional Worship Experience - 11:00 AM
Family Cake Decorating - 12:30 PM in Famber Hall

Monday October 5th

Monday Morning Ladies Bible Study - 10:00 AM / Join us in the Parlor as we study "Simon Peter" by Adam Hamilton.
Pickleball - 6:30 PM

Tuesday October 6th

Saturday Sacks - 10:30 AM / Want to help student have a meal to take home on the weekend? This is an easy way to get plugged in and serve the community in a big way!
Shuffleboard - 1:00 PM / Meets every week in the Gym. Free and everyone is invited!
GriefShare - 6:00 PM / Are you mourning the passing of a family member or friend? This 13-week ministry meets in the Library. A $30 registration fee is required.
Modern Worship Rehearsal - 7:00 PM

Wednesday October 7th

Dulcimers Club - 2:30 PM
Wonderful Wednesday / Dinner - 5:00 PM / Programming - 6:00 PM
Chancel Choir Rehearsal - 7:00 PM

Thursday October 8th

Sounds of Joy Performance - 11:00 AM at Dalton First UMC Chapel

Friday October 9th

None

Saturday October 10th

None

Sunday October 11th

Handbell Ministry Rehearsal - 8:45 AM until 9:30 AM
Modern Worship Experience - 9:30 AM
Sunday School Classes - 9:30 AM
Traditional Worship Experience - 11:00 AM

Download The App

WONDERFUL WEDNESDAY

MENU:
Oct 7: Chili, baked potato, salad, dessert
Oct 21: Spaghetti, corn on the cob, garlic bread, salad, dessert
Oct 28: Hot dogs, slaw, chips, cookie
Nov 4: Taco soup, grilled cheese sandwich, salad, dessert
Nov 11: Sloppy Joe, baked beans, tater tots, salad, dessert
Nov 18: Turkey in gravy, dressing, green beans, mashed potatoes, roll, dessert
Dec 2: Chicken bacon pasta, steamed broccoli, roll, salad, dessert
Dec 9: Soup, sandwich, salad, dessert

CLASS OFFERINGS:

Sep 2 - Oct 7
Pastor Don will offer a six-week class on United Methodist faith and theology using the book, Recapturing the Wesleys’ Vision by Paul Wesley Chilcote, as a guide. Participants will read approximately 20 pages each week and discuss what they are learning on Wednesdays. Whether you are a life-long Methodist or new to the faith, this class is a great way to connect with our historic faith and one another. Books may be purchased in advance on Amazon.

Sep 2 - Oct 7
Join Matthew Dean for this six-week study designed by Kathleen Edelman and Northpoint Church, where you will explore how God created you and how you can practice healthy communication skills and speak life into others. Let’s grow together!

Sep 2 - Oct 7
Like a table with room for all, the Open Table class invites you to share life, faith, and meaningful conversation. Come as you are; connect with others and explore how Scripture speaks into your everyday life. Whether you're new to church or looking to deepen your faith, there's a seat for you here. All ages are welcome! We meet in room 2124.

Sep 2 - Oct 7
Hayley Pollard leads this teen Bible study featuring Bible-based conversations, meaningful friendships, and encouragement for everyday life. Bring a friend and grow in your faith in a welcoming, relaxed environment. We meet in room 2104.

Sep 2 - Oct 7
Slow down, stretch, and make space to reconnect with God through gentle movement and prayer. This restorative Holy Yoga class, led by certified instructor Rosa Coker, focuses primarily on seated and lying poses, with plenty of gentle stretching and time to relax.
All experience levels are welcome. Please bring your own yoga mat if you have one.

UPCOMING EVENTS

On October 4, we will begin our annual stewardship campaign, “There’s No Place Like Dalton First.” Pledge Sunday will be October 25.
Pledge cards will be available on Sunday, or you can print one using the button below. If you would like a pledge card mailed to you, please contact the church office at
706-278-8494.

Click Here for Pledge Card

Click Here to Pledge Online

Please join us for an hour of beautiful music featuring Sounds of Joy on Thursday, October 8, from 11:00 a.m. to noon in the chapel at Dalton First UMC. A reception sponsored by OASIS will follow. We hope you’ll join us for this special time of music, fellowship, and joy!

TRUNK OR TREAT - WEDNESDAY OCTOBER 28TH

We want to show our love for the Dalton Community by going ALL OUT with our Trunk or Treat for Hunger this year! Our goal is to have 40 trunks participating and help make this a fun and memorable event for everyone. Set-up will begin at 3:30 PM, and trunks will open at 5:00 PM. Each person or group will be assigned their own parking spot, which will be marked with sidewalk chalk prior to set-up. Don’t be afraid to get creative with your trunk decorations and themes! We will be collecting candy for the event (anything nut-free), as well as food donations for City of Refuge. Donation drop-off will be available in the Atrium beginning Wednesday, September 30. Let’s come together to support our community, have some fun, and make this year’s Trunk or Treat for Hunger a huge success!

As always, L’Abri performances are free and open to the public, as we share the gift of music with all who can come.
Amazing grace, how sweet the sound. Our program this Fall is a collection of new arrangements of favorite hymns from years ago. These are songs we grew up with, and remember and cherish to this day. And it is special to hear the pure music behind the old familiar lyrics, as different combinations of instruments, rather than words, give a fresh feeling to each verse.
Come, bring family and friends, especially those who have never experienced a live symphony concert.

Click Here to Register

CAPTIAL CAMPAIGN UPDATE

IN LOVING TRIBUTE: HONORARY & MEMORIAL GIFTS:

In Honor of Jackie Pope's 95th Birthday
Ann & Bill Bowen

In Memory of Tom Wright
Brenda Cooley

Click Here to Access rightnow MEDIA

FOLLOW US ON SOCIAL MEDIA

Joseph in Prison

Mon, 28 Sep 2026 07:26:46 +0000

From the Pit to the Palace: How God Works Through Every Season of Life

There is a story tucked inside the final chapters of Genesis that reads less like ancient scripture and more like a gripping novel. It has jealousy, betrayal, false accusations, forgotten promises, and an unlikely rise to power. It has all the elements of a story that keeps you turning pages. But more than anything, it has a thread running through every scene, visible even when the characters cannot see it themselves: God is present, and God is working.
That story is the story of Joseph.

A Family, a Coat, and a Catastrophic Betrayal

Joseph was the great-grandson of Abraham and Sarah, the couple called by God to be blessed and to be a blessing to the world. That blessing was still unfolding, still finding its way through generations of complicated, flawed, deeply human people. Genesis does not sanitize its characters. If you have ever felt like your family is uniquely dysfunctional, Genesis will quickly disabuse you of that notion. You are not alone.
Joseph's troubles began with sibling rivalry, jealousy over a father's favoritism, and a series of dreams that Joseph perhaps should have kept to himself. His brothers, already seething, saw their opportunity and took it. They stripped him of his robe, sold him into slavery, and told their grieving father he was dead. This was not a misunderstanding. This was deliberate, calculated betrayal by the very people who were supposed to be his own.
And so Joseph arrived in Egypt as a slave. Not because of anything he had done wrong. Not because God had abandoned him. But because human beings, given the freedom to choose faithfulness or betrayal, chose betrayal.

The Recurring Reality of Unfaithfulness

What makes the Joseph story so honest, and so resonant, is that the betrayal does not stop there. After Joseph rises to a position of responsibility in the household of an Egyptian official named Potiphar, he is falsely accused by Potiphar's wife and thrown into prison. Then, in prison, he interprets a dream for a fellow inmate and asks only to be remembered when that man is released. The man is released, and he forgets Joseph entirely.
Pit. Prison. Forgotten.
Three times, the unfaithfulness of others pushes Joseph further down. Three times, circumstances conspire against a man who had done nothing to deserve them. The Bible does not explain away this suffering or dress it up with easy answers. It simply tells the truth: suffering is part of life. The Psalms say it repeatedly, crying out "how long, O Lord?" in voices that do not sound polished or composed. They sound like real people in real pain.
First Peter, written to a community experiencing genuine persecution and exile, echoes this same honesty. The letter does not promise that suffering will not come. It acknowledges that fiery trials are real, and then it points toward something greater waiting on the other side.

The Thread That Never Breaks

Here is what makes the Joseph story more than a tragedy. At the very moment Joseph is sold into slavery and taken down to Egypt, Genesis records something remarkable. The Lord was with Joseph. Then when Potiphar, in a rage, throws Joseph into prison, the text says it again. The Lord was with Joseph.
Not was with Joseph when things were going well. Not would be with Joseph once things improved. Was with Joseph. Present tense. In the pit. In the prison. In the forgetting.
John Wesley, the founder of Methodism, lay dying at the age of eighty-eight. Those gathered around him strained to hear his final words. After several attempts that those present could not quite make out, he gathered what strength remained and cried out clearly: "The best of all is, God is with us." Then, lifting a dying arm as if in triumph, he said it again.
That is not a sentiment. That is a conviction forged over a lifetime of faith. It is the same conviction the story of Joseph embodies across fourteen chapters of Genesis. Circumstances changed constantly. The presence of God did not.

God Working Through What Was Meant for Harm

Years after his brothers sold him into slavery, after all the suffering and injustice and waiting, Joseph stood before those same brothers in a position of enormous power in Egypt. Their father had died, and they were afraid Joseph would finally take his revenge. Instead, he said something that has echoed across centuries of theological reflection. He told them that what they had intended for harm, God had used for good, to save the lives of many people.
This is not a prosperity gospel. Joseph suffered. Genuinely, prolongedly, unjustly suffered. God's presence did not shield him from hardship. But God was working through the hardship toward something that Joseph could not have seen from the bottom of a pit. Martin Luther King Jr. once said that the moral arc of the universe is long, but it bends toward justice. Paul writes in Romans that God works all things together for good. These are not promises that life will be easy. They are promises that God is not finished.

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Chosen for Something Larger Than Ourselves

Joseph was a beloved son, rejected by his own people, betrayed for silver, stripped of his robe, counted among criminals, and ultimately exalted. The echoes of another story are unmistakable. Jesus himself said in John 12 that when he is lifted up, he will draw all people to himself, naming in a single breath both his suffering and his glory.
Being chosen, it turns out, is not always comfortable. It is not a guarantee of ease or prosperity. It may come with success. It may come with suffering. But through every season, God is present, and God is working.
The invitation in the Joseph story is not simply to admire a man who endured well. It is to recognize that the same God who was with Joseph is with us, working through ordinary, complicated, sometimes broken lives to bring about something good in the world. The blessing given to Abraham and Sarah, carried through Joseph, extended even to the Egyptians around him, people who were not his own.
That is the nature of this blessing. It was never meant to stop with us.

The Chimes 9.27.2026

Thu, 24 Sep 2026 11:00:31 +0000

September 27, 2026
Eighteenth Sunday after Pentecost

Sermon: FROM THE PIT TO THE PALACE

Scripture: Genesis 39:1-23 (NRSV)
Rev. Don Landen

If you are unable to join us in person, you may view our 9:00 AM Modern Service and our 11:00 AM Sanctuary Service live on “Dalton First UMC” Facebook or by clicking “Watch Live” below.

Click here to get the Traditional Worship Guide

This Week

Sunday September 27th

Handbell Ministry Rehearsal - 8:45 AM until 9:30 AM
Modern Worship Experience - 9:30 AM
Sunday School Classes - 9:30 AM
Traditional Worship Experience - 11:00 AM
Sanctuary: A Smiley Gregg Concert Featuring The Ladies of Lee and the Dalton First Chancel Choir - 4:00 PM

Monday September 28th

Monday Morning Ladies Bible Study - 10:00 AM / Join us in the Parlor as we study "Simon Peter" by Adam Hamilton.
Pickleball - 6:30 PM

Tuesday September 29th

Shuffleboard - 1:00 PM / Meets every week in the Gym. Free and everyone is invited!
GriefShare - 6:00 PM / Are you mourning the passing of a family member or friend? This 13-week ministry meets in the Library. A $30 registration fee is required.
Modern Worship Rehearsal - 7:00 PM

Wednesday September 30th

Dulcimers Club - 2:30 PM
Wonderful Wednesday / Dinner - 5:00 PM / Programming - 6:00 PM
Chancel Choir Rehearsal - 7:00 PM

Thursday October 1st

Sounds of Joy Performance - 11:00 AM at Dalton Place

Friday October 2nd

None

Saturday October 3rd

Student Ministry Bonfire - 7:00 - 9:00 PM

Sunday October 4th

Handbell Ministry Rehearsal - 8:45 AM until 9:30 AM
Modern Worship Experience - 9:30 AM
Sunday School Classes - 9:30 AM
Traditional Worship Experience - 11:00 AM
Family Cake Decorating - 12:30 PM in Famber Hall

Download The App

WONDERFUL WEDNESDAY

MENU:
Sept 30: Fried chicken, green beans, mashed potatoes, roll, salad, dessert
Oct 7: Chili, baked potato, salad, dessert
Oct 21: Spaghetti, corn on the cob, garlic bread, salad, dessert
Oct 28: Hot dogs, slaw, chips, cookie
Nov 4: Taco soup, grilled cheese sandwich, salad, dessert
Nov 11: Sloppy Joe, baked beans, tater tots, salad, dessert
Nov 18: Turkey in gravy, dressing, green beans, mashed potatoes, roll, dessert
Dec 2: Chicken bacon pasta, steamed broccoli, roll, salad, dessert
Dec 9: Soup, sandwich, salad, dessert

CLASS OFFERINGS:

UPCOMING EVENTS

The annual Smiley Gregg benefit concert is coming up on September 27, 2026 at 4:00pm at Dalton First UMC. This year's theme is SANCTUARY: How God can provide a sanctuary for us through our adoration, creation, provision, refuge, relationships, and our giving. From works by Handel, Hagenberg, Gjello, and Michael Jackson, this concert is going to be an unforgettable experience. PLUS... we will be joined by the Ladies of Lee!

TRUNK OR TREAT - WEDNESDAY OCTOBER 28TH

We want to show our love for the Dalton Community by going ALL OUT with our Trunk or Treat for Hunger this year! Our goal is to have 40 trunks participating and help make this a fun and memorable event for everyone. Set-up will begin at 3:30 PM, and trunks will open at 5:00 PM. Each person or group will be assigned their own parking spot, which will be marked with sidewalk chalk prior to set-up. Don’t be afraid to get creative with your trunk decorations and themes! We will also be collecting food donations for City of Refuge, with donation drop-off available in the Atrium beginning Wednesday, September 30. Let’s come together to support our community, have some fun, and make this year’s Trunk or Treat for Hunger a huge success!

On October 4th, we will begin our annual stewardship campaign, which we are calling “There’s No Place Like Dalton First.”

IN LOVING TRIBUTE: HONORARY & MEMORIAL GIFTS:

In Memory of Tom Wright
Billie Little

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A Good Ancestor

Mon, 21 Sep 2026 11:29:15 +0000

Blessed to Be a Blessing: What Abraham Teaches Us About Faith, Legacy, and Moving Forward

There is a moment in the story of Abraham that does not get nearly enough attention. It is not the dramatic climax of a mountaintop. It is not a burning bush or a parting sea. It is simply a man, standing at the edge of everything familiar, hearing a voice that says go — and not knowing anything more than that.
No destination. No timeline. No map. Just the call and the one who issued it.
And yet Abraham went.
That single act of movement, that first step into the unknown, sits at the very center of one of the most important passages in all of Scripture. Genesis 12 has been called a fulcrum text — the moment where the entire biblical narrative pivots from the broad sweep of human history to the particular story of a people called by God. Everything that follows in the Hebrew Bible, and indeed in the New Testament, traces its roots back to this passage. When Matthew opens his Gospel, the first thing he does is begin a genealogy with Abraham, drawing a direct line from that first step of faith all the way to Jesus.
That is how significant this moment is. And yet the man at the center of it was, by all appearances, entirely ordinary.

God Does Not Accept Resumes

One of the most striking things about Abraham's call is what is absent from it. There is no list of qualifications. There is no record of exceptional virtue or spiritual achievement. Abraham does not approach God with credentials in hand. In fact, the text offers almost nothing about him before the call arrives. He was one of millions. He was ordinary.
And God called him anyway.
This is the nature of divine calling. It does not wait for us to prove ourselves worthy. It does not reward the most polished or the most prepared. It arrives, sometimes unexpectedly, and it asks one thing: will you respond?
Abraham's faith was not demonstrated in the moment of the call itself. It was demonstrated in what came next. He did not know where he was going. He did not know how long the journey would take. He did not know how he would recognize the destination when he arrived. What he knew was that God was calling, and that was enough to move.
John Wesley once observed that this call tested whether Abraham could trust God further than he could see him. That is a question worth sitting with. How far are we willing to trust when the road ahead is not visible?

Counting What Actually Matters

God does not call without also providing. Alongside the call came a covenant — a promise of blessing so expansive it strains the imagination. God promised to make of Abraham a great nation, to bless him, to honor his name, to stand with him against those who stood against him.
These were not small promises. And they were entirely unmerited. That is what makes them so remarkable. The blessing was not a reward. It was a gift.
There is an old hymn that invites us to count our blessings and name them one by one. It is simple advice, but it carries real weight. When we stop to name the specific ways God has shown up in our lives — the provision, the community, the moments of unexpected grace — something shifts. Worry loses a little of its grip. Fear becomes a little less loud. Hope becomes more than a feeling; it becomes a posture.
But here is where the story of Abraham challenges us to go further. The blessings were never meant to stop with him. Right in the middle of the covenant, God says something that reframes everything: you will be a blessing. And then, as if to make sure the point lands, God adds that through Abraham all the families of the earth will be blessed.
The blessing had a destination beyond Abraham. It always does.

We Are Here for the People Who Are Not Here Yet

There is a story about a young pastor who visited two longtime, faithful members of his congregation early in his ministry. They welcomed him warmly. But as he stood to leave, one of them stopped him and said something unexpected. They told him he did not need to come see them anymore. Not because anything had gone wrong, but because of what they said next.
You are here for the people who are not here yet.
That sentence carries the whole weight of what it means to be a community of faith. The church, at its best, is never primarily about the people already inside it. It is about the ones who have not yet found their way in. It is about the welcome that has not yet been extended, the seat that has not yet been filled, the life that has not yet been touched by grace.
Abraham's blessing was not for Abraham alone. Our blessings are not for us alone. The call of God on a community is always oriented outward, always reaching toward those who have not yet arrived.

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Faith Is Made Real in the Journey

The call came. The covenant was given. But the story was made real when Abraham moved. He packed up his household, brought along his wife Sarah and his nephew Lot, and they journeyed on by stages. They could not see the whole road. They did not see the fulfillment of the promise in their lifetimes. But they moved anyway, because they understood something essential: it was never about them.
It was about God and the world that God loves.
That is what it means to be a good ancestor. It means living faithfully in the present for the sake of a future you may never see. It means taking the next step even when the destination is not yet clear. It means trusting that the God who calls is also the God who provides, and that the blessing you carry is meant to travel further than you can.
The invitation is the same today as it was for Abraham. Hear the call. Receive the blessing. And go — for the sake of those who are not yet here.

The Chimes 9.20.2026

Thu, 17 Sep 2026 10:28:11 +0000

September 20, 2026
Seventeenth Sunday after Pentecost

Sermon: A GOOD ANCESTOR

Scripture: Genesis 12:1-9 (NRSV)
Rev. Don Landen

If you are unable to join us in person, you may view our 9:00 AM Modern Service and our 11:00 AM Sanctuary Service live on “Dalton First UMC” Facebook or by clicking “Watch Live” below.

Click here to get the Traditional Worship Guide

This Week

Sunday September 20th

Handbell Ministry Rehearsal - 8:45 AM until 9:30 AM
Modern Worship Experience - 9:30 AM
Sunday School Classes - 9:30 AM
Traditional Worship Experience - 11:00 AM
567 at Just Jump - 1:00–3:00 PM / No registration required — just come ready to jump and have some fun! We hope to see you there! (567 is a new ministry created just for 5th–7th graders! This is a space for preteens to build friendships, grow in their faith, have fun, and begin taking more ownership of who they are and the people God is calling them to be. We’re creating something that feels different from children’s ministry and gives students a natural bridge into our student ministry.)

Monday September 21st

Monday Morning Ladies Bible Study - 10:00 AM / Join us in the Parlor as we study "Simon Peter" by Adam Hamilton.
Pickleball - 6:30 PM

Tuesday September 22nd

Saturday Sacks - 10:30AM / Want to help student have a meal to take home on the weekend? This is an easy way to get plugged in and serve the community in a big way!
OASIS Meeting - 11:00 AM / (Older Adults Sharing In Service) is our initiative for adults 55+ that provides opportunities for inclusion, learning, and fellowship. We will offer lectures on topics of interest to seniors, day trips to nearby activities, and social gatherings.
Shuffleboard - 1:00 PM / Meets every week in the Gym. Free and everyone is invited!
GriefShare - 6:00 PM / Are you mourning the passing of a family member or friend? This 13-week ministry meets in the Library. A $30 registration fee is required.
Modern Worship Rehearsal - 7:00 PM

Wednesday September 23rd

Wednesday Morning Ladies Bible Study - 10:00 AM / Join us in the Parlor as we study "Not One Moment Late: Trusting God's Timing for Your Life " by Lisa Toney.
Dulcimers Club - 2:30 PM
Wonderful Wednesday / Dinner - 5:00 PM / Programming - 6:00 PM
Chancel Choir Rehearsal - 7:00 PM

Thursday September 24th

Sounds of Joy - 9:30 AM / Want to be a part of our community choir? Here is your chance!

Friday September 25th

None

Saturday September 26th

None

Sunday September 27th

Handbell Ministry Rehearsal - 8:45 AM until 9:30 AM
Modern Worship Experience - 9:30 AM
Sunday School Classes - 9:30 AM
Traditional Worship Experience - 11:00 AM
Sanctuary: A Smiley Gregg Concert Featuring The Ladies of Lee and the Dalton First Chancel Choir - 4:00 PM

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CAPITAL CAMPAIGN

Our capital campaign has officially begun! Almost 180 years in this city, and the work in front of us is bigger than any one of us, so we're doing it the way we've always done it: TOGETHER. Visit the website furthertogether.cc to learn more about the campaign, explore the vision, and find out how you can get involved.

Click Here to Learn More

WONDERFUL WEDNESDAY

MENU:
Sept 23: Soft tacos, refried beans, rice, chips & salsa, dessert
Sept 30: Fried chicken, green beans, mashed potatoes, roll, salad, dessert
Oct 7: Chili, baked potato, salad, dessert
Oct 21: Spaghetti, corn on the cob, garlic bread, salad, dessert
Oct 28: Hot dogs, slaw, chips, cookie
Nov 4: Taco soup, grilled cheese sandwich, salad, dessert
Nov 11: Sloppy Joe, baked beans, tater tots, salad, dessert
Nov 18: Turkey in gravy, dressing, green beans, mashed potatoes, roll, dessert
Dec 2: Chicken bacon pasta, steamed broccoli, roll, salad, dessert
Dec 9: Soup, sandwich, salad, dessert

CLASS OFFERINGS:

UPCOMING EVENTS

We want to show our love for the Dalton Community by going ALL OUT with our Trunk or Treat for Hunger this year. We have set a goal of having 40 Trunks. Set-up will begin at 3:30pm, trunks will open at 5pm. Each person or group will be assigned their own parking spot that will be marked by sidewalk chalk prior to set-up time. Don't be afraid to get creative.

IN LOVING TRIBUTE: HONORARY & MEMORIAL GIFTS:

In Honor of Dalton First UMC Staff
Patti & Doug Renz

In Memory of Bill Sloan
Patti & Doug Renz

In Memory of Carroll Vinson
Patti & Doug Renz
Nancy & Kevin Sanders

In Memory of Tom Wright
Warren Lightfoot
Ronnie McClurg
Patti & Doug Renz
Betty Sponcler

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Noah and the Ark

Mon, 14 Sep 2026 07:08:25 +0000

When God Hangs Up the Bow: The Promise Hidden in the Rainbow

There is a moment in Genesis that stops you cold if you let it sink in. God looks out at the world he made, the world he called very good, and he is heartbroken. Not simply angry. Heartbroken. Genesis 6 describes the wickedness of humanity as total and relentless, and then says something that feels almost unbearable: the Lord was sorry that he had made humankind, and it grieved him to his heart.
That is not the language of a distant, unmoved deity. That is the language of a parent watching a child walk away. That is grief.
And so the flood comes.
We have a tendency to domesticate this story. Walk through any baby shower or browse any nursery decor section and you will find the ark rendered in soft pastels, smiling giraffes poking their heads out of cheerful windows, a rosy-cheeked Noah looking something like a seafaring Santa Claus. The story gets reduced to a floating zoo, a charming tale about animals and a boat and a rainbow at the end.
But if you sit with the actual text, you find something far more serious. You find a story about the weight of human corruption, the grief of a Creator, and the astonishing decision God makes in the aftermath. Because the flood is not the main point. What happens after the flood is the main point. And what happens after the flood is mercy.

The Earth Bears the Weight of Human Corruption

Genesis 6 uses the same root word three times in quick succession. Humanity has brought corruption to the earth, and the destruction that follows is linguistically tied to that corruption. The connection is not accidental. Human violence and moral collapse do not stay contained within the human heart. They ripple outward. They infect the earth itself.
There is an old saying that captures this well: we are punished not so much for our sins, but by our sins. The consequences of turning away from the Creator do not stay neatly within the boundaries of individual lives. They spread. They corrupt. They destroy.
This is not a comfortable truth, but it is an honest one.

God Remembers

When the waters finally begin to recede, Genesis offers one of its most quietly powerful lines: God remembered Noah.
It would be easy to read past that and miss what it means. In the Hebrew scriptures, divine remembering is not about God suddenly recalling something that had slipped his mind. When God remembers, God acts. To be remembered by God is to be moved upon by God. It is to have God turn toward you with intention and purpose.
God remembered Noah, and the waters subsided. The same wind that swept over the watery chaos at the very beginning of creation now sweeps over the flood, and order begins to emerge again. The God who created is the God who restores.
The theologian Paul Tillich wrote about one of the deepest fears human beings carry: the fear of being forgotten. The fear that eventually no one will remember us, that our lives and our loves and our suffering will simply vanish. Genesis speaks directly into that fear. We cannot ultimately be forgotten because we are known and remembered by God. That is not a small promise. That is everything.

The Weapon Hung Up in the Sky

After the flood, God makes a covenant. And this covenant is remarkable for several reasons.
First, it is not made only with Noah or with Noah's descendants. It is made with every living creature, with the birds and the animals, with the earth itself. The scope of God's covenant commitment is breathtaking. All of creation is held within it.
Second, it is entirely one-sided. God asks nothing in return. God simply declares: never again.
And then God gives a sign. A bow in the clouds.
Here is where the language becomes striking. The word Genesis uses is the ordinary Hebrew word for a warrior's bow, a weapon. A bow is what you point at your enemy. It is drawn back, aimed, ready to release. But God takes this weapon and hangs it in the sky, unstrung, pointed away from the earth.
That image carries enormous weight. God is not simply offering a pretty symbol of hope after a storm. God is making a declaration about who God has decided to be and what God has decided to do. The weapon is put away. The posture of destruction is abandoned. God chooses another way.
And perhaps most striking of all, God says that when the bow appears in the clouds, God will see it and remember the covenant. The sign is not primarily for humanity. It is a reminder God makes to God's own self. I will not abandon. I will not give up. I will not let this go.

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Grace Is Not Pretending Evil Does Not Matter

The flood does not solve the human problem. When the waters recede and Noah and his family step back onto dry ground, human beings are still human beings. Still capable of violence. Still broken. The flood changes the landscape but not the heart.
And God knows this.
What changes is not humanity. What changes is God's declared commitment. God chooses mercy not because humanity has become worthy of it, but because that is who God has decided to be. Grace is not God deciding that evil does not matter. Grace is God deciding that evil will not have the last word.
That promise does not end with Noah. It echoes forward through every page of scripture. It echoes through the calling of Abraham and Sarah, through the liberation of slaves in Egypt, through the voices of prophets, through the waters of the Jordan where God himself enters creation in the person of Jesus Christ.
The God who once brought order out of the waters enters the waters himself. The God who remembered Noah takes on flesh and gets down into the mess of human suffering and death. And even death does not have the last word.
The next time you pull over to photograph a rainbow, consider what you are actually looking at. It is not merely a beautiful atmospheric phenomenon. It is the sign of a God who has hung up the weapon, who has bound his future to ours, who remembers, and who will not let go.
That is not a small thing. That is the whole story.

The Chimes 9.13.2026

Thu, 10 Sep 2026 11:06:25 +0000

September 13, 2026
Sixteenth Sunday after Pentecost

Sermon: AFTER THE FLOOD

Scripture: Genesis 6:5-22; 8:6-12; 9:8-17 (NRSV)
Rev. Don Landen

If you are unable to join us in person, you may view our 9:00 AM Modern Service and our 11:00 AM Sanctuary Service live on “Dalton First UMC” Facebook or by clicking “Watch Live” below.

Click here to get the Traditional Worship Guide

This Week

Sunday September 13th

Ministry Fair - all morning in the Atrium
Handbell Ministry Rehearsal - 8:45AM until 9:30AM
Modern Worship Experience - 9:30AM
Sunday School Classes - 9:30AM
Traditional Worship Experience - 11:00AM

Monday September 14th

Monday Morning Ladies Bible Study - 10:00 AM / Join us in the Parlor as we study "Simon Peter" by Adam Hamilton.
Pickleball - 6:30PM

Tuesday September 15th

Shuffleboard - 1:00PM / Meets every week in the Gym. Free and everyone is invited!
GriefShare - 6:00PM / Are you mourning the passing of a family member or friend? This 13-week ministry meets in the Library. A $30 registration fee is required.
Modern Worship Rehearsal - 7:00PM

Wednesday September 16th

MomCo Meeting - 9:30AM / MomCo is a place for moms to connect, build friendships, and find encouragement in the midst of motherhood. Join us for a welcoming time of conversation, community, and fun as we support one another through every season of motherhood.
Dulcimers Club - 2:30PM
Wonderful Wednesday / Dinner - 5:00PM / Programming - 6:00PM
Chancel Choir Rehearsal - 7:00PM

Thursday September 17th

Sounds of Joy - 9:30AM / Want to be a part of our community choir? Here is your chance!

Friday September 18th

None

Saturday September 19th

None

Sunday September 20th

Handbell Ministry Rehearsal - 8:45AM until 9:30AM
Modern Worship Experience - 9:30AM
Sunday School Classes - 9:30AM
Traditional Worship Experience - 11:00AM
567 at Just Jump - 1–3 PM / No registration required — just come ready to jump and have some fun! We hope to see you there! (567 is a new ministry created just for 5th–7th graders! This is a space for preteens to build friendships, grow in their faith, have fun, and begin taking more ownership of who they are and the people God is calling them to be. We’re creating something that feels different from children’s ministry and gives students a natural bridge into our student ministry.)

Download The App

CAPITAL CAMPAIGN

Click Here to Learn More

WONDERFUL WEDNESDAY

MENU:
Sept 16: BBQ chicken sandwiches, baked beans, coleslaw, tater tots, salad, dessert
Sept 23: Soft tacos, refried beans, rice, chips & salsa, dessert
Sept 30: Fried chicken, green beans, mashed potatoes, roll, salad, dessert
Oct 7: Chili, baked potato, salad, dessert
Oct 21: Spaghetti, corn on the cob, garlic bread, salad, dessert
Oct 28: Hot dogs, slaw, chips, cookie
Nov 4: Taco soup, grilled cheese sandwich, salad, dessert
Nov 11: Sloppy Joe, baked beans, tater tots, salad, dessert
Nov 18: Turkey in gravy, dressing, green beans, mashed potatoes, roll, dessert
Dec 2: Chicken bacon pasta, steamed broccoli, roll, salad, dessert
Dec 9: Soup, sandwich, salad, dessert

CLASS OFFERINGS:

UPCOMING EVENTS

There’s a place for everyone at our church! Come to our Ministry Fair THIS SUNDAY and discover the many ways you can connect and make a difference. Each ministry will have a table where you can meet the people behind the ministry, learn what they’re all about, and find a place that’s right for you. Come walk around, ask questions, and find your next opportunity to get involved!

Are you mourning the passing of a family member or friend? Whether the death happened recently or decades ago, the Griefshare ministry can assist you with processing your loss. The 13-week ministry will meet in the Library on Tuesdays at 6:00 pm beginning September 15. A $30 registration fee is required, which includes a personal workbook for each participant. Facilitators are Anne Walker and Nancy Ross.
For more information, contact Anne Walker (awalker@optilink.us)

IN LOVING TRIBUTE: HONORARY & MEMORIAL GIFTS:

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The Whole Story: The New Testament

Mon, 07 Sep 2026 07:15:54 +0000

The Whole Story: What the Bible Is Really About

There is something remarkable about sitting down with a book that spans thousands of years, dozens of authors, two major divisions, and one unifying thread. The Bible is not simply a collection of religious rules or ancient history. It is a story — a grand, sweeping, sometimes surprising story — and like every great story, it has a beginning, a middle, and an end that circles back to where it all started.
What happens when you step back far enough to see the whole thing at once?

Four Portraits of One Person

The New Testament opens with four Gospels, and the fact that there are four of them is worth pausing on. If the story of Jesus could be told in a single straightforward account, perhaps one would have been enough. But each writer brings a different perspective, a different emphasis, a different window into who Jesus is.
Matthew writes to a Jewish audience and roots Jesus firmly in the story of Israel, tracing his lineage all the way back to Abraham. Throughout his Gospel, Matthew draws constant connections to the Old Testament, showing that Jesus is not a departure from what came before but the fulfillment of it. When Jesus speaks, Matthew often notes that this happened to fulfill the Scripture. The entire Gospel serves as a bridge between the old covenant and the new.
Mark moves with urgency. His Gospel barely pauses for breath. Within the first chapter, Jesus has been baptized, tempted, and already deep into his public ministry. There is a sense that the good news cannot wait.
Luke slows down and tells the story with care and detail, writing to a non-Jewish audience and tracing Jesus' lineage all the way back to Adam — because the salvation Jesus brings is not for one people group alone. It is for the entire world.
And then there is John, who goes back further than any of them. Not to Abraham, not to Adam, but to the very beginning. His opening words echo the opening of Genesis: in the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. Jesus, for John, is not simply a historical figure. He is the one through whom all things came into being, the light that shines in the darkness and cannot be overcome by it.

A Life That Changed Everything

The story of Jesus' birth, told in Matthew and Luke, is one we often blend into a single nativity scene. But the two accounts are distinct. Luke centers Mary, the angel Gabriel, the shepherds, and the angels filling the night sky. Matthew centers Joseph, the magi following a star, and the shadow of danger in the form of King Herod — a ruler so threatened by the birth of a child that he ordered the killing of young boys throughout the region. The echo of Moses and Pharaoh is unmistakable. Jesus is being presented as a new deliverer, come to set his people free.
When Jesus began his public ministry around the age of thirty, he summarized his mission in words drawn from the prophet Isaiah: to bring good news to the poor, release to the captives, recovery of sight to the blind, and freedom for the oppressed. He taught with authority. He healed the sick. He stilled storms. He fed thousands. He told stories — parables about seeds and soil, weeds and wheat, mustard seeds and yeast — that turned conventional thinking upside down.
When asked which of the more than six hundred commandments in the Old Testament was the greatest, Jesus answered with two: love God with everything you have, and love your neighbor as yourself. Everything else, he said, hangs on those two.

The Cross and the Empty Tomb

Palm Sunday looked like triumph. The crowds spread their cloaks and branches in the road and shouted praises as Jesus entered Jerusalem. But what appeared to be a victory parade was something else entirely. Few recognized it as a walk toward death.
On the night of Passover, Jesus shared a final meal with his disciples and gave the bread and the cup a new meaning — his body broken, his blood poured out, a new covenant for the forgiveness of sins. Then came the garden, the betrayal, the mock trial, the silence of Pilate in the face of injustice, and the long walk to Golgotha.
From the cross, even in agony, Jesus prayed for the forgiveness of those who put him there. And then it was finished.
But the tomb could not hold him. On the third day, women arrived to find the stone rolled away and angels asking a question that still echoes: why do you look for the living among the dead? He is not here. He is risen.

The Story Continues

The resurrection was not the end. It was a beginning. The book of Acts records the birth of the church — the Holy Spirit descending at Pentecost like wind and fire, thousands coming to faith in a single day, communities of believers devoted to teaching, fellowship, breaking bread, and prayer.
Paul, once a fierce persecutor of the church, encountered the risen Christ on a road and was transformed. He spent the rest of his life carrying the gospel across the Mediterranean world, and his letters — Romans through Philemon — address everything from grace and faith to conflict, ethics, and the nature of the church. His central message never wavers: salvation comes by grace through faith. God has done for us what we could not do for ourselves. At the cross, sin was put to death. In the resurrection, we are raised to new life — not someday, but now.

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All Things New

The Bible ends in Revelation with a vision of a new heaven and a new earth. God dwelling with humanity. Every tear wiped away. Death, mourning, crying, and pain passing away. And then these words: look, I am making all things new.
In the beginning, God brought light and life out of darkness and chaos. In the end, God does it again — only this time, permanently. The story that started with creation ends with new creation.
And the most striking thing of all is this: the story is not finished. It is still being written — in communities of faith, in ordinary lives, in moments of grace that are easy to miss if you are not paying attention. The same God who created the heavens and the earth, who raised Jesus from the dead, who filled a room with wind and fire on Pentecost, is still at work. The invitation stands. The story continues.

The Chimes 9.6.2026

Thu, 03 Sep 2026 09:50:55 +0000

September 6, 2026
Fifteenth Sunday after Pentecost

Sermon: THE NEW TESTAMENT IN 20 MINUTES

Scripture: Matthew 28:16-20 (NRSV)
Rev. Don Landen

If you are unable to join us in person, you may view the 11:00 AM Sanctuary Service live
on “Dalton First UMC” Facebook or by clicking “Watch Live” below.

Click here to get the Traditional Worship Guide

This Week

Sunday September 6th

Ministry Fair - all morning in the Atrium
Modern Worship Experience - 9:30AM
Sunday School Classes - 9:30AM
Traditional Worship Experience - 11:00AM

Monday September 7th

Labor Day - Church Office Closed
Pickleball - 6:30PM

Tuesday September 8th

Saturday Sacks - 10:30AM / Want to help student have a meal to take home on the weekend? This is an easy way to get plugged in and serve the community in a big way!
Shuffleboard - 1:00PM / Meets every week in the Gym. Free and everyone is invited!
Modern Worship Rehearsal - 7:00PM

Wednesday September 9th

Ladies Bible Study - 10:00AM / Join us in the church Library as we study "Simon Peter" by Adam Hamilton.
Dulcimers Club - 2:30PM
Wonderful Wednesday / Dinner - 5:00PM / Programming - 6:00PM
Chancel Choir Rehearsal - 7:00PM

Thursday September 10th

Sounds of Joy - 9:30AM / Want to be a part of our community choir? Here is your chance!

Friday September 11th

None

Saturday September 12th

None

Sunday September 13th

Ministry Fair - all morning in the Atrium
Handbell Ministry Rehearsal - 8:45AM until 9:30AM
Modern Worship Experience - 9:30AM
Sunday School Classes - 9:30AM
Traditional Worship Experience - 11:00AM

Download The App

CAPITAL CAMPAIGN

Learn More

WONDERFUL WEDNESDAY


MENU:
Sep 9	Italian baked pasta, steamed broccoli, corn, garlic bread, salad, dessert
Sep 16	BBQ chicken sandwiches, baked beans, coleslaw, tater tots, salad, dessert
Sep 23	Soft tacos, refried beans, rice, chips & salsa, dessert
Sep 30	Fried chicken, green beans, mashed potatoes, roll, salad, dessert
Oct 7	Chili, baked potato, salad, dessert
Oct 21	Spaghetti, corn on the cob, garlic bread, salad, dessert
Oct 28	Hot dogs, slaw, chips, cookie
Nov 4	Taco soup, grilled cheese sandwich, salad, dessert
Nov 11	Sloppy Joe, baked beans, tater tots, salad, dessert
Nov 18	Turkey in gravy, dressing, green beans, mashed potatoes, roll, dessert
Dec 2	Chicken bacon pasta, steamed broccoli, roll, salad, dessert
Dec 9	Soup, sandwich, salad, dessert

CLASS OFFERINGS:

UPCOMING EVENTS

IN LOVING TRIBUTE: HONORARY & MEMORIAL GIFTS:

In Memory of Bill Sloan
John Brown
Nancy & Donald Howell
Berrien & Mickey Long
Becky & Dan McEntire
Janie & Clay Osborn

In Memory of Carroll Vinson
Ann & Bill Bowen

In Memory of Tom Wright
Judy Alderman

In Memory of David Young
Bennieta Chappell

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The Whole Story: The Old Testament

Tue, 01 Sep 2026 08:51:50 +0000

The Story That Will Not Let Us Go: A Walk Through the Old Testament

There is a pattern woven through the pages of the Old Testament, one that repeats itself so consistently that it begins to feel less like ancient history and more like a mirror. God reaches toward people. People respond with faith. People fall away. God reaches again. It is a rhythm as old as creation itself, and if we are honest, it is a rhythm we recognize in our own lives.

The story begins at the very beginning, as all good stories do. Genesis opens with God speaking creation into existence, bringing order out of formless void, light out of darkness, life out of nothing. On the sixth day, humanity arrives, and God steps back to survey everything that has been made. It is not merely good. It is very good. From the start, the intention is relationship, wholeness, and abundance.
But not long after, in the quiet of the garden, a single act of disobedience changes everything. Adam and Eve, given everything they could ever need, reach for the one thing they were told not to take. Their story is almost too familiar. The forbidden thing always seems to look the most appealing. And the consequence of their choice, separation from the life God intended for them, echoes through every generation that follows.
What is remarkable, though, is what happens next. God does not abandon them. Even in their exile from the garden, God continues to care for them. This is not a small detail. It is, in many ways, the heartbeat of the entire Old Testament. Sin separates. Grace pursues.
The pattern continues almost immediately. Cain and Abel, the first brothers, cannot find their way to peace. Jealousy curdles into violence, and Abel is murdered in a field. God asks Cain the haunting question: where is your brother? Cain deflects with a question of his own, asking whether he is his brother's keeper. The answer the story implies is far deeper than keeper. We are each other's brothers and sisters. We are bound to one another whether we choose to acknowledge it or not. And even after Cain's terrible act, God does not utterly forsake him.
By the time we reach Noah, things have deteriorated so badly that Scripture records one of its most heartbreaking lines: God regretted making humanity. And yet, even in judgment, God preserves. Noah and his family, the animals, a remnant. After the flood, a rainbow appears in the sky as a sign of covenant, a promise that God is not finished with the world or with the people in it.
Then comes Abraham, a man called out of familiarity and comfort, asked to trust a promise he could not yet see fulfilled. God tells him he will become the father of a great nation and that through him the whole world will be blessed. Abraham and his wife Sarah are nearly a hundred years old when the promise is renewed. Sarah laughs. It is the kind of laughter that comes from standing at the edge of the impossible. And yet the impossible arrives, and they name their son Isaac, a name that means laughter. God's promises have a way of having the last word.
The family grows, and so does its dysfunction. Isaac's son Jacob cheats his brother Esau. Jacob's sons sell their brother Joseph into slavery. And yet, in every low point, in Potiphar's house, in a prison cell, in a foreign land, the text quietly insists that the Lord was with Joseph. Even there. Even then. His story eventually leads to reconciliation and salvation for his entire family, a preview of the kind of redemption that the rest of Scripture will continue to unfold.
Generations later, the descendants of Abraham find themselves enslaved in Egypt under a Pharaoh who does not remember Joseph and does not care about justice. Into this darkness, God raises up Moses, rescued from the very river meant to kill him, raised in the palace of the man who oppressed his people. Moses resists his calling with every excuse he can think of, but God is patient with reluctant servants. Eventually, Moses stands before Pharaoh with a simple and thunderous demand: let my people go. Ten plagues later, the people walk out of Egypt and through the parted sea toward freedom.
At Mount Sinai, God gives the people the Ten Commandments, a framework for loving God and loving one another. These are not arbitrary rules. They are the shape of a life lived in covenant relationship. The people agree to the covenant. And then, almost immediately, they break it. The wilderness wandering lasts forty years. Moses sees the promised land but does not enter it. Joshua leads the people in. The promise, delayed but not abandoned, finally comes to rest.
The cycle continues through the era of judges, through the reigns of kings like Saul, David, and Solomon. David is called a man after God's own heart and also commits adultery and murder. Solomon is renowned for wisdom and also leads the nation into idolatry. The kingdom splits. Both halves are eventually conquered and exiled. The garden, in a sense, happens again.
Into this long and painful history, God sends the prophets. They are not primarily fortune-tellers. They are truth-tellers, calling the people back to faithfulness in the present moment. Micah calls for justice, mercy, and humility. Habakkuk praises God even when every visible sign of hope has vanished. Isaiah envisions a servant to come who will open blind eyes and bring light to those sitting in darkness. The prophets point forward while demanding faithfulness right now.
And then, silence. Four hundred years pass without a word.

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But the story is not over. It never is. The God who spoke creation into being, who called Abraham by name, who met Moses in a burning bush, who was with Joseph in prison, who kept covenant even when the people would not, that God is still present. Still reaching. Still pursuing.
The Old Testament is not simply ancient history. It is the story of a covenant-making God and the people who keep turning away and being called back. It is, in every essential way, our story too. And it is not finished.

The Chimes 8.30.2026

Thu, 27 Aug 2026 11:13:10 +0000

August 30, 2026
Fourteenth Sunday after Pentecost

Sermon: THE OLD TESTAMENT IN 20 MINUTES

Scripture: Deuteronomy 6:4-9 (NRSV)
Rev. Don Landen

If you are unable to join us in person, you may view the 11:00 AM Sanctuary Service live
on “Dalton First UMC” Facebook or by clicking “Watch Live” below.

Click here to get the Traditional Worship Guide

This Week

Sunday August 30th

BIBLE PRESENTATIONS IN BOTH SERVICES
Ministry Fair - all morning in the Atrium
Modern Worship Experience - 9:30AM
Sunday School Classes - 9:30AM
Traditional Worship Experience - 11:00AM

Monday August 31st

Pickle Ball - 6:30PM

Tuesday September 1st

Shuffleboard - 1:00PM / Meets every week in the Gym. Free and everyone is invited!
Modern Worship Rehearsal - 7:00PM

Wednesday September 2nd

MomCo Meeting - 9:30AM / MomCo is a place for moms to connect, build friendships, and find encouragement in the midst of motherhood. Join us for a welcoming time of conversation, community, and fun as we support one another through every season of motherhood.
Dulcimers Club - 2:30PM
Wonderful Wednesday / Dinner - 5:00PM / Programming 6:00PM
Chancel Choir Rehearsal - 7:00PM

Thursday September 3rd

Sounds of Joy - 9:30AM / Want to be a part of our community choir? Here is your chance!

Friday September 4th

None

Saturday September 5th

None

Sunday September 6th

Ministry Fair - all morning in the Atrium
Modern Worship Experience - 9:30AM
Sunday School Classes - 9:30AM
Traditional Worship Experience - 11:00AM

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WONDERFUL WEDNESDAY

MENU:
Sep 2	Chicken casserole, green beans, roll, salad, dessert, chicken tenders for kids
Sep 9	Italian baked pasta, steamed broccoli, corn, garlic bread, salad, dessert
Sep 16	BBQ chicken sandwiches, baked beans, coleslaw, tater tots, salad, dessert
Sep 23	Soft tacos, refried beans, rice, chips & salsa, dessert
Sep 30	Fried chicken, green beans, mashed potatoes, roll, salad, dessert
Oct 7	Chili, baked potato, salad, dessert
Oct 21	Spaghetti, corn on the cob, garlic bread, salad, dessert
Oct 28	Hot dogs, slaw, chips, cookie
Nov 4	Taco soup, grilled cheese sandwich, salad, dessert
Nov 11	Sloppy Joe, baked beans, tater tots, salad, dessert
Nov 18	Turkey in gravy, dressing, green beans, mashed potatoes, roll, dessert
Dec 2	Chicken bacon pasta, steamed broccoli, roll, salad, dessert
Dec 9	Soup, sandwich, salad, dessert

CLASS OFFERINGS:

Sep 2 - Oct 7
Pastor Don will offer a six-week class on United Methodist faith and theology using the book, Recapturing the Wesleys’ Vision by Paul Wesley Chilcote, as a guide. Participants will read approximately 20 pages each week and discuss what they are learning on Wednesdays. Whether you are a life-long Methodist or new to the faith, this class is a great way to connect with our historic faith and one another. Books may be purchased in advance on Amazon.

UPCOMING EVENTS

IN LOVING TRIBUTE: HONORARY & MEMORIAL GIFTS:

In Memory of Alice Sloan
Euginia Parrott

In Memory of Bill Sloan
Friendship Sunday School Class
Lydia & Tom Bartley
Ann & Bill Bowen
Lucy & Mark Griffin
Euginia Parrott
Susan Richards
Arlene & Robert Varner
Barbara & Allen Ward

In Memory of Sue Tuggle
Fred Burns
Meredith & Christopher Parks

In Memory of Carroll Vinson
Celebration Sunday School Class
Judy & Bob Buchanan
Jackie & Billy Chappell
Lucy & Mark Griffin

In Memory of Tom Wright
Euginia Parrott

In Memory of David Young
Jackie & Billy Chappell

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Why Are You Crying?

Mon, 24 Aug 2026 06:48:45 +0000

When the Worst Thing Is Not the Last Thing: Finding Hope at the Empty Tomb

There is a moment in John 20 that most of us know well, yet it never loses its power. It is early morning. It is dark. A woman named Mary Magdalene stands outside a tomb, weeping. The stone has been rolled away, the body of Jesus is gone, and she is left with nothing but grief and confusion. She has not yet looked inside. She has not yet spoken to angels. She simply assumes the worst, because after the events of Friday, the worst seems entirely reasonable.
Most of us have stood somewhere near that tomb. Maybe not literally, but in spirit. We have stood in hospital hallways, at gravesides, in the wreckage of a broken relationship or a shattered dream, wondering when it will stop. Wondering where God is. Wondering if the darkness is permanent.
What happens next in John 20 is not just an Easter story. It is a story for every ordinary morning when the world feels like it is ending.

What Jesus Does Not Say

Before we get to what Jesus says to Mary, it is worth pausing on what he does not say. Because the things he does not say are things we have all heard, things spoken with good intentions that land like stones.
He does not say, "Everything happens for a reason." He does not say, "God needed another angel." He does not say, "God will not give you more than you can handle." That last one deserves special attention. Imagine a mother leaving a hospital after losing her child, and a well-meaning friend offers those words as comfort. The mother stops. She turns. She asks, simply and devastatingly, whether that means if she had been a weaker person, her daughter would still be alive.
These phrases, however kindly meant, can cause real harm. They put the burden of tragedy on the shoulders of the grieving. They suggest that suffering has a tidy explanation, that God is running some cosmic equation in which our pain is a variable with a satisfying solution.
Jesus offers none of that to Mary. And that itself is a form of grace.

Why Are You Crying?

The first thing Jesus says to Mary is a question: "Why are you crying?" He already knows the answer. He does not ask because he needs information. He asks because Mary needs space. She needs permission to name what is happening inside her, to open up the wound rather than cover it.
This is not a small thing. In a world that often tells grieving people to be strong, to move on, to look on the bright side, Jesus does the opposite. He creates room for the truth. He lets the tears be real. And we are reminded that Jesus himself wept, at the tomb of his friend Lazarus, not long before this moment. Tears are not a sign of weak faith. They are a sign of love.
Paul writes in Romans 8 that nothing, not death, not life, not things present, not things to come, can separate us from the love of God in Christ. That love does not demand that we pretend we are fine. It meets us exactly where we are. Psalm 139 captures this beautifully, describing a God who knows us completely, who is present in the heights and in the depths, for whom even darkness is not dark. The God of scripture is not waiting for us to compose ourselves before drawing near. He is already there, in the garden, before we even recognize him.

Who Are You Looking For?

The second question Jesus asks carries enormous weight: "Who are you looking for?"
Mary thinks she is talking to a gardener. She is looking for a dead Jesus. She wants to know where the body has been taken so she can retrieve it. She is not looking for a risen Lord because she has not yet imagined that such a thing is possible.
It is worth sitting with that question ourselves. Who are we looking for? Are we looking for a God who prevents every tragedy, who offers clean explanations for every loss, who smooths every rough road before we reach it? Or are we looking for a God who meets us in the garden, who bears the wounds of the cross, who is present in the middle of the mess?
The God Mary finds is not the one she went looking for. But he is the one she needed.

He Called Her by Name

Then Jesus says one word. Just one. Her name.
"Mary."
And everything changes.
The good shepherd, Jesus says in John 10, knows his sheep by name. He calls them and leads them out. When Mary hears her name spoken by the risen Christ, she does not just recognize a face. She recognizes a relationship. She recognizes that the one who knows her completely is standing right in front of her, alive.
This is the heart of resurrection faith. It is not simply that Jesus survived death, remarkable as that is. It is that the risen Christ knows us, calls us by name, and invites us into new life.

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The Worst Thing Is Not the Last Thing

John is the only gospel writer to place the resurrection in a garden, and that choice is deliberate. It echoes Genesis, where God breathed life into the earth, where creation began. Mary comes to the tomb expecting death and finds life. She arrives carrying personal grief and leaves carrying good news for all. She came saying, "I do not know where they have put him," and left saying, "I have seen the Lord."
This is what resurrection means. Not that the wounds disappear. Not that the grief is erased. The risen Christ still bears the marks of the cross. Our hope does not say it did not really hurt. It says it really hurt, and still death did not win.
The worst thing is not the last thing.
That truth does not fix everything. It does not close every wound or turn every dark morning bright. But it means we can begin again. It means the darkness, however thick, does not have the final word. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness does not overcome it.
That is not just an Easter promise. It is the promise for every morning we find ourselves standing outside the tomb, wondering if anything will ever be different.
It will. He is already there, calling your name.

The Chimes 8.23.2026

Thu, 20 Aug 2026 07:58:58 +0000

August 23, 2026
Thirteenth Sunday after Pentecost

Sermon: WHY ARE YOU CRYING?

Scripture: John 20:11-18 (NRSV)
Rev. Don Landen

If you are unable to join us in person, you may view the 11:00 AM Sanctuary Service live
on “Dalton First UMC” Facebook or by clicking “Watch Live” below.

Click here to get the Traditional Worship Guide

This Week

Sunday August 23rd

Modern Worship Experience - 9:30AM
Sunday School Classes - 9:30AM
Traditional Worship Experience - 11:00AM

Monday August 24th

Pickle Ball - 6:30PM

Tuesday August 25th

Saturday Sacks - 10:30AM / Want to help student have a meal to take home on the weekend? This is an easy way to get plugged in and serve the community in a big way!
Shuffleboard - 1:00PM / Meets every week in the gym. Free and everyone is invited!
Modern Worship Rehearsal - 7:00PM

Wednesday August 26th

Dulcimers Club - 2:30PM
Wonderful Wednesday Fall Tailgate Kickoff - 5:00 PM / Wear your favorite team gear, enjoy a great meal, and join us for a whole lot of family fun. We’ll also be releasing our Fall Ministry Catalog and sharing all about the adult and kids’ classes we’ll be offering this semester.
Chancel Choir Rehearsal - 7:00PM

Thursday August 27th

Sounds of Joy - 9:30AM / Want to be a part of our community choir? Here is your chance!

Friday August 28th

None

Saturday August 29th

None

Sunday August 30th

BIBLE PRESENTATIONS IN BOTH SERVICES
Modern Worship Experience - 9:30AM
Sunday School Classes - 9:30AM
Traditional Worship Experience - 11:00AM

Download The App

WONDERFUL WEDNESDAY

Aug 26	Burgers, buffalo chicken wraps, pasta salad, chips, dessert
Sep 2	Chicken casserole, green beans, roll, salad, dessert, chicken tenders for kids
Sep 9	Italian baked pasta, steamed broccoli, corn, garlic bread, salad, dessert
Sep 16	BBQ chicken sandwiches, baked beans, coleslaw, tater tots, salad, dessert
Sep 23	Soft tacos, refried beans, rice, chips & salsa, dessert
Sep 30	Fried chicken, green beans, mashed potatoes, roll, salad, dessert
Oct 7	Chili, baked potato, salad, dessert
Oct 21	Spaghetti, corn on the cob, garlic bread, salad, dessert
Oct 28	Hot dogs, slaw, chips, cookie
Nov 4	Taco soup, grilled cheese sandwich, salad, dessert
Nov 11	Sloppy Joe, baked beans, tater tots, salad, dessert
Nov 18	Turkey in gravy, dressing, green beans, mashed potatoes, roll, dessert
Dec 2	Chicken bacon pasta, steamed broccoli, roll, salad, dessert
Dec 9	Pizza, garlic bread, salad, dessert

UPCOMING EVENTS

There’s a place for everyone at our church! Come to our Ministry Fair and discover the many ways you can connect and make a difference. Each ministry will have a table where you can meet the people behind the ministry, learn what they’re all about, and find a place that’s right for you. Come walk around, ask questions, and find your next opportunity to get involved!

IN LOVING TRIBUTE: HONORARY & MEMORIAL GIFTS:

In Memory of Alice Sloan
Billy & Jackie Chappell
Patti & Doug Renz

In Memory of Bill Sloan
Trisha & Procter Allen
Bennieta Chappell
Billy & Jackie Chappell
Sarah & Charles Maret
Sandra Smith

In Memory of Sue Tuggle
Lydia & Tom Bartley
Linda & Frank Hubbs
Patti & Doug Renz

In Memory of Tom Wright
Judy & Bob Buchanan
Steve Farrow
Marte & Benjamin Hill
Linda & Frank Hubbs
Billie Little
Patti & Doug Renz

In Memory of David Young
Sarah & Charles Maret
Kathleen & Jim Meadows
Patti & Doug Renz

FOLLOW US ON SOCIAL MEDIA

Who Do You Say I Am?

Mon, 17 Aug 2026 08:01:28 +0000

Who Do You Say That He Is?

There is something remarkable about the questions we are asked throughout our lives. Some questions are simple, asking for nothing more than a quick answer before we move on. Others stop us in our tracks. They linger. They return to us in quiet moments, demanding more of us than we initially realized we had to give. The most important questions are often the ones we spend a lifetime answering.
The questions we are asked have a way of marking significant moments. They shape us. They reveal us. Think about the questions that have defined your own story. Will you marry me? What did the doctor say? What am I going to do now? These are not questions we answer once and file away. They follow us. They form us. And perhaps no question in all of human history carries more weight than the one Jesus asks his disciples in the ninth chapter of Luke.

A Question With Two Parts

Jesus had been praying, as he often did before pivotal moments in his ministry. When he finished, he turned to his disciples and asked something that might have seemed straightforward at first: who do people say that I am?
The disciples had plenty of answers. Some said John the Baptist. Others said Elijah. Still others believed he was one of the ancient prophets raised back to life. There was no shortage of opinions. People had strong feelings about Jesus, and they were not shy about sharing them.
That has not changed much. Today, people still have no shortage of things to say about Jesus. Some regard him as a good man who lived in first-century Palestine and left behind a meaningful moral example. Others see him as a great teacher, a prophet, a figure worth studying and admiring from a respectful distance. He is described and debated, defended and deconstructed. In classrooms and comment sections, in sanctuaries and living rooms, people talk about Jesus constantly.
It can be remarkably easy to talk about Jesus.
But then Jesus goes further. He always does. After hearing what the crowds were saying, he turned the question toward those who were already walking with him, those who had already chosen to follow. And he asked something far more personal, far more penetrating.
But who do you say that I am?

The Question That Cannot Be Borrowed

This second question changes everything. It is no longer about what others think. It is no longer a survey of popular opinion. It is direct. It is personal. It is aimed at the heart.
Each of us has likely been shaped by people who helped us develop our understanding of who Jesus is. Parents and grandparents, Sunday school teachers and faithful friends, mentors and fellow travelers in faith. We learn from one another. We share what we have found, and that sharing matters deeply. In John chapter one, that is exactly what we see happening. One person encounters Jesus, and they immediately go and tell someone else. Faith spreads through relationship.
But there comes a moment when borrowed answers are no longer enough. There comes a point when the faith handed to us by others must become our own. Not because the people who shaped us were wrong, but because Jesus is asking us directly. Not them. Us.
Who do you say that I am?
This is not a question with an answer key. Faith is not simply the possession of correct information. It is participation in a living relationship, a continuing journey of questions and discernment and formation. The answers are not found in the back of a book. They are found in the lives of people who are genuinely wrestling with Scripture, with experience, with doubt, and with grace.

A Good Answer That Was Not Yet Complete

Peter, as he so often does, speaks first. In Luke 9:20, he declares that Jesus is the Messiah of God. It is a bold answer. It is the right answer. And Jesus immediately begins to show him that Peter does not yet fully understand what it means.
Because the Messiah Peter and the other disciples were hoping for was not the Messiah Jesus came to be. They were expecting power and triumph. What Jesus describes is suffering, rejection, death, and resurrection on the third day. This was not the script they had written in their minds. This was not what they wanted for Jesus, and it was certainly not what they wanted for themselves as his followers.
Peter had the title right but had not yet grasped the cross.
And perhaps that is the most honest thing we can say about our own faith journeys as well. We may have the right words. We may have grown up saying them, singing them, hearing them preached. But understanding what those words actually mean, allowing them to reshape our expectations, our comfort, our very lives, that is the work of a lifetime.

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A Question We Keep Answering

Here is the grace in all of this. Jesus does not ask the question once and move on. He keeps asking. As we grow, as we experience loss and joy and failure and redemption, the question surfaces again. Who do you say that I am? And each time, there is an opportunity to know him more deeply, to let that knowledge change us more completely.
We live on the other side of the cross and the empty tomb. We have the full story, or at least more of it than Peter had in that moment. We know that the suffering Jesus described was not the end. We know that death did not have the final word.
And so we can answer. He is the bread of life and the good shepherd, the light of the world and the lamb of God, the resurrection and the life, the way and the word, the alpha and the omega, the beginning and the end.
He is all of these things and more.
But the question is not satisfied with a list of titles. It is satisfied only with a life. Who do you say that he is? Not who does your tradition say. Not who does your family say. Not who does the culture around you say.
Who do you say that he is?
That is the question. And you spend your whole life answering it.

Come and See: An Invitation That Changed the World

Sun, 09 Aug 2026 15:38:28 +0000

There is something deeply human about looking for things. We search for lost keys, misplaced books, and items that somehow vanished during a move. We retrace our steps. We check the same drawer three times. We convince ourselves something is gone forever, only to find it sitting right where it always was, just turned the wrong way or tucked inside something unexpected — like a toaster inside a bread box.
We laugh at ourselves when that happens. But if we are honest, that same experience of searching, missing what is right in front of us, and finally recognizing it, mirrors something much deeper in our lives. We are all looking for something. Purpose. Peace. Meaning. A sense that our lives matter and that we are not alone in them.
The question is whether we know what we are actually looking for.

The Question That Changes Everything

In the first chapter of the Gospel of John, Jesus asks what may be the most important question in all of Scripture. Two disciples begin following Him, drawn by something they cannot quite name. Jesus turns, sees them, and asks simply: "What are you looking for?"
It is worth sitting with that question for a moment, because Jesus is not asking about a lost item or a forgotten errand. He is asking something that cuts straight to the center of a person's life. What is it that you are longing for? What is missing? What would bring you peace, purpose, and wholeness?
The disciples respond with a question of their own: "Rabbi, where are you staying?" On the surface, it sounds like small talk. But in the Gospel of John, words almost always carry more weight than they appear to. The word translated as "staying" can also mean "abide." Where do you abide? How do you live? What gives you life? They had seen something in Jesus — something different, something compelling — and they wanted to understand it.
Jesus does not hand them a list of requirements. He does not quiz them on their theology or check their credentials. He simply says, "Come and see."
Three words. An open invitation. No conditions attached.

Seeing More of Who Jesus Is

What unfolds in John 1:35-50 is a remarkable chain of encounters, each one building on the last. John the baptizer sees Jesus and calls Him the Lamb of God. Two disciples follow and come to see Him as Rabbi, the teacher above all teachers. Andrew, one of those disciples, rushes to find his brother Simon Peter and declares that they have found the Messiah. Philip, called by Jesus directly, goes immediately to find his friend Nathanael and tells him they have found the one that Moses and the prophets wrote about.
Each person sees something different. Each person sees something more. The picture of who Jesus is grows richer and fuller with every encounter. And it does not stop there — Jesus Himself promises Nathanael that there are still greater things to see.
This is one of the most beautiful truths in this passage. Our understanding of God is not static. It grows. It deepens. Every season of life, every difficulty faced, every moment of grace received adds another layer to what we see when we look at Jesus. We have not seen everything yet. There are still greater things ahead.

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A Model Worth Following

What makes this passage so powerful is not just what the disciples discovered. It is what they did next. Without exception, every person who encountered Jesus in this passage went and found someone else. Andrew found Peter. Philip found Nathanael. John the baptizer told anyone who would listen.
They did not argue. They did not pressure. They did not hand out pamphlets or deliver rehearsed speeches. They simply shared what they had seen and experienced, and then they invited others to come and discover it for themselves.
This is a model for sharing faith that feels entirely accessible. It does not require a theology degree or a perfectly crafted speech. It requires only this: an honest account of what you have seen God do in your life, and a genuine invitation for someone else to come and see.
When Nathanael pushed back — "Can anything good come out of Nazareth?" — Philip did not argue. He did not get defensive. He simply said, "Come and see." That response is disarming in the best possible way. It removes pressure. It respects the other person's skepticism. It trusts that an encounter with Jesus can do what no argument ever could.

The Invitation Is Still Open

Two thousand years later, that same invitation is still being extended. The chain that began with John the baptizer on the banks of the Jordan River has stretched across centuries and continents and cultures, passed from one person to the next through simple acts of sharing and inviting. The reason any of us know about Jesus at all is because someone, at some point, said to someone else: come and see.
That is not a small thing. That is the whole story of how the gospel moves through the world — not through force or argument, but through relationship and invitation.
So the question worth sitting with today is not just what you are looking for, but who in your life might be looking for the same thing. Who might be searching, even if they cannot name what they are searching for? Who might need someone to simply say, come have coffee, come to dinner, come and see what I have found?
The invitation does not have to be complicated. It does not have to be polished. It just has to be genuine.
And the promise that comes with it is this: we have not seen the end of what God is doing. There are still greater things ahead. The story is still unfolding, and there is still room at the table for anyone willing to come and see.

Am I My Brother's Keeper? The Question We Cannot Afford to Leave Unanswered

Mon, 27 Jul 2026 08:46:19 +0000

There is a moment in the earliest pages of Scripture where humanity asks its very first question of God. Not a question born of curiosity or wonder, but one dripping with deflection and denial. It comes from the lips of Cain in Genesis chapter 4, and it has echoed through every generation since: "Am I my brother's keeper?"

Most of us know the story. Cain and Abel, two brothers who could not have been more different, each bring an offering to God. Abel's is accepted. Cain's is not. Rather than examining his own heart, Cain allows resentment to take root. God warns him directly — sin is crouching at the door, but he can master it. He has a choice. He has free will. And yet Cain makes the worst possible decision. He leads his brother into a field and kills him.

When God asks where Abel is, Cain lies and then fires back with what may be the most loaded rhetorical question in all of human history. "Am I my brother's keeper?" He is not really asking. He is deflecting. He is doing what Adam did in the garden the chapter before — pushing the responsibility back, refusing to own what he has done and what he has failed to do.

But God does not let the question go unanswered. And neither should we.

The Weight of a Single Word

There is something worth pausing on in the word "keeper." In the Hebrew scriptures, that word is most often used to describe what God does, not what humans do. It shows up in the familiar priestly blessing found in Numbers 6, where God is asked to bless and keep his people. It appears in Psalm 121, which describes God as the keeper of our lives, the one who watches over our going out and our coming in. Keeping is divine work. It is the work of protection, of watchfulness, of faithful presence.

So when Cain throws the word back at God sarcastically, he is doing something more significant than he realizes. He is dismissing the very nature of what it means to be made in the image of a God who keeps. From the very beginning, God designed human beings to reflect his character — including his care for others. To refuse that responsibility is not just a moral failure. It is a failure to be fully human.

Indifference Is Not Innocence

One of the most dangerous responses to the suffering around us is not cruelty — it is indifference. It is the quiet decision to look away, to tell ourselves it is not our problem, to wait for a better time to speak up or reach out.

There is a haunting reflection from Martin Niemoller, a Lutheran pastor who initially sympathized with the Nazi movement before becoming one of its most outspoken critics. He spent years in concentration camps for his opposition to Hitler's regime. Afterward, he described the cost of silence with words that have never lost their power: first they came for the socialists, and he said nothing because he was not one. Then the trade unionists, then the Jews. And when they finally came for him, there was no one left to speak.

Indifference, as one theologian has said, is among the most deadly of sins. We may be moved emotionally by the pain of others, but we avoid the kind of action that would actually engage us with the problem. We feel, but we do not act. We see, but we do not respond. And in that gap between feeling and action, evil finds room to grow.

The Question That Goes Both Ways

What makes the question "where is your brother?" so powerful is that it does not only flow from God to us — it can flow from us back to God. It is one of the most honest and searching prayers a person can pray. When we genuinely ask God to show us the suffering brother or sister we need to see, the answer tends to come. A name rises to the surface. A face appears. Someone crosses our path who needs exactly what we have to offer.

Not one person can carry the weight of all the world's suffering. That is not what is being asked. But each person can do something. There is a well-known image of a man walking along a beach covered in starfish stranded by the tide. Someone points out that he cannot possibly save them all. He picks one up, returns it to the sea, and says simply — it matters to that one. Each act of faithfulness, however small, matters to that one.

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Bound Together From the Beginning

The Apostle Paul writes in Philippians 2 that we ought not to pursue selfish purposes, but with humility consider others as more significant than ourselves — watching out not only for our own interests but for the interests of others. This is not a new idea Paul invented. It is woven into the fabric of creation itself. From the very first family, God established that we are not isolated individuals responsible only for ourselves. We are bound to one another.

That binding starts close — with family, with friends, with the people we share life with every day. It extends into our communities, our churches, our cities. And if we keep following the question outward, it has the potential to blanket the world.

The Answer We Are Called to Give

The first human question in Scripture is one of avoidance. But it does not have to remain that way. We can take that same question and transform it into a posture of genuine concern. Where is my brother? Where is my sister? Who is suffering that I have not yet noticed? Who needs someone to speak, to act, to simply show up?

These are questions worth sitting with. They are questions worth praying. And they are, without a doubt, among the best questions we will ever answer.

Dalton First UMC

A Good Way to Pray

What Would You Ask For? The Wisdom Solomon Chose and the Prayer We Often Forget

The Prayer We Forget to Pray

Wisdom Is Not the Same as Knowledge

A Gift Meant to Be Given Away

The Wisdom We Learn From Those Who Came Before

A Good Way to Pray

The Chimes 11.1.2026

November 1, 2026﻿All Saints' Sunday

Sermon: A Good Way to Pray

This Week

Sunday November 1st / All Saints' Sunday

Monday November 2nd

Tuesday November 3rd

Wednesday November 4th

Thursday November 5th

Friday November 6th

Saturday November 7th

Sunday November 8th

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TRUNK OR TREAT FOR HUNGER

Wonderful Wednesday

STEWARDSHIP CAMPAIGN

The Stairway of 2026 Giving

Find your step

UPCOMING EVENTS

OASIS NEWS

DALTON FIRST FAMILY RETREAT

IN LOVING TRIBUTE: HONORARY & MEMORIAL GIFTS:

FOLLOW US ON SOCIAL MEDIA

Dangerous David: When Gifts Become Possessions

What Do You Do With What God Has Given You?

More Than Money

A King Who Forgot

The Word That Cuts Through

The Opposite of Stewardship

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A Clean Heart and an Open Hand

The Chimes 10.25.2026

October 25, 2026﻿Reformation Sunday

Sermon: Dangerous David: When Gifts Become Possessions

This Week

Sunday October 25th

Monday October 26th

Tuesday October 27th

Wednesday October 28st

Thursday October 29nd

Friday October 30rd

Saturday October 31th

Sunday November 1 / All Saints Sunday

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TRUNK OR TREAT - WEDNESDAY OCTOBER 28TH

STEWARDSHIP CAMPAIGN

The Stairway of 2026 Giving

Find your step

UPCOMING EVENTS

OASIS NEWS

DALTON FIRST FAMILY RETREAT

IN LOVING TRIBUTE: HONORARY & MEMORIAL GIFTS:

FOLLOW US ON SOCIAL MEDIA

What Are You Really Worshipping?

The Choice That Shapes Everything

Before the Ask, the Gift

A Story Bigger Than Yourself

The Paradox of Too Many Choices

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As for Me

The Chimes 10.18.2026

October 18, 2026﻿21st Sunday after Pentecost

Sermon: Choose This Day

This Week

Sunday October 18th

Monday October 19th

Tuesday October 20th

Wednesday October 21st

November 1, 2026
All Saints' Sunday

October 25, 2026
Reformation Sunday

October 18, 2026
21st Sunday after Pentecost

October 11, 2026
Twentieth Sunday after Pentecost

NO WONDERFUL WEDNESDAY October 14th /
Fall Break

October 4, 2026
World Communion Sunday