To improve is to change; to be perfect is to change often. —Winston Churchill

In the next few weeks, you will see some significant changes in the pathways we use to communicate with you. The website is in the process of being completely rebuilt, and the app is going away. Secure, digital interactions will become more prevalent through the website, and the way we ask people to take their “Next Steps” is changing.

What are “Next Steps?”
“Next Steps” are the steps you take after you get to church either physically or virtually—like connection cards, prayer requests, volunteer sign-ups, etc.

Why do we need to change?
So, why are you throwing the baby out with the bathwater? We’re not. We’re streamlining our pathways to save money (about $3500/year) and to make it easier for people to interact with us during the other 167 hours in the week.

People join us in-person or online for about an hour a week; if we’re lucky, this happens every week. We sing, listen to a great message, hear and read about church activities, and ask people to fill out a connection card, submit prayer requests, volunteer, and give. That’s a lot to digest in an hour if you think about it. And, responding to these requests has been pretty complex, especially if you tried to do it later in the week, during the other 167 hours in a week. Who do I call? Email? What was I supposed to fill out? I forgot to stop by the table; who do I contact if I want to volunteer? Where can I find the information? What do I do next?

This confusion is the crux of our need to streamline our “next steps.” To that end, we are converting our website from a stagnant digital yellow pages to an active hub. The website will be a “one stop shop” where people can take the “Next Step” in their path. New people can let us know they are coming to worship. The website will be a place where everyone can fill out a connection card, submit a prayer request, volunteer, give, and much more. Plus, all of this is available 168 hours a week. Easy peasy, lemon squeezy! And the new website will work on any device; mobile, tablet, or computer, making the need for a separate app moot.

Change is hard, but it is how we grow. If you feel these changes may be too overwhelming, the UMW will be hosting a get-to-know-your-technology class (with cookies) on August 8 at 1:00 p.m. in the Worship Annex (Clayton Hall). It will take place after the launch of the new website, scheduled for mid-July. In the meantime, if you have questions, please feel free to contact me at eshriner@pumc.org.

Thank you for your generosity in answering the call for new carpet for the main, north, and south lobbies. Our congregation graciously donated $32,323! Glory to God!

You have probably noticed by now that our beautiful carpet was installed this week thanks to the guidance of Bill Edie working with Heritage Flooring. The lobby carpet came in a bit above the $21,800 estimate due to some surprises. As promised, we’ve earmarked all financial overages for future carpeting in the building. Always looking ahead, Bill received an estimate of $16,845 for the education wing hallway carpet, both downstairs and upstairs. We need about $5000 to finish the hallway carpet for the building. To donate to help complete this project, you can give your financial gift safely and quickly through pumc.org or the kiosk in the main lobby by the blue wall or with Rebecca Blackwelder, PUMC’s Financial Administrator.

The “Amigos” have been hard at work wiring the security system to all of our exterior doors. With the “Amigos” doing the work themselves, they have saved PUMC approximately $15,000. Thank you to our hardworking Amigo Crew! The contractor is now doing the technical work. The plan is to have all exterior doors fitted with keypads, fob readers and equipped with the ability to lock and unlock the doors with a mobile device by mid-August. No more doors left unlocked!

Thank you to everyone for your support of all of the T4T projects. Our building is reflecting the love and warmth of our church family.

Kimberly Meyer, T4T Chairman

The NewDay Praise band is looking for drummers to join in worship music for Sunday mornings. Band rehearsal occurs on Thursday evenings at 7:30 p.m., and preparation for the 10:00 a.m. Sunday morning service begins at 9:15 a.m.

The PUMC Sanctuary Choir began in-person rehearsals again on Thursday, April 29. Rehearsal will take place in the sanctuary, with Steven Linville and Nick Fennig from 6-7:30 pm on Thursdays. We look forward to seeing all of our returning members and welcome any new members!

If you are interested in making music at PUMC, head to pumc.org or visit the pumc.org kiosk in the main lobby by the blue wall.

One valuable resource that is needed for PUMC’s Angel Tree Ministry every year is coffee cans. We decorate these cans for use in delivering home-baked Christmas Cookies to the Angel Tree children. Ideally, we would like to have metal coffee cans, but we realize that they are hard to come by. A viable alternative are round 240 and 270 cup plastic coffee cans. (We cannot use square cans or 210 cup plastic coffee cans.) Please drop off clean, empty coffee cans at the Donation Depot near Door 1 to help with this important part of the Christmas Angel Tree Ministry. If you have any questions, head to pumc.org or visit the pumc.org kiosk in the main lobby by the blue wall.

Even during this time of social distancing and staying at home, PUMC continues it work of showing love, sharing hope, and serving those in need.

A particular need at the moment is for food for persons and families out of work. You can help! On Sundays between 11:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m. and Mondays between 3:00 – 5:00 p.m. (for the foreseeable future), PUMC servant volunteers will be in the parking lot of the church (600 Simmons St., Plainfield) to receive gifts of food that will supply PUMC’s own hunger alleviation ministries (Monday night homeless, Saturday lunches), as well as St. Mark’s Food Pantry in Plainfield, Hendricks County Family Promise, Fletcher Place Community Center in Indianapolis, Indianapolis Public School 34, Hendricks County Active Grace.

Items that would be especially helpful include:

• Cereal
• Soup
• Crackers
• Ground Meat
• Hamburger Helper
• Hot Dogs and Hot Dog Buns
• Canned Pasta Items
• Canned Vegetables
• Boxed Rice and Pasta
• Peanut Butter and Jelly
• Bread

As well as paper products, cleaning and laundry products, diapers, baby wipes, and personal hygiene products.

Simply drive through the drop-off zone in the east parking lot. You don’t even have to get out of your car! And please note, these drop off times will continue every Sunday and Monday until otherwise noted. Questions may be directed to Pastor Ken Loudenback at kloudenback@pumc.org or Mission Chair Person Ruth Ellen Stone at missions@pumc.org.

Thank you for showing God’s BIG Love in this way!