PFUMC

Welcome to the First United Methodist Church of Paintsville.

"It is good to extend the hand of fellowship to all persons. We attempt to be a friendly church that speaks with a purpose and meaning to all that come seeking GOD through Jesus Christ." Pastor Don Barnett.

Our Mission Statement:
To Worship Prayerfully, Praise Joyfully and Serve Gratefully.

Our Motto:
Loving Him, Sharing Him and Serving Him.

MAGGIES'S MISSION - A letter from Maggie Heaberlin

Friday, June 25, 2010
To my dearest Church family,
Almost to the five-week, halfway point of the Historic Charleston Summer Project, I can't even express the immense spiritual growth I've seen in myself and in my fellow students. When we first arrived, we were thrown into spiritual conversations, tightly-knit discipleship groups, and the search for the ever-elusive summer job. Needless to say, we as students and staff have closely bonded more quickly than I could have imagined.
One of the largest things we do here at Project is train ourselves to share the Gospel. I've written, edited, and practiced a shortened form of my testimony that I will now be able to use to effectively share the Gospel through what God has done in my life. It's so exciting to share my story with other students on and off Project, as well as people we encounter during community outreach activities. Jesus has touched the life of every student here in a different way, and hearing their stories is both inspiring and encouraging.
Every Saturday, we have community outreach, in which we partner with the colleges (College of Charleston and Charleston Southern University) or local churches, host activities for our BRIDGES ministry, or do Gospel outreach at a public venue like Folly Beach. Each of these activities is training ourselves to serve the community, serve the church, and foster ministries, all while sharing the saving Gospel of Jesus Christ. After all, why wouldn't we want to share it?

Penn Jillette, of the magic duo Penn & Teller, released a video journal about a man that came up to talk to him after one of the shows. This man complimented Penn on the show and told him how much he enjoyed the illusions. The man then gave Penn a Gideon pocket Bible. Penn, a devout atheist, was actually pleased by the genuine complimentary nature of the man. He then goes on to describe the ethical situation behind sharing the Gospel. He says "If you believe that there's a heaven and hell and people could be going to hell or not getting eternal life, and you think that it's not even really worth telling somebody this because it would make things socially awkward "How much do you have to hate somebody to believe that everlasting life exists and NOT tell them that?" While Penn is still an atheist, God obviously put that man in his path to change his outlook on Christians. If you, as a child of God, as someone who has been redeemed by the blood, the LIFE of Jesus Christ, believe what you say about eternal life, how can you keep it to yourself? How can you keep from sharing this love with people you care about, with strangers you meet day to day so that they might share in the love and salvation we enjoy? (Sorry for preaching a little bit, but this is the outlook I've tried to keep since being trained in the Gospel at Project.)

Anyway, after about two weeks of an exhausting and very humbling job search, the Lord worked in an awesome way by providing me a part-time position at Staples in Mt. Pleasant, just across the large Ravenell Bridge. While the work is monotonous and the customers sometimes touchy, the people that I work with are why I am here. I am charged with creating relationships with them in order to build them closer to Christ. So far, my coworkers, in a range of all ages, have been genuinely curious as to who I am and why I am here, which opens the door to spiritual conversation. I only pray that the Lord will open their minds and the Spirit will soften their hearts to His message of redeeming love and merciful grace. I know that God will work through me to impact this place.
My family, I cannot express the personal spiritual growth that I've experienced here in Charleston, and I'm only halfway there! Again, I appreciate and love every single one of you for aiding me in this journey, by both prayer and financial support. It's through you that God has been able to use me here in Charleston. I hope to send you more updates soon!
All My Love,
Maggie