The Spirit

September 2026 — Monthly Newsletter of First Church

First United Methodist Church, Bakersfield

You will eat the fruit of your labor; blessings and prosperity will be yours. — Psalms 128:2

In This Issue

Pastor's Message: Growing Right Here
The Chapel Is Open for Prayer
Women's Retreat Recap
Harvest Festival 2026
Mission: Sweatpants Drive
Blood Drive
Worship With Us
September Birthdays & Anniversaries

Pastor's Message: Growing Right Here

Pastor Jason Thornton

Exciting Developments for the Future of First Church: Growing Right Here!

It was only last spring and summer of 2025 that we were having discussions to discern whether it made more sense for First Church to develop plans to either "Grow Right Here" or "Move to Grow". The consensus coming out of those discussions was clear: we need to develop ways to "Grow Right Here". Since then, we have developed a two-prong strategy:

Finding ways to use our property to generate income to become financially stable.
Building a path to health and flourishing by assessing our congregation's gifts and developing a new vision and mission for First Church.

We have made good progress in both strategies. Here is a summary of how far we have come and the exciting path we are building to take First Church into the future.

1. Achieving Financial Stability

Partnering with Small Churches

Almost immediately after we made the decision to stay and Grow Right Here, small start-up churches began coming to us asking if we had space they could lease to worship on Sundays! God has brought us two small start-up churches as tenants. Winner's Chapel is a Nigerian Christian church renting our Chapel for weekly worship and one room for office space on Sundays — they have just celebrated their one-year anniversary with us! Hosanna Church, serving the Indian and Pakistani Christian populations, has been with us leasing rooms 21/22 for Sunday worship since April.

Partnering with a Private Start-up Catholic School

You may have heard that we are in the process of developing a lease agreement with Vineyard Schools, a startup private Catholic school. This is an ongoing process we hope will come to fruition very soon!

With these three tenants, we estimate we can generate close to $90,000 per year over the next 3–5 years — a level of income that could completely close the annual shortfall we have been experiencing.

What I see God doing here is giving us some breathing space, allowing us to change our focus from bringing in new people to fund our budget, to bringing in new people to meet Jesus and be transformed by His love!

Using our property to generate income in this way frees us from being property focused, and allows us to be more people focused. Being people focused is the way forward to becoming a healthy and thriving church!

2. Mapping Our Future with a Ministry Action Plan

We discovered the gifts of our congregation at our January Church Rally and began to imagine how we could use our gifts in ministry at our April Church Rally. To build on what we learned, council chair Jay Rosenleib and I asked our DS to recommend our church for the church-assessment process defined by paragraph 213 in our Book of Discipline. Rev. Steve Creel, the pastor of Visalia Methodist Church, has kindly agreed to facilitate this for us.

Since then, we have provided Rev. Creel with data on our church history, finances, ministries past and present, and a demographic report on our local community provided by Mission Insite. Rev. Creel met with church leaders to discuss the insights gained from the data and hear more detailed information.

On Sunday, July 26th, the entire church was invited to meet with Rev. Steve Creel to join the conversation about First Church's strengths, roadblocks to growth, and the steps that would make sense for us to take toward becoming a healthy and thriving congregation.

Through this 213 process, First Church will develop a MAP — a Ministry Action Plan — to guide us to becoming the thriving congregation God desires us to be!

I hope you will join us in the process!

In Christ, Pastor Jason

The Chapel Is Open for Prayer

Every Tuesday starting October 6, 2026 · 11:30 AM – 1:30 PM

A Sacred Space

Opening our beautiful chapel for quiet, personal prayer provides a sacred space for people to connect with God, reflect, and find peace away from the daily distractions. Quiet time with God fosters spiritual growth and community, allowing people to seek clarity, support, and rest knowing we have a loving Father that will meet us wherever we are.

As we prepare to open the chapel to the community for a specified time, we encourage you to consider the opportunities we have as members of a church that believes in the power of prayer and honors the "holy ground" that is our chapel. There, many have worshiped, attended funerals and weddings, and found and extended grace over many years. Now, on Tuesdays, anyone can come and find a seat to pray, rest, reflect and find support — a college student seeking quiet, a tired mom, a recent widow or widower, someone facing a health scare — for all of these and more, our chapel will be open and all will be welcome.

Chapel Hosts

Become a part of this service by volunteering to become a Chapel Host. As a Host you will work in pairs to welcome, assist, and pray with people as they drop in to pray. Pastor Jason will provide an orientation and training so you will feel prepared and comfortable to meet and assist anyone who attends.

For more information on becoming a Chapel Host, please join us on Tuesday, September 15, 2026, at 11:30 in the Chapel.

Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus. — 1 Thessalonians 5:16–18

Women's Retreat Recap

What a glorious day! One could sense the spirit of the Lord from the moment the first guest arrived!

It was Saturday, August 22nd, marking the second annual "Women of Faith, Hope and Love" Retreat. We had come full circle from the first Retreat at First United Methodist Church, Bakersfield, on July 26th, 2025.

The purpose and emphasis of the Retreats has been, and continues to be, "Connection and Transformation." The day's events featured an inspirational and powerful message from Rev. Dr. Mary Maag, whose theme was "Dreamers and Visionaries of the Bible." She shared personal stories and experiences as well as her depth of Biblical scripture — her deep faith and love of the Lord is evident as she offers challenging thoughts to those in attendance.

The format of the day's events is experience and enjoy worship, fellowship, small groups "table talk" discussing the message shared by DS Mary, and of course, singing loved hymns. A focus on "Connection" is evident with great conversations while enjoying a gourmet lunch, with an emphasis on "praying for one another." Attendees are encouraged to complete a prayer card listing a personal need or concern; these cards are then available for individuals to take as they leave and commit to pray for that person. Continuing prayers are anticipated.

To close the day, the group stands holding hands and joins in singing two hymns — The Servant Song and I Am Here, Lord. It is an incredible blessing to hear 100 women singing together — a perfect ending to an inspiring day of worship, learning, fellowship, prayer, breaking bread together, and sharing the love of God with one another.

Attendance at the day's event included 104 women from FUMC's church family and other local denominations, as well as those from Wesley, St. Mark's, Tehachapi Valley, Tulare, Taft, Lake Isabella, Kernville, Visalia, Woody, Porterville, Allenstown, and Fresno.

To date, 225 women have attended one or more events, some with perfect attendance across all five sessions.

The committee of six has continually prayed for God's guidance in all planning and execution of the day's events, giving thanks for the blessings of each and every woman in attendance. Pastor Jason continues to offer support and encouragement as an active participant as we plan for the next Gathering on November 7th, 2026.

A Bit of History…

A wink from God — "We need to have a Retreat" — was shared with Sharon Wainwright during Pastor Jason's sermon in July 2024. He spoke of the need for more communication within our church family, as well as with other Methodist churches in our area. As he said that, God "winked" or "nudged" Sharon, who remembered Saturday day "retreats" organized thirteen to fifteen years ago at FUMC Bakersfield, where a speaker shared a Christian message or personal faith walk and a lunch was served with a bit of "get acquainted fellowship."

After much pondering and prayer, Sharon approached Pastor Jason with the idea of a "Women's Retreat." His reaction was positive and encouraging, mentioning that DS Mary would have the perfect program for the first Retreat.

With prayerful consideration, a committee of six was formed. God's plan was underway when FUMC's Charge Conference was held Monday evening, November 23, 2024, and DS Mary suggested the committee meet for breakfast the following morning at 7:30 a.m. to pray, discuss, and begin plans for a Retreat on Saturday, July 26, 2025.

The committee had many discussions about the name and purpose of the group. The name "Women of Faith, Hope and Love" was chosen, with the purpose being "Connection and Transformation." Plans for a day-long Retreat were created.

The first Retreat theme was "Landscapes of Christian Faith" with DS Mary as the speaker. Surprisingly, about 100 women were in attendance and blessed with a meaningful message, fellowship, prayer, and lots of singing.

It was determined that an annual Retreat alone was not enough to really establish the "Connection" needed. Thus the "Gatherings" — a shorter, quarterly version of the initial Retreat — were born.

The first Gathering was held in October with Dr. Lee McDonald speaking on "Getting to Know God and Finding Joy." The next Gathering had Craig Harrison, teacher and counselor, as guest speaker in January 2026, with the theme "God, Community and Connection." In April the theme was "Sowing Seeds of Hope," with two speakers sharing the podium: Heidi Shubin, manager of Dress for Success, and Erin Roger, Director of the Bakersfield Pregnancy Center, who shared personal faith walks and how their situations were "sowing seeds of hope."

And now, we have come full circle with God's continuing guidance, much discussion and planning, and prayers. The blessings have been many.

Looking ahead:

Saturday, November 7, 2026 — Gathering with local author, podcast host and international speaker Sheryl Giesbrecht Turner. Topic: "The Secret of the Secret Place: Call 9:1-1."
Saturday, January 23, 2027 — Craig Harrison returns, addressing "Prayer and Meditation."
Saturday, April 10, 2027 — Spring Gathering, plans in the formative stages.
July 24, 2027 — Third annual Retreat, with DS Mary returning to bring the message "Mary, Martha and More: Women Walk With Jesus."

Praise God from whom all blessings flow. His blessings are without ceasing.

Written by Sharon Wainwright

Harvest Festival 2026

Car Show · Vendors · Crafts · Food

Saturday, September 26, 2026

Don't miss our car show!

Festival Hours: 9:00 AM – 1:30 PM
Car Show Hours: 9:00 AM – 1:30 PM — come see the awesome car display at the 4600 Stockdale Hwy front lot
Lunch Served: 11:30 AM — call the church office for tickets at 661-325-1267

Vendors Needed! Handmade crafts, holiday and seasonal decor, artworks, baked goods, jams & jellies, beverages & sweets.

Call Marti Ingalls for information at 661-431-4321, or email maingalls3612@att.net or martiingalls@bakersfieldmethodist.church.

Bring your friends and family for the biggest and best of Bakersfield!

First United Methodist Church · 4600 Stockdale Hwy, Bakersfield, CA 93309 · 661-325-1267 · bakersfieldmethodist.church

Mission: Sweatpants Drive

The First Church Missions Team is launching their annual drive to support the M Street Navigation Center by providing much-needed sweatpants to those in need.

Two Ways to Give

Purchase sweatpants in the requested sizes (Large, XL, and 2XL) and bring them to church starting in September.
Make a monetary donation (cash or check) so the committee can buy in bulk. Please mark checks clearly with "Sweatpants" in the memo line.

Blood Drive

Houchin Community Blood Bank

Sunday, September 13th · 8:00 AM – 12:30 PM First United Methodist Church, 4600 Stockdale Hwy, Bakersfield, CA 93309

All successful donations will receive a pair of KC Fair tickets (while supplies last). To make an appointment, contact the church office or ask for the sign-up QR code in the printed bulletin. Blood type of greatest need: AB, O±.

And God is able to bless you abundantly, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work. — 2 Corinthians 9:8

Worship With Us

First United Methodist Church, Bakersfield

Service Times

7:30 AM — Chapel Friendly, classic worship service

9:00 AM — Traditional Welcoming worship service with traditional music

10:00 AM — Growing in Faith Together Children and Youth Program in Rooms 6/7

First United Methodist Church 4600 Stockdale Hwy, Bakersfield, CA 93309 office@bakersfieldmethodist.church | www.bakersfieldmethodist.church 661-325-1267

The land yields its harvest; God, our God, blesses us. — Psalms 67:6

First Church Birthdays & Anniversaries

Birthdays

July

Date	Name
07/01	Sky Plotner
07/02	Dick Sloan
07/06	Lanita Cowden
07/09	Joyce Spetz
07/16	Simba Chanaiwa
07/17	Jason Thornton
07/19	Perla Alano
07/19	Gary Patterson
07/20	Kudzai Chanaiwa
07/21	Chris Cruz
07/25	Jeanie Zimmerman
07/26	Sharon Wainwright
07/26	Janice French
07/26	Archie Lopez
07/27	Melinda Mejia
07/31	EJ Rutledge

August

Date	Name
08/02	Carla Worley
08/08	Antonio Reyes Jr
08/12	Beth Clark
08/13	Carolyn Sloan
08/15	Steve Carey
08/15	Nitasha Sagar
08/16	Imelda Reyes
08/17	Bryan Lopez
08/17	Todd Lewis
08/18	Emilio Garza
08/19	Geoff Massoni
08/20	Larry Nichols
08/23	Nancy Mull
08/23	Sherry Mathews
08/26	Karen Wetzel
08/29	Kristina Bawar
08/29	Bill Winstead
08/30	Michael Canlas
08/30	Danai Chanaiwa
08/31	Ann Danforth
08/31	Ed Ingalls

September

Date	Name
09/02	Al Hubbell
09/03	Gretchen Diehl
09/03	Roberta Bryant
09/09	Hazel Rice
09/09	Lena Claire Wilson
09/10	Allan Phillips
09/11	Rick McDonald
09/12	Micheal Ede
09/16	Kathleen Schaffer
09/16	JD Vaughn
09/18	Tammy Thornton
09/20	Amelia Gonzales
09/21	Ardell Lindsley
09/21	Shirley Griffith
09/22	Bobby Esponda
09/22	Bonnie Bowles
09/22	Glenda Harrington
09/24	Nancy Phillips
09/24	Donna Sanders
09/25	Edem Udoh-Afaha
09/26	Abegail Canlas
09/26	Odel Santos
09/27	Shannon Brady
09/28	Pamela Kohr

Anniversaries