I pray that this message finds you well, dear friends.

April has come and gone, but there are still amazing ways to participate in the life of our church -- both inside our building and beyond.

I am grateful for our staff and leaders who continue to offer ways for this spiritual growth to happen. Whether through opportunities of mission and service, ways to join in study and fellowship, or times for worship and praise, our church community is flourishing. 

I invite you to:

• Welcome our new members will join the church later this month.

• Give thanks for our children and youth ministries that have made a difference in the lives of our young people this 2024-2025 school year.

• Offer a blessing for those youth who are graduating from high school and moving on to their next stage in life.

• Discover how you can be involved in our church by checking out the myriad of activities and ministries that will go on as we move from Spring to Summer.

Most of all, know that you are God's beloved child. You are loved because of who you are, and not because of what you do. And that together, God has planted God's Spirit so that we might be filled to overflowing.

How might we be a vessel for God's Spirit to overflow into Parker, Douglas County, and beyond?

I am grateful for each of you. I give thanks for how we are serving Christ together. And may we make it through the craziness of end-of-the-year-May. Most of all, be blessed!

Pastor Laura 

"Revelation: Mysterious, Not Secretative" is our current worship series. Our music, scripture reading, prayers, and sermons will focus on this mysterious book. 

The remaining Sundays of our worship series include:

• May 11: Revelation 7:9-17, "Saints and Martyrs"

• May 18: Revelation 21:1-6, "New Heaven and New Earth"

• May 25: Revelation 21:10, 21:22 - 22:5, "Healing Waters"

However, we will not be able to address all of your questions in worship.

We have a De-Mystifying Revelation Study Guide that will help you learn more about Revelation, apocalyptic literature and imagery, and discover how this text can speak to us today. Copies are available at the Welcome table outside the sanctuary or email Pastor Laura and she will send you the PDF.

Pastor Laura is also leading a small group each Monday through June 9. Join her in room 138 at 6 pm or email her for the Zoom link.

Wednesday Faith Talk at Panera Bread at 10 am will also discuss this.

May you find an opportunity to read this enigmatic book in the Bible with an open spirit and new eyes.

It has been an amazing school year with our youth, and we have loved seeing their faces be more present in our community!  It is evident that they love Parker UMC and the community that surrounds them and supports them. 

This year,  we have seen our youth group grow as we have averaged over 16 youth every Sunday afternoon, with many inviting friends and others finding a home at PUMC.  The youth have been busy fundraising for their upcoming mission trip this summer, and we are so thankful for the many ways that you have supported our youth as they work towards their fundraising goals!  We are excited at how vibrant our youth group has become and can't wait to see how it continues to be a blessing to the teens in our community!

Thank you!

A huge thank you to our Youth Sunday School teachers who have faithfully showed up and taught our youth this school year!  Thank you to Gloria Bokenkamp, Phil Evans and Sue Garwood who have not only been amazing teachers, but have become wonderful support to our youth!  

Saturday Morning Men's Club (SMMC) meets the 2nd Saturday of each month at 8 am downstairs in the church. Average attendance is twenty men. Meetings include the preparation of a hearty breakfast, devotions, presentations from invited guests, and making plans for service to the church.

One of the focus areas of the church is the continued development of the renovated fellowship hall. They received a donation of $400 for this purpose and the SMMC matched the donation with its funds. Continued improvements are soon to be seen.

Reach out to John Quest if you have any questions or would like to know more.

This year's VBS will guide kids on the ultimate Alaskan adventure where northern lights glow over majestic mountains, racing rivers, and glistening glaciers. As kids trek the tundra, they will explore how easy it is to lose sight of what's true in our wild world today. Pointing them to Jesus, True North VBS shows kids that God is a faithful friends we can always trust. God is our True North! Sounds fun, right?

VBS is an amazing opprtunity for all ages. Volunteers are essential for the program, some can donate half a day or all four (half) days. No matter the length of time spent, you will walk away with a full heart and a big smile on your face. 

Because of you, our volunteers, we are able to offer the community a safe, loving place to bring their children for a very lost cost. Evertyhing in our world is expensive, so imagine what it costs a family to provide a camp or activities for their children to participate in. Many families are not able to afford such luxiries. At VBS, we see family and new faces. This is a wonderful opportunity for Parker UMC to invite families to learn about us.

Not only is everyone welcome to participate, but everyone is welcome to volunteer. High school students are required to complete community service hours before graduation. If you know of any high school students, be sure to extend the invitation; most of the time during the 4 days of VBS will fulfill the required amount of hours needed. Not only do students need yours, they end up having so much fun that we see them back next year.

VBS is June 23 - 26, 9 am - 12 pm. I challenge you to volunteer and/or invite your friends, family members, and neighbors to see what all the excitement is all about.

Sign up here or email Noelle for more information. 

As we wrap up another joyful year at preschool, our hearts are overflowing with gratitude. This year has been filled with laughter, learning, and remarkable growth—not just for our students, but for our entire school family.

We are especially thankful for the generosity of our preschool families and our church community. Because of your support, we were able to make meaningful improvements to our outdoor spaces, including an upgraded playground and brand-new turf at the preschool entrance. These enhancements have made such a positive impact on our children’s daily experience.

To Parker United Methodist Church, thank you for walking alongside us throughout the year. Your prayers, encouragement, and the generous use of your space and resources have helped create a safe, loving, and faith-filled environment where our little ones thrive.

We are truly blessed by your partnership in this ministry and look forward with hope and excitement to all that’s ahead.

With warmest appreciation,

Little Blessings Teachers and Administration

Our church hosts a Dementia Support group for those who are walking with a loved one.

The group meets the 1st and 3rd Friday of each month at 10 am in room 216.

Please contact Sue Evans (303-752-6810) for more information, or visit the Alzheimer's Association website, search for other local support groups in your area or even an online group.

Each week, we talk about hospitality and how a friendly face of welcome can make a difference as someone comes to worship. When was the last time you walked into a business and knew nothing about the business -  not even the hours of operation?  We usually do a little internet search to see location, hours, even the front of the building.

One of the most effective ways you can help Parker UMC is to write a review. Google reviews are important to get attention. Ideally a church could use reviews from people of all ages and backgrounds.  

The best time to write a review is right now. We each are more likely to write it as we are thinking about them.  What are the things about Parker Church that keep you coming back or what made you feel most comfortable?  

Eighty Five percent of church people say their church is friendly yet visitors rate those very same churches as unfriendly – to almost the same percentage – 80%. If you want to express that the church is friendly, be specific: “I visited and had great conversations after worship” or “Meeting 2 other couples with similar interests was a joy.”

If you started to go to church after your children were in child care, that might be attractive to someone reading a review, but someone might say the online services were a plus on days when it snowed. If you were looking for a church that was in between 2 denominational traditions, has a traditional worship, these are things folks like to know ahead of time. 

Please consider writing a review right now.  Additional review activity gets noticed in logarithms and make a huge impact!  Thank you for helping in this way! 

The Parker FMSC Mobile Pack team wants to thank everyone for their help so far in helping raise money for the next mobile pack event in October 2026. At the Freddy’s Spirit night on April 3, we earned enough to pack 166 meals. Our May and June FMSC fundraisers are gift cards for Mother’s and Father’s Day. Right now, it is off to a great start, 400 meals earned. 

Please continue to help support our mission, which is twofold. One purpose is to pack food for starving children that will be distributed globally. With today's ever-growing needs this is an even more important mission. Children need food to grow physically and mentally. Second is to provide a faith-based opportunity for the community, all ages, all people, to come together to unite in a mission. When we work together, we can unite and help support each other during these challenging times.

Galatians 6:10 “Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to one another, especially to those who are in the household of faith.” God encourages us to go forth and do good. How can we support our household and the house of God? The house of the Lord is not just the church or the roof over our head, but it is a global mission. Helping those across the world will help to spread the word and bring joy to minds and hearts that suffer from starvation.

Thanks for all your support and in the upcoming months look for opportunities to help support the fundraising of Parker FMSC 2026! 

Blessings and prayers,

Parker FMSC team

Every Wednesday we send out our weekly email, the Midweek Message. This includes updates and announcements of the different ways to get involved through classes, small groups, and volunteer activities. You also will learn what Sunday's worship theme is.

If you do not receive this weekly email, please contact Sarah in the church office. Additionally, most of the information is in the Sunday bulletin and in the worship slides.

If you have an announcement that you would like to have included, please send to Pastor Laura by Monday at 6 pm.

We hope we can keep up to date on what is happening in our church!