Special to the Item

The First United Methodist Church, 323 North Haugh Avenue, has been a part of Picayune since 1903, with it’s first church being built in 1913. Our Purpose is to “Reach people for Jesus Christ, Teach people to be daily Disciples of Jesus Christ, and to Nurture people in the name of Jesus Christ.” The Reverend Greg Ducker serves as its Pastor.

We are excited to open our Doors to our community in partnership with the GFWC-MFWC Civic Woman’s Club of Picayune for their 2022 Christmas Pilgrimage. Our theme of this year’s Christmas decorations is the Nativity, keeping the focus on Christ’s birth, the reason for this festive season. Upon entering the Narthex, you will be greeted with a lovely nativity scene, and a Christmas tree designated for residents of Bridgeway Apartments, an assisted living area for adults with Intellectual and Developmental disabilities. This tree is adorned with ornaments that have resident’s names and wish lists, allowing our congregation the opportunity to add to the resident’s Christmas. As you enter the church sanctuary, there will be lovely greens and holiday décor, along with other nativities. Annually, we display a “Chrismon” tree, which represents a combination of the words “Christ” and “monogram”, meaning symbols of Christ. Chrismons are gold and white, representing majesty and purity. We also display a Little Angel Tree recognizing new-borns to parents and grandparents who are members of our church. We are blessed to have volunteers who are planning to providing musical entertainment during parts of the day.

In our Fellowship Hall, we are thrilled to display an extensive collection of Nativities, on loan from Billy and Beverly Walley; many collected locally, but also collected through their travels! A Memory Tree is decorated with ornaments that have been specially selected by church members, in memory of their loved ones. And this year we have a special Advent Jesse Tree, emphasizing His coming in the flesh at Bethlehem. The Advent Jesse tree seeks to tell the story of God’s redemptive plan for the world through 25 symbols from the Old and New Testament, helping each of us to prepare for the coming of the Christ Child at Christmas. This tree is on loan to us from Charlotte Odom. Special thanks are extended to Keeth Buckley for his assistance in decorating, and the woman of the church for refreshments that will be served.  We are excited about this opportunity to share with you, the joy and anticipation of Christmas, and would like to invite you to join our worship services anytime! We wish you a very Merry Christmas and Blessed New Year!