Church Updates: June 4, 2026
Here is what's happening at church!
6/9/20262 min read
Summer Nights!
Summer Nights started last week right outside our property on May 28 and will continue each of the Thursday nights through Aug. 27. This gives us an opportunity to share our church values of reaching out, connecting to the community, loving our neighbors, and raising awareness that hope happens here. Having parking spaces close to the venue also allows us to raise funds to support our hope-raising, God-loving, Christian discipleship mission.
The first week, between 5 and 7:30 p.m., we gave away almost 70 bags of popcorn, leased one or two parking spaces and raised a few dollars in donations.
This week, we also will give away popcorn and chalk the sidewalk. In future weeks, we want to provide snow cones, face-painting, and free bottles of water. But to make this work, we need volunteers who are willing to serve the church by setting up, staffing the activities, cleaning up, and donating supplies for the activities we have planned for that night.
Therefore, you are invited to fill out this electronic sign-up sheet to let us know when and how you can help.
Thanks,
Pastors CC and Duane Coates
Annual Conference
Our pastors, youth director and Mothers Morning Out Director Hannah O’Donnell, as well as Julie and Lennie Symes will be attending the Dakotas Annual Conference in Bismarck, ND this weekend. This is the meeting that coordinates ministry at the conference level to equip local churches to accomplish our mission. There is an equal number of clergy and lay members elected. O’Donnell is attending as a lay member of Open Heart United Methodist Church here in Rapid City.
Our church was allocated one lay member for each pastor and two additional lay members as a function of our size (one of the largest-membership churches in the conference.) In addition to the Symeses, we also elected Diane and Ken Ketel, who are unable to attend this year due to a family event.
In the pastors’ absence, (from Thursday, June 4 until Monday morning June 8) please direct any emergencies to Pastor Adam Knudson of Rapid City First Presbyterian Church. His number is 559-288-1444.
The Annual Conference members will report on the actions of Annual Conference between services on June 14.
Ready! Set! Grow!
Our gardening camp is scheduled to bloom on June 16, 17 and 18 from 9 am to 12 pm. We have 80 children who are registered for camp and ready to learn about growing in God’s beautiful creation.
Camp is an extension of our MMO and Children’s Ministry at Rapid City First United Methodist Church. As a ministry, it is free of charge for those who are attending.
Thank you to all who have donated supplies. We truly are blessed with an awesome congregation. If you would like to make a donation, check out the flowers blooming on the parlor wall or you can make a monetary donation in the designated giving box.
If you would like to volunteer at camp, please contact Anne Torgerson at anne.torgerson@rapidcityfirst.org.
