The Stone UM Church Care Team invites you to a Fellowship Hour in appreciation of all those who "mother" us following our services on Mother's Day - May 10, 2026.  Join them in Miller Parlor directly after our worship service for an assortment of refreshments.

The Adult Sunday school class studying and discussing the Social Principles of the United Methodist Church meets directly after Worship. All adults are welcome to join us in Crawford Library as we delve into issues facing our communities with the United Methodist Principles to guide us as we strive to be true disciples of Christ. 

 This week's topic: Discussing Mere Christianity - The Christian Virtue of Hope.  Any man seeking fellowship and a deeper relationship with God is encouraged to attend.

Do you have photos, news or items you would like to contribute for the May edition of the Messenger? 

Please have them into the office by tomorrow, April 23.

Email to churchoffice@stoneumc.org

Spring is a great time to support Stone UMC with extra bonuses on many popular brands!  This month earn 6% on gift cards for TOPS Friendly Market grocery stores - purchase TOPS gift cards through Raise Right and 6% of your purchase will be donated to Stone UMC.  Make giving to Stone UMC part of your spring celebrations!

and the CARE team needs your help.  

We have had a number of individuals stop into our church office in the past few months in need of basic food items.  Many of them are seniors waiting to be added to our list for monthly senior food boxes and families with children in the household.  Please help the CARE team re-stock the freezer so that we have items to offer those who stop in needing a meal or to deliver as a pick-me-up to members facing difficult times.  Items can really be anything - as long as it freezes well- soups, muffins, cookies, casseroles.  They also have limited space for canned goods or shelf stable foods - think fruit, vegetables, pasta, spaghetti sauce, or kid-friendly items like macaroni and cheese cups or spaghetti-o's.

The Staff Parish Relations Committee announced Pastor Domingos Francisco Fernando has been appointed to Stone UMC beginning July 1, 2026. We are so excited for the new opportunities and experiences Pastor Fernando will bring to Stone and Bethany UMC’s and hope he is as excited to come here!

Pastor Fernando is from Angola, Africa and speaks fluent Portuguese and English. He received his bachelor’s degree in psychology from Africa University where he was a member of the university choir. After graduating he spent 2 years in Brazil with the Missionary Program of the United Methodist Church, Global Ministries. Pastor Fernando received his Master of Divinity Degree from Drew Theological School in New Jersey. He served as lead pastor at the Norwood United Methodist Church in Norwood, PA before moving to Pittsburg, Kansas where he serves as Campus Minister at Pittsburg State University and Associate Pastor at the First United Methodist Church.

He has read Dr. Dixon’s book, “A Diamond on the Diamond” and feels Stone UMC has historically been a force in the Meadville community. He is looking forward to meeting all of us and continuing this work. He feels at his past churches he has been able to grow congregational engagement and increase participation in worship, connect with young people and grow young people’s ministry and engage the congregation with the community. We are looking forward to learning more about Pastor Fernando over the next couple of months so watch for more news!

Email scams have become a part of being online.  Please use caution when communicating online and be aware that these scams come in different forms:

• Spoofing is when the sender’s name and/or email are altered to hide its true origin.
• Phishing emails try to entice you into disclosing personal information, such as your username, password or bank account details.

These practices are used by virus and spam authors to make their emails look legitimate and lure people into clicking on links, downloading attachments or sending money/gift cards. An email may look as if it is from someone you know, but hovering over the "From" name or clicking the sender's email reveals a similar, but not the exact, address of someone you know.
 
Be sure to check the exact address an email comes from BEFORE clicking on anything in it or replying to it. This includes, but is not limited to emails that appear to be from Pastor, a family member or a colleague. 

All emails from Stone UMC will come from an email address that ends with @stoneumc.org.

With the availability of free email, it is easy for someone to set up an account that is almost exactly like another. You can be assured that no one will send you an "urgent email" asking for gift cards or money. Stone UMC like thousands of other churches uses a third party service called Tithe.ly for online giving to keep transactions safe and secure.
 
If you receive a phishing or spoofing email, just delete it and continue on with your day. Spoofed emails are not something that will go away.  It’s better to understand this now, rather than becoming a victim.