Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,
We invite you to join with the leadership of our church for a season of prayer as we move towards the last scheduled quarterly meeting of the Administrative Board for 2025. God has blessed us with a time of healing and we are poised as a church to make some important decisions in the next few months. We believe that God is moving and we want to join together in what God is doing in our congregation and our community.
Over the last six months, the SPRC has filled several key staff positions, and we have seen growth in our ministry and worship participation. Our Trustees have worked to ensure that our buildings and properties are well maintained. We have also had listening sessions with the Global Methodist Church and we intend to offer a Q&A in the near future to address remaining as an independent congregation.

Now is the time of year when our Finance committee completes budget work and our Nominations Committee makes leadership decisions for upcoming year. All of this is very important and we feel strongly that we need to enter a time of prayer to seek God’s wisdom for our next steps as a church.
Will you please join us specifically in asking God:
To search our hearts and set aside the sin that so easily entangles.

• To foster in us the spirit of cooperation and charity that has been so evident this year.
• To inspire in us a spirit of generosity with our resources for mission and ministry.
• To encourage us not to grow weary in our well-doing.
• To grant to us wisdom to know and do our God’s will, personally and as a community of faith.

Thank you for your commitment to grow in the faith and to serve Jesus at Athens First Methodist Church! May God bless us as we seek to be a blessing!
In Christ,
John Ryberg-AFMC Senior Minister
Kris Murphy- Administrative Board Chair
Bernie Sims-Trustee Chair
Colby Medlen-SPRC Chair
Fred Pepper- Finance Chair
Colin McMurry and Sanders Woodroof- Nominations Co-Chair
Angela Pettus- Lay Leader

The Denominational Affiliations Committee, with the approval of the Administrative Board, has scheduled two informational meetings with representatives of the Global Methodist Church (GMC). The purpose of the meetings is to give our congregation the opportunity to hear current information about the GMC. These meetings are scheduled for Wednesday, September 10th at 6:00 PM and Sunday, September 14th at 4:00 PM.

The Committee voted to offer two different time options for meetings to accommodate the schedules for a larger number of our church members. We are hopeful that many members of our congregation will attend one or both of the meetings to become familiar with the GMC.

The church email address is being provided for those who have questions that they would like to have addressed at the meeting(s). Please submit any questions by September 5th to office@athensfmc.org

We look forward to seeing you at one of the upcoming meetings!
In Christian love,

Carl Bailey
Denominational Affiliations Committee Chairperson

Kris Murphy
Administrative Board Chairperson

Dear Congregation,

The Staff-Parish Relations Committee (SPRC) would like to begin by expressing our heartfelt gratitude to Mac for his leadership over the past year. In a time marked by uncertainty, Mac brought a calming presence and a spirit of unity that greatly strengthened our congregation. His willingness to step into leadership and the love he has shown our Church family has not gone unnoticed. Mac, we love you and thank you sincerely, and we hope you will always consider Athens First Methodist your home.

Following the end of Kenny Baskin’s contract, the SPRC has been prayerfully and diligently working to identify our next Senior Pastor in accordance with our adopted bylaws. Over the past year, we have conducted interviews with five candidates for both interim and full-time roles, held discussions with search firms, and met with leaders from the Global Methodist Church to better understand what support would be available should we choose to affiliate with the GMC.

Given that Mac’s current contract concludes on August 15, and with our Church still discerning between affiliation and independence, the committee agreed it was time to move forward in our search.

After extensive prayer, thoughtful discussion, and many late-night meetings, the SPRC presented a recommendation to the Administrative Board to approve the hire of John Ryberg as Senior Pastor of Athens First Methodist Church. This recommendation was made contingent upon his formal disaffiliation from the United Methodist Church.

We are pleased to share that this recommendation was unanimously approved by the 48 voting members of the Administrative Board during the meeting held on June 3rd.
John’s first Sunday in the pulpit will be June 22nd, and we look forward to the next chapter in the life of our church under his leadership.

About John Ryberg:
John and his wife, Beth, live in Athens. They have one daughter, Jordan, who lives in Huntsville. He is a native of Athens and a 1980 graduate of Athens High School. He briefly attended Birmingham-Southern College before enlisting in the United States Marine Corps, where he was meritoriously promoted twice and honorably discharged in 1986.
Following his military service, John pursued a career in the hospitality industry, working with Hyatt Hotels in various leadership capacities leading staffs amassing 120 and later managing West End Grill in Huntsville with his wife, Beth. It was during this time that John experienced a life-changing spiritual awakening during Emmaus Walk #174 at Camp Sumatanga where he committed his life to Jesus. This led him and Beth to discern a call to pastoral ministry.

John’s vocational journey in ministry began at Asbury United Methodist Church, where he served as Church Business Administrator (1999–2004) while completing his undergraduate degree at Athens State University. He went on to earn a Master of Divinity with a certificate of doctoral studies from Asbury Theological Seminary.

From 2003 to 2015, John served as Associate Pastor at Asbury UMC, where he led a wide range of ministries, including missions, small groups, men’s ministry, Stephen Ministry, youth, and children’s programs. In 2015, he answered the call to serve as Pastor and Church Planter at The Table UMC, developing a network of house churches in North Alabama. After retiring from the UMC in December 2024, John joined Nations of Coaches and currently serves as the Character Coach for the UAH Men’s Basketball Team.

We believe John’s character, spiritual maturity, leadership experience, and deep ties to our community uniquely position him to shepherd our Church in this pivotal season.

With gratitude and in service,
The Staff-Parish Relations Committee
Athens First Methodist Church

Dear Congregation,
Over the past few months, the Staff-Parish Relations Committee has been actively searching for a permanent pastor. My contract is over August 15, and I encouraged them to look for someone to come full-time. The committee has reviewed candidates, conducted interviews and is prepared to present their recommendation to the Administrative Board for consent, as the By-laws of Athens First Methodist Church require. (Para. 336.5.k)
There will be a meeting of the Administrative Board Tuesday, June 3 at 6:30 p.m. in the Sanctuary. All Board members are urged to attend, and all church members are welcome. However, this will not be a vote by the entire congregation—only by Board members.
I am excited about the opportunities this decision brings to the ministries of Athens First Methodist Church under the leadership of the Holy Spirit.
God bless you all.
Mac

Author
The Gospel of John was written by the apostle John himself.
He was the only disciple still alive, and times were changing
before his eyes.

Date
John wrote his Gospel sometime in the AD 80’s before the
persecution of Domitian began. This was his first book with
four or more to come before his death in AD 98.

Audience
The Gospel of John was written to various churches around
Asia Minor where he had an influence. John was one of
the elders in the church of Ephesus and was looked up to
because of his experiences and wisdom.

Reason
John was written to show the audience that Jesus was both
fully God and fully man. It was most likely used to provide
information that the other Gospels left out and to show
more of a theological perspective on the life of Christ.

Key Verse
Jesus came to give eternal life because He is God.
“I came that they may have life and have it abundantly.”
(10:10b ESV)

Overview
The Gospel of John is 90% unique from the other Gospels as he explores Jesus from the Son of God perspective, including his preexistent genealogy at the beginning of his writing.
Whereas the other Gospels looked at what Jesus did and said, John approached his story
from the inside by looking at how Jesus felt and who he was as a person. He made it a point to show that Jesus is fully human and fully divine at the same time. There was nothing that Jesus could do while on earth without help from the Father.

One thing to notice in all of John’s books is that he writes in sevens. Seven is the number
of perfect divinity and is a very important number in the Jewish faith. The top two
things that John focuses on in this Gospel are seven major miracles as well as seven “I AM”
statements.

Events 
Youth Event - Sunday, July 21, there is a Youth Poolside Bible Study at  Hutton's home. (6pm - 8pm)

Baseball Family Night  - Remember to sign up for the Trash Panda’s Family Night for our church on Wednesday, July 28th, at 4:00 p.m.

Tickets are $5 each, which includes a $2.00 meal voucher.

Kids 2 years and under are free

You can get your tickets at the church office, or through the church’s app and website.

Kids Event
Kidde Carnival for children of Athens First Methodist Church will be August 11th 5pm - 7pm.


Updates
Upper Room—The folks at Upper Room tell us the devotionalse will let you know as soon as they arrive are en route. W.

Elevator Update: looks like we have been delayed on the elevator repairs. Presently the target is late August.

Mission Spotlight: LCCI Back to School Backpack: July 30th

We will need volunteers on July 25,26,27 for sorting the backpacks and preparing them for the 30th.

Also volunteers on the 30th for two to three hours when they are being given out.

Details of items needed will be listed on an insert in this week's bulletin.

Prayer Requests:

Our hearts are saddened to learn this morning of the passing of Phillip Dean. Please pray for his children, Bryan, Darcy, Lara, and the whole Dean family during this time.

Phillip’s wishes are to be cremated and have his ashes spread on his farm.

As soon as his children decide on other arrangements, we will let you know immediately.

Please remember the family of Linda Williams, sister of Joyce Downs, in her passing this week.


Continue in prayer for Whitney Skipworth as he continues rehab at Shepard Center in Atlanta.

For cards and letters, his address is:

Shepard Center

Attn: Whitney Skipworth

258B

2020 Peachtree Road N.W.

Atlanta, GA 30309

Patsy Oldroyd as she recovers from a broken arm

Amy Cotten as she recovers from a shoulder procedure this Friday, July 12th

The staff and the church want to be in prayer for any needs you and your family may have. We do/and will respect your privacy if you do not wish to have them published. But we would like to know so we can be in prayer for you.

Blessings to you all. We look forward to seeing you Sunday.

To stay updated with upcoming events at the church, click the button below.
click here

About John

Author
The Gospel of John was written by the apostle John himself. He was the only disciple still alive, and times were changing before his eyes.

Date
John wrote his Gospel sometime in the AD 80’s before the persecution of Domitian began. This was his first book with four or more to come before his death in AD 98.

Audience
The Gospel of John was written to various churches around Asia Minor where he had an influence. John was one of the elders in the church of Ephesus and was looked up to
because of his experiences and wisdom.

Reason
John was written to show the audience that Jesus was both fully God and fully man. It was most likely used to provide information that the other Gospels left out and to show
more of a theological perspective on the life of Christ.

Theme
Jesus came to give eternal life because He is God.

Key Verse
“I came that they may have life and have it abundantly.”
(10:10b ESV)

Overview
The Gospel of John is 90% unique from the other Gospels as he explores Jesus from the Son of God perspective, including his preexistent genealogy at the beginning of his writing.
Whereas the other Gospels looked at what Jesus did and said, John approached his story from the inside by looking at how Jesus felt and who he was as a person. He made it a point to show that Jesus is fully human and divine simultaneously. There was nothing that Jesus could do while on earth without help from the Father. One thing to notice in all of John’s books is that he writes in sevens. Seven is the number of perfect divinity and is a very important number in the Jewish faith. The top two things that John focuses on in this Gospel are seven major miracles as well as seven “I AM” statements.

Resource From www.thebrandsunday.com

Traditional Service
Traditional Service will be in the Beasley Center again this Sunday.

Prayer Requests

• Danny Welborn’s funeral will be Tuesday, June 25th, at 2:00 pm at Limestone Chapel. Visitation will be from 1:00 - 2:00pm.
• Whitney Skipworth will be transferring to Shepard Rehabilitation Center in Atlanta. As soon as we get an address and room number, we will let you know so you can send cards of encouragement.
• We received word this morning that Anniston Marsh will be released from Birmingham Children’s Hospital today and headed home. As a side note, Dr. Jordan George, son of Mark George and Julie George, was one of the attending physicians.
• Tom Davis was at church Sunday after his procedure last week.

Missions Updates

• Please remember our Mission emphasis for this month, The Family Resource Center. They look forward to volunteers helping in the office and donating personal toiletries that can be shared. The Center helps families in need with help with utilities, counseling, and job placement.
• Our own Nelson Brown (son of Jason and Gayle Brown) will be serving as an intern this summer with Fatih Ministries in Reynosa, Mexico. Faith Ministries works through mission teams to enhance the lives surrounding Reynosa by working in clinics, building houses, and working with children of the surrounding area.
• Be in prayer for our kids attending Camp Sumatanga from July 7th through the 12th. We have 25 kids attending the camp led by our own Logan Cate.

Facilities Update

• I received information that the air-conditioning system for the sanctuary should be ready in 2-3 weeks. We'll make sure to update you at least each week or earlier as needed.
• We are looking for the elevator repairs to be completed by mid-August.

Speaking Schedule
June
June 30th - Martha Hauer (we will be observing Communion in both services)

July
July 7th - Jack McDaniel
July 14th - Richard Martin Jr.
July 21st - Brandon Starnes
July 28th - Jack McDaniel

August
August 4th - Brandon Starnes (starting a three-week series on The Church)
August 11th - Brandon Starnes
August 18th - Brandon Starnes
August 25th - TBA

To stay updated with upcoming events at the church, click the button below.
click here

Author 
The Gospel of Mark was written by the man himself, Mark
(Latin version) John Mark (Hebrew).

Date 
There is a lot of debate about which Gospel was written first.
Some believe that Matthew and Luke were first, with Mark
pulling his stories from them, while others believe that
Mark wrote first and Matthew and Luke drew from him.
We do not know for sure which one it is.

Audience 
The Gospel of Mark was written to Christians in Rome. If
Mark was written at a later date, we know that there were
thousands of Christians being martyred in Rome at the
time. We also know that the early church met down in the
Catacombs, the graveyard of martyrs. They didn’t do it to
hide, but to remind themselves of the risk they were taking.
That’s where Mark would have read this Gospel to the other
believers. Think about how much more impactful that
would make the story.

Reason 
Mark shows Jesus as a suffering servant in order to encourage
the audience to press on through any form of persecution
that they were dealing with. He shows the power and
actions of Jesus more than the other gospels in order to
prove this servant was truly the King.
Jesus as the suffering servant.

Key Verse
“For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve,
and to give His life as a ransom for many.” (10:45 ESV)


Overview
Mark is a unique book, in that it highlights miracles far more than teachings. He includes
18 miracles in these 16 chapters, with only four parables and one major discourse. Mark does not give any of Christ’s ancestry, since the theme is that Christ is a servant, and people don’t care about a servant’s ancestry. Mark himself was too young to be a disciple,
but he was fascinated with Jesus so he hung around him as much as possible. He was
also hyperactive. The word “immediately” is repeated 41x because he was always on the go
from one place to the next. He couldn’t sit still and wanted to be front and center in all of the action. That’s why the book of Mark focuses so heavily on the actions of Jesus instead of his sermons.

Towards the end of the Gospel, Mark decided to narrow his focus and really display the reason for Christ’s arrival in Jerusalem (and on earth in general). Mark gives us the most in-depth look at the final week in all of the Gospels. Jesus knew what was going to happen, and it wasn’t pretty. His life was to be laid down as an exchange for all of the sins of humanity. He actually became sin so we could be seen as sinless. Every disease, every anger issue, every addiction, every evil desire from the past, present, and future were nailed to the cross so we could be set free. What we struggle with today was already taken care of 2,000 years ago.

If Jesus is your personal Savior, you are FREE.
RIGHT NOW!


Resource From www.thebrandsunday.com

As you read the first chapter of Matthew, you may be tempted to breeze right past it.

What is a Genealogy - This article is about the study of family lineage, history, and bloodline.

Could you take time to look at the image after you read some to give you a roadmap of the family line of Jesus?

Comment below on some key names that stand out to you through Jesus' Genealogy. 

Bible Study Tips

1. Take Notes 

Have a journal or notebook to take some notes as you read. Taking notes can help you remember things you are reading and also allow you to engage with the scripture. Some things to write out key verses that stand out to you, what questions you have about the passage, and how you live it out, and apply the scriptures to your life.

2. Set A Schedule

Our Gospels reading plan helps you with this because it tells you the readings for the day. You can pick a certain time each day to read and protect this time from other distractions. Let the time you pick be set apart, and then plan your day around that time. If you don't plan a time to read, you will more than likely not be consistent.   

3. Get a bird’s-eye view

Who wrote the book?
To whom was it written?
When was it written?
In what literary style was it written?
What are the central themes of the book?

A good study Bible can provide these answers or an online resource like Bible Gateway. I also highly recommend the Bible Project’s “Explore” series, which gives overviews of books of the Bible.

4. Seek love, not knowledge.

It’s easy to read Scripture for the sake of knowledge or to check it off the list. But that’s the lesser option.

“Knowledge puffs up while love builds up” (1 Corinthians 8:1b, NIV).

Instead, look for the love in what you read because God is love. Don’t settle for knowing about him. We want to know him, and that level of knowing comes when God talks with us through what we read.

5. Choose A Version You Understand Of The Bible

Many new believers like to read the New International Version (NIV). The most accurate translations for in-depth study are considered to be the King James Version (KJV), the New King James Version (NKJV) or the English Standard Version (ESV).

There’s no harm reading other versions. In fact, I like to read the same passage in multiple versions to see what wording God may use to speak to me. I especially enjoy the modern wording of The Message (MSG), though I find it most helpful to read alongside other versions for word study. “The goal of The Message is to engage people in the reading process and help them understand what they read. This is not a study Bible, but rather ‘a reading Bible.’” Read more about The Message version here.

6.Explore!

Context - What’s happening in this scenario? Who is the audience? A particular Bible verse may speak to you, but what does that verse mean in the context of the whole passage?
Word meaning. What’s the meaning of the word in the source language?

The Old Testament was written in Hebrew and a few books in Aramaic, and the New Testament was written in Greek. Looking up words in the source language gives a depth of understanding you don’t get when just reading in English. For example, I may read “For God so loved the world” in John 3:16. My mind naturally thinks of “love” as affectionate or romantic, but that’s not what this verse means. In the original Greek, “love” here is agapao, which means goodwill, to be fond of. God’s love for us, which led him to give Jesus for our sins, wasn’t an emotional response. It was prompted by a love of goodwill. If you’re interested in doing word studies, I recommend the free website Blue Letter Bible. Pick the KJV and check the box for “Strong’s,” and you’ll see concordance links next to words. That way, you can easily see their meaning in the original language.

Connections -The next step in how to study the Bible involves looking for connections within the passage and to other passages. How does John 3:16 relate to the rest of the chapter? What other passages speak to the same topic?

For example:
“But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us” (Romans 5:8, NIV).

Application - How does this passage apply to your life? What is God saying to you through it?

Image Overview Of Matthew

This will help you see the layout of the book of Matthew.


What are some things that stand out in the image ? Comment Below  

Matthew 1-3: Jesus as the Messiah and Immanuel (God With Us)

Chapters 1-3 set the stage by attaching Jesus’ story right onto the Old Testament Scriptures. Matthew opens with a genealogy of Jesus that highlights him as the messianic son of David and the son of Abraham who will bring God’s blessing to all of the nations. After that, we come to the famous story about Jesus’ birth and how it fulfilled the Old Testament prophetic promises about how the nations would come to honor the Messiah who was born in Bethlehem. More than that, Jesus’ conception was by the Holy Spirit, and he was named Immanuel, which amounts to a claim that Jesus is no mere human. He is God with us, the God of Israel embodied as a human.

You can see right away two of Matthew’s key themes in the introduction (Jesus is the Messiah and God with us), but Matthew also wants to show how Jesus is like a new Moses. Like Moses, Jesus came up out of Egypt (ch. 2), passed through the waters of baptism (ch.3), entered the wilderness for 40 days (ch. 4) and went up onto a mountain to give new teaching, most of which focused on the Torah (chs. 5-7). Matthew is claiming that Jesus is the promised greater-than-Moses figure, who will deliver Israel from slavery, give them new divine teaching, save them from their sins, and initiate a new covenant relationship between God and his people. This also explains why Matthew structured the center of the book into five main parts that highlight Jesus’ teaching. He created a parallel to the five books of Moses, presenting Jesus as Israel’s new, authoritative teacher who will fulfill the storyline of the Torah.

I am so excited about our Gospels challenge. I will be posting some resources here to help when you are reading the Gospels. Below is a great overview of the gospels you can watch before reading. 

The Gospel of Matthew – AD 50-55
The Gospel of Mark – AD 55-60 or 64-68
The Gospel of Luke – AD 58-62
The Gospel of John – AD 80’s

D I S C I P L E S
The word “disciple” means, “a follower or student of a teacher, leader, or philosopher”
(oxforddictionaries.com). When we talk about the disciples of Jesus, we refer to his twelve
closest friends while on Earth. They were Andrew, Bartholomew, James Son of Zebedee,
James Son of Alphaeus, John, Judas Iscariot, Jude the brother of James, Matthew, Peter,
Philip, Simon the Zealot, and Thomas.

ABOUT MATTHEW

Author - The author of the first Gospel in the New Testament was
Matthew, a disciple and former tax collector.

Date - Matthew wrote his Gospel around AD 50 to 55, most likely
from Antioch.

Audience - The content of Matthew is heavily focused on Jesus being
the Messiah, the King of the Jews, which means his audience
was almost completely Jewish.

Reason - Matthew was written to show the Jewish people that Jesus
was the Messiah they had been waiting for.

Theme - Jesus is the Jewish Messiah, the fulfillment of Old Testament
prophecy.

Overview - The Gospel of Matthew is the first book in the New Testament, which is important because Matthew is a Jew writing to the Jews and he shows them that their Messiah has arrived. It’s a phenomenal book of fulfillment. Since we just spent so much time looking at the Old Testament books, one thing to remember is to put yourself in the shoes of the original reader so that you can better understand what is being taught. In this case, Matthew uses far more Old Testament quotes than the other Gospel writers and doesn’t feel obligated to explain the Jewish lifestyle. The audience would have understood all of it.

Please leave a comment below!