Posted by sklein    0 Comment(s)    Add a Comment 
Feb 17 2017

We joined FUMCR in January of 2012 and attend worship in the mornings. After having our first child, we started coming to Access because the evening time worked better with our daughter’s naptime. The relaxed style and more intimate services kept us coming back. The sermons always had fresh information or a twist to think about, and specific challenges to act on through the week. The music is always upbeat and refreshing and gets you motivated and excited during the service and sends you out into the week on a good tune. We found our church community in the small group ministry and have revolved our weeks around that as much as possible. The Access community has kept us involved with community projects and plenty of social activities to help grow the community. We’ve been attending access for more than two years now and can’t wait to see what the future holds in the new worship center.

Scott and Shannon Smith, FUMCR Members and ACCESS Attendees

Posted by fcollins    0 Comment(s)    Add a Comment 
Feb 17 2017

Our family began attending Access soon after it first began. We had already fallen in love with FUMCR and liked attending the traditional services.  But, we were curious about the different format and, frankly, the evening time slot was appealing during the summer. We attended Access more often than the morning services that summer, and, more than anything, that had to do with Rich. We really appreciated his academic but approachable teaching of the scriptures and his incredible approach to hands-on community service. We liked his silly sense of humor.  And we really liked that our pastor at our big church knew us by name.

I think that is why we return to Access.  We love going to the traditional service, and we love how comfortable we feel even in a large congregation. We love all of the opportunities that a large church can offer for community and involvement. But on those Sundays when we go to Access, we know that there will be people who call us by name and ask how Wes’s work and our kids are doing. And they trust us to help in their growth and ministry. Being made to feel known and valued is why we will continue to support Access.

Wes & Natalie Hendrix, FUMCR members and ACCESS attendees

Posted by sklein    1 Comment(s)    Add a Comment 
Feb 17 2017

We had been searching for a church in the area and attended the traditional service off-and-on, but we never felt a true connection.  On a whim, we decided to give Access a try and we both came out of the first service blown away.  Our first Access service was interactive, with rotating stations where we engaged in prayer over different topics and provided written responses for questions asked.  On the car ride home, we both agreed that for the first time in our quest to find a church home that we couldn’t wait for the next Sunday to arrive for another trip to Access.  Since that day, we have become members at FUMCR and haven’t looked back.  We love Access and continue to visit for the sense of community, their accepting nature and the real-world applications provided by Rich and Julie.

Cole & Jennifer Reagan, FUMCR Members and ACCESS Attendees