Heart Seeds

A note from the pastor

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We are continuing to journey through Lent.
Some of us may be moving along at a good pace. Others may be zooming along towards the good news of Easter and the warm weather. 
Where ever you are on your Lenten journey, continue to find more opportunities to breathe in more of God. Be thankful for the blessings, even the small ones, in your life. 
“16 Rejoice always, 17 pray continually, 18 give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.” ~1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 NIV

Sunday 3/30
Choir rehearsal begins at 10:10.
Worship begins at 11:00.
    Join us at 10:50 for Joys and Concerns. 
    Join us for a time of fellowship following worship.  

Tuesday, 4/1 
   Round Table at 2:00 as the Wisdom Diner 

Friday 4/4
Picture day for Groveville Day School will be taking place in the fellowship hall from 9 am until Noon. 

Get your Roast Beef Dinner tickets. 
    Checks Payable to Groveville United Methodist Church
    Pay online at Grovevilleumc@gmail.com

Trenton Thunder baseball.

Are you interested in a Saturday night baseball game on July 19th at 6:00pm for Faith and Family night. Please let me know if  you would like to go. A maybe is okay at this point. I need to let Trenton Thunder know if we are interested.



Groveville United Methodist Church

447 Church Street
Groveville, NJ 08620
(609) 585-0404

A Note from Pastor Scott March 14, 2025

As a teenager, I had a T-shirt that read: “Pray Hard.”
The graphic on the t-shirt was an image of someone wearing jeans with the knees ripped and worn in them. 
This image is a reminder that setting aside a dedicated time for prayer is important. While you are able to pray whenever you want. The image of ripped jeans in the knees helps us to remember that scripture calls us to pray continually. 

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Wednesday Lenten Prayer

This week during Wednesday prayer in the sanctuary, I prayed for our church and its connection, dedication and service to the community. I prayed that as we encounter those around us that our hearts and lives, grounded in scripture and filled with God's grace, can ask the question, “How can I/we help?”
I prayed for kindness and humility after the example of Jesus for all of us so that we can be Christ's light to all we meet, including one another.
I prayed for our town and state that we may have resolve in the midst of National and Global challenges and I prayed for unity; unity in our differences of ideas, policies and politics so that we can continue to be the people that God calls us to be. 

I invite you to pray with me on Wednesdays at 9:30 am. Pray where you are. Pray with me in the sanctuary at Groveville UMC. Paul writes in Romans 8:26-27, “In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what to pray for as we ought, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groans too deep for words”.  

 What do I pray for when I don't know what to pray?
-Praise God for Who God Is

-Thank God for What He Has Done
-Pray that You Remember God’s Love and Grace for You
-Pray That You Would Love Your Neighbors
-Talk to God About Someone in Need
-Pray for Someone Who Does Not Yet Know Jesus
-Pray That You Would Love Your Enemies


I look forward to our time together this Sunday as we continue worshipping God together. 

Sunday, March 16 (If you would like to, I invited you to wear something green).
10:10-10:40 Choir Rehearsal
10:50-10:55 Joys and Concerns
10:55-11:00 Prelude
11:00 Worship begins
          Fellowship following worship.

Wednesday, March 19
9:30-9:50 Prayer 
   1. The sanctuary is open 
   2. Pray where you are. 

10:00 Bible Study




Groveville United Methodist Church

447 Church Street
Groveville, NJ 08620
(609) 585-0404

Note from the Pastor

Greetings and welcome to the beginning of Lent!

Lent is a season of forty days, not counting Sundays, which begins on Ash Wednesday and ends on Holy Saturday. Lent comes from the Anglo Saxon word lencten, meaning “lengthen” and refers to the lengthening days of spring. The forty days represents the time Jesus spent in the wilderness, enduring the temptation of Satan and preparing to begin his ministry.
I pray that your journey through lent brings fruit to your life. 
I pray that our journey together through lent brings fruit to the mission and ministry of the church. 

During Lent we will reflect on the question, “Are We There Yet?'  
Each week we will explore scripture and hear a message that will help us to get to the place on our walk with Jesus that God has prepared for us.  
All are welcome.  
Invite someone to join you in worship. 
  • Week 1: Getting Free and Staying Free | Exodus 15:22-27

  • Week 2: It’s Not the Destination, It’s the Journey | Deuteronomy 32:1-10, 44-52

  • Week 3: Who’s Your Hope? | 1 Samuel 8

  • Week 4: No Going Back | Ezra 3:10-13

  • Week 5: The Fake Out | John 2:13-25

  • Week 6 (Palm/Passion Sunday): Staying Power | Luke 19:28-40

  • Holy/Maundy Thursday: Detour Ahead | John 13:1-17, 33-35

  • Easter Sunday: Setting Out Again | Matthew 28:1-10, 16-20

What's happening?

Sunday 3/9 First Sunday in Lent
10:10-10:30  Choir 
10:30-10:50  Arrival and Gathering 
10:50-10:55 Joys and Concerns 
10:55 Prelude begins
     The gift of the prelude allows you to center and prepare your heart for worship. It is a time to prepare to celebrate and give thanks to God for all that God has done for you. We worship God as our way of saying, “Thank you,” to God for the blessings in our lives. The Worship we participate in allows us to fill ourselves for the journey ahead, so that we can “Be a Blessing,” to all we meet along the journey.  
11:00 Worship Begins. Worship is followed by a time of fellowship. 
Outreach Meeting
There will be an outreach meeting during fellowship. Grab something to eat and drink and sit down and discuss ways we reach out and serve those around us. 

Why Fellowship

Fellowship is a way to share life together, support each other, and grow in faith.
It is a way to strengthen the community and reflect the early church's commitment to sharing all things in common.
It is a way to find strength, love, joy, and hope.

3/10 Monday
6:00 pm Christian Women (Fellowship Hall)

3/11 Tuesday
6:45 pm Devotion Life with Jesus: A reflection on discipleship

3/12 Wednesday
10:00-11:30 Bible Study (Fellowship Hall)

3/13 Thursday (Second Thursday each month)
6:30-9:00 Memorial Day Parade Committee (Fellowship Hall)

3/14 Friday
Be a Blessing

3/15 Saturday

Sunday 3/9 Second Sunday in Lent
10:10-10:30  Choir 
10:30-10:50  Arrival and Gathering 
10:50-10:55 Joys and Concerns 
10:55 Prelude begins
11:00 Worship
Be a Blessing,
Reverend Scott Clifton

Groveville United Methodist Church

447 Church Street
Groveville, NJ 08620
(609) 585-0404

Remembering Our Roots – Ray Bell Father’s Day 6/June/2024

Ray Bell Groveville History 2

6/June/2024

FATHER’S DAY

Good Morning. I would like to thank you all for attending the Father’s Day Service. I will start this message off with some information that you may not know about. 


On June 9, 1910, in Spokane, Washington, Father’s Day was proposed by Sonora SmartDobb. Her father, a Civil War veteran, William Jackson,Smart, was a single parent who raised six children. In 1922 Dodd stopped promoting Father’s Day because it faded away. A bill was introduced in Congress in 1933 to make Father’s Day official, but Congress resisted. In 1953 (a woman) Margaret Chase Smith, Senator from Maine, wrote a letter, accusing Congress for ignoring the father‘s for 40 years. In 1966 president Lyndon B. Johnson was the first president to honor the father’s. Six years later, President Richard M. Nixon made Father’s Day permanent as a national holiday on the 3rd Sunday in June. He signed it into law on April 24, 1972. 

I know every child thinks their father was the best. My father Ray M. Bell was born in Wrightsville, PA, outside of Lancaster County on October 11, 1896. Growing up, he went to a trade school in Lancaster to become a bricklayer. After graduating, he came to Yardville to work for a contractor, then drafted in the United States Army. He was a CPL, Company F, 5th Engineers, in World War I. He married R Hazel West. She was raised in Yardville on Church Street and RT 25, now called Route 156. They had five children, four girls and me. Growing up, he taught me how to play ball, the brick laying trade, and later how to be a man and husband. My father was a very kind and caring person. If he knew anyone who needed help, he was always there. One day I asked him why he did those things, and he said as long as he was able, he would help anybody. 

I can remember a widowed mother with five young children who needed a new chimney in North Crosswicks, but had very little money. My father went to her house and built her a new chimney. We had a young married minister here who was always late for meetings. My father asked him why he was late . He said because he had no watch. My father brought him one and he was never late again. He did so many things for people. 

He was also a very good ball player and played with Georgie‘s grandfather George Borden. He was one of the founders of Babe Ruth baseball, a member of Groveville Fire Company, a member of Groveville United Methodist Church, superintendent of Sunday School, member of Masonic Lodge in Bordentown, and many more. I hope someday I will be as good as a father as he was. On June 13, 1972, at the age of 75, he went home to be our Lord. 

Thank you, Dad for being my father and teaching me to do the right things in life. Happy Father’s Day in heaven, and I hope to see you someday. 

Love, your son, Ray. 

I believe we all will see our fathers in heaven someday I’m very thankful for being a father to three children, five grandchildren (one adopted) and a great grandfather to twin boys. That’s four generations. The flowers today are from the men’s club and I will be giving Them to Reverend Scott Clifton Sr. because he and his wife raised three sons and three daughters. Thank you for being our Pastor. In closing, I would like to say we all have the greatest father of them all. He is in Heaven, our Lord.

Thank you, and God Bless all fathers and you.


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