At the end of August, our Director of Music Ministries, Patrick, will be concluding his time on staff at Pender. We are deeply grateful for his faithful leadership, musical gifts, and dedicated service to our congregation.
Please join us for a farewell luncheon following worship on Sunday, August 30, as we celebrate Patrick’s ministry, thank him for the many ways he has enriched our worship, and wish him God’s blessings in the next chapter of his journey.
As a token of our appreciation, we are collecting a love offering for Patrick. If you would like to contribute, you may:
Select “Love Offering for Patrick” when giving online, or
Write “Love Offering for Patrick” on the memo line of your check or on your giving envelope.
Please submit all donations by Tuesday, August 25.
Thank you for helping us express our gratitude and appreciation for Patrick’s years of faithful service. We hope you’ll join us on August 30 as we celebrate all he has meant to the Pender family.
Discover a supportive space for new beginnings! Join us every Wednesday at 6:00 PM in the serene ambiance of Pender UMC’s Library. At 5:30 PM there will be a time of casual chat, known as the ‘meeting before the meeting’.
Engage in meaningful conversations and find camaraderie at our AA meetings, guided by the experienced Tom O, a dedicated long-term member. These are open meetings.
OPEN (Open to anyone interested in Alcoholics Anonymous’ program of recovery from alcoholism)
DISCUSSION (Group participation in discussion of topic relevant to the AA program)
Sunday June 7, 2026 Pender’sCombined Ringers played “On Our Way Rejoicing” directed by Brian Stevenson.
The tune – HERMAS – was composed by Frances R. Havergal and arranged by Matthew Compton.
Handbells are not just for children and teens! We have adult handbell groups for beginner to advanced ringers. The difficulty level of handbell music is rated from Level 1 (easy) to Level 6 (most difficult). Each of the groups rings 6-8 times in worship between September and June and participates in the annual Christmas handbell concert.
The groups also like to participate in the various festivals that are held by the regional handbell guild (Handbell Musicians of America – Area 3). Our rehearsals are full of laughing and ringing (sometimes more laughing than ringing!) You do not have to know how to read music to learn how to ring handbells!
Carillon Ringers group is for ringers who ring Level 2 and Level 3 music.
Carillon Ringers rehearse at 6:45 pm Tuesdays.
Joy Ringers group is for advanced ringers who ring Level 4 and Level 5 music
Joy Ringers rehearse at 7:30 pm Tuesdays.
The handbells will play during the Traditional Service about once every four to six weeks. Brian Stevenson will make out the usual schedule when rehearsals resume on September 8th, 2026.
Lenten Hymn and Devotion 5, Beneath the Cross of Jesus
Brian Stevenson, Pender UMC Director of Music, presents a series of hymn-based devotions on Wednesdays during Lent.
The Fifth is Go Dark Gethsemane
“Go to Dark Gethsemane” is a Lenten hymn that spotlights scenes from the last 12 hours of Jesus Christ’s life.
It takes us on a journey from the Garden of Gethsemane where we are charged to stand and watch, to the judgment hall and our denial of him, to the cross where we witness his death and his grace, and finally to his glorious resurrection and our redemption. We become part of the drama of Christ’s passion and resurrection.
The poet repeats the phrase “learn of” at the end of each stanza, charging us to apply each scene to our lives. James Montgomery uses repetition to draw attention to what he considers important about each scene and each stanza.
“Learn of Jesus Christ to pray” encourages us to remember the scene of the garden and to go to God in fervent prayer. “Learn of Christ to bear the cross” is a charge to lay down our lives, take up the cross and follow Christ. “Learn of Jesus Christ to die” is a reminder of what Paul wrote in Galatians 2:20: “I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me.”
Montgomery, considered one of the most important hymn writers of the English language, wrote this beautiful hymn in 1820. He was born on Nov. 4, 1771, in Irvine, Ayrshire, Scotland, the son of Moravian missionary John Montgomery, and died April 30, 1854, in Sheffield, England.
When Montgomery was 5 years old, his parents moved him to a Moravian settlement at Bracehill, Ireland, near Ballymena in Antrim County. Soon after, his parents accepted a call to the mission field and left him behind in Bracehill. He never saw his parents again. They both died while in the Barbados Islands.
At age 7, Montgomery was enrolled at Fulneck Seminary in Yorkshire, where he would remain for the next nine years. Struggling to meet the expectations of his instructors, he left the school at age 16 and became an apprentice at a chandler’s shop in Mirfield.
After five years, he tired of the work and took an apprenticeship with Joseph Gales, the owner and publisher of the Sheffield Register. For two years he learned about the publishing business, and in 1794, when Gales was forced to flee the country to avoid imprisonment, Montgomery took over the Register and changed its name to the Sheffield Iris.
Montgomery published and managed the Sheffield Iris for 32 years. He used the Iris as a tool to distribute the 360 hymns written throughout his life. His most well-known hymns are “Angels, From the Realms of Glory,” “Go to Dark Gethsemane,” “Hail to the Lord’s Anointed,” “Songs of Praise the Angels Sang” and “Stand Up and Bless the Lord.”
Montgomery’s “Go to Dark Gethsemane” is still one of his most widely used hymns, most often sung during Lent or during Holy Week. The first three stanzas are most commonly available in hymnals. The fourth stanza, though often omitted today, has been preserved in The United Methodist Hymnal.
Even though the text is now over 185 years old, it has rarely been altered. Many hymns from this era use language that is no longer common in today’s hymns or speech. Hymnal editors typically remove antiquated language and replace it with modern equivalents, but this hymn has remained essentially intact.
This beautiful somber hymn has stood the test of time. We benefit from the art and poetry of Montgomery still today.
One of the scouts from Pender’s Boy Scout Troop 1530 is currently working toward his Eagle Scout rank—the highest achievement in Scouting.
As part of his Eagle Scout service project, Abraham is collecting new toiletries for Western Fairfax Christian Ministries (WFCM) to help support individuals and families in our local community.
Donations will be accepted at Pender through March 29.
Items needed include:
Shampoo and conditioner
Body wash and soap
Toothpaste and toothbrushes
Deodorant
Lotion
Diapers
Feminine pads
Every item makes a difference and helps care for neighbors in need. Thank you for supporting Abraham’s project and the important work of WFCM!
You can drop off donated items for the Eagle Scout Project in the brown collection box just inside Pender’s front entrance.
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