CAST~A~NET JULY 2022 PAGE 7
CAST~A~NET NOVEMBER 2024 PAGE 7
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My Church Story by Ann Wilson
My church background is pretty ecumenical. I was
was dedicated at age 3 at the Baptist church. My
mother took us to church and Sunday School at the
Presbyterian church until I was 8. Unfortunately, she got
tired ot making sure my older brother did his Sunday
School lessons and stopped taking us. I didn't realize
untiol I was grown myself how important it was to get
your children to church! I was sorry not to go as I enjoyed
the Bible stories and being with the other kids. I was a
neighborhood church so I went to school with a lot of
them. That was the end of church attendance for me
until college.
I have always loved to sing, so in junior high I took mixed
chorus, continued through high school, with some voice
lessons in college. It was in college that I had a spiritual
re-awakening. A friend started talking to me about Jesus
and the importance of asking Him into your heart. I began
attending the Evangelical Free Church with my friend and
was baptized in 1975. I joined the choir and sang with
them until 2004.
In 2004 I started moving around California doing various
pharmacy contract jobs until 2009. During this time I
attended Episcopal, Community and Lutheran churches.
When I took a permanent job in San Luis Obispo, I started
looking for a church home. Jerrilyn Trujillo invited me to
attend FUMCAG the summer of 2010. I felt very
welcomed and at home. Jan Moore introduced me to
Julie Burns. Julie graciously asked me to join choir in the
fall of 2010. It was wonderful to be back in choir. To me
it is an honor and a privilege to sing in a real choir with
real musicians.
I became a member under Rev. David Burgeson. The
tenets of the Methodist faith appealed to me-that all were
equal (man, woman, child) in the life of the church.
In 2016, I met and married Jim. We were counseled to
attend a new church that neither of us had been to. We
tried several churches in San Luis Obispo the summer of
2016. Jim was happy at one of them, but I was not. I
returned to FUMCAG for a few years. I really tried to t in
to the church Jim likes, but it just wasn't the church
experience I longed for. I stopped going to church at all,
then COVID put a kibosh on live church. I returned to
FUMCAG the spring of 2023. Unfortunately, I started
having health issues that led to a chemo journey that
began in August of 2023 and is ongoing.
And what a journey it has been! It has rened my faith to
be so utterly dependent on God's grace daily. I am so
grateful during this "giving thanks" time for the FUMCAG
family who have prayed for me faithfully, and given me
hope. My oncologist says it's a gift from God that I am
alive...I like being a mystery that he can't gure out. He
would really like me not to be in public but after having
COVID in August 2024, I told him I was back in choir,
hugging the people and eating the food. Living life to the
fullest. I truly believe Jesus came to give abundant life
however that shows up.
Here's my daily takeaway; Pray for healing, use the brain
the good Lord gave me, and walk on the water with Jesus.
I encourage you to live, and to live your faith!
Serving Him with you in love, Ann Wilson
The Angel Tree
The First United Methodist Church of Arroyo Grande will
have another Angel Tree this upcoming Christmas. The
Department of Social Services contacted us again this
year.
The Angel Tree will be set up on Sat., Nov. 16th in Criswell
Hall. The gift tags will be on the tree on 11/17/24 for
parishioners to pick up a gift tag. I will be picking up
the gifts each week after the church services. You may
also bring your gift(s) to the church oce during the
week after contacting the church secretary.
There are two tags for each gift. The original tag is the
one you take and return attached to your gift that you
purchased. The duplicate tag stays
on the Angel Tree and you are to
write your name on that tag. The
duplicate tag is necessary in case
your original tag is lost, or for
persons who have not turned in
their gift by the deadline date.
The gifts are due no later than
12/18/24 by noon.
Thank you for your continued
support to help the needy children in our county.
Your gifts do make a dierence in these children's lives.
Thank you and God bless you.
~submitted by Jan Treat