November Newsletter
From the Pastor… November: A Month Full of Opportunities.
Wow! It seems like 2008 has flown bye and if November is like the rest of the year we had better be careful to take advantage of our opportunities before they all slip away. Here are just a few things I would like to call to your attention. Please take the time to read these carefully and mark them on your calendars.
Saturday November 1st: 8am-3pm, The 27th Annual Pleasant Grove Quilter’s Bazaar and Quilt Show. Vendor spaces $10. Donations of any homemade baked goods will be greatly appreciated. Donation tickets of $1 are already available for the quilt that will be given away. Please make plans to be there. There will also be a “freebee” stamping/scrap booking night with Katie Burke for a donation to support the Quilters Bazaar.
Sunday November 2nd: All Saints Sunday. Please provide the names of any persons who have gone on to glory in the past year that you would like remembered in this Service of Word and Table. Please have this information to me by November 1st.
Tuesday November 4th. Don’t forget to vote!
November 16th: Bible Sunday: “The word of God for the people of God”. You might have noticed a few of my favorite Bibles on the Altar Table over the past few weeks. I invite you to bring your Family Bibles to add to this display in the coming weeks. For Bible Sunday, please bring your favorite Bible(s) and a couple of friends for this celebration of God’s gift of Holy Scripture. We will have a time for the blessing of our Bibles and the presentation of new Bibles to any who do not have one. If you know someone who would like a free New Revised Standard Version of the Holy Bible or a Children’s NRSV Bible courtesy of Pleasant Grove, please let me know by November 9th so that we can have them delivered and possibly imprinted. Sooner is better. We are also looking for Sunday School Classes that are interested in sponsoring and participating in this service. There are a few informational pamphlets about the Bible located in the News Rack in the Narthex for you to read and return.
Sunday November 23rd. Christ the King Sunday marks the end of Common Time and is a traditional day for receiving new church members. If you have been feeling God’s call to unite with PGUMC, please consider this Sunday as a great opportunity to do so. Exploring Membership Classes are being offered on Wednesday Evenings (Nov. 5, 12 and 19) at 6 pm with a viewing of the short and amusing film “Clay Ride” on November 5th. All who desire to unite with us on this wonderful day of celebration need to contact John no later than November 16th.
Sunday November 23rd.. Hanging of the Greens. This is the service when we decorated the church for Advent and Christmas. There will be music and singing and lots of fun for all. You are welcome to bring fresh cut greens (holly, ivy, mistletoe and evergreen boughs) and one tree ornament (handmade is preferred). The Hanging of the Greens will begin at 6:30 with light seasonal refreshments to follow (including John’s famous “Hot Apple Cider”).
Sunday November 30th. The First Sunday in Advent and Combined “Camp Meeting” Worship Service. To mark the First Sunday of Advent and the beginning of the Christian New Year we will be hosting Union Springs, Hopewell and Whitesville United Methodist Churches in a huge celebration of witness and service. There will be two special collections on this day in support of missions. The Golden Cross offering will be used to support LaGrange Personal Aid and the Food Closet as well as other local missions and benevolences. The Nothing But Nets offering will support the ongoing joint ministry of The United Methodist Church and the NBA toward the prevention and eradication of Malaria. A $10 donation to Nothing But Nets is sufficient to purchase, deliver and install a mosquito net large enough to protect a family of four!
Following the 11:00 worship service there will be a Fellowship Thanksgiving Dinner in the Fellowship Hall. While details on the meal itself will be forth coming, you are encouraged to bring caned goods and personal hygiene products for needy families. Any offerings collected at this meal will go toward the Golden Cross offering.
Immediately after lunch pleas plan to stay for the “Talent Show: Take Two”! Last time you witnessed breathtaking musical performances, heard profound poetry and sidesplitting humor and of course you saw the better part of a lumberyard dramatically chopped, kicked and smashed to pieces!!! What unique and fascinating displays of talent will we see this time? Only you know, sign-up today. I can tell you that there will be a “free throw” competition that will have the NBA trembling in fright. Any offerings collected at the “Talent Show” will benefit Nothing But Nets.
Other Miscellaneous Opportunities and Desperate Cries for Help!
1. We have a glorious new Advent Wreath and need five families to volunteer to lead the lighting of each of the candles on the Sundays of Advent and Christmas Eve.
2. We need volunteers to serve as liturgist each Sunday in Advent. The Scripture Lessons for each Sunday are already available. This is a great way to get involved in the Worship Service!
3. We need a bold and fearless person to help lead the congregational singing for the months of November and December. It would be great to have a different Worship Leader each week.
4. We need a videographer to record each of the services during Advent and Epiphany. Someone with a digital camera is preferred, as these services will need to be edited on a computer and burned to DVD. John will be selecting the best of these services for submission to the Board of Ordained Ministry for his Full-Connection Interview. If necessary a camera can be provided.
5. Musicians and singers are needed for special music during the Advent/Christmas. I am also interested in forming a “Praise Team” for the purposes of offering a little something extra during this time of celebration and preparation. Some rehearsal time and a deep commitment to bringing an offering of excellence are necessary.
See what I mean, I’m excited already! We need everyone to get involved to make the most of the coming opportunities. Together we can make the month of November and beyond a time to remember. Together we can make PGUMC the beacon it was meant to be.
In Christ,
John