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Giving
Stewardship for 2021
The COVID-19 pandemic has wreaked havoc in our
lives and most definitely in our personal economics.
Many have lost loved ones and jobs, while others had to deal
with isolation and depression. In the midst of it all,
the church has continued to be the place of solace and
stability to keep us grounded and to be the witness to
the community of our faith.
Thank you for
being a part of the ongoing ministry of this church.
You are invited to renew your commitment to join us in
2021 by completing the Estimate of Giving
Form (by following this link) as our church family continues its work for
justice and peace in this community.
Thank you
again for your faithfulness in the past and we look forward
to you joining us in the future.
Bible
Study - Via Zoom
THE BIBLE FOR CURIOUS PEOPLE - ON ZOOM
Join us Tuesday mornings at 10:30am on Zoom for
our Advent Study, Almost
Christmas.
Reading
Assignment for Tuesday, December 8th:
Chapter 2 of Almost
Christmas.
Questions
to consider:
—What do you think of the author’s distinction between
“almost hope” and “altogether hope” on p.42?
—Reflect on the questions at the end of Chapter 2 (p. 58)
—Based on the reflection on the hymn, do we need time travel
in order to fully embrace hope?
—What questions does the chapter raise for you?
Due to the pandemic, this class is meeting online through
Zoom on Tuesday mornings at 10:30AM. Please contact Pastor
Dave (pastordave@woodridgeumc.org) to join the conversation. It is a great way to
stay connected and all are welcome.
No prior bible reading or knowledge or expertise needed. No
question is dumb and no one is forced to read the bible in
one particular way. We will all learn as we go along
exploring what the text says, what it leaves unsaid, what
history and tradition tell us about the text, and how our own
experience influences our reading.
WEDNESDAY BIBLE STUDY ON ZOOM
The Wednesday Bible study class is at 6:00
pm. The Advent study is Almost Christmas
(A Wesleyan Advent Experience) by Magrey
deVega, Matt Rawle, April Casperson, Ingrid
McIntyre. If you want to be a part of the Wednesday
class or are having trouble purchasing the book, please
contact Pastor Danita.
Opportunities/Events
Friday Lunch is Back!!!!!
No, we aren't going to meet under the tent but
if you bring your lunch we can eat together on
ZOOM!!!!! Yep, at 12 noon on Friday we will have a ZOOM
FRIDAY LUNCH!! Join us.... Friday, December
4, 11, and 18, 2020. Contact the office
for the link.
Santa
Comes to Woodridge
Santa Comes to Woodridge is sponsored by the
Woodridge Special Events Committee. On Saturday, December
5th from 11:00 am to noon kids can drive by
to see Santa and Mrs. Claus. They will be at St.
Scholastica Church 7800 Janes Avenue. The first 200
kids will receive a free gift bag! View the flier here.
Youth Gift Card Sale is BACK!!
One time only this season. All orders
due in to church office by NOON Friday,
December 11th. Pick Up is 9am-11am Saturday, December
19th AT CHURCH. Get your form here. There will be a few copies in the mailbox
at church, and it is also available on the website home page.
Youth Ministry Fall of 2020
Youth Group Zoom this week, December 6th at
1:30pm.
All 7th-12th grade students are welcome to join
our Youth Group Zoom. Contact Pastor Dave for the Zoom link.
Sunday’s at 1:30pm is the weekly meeting time
with which we are experimenting as we continue to adjust to
life in the midst of the pandemic.
Please Note: Due to the surging COVID cases in
our area and the necessary mitigations, our Sleep out Saturday
event is cancelled.
Sing-Along Messiah
The Hudson Valley Philharmonic Orchestra of New
York, is presenting a Sing-Along "Messiah", on
December 19th, beginning at 2:00, EST. It is free
(there is a link if you choose to make a donation).
Here is the link!
https://www.bardavon.org/show/handels-messiah-a-free-virtual-singalong/
Pull up words, using this link, to participate in the
singing! (If you have the score at home, use
that. This link provides only the words.)
https://www.toledosymphony.com/clientuploads/20192020season/TSOinHD/2020_0412_Messiah_Lyrics.pdf
DuPage
County Continuum of Care
Coronavirus Relief Funds are available to
eligible DuPage County residents to avoid eviction,
foreclosure, or homelessness. Eligible households must
meet income guidelines and demonstrate a housing crisis
resulting from an adverse COVID19 impact. Services offered
may include:
- Rent
- Association Fees
- Security deposit
- Mortgage, where forbearance has ended
Requests
for assistance are being accepted starting Wed., 11/18
through Wed., 11/25 or until maximum capacity has been
reached. Apply online at:
Households
requesting assistance will need to complete a full
application via a network of community agencies to be
considered for assistance.
The
details of the funding is presented in this short power point
presentation. Please review and share with members who are in
contact with people seeking assistance. Thank you. Helping the Homeless and Those
"At Risk"
Funds
are limited so do not delay.
Puzzle Exchange
WUMC has started a PUZZLE EXCHANGE.
Every puzzle deserves a second, third, or even
fourth shot. Let’s share the wealth!
There is a bin on the northwest side of the
building labelled "Puzzle Exchange" by the north
narthex doors for easy exchange anytime you would like.
Bring a puzzle. Take a puzzle. Please make sure
that the bin is closed properly.
Discount on Disposable Face Masks
The General
Council on Finance and Administration has partnered with a
vetted company, On The Go Masks to provide discounts for
churches and the company is extending the discount
to individuals as well. Please see the flyer attached here for more information.
Morning
Prayer with Upper Room
Morning
Prayer with The Upper Room via Facebook
Live,
every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday at 11 a.m. (CT).
These guided prayer experiences are archived so you may join
them at your convenience if you miss it live.
Outreach
Opportunities
DUPAGE PADS
Due to the
continuing pandemic, DuPage Pads will not be using Downers
Grove FUMC or any church to house Pads guests until late
2021. They will continue to hotel guests at the
guidance of the DuPage Health Department for both the Pads
guests and the volunteers’ safety.
DuPage Pads has enough funds to house 70 hotel rooms through
March 31, 2021. Their goal is 115 hotel rooms
(approximately 150 guests) per night. Each hotel room
is approximately $45 a night which requires them to raise
approximately $450,000. Additional federal government
funding is uncertain at the moment.
Cold weather has arrived, and people are still very much in
need. There are several ways you can help:
- Food
and Toiletry Donations: Please consider
donating essential items
using this link using curbside drop off boxes
located in the DuPage PADS parking lot of 703 W. Liberty
Wheaton, IL 60187. Drop off hours are Monday-Friday
8:00am-8:00pm and Saturday-Sunday 8:00am-4:00pm. Please
do not leave donations outside of the scheduled times,
especially food items overnight.
- Monetary
Donations: A special fund has been set up for
this purpose. PADS is working hard to maintain and add
additional housing in hotels for guests, as well as
provide them with food. This requires significant
financial resources to sustain this long term.
Visit the PADS website here and look at the very top for the
link to donate.
- Bring
Food or Monetary Donations to DGFUMC: First United
Methodist in Downers Grove is collecting microwave meals
to bring to PADS guests starting November 5th.
Microwave meals may be brought to the church Monday thru
Friday 10am-1pm and monetary donations can be made on
the church website dgfumc.org using the Giving tab. The
church is located at 1032 Maple Avenue in Downers Grove.
Please
call or email Larry
Cash with questions at
630-808-8713.
December Outreach Offerings:
Save
Abandoned Babies Foundation
The
Save Abandoned Babies Foundation is a not-for-profit
volunteer group dedicated to saving babies from being
abandoned in dumpsters and other unsafe places. Our only
mission is to save the lives of newborns that might otherwise
be abandoned unsafely in Illinois.
Our grassroots effort began in March of 2000 when one of our
members read a newspaper article about a baby found in a
Chicago dumpster. We quickly learned that other states were
addressing this horrible and growing problem with "safe
haven laws."
We went to work, calling on anyone willing to help. The Save
Abandoned Babies volunteers drafted a safe haven law and
lobbied for its passage. The resulting Abandoned Newborn
Infant Protection Act unanimously passed both the Illinois
House and Senate and was signed into Illinois law in August
of 2001.
The Save Abandoned Babies Foundation is now focused on
telling desperate girls and women that this option exists.
Making information about the law available to those who need
it will save innocent new lives.
West Suburban Community Pantry
The West Suburban Community Pantry offers food
for the hungry and resources to empower persons to improve
their quality of life. Our vision is a community
without hunger.
The Pantry operates year-round with a goal that
each eligible family in DuPage County as well as Bolingbrook
& Romeoville receive nutritionally balanced food,
including meats, dairy, and fresh produce monthly. We are
also registered as an emergency food pantry for Illinois.
With the help of volunteers and sponsors, our
vision is to eradicate hunger within the families and
individuals in the DuPage County area. We are dedicated to
providing food for the hungry, educating the donor community
about existing needs, and supporting advocacy efforts for the
hungry. We also work hard to encourage volunteerism and the
sharing of resources.
Retired American Flag Recycling
Woodridge UMC now
has an American flag recycling box thanks to the Eagle
Scout Project of Jack Kulaga. Bring all your old
American flags to church and put them in the box now located
in Bonfal Hall. When the box starts to get full, the
Woodridge VFW Post will be contacted, and they will collect
and decommission the flags.
Northern
Illinois Conference
NIC
Prayer Network
The
Discipleship Task Force invites laity or clergy who enjoy
writing to submit a devotion (250 words), including a
Bible verse and prayer. Share what is on your heart with
the NIC by emailing discipleshiptf@umcnic.org.
Monthly
Aurora District Lay Leader Virtual Meetings
There
will be monthly Aurora District Lay Leader meetings on the
Third Thursday of every month at 7 pm through December. "See" you there! If you are a lay
leader and cannot make a meeting, invite another lay person
from your church to attend. These meetings are not just for
official lay leaders but any lay person who is a leader in a
church! Your Zoom video conferencing invitation will be sent
by Leola Tucker (ltucker@umcnic.org). Contact Leola if you would like to join.
Prayer
Booklet For Times Like These from Our Conference
Don’t worry
about anything? That’s pretty hard to do these days! Yet it
is when we pray that we are able to pour our hearts and minds
out to God. With the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic in March,
the NIC Discipleship Task Force asked clergy and laity to
submit daily prayers, which were shared on the conference
social media sites and website. Those prayers have been
assembled into an online booklet, "Times Like These –
Prayers of the People," for your reflection and
devotion.
Click here to view the booklet online
Click here to download
Learning
with the Northern Illinois Conference
The Northern Illinois Conference (NIC) staff,
with the assistance of the NIC Communications team and the
NIC Office of Congregational Development and
Redevelopment, are producing online learning sessions
via Zoom on Thursdays
at either 10 am or 1 pm with practical
information on how to do a variety of ministries during the
COVID-19 outbreak. There are also archived training sessions
available for viewing such as Intentional Discipleship, How is Your
Soul and financial helps. All of this can
be found here: https://www.umcnic.org/online-learning
Looking Ahead
2020
Meeting Dates
Ad Council
(9:00 am) Finance
(7:00 pm)
December 12th
December 15th
Amazon Smile
Amazon will donate 0.5% of the price of your eligible
purchases to Woodridge United Methodist Church whenever you
shop on
AmazonSmile.
AmazonSmile is the same Amazon you know. Same products, same
prices, same service. Support WUMC by starting your
shopping here.
Ways to Connect
Aurora
District News
To subscribe to the biweekly newsletter for our
district (the Aurora District of the Northern Illinois
Conference), please click here.
Northern
Illinois Conference
Find out
about upcoming events in the Northern
Illinois Conference of the United Methodist Church by
clicking this link
December
4th, 2020, Volume 11, Edition 49
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