Pastor Danita's Vestment
Many people have asked about the purple vestment
that Pastor Danita wears during the season of
Lent. It was a gift from her friend, Reverend J.
Jeannette Cooper, retired clergywoman in South Carolina,
which Pastor Danita wore as a part of Reverend Cooper's
wedding ceremony. It was handmade in Ghana, Africa
and the symbol on the sleeve Means "believe in
God". There are only 12 of these vestments
which were made exclusively for Reverend Cooper's Sisters in
Spirit (S.O.S.) who served communion at the wedding ceremony.
Memorial Page Added
Please check the church's website to view a new
page in memory of our beloved Jorie Manderfield. Jorie
was such an intricate part of the life of this church, we
thought it only fitting to have a tribute to her life on our
church's website. You can also donate to the memorial
fund set up in Jorie's memory on that same page. The
family will decide at a later date how the funds will be
used.
Do You
Know UMCOR?
UMCOR stands
for United Methodist Committee on Relief and will be the
focal point of a Special Sunday Service in March. When
watching disaster unfold around the globe, many of us feel
the call to help but are at a loss as to what we can actually
do to help. UMCOR Sunday is the day for congregations around
the globe to help.
Your donations to UMCOR on this Special Sunday help:
● Refugees in Clarkston, GA earn a living wage and get job
training.
● Deliver food, water, shelter, and long-term recovery
assistance to help many of the 68.5 million people displaced
by war, persecution, and natural disaster.
● Distribute relief kits to those in need following the U.S.
hurricanes of 2017.
The UMCOR Special Sunday is on March 31st,
and we want to remind you that even though writing a check or
putting cash in the offering doesn’t feel exciting, you
really ARE making a difference.
Your gifts on UMCOR Special Sunday underwrite UMCOR’s “costs
of doing business.” This helps UMCOR keep the promise that
100% of any gift to a specific project will go toward that
mission, not administrative costs. If you want to learn more
about UMCOR visit: www.umcgiving.org/UMCOR
This is such
an important gift and one that we can do together. Let’s make
a difference, together.
Bible
Study - Via Zoom
THE BIBLE FOR
CURIOUS PEOPLE
Join us Tuesday mornings at 10:30am on Zoom as
we explore the Gospel of Mark.
Reading
Assignment for Tuesday, March 23rd
Chapter 15 of the book of Mark, plus any notes
your bible provides.
Questions
to consider:
—“The poor will always be with us.” So, like,
why even bother trying to end poverty?
—Another faithful woman who understands Jesus
when most (all?) of the men don’t. How many such women is
that now in Mark? How did the church go from this to fully
embracing patriarchy?
—What is it, do you think, about this opening
scene that sets off Judas Iscariot?
—Exactly what Jesus meant by calling the bread
and wine his body and blood has been debated for centuries.
What does it mean to you?
—The Judas kiss as always seemed odd. As much
notoriety as Jesus had, those plotting against him can’t pick
him out of a small crowd? What’s that about?
—How do you feel about Peter at the end of this
part of the story?
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
This year our Wednesday Lenten study will be SAVIOR: What
the Bible Says About the Cross by Magrey
Devega. Please join us on Wednesday nights at 6:00 p.m..
The book is available at Cokesbury.com and Amazon in hard
copy or Kindle/e-reader versions. Please join us on
ZOOM for the study.
Employment Opportunity
Small Miracles Preschool Open Director
Position
Woodridge
United Methodist Church's Small Miracles Preschool is seeking
a Preschool Director to start immediately in preparation for
the 2021-2022 school year. The Director is responsible for
maintaining the daily operations of Small Miracles Preschool,
a warm and friendly environment, and a quality
Christian-based, child-centered program. The Director must
meet and maintain the minimum State Licensing Requirements of
Department of Children and Family Services (DCFS) for the
State of Illinois, and lead and support the staff through
teamwork and mutual respect to achieve individual and
classroom goals. The Director reports to the Small Miracles
Preschool Board of Directors with day-to-day accountability
to the Lead Pastor of Woodridge United Methodist Church. You
can find the requirements and how to apply at https://www.woodridgeumc.org/small-miracles-preschool/.
Opportunities/Events
WUMC Eggstravaganza
What’s an
Eggstravaganza?? It’s our inaugural Easter Scavenger Hunt on Sunday, March 21st
at 1:30 - 3:00 pm. In place of our
traditional Easter Egg hunt this year we are happy to be
hosting a scavenger hunt that the whole family can enjoy
together. Search the church grounds for hidden Easter
egg clues! Treat bags will be given out to all children
who participate and light refreshments will be available
maybe there will even be a special guest. Everyone is welcome:
all ages and people from the congregation and community and
friends. Come enjoy the afternoon together and
socialize.
Masks and
social distancing are required. We look forward to
seeing you and having a chance to share in some of the joy of
the season. Please note that in the event of rain we
will postpone the event until Sunday March 28 at the same
time.
Update
on the Manderfields' Meal Train
The
Manderfield family is so grateful for the outpouring of love
and support from everyone. The MealTrain was exactly what
Kathy and Mike needed these past 4 weeks, and that it has
been more helpful than anyone could imagine. They are
in a better place now and able to manage more on their own,
so the MealTrain has been discontinued. Thank you
for your kindness.
Racism
Awareness Zoom Workshop
Free
Woodridge All Community Event
(Given by the Sisters of St. Francis of Mary Immaculate
Anti-Racism Committee (ARC)
Sponsored by St. Scholastica Parish
Supported by Village of Woodridge Mayor, Gina Cunningham)
Saturday,
March 20, 2021 10:00 AM – 12:00 PM
GOAL: To engage residents in nondenominational dialogue and
educational initiatives that result in awareness of racial
and social inequities. See attached flyer for details and how to register.
Youth
Ministry Winter/Spring of 2021
No Youth Group on Zoom today. We hope you’ll
come to the all church Easter Eggstravaganza at 1:30pm at
church instead!
Special Event Sunday, March 21st at 1:30pm:
Easter
Eggstravaganza! An Easter Scavenger Hunt at
church. This just for fun, in-person gathering is for the
whole family. Easter-themed scavenger hunt, candy, donuts —
what more could one want for an outdoor, fun event in 2021??
Masks and social distancing required.
Youth Group on Zoom returns March 28th.
Gift
Cards to Feed People Experiencing Hunger
Thank you for
helping our neighbors in need and our Youth Ministries at the
same time! We expect the gift cards to be at church by the
end of next week. If you ordered gift cards for yourself,
please contact Office Manager Becky Jeske to arrange pick
Thursday or Friday, March 25th or 26th.
Outreach
Opportunities
March
Outreach Offering: UMCOR
The
United Methodist Committee on Relief (UMCOR) is the
humanitarian relief and development arm of The United
Methodist Church, operated under the auspices of the General
Board of Global Ministries.
Vision:
As the humanitarian relief and development arm of The United
Methodist Church, UMCOR strengthens and transforms
people and communities.
Mission:
Compelled by Christ to be a voice of conscience on behalf of
the people called Methodist, UMCOR works globally to
alleviate human suffering and advance hope and healing.
UMCOR’s work can be categorized into three major areas
1) Humanitarian Relief / Disaster Response
2) Sustainable Development
3) Global Health (in collaboration with Global Ministries)
UMCOR’s
MANDATE
The United Methodist Committee on Relief exists to assist
United Methodists and churches to become involved globally in
direct ministry to persons in need through programs of
relief, rehabilitation, and service, including issues of
displaced persons, hunger and poverty, disaster response, and
disaster risk reduction; and to assist organizations,
institutions, and programs related to annual conferences and
other units of The United Methodist Church in their
involvement in direct service to such persons in need.
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.
Northern Illinois Conference
Bishop
John Hopkins Lenten Video
In a
new 6-minute video, Bishop Hopkins greets all NIC churches
while reflecting on the meaning of the Lenten season. Click here to view the
video.
A transcript of the
video is also available.
Get to Know
Interim Bishop John Hopkins
With
the new year, we welcome retired Bishop John L. Hopkins, who
is serving as the interim bishop for the Northern Illinois
Conference through 2021.
Typically we would host a meet-and-greet event or a formal
welcome, but because COVID-19 prevents us from gathering we
are introducing him through a Zoom interview.
Did you know Bishop Hopkins served in campus ministries? NIC
Dir. of Communications Anne Marie Gerhardt "sat
down" with Bishop Hopkins to ask a few questions about
his background and ministry to help all of us get to know him
a little better.
Watch this video.
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 May. "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.
New
District Boundaries Set
The new names
of the districts, which go into effect July 2021, are Lake North, Lake
South, Prairie Central, Prairie North, and Prairie South.
Click here to read the list of churches in each district.
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
March
19th, 2021, Volume 12, Edition 12
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