Opportunities/Events
The Bible for Curious People Returns Tuesday,
September 14th
This study is
open to all and meets Tuesday mornings at 10:30am. We meet in
person the first Tuesday of the month, on Zoom the other
Tuesdays.
Reading
Assignment for Tuesday, September 21st:
Chapter 2-3 of Romans, plus any notes your bible provides.
Questions
to consider:
— In The
Message version, Paul writes, “You can get by
with almost anything if you front it with eloquent talk about
God and his law.” In what ways have you experienced this?
— Summarize Paul’s argument these first three
chapters.
— According to Paul, how is it that God can be
God of both Jews and gentiles?
Please
contact Pastor Dave (pastordave@woodridgeumc.org) for the Zoom link.
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
This fall, we
have our Wednesday Bible study (obviously on Wednesday) from
6:00 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. that began on Wednesday,
September 15th. We will meet in person
(those who wish to) as well as via ZOOM (for those not able
to be in person).
Our study guide for this fall is entitled "We Are the
Church....Let's Act Like It" by Linda Tower
Pevey. It is a study on the Book of Acts and will last
through the end of October. The book is available on
Amazon with paperback and kindle editions. Please be
sure to have your copy by our first meeting.
FOR THOSE JOINING IN PERSON: Our class will meet in the
narthex (right outside of the sanctuary). Please
continue to wear your mask while we are inside of the
building. Also, please park and enter at that end of
the building.
FOR THOSE JOINING VIA ZOOM: You will be connected and
able to verbally participate as in a regular ZOOM call.
Contact Pastor Danita or the church office for the link.
Back to School Spectacular
THANK YOU to all who helped make last week’s Back to School Spectacular so
much fun! THANK
YOU also to Doggie Diner who donated some of
the food for our celebration. So we hope you’ll support their
restaurant — and when you go there, be sure to thank them for
donating to our picnic!
Crop Walk Returns Sunday, October 17th
Arrive at Gloria Dei Lutheran Church in Downers
Gove at 1:30pm.
Step off at 2:00pm; done by 4:00pm.
CROP Hunger Walks are community-based walk
events held in cities and towns across the United States,
raising funds to support Church World Service and local
hunger fighting efforts.
Contact Pastor Dave to register (pastordave@woodridgeumc.org).
Crop Walk Panera Fundraiser
On Wednesday,
October 6th from 4:00 – 8:00 pm,
he Panera (160 Odgen Ave.) in Downer Grove is having a
fundraiser for Crop Walk. A percentage of all purchases
will go to Crop Walk if you bring the flyer here. If you order online, enter PRFUND
at checkout.
Confirmation
Returns This Fall
If you, a family member, or a friend are in 7th,
8th, or 9th grade for school year 2021-22, Confirmation is
for you.
Working title for this year: “Confirmation:
Questioning Faith.” Confirmation at Woodridge UMC is not an
attempt at indoctrination, but rather an exploration of the
questions participants bring regarding life, faith, God, the
church, and more. Big questions such as:
What even is faith?
Where is God in the midst of suffering?
What does it mean to be a person of faith in the
real world of 2021?
Classes begin TODAY, Sunday, September 19th at
11:00am in the Youth Room. Please contact Pastor Dave (pastordave@woodridgeumc.org) to register and/or for more information. Or
simply meet us in the Youth Room today at 11:00am (aka after
the worship service).
Communion
On the 1st Sunday in
October we will have in-person
communion outside under the tent
following the morning worship service. We will then resume communion
on ZOOM for the remaining Sundays
in September and October.
Youth
Ministry 2021-2022
Youth Ministries at WUMC in September &
beyond:
TODAY, Sunday, September 19th at 11:00am Confirmation Class returns. Meet in the Youth
Room after the worship service.
If you or a family member or a friend are in
7th, 8th, or 9th grade for school year 2021-22, Confirmation
is for you.
Please contact Pastor Dave (pastordave@woodridgeumc.org) to register and/or for more information.
Also returning TODAY Sunday, September
19th at 11:00am: High School Youth Group!
Faith exploration geared for sophomores through seniors. No
question is out of bounds. Meet in Youth Room after the
worship service.
Outreach
Opportunities
Offering of Letters
One of our responses to our “Jesus Said What?!”
sermon series is to embody our faith in an Offering of Letters
to Congress advocating for policies that will help end hunger
locally and globally.
THANK
YOU to all who wrote letters — both in person and online.
If you used the online option to email Congress,
be sure to let Pastor Dave know (pastordave@woodridgeumc.org) so we can count your letters in our total.
DuPage
Pads: Did You Know?
DuPagePads operates a Street Outreach call line
for anyone who observes someone unsheltered or in need
of services. Please notify our Street Outreach team at
630-682-3846, option 2, or email streetoutreach@dupagepads.org with the following information:
Your name and contact information (for
possible follow-up)
- Individual’s/Family’s Name (if
known)
- Location (last seen)
- General Description
Midwest
Mission Assistance for Disaster Relief and Afghan
Refugees
From flooding
in Michigan in the North to the wildfires in the West, now
the hurricane devastation in Louisiana and flooding in
Tennessee, we have exhausted our cleaning kit inventory. We
need your help!
To donate text MMDC to 91999, mail in a check or collect
supplies and take to your nearest collection site.
We have an immediate need so we can continue to help those in
disaster situations and assist the Afghan refugees that are
being placed.
September Focus: Cleaning Supplies
We are in urgent need of :
- Liquid Dish Soap 14-32 oz
- Liquid Household Cleaner 16-40 oz
- Liquid Laundry Soap 32-64 oz
- Diapers (for adults & children)
- Monetary Donations to buy kit items in bulk
Please visit our website to see a full list of Midwest Mission supply
needs.
Hurricane
Ida Damage Includes UM Churches
Category 4
Hurricane Ida delivering 150mph winds caused widespread
damage in southeast Louisiana, including to several United
Methodist churches and parsonages. Much of Louisiana remains
without power or cellphone service. Read more.
The United
Methodist Committee on Relief (UMCOR) has already awarded a
grant to the Louisiana Conference to support relief efforts
and remains in prayer for the many communities impacted by
this major storm.
How
to Help
To read the rest
of the article from the Northern Illinois Conference click here.
As we begin to gather together for worship and
slowly open our building, there are some ongoing
opportunities that we want to "revive". We
will get more details from our Outreach Committee at a later
time about these and other opportunities.
Suits for Success
There are donation boxes in the hallway by the
coat rack just outside the narthex for both men and women's
clothing. The clothes are picked up, dry cleaned and
then taken to area men and women's prisons for people being
released. NO belts, shoes, underwear or ties.
"Goin'
Green" Shoes & Clothes Recycling Box
Located in the northeast corner of our parking lot,
this receptacle is a convenient place to recycle any shoes
and your clothes that are at or near the end of their
usefulness.
Did you know discarded clothes account for more
total landfill space than any other waste item? The “Goin’
Green” Box helps us reduce our waste.
How is this different from our “Suits for
Success” ministry?
The big difference is that “Suits for Success”
cannot accept shoes of any kind, nor can they accept belts,
ties, or underwear. “Goin’ Green” accepts all shoes and
clothes.
In summary: Keep bringing your gently used clothing
donations to the “Suits for Success” collection boxes in the
hallway.
For all shoes and any other clothes, instead of
throwing them in the trash, put them in the “Goin’ Green” receptacle
in the northeast corner of the parking lot.
West Suburban Food Pantry
We have a basket that we "inherited"
from the Faith, Lisle church that is waiting for
donations. It sits in the narthex, usually near the
sanctuary doors. They did not stop operating during the
pandemic and there is pending legislation in our state and
nation that might cut their corporate donations in large
amounts. Let's replenish our basket!!!
Used Eyeglasses
There is a
basket also in the narthex for collecting used
eyeglasses. Jorie would see that her sister, Kendra,
got the eyeglasses and that they are recycled to the Lions
Club and Gift of Sight groups. Kendra is continuing
this important mission. (Prescription eyeglasses only).
September Outreach Offering
Ministerial
Education Fund
Another one of the 7 General Apportionment Funds
that would have previously been funded through the churches
general apportionments payments, the Ministerial Education
Fund provides funds for recruitment of clergy candidates and
provides financial support for 13 United Methodist seminaries
including Garrett-Evangelical Theological Seminary in
Evanston and Pastor Danita’s alma mater, Gammon Seminary.
Africa University
Africa University, located in Zimbabwe, is the
first fully accredited United Methodist-related institution
on the African continent. The University promotes
independence and empowerment through a diverse student body
from across the continent.
Northern Illinois Conference
Prairie
Central District
The new names
of the districts, which went into effect July 2021, are Lake North, Lake
South, Prairie Central, Prairie North, and Prairie South. We
will be in the Prairie Central district. Click here to read the list of churches in each district. Find the new
district webpage here.
Prairie
Central Monthly Lay Meetings
Please join
our District Superintendent, Jeffrey Bross and
your lay colleagues in the PCD every SECOND
Thursday of the month beginning on September 9
and ending on May
12 at 7pm. We will share news, have
some prayer and devotion, hear the call story of a colleague
and laugh with your friends. We try to keep it to an
hour but if something is really important and we need some extra
time, we can do so. This is a no-stress way to stay
connected and get lifted up and know you are not alone.
Please note that ALL lay persons who are in
leadership at their churches are invited. This is not just
for designated "lay leaders" but anyone who
has an interest in the church and gathering with
other lay persons.
Hope to see you there. Contact the church office for
the link.
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
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Ways to Connect
September
17th, 2021, Volume 12, Edition 38
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