From:                                         Woodridge United Methodist Church Communications <noreply@elexiochms.com>

Sent:                                           Friday, October 22, 2021 9:26 AM

To:                                               office@woodridgeumc.org

Subject:                                     Happily Ever After?" - Woodridge United Methodist Church Newsletter

Attachments:                          163491275410.24.21_Worship_Guide.pdf

 

            Woodridge United Methodist Church

Join us on Sunday for worship services
at  10:00 am.

Instructions can be found below.
All are Welcome!

 

 

 

WEEKLY NEWSLETTER

 

 

"Happily Ever After?"

To paraphrase a popular story, “How do we solve a problem like Job?”

 

Our brief dive into the story of Job ends this week with a conclusion that is as bewildering as it is fantastical.

 

To attempt to understand the ending, it is helpful to know how the story got there. But Job is a very long book. So, to recap the story thus far (think something akin to Cliffs Notes here), the Revised Common Lectionary distills it like this:

How it started

How it’s going

How it escalated (aka, Job gets bigfooted)

 

So what do we do with this dense, immense, mysterious, delirious story? We acknowledge our limitations. We enjoy it. We let it challenge us. And perhaps we even find solace in the denouement. But only if we eschew the easiest of answers. Do all that and what might we find?

 

Pastor Dave will wrestle with all of that this Sunday, October 24th, in his sermon, “Happily Ever After?”

 

Worship with Woodridge UMC Sunday at 10:00 a.m. in person or online via our Woodridge UMC YouTube channel.

 

Woodridge UMC is an open and loving United Methodist community striving to:       

Welcoming to all;
Uniting in service toward greater social justice for all;
Moving forward with understanding and acceptance of all peoples;
Creating disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world.       

Our purpose is to offer a safe place and community to all races, cultures, religions, genders, sexual identities, ethnicities, age groups and other beliefs.      

 

 

UPCOMING EVENTS

 

Sunday, October 24th

  • 10:00 am Worship Service
  • 11:00 am Harvest Fest
  • Noon Communion (online)
  • 4:00 pm Filipino Baptist

Monday,  October 25th

  • 7:00 pm Den 2

Tuesday, October 26th

  • 10:30 am Bible Study (online)

Wednesday, October 27th

  • 6:00 pm Bible Study (Online & In Person)
  • 7:00 pm Boy Scouts

Thursday, October 28th

  • 7:00 pm Den 4

Sunday, October 31st

  • 10:00 am Worship Service
  • 11:00 am Confirmation/Youth Group
  • 11:00 am Dedication of Jorie's Corner
  • Noon Communion (online)
  • 4:00 pm Filipino Baptist

 

 

 

Worship Services

In Person

We miss you and want to see more of you for worship in person Sundays at 10:00 a.m.! No registration needed, just walk in the door! As a way to keep the most vulnerable among us safer, we request you continue to wear a mask while in the building. Here are our updated safety guidelines: 

  • Please conduct a wellness check before your arrival.  If you are not feeling well, please stay home.
  • The Sunday morning worship service will continue to be recorded “live” for YouTube.  In preparation for the service, there will be sound, voice and light checks.
  • Masks/face coverings are required in the building.
  • Please no food or drinks in the building.
  • Socially distanced seating is available on the north side of the sanctuary.

Online

Where to find the YouTube Live Stream

The worship service is live-streamed every Sunday at 10:00 a.m. on our Woodridge UMC YouTube Channel. All available worship service recordings are on our channel too.

 

NEW PASSING THE PEACE RITUALS

We recently implemented new ways to share the peace of Christ and have some fun doing so. Now that you’ve been through the full cycle, how was your experience of this? What ideas has it inspired in you that we could try? Let Pastor Dave know (pastordave@woodridgeumc.org)!

As a reminder, this is the current Passing the Peace schedule:

•   First Sunday fans

•   Second Sunday sign language 

•   Third wave movement Sunday

•   Fourth Sunday fist bumps

•   Fifth Sunday mystery


For ease of access, you can now the weekly worship guide attached to this email. 
 

OFFERING OPTIONS

There are different options for getting your offering to the church.

  • Go to the website & click on the Giving tab at the top of the page or go straight there with this link.
  • Text 630.449.7121 with the amount
  • Drop off in the gold mail slot next to the east door of the church.
  • Mail your offering to the church.

 

WORSHIP ATTENDANCE

If you watch the online service, please email the church office at office@woodridgeumc.org and let us know that you joined us for worship, so that we might record your attendance.

 

PRAYER REQUESTS FOR WORSHIP

If you want a prayer request shared during worship, please email the Pastor Danita at pastordanita@woodridgeumc.org by 8:00 am on Sundays.

 

CHURCH OFFICE HOURS

Church Office Hours:   Monday & Tuesday 9:00 a.m. - Noon

                                        Wednesday – Friday 9:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m.

We ask that you call before visiting.

 

 

 

Opportunities/Events 

An October to Remember and Celebrate:
CHURCH ANNIVERSARY
THANK YOU! to all our tour guides and to all of you who took the tour. What did see or hear or learn that was new to you?
 
HARVEST FEST — TODAY! SUNDAY, OCTOBER 24TH, 11:00AM
Carve pumpkins! Eat pizza! All kinds of fun under the tent! This long-running, annual event for all ages returns Sunday, October 24th, after the worship service. We provide one pumpkin per family; you provide pumpkin carving tools. It will be a glorious mess of a good time!
 
ALL SAINT’S DAY — SUNDAY, OCTOBER 31ST, 10:00AM
This is a time during the worship service when we recognize and celebrate the loved ones of this congregation who have died this past year and how their lives have impacted ours. Immediately following the worship service this year, we will go to the Trinity Room to share in a dedication prayer for Jorie's Corner where a more child-friendly space has been created in Jorie's memory.



The Bible for Curious People
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, October 26th:
Chapter 12-13 of Romans, plus any notes your bible provides.
 
Questions to consider:

—We’ve likely heard the opening of chapter 12 many times. What might it mean to read those verses as not talking about individuals but groups of people?

—“Overpower evil with good,” Paul says. Does that ever actually work here in the real world?

—Some Christians love to quote chapter 13 at people who critique political leaders. How do we apply the wisdom tradition to this section?

—Why, do you suppose, we moderns have been so quick to dismiss all the biblical warnings against financial debt and usury?

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.  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 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.  
 
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.


Save the Date!
Save Date!!!!
You are invited to join Pastor Danita for her Birthday Party and Lunch as she celebrates another milestone birthday on Sunday, November 7th immediately following worship in Bonfal Hall.  THERE WILL BE CAKE!! And other birthday fun for all ages! NO GIFTS PLEASE!!

 

Youth Gift Card Sale is BACK!!

Support WUMC Youth with gift card orders with three opportunities to participate. Orders forms are due THIS Sunday, October 24th and will be available for pick-up NEXT Sunday, October 31st. A percentage of all sales goes to Youth Ministries. Please remember to keep the  WUMC Family Crisis Fund in mind. Gift cards are incredibly helpful for those in the community who need financial assistance. Get your form here or in the narthex.

Future Dates:  
Order by 11/20 - Delivered 11/28
Order by 12/12 - Delivered 12/19

 

Lighting of the Church: December 12th at 4:45pm
Volunteers Needed for Outdoor Decorating:
‘Tis the season! The holidays will be here soon so we need volunteers to help with outdoor Christmas decorating for the Lighting of the Church before it gets too cold.

All ages and skill levels are welcome and work as long as you are able!

When:  Saturday November 13th
Time:  11am to 3pm or until work is completed

Please contact Larry Cash at
CashL@mscdirect.com or 630-808-8713 with questions or to RSVP. Your help is appreciated!


Youth Ministry 2021-2022

Youth Ministries at WUMC in October & beyond:

THIS Sunday, October 24th: Harvest Fest at 11:00am No separate Confirmation Class or High School Youth Group today. We encourage you to enjoy the all-church Harvest Fest. Maybe even carve a pumpkin together!

Order forms for our gift card fundraiser are due TODAY, Sunday, October 24th, and will be available for pick-up October 31st. A percentage of all sales goes to Youth Ministries.

 

November-December Upper Rooms

Are now available in the Narthex with a few copies available in the mailbox by the east door.
 

Upcoming Dates to Remember

Sunday, November 7 – Birthday Lunch for Pastor Danita
Sunday, November 21 – Birthday Celebration for Pastor Dave
Sunday, November 28 – 1st Sunday in Advent/Hanging of the Greens
 
Sunday, December 12th - 2nd Annual Light Up the Night Event
Friday, December 24 – Christmas Eve Worship Services at 5:00 and 11:00 pm



Outreach Opportunities

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

 


Ongoing 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).

 

October Outreach Offering

West Suburban PADS


The mission of West Suburban PADS is to transition people from housing crisis to housing stability. West Suburban PADS is the primary provider of service-supported housing in west DuPage County. The PADS Emergency Shelter is at the foundation of our solution to homelessness, which spans six program areas (including housing, prevention, out-reach, employment, & supportive services). The PADS Emergency Shelter provided overnight shelter to over 1200 homeless men, women and families last year. The shelter operates through broad ecumenical support from the community, involving more than 1,000 volunteers and 40 support congregations at 10 rotating sites.
Our congregation supplies meals and over 30 volunteers to operate the shelter at First UMC in Downers Grove and have been for many, many years. This is probably our congregation’s most important mission.

 

 

Northern Illinois Conference 
Save the Date: All-Conference Worship Service
The Northern Illinois Conference will be having an All-Conference Worship Service - Sunday, November 14th at 3:30 pm at Our Saviour's UMC in Schaumburg. Guest preacher will be Rev. Olu Brown, Senior Pastor Impact Church in Atlanta, GA with the theme "Tending to the Harvest." Livestream will be available. More details coming soon.


Discussion Series
Discussion Series Explores What it Means to be United Methodist - (Oct. 5 - Dec. 21) “Tuesdays at the Table: Should I stay? Or should I go?” is a new discussion series for United Methodists, presented by the Connectional Table (CT) in cooperation with general agencies and contributors. Weekly segments will explore topics aimed at helping viewers better understand their faith, their church and themselves. The sessions will premiere every Tuesday at 10:00 am CT on Facebook, and will also be available for later viewing at UMC.org/ComeToTheTable and the UMC YouTube channel. For details, click here.



Prairie Central Lay Academy
The Prairie Central District is having a Lay Academy - POSTPONED UNTIL JANUARY.


Online Lay Servant Ministries Course
Online Lay Servant Ministries course: Rediscovering Our Spiritual Gifts - (Oct. 4 - 15) Cost $75. Participants will interact via online discussions, journals, and videos throughout the two weeks. Participants are also expected to read the Discipleship Resources book, "Each One a Minister," by William J. Carter, and "Spirit Gifts," by Patricia Brown. Click here to register.


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 shopping
here.  


Ways to Connect

Northern Illinois Conference
Find out about upcoming events in the Northern Illinois Conference of the United Methodist Church by clicking this link  

      
October 22nd, 2021, Volume 12, Edition 43

 

 

 

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