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Opportunities/Events
Sunday, Feb. 21st: Confirmation and High School Youth
Group are back in person at 11:00AM in the Youth Room! All
ages are together as we continue to plan for Ash Wednesday
worship.
Unless something drastically changes, we will be
in person at 11:00AM for all of February (and beyond!).
Looking ahead:
Wednesday, March 2nd, 7:00PM: Confirmation Class and High School Youth Group
leads Ash Wednesday worship for the whole congregation.
The Bible for Curious People
This study is
open to all and meets Tuesday mornings at 10:30am. For now we
are meeting on Zoom only. During February we are diving into
the oft-ignored little book of Song of Songs (aka Song of
Solomon).
Reading
Assignment for Tuesday, February 22nd:
Song of Songs
chapters 7 & 8, plus any notes your bible provides.
Questions
to consider:
· Do you get any sense in these chapters
that our two protagonists share a forbidden love? That they
are not supposed to be together? Why or why not?
· Chapter 8 marks the third time we read
“don’t excite your love until it is ready.” Why the
repetition and what do you think that warning means?
· Does the climax of this poem satisfy you?
Would you change it if you could?
Looking
Ahead:
Tuesday,
March 1st: No class
Tuesday,
March 8th: Lent study begins, “Faithful Lent: Connecting
the Practices of Lent & Anti-Racism.” All materials will
be provided.
Wednesday
Bible Study
Our Wednesday
Bible study meets from 6:00
p.m. to 7:30 p.m. We are taking a few weeks
off until the beginning of Lent and the Lenten Study.
If you are interested in joining the Wednesday class, please
contact Pastor Danita or the church office.
LENTEN STUDY
For the season of Lent this year, our Tuesday
and Wednesday Bible study classes will be utilizing a
resources from our General Commission on Religion and Race of
the United Methodist Church entitled "Faithful
Lent: Connecting the Practices of Lent and
Anti-Racism". This is an opportunity for our
church to see "how the faith traditions of Lent bring
justice and anti-racism to life". The
participant's guide will be made available on Ash Wednesday.
If you are interested in participating, please contact the
church office or one of the pastors with your name and email
address. Classes will meet as follows:
TUESDAY with Pastor Dave beginning March 8 at 10:30 a.m. to noon. Some classes will be in
person and some via ZOOM.
WEDNESDAY with Pastor Danita beginning March 9 at 6:00 p.m. to 7:30 p.m.. This class
will be hybrid -- in person and via ZOOM
simultaneously.
We are looking forward to some interesting and
engaging conversation.
WUMC Music Ensembles Upcoming Dates
As we look ahead to Lent, Easter, and beyond, we
would like to incorporate some of our music ensembles into
our services. In our continuing efforts to be mindful of
people’s health and safety, we are delaying the return of the
Chancel Choir. The handbells successfully played at a service
in December, so we are planning to have them play again on
Easter Sunday. Since the Praise Band has only two singers, we
will plan to have them play at a few services, as well.
Due to a limited amount of rehearsal time, we are asking that
participants commit to all
rehearsals prior to playing at a given service. If one
“cycle” does not fit your schedule, please consider joining
in a different “cycle.” In order to plan ahead, please notify
Carrie Marcotte by the deadlines below to confirm your
participation for each cycle.
Her email address is: carriemarcotte.chorus@gmail.com
Please list “Praise Band”
or “Bell
Choir” in the subject line of your email.
Here is the schedule for rehearsals and services:
Praise
Band: Please
RSVP
by Feb. 20
Mandatory rehearsals (11:30 am-12:30 pm) after the Sunday
services on
March 6
March 13
Play at the 10 am service on Mar. 20
Bell
Choir: Please
RSVP
by March 6
Mandatory rehearsals (11:30 am-1 pm) after the Sunday
services on
March
20
April 3
March
27
April 10
Play at the Easter Sunday service on Apr 17.
Praise
Band: Please
RSVP
by April 10
Mandatory rehearsals (11:30 am-12:30 pm) after the Sunday
services on
April 24
May 1
Play at the service on May
8 (Mother’s Day).
If you have further questions or need clarification, please
reach out to Carrie at the email address above. Carrie thanks
you, all, and is looking forward to making music with you.
Upper Rooms for March-April are now available in
the narthex with a limited number in the mailbox.
Billy
Elton Concert
Billy
Elton is a band that celebrates the music of Billy Joel and
Elton John, and features our very own Reid Spears on piano
and lead vocals. Every other year since 2008, they have
performed a benefit concert at the Neuqua Valley Auditorium
that raises money to support the memorial funds of three
fondly remembered Neuqua Valley teachers who have passed
away. To date, they have raised over $20,000. The
next benefit concert is coming up on Friday, March 18 at 7:30
p.m. Tickets are only $10 each in advance, or $15 at
the door. They can be purchased online here, or you can get them directly from Reid
at church. If you'd like to learn a little more about
the band (and even see some video footage), visit their
website at Billy-Elton.com. Come on out for a fun night
of music and help a great cause! For anybody who chose
not to obtain a refund from the canceled event in 2020 and
are still holding those tickets, they will be honored at the
door.
Outreach
Opportunities
Neighbors Helping Neighbors
As you have probably heard from neighbors and
news media sources, the tenants of Woodridge Country Club
Condos have had to vacate their homes because of extensive
building repairs. Mayor Cunningham and her offices have
been working diligently to relocate these families. However,
there are some very serious needs for the families in their
temporary spaces at nearby hotels. The immediate needs are as
follows:
1.) Cases of water;
2.) Personal care toiletries (such as full
sized body wash, shampoo and conditioners, lotions, etc.);
3.) Children's activities/games, hot
cocoa, snacks, family-sized cereal;
4.) Monetary donations (addressed to
Woodridge Neighbors Helping Neighbors).
Please feel free to assist where you can.
We will coordinate our efforts through the Outreach Committee
and make a more concerted, church-wide effort in
January. However, you are invited to respond more
immediately if you so desire. Please watch our E-news
for updates and details in the coming weeks.
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).
February Outreach Offering
Black College
Fund
Between 1866 and 1882, following the Civil War,
the former Methodist Episcopal Church organized the
Freedmen’s Aid Society to help educate black people newly
freed from slavery. Between 1866 and 1882, the society
established more than 70 schools in the U.S. South and
Southwest.
In 1972, The United Methodist Church established the Black
College Fund to provide a constant reliable way to support
United Methodist-related historically Black colleges. Today
we support more historically Black colleges and universities
than any other religious denomination.
One of the 7 General Apportionment Funds that would have
previously been funded through the churches general
apportionments payments, this fund supports the programs
and ministries of 11 historically black colleges and
universities, including one medical school. These gifts
reflect the value our Church has on education, especially
those who have been historically excluded.
The Black College Fund is raising up the leaders who are
impacting lives and shaping communities.
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 District Lay Academy
Five Sundays
in Lent: March 6, 13, 20 & 27 and April 3
at First UMC in Lombard
Cost $40
Register by February 28
Courses include:
- Intro to Lay Ministry: The BASIC Course
- United Methodist Heritage
- Planning Worship
- Opening Ourselves to Grace
Prairie
Central Monthly Lay Meetings
Please join
the district superintendent and your lay colleagues in the
PCD every SECOND Thursday of the month beginning on January
13th 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. So, please
share this with anyone in your church who is a lay
"leader" and might like to join us on Zoom.
Call 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
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AmazonSmile.
AmazonSmile is the same Amazon you know. Same products, same
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Ways to
Connect
February
18, 2022, Volume 12, Edition 7
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