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Opportunities/Events
Flower Cross
For the last
few years, we have had a large cross covered in flowers on
the parkway facing 75th Street to remind passersby the JESUS
IS ALIVE! Please drop off a bouquet of flowers (or two)
to be used in assembling the Flower Cross. There will
be a bucket with some water in it just inside of the narthex
doors on the south side of the building starting Friday,
April 15th. Please have them at the
church before
3:00 pm on Saturday, April 16th.
Also, volunteers are needed to help cut the flowers
Saturday (come and go as necessary) to prepare them for
the cross and/or assemble the cross Easter Sunday at
7:30 am. The cross is a beautiful work of art
that needs many hands.
A Few
Words About Holy Week
As you may
know, Holy Week begins on Palm Sunday with the entrance of
Jesus into Jerusalem amidst a cheering crowd waving palm
branches. To say the least, it is an emotionally
charged week. This year, we want to share a few words
about our remembrances for the week. We encourage you
to be with us as we "walk with Jesus" during the
last week of His life. Please note that events are held
in different parts of the building on some days.
GOOD
FRIDAY -- Tenebrae (extinguishing the
lights) at 7:00 p.m. in the sanctuary -- the
service ends in darkness and SILENCE! We remember the
darkness that covered the earth on the day of the crucifixion
of Jesus.
HOLY
SATURDAY -- 5:00 p.m. in Bonfal Hall.
We will observe a somber time of prayer as we remember the
time between the crucifixion of Jesus and His resurrection,
sometimes referred to as the Easter Vigil. We will end
this service with a processional to the sanctuary with the
Christ candle covered in black.
Youth
Ministry 2021-2022
TODAY, Sunday, April 17th: No Confirmation or HS Youth Group. Enjoy
Easter with your family!
Looking Ahead:
Sunday
April 24th: Confirmation and HS Youth Group continue their
exploration of the Timeline of Faith Heritage in the style of
TV game shows.
Saturday,
May 7th: Confirmation Retreat (date likely but not
finalized).
Sunday,
June 5th: Confirmation Sunday! This will be built into
the regular 10AM worship service.
The
Bible for Curious People
This study is
open to all and meets Tuesday mornings at 10:30am. This
class will be on Zoom only. Please contact Pastor Dave (pastordave@woodridgeumc.org) for the Zoom link.
This week, Tuesday, April
19th: our Lent study, “Faithful Lent:
Connecting the Practices of Lent & Anti-Racism,”
continues with Chapter 5 “Giving Alms” and pondering the
question: How
should we respond to those opposed to our purpose?
Wednesday
Bible Study
Our Wednesday
Bible study meets from 6:00
p.m. to 7:30 p.m. We are taking a short
break. If you are interested in joining the
Wednesday class when we resume, please contact Pastor Danita
or the church office.
Radical Hospitality Volunteers
We are in
need of volunteers to practice our church's radical
hospitality and make the family and friends of our sisters
and brother in Christ feel welcome. We are in need of your
smiling face and cheerful spirit for the following Memorial
Services:
Saturday, April 23rd: we will be celebrating the life of founding
member Mildred Gulbrandson;
Saturday, April 30th: we will be celebrating the life of Lisle
Faith UMC's Glenn Wiley;
Friday, June 17th: we will be celebrating the life of Florence
Wentworth. (A meal will also be included with this
serve.)
Please let either Pastor Danita or the church
office know if you will be available for any of these dates.
The Seven Last Words
The Good
Friday Speakers Series The Seven Last Words of Christ well
be held at the Chicago Temple (First United Methodist Church)
on Friday,
April 15th 12:00 pm to 3:00 pm in the
sanctuary. Our very own Pastor Danita will be one of the 7
preachers. Face coverings are required to
enter. The event will also be live streamed on the
Chicago Temple's Website or Facebook Page.
WUMC Music Ensembles Update
We are slowly reintroducing some of our music
ensembles.
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.” Please email Carrie Marcotte (carriemarcotte.chorus@gmail.com) by the deadlines below to confirm your
participation for each cycle. Please use the subject heading
“Worship” or “Bell Choir” in your email.
Here is the schedule for rehearsals and services:
Worship
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.
All
Church Workdays
Green thumb?!
Black thumb?! Any kind of thumb!! All levels of
skill are welcome! Please join us for two mornings of
fellowship and service as we cleanup the grounds and install
mulch to beautify our church and parsonage for the summer
months. On Saturday, May 14th,
will do additional weed and debris removal, complete
transplantings and install mulch and herbicide. These
events have been setup on Facebook under the name of
Angelique Drzik-Edman for the public to view. Attendees are
requested to come dressed to get dirty and bring gloves, a
bucket, a hand trowel and a weeder or old screwdriver (and a
scooping shovel and wheelbarrow on mulch installation
day). Tools will also be provided to attendees who do
not bring their own. The events are from 9:00 am to 1:00 pm,
but come anytime, for any amount of time-any and all help is
welcome! Snacks and water will be provided. A perfect
opportunity for service hour completion! Please contact
Angelique Edman at 630.267.4591 or rangelfish@hotmail.com with questions or for further
information. See you there!
Upper Rooms
Upper Rooms for
May-June are now available in the narthex with a limited
number in the mailbox.
Outreach Opportunities
Drive to End Hunger
The 9th
Annual West Suburban Community Pantry Golf Outings is Wednesday, June
22nd at Seven Bridges Golf Club. Check
In is at (:00 am and the shot gun start is at 9:00 am.
Register by June 1st to lock in early birdie pricing
(includes greens fee and cart, breakfast, lunch, drinks and
more). Register at wscpantry.org/golf-outing.
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 or underwear.
"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).
April Outreach Offering
The Reconciling
Ministries Network
Reconciling Ministries Network (RMN) mobilizes
United Methodists of all sexual orientations and gender
identities to transform our Church and world into the full
expression of Christ’s inclusive love. Website:
rmnetwork.org. RMN works to influence the UMC to be more
inclusive and resources and empowers local churches to
participate in this ministry. The network has a presence in
all jurisdictions of the UMC.
The Reconciling Ministries Network is made up of over 700
Reconciling communities and over 34,000 individuals…
Mission:
Reconciling Ministries Network equips and mobilizes United
Methodists of all sexual orientations and gender identities
to resist
evil, injustice, and oppression in whatever forms they
present themselves.
Vision:
Reconciling Ministries Network envisions a renewed and
vibrant Wesleyan movement that is biblically and
theologically centered. As committed disciples of Jesus
Christ, we strive to transform ourselves and the world by
living out the Gospel’s teachings of grace, love, justice,
and celebration of all of God’s children.
Northern Illinois Conference
General
Conference Postponed until 2024
Statement
from Bishop John L. Hopkins
The
Commission on the General Conference has announced the
further postponement
of the 2020 General Conference of The United Methodist Church. The next General
Conference will be in 2024.
In response to the decision, Bishop John L. Hopkins said:
I want to express appreciation to the Commission on General
Conference that is made up of elected delegates. They
were entrusted to represent General Conference and have
consistently upheld the principle of having everyone at the
table.
If we believe in a church with a strong democratic
foundation, we need to support the decision to meet in 2024
whether we agree with it or not. God does not stop
working when we cannot gather at a General Conference and
neither should we.
There are many questions about a General Conference in 2024
that we cannot answer at this time. Between now and our
annual conference, we will know more about the possibility of
electing bishops, changing representatives on
church agencies, resetting the general church budget,
and how a postponed 2020 conference and a 2024 conference can
be held at the same time.
Do not let the news of General Conference being postponed
take your attention away from the suffering of our United
Methodist churches in Ukraine. I have gathered, sung,
and prayed with our United Methodists brothers and sisters in
Kyiv and in Moscow who are both led by Bishop Eduard Khegay.
Support them with your prayers, offerings, and actions. Your
gifts can be received through your local church and
designated to Ukrainian assistance.
In the meantime, keep thinking globally and acting locally to
serve Jesus and his Church. Use this Lenten Season to
focus on what is most important and pray for peace.
~Bishop John L. Hopkins
Read
Commission on General Conference Statement
Read
Council of Bishops Statement
Ukrainian
Assistance
 The 2022 Northern Illinois Annual Conference
Bishop's Appeal special offering will go toward Ukraine
assistance, as the needs will be long term. Stay tuned for
more details but in the meantime, you are encouraged to give
through your local church designating gifts “Ukraine
Assistance."
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.
Becomging
the Beloved Community Workshop
Join us for a
respectful conversation on Saturday May 14th from
9:00 am – 12:30 pm at Elgin: First UMC exploring
the harm of racism to ourselves and others during this
in-person workshop developed by the NIC Anti-Racism Task
Force. Facilitated by Dr. Richard Guzman, we will take
a deep faith-based look at the systems that underlie and
support racism. Pre-registration is required by Friday,
April 30th, with a suggested donation of $20 that includes
materials and light snacks throughout the morning.
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
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
April
15th, 2022, Volume 12, Edition 15
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