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Woodridge United Methodist
Church
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Join
us on Sunday for worship services
at
10:00 am.
Instructions
can be found at the end below.
All are
Welcome!
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"Making
Room For More"
This Sunday is called
World Communion Sunday. You can read in other parts
of the E-News about the importance of the offering for
this day that supports the Crusade Scholarship and other
scholarship programs for ethnic United Methodist
students. As a former Crusade Scholar, I say
"thank you" for support given down through the
years.
However, this day is
also celebrated in other denominations as a reminder of
what we all share in common....the Table of Christ.
The time of memory and redemption. The table that
is big enough to have room for all who wish to be in
community with their neighbor. The table set for
those in need of forgiveness and faith, hungry for mercy
and thirsty for grace. A table that has a place for
everyone....even children.
Our world seems to be
in such disarray that nothing can possibly make a
difference. We sometimes look around our world and
think..... "I don't have enough
patience/time/tolerance/grace/faith/resources for what is
going on!". Our beloved
community has lovingly embraced this attitude
of scarcity and allows it to permeate every fiber of our
being... even in church!!!! Our lament seems to
be...."We don't have enough to do what God has
called us to do". And yet, over and over, This
proves not to be the case!
The Gospel message
for this week, according to Luke, tells us that we should
have a different approach in our thinking. It is a
reminder that we need to be "MAKING
ROOM FOR MORE". Understanding
who we are and what we really have available for our
use..... just as small as a mustard seed.
In our
scarcity-driven world how does that work? What kind
of answer or options do we really have? Maybe that
would be a good place for us to start our conversation on
Sunday........ Join us at 10:00 a.m. in person or on our Woodridge UMC YouTube Channel to help find some
answers.
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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.
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The weekly worship guide is attached to this email.
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Saturday, October 1st
Sunday, October 2nd
- 10:00 am Worship Service
- 11:00 am Communion
(in person)
- 4:00
pm Filipino Baptist
Monday, October 3rd
- 7:00
pm Den 3
- 7:00
pm Den 5
- 7:30
pm Square Thrus
Tuesday, October 4th
- 10:30
am Bible Study (online)
Wednesday, October 5th
Thursday, October 6th
Sunday, October 9th
- 10:00 am Worship Service
- 11:30
am Adult Choir
- Noon Communion
(online)
- 4:00
pm Filipino Baptist
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Church Office Hours
Monday & Tuesday: 9:00 - noon
Wednesday - Friday: 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.
We ask that you call before visiting.
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Pastor Dave's Blog Post
“…Pray like this…”
We are so blessed to have multiple gospel accounts of Jesus'
birth, life, teaching, death, and resurrection. It is
freeing to know that God's love is so expansive that it could
never be encapsulated in one singular version of one
particular story. That also goes for the prayer commonly
known as The Lord's Prayer: there is no, one, singular way
to formulate that prayer.
Many of you asked about having a copy of the versions we used
last Sunday. Done! Here you go:
“Our Mother, who is in heaven and within us…”
[Read the rest of Pastor Dave’s blog post here]
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Ministry Opportunities
World Communion Sunday
On World Communion Sunday, we partner with other
UMC congregations in a special offering to support young
adults and make a global impact for Christ. Half of the
offering benefits World Communion scholarships for graduate
students from the U.S. and other countries. The remainder
assists Ethnic Scholarships for U.S. and international
undergraduate students in the U.S. and Ethnic In-Service
Training. These funds are administered by the General Boards
of Higher Education and Ministry and Global Ministries.
The United Methodist Church, the world and our communities
are in a time of transition. Together God’s church can be a
beacon to navigate the ongoing global trauma of the COVID
pandemic, the impact of a tumultuous political climate in the
U.S. and the anxiety of a looming denominational separation.
Now, perhaps more than ever, we are called to be part of
extending healing and hope that can guide us to becoming a
new creation in Christ. Through our gifts and support, we
partner with God and God’s people to strengthen Christ’s
loving presence in a hurting world. United Methodist Special
Sunday celebrations invest in servant leadership, community
building and ministries of peace with justice. Concentrating
our resources to support shared ministries equips us to step
into a grace-filled new beginning with faithful
determination. When you give generously on World
Communion Sunday, you partner with talented, qualified
students from around the globe to transform the world as
witnesses for Christ.
More
Help Wanted
Another one
of the fun events of our church "pre-COVID" was our
Hanging
of the Greens time. What's that you
say?? It is the time we set aside to "begin
decorating" the inside of the building for the
Advent/Christmas season. This always occurs on the 1st
Sunday of Advent which usually falls on the Sunday after
Thanksgiving!!! Over the years we have done a number of
things, knowing it is a difficult weekend for those who may
be traveling and/or with family. Hanging of the Greens
is usually supervised by our Worship Committee. However we
are in need of persons to coordinate with the Worship
Committee chairs our event for this year. The date
is Sunday,
November 27th. The time is to be determined by the
coordinator(s). Please let one of
the pastors or Karen Miller know if you are interested and/or
need additional details.
Emergency
Contact List?? Emergency Contact List!!
In our
never-ending effort to enhance our community and take good
care of one another, we have an Emergency Contact List!
What’s that? Our Emergency Contact List is a way for the
church to keep track of who we should contact in the unlikely
event you experience a medical emergency while in the
building or at a WUMC function.
That’s why we’d really like you to participate. Don’t worry,
the information you provide will remain confidential. There
are two
ways to fill out a form:
1. Click the
link
here and email the completed form to the
office at office@woodrigeumc.
2. Fill out the paper form in the Narthex and return it to the office.
The Bible for Curious People
This bible
study meets Tuesday mornings at 10:30am on Zoom.
The Bible for Curious People is currently reading through the
New Testament epistle, 1st Peter.
Reading
assignment for Tuesday, October 4th: Chapter
3 of 1st Peter and any notes your study bible provides. This
chapter is so meaty and good and frustrating that we need
another week with it!
Questions to
consider:
—Just when you thought we were done with awful-sounding
texts…welcome to chapter 3! How do these first 7 verses
connect with the “submit” section from the previous chapter?
What purpose (if any) can they serve today?
—Do you, as the letter instructs, have a humble and
respectful defense for why you live in hope? How about as a
congregation?
—This chapter ends with an apt representation of ancient
cosmology. How would you rewrite that for our day?
Contact
Pastor Dave (pastordave@woodridgeumc.org) to learn more or to join in the adventure.
Wednesday
Bible Study
Our Wednesday
night Bible study class is on Wednesdays
at 6:00 p.m. We are using the resource "JESUS
REVEALED" by Matt Rawle. Through
this study we will examine the "I AM" sayings of
Jesus as found in the Gospel of John. If you are
interested in joining us, please let Pastor Danita
know. This class will be in-person and
via ZOOM simultaneously.
Panera's
Crop Walk Fundraiser
Panera of
Downers Grove (160 Ogden Ave) is having a fundraiser for
South DuPage Crop Hunger Walk on Tuesday, October
4th from 4:00 – 8:00 pm. Bring the
flyer with you and give it to the cashier when you make a
purchase (or use the code FUND4U online) and Panera
will donate 20% of the net sale to South DuPage Crop Hunger
Walk. There are flyers in the narthex and here.
Youth Ministry 2022-2023
Thanks to all who attended our kickoff event
this week! We have a very busy October planned for Youth
Ministries:
Sunday, October 9th: Youth Group in the Youth Room after the
worship service.
Sunday, October 16th: Participate in the CROP Walk. Register here!
Saturday-Sunday, October 22-23rd: Sleep Out Saturday! More details very soon
Sunday, October 30th: Participate in Harvest Fest with our WUMC
family.
All students in 7th-12th grades are welcome in Woodridge
UMC’s Youth Ministry activities.
Let's
Get Back to First Friday Lunch!
Join us for
lunch on the first Friday of each month for a lunch of easy conversation
and even some laughs. It’s so easy! Bring your own sack lunch
and beverage. Our first lunch will be Friday, October 7.
EVERYONE is invited!
Upcoming
Music Opportunities
Do you have hidden musical talent? You no longer
have to hide it. You are cordially invited to share your
musical gifts in one of our three music ensembles: the
Worship Band, Adult Choir, and/or our Handbell Choir. These
ensembles are LOW commitment. Please attend the rehearsals
leading up to the service at which the ensemble will provide
the music. See the schedule here.
First
up is:
Adult Choir (singers will be provided with a “singer’s mask”)
Rehearsal
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Oct. 9
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11:30AM-12:30PM
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Music Room
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Rehearsal
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Oct. 16
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11:30AM-12:30PM
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Music Room
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Service
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Oct. 23
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10 AM
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Rehearse in the sanctuary at 8:30 AM
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Adventurers
Hooray! After
2 1/2 years of restrictions, Adventurers is back!
Adventurers is a group of adults from WUMC who have been
socializing once a month for many years, and EVERYONE is
invited. We may go to a restaurant, a play or someone's
home. A host volunteers each month then chooses the activity,
gets the facts to the church office so they can be in the
enews (office@woodridgeumu.org) , and possibly hosts the group at their house
for dessert and more easy conversation.
We are starting out this season by dining at Malahini Terrace
Chinese Restaurant, 321 W 75th St E,
Willowbrook. If you haven't come to Adventures before, this
is a perfect time to join us on Saturday, October
15, at 5:00. Please contact Bud and
Gwenn at 630-985-3974 or email by October 13 so reservations can be made. It's sure to
be a great night!
Weekly
Sunday School
Sunday School for Preschool and Elementary
School-aged children is offered every Sunday. We use inspiring stories, creative crafts, and
fun games—all done with guidance of loving, dedicated
teachers—to engage our students.
Here’s our process: Children are invited to
begin the worship service in the sanctuary with their family.
Following the prayer time, the children will be invited up to
the chancel steps for conversation with the
pastors. Following the conversation, the Sunday School
teacher will meet the children in the Narthex and walk them
to their room (either Trinity Room in the main hallway or
Blue Room in the Preschool wing).
Crop
Walk
Are you
looking for a concrete way to help neighbors experiencing
hunger both locally and globally? Then the CROP WALK is for
you! On Sunday,
October 16th starting at 2:00pm at Gloria Dei Lutheran
Church, Downers Grove, people from all over
the south suburbs walk together to raise awareness, funds,
and food to help people who are hungry and hurting.
Registration pamphlets available now on the round table in
the Narthex or—even easier!—register online at our Woodridge UMC Team Page!
Thank
you, Karen for volunteering to be our CROP WALK Team
Captain!
Race,
America, and the Church
A Speaker
Series from the Northern Illinois Conference on the History,
Causes and Effects of Racism and the Role of the Church in
America
This 4-part series that extends into December and includes a
6-week book study in the fall, we will journey together to
prayerfully learn, engage, and tackle our personal and
corporate role in addressing racism.
The journey continues with:
CALLED:
DOING GOD'S WORK FOR THE BELOVED COMMUNITY
THURSDAY,
DECEMBER 1, 2022, 12:00 - 1:30 PM
Dr. Hart addresses what the local church can do to combat the
continuation of racism in the church and in society.
In-person and via Zoom
Speaker: Dr. Drew G.I. Hart
Go here for more information
Northern
Illinois Conference
Help for Immigrant Families Arriving from
Texas
The United
Methodists in Northern Illinois are people with big hearts
and a passionate witness for missions. We are called to
provide shelter, clothing and food to the sojourner among us.
In the past few weeks, more then 750 asylum seekers from
Central and South America have arrived in the Chicagoland
area. These people have nothing but what they have carried
with them on their long journey.
Churches have begun collecting items needed for these
sojourners among us and volunteers are needed to give assistance.
There are multiple drop off sites across
our districts. Please see this flyer (click here) and help us extend the hand of Christ to those in
need by donating needed items or volunteering to help.
Prairie
Central District Informal Gatherings with the District
Superintendent
Beginning
Thursday, September 8 and every second Thursday through May
11. Zoom Links (The links will stay the same for
all meetings, though clergy links and lay links will be
different). Lay Gathering 7:00 pm link.
Lay persons: This is NOT for Lay Leaders only. It
is intended for all lay persons who want to know more about
what is going on and be connected.
Northern
Illinois Conference
Find out
about upcoming events in the Northern Illinois
Conference of the United Methodist Church by clicking
this link
Outreach
Opportunities
UMCOR Continues to be Present in Puerto Rico
Hurricane
Fiona, the first major hurricane of this year's Atlantic
hurricane season, caused catastrophic damage in Puerto Rico
and brought torrential rains to the Dominican Republic. It
has left millions without power and running water, and only
continues to gain strength as it batters Turks and Caicos and
heads for Bermuda.
UMCOR (United Methodist Committee on Relief) is in close
contact with the disaster response coordinator of the
Methodist Church of Puerto Rico and has continued to be
present since Hurricane Maria. We support UMCOR through
our apportionment giving as well as our special outreach
giving.
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.
Since the pandemic, West Suburban PADS has been housing
clients in hotels and supplying meals at these locations.
Because of this, our monetary donations are more critical
than ever. Hopefully at a point in the near future, we can
return to hosting and feeding these people in need.
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. Kendra Manderfield Moore makes
sure that they are recycled to the Lions Club and Gift
of Sight groups. (Prescription eyeglasses only).
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Wellness
Guidelines
WUMC considers the good health and well-being of not
only our members, but also our community, an act of Christian
stewardship. We continue to seek to avoid harm and do good as we
attend to the practices that help us grow in the love of God as
the COVID-19 Pandemic continues toward an endemic status. As a
result of guideline changes from the Illinois Department of
Public Health and the Center for Disease Control and Prevention,
we have updated our COVID Safety Guidelines:
- For worship services and Sunday School, masks
are optional but strongly encouraged.
- Nursery attendants and Sunday School teachers
are required to wear masks.
- Masks are encouraged, but not required for all
other meetings, gatherings, or groups. We recommend each
group consult with each other on how to do good and avoid
harm as a group in consideration of each other's needs and
desires.
- We will continue to practice COVID-19 safety
best practices throughout our building including cleaning
protocols and air circulation.
If you are feeling sick, please stay home and join
us via livestream on YouTube. If community transmission spikes in
our area, we may return to mask requirements for all
activities. We follow the CDC guidelines.
Online Worship
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.
Sacrament of Communion 1st Sundays
We will be celebrating the
Sacrament of Communion in person on the first Sunday of each
month immediately following the livestream of our worship
service. We will need a few moments to set up our ZOOM link for
those who are not able to be with us in person. Please
remain seated following the postlude on the Sundays that we are
serving communion. Please remember that communion is
available every Sunday via ZOOM. Please contact the church
office or Pastor Danita for the ZOOM link.
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
Our joys and concerns are
announced during worship service and printed and placed on the
table in the narthex as you come into the sanctuary. We
will continue to do this going forward. Therefore, all joys
and concerns must be emailed to Pastor Danita (PastorDanita@woodridgeumc.org) no
later than 6:00 p.m. on Saturday. If joys
and concerns are received after that, they will be sent on Monday
to the Prayer Ministry Team. Thank you for your flexibility
as we make updates to our worship services.
(There have been
requests that we include full names and/or more detailed information
for people on our list of Joys & Concerns. Please
remember our services are broadcast on YouTube and are available
to anyone who has internet access. Details are shared with our
Prayer Ministry Team on Monday mornings. You are invited to
join them in prayer and share in this information by contacting
the church office).
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.
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.
September 30,
2022, Volume 12, Edition 40
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