Dear Members and Friends of Waterville United Methodist Church,
November’s Mission Focus will continue to be Operation Christmas Child. OCC delivers great joy to millions of children around the world through shoeboxes lovingly and prayerfully packed with gifts that will bring delight to a child. In the hands of local churches, every gift-filled shoebox is a powerful tool for evangelism and discipleship—transforming the lives of children and their families around the world through the Good News of Jesus Christ! We will dedicate our shoeboxes at WUMC on Sunday, November 20. Please place your completed boxes on the storage cabinets in the Fireside Room in the church basement. Mission envelopes are available in the pew racks.
The Living Generously small group study begins on Sunday mornings at 9:00 a.m. in the Fireside Room. Pastor Mike is teaching this class.
The Prayer Time in the sanctuary will begin at 9:00 a.m. Sunday morning.
Worship Service for Sunday, November 20: Consecration Sunday and OCC Shoebox dedication
Call to Worship
Song of Worship - Above All
Kinder Choir - Thanksgiving Day and Every Day
Dedication of Operation Christmas Child Shoeboxes
Children’s Moment -
Olga’s Selections:
Prelude: Thanksgiving and Praise
Offertory: We Gather Together
Postlude: For the Beauty of the Earth
Sanctuary Choir Anthem - Consecration
Scripture - Galatians 6:7-10
Sermon - Gathering the Harvest - Final sermon in the Living Generously series
Living Generously - Planting Our Seeds (Bringing forward our Estimate of Giving Cards)
Closing Hymn - How Great Thou Art
Liturgist - Dave Landis
Parents of Sunday School children - please have your child bring their Greatest Journey folder with them to church. Stephanie Shelton will be keeping the folders at church until January and updating them for 2017.
Dawn Buskey and Barb & Steve Crandall are your Fellowship Hosts for November.
This Sunday is Welcome a Neighbor Sunday. We will have 11 gift bags that will need to be delivered to new residents in our community. Please check to see if any of these new neighbors live close to you!
Theatre for the World will be here before we know it. Brian has placed a sign-up sheet on the bulletin board in the main hallway for ushers and folks to host the Intermission Cookies/Coffee time. We will also be in need of cookies, brownies, etc. for those times of fellowship. You will find invitations to No Ordinary Christmas Miracle on the shelf in the main hallway. Please share them with your friends, family or neighbors.
This week is the last week of the Living Generously, a 5-week video series. There will also be small group meetings during the series:
Sunday mornings at 9:00 a.m. in the Fireside Room in the church basement
Monday evenings at 7:15 p.m. at the home of Stephanie & Adam Shelton (171 Freedom Lane, Waterville)
Tuesday evenings at 7:00 p.m. at the home of Tom and Karen Wiggins (1040Farmview Drive, Waterville)
Tuesday evenings at 7:00 p.m. in the Fireside Room in the church basement
Wednesday mornings at 9:30 a.m. in the Fireside Room in the church basement
Next Sunday is the first Sunday in Advent. We will be offering a new Advent small group study beginning that day. Because of Bethlehem, written by New York Times bestselling author Max Lucado will be offered on Sunday mornings at 9:00 a.m. in Fellowship Hall and again on Tuesday evenings at 7:00 p.m. in the same location. Sign-up sheets for the studies are located on the bulletin board in the main hallway.
Operation Christmas Child shoebox collection began on Monday. Following worship on Sunday, you will only have two additional opportunities to drop off your boxes at the church:
Sunday, November 20 from 5-8:00 p.m.
Monday, November 21 from 10:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m.
Thank you to all who have volunteered their time to be in the Community Room this week to accept Operation Christmas Child Shoeboxes.
Please remember Waterville United Methodist’s OCC shoebox collection and dedication will be this Sunday, November 20, during the worship service. If you will be out of town for Thanksgiving week, please be sure to get your boxes to the church before you leave! If you bring your box prior to the November 20, please take your shoeboxes downstairs to the shelves in the Fireside Room and we will make sure that they are brought forward on Sunday, November 20 for the dedication.
Here is an update on the Site Development for the property on Waterville-Monclova Road:
WUMC SITE DEVELOPMENT UPDATE - WUMC has contracted with Total Ground Solutions (TGS) to move the donation of dirt by the Browning Masonic Community to our property on Waterville Monclova Road. While TGS was the lowest bidder, they were selected due to their existing reputation with Browning as they are the contractor for their villas phase 1 and 2. Other factors in the selection were their ability to meet our timeline and they offered a do not exceed cost in their quotation. TGS also offered an opportunity to further reduce costs by donating equipment for our congregation to lay the EPA regulated erosion control. We are particularly excited about this as it not only saves us $2,800, but also gives us all an opportunity to participate in the project, enjoy each other’s fellowship, and God’s grace.
The excavation is tentatively set to begin the week of 11/14 and TGS has set the date to lay the erosion control for Saturday, November 19th. (Yes, we’ve seen the weather forecast and we are still going to proceed with this project tomorrow.) We are excited to invite you to participate and celebrate this progress for the future building of WUMC. The event will begin at noon with prayer on the new church property on Waterville-Monclova Road (next to the Fire Station) before beginning work (which should take 2-3 hours). The Fire Chief has given us permission to park in the back and on the north side of the Fire Station and the use of a room in the Fire Station to eat and have a time of fellowship. The Mirror newspaper will be there to report on our progress and to take photos. If you can help lay the erosion control, have a mean recipe for chili or a snack, or want to join the prayer at the property as a group, please reach out to Brian McMillan. Call, text or email: btmcmillan@msn.com, 419-490-0779 for more information and to RSVP. All are welcome!
Any further updates will be found weekly on the back of your church bulletin and in the Friday E-Blast.
WUMC is planning a Parents' Night Out for Saturday, November 19th from 4:30 to 7:30 pm. We are in need of volunteers (ages 14+). Volunteers will be given areas to lead such as games, crafts, dinner, the nursery, etc. There will be a magician performance by Eli Martin. Your time commitment will be from 4:15 to 7:30 pm. Volunteers will receive a "LIVE GENEROUSLY" super-soft t-shirt from Thrivent Financial. Everyone loved their shirts last time! If you want to join the fun, but can only attend for a portion of the evening, please reach out to us & we'll fit you in! Background checks are required for all volunteers. Please contact Cara or Brian McMillan at 419-344-2171 (text or call) or cara.m.mcmillan@gmail.com.
WUMC is planning a Parents' Night Out for Saturday, November 19th from 4:30 to 7:30 pm. Treat yourself to a night out, or get an early start on Christmas shopping, while your children are cared for in a fun, safe environment! This is a free child care evening for children ages 6 months to 6th grade. Your children will have a blast with crafts, games, a magician performance by Eli Martin & dinner (pizza, fruit/veggies, & dessert). We would love for you to invite friends and neighbors to experience WUMC via PNO too! Please register by contacting Cara or Brian McMillan at 419-344-2171 (text or call) or cara.m.mcmillan@gmail.com. Registration required, space is limited to 35 children.
Christmas cookies are needed for the Fellowship Time following the Children’s Christmas Program on December 11. If you would like to provide a plate of cookies please sign-up on the sheet on the bulletin board in the main hallway or contact Stephanie Shelton at 567-202-5035. She asks that you have your cookies to church by 10:00 a.m. on that morning. If you are dropping them off earlier, please label “For Children’s Christmas Program.”
Thank you to all who have donated paperback books for the military in the box in the main hallway. There are some new items that have been requested by Operation Paperbook. Those include puzzle books, large print mysteries, books for toddlers, inspirational stories, recent magazines, textbooks of all subjects, DVDs and CDs. The collection box for these items in on the shelf outside the church office.
The Christmas poinsettia plants have been ordered for December. Beginning on Sunday, November 13, you will find order envelopes in the racks in the pews and in the attendance pads. The price will remain $7.00 this year. You may order either a red or white plant and have it be in honor of or in memory of someone or make a donation to our Building Fund. All plants will be displayed during our Christmas Eve Worship Service and you will be able to take the plants home following the service. Your name and your flower’s dedication will be printed in the Christmas Eve bulletin. We have ordered 30 red plants and 5 white plants this year.
A date has been set for ringing the bell for the Salvation Army kettle at the Waterville Kroger Store. We will be volunteering on Saturday, December 17 from 9:00 a.m. until 6:00 p.m. Karen Wiggins has placed a sign-up sheet on the bulletin board. We are looking for folks to volunteer for one hour slots during the day.
Be a Blessing,
Church Cathy