This Week at Annandale UMC

October 28, 2021

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Charge Conference Is November 9

Our annual charge conference will be Tuesday, November 9, at 7:00 p.m. on Zoom. The church's annual business meeting, the charge conference will approve lay leaders and pastors' compensation for 2022 and review the church's mission and ministry.

Help Us Plan Christmas Eve

The pandemic makes planning for Christmas Eve more difficult than normal. Help us choose when to have our Christmas Eve services. We aren’t going to have all of the services listed below, but it would be helpful if you told us which you’d be most likely to attend. Please answer only once.

The earlier services will be geared toward families with younger children.

Harvest Festival Is This Sunday, 1:30-3:30 p.m.

You won't want to miss this free, family-friendly event complete with games, crafts, and the very popular Trunk or Treat! Plus, this year as we also prepare to observe All Saints' Day, we will have an All Saints' Day activity available for families to participate in. Dry and canned good food donations will also be accepted at this event and will go to the ACCA Food Pantry. We hope to see you there!

If you have any questions please contact our Children's Ministry Director, Meredith Lamarche, at mbond@annandale-umc.org.

Mission Center Fall Festival Is November 14

Come and join us for a Fall Festival at the Mission Center on Sunday, November 14 from 1:30-3:30pm! The Mission Center, 7901 Heritage Drive, is a campus full of potential to build community with our neighbors. For this festival we’ll be joining with our Covenant Partners--New Light UMC and the Seventh Day Adventist Church of Annandale--to offer family-friendly activities. Volunteers are needed! Please contact Nicole Crouch, ncrouch@anndandale-umc.org if you are interested. 

Means of Grace

New Online Class Starts November 8

"Means of Grace: An Orthodox and Inclusive Understanding of Marriage and Ministry" will explore theological and scriptural pathways that will help lead toward common ground as we work to discern AUMC's values as a congregation around the issues of LGBTQ marriage and ministry. The class will begin Monday, November 8, at 7:00p.m. and run through November. The class will be led by Jason Micheli, David King, Todd Littleton, Tony Robinson, and others.

For more on the class and why we are doing it now, see Tuesday's Weekly Roundup from Jason.

Coats for Children at the Mission Center

We serve close to 300 families at the Mission Center, and many of them need warm winter jackets for their children. Now that the weather is getting colder and parents are going through last year's jackets, hats, and gloves, please donate outgrown items to the Mission Center. We will accept donations of items that are new or in good condition beginning this Sunday, October 24, and continuing through November 7. Bring them to the church or to the Mission Center.

If you don’t have items to donate, we are also conducting a "Jacket Fund" to purchase enough children's jackets, hats, and gloves to provide for the children of the families who come to us for food and supplies. Children's jackets sell out very quickly as soon as colder temps arrive, so please help us meet this important need. Monetary donations can be mailed to the Church or placed in the collection plates. Please make checks out to AUMC and write "Jacket Fund" on the memo line. Or give online at annandalechurch.com/giving and designate "Jacket Fund."

Volunteer to Help with Hypothermia Prevention Project

Many of you have been asking how you can safely volunteer for our Hypothermia Prevention Project for 2021. The Program this year will take place from November 28 through December 4 in the Media Center and Lower Atrium as it has in past years. Gratefully, FACETS and Fairfax County are joining forces to provide staff to attend to the minute-by-minute needs of our guests throughout their stay.

The SignUp Genius linked below pinpoints days and time slots that avoid contact with our wandering saints, who may, by the very nature of their circumstances, be carriers of Covid-19. Due to the generosity of our county and FACETS, we only need 21 volunteers this year, but these positions are crucial! These positions do not include those persons who have volunteered to make breakfasts or dinners. So take a deep breath, search your heart and your calendar, and think—What would Jesus do?

If you have questions, please contact Teresa Beyer at 301-221-8321 or larachliath@gmail.com.

Adult Coats for Hypothermia

We will host the hypothermia shelter from November 28-December 4. If you have adult winter coats to donate, please bring them to the church (not the Mission Center).

Real Discipleship Survey

The Next Step in Our NLI Process

Please participate in the Real Discipleship Survey. The survey, which we are using as part of our Next Level Innovations (NLI) initiative, helps our District NLI facilitators get a high-level view of where the congregation is in six areas:

• Worship
• Hospitality
• Openness to Jesus
• Obedience to Jesus
• Service
• Generosity

The results will help the District NLI team develop approaches to help AUMC move to the next level. It is important that as many people take the survey as possible so that the results will be truly representative of the congregation. It is quick and easy and your participation will make a difference. Our church code is PEACEANDJOY.

Learn more about the survey and how to take it at annandalechurch.com/RDS2021/

For those who prefer paper, you'll be able to take the survey in the atrium on Sunday mornings. The survey will close on November 19.

Angel Gifts

Every Christmas hundreds of low-income children and families receive specific gifts bought for them through the Angel Gifts program. This year we are partnering with Rising Hope Mission Church to make at least 30 gifts possible. The suggested donation for each gift is $25. Checks should be made payable to AUMC, with Rising Hope Angel Gifts on the memo line. Donations are needed by December 1. 

Veterans Day at AUMC

Thursday, November 11, 8:50 a.m.

A tribute to military veterans will be held on Veterans Day, Thursday, November 11, in the AUMC Cemetery. American Legion Post 1976 and AUMC members will implant American flags at the grave sites of the 41 veterans interred in the cemetery. Members of the congregation are invited to participate and should gather at the cemetery flagpole at 8:50 a.m. Contact Mike Moser at 703-591-1210 or mmoser@annandale-umc.org with questions.

New Childcare Supervisor Needed

The Childcare Supervisor is responsible for ensuring a high standard of care for all children while supervising and supporting other team members. They are also responsible for scheduling the childcare workers for all worship services and other church activities that require childcare. The pay is $15.00/hr. To learn more and apply, please visit annandalechurch.com/employment.

Can you fill in? We are also asking members to consider volunteering their services to help reopen the nursery while we're seeking supervisor applicants. Contact Meredith Lamarche at mbond@annandale-umc.org if interested.

Children's Ministries

Children’s Sunday School meets at 9:15 a.m. each week. The pre-k Sunday school room uses the Spark curriculum and the K-5 classes use Godly Play. Drop off will be at each of the children’s classrooms as follows: Preschool - room 208, K/1st - room 313, 2nd/3rd - room 314, 4th/5th - room 309. Please remember pickup is between 10:10-10:15 a.m. Children's Church meets during the 10:30 service. Come to the service; children will leave for Children's Church following the Chidren's Story.

Youth Ministry

Youth Sunday School is 9:15-10:15 a.m. The Middle Schoolers meet in Room 209, High Schoolers in the Youth Room, and confirmation in Room 302.

Youth Fall Retreat at Camp Highroad is November 5-7 and we will be joined by our friends at Fairfax UMC! Our theme for this year’s fall retreat is “Identity in Christ.” If our identity as God’s children precedes our birth (Psalm 139:13), and we are reborn in our baptism and claimed as God’s own, how does that affect the way we interact with our peers, parents, and world? We highly encourage our students to sign up, especially the ones in Confirmation! It’s going to be such a blessing Oh, we'll be doing a ropes course too! Register at annandalechurch.com/youthretreat.

www.facebook.com/groups/AnnandaleUMCYouth/

www.instagram.com/annandaleyya/.

Adult Classes Meeting This Fall

Our Adult Sunday school classes are meeting this fall, some in-person, some with a hybrid option, and some online. To learn more about the classes, contact the leaders at the emails provided.

Immanuel Faith-in-Life. The Immanuel and Exploring Faith in Life classes have combined. They are meeting in Room 303 at 9:15 a.m. and studying Jim Wallis's book, Christ in Crisis. For more information, contact Harry Day at dayshome@verizon.net or Janet Woods at jcwoods2@verizon.net.

In His Steps. The class is currently studying “In God’s Time” by Dr. Craig Hill. This video-based study offers a biblical and faithful perspective on the study of “last things” and the belief in God’s ultimate victory over sin and death. The class meets in-person in Room 302 at 9:15 a.m. with a hybrid option. For more information, contact Bill Iwig at bethesda.duo@verizon.net or Jerry Beyer at beyerga@gmail.com, co-leaders of the class.

Issues in Christianity. This class is meeting in Room 307 at 9:30 a.m. with a hybrid option. The topic for this coming year is The Apocryphal Jesus. For more information, contact Kevin Sabo at kmsabo61@gmail.com.

Women in Search of Truth. This class will meet online at 9:00 a.m. beginning September 12. For more information, contact Tracy Carney at tracy@carneyzone.net or Brenda Pool at brenda.k.poole@saic.com.

Morning Prayer

Each weekday morning at 8:30 a.m., we gather virtually on Zoom and Facebook for Morning Prayer. We follow the liturgy from Brian Zahnd’s Prayer School, which is available for download below. All are welcome to participate.

Stephen Ministers

Stephen Ministers are here to support you. Stephen Ministers are lay members of our congregation trained to provide one-to-one care to those experiencing a difficult time in life, such as grief, divorce, job loss, chronic or terminal illness, or relocation. They come from all walks of life, but they all share a passion for bringing Christ’s love and care to people during a time of need. Email stephenminister@annandale-umc.org for this free, confidential, Christian support.

2022 Stewardship Campaign

As we approach the end of the year, AUMC is working on planning out our finances for next year. We’re sending out a letter that explains some of how we use your generous offerings, and includes a pledge card to help us plan our budget for next year. Keep an eye out!