November 19, 2023

Asbury Sunday Worship:

9:00 & 11:00 am: Worship in the Sanctuary

10:00 am: Sunday School

11:00 am: Live-Streamed Worship

Consecration Brunch: This Sunday at 10 am, 11 am, and 12 pm

Consecration Sunday is November 19, and we'd like to invite you all to brunch! There will be three dining times to sign up for:

1. 10:00 am - 11:00 am
2. 11:00 am - 12:00 pm
3. 12:00 pm - 1:30 pm

Please sign up for the slot of your choice by either calling the church or filling out our short online form HERE.

We also have several volunteer slots open to help out with set-up and serving the brunch. Visit HERE to learn more about each task and to choose a slot to help! If you have any questions, please contact Dan Clevenger, Director of Generosity and Stewardship, at danc@visitasbury.org. Thank you!

Lydia Circle Thanksgiving Program: Tuesday, November 21 at 7 pm

Lydia Circle would like to invite any interested ladies to their Thanksgiving Circle program on Tuesday, November 21 at 7:00 in the Parlor.

This program is being presented by Nancy Bernhardt, and will be about harvest traditions around the world - complete with samples! We will also have a short program about our UWF Thanksgiving Offering. For more information, please contact Beth Bock at rueb4bock@gmail.com. Hope to see you there!

Decorating the Sanctuary for Christmas: Saturday, November 25

On Saturday, November 25 at 9:30 am, come and help decorate the Sanctuary and church for Advent and Christmas! We invite all ages to come and be part of this - kids can help, too!

After we finish decorating, we will turn on the lights and play some Christmas songs. What a wonderful way to get Advent and Christmas off to a great start! Of course there will be apple cider and cookies for us to eat, so come and join the fun!

Join the Chancel Choir for our Annual Christmas Cantata!

The Chancel Choir will present its annual Christmas Cantata on Sunday, December 10 at both services. If you would like to join the choir, we will rehearse for the cantata on the following Wednesdays:

• Nov 29 from 7-8 pm
• December 6 from 6:30-9:00 pm 

Rehearsals will be in the MSR (Music Seminar Room). Ages high school to adult are welcome, as are all skill levels, although it will help to have some sight-reading skills. Join us to celebrate the season with festive singing! Contact Music Director Lindsey Lang at lindseyl@visitasbury.org if you have questions or would like to participate.

Special Four-Week Advent Study with Pastor Jeff Begins November 29!

Join Pastor Jeff for a special four-week Advent study, Experiencing Christmas: Christ in the Sights and Sounds of Advent, by Matt Rawle. We'll think about how things just look, smell, and taste differently during the Advent and Christmas season, and these differences are a sign to us that God is about to do something radical and different.

Christmas is when God surrounded the divine with senses of his own. That first noel was when God had eyes to see suffering, ears to hear our cries, and hands to hold those in need, and all of these senses were bundled in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger. “This will be a sign to you,” the angel told the shepherds, and they traveled to Bethlehem and found a child. What signs do you see during the Advent and Christmas season that point you to the divine? Join Pastor Jeff on Wednesdays in the Parlor at noon from November 29-December 20 to discover more!

Books can be purchased from the church for $12.99. To sign up or to learn more, please contact Pastor Jeff Prothro at jeffp@visitasbury.org, or visit our online link.

Thanksgiving Offering

This year, the Asbury Mission Team has decided to use our Thanksgiving offering to support Della Lamb, which offers a wide range of social services to the Kansas City Community. Click HERE to learn more about all they do! We have worked with Della Lamb numerous times in the past, and staff and volunteers there have big hearts for helping others.

You can help us support Della Lamb this Thanksgiving by dropping off your monetary gift anytime at the church. Online giving is available as well through Easy Tithe. We appreciate the ongoing generosity from all of our Asbury members and friends!

Holiday Shop Partnership to Help Support JoCo Families in Need

Asbury UMC is again partnering with Santa Fe Trail Elementary School, Nall Avenue Baptist Church, and the City of Mission to support Johnson County families in need this holiday season. There are two opportunities to donate:

1. The Holiday Shop - This community event will take place on Sat. Dec. 9 at Nall Avenue Baptist Church (6701 Nall Ave, Prairie Village, KS 66208). Donations will go to all Johnson County families in need. Donation needs consist of gently used clothing items, household goods and decor. Check out the online flyer for more details!
2. Santa Fe Trail Families - There are 15 Santa Fe Trail Elementary School families that have been identified by staff as needing help with Christmas gifts. The parents were given a wish list to complete, asking for each child's clothing / shoe sizes along with three specific gifts the child would like for Christmas. Tags for select items will be available on-site at Sunday morning services - take as many as you'd like. Donations can be brought to Asbury anytime before Dec. 12 for inclusion. For more info, contact Reid Samuel, Mission Team Chair, at reidsamuelgt@gmail.com. Thank you for your support!

College Care Packages

Did you know that every December and May we send goodies to our college students to encourage them to finish the semester strong? We are inviting you to partner with our Family Ministries in this important outreach to our college students. Partnering with us is simple:

• Check out the envelopes on the table in the Welcome Center (each one has items with prices listed on them).
• Choose an envelope.
• Purchase the item - or make a monetary donation that reflects the price on the envelope - and return it with the envelope to the church. Please return items or monetary donations to the church by Sunday, December 3. 

This is a great way for Asbury to remind our college students that we are here for them, care for them, and are praying for them. If you have any questions, please contact our Director or Family Ministries, Heather Jackson, at heatherj@visitasbury.org. Thank you!

HUGS Collection: Now through December 11

There is a snowman in the narthex, and he's very COLD and he wants HUGS.

Will you help him stay warm by bringing him some Hats, Underwear, Gloves, and Scarves/socks between now and December 11? Both children and adult sizes are needed. You can hang them on him (like ornaments)! Items should be new.

Donations will be shared with our friends at Lazarus Ministries and Cross-Lines, to help others who are in need. If you would rather make a monetary donation, please make a check out to Asbury United Women in Faith and put HUGS on the memo line. Thank you, everyone, for your help in this important ministry!

*Have some gently used winter clothing you'd like to donate? Place them in our Lazarus Ministries donation box outside of the elevator on the ground floor (near Hager Hall).

United Women in Faith Christmas Celebration:

Sunday, December 10 at 12:15 pm

All are invited to join United Women in Faith for their Christmas celebration in Hager Hall. There will be a baked potato bar! In celebration of Jesus' birth, baby items are requested to donate to the guests of the Asbury Food Pantry.

Please RSVP by calling the church at 913-432-5573 or emailing Phyllis Williams at phyllisw@visitasbury.org. For more information about the UWF event, please contact Lynn Bain at lynnbain@yahoo.com.

Asbury Children's Center Food Drive

Thank you to our kids in the ACC, who donated 53 boxes of cereal to the Asbury Food Pantry as part of their November food drive! Thank you to all the kids, teachers, and parents for helping to make this happen and for showing kindness to those less fortunate in our community.

Food Pantry Food of the Month: PASTA SAUCE

The Food Pantry's item collection of the month is pasta sauce! Donations can be placed on the cart just inside the main entrance of the church.

If you have any questions, please contact Roseann Sanders, Director of the Food Pantry. Thank you!

Christmas Pageant Auditions This Saturday!

Younger elementary aged children do not need to audition. Auditions are intended for those older elementary aged children and youth who did not participate last year, or returning participants who would like to audition for a role other than what they were cast in last year. 

If you have a younger elementary aged student who would like to be part of the "The Best Christmas Pageant Ever," please let us know and help us plan by filling out this short contact information form.

Kids Hour: Sundays at 10 am

Kids (PreK - 5th grade) are invited to encounter, interact, and engage with Bible stories through different learning styles and activities at their own level.

We will spend multiple weeks focused on a single Bible story by exploring multiple rotation options: art, music, games, cooking, drama, science, videos and more!! We'll continue exploring the the 23rd Psalm through our art rotation this week. 

Kids Sing Rehearsals This Sunday

This Sunday, Nov. 19, we continue our Kids' Sing rehearsals following the Children's Time at the 11 am service.

The kids will enhance our worship experience by offering both joy and a few Christmas carols on Sunday, December 3 at 11 am. If you are interested in your PreK - 5th grade child participating, please contact our Kids' Sing director Alicia Wolff, by email at alicat7475@gmail.com for more information. 

Sunday Nursery Hours: 8:30 am-12:30 pm

9 am service: The nursery is open for children who need it.

11 am service: The Nursery is open for children aged infant - 5 years old (if they haven’t started Kindergarten yet). Children who have started kindergarten are encouraged to join the Kids Sing rehearsal.

Coffee and Convos:

Sunday at 10 am in the Youth Lounge

All 6th - 12th grade youth are invited meet in the Youth Lounge (3rd floor west) at 10 am for a time of connecting and diving deeper into their faith while they enjoy their food and beverages. We'll explore different ways to engage in ministry this week. 

No Youth Group this Week:

Thanksgiving Break!

Save the Date

Last Week to Register for Confirmation!

If you have a 6th -12th grade student who would like to explore their faith and claim their own faith, sign them up THIS WEEK for Confirmation. We will spend a few months discussing the basics of God, Faith, Community, and Church.

We will kickoff Confirmation on Saturday, December 9. For more information or questions, you can email our Director of Family Ministries at heatherj@visitasbury.org. 

Youth Christmas Party: Sunday, December 10 at 6 pm

All 6th - 12th grade students are invited to the annual youth Christmas party and White Elephant gift exchange in Hager Hall. We will play games, eat delicious food, and enjoy hanging out together. There might even be a Christmas movie involved.