Friday, November 8, 2024

11/17

Please note that our annual Charge Conference is coming up next Sunday the 17th at 3 PM. This will be held along with other churches of the Mission Rivers District at Ebenezer UMC at 161 Embrey Mill Rd, Stafford, VA 22554. What is a charge conference you ask? UMC.org says this: The charge conference is the basic governing body of each United Methodist local church and is composed of all members of the church council. All members of the charge conference must be members of the local church. The charge conference must meet at least once per year. The charge conference directs the work of the church and gives general oversight to the church council, reviews and evaluates the mission and ministry of the church, sets salaries for the pastor and staff, elects the members of the church council, and recommends candidates for ordained ministry.

Mission statement: Seek others in our community, Serve their needs, Grow in the love of Christ, and Connect with each other

Pastors Points

As I reflected upon the events of the past week, as well as the week ahead, I was reminded that God goes before us, as evidenced in the fact that I was led to set up this sermon series over a year ago and now more than ever, we need to be generous. We need to be generous with ourselves, each other, our words, our actions, our thoughts, and our world, because when we seek to live generously, we look and live outwardly. When we do that, God shows up.

The focus on the message Sunday is "Prayerful Willingness," which begs questions like:

How prayerful are we really? And if we are prayerful, how willing are we to follow where God leads?
In light of the election results, how much are we praying for our leaders, our opposition, our church, our nation, and if we hear a word to step out of our comfort zones, how willing might we be to follow?
As we prepare to make our commitments to the church of our time, talent, and treasure for 2025, how prayerful are we to seek God's desire for our giving, adn then, how willing are we to do what God invites us to do?

Prayer and willingness lie at the core of generosity, as well as who we are as Christ-followers.

These are tense and divided times in our nation, but as the church, God and the community of faith call us to unite in love. God has brought together a great tapestry of people who seek to serve Christ and the community in ways that reduce the tension and unite the division. To do this, we have to be intentional in prayer and a willing to live out our faith with God and one another.

Be praying for our nation, the church, and our stewardship efforts, and then, let's see how God will bless and use FUMC to be a bright, uniting light for Fredericksburg and beyond.

See you Sunday!

Pastor Tim

THE Bazaar of the season starts today! (or come tomorrow morning!)

Don't miss opening night 6 - 8 pm so you'll get first dibs on all the amazing crafts & goodies! This is its 40^th year of providing crafts, and raising money to provide funds for different groups within the church and in the local community. Join us today or tomorrow! November 8 (6:00-8:00 pm & November 9 (8:30 am-2:30 pm).

BRING A FRIEND & GET YOUR SHOPPING DONE!

GROW in the love of Christ

Pledging for 2025

Next Sunday (11/17) is Consecration Sunday for our 2025 Stewardship Program. During worship, everyone can pledge their time, talent, and/or treasure for the coming year. To save on postage, please pick up your packet in the Gathering Space, which includes an estimate of giving card and information on God's work at FUMC. Packets are alphabetized, but extras are available if needed. Thank you in advance for considering FUMC in your 2025 gifts/budget!

Book small group for Advent... starting next week

An Advent study will be held at the home of Terri Wiseman at VA Heritage Wednesday mornings 10-11:30 from November 13-January 15 with breaks at Thanksgiving and Christmas. We will use “Meeting the Messiah” which has scriptures and discussion questions for 7 sessions. Email Terri to get hooked in or call (703) 328-7323

New Friday night small group!

Don't wait till Sunday to connect with your church family! Denecia Conno r is leading this intimate conversations small group right here at FUMC in room 208, from 6:30 - 8:00 PM ! Join us!

CONNECT with each other

Parents Night Out! Get signed up today .. just 50 spots!

Join us for a special Parents' Night Out, hosted by FUMC Children's Ministry! We invite PreK-5th graders to enjoy a fun-filled evening of games, activities, and a movie night with friends in a safe and welcoming environment. Meanwhile, parents are free to enjoy a night on the town—whether it’s with community groups, as couples, or solo. All proceeds from this event will go toward supporting the ongoing expenses of the FUMC Children’s Ministry program.

Click on the graphic!

Save the Date(s) - Hang the Greens!

Help us Prepare for Christmas! Advent is the season where we anticipate the coming of the Christ child at Christmas. The church prepares for Advent by decorating the church through the "Hanging of the Greens." This year we are going to "Hang the Greens" through a worship/education experience, where the pastors will teach us about the symbols of Advent, we will pray Advent prayers, and sing Advent Carols, then each family take a part in decorating the inside of the church.

There are 3 times that you can help make this happen. a) Thursday, November 14 at 6 pm , we will take inventory of our Advent decorations. The Church will supply pizza for those how come to inventory and organize things. b) After worship on Sunday, November 24 (the Sunday before Thanksgiving), we invite folks to stay after and decorate the outside spaces, as well as put up the Christmas Trees. Then c) at 4 pm also on Nov. 24th, we will hold the worship experience followed by decorating inside spaces and the trees.

We hope you'll be a part of making this Advent and Christmas extra special by marking your calendars now and planning on being here!

You are invited! JOY ministry Nov. meeting

The theme of our November program is the "Past and Present visits of the Marquis de Lafayette".

Michelle Hamilton (historical author and on-site director of the Mary Washington House) will describe Lafayette's first impromptu meeting with George Washington's mother and detail the events surrounding Lafayette's visit in 1781.

Scott Walker (well-known local historian and tour master of Hallowed Ground Tours) will address Lafayette's 1824 visit to Fredericksburg and plans to celebrate that event in 2024.

The meeting begins at 1:30; light refreshments served - including tea and gingerbread.

SERVE their needs

Got lots of leaves? We've got YOU!

Youth are "standing by " waiting to help you out! Shoot an email to David Carryer, and we'll get you set up! email to youth@fumcva.org

We look forward to helping you!

Our neighbors need your help this winter!

Reminder: Cold Weather Shelter Orientations will be held November 10 at 2:30 at Fredericksburg Baptist Church (enter through the red door on Amelia St.) You do not need to attend an orientation however to serve a shift at the shelters.

FUMC is lagging behind other churches in covering shifts (third, fourth and fifth Saturday nights from November to March when temps are 32 degrees or below). Take a chance, change lives and let's sign up. Huge thanks to Carol Setteducato and Pastor Chelsea for leading the charge!

Additional questions can be directed to Diane Cotter 540-845-9636 dianecotter@comcast.net

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GREEN TIPS

Easy things to do to be better Caretakers of God’s Creation!!.

Research shows that reusable glass storage containers not only help the environment but are also better for your health than plastic ones. Plastic causes pollution in its production and disposal and can also break down, releasing toxins into your food. Glass may cost a little more initially, but it lasts forever and is safer.