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For some, it's the most magical time of the year. For others, it is the most stressful. This year in particular, we have seen a huge influx of our Community partners asking us to help with families at Christmas. The recent reduction in SNAP benefits will have a butterfly effect as we go into the holiday season with more families unable to afford gifts for their children.
The Christmas Shoppes are ready and willing, but we need your help. We anticipate serving close to 140 children this year. But we can only do that through your gifts. If you would like to sponsor a child and shop for them, you can do so by following the link below.
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Your unwrapped gifts are due back to the church no later than Sunday, December 7.
If you want to help but the idea of shopping for a child you don't know is a bit daunting, all financial contributions go to purchasing supplies and gifts for the families referred to us by our Community partners such as the local school systems, United Way, TORCH, and ADFAC. We are planning to spend around $100 per child on gifts. Some kids are asking for toys, some coats, and we even have a teenager asking for a bed. If you would like to make a financial donation, all you have to do is follow the link below and enter an amount on the "Shoppes" line, or you can write a check to FUMCOR with Shoppes on the memo line.
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We are also in need of:
- Gift cards for teenagers (fast food, Cinemark)
- New and like-new books for all ages
- Gifts for kids to give parents (candles, tools, perfume/cologne)
- Volunteers—contact Ashley Craven at fumcorshoppes@gmail.com
All contributions are greatly appreciated and help us continue to be the hands and feet of Jesus .
| | Got Your Advent Study Book? | | |
Advent begins on Sunday! Have you chosen your Advent study yet? Please consider Bethlehem: An Advent Journey, written by the Rev. David Graybeal. Dave is a United Methodist Pastor and member of The Holston Annual Conference who has served churches in southwestern England and east Tennessee. He is also an adjunct professor of religion at Tennessee Wesleyan University. Dave will be here at First Church on December 14 at 4:00 p.m. to discuss his book. Look for more information about that event as the date draws closer. If you would like a copy of Bethlehem: An Advent Journey, books are available to pick up in the office for $12.
| | Christmas Homebound Visitation | | |
Can you deliver a poinsettia to our homebound members this Christmas? If so, please follow the link below to complete the online visitation volunteer form, or get in touch with Pastor Denna (dhornby@fumcor.org) or Betty Lou Alspaugh (alspaughbl@gmail.com). Delivery begins December 1.
| | Beginning December 2 and continuing through the Advent season, join Gielda Reese and friends for Visio Divina. Visio divina is "divine seeing," the practice of praying with a work of art. By incorporating art into prayer, visio divina invites us to bring our sense of sight as well as our imagination into our relationship with God. Gielda will be guiding us every Tuesday morning from 10:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m. in Room 204 as we create our own artwork and grow in Christ this Advent season! So that we have enough materials, please call the church office (865-483-4357) immediately to register. | | Do you have a favorite Christmas cookie? Do you make a mean fudge brownie or a delicious lemon bar? Perhaps a chocolate chip cookie or a sugar cookie in the shape of a Christmas tree! Join us on Sunday, December 7, as we celebrate the Advent season and share together in a cookie swap. Please bring three dozen of your favorite cookies to the Fellowship Hall. Please also bring one index card with the recipe. After the 11:00 a.m. services, we will enjoy some cookies together. Goodie bags will be available for you to take some samples home with you as well. Everyone is also invited to take snapshots of the recipe cards and make the recipe in your home kitchen. Contact Pastor Denna with any questions (dhornby@fumcor.org). | | The Annual Service of Lessons and Carols is next Sunday, December 7, at 7:00 p.m. You don't want to miss this annual tradition! Come and enjoy the sounds of the season, and experience the incarnation as told through readings and Christmas carols for choir, handbells, organ, and brass. | | December Senior Adult Luncheon | | Join the Senior Adult Luncheon this month as Kyle Grainger, well-known TV personality and WVLT meteorologist, shares stories from his career and his involvement in community outreach programs. The lunch menu is champagne chicken, rice, cinnamon carrots, broccoli, rolls, and red velvet cake. Please RSVP by Thursday, December 11, by calling the church office at 865-483-4357. | | Ugly Christmas Sweater Sunday | | Join with the youth in good Christmas fun. Wear your ugly Christmas sweater to church on Sunday morning, December 14! Who will have the ugliest sweater? We will also have a photo booth for the ugliest Christmas photo! Join in the fun! | | Churchwide Christmas Caroling | | You Can Still Give Thanks! | | |
We celebrated Commitment Sunday this past Sunday, November 23. To all who have already offered your estimate of giving for 2026, thank you! Thank you for your commitment to the ministries of First Church. We are profoundly grateful for the countless ways this church serves our community and the world, every single day, and for all the ministries that are made possible by your gifts.
Even if you didn't make it for Commitment Sunday, it's not too late to complete your estimate of giving card. You can do so online by following the link below, or by mailing your card to the church office. If you can't make it, you can still complete your estimate of giving by mailing it to the church office (attn: Finance Director, 1350 Oak Ridge Turnpike, Oak Ridge, TN 37830) or online at the link below.
Thank you for giving in gratitude!
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First Church's annual Church Charge Conference was held on Sunday, November 16. On a beautiful afternoon, approximately 35 church members gathered and heard an inspiring message from District Superintendent Ann Robins. We approved Sheila Michel as a certified Lay Speaker and Josh Sumter to pursue Deacon's orders in the United Methodist Church. Together, we celebrated Community Meals, First Recovery, Clean Water for the Home, Stephen Ministry, Shoppes, and all the wonderful people who have agreed to serve in and through First Church in the coming year. To see the approved committee and team leaders and members for FUMC in 2026, follow this link.
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November Special Offering -
Christmas Shoppe
| | The monthly Special Offering for November will go to support First Church's Christmas Shoppe. Shoppes season is in full swing, and your support is greatly appreciated! Monetary donations will help provide Christmas meals and staples for families, as well as Christmas gifts for our neighbors in need. To support Shoppes and give to the November Special Offering, follow the link below. | |
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Worship for November 30
First Sunday of Advent
Scripture Readings:
Isaiah 11:1-10
Romans 15:7-9, 12-13
Luke 1:26-33, 38
8:45 & 11:00 a.m. Traditional Worship - Sanctuary
11:00 a.m. Contemporary Worship - Multipurpose Room
Preaching: Rev. Ken Sauer, Rev. Clair Sauer
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In Sympathy
FUMC mourns the loss of Louise Mixon, who joined FUMC on May 7, 1961, and died on October 15, 2025. A Celebration of Life will be held at FUMCOR on Monday, December 1, beginning at 1:00 p.m. The family will receive friends beginning at 12:00 p.m. A service of committal will be held at Oak Ridge Memorial Park at 3:00 p.m.
In the Hospital
None that we are aware of at this time.
Dismissed
Mike Cates
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Offering 11-17-2025 through 11-23-2025: $12,534.85
2025 YTD Offering: $1,209,795
2024 YTD Offering: $1,192,084
November Special Offering (Shoppes): $1,650
Thank you to all of you who mailed in your financial gifts or continued to give online.
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