Messenger - March 15, 2024 | |
We illuminate our community with God’s grace as we lovingly accept, listen to, and serve all in the Spirit of Jesus. | |
GUEST BLOG--PASTOR MARY GAY | |
Specifically Speaking, Specifically Praying | In our senior year at Agnes Scott College, Nancy was president of the Christian Association. Wanting to host a spring dance in the Rebekah parking lot, how would she and her committee get enough men from other schools to join us? Agnes Scott, after all, is a women's college. | | | |
UPCOMING WORSHIP SERVICES | |
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SUNDAY SERVICES TAKE PLACE IN-PERSON & ONLINE AT 9:00 AM
Worship Service airs live on our Website , YouTube and Facebook at 9 am.
Go to the Worship Page on our Website to find more information about future services.
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FAMILY SUNDAY, FIFTH SUNDAY IN LENT, MARCH 17, 2024
"Thank you!" John 11:38-44 CEB
One of the most important prayers we can adopt into our daily lives is prayers of thanksgiving. Just making sure we can tell God ,‘thank you’ can radically shape our lives, draw us closer to God and into the needs of the world. Join Pastor Rob Hamilton as we learn from Jesus the importance of praying, ‘thank you!’
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EVENTS AND SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENTS | |
Submit information each week for the Messenger and Bulletin Announcements by WEDNESDAY AT 12 pm for inclusion in these communications. Please use above button or click here for the COMMUNICATIONS submission form -- all requests for communicating an event should be made via this form, including getting items on the calendar and reserving rooms for your event. This form can also be found on the sign-ups page on our website. If you cannot use the submission form please email communications@genevaumc.org. Information sent to this email goes to Carolyn, Lorie and Kimberley, as does the submission form. | |
185 years of Geneva Methodists! | |
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Celebrating 185 Years!
Save the Dates!
Coming this September, our church will be celebrating 185
years of being Methodists in Geneva!
Please save the weekend of Friday, September 27- 29 to celebrate our 185th Anniversary. This fun and historical celebration will be open to our congregation, past members, pastors, and our Fox Valley community.
A steering committee has begun plans to celebrate our 185 years-- from the inception of our church in 1839 as a small wooden structure to the stone church built in 1874, (our present fellowship hall), to the church that we are today in 2024.
The kickoff for this celebration will begin this Sunday, March 17th at the Chili Cookoff after church, from 10:30 am to 12 Noon in the Fellowship Hall. Please join us for delicious chili, fun activities, and conversation to learn more about our 185th Anniversary Celebration AND to help us kick off our 185th Anniversary celebration we will be writing on our “church timeline” of your special memories from being a member of the United Methodist Church of Geneva from the past 20 years, or since you’ve been a member of our church. We will be incorporating this timeline into the history of our church.
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***Come by our tables in Fellowship Hall where this timeline will be laid out
to capture your memories from the last 20 years!***
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In the Beginning …The Start of the United Methodist Church of Geneva
By Carol W. Zars
Edited from "Step Back in Time,"
by Shirley Anderson
In commemoration of the 185th year of the founding of the United Methodist Church of Geneva, the Anniversary Committee thought it would be interesting to post a monthly article about our church.
The history of the United Methodist Church of Geneva is found in its people. Every person who has belonged to the church, visited the church, worked for the church, volunteered for the church, has touched the United Methodist Church of Geneva, and contributed to her history in some way. But this is how it all began…
Like many of the early Christian churches in America, the United Methodist Church of Geneva traces its beginnings to the circuit rider. A Methodist New England preacher by the name of Hiram G. Warner came to a small settlement on the Fox River in 1837. In 1839, First Methodist Church met in various locations. In 1850, the small group of 79 members was able to erect the very first Methodist church in Geneva, a tiny 30×40-foot structure.
A second Methodist church, the Swedish Methodist Church, was founded in Geneva in 1871 to serve the needs of the growing Swedish population. Their first church building was purchased in 1873 at the northeast corner of First and James Streets.
As ties with the old country loosened, their name changed to the Emmanuel Methodist Church and in 1907 they erected a new structure at Third and Hamilton, which still stands today.
Meanwhile The First Methodist Church of Geneva had also continued to prosper. In 1872, Bishop Ames of the Aurora Conference, sent Romaine S. Cantine, a young man not yet out of school, to Geneva. With youthful enthusiasm, he ran a year-long revival, adding seventy people to the membership of the church. On June 15, 1872, ground was broken and the building of the church at 211 Hamilton Street, Geneva began. The cornerstone was laid in July of that same year. There were ten members of the Trustees Committee steering the construction. December 22, 1972, Romaine S. Cantine preached his first sermon in the basement of the church. In September 1874, the new church building at the corner of Second and Hamilton Streets was dedicated.
The merger of the Emmanuel Methodist Church and the First Methodist Church in Geneva was given its initial impetus by the dissolution of the Swedish Conferences in 1942. The two churches became one, The Methodist Church of Geneva in 1948. With the combining of the Methodist and Evangelical United Brethren denominations, the church became the United Methodist Church of Geneva on August 9, 1969.
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This Maundy Thursday we invite you to an experience similar to that which the disciples and Jesus experienced in the Fellowship Hall with a congregational potluck and communion. The church will supply the entree and we invite people to bring sides, salads and desserts - though bringing a dish to share is not required. Please sign up here so that we can prepare accordingly. | |
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Chili chefs are still needed and welcomed!
Please sign up by tomorrow, March 16.
If you would prefer to help by volunteering, please click here to sign up to help!
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To make your Easter Offering online, click here.
Choose "one-time gift," then "Easter Offering" from the drop-down menu.
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***NOTE: This month we are meeting at Art History Brewery! | |
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MEMORY LOSS CAREGIVERS SUPPORT GROUP MEETING MONDAY AT 10 AM
Join our support group for persons with loved ones experiencing memory loss
issues. We will be gathering in the Parlor next Monday, March 18 at 10 a.m.
We are not experts on all aspects of memory loss illnesses, but we have become pretty good at "caring for the caregiver." If you or anyone you know is a caregiver of this type, please join us. For additional information, call Linda Tamlyn at (630) 406-6907.
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Yoga and/or Crystal Bowls Meditation
March 28, 2024 9:30 a.m. - 11:00 a.m.
$20.00 registration
Kathleen will be joining Colleen’s Thursday morning yoga class to offer a sound meditation, an experience where you’re immersed in deep sound vibrations creating a greater sense of deep relaxation. If you would prefer to just come for the sound meditation, please join us for the last 30 minutes of class. You will need a yoga mat and blanket.
Please contact Colleen for registration information or any questions at yogafas@icloud.com or
(630)715-9012.
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NEXT MEETING OF MISSIONS/CHURCH IN SOCIETY COMMITTEE IS MONDAY | |
The next meeting of the committees on Missions/Church in Society will be held on March 18th at 7:00 p.m. in the church library.
Members are asked to attend to help with the ongoing implementation of our 2024 finance drive.
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CLUSTER LUNCHEON TAUGHT MEMBERS OF WOMEN'S MINISTRIES ABOUT "NAOMI'S HOUSE"
On Saturday March 9th, a group from UMCG Women’s Ministries heard a presentation on Naomi's House by Founder and Executive Director Simone Halpin. This talk was the keynote address accompanying the annual Cluster Luncheon, held this year at Baker UMC, and including women from Geneva, St. Charles, and New Hope congregations.
Naomi's House has been in existence since 2016, with a mission to address the problem of sex trafficking in the Chicagoland area. The program involves a residential facility in West Chicago where victims can find safe sanctuary, hope, and healing. Other components of the program are day programming and outreach initiatives. Naomi’s House receives referrals and serves women from all over the country with the majority of clients having been trafficked here in Illinois, from DuPage, Cook, and Kane Counties.
Last year Naomi's House served 194 women, providing free services to all. More information as well as opportunities to support Naomi’s House with your time or funds is available here.
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Join other Tri-City Methodist Families This Spring at Baker Memorial UMC
This year's Road to Easter event will be hosted at Baker Memorial UMC in St. Charles on March 29, 2024 from 10:30-12 pm in Wiley Hall and on the outside lawn. The event will include a combination of faith, food, and fun. Possible activities might include a science experiment, craft/take home craft, fun lesson, book reading, egg hunt on lawn with scavenger hunt (weather permitting), and will conclude with a free lunch of sandwiches. Children and teens of all ages are invited, along with their families.
Details and Registration here.
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Children 3rd grade and under are invited to the UMCG Egg Hunt!
- Eggs will be hidden throughout the church building.
- Bring the whole family for fun and fellowship with others!
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"THE BIBLE'S ROCK STARS AND ONE-HIT WONDERS: TEN STORIES YOU WON'T WANT TO MISS!
BYOB -- BRING YOUR OWN BIBLE! (we DO have extras on hand, though) With videos, songs and Bible commentaries, Jo Ann, Nola and Mary Gay invite you to Eastertide joy as we dive into the Bible's pools of wisdom. With ample time for discussion, together what treasure(s) will we find? As disciple Philip says, "Come and see!"
When? 10:30 a.m. Sundays after worship from April 7 through June 9.
Where? The Parlor upstairs, just off Fellowship Hall.
Come once or come often. If you can join us occasionally -- no problem -- each session stands alone. No previous Bible study necessary. In fact, the insights & responses of newbies can be the most interesting!
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VOLUNTEER AND COMMITTEE NEWS | |
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Salvation Army
Food Pantry
Needs for March
- canned fruit
- applesauce
- canned beans (except green and black beans)
- Hamburger Helper
- canned ravioli and SpaghettiOs
- boxed pasta
- oatmeal
- toothpaste
- shampoo
- body wash
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UMCG's 2024 Scholarship information and application is now available on the church website, click button below. | | |
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The very first Earth Hour took place in Sydney, Australia. on March 31, 2007. For one hour 2.2 million people participated in a “lights off “ event to show their concern for the environment.
This year, Earth Hour will be Saturday March 23 at 8:30 pm when you too can turn off all essential lights and participate in the “biggest hour for earth.”
Visit www.earthhour.org and watch this video to learn more.
Creation Care
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NEWS FROM THE UMC COMMUNITY | |
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Prairie Central eNews is here.
The NIC weekly eNews is here.
Download the NIC Reporter here.
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ACCESS THE UMCG DOCUMENT CENTER | |
UMCG has a hidden page on the website for our church family to access called the Document Center. This includes our committee roster, communications submission forms and in the future, our committee agendas, reports and minutes. | |
211 Hamilton Street
Geneva, IL 60134
Phone: (630) 232-7120
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Connect with us on Social Media | | | | |
