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What's Up With Our Pastors?
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2017 Generosity Pledge Campaign!
Thank you to those that have already completed a pledge card. Help CUC to reach our financial goals for next year! Complete your
pledge card online, or visit the Welcome Spot on Sunday for a card.
If you've completed a pledge card, you can pick up, at the Welcome Spot, your CUC draw-string bag, water bottle or mouse pad as a "thank you" for your pledge.
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QUICK LINKS
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SUNDAYS AT CUC
8:00 AM
Traditional Worship
9:10 AM
Adult Sunday School
10:00 AM
Contemporary Worship
Scripture:
1 Thessalonians 5:16, 17, 18 NRSV
Sermon:
Cub Scout Thanksgiving
Thanks to
This
Week's Ushers:
8:00 a.m.
Eve & Patrick Trumpore
10:00 a.m.
Bill & Barb McElroy
Brian & Heidi Snyder
Thanks to This Week's
Acolytes:
8:00 a.m.
Patrick Trumpore
10:00 a.m.
TBD
Thanks to This Week's Ambassadors:
Sunday, November 20
8:00 am Traditional Worship
9:10 am Adult Sunday School
10:00 am
Contemporary Worship & Kid's Sunday School
1:30 pm Pastor Jane's Installation
Wednesday, November 23
6:15 pm Bells Rehearsal
6:30 pm Band
7:30 pm Choir Rehearsal
Thursday, November 24
Thanksgiving Day - Office Closed
Friday, November 25
Office Closed
Sunday, November 27
8:00 am Traditional Worship
9:10 am Adult Sunday School
10:00 am Contemporary Worship with
Kid's Sunday School
6:00 pm Middle & High School Youth Groups
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CUC GENEROSITY
Fiscal Year to Date
thru November 13, 2016
ACTUAL
Identified Giving $345,692
Plate Collection $ 5,839
Grocery Card Net $ 6,305
BUDGET
Identified Giving $ 336,250
Plate Collection $ 5,109
Grocery Card Net $ 3,666
Identified Giving $ 9,442
Plate Collection $ 730
Grocery Card Net $ 2,639
YTD AVERAGE
PER WEEK
Identified Giving $ 11,920
Plate Collection $ 201
Grocery Card Net $ 217
Donation Envelopes
can be found in the Black Friendship Books in each row at the church. If you wish to contribute cash (it is not necessary to use the envelopes for contributions made by check) and would like it applied to your identified giving, please place the cash in the envelope and put your name on it. Your cash contributions can then be allocated to your annual statement from CUC.
Want to know where you stand with your pledge year-to-date? Call CUC's Business Manager, Lee Ann Smith, in the church office, or email her at
leeann@columbinechurch.org.
_________________________
King Soopers Cards
Don't forget that you can donate to CUC simply by purchasing a King
Soopers card at the Welcome Spot. Each time you reload the card at the store, CUC receives 5%!
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President's Corner
Merriam-Webster tells us that a primary definition of holiday is holy day. As we move full-force into the "holiday season", much is holy about the daily work afoot by your CUC Council.
Over the past few months CUC's Council and many Boards and Committees submitted and compiled a rich set of dreams and what we called "why's" for desired building improvements to our facilities. We contemplated the drivers of our ministries and the important elements of our congregational and community lives and missions. The ultimate goal is for our physical resources to buoy our spiritual direction.
Council shared this input with a local, trusted building architect and he suggested some initial ideas and approaches. We struggled to connect some of these big, sweeping changes and the accompanying significant costs with what we want to accomplish. The stars didn't align and we recognized that perhaps where we're headed is to repurpose, modernize, and rethink the rich resources that we truly already have. We believe that in understanding what we don't want in our paths, we are led closer to what we actually do want. We adjusted to seek visual and spatial creativity to breathe life and energy into our facilities, and Council is pursuing some input from interior designers and remodelers to see what we can unlock. Think of it as a spiritual version of Fixer Upper if you will (for my fellow HGTV fans). More to come!
Council is also contemplating many ways to visibly and continually celebrate our collective individual and group work as a church. There is much to celebrate!
- The resurgence and energy in our youth program thanks to fantastic staff and volunteers as our search for a new Director of Children's & Youth Ministry is underway
- Pastor Jane's installation service on November 20th @ 1:30 pm
- Careful consideration and input from Council, Boards and Committees into creating an impactful visit experience at CUC
- The many ways that CUC's members make every day holy for yourselves, your families, and our communities
Please bring your myriad storytelling ideas - big and small - to myself or send them in to Council through our great church committees and staff. We want to celebrate the daily light and joy that is CUC.
Every day I am thankful for the opportunity to serve you. Thank you for all you do for CUC!
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This week in Sunday School...we will talk about thankfulness! We are going to spend time looking at what it means to be thankful. We will think about what things make us thankful. We will make some crafts that remind us to be thankful all the time.
Calling Parents and Volunteers! Parents and Volunteers! Join us downstairs for Sunday School and spend time with our amazing kids! Helping with set-up, greeting, the prize counter and clean-up are simple, quick ways to improve our ministry, and only take a few minutes of your time. It also gives you a chance to welcome new families to our church! We also have opportunities to work with our children as a Teacher or Shepherd. Visit the link for the Sign-up Genus to find a time that works for you!
http://www.signupgenius.com/go/30e0c4eaba929a13-20163
Sprouts (Preschool & PreK) Parents Miss Tanya is back teaching our Sprouts class, and we need parents to help out! Tanya has some great games, activities and lessons planned. She can always use extra help. Take a look at your schedule and see where you can volunteer. Check out the Sign Up Genius link above to find a time that works for you!
Youth Sunday Mornings and Evenings
Youth gather downstairs at 11AM this Sunday for a quick Sunday School!
No youth group Sunday night. Enjoy your Thanksgiving break! Youth Group resumes next Sunday, November 27th at 6:00 p.m.
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ADULT CHRISTIAN EDUCATION
Adult Sunday School
Please join us on November 20th when Adult Education will continue the series
My Best Thought
with a presentation by Linda Hills. Class will run from 9:10 - 9:50 a.m. in Fireside Chapel.
Faith Forum
There will be no Faith Forum class on November 22nd. Have a wonderful Thanksgiving celebration. We will resume class on Tuesday, November 29th at 9:30 a.m. The class will continue an exploration of spirituality using the book
The Sacred Way: Spiritual Practices for Everyday Life
, written by Tony Jones. Ruthann Moomy and Nancy Bierman will facilitate the 2 week class.
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Chocolate Therapist bars are back
! Members of CUC who are going on the January Mission Trip to Nicaragua are selling Chocolate Therapist bars for $3 each or 2 for $5, to help defray travel costs. The delicious bars, which make great Christmas stocking stuffers, were donated by CUC member Julie Pech, owner of the Chocolate Therapist shop in downtown Littleton.
Coffee Mission Sales
We will be selling coffee from Cafe Justo, a Presbyterian USA supported mission to build a self-sustaining coffee cooperative in Mexico. Please come visit us between services every second Sunday of the month. We have regular and dark roast for $13.00 per pound, and smaller sample sizes for $3.50. Thanks for supporting this great cause while enjoying a cup of coffee!
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CUC MUSIC
Season of Joy-Celtic Christmas Mitch Samu and the Rejoice Choir will perform Season of Joy, a Christmas concert featuring a full choir, Uillean pipes, the penny whistle and the Irish fiddle. Admission is free, but a free-will offering will be taken. Grace Presbyterian Church on Friday, December 9th at 7:00 p.m. and Sunday, December 11th at 3:00 p.m. Columbine United Church on Saturday, December 10th at 7:00 p.m. See poster at CUC for full details.
Bells & Choir Rehearsals are in session. Bells will rehearse at 6:15 pm and choir will start at 7:30 p.m.
The Band Wednesday evenings in the sanctuary.
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CUC FINANCES
We're grateful to the congregation of CUC for your generosity, and want to continue to offer quality programming and staff to each of you.
Donate to CUC via Thrivent Financial Choice Dollars! We are pleased to announce that CUC has been enrolled as a participating organization in Thrivent Financial's Thrivent Choice® program. Thrivent Choice is a charitable grant program that allows eligible members to recommend where Thrivent Financial distributes part of its charitable outreach grant funds each year. CUC is listed in the program's searchable
online catalog. Eligible Thrivent Financial members can direct Thrivent Choice Dollars® to CUC in a particular month. The funds may be used to carry out the religious, charitable or educational purposes of CUC. If you have Choice Dollars available to direct, please consider directing them to CUC. To learn more about Thrivent Choice, visit
Thrivent.com/thriventchoice. Or call Thrivent at 800-847-4836, and say "Thrivent Choice" when prompted.
Now You Can Text Your Offering!
In less time than it takes to write a check, you can now make your contribution to CUC with a quick text message! Text @cuc and the dollar amount you would like to donate to 52014. For example, if you would like to donate $200, your text to 52014 will read "@cuc 200." If this is your first text gift, you'll receive a text back to set up your giving account. Thank you for our continued support of CUC! Your time, talent and resources are helping us to change the world!
How Can You Help to Change the Financial Picture of CUC?
* Stay on top of your annual pledge. It's helpful for the church's cash flow if you're able to spread your giving throughout the year, rather than waiting until the end of the calendar year. Need to know how much is remaining on your pledge? Just send an email to Lee Ann at
leeann@columbinechurch.org.
* King Soopers gift cards. You can purchase a gift card from the church office during the week, or at the Welcome Spot on Sunday mornings. Your gift card comes loaded with $5 that you can use at King Soopers. For CUC to benefit, you simply have to load the gift card with funds at the check-out, before they ring up your groceries. CUC receives 5% of the funds that you load onto the gift card! You can also use your gift card to pay for gas! Just load your card at the check-out when you're getting groceries, or the gas attendant can load it for you, too. Questions about this program? Email Lee Ann at
leeann@columbinechurch.org. This month, our check was over $1,000!
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GROUPS AND ANNOUNCEMENTS
Candle Table Safety Please ensure that the lighting stick is extinguished before leaving the candle table, after lighting your candle. Thank you for your cooperation!
Pastor Jane's Installation Service Sunday, Nov 20th at 1:30 p.m. This service is required by the PCUSA and the Presbytery of Denver for all teaching elders who are serving in installed positions. Please plan to attend and support Jane and the Columbine staff in this new chapter of ministry. Wine and cheese reception to follow.
Care Groups for CUC Women
Calling all CUC women! CUC welcomes care groups of all types for our congregation to come together to nurture specific needs for women within our church community. Care groups can provide support, connection and fun for women in all stages of life. In order to help create an environment that fosters healthy and intimate friendships, the ideal size for this type of group tends to be 6 - 15 people. The group can choose meeting dates and locations, and select the format and topics that best suit the group's needs. Are you interested in creating or participating in a women's care group? Contact Lee Ann Smith (
leeann@columbinechurch.org
) or Pastor Jane Ritterson (
jane@columbinechurch.org
) or call the church office (303) 798-1845. Let them know what type of group best fits your needs and they'll help get you connected.
New Member Class
Our next Discover CUC New Member Class is coming up on Sunday, December 4 from 11:30am-2:30pm. Lunch is provided, as well as childcare. This is a great way to get to know CUC better, meet some of our CUC leaders, and get to know others who are new to CUC. Please RSVP by emailing Pastor Justin -
justin@columbinechurch.org
- or calling the church office.
Cards for the Troops
CUC is partnering with KYGO to send 10,000 Christmas cards to our troops this year. If you have any extra cards to donate, please drop them by church this week or bring them on Sunday. Look for the table in Biel Hall today and November 27th and stop by and write messages to the troops. Contact Barb Rudolf at (303) 358-3410 with questions.
CUC Green Team
is meeting on Sunday, November 27th at 11:00 a.m. in the Parlor. Please attend if you would like to help expand CUC's environmental awareness. Contact Tom at
tweconopouly@gmail.com
with questions.
9Health Fair
Can you volunteer one Saturday morning to help inform hundreds of 9Health Fair participants about their health? They will begin lining up at the doors of our church in the early morning on Saturday, April 22nd. We can't guarantee that you'll help save a life, but you might! What could be more important? For more information, email
peggysweet@kencominerals.com
.
CUC Stickers
. CUC stickers are available at the Welcome Spot and are free of charge. Pick yours up today.
Acolyte Schedule & Signup
Schedule your child to be an acolyte!
Check out our Acolyte Sign-Up Genius page
to schedule your child. Also, if your child wants to acolyte, is in 2nd grade or older, and has never been trained, please let Pastor
Justin know.
CUC Job Opening...
Director of Children and Youth Ministries.
f
or the 10:00 a.m. service each Sunday. If you're friendly and welcoming, contact Ginny Anstine at (303) 794-2815.
Volunteers Needed for Sunday Mornings
to assist with the continental breakfast! If you're able to help with a 60 minute shift, let Josie know at (303) 798-1845 or
josie@columbinechurch.org
.
Prayer Shawl.
The Prayer Shawl Ministry meets the first Tuesday of each month in the Parlor. If you would like to knit, or if you would like to learn to knit, please feel free to join them at 7:00 p.m. This ministry has been providing comfort to those in need for many years.
Notary Public. Don't forget that Josie is a Notary Public. If you need this service, call the church office.
CUC Global. You can see videos of our sermons and some of our music on YouTube each week. Check it out at
youtube.com/user/columbineunited.
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JOYS & CONCERNS
JOYS
Congratulations to Nancy and Wally Bensman who welcomed their first grandchild, Miles Alexander Jenkins. Miles, currently in NICU, arrived 6 weeks early. It is hoped he can be taken home from the hospital by mid-December.
Congratulations to Brian & Crystalann Van Scoyk as they welcomed Liliana Grace into the world on Monday, October 17th. She joins her brother, Ethan, to the family. Grandparents are Carla and Wally Keesecker.
Congratulations to John and Meg Fink. Their daughter, Faye Landrie Fink, was born on Monday, November 14th at 6:30 pm.
It's encouraging to see signs of peace and unity following a season of negative election campaigning. In Oakland, California, around 700 demonstrators joined hands around Lake Merritt to symbolize healing and unity. In Denver, hundreds of people participated at Civic Center in a peaceful demonstration entitled "Denver Unites to Defeat Hate." The purpose of the event was to bring people together with love and support.
Common Hope celebrated the graduation of 75 secondary students on Saturday, November 5th. Thanks to all the people who sponsor students through Common Hope. Your support makes a difference.
A huge thanks to the CUC congregation for their food donations to IFCS (formerly known as the Interfaith Taskforce). We are blessed with a very generous group of people who make an abundant Thanksgiving possible for those who, at this time in their lives, otherwise would have done without.
CONCERNS:
Prayers for Sarah Samu, sister-in-law of Mitch, who has been diagnosed with stage four lung cancer. She is undergoing a lot of tests and hopes to begin her protocol before Thanksgiving. Sarah is also the mother of Max Samu, who is recovering from a bone marrow transplant. Max is doing okay and has started limited PT. It's going to be a long haul for him.
Prayers for Elizabeth Anderson who fell and broke her kneecap. She cannot drive and would appreciate help in getting to the horse she cares for.
Prayers for Mark Foster who had neck surgery on November 14th.
Prayers for Chuck Halderman who had a partial knee replacement on November 16.
Prayers for Greg Bennett who will soon be starting chemo and radiation.
Prayers for John Broyles, son of Sue and Paul Broyles. John had surgery on November 11th to remove a nodule from his vocal cord. The Broyles family would greatly appreciate prayers for John's healing. John lives in El Dorado Hills CA.
Judy Simmons has recently had some good news as she continues with chemo treatments every other week in response for pancreatic cancer. The doctor reported that the results of her most current CT scan looked positive. Judy welcomes calls at (303) 437-9153, and cards may be sent to 6620 S. Upham Street, Littleton, CO 80123. Dan and Judy appreciate all the meals that have been provided. If you would like to help with meals, you can check on the website at
http://mealtrain.com/2g41g8
.
Continued prayers for Nina and Garrett Ray's daughter, Sara Harding. She has been battling liver cancer that has also spread to her lungs and lymph nodes. For now, she feels pretty well except for some pain in her side. Her future care is being arranged by a hospice nurse. Nina and Garrett are traveling to Iowa to spend Thanksgiving with Sara.
We ask that you keep the following people in your prayers. Although the immediate crisis may be over, we want our church family to know they continue to be in our thoughts and prayers: Tom Moore, Jeff and Linda Veres, Kristianne Seaton, the Dye Family, Dora (Carol Albertson's daughter), Braden Sinclair, Max Samu, David Broyles, and Ingrid Falkenstine.
There are other unnamed members and friends of CUC who have requested prayers as they deal with unemployment, financial challenges, significant health concerns and anger management.
Please pray for all our brothers and sisters in the military and those who serve our country around the world.
If you have a life situation you would like your pastors or the congregation to be aware of, please call the church office at 303-798-1845.
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| COLUMBINE UNITED CHURCH 6375 S. Platte Canyon Rd. Littleton, CO 80123 (303) 798-1845 cuc@columbinechurch.org www.columbinechurch.org |
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