The Weekly Courier

November 27, 2024

"We seek to connect people to God, each other, and the wider community and to welcome and affirm all people"

Prepare Your Heart...

Before you hear Connie lead our song team in singing "Waiting for You" by Hannah and Lenora Rand, listen to this live performance from one of the original artists with The Many.

Click on the picture --> 

This Week's Calls to Action!

• Order a FUMCO cookbook (they make great gifts)
• Check out our first ADVENT-ure this Wednesday (12/4 @6-8pm)
• Consider joining for the launch of this year's Legislative Academy, Mon 12/2
• Get your last minute UWIF nut orders in with Carol before they're GONE

For more information about all of these events and opportunities, read on below...

Get Those Pledges In

Pledge Sunday was on 11/24, but it's NOT too late to turn in a pledge.

You can find a pledge card in the church narthex/office or you can just write your pledge on a piece of paper and mail it to the church or email it to Cathy directly at fumco@fumcoly.org. Include the total you plan to give for the year and whether it will be one annual gift or given in part each month or week. We need them asap!

ADVENT-ure Nights!

Affinity Nights are becoming ADVENT-ures for the next three weeks. So join us for our normal 6pm potluck, but then stay for an all-age activity at 7pm led by Miss Brittney. This is a family-friendly event and EVERYONE is welcome to help prepare for Christmas!

This week's Activities (12/4):

We start ADVENTures! After dinner, join us for ice skating downtown with Miss Brittney (we'll carpool together at 7pm) or Pastor Alexa will lead the Bethlehem Bible Study back at FUMCO.

Save the Date! Legislative Academy

We're excited to be bringing back the Legislative Academy this year! Join us every Monday night in December-January from 6:30-7:30pm. Each week, we'll have a new guest speaker who'll help us understand more about the 2025 state legislative session. This is a completely free event and open to the community!

Want to help? We need people to come at 6pm to set up chairs. If you're able to do this, please let Marcy LaViollette know at mlavioll@cs.hmc.edu or 360-239-4187 (texting preferred). This would be a HUGE help.

Our first speaker (on 12/2) will be (ret) Senator Karen Fraser, giving a Legislator 101 class.

Green Bag Sunday is Here Again

Green bags go out on Sunday, December 1. Please bring them back on Sunday, December 8 filled with peanut butter, canned protein, and For Kids items such as fruit cups, mac & cheese and ramen.  

A volunteer is needed for about an hour on December 14 to help transfer the donations to the Food Bank Warehouse. If you're able to help, pleach reach out to Toni (tonimik@comcast.net).

And you can mark your calendars now with next year's green bag schedule:

Jan 26 - hand out (Feb 2 - come back)

March 30 - hand out (April 6 - come back)

June 1 - hand out (June 8 - come back)

July 27 - hand out (August 3 - come back)

Sept 28 - hand out (Oct 5 - come back)

Nov 30 - hand out (Dec 7 - come back)

Nov-Dec Upper Rooms

November-December issues of the Upper Room are ready for pick-up for $1.00!

You may get yours on a Sunday morning, before or after worship. Or swing by the church Monday-Thursday, 10am-2pm.

Come Join a Choir

Our Common Ground Choir meets on Thursdays @6:45pm in the Gathering Place.

And the Jeffords Memorial Handbell Choir 

meets on Wednesdays @5:30 in the Choir Room. Please come join us!

Want a Health Check?

The Health Team will do blood pressure checks every first Sunday after worship. Stop by each month for this important wellness check!

Giving Tree in the Narthex

Thank you for your generosity! Our Christmas Angel tree ornaments were gone in 1 day!

You might notice that this year's angel tree was done a little differently. Each ornament represented one child. In the past we have had one gift per ornament, this year we had all the gifts for one child grouped together.

We understand that might have caught several people by surprise. We want to provide something each child needs, wants, wear, AND read. If you are unable to purchase all four gifts, please let us know. We can partner people together to meet the needs of every child on our angel tree. We are sorry for any confusion this has caused. 

If you did not get an ornament and still want to be involved, let Kristin or Brittney know. ministrysupport@fumcoly.org or brittney@fumcoly.org.

Last Chance to Buy Nuts

We are almost sold out. Here's what we have left: 2 pounds walnuts, 3 pounds pecans, 2 pounds pistachios, whole almonds and mixed nuts on a first come basis. 

Let Carol Gruen at gruencl1941@gmail.com know if you want any, she will have them on Sunday morning for pick-up and sale. Thanks to all who supported our bazaar by volunteering their time to help, to buy and to encourage others to attend. We cleared over $8,000, sold 19 of the church’s cookbooks and ran out of cookies at the Cookie Walk. 

Our Cookbooks Are Here!

As part of our Come to the Table worship last month, we collected over 75 RECIPES from our church community to create a brand new cookbook we're calling "Comfort and Joy."

If you're interested in buying your own copy, they're for sale just in time for the holidays! You can grab one for $10 on Sunday mornings at the table in the Narthex or in the church office during normal office hours. You can also pre-order online with the link below and we'll set your copy aside until you can pick it up.

Thank you to everyone who submitted recipes to create this flavorful picture of our community. We hope you'll read some of the beautiful stories behind our favorite recipes.

Order your own copy here: https://fumcoly.breezechms.com/form/cookbook.

Life of the Church

The bazaar was a success! Last Saturday, our United Women in Faith raised over $8,000 to support local and national non-profits that help children, youth, and women. Thank you to everyone who makes this amazing annual event possible!

And on Sunday, we decorated our sanctuary for Advent! From the littlest hands putting Chrismons on low branches to Tom braving the heights of the ladder, it was a true community effort!

You can find more photos from this event (and many more) on our Facebook page: 

https://www.facebook.com/FUMCOLY.

Our Welcoming Statement

First United Methodist Church of Olympia welcomes people of all ages, all abilities,

all sexual orientations and gender identities, all nationalities and ethnicities,

the poor and the rich, single people and the many forms of family.

See our Church Calendar.

Visit our webpage!

Watch our latest worship service

Read the latest Joys & Concerns

Like us on Facebook!

Follow us on Instagram!

Contact us ...

by phone: 360-943-2661 by email: fumco@fumcoly.org

OFFICE HOURS: Sunday 9am-noon | Monday-Thursday 10am-2pm

The Weekly Courier editor: Lauren Fontanilla