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Happy Thanksgiving, everyone.

For this month’s newsletter I’d like to share two very important things:

“One of the teachers of the law came and heard them debating. Noticing that Jesus had given them a good answer, he asked him, “Of all the commandments, which is the most important?” “The most important one,” answered Jesus, “is this: ‘Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’ The second is this: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no commandment greater than these.” [Matthew 12:28-31]

In the entire gospels, these two commandments rank among the most important sayings and affirmations from Jesus. He says “there is no commandment greater than these.” Did you catch that? For Jesus, this is a single commandment. As Christians, we are called to follow them. They are pivotal in our walk as disciples. They help us live more faithfully, and should guide our conversations and the way we live together. 

In writing this article, I also wanted to share with you a couple of other less important but very indispensable things which, as a church, can help us live more faithfully our call as disciples of Christ. Starting last month, we began to live under a new temporary leadership structure. Of course, as I said, this doesn’t reach the level of Jesus’ commandments, but it can help us live more faithfully as a church. 

One of the things that has happened so far is that we have merged the areas of worship, spiritual growth, connection and family ministries into one “Discipleship team.” We already had our first, very exciting meeting. Our hope is that we will be able to do more and meet less. Our new discipleship team is currently made up of all the members who belonged to the other team, which will help us with more ideas, more creativity, less burnout and a deeper sense of where God is leading us. For now, the Leadership Team has decided that this is temporary. At least until we see how this works. 

Our next step will be to consolidate: the Missions and Outreach team with the Social Justice and Thrift Shop teams. We will also be merging Finance with Stewardship, and possible 3Investments. Trustees will remain on their own, but Staff-Parish will be combined with nominations. Again, we are calling this a 6-month trial period, and it will not become permanent until we, as a church, vote at a church conference later on.

The second important item is our Lay Leader. According to the United Methodist Book of Discipline, the Lay Leader plays a vital role in the life and ministry of each local church, serving as a bridge between the congregation and the pastor. The lay leader works alongside the pastor and other church leaders, and represents the voice of the congregation. The person is also called to promote spiritual growth, provide faithful service and encourage others to actively participate in the mission and ministries of the church. For the last 1+ years, that person has been Tracy Jaekel. She sits in various teams, including TLT and SPRMT. She is also a Certified Lay Minister or CLM. A CLM is a trained and dedicated church member who is called to serve God through leadership, worship, teaching, and caring for others. Tracy has been a wonderful partner in ministry.

I believe that both the new structure and our understanding of the role of a lay leader in the life of the church can help us live more faithfully as disciples of Christ. 

As we begin this new season of giving thanks for all of the good things God has done with us, through us and for us; and all of the good and amazing people God has placed in our lives, I encourage us to take a moment sometime during this month and give thanks to God for all the good in your life. 

Pastor René

Set up for the Christmas Fair is Wednesday November 11th starting at 9:30. If you are available to help set up tables and move some furniture from the Narthex please plan to attend. 

Any questions reach out to Brent Finemore at 508-641-6077.

Silent Auction 2026 Donations

Hi John Wesley family! The Christmas Fair is almost here! If you frequent restaurants, hair or nail salons, spas or use services that may donate a gift card, kindly consider requesting a donation for the 2026 Silent Auction. The Christmas Flyers and Tax forms are in the office in the copy room on the counter.

The gift cards can be dropped off in the office. 
Elie has a folder just for the Silent Auction.

Grateful, Christine & Maryellen

Calling all JW Preservers!

Are you a canner? A preserver? Jam or jelly maker? Condiment creator? John Wesley needs you to help create products to be sold at the Christmas Fair this November.

If you are interested in producing a preserved edible creation for the Fair, or just want to learn more about how to do such things, please email Matt O’Connor.

Greeters Needed!

Greeters are the first impression to our church. If you are interested in being part of the welcome, email Karen Camp or call. You can choose to greet monthly, seasonally, occasionally, or as a substitute. You can choose which Sunday of the month works best for you.

Library

October was National Church️ Library Month, but at JWUMC, we will be celebrating it in November!  

Watch for a celebratory event each Sunday in November to celebrate our library where you can leave one, take one, or return one!

We stand on the shoulders of those who went before us. Lorretta Croft took care of the library for years, and Ellen Call was the earliest librarian that anyone can recall with assistance from Linda Duane.

Thank you, ladies!

Crafty Ladies

Everyone is welcome to join the Crafty Ladies that meets the first Monday of the month at 1PM in the Fitzgerald room. No experience is necessary! 

It’s a lot of fun as you prepare a wide range of crafts for the November Christmas Fair!

Prayer Chain 

The prayer chain is a confidential prayer email chain list of 19. The prayer requests are sent out, and the team prayer warriors are asked to pray for those requests for the whole month. Contact is made at the end of the month to see if the request needs to continue for the next month.

If you are interested in joining in praying for others, contact Karen Camp or call.

Wednesday Prayer Group 

On Wednesdays at 11am, there is an in-person prayer group to pray for those who would like to have prayers for themselves or others.

If you are interested in joining the Wednesday prayer group as a member or have a prayer request, contact the pastor/office.

Prayer Box

Under the TV on a table in the narthex is a prayer box with cards for you to submit prayer requests to various prayer teams.

Prayer Team 

Standing on the shoulders of Phyllis Clough and Patsy Tsardies, we thank them for starting and leading the post church service prayer team concept as they got it started and lead it for years and years and years (as far back as anyone can remember)! 

On the 2nd & 4th Sundays of the month, there is a prayer team to pray for those who would like to have confidential prayers for themselves or as proxy for others. The prayers will continue for the week.

We would like to take this opportunity to greatly thank Joy Stolz for serving as the prayer team substitute for many years! It was greatly appreciated by the prayer team as well as those for whom we have prayed! Thank you and may God bless you abundantly, Joy!

We could use a substitute. Please pray to see if this is something you feel called to do at JWUMC and kindly contact Karen Camp.

Finance Ministry Team Matt O'Connor

Notice to JWUMC Pledgers:



In recent years, you have received a quarterly letter in the mail updating the YTD status of your pledge payments to John Wesley. For the third quarter ending Sept. 30, 2026, that letter will come via email. Sending the letter electronically will allow you to get this information faster and will save the church the expense of printing, envelopes, and postage. You should receive this email in the next week or so. If this is successful, we will send subsequent quarterly pledge update letters electronically, except for the year-end letter. The year-end letter summarizing your annual giving will still be sent to you in the mail, so you have a hard copy for your tax records. If you have any questions about this, please contact Matt O’Connor at giving@johnwesleyumc.org.

Invitation & Connection Lianne Carbone

There are so many ways to Connect here at John Wesley. Our Church Calendar (found on the website or the APP) is your up-to-the minute resource for when, and where, and what to expect. You can also share the event with others just by clicking "share".  Enjoy!

UPDATE ON APP:  Sorry to say that our link for Google Playstore users is still broken so NEW USERS cannot download it. For those who already downloaded it, keep on using it! We're almost done with the fix so watch for information on that. 



There are now 310 people who have downloaded our APP, 136 people who have profiles, and 385 people launched it last month! Join the crowd! Use it to message each other! It's fun!

See you at Church!

Birthday Wishes for November

Join us on the 2nd Tuesday (November 10th) of each month for a Birthday Luncheon at Sweet Rice in Teaticket!

NOV 2 Steve Almy & Nancy Leger

NOV 3 Sharon Mulcahy

NOV 8 Milton King

NOV 17 Ted Burt

NOV 22 Wanda Santos-Perez

NOV 23 Marge Dean

If we don't know your birthday, please email your birthday information to the church office. 

We want to celebrate you!

THIS MONTH'S SHOUT OUT!

This month, we give a special “Stewards in Action” Shout Out to our At-Large Committee and Staff Parish Relations Committee.

These teams faithfully serve behind the scenes, helping our church stay connected, healthy, and moving forward. From offering thoughtful leadership and fresh perspectives to supporting our pastor and staff, listening to the needs of our congregation, and helping navigate the many decisions that come their way, their service is a true gift. Thank you for sharing your time, wisdom, patience, and heart with our church community!

THE WESLEY HOUSE THRIFT SHOP

Explore our shop, connect with friends and neighbors, and be part of our newest endeavor at John Wesley! Spread the word as our offerings continue to grow…thanks to you!

We’re open from 10AM to 2PM Fridays and Saturdays. 
Stop by…we'd love to see you!

FOR THE MOST CURRENT UPDATES TO EVENT DETAILS, INCLUDING TIMES, LOCATIONS, AND CANCELLATIONS PLEASE CONSULT OUR CHURCH CALENDAR ON THE WEBSITE OR MOBILE APP