Weekly Messenger - April 1, 2022 |
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Making and nurturing disciples of Jesus Christ to serve the community and the world |
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Walking with our Confirmation Students
We have been having a great year teaching our confirmation students in partnership with our sister churches of Batavia and St. Charles Baker Memorial UMCs. Our partnership has extended to sharing in some seasonal events and worship as well as partnering for some...Read the rest of Pastor Lisa's Message Here.
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UPCOMING WORSHIP SERVICES |
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Our Services are in-person and livestreamed
Go to the Worship Page on our Website to find more information about future services. |
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Sunday Worship Service - April 3, 2022
Pastor Rob Hamilton Preaches - The Walk: Share
At UMCG we are really good at ‘walking the walk’ as they say. You can see in our generous service to others the love of Christ. But unless we tell people about Jesus and invite people to experience Jesus as we do at UMCG, we neglect ‘talking the talk. Sharing your faith isn’t about ‘converting’ anyone to your perspective but sharing with others that which you love about your Lord and your church. Join Pastor Rob As he helps us all improve how we share our faith.
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BLESSING TABLES FOR APRIL 3
This week's blessing tables themes include Meet & Greet the Pastor's table with member of the Missions Committee, Women's Ministry & Rummage Sale Table with Betty Keeler & Jenean Larsen, and a Fishing Table with Dave Werman & Keith Bowgren.
If anyone has a hobby or if anyone wants to highlight a church activity or committee just email Keith Bowgren at kbowgren@gmail.com.
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CHILDREN'S MINISTRY UPDATE |
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If you can help prepare Eggs for the hunt or can help on the day of the event, pleast contact Julie Popplewell.
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College Care Package Items Needed
The youth ministry is asking for donations of items to go in the college care packages. We are in need of the following items and you can drop them off at the church office. Also you can choose to make a financial donation if you wish. Items needed:
- Popcorn
- Granola bars
- Hot chocolate packets
- Gum
- Flossers
- Single-serve instant coffee packets
- Please nothing with nuts in it.
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Good Friday Dinner and Service Project for Youth
Friday April 15 from 6:00-8:30pm
The youth will gather in the parlor for dinner and to pack care packages for our current college students. We will also dig into the story of the Last Supper in surprisingly compelling and interactive ways. Following dinner, the youth are invited to attend the Good Friday worship service in the Sanctuary. Sign up here. |
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Tri-City UMC - Bags, Bags, and More Bags Event: On Sunday, April 24 we will once again partner up with Baker Memorial UMC and Batavia UMC. This time we will meet at Pottawatomie Park in St. Charles for some park clean-up, a bag lunch, and a bags (a.k.a. cornhole) competition. This event will be from 10:30-12:30 after service on Sunday morning. Sign up here - tinyurl.com/tricityyouthbags.
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EVENTS AND SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENTS |
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Submit information each week by Wednesday at 12pm for inclusion in Bulletin Announcements or the Weekly Messenger. Please use the submission form that can also be used for adding items to the calendar and reserving rooms. This form can also be found on the sign-ups page on our website. You may also send them to communications@genevaumc.org. Information sent to this email goes to Carolyn, Debbie, and Lorie.
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THE RUMMAGE and BAKE SALE is around the corner! Mark your calendars for the following dates and be ready to dive into a week of fun, fellowship and serving some great needs in our community.
Set up: Monday, April 18 – 6pm Meet in Fellowship Hall
Donation drop offs: Tuesday and Wednesday, April 19 & 20 – 9am to 7pm
Bake Sale donations: Please drop off in the Library on Thursday, April 21.
Sale Dates: April 21 6-8pm, April 22 9-5pm, and April 23, 9am to noon
Clean Up: April 23, Noon to 2:30pm
Volunteer Opportunities: the entire week of rummage! Please sign up on-line or on the sign-up sheets in Fellowship Hall on the Women’s Ministry Board.
Large Items: If you are in need of having a larger item picked up, please call Lorne Tweed 908-723-2617.
We are anticipating a huge amount of donations again! For this reason, we would like to ask you to donate only items that will be highly saleable. At the risk of sounding ungrateful…please be picky about what you bring! Nothing dirty, dusty, torn, broken. Not only do clean items sell faster, but we can actually charge more for them! There are items that we can’t accept such as TVs. monitors, entertainment armoires, car seats, mattresses and cribs. We truly appreciate the generosity of this amazing church family! The need for affordable household goods and clothing has never been greater. People continue to struggle and we pray that in some small way we can help them. Plus, much of the money we raise goes to local charities, who have really felt the effects of this pandemic. Thank you, in advance, for all the donations and support we get during rummage week.
Rummage Sale questions: Jenean Larsen 847-707-6598, Bobbi Alderfer 630-272-944 or Wendy McKeehan 630-310-9861
Bake Sale/Food for Volunteers questions: Joan Hansen 630-251-4628
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APRIL IS EARTH MONTH AND CREATION CARE HAS SPECIAL ACTIVITIES PLANNED FOR EARTH DAY WEEKEND!
Earth Day is Friday, April 22. The Creation Care Team is planning a collection and sign up day on Sunday, April 24.
We are asking you to bring any of the following:
• Styrofoam for recycling
• Broken crayons
• Bread tags
• Corks
There will also be unsold books and DVDs from the Rummage Sale to deliver, and we ask that members sign up if willing to transport to recycle centers.
On that day there will be sign-up sheets to deliver the Styrofoam to Dart in North Aurora and the newspaper and towels to Anderson Animal Shelter in South Elgin.
Creation Care would like to help build a vegetable garden at Hesed House. In order to do this, we need volunteers to help build it and do the planting. We will go as a group. Please sign up if you would like to share your gardening skills.
During Earth Day week, we encourage any individual or family who is doing something for Earth Day to take pictures and send to video@genevaumc.org.
Please consider helping out. As Dr. Seuss wrote in The Lorax fifty years ago, “Unless someone like you cares a whole lot, nothing is going to get better. It’s not.”
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GRIEF SUPPORT GROUP BEGINS ON THURSDAY MAY 5 AT 6:30PM
Have you had a loved one die? In the past 2 years, many things have happened and we were not able to be together as a group. UMCG would like to offer a three week gathering to help if you are finding yourself on a grief journey. Every person's grief is unique so, of course, there are no answers. But in a magical process of sharing and listening, new or sometimes forgotten, coping skills can be brought to your attention. This Grief Support Group will begin on Thursday, May 5. The sessions will be in the evenings from 6:30 until 8:00 PM. More information will be available at a later date. Contact Rev. Mary Gay McKinney.
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WORLD RELIEF COLLECTION OF GIFT CARDS ON EASTER SUNDAY, APRIL 17
For Easter Sunday we are seeking donations of gift cards to give to refugees through World Relief. They are asking for gift cards from Amazon, Aldi, Goodwill, Target, or Walmart. They will be blessed in church on Easter Sunday.
You can order gift cards from Amazon, Target, or Walmart through SCRIP. You can make your gift by check or cash through our church offering plates on 4/3 and 4/10. Write checks out to "UMCG SCRIP", and mark World Relief on memo line with the type of card you want purchased. You can also contact Mardel or Jim McNally by phone (630/845-3367) to order the cards, and drop off your check before 4/10.
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MIDWEST MISSION COLLECTION EVENT ON PALM SUNDAY, APRIL 10
Collect & bring emergency relief supplies for Midwest Mission Distribution Center.
Here are their specific needs:
- Liquid household cleaner 60-80 oz
- Dish soap 42-64 oz
- Liquid laundry detergent 100-150 oz
- No pump or spray bottles.
Donations can be dropped off on the table outside of the library prior to April 10.
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Volunteer Needed to Serve Meals At Hesed House on Monday April 11
Our church serves the evening meal, breakfast, and bag lunches at Hesed House on the 2nd Monday of each month. Upcoming Dates include April 11, May 9, June 13 and July 11. We do not yet have anyone signed up for these dates.
Anyone who serves on the dinner crew must be 12 years or older and fully vaccinated. Dinner crew volunteers are needed from about 6:15pm until around 8:30pm at the Hesed House, 659 S River St. in Aurora. More information and sign-up at this link Sign Up Genius. Note that you also need to register with Hesed House and links for that are on the sign-up page.
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GOOD FRIDAY PRAYER VIGIL
On Good Friday, April 15, in addition to our evening service in our sanctuary at 7:30pm, our sanctuary will be open from 9:00am to 3:00pm for prayer. Jesus hung for six hours on the cross as scripture says, from 9:00am to 3:00pm. Enter by the West doors. Stay as long as you like or even a minute or two.
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PRACTICE CENTERING PRAYER
For some years Pastor Rob, Sharon Anderson and Pastor Mary Gay have practiced Centering Prayer. In this form of prayer one sits still, quietly alone or in a circle with others for a set number of minutes. It's a time to listen for a Word from God, so different from other prayer times at UMCG in which we pray out loud. Join us on Thursdays at 1:30pm beginning April 28. We'll share some teaching about the practice in our beginning sessions. Come and bring friends! Contact Rev. Mary Gay McKinney.
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TODAY: Invite to kids to the Easter Eggs & Earth Day Celebration at Wheeler park on April 16.
NEXT WEEK: Get ready for our Easter themed Photo Booth this weekend (and next) Plan to snap a picture and share social media and tag UMCG. (More info below.)
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Get ready to have your Picture Taken!
Get ready for our Easter themed Photo Booth that we will have set up in Fellowship Hall on Palm Sunday and Easter Sunday. Plan to snap a picture and share social media and tag UMCG. We will also be taking your picture with our camera and can email them to you.
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Prepare a Lenten offering to be given in an Easter offering envelope.
Commit to a denomination (penny, dollar, quarter, $5, etc.) of money and each week. Make an offering using the giving guide each Monday.
Next week: Make one contribution for every person you want to invite to church but haven’t yet.
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THE WALK: ADULT SUNDAY SCHOOL CLASS AT 10:30AM
On Sunday, April 3 at 10:30am in the Parlor, Pastor Rob will lead our discussion of his sermon based on the book The Walk by Adam Hamilton. This week the discussion be on chapter 5 - "Share". For anyone who wishes, this class will also be available on Zoom using this link.
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NEWS FROM THE UMC COMMUNITY |
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The NIC Annual Conference will take place June 8-June 10, 2022. Registration opens on April 4. More information is available here.
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Prairie Central eNews is here.
The NIC weekly eNews is here.
The Download the NIC Reporter for April here.
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ACCESS THE UMCG DOCUMENT CENTER |
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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. |
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Watch Online Worship Services |
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211 Hamilton Street
Geneva, IL 60134
Phone: (630) 232-7120
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Connect with us on Social Media |
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