Thanksgiving Dinner Thursday, November 9, 2017 Seatings at 5:15pm and 6:15pm Tickets: $7 adult; $4 child; $22 family of four by Carol Frost

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1 Circuit Rider 1 The November 2017 Thanksgiving Dinner Thursday, November 9, 2017 Seatings at 5:15pm and 6:15pm Tickets: $7 adult; $4 child; $22 family of four by Carol Frost Chatham United Methodist Church hosted for many years a Thanksgiving Dinner for our church family and friends. In 2009 we started reaching out beyond our own families: first to the patrons of the Ball Chatham Food Pantry, then to participants in the Titan Fuel program, and now this year will be adding the families who signed up at Back to School Blessings Day to receive information about family programs offered by Chatham UMC. Our annual Thanksgiving Dinner will be Thursday, November 9 th. The challenge before you is to think and pray about how to use the gifts with which God has blessed you. How will you use your gift of hospitality, service, leadership, generosity, healing, teaching, mercy, compassion, faith, or evangelism to help us create a welcome and open environment where we can feed the hungry? Please pray that those we have invited will accept our invitation. Come and fellowship with us that evening and extend the hand of fellowship to our guests. Consider sponsoring an adult ($7), child ($4) or family of four ($22) to help defray the costs. All proceeds will be donated to the Food Pantry so they can purchase perishable items for their clients. We will have two seatings to help alleviate overcrowding and long lines. Whether you are dining from 5:15-6:15 or from 6:15-7:15, we need you to be the face of Christ for those who have come upon hard times. While offering a free meal to families is a wonderful thing to do, offering them a chance to come to know and experience God can be life-changing. Please participate and engage in conversation with our guests. Sit with someone you don t know. Invite them to come and worship with us if they don t already have a church family. What an awesome God we serve and what an awesome opportunity we have to reach out to someone and let them see the Light of Christ through our actions! Prayerfully consider how you can serve and then contact Carol Frost at or cfrost@chathamumc.net. Sign-up sheets are set up on the butcher block table between the Commons and Wesley Hall. Tickets are on sale now. Chatham United Methodist Church, 104 W Chestnut St, Chatham IL ;

2 2 Isbell s Inspirations: Wage Peace by Sara Isbell Recently I attended a meeting in which the following poem, Wage Peace (by Judyth Hill) was used as an opening devotion. It both comforted and challenged me. I d like to share it with you. Wage peace with your breath. Breathe in firemen and rubble, breathe out whole buildings and flocks of redwing blackbirds. Breathe in terrorists and breathe out sleeping children and freshly mown fields. Breathe in confusion and breathe out maple trees. Breathe in the fallen and breathe out lifelong friendships intact. Wage peace with your listening: hearing sirens, pray loud. Remember your tools: flower seeds, clothes pins, clean rivers. Make soup. Play music, learn the word for thank you in three languages. Learn to knit, and make a hat. Think of chaos as dancing raspberries, imagine grief as the outbreath of beauty or the gesture of fish. Swim for the other side. Wage peace. Never has the world seemed so fresh and precious. have a cup of tea and rejoice. Act as if armistice has already arrived. Celebrate today.

3 3 NOVEMBER WORSHIP SCHEDULE November 5 All Saints Sunday Honoring the newly born and the newly departed, dedication of memorial gifts, and Holy Communion. Scripture: I Thessalonians Sermon: The Trumpet Shall Sound November 12 Donor Sabbath Veterans Day Weekend Scripture: John Sermon: Greater Love Has No One Than This November 19 Thanksgiving Week Scripture: I Thessalonians 5.18 Sermon: Thanks for Everything! Nov. 26 Christ the King, Holy Communion, United Methodist Student Sunday Scripture: Deuteronomy 31.8 Sermon: God Goes with You NOVEMBER 5 IS ALL SAINTS SUNDAY Mark your calendars for Sunday, November 5, when we honor the memory of our departed saints, and celebrate the birth of new ones! Family members are especially invited to this annual celebration of life temporal and eternal, and dedication of Memorial gifts. *Note: a Blessing of the Animals service will be held at 1:00 on Nov. 5, at the Villas of Holly Brook, led by Anglican Church of St. Mary. If you d like your feathered, furry, or scaly family members blessed, bring them along! ANNUAL CHURCH CHARGE CONFERENCE NOVEMBER 16 Chatham UMC will hold its annual Charge Conference on November 16. Sugar Creek UMC will meet with us in a joint Charge Conference, to be held here at our church. Our evening will begin with a 6pm potluck dinner. The 7pm meeting, officiated by District Superintendent Sylvester Weatherall, is the connecting link between the local church and the general Church. The primary responsibilities of the charge conference is to review and evaluate the total mission and ministry of the church, receive reports, and adopt objectives and goals recommended by the church council. DONOR SABBATH NOVEMBER Are you an organ or tissue donor? Choosing to be a donor means that your life goes on even after you die. More important, it means that somebody else s life gets to continue. For over 15 years, the Sunday two weeks before Thanksgiving has been designated as National Donor Sabbath. People of all faiths are encouraged to become educated and to become donors. After all, greater love has no one than this: to lay down their life for a friend. You can sign up to become an organ donor at LifeGoesOn.com, or by calling , visiting a Driver Service Facility, or mailing in a donor registration card. INTERFAITH THANKSGIVING SERVICE NOV. 19 You re invited to the annual interfaith Thanksgiving service on Sunday evening, November 19 at 7pm. The service will be held at the African American Museum and is a special opportunity to experience Thanksgiving prayers and reflections from a variety of traditions. JOINT THANKSGIVING SERVICE WITH SUGAR CREEK NOVEMBER 21 Our annual Thanksgiving service will be hosted at Sugar Creek United Methodist Church at 7pm on Tuesday, November 21. This is one of the special opportunities we have as a connectional church to celebrate and give thanks with our fellow United Methodist sisters and brothers. We hope you will join us! COMMUNION SUNDAY AND UNITED METHODIST STUDENT DAY NOV. 26 On Sunday, November 26, we will celebrate Communion as we prepare to start Advent the following Sunday. We will also collect a special offering for United Methodist Student Day which calls the church to support students as they prepare for life in uniting faith with knowledge. The special offering provides scholarships for qualified United Methodist applicant.

4 4 YOUTH & CHILDREN S MINISTRY by Michael Ferguson All youth grades 6-12 gather weekly on Wednesday evening at 6:15pm for an hour for a light meal, fellowship, and to discuss how the Bible can help us in our daily lives through Jesus-centered life application studies and devotions. Youth Disciple Bible Study Our Senior High students (grades 9-12) meet for an additional hour on Wednesday once our Junior High students are dismissed. Beginning at 7:30, these students spend an hour in deeper study using the Disciple FastTrack curriculum. This group of students started their study during October and will spend 12 weeks delving into the Old Testament followed by 12 weeks studying the New Testament. The first week this group met, it spent the evening looking at the history of the Bible, how it was organized and became what we know today. Enough -- Rob Finney presented the Enough study for our youth with great success. Thanks, Rob, for your time in this rewarding study Mission Trip The youth will be returning to Mountain T.O.P. again in 2018 and we are excited to have new faces join us. Any youth (and parents) or adults with an interest in participating should contact Michael to get the latest information and/or sign up for this rewarding time in the Cumberland Mountains of Tennessee. November Wildcat Paintball for youth. Contact Michael Ferguson if you re interested in joining us. NOW Initiative (Jr High YAR) Six Jr High youth attended the NOW Initiative (formerly Youth Annual Retreat/ YAR) October 6-8 at Lake Williamson. A huge thank you to Fran Abbott, who attended this weekend as a chaperone! This year s theme was I Timothy 4:12 encouraging the youth to stand up for Christ in all aspects of their life and not to let the world hold them back just because they are young. The new format of the retreat enabled youth to have a role in planning and executing this and future retreats, meet and interact with youth from other churches, compete in a video game competition, and participate in a mission component. The mission portion was packaging rice and oats into smaller sizes for use by food pantries around the area. The youth packed over 2200 pounds of food to be distributed and our youth had the opportunity to bring around 1200 pounds of this product back to the Chatham Food Pantry to be used locally.

5 5 MORE YOUTH AND CHILDREN NEWS! Children in Worship Young children? Need an extra hand during worship? We have it! Our Nursery is located at the top of the stairs in the Education Wing (Room U103) for children through Pre-K. Older child just need something to do? We have children's bulletins available just inside the entrance to the Worship Center with activities that go along with each week's Sunday School lesson! Sunday School Our new rotational Sunday School program is going great, the children are really enjoying the new format, and our leaders are doing an awesome job! We continue to use Cokesbury s Deep Blue Kids curriculum and the stories we can all learn from. In October we learned all about David, and in November we will be moving on to Solomon before getting into the Christmas stories in December. During the coming months we will continue with our new rotational program using a VBS styled station learning. Stations will include Bible lessons using music, science, drama, and crafts. These interactive stations help create a learning environment that helps hold the children s attention while making it fun and relating the stories in way they can better understand. We invite anyone wanting to know more about our Children s Sunday School program to come take a look! NOW is a great time to get involved with our children and be able to love and lead them as Jesus does while receiving an unbelievable blessing yourself! Trunk R Treat Special thanks to Brandy and Nick Stabler for once again taking on the planning of this annual event and to the UMW/Ruth Circle, the Chatham Library, and the Chatham Jaycees for joining us to provide food, beverages and entertainment and, more importantly, their caring and desire to help the children of Chatham! Breakfast with Santa We have heard a rumor that a very special guest from the North Pole will be at our church the morning of December 2. Be sure to mark your calendar and tell your friends to come out to speak with Santa and make sure the elves have not mixed up the nice/naughty lists! Watch for times to be coming soon. Mark your calendars! November 5 starts a new music ministry for children Pre-K through 4th grade. The group is called Morningstar and will meet at 9:45 on Sunday mornings before Sunday school in the Youth Gathering Room.. The group is being led by Keeli Rasche, Angie Linkey and Sherry Way. We hope to sing once a month during church services. Contact Sherry Way for additional info at sway@chathamumc.net.

6 6 Christmas Is Coming Advent Candle Families (by Michael Ferguson) If you and your family would like to light the Advent candle one of the Sundays in Advent or at the Christmas Eve 11pm service, contact Michael Ferguson. Your group reads a short passage and lights the candle(s). CHRISTMAS CANTATA (by Sherry Way) This year s Christmas cantata is "Tapestry of Light". It tells the Christmas story using familiar carols and folk songs primarily from the British Isles. The Sanctuary Choir will be joined by Heavenly Harmony, as well as soloists and narration. Handbells will end the service with "English Christmas". Don't miss this wonderful Christmas tradition on December 3 at both the 8:15 and 10:45 services. Singers are still welcome to join. Rehearsals Continue for Christmas Program Featuring Kids and Youth The kids have begun rehearsing for their annual Christmas presentation. New this year our Chatham UMC Christmas Production Company will be performing a series of short skits, and singing a variety of Christmas songs, with parts that fit all ages. Rehearsals are on Sundays, from 4-5:30pm at the Church. Dress Rehearsal will be held on Saturday, December 9 th from 9:00am until noon with a break for brunch. Performances will be on Sunday, December 10 th at 8:15am and 10:45am. Make plans to joins us as our children and youth tell us stories that will fill us with Christmas joy! Special Christmas Eve Worship Services Wednesday, Dec. 20 Christmas Eve at Holly Brook Join us as we bring a traditional Christmas Eve service of Lessons and Carols to the residents of the Villas of Holly Brook (825 E. Walnut, Chatham). We ll begin with caroling in the halls at 6:00pm, followed by worship with music, candlelight and Communion at 6:30pm. Sunday, Dec. 24 Christmas Eve at Chatham UMC 9:30am Sunday morning worship (one combined service) focused on the Christmas story, carols, and Communion for all ages. 4:00pm Blue Christmas service a unique holy time set aside for those who often find the happy holidays to hold sad feelings or painful memories. All are welcome to Blue Christmas, but the service is especially intended to offer gentle comfort and peace to those who are hurting. This service will include candlelight and Communion. 11:00pm Traditional Candlelight Christmas Eve service special music, Communion, and ringing in the Birth of Christ together. Sunday, Dec. 31 New Year s Eve features two special worship services: 9:30am Sunday morning worship (one combined service) 11:00pm Watchnight service recalling the year gone by, ringing in the new!

7 7 by Kristie Zimmermann and Joyce Metz November brings many opportunities for participating in our mission programs at Chatham UMC: Food Pantry Bags (now through November 12) Chatham UMC has provided food bags for the Ball-Chatham Food Pantry for many years. Food bags may be picked up starting October 29 at the church. They will also be available for pick up the first two Sunday mornings in November. A list of supplies needed will be listed on the front of each bag. Return the filled bag to the church. Cunningham Gifts (November 12-30) Our mission of the month for November provides gifts for children at Cunningham Children s Home in the Champaign-Urbana area. Jan Miller and Angie Mayo will discuss this project in church on November 12. They will have cards to distribute with children s names and gift requests on them. Other opportunities for November include: assisting with the church s Thanksgiving dinner (plenty of opportunities to be involved!), serving dinner at Kumler UMC on the first Tuesday and providing a meal for Ronald McDonald House on the third Tuesday. If you have any questions concerning any of these mission opportunities, please contact Joyce Metz (joycemetz5@comcast.net) or Kristie Zimmermann (kzimmermann1012@aol.com) for further information. Let's continue to be a Matthew 25 church within our community! Thanksgiving Community Food Drive November 5 Local churches will collect food during worship services on Nov 5 th with food donations being delivered to a central meeting place at the Village Square Pavilion from noon-2pm. Area students will help load and unload items. Two local organizations will benefit from the Thanksgiving Community Food Drive; the Ball Chatham Food Panty and Titan Fuel. Demand is up this year. For more information, please contact Julie Kaiser at jskaiser@msn.com or

8 8 Complete Your REACH Pledge! We have a plan. In May 2017 we took out $550,000 in loans to pay the remaining balance due on the construction of the church renovations. It was an expensive undertaking, but we have a building that will last us for years and allow us to follow God s guidance in mission and ministry for our community. We took out two loans of $275,000 each in May. We owe $201,069 on our three-year construction loan and $270,217 on the five-year construction loan with the bank. As the three-year pledge period draws to an end early in 2018, if the 69 individuals who pledged to REACH will complete their pledges, with some help from people who give to REACH but do not pledge, we will have enough cash on hand to pay off the three-year loan after only 11 months!! We will save thousands of dollars in interest by paying off one loan quickly and we can turn our full attention to paying off the second loan. Here s the fine print for those of you who love numbers. Currently we have about $53,000 in the REACH account and we have about $127,000 in outstanding pledges which equals $180,000. Last year from November through March, people who did not pledge gave $33,720 to REACH. Add up all those numbers and we can pay off the first loan in April 2018 while still paying on the second loan. The bottom line is the loans will get paid off only through the faithfulness and generosity of our congregation. If you pledged to REACH, please be faithful to your pledge and complete your pledge early next year (or sooner for a better 2017 tax refund). Please Keep Giving so we can close this capital campaign. Stewardship Report Total given for budget year-to-date: $307, Total given for the Annuity Fund year-to-date: $ REACH Building Fund: $764,208.00

9 9 Church Fellowship United Methodist Women/Ruth Circle November 15 by Jan Miller The UMW/Ruth Circle will hold its monthly meeting on Wednesday, November 15, at 6:30pm in the Wesley Conference Room. Topic: World Thanks Offering Birthday/Anniversary Luncheon November 16 by Carol Frost Come out and join us on Thursday, November 16, at 11:30am for our monthly Birthday & Anniversary Lunch. All are welcome, even if you don t have a birthday or anniversary in November, but those who do will be our special guests. Rumor has it there will be special holiday goodies! United Methodist Men November 19 by Curt Floyd You are standing on the east bank of the Red Sea. You have just witnessed Pharaoh s mighty army swallowed up in an instant. What do you do? You break out in song and dance, praising your God for defeating the gods of Egypt. He has just freed you from bondage and has started molding you into a Holy Nation (Exodus 15). Come celebrate with the UMM on November 19 at 5:30pm and feel what that was like! The family of Jesse Hunter Beulah Mattson and family on the death of her brother Susan Seiber and family on the death of her nephew Connie Shugart, first on the death of her father and now on the loss of a nephew Shannon McAuley and family on the death of his sister, Hilary Prola (age 29) Mary Fahs and family on the death of her aunt, Florence Hamilton (age 101) Doug York and family on the death of his father, Donald

10 10 A Treasure Hunt Through the Bible by Mike Branham Can you imagine sitting down to work a jigsaw puzzle where one-half of the pieces are blank? How much effort would you put into working that puzzle? Not much I suspect! That is how I used to be as I tried to read and understand the bible. When I would read a portion of scripture I did not understand, I would read it several more times, end up getting frustrated, close the Bible, and put it on the shelf. Eventually I would start feeling prompted to try again, but it did not make much difference, the result was the same. I could not get past the frustration of not understanding so I would just quit. I do not remember when it happened, but I eventually come to realize that we are not necessarily supposed to understand everything we read in the Bible. There are numerous times in the Bible where God intentionally kept the meaning of a passage of scripture secret until the time was right to open the mind of mankind to understand it. This is true for us as individuals as well. God will open each individual s mind to understand what they are reading when the time is right. Do not try to force it or give up. Trust God s timing not your own. In the near future, I will be facilitating a Bible discussion group called A Treasure Hunt Through the Bible. The focus will be on exploring the Bible rather than just reading it, as we search for treasures of understanding. We will not understand everything the same way and that is OK. I trust God to use those differences to refine and deepen our understanding. Each week we will discuss several passages of related scriptures. I will do my best to provide who, what, where, and when information to provide context. Our first meeting will explore passages whose meaning was kept secret and look for evidence of when the understanding of those scriptures may have been revealed, or if it is yet to be revealed. Most everyone likes a treasure hunt and I hope you join me on this quest! ARE YOU READING THIS? Our church staff is exploring alternate models for promoting Chatham UMC events and sharing information. We want to know how many people are reading the monthly Circuit Rider newsltter. If you are reading this article right now, please send us an (office@chathamumc.net), call us at the church office ( ) or make a note on your attendance sheet on Sunday. Respondents win a prize.

11 11 MEET THE STAFF You recently learned about Nathan Knappenburger, our newest staff member, in a Circuit Rider article. Now, the Staff-Parish Relations Committee is going to highlight one staff person per month so you can get better acquainted with them. Let s get started with: 5 questions with Lay Ministry Coordinator Carol Frost 1. Where were you born and raised? Tell me something interesting about the area I was born in Hillsboro, Texas which is just about 35 miles north of Waco and sixty miles south of Dallas. I grew up in Copperas Cove, Texas situated on the northern edge of the hill country and about 70 miles north of Austin. Cove, as it is fondly referred to by the locals, was established around 1830 after Mexico granted Stephen F. Austin a land grant. Because it was located on a feeder route of the Chisholm Trail, the area began to grow during the 1870's with the development of the cattle industry. It wasn't until 1942 that Copperas Cove really began to grow rapidly. The United States Government had decided to locate Camp Hood in that area. By 1950 it was upgraded to Fort Hood and is currently the third largest military base in the world. My parents moved to Cove when my father was offered a Civil Service job at Killeen Base (Air Force). In the 1970's it was closed then reopened as West Fort Hood. It was a great privilege for me to grow up in such a culturally diverse area. We not only had many world cultures represented in our community, but we also had cultures from different states. We were all different yet we were all connected by our deep love for our country. I gained great respect for our military families and all they sacrifice for the safety of our nation. 2. What is the most satisfying part of your job at Chatham UMC? I love being able to connect people with ministries that allow them to be the light of Christ in our church family and the community. This church family embraced our family when we moved here from Texas. They made us feel welcome and accepted us into their family. My passion is to pass that along to those who enter through our church doors and also to those who don't. 3. What is at the top of your list of places you want to visit? I have many places I would love to visit. The top on my list right now is Los Angeles because that's where Layton, our son, has recently relocated. 4. Football season is under way...your favorite football teams? Now this one is easy!!!! I grew up watching the Dallas Cowboys play football, and they are still my favorite team. When it comes to collegiate teams, that's a bit harder. I have cousins that played for A&M University and Texas Tech University, so they always have a special place in my heart, but THE UNIVERSITY of TEXAS LONGHORNS are my favorite!!! Go HORNS!! 5. If you and Ted are out for dinner what type of food are you eating? That's tough. I love all types of food and really prefer locally owned restaurants. Tex-Mex is my all time favorite food...the spicier the better. It makes it very challenging in Central Illinois, since it's just not available here.

12 NOVEMBER BIRTHDAYS AND ANNIVERSARIES Anniversaries Don & Margo Rich 11/08 Paul & Karrie Newsome 11/17 Kelly Nicholas-Gross & Glenn Gross 11/19 Randy & Laura Welch 11/19 Terry & Deb Burke 11/23 Jane Stricklin & Candy Parker 11/24 Merlin & Jeannine Schendel 11/25 Mark & Beth Littrell 11/26 Birthdays Karla Mueller 11/01 Mike Zumer 11/01 Judy Blahofski 11/02 Alyson Whitley 11/03 Tony Kieffer 11/05 Max Kattner 11/07 Will Kattner 11/08 Marilyn Thompson 11/08 Beulah Mattson 11/09 Bill Shannon 11/09 Michael Voiles 11/09 Beth Luckey 11/10 Dianna Taylor 11/10 Cole Thoron 11/11 Hannah Wainwright 11/11 Maisee Wainwright 11/11 Jane Stricklin 11/12 Gary Albert 11/14 Wesley Stabler 11/15 Mike Jurgens 11/16 Alexandra Knudson 11/18 Patt Summer 11/18 Don Fuener 11/19 Kate Vertrees 11/19 Jan Capron 11/20 Amber Pyle 11/20 Pauline Drew 11/21 Pat Law 11/21 Jason (Sandy) Jones 11/23 Amber Newingham 11/23 Paula Brown 11/24 Diane Maddox 11/24 Robyn Phipps 11/24 Greg Turk 11/24 Zachary Phipps 11/25 Debbie Bell 11/26 Mike Fahs 11/27 Wesley Zwiefel 11/27 Candy Parker 11/28 Michael Meseke 11/29 Jason Thoron 11/29 12

13 NOVEMBER ALL SAINTS DAY 8:15a Traditional 9:45a Sunday School 10:45a Blended 4:00p Musical Practice 12 DONOR SABBATH 8:15a Traditional 9:45a Sunday School 10:45a Blended 2:00p Holly Brook 4:00p Musical Practice 6 5:30p HEP 6:30p Prayer Group 13 6:00p Education 6:00p Girl Scouts 6:30p Prayer Group 6:30p Webelos 7 4:30p Kumler Meal 6:00p Staff Meeting 14 6:30p SPRC 1 9:30a Bible Study 5:45p Handbells 6:15p Jr/Sr Youth 6:30p Choir 7:30p Youth Disciple 8 9:30a Bible Study 5:45p Handbells 6:15p Jr/Sr Youth 6:30p Choir 6:30p Finance 6:30p Titan Fuel Pack 7:30p Youth Disciple 15 9:30a Bible Study 5:45p Handbells 6:15p Jr/Sr Youth 6:30p Choir 6:30p UMW/ Ruth Circle 7:30p Youth Disciple 2 6:30p Praise Band Rehearsal 6:45p Disciple I 9 5:15p Thanksgiving Dinner 6:15p Thanksgiving Dinner 6:45p Disciple I 16 11:30a Birthday/ Anniversary Lunch 6:00p Potluck 7:00p Charge Conference p Hall Rental :15a Traditional 9:45a Sunday School 10:45a Blended 4:00p Musical Practice 5:30p UMM 7:00p Interfaith Service 26 UM STUDENT DAY/ COMMUNION 8:15a Traditional 9:45a Sunday School 10:45a Blended 2:00p Holly Brook 4:00p Musical Practice 20 6:30p Prayer Group 27 6:30p Prayer Group 6:30p Webelos 21 4:30p Ronald McDonald House 7:00p Thanksgiving Sugar Creek 22 12p Church Office closes for holiday :30a Bible Study 5:45p Handbells 6:15p Jr/Sr Youth 6:30p Choir 6:30p Titan Fuel Pack 7:30p Youth Disciple 23 HAPPY THANKSGIVING! 30 6:30p Praise Band Rehearsal 6:45p Disciple I DECEMBER 1 DECEMBER 2 9a Breakfast with Santa 1p Cantata Dress Rehearsal