Many Hands Make Light Work. God Loves Sparrows... ~ Keep Reading ~

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1 November 2014 Many Hands Make Light Work Ellen P. God has a Master Plan for this world, and it includes you. He s actively at work in WUMC, in our community, and in individual lives, healing and restoring what s broken. Each of us is called to serve because Christians are part of what God s doing down here. The Bible says we were created in God s image, which tells me that by serving one another, we re serving God. Having been created in His image means you re also equipped to answer God s call. Maybe you can offer a smile, teach children, serve a meal, build/repair stuff, manage a budget, etc. Nobody s asking you to: O Sign over your first born; O Sell everything you own and dress in clothing made of duct tape; O Write the church newsletter (DOH!); O Move to a Third World Country; or even O Miss your favorite Sunday morning celebration. We need you to serve within the walls of WUMC ~ using your God-given skills. If you already know your skills, stop by the server easel in our fellowship area and sign-up for tasks and dates that work for you. If you re unsure of your skills, get some input from a friend. Trust me. There really is more to being a follower of Jesus Christ than sitting in a pew for an hour each week. Much more. Serving others is like throwing fuel on a fire. (Note: That s just a figure of speech; do not try that at-home.) What s in it for you? You ll likely feel your spiritual growth take flight when you start serving our church family. If you attend church regularly, there s always that possibility you ve slipped into a spiritual rut. After all, we re human, and thrive on opportunities, even when we grouse about change. For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many. (Mark 10:45, NRSV) God Loves Sparrows... ~ Keep Reading ~ Ellen P. My childhood best friend, and (presumed) future husband, was killed in a freak accident when we were 19. Don s death shattered my life, but as Romans 8:28 says, We know that all things work together for good for those who love God, who are called according to his purpose. (NRSV) One of my clearest memories surrounding Don s death is a song sung at his funeral. Over the past (almost) 30 years, verses from His Eye Is On the Sparrow have come-to-mind when life has taken an unexpected, unwelcome detour. While replaying this song in my mind recently, I realized I knew nothing about its history. Turns-out it was written by Civilla Martin, the wife of a Baptist pastor. She and her husband befriended an elderly couple, the Doolittles, while living in New York, back in cont. page 3 November WUMC Events...2 SCRIP - Shopping & Gifting...2 Notable November Days...2 Share Your Feast Fall Book Talk...3 The Sweet Swap Cometh...4 Cool Congregations...4 Women s Study Group...4 Elementary Youth Group...4 Christmas is Coming...4 Thank-You WUMC Diners...4 Weekly Sermons...4 Welcome WUMC Newbies..5 Parents' Night Out...5 Celebration Times...5 Church Family Gym Night...5 Trinity Meal...5 Lunch Bunch...5 A Vintage Christmas...5 Keep It Social...6 Frightful Weather?...6 Contact Info...6 Carbon footprint Checklist...7

2 November WUMC Events 13 (Th) Trustees, 6:00 Finance, 7:00 1 (Sa) Thanksgiving Ingathering UMW Fall Bazaar 2 (Su) All Saints Sunday Communion FPU, 6:00 Cantata practice, 1:30-3:00 3 (M) Mission Quilters, 6:30 4 (Tu) Election Day Tuesday Small Group, 6:30 5 (W) Wednesday Morn Small Group, 10:30 Church Family Gym Night, 6:30-8 UMYF, K.O.G., Carpenters' Club - 6:30 Bells, 6:30 Testaments, 7:00 Cantata, 7:30 Praise Band, 8:15 6 (Th) Thursday Night Study Group, 7:00 9 (Su) S.S. singers, 9:30 Rider Gregory Ruble baptism, 8:15 Cantata, 1:30-3:00 Discipleship, 4:30 FPU, 6:00 10 (M) Prayer Shawl, 6:30 Trinity Meal 11 (Tu) Member Care, 6:30 Tuesday Small Group, 6:30 Imagineering, 7:00 12 (W) UMW, 9:00 Wednesday Morn Small Group, 10:30 UMYF, K.O.G. - 6:30 Bells, 6:30 Testaments, 7:00 Chancel Choir, 7:30 Praise Band, 8:15 Great for Shopping & Gifting Stop by our Scrip table any Sunday morning and get your Hy-Vee, Fareway, or Casey's cards. With Christmas coming, you can order other cards such as Bath and Body Works, Barnes and Noble, Kohl's, Lowe's, and Menards. The list goes on-and-on... We'll order your special cards for you on Sunday and you ll receive them the following Sunday. Between 3-13% of the card value is given back to WUMC. Avoid the hassle of holiday shopping by letting us do the card shopping for you and helping our church all with one swipe! See the complete list of cards available at the Scrip table. 15 (Sa) Cool Congregations, 9 - noon Building Team, visit other churches 16 (Su) Testaments perform Cantata, 1:30-3:00 17 (M) Mission Quilters, 6:30 Book Talk, 7:00 18 (Tu) Tuesday Small Group, 6:30 19 (W) Wednesday Morn Small Group, 10:30 UMYF, K.O.G. - 6:30 Bells, 6:30 Chancel Choir, 7:00 Cantata, 7:30 Praise Band, 8:15 20 (Th) Lunch Bunch, 11:30 Ad Board, 7:00 21 (F) Joyful Noise family potluck, 11:00 CFM Parents Night Out 23 (Su) Hanging of the Greens, noon Cantata, 3:00-4:30 24 (M) Prayer Shawl, 6:30 25 (Tu) Tuesday Small Group, 6:30 26 (W) Praise Band, 8:15 27 (Th) Happy Thanksgiving 30 (Su) Kodie Ryan Bott baptism, 9:30 Notable November Days 2 ~ Maci Slaybaugh 3 ~ Katie Boothroyd 4 ~ Rich Petersen 6 ~ Matt Nicholson 8 ~ Becca Blackford 8 ~ Spencer Johnson 8 ~ Marcella Kerns-Scott 9 ~ Leonard/Pat Gutshall 9 ~ David/Kim Timmerman 9 ~ Ann Ruble 9 ~ Sam Swaim 10 ~ Caleb/Shawna Freeze 10 ~ Amber Severin 11 ~ John/Kay Grigsby 11 ~ Chandler Thayer 12 ~ Kara Boothroyd 12 ~ Ken Cumpston 13 ~ Jerry/Sue Steele 13 ~ Rich Kyser 13 ~ Dennis Soughan 13 ~ Barb Swaim 14 ~ Ann Allen 15 ~ Barbara Nicholson 15 ~ Hunter Stevens 15 ~ A.J. Wanned 16 ~ Kris Dykstra-LeVere 16 ~ Bentley Steffen 17 ~ Erin Bramble 18 ~ Darin Rossmann 17 ~ Kim Timmerman 19 ~ Lloyd/Rosi Royer 19 ~ Marcia Tope 19 ~ Pam Rumelhart 22 ~ Emily Olson 22 ~ Rachel Boothroyd 22 ~ Dick Rutz 23 ~ Alyssa Hartley 23 ~ Sarah Nicholson 24 ~ Jacqueline Conley 24 ~ Debbie Lauer 25 ~ Kaitlyn Tope 25 ~ Gina Wiges 26 ~ Brad/LuCinda Beltman 26 ~ Emily Erickson 26 ~ Tamie Hopper 27 ~ Darlene Plagmann 29 ~ Phil/Karen Stevens 29 ~ Samantha Felt 29 ~ MaKenna Severin 30 ~ Kevin/Jennifer Corrigan 30 ~ Gracie Fisher 2

3 Share Your Feast 2014 Thanksgiving Food Drive Waukee Area Christian Services needs our help preparing for its annual Share Your Feast food drive. Most of us are planning for our families to be together and competing to see who can make the best turkey and pumpkin pie. However, not everyone is so fortunate. Many families in this area simply can t afford a Thanksgiving dinner. What can you do to help? The food pantry will be giving families a special Thanksgiving Feast food box and needs items to fill them. Needed supplies include: boxed stuffing, mashed potatoes, gravy, cranberry sauce, relishes, saltine crackers, corn muffin mix, fruit, and ingredients for green bean casserole and pumpkin pie. Cash donations are welcome, too, and will be used to give each family a turkey or ham, and a grocery store gift card to buy other perishable items. Please drop-off your donations by Nov. 17 at Westview Church (Mon Thurs, 9 a.m. 2 p.m.) or at the Food Pantry, lower level Westview Church (Mondays 4-6 p.m. or Thursdays 9-11 a.m. The church is located at 1155 Boone Dr, Waukee. For more information call , info@waukeechristianservices.org, visit the website ( or follow them on Facebook. Fall Book Talk Our fall Book Talk will be at 7:00 on Monday, Nov. 17, at Ann and Greg Ruble s home. We ll be discussing And the Mountains Echoed, the newest bestselling novel by Khaled Hosseini. A reviewer writes that this story moves through war, separation, birth, death, deceit, and love, illustrating again and again how people s actions, even selfless ones, are shrouded in ambiguity. He describes this novel as a master work by a master storyteller. You re invited to read the book, share your thoughts with the group in Nov., and of course, stay for dessert. Happy reading. from page 1 The Martins were struck by how this pair lived happy, godly lives despite significant health issues. Mrs. Doolittle had been confined to bed for 20+ years and Mr. Doolittle needed a wheelchair to get around. When Rev. Martin asked the Doolittles about their chipper attitude and ability to find joy in the midst of pain, Mrs. Doolittle said, If His eye is on the sparrow, then I know He watches me. Civilla was so taken by this simple expression of faith (based on Matthew 10:28-31), she returned home and wrote this song, which has comforted people for more than 100 years: Why should I feel discouraged, Why should the shadows come, Why should my heart be lonely And long for Heav'n and home? When Jesus is my portion, My constant Friend is He: His eye is on the sparrow, And I know He cares for me; His eye is on the sparrow, And I know He watches me. Refrain: I sing because I'm happy, (I m happy) I sing because I'm free, (I m free) For His eye is on the sparrow, And I know He watches me. If you find yourself worrying about the future, lamenting the past, or panicking over today s demands, take a moment to consider these lyrics, while reminding yourself God loves you much more than these little birds. Jesus had a knack for using simple words and stories to share His Good News. I believe the main point from the verses below is that God has a Plan, and things always work-out. He s keeping track of all the details; your role is to keep moving forward, in faith alone. 28 Do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul; rather fear him who can destroy both soul and body in hell. 29 Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? Yet not one of them will fall to the ground apart from your Father. 30 And even the hairs of your head are all counted. 31 So do not be afraid; you re of more value than many sparrows. (Matthew 10:28-31 NRSV) 3

4 The Sweet Swap Cometh... This year s Church Family Ministries Sweet Swap will be held Sunday, Dec. 7 Cool Congregations An Earth Stewardship Program Do you want to learn more about being energy efficient in your home and becoming a better steward of the earth? Cool Congregations, a program focused on these goals, will be held from 9 noon on Saturday, Nov. 15 at the Urbandale United Church of Christ ( th Street, Urbandale). Registration is $25/person at or $30/person at the door. If you register online, you ll get a Carbon Footprint checklist via to complete and take to the program. If you plan to register at the door, that checklist is provided on page 7. This program is co-hosted by Trinity UMC and Aldersgate UMC. For more information, get a brochure from the Connection Counter or contact Sarah at programs@iowaipl.org. Christmas is Coming Your small group needs to make a decision about meeting during Advent, which begins Sunday, Nov. 30. If you decide to meet, Deanne has some suggestions for you, including a couple of Adam Hamilton DVD studies and another book from Mike Slaughter. For those of you with families at home, there are some suggestions for Advent family devotions. We also have individual devotions for those looking for something for their private time with Jesus during the Advent season, such as Max Lucado s daily devotional, In the Manger. Lastly, we have Christmas books for your reading enjoyment. All of the books will be out for your perusal on Sunday, Nov. 2 and Sunday, Nov. 9. If you have any questions, contact Deanne. Women s Study Group Our Thursday evening women s study group will meet on Nov. 6 at 7:00 at the church. We ll be studying chapter 3 of Liz Curtis Higgs book about Ruth, discussing the importance of Ruth changing her gods to Naomi s one God. Elementary Youth Group We re trying to spruce-up our nursery a bit, and would appreciate your help. If you can donate any of the following, please contact Kim Magee: O New Barbie s/barbie stuff O Matchbox cars O Board/card games for kids (young and elementary ages) O Kids size card/folding table set with chairs for Thank-You WUMC Diners On behalf of our WUMC staff, thank you to everyone who supported the Melts Without Borders food truck on Oct. 19 while also supported our Mission Team offering. Nearly $250 was raised for the solar-powered freezers traveling to Nigeria. The weather was crisp but the sandwiches were melty, warm and indescribably delicious! What a wonderful way to lift our spirits, thank the congregation and raise some money for a really cool cause. We've already decided to bring them back next year and our staff is already thinking on our next congregational challenge. Weekly Sermons If you missed last Sunday or just want to hear Pastor Jamie's message again, visit our WUMC website ( and look under the nursery. the Ministries tab. 4

5 Welcome WUMC Newbies During our 9:30 celebration on Oct. 19, our church family welcomed 13 new members. What a fantastic day of growth and celebration. Please be sure to extend a warm welcome to our new members when you have a chance: Tim & Jen Berger, daughters Sydney & Olivia Michal Bylund Staci Bott, sons Kodie and Brandin Stanley & Jayne Venard Karla Venard Clarence and Winifred Johnson. Again, let's be sure to open our arms and hearts to all of these new members, for as Hebrews 13:1 reminds us: "Let mutual love continue. Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers for by doing that some have entertained angels without knowing it." Amen! Parents Night Out CFM has planned two parents' night outs, on Friday, Nov. 21 and Friday, Dec. 12. Activities will begin at 6:00 p.m. each evening and dinner will be provided. A good will offering will go to our youth group. Celebration Times 8:15-9:15 Blended 9:30 Sunday School for All Ages 9:30-10:30 Traditional 11:00-12:00 Contemporary & Children s Church Church Family Gym Night Our next Church Family Open Gym Night will be held at Gym Space on from 6:30-8:00 p.m. on Wednesday, Nov. 5. Bring a friend and help strengthen our newest fellowship tradition. Gym Space is located at 1120 SE Westbrook Drive in Waukee. Trinity Meal We have the honor of serving supper at Trinity UMC in Des Moines again on Monday, Nov. 10. Sign-up sheets for food donations are on the C.C. Please consider helping us serve this important meal to our brothers and sisters in Christ. We ll leave WUMC at 4:00 and return by 6:30. You can also meet us at Trinity UMC if that works better for your schedule. Lunch Bunch You re invited to our next Third Thursday Lunch Bunch, 11:30, Nov. 20, at the Waukee Pizza Ranch. The following Thursday you can eat turkey and all the trimmings, but salad, pizza, and chicken sounds like a meal to be thankful for as well. Hope to see you there. A Vintage Christmas Calling all women. Join us for food, fun, and fellowship. We ll be hosting a gathering to celebrate our family memories of food and celebration. To do this, we need you to bring a dish (one that s a tradition in your family) from one of the following categories: appetizer, salad, main dish, or dessert. We ll be celebrating on Saturday, Dec. 13 at 11:30. This should only last about two hours, so you can go out and do your shopping after spending lunch with a special group of women. Please sign-up at the Connection Counter if you plan to attend, and start thinking about your favorite Christmas memories and Christmas food. If you have questions, see Deanne. 5

6 Keep It Social... To help spread the Good News, please "Like" Waukee United Methodist Church on Facebook and follow WUMC on Twitter (search You can also see upcoming events or get the daily scripture reading. Frightful Weather? Winter, is (almost) here, so please keep our Winter Weather Policy in mind: Contact Info Waukee United Methodist Church 650 Ashworth Drive, Box 26 Waukee IA Rev. Jamie Cutler, waukeechurch.org, ext. 202 Amanda Jacobson, ext. 201 Deanne Caudle, ext. 203 Jacqueline Conley, ext. 204 Kim Magee, Prayer Request, If the Waukee Schools are cancelled or dismissed early because of inclement weather, all church functions will be cancelled that evening. Cancellations will be posted on the WUMC website ( and KCCI and WHO TV. Waukee United Methodist Church 650 Ashworth Dr., Box 26 Waukee, IA

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