NOVEMBER 2017 Newsletter

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1 Suamico United Methodist Church (SUMC) 3266 Lakeview Drive Suamico, WI Phone: (920) Website: November s Office Hours Pastor s office hours: Tuesday 9:00-3:00 Wednesday 12:00-3:00 at La Java Roasting House on Lineville Road 6:00-9:00 pm at church office Thursday 9:00-3:00 Tina s office hours: Tuesday 9:00-3:00 Thursday 9:00-3:00 The church office will be open Tuesday, November 21 st from 9:00-3:00 and Wednesday, November 22 nd from 9:00-3:00 The office will be closed on Thursday, November 23 rd for Thanksgiving NOVEMBER 2017 Newsletter Fall Dinner_ Fall Dinner was a great success! Big thanks to the many, many helpful hands: everyone who donated food and/or monies, the team who cooked in our church kitchen, Four-Way chicken team, dessert room attendants, the youth and folks who kept things hummin in the dining room, our Nesco roaster servers, the clean-up crew and those of you who came to eat and socialize. We served over 190 guests. Wisconsin United Methodists Give Over $100k to Help Disaster Relief!_ The United Methodist Churches in Wisconsin have come together to respond to the current disasters in the United States. In September alone, our churches gave $106,000 to support UMCOR s disaster relief work in areas such as Puerto Rico, Texas, Louisiana, Florida, Georgia and more. UMCOR is working to fulfill unmet food, clean water, temporary shelter, hygiene supplies, and non-food item needs. Continue to be a part of alleviating human suffering by giving to Advance Disaster Response, US. Make your check payable to your local church and drop in the offering plate on Sunday. We are supporting those in need, in a time that they need it most. Accompanist Needed_ Suamico United Methodist Church is still looking for an accompanist/pianist for our congregation, choir, praise group, along with other musical groups. If you know someone, or a group, that we can send a poster/flier to, to spread the word, please call the church office at (920) If they are interested in the job description for the Accompanist/Pianist position, please contact either the office at (920) Stewardship_ Thank you to all who have given of their time toward our 2017 service hours goal of 5,500 hours in service/mission work. In September, we gave a total of 388 service hours. There s time for your hours to get us to our final goal or exceed it! 1

2 _Wisconsin Volunteers to Help with Hurricane Harvey_ The Wisconsin Volunteers in Mission (VIM) are traveling to Texas to help with Hurricane Harvey clean up and rebuild. The team will work from January 1-5, 2018, with travel days before and after. The group will stay at a church in the Houston area, and can take up to 25 people, ages 18 and older. They need a variety of talents to make the team efficient. Grab a spot early, and ring in the New Year in warmer temperatures. For more information, contact the office. Book Club Book Club is The Book That Matters Most" by Ann Hood. Call the office for info. In keeping with the theme of this month s book, think of a book you have read that that really "mattered" to you, influenced you, or affected you, in some way. Plan to share your book with our group. New readers are always welcome! Booyah Sunday Our next booyah Sunday is Sunday, December 3 rd. Fresh, hot, boneless, skinless, chicken booyah will be available at about 9 am. Carry out for $6 per quart or eat in for $2 a bowl. There will also be hot dogs and beverages for sale. United Methodist Women will have desserts, homemade breads, hand crafted items and baked goods to purchase as well. On Saturday, December 2 nd, the booyah team will be here bright and early at 4 am if you d like to come in and help with prep work. Education_ Sunday, November 5 th is a special Sunday in our church. Therefore, Faith Finders will meet at their usual 9:15, but will end earlier at 9:50. Please make this note so you are able to pick up your child and we can all the worship together at 10:00. Please join us for a 12 week bible study on the gospel of Matthew, lead by Lay Speaker, Clark Stevens. The group will start on Monday, November 6 th at 6:30, here in Suamico United Methodist (SUMC) Fellowship Hall. Sign up on the clipboard. Do you like drama? If so, we re doing a live children s nativity on Christmas Eve, with any children present who want to participate. We re in need of a director and assistant director. So, if you are interested, please contact the church office (920) We are currently looking for one more teacher to help out in the 4-6th grade classroom. Why not stop in and join one of the Faith Finder Sunday classrooms to see just how much fun we have. Adult Sunday School classes will be resuming in January, as well as two adult, small growth groups coming sometime after the first of the new year. Special Thanksgiving Eve Service_ SUMC will be hosting an ecumenical Thanksgiving Eve service at 7pm, on Wednesday, November 22. This will be a joint service with St John's Lutheran Church and St. Pius Parish, both of Little Suamico. A dessert fellowship will follow the service. New Member Information Nights_ Starting November 12 th, Pastor Eric will be hosting New Member Information Nights, on the second Sunday of each month, from 6:30-7:30. This is an opportunity to get questions answered about the United Methodist church and membership in this church. No sign ups needed, just drop in. 2

3 Advent and Christmas_ Our journey through Advent begins on December 3 rd. This year s focus will be from Mary's perspective; based on the book "Not A Silent Night" by Adam Hamilton. If you would like to learn more, copies of the book will be available in the church office for you to borrow. There will be one morning service on Sunday, December 24 at 9am. We will not be celebrating a traditional children's Christmas program this year. Instead, the 5pm Christmas Eve service will feature the nativity story enacted by any children present at the service. We encourage you to bring children or grandchildren to this fun and enlightening service. The 9pm service will be a more contemplative service and communion will be offered October Financial Report Sept Year-to-Date YTD Budget General Fund Giving Pledged $9,411 $92,102 $84,604 Unpledged $1,693 $18,824 $21,695 Other General Income $0 $525 $300 Other Specified Income $6,347 $7,897 $0 (Memorials, etc.) Total General Fund Giving $17,451 $119,348 $106,599 Expenses Payroll (Pay, Benefits, Taxes, etc) $10,790 $77,581 $88,537 Trustee (Utilities, Insurance, etc) $3,592 $18,900 $19,500 Apportionments $7,740 $17,893 $17,775 Other Expenses -$88 $5,225 $7,560 Total General Fund Expenses $22,034 $119,599 $133,372 Financial Notes: 1. September was a good month for the General Fund giving of pledged and unpledged donations. Liability insurance was paid raising the Trustee expense line, and Youth Group reconvening along with an overlap of administration assistants increased the Payroll expense compared to previous months. VBS/Bible donations contributed to a negative Other Expenses value. 2. A generous donation (Other Specified Income) toward Apportionments has removed the deficit we ve experienced up until now. The Lord has blessed our congregation!! 3. September s Apportionment payment will be made in October ($1,110 = 10% September GF Giving). 4. With more great news, $700 was raised for hurricane relief and $3,800 toward the Parsonage furnace. 5. Be on the lookout for 3rd quarter Giving Statements coming in October. What s Happening at our Neighboring Churches_ St. John s Lutheran Church on Cty Road J in Little Suamico has a Fall Bazaar on Saturday, November 11 th, from 9-11am. The Bazaar will feature crafts, Christmas items and homemade tasty treats. Admission is free. Proceeds from this event support St. John s Lutheran Church activities and missions. Seasoned Seniors_ November s Seasoned Seniors is going to be a little nuts. We will be celebrating Peanut Butter Lovers Month! Did you know that peanut butter is turning 122 year old? In honor of peanut butter s birthday, and to reach out to those in need, please bring a jar of peanut butter for donation to area food pantries. Come join us on November 9 th at 11 am. We will be having cinnamon French toast, ham, peanut butter and jelly sandwiches (of course), ants on a log (a.k.a. celery with peanut butter and raisins), peanut butter cookies and beverages. We ll also be doing a special salute to our veterans with a flag folding ceremony. 3

4 _SUMC $crip_ Did you know, you can help support the church building fund, without spending more out of pocket money? We have access to purchase cards from over 700 merchants nationally, through the Scrip program. They are listed for you at and there are also printed lists at church. How does it work? The church buys gift cards at a discount, but you get the card for the full $ amount that you paid. The percentage of discount is profit back to the church, to help towards the new building fund. Tell us what you need ordered, you pay us for it, and we order at least every third Sunday of the month, you will then have the card(s) the following Sunday. However, Donna Schneider / Kay Waugh keep the following cards stocked and on hand: Festival The Pig Woodmans Meijer Subway Four-Way Home Depot Fleet Farm Walmart Sam s Club Kwik Trip PaPa Murphy s Barnes & Noble ShopKo Shell Target CVS Dunkin Donuts Menards JoAnn Fabrics Walgreens Taco Bell Marcus Movie Theaters We really do have something for everyone! Thanks for shopping, Donna and Kay, program co-coordinators. Missions_ Sewing Day/Patricia Project Our next meeting is at Fellowship Hall on November 7 from 9 am - 3 pm. We ll continue work on Patricia projects as well as raggy quilts for the homeless. These quilts will be distributed through the Salvation Army. A potluck lunch is shared at noon. You are welcome to bring a portable sewing machine threaded with neutral colored thread and sharp fabric scissors if you have them. There are a number of tasks that do not require a sewing machine, or sewing skills for that matter. If you have not joined us yet, you will find a good time and a good deed go hand in hand. No special skills are required! We will also meet for sewing after the UMW meeting on November 14, roughly noon. Bring along a bag lunch if needed. Healthy Snacks: thank you for $150 from missions funds, and your extra donations, of healthy snacks to the Howard and Oconto Schools. Vida Nueva: the missions budget is donating ten $10 movie tickets as gifts for the high school youth for Christmas. There are other needs for the holiday season, so if you are interested in learning ways to help, please see Pastor Eric. Women s Retreat_ 5th Sunday Noisy Cans: the October 29th collection was designated for VIM - Volunteers in Mission. Salvation Army: Red Kettle Bell Ringing begins on November 13th. If you have an hour or more to donate, please check the Salvation Army.org web site for places and hours to volunteer. The Salvation Army is our partner in the Ecumenical Partnership for Housing mission. Remember to document your community service hours for our church too! Ladies, look ahead at your calendars, and mark down Saturday, February 10 th, 2018 for our 1-Day Women s Retreat. It will be held here at SUMC s Fellowship Hall. More details to come as the date gets closer. United Methodist Women (UMW)_ Our UMW women will be hosting a District UMW team meeting here at 9 am on Saturday, November 4th. Suamico UMW will meet at the church at 10 am on November 14. The UMW s collection of General Mills Box Tops for Education, is an ongoing mission please feel free to help us, by dropping your box-tops in the basket on the donation shelves across from the Pastor s office, in the education wing of Fellowship Hall. Also, it is not too soon to mark December 12 on your calendar. The UMW Christmas Potluck, for all women of the church and friends, at 5:30 pm in SUMC Fellowship Hall. 4

5 Youth Group Come join us on Wednesday nights at 6:00pm! Save the Date... Friday, December 1 st : Fall Lock-In. We're calling it BARF which stands for Bring a Random Friend. We'll meet at church about 6 or 7pm and end the following morning. Friends not required, but if you bring one, you ll get a surprise. The SUMC Message Series for November_ SUMC - United under Christ, Mission-focused, Consecrated to God s vision 1. Unity. We have nothing if we don t have a spiritual community, the church united in Christ for a common mission. 2. Vision. God owns the vision. As pastor I help discern and articulate what God is doing among us, and what he wants to do going forward. 3. Mission. Already given. Jesus said to the apostles before he ascended: Go and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. Teach these new disciples to obey all the commands I have given you. All church mission statements are a variation on that theme. 4. Stewardship. Managing of our time, talents and treasures. See Pastor s Pencil for more on this. Pastor s Pencil_ Stewardship: It s about being a good manager God owns our lives. That may strike you as intrusive, but it s true. We are God s creatures. He made us and gave us the estate we call our lives. We are only temporary managers of that estate. We are called to be good managers: taking risks when necessary for growth, and properly caring for and protecting the assets we already have. But stewardship is about so much more than money It s about using our connection to God, our presence in worship, our financial gifts, our service in the church and community, and our stories of faith - for God s purposes. Stewardship is about going to worship when we don t feel like going, it s being inspired to pray for someone we hadn t thought about in a while, choosing to go on a mission trip for the first time, or sharing our Christian story with someone who hasn t heard it before. Stewardship is about managing our human, financial, and physical resources in such a way that we can move toward God s vision and live out Jesus mission. It s about being inspired and educated by God among the people we call our church family, then moving out into the community to help people and change society according to God s plans for the world. In the end, stewardship isn t about money. It s about being a unified community under God and inspired by the Spirit to follow Jesus and build God s kingdom on earth. That s exciting. And I can t wait to tell you more. See you in church. Pastor Eric 5

6 NOVEMBER 2017 Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday :00 Brownies due 6:30 Church St. Paul s UMC 3 Brownies to the shelter -kick off meal prep 4 9-3:00 N.E. Team meeting Fellowship Hall & kitchen -kick off meal prep 5 daylight savings time ends 10:00 service only 11:30 kick off meal 9:15-9:50 Faith Finders & confirmation 6:00 pm Book Ruth Ann Voelz home 6 6:30 Book of Matthew study 7 9:00 Proj. Patricia 6:00 4H Season Seniors prep night 9 Season Seniors 8-11:30 prep 11:30-2 meal 6:15 SPRC 7:30 Finance Team District UMW meeting VETERANS DAY 12 8:00 & 10:30 Worship 9:15 Faith Finders and Confirmation 6:30 New Member Info Night 13 6:15 Weeblos Cub Scouts am UMW 12-3:00 Proj. Patricia 15 6:30 Worship Team 16 6:15 Bldg Comm. 6:15-7:30 Cub Scouts 7:30 Church Council :30-1:30 Brownie Troop 19 8:00 & 10:30 Worship 9:15 Faith Finders :00 4H December newsletter articles due today Church office open 7:00 Ecumenical Thanksgiving service w/dessert social to follow 23 church office closed :00 & 10:30 Worship 9:15 Faith Finders :00 4-H December newsletter articles due, on or before: Tuesday, November 21st 6