Grace Notes. November 15 Scripture: Matthew 9: Sermon: The Field is Ripe Finance Commitment card will be dedicated.

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1 16 November 2015 Grace Notes News from Grace United Methodist Church Carbondale, Illinois Web site: November 1 All Saints Day/Communion Sunday Scripture: Hebrews 12: 1-3 Sermon: Saints-a Cloud of Witnesses Candles will be lit in memory of our loved ones who passed away. The first Sunday of the month is celebrated as Sharing Sunday. You are invited to bring canned food for the Good Samaritan Pantry. November 8 Scripture: 2 Corinthians 12: 6-10 Sermon: God s Strength in Our Weakness Veterans will be honored during both worship services. Grace Players: Letter from War November 15 Scripture: Matthew 9: Sermon: The Field is Ripe Finance Commitment card will be dedicated. November 22 Thanksgiving Sunday Scripture: Luke 17: Sermon: Have We Forgotten Anything to Say? Bell Choir will bring special music, Give Thanks. November 29 First Sunday of Advent Scripture: Matthew 25: 1-13 Sermon: How to Prepare for the Holy Season Hanging of the Greens during Sunday School hour. You are encouraged to invite family and friends to our worship services and Sunday school.!!

2 2 Dear Friends, 15 As I drove under the arch of colorful fall trees, my eyes were open widely to see the beauty of the nature and fall season. And I said loudly, Thank you, God for the life and all the good things in my life. Fall season brings forth the sense of gratitude and encourages us to breathe deeply in the present moment. Thomas Merton said, To be grateful is to recognize the Love of God in everything He has given us---and He has given us everything. Every breath we draw is a gift of His love, every moment of existence is a grace, for it brings with it immense graces from Him. Gratitude therefore takes nothing for granted, is never unresponsive, is constantly awakening to new wonder and to praise of the goodness of God. For the grateful person knows that God is good, not by hearsay but by experience. And that is what makes all the difference. As I reflect on Thomas Merton s writing, I realized that there was a difference between my praise and his teaching. I praised the Lord for all the good things, while he emphasized to be grateful in everything. According to him, the grateful heart sees God s goodness in everything and recognizes God s grace in everything. That s a challenge. How can we see God s goodness in the midst of troubles and tragedies? How can we be thankful to God as we go through illness or grief? It is hard to understand. But I have seen many people who expressed grateful living in the midst of tough life situations. Gratitude is a conscious choice to focus on life s blessings rather than its shortcomings. It is a spiritual practice to create a positive outlook on everything in life. This month when we celebrate Thanksgiving Day, let s choose reasons to be thankful to God and one another, especially to those who have reflected the love of Jesus Christ to us. Everyday this month, find one reason at least to be thankful and offer a thanksgiving prayer to God. And find some people in your life who have shared God s grace with you and write a thank you card or a thank you letter to them. By the way, I m very thankful to you for your cards, gifts for pastor s appreciation month. Bong-Choul especially enjoyed one card saying on the cover, With our thanks and appreciation to our Pastor and her Husband. Finally someone recognizes that a pastor s spouse could be a man. I hope Bong-Choul doesn t introduce himself as the pastor s wife to new people as he has done. Bong-Choul and I feel being loved and appreciated more than we deserve. Thank you for accepting me as your pastor and a companion on your spiritual journey. In Christ, In-Sook

3 14 3 Grace United Methodist Women Christmas Yard Sale and Bake Sale November 21, am - 1pm Proceeds will go to Hunger Relief The UMW Christmas Yard Sale is scheduled for November 21. We will be accepting donations of Christmas sale items Monday, November 16 through Thursday, November 19 in the auditorium. Someone will be available in the auditorium from 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. If you need to schedule a different time to bring your items, please call the church office at or Marilyn Hisgen at Items for the bake sale may be donated on Friday, November 20 until 5:00 p.m. or Saturday, November 21 at 8:00 a.m. Thanks to our church family for your continued support of this mission project. Thanksgiving Dinner Grace Church will host a Thanksgiving gathering and meal at noon on Thanksgiving Day, Thursday, November 26. The church provides the turkey, potatoes, gravy, and two kinds of dressing. You are asked to bring a side dish, a salad or a dessert. If you can t bring a dish, come for dinner anyway there will be plenty. A sign-up sheet will be posted on the bulletin board across from the kitchen to get a head count for the dinner. For more information contact Roger Smith.

4 4 13 UPCOMING CHILDREN/YOUTH EVENTS November starts with a lot of action for the children at Grace UM Church! Nov. 1- Children, little ones through 6th grade, are invited to pull on their costumes one more time. We will walk to the nursing home next to the church, where we will parade the halls, greet the residents, and give them small gifts as one way to LOVE OUR NEIGHBORS. As always, parents are welcome and appreciated. We will depart from the children's area at 10:10 A.M. after 9:00 A.M. worship. Afterward, we will return to the children's area for some fun and snacks! Nov. 1- Calling all junior and senior high youth! Your help is needed to prepare, load, and serve a mission meal to people in the downtown Carbondale community. We will be offering a free lunch to the needy. Please contact Brian Adams or Roger Smith to confirm that you can help with this worthy project on this date. Nov. 29- Children will decorate their Sunday school area during the Hanging of the Greens during the 10:10-11:00 A.M. time. Circle of Friends Potluck Tuesday November 10 Noon Bring a dish and join the fellowship. Turn clocks back one hour Sunday, November 1.

5 12 5 Spirit of Christmas The Spirit of Christmas Project was started over 30 years ago by the Interchurch Council to help provide gifts for the needy. Gift requests have been received from numerous agencies in the Carbondale area. Our church will received approximately 90 names for children and adults. Many of the adults are in nursing homes. Please prayerfully consider taking one or two names and purchasing a gift for these individuals. We have been assured that every effort has been made that the names we are given are on no other list to be receiving a gift. We will receive the Spirit of Christmas names in November. A table will be in the church lobby to provide a place to select the names and put the gifts. The deadline to turn in the gifts is 1:00 p.m., Sunday December 6. GRACE RACE 2016 As most of you know, next year s GRACE RACE will be our 25 th annual race. The date is Friday, June 3. Lena Hake and I have agreed to serve as codirectors this year but will not be continuing after If there are individuals who wish to become future directors, it would be helpful for them to begin to work with us. Please let us know if you are willing to do that. Identifying sponsors begins in January. Lena and I will be glad to meet with whoever is interested in continuing this outreach activity. Thyra Russell

6 6 11 November 29 - Hanging of the Greens We will start off the Advent season by decorating our church building. All children and adults will be needed at 10:10 a.m. to transport, unpack, and arrange Christmas adornments. Bring a snack to share if you wish! Advent Outreach Project As a result of serving mission meals to needy people in the Carbondale community, the youth and their leaders have observed the need for blankets and winter hats and gloves. During Advent, you are invited to help those in need by bringing new winter hats and gloves (especially adult size) and either donations to buy blankets or new blankets. Roger Smith has a source for inexpensive, water-resistant blankets that can be purchased in bulk. If you prefer to make a donation for the blankets, please mark your check or money envelope as "Advent blankets". Boxes will be set out for new hats, gloves, or blankets that you wish to donate, also. Thank you for spreading compassion and God's love! Holy Communion: Some Questions and Answers I do not wish to receive Communion because doing so would be disloyal to my religion or my denomination. May I attend a United Methodist Communion service and not receive Communion? Yes indeed. We do not want anyone to feel unwelcome because, for whatever reason, they do not choose to receive Communion. Simply remain seated when others go forward, or pass the bread and cup along if they are passed to you, and no one will question wheat you do.

7 10 7 November Birthdays (by date) 1 - Caitlyn Boyd 1 - Jacob Williams 3 - Cathy Biggs 4 - Audrey Meador 5 - Brittney Leimkuehler 7 - Gabrielle Vineyard 9 - Michelle Ford 14 - Louise Golliher (91) 18 - Roy Harris 18 - Rosemary Hubenthal 19 - Diane Hickman 21 - Courtney Stuck 23 - Betty Jane Smith 23 - Shirley Smith 24 - Kenny Arthur 25 - Casey Hickman 26 - Jonah Adams 28 - John Vana 29 - John Burde 30 - Marilyn Hisgen 30 - Tom Upton Early December Birthdays 12/1 Cheryl Smith 12/5 Michael Adams 12/7 Raetta Blessing November Anniversaries Nov. 6 Mark & Danielle Schultz Nov. 21 Jay & Erinn Hanscom Nov. 22 Jim & Dorothy Frailey (53 yrs.) Nov. 26 Deon & Linda Egner (52 yrs.) Nov. 26 Randy & Stacy Stark Grace United Methodist Church 9:00 a.m. Contemporary Worship 10:10 a.m. Sunday School 11:15 a.m. Traditional Worship Coffee and Cards Saturday, November 28, 9:00 a.m. at Grace UMC, Room 11 Short devotional, drink coffee, and write note cards to new visitors and existing members on behalf of GUMC. Volunteers Needed to Serve One Hour Per Month! Yes, just one hour per month, during the late service. We need to add at least three people to serve as counters to record the giving of our members...it does not require math skills, unless you say counting money is a math skill! A counter works with two other people, recording the offering for the day. He/she provides safety for the other two counters so that no one is left alone with the offering. We encourage people to attend the Early Service if he/she is going to count. Currently, we need someone to count for the first Sunday of the month, and we need substitutes to fill in when someone is going to be away for their usual counting day. If you could help, either on an occasional fill in, or a regular Sunday once a month, please call Joyce Fligor ( or ) or send her an (jsfcpa@mchsi.com) and let her know that you would be willing to serve. The church office will be closed Thanksgiving Day, November 26 and Friday, November 27.

8 8 Grace Fest was a wonderful event held at Turley Park on September 26th. We reached out to our neighbors and had a fun-filled afternoon. We want to thank the following for volunteering at the event. The volunteers helped with advertising, prepping food, setting up, serving food, music, sound, welcome table, door prize/raffles, cake walk, inflatables, face paint, crafts, photography, and cleaning up. So many of our wonderful volunteers showed God's love to others. Thank you to Brian Adams, Trisha Adams, Jaci Arthur, Michael Arthur, Paula Arthur, Donna Blache, David Burkart, Danie Dawson, Juliann DaVee, Debbie Ditch, Karen Downey, Ashlee Dunn, Bryan Dunn, Kay Eckiss, Kenny Fisher, Phyllis Fisher, Cindy Hall, Marilyn Hisgen, Pastor In-Sook Hwang, Laura Morthland, Ryan Morthland, Jessica Pease, Mark Pease, Mary Ann Ruph, Thyra Russell, Elizabeth Schultz, Katie Schultz, Liberty Schultz, Cheryl Smith, Monty Smith, Roger Smith, Shirley Smith, Annabella Upton, Tom Upton, Patty Weyhrich, Jacob Williams and Jeff Williams. We also want to thank the Crimestoppers volunteer, police officers at the park, and firemen and women who volunteered in the smokehouse. Danielle Schultz and Lisa Upton, Grace Fest Co-Chairs 9 The mowing season is over, hopefully, and we want to thank our volunteer mowers Deon Egner, Jim Frailey and Ryan Morthland. These guys were out in the heat, dust, and sometimes unexpected rain showers each Thursday morning. Please tell them thank you for their service. Cache River District Rally Sunday, November 1 6:00 p.m. Aldersgate United Methodist Church, 1201 N. Fair Street, Marion, IL Music by Kateena LaForge Message presented by Rev. April Turner Check the church bulletin board in the kitchen hallway for information the church has received about events in the community. Thank you for your contribution to our ministry. We truly appreciate your support in reaching our Latin Community. In His Service, Jesus es el Señor UMC Please have articles for the December 2015 Grace Notes to the church office by November Memorial Hospital of Carbondale Auxiliary s 1st Annual Vendor and Craft Fair and Fundraiser Saturday, November 7th, 9AM-1PM Our Savior Lutheran Church, 700 S. University St., Carbondale Proceeds going to hospital charities and school tuitions for nursing students. Grace UMC Mission Statement "Love God, love people, make disciples of Jesus Christ."