^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ SCRIP CARDS Thanks to all that keep purchasing the Scrip Cards. The total I have in the bank now is $2,453.78. Don t forget that Christmas will be fast upon us and these cards make great gifts. Also, if you are going to do extra shopping for the holidays and extra driving, think about getting cards for gas and food. This Month the order will go in On Sun. 11/25 Our Kitchen work is moving along, the dishwasher has been removed so that the 3 tub sanitizing sink can replace it. The floor will be made new and the countertops will be covered with stainless steel. Thank you to those who were here to help with our work day. In addition to the kitchen down stairs the upstairs little kitchen was cleaned and organized. The Sacristy got some spic and span. Ready for the Holidays! ********************************************* Please keep in our Prayers Our customers of the Food Pantry. Our AA participants as they enter into the Holiday season. Ryan recovering slowly is back home in CT at St. Francis Hospital. Those who have been sick this month. Especially Bob Hope who is home with Sue and Ron on Hospice Families who are reuniting and traveling to be together for Thanksgiving.. Those who live at the margins of society who are afraid to reach out where there is help. For World Peace let us be the instruments. Those facing medical tests and treatments. That our plans are your plans, O God. Marilyn s Pantry A BIG thank you to Jo Elin who has been shopping sales and carting the food here. The pantry is nicely packed with all kinds of good stuff. Avon and Simsbury both made runs in with cars full - so it has been a shelf packing month for the pantry. Avon has a lady who crochets Afghans and sent out 4 garbage bags full and the people have been taking them and I m down to maybe 5 left. And now there is a sock drive going on which will then be given out to the needy. WE are still waiting on the answer from the draper foundation. Our new pastor installation service had a special collection for the food pantry, adding $470.00 to the Food Pantry account. Giving is the best and thanks to everyone that has contributed food to the pantry.
November Birthdays 6 Florence Eddins 8 Jo Elin Williams 8 Daniel Henderson 11 William Komons 12 Doris Marino 12 Duane Tabak 14 Fredrick Nardi 15 Glen Daniels 15 Jean Rebillard 16 Sarah Jacobs 17 Gail Palmer 18 Arlene Daniels 22 Benicio Smith 24 Karen Brugmann 24 Tracy Palmer 29 Wayne Ellsworth Prayers for Blessed Birthdays! ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ A Mission Moment We are still collecting boxes for the Christmas Child Program, they are stacking up in the Memorial room. The Deadline for collection is October 31, 2018. The Tollbooth has been active recently as well. Thank God for your generous hearts. We have also pledged our first love offering in October to the Weehawken United Methodist Church in New Jersey for the repair of their basement damage due to flood. Your Church at work! Our Love offering on 10/6/18 was $68.00. We are still collecting Socks For out Socktober Celebration, sponsored by the Simsbury United Methodist Church God Bless our Mission work and may our generosity grow and make us true followers of Jesus Christ. Take Note! Our Faithful Kitchen Committee is asking for donations of vegetables, for the Thanksgiving Community dinner. We are asking for potatoes and butternut squash. If there is more donated than can be used for that day we will give them to the Marilyn s Pantry Patrons! Tradtional Thanksgiving meal will be served at 1pm here at Winsted United Methodist Church. Yummy! The Bat Well, I could just fill up this whole newsletter with what has been going on here this past month. It started with the Fall Festival weekend with Sandy, Mark T., John, and Mark H. carting out tables and setting up for the pie table. At the same time, Gail and Norma Jarvis were helping Issy set up for a memorial reception at the church, Candy and Jo Elin came in with the bread and sweets, people came in for the Food Pantry - it was busy, busy, busy. And things never stopped, the next weekend was Transition Sat. For the Thrift Shop, the week after was Pastor Adeline s installation and reception and for 2 days before there were people in and out getting things ready and people calling - it was busy, busy, busy. And that Sat. The place was full of well wishers for Pastor Adeline. The next week was the turkey dinner and people were here cooking, setting tables, cleaning, etc. and the dinner had a wonderful turnout. Let me tell you the church smelled wonderful for two days! On top of all this, there is a meeting every Sunday after Service as well as Bible study. This past week, John was in every day with Issy - seems Issy can t drive without her leg and John picked her up and took her home. Lots got done while he was here both inside and out. And from what I m hearing, there is a lot more going on in the coming months. A Thanksgiving Dinner in November, a Christmas Dinner in December, Cookie Walk/Christmas Fair, Santa Claus, Salvation Army Toy Store, the Museum renting the Sanctuary, Caroling and probably more. Well, I m getting into my afghan and heading for the belfry so I can take some long naps! Till next month enjoy the leaves and sunny days. The Bat
CHURCH COUNCIL Church Council I unfortunately missed Church Council this month due to my leg, but I did hear that the Proposed Budget was passed with a couple of small changes. The nominees were mentioned that will be voted on at the Charge Conference in November. Hopefully everyone volunteered to work at the Cookie Walk Fair! Look in your mail for the yearly pledge letter and pledge form from Candy Williams. The pledge forms need to be filled out and sent back to the church so Candy can report on pledges at the Charge Conference. So when you receive the letter, please fill out the form and drop off in the offering plate, the office, or give to Candy. Other Church happenings of Note November 11 is the date of Our Charge Conference. It will be held at the Torrington United Methodist Church beginning at 2 pm. The date of December 1, 2018 has been set for our Cookie Walk/Christmas Fair. We are planning for a visit from Santa for the kids, a Penny Auction, including a beautiful Gingerbread house. There will be fudge and other baked goods We are counting on Jo Elin slaving in the kitchen making lunch. Table space for crafters for $15.00 per table. Please call the church office. If you know anyone that might want to offer their crafts and Christmas items at our Fair. Wednesday evening Bible Study will be held at the Parsonage 7pm light snacks and beverages will be served. We will finish the Half Truths Study by Adam Hamilton. A Men s Bible Study will continue the second and fourth Mondays of the month, beginning @ 6:30pm Light Supper will be served at the parsonage. The Avon Church will be providing 6 free community Dinners for the year of 2019 on following dates 2/2, 4/6, 6/1, 8/5, 10/5, and 12/1. It is being arranged for a free movie as well after the free dinner. It was also suggested that when we do a community dinner or a free community dinner, we put posters at the YMCA, the Northwest Community College, and the Library. If anyone is willing to do this let Issy or Candy know. Issy stated that she has applied for another grant for the Food Pantry through the Draper foundation, and hopefully we will hear during the month of November. The NYAC has sent over the figures for our Apportionments for 2019 and they are $5,878.00 which is less than last year. The Torte Museum may rent the church again on Dec. 15 or 16 th. The Salvation Army has asked to use the church to set up a Toy Store and on December 15th they will have parents come in and pick out a Christmas gifts for their children. Trustees has agreed to the use of the building for this purpose. It was decided we will have a free wrapping table and wrap the gifts for them, or they can wrap them. We plan to make this a festive time.
From the Pastor s Study, As I sit and listen to the news and witness the events recently, how have we become a country of such abject hatred. I pray for our country, we are living in a state of fear, Fear of immigrants, there are few people who live on this continent who are not here because of immigrants. Fear of words from women about men. Fear of skin color. Fear of the ability to provide for your family. Fear of taking a stand against the hate. Fear of exercising our freedoms to speak. Fear of exercising our freedoms to worship. Fear of exercising our right to education. Fear of our neighbors and their different ways. Fear of sharing our different ways. Now is the time to call upon you for courage. To prove to your creation God, that this fear and hate is not your plan. Now is the time to be strong in our following, strong in our hunger for forgiveness, and enlightenment. Now Lord, we pray. Amen A prayer from your Pastor. In our Bishop s address today he said I have found myself writing message about the rhetoric of fear and anger that has dominated the landscape on all levels in our country from the highest office in the land to the halls of congress to the communities of our citizens who feel enabled when persons of power set the tone with messages that breed hatred and cynicism. These messages have also been about us, the community of faith called the church. The halls of our demonization have also been filled with vile and anger doubt and despair. Yet we are a people with a message that is counter to every hate-filled speech ever given. We are a people with a rhetoric that is a rebuttal to every bullet that is fired and every life that is taken unnecessarily. It is time, dear friends, on every level to no longer be silent with our message of hope and promise. How long, O Lord? Wil you forget me forever? How long will you hide your face from me? How long must I take counsel in my soul? And have sorrow in my heart all day? How long shall my enemy be exalted over me? Consider and answer me, o Lord my God; Light up my eyes, lest I sleep the sleep of death, lest my enemy say, I have prevailed over him. Lest my foes rejoice because I am shaken (Psalm 13:1-4 The writer of Psalm 13 did not stop with the verse stated above. The psalmist did not cower in the midst of his own self doubt and anxiety. He caught himself in mid-psalm and did not finish his writing without saying these critical words: But I have trusted your steadfast love; My heart shall rejoice in your salvation. I will sing to the Lord, Because he has dealt bountifully with me. (Psalm 13:5-6) This is an ultimate statement of faith, a counterbalance to doubt, a gut check in the midst of violence How long will it be before we have such faith, that even in the midst of violence and injustice, that we will proclaim a higher belief and a better way. Mahatma Gandhi once wrote When I despair, I remember that all throughout history the way of truth and love have always won. There have been tyrants and murderers and for a time they seem invincible, but in the end, they will always fail. Think of it, Think of it always, pray for it always, believe in it always. Thomas J. Bickerton
Tid Bits Please remember to save your coffee tins for the cookie walk. Don t forget Carol s Toll Booth for the Christmas Child Boxes. If you want to have a table for your crafts or know someone who might please call the office. We will need donations of fresh vegetables, potatoes and butternut squash by November 18 th. Mark your calendars for bible study Remember the first monthly Love offering is designated for missions. Christmas Caroling and Open House at the Parsonage December 16, 2018 Thanksgiving Dinner Our Thanksgiving Dinner is Nov. 22, 2018. Free to anyone who would like to come and have a delicious traditional Thanksgiving meal. The meal will be served between 1pm and 2pm ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ The income for the month of September as follows Deposits $ 5338.45 Expenses $ 6,389.85 Stewardship Corner According to Jesus, getting our treasure invested right helps us get our heart invested right. Where your treasure is, there your heart will be also (Luke 12:34) Missionary David Livingston was responsible for opening Africa to civilization at least a century earlier than might otherwise have been possible. He walked across the continent twice, both directions, making maps and telling people about Jesus as he traveled. When Livingston dies, his body was to be transported back to London for burial, On the night before the ship sailed, the people he had helped so much crept aboard, cut out his heart, and buried it under a big tree on the western coast of Africa. If people were to bury your heart at the end of your life, where would they bury it? Beside a home for unwed mothers? Beside a church, where people had come to know Jesus? Beside a home for homeless children? Beside a stack of certificates of deposit? What we give our heart to is the ultimate determiner of the quality of our living. And what we give our money to is what we give our heart to. Where is you treasure? Find it and you will find what you have based your life on. Find your treasure, and you will accurately predict the quality of your life. -$ 1,051.40 in arrears