Surprise! No, it’s not Friday, but for various reasons, it’s easier for me to get this email out to you today – so Happy Thursday! - well, as happy as you can get on a dreary, wet and really windy day! Anyway, I hope you’re having a good day and have had a good week – and have plans for a great weekend!
Here’s what will be happening at church this weekend:
- On Sunday, we’ll celebrate World Communion Sunday, the one day on which Christian churches throughout the world all celebrate communion together. I’ll start a new sermon series this week entitled “Centered Living in an Off-Centered World,” with this week’s topic being “How I Think of Others.”
- On Sunday, you’ll also have the opportunity to sign up to be a donor for next Sunday’s Blood Drive. This is the third blood drive we’re having, and we hope to top the donation totals of the first two. Members of the Missions Committee will be on hand in the Hospitality Area after both services to help you sign up to donate. If you cannot donate for some reason, we could still use your help next Sunday by greeting donors, holding hands for reassurance, or working in the refreshment area. If you can help in any of those ways, please let Joe Tanner know on Sunday – he’ll be at the donation sign-up table.
- Also on Sunday, at 3 p.m., we’ll have our annual Blessing of the Animals service. This is always a wonderful service as members of the church bring their furry friends for a special blessing. If you’re coming, please remember a leash for your pet and a lawn chair for yourself. We’ll be on the lawn in front of Weldin Hall and the service will be about 20 minutes long.
Just a couple of other things:
- We’re phasing out the Scrip Card program, but we still have a number of gift cards on hand that we need to sell. On the bulletin board as you enter the Hospitality Area, you’ll see index cards indicating what gift cards we still have on hand. If you’d like to buy one of those, simply remove the index card, fill in the information on it, put it and a check in an envelope and take it to the youth office, where the request will be processed.
- In just a few weeks, on the first Sunday of November, we’ll be celebrating All Saints’ Sunday. As you probably know, on that day we remember the members of our church who have died in the past year. We also provide an opportunity to remember others who have died, as people are invited to bring a flower in memory of them. But this year, we’re adding one more thing. We’ll be running a list on a bulletin insert of all of the people we have lost this year. So if you have experienced the loss of a loved one and want their name included on the list, please send that information to me at eumc@comcast.net. Please include your name, their name and your relationship with them.
I think that’s it for now. Try not to blow away today! Have a great rest of the week, then a wonderful, hopefully restful weekend. Take some time out for yourself, even while tackling your list of chores. Spend time with those you love, and then I’ll see you on Sunday in worship!
Grace and Peace,
Karen