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Gary Ricketts
November is here and 2002 is rapidly growing to a close. The days have gone by so quickly, or perhaps it is just another indication that I am growing older. With the arrival of November, crop harvesting is drawing to a close. In a few weeks we will be celebrating Thanksgiving. A very important holiday to our country and it should be to each family in our nation. It is a holiday that often gets lost in the commercial switch from Halloween to Christmas. Thanksgiving is a day in which we should give special thanks to God for the harvest and for the blessings he has bestowed upon us. We should also reflect back to that first Thanksgiving Day and what the early settlers had endured. Native American and early settlers joined together and shared what they had. It was the Native Americans who taught our forefathers how to fertilize so there could be a more bountiful harvest. May we never forget our heritage or lose the true meaning of Thanksgiving Day. A day to truly give thanks. Prayer has a powerful impact on both the one being prayed for the one praying. We must never forget that God still answers prayers. They are answered in his way and in his timing. Please lift up in prayer the joys and concerns mentioned in our worship services, passed along through the prayer chains and those made known in a variety of other ways.
Our Prayer
Dear Lord and Heavenly Father, we do truly give thanks for the harvest and for our many blessings. We often take so many things for granted Lord, that have come about through great sacrifice. This is your country Lord, for it was formed by your mighty hand, and you created us as well. In spite of the problems we have faced both individually and as a nation, we are truly blessed. We give thanks to you Lord, for being a part of our lives, and for being a loving and caring God. We lift up the joys and concerns of our church family and our own personal prayers. Guide and direct us Lord so that we might better serve you. Through Jesus Christ we pray. Amen
Book Review AAt Home In Mitford@ by Jan Karon (fiction)A At Home In Mitford@ is the first book in the Mitford series, Mitford being a small town set in the Blue Ridge Mountains. We are introduced to the citizens of the town through the eyes of Father Tim, pastor of the Lord=s Chapel. The characters are ordinary people whose stories are sometimes funny, sometimes touching, a bit mysterious and always interesting. We follow Father Tim as he faces daily challenges in shepherding his flock as well as dealing with his own physical and emotional situations.After reading the first book,I look forward to reading the other books in the series. Thank you to Linda Halbach and Jan Jones for sharing these books by making them available in the church library. Please take time to check out the books in the library. Happenings at Grace UMC this month
Those interested in scrapbooking are invited to the church on Sat., Nov. 9th from 9-12. For more information, please call Susan Ferguson, 367-5814. On Sunday, November 10, everyone is invited to the Park Inn for the Consecration Dinner following the 2nd service. If you haven =t mailed your card back in, please do so or call the church office, 328-1414 to let us know what your plans are so we can give Park Inn an accurate count.On Saturday, Nov. 2 & 9 the youth group will be having a Fall work day. If you would like to hire them to do some work for you on those days, please call Todd Searing at 337-4991. They will be working from 8:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Saturday, November 16 beginning at 10:00 a.m., Jill King will be leading kids from 3 years of age to 5th grade in making Thanksgiving crafts. If you could help, please call Jill at 384-0006.
November 26th is the date for the joint Thanksgiving Service with St. Matthew Lutheran Church. This year Grace will host this event. We hope that everyone will join us on this evening as we give thanks for another year.
NEEDED FOR THE NURSERY The nursery needs a bouncer seat and exersaucer for infants to sit in. If you have one or know someone who would like to get rid of one, contact Beth Morgan, 337-0861. You can donate it or we could find the right priceNEWS ABOUT UNICEF Trick or Treat for UNICEF was Saturday, October 26. We had Spidermen and Angels from GUMC who collected coins from neighbors, family, and friends. This year=s campaign focused on the inoculation of children for polio throughout the world. Our Grace children collected enough money to inoculate 11 children against polio. Congratulations. A special thank you to Paula Rebman for Halloween snacks, treats, drinks, and party favors.XYZ's TRIP FOR NOVEMBER The November meeting of the XYZ=s will be on November 39, instead of our regular meeting day. We will be going to the Robert Allerton Conference Center to see the holiday decorations. Admission to the house is $10 and we will be going to lunch in Monticello before. Please call Pauline Meier at 643-7448 or the church office
We Celebrate the Joys of Life
Youth Mission Trip Memories and Gratitude This Summer our high school youth went on a work camp to North Carolina. The following are their thank you notes to the church. Pictures from the work camp Youth Activities Page Go to Grace Missions We greatly appreciate the amazing opportunity you have given us. It was a very rewarding experience helping the people we met in North Carolina. Not only did the trip help the people in North Carolina, it also made all of us better people. Dan Hoeflinger and Andy O 'ConnellDear Congregation, Mission Trips mean so much to me. They have a great impact in my life. They allow us as a youth group to bond, and grow as Christians. The trip to North Carolina was a blast. We had so much fu, met some interesting people, and did God =s work all in the same week! I want to thank the congregation for donating their time and money, so that we could go on this mission trip.Sincerely, Ali King The Mission trip was a very personally rewarding experience for me. Not only did I get the chance to get to know other members of the church better, I learned a lot about myself and my ability to achieve great things. Building houses for less fortunate people was an amazing experience that I will never forget, and wouldn 't have had the chance to do without the help and support of the considerate people who made the trip possible.Julia Burns This trip was important to me because it gave me an opportunity to get to know the other people in the youth group better. It also gave me a chance to help others that are less fortunate than me, who were hit hard with flood damage from the hurricane. I really enjoyed spending time, working, and having fun with the other wonderful people that accompanied me on this trip. The work was hard, but the satisfaction I felt knowing our project was complete made it all worth it. Thank you so much for allowing us this chance to spread God =Sarah Ziebart I =d like to thank the congregation for sponsoring the mission trip. I=m very glad I was able to participate. It was important to me to be able to get to know everyone in the youth group and this trip was the perfect opportunity to do that. I enjoyed the work we were able to do and it was nice to be at the beach. I know I=ve made lasting relationships and helped people in need because your contributions made this trip possible. Thank you very much.Sincerely, Alison Smith This trip was a great opportunity to help people and at the same time to see a part of the country that I =ve never been to before. It also gave me a chance to meet new people and get to know some old friends a little better. I want to thank everyone who helped sponsor this trip by giving their time, money, or just ideas. I think we all had a lot of fun working on the houses, going to the beach, and learning a little more about ourselves and each other. Thank you for making it possible.Emily Netter Congregation, Thank you all so much for giving us the money to go on the Mission Trip. I had a really great time. It was a great experience getting to know other people and also site-seeing. I =m sure that all of us there learned something new. I know I did. One of my favorite parts of the Mission Trip was going to the beach and taking breaks from work. I hope next year when we go to the Mission Trip we will have as much fun as we did on this one. Thanks again.Sincerely, Amanda Henderson
The Mission Trip to North Carolina was important to me because it let me get to know the high schoolers who were older that me. It was really fun just hanging out with them. I was glad that I was able to help out some people. It was really fun and I hope to do it again. It was really nice of the congregation to help pay for the trip. Thank you. One memory I have from the trip is going to the beach. It was so beautiful. Another memory is when we had to travel in the van. Some times we got bored so we had to think up some fun things to do (like pointing out the same chick-fil-a over & over again). I hope to go on another mission trip soon and have just as much fun. Sincerely, Emily Wiedenmann Inspired by God, Penned by Gary Ricketts Who is this man called Jesus Christ, That I hear people talking about? Is he fact or is he fiction? Can he save my soul from hell? I hear so many things For I am told that the truth will set me free. Many say that the bible holds The answer to my confusion. For it reveals how God guided his people, As well as the teachings and living example of Jesus Christ. Jesus is the son of God, both human and divine. He was born of the virgin Mary, in a lowly stable. A humble beginning for one so powerful and majestic. Yet he personified love, care and compassion all rolled into one. He went to the cross, falsely accused. Though sinless, he bore the sins of the world for all mankind. He gave his life so that we might have everlasting life. Through his death and resurrection he turned defeat into victory. As unworthy of God =s love as I may be,He gave it to me freely. The Bible says I cannot work my way into heaven, But that it comes about through the grace of God. Salvation is a gift I receive, If I but open my heart to Jesus Christ; Inviting him to enter in To become the Lord of my life. He can forgive my sins, He can make me clean, He can set me free, If I have faith and believe. Never forget that the devil is crafty and cunning. If our eyes are cast downward we cannot see God =s guiding light.But by looking up we cannot see the devil =s temptations.Instead we see the love and guidance of our heavenly father. So who will rule your life today and tomorrow? Will it be the devil and his temptations? Or Jesus Christ with his love and gift of eternal life? Open the door to your heart and let Jesus enter in. Mike’s projected sermon series for December 2002 and 2003: December ‘02 - Predicting the Future January ‘03 - Men, Women and the Bible February ‘03 - Friendships March – April Jesus Crucified and Resurrected May - Suffering: Passion, Pain and Pilgrimage June - The Earliest Christians: Biographies July - Sin August - The Bible and the Ridiculous
Once again GUMC families will have the opportunity to provide a Thanksgiving meal for needy families in the Champaign-Urbana area. The Empty Tomb will be providing names of families to receive the food. Over the years it has been more efficient as well as less costly to buy the food in bulk. The cost for each meal is expected to be $20-$25 depending on family size. We are requesting your financial support to purchase the necessary food items. We need your commitment by Sunday, Nov. 10. Checks should be made payable to Grace United Methodist Church with Share-a-Meal noted. Donations need to be received by Sunday, Nov. 17. We are also in need of people to assist with the following tasks: putting meals together (Monday, Nov. 25, 6:30pm) at GUMC Fellowship Hall delivering meals to C-U families (Tuesday, Nov. 26, 9am) Please print your name and phone number below and check how you are willing to help. There will also be sign-up sheets passed around during church services for the next several weeks. You may also call the church office to sign up. If you have questions, please contact Pat Ziebart, 337-6952 or Diane Heath, 384-7124.
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November 17 at 3:00 p.m. we
will be having our yearly Charge Conference at Urbana First. Plan now to
attend.
