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Woodridge United Methodist
Church
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Join
us on Sunday for worship services
at
10:00 am.
Instructions
can be found at the end below.
All are
Welcome!
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“By Water AND the Spirit”
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This is the 1st
Sunday of the brand new calendar year and we will gather
to worship and celebrate holy communion. As we
gather on this Sunday, many of us have made
"resolutions" for places we would like to focus
our energy and attention this year. These
resolutions will guide our thinking and our actions for
the coming year. Whether for self-improvement or
general life changes, New Year's resolutions are
sometimes tough to keep up with.
As we look to
worship together, we are reminded that we are God's
beloved children. Our baptism just welcomes us into
God's family with our other siblings and sets us apart
for our mission and ministry in the world. John the
Baptizer (as he is sometimes referred to) baptized those
who believed with water, but let the world know that
Jesus was coming to baptize believers with the
Spirit. This Spirit is one of compassion and care
for the least the last and the left out. It is the
Spirit of love for neighbor and one's self. It is
the Spirit that shows love and hope in the midst of hate
and despair. And we are the recipients!!
So let's talk about
how we put that into action on Sunday when we focus on "BY WATER
AND THE SPIRIT" in
worship. Join us at 10:00 a.m.. We would love
to see you in person, but if not, join us on our Woodridge UMC
YouTube Channel.
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Friday, January 5th
Saturday, January 6th
- 8:45
am Sorority
- 7:00
pm Square Dancing
Sunday, January 7th
- 8:30 am Worship Band
- 10:00 am Worship Service
- 11:00
am Communion (in person)
- 4:00
pm Filipino Baptist
Monday, January 8th
- 7:00
pm Den 1
- 7:00
pm Den 2/4
- 7:30
pm Square Thrus
Tuesday, January 9th
- 9:30
am Soccer Shots
- 10:30
am Bible Study
- 6:30
pm Soccer Shots Seasonal
Wednesday, January 10th
- Church
Offfice CLOSED
- 6:00
pm Bible Study
- 7:00
pm Square Dancing
- 7:00
pm Den 3/6
Thursday, January 11th
- 7:00
pm Boy Scouts
- 7:30
pm Toastmasters
Friday, January 12th
- 5:30
pm Cub Scout Camp In
Saturday, January 13th
- 10:30
am Memorial
- 7:00
pm Square Dancing
Sunday, January 14th
- 10:00 am Worship Service
- 11:20 am Worship Band
- Noon
Communion (online)
- 4:00
pm Filipino Baptist
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Church Office Hours
The Church Office is CLOSED Wednesday, January
10th.
Monday
& Tuesday: 9:00 am - noon
Wednesday:
CLOSED
Thursday-
Friday: 9:00 am - 3:00 pm
We ask that you call
before visiting.
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Ministry Opportunities
Just a special word of thanks to all of you
who made our holiday "merry and bright". The
individual tokens of love and the church's Christmas gift
were greatly appreciated.
Bible Study Classes Resume
This week our Tuesday morning class (10:30
a.m. to noon on ZOOM only) and our Wednesday evening class
(6:00 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. both ZOOM and in person) will resume
meeting. All are welcome and invited to
participate. We will pick up on our study of Reading
the Old Testament Through Jewish Eyes by Rabbi Evan
Moffic. BOTH CLASSES will pick up on Session #6 on
Deuteronomy. In preparation, please think about the
following:
1.) Exploring how Deuteronomy 6:5
teaches us about what it means to love God.
2.) When you think about your own
personal legacy, what parts of the faith seem most important
to pass on to the next generation?
3.) In thinking about Deuteronomy 6:5,
what does it mean to love the Lord your God with all your
heart? With all your soul? With all your might?
4.) Look at Deuteronomy 6:5 in other
translations. What differences do you see? Are
there others that resonant with you more? Any resonant
less?
We will talk in each class about "next
steps".
Interactive Christmas Bulletin Board
Our bulletin board is ready for Christmas. Come take a
star, write on it one of the reasons that you are blessed and
use a push pin to set it in the sky. It will be
awe-inspiring!
Upper
Rooms
Upper Rooms for January
- February are available in the narthex.
Hat
and Mitten Tree
Our Hat and Mitten Tree
remains in the Narthex throughout the
Christmas season and all items collected will be given to
Woodridge schools to be distributed to children who are in
need. Thank you to those who have already donated - our
tree is looking festive!
60th
Anniversary Celebration
Did you know that our church is turning 60 years old?
What were you doing when you turned 60? If you haven't
made it there yet, what are your plans for 60? We have
started a year long celebration of 60 years of ministry here
at Woodridge UMC. If you have ideas of events you would
like to see happen this year, or simply want to "be in
the room where it happens", let us know. No idea
is too ______ anything!! Look forward to
celebrating our 60 years together.
WUMC
Music Ensembles 2023-2024
Our Music Ministry offers you three ways to get involved: the
Handbell Choir, the Worship Band, and the Adult Choir. This
could be the year you take that “leap of faith” and join a
group! All ensembles are LOW commitment. We ask that you
please attend the rehearsals leading up to the service date.
It is that simple! For a full schedule see the e-News or the
handout in the narthex.
In order to plan music, please RSVP to Carrie by the dates
listed. See the full
schedule here.
Worship Band (RSVP was due Dec. 17)
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Rehearsal- VOCALS ONLY
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Jan. 7
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8:30-9:30 AM
(Carrie has a 12 PM call time for a Hawks game)
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Music Room
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Rehearsal- ALL
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Jan. 14
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11:20 AM-12:30 PM
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Music Room
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Rehearsal- ALL
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Jan. 21
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11:20 AM-12:30 PM
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Music Room
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Service
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Jan. 28
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10 AM
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Rehearse in the sanctuary at 8:45 AM
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Youth
Ministry 2024
Watch this space for a time to come with ideas for the
rest of the year!
Sunday School
Activity Bags are available in the Narthex.
We use inspiring stories, creative crafts, and fun games—all
done with guidance of loving, dedicated teachers—to engage
our students.
Here’s our process: Children begin the worship
service in the sanctuary with their family. Following the
“Praying” segment, the children will be invited up to the
chancel steps for conversation with the pastors. (We call
that time “Conversing with Children.”) Following that, the
Sunday School teacher will meet the children in the Narthex
(the big room outside the sanctuary) and walk them to their
classroom. They will be in either the Trinity Room in the
main hallway or the Blue Room in the Preschool wing.
Vision/Action
Board Workshop
Join us at WUMC on either Tuesday 1/16 from 6:30 - 9 or
Sunday 1/21 from 2 - 4:30 for a Vision/Action board workshop.
The class, led by Karen Novak is $10 per person and will
provide all the supplies needed to create a visual depiction
of your goals for 2024 and the actions needed to achieve
them. Contact Karen at CoachKarenNovak@gmail.com
with questions or to sign up.
Toastmasters
Would you like to speak with more confidence in any setting?
Toastmasters can help! The Woodridge Toastmasters club meets
on the 2nd
and 4th Thursday of the month at Woodridge United Methodist
Church. Come visit us and see for yourself!
For more information contact John.
Northern Illinois Conference
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Dec. 13, 2023
Dear Servants in ministry,
Greetings in this holy time of anticipation and promise.
At this time of year, we celebrate the coming of a child.
Christmas, Epiphany, the boy Jesus in the temple—all center
on a child.
Indeed,
children should always be in our hearts and minds.
And now, people who were abused as children need our
Christian compassion and generosity.
Repair
the Harm to Children, the Northern Illinois Conference
campaign to address the needs of people who suffered abuse
in a Boy Scout troop as children, needs our support.
Many churches, including United Methodists, have chartered
Boy Scouts of America troops or packs over the years. As
part of the settlement of a lawsuit brought by these
survivors, the United Methodist Church has agreed to
contribute $30 million to a survivors’ fund over a
three-year period. Northern Illinois Conference’s share is
$754,348.
Your
church can be part of the healing for these survivors by
committing an amount equal to 1 percent of its budget to
this fund. This amount is payable over
three years. Your church will still have 99 percent for
local and church-wide ministries.
We don't invite people to pledge because they participated
in the harm. We invite you to give because you care about
the welfare of children and want to help those who were
hurt as children to experience healing.
The
Repair the Harm to Children campaign is not only about
financial compensation for the survivors.
We also commit to listening to survivors, if they request
it, with compassion. We will also redouble our efforts to
keep our churches safe for children and vulnerable adults.
Our conference has received, as of this date, donations and
pledges from 28 churches and several individuals. We have
received commitments for $136,770, 18 percent of our goal.
So far, pledging churches have contributed $54,036.69. We look ahead with
confidence that we Northern Illinois United Methodists will
achieve our goal.
Steps
Toward Participation
- Your church identifies the amount
of its pledge.
- Visit umcnic.org/RepairtheHarm
and complete the Pledge Form linked from that page.
- When your church is ready to
begin fulfilling its pledge, visit the Make a Payment
link on that page. Remember, your church can fulfill
its pledge over three years.
This site also contains many resources
to help interpret the importance of this commitment. People
in your church who have participated in Scouts as young
people or leaders and those who care deeply about
children’s wellbeing can serve as ambassadors for this
opportunity to help others.
Please
remember that Boy Scouts, Girl Scouts, and other youth
organizations support children’s faith formation and are
worth hosting in our churches. The BSA
commits itself to strengthened protections for
participants. Adding your church’s vigilant observations of
Safe Sanctuaries practices, Scout troops and packs can be a
safe and enriching experience.
Knowing about NIC churches’ and individuals’ generosity, I
look forward to our receiving your pledges and gifts.
It is good to be in ministry with you.
Peace
Dan Schwerin, Bishop
Northern Illinois Conference
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If you would like more information, you can
visit the FAQ page here.
Prairie
Central District Leadership Training
Join leaders in your district in
various training opportunities on Saturday, January
27th at 9:00 am – 3:45 pm at Barrington
UMC. See the flyer in the e-News for more information.
Classes include (will be able to select 1 from the morning
and 1 from the afternoon sessions):
- Connecting Money to Mission - Rev.
Tammy Scott, chair of CCFA
- Communications: Getting the Word
Out - Rev. Victoria Rebeck, NIC Dir. Of Communication
- How to Tell Your Story & Reach
Your Community - Rev. DS Jeffry Bross
- Talking/Thinking About God Matters
- Rev. Joe Johnson & Rev. Dr. Felicia Laboy
- Reclaiming the Testimony
of Peter – Rev. Dr. Gene Green
- Legacy Giving - Rev. Tammy Scott,
chair of CCFA
- Secret Worshipper - Rev. DS Jeffry
Bross
- Picturing Peter in
Christian Art – Rev. Dr. Daniel Cochran
Registration: www.umcnic.org/calendar/prairie-central-leadership-training-2024
Questions: Contact Jeffry Bross.
Bishop's
Days on the Dirstrict
Please join Bishop Dan Schwerin for a day of reflection and
conversation on your district in February. Prairie
Central - Tuesday, February 13th – Laity Event:
Lombard: First UMC at 6:30 pm.
No registration needed. Other dates are available if
you cannot make the one for your district. See the
flyer in the narthex.
Laity
Convocation 2024
Save the date for 2024’s Lay Convocation, February. 10th,
9:00 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., at First UMC, Belvidere.
Theme: "Growing Together in Love: Learning to Have
Courageous/Respectful Conversations."
Prairie
Central Informal Gatherings with the District Superintendent
Informational
gatherings will be held on the second Thursday of the
month.
Zoom Links (The links will stay the same for all meetings,
though clergy links and lay links will be different)
Clergy Gathering 9:00 am link.
Lay Gathering 7:00 pm link.
Lay persons: This is NOT for Lay Leaders only. It
is intended for all lay persons who want to know more about
what is going on and be connected.
Northern
Illinois Conference
Find out
about upcoming events in the Northern Illinois
Conference of the United Methodist Church by clicking
this link
Outreach Opportunities
January Outreach Offering
Family Crisis Fund
The Family Crisis Fund is used by our pastor
to assist church members and community members who come to us
needing help with food, utilities, prescription medicines,
gas, emergency rental payments, and similar.
Your monetary donations to the Family Crisis Fund via the
January Outreach are a tremendous help. You can also donate
gift cards. Gift cards from grocery stores and gas stations
are the most requested and thus the most helpful. Your
generosity is greatly appreciated as, together, we are the
hands, feet, and voice of Christ each day.
Ways
to donate to the January Outreach Offering:
- Check or cash in an Outreach
Offering envelope placed in the offering plate in the
- Narthex (the room outside the
sanctuary) or in the gold-plated mail slot at the
church’s east door.
- Online via our website. Select
“Current Month Outreach” in the drop down menu.
- Text the amount you want to give to
630-449-7121 and select “Current Month Outreach” in the
drop down menu.
Ongoing
Opportunities
Suits for Success
Please be aware that after many years, Suits for Success has
closed its doors and is no longer accepting clothing
donations.
"Goin'
Green" Shoes & Clothes Recycling Box
Located in the northeast corner of our parking lot,
this receptacle is a convenient place to recycle any shoes
and your clothes that are at or near the end of their
usefulness.
Did you know discarded clothes account for more
total landfill space than any other waste item? The “Goin’
Green” Box helps us reduce our waste.
West Suburban
Food Pantry
We have a basket that we "inherited"
from the Faith, Lisle church that is waiting for
donations. It sits in the narthex, usually near the
sanctuary doors. They did not stop operating during the
pandemic and there is pending legislation in our state and
nation that might cut their corporate donations in large
amounts. Let's replenish our basket!!!
Used Eyeglasses
There is a
basket also in the narthex for collecting
used eyeglasses. Kendra Manderfield Moore makes
sure that they are recycled to the Lions Club and Gift
of Sight groups. (Prescription eyeglasses only).
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Wellness Guidelines
WUMC considers the good health and well-being of not
only our members, but also our community, an act of Christian
stewardship. We continue to seek to avoid harm and do good as we
attend to the practices that help us grow in the love of God. As
a result of guideline changes from the Illinois Department of
Public Health and the Center for Disease Control and Prevention,
we have updated our COVID Safety Guidelines:
- We recommend each group consult with each other
on how to do good and avoid harm as a group in consideration
of each other's needs and desires.
- We will continue to practice COVID-19 safety
best practices throughout our building including cleaning
protocols and air circulation.
If you are feeling sick, please stay home and join
us via livestream on YouTube. If community transmission spikes in
our area, we may return to mask requirements for all
activities. We follow the CDC guidelines.
Online Worship
Where to find the YouTube Live Stream
The worship service is live-streamed every Sunday at
10:00 a.m. on our Woodridge UMC YouTube Channel. All available worship service recordings are on
our channel too.
Sacrament of Communion 1st Sundays
We will be celebrating the
Sacrament of Communion in person on the first Sunday of each
month immediately following the livestream of our worship
service. We will need a few moments to set up our ZOOM link for
those who are not able to be with us in person. Please
remain seated following the postlude on the Sundays that we are
serving communion. Please remember that communion is
available every Sunday via ZOOM. Please contact the church
office or Pastor Danita for the ZOOM link.
Worship Attendance
If you watch the online service, please email the
church office at office@woodridgeumc.org and let us know that you joined us for
worship, so that we might record your attendance.
Prayer Requests for Worship
Our joys and concerns are
announced during worship service and printed and placed on the
table in the narthex as you come into the sanctuary. We
will continue to do this going forward. Therefore, all joys
and concerns must be emailed to Pastor Danita (PastorDanita@woodridgeumc.org) no
later than 6:00 p.m. on Saturday. If joys
and concerns are received after that, they will be sent on Monday
to the Prayer Ministry Team. Thank you for your flexibility
as we make updates to our worship services.
(There have been
requests that we include full names and/or more detailed
information for people on our list of Joys & Concerns.
Please remember our services are broadcast on YouTube and are
available to anyone who has internet access. Details are shared
with our Prayer Ministry Team on Monday mornings. You are
invited to join them in prayer and share in this information by
contacting the church office).
Offering
Options
There are different options for getting your
offering to the church.
- Go to the website & click on the Giving
tab at the top of the page or go straight there with this link.
- Text 630.449.7121 with the amount
- Drop off in the gold mail slot next to the east
door of the church.
- Mail your offering to the church.
January 5th, 2024, Volume 14, Edition 1
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