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Ministry Opportunities
Bible Study Class
Our Tuesday morning class (10:30 a.m. to noon on ZOOM only) is taking a
break until after Easter
Our
Wednesday evening class (6:00 p.m. to 7:30
p.m. both ZOOM and in person) is 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. Our Lenten Study will be Remember
God's Covenant and the Cross by Susan Robb. A limited
number of Lenten Study books will be available through Pastor
Danita. Please let her know if you are interested
in attending.
Interactive Bulletin Board
Our bulletin board is still ready for you to post your
blessings. 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!
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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Next up is Adult Choir (high school
freshmen-seasoned adults). Please RSVP by Jan. 28.
Youth
Ministry 2024
Happy 2024! We are going to have a few things happening this
semester and are totally open to other thoughts.
February
4th - Help Sunday school kid/kids make
Valentines day cards during church and then stay after to
help the congregation make them.
March
TBD - Feed My Starving Children
April
TBD - Forest Preserve Clean Up
May
TBD - End of Year Party (ice cream/mini
golf/something fun)
Let Karen know your thoughts.
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 Sunday, January 21st from 2:00 - 4:30
pm 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.
Saint Olaf Band Performance
The St. Olaf Band, conducted by Dr. Henry Dorn, will perform
at Lisle High School in Wednesday, January 31st at 7:00 pm!
The St. Olaf Band is among the nation's finest college bands
and comes to your area from Northfield, Minnesota. Dr.
Dorn takes the reins of the St. Olaf Band in his first year
as conductor, and we hope you join us in celebrating his
inaugural tour! The program will feature various works
for wind band centered areound the theme of "DANCE"
including music from Wed Side Story, and works by Clarice
Assad, Johann Strauss, Jr., Bjork, Henry Dorn and more.Tickets are $10
(and FREE for students at most concert venues) and
can be purchased at on the night of the concert or in advance
at stolaf.edu/tickets
or 800.363.5487.
or to sign up.
Love,
Inc. Super Bowl/Valentine's Day Event with Home Run Inn
Pizzeria
Celebrate the Super Bowl or Valentine's Day with
pizza and/or salad for a great cause! Thank you for
supporting LOVE, Inc in this simple and fun way! Pizzas come
fresh & ready to pop in the oven or freezer within 3
days. Some are even heart shaped! Home Run Inn donates 30%
back on all pre-tax purchases. Order by February
5th.
Pick
Up Dates:
Monday, February 12, 2024
Tuesday, February 13, 2024
Wednesday, February 14, 2024
Pick
Up Location: Darien
7521 Lemont Rd, Darien, IL • 630.739.9696
Order
online at: https://hrifundraising.raisely.com/love-inc-feb-24
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 District
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.
Prairie
Central Lay Academy
2:00
- 5:00 pm
5
SUNDAYS: FEBRUARY 18 & 25, MARCH 3, 10 & 17
All
class times must be attended to receive course credit.
PLAINFIELD UMC, 15114 ILLINOIS ST., PLAINFIELD, IL
COST:
$40 INCLUDES ALL NEEDED MATERIALS
Online
registration coming soon
CLASS
OPTIONS: (ONE COURSE PER ACADEMY)
Basic Course: This course is foundational for all
courses in Lay Servant Ministries. Participants are
encouraged to discover personal spiritual gifts and to
consider the importance of servant leadership.
Instructor: Roger Curless
Called to Preach: This class is designed for those who
have not had any formal preaching training. It will help
those who are occasionally called upon to share the Word.
Instructor: Rev. Becky Nicol
Leading Bible Study/Experiential Bible Study: This
class will not only discuss the basics of biblical
interpretation, but also engage the participants in an
experiential bible study.
Instructor: Rev. Jeffry Bross
Ministry with the Forgotten: Dementia Through a Spiritual
Lens: This class is designed to help laity and clergy
deepen their understanding of persons living with dementia
and help them maintain their identity as beloved children of
God.
Instructor: Rev. Norval Brown
See flyer here.
QUESTIONS?
Mary Mecker (630) 709-3953, mary.mecker@gmail.com
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
There is a shopping cart that is waiting
for donations. It sits in the narthex, usually near the
sanctuary doors. The food pantry serves many
households and always welcomes
donations!!! We are all one bad month, week, or day
away from needing emergency food services. The
pantry strives to provide their customers with
nutritious meals like we would our own families.
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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