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Ministry Opportunities
Feed My Starving Children THIS Saturday
Everyone is welcome to join our Youth at a Feed My Starving
Children Pack Out at Benedictine University on Saturday,
March 8th at 9:00 am -11:00 am. The packed food goes for
distribution to people in developing nations. With God’s help
and your support, FMSC strives to eliminate starvation in
children throughout the world. Please use the link to sign up
for the Woodridge and Friendship United Methodist Churches
group. http://www.fmsc.org/join-group?joincode=MG7LNP
and the Join code is MG7LNP. There might still be space
available!!
March
- April Upper Rooms
There are a few Upper Rooms for March - April are available
in the narthex with a limited number in the mailbox.
First
Friday Lunch
Everyone is welcome! No reservations needed! Enjoy a casual
lunch with no responsibilities! Join us Friday, March 7th,
at noon in Bonfal. Bring a sack lunch to
enjoy easy conversation and some smiles as well.
Second
Saturday Diners
Please join us to celebrate at Chuck's Southern Comforts Cafe
& Banquets, 8025 S Cass Ave, Darien, on Saturday, March
8th at 5:00 pm. We always have a grand
time and look forward to welcoming new faces. Please
contact Jo Bennett at jobennett2004@icloud.com or
630-432-3301by February 5th for reservations. Everyone
is invited!
Easter
Egg Hunt Assistance
We’re having an EASTER EGG HUNT once again!!!!
YAY!!! But we need your help. We need lots of
assistants. Please donate
Easter candy to put into the eggs in the box
in the Narthex. All
candy needs to be individually wrapped and small enough to
fit in an egg. All donations need to be in by
worship service on Sunday, April 6th. There is a
box in the Narthex to drop off donations.
Sunday,
April 6th
- - Fill the
Eggs - after service
- Come help fill the eggs along
with the Youth.
Saturday, April 12th
- – Egg Hunt
Set Up – at 8:00 am
- We need helpers to set out the
eggs and set up the narthex for the Egg Hunt (let the
office know if you can come)
- - Egg Hunt
- at 10:00am
- We need helpers to make
sure that everyone stays safe, collect the empty eggs,
hand out flyers and serve milk, juice and donut holes
(let the office know if you can come).
Lenten Lunch
You are invited to bring your favorite side dish, salad or
dessert to share on Sunday,
March 23rd after worship service. There
will be lovely Filipino
specialties for the mains!! If you have
any questions, contact the church office or Karen Miller.
Woodridge
UMC Outdoor Sign
Our current sign is 30 years old and no longer working.
In celebration of 60+ years together, we are working towards
replacing the broken sign with a new electronic messaging
sign. Thanks
to generous donations, we are most of the way there.
However, the first electrical quote came in much higher than
expected. Based on this quote we need an additional
$9000. Please join us in celebrating our church
and donate today! If you wish your donation to be in
memory or honor of a loved one, we will publish the list when
the sign is installed.
Welcome
Bags
Woodridge UMC has Welcome Bags to give to our visitors!
The bags are our 60th Anniversary reusable grocery
bags with brochures from our church and the Northern Illinois
Conference. Each visiting family can be given a bag and
asked to fill out the visitor information tear-off in the
church brochure (especially, if they would like to receive
the electronic newsletter). The bags are located on the
black bookcase by the television in the Narthex.
WUMC
Music Ensembles: 2025
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 here
or the handout in the narthex. In order to plan music,
please RSVP to Carrie by the dates listed.
Adult
Choir (8th grade through seasoned adults) RSVP was due by
Feb. 9th.
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Rehearsal
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March 9
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11:20AM-12:30PM
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Music Room
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Service
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March 16
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10AM
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Rehearse in the sanctuary at 8:45 AM
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Next Up: Worship Band (Please RSVP by March
23)
Blood
Drive at Prince of Peace
The Knights of Columbus are sponsoring a blood drive at
Prince of Peace Lutheran Church on Saturday, March
22nd from 7:30 am to noon. To schedule your
donation, go to www.versiti.org/IL or call
800-7TO-GIVE. Appointments appreciated; walk-ins are welcome!
Photo ID is required. Flyers are in the e-News or Narthex.
Lenten
Study
The coming Lenten Study will be a six week in person study on
Wednesday evenings at 6:00 pm starting March 12th on Adam
Hamilton’s book “Wrestling
with Doubt, Finding Faith”. Please sign up
in the Narthex so that the appropriate number of books can be
ordered.
Schedule:
March
12th - “Is there a God?”
March
19th - “The Good Book? Wrestling with the
Bible”
March
26th - “Are All Non-Christians Going to
Hell?”
April
2nd - :”Is Heaven real?”
April
9th - “When Prayers Go Unanswered”
April
16th - “Why Do the Innocent Suffer?”
Lenten
Outreach Project
In
Support of the West Suburban Community Pantry
This year we will be focusing on packing our WUMC shopping
cart with all the most needed items West Suburban Community
Pantry has on their shopping list! Please contribute
generously as you are able! All donations are welcome,
but we are particularly focusing on the following items:
• Dry
Pasta
•
Peanut Butter
•
Canned Beans (pinto, baked, garbonzo)
• Whole
Grains (oats, cereal, quinoa)
• Rice
(white or brown)
• Dry
Lentils
•
Canned Low Sugar Fruits & Vegetables
•
Canned Tuna or Chicken
All
Church Workday
Green thumb?! Black thumb?! Any kind of thumb!!
All levels of skill are welcome! It’s time to get our
gardens shining again for Spring and Easter! Come and
help on Saturday,
April 5th from 9:00 am to noon. Please
bring any gardening tools that you may have including gloves
and buckets. Someone will show you everything that you
need to know, and you can come and go as you need.
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.
National Faith +
Climate Forum 2025
On Thursday, March 27th from 11:00 am to 4:15
pm the National Faith +Climate Forum will be a
live-streamed broadcast, accessible online from your home or
office, or in person at host locations across the U.S. This
hybrid event offers a dynamic day of interactive sessions,
inspiring keynotes, and practical resources to equip you and
your congregation to integrate climate care into your faith
practices and communities authentically. Whether you’re just
starting your journey in creation care or are a seasoned advocate,
this event has something for everyone!
Explore how to embody our faith through creation care, engage
in transformative discussions, and connect with like-minded
leaders. Be a part of the movement for a sustainable future.
This year's forum, themed "Seven Acts of Faith for
Building Thriving Congregations," offers an opportunity
for us to explore impactful ways to integrate environmental
stewardship and social justice into our faith practices. From
innovative workshops to inspiring talks, each segment is
designed to empower and uplift.
Whether you've participated in the past or are new to climate
action, your presence will contribute to a collective effort
to foster a sustainable and just future for all. Let's come
together to learn, inspire, and act! Register for free
today https://nationalfaithandclimateforum.org.
If there is enough interest Woodridge UMC will register as
host location. Otherwise, you can register here as
an individual and participate from home or at a local site.
Lent 2025
Full
Schedule
March
8th – 9:00 am – Feed My Starving Children
March
23rd - 11:30 am - Lenten Meal
April
5th – 9:00 am to noon- Church Workday
April
12th - 10:00 am - Easter Egg Hunt
April
13th - 10:00 am – Palm Sunday Service*
April
17th - 6:00 pm Chili Supper
- 7:00 pm Maundy Thursday Service*
April
18th – 7:00 pm Good Friday Service*
Theme: The Last Seven Words
April
20th – 10:00 am Easter Sunday Service*
with the Worship Band
Lenten Outreach Project (full
40 days) – Food Collection
*In
Person & YouTube Livestream
Northern Illinois Conference
Find out about
upcoming events in the Northern Illinois Conference of the United
Methodist Church by clicking this link.
Have a Meal with
Methodists and Muslims
"Seeking Peace through Sharing and Caring"
Register soon to break bread with Muslims and Methodists at
an iftar (the meal taken
at sundown to break the daily fast during Ramadan) on March 11th, 5:30 pm to 8:00 pm at the
Islamic Foundation, 300 W. Highridge Rd., Villa Park. All are
welcome to attend. The Council of Islamic Organizations in
Greater Chicago and the NIC are cohosting the dinner.
Reservations first come, first serve. For more information and to register go to: https://www.umcnic.org/calendar/muslim-methodist-iftar
March Outreach Offering
Africa University Farm Development Fund
Our March Outreach will be for the Africa University Farm
Development Fund. Located in Old Mutare, Zimbabwe,
Africa University is the first fully accredited United
Methodist-related education institution on the African
continent. Established by General Conference action, the
university offers bachelor’s and master’s degree programs in
six faculties of learning: agriculture, education, health
sciences, humanities, management and theology. The Institute
of Peace, Leadership and Governance offers postgraduate
diplomas and master’s programs.
The primary goals of the Africa University (AU) Farm are to:
1. Provide facilities for Agricultural teaching and research
by the AU Faculty of Agriculture and Natural Resources. 2.
Provide safe, reliable, and reasonably priced food for the AU
Community, including the campus dining hall which serves
staff and students. 3. Generate income for AU.
The Farm Development Fund helps to improve the infrastructure
to increase efficiency and meet local environmental
regulations. It also brings in better equipment for more
efficient use of labor, and to help students become familiar
with modern equipment, thereby equipping them to make
significant contributions to the development of the agricultural
communities in their homes, whether in Zimbabwe or the many
other countries represented at Africa University.
Ways
to donate to the March 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.
Outreach
Committee PADs April Fundraiser
DuPage PADS' mission is to end homelessness in DuPage County.
We are excited to participate in this year's THE GREAT
DESCENT fundraiser on Saturday, April 12th and you are
invited to support this worthy cause. We have exceeded the
original target goal but would like to raise $1,000 from WUMC
donations!
Details are below with opportunities as a volunteer to help
work at the event or join the Outreach Committee as a
participant by rappelling 12 stories!
Larry
Cash is committed to the event as WUMC's first rappeler! Join
the WUMC team as a rappeler or CLICK
HERE to Larry's fundraising
goal.
DuPage PADS is reaching new heights in their effort to end
homelessness with The
Great Descent. Partnering with Over the Edge,
DuPage Pads is hosting a new and exciting fundraiser event
for the first time. The event will see 100 thrill-seeking
participants rappel 12 stories down the side of Hotel Arista
located in the heart of the City Gate Centre in Naperville,
Illinois. Participants will raise a minimum $500 in donations
to support DuPage Pads' mission of ending homelessness. The
Great Descent is a day-long event, which runs from 7am to 5pm
at Hotel Arista. There are plenty
of slots available for anyone interested in
attending after services. Family, friends, and spectators are
invited to come down and support participants throughout the
day.
Registration is now open and DuPage Pads invites you to join
today as one of the 100 brave neighbors stepping off the roof
of Hotel Arista and helping to end homelessness here at home!
More information about the event can be found HERE
Interested in Participating? CLICK HERE
Interested in Volunteering? CLICK HERE
Ongoing
Opportunities
"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.
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!!!
Used Eyeglasses
There is a
basket also in the narthex for collecting used prescription eyeglasses.
Kendra Manderfield Moore makes sure that they are
recycled to the Lions Club and Gift of Sight groups.
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