Ministry Opportunities
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
NEXT Sunday, April 6th. There is a
box in the Narthex to drop off donations.
NEXT
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).
Radical Hospitality Volunteers Needed
We need your assistance as volunteers with
radical hospitality once again. Long-time custodian
Oree Jackson passed away earlier this week, and the memorial
service for him is this
Friday, April 4th at 4:00 pm. We need
volunteers to arrange refreshments and drinks and to assist
with the service (greeters, ushers, etc.) as well as
refreshment donations. Please bring any donations of
treats, finger foods, fruit or vegetable trays, etc. to the
church kitchen by noon on Friday (or with you if you are
volunteering).
Workshop: Immigrant
Rights for Allies: How to Channel your Anger through Justice
Friendship UMC is hosting this workshop run by the Southwest
Suburban Immigrant Project on THIS Sunday, March 30th
11:45 am to 1:00 pm after services. Friendship
UWF women's group will provide snacks, treats and beverages
to hold everyone over until they can have lunch following the
workshop. Included in this discussion is a combination
of
"Know Your Rights" plus "Immigrant Rights for
Allies". At the end of this workshop,
those who would like to be trained further in specific things
we can do as allies will be able to sign up for that training
at a later date. Anyone can come! It's an excellent
opportunity to hear about the plight of the
migrants/immigrants too!! Please let Pastor
Dave if you are interested in attending with him.
See the flyer here.
UMCOR Sunday
UMCOR (United Methodist Committee On Relief)
Sunday is THIS
Sunday, March 30th. Go to https://www.umcnic.org/calendar/umcor-sunday
for more information.
Soup
"Train"
Mike Marvel had another dental procedure and will be on a
soup diet for the next three months. We are looking for
people to make soup, freeze some in a quart container(s) and
bring it to church. Please label the container with the
type of soup. Pastor Dave will deliver the soup to Mike.
First
Friday Lunch
Please join us at noon on Friday, April 4th for
lunch. No planning, no reservations, no
responsibilities! Bring your sack lunch and a good sense of
humor because there are sure to be laughs. Everyone is
invited!
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.
Second Saturday Diners
Our next event is Saturday,
April 12th at 5:00pm. We will be going to
Home Run Inn Pizza, Lemont Rd, Darien, IL. Please RSVP: Jo
Bennett, at jobennett2004@icloud.com or
(630) 432-3301 by April 8th, for reservations.
Lenten
Study
The coming Lenten Study will be a six week in person study
on Tuesdays at 10:30 am or Wednesday evenings at 6:00
pm on Adam Hamilton’s book “Wrestling with Doubt, Finding
Faith”.
Schedule:
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
We have filled out first shopping cart for the pantry
and are well on our way to the second - thanks to all and
let's keep going!
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.
Graduate
Recognition Sunday, June 1st
During the worship service on Sunday, June 1st,
we will honor all our graduates: junior high, high school,
college, and beyond. If you or a family member are graduating
this spring let us know so we can include you! Please email
the church office (office@woodridgeumc.org)
with the graduate’s name, a photo, and the school from which
they are graduating as well as what’s next for them (college
& major, job, etc.).
Vacation Bible School Volunteers Needed
We are partnering with Friendship UMC in Bolingbrook for
Vacation Bible School this year! We need adult
volunteers to help with the program that will be held on July 21st
– 24th at Friendship UMC (305 E.
Boughton Road, Bolingbrook). More details coming!!
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.
Worship
Band (RSVP was due by March 23)
Rehearsal
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April 6th
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11:20 AM-12:30 PM
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Music Room
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Rehearsal
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April 13th
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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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April 20th
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10 AM (Easter)
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Rehearse in the sanctuary at 8:45 AM
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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.
Lent 2025
Schedule
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
Birthdays
April Birthdays
04 Rachel Sprague
11 Sarah Jeske
12 Tom Balamut
Kevin Morman
Joseph Shubert
Matt Swick
Jiwon Yim
15 Rachel Grosch
16 Michael Gardner
26 Lesley Balamut
27 Karl Borgehammar
Monserrat Buenafe
Patrick Cash
29 Allison Printz
Northern
Illinois Conference

Registration opens next week NIC 2025 Annual Conference. Make
sure to register soon so you save money. Visit the Annual Conference website
for more information and watch the page for the registration
link to be posted .
Fees
April 1-30: $155
May 1–23: $170
NO REGISTRATIONS ACCEPTED AFTER MAY 23
Special observances and events
Clergy Session: May 13, 9 a.m. to 12 p.m., Naperville: Woori
UMC
Laity Session: June 9, morning
Celebration of Ministry: June 9, evening
Bible Study: June 10 & 11, mornings
Lunch-and-Learn: June 10, lunch
Memorial service: June 10, late afternoon
Retirement celebration: June 11, midmorning
Find out about
upcoming events in the Northern Illinois Conference of the United
Methodist Church by clicking this link.
Fleece Donations Needed
We have learned that Joann Fabrics was a source of much of
the fleece that has been used to make scarves for Woodridge
school children the last few years. As they are now
going out of business we are asking that if anyone is able to
purchase a few yards of fleece to donate for use this fall it
would be appreciated. You can bring any donations to
church where they will be stored until needed. Thanks!
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!
Larry
Cash is committed to the event as WUMC's rappeler! 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.
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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