Music Director Job Opening
The Staff Parish Committee has updated the job
description for Music Director and will be posting the
opening in various locations. Please share that we are
looking for people who are interested in the position. The
committee prays for guidance as we work to fill this very
important role in our church.
Ministry Opportunities
WUMC Hope Scholarship
The Scholarship Committee would like to announce the creation
of the Hope Scholarship. It is to be awarded to young,
active members of Woodridge UMC who are continuing their
education upon completing high school. The scholarship
will help our young adults with the high cost of continuing
their education at a trade school, college, or professional
school. Students are eligible to receive a one-time
scholarship of $1000. Only a small number of
scholarships will be given out each year. The
applications are available attached here.
Advent
2025
Holiday Help for Our Neighbors in Need
You, the wonderful people of Woodridge UMC, have a tremendous
track record of providing a heap of holiday help for our
neighbors in need. We hope to continue that tradition.
Our Hat
and Mitten Tree is in the Narthex starting in
mid-November throughout the Christmas season and all
collected items will be given to Woodridge schools to be
distributed to children who are in need. (Please no
scarves. The Scarf Outreach project has successfully
filled the need for any scarves).
Advent
Book Discussion
Please join us for our Advent Book Discussion. Class is
open to anyone who wishes to participate. If you are
interested in attending contact the church office or Pastor
Dave.
Small
Things Like These: A tale of one man's
courage and a remarkable portrait of love and family in a
small Irish town during the weeks leading up to Christmas.
Wednesday,
December 17th (In-person and ZOOM), 5:00 p.m.
until 6:00 p.m.
6:00 – 8:00 p.m. Movie Night with pizza, soda and popcorn
Choir
Ensemble
Please join us in a performance for the Christmas Program on Sunday, December
14th. Everyone is welcome as long as
they can make at least two rehearsals!
|
Rehearsal
|
Nov. 30
|
11:20AM-12:30PM
|
Music Room
|
|
Rehearsal
|
Dec. 7
|
11:30AM-12:40PM
|
Music Room
|
|
Service
|
Dec. 14
|
10AM (Christmas Program
|
Rehearse in the sanctuary at 8:30AM
|
Concert
for Family and Friends
The
Senior Suburban Orchestra and Dan Pasquale
D'Andrea, Conductor invite us to their Family and Friends
Concert on Saturday,
December 13th at 2:00 pm in the sanctuary.
Donations Greatly Appreciated and light refreshments will be
served after the concert. For more information about
the orchestra that meets here at Woodridge UMC go to
seniorsuburbanorchestra.org.
TInsel,
Tunes, & Toymakers - With the West Towns Chorus
Enjoy an afternoon of holiday cheer with the West Towns Chorus
and their wonderful guests! The West Towns Chorus Christmas Show
is happening at 3PM
on
Sunday, December 14th, at the Timothy Christian
Schools' Huizenga Auditorium (188 W
Butterfield Rd. in Elmhurst). There will be one show only, so
secure your place in the audience now: Click here for Tickets.
More information available here.
Prayer
Ministry
Our Prayer Chain is a group of caring people who believe in
the power of prayer. We are dedicated to praying for your
concerns and joys. Prayer requests will be shared with the
church’s prayer chain, honoring your confidentiality. If you are
interested in being a part of the church’s prayer chain
ministry, please contact the church office.
If you
would like to submit prayers to the Prayer Chain of Joys and
Concerns, please contact the church office, text Pastor
Dave with your prayer requests or give him a note
before worship service.
Begin
the New Year by Connecting Deeper with God
A Sunday morning study of the book, Sacred Pathways - 9
Ways to Connect with God, by Gary Thomas will run January 11th -
February 8th. Class will meet 8:45 am - 9:50 am.
If you are interested in attending, contact Charlotte
Ashworth at bacatx@gmail.com.
Bible
Study
We are studying Jeremiah. The study will be
offered on Tuesday
mornings via Zoom (10:30 a.m. to Noon)
and Wednesday
evenings in person (6:00 p.m. to 7:30
p.m.). We will read one chapter
together each week and go deeper with questions and
discussions. Let Pastor Dave know if you are interested
in joining!
Sunday School
Please join us!
Most Sundays, 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. Then, the Sunday School
teacher will meet the children in the Narthex (the big room
outside the sanctuary) & walk them to their classroom.
They will be in the Trinity Room in the main hallway.
Activity Bags are available in the Narthex every Sunday.
Downers
Grove Camera Club
The Downers Grove Camera Club (that meets in our building)
has an exhibition at the Downers Grove LIbrary through the
Month of December. Take some time and go look at their
beautiful artwork!
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
Read the Bible in a Year With Us
The NIC Committee on Discipleship and Spiritual Formation is
inviting individuals and congregations to read the entire
Bible using a daily guide
organized in what is believed to be chronological order.
Monthly online support groups will offer encouragement and
space for reflection. There will be an orientation on
December 17th from 6:00 to 7:00 pm online. Learn more.
In these difficult days, it has become
increasingly dangerous for our Hispanic/Latine neighbors to
leave their homes—including for work, which results in lost
pay; to take children to their school bus stops; to shop for
groceries; and to attend worship services.
To provide some relief, Bishop Schwerin has
established an Emergency
Solidarity Fund. It will assist
primarily Hispanic/Latine people (but also other immigrants)
who are increasingly vulnerable. (Read the Bishop's
article here.)
People with whom our churches directly
minister and those in our towns and neighborhoods can request
help. Clergy can suggest needs they know about. The requests
will be reviewed by a small, trustworthy group that includes
clergy who minister in immigration contexts, laypeople, and
conference staff.
This fund will be collecting funds through
Jan. 16, 2026. The goal is for the first round of funds to be
distributed in early November 2025.
Please consider giving to this fund as a way
to follow Jesus’s commandment to love our neighbors.
Go here for
immigrant resources in the Prairie Central District.
United
Women in Faith Mission U (formerly UMW)
Mission U is
January 11th-25th . Opening worship on
January 11th at 3:00 pm; and closing worship on January 25th
at 3:00 pm Between those dates, each study consists of two
two-hour classes each week Virtual ONLY. Register by
January 5th at
https://www.umcnic.org/calendar/uwfaith-mission-u-winter-2026.
Cost: $10 registration fee – $15 /study (two studies
would be a total of $40 – 10+15+15)
Classes:
“Practicing Hope, An Invitation to Dwell in the House of
God”
by Tabitha Holley: 3 class times
Monday and Wednesday (6-8 p.m.)
Tuesday and Thursday (2-4 p.m.)
Tuesday and Thursday (6-8 p.m.)
“Giving Our Heart Away, Native American Survival”
by Thom White Wolf Fassett
Monday and Wednesday (2-4 p.m.)
Martin
Luther King Jr. Celebration
Join us in celebrating Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. with
prayers, testimonies, music and a guest speaker on Sunday, January
18th at 2:30 pm at Mount Prospect: Trinity UMC (605
W. Golf Road, Mt. Prospect). There will be a worship
service with light supper afterwards. There is no cost, but
registration will be coming to help us prepare the correct
amount of food. Find more information and the
registration here.
Theme: Voices
from the Past, Leading Us into the Future
Speaker: Rev.
Dr. Charles Woolery, Sr.
Culture
Shift Leadership Training
The Prairie Central District Shepherding Team is bringing
Rev. Jim Ozier back to Northern Illinois for Culture Shift: Cultivating Healthy
Congregations, a one-day experience
focused on helping pastors and lay leaders assess, shift, and
shape their church culture toward vitality and growth. When
culture shifts, everything shifts: worship, generosity,
mission, and morale. Culture, not programs, budgets, or
buildings, determines whether a church thrives or merely
survives. The event is open to all church leaders. Join
us at Grace UMC, Naperville, on Jan. 31st, 9:00 am
to 3:00 pm. Registration is open, but space
is limited. See the e-New for registration.
