From:                                         Woodridge United Methodist Church Communications <noreply@elexiochms.com>

Sent:                                           Thursday, March 12, 2026 11:56 AM

To:                                               office@woodridgeumc.org

Subject:                                     "Christ With Us" - Woodridge United Methodist Church

Attachments:                          177333452103.15.26_Worship_Guide.pdf

 

    Woodridge United Methodist Church

Join us on Sunday for worship services
at  10:00 am.

Instructions can be found at the end below.
All are Welcome!

 

 

 

 

WEEKLY NEWSLETTER

 

 

"Christ Walks With Us"

 

Luke 24:13-33a
Two disciples walking to Emmaus believed their hope in Jesus had ended. Yet the risen Christ came alongside them on the road, even when they could not recognize him. When they shared a meal together, their eyes were opened, and their disappointment turned into joy and renewed hope. This Sunday we will reflect on how the risen Christ still walks with us in our struggles and reveals his presence when we gather at the table and in community.

Join us for worship this Sunday at 10:00 am in person or on our Woodridge UMC YouTube Channel!


 


Calendar

Friday, March  13th

  • Church Office CLOSED
  • 2:00 pm RGA - Emerge
  • 7:30 pm Square Dancing

Saturday, March 14th

  • 9:00 am Patio Committee

Sunday, March 15th

  • 10:00 am Worship Service
  • Noon Communion (online)
  • 4:00 pm Filipino Baptist

Monday, March 16th

  • 10:00 am RGA Cooking
  • 5:30 pm Election Set-up
  • 7:00 pm Den 1
  • 7:00 pm Den 5
  • 7:00 pm Square Dancing

Tuesday, March 17th

  • 6:00 am Election
  • Noon SS Orchestra
  • 7:00 pm Square Dancing

Wednesday, March 18th

  • 6:00 pm Hybrid Lenten Book Study
  • 6:00 pm Dens 3 & 6
  • 7:00 pm Square Dancing

Thursday, March 19th

  • 7:00 pm Scouting America
  • 7:00 pm Square Dancing

Friday, March 20th

  • Church Office CLOSED
  • 2:00 pm RGA - Emerge
  • 6:30 pm Pack Meeting

Saturday, March 21st

  • 9:00 am Mens Group
  • 10:00 am Square Dancing Seminar
  • 11:30 am Private Event
  • 7:00 pm Square Dancing

Sunday, March 22nd

  • 10:00 am Worship Service
  • 11:00 am Easter Egg Fill
  • Noon Communion (online)
  • 4:00 pm Filipino Baptist
  • 6:30 pm CSA Committee

 

Church Office Hours

Monday - Wednesday: 9:00 am to 3:00 pm
Thursday: 9:00 am to noon
Friday: CLOSED

We ask that you call before visiting.

The church office is CLOSED on Friday, March 20th.

 

 

Important Information

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

UMCOR Sunay
What is UMCOR?: The United Methodist Committee On Relief is the humanitarian relief arm of The United Methodist Church — learn more here.
 
What does UMCOR do?
UMCOR alleviates human suffering around the world by helping individuals and communities ravaged by storms, wars, fires, displacement, and climate change. One tremendous fact about UMCOR: 100% of gifts to a particular project go to that project, not administrative costs.
 
Please prayerfully consider joining with faithful people around the globe to fund UMCOR’s work through a generous donation.
 
This Sunday is designated UMCOR Sunday by the United Methodist Church but we are also collecting for UMCOR as our monthly outreach offering.

Lenten Schedule
March 22nd – 11:10 am – Easter Egg Filling
March 28th - 10:00 am - Easter Egg Hunt
March 29th - 10:00 am – Palm Sunday Service*
April 2nd - 6:00 pm Soup Supper
                 - 7:00 pm Maundy Thursday Service*
April 3rd – 7:00 pm Good Friday Service*
April 5th – 10:00 am Easter Sunday Service*
                                      with the Choir
Lenten Outreach Project (full 40 days) – West Suburban Food Pantry Collection

*In Person & YouTube Livestream

New WUMC T-Shirts!
We have a new WUMC t-shirt!!  They are a bright blue color and come in the standard crew neck OR NOW in a V-neck women’s version!!  (See the poster and sample in the narthex).  These shirts will help make us visible at events like Feed My Starving Children, the Easter Egg Hunt, Backpack Packing, and the Craft Fair.  There is a sign-up sheet in the narthex for the size and style (crew neck, women's v neck or long sleeve) you would like. Short sleeve shirts cost $20. We now have 100% cotton long sleeve shirts ($25)! Orders and payments are DUE March 22nd.

Choir Schedule
The Choir will be rehearsing on Sundays after worship service during the month of March & performing during Easter Sunday  service. Rehearsals will start late March 22nd for Easter egg filling.

Support Our College Students
Outreach is once again planning to support our college students before final exams by sending care packages.  We are asking the congregation to participate by signing up to bring in an item or gift card. All items are due by March 29th.  Sign up will be in the narthex.

Lenten Outreach Project - In Support of West Suburban Community Pantry
This year, our Lenten Outreach project is to provide personal hygiene items for the West Suburban Food Pantry. We will collect items through Palm Sunday, March 29th. Also, for every cart that is filled with items, the Outreach Committee will donate $200 from the Burke Estate fund to the Pantry.  A Church World Services article explains the high need for feminine hygiene products.  

General List:

 

menstrual pads and tampons

deodorant

shampoo and conditioner

razors (for men and women)

toothpaste

soap or body wash

toothbrushes

 

 

Lenten Book Study
The coming Lenten Study will be a six week study on Tuesday mornings (ZOOM) & Wednesday evenings (In Person) at 6:00 pm on “The Third Day”.  On the third day, he rose again.  The author unpacks the Bible’s Easter stories and helps the reader see their significance in the lives of people today. This is compelling, honest, and hope-filled book. On Wednesday, March 18th the study will be hybrid ZOOM and in person with both classes attending and no class on Tuesday.

Easter Egg Hunt Assistance
Last year was a success, so 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: no nuts, peanut butter, or fruit snacks. All donations need to be in by worship service on Sunday, March 22nd so we can fill the egg after service.  There is a box in the Narthex to drop off donations. 

Sunday, March 22nd

  • Fill the Eggs - after service
    • Come help fill the eggs.

Saturday, March 28th

  • – Egg Hunt Set Up – at 8:30 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).

Palm Sunday Parade
Join us on Palm Sunday for a shortened worship service. Afterwards we will come together to make posters in the narthex proclaiming Jesus’ love with slogans like: Love One Another and Jesus Welcomed the Stranger and Jesus is King. Then we will parade like Jesus entering Jerusalem around the outside of the church and spend a short time showing our signs to passing cars on 75th Street (from the grass).  The church can provide large pieces of paper, but if you can bring your own posterboard or boxes to hold the signs up after we are through that would be greatly appreciated.

CROP Hunger Trek
Carlene and David Smith are taking their adventuring to a new level and hiking the Grand Canyon on Palm Sunday, 13.7 miles.  They’ve done a CROP Hunger Walk many times but this CROP Hunger Trek is a new challenge.  They will hike with a group of 10 led by someone who has hiked the Grand Canyon many times.  Donations will support the 80 years and continuing work of Church World Service.
 
Check out the details here:
CROP Hunger Trek - Carlene Smith
CROP Hunger Trek - David Smith
 
Read both of their stories! They would appreciate your donation on either of their pages.  And your thoughts and prayers as they trek on Palm Sunday.
 

Gift Card Sale
Do you need gift cards for graduation or Father’s Day or weddings or confirmations?
Or, do you just like to support a great cause during the course of your normal shopping? Then do we have a deal for you! Gift card order forms will be available starting THIS Sunday and are due with payment by Sunday March 22nd. Cards will be available for pick up Palm Sunday, March 29th. A percentage of the sales will go back to the church.

Billy Elton Benefit Concert (& Separate Dinner)
Billy Elton is a band that celebrates the music of Billy Joel and Elton John and is led by our very own Reid Spears on the lead vocals and piano. The band is returning to the Neuqua Valley Auditorium in Naperville for another benefit concert on Friday, March 13 at 7:30pm to benefit the memorial funds of three fondly remembered Neuqua Valley teachers. Over the course of the previous benefit concerts, the band has raised over $26,000 for the memorial funds. Tickets are $15 in advance ($20 day of show and at the door) and are all general admission. Advanced tickets are now on sale and can be found at this link!
 
If you are unfamiliar with the band and would like to learn more, please feel free to watch this short demo video or visit their website at Billy-Elton.com.
 
This concert has become a wonderful biennial tradition at Neuqua and you won’t want to miss it! Come out for a phenomenal show for a phenomenal cause!  

You can join in a meal before hand at 5:30 pm at Taco Pros - Mexican Cocina (2860 Showplace Drive, Suite 114 in Naperville off of 95th Street).  Then we can go to our own Reid Spears' 7:30 pm Billy Elton Concert at Neuqua Valley Auditorium in Naperville (just a mile away).  Meet at the entrance to the high school at 7:00 pm (even if you cannot make dinner) and we can all sit together!!

Patio Committee Meeting
The Patio Committee (formerly the Preschool Committee) will be meeting on TOMORROW, Saturday March 14th at 9:00 am.  Please plan to discuss how to turn the old playground into a patio.
 
Blood Drive at Prince of Peace
The Knights of Columbus are sponsoring a blood drive at Prince of Peace Lutheran Church on Saturday, March 21st 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.

Men's Group Meeting - Everyone Welcome
The next meeting of the Men’s Group will be on March 21st at 9:00 am. We will have a brief time of fellowship and prayer before working doing some work around the church.  Calling all gardeners!  We will start work prepping the garden around the sign for the new plants, please bring gloves and shovels.  Everyone is Welcome!

All Church Work Day
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!  Come and help on Saturday, April 18th 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.

Sharing Our Gifts with Ray Graham
Our Ray Graham day program is looking for volunteers to spend an hour or two sharing their gifts with their clients. Can you bake (above the cupcake level), teach simple carpentry (fastening two boards together), talk about your culture, etc.? You are welcome to share your hobbies and knowledge! Please let the church office know, and we will share the list of volunteers with Ray Graham, so they can work out a schedule. 

Altar Flower Donations
If you would like to donate an arrangement of flowers for the altar, you are welcome to bring one in.  Please let the church office know by noon the Wednesday before, especially if the flowers are in memory/honor of someone, so that they may be acknowledged in the bulletin and announcements.
 
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.
 

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.

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

2026 Laity Convocation
With the theme Moving Forward with Hope, the Board of Laity invites you to a meaningful morning of learning, connection, and encouragement. Gather on Saturday, March 21st 9:00 am to 12:30 pm in person at First UMC in Glen Ellyn or watch the live-stream at one of our satellite locations at Princeton: First UMC, Freeport: Faith UMC, or Orland Park: Faith as we reflect, grow, and look ahead together. Registration is now open. Learn more.

Cultural Shift Leadership Training
The Prairie Central District Shepherding Team is bringing Rev. Jim Ozier back to Northern Illinois for Part Two of Culture Shift: Cultivating Healthy Congregations, a one-day experience that builds on the foundation of the January 31st Zoom gathering viewable here, offering space for reflection, discussion, and shared learning. Participants are encouraged to attend and continue this important work of helping our churches become healthier and more vital together. The event is open to all church leaders. Join us at Barrington UMC, on Sunday, May 3rd, from 2:00 pm to 5:30 pm. Registration will open later.


NIC Annual Conference 
Will Focus on Hope
Under the theme “Practicing Hope,” clergy and elected lay members will gather for NIC’s 187th Annual Conference session, June 14th – 16th, at the Renaissance Schaumburg Convention Center in Schaumburg. The theme invites participants to explore how hope shapes ministry, mission, and the future of the church. “Hope allows for newness. Hope allows that God will call us forward. Hope allows us to say yes to whatever call is placed on our lives,” said Bishop Schwerin.
 

Outreach Opportunities

March Outreach Offering - UMCOR


What is UMCOR?: The United Methodist Committee On Relief is the humanitarian relief arm of The United Methodist Church — learn more here.

What does UMCOR do?
UMCOR alleviates human suffering around the world by helping individuals and communities ravaged by storms, wars, fires, displacement, and climate change. One tremendous fact about UMCOR: 100% of gifts to a particular project go to that project, not administrative costs.

Please prayerfully consider joining with faithful people around the globe to fund UMCOR’s work through a generous donation.

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.

 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!!!  

  

 


Worship Service

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

We are starting fresh with our list of Joys and Concerns.  Please text Pastor Dave (224.600.0446) or give him a note before service with your prayer request.  You are also welcome to let the office know during the week.  Names will only stay on the list for one month unless other arrangements are made.  Make certain that you have permission to share other’s information, too. 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.

 

March 13th, 2026, Volume 16, Edition 11

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