Good Afternoon Church,
Happy Thanksgiving! I hope to see you at any of our services this Sunday – 9am, 10:45am, 11am, or 2pm – as we enter into this season of preparation and waiting for Christ our Lord.
Caitlin
WEEKLY E-NEWS
FINANCIAL REQUEST
From Randy Bunnell, Finance Chair: We are coming to the end of our calendar and fiscal year. Unfortunately, we are quite a bit behind our budget and financial requirements to keep the church operating. We are asking for you to first, pray hard for our church and then secondly, see if it is possible for you to give a bit more before the end of the year to our General Fund. Our target is $42,000. We have approximately 150 active members at HGUMC. If each member could give $280 over their normal giving, we can hit our target and start 2025 without a deficit. Thank you in advance for your consideration and assistance - may God bless you and your families this holiday season!
No Children & Youth Sunday School Thanksgiving Weekend
There will be NO children and youth Sunday School Sunday December 1st due to the Thanksgiving holiday weekend.
WECARE: Christmas Packing
Help WeCare pack for Christmas! Every week through the first week in December at the WeCare House, 6315 Market St. Monday 6:30 - 8pm, Tuesday 1-3pm, Wednesday 3-5pm, Saturday 10am-12noon. Please call/text Susan Fox if you can help! 704-502-9852
WECARE: Christmas Distribution
We will be distributing our WeCare Christmas Packages on Saturday December 7th beginning at 10am, and Monday December 9th starting at 6:30pm. Please call/text Susan Fox if you can help! 704-502-9852
HGUMC Young(ish) Adult Small Group meets weekly in a virtual format using Google Meet on Mondays at 7pm. Our next meeting will be in the new year. Reach out to Pastor Caitlin or the church office if you have any questions.
The Chosen Christmas!
All are invited to participate in a viewing and discussion of The Chosen Christmas episodes starting at 6pm on Wednesday December 11th in the Trinity Room. Reach out to Tom and Susan Fox or the church office if you have any questions.
Staff Love Offering
From SPRC: It is that time of year when we express our thanks for the staff we have here at HGUMC. Please send in your Love Offering as soon as possible. Mark your gift as “Love Offering.” Thanks!
SOUPER SATURDAY FOR CHILDREN AND YOUTH!
Our Agape Youth will host our Terrific Toddlers and Wonder Kids for a fun day of Christmas Activities on Saturday December 7 from 4:00 pm to 5:30. We will make Christmas Crafts, fit our costumes for the Christmas Cantata on December 15 and have a MERRY good time!
ATTENTION Agape Youth, on Saturday December 7 we will continue our fun together after the toddler and children event has ended. Please plan on staying with us until 9:30 while we have our own Christmas fun and prepare soup to sell on Sunday December 8. A JOLLY good time will be had by all. Looking forward to seeing your smiling faces!
Looking for a SOUPER way to support our Agape Youth? On Sunday December 8 the youth will be selling a lunch of Chicken Tortilla soup and dessert to go before and after each service. Lunch for
$10! Wow, what a bargain! All proceeds will go to help with youth expenses for the Winter Retreat
February 28 - March 2 at Mount Shephard. We will also be accepting donations.
Wednesday Night Bible Study
All are invited to join us every Wednesday night for Bible study and reflection on Zoom @ 7:30pm. The Zoom meeting ID# 81541770673 and Passcode: 522533. Reach out to Pastor Colston or the church office if you have any questions.
WECARE: Food Needs
Please help us restock the shelves at WeCare: mixed vegetables, carrots, peanut butter, and peas. Our WeCare Food Pantry and Clothing Closet will be closed during the month of December.
“Connecting to Creation:” A Creation Care Ministry Workshop
This workshop will be led by Heather Bennett, Director for Blessed Earth Tennessee. In this workshop, you will learn about: Biomimicry and Eco Theology. It will take place on Saturday March 1, 2025 from 9:30am-2:30pm at Harrison UMC in Pineville, NC. The cost is $25 per person. You may register HERE. The deadline to sign up is February 1, 2025.
Snack Pack
It is the holiday season and SNACK pack sends home gift cards for our families for Thanksgiving and Christmas. We help 48 kids every week which makes up 38 families this school year. Please consider making a donation to SNACK this holiday season to help these families have a Happy Thanksgiving and a Merry Christmas. If you would like to learn more or help with SNACK pack please contact Jennifer Stribling at 704-617-2520.
Ways to Help: WNCCUMC Disaster Response
1) Pray!
2) Make a financial donation to UMCOR or directly to WNCCUMC Disaster Response. Please mark your offering “WNCCUMC Disaster Relief.” You may also give online directly to UMCOR or to WNCCUMC Disaster Response.
3): Early Response Team (ERT) Training: Attend an ERT Training. Volunteers must have ERT training to assist in recovery efforts. Over 500 people have signed up so far and future training opportunities will be announced. Please register your interest HERE and someone will be in touch with you for future dates.
4) UMCOR Cleaning Kits/Flood Buckets: These are needed to replace those distributed to impacted areas. Instructions are in the office and available HERE.
