It's hard to believe that it's November already! It has been 34 Sundays that we have not worshipped in our sanctuary. Now, out of that 34, we have worshipped in the parking lot 23 Sundays, with some weather inconveniences, but we adapted. Of course since, March 15th, we have been posting services online and sending out calls. Our hearts have ached as we longed to be back in our sanctuary.
That word probably means so much more now than it ever did before. Sanctuary used to mean the physical place you worshiped. How this pandemic has really changed that meaning for us. Sanctuary is our place of refuge or a sacred place. We really do want to return to our place of refuge. We want to seek refuge from the world. We want to seek refuge from politics. We want to seek refuge from Covid-19. We want to seek out or sacred place. We want to seek God.
We forget though that our sanctuaries can adapt. We find those things in one another. We find safety, love, and the sacred in one another. We know that it will feel good to be in the sanctuary. We know that it will be nice to worship in this space.
Yet, we are reminded that it will be different still. So, we have to keep adapting. This means that you might not get to sit in your favorite pew. It may mean being creative in how we worship. However, it means that we will get the opportunity to create space that is holy and space for the Holy Spirit to get to work in you!
If you are ready to return to the sanctuary, come on, but know that there are changes to make it safe for us to worship. You are invited to worship and let the Holy Spirit get busy.
We would like to welcome Trent Hubbard to Oak Forest United Methodist Church.
Trent will be starting with us on Nov. 8th as our new organist/pianist. We hope this position will grow as we continue to adapt with the pandemic.
"I have been playing the organ and directing choirs since I was a student at Hendrix College. In addition to music, I enjoy cooking, gardening, reading, traveling and spending time with my family. I look forward to being able to participate in worship with you."
The Food Pantry would love to offer some extra items for Thanksgiving. If you would like to buy or donate money, let us know. Items wanted:
Green Beans
Stuffing
Instant Potatoes
Boxed Brownie Mix
Canned Meat (For general use in pantry)
Christmas Mug Collection
If you have some extra Christmas mugs, the food pantry would appreciate the donation. We will be filling mugs with little treats, hot chocolate, and cheer for our food pantry clients in December. Bring your mugs with you to church or set up a time to drop them off.
Thank you!
We will embrace Christmas this year. For most, Christmas does bring comfort or I hope it does. We will lean into those comforts of Christmas like decorating, sending cards, baking, and more as we walk through the Christmas story. We will use poems from Kneeling at Bethlehem by Ann Weems as we discover the heart of Christmas yet again.
Nov. 29
This Year Will Be Different
Isaiah 9:6
Dec. 6
The Decree
Matthew 1:18-25
Dec. 13
In Celebration of His Birth
Matthew 2:1-12
Dec. 20
The Child is Born Again
Luke 1:39-45
Dec. 24
Unexpected
Luke 2:1-20
Dec. 27
In Search of the Kneeling Place
Luke 2:22-38
In October, we served 73 Households!
November Food Pantry Dates:
November 5th & November 19th
We invite you to pray for these individuals daily. If you have a prayer request that you would like added to our prayer list, contact us.
Jim Pringle
Bob Sowa
Sherri Sowa
Baby Diamond Austin - Debbie Erne's grandson
Brett Essex
Pam Fish
Jimmie Lee
Taylor and pregnancy
Sue - Jim's Sister
Mavolene
Jonathan
Lee - Christine's son
Pearl
Family members with Cancer Caregivers
Essential Workers
Doctors
Nurses
Our World
For those in need of healing
For Our Church
We appreciate everyone being so faithful in tithing. It really makes a difference for our church to not have that added stress in the midst of a pandemic. Thank you so much for your generosity and supporting the church. From past information, it looks like our tithing is close to what it would be for this time of year. So a huge thank you!
As a reminder, you can mail in your check, drop it off on your way out from worship, or you can give online.
