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Below is the current edition of the Gathering & Scattering newsletter. If you have any questions about anything found in this newsletter,
please visit our website or contact the church office by calling (225) 344-0343. We hope to see you in worship this Sunday!
Not all events happening at the church are able to be highlighted in our newsletter.
To view a full list of church events, please visit our online calendar at:
http://www.universitymethodist.org/calendar/
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PLEASE NOTE: THIS SUNDAY, JANUARY 15TH, THE LOUISIANA MARATHON WILL BE RUNNING DIRECTLY IN FRONT OF THE CHURCH AND THROUGHOUT THE LSU CAMPUS. MID-CITY AND THE DOWNTOWN BR AREAS. This will make it a challenge to get to our early service due to blocked roads. To view a route map and timeline of the event, please go to http://www.thelouisianamarathon.com/marathon/ . Please plan on leaving home a little early to make sure you are able to get to the church in time for the start of our service! We look forward to worshiping with you!
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THE UPCOMING SUNDAY @ UUMC:
Please read the entire newsletter for more details on the items listed below, as well as for other details of events and news from the church. Not all events happening at the church are listed below.
SUNDAY, JANUARY 15
8:30 a.m. Worship
9:30 a.m. Fellowship Time in the Fellowship Hall
9:45 a.m. Sunday School for all ages
11:00 a.m. Worship
12:00 p.m. Fellowship Time in the Fellowship Hall
12:00 p.m. FREE lunch for College Students (F. Hall)
4:30 p.m. Faith Friends
4:30 p.m. Chapel Choir Rehearsal
5:30 p.m. Youth Dinner
6:00 p.m. Youth Group
SCRIPTURE FOR SUNDAY:
John 1:29-42
SERMON:
"Come and See"
Rev. Colleen Bookter
MUSIC FOR SUNDAY:
8:30 AM: Chapel Choir
11:00 AM: Chancel Choir
- PLEASE PICK UP YOUR STATEMENT THIS SUNDAY IN THE FELLOWSHIP HALL! There will be a manned table in the Fellowship Hall between services where you will be able to pick up your 4h quarter and Year End Financial Giving statements to help with your taxes. Please help us save postage by picking yours up this Sunday! Those not picked up will be mailed out the following week. Thank you!
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| Pastor's Pen
Grace is central to our understanding of Christian faith and life. I believe it is important to understand that our United Methodist heritage is rooted in a deep and profound understanding of God's grace. This incredible grace flows from God's great love for us. Did you have to memorize John 3:16 in Sunday school when you were a child? I did. Like many of you, it was the first scripture I learned. There was a good reason. This one verse summarizes the gospel: "For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him may not perish but may have eternal life." The ability to call to mind God's love and God's gift of Jesus Christ is a rich resource for theology and faith.
United Methodists insist that faith and good works belong together. What we believe must be confirmed by what we do. Personal salvation must be expressed in ministry and mission in the world. We believe that Christian doctrine and Christian ethics are inseparable, that faith should inspire service. The integration of personal piety and social holiness has been a hallmark of our tradition. We affirm the biblical precept that "faith by itself, if it has no works, is dead" (James 2:17).
Our Church Council met together last Sunday with interested members to dig deeper into this idea of faith and practice. We reviewed our ministry goals and began asking ourselves questions about our current ministries and the direction we would like to see them go in the future. We discussed possible enhancements to our ministry, what are intentions were for those ministries and how those ministries fit into God's call to "make disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world." As you can imagine it was a lively and fruitful discussion. However, we want it to be more than a discussion. We want to see these goals come to fruition.
Beginning January 22 and moving forward through February 26, I will be preaching a series on grace entitled, "Grace Based Living." I'm hoping to stir up conversation on what grace is and not only how we experience it in our lives but how we live it out in the context of community. I hope you'll join me over those six weeks as I speak specifically about the work of grace in our lives and its transformative power for ourselves, our church and our world.
Grace and Peace,
Dr. Jane
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Help us cheer on the Louisiana Marathon runners and
show them that University UMC cares about our community!
Sunday, January 15th at 7AM
This Sunday is the Louisiana Marathon - the largest marathon in our city! Yes, it will cause some traffic problems getting to church that morning for early service. Looking for a solution? Come early and join a group of us who will gather to cheer on these runners!
Predicted running patterns show runners passing right in front of our church on Dalrymple Dr. from 7:15-8:10AM. The road will start closing, so I invite you to use the back roads and park in the back parking lot of the church at 7AM to be ready to cheer on these runners.
Please make posters (that mention University UMC) to cheer on the runners. And if you would like to purchase and pre-cut orange slices to hand out to the runners, that would be greatly appreciated as well.
Check us out on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/events/442042272793542/. The route for the race can be found here http://www.thelouisianamarathon.com/marathon/, so that you can plan your arrival accordingly. |
Martin Luther King, Jr. Day Worship & Peace March
Do you have Martin Luther King Jr Day off from school or work? Don't take a day off! Instead be a witness to Dr. King's dream of diversity! Join us to pursue justice through nonviolence!
Join us on Monday, January 16th at 8AM for the
MLK DAY WORSHIP SERVICE
& MARCH FOR PEACE
at Mt. Zion First Baptist Church on 356 East Blvd
Begin your day early and attend the annual MLK Service. Spend the morning celebrating Dr. King's vision of diversity, inclusion and peace through non-violence as shared through music, dance, keynote speakers, and interfaith prayers. And then, walk -- with young and old; rain or shine -- in the annual March for Peace. Why? Because peace needs you today!
Plan on attending or want to carpool to the event from the church, please contact Rev. Colleen Bookter at [email protected].
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Cradle Roll Ministry
Our Cradle Roll Ministry is for all parents-to-be and new parents. Babies are a sign of hope and growth for our church. In fact, We have been blessed with 11 babies just in the last 12 months, and we know of 7 more due in the next few months. It's a very exciting time for these families and for our church family.
If you would like to be a part of this ministry, helping to show and share God's love for these little ones and expected little ones, we welcome you to our team. Together, we'll keep in touch with the expectant parents through calls, emails and cards, checking in to let them know we are praying for them and to see if there is anything we, as the church, can do for them. Once the baby is born, the plan is to reach out to the family with meals and a small gift from the church.
If you are expecting or know a church member or prospective member who is, please let us know so we can begin to shower you with God's love. Your baby is a part of our UUMC family even now and we want to celebrate with you as we welcome your little lamb into the church family.
To "Register" or to Volunteer for the Cradle Roll Ministry, please contact Vicki Frick at the church office - (225) 344-0343 or [email protected].
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FAITH FRIENDS ~ For 3rd-5th Graders ~ SUNDAYS at 4:30 - 6:00pm
All 3rd thru 5th graders are invited to join us for Faith Friends on Sunday afternoons. Together, we hope to discover what God is wanting from and for us! Here's our plan for the month:
Jan. 15 - Missions
Jan. 22 - Skits
Jan. 29 - Crafts
It's never too late to become a Faith Friend! Hope to see you soon!
For more information, contact Mrs. Vicki at (225) 344-0343 or [email protected].
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Save the date for VBS 2017!!!
JOIN US ON JUNE 12 - 16th!
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Kids Hope News & Updates 
I hope everyone is well rested and excited to get back to work at UT next week! The children cannot wait to see you again. All volunteering: mentoring, book clubs, and garden team will resume on Tuesday, January 17th. Spring Semester is full of breaks, so take full advantage of each volunteering moment you have and make the most of it.
Fabulous Kindergarten teacher, Kim LaFont, is hoping to purchase iPads for her classroom to enhance the skills of her students. She has created a Donors Choose classroom request:
All donations received by Jan 13th will be doubled. Just enter the code LIFTOFF during checkout and you'll be matched up to $50.
*The Dessert with Dave regional event that was scheduled for January 12th, has been re-scheduled for March 30th 7:00pm in our Fellowship Hall. All of our sister Kids Hope programs: Neely UMC, Camphor UMC, Zachary UMC, and The Chapel will join us for this fabulous opportunity to hear Kids Hope USA's President, David Staal, speak about the power of showing up in others' lives. It's sure to inspire us all.
DATES TO NOTE:
January 17th - All volunteering resumes
February 15th - Early Dismissal at UT - No Volunteering
Feb. 27th - March 3rd - Mardi Gras Break - No Volunteering
March 10th - Early Dismissal at UT - No Volunteering
March 30th - Dessert with Dave Kids Hope USA President - 7:00pm Fellowship Hall
April 14th - April 21st - Spring Break at UT - No Volunteering
April 24th - 28th - Last Week of Volunteering for Spring Semester (Standardized testing starts the first week of May, so we have to wrap up a week earlier this year)
May 11th - We host Spring Teachers' Luncheon
May 18th - 5th Grade Recognition Ceremony- 10:00am UUMC Sanctuary
 Shirley Flake, Kids Hope Director
[email protected]
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Over the MLK weekend 40 Youth and 6 adults from Grace Avenue United Methodist Church out of Frisco Texas will be visiting Baton Rouge during their annual Mystery trip. We will be hosting them in our youth area and they will be joining us for worship on Sunday. Christopher Vaughan, their fearless youth director, is very grateful for our hospitality.
- 49th Happening Youth Weekend at the Wesley Center in Woodworth 13th through 15th
- DCYM meeting Saturday 21st at St Mark 10:00 to 12:00, rides and lunch will be provided.
- Confirmation begins Sunday 22nd at 4:30 in Fellowship hall, parent meeting, Dinner will be served.
- CCYM winter meeting 27th and 28th at FUMC Alexandria.
- 5TH Sunday Worship at Zachary UMC 29th from 5:30 to 7:00, will leave from UUMC 5:15. Dinner will be provided.
- February 12th the Youth will host a Valentine's Day Dinner as a fundraiser for upcoming events! Watch the Newsletter for more details next week!
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Volunteers and Bakers Needed to Help Support College Lunch here at UUMC
Each week University UMC will be serving a free lunch to our college and grad students following the 11:00AM worship service. This is a time for us to build relationships with college students so that they feel welcomed and fully incorporated into our church. If you would like to make homemade desserts (cookies, a cake, pumpkin bars, etc.) for 20-25 students to go with the lunch one Sunday, please sign up in the fellowship hall. Additionally, if you would like to interact with our college students and join them for lunch on occasion please email Rev. Colleen Bookter at [email protected].
Thank you for helping us live into our mission of serving God in the heart of the LSU community!
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Save The Date for an extraordinary evening!
UUMC is extremely excited to be hosting the Watoto Children's Choir (ages 8-12) on the evening of March 7 at 7pm in the Sanctuary as they present their new program, Signs & Wonders.
The choir is comprised of orphaned children: rescued, raised, and educated by the Watoto Child Care Ministries in Uganda.
The Watoto Children's Choir present worship music from Watoto Church in Uganda and invite audiences to expect an encounter with God. Through song, dance and stories the children proclaim the good news of the salvation that is available for all. They share testimonies of how their lives have been changed, and how they have been called into a life of purpose to transform their communities.
Each child in the Watoto Children's Choir has suffered the loss of one or both parents and now lives in a Watoto village. The experience of traveling as a choir helps the children to develop confidence and boldness, as well as broadening their world view. Accompanied by a team of adults, the choir presents Watoto's vision and mission by sharing personal stories, music and dance. While on the road, the children act as advocates for the millions of other African children who have experienced the same heartbreaking pain and suffering as them.
The choirs have toured six continents since 1994, blessing those they encounter with their beautiful voices, energetic dancing, moving testimonials, and passion for what God has done in their lives. To date, the choir has toured six continents and performed to enthralled audiences in schools, retirement homes, churches, parliaments, state houses and royal palaces. They share a message of hope for Africa's orphans and widows.
This event is free and everyone is welcome, especially children. Please join us!
Additionally, there is a need for 8-10 host homes the evening of March 7th for these children. If you would be interested in being one of these homes, please contact Nan Walker by email at [email protected] or call the church office.
To learn more about the Watoto Children's Choir you may visit their website at
https://www.watoto.com/.
You may also view their promo video here:
https://vimeo.com/191099984
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UNIVERSITY UNITED
METHODIST CHURCH
3350 Dalrymple Drive
Baton Rouge, LA 70802
PHONE: 225.344.0343
FAX: 225.344.0530
Senior Pastor:
Associate Minister:
Minister of Congregational Care:
If you received this email from a friend, please consider
signing up to receive it directly through constant contact:
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Click the links below to read or watch one
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Mommy & Me Playgroup -
2nd & 4th Tuesdays at Noon in the Parlor
Little Ones and their Mommies are invited to join us on the 2nd and 4th Tuesdays of each month to play and visit. Our hope is for you to connect with each other to share resources, talk in a "grown-up" voice, and encourage each other through the struggles of parenthood.
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Family Game Night
Friday, February 3rd from 5:30-8:00pm
We invite families of all shapes and sizes to join us for a Family Party/Game Night Extravaganza! Grab your favorite board games or cards and join us for some good 'ol church fellowship and fun. And, because Methodists HAVE to have food at every get-together, bring a dish to share (finger-foods, snack-type munchies preferred). For more information, contact Vicki Frick at the Church Office.
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Roundtable Workshop Invitation
Do you think our community still has some work to do regarding the shootings that occurred in Baton Rouge this summer? Do you want the Church to be a major agent of change and healing in our community?
Join us for renowned Ferguson Pastor
and Author Dr. F. Willis Johnson's Roundtable Workshop on
Saturday, January 21st
9AM-1PM
Broadmoor United Methodist Church
10230 Mollylea Drive
Registration is $10 (included continental breakfast and lunch)
Rev. Dr. F. Willis Johnson, pastor of Wellspring Church and Director of the Center for Social Empowerment in Ferguson, MO is coming to facilitate a workshop on nurturing healthy conversations about racial and social justice. The workshop is titled "STRENGTHENING CONNECTION THROUGH CONVERSATION," and participants will learn models to foster understanding and improved relations in our community. Dr. Johnson captured national attention in August of 2014 because of his leadership following the police shooting and resulting community unrest in Ferguson, MO.
CLICK LINK BELOW FOR MORE INFO & TO RESERVE YOUR SEAT TODAY!
https://www.eventbrite.com/e/strengthening-connection-through-conversation-roundtable-workshop-tickets-30906528258 |
New Opportunities Opening Up for the Care Ministry of UUMC
 In January 2017 Rev. Carol Civils will have a schedule change to accommodate a new ministry opportunity. She will be participating in the 8:30 a.m. Worship Service at UUMC, but will leave after the service to provide visitation services to more of our members who are homebound. In addition, she will be organizing a team of individuals who will establish a Worship Service to residents of Heritage Manor of Baton Rouge, a skilled nursing health care and rehabilitation center. It is an exciting goal to develop two Worship Services in two different nursing health care centers by June 2017.
Rev. Carol is in need of individuals from our congregation who are gifted in the areas of hospitality, compassion, and music/art. Please contact her at the Church Office 344-0343, or cell phone 975-2034 if you feel that God might be leading you into ministering to individuals in nursing health care centers.
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ADULT SUNDAY EDUCATION CLASSES FOR SUNDAY, January 15:
[ If your Sunday School Class would like their weekly study listed below, please email Kelly Surace at
[email protected] or call 344-0343 each Monday to be included in that weeks G&S listing ]
- College Class - Meets in upstairs Trice Room 214 for an Adam Hamilton study, Seeing Gray in a World of Black and White. No preparation needed!
- Contemporary Christian Concerns (CCC) Class - Politics 2. Carruth McGehee, Presenter.
- Foundations Class - This class is largely made up of married couples with children and meets upstairs in the Trice Building. All are welcome!
- Genesis Class - Please join us on the first floor of the Children's Building in the Office (first door on your right when you enter). We are doing the Essentials 1 study from First UMC, all are welcome!
- Inter-generational Class - Please join us in the Library as we continue our study of the Gospel of John.
- Carpenter's Class (Parents of Young Children)- Please join us upstairs in the Trice Building as we continue our TED Talk Study.
- Open Door Class - We welcome Miriam Overton for the next 3 weeks, who will be discussing with us what we have learned from the Dead Sea Scrolls.
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WITHIN THE CHURCH FAMILY...
JOYS:
- Congratulations to Mandy Lopez on being named a 2016 Fellow of the National Academy of Inventors. She is one of 175 leaders pick this year to receive this honor, which is the highest professional distinction accorded solely to academic inventors who have demonstrated a prolific spirit of innovation in creating or facilitating outstanding inventions that have made a tangible impact on quality of life, economic development, and welfare or society. The 2016 NAI Fellows will be highlighted with a full page announcement in The Chronicle of Higher Education 20 Jan. 2017 issue, and in upcoming issues of Inventors Digest and NAI journal Technology and Innovation.
- Congratulations to Drew & Elizabeth Sutton on the birth of their daughter, Willow Ann Sutton. Proud grandparents are Greg & Lisa Frost.
CONCERNS:
- Condolences to Florence Larguier and family on the passing of her daughter, LiAnn Larguier, this last week. Services took place in our Sanctuary this past Tuesday.
PLEASE REMEMBER IN PRAYER:
Janet Albright, Kathleen Arceneaux, Mildred Caldwell, Charlotte Carrier, Catherine Cummins, Phyllis Darvill, Doris Dobson, Sandy Godail, Rosemarie Hall, Oleta Hathaway, Louise Hill, Nancy Johnson, Henrietta Jones, Barbara Kavanaugh, Dana Kinard, the family of Li Ann Larguier, Catherine McManus, Lewis and S. E. Mixon, Diane Moyer, Sonni & Bob Muller, Alta Sanders, Anne Smith, Sheldon Strasner, Marvin Stuckey, Russell Todd, Paul and Karyn Ungar
*If you have a Joy, Concern, or a name for the prayer list that you would like mentioned here, please email [email protected] or call her in the church office at 225-344-0343. Deadline for submitting information to the newsletter is every Monday at noon for information to be included in that weeks newsletter. We also celebrate birthdays of our members who have reached the age of 80+, if you fit this category but we missed your birthday, please call us so we can add your birthday to our database.*
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