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Worship 10:00am
Join us this Sunday as Rev. Melody Tanner continues the new sermon series entitled "Called." This week's sermon title is "Losing It."
Everyone is welcome to stay after the service for fellowship.
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Daily Prayer
Starter
Please set aside time each day to pray for 2-3 minutes. This week's prayer starter is:
"God, may I hear you when you call me. May I answer your call and go when, where, and how you send me. May I follow you wherever my call takes me no matter the sacrifice..."
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Used Book Sale and Parking Lot Fundraiser
During the Stockley Gardens Arts Festival, GUMC will have its Used Book Sale on Saturday, October 20, 10am to 5pm. The sale will be on our front porch and in the sanctuary lobby. Hardcovers $1.50; Paperbacks 75 cents.
If you have book donations, please put all books into the sanctuary lobby's closet.
We will also host paid parking on Saturday and Sunday. Volunteers are needed for both efforts. Proceeds benefit our missions and church programs.
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Messy Church at Ghent UMC
Sunday, Oct. 21
4:30 - 6pm
The next Messy Church at Ghent UMC (which is for ALL AGES) will be
Sunday, October 21
from 4:30pm - 6pm. The theme is "Which Way?"
Last month, we had a great turn out and lot's of fun in the Lord.
So, come for our traditional 10am worship service then bring your family back at 4:30pm
to explore your faith through engaging games, crafts, and activities.
Volunteers are needed and there are
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Giving
The IRA Charitable Rollover is now permanent. If you are 70 1/2 or older, you can transfer up to $100,000 of your IRA as a gift to Ghent UMC and not have it incur tax. For more information,
contact the church office by clicking here.
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Help Hurricane Michael and Florence Victims
Through UMCOR
The United Methodist Committee on Relief and their partners are responding to Hurricanes Michael and Florence in the United States (and Super Typhoon Mangkhut - Ompong in the Philippines.)
Please join us in prayer for the areas affected and consider a gift to UMCOR Disaster Response. 100% of your donation goes to help those affected.
You
can make checks payable to Ghent UMC with memo 'for Hurricane relief.' Or to donate online, you can click on this UMCOR link and scroll to the bottom of their page.
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Resuming Small Group Meetings
- Ghent Inspire Book Club will meet Monday, Oct. 22at 7:30pm. Location TBA. They will discuss When God Winks at You: How God Speaks Directly to You Through the Power of Coincidence by Squire Rushnell. All are invited to come. Contact Melanie Cramer for more information and to RSVP.
- Young Family Small Group meets on Tuesdays, 6:25pm at GUMC. Before your first visit, email Jonathan Tanner for schedule updates. First meeting is Oct. 30.
- The GUMC youth group will be going to the Haunted Temple for a scary/fun experience on October 28. They will meet in the church parking lot at 6pm and carpool over to the Masonic Temple on Granby St. Bring money for admission and snacks. They will also be given some spooky sweets to finish the evening. Teens should be back at church by 8 pm. Call Kim Kurtz or email her, if you have any questions.
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Hymn Festival
Sunday, November 11
At 4:00pm
The Center for Congregational Song, a division of the Hymn Society of the US and Canada, is sponsoring a hymn festival at Wycliffe Presbyterian Church in Virginia Beach on Sunday, November 11 at 4:00pm. All are invited to come, join in the singing, and honor and remember our veterans. Even if you don't sing, a hymn festival of this proportion is invigorating and uplifting.
Our choir is making a field trip to this event, and we would welcome anybody who wants to come along. After the festival, we will eat and fellowship. We can carpool. This is going to be a phenomenal event. If you are interested, let Nellwyn Beamon know at
[email protected]
.
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All ages are welcome!
- Organ music, played by organist Spencer Koger, is monthly on first Sundays during our 10am worship service.
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Gathering Jams are monthly on second Sundays, year-round. Bring an instrument and play along during the gathering part of our service at 9:45am.
- Musical Offerings A variety of musical offerings are desired; let Nellwyn know if you are willing to help.
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Save the Dates
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Messy Church at Ghent UMC
for All Ages: 4:30pm - 6pm on the 3rd Sunday of each month. The next will be November 18. Dinner will be served.
- NEST Homeless Outreach is Dec. 12 - 19 and hosted at Ohef Sholom Temple next door. GUMC is responsible for Friday night through Saturday morning, Dec. 14 - 15 and one other set of dates during that week. More information TBA.
For more details about each event, click on the church's calendar. Then click on the date for the event.
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Worship With Us!
Sunday Worship at 10:00a.m.
(Nursery Care Provided)
Children's Church
During Worship
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A Letter from Dr. Bill
Dear Ghent UMC supporter,
At age 93, I am the oldest living male member of Ghent Church. All of my chums, teenagers we were, square dancing in the social hall on Saturday night, are gone but me. From the Navy torpedo squadron in which I flew as a radioman/machine gunner in World War II, I am the last surviving member. I look back over all of the events to which I have been a witness in my long life, the Cold War which we thought would never end, but did; the successful launching of our astronauts to the moon in 1969, to which I was a spectator as part of a large congressional delegation on hand for it. What a life! I never thought that I would live this long.
All of these events and more remind me that God has blessed me many times over with experiences that fill my memories with gratitude for the years granted to me. Why do I begin this stewardship letter in this fashion? Because when I sit down to type this to you, I am moved to reflect upon the past, recalling my own life, but also that of my church.
So in my memory are the years when Ghent Church's membership was many times what it is today, the pews filled on Sunday morning following the Men's Bible Class I attended in the Lamberth classroom; all of the men dressed in our Sunday best. Everyone went to church in those days.
Our church and culture are very different now. Gone are the days when everyone goes to church. We can no longer wait for those new to our community to come to us because they know they need Jesus. We must be intentional in creating a church for those we wish were here, building relationships with those outside the walls of our church, and daring to do things differently.
We are in year four of a Virginia Annual Conference of The United Methodist Church supported relaunching of our beloved Ghent Church. It would be easy to look at our lower Sunday morning worship attendance and become discouraged. There is much which gives us hope for the future. We have discerned a passion for mission work focusing on children, poverty, and the environment. Recently, our church began a new ministry called "Messy Church" on the third Sunday of the month where generations of people gather to play games, craft, worship, share a meal, and fellowship. We have several small groups across age groups, church outings to baseball games and more, and many service opportunities. Oh, what fun! We are exactly where God wants us to be for this season in the life of our church, but we need your help to continue to grow and flourish. Our budget is reasonable and within reach if all of us participate to the extent that we are able. Please contact the church office via phone or email with your pledge by Friday, October 26. Or place your pledge on your Connection Card on any Sunday through October 28.
Before I close, let me add something else. If you have not attended recently, please come back. Melody gives the best sermons that I have ever heard. Come hear her and enjoy the warmth of our congregation.
Yours always in Christ,
Bill Whitehurst
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Join a Small Group
Community Building Opportunities
Children and Youth
- Sunday mornings: Children's Church (details below)
- Sunday evenings: Middle & High School Youth (email Kim Kurtz for more details)
Adults
- Sunday mornings: Adult Sunday School - 9am
- Monday evenings monthly: Ghent Inspire Book Club - 7:30pm
- Tuesday evenings: Young Family Small Group - 6:25pm at GUMC beginning Oct. 30. Before your first visit, email Jonathan Tanner for schedule updates.
- Wednesday mornings: Coffee & Connections Small Group resumes in the Fall.
- 1st & 3rd Thursdays: Chillin' with the Chaplain - 5:30pm at The Public House in Norfolk
- Friday mornings: Bible Study at 10am in church library.
Click here to read
details about our adult and youth small groups.
And for additional information,
please contact Jonathan Tanner, Discipleship Director at [email protected] or 757-622-2843.
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Volunteers Needed
You can be a blessing to children!
During worship, we offer children's church for children ages 3 through 5th grade. During the scripture and sermon, they go to the library for a brief Bible lesson, activity or craft.
Please volunteer a few times per year to help educate our youth.
To sign up for a Sunday, click here. |
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Volunteer
Ghent UMC
All adults,
children, and youth
are invited to help on Sundays before and during worship. We also need volunteers to be part of the outside clean up crew.
Also, please consider purchasing altar flowers to enhance our worship space.
Click here
to learn about our updated volunteer opportunities and to sign up.
You may also call the church office or contact the church office by
clicking here
.
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Congregational Care
Jennifer Gross-Statler
In response to Christ's call to love one another, Ghent UMC wants the members of our congregation to care for one another.
Jennifer Gross-Statler, who is our
Director of Congregational Care and Marketing,
is available to visit and counsel those in our church community.
If you'd like a visit from Jennifer, call the church office at (757) 622-2843 or email her at
[email protected].
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