Friday, November 20th, 2020 |
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Under the new Red Safer at Home category we are able to continue onsite worship as we have been doing. We are excited for those of you who are a part of our online congregation. And we are excited for those who feel comfortable joining onsite worship.
May each worship experience bring you closer in your walk with Christ, and into the Thanksgiving and Advent spirit. We continue to be committed to high quality worship for both. We are looking forward this holiday season to special music by Paula & Alex Huffaker, Linda Bloemendaal on the flute, our virtual choir, a handbell quartet, a duo by Ruthanne Huber and Steve Gallup, and special pieces by Nathan Jensen, Karen Hines & Terry Vogt. We hope to be able to arrange special tapings of these so we may also experience them as part of online worship.
To recap:
- We will continue worshipping Sundays onsite at 8:30 and 10:30, keeping in place the high safety protocols we have been using. The online worship service will continue to be posted Sundays at 9. If we start to approach 50 at either service {we have been averaging 27 at each}, we would go to a worship reservation system.
- Kids will go directly downstairs to Everkids at the 10:30 service rather than coming first to the Sanctuary.
- Youth group will be on Zoom or smaller groups.
- All other activities, meetings and classes will be held remotely.
- Scheduled outside groups will wait until we are back at the safer at home yellow level in order to use the building.
- Jessica will be working from home starting 11/20 through the end of the year due to JeffCo schools moving all students to remote learning. She is available via email and her cell: 303-720-9187.
- Pastor Deb will primarily be working remotely from home.
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Advent Daily Devotional Booklets
Our Advent Daily Devotional Booklets have been a meaningful and popular way to have a more spiritual Advent experience. This year’s booklets are now available. They may be picked up in the church narthex on Sunday mornings or we will mail them on request.
Annual Church Charge Conference via Zoom on Sunday, December 6, 2:30 – 4
Our annual church charge conference will be led by our new District Superintendent, Rev. Jessica Rooks, via Zoom on Sunday, December 6, 2:30 – 4. Please contact the church office if you are interested in receiving the material packet and Zoom connection information so you can be a part of this event. All Church Council members will automatically receive the material packet and the connection information. We will hear from our District Superintendent, hear reports of the ministry of our administrative and program teams, vote on the 2021 church budget, and vote on incoming church officers and administrative team members.
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Christmas Ornaments
We have another way to help make your home more festive for the holidays. We are selling Christmas ornaments made specifically for our church with the church logo on them. Since they are personalized for the church and the year 2020, they would make a nice keepsake. They would also be a thoughtful gift for family or friends who were formerly part of our church. The ornaments are being sold for $10. With so few people actually coming to the church in person at this time, we will probably sell most of them online. An order form will be distributed soon. We will sell them right up until Christmas. Since this is our first year offering ornaments, we didn't purchase very many, so you'll want to get your order in quickly before they are all gone. Stay tuned!
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Office Schedule
Just a reminder that Jessica will be working remotely now through the end of the year as JeffCo schools have closed and her daughter has 100% remote school. She will be available by email and her cell 303-720-9187. Thank you for your understanding!
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Wreath Fundraiser Update
Online orders for wreaths and additional Christmas evergreen products may be made through November 30th. The web site for online orders is GiftItForward.com. When you order online be sure to use our fundraising code of UNITEDCO002 and the church will earn $8 on every item ordered.
We don't have a date yet when the wreaths will arrive. We will notify everyone as soon as we have the date to coordinate your pick up of the wreaths. If you missed out and want to order one, we will have extra. Please contact Vickie or the church office.
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Christmas Toy Drive
The UMCE Missions Team is again collecting new, unwrapped toys for EChO and Mountain Resource Center Christmas gifts this year. Collection boxes will be in Fellowship Hall through December 6th for gift drop off. Christmas will be an especially challenging time for many this year, made more so for EChO and MRC clients by Covid-19 restrictions that have affected contributing communities. Please call or email the church office ahead to ensure someone is available to accept it.
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Finances Year to Date through October 31, 2020 |
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Colorado Coalition for the Homeless
SOME PEOPLE DREAM THE DREAM
SOME PEOPLE LIVE THE DREAM
SOME PEOPLE DEFEND THE DREAM
GOD BLESS THE DEFENDERS
At UMCE we are familiar with the lifesaving work carried out by Colorado Coalition for the Homeless. A few years ago many of us helped to equip new apartments for 100 chronically homeless persons. This month CCH is opening the Renaissance Veterans Apartments at Fitzsimons that will provide permanent supportive housing for 60 Vets.
The 60 new residents will bring almost nothing with them to their new homes; we can help them with the difficult transition from the streets to apartment living. There has already been much preparation, so at this point financial support to complete the furnishings is most important. Here is a link for giving monetary gifts.
Some basic things are still greatly needed; items may be new or very gently used and clean: flatware (forks, knives, spoons), twin blankets, and pillows. These donations may be brought to the church and left in the Library room on Sunday mornings in November. Members of the Mission Team will deliver the donated items to CCH.
As we remember the service and the sacrifices of our military veterans, this is an opportunity to extend our gratitude in a tangible way, to indeed WELCOME THEM HOME!
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Salvation Army Bell Ringing
Our UMCE family will again have the opportunity to ring bells for the Salvation Army this Christmas season, however, this year we will only be bellringing at King Soopers. Our local Salvation Army chapter is working hard year round to assist those in need in our mountain communities with crisis support for housing, medical care, utilities, transportation and disaster relief. UMCE’s own Lauren Alter and former Pastor Dick Vickery have long served on the Board of Directors of the local Salvation Army chapter. Did you know that the Red Kettle is the primary way the Salvation Army raises money and that 90% of the donations collected stay here in the Evergreen area! If you are able to sign up for one or more one hour bell ringing slots, please go to the following SignUpGenius HERE, then:
- Search for the dates (from now until Christmas Eve) that work best for you, then
- Click “SignUp” for the slots you choose, then
- Click “Submit and Sign Up” at the bottom of the page, then
- At the information page to which you are taken, fill in your name, email and cell phone number. You will receive an email with further information.
It is as simple as that! If you would like help signing up, you can email Bill Graf at bill@billgraf.net or call him at 303-246-8330 with questions. |
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Family Promise Appeal
The Missions team has agreed to adopt a family at Family Promise by purchasing Christmas gifts. In the past we have passed around a Christmas stocking at an all- church dinner for donations. Since we will not be having a dinner this year, we will have a basket for donations on Sundays. If you prefer, you can send a check to the church with a notation that it is for Family Promise Christmas. The check must be received by 11/29. Each family has a wish list and we purchase gifts from your donations.
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MOUNTAIN RESOURCE CENTER OPPORTUNITY |
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As you may know, Mountain Resource Center has a resale store. The sales from this store help to fund MRC programing, which in turn helps the Mountain Community with services that support and empower. Though we have two staff that work daily in the store, we rely heavily on volunteers to help us run it. As I’m sure you can imagine, COVID has impacted not only how we run things in the store, but also the amount of volunteers who can share their time with us. In order to reopen safely this past summer, we shortened our store hours drastically, and have made many changes to how the store is run. Things have been going very well, and we are now hoping to increase our hours and open the store on Saturdays. Saturdays are not only an important day for sales, but also for community access. We’ve heard from several customers who want and need to visit the store, but can’t because they work during the week.
Even before COVID, Saturdays were a challenging day to staff with volunteers – and rightfully so! I think we’ve come up with a creative way to offer a weekend volunteer opportunity that would just require a commitment of one Saturday every couple of months.
Our Saturday store hours will be 10:00am-4:30pm and the day will be split into two volunteer shifts. The first shift will be from 9:45am-1pm and the second shift will be from 1pm-4:45pm. We are hoping to have two volunteers at each shift. That would be just 4 volunteers a month! These volunteers would help to sort donations, price items, set-up store displays, and support the store staff with other projects. We’re requiring everyone to wear face coverings – Staff, Volunteers, and Patrons. We are limiting the amount of people in the store to ensure plenty of space for social distancing. Whenever possible, both doors are open for proper ventilation, and we clean and disinfect on a regular basis. Safety is, and will remain, our highest priority! It’s also important to note that volunteers of the store get 25% off everything, an added bonus for sure!
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Monday, November 23rd through Christmas |
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Staff Working Remotely; Church Office Closed |
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Onsite worship: 8:30 & 10:30
Online worship: Available from 9 on
Online Kid's Sunday School: 9:30
Onsite Kid’s Sunday School: 10:30
Onsite Youth Group: 1:30 - 3
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THE UNITED METHODIST CHURCH OF EVERGREEN
Growing a community of faith by serving a world of need and changing lives. We affirm a spirit of openness and hospitality to all, including persons of all races, ages, genders, sexual orientations, financial strata, and abilities who seek a closer walk with God.
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