United Methodist Church of Evergreen
Rev. Deb Olenyik, Pastor

Sunday, November 17, 2019
23rd Sunday After Pentecost
Services 8:30 & 10:30 am
 

     
 



Ministry Jottings by Pastor Deb can be found later in this newsletter. Please scroll down to see what Deb is sharing this week.
 

WELCOMING RECEPTION FOR ROWAN SAILOR!
Join Us for a Welcoming Reception for Rowan Sailor THIS SUNDAY @  11:30 a.m. in Fellowship Hall.  Cake & punch & fun!

Basket for cards or  donations for items needed.
 

STEWARDSHIP UPDATE
As of November 10, 2019, we have received pledges totaling $254,860.  We are thrilled to have achieved our goal of $250,000.  We want to thank everyone who has turned in a pledge card.  We still want to encourage those of you who haven't pledged yet to submit your card.  Our goal of $250,000 represents a pretty "bare bones" budget, so as we get more than the goal it enables our church to accomplish more of our ministries.  Thank you so much to all who have helped with the campaign by speaking during the stewardship moment at the services; writing an article for Happenings; and helping with the victory dinner.  Special thank you to Bruce Hohne for creating our wonderful cross used to track pledges as they were received.  Another special thank you to Clyde Sacks for the great meal he prepared.  This wouldn't have been possible without all of you who mean so much to our church.  Thank you from the Stewardship Team - Matt Sailor, John Olson, Vickie Borden and Pastor Deb.
 

ANNUAL TOY DRIVE

Donations are being accepted for new and unwrapped gifts for children and teens for Mountain Resource Center and ECHO. Please drop off in the appropriate boxes in Fellowship Hall through 12/5. Toys, games, books and clothing are accepted. Questions? For MRC contact Marlene Eggers (email or 469-441-1347). For ECHO contact Marilyn Gildersleeve (303) 674-4899).
 

LADIES GET TOGETHER - TOMORROW!
Due to low attendance, the Friday night class has been cancelled.

However, the Saturday one will be on! 

Join us for a time of fellowship and Christmas Card Making TOMORROW from 1pm-3pm! Create beautiful cards to share with family and friends this Christmas season!! $5 donation requested to cover the cost of supplies. Feel free to bring an appetizer to share. 

Contact Roxie Wheeler for details or to sign-up! roxiejf@comcast.net or 719-641-3650.

You must register to attend so we have enough materials. Thank you!
 

FAMILY MOVIE NIGHT!

The Church and Society Team invites all parents and kids of the church and the surrounding communities to attend our Children's Movie Night - Friday, November 22nd, 6:00-8pm. We'll serve pizza for all at 6:00pm, followed by the movie Toy Story 4 at 6:30pm.  RSVP HERE.
 

UMM BREAKFAST PRESENTATION & SANCTUARY SETUP
On Saturday, December 7th Cynthia Latham from Latham Consulting Services will be on hand to present "In Harms Way."  Here is a summary of her presentation:  It's been one year since wildfire destroyed the community of Paradise, California.  Ninety percent of the buildings were destroyed, only six percent of the toxic debris has been removed, and there won't be any safe drinking water until 2022.  The Camp Fire is considered to be one of the deadliest and most destructive wildfires in California history.  There are important lessons to be learned because the parallels between Paradise and Evergreen and adjacent communities are too close to ignore.  We live in one of the highest wildfire risk areas in the country, and it is time to work together to get our communities prepared for wildfires.

Breakfast will be served at 8:00, and all members and friends of UMCE are invited to the 8:30 presentation.

Afterwards, please stay to help us prepare the sanctuary for the Christmas Dinner.
 

INTERFAITH THANKSGIVING SERVICE

Join us on November 24th at 5 p.m. for the community  Interfaith Thanksgiving Service  this year will be hosted by the Evergreen Church of the Latter Day Saints {Mormon}, Rt. 73 just past Marshdale.   Sandy Sandusky will be leading a combined church choir including our choir members. Stay tuned for what our part in the service will be. 
 
 

HANGING OF THE GREENS

On Sunday, December 1 after the 10:30 service, j oin us for the annual "Hanging of the Greens".  We need as many volunteers as possible as we decorate the Sanctuary and Fellowship Hall.  A light lunch will be provided.  All ages welcome!
 

LIGHTING OF THE ADVENT WREATH



We look forward to having a family, couple, or individual light our Advent Wreath during worship. A sign-up for those who would like to do this is in the narthex.
 

ANNUAL CHRISTMAS DINNER

Please mark your calendars for Saturday, December 7th when our sanctuary will be transformed into an elegant dinner setting. Enjoy a delicious sit-down dinner, be entertained by a group of talented performers, and have childcare for the entire evening (there's even a child-friendly pre-party that you can attend!)...all for $15 per person. You can check this week's bulletin insert for more details or contact the church office to RSVP through 11/24/19 so sign up today!
 

HOPE FOR THE HOLIDAYS
This holiday season, you can join the Church & Society Team in sending a message of hope to someone who is locked behind immigrant detention bars. Everyone who is detained in the GEO Aurora Immigrant Detention Center will receive a card and candy bar. This is a simple and powerful way to remind people they matter, they have not been forgotten, and we do care about them. 

We can send hope and love to immigrants who are separated from their families during this holiday season. 

We have been given guidelines from the detention center on what is and is not allowed for each card. To ensure your card is delivered, please follow these guidelines:

Approved Holiday Greetings 
Write only one or two of the following greetings  in English or Spanish in each card. The cards that will be given out are ones that contain ONLY these greetings. We cannot deliver cards with messages other than the approved greetings. 
All languages are welcomed!


Sign the card as follows:


  Important instructions:
  •  Do NOT sign the card with your name, organization name or church name
  •  Do NOT put cards in individual envelopes
  •  Do NOT use cards with glitter, stickers, tape or staples
Place all cards (no envelopes) into the box labeled "Hope for the Holidays" located in the Fellowship Hall by Sunday, December 1 st

Donations for the candy bars that are given with each card can be made by going to: www.casadepazcolorado.org/donate or send checks/cash to: Casa de Paz, PO Box 111351, Aurora, CO, 80042
 

EVERGREEN CHORALE CRISTMAS CONCERT
Season of Light is the theme of the Evergreen Chorale Christmas concert. Join your friends on Sunday, December 15 at 4:00 pm to hear this beautiful performance.  It will be held at Friedhoff Hall in the Green Center at Colorado School of Mines in Golden.  The group ticket prices are $20 for adults, $19 for seniors and $18 for students. You may sign up in the Fellowship Hall or contact Jo Ann Dunn at 303-503-5978. She would need the money by December 8. 
 

OF INTEREST FROM THE CHURCH + SOCIETY TEAM
We want to share with you an interesting and educational four-part sermon series by St Luke's United Methodist Church, Highland's Ranch on "Homosexuality and the Christian Faith". Click here for more details.

Also, there will be an LGBTQ+ panel discussion on Transgender + Gender Identity with State Representatives Brianna Titone and Christine Monk and other guest speakers on November 23 at the Evergreen High School Auditorium, 4-7pm.
 

CIRCUIT CHARGE CONFERENCE
On Sunday, Nov 24, 1-4 p.m, a ll are invited to the West Denver UMC Circuit Charge Conference at Applewood Valley UMC.  It is a time of connecting with our District Superintendent Paul Kottke, hear about "The Way Forward", connect with folk from the other five churches in our circuit & for each church to vote on some administrative items for the coming year.  
 

SOCIAL JUSTICE MINISTRY
Know a young adult ages 20-30 interested in social justice ministries?  Invite them to consider being a  UMC Global Mission Fellow .  Global Mission Fellows are young adults, ages 20-30, who are committed to work in social justice ministries for two years. They serve outside of their home communities, either in the United States or overseas. This graduate-level fellowship allows participants to address the root causes of oppression and alleviate human suffering alongside community organizations in a variety of issues including public health (including HIV/AIDS), migration/immigration, education and poverty.  Learn more online or to apply -- UMC Global Ministries: Global Mission Fellow.
 

FAMILY PROMISE - VOLUNTEERS NEEDED


Most of you probably are aware that one of our ministries is Family Promise, which supports families who are homeless. We assist about every 3 months at the Jefferson Avenue Methodist Church by providing a meal and an overnight host for the families that are staying there.

Our next weekend is November 22 and 23. The dinner hosts prepare the meal at home and bring it to the church and serve it to the guests. Usually there are 4-5 families numbering about 15, of which half are children ranging in age from infants to teenagers.

The overnight hosts come to the church later and stay at the church until the next morning. The families spend the day at the Family Promise headquarters. It is there that they have help with finding a home, maybe a job and day care.

If you feel you can be a part of this very effective ministry, please call Jo Ann Dunn at 303-674-1695 or 303-503-5978. Her email is joannandpem@aol.com.
 

THE WAY FORWARD FOCUS GROUPS FOR THE METRO/
MILE HIGH DISTRICT

We are setting up four Focus Groups for the Metro/Mile High District.  These Focus Groups are the result of one of the petitions that passed at Annual Conference.  This will be a time to gather information and to process how The Way Forward of the UMC is intersecting with the Mountain Sky Conference.  There has been a wide variety of information distributed, some accurate and some not.  This is your chance to get information directly. And to have input as to the direction that the Mountain Sky Conference should take.  We particularly encourage any and all laity to come to these sessions.  In addition to getting the most accurate information possible, there will be time for sharing and engagement with each other.
  • The second will be at Scott UMC [2880 Garfield St, Denver] on Thursday, November 21st from 5-6:45 pm.  Following this gathering, there will be a revival worship service at 7pm in the Sanctuary in which the Rev. Jasper Peters will be preaching on healing and healing prayer. Folks are invited to remain and worship together.
  • The third will be at St. Luke's UMC [8817 S. Broadway, Littleton] on Saturday, November 23rd from 10am - 12noon
  • The fourth will be at Lakewood UMC [1390 Brentwood St, Lakewood] on Tuesday, November 26th from 6-8pm
 

10TH ANNUAL TURKEY TROT
 

YOUTH AND CHILDREN'S EDUCATION 
AND ACTIVITIES

CHILDREN AND YOUTH SUNDAY SCHOOL
Action Pack Sunday
Preschool - 5th Grades 9:30 am
EverKids Sunday School Preschool - 5th Grades 10:30 am
Wednesday Children's Program
Preschool - 5th Grades 4:00 pm
SUNDAY YOUTH GROUP

Youth Group
6th-12th Grades Noon - 3:00 pm
 

ADULT OFFERINGS
WOMEN'S BIBLE STUDY
Wednesdays from 9:30 - 11:30 am
Location: Church Library (Rm 12)
Starting September 4th, we will be studying the book "Grounded: Finding God in the World" by Diana Butler Bass.  The author, a proponent of hopeful religion, shows us how to understand the sacred nature of the natural world and the unity with the spiritual world in the formation of human faith.  We will learn how to love this world more deeply and see God everywhere we look.  Contact Jeanne Ambrosier for more information: rjambro@estreet.com or 303-674-6377
 
THE MEN'S BAGELRY FELLOWSHIP GROUP
1st and 3rd Tuesdays at 6:30 am
Location: The Bagelry in Bergen Park
The Men's Bagelry Fellowship Group meets on the first and third Tuesdays of the month at the Bagelry in Bergen Park, across from King Soopers. Contact Bill Graf at (303) 246-8330 for more information.
 

LIBRARY ADULT STUDY CLASS (Rm 12)
Sundays from 9:30-10:20 am
November 17: Mean Street Ministry (UMCE Alternative Christmas)
Presenter: Chaplain James Fry
Mean Street Ministry was founded almost 20 years ago by a Texas cowboy named James Fry.  James was radically touched by the love of God and was given a desire to share that love with others.  God brought like-minded individuals alongside James with the same desire, and Mean Street Ministry was born.  Just as the Good Samaritan of Luke 10 cared for the traveler, broken and left to die on the mean street to Jericho, Mean Street Ministry strives to come alongside the broken, humble, sickly and lost, binding up spiritual wounds and feeding physical bodies, as they bow to the Lordship of Jesus Christ.   Come to Chaplain Fry's presentation and learn how MSM carries out it's abundant and lifesaving ministry in downtown Denver. Learn more about Mean Street Ministry here.

November 24: Urban Peak (UMCE Alternative Christmas)
Presenter: Fayre Ruszczyk
There are approximately 921 homeless youth between the ages of 13 to 24 on the streets in Denver on ANY given night! Thirty percent will be actively recruited for sexual exploitation and other forms of human trafficking.  Urban Peak is the only organization  that provides services to these youth. The goal is to help them overcome real life challenge and become self sufficient adults. Essential services like meals, clothing, housing, counseling and job training can make the difference between giving up on life and a life of dignity. Learn more about Urban Peak here.

An Advent Bible Study 
Facilitator: Carolyn Hohne
{Suggested donation for materials $15.}
Dec 1: Trusting with Hope -  Recognizing that hope requires trust.
Dec 8: Faith and Hope -  Hope can look foolish without faith.
Dec 15: Hope for New Things -  Opening ourselves to God's surprises.
Dec 22:  Hope Fulfilled -  Celebrating the divinely given hope that is "God with us".
 

ADVENT STUDY: THE NUTCRACKER
Advent Study led by Pastor Deb
The Nutcracker:  Looking the beloved Christmas
classic 
through the lens of faith
 
WHEN: Mondays beginning December 2 for 4 weeks
  • Noon- 1 p.m.   Brown Bag Lunch Study
  • OR 7 -8 p.m.   Evening Study
$10.00 for study guide collected at first session.  Minimum 6 people registered in the class time slot for it to be held.  Register in the narthex or by contacting the church office.  
  1. Clara: Waiting for Christmas
  2. Drosselmeir: A Godfather's Love
  3. The Mouse King: Changing Perspectives
  4. The Nutcracker: The Greatest Gift
 

MINISTRY JOTTINGS BY PASTOR DEB
 
 


 
 

Praise God From Whom All Blessings Flow


God's blessings flow like water, living -
Thus, we picture God's great giving,
Flowing to us, from above
In God's courts of heav'nly love.
Let us then, with joy increasing
Shower God with praise unceasing!
 
Like a babbling mountain stream;
So do many blessings seem -
Gifts that bubble up and dance
"Round our daily circumstance.
Gifts of popcorn, sunny times.
Smiles and hugs and silly rhymes,
Gifts of music, sport and art -
Giv'n to gladden soul and heart;
For these gifts, with joy increasing
Shower God with praise unceasing.
 
As a constant, mighty river
Does our God his grace deliver -
Gifts that flow in evidence
Of God's daily providence.
Gifts of daily bread and meat,
Clothes for bodies, shoes for feet,
Gifts of shelter and employment,
Giv'n for living and enjoyment;
For these bounties, poured unceasing.
Let us praise, with joy increasing
 
Like the rolling ocean's tide
Does our Lord his love provide--
God delivers heaven's stranger
Wrapped in swaddling clothes and manger.
Wrapped in flesh and blood and bone,
Wrapped in shroud and tomb and stone,
Bursting free, he reigns above
In the courts of heav'nly love
There, in endless joy increasing
Will our praise be heard unceasing
-- Peter Mead



Blessings,
Pastor Deb 
 

FINANCE UPDATES


Attendance & Stewardship Report
-------------------------------------------------
Sunday School & Nursery 11/10/2019
Worship Services 11/10 /20 19
------ -------------------------------------------
Needed Weekly
Received 11/10/2019
                                                Difference
-------------------------------------------------
                     2019 Budget
Needed Year to Date
Received Year to Date
Difference Year to Date
11/15/2019
-------------
24
63
--------------
$6,309
$ 3,592
($2,717)
--------------
$328,086
$277,596
$250,622
($26,974)







 
AROUND THE CHURCH -  NOVEMBER & DECEMBER

Saturday, November 16 1:00 pm Ladies Get Together
Friday, November 22 6:00 pm Family Movie Night
Sunday, November 25 4:00 pm Circuit Charge Conference
Sunday, November 25 5:00 pm Interfaith Thanksgiving Service
Sunday, December 1st 10:30 am World Aids Day
Sunday, December 1st 11:40 am Hanging of the Greens
Saturday, December 7th 8:00 am UMM Breakfast
Saturday, December 7th 7:00 pm Christmas Dinner
Sunday, December 15th 11:40 am Chili Lunch & Annual All Church Meeting
Tuesday, December 17th 6:30 am Men's Bagelry Group
Sunday, December 22nd 10:30 am Choir Christmas Pageant
Tuesday, December 24th 3:00 pm Children's Christmas Pageant
Tuesday, December 24th 5:00 pm Christmas Eve Service
Tuesday, December 24th 7:00 pm Christmas Eve Service
 

TEAM MEETINGS -  NOVEMBER & DECEMBER
 
Sunday, November 17 11:40 am Special Church Council
Tuesday, November 19 6:00 pm Church & Society
Wednesday, November 20 7:00 pm Finance
Thursday, November 21 6:00 pm Membership
Tuesday, December 3 6:00 pm Missions
Tuesday, December 3 7:00 pm Trustees
Thursday, December 12 7:00 pm Finance
Tuesday, December 17 6:00 pm Church & Society
 

CHURCH INFORMATION

CHURCH OFFICE HOURS
Monday - Thursday: 9:00 am - 1:15 pm
Friday: CLOSED
Please call the office at 303-674-4810, or email office@evergreenumc.org if you would like to add 
your event to the weekly Happenings.

LARGE PRINT HYMNALS, BIBLES AND BULLETINS  are available in the vestibule for Sunday services. Just ask one of the ushers to help you.

ASSISTIVE LISTENING DEVICES  are available for Sunday services. If you would like to try an Assistive Listening device this Sunday just ask one of the ushers or a sound booth technician.

AN OPEN INVITATION TO MEMBERSHIP  is extended to all persons. Please speak with the pastor about your interest in becoming part of this great Christian Fellowship.

RELOADABLE KING SOOPERS/SAFEWAY GROCERY CARDS  are on sale in Fellowship Hall on the  third Sunday of each month  following each worship service. 5% of all purchases made with these reloadable cards goes back to UMCE! You can also purchase these by contacting the church office.

REMEMBER TO USE AMAZON SMILE  when you shop at Amazon. Go to www.amazonsmile.com and designate The United Methodist Church of Evergreen as your charity of choice. Amazon will then donate 0.5% of the price of your eligible AmazonSmile purchases to UMCE.

EQUAL EXCHANGE FAIR TRADE COFFEE is served during our Sunday morning fellowship but you can also order it. Please contact the church office with requests or questions. Also, please drop some change in the coffee pot to help pay for Sunday morning fellowship coffee.
 
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.
 
                                                Visit us on the web:   www.evergreenumc.org