"Celebrating God's Presence, Serving All People"
United Church News August 9th, 2019
Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

The ancient Jewish rabbis who lived in and around the time of Jesus had a wise saying: "Never throw mud into a well from which you once drank." This saying certainly applies to our call to forgive others who have wronged us in the past. We gain nothing by throwing mud into their lives, and doing so prevents us from experiencing the future freedom God desires for us. On Sunday, I will continue my sermon series on the parables by focusing on the parable of the unmerciful servant and sharing a sermon on forgiveness entitled "Untying the Knot." United Church's children will receive a back to school backpack blessing on Sunday, and guest musician Natalie Marsali will be sharing some inspiring music with us. And don't forget to bring your underwear donation for "Undy Sunday," a ministry of the Collier County Catholic Church. See you Sunday!

In Christ,
Pastor Mark
This Sunday's Sermon Title and Scripture Reading
Worship Sunday at 10am
Sunday, August 11th
"Untying the Knot"

Scripture :
Matthew 18: 21-35

Reader : Priscilla Penn
Deacons : Ron and Judy Hattendorf
Ushers : Jean O'Neill and Linda Fox
Greeters: Alicia Purple and Mary Jane Irvine

Music:
Music this Sunday will be performed by our guest musicians, Natalie and Tatiana.
Children's Church
Susanne Golden's "Dare to Be a Daniel" curriculum continues this week with Daniel, Chapter 5. Children are learning the story of Daniel in the Old Testament and are being challenged to live faithfully amidst an often wayward world.

Lesson: The Mysterious Hand
Teacher: Marcy Marinelli
Blessing of the Backpacks - This Sunday, August 11th

Attention parents and grandparents:

Pastor Mark and Pastor Kathy will be hosting a back to school Blessing of the Backpacks ceremony during worship on Sunday, August 11th. Children are asked to bring their backpack to worship on the 11th, as the blessing will take place immediately prior to the children's message. Get the school year off with the right start with God! 
Peter Fabian
Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

This past week, Peter Fabian, United Church's Worship technology assistant resigned from his position. Peter and his family are moving from Marco Island.

I cannot say enough about Peter's assistance and perseverance in helping the Board of Church Life and Growth launch a successful initiative that enabled United Church's Sunday morning preaching and music to be seen online. Peter's knowledge of technological equipment and diligence in fine tuning our video efforts has enabled many of our parishioners all over the United States to connect with United Church from afar. This is a significant accomplishment for anyone, let alone a sophomore in high school! We all look forward to continuing to build on Peter's efforts. 

Peter asked that I share with the congregation a message of gratitude:

"I wanted to thank the entire congregation for the opportunity to work at United Church and to launch online video for the first time. Pastor Mark and the Deacons who sit in the back are such great people. It was a great experience. Thanks for everything." -Peter Fabian
Focused Prayer Summer Study
Pastor Kathy's "Focused Prayer" course finishes this Tuesday, August 13th in the Sanctuary.

This simple training technique allows us to bow our natural thoughts, to the super-natural power of God’s word where we can simply soak in our Heavenly Father’s divine love!

Each “Focused Prayer” session lasts 30 minutes. The text for this class will be a very familiar scripture, “The Lord’s Prayer”. We will be allowing Christ’s teaching of this prayer to his disciples to expand our hearts, minds and spirits.

The next Focused Prayer group will start on Tuesday, October 1st at 9:15am.
Bargain Basket Update
Last week, the Bargain Basket was featured in the Marco Eagle for it's Camp Able initiative. This week, the Bargain Basket made the news yet again--this time with a picture in the Coastal Breeze. Click on the link below to view:
Undy Sunday
August is "Back to School" month and school staff members and nurses continue to remind us of the surprising number of young students who lack decent, or sometimes any, underwear and socks.

This Sunday, please bring donations of new underwear and socks to service. There will be collection containers marked "Undy Sunday" within the Narthex. Thank you!
Summer Book Discussions
Join Pastor Mark Williams on Wednesday, August 21st at 10am in the Sunset Conference Room for a discussion on Kevin Roose's The Unlikely Disciple: A Sinner’s Semester.
In The Coming Week at UCMI

Tuesday, August 13th
  • 10 AM Focused Prayer Summer Study (Sanctuary)

Click on the link below to see what the next few months have to offer at UCMI!
Online Giving
To all those who would like to use our Online Giving Program, while up North for the summer or for the convenience, please click on the link below to see how you can do so.
Upcoming Birthdays
8/10- Susan Campbell
8/11- Kate Muenzler
8/13- Linda Fox
8/16- Pat Rainey
8/16- Soc Tseckares

We hope your special day is filled with fun surrounded by the ones you love most!
We're sorry we missed your birthday! If you do not see your birthday listed in the e-news please check with the church office to see if we have all of your info!