This Sunday's Communion Offering is for AfricAid. AfricAid supports girls’ education in Africa with the goal to provide young women the opportunity to transform their own lives and the futures of their communities.

Lord, help me wash away all my selfishness and vanity, so I may serve you with perfect humility through the week ahead.

Dear Lord, help me iron out all the wrinkles of prejudice I have collected through the years so that I may see the beauty in others.

O God, help me mend my ways so I will not set a bad example for others.

Lord, help me to dust out all the many faults I have been hiding in the secret corners of my heart.

O God, give me the grace to shop wisely so I may choose eternal values and wisdom for myself and all others in need of love. 

Help me, Lord, to brew a big kettle of brotherly and sisterly love and serve it with warm, sweet bread of human kindness.

O God, I have prepared my house for you. Please come into my heart so I may spend the day and the rest of my life in your presence.  ---Anonymous

With sadness and much love we send Glenn & Pat Stoll off with our blessing as they move to their new home. Glenn shared, "We’ve been contemplating moving for some time, and two weeks ago we purchased a house with an acreage between Elizabeth and Parker. Assuming that everything goes according to the plan, we’ll close and move in mid-September. . . . When things get back to “normal” we’ll come back for a personal goodbye." They have been so generous with their time and resources for our congregations. They have been our amazing hosts for the “Church at the Ranch”. Glenn has led our Men’s Group for several years, as well as being on Trustees. Pat has often contributed to special events and projects throughout the years. In addition, they are two people full of grace, kindness and the true light of Christ.

Our United Methodist denomination, as part of their "United Against Racism”, initiative is encouraging members to pray, educate themselves, have conversations around, and to actively work for civil and human rights.

Our Church and Society team has been leading us in this, and will be launching a weekly Zoom study "A Journey towards Racial Justice." on Thursday mornings from 10-11am beginning on September 17th.

The group will select weekly an online article, video or website to review and then discuss.  Members and visitors are encouraged to participate, and are free to drop in whenever your schedule allows. Please register with the church office or contact Carolyn Hohne to be included on the contact list. 

These are now in the narthex. If you would like one mailed to you, please reply to this email. Upper Room is also available online in digital format, if you prefer that, please reply to this email and request access.

We have been attending this church since my son started at The Great Escape when we moved here from Ohio in 1989. Scott participated in Sunday School, Youth Group, youth and adult mission trips. This greatly influenced and helped shape the kind and caring man that he is today. I have served in many capacities in the ministry of our church over the years from teaching to SPR, but what I have received from this congregation greatly outweighs anything I have contributed. My whole life centers around this wonderful group. You have helped with all of the major decisions of my life from cancer treatments, to purchasing a home, to knowing when to retire. My vacations have been all over the US with or to former members’ homes. Two members even went to Scott’s wedding in Nepal with me! I am missing the card and Mah Jongg in person groups with members and former members, but calls, Face Book, and Zoom Bible studies are getting me through this time of isolation.

I have seen people post that schools should get less money since the buildings are closed. Some may even feel that way about church. Right now schools are having much more work and are needing more resources to serve students effectively. I am sure it is the same with churches. I changed to online giving in April, and I am giving more than I pledged to help with these unexpected needs. And instead of bringing in items for ECHO, I found I can donate to them on-line also. It is truly a blessing to be part of the Evergreen United Methodist Church.

This is Debby Humphrey, and I hope you’re staying healthy this summer. I miss worshiping with you all in person but am being fulfilled spiritually by the programs and services that UMCE has created or maintained to carry us through these times. Especially meaningful to me are Pastor Deb’s recorded online worship services, Pastor Dean’s Daily Response to the Word and its prayer, and of course Friday’s Happenings. I particularly love the musical portion of each Sunday’s online worship service, and I look forward to Zoom Bible Study in September.

Like many of you, my normal UMCE committee and volunteer functions have been affected since March. In April, I missed not being able to design an Easter Garden with Barb Grindle, and time will tell if we’ll be able to have the poinsettia display or Annual Christmas Dinner in December. Recently I have joined the Finance Committee as an at-large member. I enjoyed working on the Peach Fundraiser in July. It’s inspiring to see how you, the membership of UMCE, have allowed our beloved church to maintain its existing programs and create new ones by keeping up with your financial gifts even though we may not be worshiping in person or attending events in the church facilities. If you’re able, please continue to send your pledges, so that UMCE’s capacity to wrap us in God’s strength and grace and love, via all its programs, outreach and fellowship, isn’t disrupted.

Love & Hugs until we see each other again,

The Barefoot Mile was a great success on August 29th! Because of COVID restrictions there was no food, no kids activities, no music, but approximately 175 people showed up at Marshdale Park simply to WALK in solidarity with victims of sex trafficking; they had chosen to fight back!

The JOY Team became a reality here at UMCE in the fall of 2018. Our church has provided continuous in kind support to JOY International; and now in 2020 TEAM UMCE is among the top 8 teams having raised over $1200! And a number of our members walked in support. Every dollar goes to JOY for the rescue and healing of enslaved young people and for the prevention of these heinous crimes.

A special shout out to the 15 member JOY Team (members at UMCE are Bill Graf, Dave Loomis, Carolyn Hohne and myself) for their undaunted fundraising. At a time when so many businesses and individuals are hurting we have raised over $30,000!!! On behalf of the young people who wait for rescue, we abundantly thank all those in our generous community who made this possible.

Jesus said, "When you have done it to the least of these, you have done it to me".  Matthew 25:40  THANK YOU FRIENDS OF JOY at UMCE!

Jan Thurling, for the JOY Team

Visit us on the web:  www.evergreenumc.org