This Sunday we have a 2-part Sunday School! All our Reveille youth and adult classes are meeting together at 10 am for a 4-week series of videos on Love, Joy, Peace and Hope. This week we're looking at Peace and after we've watched the video together each class will meet separately as a Youth Sunday School class, so this week (and for the following 2) you'll need 2 Zoom links, both listed below.

Zoom Link - Combined class (use this one first!) | Password: 124135

Zoom Link - Youth Class | Password: RUMCYouth

This Sunday, in a season like no other, we will be having a Christmas party that fits in with the season! We'll meet in the picnic shelter at 5 pm for an hour, all the details are below.

Sign up by Wednesday, December 2nd to participate in person. If you would prefer to Zoom in please contact Andy as soon as possible to make arrangements/test the system out.

The next Confirmation class will be on Sunday, December 13th at 5pm and will be via Zoom only on this link. Again, the password is RUMCYouth.

Yes, this year is different, but Christmas will be happening, and with it our youth group Christmas party, on December 6th, outside in the picnic shelter, complete with smores and a gift exchange. More on the smores below, but for the gift exchange, please bring a gift of between $5 and $10 to church no later than Wednesday December 2nd. If you can't get to church before then, let me know and I'll arrange to come and collect them from you on Monday/Tuesday/Wednesday that week. With Covid numbers increasing in our region, its important that we minimize risks of transmission so please do get gifts to me as soon as possible. If you are leaving them at church please make sure my name is on them. Thank you.

Smores - if you want to bring the fixings to make smores at the party you are welcome to but please don't share them with others, much as you might want to.

With all the headlines about a coming surge in Covid numbers associated with both Thanksgiving and Christmas, we have tentative plans for youth group in early January:

Sunday 3rd: Online games evening at 5 pm

Sunday 10th: Weather permitting, meet at 2 pm at James River park for a wander on some of the trails there. This event is open to families. (Rain check - we'll offer something online if it's horrible weather.)

Sunday 17th: Weather permitting, meet either at James River Park again at 2 pm or another location to be decided closer to the day. Open to families, similar rain check plan.

Sunday 24th: Scheduled as the return of our current in-person youth group/music activities.

Get friendly reminders for all our activities by signing up for our texts through Remind app by texting @rumc-youth to 81010. This is particularly helpful for last minute changes etc.

Please complete an online youth permission form for each youth (sixth to 12th grade) in your family. The form is required for participation in youth and music ministry activities. Complete form

This coming Sunday, the only remaining music ensemble recording to be done is the inter-generational strings piece "We Three Kings" that will recorded at 4:00 PM, barring any further restrictions or COVID-based setbacks. The attire for this performance is all black for everyone involved.

Handbell players and guitarists have now completed all of their recordings for our virtual Christmas Concert on December 13 and virtual Lessons & Carols service on Christmas Eve, so we look forward to seeing all of you back after the first of the year. We currently anticipate a January 24 return, but will be closely monitoring COVID numbers before officially announcing a return date.

I hope that all of you will plan to record yourself singing "Carol of the Bells" some time in the next two weeks! Please click here and record this for a virtual choir project. We think even in virtual format, hearing this piece on Christmas Eve will bring a lot of joy to our congregation, so we hope all of you will plan to record yourself singing it.