Here at Burke UMC, we welcome all to experience Christ's life-changing love as we worship, learn, and share in caring community!

We believe that a holistic approach to discipleship includes engaging in all the core ministry areas of worship, learn, care, and share. This includes all ages, from the youngest to oldest members of our community. Be sure to scroll through this newsletter and read about upcoming opportunities to connect and engage in January.

As a reminder, the church office is closed this week to allow our staff time to rest after the busy Advent season! Our staff will be happy to return your emails/messages when they return to the office on January 3rd. If you have care needs, please reach out to one of our pastors.

Happy New Year! We are once again journeying into the unknown of another year, one filled with possibilities and excitement. In January and February, we are going to share a sermon series called “It Takes a Village” which is centered around the idea of community. We will talk about what ways God has created us for community, the gifts of community, the challenges of community and ultimately think about what ways we are fostering community in the church. I have many times had conversation with staff about the fact that, although the Burke area is a fairly wealthy area in terms of finances, there tends to be a poverty around relationships. Loneliness runs rampant. And often we “know” a lot of people, but do we have depth of relationship and community with those around us. Throughout the series, we will be encouraging you to fill out a skills and interests survey, hopefully helping us to connect people in the church in ways that may foster deeper and sustaining types of community. As we move into a new year and as we have traveled through a challenging few years where we have had to “be in community” very differently, let us make community a priority in our lives. Let us foster the types of relationships God desires and find those people who help us be all that God created us to be and who we can be the same for them. I’m thankful for this Burke family and the ways that we continue to be a source of hope and grace for each other! May you know God’s presence in this new year.

-Pastor Jason

Happy New Year! Here are upcoming opportunities to connect in worship at Burke UMC this month:

• January 1 - Worship, 9:30AM - Online only. Our message comes from Katie Glick. There will be no in-person worship service on January 1.
• January 8 - Epiphany and Baptism of the Lord. This is a time where we will reaffirm our Baptisms and celebrate Communion. For our online worshipers, Communion elements are available for pick-up the week of January 2 in the office during regular hours. 
• January 22 - Sermon series begins called "It Takes a Village" focused around building community!

Ongoing Worship Opportunities:

• Weekly Sunday Morning Worship: 9:30 am, In Person and Online on our website at burkeumc.org/online
• Children's Church: Children age 4 - 2nd grade, begin Worship in the Sanctuary with their families. They will be escorted to Children’s Church when directed. Contact Katie Glick with questions.
• Interested in volunteering for worship? Click HERE.
• Missed a worship service? Really loved a sermon and want to listen again? Check them out by clicking HERE.

Want to Talk to God?

On January 8th, during the 10:30 hour, we will be having a churchwide education event teaching the basics of prayer. It will be led by some of the prayer leaders of the church, and is a great opportunity to learn different ways of connecting with God. Have you been struggling to keep an active prayer life? Do you wonder if there are ways to pray that are different than what you know? This event is perfect for you! 

New classes will be starting on January 15th!

Keep an eye out in our Friday Five and on the website in the new year for opportunities to plug into Learn classes this winter.

BINGO Night:

We're playing Bingo on January 21 from 6-7:30 pm at the church! We are excited for a fun night of playing Bingo and meeting new friends in our church community. We hope to see you there! Snacks and prizes will be provided.

Attendance Care Team:

Did you know BUMC has an Attendance Care Team? It's an important ministry team because when you aren't here, we miss you! Many thanks to Karen Cochran for faithfully following up with those that are unable to attend worship services. Please help Karen out by registering your online or in person attendance each week. If you'd like to assist with this ministry, please contact Sally Ann Jaeger at 307-761-3141. 

Altar Flower Delivery:

Thank you to everyone who helped to deliver altar flowers to people in our community this year! We are in need of some more volunteers to help with this simple, yet vital ministry in the new year. The role of altar flower deliverers is to pick up the flower arrangements after worship and drive them to community members who are in need of some extra love or who have family celebrations (as directed by Pat, our coordinator). Contact Pat Warner at 703-646-5474 or warnerp@cox.net to get involved!

Christmas Parent Shop

Thank you to everyone who donated gifts for our Christmas Parent Shop! On December 17^th our co-op families were able to come and purchase gifts for their children. What a blessing it was to provide an opportunity for members of our community to come and pick out gifts for their children.

Free The Girls

In January we will begin collecting bras for Free the Girls. Gently used bras can be left in our donation bins in front of the church. Free the Girls is a non profit that works around the world with victims of human trafficking. You can learn more about their mission HERE.

Feeding Ministries

We are in need of volunteers for our various feeding ministries! Interested in joining a team that cooks monthly for organizations in our community? Be in touch with Katie Glick (katieglick@burkeumec.org).

Burke Gives Back Community Co-op

Our co-op continues to grow and to serve the community in meaningful and profound ways! In November we registered 68 new families and served 241 families total! We always welcome non-perishable food donations in our donation boxes in front of the church-we are currently especially in need of rice. You can also sign-up to volunteer with us by visiting the BUMC website and clicking on the Share tab.

Calling All College Students!

We continue to cheer you on as you make your way through your collegiate programs, wherever you are. Home for winter break and have some extra time? We'd love to have you serve in the co-op with us! Or maybe you prefer administrative tasks? Our staff can always use extra help in the office. You can sign up online or reach out in the church office and we'll be happy to get you plugged in!

Click below to see highlights of upcoming opportunities for kids and youth this January! Visit our website for a full list of opportunities.

Leadership Board:

Our leadership board continues meeting monthly. We are grateful for their wisdom and commitment. Their next meeting will be January 19th at 7 pm via Zoom. If you'd like to attend, you can register for the meeting by clicking HERE.

Treasurer's Report:

Thank you all for your stewardship this past year! Your commitment to the ministry of Burke UMC is apparent from your generous and consistent giving to our church. For those who are behind in their giving, there’s still time! If you aren’t sure the amount you pledged for 2022 or the amount you have given, you can find out by checking your account on Realm or by contacting the church’s financial secretary, Jim Silverthorn, at (703) 250-3058 or financialsecretary@burkeumc.org.

Jim has also asked that any tithes and contributions mailed or given the last week of December be annotated to indicate whether it is to be counted toward your 2022 or your 2023 gifts.

Church envelopes will be available soon. A pack of envelopes has been ordered for each family who gives regularly via envelope or loose plate. These will be placed on a table in the narthex. Unnumbered envelopes will also be available for those who want them. If so, Jim requests that you place your offering number on each envelope. A list of numbers will be on the table.

Stewardship Update:

Thank you to everyone who submitted estimates of giving for the 2023 year. We are excited for another year of ministry and mission together. You can go to burkeumc.org/stewardship for an update on how our campaign finished up and to complete your estimate of giving card if yo uhaven't already. As always, we are grateful for your generosity!