This Advent season we are preparing ourselves for the coming of Christ and facilitating the inbreaking of peace, hope, joy, and love into our world. 

December 4: “Products of Reconciliation: Hope”, Isaiah 11:1-10 & Matthew 3:1-12

December 11: “Products of Reconciliation: Joy”, Isaiah 35:1-10 & Matthew 11:2-11

December 18: The Christmas Pageant & Love! 

December 21: (Wednesday): “Products of Reconciliation: Love for One Another”, Ecclesiastes 3: 1-11 & Psalm 22 

December 24: (Saturday): “The Reconciliation: Christ”, Isaiah 9:2-7 & Luke 2:1-14

December 25: Lessons & Carols, come ready to read scripture and sing along! 

Men’s Breakfast 

Fellowship Hall | December 10th | 7:00 - 9:00 AM 

HUGS Sorting for our Orchards Community Delivery

Narthex | December 11th | Following Worship 

Join us to help gather together the right sizes and supplies for each of our school partners and our local non-profit partners that will be receiving our warm HUGS.

Longest Night Service 

Sanctuary | December 21st | 7:00 - 8:00 PM 

Also known as a Blue Christmas Service, allows us to celebrate the holiday season in a way that acknowledges the loss and grief that we experience during our holiday season. 

Christmas Eve Service

Sanctuary & Fellowship Hall | December 24th | 7:00 PM 

Christmas Day Worship 

Sanctuary & Fellowship Hall | December 25th | 10:00 AM 

New Year's Day Worship 

Sanctuary & Fellowship Hall | January 1st | 10:00 AM

Reconciling Ministry New Statement: Straw Poll Vote

January 22nd & 29th 

Details noted in the Social Justice section below

Reconciling Ministry Discussion 

Fellowship Hall | February 5th & 12th | Following Worship 

Reconciling Ministry New Statement: Final Vote 

February 19th & 26th

Details noted in the Social Justice section below

Ash Wednesday 

Sanctuary | February 22nd | 7:00 PM

Morning & Night Volunteers for the Winter Hospitality Overflow Shelter for a Week 

St. Andrews | March 19th- 23rd | Shifts, 6:30- 9:30 AM and 6-9:30 PM

Holy Week Worship Services

Sanctuary | April 3-8 | 7:00 PM

Every night from Monday to Saturday we will do a devotion preparing our hearts for Easter.

Easter Worship

April 9th | 10 AM

All-Church Retreat

Ocean Park UMC Camp | April 28th-30th 

Adult Christian Education 

Sunday Mornings | 9:00- 10:00 AM | Fellowship Hall

Come and join our group to explore the Bible, spirituality, and prayer with each other. It’s a drop-in group, so join whenever you would like! During the beginning of November, we're covering Brother Lawrence's “The Practice of the Presence of God.” Contact Pastor Jessie at [email protected]

Centering Prayer Life Group

Tuesday Evening | 6:30 - 8:00 PM | Zoom

On November 29th we started Season 1 of the podcast Learning How to See as discussion starters for our weekly gatherings. This podcast series is available from the Center for Action and Contemplation wherever you get your podcasts, or you can listen to them directly here: https://cac.org/podcast/learning-how-to-see/?season=lhts-one#season-details 

Here's the introduction to Season 1:

How do we transform and transcend our biases? From judgments made unconsciously to complacency in systemic evil, we must learn how to see if we are to learn how to transform. Center for Action and Contemplation faculty members Brian McLaren and Richard Rohr join Rev. Dr. Jacqui Lewis Ph.D. of New York’s Middle Church for this special six-episode podcast series Learning How to See. Listen as these three powerful public theologians discuss how seeing is social, political, and contemplative.

Here's a tentative schedule for our Tuesday group, subject to change for the holidays of course:

• November 29: Discuss Coming Soon: Learning How to See (3 minutes) & Episode 1, Why Can't We See? (37 minutes)
• December 6: Discuss Episode 2 Seeing Is A Social Act (39 minutes)
• December 13: Discuss Episode 3, Seeing is Political (38 minutes)
• December 20: Discuss Episode 4, What Authoritarian Leaders See  (37 minutes)
• December 27: Discuss Episode 5, What You Focus on Determines What You Miss  (32 minutes)
• January 3 Discuss Episode 6, Seeing, Doubt, Action, and Contemplation  (32 minutes)

We'll plan to listen to these on our own prior to the meeting, and then discuss them when we're together. However, these are just conversation starters. I think you'll find it easy to join in the conversation even if you don't have time to listen to the episode ahead of time.

Our Life Group meets Tuesday evenings from 6:30 - 9:00 via Zoom. Please feel free to join us. Contact Rod Allen at [email protected] for the Zoom link or if you have any questions.

Thursday Afternoon Life Group

1:00 PM- 3:00 PM | OUMC Fellowship Hall

During the season of advent, this group is reading and discussing the book Honest Advent By Scott Erickson. Join this group in discussion and checking in with one another! Contact Sharon McConnell with any questions [email protected]

“Honest Advent” Book Study Monday Nights

Pastor’s Home | November 28th, December 5th, 12th, and 20th | 6:30-7:30 pm 



We will be reading “Honest Advent” by Scott Erickson which gives daily reflections over the season of Advent leading up to Christmas. Join either group for discussion, reflection, and preparation for Advent.

Heart & Soul Crafters

January 19th | 6:00 PM- 8:00 PM | Fellowship Hall

Heart & Soul won't be meeting in December but will begin meeting again in January! Are you looking for a place to work on your current crafting project and great fellowship come join the Heart & Soul Crafters in January. If you have questions contact Sherry Hibbs at (360) 518-9988.

Habitat for Humanity Home Build

December 6th | 8:30 am - 3 pm | 15927 NE 32nd St Vancouver, WA 98684

The Evergreen Habitat for Humanity is looking for volunteers to help with a build in our neighborhood. Let’s do an OUMC work party ! 

HUGS Coat Drive

Hello church friends,

I have a coat drive every year for the needy families in our community. If you have any good used coats (youth or adult) that you are willing to donate to this project please bring them to church or contact me at: [email protected] or 360-607-2519.

Thanks in advance, Papa Jay (Jay Kitchin)

Winter Hospitality Overflow Shelter Volunteer Opportunities for December

TIME: We need 2-morning volunteers 6:30–9:30 am and two evening volunteers 6–10 pm Tuesday thru Sunday. We need four volunteers Monday morning and evening to help with laundry, gym set-up, and take down. Task lists for each shift are attached to the SignUpGenius. Volunteers must have a current [within 2 yrs] background check. Masks are optional for volunteers, staff, and guests.

MEALS: Each evening, we need two crock pot-size meals [15-20 servings]. Delivery is between 6 and 6:30 pm to St Andrew. There is a bell to the right of the front door to alert staff that you are there. You can pick up crockpots Monday thru Thursday 9 am - 1 pm or any evening after 6 pm. We expect to have 35-40 guests each evening.  

Guests also appreciate fresh fruit - nothing too crunchy, as dental care is not widely available. Also, microwavable breakfast sandwiches are a great treat. In general, anything extra is always greatly appreciated.

Thank you for your support of WHO. Click on the link to sign up for the volunteer opportunities: https://www.signupgenius.com/go/4090548aca922a2f94-december1

We've been working for the last five years on becoming reconciling and welcoming LGBTQIA+ people in our families and community, over this journey of becoming official we've hit some speed bumps. This means in 2023 we have the opportunity to re-examine and reaffirm our commitment to welcoming all people. 

We have edited our original statement that the church council created over 4 years ago to include language about the intersectionality of accessibility and race to become an official member of the Reconciling movement in the United Methodist Church. This means that our newest statement of reconciliation means that it will be longer but intentionally names groups of people who have been historically marginalized within our church communities. 

This newest statement has been approved by our Church Council, but now needs to be read and approved by the Orchards UMC community. We will be taking time to ask questions about the statement and what it means for us as a church. We will be taking time to listen to ideas and concerns about what this change could look like, sound like, and feel like for us as Orchards.

Finally, this gives us the opportunity to be curious and wonder about what our growing edges are as a community trying to care for and support one another. Resuming our reconciling journey will help us to understand our families, friends, and community better. 

Here are the dates around the next round of voting and education opportunities: 

• Jan. 1, 8, and 15: Mission Moments about becoming Reconciling
• Jan. 22 and 29: Straw Poll about adopting the new statement 
• Feb. 5 and 12: Questions, Concerns, and Discussion about the new reconciling statement 
• Feb. 19 and 26: Final Vote on the new reconciling statement

If you're interested in learning more about our finances, a click on the button lets up access the latest report for the month of October written by our treasurer, Sherry Hibbs.

January Sower Deadline

If you have an article for the January Sower please submit it by end of the day on January 22nd to [email protected]

Click here to find us online!