We illuminate our community with God’s grace as we lovingly accept, listen to, and serve all in the Spirit of Jesus.

SUNDAY SERVICES TAKE PLACE IN-PERSON & ONLINE AT 9:00 AM

Worship Service airs live on our Website , YouTube  and  Facebook at 9 am.

Go to the Worship Page on our Website to find more information about future services.

Sunday, October 13, 2024

Best Friends Forever - 1 Samuel 18:1-4; 1 Samuel 20:41-42

The friendship shared between David and Jonathan is enviable. They became very close, very fast. It is a friendship that lasted all their days. It was like God made them for each other and as a result they were bound together by a covenant. Join us this Sunday as we examine one of the most intimate friendships in the Bible.

This week's Bulletin can be found in the Document Center.  

SUBMIT YOUR ARTICLE OR EVENT INFORMATION

Submit information inclusion in Messenger and/or Bulletin Announcements by Wednesday at 12 Noon. Please use button ABOVE or click here for the COMMUNICATIONS submission form -- all requests for communicating an event should be made via this form, including getting items on the calendar and reserving rooms for your event. This form can also be found on the sign-ups page on our website. If you cannot use the submission form please email communications@genevaumc.org. Information sent to this email goes to Carolyn, Lorie and Kimberley, as does the submission form. 

Elevator Upgrade & Inclusive Worship Options

Exciting news: our church elevator is getting an important upgrade! However, it will continue to be out of service for the next 2-3 Sundays. During this time, we want to ensure that everyone can still fully participate in worship.

For those who cannot take the stairs, we invite you to join us for worship in the 1st floor library, where our caring Stephen Ministers will be your hosts. We’ll have Communion and Coffee Hour available, so you won’t miss out on the fellowship and sacred moments that make Sundays special.

If you need any assistance or have questions, please don’t hesitate to reach out—we're here to help!

HOPING FOR THE BEST, WE ARE SIGNING PEOPLE UP TO HELP WITH RUMMAGE SALE : CLICK HERE TO SIGN UP

Rummage Sale SET UP will be Monday, October 21 and many hands and strong backs will make light work of setting up tables and racks

DONATIONS may be dropped off Tuesday, October 22 thru Wednesday, October 23 from 9am-7pm    

BAKED GOODS may be dropped off in the church library on Thursday, October 24^th by Noon.  

A NOTE ABOUT DONATING:

• Donating season appropriate clothes are always appreciated by our shoppers.
• Please be selective and considerate when you are making your donations. Cleaning your items before bringing them over is a great help! 
• There have been some changes as to what we can accept:

We cannot accept any items that are broken, in need of repair or mending, badly stained or dirty.  Click here for a link to the Kane County Recycling Center for instructions on what they might be able to take off your hands! We gladly accept current best sellers and children’s books, but please NO encyclopedias, magazines, textbooks; and due to new laws and landfill rules, no car seats, older cribs, mattresses, computer equipment, monitors, TVs, printers.  We also cannot accept those lovely, big entertainment units, as we have an impossible time selling them.

LARGE ITEM PICK UPS FOR MEMBERS: If you have items that will not fit in your car, please contact Jenean Larsen 847-707-6598.

Sale Dates/Times:

Thursday, October 24 6-8pm, Friday, October 25, 9am-5pm, Saturday, October 26, 9am-12pm.

Clean up: Saturday, October 26, 12:30-2:30pm 

QUESTIONS?: Call Jenean Larsen 847-707-6598 or Bobbi Alderfer 630-272-9445

Carol Zars: Growing old?

I heard a comedian the other day talking about how we don’t get to practice getting old, it just happens.  I’m ambiguous about getting older. But having served on the 185th Anniversary Celebration committee, I have learned a new appreciation for age. Looking at the displays of our rich heritage, looking at pictures you shared with us, hearing your stories, your testimonies, your memories brought back a flood of memories, surprising me at every turn.

Friday night brought back to us former pastors, associate pastors, staff, and family members of those who have passed on. Such joy!! And then to hear them share with us their memories of their time spent at UMCG touched my heart at a new level and brought tears of joy and thanksgiving to my eyes. Yes, you may pass me the tissue box.

Saturday’s Block Party and open house brought members back I had not seen in a very long time, more memories and tears, but mostly laughter. Seeing the “Red Church” where I went to Sunday School, going through the exhibits, seeing our history through my husband’s eyes, watching the children play in the bounce house, getting my face painted (never too old for some things), watching the bubbles the children blew rise to the sky, showing a rainbow of light, talking with our neighbors . . . it was magical!!

Sunday morning’s sleepiness soon burst with Scott Stevenson’s beautifully arranged piece, written just for our 185th Anniversary Celebration . . . hearing our former pastors lead us in prayer . . . listening to Bishop Dan’s message . . . receiving Pastor Rob’s instructions on where to meet and where to stand (and not stand) for our “family picture,” . . . it was a morning that will live in my heart forever.

As I was leaving church, a friend said to me that I needed to go home and write about the history of today for the history books. I told him my entry consisted of, “I went to church, I got my picture taken by a drone, rooted for the Packers and took a nap.” Rollercoaster emotions are exhausting.

After the anniversary weekend and the weeks leading up to it, I feel that maybe, just maybe, I am leaving some footprints. That getting old doesn’t mean growing hair on my chin and losing it on my head, maybe it just means making more memories. And for that I am motivated and blessed.

Click below to access the entire showcase of videos created for our 185th Anniversary History Exhibits!

MEN’S EARLY BIRD FELLOWSHIP

NEW STUDY BEGINNING OCTOBER 24

THE SIN OF CERTAINTY: WHY GOD DESIRES OUR TRUST MORE THAN OUR “CORRECT” BELIEFS, BY PETER ENNS

. . . Why God Desires Our Trust More Than Our “Correct” Beliefs --now there is a statement worth discussing!!

Join the Early Bird Men’s Fellowship as they begin a new study by Peter Enns: “The Sin of Certainty”. This study will begin on October 24. The book is available through Amazon, Abe Books(used), Hoopla at Geneva Public Library, and others.

EBMF meets each Thursday at 7:00 am at the Colonial Café in St. Charles at Tyler and East Main Street (Rt. 64). After discussion, breakfast is ordered and they finish about 8:30. Please contact Jim McConnell for further information. Join them for fellowship, discussion, and food! 

ADULT SUNDAY SCHOOL TALKS ABOUT FRIENDSHIP SERMONS BEGINNING OCTOBER 27

Want to have more discussion about the Sunday sermon? Adult Sunday School class at 10:30 in the Parlor is the place to be!

Beginning Sunday, October 27, for several weeks, the class will share comments and questions from each Sunday’s sermon. The questions in the Sunday bulletin will get us started. Consider joining for good conversation and fellowship. If you have any questions, please contact Jim McConnell.

Griefshare.org is a  nondenominational, nonprofit ministry that has many grief support groups in our area, meeting in local churches. The Lowers and Tamlyns both have recommended it and our son is attending a

group up in WI for grief support.



There is a series of 13 weekly meetings plus a one session Surviving the Holidays offered. There are a couple of groups locally starting in October. Choose your location and time. There may be a cost of a participant guide, depending on the church that is hosting. --Linda McConnell

On Saturday, October 26^th from 2-3 the Geneva Public Library will be hosting an event about single use plastics. A representative from Lakeshore Recycling Systems will present information on the damage they do to our environment. There will also be a discussion led by the members of the Geneva Natural Committee of what we can do as individuals to reduce single use plastic waste. A link to register for this library event is below: 

We appreciate everyone who has helped so far this year -- we really need help to fill out the rest of the year yet -- can you sign up? Perhaps you can team up with another family and make it a joint effort? Click here. Please feel free to email Gwen Powell if you have questions, bgatpow@yahoo.com

Prairie Central eNews is here.

The NIC weekly eNews is here.

Download the NIC Reporter here.