Happy Thanksgiving!

Join Us This Sunday | Gratitude Sunday

Reminder:

We need volunteers for Santa's Workshop! Click here to sign up! 

Read below for more information.

Save the Date!

Our annual all church conference will be via Zoom on Monday, December 12th, at 6PM. Please plan to join in as we celebrate our year in ministry together.

Student Care Packages

Each year our United Women of Fairth like to remember students in our church family who are pursuing post high school training and undergraduate degrees with a care package. These packages are sent out in late February. Parents: please submit your student’s name and address to Becky Vancura no later than January 10th. Contact Becky at: 720-771-7746 or becky.vancura@gmail.com.

Come join us for a joyous time to decorate our sanctuary for the Advent/Christmas season on Saturday Nov 26th at 10AM!

Please note the Heart of Longmont Office will be closed on the following dates:

• November 24
• November 25
• December 26
• January 2

Christmas Poinsettias

You are invited to help decorate the altar with poinsettias for Christmas.

You may donate a poinsettia in memory or in honor of a loved one or friend. Submit your request on a flyer which will accompany the bulletin each Sunday November 27, December 4, 11 and 18.

The flowers will be displayed for Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. You may pick up your poinsettia after either of those services. The cost will be $15.00 payable to the church noted for flowers. Please contact Ann Yoder (303 772-8294) or the church office for more information.

Wild Plum Christmas Basket Sign Up

If you signed up for a Wild Plum Christmas Basket, there is now a sheet on the table in the Gallery where you signed up and a basket with information about the families available to buy for. Your name is listed on the sheet with a space to write down the family or families you choose.

The baskets must be back by December 11th and marked with the number of the family they are for.

There are still many Wild Plum families to be adopted for our Christmas Basket event so sign up in the Gallery to help make someone's holiday a little brighter!

Got questions? Contact Lynn Greenhalge.

Response to Club Q Shooting in Colorado Springs from Out Boulder County

November 20, 2022

Friends,

I woke up this morning to the news that five members of our community had been murdered and 25 wounded at Club Q in Colorado Springs. I am heartbroken and angry. I know you are too. There is no way to undo the damage that hate does to our communities. Those lives mattered. They should still be with us today.

There is a steep cost to heated rhetoric that dehumanizes LGBTQ+ people and to being used as political pawns in attempts to win elections. Efforts to erase LGBTQ+ youth, particularly trans youth, teach people that LGBTQ+ people don't exist or shouldn't exist. Attacks on the LGBTQ+ community have real and sometimes lethal consequences.

I want to share [the below] on this terrible day for all of us.

With love,

Mardi Moore

Executive Director

Out Boulder County

Statement on the Shooting

Last night at Club Q in Colorado Springs, five members of the LGBTQ+ community were murdered, and 18 more were wounded. We do not yet know the identities or backgrounds of those that were murdered, but we do know that they leave behind friends, partners, and both chosen family and family of origin. Our hearts are broken for the lives that were lost, those they leave behind, and the entire LGBTQ+ community. 

While we are no stranger to violence; each time this happens, it sends devastating ripples throughout our entire community. We grieve together when one of our LGBTQ+ siblings is taken from us by violence. We fear for our own safety and the safety of those we know and love. We are angry when anyone is killed because of who we are or who we love, and we lament that political attacks on our community embolden hate and make us all less safe. We rage because this happens far too often, and the toll that hatred and violence takes on our community is far too high.

Out Boulder County remains committed to improving the lives of LGBTQ+ people while they are living, fighting like hell to keep them alive, and grieving for those we lose.

This Building Matters

The Heart of Longmont provides space for many groups to meet. One such group is the Longmont Knitters. They have been using the church for many years.

They meet in the parlor every Saturday with the exception of the first Saturday of the month when they meet in Room 104. They meet from 1:00PM to 4:00PM.

The group is a social group and they have members from across the US who participate via Zoom.

All knitters are welcome to attend.

What does Heart of Longmont

Mean To You?

On Gratitude Sunday (November 13) during service we shared these videos about what Heart of Longmont means to our congregation, groups who use our facilities, and groups in our community. Check them out below if you missed them!

A Balance of Ministry and Mission

with the Ongoing Business 

of Managing Church

Over the past year, Church Council has been studying and discussing a new governance structure for the Heart of Longmont. After many meetings, presentations, and much discernment, Church Council unanimously approved a proposal to implement a new Simplified, Accountable Structure (“SAS”) effective January 1, 2023. This proposal will be on the agenda for the December 12 Annual Church Conference. The purpose of the change is to ensure a balance of leadership and volunteerism between the day to day needs of managing "church" and the mission and ministry activities that underlie our mission. A copy of the Church Council Report and Recommendations (October 26, 2022) is available in the office. In addition, members of Church Council will be available after the church service on December 4 to answer any questions about the new structure…so, mark your calendars for that date and time.

Prison Ministry

Note pads, cards and calendars start appearing in the mail this time of year. Instead of tossing them into the recycle barrel, deposit them in the air lock cupboard labeled “prison ministry”.

One person’s trash becomes another person’s treasure.

Advent Bag Building

For the past two years, the church has provided an Advent Box for all members of our church. This year, we will be inviting the congregants to join us by putting Advent Bags together right after service in the Gallery on Nov. 20th. We are inviting each member to take one bag and deliver it to a neighbor, or friend or send to a family member. 

If you still have the advent candles from the last two years, consider taking ONLY the devotions and paper instructions for yourself and share the bag with someone else. We will have a "pizza box" full of Advent Activities for kids. Of course, we invite you to take one for your family and for a family that you think might enjoy it. Join us on Nov. 20th, and if you can not join us you can pick up your bag during the week or on Sunday Nov. 27th when Advent officially begins.

Volunteer to Help at Santa's Workshop!

It's not too early to start planning our Christmas activities. Please consider volunteering for this fun new event!

Santa's Workshop will allow children who have no means to give a gift to their beloved adult a way to do so. We will be inviting our congregation to donate either money that we will give to the children to use to purchase the gifts or personal items from your home that you believe they would enjoy giving to their loved ones. Tie’s, jewelry, and games are generally items the kids love to gift. Look through your homes and see what it is that you don’t use anymore, that would make a nice gift.

  

If you prefer a more ‘hands on’ approach to volunteering for this event you can consider being a 'personal shopper' that will guide the young shopper in picking out a special gift for their parent or siblings. Or you can help at the card station, the wrapping station, serving hot chocolate or helping with Santa. Please sign up via this Signup Genius link: https://www.signupgenius.com/go/20F044CADAB2CA1FF2-santas

If you have any questions, please contact Tricia Grafelman at tricia@heartoflongmont.org

Did you know…

That through Mountain Sky United Methodist Foundation, you as an individual can invest your savings in accounts similar to CDs and Money Markets where you will earn above-average interest rates.  The fund is called the Methodists Helping Methodists Fund. Your investments allow the Foundation to provide capital improvement loans to United Methodist Churches throughout the region. Investment options include, 

• Fixed-Rate Investments (one, two, three, four, and five-year) are available for amounts $1,000 and above. Interest is paid out quarterly or reinvested, depending on investor wishes.
• Variable-Rate Investments are available with a minimum investment of $500. Withdrawals can be made at any time upon written notice.

At September 22, 2022, rates for fixed-rate investments range from 1.21% for a 12-month term on deposits of $1,000 to $4,999 up to 2.84% for a 60-month term on deposits of $10,000 and over. Variable-rate accounts starting at $500 pay .50%.

For more information, including access to the full rate schedule, go to https://www.mountainskyumf.org/faith-based-investments-giving/.

Decorating for Advent - Come help us get ready for the Advent season November 26 at 10AM! Help decorate the church, listen to Christmas music and enjoy time together to get in the holiday spirit!

Rotary Coat Drive - October 16 - November 26. Please bring gently used winter coats or jackets. Look for a bin in the Gallery for donations.

Christmas Music Extravaganza - Join us Sunday morning on December 11 for a special worship service: our Christmas Music Extravaganza! The sanctuary will be flooded with music of the season: carols, hymns, and other Christmas standards.

Santa's Workshop - On Sunday December 11 from 2PM to 5PM, Santa's workshop will be at Heart of Longmont! Kids can find gifts for parents, siblings, and other loved ones, with the help of a personal shopper. There will be a card table and gift wrapping table as well as hot cocoa. And, of course, Santa will be there! This event is open to the public and free of charge. Limited slots are available, so please sign up to attend! (No drop-offs, please. Parents must wait on the premises for the child.)

Would you like to volunteer for this event? Click here!

Christmas Eve Services - We invite everyone, no matter who you are, to join us in person or online for Christmas Eve services. We will be hosting two services December 24. At 4:30PM there will be a family service. At 7:00PM will be our Candlelight service. We hope to see you there.

November's compassion offering supports Veterans Community Project Village - Longmont.

"VCP Village - Longmont is a crossover venture between Veterans Community Project, the City of Longmont, and HMS Development. Located on a 2-acre property, approximately 13 miles northeast of Boulder, the Village will feature 26 tiny houses and a 3,000-square foot Community Center. Each single residency home will be 240-square feet; the Village's five family homes are 340-square feet and can sleep up to 7.

VCP Village provides everything a Veteran needs to live with dignity and safety; trauma-informed design with new furniture, appliances, housewares, bedding, and utilities, free of charge. More importantly, VCP Village provides sanctuary and the emotional space needed for the Veteran and VCP’s Veteran Support Services team to thoroughly address the underlying causes of his or her homelessness."

Read more about the project by clicking here.

If you wish to donate to this month's compassion offering, you can do so online by clicking here and navigating to the Monthly Compassion Offering tile. Or, you may send a check to the church office with "Compassion Offering" on the memo line.

Heart of Longmont UWF have a Facebook page!

Click here to follow us at https://www.facebook.com/uwfoftheheart/

United Women in Faith Circles are beginning to meet again! Please come join a group and see what it's about,

we'd love to have you!

Lydia Circle

Catherine Murphy (chair)

Second Thursday of the month at 5pm in the church Gallery.

Sarah Circle

Ann Yoder (chair)

3rd Thursday of the month at 9:30am in various homes.

Contact the church office for location.

Esther Circle

Nancy Swope (chair)

3rd Tuesday of the month at 9:30am, various homes or church Gallery.

Call the church office for location.

Elizabeth Circle

Linda Morris (chair)

3rd Monday of the month at 1pm in the church Gallery.

OUR Center Holiday Wish List

With cooler weather and increased activity, we can certainly feel that the winter holidays will soon be upon us! Many of you are already reaching out to see how you can help - thank you!

See below for the items we can use for our Community Cafe and Community Market programs, as we see more families needing food and as we prepare for extra holiday provisions.

Our Mission:

Putting More of God's Love Into The World

Helping all persons find deeper meaning and God’s purpose for their lives as committed Christ-followers.

Serving as the Heart of Longmont means:

We will welcome all persons, without reservation or judgment,

just as Jesus Christ would do.

We will work tirelessly by entering into intentional acts of compassion and social justice to make our community a place where God’s love is known by all, where poverty and deprivation are unknown by any, and where respect for the worth and dignity of each person is the norm.

We will respect and honor other religious traditions

while choosing Christ as our way of knowing God best.

We will emphasize life-long learning so that we may

engage our world from a dynamic and creative perspective.

We will work to protect God’s creation.

We will practice stewardship of all aspects of our lives,

including time, talent, financial resources, and spiritual gifts.

The office at Heart of Longmont is open

Monday through Thursday 10:00am to 3:00pm.