November 1^st COMMUNION SUNDAY

Guideposts for Living with a Whole Heart: Practice Authenticity, Romans 12: 1-2

November 8^th

Guideposts for Living with a Whole Heart: Practice Resilience, Romans 8: 31-39

November 15^th

Guideposts for Living with a Whole Heart: Practice Trust, Romans 5: 1-5

November 22^nd

Guideposts for Living with a Whole Heart: Practice Gratitude, Romans 15: 7-13

November 29^th ADVENT 1

Home for the Holidays: Traditions, Isaiah 9: 2-7

Every year, United Methodist Churches are required by the Book of Discipline to hold a Charge Conference. This annual meeting is held to attend to specific business items of the church, such as approving leadership for the next year, approving clergy compensation, and honoring members who have passed away during the year. To learn more about Charge Conference, click here https://www.umc.org/en/content/book-of-discipline-246-ff-the-charge-conference

WPUMC’s 2020 Charge Conference will be Tuesday, November 10th at 6pm via zoom. If you are interested in attending, please email [email protected].

We will be offering ADVENT BOXES for individuals and families to enhance your at-home Advent experience with Sunday worship and beyond! Look for an online order form later this month.

To see our November Mission Focus on Habitat Video 1, click here: https://youtu.be/ptrnQ0ODWL8

Donating to our congregation’s Habitat fundraiser, which supports the building of a home in Denver’s Swansea neighborhood. We appreciate any amount you are able to give. Please mail you check payable to WPUMC with Habitat in the memo line. If you are able to donate $250 or more, please make your check payable to Habitat for Humanity to take advantage of the Enterprise Zone tax credit. 

Volunteering at our congregation’s Habitat work day on Sat., Nov. 21. Habitat is allowing small groups of volunteers at the Swansea work site, which is close to I-70 and Elizabeth Street. Multiple COVID protocols will be in place to ensure all volunteers and Habitat staff are safe. We have six reserved slots for people to work from 8:50 AM – 4:30 PM on that Saturday. All skill levels are welcome, and volunteers must be at least 16 years old. Click here to register. Habitat would like us to register as soon as possible, so please sign up soon!!

Praying for the Habitat partner families, staff and volunteers who continue to work hard during this pandemic to make dreams come true.

No matter how you choose to support Habitat – thank you! If you have any questions, please contact Carol Nelson at 303.810.4635 or at [email protected].

The last day for collecting donations for this mission will be Monday, November 16th.

Below is a list of items that are requested. There is a bin in the Narthex for drop-offs at the church; however, we do ask that you kindly avoid coming by the church during the high traffic Preschool drop-off and pick-up times (9:15-9:45 am and 2:15-2:45 pm) Monday - Friday. There will also be an opportunity on Saturday, November 7th where families can drive-thru at the church with your donations. Volunteers will be on site from 10 am-12 pm to accept your donations.

Requested Items (both travel and full-sized options)

Once again, WPUMC will participate in a toy drive benefiting the Denver Inner City Parish. From Sunday 11/15 to Sunday 12/6, we will have bins in the Narthex marked for drop offs. 

See a list of toy donation suggestions for this year's drive.

I couldn’t be more excited to start my position with our church! We have been attending services here since our son, Charlie, started preschool in the Chipmunk room in 2016. We have been given such a wonderful gift of having found a church family and transitioning from the congregation into the office seems like a perfect fit. I have had opportunities working in nonprofits and municipal sectors and find that being immersed in my community can be so joyful!

I’m married to Graham and we have two children, Charlie (6) and Greta (1). They bring us a lot of laughs and make our days full of love. We also buy coffee in bulk because they’re exhausting! Together, we enjoy skiing, camping, traveling, and spending time with our families and friends!

I look forward to serving our church and seeing many of you more often.

Katie Daugherty, Operations Manager [email protected]

Hello Everyone,

Well, it is certainly an interesting time. I feel like I haven’t been to WPUMC forever. It’s been difficult staying connected to all of our church friends and family. I just don’t get the connection right now, missing a weekly message, seeing friends at church, concentrating on something besides work and navigating the COVID environment, etc… I’m sure everyone misses those connections.

One connection we can still participate in is our long-lasting financial commitment to keep our church open, functional, and in good shape when we can resume our in-person worship. Since joining the finance committee last February, I never realized how much work and effort goes into keeping our church up and running. The church building is a business and we are in charge of keeping it in good working condition. With a building of its age, it needs constant upkeep and repairs. It needs financial and employment guidance. There is a tremendous amount of problem solving with the great professional resources of our congregation! If anything, it has inspired me to commit more financially to the church and put it in an even better financial position when we come back.

During this time of stewardship, I’m grateful for the people that we have in our congregation and the guidance that they give voluntarily to the well being of our church and its future! Covid will eventually pass, most of us will get back to some normalcy, and our church will come out strong with the help of our financial commitment.

Steve Moats, Finance Committee at WPUMC

A mission project we typically encourage our Sunday School kids to help with is the Thanksgiving Food Drive with our food donations going to Fish of East Denver food bank. This year we were asked to collect personal hygiene items for the Thanksgiving drive. A list of ideal donations can be found on the church website here. There will be an opportunity to drop off donations at Fish of East Denver on Saturday, November 7 from 10 am - 2 pm or drop off donation at WPUMC Monday - Friday during 9 am - 4 pm. Please be aware of the preschool drop off and pick up times to avoid unwanted confusion and traffic congestion. Those times are listed in the full article about Thanksgiving Donation Drive.

Also, please think ahead to December about Christmas In the Park backpack and suitcase collection. Final COVID plans are still in the works, but somehow or another we will distribute as many items as we can to our neighbors in need. Right now the thrift stores are abundant with items and that is a great place to start if you would like to purchase items to donate. We can also take monetary donations to purchase items on your behalf. Please reach out to me to coordinate a donation pick up.

There are many ways to connect online with Sunday School through the new weekly email, Park Kids Facebook page and the church website under the Education Tab. There will be a variety of resources that will include the Sunday School video, kids craft ideas, printable activity pages and sometimes supplemental videos pertaining to our week’s lesson. 

Sheri Salis, Director of Children’s Ministry, [email protected]

Hi Youth Group Families,

I am so looking forward to this month because for the first time in months we are going to try and gather for our regular youth group sessions IN PERSON! We will be meeting in a socially distanced format in Fellowship Hall, wearing masks and following basic safety procedures but no matter what the deal is, WE CAN’T WAIT!

Since I have surgery the last week of October, there won’t be any youth group meeting on November 1^st, but if I feel up to it, I’m hoping to have our first in person class on November 8^th! If we do end up meeting in person, I’ll be sending out a sign-up so we can plan for who will be in youth group each week and make the appropriate safety arrangements. We’ll be continuing our deep dive into what makes up our character by talking about how we speak to one another.

We also have an amazing Fall Fun Day planned from 1-5 pm on November 15^th, so please keep an eye out for more information as we approach the date!

If you have any questions, please email me at [email protected]

Thanks and Blessings,nRev. Jamielee