Monthly News from Washington Park United Methodist Church |
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During these past few cooler days, I have been thinking about how excited I am for the summer to come. I’m not a heat lover, like Rev. Sandi, so summer has never been my favorite season. However, summer in our house is birthday season, and no month has more than the month of July. Every single week we have a birthday to celebrate, and July feels like one long party. Not to mention all the adventures that await us now that things are hesitantly reopening. For many of us, we are over the moon to get out into the world again. For others, the adjustment back to social situations will need to be slower and more intentional.
Wherever you are and however you feel, this summer holds an opportunity for all of us. We have the chance to choose what adventures we want in our lives, what we want to be reopened in our own lives. Of course, the past year has given us a lot to mourn and struggle with, but we have the chance to use what we’ve learned to create a life that allows us more time for what we need. I pray that this month, you embrace whatever adventures YOU need to go on—be they socializing out in the world or reinvesting in time alone.
Wherever you go, we want to be connected with you along the way. Be sure to keep your church family up to date with pictures from your adventures at home and abroad by emailing them to Rev. Sandi at [email protected]. We look forward to supporting a local non-profit of your choosing if you fill up the Adventure Bingo Card! I pray your summer is filled with the adventures you need and that you are surrounded by love wherever they take you,
Rev. Jamielee
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Services can be viewed live at 9:30am on Facebook AND YouTube, or afterwards with the links found on the website and weekly emails.
Live the Adventure: Becoming a Leader
2 Samuel 5: 1-5, 9-10
Live the Adventure: Establishing a Legacy
2 Samuel 7: 4-14a
Join us after worship for a Courtyard Hymn Sing!
Live the Adventure: Being Broken
2 Samuel 11: 2-15
Live the Adventure: Overcoming Betrayal
2 Samuel 18: 5-9, 15, 31-33
Join us after worship for cupcakes to celebrate Rev. Jamielee’s Birthday!
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JOIN US FOR HYBRID WORSHIP!
·We will no longer require sign-ups for worship
All are welcome! We have enough space for our summer crowd to still gather inside and practice physical distance from others.
·We still want people to mask inside, even if vaccinated
Our reason is simply because not all of our worship participants (including children – a big part of our community!) aren’t vaccinated yet. We want to protect all participants, and provide a place of welcome and hospitality.
·As long as you’re masked indoors, you are welcome to SING!
One big loss during this COVID season has been the caution against signing, as it is a high-risk activity. However, the newest CDC information and guidelines from our Mountain Sky Conference are that as long as you’re vaccinated and masked, the risk goes down significantly. We look forward to hearing your voices!
Additionally, when the weather is nice, we will encourage BYOC (Bring Your Own Coffee) Fellowship time after worship in the courtyard!
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It feels like we are turning the corner – COVID 19 cases down, shots up, summer has arrived, and the church is opening up! Although we are officially not out of the woods, it sure does feel good to fall back into many of the things we did pre-pandemic, especially like going to church. Many of you have taken Rev. Sandi up on her offer to come back to church and participate ‘live and in person’ while others have continued to stay engaged virtually. WPUMC plans to continue both offerings to its congregation as we all must assess our own comfort level with groups as this transition occurs. That said, we continue to adhere to social distancing and deep sanitization at the church. Our church staff has gone above and beyond juggling in-person and on-line services which hasn’t been easy, but a congregation like ours is worth fighting for.
Financially, the church has continued to stay on budget year-to-date through May 2021. We were fortunate to receive another round of PPP funding to help support the church and preschool during these uncertain times. Additionally, the preschool has been in session throughout the spring and into the summer, except for a few short-term closures, which has provided cashflow stability. Lastly, our congregation should be proud of its stewardship results YTD as we are slightly ahead of budget. We would like to thank everyone who has contributed to the church this year and we look forward to exceeding our stewardship goal in 2021 with your participation.
Day-by-day, week-by-week, we feel real progress being made within our church community. This past year has tested all our resiliency, but the tangible and intangible results show our congregation’s commitment to the church and its staff. I wanted to thank you for your patience, persistence, and gratitude throughout these times and I look forward to seeing you in church!
Best regards,
Mark Warren
Finance Chairman
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Vacation Bible School Summer 2021
Happy July! We are excited to be just one month away from Vacation Bible School: Knights of the North Castle. We are in need of volunteers for group leaders, activity leaders, and a decoration team. If you are intereted in helping all wee or just a day or two, we would love to have you!
Knights of the North Castle
August 2nd-6th
M-Th 9:00-11:30, F 9:00-12:15
Age 3(potty trained) through completed 6th
Registration is on the church website, washparkumc.org. Cost is $40 per child with sibling discounts of $5 less per child. Please consider having your child(ren) spend some time with us this summer.
Changes for Sunday School are coming up. With the shift in church services to in person without sign up requirements, we are having in person Sunday School only. No longer will we be having video Sunday School but please check out the church website under the “education” tab or the Park Kids Facebook page for resources, highlights and information. We are looking forward to starting back up with 3 age groups in September, but for now we will be having it run as one group. In September, we will return to our 3 different age groups. Please reach out if you have any questions by email, [email protected].
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Over the summer, we will have two after church God Squad Planning meetings on July 11th and August 15th from 11 am – 12:30 pm. In these sessions, I will be offering students the opportunity to help guide the planning process of our God Squad year. From our mission projects to our lock-in themes, our students will be able to guide the major events in our year!
I am so looking forward to the opportunity to grow our ministry together.
If you have any questions or are interested in joining the Wash Park UMC God Squad, please email Rev. Jamielee at [email protected].
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#adventureswithjesus BINGO!
Join us in connecting with one another over the summer by submitting your photos of you/your family with inflatable Jesus. To send your pictures or request an inflatable Jesus, email Rev. Sandi at [email protected]
This year, we're adding a BINGO card into the mix -- with prizes! Additionally, we are taking up a collection for the grand prize . . to be awarded to the local non-profit or mission of the winner's choosing. Help us "fill the bucket" with your spare change - you can send in donations to the church as well.
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Hymn Sing Changed to July 11th
We have rescheduled the Courtyard hymn sing to July 11th due to the holiday weekend. We hope you can join us after service to sing hymns led by
our choir director, Steve Bondy, and accompanied by Sonya Clark on piano.
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PALISADE PEACH FUNDRAISER |
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Once again, we will be collaborating with Noland Orchards to provide delicious Palisade Peaches for our fundraiser. Twenty pound boxes will be sold for $37 and contain about 38-40 peaches. Print this order form or click the button below to place your order online by Friday, August 6th. Peaches will be available for pick up on
Sunday, August 22nd from 11 am.-1 pm.
*We are looking for volunteers to help unload the peaches on Aug 21st and distribute them on Aug 22. Contact the church office if you'd like to help!
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Studio/Office/Classroom Space for Rent
Do you or someone you know need a studio space? Our 1133 sq. ft. classroom is perfect for music, dance, or a spacious office. Included in rent is high speed internet, on site maintenance, ample parking, and a location that can't be beat! Contact the church office to learn more. Special rental rates will be offered to church members.
Available June 1st!
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July 4 Jeff Gerard
July 7 Kevin Eronimous
July 7 Ron Hoskins
July 8 Bryce Dickson
July 11 Jackson Gerard
July 12 Anna Haemer
July 14 Clara Haemer
July 19 Jordan Zitterkopf
July 24 Carol Hammond
July 30 Jamielee Demske
July 30 Keaton Miller
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