Join our BOO CREW TEAM! Next Tuesday is Halloween



This team will greet Trick or Treaters

at MUMC and pass out treats. You can sign up for the Boo Crew '23 on the easels at the back of the sanctuary or the website/app.

Donations of candy and non-candy treats can be brought to the church! Please meet at the church by 6pm on Tuesday, October 31st. Please contact the church office email

brittany.l@maplewoodumc.org with any questions.

All Saints Day is Sunday, November 5th



The names of Maplewood UMC members and loved ones who have died since the last All Saints Day will be read during Holy Communion as a way of honoring their lives and celebrating that our communion with them continues in Christ Jesus. If you would like to have the name of a loved one read during Holy Communion, please share the name of the person, your name, and their relationship to you with Pastor Kim via email to pastorkim@maplewoodumc.org or text to 314-651-9999.  

Visit: https://youtube.com/watch?v=Rnn2oS_YrJI&si=jYv4VDiWDVa03OKd for a short 1 minute video about the meaning of All Saints Day.

The Weekend on Wheels pantry needs help

It is operating for the most part on a week by week basis right now. Let’s help the fill the WOW pantry with non-perishable food items to provide a hearty box of food for thirty-three families each week along with some food in reserve for the weeks to come. Donations of food brought to the church and placed in the WOW basket will be delivered to the school. For a complete list of foods for WOW boxes click on this link: https://www.mrhschools.net/domain/35

Here are the foods on the recent most needed list for filling the boxes and the shelves:

• boxes of cereal
• cans of hearty soup
• cans of green beans
• jars of peanut butter
• cans of pasta sauce
• packages of pasta noodles
• cans of corn
• cans of chicken noodle soup
• cans of fruit

This Sunday, October 23rd, the Trustees will begin the distribution of new church entrance keys to those members who need to access the church during hours when the office may not be staffed or available. The Trustees are responsible for church security and thus external key distributions are approved and issued by Trustees only.  

You will need to sign a form stating that you are agreeing to receive a key giving you access to Maplewood UMC and accepting responsibility for keeping this key secure and reporting the loss of the key..

These keys are more secure than standard residential keys and can only be duplicated by licensed locksmiths who have access to the blank keys. Each key costs the church $10 and if lost, that will be the charge to get a replacement. Your initial key will be given to you at no-charge but you can help defray the cost thru a donation during Sunday collections.



Once a good majority of the current entrance key holders have been issued a replacement, New locks will be installed in the 4 outside entrance doors (Sutton, Flora accessible, Ed Bldg Flora entrance and Ed Bldg alley exit). There are two types of keys -

A Master key will open all 4 doors. Most members requiring access after hours will receive this type.

A Sub-master key will open only the Sutton entrance. This key is intended for non-members and contractors who we want passing by the church office. It also makes it cheaper and easier to rekey only the one door if the key is lost or not returned.

Dave Vierse will be available after church for several Sundays to issue new keys to those who currently have a key and will continue to need access in the future.

Dave is frequently available Thursday morning during the Shop hours if you can’t make it on Sundays. To check if Dave is going to be there on a Thursday, please text him at 314-791-6687 before coming (unless you want to check for a good deal or donate to the Shop)

If you would like to fill out the form for your key a head of time, CLICK HERE

and print the form off.

Consecration Sunday Is Coming!

Consecration Sunday is based on the need of the giver to give for his or her own spiritual development, rather than on the need of the church to receive. Consecration Sunday encourages people toward proportionate and systematic giving in response to the question, “What percentage of my income is God calling me to give?”

During morning worship on Consecration Sunday, November 19th, we will make our financial commitment and celebrate with a catered meal. Every attendee and member who completes an Estimate of Giving Card does so voluntarily on Consecration Sunday. During morning worship our guest leader will conduct a brief period of instruction and inspiration, climaxed by members making their commitments as a confidential act of worship.

We will make every effort to inform and inspire everyone to attend Consecration Sunday worship and the celebratory luncheon. Thanks in advance for your enthusiastic participation in Consecration Sunday events.

Steve Wall-Smith

Administrative Council Chairperson

Dear Friends,

Last week the Community Unity Dinner, “Spooky Pasta Supper” welcomed about sixty people from the community and the congregation. It was a fun event. The children especially had a great time. They came in costume and enjoyed pumpkin painting, mask making, face painting, and a personal polaroid picture to take home for after the paint wore off. The desserts were amazing: Halloween-themed iced cookies and cupcakes with orange icing or chocolate icing with candy corn and a fudge cake crock pot dish that vanished nearly instantly. And yes, there was a pasta meal with a variety of options for sauces. We enjoyed a great evening!

There was one thing, though, that didn’t turn out the way the flyer said it would. The party wasn’t spooky at all. Nothing creepy happened. As you would instinctively know, nothing creepy was planned.

This Sunday though, we will read a story from the Bible about something very creepy that did happen at a party. 

The story is the origin of the saying about “seeing the writing on the wall.” (And for the fans of the movie, “A Knight’s Tale”, this same Bible story is the source for the lines spoken over Count Adhemar, as he lay flat on his back after William Thatcher defeated him soundly in a jousting match. “You have been weighed.” “You have been measured” “And you absolutely…have been found wanting.”)

This all comes from one Bible story that tells of a really creepy happening AND how God makes a way even in the middle of trouble.

You may never experience such a creepy thing as a mysterious hand appearing out of nowhere to write on a wall. But we will probably all have times when we face troubles that test us and test our faith. I hope you will come Sunday to join in worshiping the God who makes a way, even through troubled times.

God’s grace and peace be with you,

Pastor Kim

(Photo by Randy Tarampi on Unsplash)

Last Call for Halloween Jokes! 

Please send us your best Trick or Treat jokes by tonight so we can share them with the congregation. Email the joke OR send a video of yourself telling the joke to pastorkim@maplewoodumc.org.