Last Call: Operation Christmas Child

LAST CALL: OPERATION CHRISTMAS CHILD

I’m taking a break from our normal devotional to highlight a very important ministry in our church. As many of you know, every Holiday season, our church partners up with an organization called Samaritans Purse for their Operation Christmas Child project. The goal of this international ministry is to gather shoeboxes filled with fun toys, school supplies, and hygiene items. These gifts are then delivered to children in need across the world-all as a way of expressing God’s love for them in tangible ways.

This Sunday, November 21st, is the deadline to bring in all items for OCC. Here’s how you can still contribute to this vital ministry, 

—You can take an OCC box from the back of the sanctuary, fill it with gifts, and bring it back to the church this Sunday. If you need an OCC box, please get in touch with Gretchen, and we can coordinate a way to pick up the box (flemingtonumc@yahoo.com). Click on this  link for details on what gifts you can purchase: https://www.samaritanspurse.org/operation-christmas-child/what-goes-in-my-shoebox-suggestions

—You can purchase individual gifts and leave them in the box at the back of the sanctuary this Sunday. We will be packing all of these gathered gifts into our OCC boxes after worship. Click on this link for details on what gifts you can purchase: https://www.samaritanspurse.org/operation-christmas-child/what-goes-in-my-shoebox-suggestions. 

—You can financially contribute to this ministry by making a check to the “Samaritan’s Purse” and putting “Operation Christmas Child” in the memo section. Our church will send those checks in with the gifts that we collect to Samaritan’s Purse.

If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to reach out to me personally @ pastorchrisstanley@gmail.com. 

Peace,
Pastor Chris 
 
 
 
 

Family Promise
Our Family Promise ministry is gearing up to collect and deliver food for a new family in the next week or so. We are looking for a volunteer to buy food and another volunteer to deliver food. Should you purchase the food, you will be given the names and needs of the individual/or family in advance. If you are interested in being part of this important outreach ministry, please connect with Walter Maze or John Newton. 
  
Redemption of Scrooge
Currently, our Adult Sunday School is going through an Advent book study on The Redemption of Scrooge. In this book, author Matthew Rawle explores what Scrooge’s story tells us about God’s redeeming love. This study meets on Sundays at 9:00 in the A-Wing conference room. If you are interested in being a part of this group or have questions about it, don’t hesitate to contact Bruce LaPenta at blapenta@embarqmail.com.
 
There’s also a Tuesday group that will be going through the same book starting November 30th. This group meets on Tuesdays at 1:00 pm in the A-Wing conference room. If you are interested in joining, please connect with Lynn Becker at lynnsnowbecker@gmail.com.
 
Youth Group Gathering
The next Youth Group gathering is this Sunday from 5:30–7:00 pm. The youth group will be gathering in the parsonage backyard to cook some s’mores. If you have a middle schooler or teenager who might be interested in joining youth group, you can connect with Pastor Chris or reach out to us at flemingtonumc@yahoo.com for more details.

New Group: Hunterdon Speak Easy
A new group will be meeting in our church called Hunterdon Speak Easy, a local chapter of Toastmasters International. They will be meeting in the church sanctuary on the 2nd & 4th Monday each month from 7:30–9:00 pm. Guests are welcome! The best way to understand Toastmasters International is to attend a club meeting as a guest and observe how they run the meetings. There is no fee nor registration for guests to visit – just let them know in advance by completing the Contact Us form, which can be found by clicking on this link: https://njspeakeasy.toastmastersclubs.org/

Whitehouse Wind Symphony Concert & Town Parade
On December 5th, at 3 pm, our church will be hosting a musical performance by the Whitehouse Wind Symphony in our sanctuary. This event is open to all and will be free of charge! That same evening our church will be handing out free hot chocolate to members of our broader community during the Main Street Holiday Parade.