MIDWEEK MESSAGE
At The Table
At The Table is TODAY, Wednesday, October 9 from 5:30-7 p.m.
At The Table, we share a meal together, have wonderful conversations about life and faith, and do a mission project together. This is a great place to get connected! All are welcome!
To sign up to provide food, click here.
To RSVP, email Cody.
We Still Need Candy For Trunk or Treat
Let's help welcome families from all around our community to Parker UMC by donating Halloween candy for our annual Trunk or Treat! Please consider donating a bag (or more) of individually wrapped candy. Drop off your donations at the Children’s Tree House Station or the church office between now and October 20. For more information, email Noelle.
Trunks Needed!
Every year we get a lot of visitors at our Halloween Trunk or Treat event. Let’s make this year the biggest one yet! You can help by decorating your vehicle’s trunk. Then park your trunk on Sunday, October 20 from 2-3 p.m. and hand out candy (candy will be collected ahead of time and supplied to you to hand out). It is fun to see all the kids dressed up in their costumes! Sign up here or contact Noelle for more information
Youth Into The World
Attention Parents of young adults ages 18-24: We are collecting names and current addresses to send care packages to your young adults.
Please email Cody this information so that we can make sure your young adult is on our list!
Chili + Mac & Cheese Cook Off AND Pumpkin Carving
We're gathering to celebrate the season after services on Sunday, October 27 from 11:30 a.m. - 1:00 p.m. Bring your favorite chili or macaroni and cheese dish to share and enter the contest. Stay to carve/paint a pumpkin for your Halloween decoration.
Judges needed! Contact Noelle to be a judge.
Faith on Tap
Join us for Faith On Tap on Tuesday, October 15 from 6-7:30 p.m. at Fiction Beer Company.
Faith On Tap is a safe place to get connected, to share your story, to ask your questions, and to grow in your faith.
What are people saying about Faith On Tap? Hear one person's experience: "I would suggest Faith On Tap to anyone who wants to connect with others in a casual atmosphere. It was so great to talk about my questions about faith with others who are in the same place that I am."
All are welcome to come to Faith On Tap! Invite your friends and come join us!
Contact Noelle if you have any questions.
Men's Breakfast This Saturday
All men are welcome to the United Methodist Men's breakfast this Saturday, October 12, at 8 a.m. in room 137. This is a great gathering for hot breakfast, fellowship, devotion and a program.
Contact Jack Kear if you have any questions.
Check Out These New Small Groups
Check out these groups that started this week -- you can always join next week!
Cultivating Kindness Class with Pastor Laura: Join Pastor Laura to consider how to Do Unto Others: loving others as Jesus commands us to do. This Monday evening class started October 7, but you are welcome to join the other Mondays in October at 6 p.m. in room 138.
Faith Talk at Parker Panera Bread: Join each Wednesday, 10 - 11 a.m., starting today. This will be an hour for people to check in and engage in discussion with upcoming Sunday scripture lessons and topics in real-life terms. June Webster, Doug McKinney and others will facilitate. Contact Doug for more information.
Redemptive Compassion Class: This class started on October 6, but you are welcome to join this coming Sunday at 10:30 a.m. in room 138 for this 8-week study offering a biblical perspective on how the church is called to holistically help people in need.
Feed My Starving Children Update
Thank you all for supporting our Parker event by purchasing pizza coupons, t-shirts, spirit nights, and the Mile High Big Band concert. These are helping us get closer to our goal. However, we still need over $6,500 to ensure we have this year's event paid for, and more if we want to prepare for the next event.
Please continue your support with a new fundraising competition. It sill be kids vs adults on who can raise the most money. For the rest of October, whichever group raises the most money, team kids vs team adults, will get to silly-string Mrs. Noelle (team kids) or Pastor Cody (team adults). Let the best team win!
Each Sunday, stop by the FMSC table outside of the sanctuary to purchase pizza coupons, purchase t-shirts, make monetary donations, sign up to pack, or just learn more.
We need your support to reach our goal of 100,000 packed meals!
UMCOR and Hurricane Relief
Hurricane Helene, the strongest storm on record with a 400 mile path and 140 mph winds, has devastated our nation from Florida to North Carolina. Additionally, a new hurricane is threatening Florida this week.
At least 215 people have been killed by Helene in six states - Florida, Georgia, South Carolina, North Carolina, Tennessee and Virginia, hundreds more are missing, and the death toll is rising. Prolonged, widespread power outages have made homes uninhabitable. Roads are impassable. Supply chains are disrupted. Clean water, food, life-saving medications are not readily available.
The headlines have moved on to other parts of the globe. But with sustained, dramatic needs, how do we show love to our neighbors?
Boone UMC in North Carolina reports “The stories people are telling are heartbreaking. BUT! Our UMC church is responding by opening doors, firing up the kitchen, organizing teams of volunteers and more. Our church just received clean up buckets from UMCOR. This is faith in action.”
For those of us beyond the area, we can partner with UMCOR. The United Methodist Committee on Relief (UMCOR) provides relief, response and long-term recovery grants to communities affected by disasters. UMCOR works in partnership with annual conferences and local partners in the U.S. to provide training, relief supplies, case management, and support long-term rebuilding efforts.
Please consider a generous gift. 100% of donations to UMCOR are used for relief. (The UMC bears administrative costs.) UMCOR has provided tangible ways we can help to support those affected by Hurricane Helene:
PRAY, GIVE, PAUSE
Please PRAY for those affected by the recent hurricane and the first responders providing care, safety, and immediate needs.
You may GIVE here or donate to our church; indicate UMCOR on the check or online.
PAUSE: do not self-deploy to the area. Due to the nature and magnitude of this disaster, it will take months, maybe even years to recover. Just so you know, you will be needed. Just not yet. We will provide more updates as they become available.
Please join in putting our love in action with gifts to UMCOR.
Calling All Pickleball Players
A small friendly group meets every Wednesday and Friday mornings from 9:15 - 12:00 in the Fellowship Hall. Please join us. All you need is your pickleball paddle. Just stop in, or for information call Jacque at 505-453-9057.
AARP Smart Drive Course
This class will be offered Saturday, November 16, 8:45 a.m. - 1 p.m. in room 144.
This course covers defensive driving techniques and the normal changes in vision, hearing, and reaction time associated with aging. Participates will learn practical techniques and operating vehicles more safely in today's increasingly challenging driving environment.
One benefit: all auto insurance companies give a three-year discount for taking the class. Check with your insurance company for details.
Cost is $20 for AARP members and $25 for non-members. Checks should be made payable to AARP.
To register, contact Larry McLaughlin by email or call 303-741-1403.
Hospitality Nugget
Author Anne Williman tells her story as an outsider. After her new marriage, Anne was sure she would be happy anywhere with her husband. They moved to a little northwestern Ohio hometown. However, she felt unwelcomed. Being shy, she didn't say much. Neighbors walked by without a word. They seemed to stare as though she was some unwelcomed intruder.
A newcomer to a small community knows what it means to feel like an outsider. People did not speak to her if she didn't take the initiative, and even if they did it was cordial but not a feeling of really wanting to make a friend.
For reasons unrelated, she sought to make a call on her next-door neighbor, 93-year-old Mrs. Watson, who would look at her with piercing eyes from her window in disapproval. As she walked up to the house and rang the doorbell, she thought, "Maybe she's napping. I can creep away." Then a tiny figure appeared. "Why it’s you - Jon's wife. I was wondering when you'd call. Do step in. I'm so glad you finally came by. I know how hard it is to meet your neighbors sometimes. I had that problem when I first married. I've lived here some 60 years now.”
Soon Anne found outsiders like herself. All were happy to visit. One married woman confessed, "I thought you didn't like us. But I guess I can understand how you feel. I married someone from this town eight years ago and I'm still afraid people think me strange somehow." Anne prayed for a gift of outgoingness to help overcome her shyness. She also began a hospitality ministry to newcomers to the small town. She sees it as a ministry to those who need a friend.
Question: When have you been an outsider? How have they invited you to connect with others? How might you open your eyes to see newcomers in church this Sunday?
Faith Talk Questions
In preparation for Sunday worship, we will provide 3 questions to consider ahead of time. You can use these in your own devotion time, in conversation with family and friends, or in a small group setting. We hope this will help you engage with the scriptural texts and sermon at a deeper faith level.
For October 13 worship:
Sermon Title: Finding Common Ground
Scripture: Colossians 3:12-14, Jeremiah 29:1-7
Guiding Questions:
Colossians 3:12 invites us to "clothe ourselves" with a list of characteristics. Which of these is easier for you? difficult for you?
Colossians 3:13 reminds us to forgive each other as we have been forgiven. When has there been a time when either you struggled to forgive or someone struggled to forgive you? How was the relationship affected?
Colossians 3:14 emphasizes that we must wear love. How does seeing others through the eyes of God's love help us find common ground with others?
This Sunday's Service
Please join us this Sunday for our new sermon series: Do Unto Others: Campaign for Kindness. This Sunday's message is Finding Common Ground. The scripture readings for this Sunday are Colossians 3:12-14 and Jeremiah 29:1-7.
Regular Worship Services
9 a.m. Sunday: Blended service with traditional elements and a variety of music including hymns, handbells and choir.
10:30 a.m. Spark! Worship: This service includes contemporary praise music, and an informal style that offers a play area for children, opportunities for you to be involved in service, and the freedom to practice prayer and worship in exciting and personalized ways.
5:30 p.m. 2nd Wednesday of each month: At The Table. We gather around a meal, share conversation and stories of faith, and complete a small mission project.
Midweek Message Deadline
All requests to add an item to the Midweek should be emailed to Pastor Laura by 6 p.m. on Monday evening.