The Ministerial Association will hold and Ecumenical Thanksgiving worship service on Sunday, November 18th at 6:00 p.m. at the Hope Wesleyan Church. This service is truly ecumenical in nature. All Churches are invited to come together in Gratitude and Worship. An offering will be taken that will go to the local “One Another” program to meet local needs.

Sunday, November 18th has been designated as Consecration Sunday. At our 9:00 a.m. Sunday Worship service we will be asking our church members to consecrate their giving and their lives to God. It will be a time of Celebration! We will joyfully acknowledge the privilege that God has given to us to share with Him out of our resources.

Following the worship service we will have a catered brunch by the church as a “thank you” to our church members for their love and faithfulness this past year and for the consecrating of their gifts for 2007.

Reservation cards will be distributed for the brunch at the worship services on October 28th & November 4th. Come and enjoy a great month of worship and prepare for Consecration Sunday.

YOU are invited to attend a celebration: Sunday, November 11 at 6-7 p.m. 1st United Methodist Church

Our purpose is to honor the veterans and their families.

“Folding of the Flag” ceremony – do you know how many folds are protocol when folding our USA flag? Sharing of military memories and uniforms (either bring or wear, whichever works). We will have a “sing-along” of patriotic songs led by Dennis Bailey. How does preparation, training and service in the military compare with walking out our Christian faith? We will have light refreshments and fellowship. We invite you to bring friends and families of military who have served or are currently in our military. We want to encourage them and give them our support. We will let them know how much we appreciate their efforts.

The District Superintendent, Ann Lippincott, will meet with our church in a “Cluster Conference” to go over charge conference materials and to share other important thoughts as a group. The Cluster Conference will be held on Sunday, November 4th at our church at 6:00 p.m. At this time our Administrative Council, our Pastor, and other staff will meet with our D.S. to look at our strengths, our goals for the coming year, and our focus as a local church.

11-04-07 “The Fruit of the Spirit-Gentleness” Colossians 3:12-14 Gentleness – Yieldingness to others; sweetness of temper; the result of joy in the Lord. These words of one commentator help us to see what this specific fruit of the Spirit is. Gentleness is a definite character trait of the believers that we will commemorate on this All Saints Sunday.

11-11-07 “The Fruit of the Spirit - Self-control” 2 Timothy 3:1-5 This sermon will end the series on the “fruits of the Spirit”. Last but not least is the characteristic of self-control. This aspect of the Christian believers life is over and against a life that is lived with no boundaries. Boundaries on how we speak; how we act; how we live our lives are very much needed in the believer’s life.

11-18-07 “The Attitude of a Giver” Malachi 3:7-12 In Malachi God is very specific about the need of a believer to tithe (10%) in their giving. He feels that when we hold back in our giving it is a problem of faith in God’s provision rather than a lack of our ability. God calls us to bring the whole tithe and then in faith to trust His provision. He calls us to trust Him in this.

11-25-07 Rev. Bailey will be out of town. Mary Ellen Earles will bring the message.

If you are doing the penny a day, please bring your pennies to the Unit meeting on Thursday, November 1st. We will meet in the Wesley room at 12:30. Hope to see you there!

Death of a Garage Sale Newbie By Sharon Dunn

“Since when do three women, bonded together by the need to clip coupons and be first in line at door buster sales, solve crimes? Since the fourth member of the Bargain Hunters Network was found dead. When they suspect Mary Margret’s murder was prompted by something she purchased at a garage sale the morning of her death, the three amateur sleuths begin to investigate. Suzanne is a mother of three with another on the way. Kindra is a college student with a taste for designer clothes but not the budget. And Ginger is an active baby boomer whose world is filled with scouting the clearance racks, church activities, and helping her retired husband, Earl, test his inventions. Their discoveries take them back twenty years to a dark and buried secretone perhaps better left there.”

If you would like to read this book with us, please call the office for a copy and come join us on Thursday, November 15th at 4:30 p.m. in Wesley room as we discuss this book.

We will be decorating our sanctuary with poinsettias for Christmas. Poinsettias may be purchased in memory or in honor of a loved one for $12.50 from the church office. Please call the office at 334-3689 with your order. Thanks.

The family of Lois Smith wishes to thank everyone for their kindness and concerns during and after Mother’s passing. She cared a lot about this church and her church family. Thank you for the memorials in memory of mom. They were divided between her church and the cemetery in Brandon. God Bless you all.

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Thank you to everyone for your cards, thoughts and prayers during Dean’s hospitalization and since returning home. A special thank you to Pastor Bailey for the time spent with our family in the hospital. We greatly appreciate everything! --Dean, Amy and Abby McGraw

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Thank you for the lovely cards for my 90th Birthday. --Marjorie Simpson

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Thank you to Rev. Bailey, family, & friends for the prayers, cards, and food while recovering from my surgery. All were greatly appreciated. --Linda Bell

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Thanks so much to all our church family for their love and support during the death of our husband, dad, grandpa. Your thoughts, prayers, and memorial gifts mean so much to us. --Dorothy Stamper, Phyllis & Lloyd Davis & Family, Bill & Linda Stamper & Family

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I want to thank our congregation for the prayers and support given to my family in the loss of my grandmother, Martelle Ingram, this last month. Your cards of sympathy and your prayers were greatly appreciated. Money given will go toward the radio ministry of our church. Also a big thank you to all who gave support through words, prayers, and tokens of love for pastor’s appreciation month. I am so thankful to be a part of a church family that cares. --Pastor Bailey

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Dear First Church Family, We’d like to express our thanks for the prayers, all the kind words and the cake reception after church Sunday. It reminded us again how great God is and how thankful we are for all He has done for us. The last few years have been both challenging and rewarding for us and First Church has had a lot to do with getting us to the point that we are comfortable moving on to the next project that God has in store for us. We know that He also has great things in store for First Church and we’ll be anxious to hear how things are progressing in the future. Thanks again for being a great Church family. --Art and Lois Finnigan

Thanks to everyone who brought pillows, sleeping bags, paper towel rolls and boxes for the After School Program. We are okay now and do not need anymore at this time.

November finds us busy again with many different activities. Sunday, November 4 we will have the Charge Conference/ Cluster Conference at 6:00 p.m. The girls in the Jr. High Youth group are going to a Revolve Conference in Minneapolis on November 9 and 10th. There is a Special Veteran’s Day Service Sunday evening November 11 at 6:00 p.m. in the Sanctuary. Early out days are Wednesday, November 14 and 28th. A group from our district conference will meet here on Saturday, November 17th from 9:30 a.m.-3:00 p.m. Believe it or not there is still time for the committees to meet at their regular times this month too. Plus we have to find time to prepare ourselves for Thanksgiving. And we do have so much to be thankful for. God has truly blessed us all. This will be and exciting month that only precedes the next exciting month of December. How lucky we are that we can come together and celebrate in so many ways.

Speaking of December, please remember to come help decorate the church on Saturday, December 1st at 9:00 a.m. It will go much faster and we have so much fun when you are there!

PRAY: Consecration Sunday where we make our pledges to give to ministry of First UMC is November 18. There will be a prayer vigil Nov. 11th from 12-6 p.m. in our prayer room. Pray for the work of God to be supported with our financial gifts for the 2008 calendar year. PRAY: God will supply for every need according to His riches in glory. He suggests we get to use 90% of our income and give 10%. Folks, we get way over the majority for our own use.

PRAY: Eleven youth and moms from our church and about 50 total from Indy area churches are going to REVOLVE, a weekend retreat in Minneapolis, for building faith and relationships. Pray each one receives from God. Also, pray that they make new friends and enjoy fellowship. Pray they keep safe. The basket auction helped pay some of the transportation for them to go, so Praise the Lord for the income from the baskets.

PRAY: We will celebrate Veteran’s Day with a special service Sunday, Nov. 11 at 6-7 p.m. in Fellowship Hall. Pray for God to help us thank and praise Him for living in the USA and for His hand of blessing that has been upon our land. Pray for all our troops and their families.

PRAY: We will have a “Christmas Giving Tree” set up by 11/25 and the gifts go to needy children here in Buchanan Co. for their Christmas. We get names from Volunteer Coop each year and they will have around 75 children this year to provide a gift. Please pray all names will be taken and the gifts will bless the children.

November 2007 Jr. High Youth Schedule:

November 2007 Sunday Helpers Schedule:

November 2007 Acolytes: Diana Hammer & Emily Barker
December 2007 Acolytes: Cole Thompson & Ryan Peterson

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