Fall is among us, the trees are letting go of their leaves after putting on a spectacular view for us this month. What a joy to see God's artwork in our back yards. Not only were we blessed with the view of the leaves, but some of you hopefully got to appreciate the display of the Northern Lights that we had early in the month.
October came and went in the blink of an eye. Following vacation and COVID, we jumped right into Church Conference. I'm grateful for those who helped complete forms, and those still completing forms – it is such a vital process each year, but it takes hours of work to pull information, assess the status of the church, and as a "new to you" pastor, I'm grateful for the insights that we captured, adjusted and I have a list of things we will be working on in the year ahead. One of those things is our membership rolls. I am looking for a few individuals who might be willing to spend some time with me over the course of the next year to review our membership rolls and begin cleaning them up. If you think you might be willing to help (specifically, make calls, write cards, or provide information on individuals that we have identified as members), please let me know!
Church Conference was held on October 20th at GLFUMC. We worshipped together with our other UMC Zone Churches in our sanctuary, we heard a word of challenge from our District Superintendent, Rev. LuAnn and were dismissed into our Church Conferences to take care of the voting business. The gathered body voted on my compensation package, which had already been approved by the Staff Parish Relations Committee, Finance and Administrative Boards. We acknowledged that our membership rolls, leadership roster and finances are works in progress. We did celebrate that ministry shares are paid in full for 2024 thanks to the generosity of individuals in our congregation. Please note that the leadership roster is NOT complete if you receive a copy. Additionally, if you would like to step into a role, please connect with me!
On October 25th we hosted Trunk or Treat, we had around 1,200 young people and their parents come through our parking lot! What a marvelous event, full of energy, smiles, and gratitude! Thank you to those who participated, who donated candy and to Joel & Karen for setting up their inflatables! I'm excited for next year!
On October 27th we concluded a month of sermons on Generosity. Our young people paraded through in costumes and collected noisy change for camp scholarships (amount yet to be announced). Throughout the month we collected pledge cards that have totaled $181,560. If you have not had a chance to complete your card, please send it to the office so the Finance Team can have the most complete information that we can as we continue to make decisions about the ministry of the church for 2025. Your generosity and commitment are a vital part of the process as leaders begin dreaming about what we can do together in 2025.
If you serve on a team and have events already planned or tentatively planned for 2025, please let the office know. Please keep in mind that Maddy and I are "new" to the church rhythms and we do not know all the events as they have always happened, your prompts ahead of time help keep information before the congregation in a timely manner.
You will want to make note that the Community Thanksgiving Worship Service will take place at St. Michael Parish on Tuesday, November 26th at 7pm. I will be the pastor who gets to share the message this year. A special offering will be collected to support Grand Ledge Emergency Assistance Program (GLEAP) and the Grand Ledge Food and Clothing Bank. All are welcome to attend.
I am currently revisiting plans for Advent. Some things I want you to put on your calendar. I will begin an Advent Book Study on December 1st at 6:30 via Zoom, "Light of the World: A Beginners Guide to Advent" by Amy-Jill Levine. A sign-up sheet will appear in the Parlor in the weeks ahead – or call the office if you would like to participate. On December 12th from 4-7, I'll be hosting a Parsonage Open House. Finally, we will have two different Christmas Eve Services. The 7pm service will be a Family Friendly Service and the 11pm will be the more Traditional Service with communion. Both services will conclude with the sharing of the Christ Light as we sing "Silent Night."
During the month of November, we will be exploring a heavier but important topic. The series for the month is titled "The Good News about Death". We will spend the month exploring things we don't often speak about outside of funeral services, as we approach All Saints Day (November 3rd) remembering those who have gone before us and those that are among us. Rev. Lyle Heaton will be with us on November 10th to bring a word about grieving with hope. We will continue the series as we explore how each of our days is a gift to be celebrated and shared, and finally we will be reminded that Christ has the last word as we remember and celebrate Christ's Reign as we leap into a new Christian Year the first week of December. I hope you consider joining us for worship. I hope you take a look at the ways that you can engage your hearts, hands and heads in the next month as we prepare for Advent.
Together in Christ,
Pastor Kayla
