Announcements 1/7/2024

Pastor Bob's away this week from Sunday afternoon until this Friday to lead a retreat for Local Pastor Licensing School at Rolling Ridge. If you need to contact him for an emergency, please text or call him anytime at 508-685-6291.

Help needed after church Sunday Jan 7th.

We will be undecorating the Sanctuary on Sunday after the 10:45 service. There is lots to put away for another year. Thank you in advance for your help. Many hands make light work.

King’s Sunday, January 7, 2024, 8:30 and 10:45 am

We return to two services, at 8:30 and 10:45 am, on Epiphany, or Kings’ Sunday 1/7. Church school and Coffee Hour are at 9:30 am and Adult Ed is at 9:45 in the Concord Room. We will be bringing forward our special Advent Mission Project gift during the services. This year we are supporting Greater Lowell Community Foundation Refugee and Immigrant Resettlement Fund, which supports the efforts of Greater Lowell organizations to help ensure those in need are welcomed and connected with housing, employment, transportation, food, acculturation, and other related support.

Checks may be made payable to AUMC with “GCLF” in the memo.

We invite you to put your gift in the basket the children will pass around after the Lord’s Prayer in worship or mail it to the church office if you are worshipping remotely.

Confirmation Class 2024

We have four youth that will participate in Confirmation Class this year! They will also each have a mentor to work with them during class time. There will be 8 classes and 1 retreat in May. We will have a confirmation orientation meeting on Sunday, January 21st at noon in the Library. Please reach out to Pastor Bob or Cheryl if you have any questions.

2024 Budget Approved

Thanks to everyone who attended the Charge Conference on December 31 where the 2024 church budget was approved. The budget includes estimated income of $352,904 and budgeted expenses of $389,803, for a deficit of $36,899. Our major source of income is from congregational pledging. There are 74 pledges, including 7 new pledges, totaling $309,704. This is an increase of $27,240 from 2023 to 2024. Thank you for your generous giving to Aldersgate’s ministries! The Finance committee is looking for ways to reduce the 2024 budget deficit. If you have suggestions, please contact the Finance chair, Wendy Baker (wbaker15@comcast.net).

Interfaith Dinner to Support UMCOR Middle East Efforts on January 10

Sudbury UMC is hosting a dinner of Middle Eastern food to raise funds for UMCOR’s work in the Middle East. This dinner will be held on Wednesday, January 10 at 6:00 pm. They would love our participation in this effort to keep the light of Christmas shining, especially for those who need it most. RSVP by January 7 at https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSe6dG7dkN-nFROFPu2cWApYrUnRnFUBg6AxoNvA5NwxMehcjg/viewform.

The suggested donations are $20 for adults and $10 for children. If you wish to carpool, please contact Jim Ortolf at 978-995-0614.

Interested in Learning How to Record Worship?

We are looking to add to our friendly team of volunteers who live-stream and record our worship services. We take turns so everyone gets an opportunity to participate. We schedule the two-person crew weekly based on everyone’s availability. Training is provided. If you are interested in learning more, please contact Peter Smyton (617-893-9669) or Jim Ortolf (978-995-0614).

Prayer Wall in Fellowship Hall

The Church Council recently created a prayer wall on a rolling partition in the Fellowship Hall, asking you to post prayers of what our church will look like as a result of the on-going Inclusion discussions. The Council recently decided to expand the purpose of the wall and we invite you to post prayers on any topic that you wish to have other members of our church family pray about.

Flower Chart available

The Flower Chart for 2024 is now available on the board in the hallway. Please sign up for the dates you would like for 2024. The cost remains $40.

Christmas Faire Gratitude!

AUMC welcomed the community and shared our talents last December. Thank you to all who baked, cooked, crafted, created, and shared so generously. It was a wonderful part of the Advent season! Mark your calendars for December 6 and 7, 2024!

Adult Study Opportunities

Advent Study will conclude on Thursday 1/4 and Sunday 1/7

Adult Ed will conclude the Advent Study of The Heart That Grew Three Sizes: Finding Faith in the Story of the Grinch by Matt Rawle on Thursday 1/4 and Sunday 1/7.

Starting January 14^th for Sunday Adult Ed. Many of the ones we love, inside and outside our congregation, are confronting dementia and Alzheimer’s disease. Pastor Bob has recommended Ministry with the Forgotten by Kenneth L Carder as a resource. You can get it online or at your favorite bookshop. We invite you to read and discuss it together on Sunday mornings at 9:45 in the Concord Room beginning January 14. See more information in the January Advocate.

On Thursday 1/4, they will decided what to study in the 5 weeks before Lent.

Early Bird Bible Application

Early Bird Bible Application begins anew this week by looking back and counting the some of our blessings of 2023. It will be an hour of sharing how we were blessed and kept through the past year. Plan to join in this time of sharing as a sweet offering and praise to God for His many blessings.

Early Bird meets on Tuesdays at ten o’clock via Zoom. New zoom link in the worship email.

Thank you musicians

A huge THANK YOU to all our musicians for blessing us with your time and talent during our Christmas Season and throughout 2023! You are a blessing to our community and beyond!