Announcements 10/22/2023

Today’s altar flowers are given in celebration of Sungha Jon and Peter Smyton’s birthdays tomorrow by Debbie Smyton

Request for All Saints Names

On Sunday, November 5^th, we will celebrate All Saints Sunday. Our Worship will include the reading of names of those who have died in the past year, who have gone on to join the “Saints Triumphant”.

If you would like the name of a loved one read on that day, please fill out a form on the welcome desk or email the church office or call (978-256-9400) and leave a message on the office phone, by October 31st Please include as a subject “All Saints” on your email. And also include your name and the loved one’s name as well as spell it if by phone.

Memorial Service for Bishop Sudarshana Devadhar October 28th

The New England Conference will hold a Memorial Service for Bishop Sudarshana Devadhar this coming Saturday, October 28, at 1:00 PM. It will be held at Concord Wesley UMC, located at 79 Clinton St, Concord, NH 03301.
Bishop LaTrelle Easterling will be preaching. Mark Miller will be providing the music. Pastors Juhee Lee and Maylis will play a violin and piano piece.

Visit the Conference website at www.neumc.org for more information about Bishop Devadhar’s legacy; to donate to The Hope Secondary School in Bethlehem, which was deeply important to the Bishop, and was always a stop for pilgrims who traveled with him to the Holy Land; or to watch the livestream of the service.

Still Time to Get Involved with Church Ministries

Thanks to everyone who attended last Sunday’s Ministry Fair, which featured over 20 small groups and church committees displaying info about their activities. If you missed it or you attended and are still mulling over if or how to get involved, it is never too late! Please contact Betsy in the office or Peter Smyton and one of us will connect you with the right people so you can learn more about the church ministries of interest to you!

“Building Tomorrow, Together” TODAY is COMMITMENT SUNDAY, October 22nd!

Earlier this week you received a letter from Pastor Bob and Wendy Baker, Finance Chair, and sharing thoughts around the 2024 Stewardship planning efforts. Today, October 22nd is Commitment Sunday when we offer our pledges for the coming 2024 calendar year.

Pastor Bob is thoughtfully and prayerfully guiding us into the future. In Pastor Bob’s words, “In this season of changes, our leadership has been actively discerning where God is calling our church in the future. We want to celebrate what God did for us in the past, has done for us recently, and envision what God will do through us.”

Today you will hear from Samuel Rodriguez, Junior at Chelmsford High School and son of Aldo Rodriguez and Rev. Maylis de la Fe-Rodriguez. Please be attentive as you hear these inspiring words from a youth member of our church who has shown great leadership among his peers.

Many of our ministries continue to share Christ’s living presence with our members and the community. We are grateful that you are with us in “Building Tomorrow, Together” as you present your commitment to God and His Ministries through Aldersgate for the coming 2024 calendar year. We are offering the following options for you to deliver your pledge cards to the church:

Hand deliver the card in the basket during our worship service on October 22nd; ushers will provide guidance.
Drop off the card in the mail slot at the door to the ramp entrance of the church prior to Sunday, October 22nd.
Mail the card to the church by October 22nd, in the same way you have faithfully sent your 2023 offerings.
Email Kelly Mongiovi, Financial Secretary (kmongiovi@aol.com), advising her of your pledge for 2024

We hope you will join us in “Building Tomorrow, Together” with your eyes on Jesus as you reflect upon God’s goodness in your lives and prayerfully consider what your pledge and commitment will be for the coming year.

Small Group Inclusivity Discussions Next Sunday, October 29

The Aldersgate Church Council is offering an opportunity next Sunday, October 29 for dialog and sharing of stories and perspectives as we seek to discern how we as a church family can be more inclusive to all regardless of age, race, nationality, ethnic background, gender, sexuality, ability, and physical appearance. If you are interested, please meet in the Fellowship Hall, between the services or after the second service; we will then divide up into several small groups and move into breakout rooms, each with a facilitator to help the discussions along, to talk about inclusion and sexuality. We expect the discussions to last about one hour.

Also, if you missed any of the info sessions held in September, the Zoom session held on Wednesday, Sept 20, was recorded and can be viewed at https://youtu.be/8NaiqBm7br4.

A Statement of Inclusivity, consistent with the beliefs of our denomination and its Book of Discipline, created by the Council and posted on the church web site in the Who We Are page, is below.

All Are Welcome at Aldersgate

As a United Methodist congregation, we affirm that all persons are individuals of sacred worth, created in the image of God. We affirm that we are an open, welcoming, fully accepting congregation supportive of all, regardless of age, race, nationality, ethnic background, gender, sexuality, ability, and physical appearance. In agreement with our New England Conference Open Spirit Task Force, we are committed to safeguarding the sacred worth and dignity of all persons in our churches and communities, including those who identify as LGBTQI+ persons.
We are a church that supports every individual’s full participation in the life, ministry, sacraments, membership, and leadership of the church at any level. We celebrate the blessings of gender and cultural diversity in our pastors and leadership team

Hats, Gloves, Mittens, Socks, and Toiletries for St. Paul’s

Outreach will be collecting items for St. Paul’s by the 17^th of December. Please bring in hats, gloves, mittens, socks, and mittens as well as toiletries. There is a box in the welcome area

Blood Drive, Friday November 10th from 9:00 am to 2 pm

Please consider donating blood during this time of such a critical shortage of blood.

Our next drive will be on Friday November 10th, from 9 am to 2 pm. Please sign up at redcross.org or call 1-800-RedCross to register. THANK YOU!

Lobby Window book display

The books in the lobby windows are available for you to borrow and return at your leisure. You will find books on prayer, books that discuss Christian LGBTQ+ folks and books on creating deeper community. We welcome you to spend some time this summer expanding your faith and understanding of God’s church.