Announcements 9/17/2023
Today’s altar flowers are given in celebration of a very happy birthday, today for Lisa Marson from her mother Janet Marson
Fall Schedule at Aldersgate
Worship services are offered at 8:30 and 10:45 on Sunday mornings. The 10:45 service is live-streamed and recorded for posting on the church web site shortly thereafter. Coffee Hour is offered in the Fellowship Hall between the services. Church School classes are offered in-person, downstairs between the services, from 9:30 to 10:30, for pre-K through senior high. Childcare for children ages 5 and younger is available throughout Sunday morning in our nursery. Adult Education begins next Sunday at 9:45 am in the Concord Room with a hybrid Zoom option for those who wish to attend from home. We invite those who attend Coffee Hour and Adult Ed to attend today’s Inclusivity Info Session in the Fellowship Hall. Early Bird will commence via Zoom this Tuesday, September 19 at 10:00 am. The Thursday Morning Bible study is hybrid – Concord Room in-person and remotely via Zoom – and continues September 21 at 10:00 am.
Fall Adult Study Starts Soon
Both the Sunday morning Adult Ed class and the Thursday morning Bible Study class will be using The Gospel of Mark: A Beginner’s Guide to the Good News by Amy-Jill Levine to start our fall programs. Walk through the Bible’s earliest source for the life of Jesus to examine John the Baptizer, the Little Apocalypse, the Transfiguration, and several of Jesus’s most notable stories and parables, as we see Jesus as divine and human, powerful and weak, approachable yet mysterious. The Sunday class starts next Sunday, September 24 at 9:45 am. The Thursday class will start the study on September 21, at 10:00 am. Both the Sunday and Thursday classes will meet in the Concord Room and via Zoom. Look for the Zoom link in the weekly worship email or you can obtain it through the church office (aldersgatechelmsford@verizon.net or 978-256-9400).
Early Bird Bible Application
Early Bird Bible Application begins again this week. The foundational Scripture for the discussion is Isaiah 43:1-3. The thought is, “God is With You Always.” Early Bird meets via Zoom on Tuesday morning 9/19 at ten o’clock. Look for the link in the email
Thank you from the Umana Family
Thank you to everyone for all the sympathy cards, messages, phone calls and prayers for the passing away of Arthur’s Mother Aminta Cruz.
Welcome to our Intern – Veejay Strama
Please welcome and introduce yourself to our new intern, Veejay Strama. He is in the second year of M.Div. program at Boston University School of Theology. He will assist with the worship service and our education program. Veejay is passionate about spiritual and mystical texts in the Christian tradition. He is talented with music, playing the piano, trumpet, and guitar. He seeks ordination as an elder in the UMC.
One of the requirements of Veejay’s internship at Aldersgate UMC is to establish an Internship Committee. The purpose of the committee is to help Veejay become more effective in and more aware of his ministry. The following are the members of the Internship Committee: Pastor Bob, Betsy Campbell, Betsey Driscoll, Rick Newcomb (chair), Val Shupe, Peter Smyton and Kim Ward. Please feel free to share feedback regarding Veejay’s internship with anyone on the committee.
Sermon Series on Loneliness Continues (Sep 17 - Oct 9)
Pastor Bob invites you to join him as he continues his sermon series on loneliness starting from today. Sep 17 #2 Illness and Loneliness; Sep 24 #3 Death and Loneliness (Rev. Maylis preaching); Oct 1 #4 Social Media and Loneliness; #5 Misfit and Loneliness We are grateful for the wisdom and stories from our sermon team: Melinda, Dan, Kim, Betsey, Dave, Maylis, Janice, Suzanne, and Christine.
Youth Groups News
Junior Youth Pizza Party!
Friday, September 22nd from 6:00 – 7:30 p.m.
All youth in grade 6 – 8 are welcome to join us!
We will eat pizza, play games and talk about the activities for the year – friends are always welcome!
Senior Youth Fun!
Sunday, September 24th – noon – 2:00 p.m.
All youth in grades 9 – 12 are invited to join us!
We will eat pizza, talk about ideas for this year and play 9 square or scooter hockey!
Music Notes
Welcome to our new Season of Music at Aldersgate!
If you have been thinking about joining one of our choirs or would like to offer your musical gifts to the glory of God and for the enrichment of our church family, we invite you to be a part of our wonderful music ministry. New members are always welcome!
Our choir rehearses on Tuesdays at 7:30pm in the sanctuary choir loft.
Our handbell choirs will begin in a few weeks. If you would like to try handbell ringing, we would love to have you join!
Previous musical experience is always helpful, but not necessary. We’ll teach you to read music!
For questions and more information about any of our groups or opportunities to participate in our program, please contact Maylis at mdelafer@yahoo.com
We are looking forward to having you join us in worship for some wonderful music-making!
PIZZA AND ICE CREAM SOCIAL!!
SUNDAY, OCTOBER 1ST NOON – 1:00 P.M.
All children and youth ages 4 years old – 12th grade along with their parents, are invited to join us in learning about some exciting music opportunities this fall.
We will have pizza and ice cream together and then parents will gather in the Concord Room to learn about the various music programs and the children and youth will play some fun games in the Fellowship Hall.
If you have any questions, please see Pastor Maylis or Cheryl. We hope you can join us for pizza and ice cream!
Inclusivity Info Sessions Continue Today and Wednesday!
Some people have been confused about or are unfamiliar with the United Methodist Church’s (UMC’s) stance on the LGBTQI+ community, how our New England Conference is addressing this stance, and what that means for Aldersgate. The Church Council invites the congregation to learn about the current situation of the UMC and Conference through information sessions this month, led by Pastors Bob and Maylis, as our clergy, Bonnie Marden, our delegate to the UMC General Conference, where these topics are discussed, and Peter Smyton, our Church Council chairperson. The sessions will consist of an overview of the denomination’s stance and the impact on local churches, followed by a Q&A. Thank you for everyone who attended our first session on Thursday! Each of the remaining three sessions will have similar info. There is an in-person session today Sunday, 9/17 at 9:30 am (between the services) in the Fellowship Hall. There are also two sessions via Zoom: this Wednesday, 9/20 at 8:00 pm and Monday, 9/25 at 7:00 pm. Wednesday’s Zoom link info is in the weekly worship email or can be obtained by contacting the church office (aldersgatechelmsford@verizon.net or 978-256-9400).
The Council plans to offer other opportunities after these sessions for further dialog and sharing of stories and perspectives as we seek to discern how we as a church family can be inclusive to all regardless of age, race, nationality, ethnic background, gender, sexuality, ability, and physical appearance. We welcome your feedback on how you would like these discussions to be conducted.
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.
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