Weekly Church Chat

Here’s what you will find in this email:
•  Church Hours – The office will be closed from Dec. 23 through Jan. 2
•  Joy Club – Tues, 11:30am
•  Lois Kezar’s Memorial Service
•  Creation Care Moments

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THIS WEEK:
•  Bless This Child – Mon, 4pm
•  Women’s Basketball/Open Gym – Mon, 6:30pm
•  Joy Club – Tues, Dec. 17, 11:30am
•  Pickleball – Tues, 7pm
•  Stretch & Strength Class – No classes till Jan. 1
•  Choir Practice for 11am Service – No Practice this Week
•  Lunch & Learn – Thurs, 12:00pm
•  Music Practice for 9am Service – Thurs, 6:30pm
•  Blue Christmas – Sat, Dec. 21, 6pm
•  Lessons & Carols – Sun, Dec. 22, 9 & 11am

UPCOMING:
•  Christmas Eve Service – Tues, Dec. 24, 6pm

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QUICK NOTES
•  Church Holiday Hours– Closed Mon, Dec 23 to Wed, Jan. 1 (office will reopen Jan. 2).
•  Mulch– We still have a pile of mulch by the shed, if you’re willing to come by anytime and help spread it we would greatly appreciate it! 

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JOY CLUB
Tues, Dec. 17 | 11:30am at the church 

Lasagna, salad, bread and tea will be provided. Bring a white elephant gift if you want to participate in the gift exchange.  Everyone is welcome!

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LOIS KEZAR
Please be in prayer for Ed Kezar and family in the death of his wife, Lois. Lois had been placed in hospice care following her recent stroke and died during the night. https://www.bryan-leefuneralhome.com/obituaries/Lois-Kezar?obId=34090684  A memorial service will be held at 3:30pm on Thursday (12/19) at Glenaire in the Spiritual Life Center room. Glenaire is located at 6000 Glenview Garden Place in Cary, NC. There will be a reception immediately following the service.

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BLUE CHRISTMAS
Saturday, December 21, 2024, 6pm 

For some of us, the holidays can move from excitement and wonder to memories of loss and feelings of sadness. That’s why we hold this gathering on December 21 – the longest night of the year. This lovely time together creates safe, healing space for us to explore the struggles while embracing Christ’s beautiful promises of eternal life.

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LESSONS AND CAROLS
Sunday, December 22, 2024 

Let’s put together the entire story of life from creation to eternity. Wear your favorite Christmas outfit (yes, jeans, t-shirts and fun sweaters are welcome), and come prepared to enjoy a relaxed service as we read a scripture, sing a carol! It’s the perfect way to celebrate Christmas!

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CREATION CARE MOMENTS 

Nature Happenings:
Birds – Hawks are taking their harvest of first year squirrels.
Winter solstice is on September 21, when the year enters its greatest darkness and longest shadows.

Here’s what you will find in this email:
•  Live Nativity – Sat, 6:30-9pm
•  Choir Cantata – Sun, 11am (9am Service is “From Chaff to Joy”)
•  Joy Club – Tues, Dec. 17, 11:30am
•  Creation Care Moment
•  Angel Tree Update

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QUICK NOTES
•  Cantata Practice on Sat & Sun – Musicians arrive at 9:30am & Singers arrive at 10am.
•  Staff Love Offering – This Sunday is the last opportunity to contribute, label it “love offering”.

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LIVE NATIVITY – Saturday, 6:30-9pm
If you’re willing to help in any way, let the church office know or contact Tracey Martin (traceysmartin0907@gmail.com).

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CHOIR CANTATA – Sunday, 11am
Our Choir has been hard at work for months preparing to tell the story of Jesus’ birth through music. You will enjoy hearing their glorious praises of the Christ Child through a fantastic offering of many familiar carols and hymns. For the 9am Service, the sermon is “From Chaff to Joy”.

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JOY CLUB
Tues, Dec. 17 | 11:30am at the church 

Lasagna, salad, bread and tea will be provided. Bring a white elephant gift if you want to participate in the gift exchange.  Everyone is welcome! 

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CREATION CARE MOMENTS
Nature Happenings:
Birds:  Herring gulls arrive at Piedmont lakes for the winter.

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ANGEL TREE UPDATE
Thank you to everyone that blessed us with multiple carloads of gifts for the Angel Tree this year! Over 130 families representing over 450 children & over 190 volunteers.  Looking forward to joining in again next year.

Here’s what you will find in this email:
•  Poinsettia Orders due this Wednesday
•  Joy Club – Tues, Dec. 17, 11:30am
•  Christmas help for a Western NC Family 

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THIS WEEK:
•  Women’s Basketball/Open Gym – Mon, 6:30pm
•  United Women in Faith – Tues, 6:30pm
•  Pickleball – Tues, 7pm
•  Stretch & Strength Class – No classes till Jan. 1
•  Cantata/Choir Practice for 11am Service – Wed, 6:45pm
•  Lunch & Learn – Thurs, 12:00pm
•  Music Practice for 9am Service – Thurs, 6:30pm
•  Cantata Dress Rehearsal – Sat, 9:30am
•  Live Nativity – Sat, 6:30-9pm

UPCOMING:
•  Choir Cantata – Sun, Dec. 15, 11am (9am Service is “From Chaff to Joy”)
•  Blue Christmas – Sat, Dec. 21, 6pm
•  Lessons & Carols – Sun, Dec. 22, 9 & 11am
•  Christmas Eve Service – Tues, Dec. 24, 6pm

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QUICK NOTES
•  Mulch – We still have a pile of mulch by the shed, if you’re willing to come by later this week and help spread it we would greatly appreciate it!
•  Staff Love Offering – This Sunday is the last opportunity to contribute, label it “love offering”.
•  Church Holiday Hours – Closed Mon, Dec 23- Wed, Jan. 1 (office will reopen Jan. 2).
•  Live Nativity Signups – We still need one more soldier for each shift, and most of the 8:30 shifts are still open!

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POINSETTIAS – Orders due Wednesday
Contact Gloria English at 919-772-4285 if you need to place an order.
Plants ordered as gifts may be picked up on Tuesday, Dec. 17th. Plants bought to decorate the church can be picked up after the Christmas Eve service on Dec. 24th.

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JOY CLUB
Tues, Dec. 17 | 11:30am at the church 

Lasagna, salad, bread and tea will be provided. Bring a white elephant gift if you want to participate in the gift exchange.  Everyone is welcome!

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CHRISTMAS HELP FOR WESTERN NC FAMILY
St. Andrews would like to help a family in the western part of NC due to the hurricane disaster. This family and their needs have been vetted through the local school system and social services.

Here are the specifics:
•  Single mother with three children: boy (age 10), girl (age 15), girl (age 19). 
•  Mother was out of work without pay for nearly a month following the hurricane. Her place of employment is now re-opened and she is working, but bills are behind.
•  Assistance is pending a December 18 review, but they are possibly facing eviction. $2000 is needed for rent.
•  Some Christmas help is requested. The boy likes gaming, reading and art. The girls are requesting toiletry items (Bath and Body, etc.) 

To avoid shipping costs of items, we believe gift cards or donations are appropriate. A stocking has been hung on each Angel Tree for your giving this week. As you can imagine, this need has some urgency to it. With this in mind, your help is needed by this coming Sunday, December 15. 

REMEMBER THE FOOD BANK!
Let’s make this Sunday a canned goods Sunday! If we all bring a few items, we can make a huge difference to hurting people in the Garner community.

Here’s what you will find in this email:
•  Wednesday Night Supper – Dec. 4, 5:30pm
•  Live Nativity Setup – Saturday, 8am
•  Breakfast with Mary & Joseph – Saturday, 9-11am
•  Angel Trees – Volunteers Also Needed

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THIS WEEK:
•  Women’s Basketball/Open Gym – Mon, 6:30pm
•  Pickleball – Tues, 7pm
•  Stretch & Strength Class – Wed, 9:30am, FLC
•  Chair Stretch & Strength Class – Wed, 10:45am, FLC
•  Wednesday Night Supper – Dec. 4, 5:30pm
•  Cantata/Choir Practice for 11am Service – Wed, 6:45pm
•  Lunch & Learn – Thurs, 12:00pm
•  Music Practice for 9am Service – Thurs, 6:30pm
•  Live Nativity Set Up – Sat, Dec. 7, 8am
•Breakfast with Mary & Joseph – Sat, Dec. 7, 9-11am

UPCOMING:
•  United Women in Faith – Dec. 10, 6:30pm
•  No Stretch & Strength Classes – Dec. 11, 18, and 25 (will resume on Jan. 1)
•   Live Nativity – Sat, Dec. 14, 6:30-9pm

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WEDNESDAY NIGHT SUPPER
Dec. 4 | 5:30pm | $5.00 per person

Please join us for good food and better fellowship!  Menu: Ham with sides and desserts. The cost is $5.00 per person (additional donations are always appreciated). There will also be bags of chocolate covered peanuts available with any donation, looking forward to seeing you there!

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LIVE NATIVITY – Setup is this Saturday, December 7, 8am
Live Nativity is next Saturday, December 14, 9-11am

We will meet to setup for Live Nativity this Saturday at 8am. We are asking for volunteers to come check and put up the scenes, run power for lights, etc. Live Nativity is Dec. 14 from 6:30-9pm (rain date is Dec. 15). Volunteer sign-up sheets will be available at each service! Shifts are:  6:30-7:00,  7:00-7:30,  7:30- 8:00,  8:00- 8:30,  8:30- 9:00.  You can sign up on Sundays, or email/call the church office and let us know the position and time slots you would like. If you can serve 2 timeslots, you can have them back to back or with a break between.

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BREAKFAST WITH MARY & JOSEPH
Sat, Dec. 7 | 9-11am

Registration is open: https://forms.gle/K7ShQJNqjokZAknm6. Come enjoy breakfast and hear about when Jesus was born. We will sing songs & make crafts (designed for preschool to 5th grade). We will also have a friendly donkey making a special appearance, so stop by the photo booth to meet her and take your picture with Mary, Joseph, and baby Jesus!

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ANGEL TREES – Volunteers Also Needed
Community of Hope Ministry needs volunteers to assist with their Christmas Miracle Mall on 12/7.  They need volunteers Thursday 12/5, Friday 12/6 and Saturday 12/7.   https://m.signupgenius.com/?#!/showSignUp/10C0948A9AD2BA4FACE9-52933207-2025

This year we are participating in the Miracle Mall as our Angel Tree mission. This program gives parents the opportunity to select gifts from donated items for their own children, creating a mall-like experience where they can choose presents at no cost, while receiving support from volunteers. The trees are located outside both worship services. Each tree is covered in angels requesting specific items that have been assigned to St. Andrews. Our items are sports balls and crafting items for children ages 9-11.

WHAT TO DO:
•  Take an angel off the tree & purchase the exact item listed.
•  Place the item and tag in an open gift bag.
•  Return the bag to the tree by 4pm – Friday, December 6

Please have your items to the church no later than 4:00pm this Friday, December 6. ** Late donations cannot be taken**  We will immediately transport the gifts to be displayed at the mall on Saturday. If you wish to make a donation instead of buying a gift, look for the donation angels on the tree!

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CREATION CARE MOMENTS

Nature Happenings:

Plants: If you are buying a live Christmas this year, think about the disposal in January. Consider wildlife, sink it, beach it, mulch it, or pile it up for wildlife

Blooming:  Witch hazel still blooming.

Insects:  Locusts, gnats and midges may yet grace our days.

Birds: Red-tailed hawks take up perches in the bare oaks, lying in wait for the squirrels who have been hidden among the leaf litter.

Mammals:  Racoons sun themselves on warm sunny days in the higher places, revealed by the fallen leaves.

Restoration Tips:
Take only pictures:  Choose vacation spots when swimming or snorkeling or diving, take pictures and tell stories only.  Work to protect sea creatures.  When hiking in the woods, take only pictures and leave only footprints.  Never disturb or remove native plants from their habitat.

Discover Your Eco Address:
Match each question below with the correct answer.

1. At what time of year is the advance of daily darkness the more rapid?
2. At what time of year is the advance of daily light the most rapid?

1. approaching spring equinox.   b. approaching the summer solstice.
2. approaching the fall equinox   d.  approaching the winter solstice

Answers:
1-c; three minutes of daylight are lost each day
2-a; each day gains about three more minutes 

Here’s what you will find in this email:
•  Staff Love Offering
•  Giving Tree Update
•  Notice from the Finance Committee
•  Deck the Halls – This Saturday, 9am

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STAFF LOVE OFFERING
Our Staff-Parish Relations Committee is looking forward to celebrating our staff here at Saint Andrews during the Christmas season. We believe one of the more tangible things we can do to bless our staff is to provide a love offering for them at Christmastime. While we do, of course, pay them regularly, this is our way to show our appreciation for their unending work throughout the year! We will be receiving this love offering now through Sunday December 15th during both morning services, online, and of course you may drop it off in the church office. Please be sure to label your gift “Love Offering” so that we may include and divide your donation among our staff members: Pastor Beth, Eric Grush (choir director), Ela Gabitov (accompanist), Trisha Keen (nursery), and Renee Stimac (administrative assistant).  Thank you for your faithful support, Your Staff-Parish Relations Committee

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GIVING TREE UPDATE
We have another update! We have now raised over $1,100, a big increase from last year – this money will benefit so many families this Thanksgiving! We want to thank everyone so much for their generosity this year!

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NOTICE FROM THE FINANCE COMMITTEE
With the exception of adult Sunday School classes, JOY Club and United Women in Faith, ALL programs, collections, donations, grants or any other actions that involve any handling of money MUST be presented to the Finance Committee and potentially approved by the Church Council prior to taking action. This is a legal and ethical issue designed to protect our church and our members, and is necessary in order to fulfill our obligations to The United Methodist Church and the community. The Book of Discipline of the United Methodist Church is very specific about handling money. Please contact Lisa Anthony, Finance Chair, if you have questions or concerns.

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DECK THE HALLS – THIS Saturday at 9:00am

Please meet at the church at 9:00am this coming Saturday as we prepare our buildings for the Advent and Christmas seasons. There is much work to do before Sunday’s Hanging of the Greens worship services so we need all the help we can get! With your willing hands and hearts, we can knock this out quickly and look forward to a beautiful Sunday. (It’s also the perfect way to work off some of that turkey!)

Here’s what you will find in this email:
•  Finance & Church Council Meetings Tonight
•  Office Hours for Thanksgiving
•  Walking in Grace – On hold till Jan. 8th
•  Deck the Halls – This Saturday, Nov. 30, 9am
•  Hanging of the Greens – Sunday, Dec 1, 9 & 11am
•  Creation Care Moments

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THIS WEEK:
•  Finance & Church Council Meetings – Mon, 6pm/7pm
•  Women’s Basketball/Open Gym – Mon, 6:30pm
•  Pickleball – Tues, 7pm
•  Stretch & Strength Class – Wed, 9:30am, FLC
•  Chair Stretch & Strength Class – Wed, 10:45am, FLC
•  Decorate for Advent – Sat, Nov. 30, 9am

UPCOMING:
•  Wednesday Night Supper – Dec. 4, 5:30pm
•  Live Nativity Set Up – Sat, Dec. 7, 8am
•  Breakfast with Mary & Joseph – Sat, Dec. 7, 9-11am
•  No Stretch & Strength Classes – Dec. 11, 18, and 25 (will resume on Jan. 1)

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MEETINGS TONIGHT – Meet in the Seekers Classroom
6:00pm – Finance Committee
7:00pm – Church Council

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CHURCH OFFICE CLOSED
The church office will be closed this week on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday as our staff takes some time to spend with our families. Happy Thanksgiving! (The stretch & strength classes are still meeting this week)

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WALKING IN GRACE
We will not be meeting on Wednesdays through the Holiday season, we will have our first meeting of the new year on January 8 at 9:3-11:30am. Creation Care will still be published each Monday. Remember that meditation is a very important part of our lives, so continue to spend time there. You can also continue to send in your thoughts about God, Creation and our interrelationships. Who shall separate us from the love of Christ?   Romans 8:35

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DECK THE HALLS
THIS Saturday, November 30, 9:00am 

Please meet at the church at 9:00am this coming Saturday, November 30 as we prepare our buildings for the Advent and Christmas seasons. There is much work to do before Sunday’s Hanging of the Greens worship services so we need all the help we can get! With your willing hands and hearts, we can knock this out quickly and look forward to a beautiful Sunday. (It’s also the perfect way to work off some of that turkey!)

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HANGING OF THE GREENS WORSHIP SERVICE
Sunday, December 1, 9:00am and 11:00am 

Why do we decorate the church this time of year? Why use purple rather than red and green? Why are there funny symbols on the tree? What’s a triquetra anyway? These questions and many more are answered during this beautiful service of scripture, music and tradition.

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CREATION CARE MOMENTS 

Nature Happenings: 
This is a good month to plant nut bearing trees and fruit trees such as dogwood and mulberry. Mistletoe is revealed in the full fall of the oak and hickory. Silverberry drops its yet green leaves underneath, like a pale green shadow on the ground.

Fruits:  Persimmons are fully ripe, folk wisdom of persimmons used to predict the winter weather. Cut a seed into two pieces.  One of the three symbols for silverware will tell you what is needed. A knife blade shape indicates a cold icy winter, where the wind cuts through you like a knife. A fork shape indicates a mild winter. A spoon shape represents the shovel you are going to need to dig yourself out of the snow.

Insects: Katydids are still heard in some places late in the year.

Creation Restoration Tips:
Flip ’em off. In  much of America we can’t even see the stars anymore, due in part to all the electric lights. Keep the lights on in the room you’re in, but keep the rest of your house dark – you will find the dark is soothing. Encourage your town to have a lights out night where you can possibly see stars and the migrating birds won’t fly into buildings.

Discover your Eco Address:
In this unusual animal genus, it is the males that give birth. What creatures are these?  Seahorses.  During mating, the female seahorse deposits her eggs in the brood pouch in the male. The male fertilizes the eggs and carries them through pregnancy and birth.

Here’s what you will find in this email:
•  Office Hours for Thanksgiving
•  Silver Bells Bazaar – Saturday 9am-2pm
•  Giving Tree Update
•  Stretch & Strength Class – Holiday Update
•  Creation Care Moments
•  Live Nativity Signup Sheets this Sunday
•  Angel Trees – Begin this Sunday 

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CHURCH HOLIDAY OFFICE HOURS
Thanksgiving: Closed Wednesday Nov. 27 – Friday Nov. 29
Christmas: Closed Monday, Dec 23 – Wednesday, Jan. 1. The office will reopen Jan. 2, 2025.

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SILVER BELLS BAZAAR
Saturday | 9am-2pm 

Come by tomorrow from 9am-2pm and shop for Christmas! Here is a list of some of the items that will be available: wreaths, acrylic art, greeting cards, jewelry, chocolate peanuts, dog toys, several book authors, centerpieces, wood crafts, mugs, tumblers, quilted items, pottery, handmade journals, Christmas décor, bundt cakes, shell manger scenes. 

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GIVING TREE UPDATE
We want to thank everyone so much for their generosity this year! We raised over $900, a big increase from last year – this money will benefit so many families this Thanksgiving!

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STRETCH & STRENGTH CLASS UPDATE
There will be no Stretch & Strength Classes on December 11, 18, and 25. The class will resume on January 1, 2025.

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CREATION CARE MOMENTS
Walking in Grace meets on Wednesdays at 9:30am at the Meditation Pathway or in the Creation Care Classroom.

Nature Happenings:

Leaves: Oak leaves fall

Insects:  Wasps may swarm round a big tree on warm days, a bagworm pulls itself up a hickory tree.

Birds:  Cedar waxwings may arrive. Look out for snowbirds and white throated sparrows

Mammals: Through a new bed of dry leaves squirrels and chipmunks are graced with a new alarm system for ground predators. Beavers are frantically putting the finishing touches on their winter lodge. So busy in fact, Native Americans named this month’s full moon – the Beaver moon.

Restoration Tips:
BYOB. Last year Americans went through about 50 billion plastic water bottles. Fill up a reusable water bottle at home and bring it with you. Don’t like the taste of your tap water?. Buy a filter. Remember, much of the bottled water sold today is filtered tap water anyway. 

Discover your Eco Address:
What animal can “stall” a pregnancy, and why would it do so? Bears mate in summer, and while an embryo takes only a month to fully develop, implantation of the embryo is delayed several months. That unique adaptation allows cubs to be born in January so they’re ready to leave their mother’s winter den when food and weather conditions improve in early spring.

Minute for Mother Earth:
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1zj8NR5DrgGWxUEO5WiyCDMJVNNwdF2_b/view?ts=673b9f2d

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LIVE NATIVITY – Setup is December 7th
Saturday, Dec. 14 

We will be having Live Nativity for only one day this year, on December 14 from 6-9pm (rain date is December 15). We will meet to set up for Live Nativity on Saturday, December 7th at 8:00am. We are asking for volunteers to come help! We need to set up the camels, check and put up the scenes, run power for lights, etc. Volunteer sign-up sheets will be available at each service! The shifts will be:  6:30-7:00,  7:00-7:30,  7:30- 8:00,  8:00- 8:30,  8:30- 9:00. You can sign up on Sundays, or email/call the church office and let us know the position and time slots you would like. If you can serve 2 timeslots, you can have them back to back or with a break between.

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ANGEL TREES – Begins this Sunday 

MIRACLE MALL
•  Take an angel off the tree, purchase the exact item listed.
•  Place the item and tag in an open gift bag.
•  Return the bag to the tree.
•  Deadline: 4pm – Friday, December 6

Detailed explanation: This year we are participating in the Miracle Mall as our Angel Tree mission. This program gives parents the opportunity to select gifts from donated items for their own children, creating a mall-like experience where they can choose presents at no cost, while receiving support from volunteers. We now have trees located just outside the doors of both worship services. Each tree is covered in angels requesting specific items that have been assigned to St. Andrews. Our items are sports balls and crafting items for children ages 9-11. Simply remove a tag from the tree, purchase the needed item, and place both tag and item in an open gift bag before leaving the bag below the tree. (There are lots of great gift bags at Dollar Tree.) The bags will be used at the gift wrapping area at the mall. Please have your items to the church no later than 4:00pm on Friday, December 6. Late donations cannot be taken. We will immediately transport the gifts to be displayed at the mall on Saturday. If you wish to make a donation instead of buying a gift, look for the donation angels on the tree!

Here’s what you will find in this email:
•  Angel Trees
•  Joy Club – Tuesday, 11:30am
•  Silver Bells Bazaar – Requesting Baked Goods
•  Live Nativity – Setup is Dec. 7, 8am
•  Breakfast with Mary & Joseph – Registration Open

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THIS WEEK:
•  Women’s Basketball/Open Gym – Mon, 6:30pm
•  Bless This Child – Mon, 5pm
•  Joy Club – Tues, 11:30am
•  Pickleball – Tues, 7pm
•  Walking in Grace – Wed, 9:30am
•  Stretch & Strength Class – Wed, 9:30am, FLC
•  Chair Stretch & Strength Class – Wed, 10:45am, FLC
•  Citizenship Class – Wed, 6pm
•  Cantata/Choir Practice for 11am Service – Wed, 6:45pm
•  Lunch & Learn – Thurs, 12:00pm
•  Music Practice for 9am Service – Thurs, 6:30pm
•  Silver Bells Bazaar – Sat, 9am-2pm 

UPCOMING:
•  Decorate for Advent – Sat, Nov. 30, 9am
•  Live Nativity Set Up – Sat, Dec. 7, 8am
•  Breakfast with Mary & Joseph – Sat, Dec. 7, 9-11am

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ANGEL TREES
We are excited to roll out a new initiative this year! Rather than our typical Angel Tree program and providing individual gifts, this year we are joining efforts with Community of Hope‘s Miracle Mall Ministry. In addition to reaching more children (including our Smith Elementary School friends plus many more), this program offers parents the opportunity to shop for gifts for their own children. This beautiful blessing touches families in need throughout our community while providing necessary support and promoting self-esteem. Angel Trees will go out this week! 

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JOY CLUB – Thanksgiving Feast
Tuesday | 11:30am 

Joy Club will meet this Tuesday at 11:30 at the church in the Meeting Room for our Thanksgiving Feast!  Turkey, ham and tea will be provided, everyone bring a side dish and/or a dessert.  The preschool will entertain us with a few songs.  We will vote on where to spend our extra money, and we will elect officers for 2025.  Everyone is welcome and bring a friend!

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REQUESTING BAKED GOODS FOR BAZAAR
United Women in Faith will have a table at the bazaar selling baked goods to raise money for their missions. If you are interested in making something for their table, let the church office or Gloria English know. They will be selling pies, breads, muffins, etc. All baked goods need to be brought to the church by Friday!

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LIVE NATIVITY – Set up is December 7th
Saturday, Dec. 14

We will be having Live Nativity for only one day this year, on December 14 from 6-9pm (rain date is December 15). We will meet to set up for Live Nativity on Saturday, December 7th at 8:00am. We are asking for volunteers to come help! We need to set up the camels, check and put up the scenes, run power for lights, etc. Volunteer sign up sheets will be available at each service!  The shifts will be:  6:30-7:00,  7:00-7:30,  7:30- 8:00,  8:00- 8:30,  8:30- 9:00.  You can sign up on Sundays, or email/call the church office and let us know the position and time slots you would like. If you can serve 2 timeslots, you can have them back to back or with a break between.

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BREAKFAST WITH MARY & JOSEPH
Sat, Dec. 7 | 9-11am 

Registration is open: https://forms.gle/K7ShQJNqjokZAknm6. There will be flyers available on Sunday mornings, take a few to hand out. We’re super excited about the event this year! Come enjoy a yummy breakfast and hear about when Jesus was born. We will sing songs, make some fun crafts, and you’ll get to take your picture with Mary and Joseph. Designed for children of all ages (but mostly preschool to 5th grade). We will also have a friendly donkey making a special appearance. Stop by the photo booth to meet her and take your picture with Mary, Joseph, and baby Jesus!

Here’s what you will find in this email:
•  Mission Madness – This Friday, 6-8pm
•  Giving Trees
•  Mulch Help Request
•  Silver Bells Bazaar – Requesting Baked Goods

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MISSION MADNESS
Friday | November 15 | 6-8pm 

This Friday, we will review all the mission projects we have learned about for the past few months, complete our gourd birdhouse projects, enjoy food and games, and have a great time talking about how we will support missions through our birdhouse fundraising! See you in the Family Life Center for supper at 6pm!

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GIVING TREES
As we approach the holidays, we are often reminded that many in our community struggle to meet their everyday needs. With those needs in mind, Saint Andrews is making a difference through our Giving Trees!

1. Remove an envelope from the tree.
2. Purchase a food gift card in the amount written on the envelope.
3. Place the card in the envelope, return it to the basket under the tree (leave the envelope unsealed!)

The gift cards will be distributed through Smith and Creech Elementary Schools to help families in the purchase of meals. What a great way for us to glorify God and serve others in this season of giving thanks!

Don’t forget, Garner Area Ministries is also planning to offer Thanksgiving themed meal boxes this year. You may bring in anything that can be served at Thanksgiving dinner for GAM to distribute to needy families for their holiday meal.

– – – – – – – – – –
WE HAVE MORE MULCH!
We have another pile of mulch that is in the back of the parking lot, this mulch needs to be spread only at the front of the church on either side of the stairs. If you can swing by next week for an hour or two and spread some mulch, that would be wonderful!

– – – – – – – – – –
SILVER BELLS BAZAAR
Saturday, Nov. 23 | 9am-2pm 

United Women in Faith will have a table selling baked goods to raise money for their missions. If you are interested in making something for their table, let the church office or Gloria English know. They will be selling pies, breads, muffins, etc. They appreciate all the help! Share this event with your friends, you can find it on our website (www.saintandrewsumc.org) or on our Facebook page (https://www.facebook.com/share/RQ6Uq9QssbE9Mh6H/).

Here’s what you will find in this email:
• Love Lunch – Tuesday, 12pm
• Mission Madness – Friday, 6-8pm
• Creation Care Moments

– – – – – – – – – –
THIS WEEK:
• Women’s Basketball/Open Gym – Mon, 6:30pm
• Love Lunch – Tues, 12pm
• United Women in Faith – Tues, 6:30pm
• Pickleball – Tues, 7pm
• Walking in Grace – Wed, 9:30am
• Stretch & Strength Class – Wed, 9:30am, FLC
• Chair Stretch & Strength Class – Wed, 10:45am, FLC
• Citizenship Class – Wed, 6pm
• Cantata/Choir Practice for 11am Service – Wed, 6:45pm
• Lunch & Learn – Thurs, 12:00pm
• Music Practice for 9am Service – Thurs, 6:30pm
• Sewing Class – Thurs, 7pm
• Mission Madness – Nov. 15, 6-8pm

UPCOMING:
• Joy Club – Nov. 19, 11:30am
• Silver Bells Bazaar – Nov. 23, 9am-2pm
• Decorate for Advent – Sat, Nov. 30, 9am

– – – – – – – – – –
QUICK NOTES
If anyone shared Fall Festival photos on Facebook and you don’t mind sharing them with the church, can you let the church office know? We’d like to tag the church, so they show up on our Facebook feed.

– – – – – – – – – –
LOVE LUNCH
Tuesday, Nov. 12 | 12:00pm | Meeting Center

Let’s gather for a potluck lunch TOMORROW and share some great stories! These lunches have become a precious time in the life of our church as we remember those who have died – whether recently or in years past. So often we don’t take time to talk about these important people, but this is a great chance to do that alongside others who feel loss while celebrating these lives. Come to relax, to share, to listen, or just to eat. Bring a favorite dish or side that you enjoy for a shared lunch, and we’ll provide the drinks. Bring a friend, everyone is welcome.

– – – – – – – – – –
MISSION MADNESS
Friday | November 15 | 6-8pm

This Friday, we will review all the mission projects we have learned about for the past few months, complete our gourd birdhouse projects, enjoy food and games, and have a great time talking about how we will support missions through our birdhouse fundraising! See you in the Family Life Center for supper at 6pm!

– – – – – – – – – –
CREATION CARE MOMENTS
Walking in Grace meets on Wednesdays at 9:30am at the Meditation Pathway or in the Creation Care Classroom.

Nature Happenings: 

Fruits:  Wisteria pods crack in the evening, showing their on the dry leaves beneath them.

Insects:  Comma butterflies emerge from hiding on warm sunny days. Cloudless sulphur butterflies can be seen. Last calls of the crickets and katydids

Birds:  Houses should be cleaned out for next season.

Mammals:   Bats fly on warm nights

The sky:  Orion is rising.

Creation Restoration Tips:
Watch your waste.  Items you may be throwing away can contaminate the soil and water for thousands or millions of years. Your community has special disposal procedures of things like used oil and batteries, ink cartridges can probably be recycled where you bought them. Many of the new super-efficient light bulbs contain mercury, so proper disposal is crucial so check with the store where you buy them.

Discover your Eco address:
The constellation Orion is easily seen in the Northern Hemisphere’s winter sky as the familiar hunter with the star-studded belt. This constellation includes two of the brightest stars visible from the Earth.  Can you name them? Answer: Betelgeuse, a red supergiant and Rigel, a blue-white star.

Here’s what you will find in this email:
•  Wednesday Night Supper – This Wed, 5:30pm
•  Stewardship Campaign Update
•  Annual Charge Conference – Sat, Nov. 9, 12:30pm at Benson Memorial UMC
•  Remembering Veterans – Sun, Nov. 10
•  Creation Care Moments

– – – – – – – – – –
THIS WEEK:
•  Women’s Basketball/Open Gym – Mon, 6:30pm
•  Pickleball – Tues, 7pm
•  Walking in Grace – Wed, 9:30am
•  Stretch & Strength Class – Wed, 9:30am, FLC
•  Chair Stretch & Strength Class – Wed, 10:45am, FLC
•  Wednesday Night Supper – Wed, 5:30pm
•  Citizenship Class – Wed, 6pm
•  Cantata/Choir Practice for 11am Service – Wed, 6:30pm
•  Lunch & Learn – Thurs, 12:00pm
•  Music Practice for 9am Service – Thurs, 6:30pm
•  Sewing Class – Thurs, 7pm
•  Annual Charge Conference – Sat, 12:30pm at Benson Memorial UMC

UPCOMING:
•  Mission Madness – Nov. 15, 6-8pm
•  Joy Club – Nov. 19, 11:30am, meet at the church

– – – – – – – – – –
QUICK NOTES
If anyone shared Fall Festival photos on Facebook and you don’t mind sharing them with the church, can you let the church office know? We’d like to tag the church, so they show up on our Facebook feed.

– – – – – – – – – –
WEDNESDAY NIGHT SUPPER – This Week!
5:30pm | $5.00 per person

Please join us for good food and better fellowship!  Menu: Chicken casserole with sides and desserts. The cost is $5.00 per person (additional donations are always appreciated). Looking forward to seeing you there!  (If you have any plastic bags, bring them to be recycled)

– – – – – – – – – –
STEWARDSHIP CAMPAIGN UPDATE
Thank you to all that have submitted your pledge cards during our Stewardship campaign! Your commitment to God and your church is evident through your pledges.

If you have not submitted your pledge card, it’s not too late. You can complete your pledge card and put it in the offering plate this Sunday (or mail to the Church Office). If you need a pledge card, you may pick one up in the Church Office or call (919) 772-4410 and request a card be sent to you. It takes all of us responding to God’s individual call in our lives.

– – – – – – – – – –
ANNUAL CHARGE CONFERENCE – Location Change
This Saturday, November 9, 12:30pm

Our annual Charge Conference will be held this Saturday, November 9 at 12:30pm at Benson Memorial United Methodist Church (4706 Creedmoor Rd., Raleigh, NC 27612). Please note that while the date and time remain the same, the location is different than originally expected. Three other churches will join us for this joint gathering with our District Superintendent: Benson Memorial UMC, Macedonia UMC and Edenton/SERT.

Church Council members should make plans to attend as you are the voting body for this meeting. All church members are invited but will not have a vote. Two items are on the agenda for this important meeting: approval of the Nominations Report and approval of pastoral salary for 2025.

– – – – – – – – – –
REMEMBERING VETERANS
This Sunday, 9 & 11am Services

This Sunday there will be a special bulletin insert to honor those who have served our country. If you would like to honor a veteran and have not already filled out a form, contact Gloria English TODAY (919-740-5295 or ggenglish@nc.rr.com).

– – – – – – – – – –
CREATION CARE MOMENTS
Walking in Grace meets on Wednesdays at 9:30am at the Meditation Pathway or in the Creation Care Classroom.

Nature Happenings:
Plants: Good month to plant fruit bearing trees like dogwood, mulberry, persimmon, viburnum and crabapple. Birdhouses should be cleaned out to prepare for next season, Witch hazel trees bloom.
Mammals: Groundhogs, chipmunks and skunks begin searching for den sites, beaver are busy preparing for winter.
Insects: Some crickets still call, a few orb-weaver spiders can still be seen.

Restoration Tips:
Go for seconds. Recycling doesn’t only mean separating your cans and bottles, it can also mean using a thing a second or third time. That nice, padded envelope you got in the mail, for example?  Instead of throwing it away, scratch out the address, tear off the stamps and use it again.

Thin plastics like grocery bags and bread wrappers and other plastics that wrap packages can be used a second time. Gene English has begun the November collection of these “thin plastics”. We need one hundred pounds in the white collection box in the FLC by the end of the month to help the Garner Lions Club purchase park benches for the town of Garner. Let’s help Gene help keep “thin plastics” out of landfills and the environment.

Discover Your Eco Address:
A  look at the night sky reveals that different stars shine in subtly different colors – white, red, yellow, blue, orange, and various shades in between.

What factor is responsible for determining a star’s color?

1. The star’s distance from earth.
2. the chemical composition of the star’s surface or atmosphere
3. the star’s temperature
4. Variations in Earth’s electromagnetic field.

Answer:  C – Stars shine in a spectrum of colors based on their temperature. Reds are the coolest, followed in order of increasing temperature by orange, yellow, white and blue.

Here’s what you will find in this email:
•  Daylight Savings Time Reminder
•  Landscaping at the Church
•  All Saints Sunday – This Sunday
•  Annual Charge Conference – Sat, Nov. 9, 12:30pm at Benson Memorial UMC
•  Remembering Veterans – Sun, Nov. 10

– – – – – – – – – –
QUICK NOTES
•  If anyone shared Fall Festival photos on Facebook and you don’t mind sharing them with the church, can you let the church office know? We’d like to tag the church, so they show up on our Facebook feed.

– – – – – – – – – –
DAYLIGHT SAVINGS TIME
Daylight savings time ends this Sunday, remember to “fall back” one hour this Saturday night!

– – – – – – – – – –
LANDSCAPING AT THE CHURCH

A special thank you to all the volunteers who are working on our church grounds. We are mulching, pruning, cleaning up, and landscaping to keep us safe (allowing more light to shine in the front landscaping bed at night) and keep our plants healthy. We have some great plans, and it’s a work in progress!

You will see on Sunday that the landscaping at the front of the church is being worked on, it’s definitely a work in progress! We are pruning and landscaping the area to make it safer (so it’s not as dark in there at night) and a healthier place for the plants and shrubs. It will take a few weeks to finish the work and we appreciate the volunteers that have been making it happen.

– – – – – – – – – –
ALL SAINTS SUNDAY
This Sunday, November 3 – 9am & 11am

This Sunday, we will celebrate the saints who have joined the Church Triumphant since November 1, 2023. While our list and our roll call is intended for church members, we will offer you an opportunity to light a candle during the services to remember loved ones who have died at any time.

 – – – – – – – – – –
ANNUAL CHARGE CONFERENCE – Location Change
Saturday, November 9, 12:30pm 

Our annual Charge Conference will be held Saturday, November 9 at 12:30pm at Benson Memorial United Methodist Church (4706 Creedmoor Rd., Raleigh, NC 27612). Please note that while the date and time remain the same, the location is different than originally expected.  Three other churches will join us for this joint gathering with our District Superintendent: Benson Memorial UMC, Macedonia UMC and Edenton/SERT.  

Church Council members should make plans to attend as you are the voting body for this meeting. All church members are invited but will not have a vote. Two items are on the agenda for this important meeting: approval of the Nominations Report and approval of pastoral salary for 2025. 

– – – – – – – – – –
REMEMBERING VETERANS
Sunday, November 10, 9 & 11am Services 

There are many who have served our country valiantly over the years, these brave men and women fought for the freedoms that we enjoy every day. On Sunday, November 10, 2024, there will be a special bulletin insert to honor those who have served our country. 

There will be forms available at each service, each listing is $1.00. Please return any forms to Gloria English, put in the collection plate, or place in the box in the narthex by Sunday (November 3). Donations may be made in honor OR in memory of someone. All money will be used to support programs for children of deceased veterans. 

Here’s what you will find in this email:
•  Joy Club – Oct. 15, 11:30am
•  Wednesday Stretch & Strength Classes Cancelled this Week
•  Mission Madness – This Friday, 6-8pm
•  Sweet Stewardship Sunday – 9am & 11am
•  Creation Care Moments

– – – – – – – – – –
THIS WEEK:
•  Women’s Basketball/Open Gym – Mon, 6:30pm
•  Joy Club – Oct. 15, 11:30am
•  Pickleball – Tues, 7pm
•  Walking in Grace – Wed, 9:30am
•  Stretch & Strength Class – Cancelled
•  Chair Stretch & Strength Class – Cancelled
•  Citizenship Class – Wed, 6pm
•  Choir Practice for 11am Service – Wed, 6:45pm
•  Lunch & Learn – Thurs, 12:00pm
•  Music Practice for 9am Service – Thurs, 6:30pm
•  Sewing Class – Thurs, 7pm
•  Mission Madness – Fri, Oct. 18, 6pm

– – – – – – – – – –
JOY CLUB
This Tuesday | 11:30am 

Joy Club will meet tomorrow at 11:30am at the Low & Slow Smokehouse, 3149 B Swift Creek Road, Smithfield, NC 27577 (it’s at the Johnston County Airport).  We will eat, fellowship and watch the airplanes!  If you want to carpool, be at the church at 10:45, Nancy Barbour and Nancy Woodward will be there to meet you and carpool to the restaurant.  

 – – – – – – – – – –
WEDNESDAY STRETCH & STRENGTH CLASSES
This Wednesday’s classes are cancelled due to Aisha continuing to help out the line service workers in Tampa, Florida.

– – – – – – – – – –
MISSION MADNESS
This Friday!, October 18 from 6-8pm

Let’s have a Green Grace Gathering. Come learn all about embracing earth, nurturing nature, and being planet people! We have lots of adult helpers to meet with our children for games, activities, experiments and more, while adults meet with Pastor Beth for a scripture-inspired time of fun and learning. Then, from 8-8:30pm, we have free fun time in the gym for youth. Remember: Mission Madness is no longer just for the children, AND we will even feed you a light supper!

– – – – – – – – – –
SWEET STEWARDSHIP SUNDAY
This Sunday, October 20, 9 & 11am 

As you come to worship this Sunday, you have two important things to bring with you:  Your pledge card for 2025, and bags of candy for Fall Festival! 

On the stewardship side, this is Commitment Sunday and our worship will focus on the wonderful ways we honor and glorify God through our financial giving and more. The services will each end with a time of celebrating and praying over our promises for 2025. 

On the Fall Festival side, this is your chance to support the Trunk or Treat portion of our fun on October 27. We only have a few more days before Fall Festival so be sure to get that candy to the church right away! (We also need volunteers to help that day, look for another email this week with more information!)

– – – – – – – – – –
CREATION CARE MOMENTS
Walking in Grace meets on Wednesdays at 9:30am at the Meditation Pathway or in the Creation Care Classroom. 

Nature Happenings:   
Start a compost pile this month with leaves or use them for mulch. Leaves make good mulch that conserve moisture, discourages grass and weeds, reduces erosion. When worked into the soil, leaves make the soil loamy, improves aeration and increases soil capacity to retain water. First frost in Piedmont.

Leaves: Tulip poplars in hues of gold, Goldenrod and Aster finish blooming, Witch hazel trees begin Blooming. Fall foliage peaks in the mountains.

Seeds:  the white oak acorn drop is on, kapow! on tin roofs and car tops, deer seek the mast crop

Birds:  Great Blue Herons are more numerous in the Piedmont, Canada geese and other waterfowl 

arriving from the north.

Amphibians: Frogs begin hibernating.

Creation Restoration Tips:
Remember to bring all your “thin Plastics” (bread wrappers, grocery bags etc.) to the white recycling box in the FLC. This supports Gene and the Garner Lions Club’s project to give the town of Garner benches. Growing grains, vegetables, and fruits use less than 5% as much raw materials as does meat production.

Discovering Your  Eco-Address: 
True or False?  Snow reflects more light than water does.
True. Snow reflects up to 95 percent of the sunlight or moonlight that shines on it, whereas the Sun’s reflectivity on open water is only 10-15 percent. 

Advice from a… Campfire: 
Bring people together, spark new ideas, kindle new friendships, radiate warmth, no smoking, be a good storyteller, don’t go to bed fired up.  — Ilan Shmir

Here’s what you will find in this email:
•  Wednesday Night Supper – Wed, 5:30pm
•  Blessing of the Animals – Sun, 3pm
•  Children’s Books Needed for Garner UMC
•  Homecoming – Sun. Oct. 13, 11am (one service)
•  Creation Care Moments

– – – – – – – – – –
THIS WEEK:
•  Women’s Basketball/Open Gym – Mon, 6:30pm
•  Pickleball – Tues, 7pm
•  Walking in Grace – Wed, 9:30am
•  Stretch & Strength Class – Wed, 9:30am, FLC 
•  Chair Stretch & Strength Class – Wed, 10:45am, FLC
•  Wednesday Night Supper – Wed, 5:30pm
•  Citizenship Class – Wed, 6pm
•  Choir Cantata Practice for 11am Service – Wed, 6:30pm
•  Lunch & Learn – Thurs, 12:00pm
•  Music Practice for 9am Service – Thurs, 6:30pm
•  Sewing Class – Thurs, 7pm
•  Blessing of the Animals – Sun, 3pm

UPCOMING:
•  Wesleyan Well Wishers – Mon, Oct. 7, 10am
•  United Women in Faith – Tues, Oct. 8, 6:30pm
•  SPRC Meeting – Thurs, Oct. 10, 6:30pm
•  Walk To Emmaus Meeting – Fri, Oct. 11, 7pm
•  Homecoming – Sun. Oct. 13, 11am (one service)

– – – – – – – – – –
WEDNESDAY NIGHT SUPPER
October 2 | 5:30pm | $5.00 per person 

The next Wednesday Night Supper is this week, please join us for good food and better fellowship!  Menu: Homemade Spaghetti and Salad Bar. The cost is $5.00 per person (additional donations are always appreciated). Looking forward to seeing you there!   (Bring your plastic bags to be recycled, the information is later in this email).

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BLESSING OF THE ANIMALS
Sunday | 3pm | Meditation Path

You and your animals (any kind!) are invited to a service for the Blessing of Animals held this Sunday at 3pm. Human snacks and animal water buckets will be available for a time of fellowship and animal petting immediately following the service. This event is free and for kids of all ages!

– – – – – – – – – –
CHILDREN’S BOOKS NEEDED
New or gently used children’s books for the Read and Feed program we are supporting at Garner UMC.  The family is fed and afterwards the children get a one on one reading tutor session.  Families do stay onsite during the tutoring. Please put them in the donation station upstairs or on the designated bookcase in the FLC.  And if you would like to volunteer to tutor please see Mary Foster!

– – – – – – – – – –
HOMECOMING SUNDAY
October 13, 11am Service

On Sunday, October 13th, we will have an amazing single service to celebrate Homecoming. Our guest preacher will be Rev. Richard Stone. After the service, we will fellowship with a covered dish meal in the Family Life Center (we’ll have more details soon about the lunch). Make a note on your calendars and start inviting friends, neighbors and former church members for this celebration!

– – – – – – – – – –
CREATION CARE MOMENTS
Walking in Grace meets on Wednesdays at 9:30am at the Meditation Pathway or in the Creation Care Classroom.

Blessing of the Animals
“All creatures have the same source as we have.  Like us, they derive the life of thought, love, and will from the Creator. Not to hurt our humble brethren is our first duty to them; but to stop there is a complete misapprehension of the intentions of Providence.  We have a higher mission.  God wishes that we should succour them whenever they require it.”  Saint Francis

Nature Happenings:

Blooming:  Purple mistflower.

Leaves: Sweetgums become more wine-red, grape ferns emerge.

Insects: Sounds of crickets and grasshoppers diminish, hornets and yellowjackets overwinter as fertilized queens, individuals feeding on fallen fruit and other foods found in picnic areas.

Birds:  Hawks migrate south,  birds molt, good time  to find feathers. Hummingbirds migrate due to day length not food supply.

Restoration Tips:
About 70% of the garbage Americans create is compostable, including yard waste, food waste, wood and paper. Remember to bring your thin plastics like bread wrappers and plastic grocery bags along with others to the FLC and deposit in the white collection box. Gene, The Earth and the Lion’s Club thank you. 1,000 pounds gets a bench to donate to Garner

Your Eco Address:
What is Earthshine?  Earthshine is sunlight that reflects off of Earth and lights up the Moon: the effect is most intense just before and after new moons of April and May.  Brightness varies with the seasons.

Advice from a… Bear:
Live large, climb beyond your limitations, when life gets hairy, grin and bear it, eat well, live with the seasons, take a good long nap, look after your honey!  – Ilan Shmir

Here’s what you will find in this email:
•  Wednesday Night Supper – Oct. 2, 5:30pm
•  Creation Care Moments
•  GAM & Smith Elementary Needs

– – – – – – – – – –

THIS WEEK:
•  Finance & Church Council Meetings – Mon, 6pm & 7pm
•  Women’s Basketball/Open Gym – Mon, 7pm
•  Pickleball – Tues, 7pm
•  Walking in Grace – Wed, 9:30am
•  Stretch & Strength Class – Wed, 9:30am, FLC
•  Chair Stretch & Strength Class – Wed, 10:45am, FLC
•  Choir Practice for 11am Service – Wed, 6:45pm
•  Lunch & Learn – Thurs, 12:00pm
•  Music Practice for 9am Service – Thurs, 6:30pm
•  Sewing Class – Thurs, 7pm
•  Mission Madness – Fri, Sept. 27, 6pm (Read & Feed)

UPCOMING:
•  Wednesday Night Supper – Oct. 2, 5:30pm
•  Walk To Emmaus Meeting – Fri, Oct. 11, 7pm
•  Homecoming – Sun. Oct. 13, 11am (one service)

– – – – – – – – – –
WEDNESDAY NIGHT SUPPER
October 2 | 5:30pm | $5.00 per person 

The next Wednesday Night Supper is coming up on October 2nd! Please join us for good food and better fellowship!  Menu: Spaghetti and Salad Bar. The cost is $5.00 per person (additional donations are always appreciated). Looking forward to seeing you there!   (Bring your plastic bags to be recycled, the information is later in this email).

– – – – – – – – – –
CREATION CARE MOMENTS
Walking in Grace meets on Wednesdays at 9:30am at the Meditation Pathway or in the Creation Care Classroom.

Season of Creation:
All things share the same breath – the beast, the tree, the man. The air shares its spirit with all the life it supports (Chief Seattle). The Creation is our neighbor, just like every human person is our neighbor. (Rev. Susan Johnson, National Bishop, Evangelical Lutheran Church-Canada)

Nature Happenings:
Birds: Hawks and hummingbirds begin their migration to wintering grounds in Central and South America, cover water gardens with wire mesh or netting to keep leaves out.

Blooming: Daisy fleabane and horsetails are prominent flowers.

Fruits: Green acorns fall and grapes can still be found.

Leaves: In some years, sweetgums, black gums, sourwoods, and sumac are resplendent this early with their carmine colors.  Cranefly orchid leaves emerge from the earth. The month of spider webs continues.

Restoration Tips:
We have a unique opportunity to really make a difference for our earth. As you know, we have recycling for plastic bottles, aluminum cans, composting foods paper but we have no program for recycling the plastic grocery bags and other items considered thin plastic like bread wrappers, etc. I  saw a sea turtle lying dead on the beach with its stomach and intestines impacted with this type of plastic. The turtle thought that this plastic floating in the sea was her favorite food, jellyfish, ate it and died. There is a great project that Gene and Gloria are heading up with the Garner Lions’ club. Once a 1000 lbs of plastic are collected, a bench will be donated to the Town of Garner. And think of the number of sea turtles that will be saved! Start today saving all those wrappers and help Gene and Gloria collect a 1000 pounds  – the white collection box is located in the FLC.

Discover Your Eco Address:
What is a mycelium?

A mycelium is the underground web of a living fungus. You would never know the fungi was there but for the presence of mushrooms, which are the fruits and seeds that pop up above ground. They are decomposers feeding on dead organic matter. The mycelium may cover thousands of acres and be thousands of years old.

Advice from a ….Moose
Think big, spend time in the water, hold your head up high, stay on track, keep your nose clean, eat plenty of greens, it’s ok to be a little wild!

– – – – – – – – – –
GAM & SMITH ELEMENTARY NEEDS 

We have been notified that Smith Elementary (one of the two elementary schools we support) has a few needs for teachers and students. Teachers have to buy their own coffee for the teacher lounge, so we are looking to help them out with some extra coffee. The teachers also have a snack closet for the kids, so that no child learns while hungry, but that closet is looking bare! 

Here’s what we need:
•  Ground coffee bags of any brand (no pods or instant coffee)
•  Individually packaged kid’s snacks with no peanuts (fruit snacks, animal crackers, Cheez-its, Lance crackers, fruit cups, etc.)

Also, GARNER AREA MINISTRIES is running low on a few items.
•  Canned pastas (Ravioli, Spaghetti, SpaghettiOs, Beefaroni, etc.)
   ** Food Lion has these on sale for $1.00 today & tomorrow **
•  Canned vegetables (any kind)

53 BOXES of cereal were given to GAM last week, thank you so much to everyone that contributed!

Here’s what you will find in this email:
•  Joy Club – Tues, 11:30am at the church
•  Chair Stretch & Strength Class – No Class this Wednesday
•  Voices of the Past – Sat, 4-6pm, New Bethel Baptist Church
•  Walk to Emmaus Meeting – October 11, 7pm
•  Creation Care Moments

– – – – – – – – – –
THIS WEEK:
•  Bless This Child – Mon, 4pm
•  Women’s Basketball/Open Gym – Mon, 7pm
•  Joy Club – Tues, 11:30 at the church
•  Pickleball – Tues, 7pm
•  Walking in Grace – Wed, 9:30am
•  Stretch & Strength Classes – Cancelled this Week
•  Choir Practice for 11am Service – Wed, 6:45pm
•  Lunch & Learn – Thurs, 12:00pm
•  Music Practice for 9am Service – Thurs, 6:30pm

UPCOMING:
•  Mission Madness – Fri, Sept. 27, 6pm (Read & Feed)
•  Sewing Classes – Thurs, Sept. 26, 7-9pm

– – – – – – – – – –
JOY CLUB
Tues | Sept. 17 | 11:30am

The next Joy Club will meet on this Tuesday in the Meeting Room at church for a salad lunch.  Please bring a salad (any kind) to share with the group.  Drinks will be provided.  Everyone is welcome to join us!

– – – – – – – – – –
STRETCH & STRENGTH CLASS
This Wednesday’s stretch & strength classes will not be meeting, the next class will be September 25th.

– – – – – – – – – –
VOICES OF THE PAST – New Bethel Baptist Church Cemetery
Sat | Sept. 21 | 4-6pm

The Garner Area Historical Society presents the second annual “Voices of the Past” at the New Bethel Baptist Church Cemetery. Celebrate “A History of Service,” with costumed players portraying the lives of several “residents” of the New Bethel Cemetery. Short, guided tours of this pretty, historic church building will also be offered. The church has stood on this site since 1860. New Bethel Baptist Church is located at 2110 Benson Road in Garner. Advance tickets are not required, but donations will be accepted at the event. Please check our website (www.Garner-area-historicalsociety.org) and Facebook page (@ Garner History) for more information. Rain date: Sept. 28.

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WALK TO EMMAUS MEETING
Friday, October 11 | 7-8pm

Got 3 days to change your life? Try the Emmaus Walk. Are you feeling “broken” and need forgiveness? Do you need to recommit your life to God? Do you know your spiritual gifts and how to use them? Do you need to prioritize what you do for God? The purpose of “The Emmaus Walk” is “movement” with a purpose – to BE the church! For me, I know my gifts. I affirmed my faith and the way to use the power of the Holy Spirit. The fellowship of the believers is supportive and uplifting. After 3 days, my question is: “What will you do on the 4th?” — Mary Foster, SAUMC’s most recent attendee

We will be having an interest meeting on Friday, October 11 from 7-8pm in the Meeting Room.  If you have thoughts about going, this would be a great place to start!  Any questions or to let us know you will be coming, please email Debbie White at dewdrop91804@aol.com.

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CREATION CARE MOMENTS
Walking in Grace meets on Wednesdays at 9:30am at the Meditation Pathway or in the Creation Care Classroom.

Season of Creation:
God’s Creation is a sacred gift that we are invited to share in, and to care for indigenous communities around the world are at the forefront of efforts to protect the lands they hold sacred.  As followers of Jesus, we are called to do our part in sustaining the life of the Earth we all share, to be active in caring for our shared home. Anglican and Lutheran leaders, Earth Day, 2022.

Nature Happenings:
Blooming:  Maryland golden aster, goldenrod, aster, Hearts-a-bustin.
Fruits: Wild scuppernongs and muscadines are ripe for picking
Female praying mantises are often seen at this time of year, it’s egg laying time! Spider webs are showing up as spiders begin to store food captured in webs

Restoration Tips:
Growing grains, vegetables and fruits uses less than 5% as much raw materials as does meat production. Try your hand at edible gardening. You will be amazed at how much you can grow in a small backyard plot.  Herbs, leafy greens, fruits, and even corn.

Discover you Eco Address: 
True or False?  Crows always hang out in crowds.
False, During the summer, crows associate only in pairs at their isolated breeding places, but in fall they are seen congregating in large groups called “murders.”

Advice from a …….SUN:
Keep it light, rise to the occasion, look on the bright side, set your sights high, renew your energy, keep a sunny disposition, be brilliant!   – – Ilan Shamir

Here’s what you will find in this email:
•  Tutors Needed – Read & Feed
•  Bring Your Plastic Bag Recycling this Sunday
•  Garner Area Ministries – Let’s beat last week’s total!

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Our guest speaker for this Sunday’s 9am & 11am Services will be Mrs. Shawnna Smith-Parker, Director of Children’s, Youth and Family Ministries at Garner United Methodist Church. Please be sure to attend to support her ministry!

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TUTORS NEEDED

Garner UMC is looking for tutors for Read & Feed (https://readandfeed.org/). Sessions will be weekly and begin on Thursday, September 26. The meal is at 5:30pm and tutoring is from 6-7pm. All materials will be provided. Help a child to change their life and be successful. If interested, contact Mary Foster at 919-480-4411 or mfostermissions@gmail.com.

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GARNER LIONS CLUB – Bring Your Plastic Bags on Sunday

The Garner Lions Club is collecting plastic grocery bags and other items considered “thin” plastic.  Once we collect 1,000 pounds, we will get a bench that we will donate to the Town of Garner! There is a collection bin located in the FLC near the kitchen. Items Include: Grocery and retail bags, Bread bags, Ice bags, Produce bags, Dry cleaning bags, Newspaper sleeves, Bubble wrap, Salt bags, Cereal box liners, Wood pellet bags, Ziploc bags.

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GARNER AREA MINISTRIES

Garner Area Ministries includes a box of cereal in every family’s food box – any kind of cereal is welcome. We want to blow them out of the water with how much we can support these kids, so bring your cereal to the church and we will make sure it gets over to them as soon as possible.

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SILVER BELLS BAZAAR

Our 2024 Silver Bell’s Bazaar will be held on Saturday, November 23, 2024, from 9am-2pm. We are looking for crafters, artists, and makers of all kinds of handmade goods to be vendors at the event. Vendor Registration Forms are available from the church office. Share this event with your friends, you can find it on our website or on our Facebook page.

Here’s what you will find in this email:
•  Garner Area Ministries – Let’s beat last week’s total!
•  Creation Care Moments

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THIS WEEK:
•  Women’s Basketball/Open Gym – Mon, 7pm
•  United Women in Faith – Tues, Sept. 10, 6:30pm
•  Pickleball – Tues, 7pm
•  Walking in Grace – Wed, 9:30am
•  Stretch & Strength Class – Wed, 9:30am, FLC
•  Chair Stretch & Strength Class – Wed, 10:45am, FLC
•  Choir Practice for 11am Service – Wed, 6:30pm
•  Lunch & Learn – Cancelled this Week
•  Music Practice for 9am Service – Thurs, 6:30pm
•  Craftin’ Friendzy – Sat, 8:30am, FLC

UPCOMING:
•  Bless This Child – Mon, Sept. 16, 4pm
•  Joy Club – Tues, Sept. 17, 11:30 at the church
•  Mission Madness – Fri., Sept. 27, 6pm

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QUICK NOTES:
•  Pastor Beth will be out of the office from Tuesday, Sept. 10 – Tuesday, Sept. 17. There will be no Lunch & Learn on Thursday.

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GARNER AREA MINISTRIES

We received 33 boxes of cereal this weekend, which is 10 boxes short of meeting last week’s donation – if you’re able to bring by some cereal this week we can beat last week’s number. Thank you so much for all the cereal that has been donated so far! Garner Area Ministries includes a box of cereal in every family’s food box – any kind of cereal is welcome. We want to blow them out of the water with how much we can support these kids, so bring your cereal to the church and we will make sure it gets over to them as soon as possible.

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CREATION CARE MOMENTS
Walking in Grace meets on Wednesdays at 9:30am at the Meditation Pathway or in the Creation Care Classroom.

Season of Creation:
Climate change is not just an environmental problem. It’s not just about the earth, it’s also about people. The way we’re treating the earth and the effects of that are already impacting the world’s poorest people.  We don’t get to choose between caring about climate change or caring about poverty, they’re interconnected — just like the relationship between God, people and the world. (Care for Creation: A Resource Pack for Christian Youth.)

Nature Happenings: Autumn colors begin this month
Blooming:  Asters, Goldenrods, partridge pea, beggar’s lice’, Witch Hazel.
Fruits: Wild muscadine grapes ripen, Hearts-a-busting.
Insects:  Monarch butterflies are in migration.
Birds:  Chimney Swifts are swarming & roosting in Chimneys, Great Egrets are seen at edges of lakes, ponds and larger rivers.
Mammals: Fawn deer have lost their spots.

Restoration Tips:
The value of raw materials consumed to produce food from livestock is greater than the value of all oil, gas, and coal consumed in America. The simplest thing– even if you’re a confirmed meat-eater is to cut down on the amount of beef you eat.

Discover your Eco  Address:
True or False?
One apple tree can procure 400 pounds of apples in a year.
One oak tree can produce 2,000 acorns in a year.
Both are true. A standard apple tree is producing 400 pounds per year. An Oak tree by age 80 produces 2000 acorns per year.

Advice from a…..Waterfall:
Go with the flow, roar with excitement, let your cares fall away, create your own music, immerse yourself in nature, stay active, and make a splash!    – Ilan Shamir

Here’s what you will find in this email:
•  Wednesday Night Supper – This Wednesday, 5:30pm
•  Bring a Friend to Choir – Wed, 5:30pm
•  Garner Lions Club – Plastic Bag Recycling
•  Joy Club – Tues, Sept. 17, 11:30 at the church
•  Creation Care Moments
•  Greeter Schedule – 4th Quarter 2024

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THIS WEEK:
•  Women’s Basketball/Open Gym – Mon, 7pm
•  Pickleball – Tues, 7pm
•  Walking in Grace – Wed, 9:30am
•  Stretch & Strength Class – Wed, 9:30am, FLC
•  Chair Stretch & Strength Class – Wed, 10:45am, FLC
•  Wednesday Night Supper – Sept. 4, 5:30pm
•  Choir Practice for 11am Service – Wed, 6:30pm
•  Lunch & Learn – Thurs, 12pm, Meeting Center
•  Music Practice for 9am Service – Thurs, 6:30pm
•  Youth Bowling – Sun, Sept. 8, 5-7pm, Buffaloe Lanes on Hwy 401

UPCOMING:
•  United Women in Faith – Tues, Sept. 10, 6:30pm
•  Joy Club – Tues, Sept. 17, 11:30 at the church
•  Mission Madness – Fri., Sept. 27, 6pm

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WEDNESDAY NIGHT SUPPER
September 4 | 5:30pm | $5.00 per person

The next Wednesday Night Supper is coming up on September 4th! Please join us for good food and better fellowship!  Menu: Turkey & dressing, mashed potatoes, green beans, butter beans, & assorted desserts. The cost is $5.00 per person (additional donations are always appreciated). Looking forward to seeing you there!   (Bring your plastic bags to be recycled, the information is later in this email).

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BRING A FRIEND TO CHOIR
Wednesday Sept 4

Being a friend to choir from 5:30-7:30, we will meet for a meal downstairs in the FLC at 5:30pm before coming upstairs to the choir room to sing our favorite songs!

5:30 – Meal (Turkey & all the fixings, $5 per person)
6:30 – Listen or sing: Christmas Cantata Preview
7:00 – Hymn Sing: Pick your favorite song!

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GARNER LIONS CLUB – Plastic Bag Recycling 

The Garner Lions Club is collecting plastic grocery bags and other items considered “thin” plastic.  Once we collect 1,000 pounds, we will get a bench that we will donate to the Town of Garner! There is a collection bin located in the FLC near the kitchen. Items Include: Grocery and retail bags, Bread bags, Ice bags, Produce bags, Dry cleaning bags, Newspaper sleeves, Bubble wrap, Salt bags, Cereal box liners, Wood pellet bags, Ziploc bags.

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JOY CLUB
Tues | Sept. 17 | 11:30am

The next Joy Club will meet on September 17 at 11:30 in the Meeting Room at church for a salad lunch.  Please bring a salad, any kind of salad to share with the group.  Drinks will be provided.  Everyone is welcome to join us!

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CREATION CARE MOMENTS
Walking in Grace meets on Wednesdays at 9:30am at the Meditation Pathway or in the Creation Care Classroom.

Season of Creation, Week One: 
Protecting Biodiversity. Biodiversity is the variety and variability of life on earth. The WWF’s report indicates that there has been a 69% decrease in global populations of mammals, birds, fish, reptiles and amphibians since 1970. In the US 40%of animals are at risk of extinction.  Biodiversity is so important because a diverse mix of genes, species, and ecosystems make human survival possible. Protecting and restoring biodiversity is the concern of our faith community and all people. 

Let us pray:
“God of Creation, we thank you for the biodiversity you provide in all the lands and all the oceans. Help us to become more aware of the richness and fullness of biodiversity and to better understand the unique importance of each plant and animal. Give us the courage to take a stand and act when species are threatened or in danger of extinction.  Bring us together in discussion that leads to actions that ensure the protection of biodiversity in our country and in the world. In Christ’s name we pray.”

Nature Happenings:
Blooming: Rabbit tobacco, black-eyed susan, beech drops, sunflower, and blazing star.
Insects: tree crickets’ songs intensify on warmer nights. Spiders begin spinning webs as fall approaches

Restoration Tips:
For every person who switches to a pure vegetarian diet, one acre of U.S. trees is spared per year. The simplest thing-even if you’re a confirmed meat eater-is to cut down on the amount of beef you eat.

Discover Your Eco address: 
What are the morning and evening stars?
Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter, and Saturn are visible to the naked eye. These planets are sometimes called morning and evening “stars” because at certain times of the year they are bright enough to be seen at dawn and dusk.

Advice from a…Wetland:
Make a splash, take time to reflect, listen to nature, reed more, be Green, Don’t get Bogged down, what’s the rush?   – Ilan Shamir

Here’s what you will find in this email:
•  Labor Day – Church Office Closed
•  Wave Day Update
•  Season of Creation Begins Sept. 1
•  Next Wednesday Night Supper – Sept. 4, 5:30pm
•  Bring a Friend to Choir – Wed. Sept 4, 5:30pm
•  Sewing Classes – Begins Sept. 26
•  Citizenship Classes – Begins Oct. 2

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LABOR DAY – Church Office Closed
The Church Office will be closed for Labor Day (Monday, Sept. 2) and will reopen on Tuesday.

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WAVE DAY UPDATE
We had a fantastic time waving to all the students as they went by! Lots of pencils got handed out and the kids (and parents) were so happy to get lots of encouragement for the first day of school!

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SEASON OF CREATION – September 1st to October 4th 

Welcome to this year’s Season of Creation. The Christian family unites for this worldwide celebration of prayer and action to protect our common home. Pastor Beth will lead us each week to celebrate our God and Creator and acknowledge creation as the divine continuing act that summons us as collaborators to love and care for the gift of all that is created. As followers of Christ we are called to care for creation. As co-creatures that God has made our well-being is interwoven with the well-being of the Earth. 

This year’s Theme is “To Hope and Act with Creation” (Romans 8:19-25). You may want to begin next week with the following prayer: “Beloved Father of Light, with wisdom at your side you unfolded a world of plenty, beauty, and grace, where all beings were made to be in balance and harmony with one another in Christ.” 

You also can find more information at: https://nccumc.org/creation/2024/07/season-of-creation-2024/

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WEDNESDAY NIGHT SUPPER
September 4 | 5:30pm | $5.00 per person

The next Wednesday Night Supper is coming up on September 4th! Please join us for good food and better fellowship!  Menu: Turkey & dressing, mashed potatoes, green beans, butter beans, & assorted desserts. The cost is $5.00 per person (additional donations are always appreciated). Looking forward to seeing you there!

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BRING A FRIEND TO CHOIR
Wednesday Sept 4

Being a friend to choir from 5:30-7:30, we will meet for a meal downstairs in the FLC at 5:30pm before coming upstairs to the choir room to sing our favorite songs!

5:30 – Meal (Turkey & all the fixings, $5 per person)
6:30 – Listen or sing: Christmas Cantata Preview
7:00 – Hymn Sing: Pick your favorite song!

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SEWING CLASSES – Level 1
Starting Thursday, Sept. 26 from 7-9pm

New Level 1 sewing classes will begin at the church on Thursday, September 26. The class is free and will last for 8 weeks (the last class will be on November 14). Previous Level 2 students are also welcome to join and work on harder projects during the same class period.  Pre-registration is required, all supplies will be provided, and space is limited. If you are interested, please let the church office know! The event is also on our Facebook page, so sharing from there would be great as well!

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CITIZENSHIP CLASSES
Do you know anyone that has a green card and wants to become an American citizen?

A new class is starting October 2! The class will run for 21 weeks on Wednesdays from 6-8pm downstairs in the Bible Classroom. We are also looking for a few people to provide light snacks for the classes, a great opportunity to show how welcoming this church can be! The event is also on our Facebook page, so sharing from there would be great as well!

Here’s what you will find in this email:
•  Wave Day – TOMORROW, 8:15am
•  No Lunch & Learn on Thursday
•  Prayer Update – Juanita Coley
•  Garner Area Ministries – Update
•  Creation Care Moments
•  Next Wednesday Night Supper – Sept. 4, 5:30pm
•  Bring a Friend to Choir – Wed. Sept 4, 5:30pm 

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THIS WEEK:
•  Women’s Basketball/Open Gym – Mon, 7pm
•  Wave Day – Tues, Aug. 27, 8:15am
•  Pickleball – Tues, 7pm
•  Walking in Grace – Wed, 9:30am
•  Stretch & Strength Class – Wed, 9:30am, FLC
•  Chair Stretch & Strength Class – Wed, 10:45am, FLC
•  Lunch & Learn – Cancelled
•  Music Practice for 9am Service – Thurs, 6:30pm

UPCOMING:
•  Wesleyan Well Wishers – Mon, Sept. 2, 10am
•  Wednesday Night Supper – Sept. 4, 5:30pm
•  United Women in Faith – Sept. 10, 6:30pm

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W.A.V.E – We. Are. Very. Excited!
Tuesday, August 27 from 8:15am-9:00am 

Let’s get together to WAVE at the students on their first day of school! We will stand along our property on Vanessa Drive and wave at each car as the school car line goes by. The children love it, and it makes their first day a little smoother when they feel encouraged by their community. We even have SAUMC pencils to hand out to the cars for those who want them!

Make a happy sign, and bring your dog if you like. That always gets their attention and is fun to see. You can even bring your lawn chair if it’s best for you to sit. This only takes a few minutes of your week and can really make a difference to a bunch of anxious children on their first school day! Come join the fun!

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LUNCH & LEARN – Cancelled this Week
Don’t forget, Pastor Beth will be out of town later this week. Lunch & Learn will pick up next Thursday.

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PRAYER UPDATE
Juanita Coley sends warm thanks to her SAUMC friends for your prayers, calls, texts and cards following her wrist surgery. A special thanks to the volunteers who took her to her 7:30 a.m. therapy appts!!!!!! There are no better friends than church friends!

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GARNER AREA MINISTRIES
Thank you so much for all the cereal that has been donated so far!

Garner Area Ministries has been including a box of cereal in every family’s food box, but they are desperately in need of more cereal! Any kind of cereal! Please bring your cereal to the church and we will make sure it gets over to them as soon as possible.

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CREATION CARE MOMENTS
Walking in Grace meets on Wednesdays at 9:30am at the Meditation Pathway or in the Creation Care Classroom.

As we enter September and the Season of Creation, let each of us see it as a time to renew our relationship with our Creator and all creation. This year’s theme is to hope and act with creation.  In the letter of Paul The apostle to the Romans the biblical image pictures the Earth as a Mother groaning as in childbirth.  We are not caring for the earth as a gift from our Creator but rather as a resource to be exploited. During this month take time to be silent and listen for God’s plan.

Nature Happenings:

•  Blooming: purple passionflower, thistle, partridge pea, vetches, beggar’s ticks of various kinds
•  Seeds and Fruits: Beechnuts fall, wild grapes ripen when rain is plentiful, wild persimmons are ripe
•  Insects:  Lacewings fly in deep woods, Cicadas hit old age with individuals beginning to die.
•  Birds:  Swallows gather at dusk above fields at dusk, Warblers are in southern migration. Bird feeders need to be cleaned, filled with fresh seeds and replaced to feed fall birds. Chimney swifts roost in chimneys at night, feeding all day in preparation for migration to Peruvian Amazon. Southern shorebird migration peaks on the coast.
•  Mammals: Fall squirrel litters are born, deer antler growth complete, sea turtle hatching complete.

Restoration Tips:
More than 200 million acres could revert to forest, if we stopped raising food to feed livestock and concentrated on raising food to feed people. Hurricane season: More hurricanes during this two week period than any other time of the year

Discover Your Eco Address:
What does “solstice” mean?  ‘To stand still’.
At noon on the summer solstice the sun’s rays reach their northernmost latitude, shining directly on the Tropic of Cancer (23.5 degrees N). For a few days, the rays rise to the same latitude, or ‘stand still’ before retreating south. Winter solstice is the pause when the sun reaches its southernmost Latitude over the Tropic of Capricorn (23.5 degrees S).

Advice from a …..Wildflower
Show your true colors, delight in simple pleasures, celebrate your natural beauty, Open up!
Spread seeds of joy, it’s ok to be a late bloomer, and Be wild and wonderful.    – Ilan Shamir

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WEDNESDAY NIGHT SUPPER
September 4 | 5:30pm | $5.00 per person 

The next Wednesday Night Supper is coming up on September 4th! Please join us for good food and better fellowship!  

Menu: Turkey & dressing, mashed potatoes, green beans, butter beans, & assorted desserts. The cost is $5.00 per person (additional donations are always appreciated). Looking forward to seeing you there!

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BRING A FRIEND TO CHOIR
Wednesday Sept 4 

Being a friend to choir from 5:30-7:30, we will meet for a meal and sing our favorite songs! 

5:30 – Meal
6:30 – Listen or sing: Christmas Cantata Preview
7:00 – Hymn Sing: Pick your favorite song!

Here’s what you will find in this email:
•  Mission Madness Is For Everyone – TONIGHT, 6-8pm
•  Coffee Connections – Sundays at 10am
•  Troy Green’s Funeral – Monday, Aug. 26th, 11am
•  Garner Area Ministries Needs Cereal
•  Wave Day – Tues, Aug. 27, 8:15am
•  Wednesday Stretch Classes – Time Changes!

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MISSION MADNESS – Not just for children anymore!
TONIGHT | 6pm-8pm

Mission Madness is now for everyone so come and be sure to bring some friends!

Each month we will get together and learn about a new mission opportunity. This Friday we will learn about Shoes that Fit and will be painting gourd birdhouses to sell at the Silver Belles Bazaar in November. Come join us, bring your kids & teens!

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COFFEE CONNECTIONS
Sundays at 10am in The Balcony (Youth Suite)

After dropping off your children in Sunday School class, head upstairs to The Balcony. Youth are meeting in the Gathering Room; adults are across the hall in the Lion’s Den. Everyone has access to the Chill Zone Café fully stocked with coffee, tea, & snacks. Want to relax and reflect while preparing your heart for worship? The Youth Chapel is open for you.

Coffee Connections really does offer something for everyone. Come and make some great new connections with one another! See you Sunday!

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FUNERAL FOR TROY GREEN
Monday, August 26, 2024

10:00am-10:45am   Viewing at St. Andrews UMC
11:00am   Service at St. Andrews UMC
12:00pm   Graveside Service at Montlawn Memorial Park (2911 S. Wilmington Street, Raleigh)

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GARNER AREA MINISTRIES NEEDS CEREAL

Garner Area Ministries has been including a box of cereal in every family’s food box, but they are desperately in need of more cereal! Any kind of cereal! Please bring your cereal to the church and we will make sure it gets over to them as soon as possible.

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W.A.V.E – We. Are. Very. Excited!
Tuesday, August 27 from 8:15am-9:00am

Let’s get together to WAVE at the students on their first day of school! We will stand along our property on Vanessa Drive and wave at each car as the school car line goes by. The children love it, and it makes their first day a little smoother when they feel encouraged by their community. We even have SAUMC pencils to hand out to the cars for those who want them!

Make a happy sign, and bring your dog if you like. That always gets their attention and is fun to see. You can even bring your lawn chair if it’s best for you to sit. This only takes a few minutes of your week and can really make a difference to a bunch of anxious children on their first school day! Come join the fun!

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WEDNESDAY STRETCH CLASS TIME CHANGE
The stretch class chair class times are moving up an hour starting on Wednesday, August 28th.

New Times:
9:30am – On the floor with a mat
10:45am – In a chair for those with limited mobility.

Here’s what you will find in this email:
•  Stretch Class Time Correction
•  Joy Club – Tues, Aug. 20, 2pm, Howling Cow Dairy
•  Mission Madness – Fri, Aug 23, 6-8pm
•  Creation Care Moments

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THIS WEEK:
•  Women’s Basketball/Open Gym – Mon, 7pm
•  Joy Club – Tues, 2pm, Howling Cow Dairy
•  Pickleball – Tues, 7pm
•  Walking in Grace – Wed, 9:30am
•  Stretch & Strength Class – Wed, 10:30am, FLC
•  Chair Stretch & Strength Class – Wed, 11:45am, FLC
•  Lunch & Learn – Thurs, 12pm, Meeting Center
•  Music Practice for 9am Service – Thurs, 6:30pm
•  Mission Madness – Fri, Aug. 23, 6-8pm

UPCOMING:
•  Wave Day – Tues, Aug. 27, 8:15am
•  Wesleyan Well Wishers – Mon, Sept. 2, 10am
•  Wednesday Night Supper – Sept. 4, 5:30pm

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STRETCH CLASS TIME CORRECTION

The stretch class chair class time was incorrectly listed as 11:30am in last week’s chat, the times remain the same as before:

10:30am – On the floor with a mat
11:45am – In a chair for those with limited mobility.

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JOY CLUB
Tues | 2pm | Howling Cow Dairy

Joy Club will meet this Tuesday at 2:00 pm at Howling Cow Dairy (100 Dairy Lane, Raleigh, NC 27603) for ice cream.  Note the time change!  We will have ice cream and fellowship.  Remember, Howling Cow only accepts credit cards, no cash. 

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MISSION MADNESS
Fri, August 23 | 6pm-8pm

It’s not just for children anymore! Each month we will get together and learn about a new mission opportunity. This Friday we will learn about Shoes that Fit and will be painting gourd birdhouses to sell at the Silver Belles Bazaar in November. Mission Madness is for everyone so come and be sure to bring some friends!

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CREATION CARE MOMENTS
Walking in Grace meets on Wednesdays at 9:30am at the Meditation Pathway or in the Creation Care Classroom. On August 21st we will have a field trip to Mussel Farm at Yates Mill County Park. Season of Creation Begins on September 1.

Nature Happenings:
Blooming: It’s time to plant crimson clover for food and cover, goldenrod blooms, last of butterfly weed blooms, Joe-pye weed blooms, blackberries and blueberries are ripe.
Birds:  American Goldfinch are still in nest. Chimney Swifts converge on Tall chimneys to roost and spend the nights.
Insects: Woolly beech aphids found on beech tree limbs.
Fish: During dry spells, carp come up to breath from the upper air for a lack of oxygen in their native waters.

Restoration Tips:
20 pure vegetarians can be fed on land that’s needed to feed 1 person who eats meat. The hamburgers that McDonald’s serves in a week equal more than 16,000 head of cattle.

Discover your Eco Address:
What does “equinox” mean?

Equinox means “equal night’. The equinoxes, one in Spring and one in Fall are when day and night are equal because the sun shines directly on the equator. North and South hemispheres get equal sunlight.

Advice from the….Moon
Live life to the fullest, Be someone to look up to, don’t be phased by difficulties. take time to reflect, enjoy a little space, honor the cycles of nature, light up the night

Full moon tonight.
Called Sturgeon moon by Native Americans as Sturgeon begins to run this month. Considered a blue moon because it is an extra full moon during the lunar season.  It is also called a super moon because it is closest to the Earth. Usually occurs once every ten years but it happens tonight.

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•  Prayer Request
•  Wave Day – Tues, Aug. 27, 8:15-9am
•  Coffee Connections – Sundays at 10am
•  Mission Madness – Fri, Aug 23, 6-8pm
•  Next Wednesday Night Supper – Sept. 4, 5:30pm
•  Stretch & Strength Classes

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PRAYER REQUEST

Please pray for Ed Sheffield and his Ophthalmologic surgeon as they try to resolve issues with one of his eyes that may require a second surgery next week.  Yesterday’s visit was going in the right direction, and he will see her again this week for another pressure check.

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W.A.V.E – We. Are. Very. Excited!
Tuesday, August 27, 8:15am-9:00am

Let’s get together to WAVE at the students on their first day of school! We will stand along our property on Vanessa Drive and wave at each car as the school car line goes by. The children love it, and it makes their first day a little smoother when they feel encouraged by their community. We even have SAUMC pencils to hand out to the cars for those who want them! Make a happy sign, and bring your dog if you like. That always gets their attention and is fun to see. You can even bring your lawn chair if it’s best for you to sit. This only takes a few minutes of your week and can really make a difference to a bunch of anxious children on their first school day! Come join the fun!

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COFFEE CONNECTIONS
Sundays at 10:00am – The Balcony (Youth Suite)

“Our children are learning about Jesus and one another while making good friends; we want the same.” We heard you! Now we are making it happen!

After dropping off your children in Sunday School class, head upstairs to The Balcony. Youth are meeting in the Gathering Room; adults are across the hall in the Lion’s Den. Of course, everyone has access to the Chill Zone Café fully stocked with coffee, tea, snacks and more. Want to relax and reflect while preparing your heart for worship? The Youth Chapel may be just the place. 

Coffee Connections really does offer something for everyone. As you can see, we have the space and the plan – now it’s up to you to come and make some great new connections with one another! See you Sunday!

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MISSION MADNESS

It’s not just for children anymore!
Friday, August 23
6:00pm-8:00pm

Each month we will get together and learn about a new mission opportunity. Our time together will involve learning, creative activities, family games, food, and more fun than you’ve had in a while! We will also be painting gourd birdhouses to sell at the Silver Belles Bazaar in November. Once we have those proceeds in hand, we will use our earnings to support one of the missions we have learned about.

Mission Madness is for everyone so come and be sure to bring some friends! We’ve already learned about the Clean Water Project (Africa) and Heifer International (worldwide).

Join in for our upcoming dates and topics:
•  August 23 – Shoes that Fit (USA)
•  September 27 – Creation Care (NC)
•  October 18 – Read and Feed (Garner)

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WEDNESDAY NIGHT SUPPER
September 4 | 5:30pm | $5.00 per person

The next Wednesday Night Supper is coming up on September 4th! Please join us for good food and better fellowship!  Menu: Will be announced soon. The cost is $5.00 per person (additional donations are always accepted). Looking forward to seeing you there!

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STRETCH & STRENGTH CLASSES – Our Wednesday Yoga Classes are getting a fresh, new look!

Do you need to improve your overall flexibility, mobility, and strength, making everyday activities like bending, twisting, and lifting easier and less painful? Join our one of our two FREE community stretch and strength classes every WEDNESDAY and discover the benefits of controlled, slow-paced movements. 

•  10:30AM – On the floor with a mat

•  11:30am – In a chair for those with limited mobility. 

Our class focuses on static stretches, holding each pose for at least 30 seconds, allowing you to:
•  Enhance flexibility and range of motion
•  Reduce muscle soreness and fatigue
•  Improve posture and balance
•  Support injury prevention and recovery
•  Build community through the love of Jesus Christ. 

The class caters to all ages and individuals of all levels, from beginners to advanced practitioners.

Each session will include:

•  A series of carefully selected stretches targeting major muscle groups, including lower back, hips, shoulders, hamstrings, quadriceps, calves, and hip flexors
•  Guidance on proper alignment, breathing, and relaxation techniques to maximize the effectiveness of each stretch
•  A calming and peaceful atmosphere that wraps up with a devotional on God’s love in our lives. 

Here’s what you will find in this email:

•  Back to School Bash Update from Garner UMC
•  VBS Evaluation
•  Creation Care Moments

– – – – – – – – – –

THIS WEEK:
•  Nomination & Leadership Meeting – Mon, 7pm
•  Women’s Basketball/Open Gym – Mon, 7pm
•  Women in Faith Meeting – Tues, 6:30pm
•  Pickleball – Tues, 7pm
•  Walking in Grace – Wed, 9:30am
•  Stretch & Strength Class – Wed, 10:30am, FLC
•  Chair Stretch & Strength Class – Wed, 11:45am, FLC
•  Lunch & Learn – Thurs, 12pm, Meeting Center
•  Music Practice for 9am Service – Thurs, 6:30pm

UPCOMING:
•  Joy Club – Tues, Aug. 20, 2pm, Howling Cow Dairy
•  Mission Madness – Fri, Aug. 23, 6-8pm

Check out the entire list at:  https://73922423.view-events.com/calendar/73922423

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BACK TO SCHOOL BASH UPDATE

Here is an update from Garner United Methodist:

August 10th was the largest Back to School Bash to date with 1,232 backpacks, thousands of school supplies distributed, more than 1,500 rotisserie chicken meals prepared by the Inter-Faith Food Shuttle’s Spinning Plate food truck, 1,100 hotdogs served by volunteers, more than 400 families served at the Food Bank of Central & Eastern North Carolina’s mobile market. A special thanks to all of our community partners, sponsors, and volunteers!

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VBS EVALUATION

If you have not yet had an opportunity to provide your VBS feedback, please visit the link. (Previous connection issues have been resolved.) We will use this information to plan for our VBS efforts in the future!

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdySZJZspHR5XZNRiqAJtDn_jgAOS496dLekHan-v44yMd5wg/viewform?vc=0&c=0&w=1&flr=0

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CREATION CARE MOMENTS
Walking in Grace returns to in-person this week.
On August 21st we will have a field trip to Mussel Farm at Yates Mill County Park.
Season of Creation Begins on September 1.

Nature Happenings:
Blooming:  Woodland coneflower, moonseed, dutchman’s pipe.
Reptiles: Baby box turtles hatch out.
Birds: Bluebirds are the first to sing at first light.
Mammals:  It’s husking time for squirrels. Look  for  the scattered green scales of pinecones under pines

Restoration Tips:
A third of the surface of North America is devoted to grazing. Half of American cropland grows livestock feed mostly for cattle. The hamburgers that McDonald’s serves in a week equal to more than 16,000 head of cattle.

Your Eco address:
Most baby birds are altricial. This means they are: (a) noisy, (b) helpless, (c) precocious, (d) downy
(correct answer is b)  Baby birds of most species are hatched completely helpless, without feathers, unable to walk or eat by themselves.

Advice from a….Cardinal:
Stand out in a crowd, go out on a limb, speak up, be a bright spot in others’ lives, be home before dark, add color to your life, it’s ok to be a little flashy!

Here’s what you will find in this email:
•  Back to School Bash – We need cookies!
•  Back to School Bash – Drop off supplies by Thursday!
•  Next Joy Club – Tues, Aug. 20, 2pm, Howling Cow Dairy
•  Creation Care Moments

– – – – – – – – – –
THIS WEEK:
•  Women’s Basketball/Open Gym – Mon, 7pm
•  Pickleball – Tues, 7pm
•  Flow Yoga/Chair Yoga – Wed, 10:30am/11:45am, FLC
•  Choir Practice for 11am Service – Wed, 7pm
•  Lunch & Learn – Thurs, 12pm, Meeting Center
•  Music Practice for 9am Service – Thurs, 6:30pm
•  Back to School Bash – Sat, 9am-12pm, Garner UMC
•  Children’s Ministry Meeting – Sun, 3:30pm

 UPCOMING:
•  Nomination & Leadership Meeting – Mon, Aug. 12, 7pm
•  Women in Faith Meeting – Tues, Aug. 13, 6:30pm
•  Joy Club – Tues, Aug. 20, 2pm, Howling Cow Dairy
•  Mission Madness – Fri, Aug. 23, 6-8pm

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BACK 2 SCHOOL BASH – WE NEED MORE COOKIES!

As of today there are over 1,000 students registered and over 400 parents/guardians. We are providing 2 cookies per lunch – that is over 2,800 cookies! Garner UMC folks have signed up for 66 dozen (792 cookies for 396 lunches) which means they need so many more!

Chocolate chip & sugar cookies (without nuts) are needed, purchased or homemade. If you bring cookies to the Saint Andrews church office by 3pm on Thursday, we can make sure they get over to Garner UMC. Please bag the cookies 2 to a bag.

(You can also bring them directly to the Garner UMC Office if you’d like:  Mon-Wed 10am-3pm, Thurs 6pm-8pm, or Fri 10am-2pm.)

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BACK 2 SCHOOL BASH – Drop off supplies by 3pm on Thursday
Sat. Aug 10 | 9am-12pm | Garner UMC, 201 Methodist Drive, Garner

Here are the collection requests for the week of August 4th:
Canned meat, sauces – 1″ & 2″ binders/notebook dividers

If anyone wants to donate funds, make the check out to SAUMC and note “BTSB” on the memo line.

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JOY CLUB
Tues, Aug. 20 | 2pm | Howling Cow Dairy

Joy Club will meet Tuesday, August 20th at 2:00 pm at Howling Cow Dairy (100 Dairy Lane, Raleigh, NC 27603) for ice cream.  Note the time change!  We will have ice cream and fellowship.  Remember, Howling Cow only accepts credit cards, no cash. 

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CREATION CARE MOMENTS
Walking in Grace returns to in-person on August 14 at 9:30am.
August 21st – Field trip to Mussel Farm at Yates Mill County Park.
Season of Creation Begins on September 1.

Nature Happenings:

Blooming:  button bush and lizard tail bloom near streams and wetlands. Black walnuts are ripening. Blackberries and blueberries are ripe. Goldenrod begin to bloom.

Insects:  Crickets, grasshoppers, cicadas and katydids are our summertime fiddlers. As the summer temperatures fade, these fiddlers continue to sing by rubbing a scraper across a series of toothy structures or pegs.

Birds:  Cardinals, Carolina wrens and indigo bunting songs are tapering off. Goldfinches are last to nest as they are waiting for maturing thistle seeds.

Restoration Tip:
Eat Lower on the Food Chain: 220 million acres of land in the US have been deforested for livestock production. Half the forests in Central America have been cleared for beef production

Discover your Eco Address:
These insects divide tasks communally and can lift up to 20 times their body weight. What are they?  Ants! These are social insects which divide task among members–some look for food, some tend the young, some ward off intruders, and some are the prime soil movers. Ant colonies are food sources for bear and for birds

Advice from a…Dragonfly:
Spend time near the water, Be colorful, Enjoy a good reed, Zoom in on your Dreams, Appreciate long summer days, keep your eyes open, and just wing it.   – Ilan Shamir

– This Week’s Donation List for GAM & Back to School Bash
– Creation Care Moments
– Walk to Emmaus Meeting – Fri, Aug. 2, 3pm

 – – – – – – – – – –
THIS WEEK:
– Finance Committee Meeting – Mon, 6pm
– Church Council Meeting – Mon, 7pm
– Women’s Basketball/Open Gym – Mon, 7pm
– Pickleball – Tues, 7pm
– Flow Yoga/Chair Yoga – Wed, 10:30am/11:45am, FLC
– Lunch & Learn – Thurs, 12pm, Meeting Center
– Music Practice for 9am Service – Thurs, 6:30pm
– Walk to Emmaus Meeting – Fri, 3pm
– Youth Trip to Mudcats Game – Fri, 6:30pm

UPCOMING:
– Craftin’ Friendzy – Sat, Aug. 3, 8:30am

– – – – – – – – – –
BACK 2 SCHOOL BASH – Donation list for this week

Each week we will be collecting food for Garner Area Ministries (to help provide for kids who are home for the summer) AND school supplies (in preparation for the Back to School Bash in August). NOTE: Staples is having a continuous school supply sale thru August – watch for great prices on some items each week!

Here are the collection requests for the week of July 28th: Peanut butter/jelly – Composition and/or notebooks (wide rule)

Don’t forget to sign up as a volunteer for this wonderful collaboration to help the community’s children!  If anyone wants to donate funds, make the check out to SAUMC and note “BTSB” on the memo line. For More Information: Website – www.b2sb.net & Facebook – www.facebook.com/garnerb2sb/

– – – – – – – – – –
CREATION CARE MOMENTS
Walking in Grace will resume meeting at 9:30am on August 14.

Nature Happenings:
Blooming: Goldenrods, cranefly orchids, Black walnuts are green on trees. button bush and lizard tails bloom near streams and marshes
Insects:  Cicadas and grasshoppers whirl and chirr
Birds: Most songs are tapering into silence
Restoration Tip:  Eating Lower on the food chain, livestock production consumes more than half of all the water used (for all purposes) in the US.

Your Eco Address:
Why is the sky blue?  The sun emits vast amounts of energy. The energy levels that travel towards us and see are called visible light which we see as colors. Red has the most energy and blue has the least. Combined we see them as white. As white travels through the atmosphere  molecules deflect and scatter the different colors leaving blue to be absorbed by the upper atmosphere and seen by humans as the color blue.

Advice from a… Squirrel:
Look both ways when you cross the road, plan ahead, Stay active, Eats plenty of fiber, spend time in the woods, Go out on a limb, it’s ok to be a little nuts!    – Ilan Shamir

A Minute for Mother Earth

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1E-Ej2IsNory-NIqxyu4r9Ce59zGVZQ3u/view?ts=66a7ace1

(if you have any issues opening the link, email the office and let us know)

– – – – – – – – – –
WALK TO EMMAUS MEETING
Friday, August 2 | 3pm | Meeting Center 

Walk to Emmaus — Have you been?  We would love to get together with you if you have! 

According to the Heart of Carolina Emmaus community’s database there’s 60+ from St Andrews UMC who have been!  Let’s get together and rekindle that flame.  No need to bring anything (except your name badge if you still have, it might be helpful).  We will meet on Friday, August 2 at 3pm in the Meeting Center. Please RSVP to Debbie White, dewdrop91804@aol.com so that we can have an idea how many are coming

– This Week’s Donation List for GAM & Back to School Bash
– Creation Care Moments

– – – – – – – – – –

THIS WEEK:
VBS all week at Garner UMC, Dinner at 5:30pm, VBS at 6pm
– Women’s Basketball/Open Gym – Mon, 7pm
– Pickleball – Tues, 7pm
– Flow Yoga/Chair Yoga – Wed, 10:30am/11:45am, FLC
– Lunch & Learn – Thurs, 12pm, Meeting Center
– Music Practice for 9am Service – Thurs, 6:30pm
– VBS Water Party – Sat, 10am-12pm

UPCOMING:
– Finance Committee Meeting – Mon, July 29, 6pm
– Church Council Meeting – Mon, July 29, 7pm
– Walk to Emmaus Meeting – Fri, Aug. 2, 3pm
– Youth Trip to Mudcats Game – Fri, Aug. 2, 6:30pm
– Craftin’ Friendzy – Sat, Aug. 3, 8:30am

– – – – – – – – – –
BACK 2 SCHOOL BASH – Donation list for this week

Each week we will be collecting food for Garner Area Ministries (to help provide for kids who are home for the summer) AND school supplies (in preparation for the Back to School Bash in August). NOTE: Staples is having a continuous school supply sale thru August – watch for great prices on some items each week!

Here are the collection requests for the week of July 21st:
Rice, pasta, macaroni & cheese – Erasers, pencils, pencil pouches

Don’t forget to sign up as a volunteer for this wonderful collaboration to help the community’s children! If anyone wants to donate funds, make the check out to SAUMC and note “BTSB” on the memo line. For More Information: Website – www.b2sb.net & Facebook – www.facebook.com/garnerb2sb/

– – – – – – – – – –
CREATION CARE MOMENTS
Walking in Grace will resume meeting at 9:30am on August 14.

Nature Happenings

Blooming: Goldenrods, butterfly pea, dollar weed, cranefly orchid, and rough sunflower.
Insects:  Cicadas crawl out of the earth, leaving finger-sized holes in the ground and their burst skins on trunks of trees. Fall webworms begin appearing in ashes and sourwoods.
Reptiles: Blue tailed skinks find themselves in stone and log chinks.
Birds:  Indigo Buntings and blue grosbeaks are the last birds singing in the afternoons. Look for Chimney
Swifts darting through the afternoon and evening skies.

Restoration Tips

No one should tell you what to eat–that is too personal. But we do think you should know some facts about how your diet affects the environment. If Americans reduce their meat intake by 10% the savings in grains and soybeans could feed 60 million people, the number that starve to death each year.

Your ECO address
True or False? Do raindrops fall in only one shape?
False: Raindrops fall in two shapes–round and oval. The teardrop shape appears when a raindrop slides down the surface.

Advice from an…Eagle
Let your spirit soar, see the big picture, cherish freedom, honor the earth and sky,
keep your goals in sight, Bald is Beautiful, Fly High!       – Ilan Shamir

A Minute for Mother Earth

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1zj8NR5DrgGWxUEO5WiyCDMJVNNwdF2_b/view?usp=sharing

(if you have any issues opening the link, email the office and let us know)

– This Week’s Donation List for GAM & Back to School Bash
– VBS Information
– Creation Care Moments

– – – – – – – – – –

THIS WEEK:
– Women’s Basketball/Open Gym – Mon, 7pm
– Pickleball – Tues, 7pm
– Flow Yoga/Chair Yoga – Wed, 10:30am/11:45am, FLC
– Open Sewing Room Session – Wed, 5-8pm
– Lunch & Learn – Thurs, 12pm, Meeting Center
– Music Practice for 9am Service – Thurs, 6:30pm
– Choir Cantata Kick Off – Sat, 9:30am
– VBS Kick Off Party – Sun, 5-7pm

UPCOMING:
– Finance Committee Meeting – Mon, July 29, 6pm
– Church Council Meeting – Mon, July 29, 7pm
– Walk to Emmaus Meeting – Fri, Aug. 2, 3pm
– Youth trip to Mudcats Game – Fri, Aug. 2, 6:30pm
– Craftin’ Friendzy – Sat, Aug. 3, 8:30am

– – – – – – – – – –
BACK 2 SCHOOL BASH – Donation list for this week

Each week we will be collecting food for Garner Area Ministries (to help provide for kids who are home for the summer) AND school supplies (in preparation for the Back to School Bash in August). NOTE: Staples is having a continuous school supply sale thru August – watch for great prices on some items each week!

Here are the collection requests for the week of July 14th:
Snack bars, pop tarts, cereal – Colored pencils/markers/plastic folders

Don’t forget to sign up as a volunteer for this wonderful collaboration to help the community’s children! If anyone wants to donate funds, make the check out to SAUMC and note “BTSB” on the memo line. For More Information: Website – www.b2sb.net & Facebook – www.facebook.com/garnerb2sb/

– – – – – – – – – –
VBS INFORMATION

If you’d like to join Pastor Beth in decorating for VBS, she will be…
TODAY – at Garner UMC this afternoon beginning at 3pm
THURSDAY – at St. Andrews in the FLC from 9am-11am
THURSDAY – at Garner UMC beginning at 3pm

 Please let Pastor Beth know if…

– If you were the one that recently messaged Pastor Beth and volunteered yourself and a friend to do the cutting for VBS crafts, somewhere in the craziness, that note has disappeared! If this was you, contact Pastor Beth at 910-305-0491 asap so she can get you what you need.

– If you are available from 5-6pm on Sunday afternoon with a pick-up truck, and you are willing to help move trees, etc. from St. Andrews to Garner UMC – let Pastor Beth know!

– – – – – – – – – –
CREATION CARE MOMENTS
Walking in Grace will resume meeting at 9:30am on August 14.

Nature Happenings

Blooming:  Winged sumac, Elephant’s ear.
Seeds:  First sharp pine cones of loblolly pines fall.
Insects:  Cicadas sing like sewing machines in the oak canopy. Hummingbird moths appear.
Birds:  Blackbirds, robins and crows reform their winter flocks
Moon:  full on the 21st. Called Buck Moon by Native Americans as traditions surrounding hunting for game. It is also the time male deer (bucks) start growing new antlers.

Restoration Tips
Wouldn’t it be nice if you could save and reuse the water that goes down the drain in your shower or sink?  You can, but it is not easy.  It can be collected in a tank under your house, then siphoned off and used to water your lawn or garden. The water is called graywater water.

Discover Your Eco Address
True or False? Unlike much of our food producing flora, apple trees aren’t pollinated by bees. 
False:  Bees pollinate more flora including apple trees than any other species.  Well pollinated apples have 7 to 10 seeds in each  apple.

Advice from a ….Hummingbird
Sip the sweet memories, be a nectar collector,
let your true colors glow, just wing it, some days are just a humdinger,
don’t get your feathers ruffled over the little things,
keep your visits short and sweet.

– Safe Sanctuary Training Reminder – Sun, July 14, 2pm
– Open Sewing Room Session – Wed, July 17, 5-8pm
– New Small Group – Starts This Sunday, July 14, 9:50am

 – – – – – – – – – –

SAFE SANCTUARY TRAINING – This Sunday

Safe Sanctuary Training is for everyone interested in working with youth, children and/or vulnerable adults (this includes Vacation Bible School). The next in-person training is this Sunday, July 14, at 2pm in the Meeting Center. Printed forms will be available.

If you choose to complete the training online, the link is:  https://nationalchurch.org/safesanctuaries (video #1). You will need to email your certificate to either egaines@nccumc.org or shawnna@garnerumc.org by July 15.

A background check will be required upon completion of the course. This is performed at no cost to you but will require you to complete an authorization form including your social security number. You will be asked to sign a form acknowledging you have received and read the church’s Safe Sanctuary policies. All forms were emailed this weekend, if you have not received them, let the church office know and we will resend them to you. Printed forms are also available at the church.

– – – – – – – – – –

OPEN SEWING ROOM SESSION

 There will be an open sewing room session on Wednesday 7/17 from 5pm- 8pm.  You can come sew or pick up supplies to use. If you have any Wake Med projects you can drop them off then or anytime during the week between 9am-3pm at the SAUMC office. Craft Friendzy is Saturday August 3rd – the sewing room will be available from 9am-12pm. 

– – – – – – – – – –

NEW SMALL GROUP

Starting This Sunday, July 14 | 9:50am-10:40am 

We are forming a new adult group particularly designed for parents of young children. We pass one another in the hallway at church but often don’t have a moment to chat. Let’s change that! Our children are making great strides in becoming wonderful friends; and as their parents, we can follow their example! You may notice that our gathering time give us some built-in minutes to be sure our kids are safely delivered to their classroom for Sunday School, and then we can move to our own space. 

We will meet in the Citizenship Classroom (at the bottom of the stairwell) for a very brief video followed by a time of fellowship and sharing. Let’s learn about one another as we brag on our offspring and compare notes on their development. From sports to homework, discipline to patience, giggles to tears, we are sure to gain great insights from one another as we go. Pastor Beth will get us started our first week or two so bring your cup of coffee and join in!

– This Week’s Donation List for GAM & Back to School Bash
– Walk to Emmaus Meeting – Friday, Aug. 2, 3pm
– New Sunday Small Group – Starts Sunday, July 14, 9:50am
– Creation Care Moments
– Safe Sanctuary Training – Sun, July 14, 2pm

– – – – – – – – – –

THIS WEEK:
– Women’s Basketball/Open Gym – Mon, 7pm
– Pickleball – Tues, 7pm
– Lunch & Learn – Thurs, 12pm, Meeting Center
– Music Practice for 9am Service – Thurs, 6:30pm
– Safe Sanctuary Training – Sun, July 14, 2pm

UPCOMING:
– Youth trip to Mudcats Game – Fri, Aug. 2, 6:30pm

– – – – – – – – – –
QUICK NOTES:
– No Yoga Class this week
– Walking in Grace will begin meeting again August 14

– – – – – – – – – –
BACK 2 SCHOOL BASH – Donation list for this week

Each week we will be collecting food for Garner Area Ministries (to help provide for kids who are home for the summer) AND school supplies (in preparation for the Back to School Bash in August). NOTE: Staples is having a continuous school supply sale thru August – watch for great prices on some items each week!

Here are the collection requests for this week: Canned fruit, applesauce, Jello mix – Glue (stick & bottle), scissors, rulers

Don’t forget to sign up as a volunteer for this wonderful collaboration to help the community’s children! If anyone wants to donate funds, make the check out to SAUMC and note “BTSB” on the memo line. For More Information: Website – www.b2sb.net & Facebook – www.facebook.com/garnerb2sb/

– – – – – – – – – –
WALK TO EMMAUS MEETING
Friday, August 2 | 3pm | Meeting Center

Walk to Emmaus — Have you been?  We would love to get together with you if you have!  According to the Heart of Carolina Emmaus community’s database there’s 60+ from St Andrews UMC who have been!  Let’s get together and rekindle that flame.  No need to bring anything (except your name badge if you still have, it might be helpful). We will meet on Friday, August 2 at 3pm in the Meeting Space   Please RSVP to Debbie White, dewdrop91804@aol.com so that we can have an idea how many are coming

– – – – – – – – – –
NEW SMALL GROUP
Starting Sunday, July 14 | 9:50am-10:40am

We are forming a new adult group particularly designed for parents of young children. We pass one another in the hallway at church but often don’t have a moment to chat. Let’s change that! Our children are making great strides in becoming wonderful friends; and as their parents, we can follow their example! You may notice that our gathering time give us some built-in minutes to be sure our kids are safely delivered to their classroom for Sunday School, and then we can move to our own space. We will meet in the Citizenship Classroom (at the bottom of the stairwell) for a very brief video followed by a time of fellowship and sharing. Let’s learn about one another as we brag on our offspring and compare notes on their development. From sports to homework, discipline to patience, giggles to tears, we are sure to gain great insights from one another as we go. Pastor Beth will get us started our first week or two so bring your cup of coffee and join in!

– – – – – – – – – –

CREATION CARE MOMENTS

Walking in Grace will resume meeting at 9:30am on August 14.

Nature Happenings

Blooming:  Morning glory.

Fruits:  Elderberry.

Birds:  After a long dry spell, Barred owls spread the detail feathers of their wings to the rain of thunderstorms, capturing the wetness into the feathers.

Insects: Japanese beetles emerge.

Restoration Tips

Native plants need only about half as much water as imported varieties. There is a gardening technique called xeriscape that has been around for a long time in places where there is little water to use for plants.  Xeriscape comes from the Greek “xeri” meaning dry. Since we are experiencing repeated drought it is useful to look at other ways of gardening. It does not mean that you have to tear up your lawn. It means that you need to choose from 100s of colorful native plants that are low-water users whenever you are bringing new plants into the garden.

Discover Your Eco Address: 

Birds like to eat strawberries and raspberries, and by doing so they actually help those plants reproduce.  How? These and other berries contain seeds.  When birds eat the berries, their digestive systems break down the protective coating on the seeds so that when excreted the seeds can begin sprouting.

Advice from a ………Frog

Make a splash, look before you leap, don’t jump to conclusions, enjoy a good swim, stretch your legs often, spend time at your pad, hop to it!   — Ilan Shamir

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NEXT SAFE SANCTUARY TRAINING – This Sunday

Safe Sanctuary Training is for everyone interested in working with youth, children and/or vulnerable adults (this includes Vacation Bible School). The next in-person training is this Sunday, July 14, at 2pm in the Meeting Center.

If you choose to complete the training online, the link is:  https://nationalchurch.org/safesanctuaries (video #1). You will need to email your certificate to either egaines@nccumc.org or shawnna@garnerumc.org by July 15.

In addition: 

A background check will be required upon completion of the course. This is performed at no cost to you but will require you to complete an authorization form including your social security number. You will also be asked to sign a form acknowledging you have received and read the church’s Safe Sanctuary policies. All forms were emailed this weekend, if you have not received them, let the church office know and we will resend them to you!