BLESSED TO BE THE LIGHT!
Online Worship for Sunday, November 22

Thanksgiving Blessings to all on this fourth Sunday of our Stewardship Season.
In our everyday lives, we experience many journeys, some easy, others hard, all requiring us to trust in God’s guidance with each step. Holy God, illuminate our walking with the Light that is Christ. With our prayers, presence, gift, service and witness, we offer to you our faithfulness and thanksgivings. The service  features our 2020 outreach ministries. Blessed are WE to Be the Light of Christ in our world today.

 Our YouTube Sunday Worship Video Archive

Stewardship Season “Blessed to Be the Light” is November 1-22. First UMC Members! Be on the watch for 2021 commitment information of time, talent and treasure coming to your home very soon! Now more than ever, we are being called to shine brightly with the love of God, the hope of Christ and the comfort of the Holy Spirit.

Click to learn more on our STEWARDSHIP 2021 web page!

In light of the rising rates of positive testing, infections and hospitalizations due to COVID-19 in our communities and portion of Illinois, the First UMC will be providing ONLINE Sunday worship through the end of 2020. There will be no indoor, in-person, worship until further notice.

Details on the upcoming Advent and Christmas seasons will be forthcoming. Information on midweek, weather-dependent outdoor gatherings and online Zoom opportunities for worship, prayer and fellowship will be made available on the website, in the E-News and Facebook page of the church. Ministries continue including mission collections for Christmas gifts for Kids Above All, food drives for New Hope Community Pantry, office and administrative services that continue the day-to-day operations as well as pastoral care. The church sanctuary is open and will continue to be open throughout the Advent season during office hours.

The FUMC Return Team, staff and pastor will continue to monitor the latest news from the Illinois Department of Health and other credible sources of information as to congregational safety and the promotion of healthy practices that can help our congregation members in this pandemic. We invite anyone needing to enter the church building to continue using masks/facial coverings, hand sanitizer stations, physical distancing and checking in procedures. For the health and welfare of our multi-generational congregation, for our care of the community at large and our call to be examples of doing good and doing no harm, we ask for your continued prayers.

Please be in touch with any questions about the ministries and mission of FUMC in this time.

Worship

Online Worship. Pre-recorded worship services are posted by 8:30 am each Sunday. Go to the church’s Facebook page to interact with other worshipers in a live version of our service: 9:30 am Sundays. Check out the services on YouTube, too, at First UMC Park Ridge. The video service is posted by 8 am.

No indoor sanctuary worship through the end of 2020. In light of the continuing high rates of positive testing, infections and hospitalizations due to COVID-19 in our communities and portion of Illinois, the Return Team of First UMC has discerned that it is the faithful and safest course of actions to refrain from in-person, indoor worship services and most in-person meetings. All Sunday worship services from November 15 to the end of 2020 will be online only. Details on Advent season and Christmas worship will be shared in the near future.

Learn

Online learning for Children & Youth

Virtual Sunday school is now underway for preschool to 2nd grade students, using the Cokesbury “Celebrate Wonder” curriculum. Each participating child receives a Wonder Box that contains a Celebrate Wonder Family Resource Book, an age-appropriate Celebrate Wonder activity pack, a Worship Kit, and fun crafts (no extra supplies needed).

Virtual Sunday school is now underway for 3rd to 5th graders via ZOOM at 9:30 am. We watch the Celebrate Wonder video and then discuss the lesson, have some fun and enjoy “free” chat time.
For additional learning member families can visit the church’s Family + Faith + Fun Facebook Group.

Online learning for Adults

Sunday morning ZOOM, weekly online classes, and monthly online seminars on a variety of topics for adults continue into the late summer and fall. A new Disciple FAST TRACK twelve week study has morning and evening sessions on Mondays. Contact the church office or our pastor for more information.

Serve

Ongoing activities open to all members and friends include meals to healthcare workers, cleanup of Axehead Lake, support of local food pantries, creation of face coverings for anyone in need, prayer squares for first responders, care for the clients of Avenues to Independence and outreach to the most vulnerable neighbors: the homeless, refugees, and the unemployed.

Office Hours, Staffing and Pastoral Care
The church office summer hours are Monday-Friday, 8:30 am to 2:00 pm.

Staff can be reached by their cellphones and email addresses. As always, Pastor David Aslesen can be reached for any member and for church needs at 708.441.5179 (call or text) and pastordavid@parkridgeumc.org.

Our primary calling as church in this time is to keep our congregation safe and connected to God, to one another and to the people & communities we serve. There is great love to be made known in this time – for friend and neighbor alike. My prayer is this difficult sheltering-in-place decision may reveal our church’s desire to be proactive and caring as we listen to and follow the lead of the international and local medical community on helping to limit the spread of the coronavirus in our area. It is critical that we care for each other, listen for God’s wisdom, and support the work of the church.

Rev. David Aslesen, Pastor

First UMC Park Ridge • 418 West Touhy Avenue • Park Ridge, IL 60068
847-825-3144 • office@parkridgeumc.org