"Midweek and What You Said" Pastor Cindy's Devotion 10/16/2019

Good morning West Des Moines United Methodist Church!

Last Sunday we asked two questions:

• What does your faith mean to you?
• What does this church mean to you?

And you lovely people responded with wonderful answers:

“Coming home to be with people who care for you.”

“My connection with God.”

“My faith is my blueprint for my daily living.”

“My church is my anchor, my community that gives me strength, support, and love.”

“Patience!”

Both make my life “richer and fuller”

“Sharing”

“Purpose in redemption”

“Family, hope, love”

“Seeing lots of kids learning about Jesus.”

“Being able to be accepted and involved.”

“My faith is everything!  It helps me with my everyday living.  It gives me a great opportunity to meet and serve others.  We have been here for 40 years and have enjoyed it very much.  We would have trouble living without it.”

This is what you said.  This what our faith means to us.  This is what our church means to us.  If you want to read more comments, they have been hung up in the Disciple Hall.

This is Stewardship Season.  This Sunday in worship we will offer our financial pledges for the year ahead and this is what we are investing in:

a community where we find friends,

where we can sort through our troubles,

where we can join together to serve.  All of this is God’s gift to us and our gift to the world around us.

That’s something to celebrate!  See you Sunday.

Blessings,

Pastor Cindy

Pastor Cindy Hickman

West Des Moines United Methodist Church
720 Grand Ave
West Des Moines, Iowa 50265
515-279-0826

Like us on Facebook or visit us at wdmumc.org.

We worship at 8:30 in a traditional way and 11 in a casual way.  Whatever way works for you--you are invited!

This week at WDMUMC:

Tonight is Midweek Refuel!  Lots going on at the church tonight!  There is something for everyone!

5:00 Happy Hour Bible Study;  Christ Chimers Bell Choir (have an elementary-age child who might like to ring bells!  Bring ‘em!);  Youth Bells

5:30 Children’s Choir (All children are invited to sing!)

5:30-6:30 Supper!  Pizza, salad bar, and an outrageously good desert.  You pay what you can afford.  Extra generous funds we receive are used to support our “Everybody eats!”  program, our commitment to address hunger.

6:00 Praise band!  Always looking for more musicians

6:15-7:30 Youth Group!  Junior High and High school students, this is the place for you!  Jerry has something fun planned and some good discussion about faith and what is happening in your life.

6:15 Bells!

6:30-7:00 Midweek Connection, place of children and families to learn about faith.

6:30-7-30 Yada Yada Tweens!   Grades 4-6!  Come and learn about faith!

And tonight—I have a free hour between 6:30 and 7:30 and I would like to spend it with you so I am offering a one hour class on bible basics.  Feel like a rookie when it comes to the bible?  This is the class for you.  We will talk about how the bible is put together and the background of the bible and dip in and read a bit.  I love the bible—but I have to wrestle with it.  Join in and we will do a bit of wrestling.  Meet in my office!

Trunk or Treat!  October 23 we will host Trunk or Treat in our parking lot.  If you would like to bring a trunk or help with the event see Morganne.  And we need candy!  Drop off bags of candy in Morganne’s office.

Mental Health!  Access to Mental Health Services is an issue in our state for adults and children.  Dawn Grittmann and Kylee Rugg are working on this issue.  On Sunday they will be inviting you to sign a postcard to send to our legislators letting them know that we care about mental health.  Look for them between services and let them know that we care!

Hillside Elementary Blood Drive!  The kids next door at Hillside Elementary are again hosting a blood drive on October 22.  You can sign up at https://donor.lifeservebloodcenter.org/donor/schedules/drive_schedule/164096.  And they also would like cookies to hand out to donors.  Does anyone want to bake some cookies?  Reply to this email if you would be willing to provide cookies and bars.  A good cause we can share with our neighbors!

Overheard:  “My Sunday school teacher is awesome!”  If your children have not yet found their way to Sunday school—there are wonderful teachers waiting to meet them!  See you this Sunday at 10!

The building will be closed on Friday afternoon.