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Fairhaven UMC

E-Messenger

Thursday, September 28, 2023

 

Grace and peace to you in the name of Jesus Christ! May the power of the Holy Spirit rekindle your passion for serving God and our neighbors.

We hope you enjoy your weekly e-newsletter and pray you will read the many announcements about the ministries and activities of Fairhaven UMC and the Baltimore-Washington Conference.
 

Sunday Worship

Join us in person or by Zoom for World Communion Sunday! We gather for worship at 10:30 with the theme of building community. Pastor Ken’s message is, “Life Together,” inspired by Acts 11:1-18. Holy Communion will be celebrated. The Sanctuary Choir will offer “We Remember You,” by Joel Raney. Come worship with us! 

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The link to last week’s Homecoming worship service: LINK

 

Prayer Service Tonight at 7:00 pm

Need a mid-week spiritual lift?  Join us online at 7:00 p.m. for our weekly Thursday evening prayer service. Zoom link below.

 

Save the Dates!

 

September 30: United Women in Faith Meeting, 10:30, hybrid

October 21: Church Conference, 12:30 pm.

 

Church Ministries and Member News

Thanks!  A big thank you to all who helped to make the Homecoming Worship and luncheon after so special.  See the link above if you missed it. Homecoming donations will be divided between Fairhaven’s Capital Projects Fund and the Pleasant View Historic Site. While there are too many of you to thank individually, special thanks is offered to Rita Green and Sharie Bernard for your organizational skills and our cooking team led by Curtis Lyons.

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World Communion Sunday will be observed Sunday, October 1, with a special communion and World Communion offering.  World Communion Sunday is one of the 6 Special Offering Sundays of the UMC.  The funds from this offering provide scholarships for undergraduate or graduate-level studies for both international and U.S. students. Your generosity allows those unable to afford an education to become leaders who embody the mission of The United Methodist Church.

 

Are you looking for a fun activity and an opportunity to connect with the community? We’ve got an opportunity for you! The city of Gaithersburg is hosting an Oktoberfest event on Sunday, 10/8 from 12-5 p.m. We are looking for some helper bees to spread the word about Fairhaven and have fun at the same time. We have 1.5-hour time slots that we need help filling. If interested, please contact Trica at tricasmiles23@gmail.com or 301-379-0944.

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Fairhaven T-shirts - How about showing your Fairhaven spirit with a t-shirt?  Are you participating in community events with others from Fairhaven?  Running or walking in the neighborhood?  Just relaxing at home? On the bulletin board outside of the Garden Room, you'll find a sample t-shirt.  We have sizes small through 2X available for purchase.  There are envelopes to enter your name and size.  The t-shirts are $15 each.  A check or cash can be placed in the envelope.  The envelopes should be deposited in the plate during collection.  The t-shirts will arrive by September 29th, so you can wear them when you come to Oktoberfest on October 8th!  The funds raised will be used to offset Homecoming and Oktoberfest costs.   Questions?  Check with Rita Green or Sharie Bernard.

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United Women in Faith will meet Saturday, September 30 at 10:30 in the Fellowship Hall and online via Zoom. It's time for us to get together to hear what we've been up to and share our plans for the upcoming months. Sylvia will present a short program.  Elaine will review 2022 and last year's budgets, and seek input for 2023.  We'll discuss our winter service project and our Secret Sister Luncheon.  We will also share plans for our MLK prayer service in January.  All women of the church are invited.  

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New Garden: Have you noticed the new garden planted on the right as you enter our parking lot?  It was planted last weekend as an Eagle Scout project by Grant Lawrence.

 

New and “Gently Used” Gift Cards: If you have a gift card that is new or even partially used and does not exceed $20.00, please consider donating it to Jones Lane Elementary School as we partner with that neighborhood school along with Darnestown Elementary.  We are collecting the cards to be used for staff incentives such as raffles to help maintain positive staff morale.  If you are able to donate a new or gently used gift card, simply put it in the offering plate in an envelope that includes the amount remaining on the gift card.  Gift cards may not exceed $20.00 and can be worth as little as $1.00.  If possible, also write the amount on the card with a permanent marker.  The gift cards will go a long way in helping to maintain a positive and happy atmosphere at JLES, so check out your wallet and that drawer for the one you may have forgotten about... 

 

Let's Chat - Sunday, October 15 - after Coffee Hour: The Diverse by Design team will lead our next Let's Chat conversation on Sunday, October 15 beginning around Noon. Rev. Ken will present a more detailed look at the congregations he visited over the summer, along with his key learnings and observations for how we might continue to strengthen our ministries at Fairhaven.  

 

Pastor Ken’s Sabbatical Experiences: if you would like to know more about the 3 congregations I studied this summer and reflections/observations from the worship services I experienced, please ask and I will forward 4 documents sharing what I saw, heard and learned in some depth. These experiences will be discussed in more detail at the next Let’s Chat conversation, after worship on October 15. pastorken.fairhavenumc@gmail.com

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Church Conference: Our annual church conference is scheduled for Saturday, October 21, 12:30 p.m.  If you have a report to submit, please complete it in Arena by October 1. If you would like assistance from Pastor Ken or Rita please be in contact with them as soon as possible.

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New Members: Are you interested in making Fairhaven your church family? Or would you like to know more about Fairhaven and The United Methodist Church? Pastor Ken and Debbie Miller, Membership Chair, are beginning to plan our fall membership class. Please contact Debbie at drmiller323@gmail.com if you are interested in knowing more!

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National Hispanic Heritage Month, celebrated from Sept. 15 through Oct. 15, began in the United States to highlight the history, culture and contributions of Hispanic-Americans.  Did you know?--  Hispanic Heritage Month began as a week-long celebration by a bill signed by President Johnson in 1968 and expanded to 30 day celebration in 1988, by a bill signed by President Reagan. The celebration spans 2 months because September 15 marks “the cry of Delores,” which was the start of the Mexican war for independence and many Central American nations and Chile celebrate independence days during that 30-day period. Columbus Day happens to fall during Hispanic Heritage Month, but instead of honoring the controversial explorer, Spanish-speaking countries celebrate “Día de la Raza” or “Day of the Race” on Oct. 12. This holiday, which bookends Hispanic Heritage Month in the U.S., recognizes the blend of indigenous and European or mestizo heritage across Spanish-speaking countries.

 

Food, Fun and Fellowship! Our neighbor church Prince of Peace Lutheran is having a Fall Festival on Saturday, October 14 from 8 am – 2-pm. They’ll have food, activities and displays for the whole community! But, as part of this effort, they need to find artisans and vendors who would be willing to come and display their arts and services (click here to read more). If you or anyone you know might be interested, please contact Pamela Cook (cook1082@verizon.net) or Jamie Pflasterer (jlpflast@hotmail.com).

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United Methodist Committee on Relief (UMCOR) Wind-driven wildfires on Maui have prompted evacuations and caused significant loss of life and widespread damage. UMCOR is coordinating with the California-Pacific Annual Conference to process an initial grant for emergency supplies such as shelf-stable food, water, hygiene items and tools to help survivors recover belongings. As first responders continue to provide initial aid in the area, please join UMCOR in prayer for those affected. Gifts can be made in the following ways:

 

News from Central Maryland District and

 Baltimore-Washington Conference 

 

Bishop LaTrelle Easterling's podcast, "Thursdays at the Table," begins its second season with a conversation with the Rev. Willie Jennings, a professor at Yale and the author of The Christian Imagination: Theology and the Origins of Race. Listen.

 

Of Continuing Interest...

Lighthouse Congregation: Fairhaven has been approved as a Lighthouse congregation. As a Lighthouse congregation, we have agreed to be a safe haven for United Methodists whose congregations have disaffiliated, but as individuals or families they plan to remain members of the UMC. We will provide opportunities to worship and serve in ministry without pressure to join Fairhaven, as well as pastoral care and small group conversations and opportunities for new beginnings.

 

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