Fairhaven UMC
E-Messenger
Thursday, September 25, 2025
Mission: To Love, Live, and Serve like Jesus
In our church, community, and world
Sunday Worship
Join us in person or online at 10:30 a.m. as we celebrate All Saints Day. Pastor Ken’s meditation is “Our Hope is in Christ,” inspired by Ephesians 1:11-23. We will honor the lives of Fairhaven’s saints who have finished their course in faith during the past year. The Sanctuary Choir will sing, “Saints Bound for Heaven,” by Howard Helvey. Holy Communion will be celebrated.
Spend your extra hour on Sunday going to church! 😊
This week's worship participants:
Ushers: Bethany Chambers and Earnestene Pearson
Acolyte: Sofie Mollard
Lay Reader: Ed Combs
Coffee Hour: Jane Phillips
The link to last week’s service: LINK
Happening This Week
All Saint’s Day – honor the memory of loved ones
Following Sunday’s service and coffee hour, the Green Team is holding a meeting in the garden room. Min. Sharee Warton will visit and give a short presentation on ‘Creation Care’. Please join us.
Bring your Old Flags: A great way for you to dispose of an old flag is to bring it to church on Sunday. On Communion Sunday, bring all your used American flags to Church and place them in a special box in the narthex and these symbols of our great Nation will be disposed of properly. Look for more news on this topic that will be coming as we approach the 250th birthday of the United States of America.
11 Days of Prayer for our Hub: Please pray daily for each church in our hub, their leaders and ministries. See the list of specific churches below.
Save the Dates For Future Events!
November 9 – Worship Committee meeting
November 15 – Family Night
November 16 – Young Adult Flood Bucket assembly
December 4-18 – Weekly Greater Gaithersburg Hub Advent Study
December 6 – Interfaith film and discussion event
Additional New and Important Updates
Thank You for the beautiful stole, gift of a dinner for Nancy and me, and the coffee hour in celebration of Pastor’s Appreciation month. You, the Fairhaven congregation, bless me every day as we serve Christ together. Grace and peace to you all. (Pastor Ken)
Family Night on Saturday, November 15, from 6-8 pm. We will be playing turkey bingo! The reason that we call is turkey bingo is because one of the prizes will be a turkey, just in time for the holiday. All ages are welcomed and I’m recruiting some guest bingo callers. If you’re interested in helping with the event or being a guest bingo caller please email Trica at tricasmiles23@gmail.com.
Light snacks will be provided. Please bring a friend and/or a family member with you for this night full of fun and fellowship. Hope to see you there!
The Young Adult Group's Flood Bucket Assembly and reorganizing meeting on Nov. 16, following the worship service. Please join us to help pack the buckets and to begin planning and strategizing a December activity, and share ideas on the structure of our group's priorities, structure, and activities for the period ahead. All Young Adults (age 18-40+) are welcome to share their ideas on what they would like to see in terms of the group's mission, goals, and activities! A rudimentary proposal was circulated for feedback last week. If you are interested and did not receive it please email Jonathan Chambers at jec20721@yahoo.com.
ONE or TWO VOLUNTEERS ARE STILL NEEDED to help deliver meals, once a month for ROCKVILLE MEALS ON WHEELS THURSDAY mornings. Ideally, we would like 1-2 volunteers to commit to once a month and to substitute if a shift is not covered. (We have drivers-you just are “riding along” to assist.) The shift is from 8:45 am-12 noon. If you have questions or for more information, contact Debbie Miller or Dennis Leighty.
ROCKVILLE MEALS ON WHEELS MISSION STATEMENT
Our purpose is to deliver meals to housebound clients within the Rockville, Maryland area. We are committed to improving the physical and mental health of participants by providing a proper diet and daily contact from a caring volunteer.
News from the Greater Gaithersburg Hub, the Baltimore-Washington Conference, and the Community
Greater Gaithersburg Hub News
Call to Prayer: The pastors of our Hub have issued a Call to Prayer! Please be in prayer for unity and God’s vision to be discerned in our Hub in one or both of the following ways:
Solidarity with the Pastors, wherever you are on Thursdays at Noon, please spend a few minutes in prayer for the Greater Gaithersburg Hub.
11 Days of Prayer: Please pray for each church in our hub, their leaders and ministries, for a day.
October 29 Asbury (Rev. George Hackey, Jr);
October 30 Covenant (Rev. Dae Wa Park);
October 31 Emory Grove (Rev. Tim Warner);
November 1 Epworth (Revs. Jen Fenner and Tammi Brantley);
November 2 Fairhaven (Revs. Ken Hawes and Megan Blanchard); November 3 Goshen (Rev. Paul Johnson);
November 4 Grace (Revs. Kendrick Weaver and Helen Ballew);
November 5 Mill Creek Parish (Rev. Jeff Jones);
November 6 Trinity (Rev. Elvyn Hamilton);
November 7 Washington Grove (Pastor Margie Matthews);
November 8 West Montgomery (Rev. Esther Holimon)
May the Spirit write a vision on our hearts!
Advent Study on Zoom: Save the Dates! The Hub will be leading an Advent study on Thursday, December 4, 11 and 18 on Zoom from 7-8 pm. The study is Mary Had a Baby: An Advent Study based on African-American Spirituals. The book is available on Amazon. A flyer and Zoom link will be sent at a later date.
United Methodist Church and Baltimore-Washington Conference News
In a pastoral letter, the Council of Bishops laments how the ongoing U.S. government shutdown is causing harm to countless families, workers and communities. The letter calls on members of the U.S. Congress and elected leaders to set aside partisanship and work for the common good. Read letter.
A 1-day seminar/workshop on Social Principles & Advocacy 101: The BWC United Women in Faith Charter for Racial Justice Committee in partnership with the BWC Advocacy and Action Board are hosting this workshop on November 8, 2025, at Calvary UMC 301 Rowe Boulevard, Annapolis, Maryland from 9 AM- 4 PM in person and on line with Rev. Neal Christie facilitating the Social Principles discussion and Rev. Camille Henderson Edwards. The registration link is on the attached flyer.
For more information on what is happening in the Baltimore-Washington Conference, Click here to read the e-connection, the conference newsletter.
Community News
We are invited to a showing and discussion of “Ain’t No Back to a Merry-Go-Round” an untold civil rights story about the Glen Echo park. Please see the attached flyer for more information and to register to attend this FREE event on Dec. 6 at 5:30 pm.
Montgomery County has opened a first-of-its-kind Federal Workforce Career Service Center (FWCC). The center will support displaced federal workers and contractors through personalized career and entrepreneurial coaching, federal resume and job placement assistance, and professional development programs. The FWCC is located at 11510 Georgia Avenue, Silver Spring.
Of Continuing Interest...
Ongoing 28 Days of Prayer: United to Love—Hate Divides, Love Unites continues until October 28. You are invited to set aside just 30 minutes each day to connect with God, reflect, and listen for the Spirit’s leading alongside a community of people committed to inspiring change and building a more just world. We have a few copies of the book, Dynamite Prayer by Rev. Dr. Rosario “Roz” Picardo and Rev. Dr. Sue Nilson Kibbey which can be used to focus your prayers. It is also available digitally. If you would like a paperback book, please let Rita know. A $10 donation will cover the cost of the book.
Prayer List: Please continue to offer the joys and concerns raised on Sunday as prayers to God.
Remember our Sick and Shut-ins and the Joys and Concerns raised last week
Weekly Schedule
Office Hours week of Sept. 21
Pastor Ken: Wednesday 10-4
Rita: Tuesday - Thursday 9-noon
Sunday Worship: Every Sunday at 10:30 a.m. ZOOM Link
Meeting ID: 156 030 351 Passcode: 324036 Dial-In: 301 715 8592
We kindly request that you remain muted during the Sunday service once worship has begun. The service is edited before being posted to our YouTube channel.
Pastor’s Bible Study: The Tuesday Morning Bible Study will NOT meet on 10.28 but will resume, in the usual hybrid format, on Tuesday, Nov. 4, at 10 a.m. with a study on The Gospel of Matthew, by Dr. Matt Skinner. ZOOM LINK Meeting ID: 775 496 640
Passcode: 656327
Tuesday Night Bible Study: Tuesday Evenings 7-8 pm by Zoom. Mala Prasad is leading a study on The Bible With and Without Jesus by Amy Jill Levine and Marc Zivi Brettler. ZOOM LINK Meeting ID: 811 8541 4235 Dial-In 301 715 8592
Weekly Prayer Service: Thursdays at 7:00 p.m. Need a mid-week spiritual lift? All are welcome to join us online at 7:00 p.m. for our weekly Thursday evening prayer service. ZOOM LINK. Jonathan Chambers will lead the service on 8/21.
Grief Support Group: Will meet in person on selected Thursdays, at 6:30 pm. If you are interested in participating in the group, please contact Rev. Gerry at therevjr@msn.com for more details.
Contact Information
Pastor Ken Hawes: pastorken.fairhavenumc@gmail.com; 240-329-7638
Deacon Megan Blanchard: rev.megan.blanchard@gmail.com
Rita Green: fairhavenumc@gmail.com, c- 301-648-8294
Christina Mollard: ycmollard@gmail.com
Financial Giving to Fairhaven: Thank you for your continued generosity for the ministry of Christ through Fairhaven UMC. There are 3 ways to make an offering:
● In Person: place a gift in the offering plate on Sunday mornings
● Mail: send a check to the church payable to Fairhaven United Methodist Church
● Online: https://fairhaven.breezechms.com/give/online
You may designate your gift to several funds:
● General Fund: the primary fund covering budgeted expenses
● Discretionary Fund: helps people in need on an emergency basis (at the pastor’s discretion)
● Capital Expenses: for ongoing church building needs
● Invest in Fairhaven: a specific capital campaign to do building upgrades
● Building Use: for community members who use the building to pay their use fees
● Other funds are activated-deactivated through the year for specific causes (Huree, SAVE, UMCOR, etc.)