Fairhaven UMC
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Thursday, November 5, 2026
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 contemplate our readiness to meet and serve Christ. Pastor Ken will offer the meditation, “Keep Awake,” inspired by Matthew 25:1-13. A women’s trio will sing, “I Couldn’t Hear Nobody Pray,” by Victor C. Johnson. Mala Prasad will offer a Stewardship Moment. Come, celebrate and worship with us!
Acolyte: Lily Babalola
Lay Reader: Marshae Murrell
Ushers: Elaine Gibson and Mala Prasad
Coffee Hosts: Gospel Choir members
Happening This Week
November 7 – Annual Church Conference – 1pm at Epworth UMC, 9008 Rosemont Dr., Gaithersburg. All Fairhaven members are invited to attend and participate. We will gather with churches of the Greater Gaithersburg Hub for worship and announcements and then separate into pairs of churches to conduct the business portions of the meeting. Pastors’ reports will be shared, 2027 compensation packages approved, leaders elected, ministry candidates approved, and membership reviewed. Nominated for the Board of Trustees Class of 2029 are: Jane Phillips, Marshae Murrell, and Carter Rogers. Conference will conclude no later than 2:30 p.m.
UMCOR FLOOD BUCKET ASSEMBLY - The Young Adults will be assembling UMCOR FLOOD BUCKETS for disaster relief after service on November 8. This is an annual event. We will meet in Rooms 1 and 2 after the service to assemble the buckets and pack Debbie’s car for delivery the following day. Thank you for your support of this project. You’re a blessing.
Sunday, November 8 – “Coffee with a Cop” – 11:45-1 p.m. Officer Beardsley, from the Montgomery County Police Department, will be with us to share the most recent trends in the area, tips for Seniors, and holiday safety. A flyer is attached.
Save the Dates For Future Events!
November 21 – United Women in Faith meeting
November 22 – Commitment Sunday
November 22 – UMYF
November 29 – Green Team Meeting
November 29 – First Sunday of Advent
November 29 – Young Adults to decorate church
Additional New and Important Updates
Thank You: Thank you Fairhaven, for your generous gift in honor of Pastor’s Appreciation Month. You are a supportive, compassionate and appreciative congregation for your pastoral team. It is a blessing to serve as your pastor. (Pastor Ken)
Calling all Children!! The Children’s Choir will rehearse Sundays until Christmas from 10-10:25 am. Promptness will be greatly appreciated. Our next date to sing is Sunday morning, Nov. 22. For information contact Kathy Smith kathrynannsmith12@gmail.com or Kelley Rogers kelleyc.rogers@gmail.com.
Can you dedicate 5 minutes in the next few weeks to help Fairhaven prepare for Advent? We will offer daily Advent devotionals again this year based on the book Beyond the Postcard: Waking Up to the Real Nativity.
We are keeping things super simple and low-pressure this year. We are recruiting 27 Daily Prayer Leaders to help guide our church family through the season (November 29 – December 25). Your total time commitment? About 5 minutes.
Here is all it takes:
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Email Shelton Mooney (shelton.mooney@live.com) to tell him you want to help.
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Shelton will select a date and send you that day’s short Scripture reading and 60-second historical snapshot.
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Write and send back a short 2–3 sentence prayer for our church family.
That’s literally it! Here is what a finished submission looks like:
"God of light, wake us up from the routine busyness that keeps us from seeing one another. Teach us to slow down this December so we can offer warmth, presence, and care to those right outside our doors. Amen." — Submitted by YOU
Thank you, Fairhaven! The fall food collection for Gaithersburg Help was 225 pounds! Your donations were greatly appreciated.
Stewardship Campaign: Our annual stewardship campaign has begun! Hopefully, you received a letter and a 2027 financial commitment card in your email earlier this week. If you prefer a paper copy, they are available in the narthex. Pastor Ken, with help from some ministry leaders, will offer a message on November 15, focused on the stewardship of Christian service. Commitment Sunday for your 2027 financial pledges is November 22.
United Women in Faith (UWFaith) will meet on Zoom, Nov. 21 at 10 am. Sylvia Craig will present the World Thank Offering Program. We will discuss program ideas through the beginning of 2027. All women of Fairhaven are invited.
Congratulations to Sharon Babalola! Sharon recently tied for 1st place at the Archdiocese of Washington level and earned 2nd place nationally in the Grades 6-8 category in the Catholic Climate Covenant’s Creation Sings Art Competition! See a copy of her beautiful painting on our bulletin board.
Sign Team Needed! Our new church sign should be installed soon! Yay! We’re looking for a small team to get trained on how to input messages on it. Inputting messages will be able to be done remotely. If interested in more information, please contact the church office.
News from the Greater Gaithersburg Hub, the Baltimore-Washington Conference, and the Community
BWC News
Please see the weekly e-connection to learn the latest news of our Baltimore-Washington Conference. This week’s edition includes this request to pray for our bishops:
The Council of Bishops of The United Methodist Church is meeting virtually November 2 through 6 for a week of worship, prayer and discernment under the theme “Hallowed Be Thy Name: Learning to Recognize the Reign of God.” Bishops will reflect on the recent Leadership Gathering in Calgary, consider next steps for the denomination and address issues including immigration, creation care and artificial intelligence. United Methodists are invited to pray for the bishops throughout the week and watch the public sessions livestreamed on Facebook. Read more about the meeting.
Hub and Community News:
Greater Gaithersburg Hub Advent Opportunities
Virtual Advent Study: We will gather on Thursday evenings, December, 3,10 & 17, from 7-8 pm to study and reflect together on “Advent Can Still Change the World” by Josh Scott. Pastors Paul Johnson, Kendrick Weaver, and Jeff Jones will lead our journey. A flyer is attached that details the Zoom information. Books are available at Cokesbury, Amazon, and Barnes & Noble.
Blue Christmas Service – Sunday, December 20 -7pm at Mill Creek Parish
Of Continuing Interest...
Please continue to offer these prayers to God for those on our prayer list
Weekly Schedule
Office Hours week of Nov. 8
Pastor Ken: Tuesday 9:30-6:30
Rita: Tuesday 9 a.m.-2 p.m.; -Thursday 9 a.m.-1 p.m.
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.
Tuesday Morning Bible Study: Tuesday at 10 a.m. in hybrid format. Pastor Ken is leading the study, Disciple Fast Track, which is a United Methodist-based Bible study offering a survey of the scriptures in 24 lessons, beginning with the Old Testament. Books are available from Cokesbury. ZOOM LINK Meeting ID: 775 496 640 Passcode: 656327
Tuesday Night Bible Study: Tuesday evenings 7-8 p.m. by Zoom. Mala Prasad is leading a study on 1 and 2 Timothy and Titus by NT Wright. The 20th Anniversary Edition. ZOOM LINK Meeting ID: 811 8541 4235 Dial-In 301 715 8592
Thursday Evening Prayer Service: Every Thursday 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. Meeting ID: 987 2687 0589 Passcode: 489488
Grief Support Group: Will meet in person on selected Thursdays at 6:30 p.m. If you are interested in participating in the group, please contact Rev. Gerry at therevjr@msn.com for more details.
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 UMC
● 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 throughout the year for specific causes (Huree, SAVE, UMCOR, etc.)