Children's Ministries Newsletter

Happy Sunday!

The pumpkins are here and we need your help! Our Youth Leadership Team has designated over half of our proceeds from the pumpkin patch to go to relief efforts for those so affected by Helene. Please see the sign up later in this newsletter to donate your time to help sell pumpkins (a wonderful, fun and meaningful family activity!). You'll not only be providing service in our community (we are the Pumpkin Church!), but you'll be helping our youth and our church as well as those affected by the storm---it's a win-win-win, and you'll be blessed by doing so! Also, please pray for this important ministry in our church and in our community. And be on the look-out for more information about our upcoming Trunk or Treat on October 30th---this will be our intergenerational programming for WNO that evening.

Please continue to pray for our Children's Church 2 class and our Third Grade Bible class, both of which continue to meet this fall. Our Children's Church 2 kids will take communion with their families and teachers on November 10 at 9:35 in the sanctuary.

Our music ministry and choirs are rehearsing on Wednesday evenings as part of our Wednesday Night Out Programming. We invite you and your family to join us THIS WEDNESDAY evening at 5:15 for WNO dinner, fellowship, and choir and programming for all ages. Our wonderful Director of Christian Education and our staff is planning and prepping our WNO dinner this week (see menu and pricing later in this newsletter) and dinner will be served beginning at 5:15; choirs and programming for children and youth and Bible studies for adults begin at 6 and will end at 7. Our adult hand bells will begin at 7 in the sanctuary, followed by chancel choir in the choir room at 7:30. There is something for everyone and we hope that your family will make plans to join us on Wednesday nights this fall.

We have kicked off our Thanksgiving Food Drive! Our goal is to provide 32 families with a full Thanksgiving meal. Read more about this project and how you and your family can help later in this newsletter.

Look for more information about these opportunities this month in this newsletter and don't hesitate to reach out with any questions or to volunteer to help!

With Love,

Hope

Dear Church Families,

We are excited to be able to put together our Thanksgiving Food Boxes again this year. Each box will contain all the ingredients for a traditional Thanksgiving meal, including a ham or turkey and a dessert. Our goal this year is 32 boxes going to 32 families!

As we have done the past several years, this year we would like families (or it could be a couple of families working together) to sponsor a food box.

Here is what you'd do:

1. Your family or group would get a large sturdy box,

2. decorate the outside of the box,

3. and fill it with items for a traditional Thanksgiving meal, including a dessert (I will provide you a list of items to use (as a minimum).

I have a checklist for each box that I am happy to provide you for shopping purposes and the children who have helped in the past are very good at selecting items from the list and filling the box. : )

Children's Ministries will provide a turkey or ham for each box. We will also decorate and fill 5-10 boxes as part of our Wednesday Night Out programming in November, and the children will write notes an color pictures to go in each box.

The boxes will be due back at JW on or before Wednesday, November 20 at 5 p.m. At our Wednesday Night Out that night we will bless the boxes and pray for the families who will receive them. The week of Thanksgiving I will add the turkeys / hams and facilitate the deliveries. If your family would like to help with the distribution of boxes on Monday, 11/25, please let me know and I'd welcome the assistance!

I hope that you and your family will participate this year; I know this is project the children look forward to doing and I know there are families and organizations that also count on our generosity.

If your family would like to sponsor a Thanksgiving Food Box this year, please email me at hmurphy_227@yahoo. com (don't hit reply to this newsletter) ASAP and I'll respond with your checklist / shopping list.

We are are back in full swing for WNO!

Meals will be served from 5:15 to 6:15

ALL programs last from 6:00 to 7:00

This Wednesday's Meal will be prepared by Missy Cario :

Pasta with Meatballs

Caesar Salad

Rolls

Dessert

Pricing:

$8 - Adults

$4 - Kids 4 - 12 years old

Under 3 years old - FREE

*In addition to our Children's / Youth / Music offerings on Wednesday nights, there are 3 different Bible / Book studies offered for adults! : )

SUNDAY, October 20:

Bible Bearers: 8:30 - Clara Couturier / 11 - Cora Ratcliffe

Children's Sermon: Dan Schwartz

Children's Church: 8:30 HELP NEEDED / 11: Melissa Whetzel

*If you can help us fill the vacancy at 8:30 NEXT Sunday 10/20, please sign up below ASAP!

Our Children's Church & Bible Bearer Sign Up have been extended through the end of December, take a look and claim some dates to serve in the next few months:

https://www.signupgenius.com/go/508094CA5AD2FA13-childrens1#/(Children's Church)

https://www.signupgenius.com/go/508094CA5AD2FA13-bible#/ (BIBLE BEARERS)

We need YOU to decorate your trunk and hand out candy at John Wesley’s Trunk or Treat on Wednesday, October 30th, from 6-7pm in the church parking lot! It’s a fun and festive way to connect with our community, and we need your help to make it a success.

Get creative with your decorations, bring some candy, and let's make this a spooktacular evening for the kids!

Youth are asked to arrive at 5pm to cook hotdogs and make lemonade for everyone attending the event.

*Trunk or Treat is our WNO meal and intergenerational programming on 10/30.

Please see flyer below for more information about this event and ways you can participate!

*****We have one NEW open spot open for Children's Church in October! Please help if you can!

Here is the open spot:

10/20 at 8:30

And here is our Sign Up Genius: https://www.signupgenius.com/go/508094CA5AD2FA13-childrens1#/

We are so grateful to our newest members of our Chidlren's Church team---y'all have really helped lighten the load this fall. Keep helping us recruit too!

https://www.signupgenius.com/go/508094CA5AD2FA13-childrens1#/(Children's Church).

We welcome any adults who would like to serve to join our rotation of Children's Church leaders at 8:30 and 11:00.

https://www.signupgenius.com/go/508094CA5AD2FA13-bible#/ (BIBLE BEARERS)

Children in grades 1 - 5 are welcome to serve as Bible Bearers!

*If you're looking for a way to connect or serve, please contact me and I am happy to give you more information, support, and help you and your families get more involved in our ministries here at John Wesley!

CHOIR REMINDERS

Parents - We need your help to make Wednesdays run smoothly! Please consider signing up for the flag bearers and choir monitors.

Use the button above to sign up as a choir volunteer!

Also, please remember the pickup guidelines: CS children will meet their parents in the LMR at 7 pm.

Wesley Choristers can be picked up in the Parlor by 7 p.m. Children 3 and under will be in the nursery in Room 109.

If you're new to JW and haven't found a class, it's a great time to start; if you've been away from Sunday School for a while and have been meaning to find your way back to a class, NOW is the time come back! We hope you and your whole family will join us in Sunday School this year. For years, I've said this to families about children and Sunday School and I believe and have seen with my own eyes and in my own family that it is true: JWUMC Sunday School is where our children meet their friends and their BEST friend. Sunday School begins at 9:45 and we have a class for EVERYONE! Please reach out to me or to our wonderful Director of Christian Education, Missy Cario (missycario451@gmail.com) if you have questions about Sunday School for any age!

As our Sunday School programs (for children, youth and adults!) continue to grow and thrive, Missy and I would like to remind everyone that Sunday School ends at 10:45. There's a bell we used to ring as a reminder of our end time (we know that it's easy to get caught in the lesson or the fellowship--both blessings) and we will resume that practice of ringing the bell starting this week as a friendly reminder to wrap things up and pick up your children from their teachers. We do not allow children to leave until a parent arrives to claim them. When it's 10:45 and the bell has rung we do ask that those of you with children please head to your child's classroom to pick them up promptly. Our wonderful Sunday School teachers, many of whom are trying to pick up their own kids and make it to 11:00 worship need to be released from duty at 10:45 when classes end. Please be mindful of this courtesy.