November 8, 2017 Vol. 29, Issue 19

Reach

Get Involved In Upward The Upward Basketball and Cheerleading season is getting close. Our

first evaluation was on November 6th and we also have one on November

14th. Our season starts the first week of January. There are several

ways in which people can still be involved. One way is to sponsor a player

who is unable to pay the registration fee. Our philosophy is that we want

every child to have the opportunity for play whether they can afford it or

not. The cost is $75 per child. Another is to volunteer to be a greeter,

coach, referee or help with concessions. Each Saturday we have hundreds

of people coming into our building. Hospitality is one of the best gifts we can share with our guests.

I would live to encourage everyone to be involved by praying for our program especially the leaders,

parents and participants. If you have questions or want to be involved, contact David Roderick

(david@troyumc.org)

Register Online: Registration is now open for Upward

basketball and cheerleading. Upward is for

children ages 4 years old – 8th grade. You can

register by going online to troyumc.org/

upward. Evaluations will be held November

6th and 14th, 6-8 pm. The early bird

registration is open until Dec 3rd and is $75

per player. Multi-child discounts are

available.

Notes & Quotes

Thank you Kim Alvis and the wonderful

singers in the Children’s Choir. We

wrapped up this choir season with a

wonderful rendition of “This Little Light

of Mine” which featured both the

Children’s Choir singers and the

Chancel Choir together. What a

wonderful inter-generational celebration

of singing! The Children’s Choir on

Wednesday nights will resume in the

new year. In the meantime, all of the

Sunday School children will be learning

Christmas music to sing at the 4:00pm

Worship Service on Christmas Eve.

Christmas Choir Correction: If you

would like to sing in the Christmas

Concert, we will be rehearsing on

Wednesdays at 7:00pm in the choir

room. (Previous publications stated the

time as 7:30pm). Please contact me if

you have any questions!

We are still looking for set set-up and

tear-down help for the Christmas play

“The Other Wise Man.” Please contact

Emily at emily@troyumc.org if this is

your calling!

“Be near me, Lord Jesus, I ask Thee to

stay close by me forever, and love me, I

pray; bless all the dear children in Thy

tender care, and fit us for heaven to live

with Thee there.” Away in a Manger, 3rd

verse, anonymous

T.U.M.S. -

Madrigal

Dinner Reservations are now being taken for the

TUMS outing on December 2nd. The

Saturday afternoon 2:00 pm concert/

dinner is $20.00 per ticket. The bus will

leave the church at 1:15pm. Call Diane

Jones at 288-7254 to make your

reservation.

Thanksgiving Service Thanksgiving

worship service

will be November

22 at 12noon in the Family Life Center.

Lunch will be provided after the service

on a donation basis.

Ladies

Brunch The Troy UMC Ladies Christmas

Brunch will be held Saturday Dec. 2

from 9-11 am in the Family Life Center.

Julie Ford and her Brunch Team are

planning delicious food and a great

program. Jill Winslow will be the guest

speaker, and special music will be

performed by Emily Lynn. This annual

event is a great way to jump start the

Christmas season and remember the

true reason for the season, Jesus Christ’s

birth. Tickets are sold @ $10 following

Sunday church services and also are

available through the church office and

our website troyumc.org/christmas.

Child care will be provided.

Connection

Corner Pastor Andy wrote us some special

letters in the last two “Reach”

newsletters. As he clarified, our pastors

visit people in the hospital. I head up our

Care Team; we try to help one another

feel God’s love through difficult times.

The team meets every two months for an

hour. We share confidential updates, and

I provide written resources and other

helpful information.

We all can help through the team’s

extensions (our card, food, and prayer

ministries). Let me know if you can

help with sending occasional card

showers or if you could make & take

food to someone. See our weekly Prayer

Bulletin for that ministry’s information.

The Care Team visits and calls people

with long-term needs. Other team

supporters craft lovely prayer cards,

cloths, shawls, and blankets for us to

give as gifts. The best gift of all is the

TIME the team member and the care

recipient spend together. I am blessed by

the time I spend reaching out to others. I

hope you will have time to be blessed

too.

~Carolyn Catalano carolyn@troyumc.org

Thank You Fe and I would like to thank each and

everyone for their cards, well wishes,

and prayers as we recover. –Fenada and

Jim Price

Help Decorate

the Church

for Christmas Please plan to join us in decorating the

church for Christmas on two afternoons:

Family Life Center- Friday

December 1st starting at 1 pm

Sanctuary- Saturday December

2nd starting at 1 pm

A lovely time will be had by all- many

hands make light work, plus it’s fun!

We will have all the decorations out and

ready to put up. Let Carolyn Catalano

know which day(s) you can help on.

Christmas

Drama Our TUMC Drama Team will present

Henry van Dyke’s The Other Wise Man,

dramatized by Ruth Sergel, on Fri. Dec.

8 (7 pm) and Sun. Dec. 10 (3 pm).

Volunteers of all ages are participating

in this expanded tale of the Biblical

Magi about a man named Artaban who

sells everything he owns to travel to the

East to find Jesus. Light refreshments

will follow both performances. Tickets

are $10 (adults) and $2 (children 12 and

under). Starting Nov. 5 you may

purchase tickets after church services, at

the church office, or through the website

troyumc.org/christmas.

UMW

Christmas

Luncheon The annual UMW Christmas luncheon

party will be held at Bella Milano

(Edwardsville) on Thursday, December

14 at 11:30 a.m. The guest speaker this

year will be our own, Sue Busler. Her

program is entitled “A Cup of Christmas

Tea.” Lunch includes an appetizer,

salad, entrée, dessert, and drink. Cost:

$20 - Tickets can be purchased from an

officer, contacting Becky Rushing at

(618)667-8191 or 792-0020, or the church

office. Deadline is Tuesday, December

12.

UMW Nut Sale In addition pecans, Cashews, Mixed

Nuts and Black Walnuts are now

available for purchase. All one pound

bags of nuts are $10.00. Purchase some

after 8:00, 9:00, 10:15 or before 10:45

Sunday services or call Diane Jones @

288-7254.

November 12 Membership Class 12-2pm (FLC)

14 Upward Evaluations 6-8pm (FLC) 16 Care Team Meeting 6:30-7:30pm (Rehearsal Room)

18-20 Confirmation Retreat (DuBois Center) 19 Share Thanksgiving 20 Blood Drive 3-6pm (Sanctuary Entrance) 22 Thanksgiving Worship Service 12noon (FLC) 23 Thanksgiving Day 28 Charge Conference 7pm (First United Methodist

Church of Greenville)

December 1 Decorate the FLC for Christmas 1pm 2 Ladies Christmas Brunch 9-11am (FLC) 2 T.U.M.S. Trip - Madrigal Dinner 1:15pm 2 Decorate the Sanctuary for Christmas 1pm 2 Christmas Play Run Through 1-3pm 2 Community Band Concert 7pm

Sunday • Worship Schedule 8, 9, 10:15, and 10:45am • Matters of Faith & Faith Class 8am (Conf. Room) • Faith Links Class 9am (Oak Room) • Generations Class 9am - Bible studies (Room 241) • Invitation Class 6-7:15pm (Conf. Room)

Monday • Monday Ladies Bible Study: Finding I AM 1-3pm

(Sanctuary) • Cub Scouts/Boy Scouts 6-9pm

Tuesday • Quilters 9 am (247/249) • Community Band Practice 7:30-9:30 (Reh. Room) • Discussion of Sunday’ Message 6:30-8:30 (Buck and Ford

Houses) • Christmas Play Rehearsal 6:30-8pm (FLC)

Wednesday • Bible Study: Romans 7pm (Conf. Room) • Jr. Praise Band 5:15-6:15 (Upper FLC) • Sr. Praise Band 5:15-6:15 (Upper FLC) • Praise Ringers 6-7pm (Reh. Room) • NLSM Wednesday Fall Series 6:30-8pm (FLC) • Chancel Choir 7-8:15pm (Reh. Room) • Praise Band Practice: 7:45-9pm (FLC)

Thursday • Knit & Crochet 2nd, 3rd & 4th weeks of month 5-6:30 pm

(Oak Room) • Christmas Play Rehearsal 6:30-8pm (FLC)

Saturday • AA & Alanon, 8-9am (245,150)

Christmas Mission Project You are invited to help the UMW with their Christmas mission

project. They will be providing clothing and/or toys to 40 needy

children through the Lessie Bates Davis Neighborhood House.

A small Christmas tree will be placed in each of the lobbies of

the church by Sunday, December 3 with the names of the

children and their respective needs. Please save this date to

select a child to help. For information contact: Libby Gregg at

(618)954-6263.

Operation Christmas Child Children's Ministry is collecting for filled shoe

boxes for Operation Christmas Child. The world's

largest Christmas project of its kind uses gift-

filled shoe boxes to demonstrate God's love in a

tangible way to children in need around the

world. Look for a table in the Fellowship Hall with the green

Operation Christmas Child boxes and stickers to choose the

gender of your box. There will be instructions on how to pack

the box and pay for shipping at the table also. All boxes need to

be returned to the Fellowship Hall by Sunday, November 19.

Share Thanksgiving Share Thanksgiving is designed to help

others in our community share in a

traditional Thanksgiving meal. By

donating one or more meal components,

you will assist those who are not able to

purchase these holiday extras.

How It Works

On October 29, November 5 and 12 you may sign up to bring

one or more meal components on the insert in this brochure or

in the bulletin. We will also have a sign-up table in the Family

Life Center on these Sundays. On Sunday, November 19 (8-

10:30 a.m.) all items need to be brought to the Fellowship Hall.

We will compile meals for delivery that morning.

Meal Components:

• Turkey (frozen)

• Rolls & Stuffing

• Vegetables & Sides

• Dessert

• Drinks

Time to Retreat! Senior High Fall Retreat – “Wearing God”

Please pray for the following Worden

UMC and Troy UMC high school students

who are participating in the fall retreat

this weekend at Little Grassy United

Methodist Camp near Makanda, IL: Bradan Bruce, Tyler

Carter, Megan Darby, Joe Dickerson, Sean Froidcoeur, Aliyah

Johnson, Anna Leitner, Caden Rapp, Tori Roderick, Ethan Roe,

Evan Roe, Destiny Shea, Daniel Stone, and Brooke Webber.

Outdoor adventure activities included Shawnee Bluffs canopy

zipline tour, canoeing on Devil’s Kitchen Lake, rock climbing in

Giant City State Park, hiking in RaRue Pine Hills Research

Area, touring the Little Grassy Fish Hatchery, and checking out

the scenic lookout at Inspiration Point. Today the students are

enjoying a family style Sunday Brunch at the historic Giant

City State Park Lodge and worshiping at Jesus Es El Senor

UMC in Cobden, IL.

The Caring Congregation, Part 3

In the last two REACH newsletters, I’ve shared some of our church’s plan for providing congregational care to our members. Sharing the love of Christ with one another is a biblical mandate and privilege, but there is so much more to being a caring congregation than just caring for our own. As we enter the

Thanksgiving season, I want to share with you two very specific ways you can share your gratitude to God for the many blessings in your life and at the same time help Troy United Methodist Church become an even more caring congregation. Arriving here in Troy, I was pleasantly surprised to find out that our church actively helps meet various financial needs of people in our community. It is no surprise that when people are in need, they often turn to the church. When the church is living out its biblical purpose, it helps to provide a security net for the most vulnerable of society. Our church has what we call a “Local Ministry” fund from which we serve those in need when they request it. Of course we have some ground rules (one time assistance per year, usually $200 or less, for Troy residents, etc.) but once a person’s situation is vetted, we offer no-strings-attached assistance. So far in 2017, we have served over 40 families by providing financial help to pay power bills, water utilities, rent, food and counseling. Some recipients have been connected to our church, but most have not. All in all, we have provided $8,713 in aid in 2017! This is where you come in. Our “Local Ministry” fund is not part of our general operating budget. We give out what members generously give directly to this fund. Unfortunately, out of a heart to serve those in need, we have actually given out $2,333 more than we’ve received through the end of October. Furthermore, we are entering the time of greatest need – the holidays. In order to be the light of Christ and to help Troy United Methodist Church continue providing care for our community, would you consider making a one time or ongoing contribution to our “Local Ministry” fund? We would love to not only make up the deficit for 2017, but have enough excess to be generous in our final two months of the year. Simply make out a check to “Troy UMC” with “Local Ministry” in the memo. Another way you can give back out of your blessing is through our Share Thanksgiving ministry. You have one more Sunday (November 12th) to sign up to bring one or more meal components that will help give a Thanksgiving dinner to a local family in need. You can bring those items on Sunday, November 19th, and then after the 9:00 and 10:15 worship services, help deliver the assembled meals to local families. What a fantastic way to be the hands and feet of Jesus and serve the least, the last and the lost in our local community! Thank you for all you do to make Troy UMC a caring congregation! Faithfully,

Return Service Requested

Non-Profit Org. U.S. Postage

PAID TROY, IL

PERMIT #37

TROY UNITED METHODIST CHURCH

Troy United Methodist Church 407 Edwardsville Road

Troy, IL 62294

REACH

Church Information Phone 618-667-6241/ Fax 618-667-7748

Staff

*Senior Pastor Andy Adams, ext. 25 *Associate Pastor, Student Ministry Kurt Stone, ext. 18 *Family Minister David Roderick, ext. 12 *Worship Design Minister Tim Price, ext. 14 *Pastor Emeritus Dennis D. Price *Dir. of Music Emily Ottwein, ext. 19 *Dir. of Children’s Ministry Natalie Carlson, ext. 81 *Dir. of 1st Step Learning Center Lisa Rayle, ext. 13 *Dir. of Lay Ministry Carolyn Catalano, ext. 16 *Office Administrator Sharie Meyer, ext. 11 Nursery Manager Kim Barnes (kim.barnes@troyumc.org) *Office Assistant Courtney Bettis Sound Technician *Alex Mitchell Worship Tech Intern Nick Tipton Organist *Mike Rogier Youth Worship Leader *Clint Benesh Custodians David Barr, Loren Fear, Tina Collins,

Rey Garlich

*Staff E-mail [firstname]@troyumc.org

Sunday Worship 8:00, 9:00, 10:15 and 10:45am

Sunday School 8:00 am (adult) 9:00 am (all ages) 10:15 am (children) 10:45 am (children)

Wednesday New Life Youth Services Wednesday, 6:30 pm (FLC)

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