October 2012 Messenger

When one of our children reached high school, he/she (who shall remain unnamed) received a report card that did not measure up to a lifetime of excellence. We talked with him/her about it. I dont think we sounded like the Spanish Inquisition (that child may have a different memory). To figure out what was going on, we asked some questions. Too many advanced placement courses? Too many extracurriculars? Trouble with teacher relationships? Questions like that. To each, the answer was the same: Im not as smart as my older sister, you know. (OK, now you know it was not our eldest.) After hearing this refrain repeated enough, I responded with something like: Im afraid eight years of straight As has blown your cover of how intelligent you are.

People of the United Methodist Church of Geneva, we have blown our cover of how capable we are of supporting the ministries of this church. The success of the Just Get It Done grassroots campaign to pay off the mortgage has blown our cover once again. We will have a mortgage-burning celebration in a unified worship service at 10:00 am on November 11. Third Tuesday Suppers and weekly Sunday School take massive people involvement, and we repeatedly demonstrate the capacity to do it and do it well. When we expanded Appalachia Service Project to over 100 people this year, you in the congregation provided the extra funding, organizing, and volunteering needed to support that expansion. It has happened before (blowing our cover), as when Grace Childrens Hospital needed a new generator, and in one Sunday we collected enough to buy and ship it as well as to repair the old one as a back-up. When families have needed help moving, people here have stepped up to fulfill their baptismal promises to each other and get it done. And whenever the Pastors Discretionary Fund is emptied by painfully extreme demand, you see that it gets built up again quickly, so we can continue to keep people in housing and medicine. As a collective people, we have shown that we have the capacity to accomplish whatever ministry we set our minds to.

So I am asking you all to set your minds to generously support with time and treasure the ongoing ministries that we cherish in 2012 and 2013. We have demonstrated the capacity to fully undergird our operating budget that enables our day-to-day ministries: worship, compassionate care, Sunday School, youth ministry, music ministry, community outreach. Yet, as Finance Committees article on page 3 reveals, while the mortgage is fully paid off, the basic operations of the church are underfunded. The motivating impetus of Just Get It Done was to keep debt payments out of the budget so the support for staff and program would not be slashed. Despite the success of Just Get It Done, we could wind up in that very situation. We need not. We have shown we have the capacity to undergird our current ministry in full. We have ideas, plans, and eagerness to expand ministry to college students, in adult Christian education, and in outreach.

We will send three more stewardship letters soon, with more specifics. Here is what I call you to now: soul searching. Please do not casually dispose of this matter either by writing a check or throwing this out just to be done with it quickly. With care and prayer, please linger over what you will do. How much do you cherish what this congregation does, and can yet do, not just for you, but for fellow members and for the community? What resources can you commit to that mission? For what has God equipped you? I hope much. After all, we have blown our cover.

Pastor Bill Obalil

Worship in October; Healing Service; Financial Update 2, 3

Staff Parish Announcement; Lay Ministry Opportunities 4, 5

We Remember, Third Tuesday Supper News 6, 7

Youth Education; Adult Book Club; Opening the Door to Our Heart; Service to Our Community; Crop Walk

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A.S.P.; Kids Alive Mission Trip; Letter from Taurage UMC 10, 11

Coffee Hosts Needed; Adult Literacy Project; Calling All Men; Rummage and Bake Sale

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Thank you; Ushers Needed; October Birthdays; Special Birthdays & Anniversaries in October

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Inside this issue:

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Our next SERVICE OF HEALING will be held on Sunday, October 7th, 5:00 p.m. in our Sanctuary. We hold this joint service on the first Sunday of each month, rotating between UMCG and St. Marks. For more information, please call Joan Peterson at 630-443-0007.

October 7 World Communion SundayWe gather at Christs table with Christians around the globe. At table, we celebrate Holy Communion at all three services, using breads from around the world. From Scripture, we hear the beginning of Jobs saga of misery. In proclamation, Pastor Bill Obalil imagines what a Christ-like response to the reality of innocent suffering might look like in a global context.

October 14 Confirmation Sunday (9:00)Three distinctly different worship experiences.

8:00 am A liturgical service of multiple Scripture readings, prayers, and hymns.

9:00 am - Confirmands will be received. Our youth complete the last step in the long baptismal process publicly declaring their commitment to Christ and his church for themselves. With them, we recall who and whose we are and reconfirm our loyalty to Christs body and life. In his sermon, Up the Down Escalator, Pastor Bill Obalil ponders some of what this identity and belonging may mean.

10:45 am iWitness. A quiet, contemplative worship of Taize songs, Scripture readings, prayers, and candles.

October 21 Three distinct worship services.

8:00 am - Liturgical - a service of word, music and prayer, led by Pastor Rob.

9:00 am - Sharing the Journey Sunday - a multi-generational service led by Pastor Rob, exploring the life of King David with our children as they prepare to study King David in Sunday school. We will also celebrate the baptism of Chloe Liliana Sampiller.

10:45am - Healing Service - seek Gods healing and restoring presence in a service of healing liturgy accompanied by multiple interactive healing stations.

October 28 - Consecration SundayAt all three services we will be bringing our pledges for 2013 and will be offering them to God in celebration for the blessings of ministry that our gifts enable through the life of the United Methodist Church of Geneva. Pledge cards will be mailed in advance and available on Sunday morning. Please join Pastor Rob as he leads us in a bold act of faith in consecrating our pledges.

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F i n a n c i a l U p d a t e

This year has been one of stark financial contrasts. On one hand we retired the capital campaign and can now declare ourselves completely free of building fund debt. Hallelujah! On the other, we have struggled to meet our day-to-day operating expenses and have fallen very far behind.

The Finance Committee has been monitoring the deficit trend (contributions vs. expenses) and has provided regular reports to church members about our financial status. In the September Messenger, we reported that our deficit had risen from $28,959.58 (end of March through June) to $43,828.89 (July). We now have the August numbers and the deficit has increased to $55,468.75. Our year-to-date contributions are $456,444.82 and our 2012 budget is $840,659.13.

Staff, committees, and Church Council work hard each year to construct as lean a budget as possible to carry out our ministries. While the budget is lean, as the year proceeds we sometimes find areas where actual expenses come in lower than we anticipated when the budget was prepared. In the last several weeks the Finance Committee has worked with staff and committee chairmen to review line by line where potential savings could be identified without serious consequences to our programs. Through this effort approximately $7,000 was removed from the 2012 budget.

We will continue to closely monitor our income and expenses in the remaining months of 2012. However, if contributions do not pick up, we will be forced to dip into our reserve fund that stands at approximately 2.5 months (this is the amount recommended in our Procedures Manual). As you may recall, at the beginning of the year we borrowed from the Operating Reserves to pay off the mortgage and save interest costs. We were then able to repay those funds through the generosity of members who contributed to the Just Get It Done drive.

You can help us restore our health by contributing to the Operating Budget and by making sure your pledge is up to date. God has called us to be his messengers and servants. To do that takes the good work of our church community. It also takes our strong financial commitment. We ask everyone to step up, put this deficit behind us, and ensure that we can continue to answer Gods call

If you have any questions about the above information, please contact any Finance Committee member.

Chairperson: JoAnn CregierMembers: John Eifler, Gail Fritz, Bill Knott, Rolland Lang, Tim Nelson, Karen Neuhalfen, Bob VanNest

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In the past few months the Staff Parish Relations Committee has been working with Pastors Bill

and Rob to evaluate the capacity of the staff relative to the needs of the congregation and

ministries. After much evaluation the SPRC has elected to transition Jami Johnsons current role from Director of Lay Ministries to Director of Communications. The need for a Director of

Communications position on the staff has been a growing need over the years, many tasks

including our internal communications have long been housed with the Director of Lay

Ministries. As a growing percentage of the Director of Lay Ministries role was becoming

communications, it seemed logical to SPRC to transition the role to Director of Communications.

The transition has already begun. Over the next few months the Director of Lay Ministries tasks

are being assigned to lay persons, or some lay ministries will be put on hold. Jamis new role will be developing a network of persons with a variety of skills and direct communications both

within our congregation and beyond our walls. We are working with a consultant to aid in this

process. Any questions regarding this transition should be directed to a member of the SPRC.

We look forward to sharing more about this transition as we live into it.

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We are looking for people to assist with and coordinate the following activities as Jami Johnson is transitioning into her new role as Director of Communications. If you are interested in learning more about these opportunities, please contact Jami at 630-232-7120, ext. *817 or [email protected].

Membership ConneXion Committee Members & Chairperson

The Membership ConneXion Committee (formerly Membership & Evangelism) is responsible for helping individuals within our congregation get connected and involved beyond Sunday morning worship. This committee develops a vision on how we can welcome and engage people whether first time guests or long time members and also incorporates a congregational care aspect to foster one anothering within the congregation.L

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Xplorations Coordinator

Xplorations is our 3-session class for folks interested in learning what it means to be a member of UMCG. Responsibilities include:

Attend the session, Coordinate meal prep if needed

for the meetings, Follow up with attendees to

determine who will be joining at the next New Member Sunday.

New Member Sunday Coordinator

Three or four times a year, we have an opportunity to welcome individuals as official members of the UMCG congregation. Responsibilities include:

Check with the office staff to determine how many will be joining and at which service, Meet (or assign someone to meet)

those joining in the Atrium prior to worship to pin the corsage and take a family photo, Coordinate a Welcome Reception

in Fellowship Hall.

Meet & Greet Coordinator

Meet & Greet the Pastor(s) are scheduled approximately 10 times a year. Responsibilities include publicizing the Meet & Greet and arranging for refreshments or meal if needed.

These areas are already being transitioned. Thank you to Linda Benstein, Christine Donovan and Donna Sims for your willingness to serve.

Friendly Visitor Ministry Coordinators. We are excited that Linda Benstein and Christine Donovan are coordinating this ministry to homebound persons within our congregation. Friendly Visitors are just getting underway and already there are about a dozen visitors. However, another dozen visitors are needed to reach each of our homebound persons at least once a month. If you are interested in serving as a Friendly Visitor, please contact Linda Benstein at (630) 365-5467 or Christine Donovan at (630) 232-0116.

Meal Ministry Coordinator. Donna Sims has stepped up to serve as our Meal Ministry Coordinator. Whether youre home recovering from surgery, illness, grief or becoming a new parent, give yourself a break and accept UMCGs meal ministry. Lots of volunteers are needed to maximize our capability to serve one another in our times of need, please join the Meal Ministry group to be notified as requests are made. Contact Donna Sims at [email protected] or (630) 880-2377.

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Happy Anniversary Third Tuesday Suppers

Please join us for supper on Tuesday, October 16 to celebrate three years of hospitality and delicious meals with our Third Tuesday family.

October 2009 was our first meal--with 20 volunteers serving 119 suppers--and the first guests who walked through the door were new faces to us. From that point on, Third Tuesday has grown in size to welcome Fox Valley friends and neighbors for good conversation, tasty food and shared hospitality. UMCG has become THE place to gather each month. Our volunteer database now contains 140 names and we have served as many as 719 suppers on a night.

Did you know that Third Tuesday has mentored with almost a dozen other churches in our area and around the country? We have enjoyed sharing encouragement and food ministry ideas with so many other folks.

Thanks to the UMCG congregation and friends, we know the next three years will be as rewarding and blessed as our first three!

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At all three worship services on Sunday, November 4, we will remember UMCG members who have died in the past year (November 1, 2011 to October 31, 2012). We will also remember immediate family members of UMCG members or regular attenders (parents, grandparents, siblings, children) who have died during this same time period.

At your earliest convenience, please contact the church office with the name, relationship, and date of death for those mentioned above. We want to display pictures on the screen of those we will name. Digital pictures would be the best for our worship volunteers to work with, but if you would like to bring a photo in to the church office we will be able to scan it for use. We must receive all names and photos by October 26th (the earlier, the better for our volunteers).

As communion will be served that morning, our worship services will be quite full. Therefore, no verbal announcements will be made on November 4.

As we have done for a decade, we will celebrate Memorial Communion on Wednesday, December 5, at 7:30 p.m. in the Parlor. Folks who have lost a loved one since last fall are invited to attend this intimate gathering when we remember, share communion, and light candles. Please call the church office at 630-232-7120, or sign

up on the website (www.genevaumc.org/signups) to let us know how many will come with you and whom you wish to remember. Your call will enable us to choose an appropriate setting and to provide enough candles.

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Third Tuesday Suppers in Need of Funding

We have never had to make a direct plea for money. For three years, TTS has survived by being "off church budget" and relying on donations. Until now.

Here are some of the figures on what it takes to provide a supper:600 meals on average (last Thanksgiving was 719 meals) = cost per meal between $2-$3. With the skyrocketing cost of meat--that amount is always closer to $3.00 per meal.We have some added costs for cleaning supplies, carryout containers, tablecloths, extra custodial work, etc. Flowers, candles and desserts are donated (however--this summer we have had to purchase some desserts.). Our extra kitchen equipment has been donated by special funds. In the past, flyers, posters and signs were donated in kind.

To this point, for three years, funding has been adequate through The Quiet Can on supper night and through designated donations through the collection plate and directly to the church office. Only once in three years has The Quiet Can covered the complete cost of a supper night.

We do not want to compromise the quality of our food. Our crew continues to hear each month that we "serve the best community meal in town" and "this is like a restaurant meal." We continue to comparison shop each month for the best prices on meat and vegetables. Making "from scratch" used to be more cost effective. It is not that way anymore. We plan menus to best use seasonal price breaks. Grocery prices have skyrocketed--but then we don't have to tell all of you that.

We have approached several grocers with requests to buy from them wholesale--not handouts--just some break in prices. No takers. We have explored and do not qualify for Northern Illinois Food Bank supplies.

For the comfort and dignity of our guests, we will not be altering our Quiet Can approach to donations on supper night. Guests know where the can is and they support it.

We would like to emulate the UMCG financial practice to have 2 1/2 to 3 months operating expenses in reserve. This would mean a monthly balance of approximately $5000.

Our church has enough planned fundraisers. We are being bold and coming right out with our plea. We need your monthly donations to continue with the Third Tuesday Supper ministry.

Thank You.Beth Kucera and Gayle Taylor

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PraXis (7th & 8th grade Sunday School/Confirmation preparation) usually meets Sunday mornings in the Youth Room from 9:00 10:15 am.

Senior High Sunday School (grades 9 12) usually meets in the parlor upstairs from 9:00 10:00 am. This class studies theology and popular culture. We are presently viewing portions of the movie, The Hunger Games, and comparing how the theme relates to the Beatitudes.

October 7 PraXis youth will meet at 8:45 am in Fellowship Hall towards the back of the sanctuary for instructions about the visual scavenger hunt during the 9:00 am service. The youth will sit together in a reserved section in the back during the service.

October 7 12:00 2:00 pm - Confirmand practice/luncheon for those who are going to be confirmed on October 14, as well as their families. Confirmands should wear nice clothing, as the class confirmand picture will be taken at that time. No Sunday School for PraXis or Senior High.

October 14 9:00 am Worship Service Confirmation Sunday. Please worship with us and attend the reception immediately following.

Looking aheadThe Fall PraXis Retreat is November 30 December 2. Watch for more information to come!

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We typically meet the fourth Friday each month in the church library at 9:30 AM. We choose a variety of books available in paperback or our local libraries. Upcoming selections are:

October 26: Sweetness in the Belly, Camilla Gibb. "Lilly, the main character has anything but a stable childhood. The daughter of English/Irish hippies, she was born in Yugoslavia, breast fed in the Ukraine, weaned in Corsica, freed from nappies in Sicily and walking by the time (they) got to the Al-garve...The family's nomadic adventure ends in Tangier when..."

November 16: Dandelion Summer, Lisa Wingate. "The latest in the inspirational and heartwarming Blue Sky Hill series. Epiphany Salerno has been tossed like a dandelion seed on the wind. Now, at six-teen, she must move to the low rent side of Blue Sky Hill and work where she's not wanted: in an up-scale home on the hill; J. Norman Alvard's daughter has hired a..."

December 14: We each recommend a book that we have enjoyed during the year(s) other than a book club selection. Come share your favorite book and/or author.

We welcome new members. Come join us for interesting discussions and fellowship. Any questions, call Joan Hansen (630) 365-9217.A

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Get out your walking shoes again! The annual Tri-Cities CROP (Communities Responding to Overcome Poverty) Walk is coming up on Sunday, October 21 at 2pm. The CROP Walk raises funds to support Church World Service programs in food production, water resources, nutrition, health care, disaster response, and refugee assistance. Twenty-five percent of the funds raised by our walk support local agencies in the Tri-Cities area the Northern Illinois Food Bank, Lazarus House, the Salvation Army, and the Batavia Interfaith Food Pantry.

Please join hundreds of others from the Tri-Cities to fight hunger in our communities and throughout the world. The 5 kilometer walk starts and ends at the Batavia United Methodist Church. The walk follows the beautiful Fox River Trail between downtown Batavia and the Fabyan Forest Preserve. Information about this walk can be found at www.cropwalkonline.org .

If you are interested in being a participant in the walk or would like to sponsor a walker, please contact Steve or Pam Cornwell at 630-406-1445 or at [email protected]. You can also look for the CROP Walk table in the Fellowship Hall between services.

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Below are important dates of service to those in need within our communities:

Lazarus House, Tuesday, October 2 and 16

Holy Casserolers and Hesed House, Monday, October 8

Northern Illinois Food Bank, Thursday, October 18

Please sign up at the carousel in Fellowship Hall. For more information, please call the church office at 630-232-7120.

Opening the Door to Our Heart are mini workshops inspired by Joyce Rupp's Open the Door--A Journey to the True Self being held Friday, October 19 from 6:30-8:00 pm, and/or Saturday, October 20th from 10-11:30 am or 1-2:30 pm.

We will explore our relationship with God with ideas from this book through guided meditation, prayer and conversation.

Jane Siarny leads us in this unique opportunity for reflection, rest and renewal. To sign up or for more information, please contact Jane at [email protected] or 630-584-6585.

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We will be sending another team to the Cap Haitian area of Haiti February 2-10th, 2013. We are hoping to expand the size of our group this year!

KIDS ALIVE wants us to help with the continuing construction of the childrens village AND, for those who cant do construction, run a camp during the week. The camp can consist of whatever we choose: art, crafts, VBS, sports, etc. So if God is speaking to your heart, come join us!! Whatever abilities you have, God can use them in Haiti!

If interested or for more information, please call Chris Schmal at 630-208-0659...you wont regret it.

To all high school and college students (and adults!) - ASP2013 is on...July 6-13, 2013!

For 2013's Appalachia Service Project home repair mission trip for high school and college students, the magic number to reach is 134...that's how many people we took in 2012, and thats the number to beat in 2013! Our 2013 trip is set for July 6-13, 2013 to a county in eastern Tennessee. We'll have spots for 90 high school and college students and 44 adults (age 25+).

If you think you might be interested in ASP 2013, please email or call Keith Worthington ([email protected] and 630.715.7198 or on Facebook at www.facebook.com/keith1632 ) to note your interest or ask questions. Anyone going into 9th grade

and older is eligible to join us. Applications are available in the church office and on the church website (www.genevaumc.org

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Good day to all of you dear our friends in Geneva UMC,

I do hope all of you had a blessed summer and you are well and that the Lord is blessing you. I just want to send to all of you warm greetings from our family and Taurage UMC congregation in Lithuania and to share some blessed moments from our life last summer.

We had one marriage in the Church at July and will have baptism next week. Also we made Vacation Bible school for children twice - one time in the village outside of Taurage and ones in the Church - then we in-vite children from orphanage too. In VBS was attending 20 children in each of them. It was blessed time with songs, handicrafts, Bible lessons, stories, games. We had lot of fun all together.

Later I and Vidas had vacation. It was good Summer time with family. We visited our son Arnoldas in Klaipeda (it is town near Baltic Sea) and spent almost two weeks with him and him wife Karolina. It was so good to meet with them again. I just want to share that they finished them studies in College and now they have a work in full time - it is amazing, it is trully blessinf from God. I am very thankful to God for that blessing what He send to us and our children. Later we visited our moms, sisters and those families in Ky-bartai. We finished our vacation in Lake Home of my cousin with reading of the books, playing basketball, swimming in the lake and rest.

So now we are in full time of work again. After vacation I had have to go to help with VBS in another UMC of Lithuania with VIM teams. I visited Kybartai, Pilviskiai, Kaunas and help with VBS there too.Also we (Vidas and I) visited poor and sick people in them homes in Taurage and brought them some food. There is a mostly person who are living alone or cannot walk. They were members of the Taurage Church and we cannot leave them alone So time to time we are visiting them in them homes, reading the Bible, praying together, coming just to share God's Love with them and tell that they are important to God and to us. Also we are planning again to start Soup kitchen program in the church. Looks that we will have more outreach people this year who will need help with food this autumn, winter and spring time. So we need to start work and prepare for the program.This weekend we and Taurage UMC congregation will go to visit Birzai UMC where we are planning to have prayer and music time together and Vidas asked Pastor Raimondas in Birzai to tell more to our people about the Church building project in Birzai. Because they have new Church building in Birzai and we think it would be nice to share them experience with our congregation and people who still is waiting and hope one day to have them Own Church Building in Taurage. On the way we are planning to see historical es-tates of Birzai and Pakruojis.

Next big event in the near future on 17-21 October we will have Northern Europe and Eurasia Central Con-ference which will be held in Kaunas, Lithuania. This Conference will be first in Lithuania. There will be about 100 delegates and guest from UMC in North Europe and Eurasia. So we have lot of work to prepare for this great event. I will go like a delegate of this Conference. Vidas will come too, because all Pastors are invited to the ceremony of appointment of new Bishop for Eurasia Area. It will be big event.

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dI just looked at the calendar and cant believe that we are 9 months into 2012, there are only a few months left of 2012. The Hospitality Committee is looking for more folks to host coffee hour in 2013. If you want to be part of this committee, or for more information, please give me a call at 630-879-6569 (home) or 331-643-6191 (cell). There will be a training session. It would be great to have enough people on the 2013 schedule for families to do coffee hour only 2-3 times in the year, with substitutes. Schedules will be made at the training session.

Keith Johnson, 2012 Hospitality Committee Co-Chair and 2013 Hospitality Committee Chair

Waubonsee Community College Adult Literacy Project Work with individual students learning English or basic literacy skills OR assist teachers in classes English as a Second Language (ESL) or Adult Basic Education (GED) Choose your own schedule Ongoing support and professional development Free training

Contact: Elsie Mills Volunteer Tutor Coordinator (630) 801- 7900, ext. 4221 [email protected] Next Training: October 13 & 20, 2012 (both days required) 9 a.m. - 3:30 p.m. New Aurora Campus Preregistration required Waubonsee Community College 18 S. River St., Aurora, IL 60506

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Calling all Men!Help us by volunteering a few hours of your time at the Northern Illinois Food Bank on Saturday, October 6.There will be a shortened Mens Club meeting at the Food Bank starting at 8:00 AM (as that is the earliest they can accommodate us) and the meeting will end before 9:00 AM so that we can all volunteer our services at the food bank from 9:00 till about 11:30.

Note that the Mens Club meeting time, date and location have changed from previous announcements. The correct date and time are: Saturday, October 6, at 8:00 AM at the Northern Illinois Food Bank. Their new address is 273 Dearborn Court, Geneva.

Fall Bake Sale

Fall is in the air a little earlier this year and the True Value Circle will be sponsoring the Bake Sale held in conjunction with the Fall Rummage Sale to be held October 4th, 5th, and 6th. We have been blessed with so many of your baking skills, time and support in the past and we look forward to your help once again in achieving another successful event. Items such as cookies, brownies, candies or breads should be placed in clear containers, sealed plastic bags or on paper plates with clear covering, then labeled with contents. Please have your baked goods to the church library between noon and 4:00 PM on Thursday, October 4th for pricing.Any questions, please contact Judi Chapman at 815-766-0490 or [email protected].

Rummage Rumors

Have you heard the news? Are you ready for this? The Rummage sale is just around the corner and have we got a deal for you! Now is the time to do some fall cleaning and help out your community at the same time. Donate treasures you no longer need, write it off on your taxes, and know that your donation will find a good home. In addition, all proceeds from the sale are donated to local charities. So, get busy! And pass the word around. This news is just too good to keep secret!

Drop off dates: October 2 & 3 (9:00 am - 7:00pm) Fellowship HallSale Dates: Oct. 4 (6:00pm - 8:00 p.m.), Oct. 5 (9:00am - 7:00pm) and Oct. 6 (9am - noon)

Questions: Call Bobbi Alderfer @ 630-208-9554

HELP! We appreciate all of your donations and would also love to have you help with the sale. No experience necessary. We offer on-the-job-training. We have a lot of fun and it is a great way to get to know others in our church family. A sign-up sheet for set-up, sale days and clean-up is on the Womens Ministry bulletin board in Fellowship Hall.

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dI am so very grateful to be a member of a praying church. Thank you so much for your prayers, cards, calls, and visits during my current battle with cancer. I feel the prayers and enjoy the rest. The surgery went very well; the treatment will be over in October. I expect a full recovery and am thankful for your part in making this happen.

God Bless you all.

Janet Schutte

A sincere and heartfelt thank you to all who helped us move to our new location. We appreciate all your hard work and giving up a Saturday morning to help us. We couldn't have done it without you! Thank you also for the prayer concerns for our family.Peace,Sue, Taylor and Lauren Erickson

Service Opportunity

We are in need of two ushers to assist with the i-Witness service. We have openings for both the 3rd and 4th Sundays of the month.

If you are interested, please contact Keith Rawson at 847-214-1171. Thank You.

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10/1 Sue CroomRobert SaxeMolly Yoder

10/2 George BarnardKatie GibbonsKevin McCulloughScott RossKenneth VonSchnase

10/3 Carissa BolvinGrayson DellingerBill Weckler

10/4 Jeff ClarkJim HopeTyler LandrumSteve Threm

10/5 Bill BrinerJoan PetersonMichael Roquet

10/7 Ken CocksKelly Nowak

10/8 Brock DonatiJulie Dusek

10/9 Katie HansenScarlett PicconyBrandon SampillerBianca ShawAnn Whitney

10/10 Olivia CahillSharon ReedDavid Stach

10/11 Ryan LandrumAli LeardChuck MiesHarriet Roland

10/12 Mark Byars10/13 Alexander Asimor

Jennifer GondorchinMelissa LaskeySue McLaughlinSpencer SimsClaire Smith

10/14 Kathleen DytrychGail FritzMarissa JungelsBrendan McKeoughThomas Nelson

10/15 Collin RappKatherine Sprawka

10/16 Amanda EbertJudy GeorgiChristopher Reader

10/18 Alyssa HowlettBill NelsonPatrick Peterson

10/19 Jill NettletonJohn Szabo

10/20 Kari BraceyKitty GanzelRoberta HarterJackson Ray

10/21 Jeff BaurerDale LoomisErin Taylor

10/22 Brooke BaurerRyan DoeckelDavid JacksonDavid Watson

10/23 Jim BatemanSteve CaliendoGary FoilesWyatt JacksonAnthony IV Zefron

10/24 Hannah BernasBrian JanisRory McKeoughTommy Rodgers

10/25 James HarterBarb JeskeJoyce KaferSean MerrellColin SmithKurtis Spurgin

10/26 Grace BelangerLuke BernasPeter CaliendoBetty WatanabeJim WilleyMarilyn Zaerr

10/27 Lucille BarthelMatthew Caliendo

Best Wishes to those celebrating a birthday in their 80s during October:

Joan Peterson, 10/5

Harriet Roland, 10/11

Dale Loomis, 10/21

David Watson, 10/22

Jerry & June Wadleigh, 62 years on 10/15

John & Joy Kemble, 57 years on 10/7

Don & JoAnne Swanson, 56 years on 10/14

Carl & Elaine Voss, 55 years on 10/5

Wayne & Georgia Fessler, 54 years on 10/31

Bob & Maureen Cahill, 40 years on 10/7

Doug & Dort Dirks, 35 years on 10/22

Chip & Kathy Barber, 30 years on 10/23

Gary & Katie Jackson, 25 years on 10/10

Olen & Katie Sanders, 5 years on 10/6

Gerrad & Kathleen Jaeger, 5 years on 10/12

Congratulations to these folks celebrating special anniversaries in October!

Linda NauertzJonathan SprawkaBill Turk

10/28 Rebecca LangVicki ShafferLinda Tamlyn

10/29 Audrey BraceyKevin KelleyAllyson Romero

10/30 Mike AsimorEllen PicconyCandy SoperMatthew Werman

10/31 Sharon BeckmanJeffrey Martens

Church Staff Church Council

Steve Lillie ChairVice Chair

Betsy Sitch Recording SecretaryDan Edwards, Bob Van Nest, andNancy Weckler Annual Conference Lay MembersCarolyn Sprawka, Gary Dittmer Church & Society Co-ChairsNancy McQueeny Discipleship Council ChairJoAnn Cregier Finance Committee ChairBrad Bradley Marketing/Communications CommitteeJami Johnson Membership Connection ChairGeorge Graham Mens Club PresidentSharon Anderson Missions Committee ChairRichard Sitch Scholarship Committee ChairJennifer Gondorchin Staff Parish Relations Chair

Stewardship Committee ChairRolland Lang TreasurerKeith Eakins Trustees ChairKathleen Dytrych Womens Ministries RepresentativeJudy Burgess Worship Committee ChairBill Obalil Senior Pastor, without voteRob Hamilton Assoc. Pastor, without vote

Bill Obalil Senior PastorRob Hamilton Associate PastorScott Stevenson Director of Music MinistryMichael Popplewell Asst. Director of Music MinistryCarol Szabo Director of Christian EducationJodi Borger Asst. Director of Childrens EducationStaci Lockman Asst. Director of Youth EducationEric Reniva Director of Youth ActivitiesJami Johnson Director of Communications Debbie Sampiller Director of Administrative Ministries Lorie Montanye Secretary/ReceptionistKathy Kein Nursery Coordinator

Mission Statement

To make and nurture disciples of Jesus Christ who serve the

community and the world.

211 Hamilton StreetGeneva, IL 60134

Phone: 630-232-7120www.genevaumc.org

UNI TED METH ODI ST CH U RCH OF GENEVA

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The deadline for articles for the November newsletter is Monday, October 15, 2012.