2330 South Jefferson Street
Roanoke, Virginia 24014

Phone: (540) 344-4437
Fax: (540) 345-8041

    As members of this congregation, will you faithfully participate in its ministries by your…service?    Baptismal Covenant I, p. 38

   This year we have placed a unique emphasis on the Christian understanding of stewardship.  As you know our Comprehensive Stewardship Plan has called for us to grow in our spiritual maturity through the four vows of stewardship affirmed by all members of our congregation: 

     February—April  The Stewardship of Prayer
     May—July  The Stewardship of Presence
     August—October  The Stewardship of Gifts
     November—January  The Stewardship of Service 

  The Stewardship of Service calls us to serve the need of another.  There are many ways we express our love for neighbor.  Our congregation reaches out in love in our community and nation in a number of ways.  Our congregation hosts:

  AfterCare Social Club (the first Tuesdays of each month, 6-8 pm) for adults with mental disabilities in volunteer cooperation with Blue Ridge Behavioral Healthcare.

  Interfaith Hospitality Network for homeless families in our church facility (next scheduled for December 3-9) and in partnership with other congregations.

  Volunteer in Mission Teams (most recently Hurricane Katrina Relief in Mississippi and cabin construction at Camp Alta Mons)

  I invite you to consider volunteering with any of these meaningful ministries of our church.  Church members also volunteer in a number of other local service organizations in our community.

  For three Sundays we will highlight the Stewardship of Service

(October 29, November 5 and 12).  Your church encourages you, in this upcoming “season of the stewardship of service,” to commit to one specific service opportunity in the name of Christ.  This emphasis will provide you all the information you need for you to find the most meaningful place of service for you.

  Please be in prayer to see where God may lead you!

  now meets on the first Tuesday of every month (this is a change from our previous meeting time).  The first Tuesday in November we will go out for our annual Thanksgiving meal to Golden Corral.  The first Tuesday in December we will have our Christmas dinner hosted by the Boy Scouts (a real treat).  When we meet in December, we will also play bingo for stocking stuffers.  If you have any items you feel would be appropriate for bingo prizes, please take them by the church office and mark them “Aftercare”.  In January, we go Christmas shopping to Walmart (we find lots of sales after the holiday).  If you feel you can make a donation to this much-anticipated event, please put your donation in an envelope and mark it “Aftercare” and place it in the offering plate.  We try to provide $50.00 per member for this trip.  If you have any questions please call Bonnie Dayton—981-0237.

for those who are curious about the United Methodist Church or want to learn more about the Christian faith, Rev. William G. Davidson during the Sunday School hour in the library.

Schedule of Topics

RECEPTION FOR THE NEWMANS NOVEMBER 19

TIME TO ORDER YOUR JULIBEE GIFT BASKETS

   Piwi is our Mountain Bluebird friend whose name reminds us to:
Pray for,
Invite,
Welcome and
Involve visitors to our worship
services and Sunday School. 

     Look for our Advent Angel Tree to be up by Sunday, November 19.  Remember the gifts on the tree are one gift only.  If you wish to do more, please adopt more than one angel, or for those who can go the extra mile, we have 35 + angels who are very needy, whose family situations are the most precarious.  For these angels we ask the adoptive parents to purchase clothing, a coat, underwear, toys, etc.  Each of these angels will require an expenditure of $150 or more.  These angels are not on the tree.  If you can help with one of these special children, see Terry Wilkinson (772-0490) or Dawn Long (989-2837).

    Most of our angels are the children from the Henry Fork Service Center in Franklin County.  As always, please wrap each gift and place a post-it note with the angels name, number and the contents of the box on your gift.  These will be removed later at Henry Fork.

   If you cannot shop, but would like to help, just write a check to the church and mark it "Advent Angels" and we will shop for you.

    All Angel gifts are due back no later than   Sunday, December 10 at our Advent Angel program.  The entire church is invited to this special evening.  At 6:00 p.m. you are invited to a pot luck dinner hosted by the Family Ministries Committee.

  Mark your calendars for the following events in preparation for the celebration of the birth of the Christ child and the New Year!

  December 3, First Sunday in Advent

  Blessing of our new Chrismon Tree
Blessing of the Advent Wreath
Brass Group will play at 11:00 a.m. service

   December 10, Second Sunday in Advent

  Advent Angels Program 6 pm

  December 24, Fourth Sunday in Advent   (Christmas Eve)

  9 a.m.  Children’s Birthday Party for Jesus
(all Sunday School Classes invited)
10 a.m. One joint worship service
5 p.m.   Christmas Eve Candlelight Communion Service

December 31, 1st Sunday after Christmas (New Year’s Eve)

10 a.m.   One joint worship service

 “A Reminder”

   The “Great News” letter about our Church’s “Advent Music for Missions,”  Friday, December 1st, 7:30 p.m. was sent to all 2 weeks ago.  The concert will be a high Christmas season spiritual highlight. 
Cori Scotti, an operatic lyric soprano, will be featured along with SRUMC Choir, directed and accompanied by Minister of Music, Joseph Kennedy.

  The registration ($10.00 per person) and a free will offering will go toward our non-budgetary SRUMC annual Advent Offering goal of $10,100.00.  For us, these funds mean involvement in 13 national and worldwide missions: including Volunteers in Missions (Katrina aid and Alta Mons); Advance Specials (Jubilee Project, Ferrum College, Society St. Andrew); Maua Methodist Hospital and four ministries in Kisumu, Kenya; UMC Student Day and Family Services; and World Communion Sunday.

  The Missions Committee wants to give you this Christmas gift as you are giving to the Advent Offering.  Please come, enjoy!

Call 721-6200 or 725-9456  to register your name and phone number. (Make check out to: SRUMC Missions Committee)

YOUTH NEWS

First, let me say welcome back to all the youth who have been away this summer. We had many of you gone for more than a few weeks at various camps or family vacations. You have been missed. I hope that we will see a lot of you this program year.

Youth Praise Band has begun. We are very fortunate to have Steve Wilkinson, Evan Jones, Joseph Dickey, Jimmy Jennings, Thomas Haynes, Jacob Long, Taylor Dayton, Kelsey Grimes & Lucy Jennings leading worship for our youth on Sunday nights. We are blessed to have so many talented youth within our group

As you know I will be on Maternity Leave for most of the Fall. I am so excited to have so many wonderful Youth workers to fill in when I am out. Terry Wilkinson will be coordinating most of the fall. We are so blessed to be working with Dawn & Bruce Long, Beth Abbott, Cameron and Jeff Huffman, Don & Polly Roberts, Mark and Margaret Knopf, Barbara Barbour, Tim and bonnie Dayton, Caty Joppich, Vickie Sherertz, Steve Wilkinson, Evan Jones, Morgan Stanfield and the Davidson’s. We are extremely fortunate to have Hal & DeCille Adkins and Doug and Susan Dorsey spearheading our Sunday night youth dinners. Meals are always a treat!

It is a blessing to see so many of our church members willing to serve in this capacity. Thank you.  

PUMPKIN PATCH 2006
THANK YOU so much to everyone who has helped with this year’s fundraiser. Thank you to the Pumpkin Patch committee for working so hard to get the information out to the community, work with groups on coverage, providing activities for area daycares, working with this year’s inventory and preparing the yard for the pumpkin delivery. Thank you so much to the upper room circle for decorating the space and preparing the displays. Thank you youth & youth parents, SRUMC preschool & parents, Girl Scouts and Boy Scouts for providing coverage for the available days. Thank you to everyone who made October 7th’s delivery a priority and success. We had so many turn up to help unload the truck. Thank you…
The Pumpkin Patch committee will prepare a detailed report for December’s newsletter.

Planning Ahead:
November 10-12^th               Jr. High Conference Retreat
November 19^th                     Advent Angel Shopping
December 1-3                      Sr. High Conference Retreat
December 10^th                     Advent Angel program

 JUNIOR HIGH CONFERENCE RETREAT
NOVEMBER 10-12
COST IS $100.00

Plus spending money for meals on the road and any t-shirt or c.d. purchases.

We will leave on Friday, November 10th at 4:30 p.m. and return Sunday by 2:00 p.m.

You will need to bring toiletries, pillow, sleeping bag, pen, notebook, Bible, clothing based on weather. 

Girls bring a snack to share
Boys bring a 2-liter soda to share 

SENIOR HIGH CONFERENCE RETREAT
DECEMBER 1-3, 2006
COST IS $100.00

Plus spending money for meals on the road and any t-shirt or c.d. purchases.

You will need to bring toiletries, pillow, sleeping bag, pen, notebook, Bible, clothing based on weather.

Girls bring a snack to share
Boys bring a 2-liter soda to share

ADVENT ANGEL SHOPPING
NOVEMBER 19TH, 2006

Jr. and Sr. High meet at 5:00 p.m. and return 8:00 p.m.
Cost is $15.00

We will have dinner out and shop for 4 angels the youth will be sponsoring this year. We hope that you will plan to attend and share in this experience.

YOUTH LEADERSHIP
November 8th, 2006
7:00 p.m.—8:00 p.m.
We will meet at Paula’s House! 

Leadership is moved to the second Wednesday during the month of November.  I hope to see each of you there!!! 

CHILDREN NEWS
Fall 2006

PMM weekly schedule:

2nd-4th Thursday of the month:
3:45 – 4:00  Children Arrive
4:00 – 4:15  Snack
4:15 – 4:30  Music with JOE ~ hand bells/boomwhackers
4:30 – 4:40  Music with Bill ~ music
4:40 – 5:00  Games (outdoor & indoor)
5:00 – 5:25  Lesson Activity
5:25 – 5:30  Joys and Concerns
5:30   Pick-up

First Thursday of the Month is Fun day. Schedule changes to 4:00-6:00
3:45 – 4:00  Children Arrive
4:00 – 4:15  Snack
4:15 – 4:30  Load Vehicles / Travel time
4:30 – 5:40  Activity
5:40 – 6:00  Load Vehicles / Travel
6:00  Pick-up

Each week, our children are given the opportunity to learn about God’s love,  provided with music instruction, work on crafts and lesson activities and are given the opportunity to play and work with other children their age. We hope that your K-5th grader will join us on their scheduled activity day.

A activity fee of $10.00 per participant will be asked as a donation this year to help cover cost of supplies and activities. That is $5.00 a semester. Thank you for your help.

************************* NEW THIS YEAR ****************************

OUR NEW K – 2nd grade PROGRAM has begun. We follow a 4:00 – 5:30 schedule with the goal of offering our K-2nd graders an opportunity for learning, growth and fun during our school week. We will study lessons, learn music, play outdoor and indoor games and have opportunities for hands-on learning through cooking, crafts and drama.

Our weekly schedule includes:
3:45 – 4:00  Children Arrive
4:00 – 4:15  Music class with Joe
4:15 - 4:30  Snack
4:30 – 4:50  Games (outdoor & indoor)
4:50 – 5:10  Lesson Activity
5:10 – 5:30  Group Activity (based on lesson)
5:30 – 5:45  Joys and Concerns / Pick-up

We hope to see you there. Please call Paula at 344-4437 with any questions or  concerns or if you would like to volunteer with this program.
 

FALL CHOIR SCHEDULE

  The fall choir program starts with rehearsals for the Praise Team (6:45) and the Chancel Choir (7:30) on Thursday, September 7th. 
 We will be singing each Sunday after that. 

  The Adult Handbells and Cherub Choir will start on Sunday, September 10th
  The children’s choirs will be on a new schedule this year as we combine their music with the weekday activities on Tuesday for the K-2nd graders and Thursday for the 3rd-5th graders. 

A Chrismon Tree for Advent!

What is a “Chrismon" you might ask?    Chrismons are a type of Christmas  tree decoration used in many churches and often in the homes of Christians.   Chrismons (CHRISt  MONogram) are tree ornaments that proclaim our Lord Jesus Christ through the use of symbols. The symbols used represent a variety of biblical and theological concepts that are well known among most believers. Technically, if the ornaments on a Christmas tree are comprised mostly of Christian symbols, the tree is known as a "Chrismon Tree".  Most Chrismons are white with gold decorations of wire, beads, ribbon and glitter.

Mrs. Frances Kipps Spencer at Ascension Lutheran Church in Danville, Virginia first developed the Chrismons in 1957.  Mrs. Spencer set out to create decorations appropriate for a church Christmas tree and gave the copyright for the word "Chrismons" to Ascension. The Chrismons add their white and gold beauty to the Christmas season and make the celebration of our Lord's birth more meaningful by emphasizing God's great Gift to the world, our Savior Jesus Christ.

The evergreen tree, which symbolizes the eternal life, which our Savior has won for us, forms the   background for tiny white lights and white and gold Chrismons designs. The lights speak of Him who is   the light of the world, and the Chrismons ornaments proclaim the name, the life, and the saving   acts of   Jesus. White is the liturgical color for Christmas, and suggests the innocence, purity, and perfection of our Savior. It is the color of joy and light. Gold is a symbol for the glory and majesty of   God and the Son of God.

ANNOUNCEMENTS

WELCOME! We're glad to have all who have joined us for this time of worship. Especially to our guests and visitors, we welcome you to South Roanoke and to our fellowship. We invite those who have no church home to make South Roanoke your church and add your witness to ours.