Econnection: November 21, 2024

EConnection

Nov 21

HTML - Econnection - November 21, 2024

Featured Events

Poinsettia Orders

Every year, we order beautiful poinsettias from Down Home Ranch, a local farm that helps provide social and vocational opportunities to people with intellectual and developmental disabilities.

Our tradition at UUMC is to dedicate these poinsettias in memory, or in honor, of a loved one. Each plant is $12. You can order them on our website (credit card payments only). If you’d prefer to pay via cash or check, forms are available in the Front Office and Narthex. Poinsettias will be in the sanctuary through the Advent season and Christmas Eve.

We will list the memorials and honorees in the Lessons and Carols bulletin. The deadline for inclusion in the bulletin is December 1.

Order Poinsettias

Lessons & Carols

December 8 | 11 am & 7 pm

Let’s sing the songs for the season together at our annual Lessons and Carols service! The choir and congregation will join together to sing traditional carols as well as more contemporary compositions, interspersed with the Christmas Story read by community leaders. The evening service will be followed by a reception with refreshments in the courtyard.

MYF & Tween Time:
Crepes and Cocoa

December 1 | 4:30 - 7:30 pm

Tweens (4th & 5th graders) and youth (6th - 12th grades), join Natasha and Jillian at the church at 4:30. We are taking a holiday field trip to Crepe Crazy, where almost all of the employees are deaf and the hearing people are required to know sign language. We’ll get some yummy food, grab a hot chocolate and walk the trail together for our last gathering of 2024. Pick up at the church at 7:30pm!

Service of Worship

Sunday | 11 am

Scripture: Psalm 34

We hope you will join us Sunday for a pep talk from Megan Otto for those of you who are both hopeful and a bit nervous about the holiday season. This season can be overwhelming but we hope you feel supported by this community. We want to remind you that God continues to be present with us during this time.

Stewardship

Pledges put stewardship campaign on track. Thank you!

Thank you for the fantastic response to our 2025 stewardship campaign.

On Sunday, we received 145 financial commitments totaling $736,755 pledged. That includes 15 individuals or families returning pledge cards for the first time. This is a fantastic tally of commitments and speaks to the generosity and aspiration of our church community.

We know that many current givers were not able to be in worship Sunday and have yet to submit their 2025 commitments. We’re optimistic that those commitments will be made soon, putting us on target to meet our goal of $810,000.

If you have yet to submit your financial commitment for 2025, you may turn in a pledge card in worship or to the church office. You may email Cindy Reeves at finance@uumc.org.

We will continue to tally commitments through mid-November before putting together our budget for 2025. Commitments made now allow us to serve our community in the coming year.

We indeed are people of possibility!

– John Bridges, finance chair

News

Advent Offering

This year’s Advent Offering will go to UUMC’s Microloan Program. This ministry offers interest-free loans of up to $1,500 to help stabilize and expand small businesses in Travis and surrounding counties. They have been funded solely by donations and loan repayments since 2017–during which time they have provided 37 small business owners with much needed access to capital. This fall, for the first time, loan applications have exceeded available funds. Your generous offerings will help meet that need and grow our ministry into the new year. Visit our page for a list of participating loan recipients past and present—and consider supporting these businesses when you shop this holiday!

Church Workday - Thank You

Thank you to everyone who stayed after worship last Sunday to participate in the church workday. We had over 50 people helping to get the church looking nicer ahead of the Advent season. And thank you to Pok-e-Jos for feeding our volunteers! We’re so thankful for all of y’all!