Econnection: November 28, 2024

EConnection

Nov 28

Written By Renee Moreno

Econnection - November 28, 2024

Happy Thanksgiving!!

We’re so thankful for the UUMC Community!

– UUMC Staff

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
this Sunday, 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: Luke 1:26-38

Join us for worship as we begin our journey in this season of Advent! We will light the first candle on our Advent Wreath - the candle of hope. The sermon text comes from Luke 1:26-38 and Pastor Teresa’s sermon is “Words for the Beginning.”

We will celebrate Holy Communion and we observe World AIDS Day. Thank you to Megan Otto’s mother, Melinda Otto, who provided the Red Ribbons for worship in observance of World AIDS Day!

Mary is described as “blessed among women” (Luke 1:28). She

is neither wealthy nor powerful, and yet she is chosen to bear

God’s child. Her story begins with blessedness, and so does

ours, for the prophet Isaiah declares that we are claimed by a

God who calls our name. We are a blessing because we belong

to God. When blessedness is our beginning, we begin to see the

world—and others—through the eyes of a God who says: “You

are precious in my sight” (Isaiah 43:4)

- from A Sanctified Art

As we begin our Advent celebration of waiting in hope for the birth of your Son, let us remember those across the world who wait in hope for a cure. Amen.

Stewardship

Pledges put stewardship campaign on track. Thank you!

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

As of Monday we’ve received 147 financial commitments totaling $763,155. We are so grateful for these commitments as it speaks to the generosity of our church community.

There are several current givers who have not yet submitted a pledge for the new year, but 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!

Gardeners Thanksgiving

Last Sunday, our Gardeners Sunday School Class met for an early Thanksgiving Dinner!

Around our Community

Texas United Women in Faith Legislative Event

United Women of Faith and Texas Impact are hosting a Legislative Event from Sunday, January 26 through Tuesday, January 28, 2025. During the event, you will have the opportunity to learn how to lobby state reps and about legislative priorities that will promote the wellbeing of all Texans. In person registration is $160 until December 10th and $180 after December 10th. Virtual registration is also available and is $50.

UUMC Members Sandy White, Nancy Mossman, Trish Merrill, and Betsy Singleton all plan to attend and hope you will join them! You can register and learn more on Texas Impact's website.