​

-New Door Locks

GUMC now has a new security system on the inside doors at the Ramp Door Entrance. You will now need to either stop in the office or use the intercom located next to the office door to check in with staff and be buzzed into the church during office hours. Thank you for your patience and understanding through this new process.

​

-Christmas Dinner

You are invited to Christmas Dinner Wednesday, December 25th at Noon at Grinnell United Methodist Church (916 5th Ave.) All are Welcome! For meal RSVP or transportation, call 641-236-3757 or sign up online at www.grinnellumc.org/sign-ups by December 18th. Take-out available.

​

​

- Check out our newsletter under the Resources tab for more information about all of our events and more

​

​

December Meals:

Dec. 11 Pancakes/sausage/bacon/fruit

Dec. 18 Ham Balls/cheesy potatoes/green beans

​

​

​

​

Grinnell UMW Events

12/9 @ 1PM Dorcas Circle - Comfort Room

12/9 @ 6PM Rachel Circle Staff Appreciation Supper - GUMC Friendship Center

12/11 @ 1:30PM Christmas Tea - GUMC Wesley Room

-T.G.I.W.

T.G.I.W. (Thank God It’s Wednesday) After School Program for ages K-4, a partnership between St. John’s Lutheran Church and Grinnell United Methodist Church is going so well this year! TGIW meets every Wednesday from 3:30 to 5:30 for grades K-4. The bus drops the children off at the Grinnell United Methodist Church for the program. We currently have 13 children enrolled and welcome more! If you have a child that would like to attend please email or call 641-990-0044.

​

-Senior High

Our Senior High have lots of things happening!  Check out all that we’ve added to our calendar for ways to get involved.We will not have SH Wednesday, December 25th or Wednesday, January 1st.

​

-A.C.E.S.

December 8th:  Extra time in music for Christmas worship preparation; December 15th:  ACES hour used for Christmas Worship run-through;10:30 is the Children’s Christmas Worship; December 22 & 29th:  NO ACES; Happy Holidays!

​

-Children’s Christmas Worship

Our annual Children’s Christmas Worship will be on Sunday,December 15th at our 10:30am worship.  Our ACES classes invite you to a worship organized and led by our children and youth that asks us to ponder how we are called to live and be the light of Christmas today and all days.

 
-Intergenerational Sunday in the New Year!

To welcome us back from the holidays and help us figure out what to do with Christmas the rest of the year, we invite the whole congregation to join us in the Friendship Center for our first Intergenerational Sunday of the year!

 
-Gifts for Jesus Tree

Our annual Gifts for Jesus tree will be up throughout the month of January in the Friendship Center.  We will be collecting non-perishable food donations as well as toiletry items, mittens, hats, and gloves for MICA.  More information will be included in the next newsletter.

 
-Family Advent Devotions

Fun family Advent devotions are available on the table in the Overflow.  The devotions are made of weekly family pictures that discuss as you color.

​

​

-Advent Offering 2019

The Advent Offering for 2019 will support the following GUMC projects: UMCOR is a non-profit organization dedicated to alleviating human suffering around the globe. UMCOR’s work includes projects in disaster response, health, sustainable agriculture, relief supplies and more. 

Mutambara Mission Hospital is a 120 bed facility located in Eastern Zimbabwe. It serves a population of over 140,000 people with 1 doctor. The hospital offers comprehensive health programs that include preventive, curative, rehabilitative, as well as nurse education.  The hospital is in urgent need of funds to replace  solar batteries to operate lights and machines during daily power failures.Good Samaritan Fund Many years go, GUMC started the Good Samaritan Fund to assist those that had no other options.  Today, requests from people in the community are funded to cover assistance with rent, utilities, repairs, and groceries etc.

Please use the Advent envelope mailed to you or an envelope in your weekly bulletin and place it in the offering plate or drop off in the GUMC office.

​

-Alternative Gift Market 2019

Do you have hard to buy for folks on your Christmas list? Well, we have the perfect solution!  The Alternative Gift Market gives you the opportunity to purchase gifts in honor of your loved ones while supporting GUMC projects locally, nationally, & internationally!  Stop by the Friendship Center after both services to find out more information about each project and shop ‘til your heart’s content! Heifer International is a global nonprofit working to eradicate poverty and hunger through sustainable, values-based holistic community development. Heifer distributes animals, along with agricultural and values-based training, to families in need around the world as a means of providing self-sufficiency. The JPK Mental Health Consortium was founded to improve access to mental health services in Poweshiek County. It  addresses issues such as transportation, lack of funding for services, difficulty paying for medication and other factors which may impede access to mental health treatment.

​

-Christmas Dinner

If you would like to volunteer to help at the Christmas Dinner please contact the office at 641-236-3757 or use the signup genius found here.

-June 5-7, 2020 Annual Conference Dates

The 2020 Iowa Annual Conference is being planned to begin early Friday afternoon, June 5 and close late Sunday afternoon, June 7, 2020. This change responds to one of the more often named requests in annual conference evaluations, which asked that the length of the annual conference session be shortened. This change will have the effect of reducing expenses incurred by Annual Conference lay and clergy members and their local churches and lowering the cost to hold the Annual Conference Session, something that is funded through Conference Apportionments.

​

COMMUNITY NEWS

​

-NO ROOM AT THE INN

This year NO ROOM AT THE INN will be held at ST. MARY CATHOLIC CHURCH, Friday, DECEMBER 6, 3 p.m. – 7:00 p.m.....on the same night as the Library’s Festival of Trees, so you can visit both Holiday displays.  

​

-GUMC Dinner Theater Directed by Brian Mitchell

Thursday Dec. 5th, Friday Dec. 6th, Saturday Dec. 7th;  Doors Open @ 5:30PM   Dinner @ 6PM   Performance @ 7:15PM

​

-Birthday Open House

All are invited to an Open House to Celebrate Ellen Merck’s 95th Birthday on Saturday, Dec. 14th at the Hammond Center; 907Orchard Drive (lower level).

​