The 3rd UMW Holiday Fair is coming up on Sat., Oct. 2. It will be a wonderful day for our vendors, our congregation, UMW missions, and our community. Due to the great success of the theme baskets for the 

Silent Auction we are doing that again. Could your group sponsor a basket? (We will also accept nice individual items, gift cards, and store donations). 

What this involves: decide on a theme, tell Janet Ruple, Corrinne Berkland, or Alison Buck by September 5, collect the items and an appropriately sized basket from your group members, give to one of us by Friday, September 24 (or contact one of us and we will arrange to get it from you). Don’t worry – we will wrap them up pretty. If you can’t manage the basket, we’ll do that too. Small basket = 6-10 items; Large basket = 12-20 items. This exciting all-church effort can benefit from YOUR participation! 

Here are some possibilities – there are lots more. You choose! Garden basket, Coffee Lovers, Child Toy basket (boy or girl), Sports Team (Spurs, anyone?), Soup, Night at the Movies, Car Care, Spa, Picnic, Chocolate Lovers, Gift Cards basket, Golfing, Fitness, Wine, Bath & Body, Texas Basket, Baking, etc. 

Please contact us by September 5 with your choice: hand in this form, call, or email : Janet:jruple@aol.com; Corrinne: dcberkland@gmail.com; Alison: lioop@flash.net. Thanks for your great support of the UMW's primary mission fundraising effort and a great event for all! 

Click here to email your form online.

John 13:31,34-35 When he was gone, Jesus said, "A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another."

After Judas has left the upper room and only the eleven were listening, Jesus gives them a new commandment. But why is it new, it sounds very much like the Old Testament Commandments Jesus quoted when asked what was the greatest commandment? (Mt. 22:35-40) It is new because Immanuel is giving it to the men through whom He will begin building His church. The Commandments from the Old Testament were given by God while the present was not seen by the people to whom He gave the command. But now God in the flesh stands among the future leaders of the church and tells them to “love one another as He has loved them.” The three years He has spent with these men is very
important, because they have witnessed His true care and concern for them as a group, but particularly individually. Now they will first witness to the world by the same love extended to them by extending it to one another.
But what was His greatest act of love that night? Was it the implementation of the sacrament of Communion? While I believe that is a tremendous act to remind us of His greatest sacrifice on our behalf, He had also made a wonderful sacrifice of love before the dinner, and even Judas participated in the washing of their feet. Even though Jesus knows of his coming betrayal, and to us is a snap-shot of the coming rejection of the nation, Israel, He serves Judas one more time. He had told the disciple that the greatest among them would be servant of all…and the Creator God became servant of all. 

Many of you have heard the story of how I found my way to Jesus on a church bus. Once I got off that bus at church the next place I went to was the Sunday School rooms. It was an old church and we had to go up some narrow stairs to get to the room. I can still remember the smell of that steep narrow staircase; old, musty, dusty… but it became one of the most comforting smells in my 8 year old life. That was where I got to meet God every week! I loved hearing the stories about the people of the Bible, imagining what it would have been like to be in a big boat with two of every animal, (although I feel God could have let the spiders drown!) thinking about how afraid Daniel must have been when they put him in the lions’ den, and wondering what it feels like to be in a big oven surrounded by fire and not be burned! I can’t say that any particular Sunday School Teacher stood out for me but the entire experience gave me a foundation that I came back to later in life. The seed was planted and it continued to grow in me for all of those years and now I have the best job in the world! I was so happy when we first came to UCUMC and got my kids in Sunday School. They learned things from some of you that will be with them for the rest of their lives. They talk about their special Sunday School teachers more than they talk about some of their school teachers!
Please think and pray about becoming a Children’s Sunday School teacher or helper!  The life that gets touched may be yours!! 

 “The beat of the church” from your Lay Leader

A Time To Rest
This is the rest where with ye may cause the weary to rest, and this is the refreshing…
Isaiah 28:12

Recently my allergies acted up which meant two doctor appointments and missed days at work. I missed com-ing to church two Sundays in a row and fell behind on many things such as housework and activities at church. It also meant that I needed to slow down and rest which tried my patience. But maybe God was telling me I needed that rest. The Lord Jesus Christ was not ashamed to be found asleep in the boat in Mark 4:38. So, we don’t need to feel ashamed when we too need a rest. Life without proper relaxation loses its delight and be-comes hard work. We cannot give of our best when worn down and spent. Even the Israelites on their journey to Canaan needed rest and refreshing at an oasis of mercy.
So, in this season of summer, slow down, rest and relax. You will find the presence of Christ that will refresh and renew you in heart and spirit, when all else on earth has failed.

In Christ,
Sally Friedli

We have some more of those nice tissue holders for your car, shop, office, and Christmas gifts. Look for us on August 15 and 22 - we'll be selling them for $5 each and they tend to go quickly! For you Sonic lovers (or more stocking stuffers), we'll also have those great Sonic discount cards for $5. AND, a special surprise drawing for something you can use!
Of course, we always have a jar for your donations and please come by to see what we will be offering at our table for the Oct. 2 Holiday Fair. We are steadily making progress toward the $25,000 permanent scholarship endowment fund to provide future scholarships for church and neighborhood students. Thanks for your continued support!

Scholarship Ministry Team (Alison Buck, Brenda
Meneses, Donna Limrick, Jim Faut, Monica Hinson).