First United Methodist Church 118 West Jackson Street Morris, IL 60450 815-942-0809 Return Service Requested Postmaster: Dated Material—Do Not Delay

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Morris, IL

For prayer requests

during church office

hours, call the church.

After church office

hours call Paula

Steffen (815-922-2870).

Sunday’s church service is

broadcast on WCSJ—95.7

FM on Sundays at 11:00 am.

The Morris Hospital no longer notifies the church when a member is admitted. If you or a

family member is admitted to the hospital please call the church office for a pastor visit.

November Spirit

Alive is due in the

church office by

October 20.

Spirit Alive

October 2019

A Note From Your Pastor . . . Every Saturday evening or Sunday morning, as we all gather to worship our God, The

Triune One: Father, Son and Holy Spirit, we begin with a Hymn, Acolytes, Call to Worship and

the Service continues with Unison Prayer, Scripture Reading, Anthems, Children’s Moment, Ser-

mon, Prayer Time, Offering, Communion and Benediction, along with Hymns and Praise songs

interspersed in between, enabling us all in focusing and worshipping God in Truth and in Spirit.

On Sunday mornings, one important aspect of worship to signal the beginning of the

service, is the delight to watch as one of our ushers brings young children around into the

Church Tower entrance, where a Church bell is tucked above, and its only representation is a

long, white rope that almost reaches the floor at the landing. It brings tremendous excitement

and joy to all children who help in ringing the Church Bell. One has to really be present to see

the delight and joy, as little hands held together by our strong adult, so that the children don’t

get lifted up into the air, as the church bell rope goes up and down to ring the bells.

I remember as a teenager I was an altar boy in the Lutheran Church, where my pater-

nal grandfather Rev. John Simon was the Presbyter in charge. I wore a robe with frills and lace,

rang the hand bell at specific times of the worship service, and particularly during the consecra-

tion of the bread and the wine, while the wine chalice and bread platter were lifted up for

God’s blessing and remembering Christ’ sacrifice on the Cross for us all.

There is a historical component regarding Church Bells. Wikipedia records this, A

church bell in the Christian tradition is rung in a church for a variety of ceremonial purposes

and can be heard outside the building. Traditionally they are used to call worshippers to the

church for a communal service, and to announce times of daily prayer, called the canonical

hours. They are also rung on special occasions such as a wedding, or a funeral service. In some

religious traditions they are used within the liturgy of the church service to signify to people

that a particular part of the service has been reached. The ringing of church bells, in the Chris-

tian tradition, is also believed to drive out demons. The invitation to pray the Lord's prayer

thrice daily was influenced by the Jewish practice of praying thrice daily found in the Old Tes-

tament, specifically in Psalm 55:17 recommending prayers in the "evening and morning and at

noon", and Daniel 6:10 as Daniel prayed thrice a day and lived even in a den of lions for his

faith.

The traditional European church bell used in Christian churches worldwide consists of a

cup-shaped metal resonator, with a pivoted clapper hanging inside, which strikes the sides

when the bell is swung, so the sound can reach a wide area. A church may have a single bell, or

a collection of bells tuned to a common scale. They may be stationary and chimed, rung ran-

domly by swinging through a small arc, or swung through a full circle to enable the high degree

of control of English change ringing. Before modern communications, church bells were a com-

mon way to call the community together for all purposes, both sacred and secular. In the Angli-

can, Catholic, Lutheran and even Methodist churches ring their church bells three times a day,

at 6:00 a.m., 12:00 p.m. and 6:00 p.m., summoning the Christian faithful to recite the Lord’s

Prayer or the Angelus, in honor of the Incarnation of God, Jesus Christ came to the world to

save sinners.

If you want to know more about Church Bell ringing or about our Church Bell Tower

speak with Jim Wright or Paul Sprole. If you are around our First United Methodist Church

premises morning, noon or evening, you will definitely hear the church chimes ring out the

message of God’s presence, protection and provision for our lives.

May our life be a resounding bell, taking the love of Christ to a world caught up in the

cacophony of distress.

Sincerely in Christ.

Pastor Robert N Sathuri

Pastors Robert Sathuri Robert@morrisumc.com Laura Wilson- Underwood Laura@morrisumc.com Financial Secretary Judy Burns Judy@morrisumc.com Church Secretary Julie Pierce Julie@morrisumc.com Choir Director Sandy Gordon Organist Cheryle Larson Custodian Denny & Kathy Jackson Preschool Director Sharon Alonzo Hand Bell Choir Director Millie Dyer

Hospitalized . . . Steve Butler Janice Russell

Beginning of Life Eternal . . . Remember those who have lost loved ones this past month

~ George Miller and family on the death of his wife, Sherry Lewis Miller.

~ Linnell DePung on the death of her mother, Ruth Hiles.

~ Bob & Lorene Hutchings on the death of his brother-in-law, Gene Johnson.

Dear Church Family, Thank you so much for your prayers, notes, and cards after I fell down the stairs at

our Maine cabin. I am doing much better now and greatly appreciate all of your care and concern plus

the phone call from Pastor Robert while I was in the hospital. Fondly, Cindy Fahey

ShopWithScrip

Scrip orders will be placed on October 7 & 21. Pick up your order form at the Welcome Center. If there is an “R”

next to the company name, the gift cards can be reloaded online. This will save the church from paying a fee to

ship new cards. Instructions for ordering/reloading online are also at the Welcome Center.

It's Rummage Sale time! You can start bringing your treasures on Monday, September

30th through NOON on Monday, October 7th. We will set up at 4:00 pm on Sun-

day, October 6th (it only takes about an hour). Sorting and pricing will be on Mon-

day, October 7th and Tuesday, October 8th. Our sale dates are Wednesday, October

9th from 9 am - 7 pm and Thursday, October 10th from 9 am - 5 pm. We will pack-

up on Thursday, October 10th at 5 pm. If you are looking for some fun, food, and

fellowship, come on down to the church and help us out. Also, if your student is looking for service

hours, they are welcome to join us too! Please keep collecting brown paper bags.

Membership Care Team will be sending out col-

lege student care packages in November. If you

would like your student to receive a college care

package from FUMC, please call (815 942 0809)

or email the church office (julie@morrisumc.com)

with your college student’s current address.

Wednesday Night Bible

Study, lead by Craig

Lincoln, will resume on

October 2 at 6:00 pm.

All are welcome to join

us.

Save the Date!

It's Turkey Supper Time!

Friday November 8, 2019

Settings at 5, 6, & 7 p.m.

Can you believe it's almost time for Turkey Supper? The committee is gathering all their paperwork

from last year to begin another year of feeding our church family and the community. The sign up

sheets will be on the church bulletin board by mid-October. Watch for more details in the church

bulletins and November Spirit Alive. Please plan on joining us in the preparation, serving, and eat-

ing of this delicious meal. It will definitely be a time of fun, laughter, and priceless fellowship!

UMW Circle News

~ Executive Board: Tuesday, October 1 at 6:30 pm; Programming planning for 2020 at 7:30 pm

~ Book Club: Monday, October 7 at 4:00 pm in the church library to discuss “Where Do We Go

from Here” by Martin Luther King, Jr.

~ Rummage Sale: Monday-Thursday, October 7-10

~ Wednesday Circle: Wednesday, October 16 at 12:30 pm at the church

~ Martha Circle: Thursday, October 17 at 9:00 am at the church

~ Rebekah Circle: Thursday, October 17 at 1:00 pm at the church

~ Children’s Sabbath: Saturday & Sunday, October 19 & 20

~ NIC Annual Celebration: Saturday, October 26 at Olympia Fields UMC

~ God’s Girls Retreat at Wesley Woods: October 26-27, if interested in attending contact Leann Hill

or Sue Hall

October Birthdays

1 Blakely Riley

Jacquelyn Sereno

3 Dalton Bednarik

Deb Hanley

4 Matthew Boaz

Deanne Devine

Sarah Krueger

Craig Lincoln

Nick Redford

5 Matt Eber

Jeff Wilson

6 Ashley Maubach

8 Dalilah Garrett

Liz Miller

Brent Newman

9 Sergio Diaz

10 Grace Mennenga

Kelly Monk

11 Carla McClintock

12 Joan Laughary

Betty Stone

Joey Thomas

13 Jacqueline Jollay

John Martin

Michael Wiechen

14 Kathy Goodale

Connie Wies

15 Kevin Kinzler

16 Gail Helland

18 Kerry Dite

Kevin Laughary

Kurt Laughary

Mike Wright

19 Branden Dite

20 Mary Caisley

Alexia Stacy

21 Donna Hickerson

22 Marcus Schluntz

23 Brenda Acker

Laurie Allen

John Hanson

24 Charles Butts

Katie Sander

25 Marshall Hoffman

26 Jen Jacobs

Muff Larson

27 Delaney Eber

Van Hicks

Troy Larson

Wendy Schluntz

28 John Darlington

29 Tom Sereno

30 Arlene Varner

Mary Fran Wilkinson

Children’s Sabbath will be celebrated during worship services on Oct. 19-20. Children from

our church will be participating. The United Methodist Women recognize Children’s Sabbath,

a time to reflect on God’s Gift of children and ways congregations and individuals can renew

their commitment to care for, protect and advocate for all children. Christine Sparks, pro-

gram coordinator for Jump Start of Easter Seals will be our guest speaker. Jump Start is a free

program providing parent training to parents of children prenatal to age 3 years. Please in-

vite young families to celebrate with us.

Oct. 6 MERGE @ CYCM 5:00-8:00 pm

Drop off & pick up at CYCM (508 W Illinois Ave)

Oct. 26-27 Confirmation Retreat

6-7 graders join us during the day—8 graders spend Saturday night

Oct. 6 MERGE @ CYCM 5:00-8:00 pm

Drop off & pick up at CYCM (508 W Illinois Ave)

Word from Finance

As previously reported, income from all sources to the operating fund is down somewhat from the previous

year. Some of this is due to the loss of substantial contributors by death and relocation. While this is regrettable, it

is a fact of life!

We are going to have to count on our current and new members to pick up their share of the load. While

those we have lost cannot be replaced, they did their part in the past!

Our founder, John Wesley, called on us to earn all we can, save all we can, and give all we can. But take

care of our families! We each need to set our priorities, including what this church means to us, our families, our

friends, and our community at large.

Charles Butts

Helping hands day is scheduled for Saturday October 12 at 8:00 am. Following is a list of items

that need to be done. Work can also be done before or after that day. For example, Fellowship

Hall work should be done at a different time because it will be in use on October 12.

Talk to Jim Kesman if you have any questions as what needs to be done.

~ Insulate condensate line in Fellowship Hall SW chair storage room. It is the 1 ¼ pipe located near the floor.

The insulation is in the boiler room. Tape the joints.

~ Clean all outdoor air conditioning compressor coils for church and parsonages.

~ 523 Parsonage work:

+ Fix sliding screen door that goes out onto wood deck

+ Trim tree limbs in back yard that are overhanging roof of house

+ Power wash and stain wood patio deck at 523 parsonage

+ Screw new dishwasher to cabinet

~ Install diaper changing tables in Church and Wesley Center

~ Replace outdoor stair treads on front porch of 517 parsonage

~ Clean dryer vents for both parsonages

~ Trim bushes on north side of Church parking lot. Especially the walkway along the east side of the Church

~ Bury elevator shaft drain line that is on the ground along the east side of the building

~ Replace light switch for 517 foyer overhead light. Remove failed dimmer and install standard on/off switch

~ Reattach window counter weights on three of Fellowship Hall double-hung windows. Use new rope.

~ Seal holes in floor under the sanctuary radiators that come from Fellowship Hall.

The United Methodist Women have started participating in a mission called Wands For

Wildlife. We are collecting old mascara wands. There is a wildlife rehabilitation nonprofit

called Appalachian Wildlife Refuge in Western North Carolina that recycles old mascara

wands to help remove fly eggs and larva from the fur of animals. They work great because

the bristles are so close together and gentle to use on the injured and orphaned wild ani-

mals receiving care at the refuge. Because of the outpouring of support for this mission,

wands are only being sent in October and February. We will be sending the collected wands next month. Please

wash the wands prior to placing them in the container by the mailboxes. Dawn dishwashing liquid works great to

clean them. Thank you for your help in helping these orphaned animals.

Another mission started by the UMW is recycling printer ink cartridges. There is a box by the elevator just outside

the office to place your empty cartridges. This mission was started in 2009 and to date the UMW has received

$666.46 for recycling them. They only accept the cartridges . Toners are not accepted. Marilyn Larson has been

boxing these up and sending them out. When she receives a check from the company, she presents it to the Execu-

tive Board. The money received is used at the end of the year as we donate to charities in our community and to

the Aurora District. Thank you for recycling.

Mark your calendars!

Annual Church Conference

Monday, October 7at 7 pm

Book Club will meet Monday,

October 7 to discuss “Where

Do We Go from Here” by

Martin Luther King, Jr.. All are

welcome to join the discussion.

Please check the downstairs

hallway closet for any dish-

es you may be missing. All

unclaimed dishes will be

sold in the rummage sale.

The Grundy County Health Department will be hosting a Flu Clinic at the Wesley Center on Wednes-

day, October 2 from 10:00 am—noon for those 19 and older. They will be offering both Flu Vac-

cines—the regular Flublok and the High Dose Flu vaccine for 65 and older, Pneumonia vaccines 13 and

23, Shingles vaccine Shingrix, TDap which many doctors are suggesting for new Grandparents to pre-

vent the spread of Whooping Cough, HEP A is offered for FREE via a grant from the state to those

who qualify. Please bring a photo ID and insurance information on clinic day and present at check in.

They accept the following insurances: Medicare, Medicaid, Blue Cross Blue Shield PPO, Blue Choice,

Blue Cross Blue Shield Community Health Plans, Harmony/Wellcare, Illinicare, Meridian

Our church will have a custodial position available January 1, 2020.

This is a Monday through Friday position.

Contact Matt Ellsworth (815-513-3153) or

Jim Wright (815-942-4976) for further information.