Last chance: Support the Kenya Mission project while celebrat-ing the upcoming season! The annual Poinsettia sale is underway. You can order either red or white blooms in three sizes to fit every need. Prices will range from $10-$30 (same as the last 6 years!) These plants make wonderful gifts. Orders will be taken at both Green Wood and down-town through Nov. 26. Poinsettia pick up will take place Sat., Dec. 2 at Green Wood worship; Sun., Dec. 3 downtown.

Connect the Dots — Would you be willing to give a ride to church to someone who can’t drive? Please let Amy Kennedy know (734-662-4536 or amy@fumc-a2.org).

Our Life in the Church Downtown & Green Wood for the week beginning Sunday, November 26, 2017

Bulletin announcements are due by noon on Wednesdays. Send via email to adele@fumc-a2.org or call the church office, 662-4536.

Decorating our Sanctuaries for the season! Downtown — New timing this year! Today, (Sun., Nov. 26), beginning at 6pm, our worship team will guide us and the youth in assembling and decorating the Christmas tree, hanging wreaths, and stringing garland throughout the sanctuary and entryways. Please wear comfortable clothes and shoes, and bring a pair of work gloves to protect your hands. Green Wood — Join us at 6pm on Sat., Dec. 2 for the annual Deck the Halls festivities! We will have a chili supper after the service, so no need to cook din-ner that night! Afterwards, we will make ornaments and decorate the tree. Children are welcome to make ornaments for their tree at home.

It’s UMW bean soup time again! Mothers Too bean mix with Sarah’s heart smart recipe can be found at Connections Sun., Nov. 26 and the UMW Bazaar on December Sundays until sold out. Ques-tions? Contact Sarah Nooden: snooden@umich.edu. Proceeds to UMW missions.

Community sing-along/jam-along! On Mon., Nov. 27, 7 - 9pm at Green Wood. No admission charge. Bring voice and/or instrument. Lyrics pro-jected on screen. Led by Lori Fithian and Jean Chorazyczewski; a few songs led by Katie Geddes and David Vaughn

Advent Adult Ed Begins Soon! Busy times…holy conversations! These offerings are meant to provide opportunities for conversation and reflection; no stress, no preparation!

Tuesday Brown Bag Gatherings during the Advent season will use “Faithful” created by Adam Hamilton as a source of study and discus-sion. We will gather at noon on December 5, 12 and 19 in the Chapel. Bring your lunch and enjoy a respite in the middle of your Tuesday.

At our Centering Through Faith classes on first Sundays, we are learning and practicing new (and very old) ways to celebrate the Divine and deepen our spiritual connection. On December 3 Elaine Shaw will help us breathe deeply and prepare our hearts for Advent through yoga. Sign up online: tinyurl.com/centeringfaithpractice. Childcare is available in the A-room!

With questions, contact debbie@fumc-a2.org.

Access News For easy drop off and to avoid the stairs at the downtown west entrance parking lot

you may drop off next to one of the two wide blue striped areas (access aisles) which lead to a curb cut and the sidewalk. Please do not park in the blue striped areas.

Coming in December: The UMW Christmas Sale! Bags, Beans, & Baked goods will be available Dec. 3, 10, and 17 during Connections between downtown services.

Conversations About Science & Religion—Our Sun., Dec. 10 conversa-tion will be “Physics and Religion” led by

Robert Savit, PhD, U-M Professor of Phys-ics. We’ll meet at 11am in Calkins Hall. Dr. Savit’s research emphasis is Theoretical Physics and Com-plex Systems. An introduction to the topic can be found in Chapter 4 “Physics” in Philip Clayton’s book “Religion and Science: The Basics.” Everyone is welcome and you can find further information at http://tinyurl.com/FUMC-ConvScience-Religion

Knitting for the Needy — Knit or buy scarves, hats, mittens, and baby blankets. Put these under the giving tree in the hallway between Nov. 19 and Dec. 11. Patterns and yarn are available at connec-tions through Sun., Nov. 26. Forward questions to Elaine Fisher, 734-663-1706.

Do you need a name tag? If you don’t have one, then the answer is YES! Contact Tina in the office, tina@fumc-a2.org or 734-662-4536.

UMW’s Sisterhood Group invites you to an All-Women’s Advent Tea at Green Wood, Sat., Dec. 2 from 10am to 12noon. This will be an oppor-tunity to prepare our hearts for the season of hope, peace, joy and love. Our program will include music, inspirational readings, prayer and fellowship. Sign up to attend and help out with the event online by Sun., Nov. 26 at http://tinyurl.com/2017adventtea.

All Church Make-your-own Advent Wreath and Ornament Event — Sun., Dec. 3 from 10:45 – 11:45am in the Social Hall. All are in-vited! Bring last year’s wreath for a

spruce up or, if you don’t have one, make one! There will also be an opportunity to make a special Christmas ornament or two. Suggestion donation (to cover cost of materials) for an Advent wreath kit is $12; candle set only is $5. Contact Jen Sopoci (jdsopoci@gmail.com) to reserve a wreath.

Opportunity to Greet — On Sun., Dec. 3 we are offering a training session for all those who are in-terested in becoming a Greeter. The session will last an hour starting at 10:45am in Room 204. If you haven’t had a chance to sign up for the session, please contact Helen Ryan (hsryan@umich.edu), Phyllis Hill (phyllishill50@gmail.com) or Phyllis Rector (preactor@comcast.net). This is a great op-portunity to help make our church a warm and wel-coming place.

Take a deep breath this Advent Season. Join your church family for Advent Vesper Services at 6:30pm on Advent Wednesdays, Dec. 6, 13, and 20. We will gather in the Chapel down-town for a half hour service of Advent Candle Lighting, song, scripture, meditation, and readings. Recenter and focus on the journey toward light and love born in the Christ Child.

Our Life in the Church

First Sunday Food Drive!

Help fight hunger among the homeless and working poor in our community! L.O.V.E. Thy Neighbor’s food drive is the first weekend of every month (Communion week-ends) at FUMC. Collection bins are located near the office, at fellowship time, and at Green Wood. We need your help! What we need most: - Snack cups of pudding - Chef Boyardee type canned meals - Ready to eat soups / chili - Tuna / canned chicken - Ramen noodles

Advent Vesper

Services

Our Life in the Church

Holiday Giving Program 2017 Wish Tree —We will fulfill Christmas wishes for children and their families at Alpha House and in the low income Bryant neigh-borhood. To help, select a Wish Tag from the tree outside the church office and purchase the gift requested. Return unwrapped presents, with the Wish Tag attached, to the tree no later than Mon., Dec. 11. Please include gift re-ceipts if possible. If you select a tag requesting a gift card, you can help FUMC Youth Missions while granting the Wish by purchasing a gift card from the FUMC Youth Scrip table at Connections. The gift card with the Wish Tag can be left at the Youth Scrip table, placed in the offering plate, or returned to the church office. Monetary donations will be combined to purchase more expensive items. Questions? Con-tact Beth Lipton 665-9033 / turboteach@aol.com.

Are you looking for a way to help us grow our church? We are re-committing to our goal of offer-ing child care on Sundays from 10:45am-12:15pm so parents can take part in all that our church has to offer. If you feel called to help with this fun and re-warding ministry, either on a regular basis (1-2x per month) or only occasionally, please call or email Laurie Brannan, our new Childcare Coordinator, at 734-846-4224, l.gallagher.brannan@gmail.com. High-schoolers through adults are needed to make this a strong program; some of these positions will offer compensation.

Monday and Thursday Lunchtime Yoga — Both Amy Unsworth (on Mondays) and Sharon Hol-comb (on Thursdays) offer modifications so you can customize your yoga practice. It’s up to you if you leave class wrung out or crisp and cool. In either case, you’ll be energized and less stressed as you face the afternoon. Classes on both days are 11:30-12:30 in Calkins. Drop in; bring $10 and a yoga mat.

Our All-Church Conference will be held Tue., Dec. 12 at 7pm downtown. The Annual Church con-ference is our chance to gather and elect our lay leadership for the following year, consider our hopes and goals for 2018 and more.

COMMUNITY NOTES

Politics through Narrative: A conversation with Husam Jubran and Yuval Ben Ami. Join us Thu., Nov. 30, 5-7pm in the Wesley Lounge. Tracing divergent upbringings, Husam Jubran and Yuval Ben Ami share their personal narratives, po-litical transformations, and friendship. Using a dual-narrative approach, the two discuss non-violent re-sistance towards peace and justice for Palestinians and Israelis. Offered by the LSA Center for Middle Eastern and North African Studies at UofM.

Donations to UMCOR are used to respond to emergencies both domestically and abroad. Write a check to “FUMC”, put UMCOR in the memo, and put it in the collection plate. Give generously: 100% of your donation goes directly to assistance.

Music & Liturgical Arts Ministry

Here’s your chance! Now is the perfect time to consider joining the music program at First United Methodist Church! As we prepare for the Christmas season, consider joining our weekly choir and handbell rehearsals for children, youth, and adults. If you are not able to commit to a regular weekly schedule, perhaps you would consider taking part in an ensemble for a special music event — please contact Ann Marie Koukios with any and all interest (annmarie@fumc-a2.org).

Drop-in Weekly Gatherings The groups below welcome visitors at any time.

Join one or more groups to enjoy fellowship while seeking to know God, love others, and serve the world.

For more information on a group listed, contact the church office or consult the website or brochure.

SUNDAYS: Global Issues (11am Chapel) This group meets to discuss timely and meaningful topics, Sept.- May. This class uses the “Great Decisions” text from the Foreign Policy Association (fpa.org). All are welcome to join us.

MONDAYS: Monday Yoga (11:30am Chapel) Amy Unsworth leads a one-hour beginning yoga class — bring a yoga mat, water bottle, and $10 per visit.

TUESDAYS: Paint Studio (3:30pm Asbury) A group of watercolor artists meets weekly to work on personal and group projects. People working in water-based media are welcome!

THURSDAYS: Thursday Yoga (11:30am Chapel) Sharon Holcomb leads a one-hour beginning yoga class — bring a yoga mat, water bottle, and $10 per visit.

FRIDAYS: Alcoholics Anonymous (9:30-10:30am Social Hall)

FRIDAYS: Debtors Anonymous (11:30am-12:30pm Aldersgate)

FRIDAYS: L.O.V.E. Thy Neighbor Bag Lunch preparation (6:30-8:30pm Kitchen) Prepare bag lunches for distribution to our community homeless.

SATURDAYS: Men Of Faith (8:00am Asbury) Gathering of men interested in exploring faith expression.

SATURDAYS: Alcoholics Anonymous (10:00-11:00am Social Hall)

SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 26

Adult Ed: Animate Faith (11:00a) Calkins Hanging of the Greens (6:00p) Sanctuary

MONDAY, NOVEMBER 27

Committee on Lay Leadership (7:00p) Chapel

TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 28

Boy Scouts (7:00p) Social Hall Staff Parish Relations Committee (7:00p) Green Wood

WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 29

THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 30

UofM CMENAS Presentation (5:00p) Wesley Lounge

FRIDAY, DECEMBER 1

GW Coffee House: Don White (8:00p) Green Wood

SATURDAY, DECEMBER 2

Sisterhood Tea (10:00a) Green Wood Garver Wilson Memorial Service (2:00p) Sanctuary Green Wood Deck the Halls event (6:00p) Green Wood Michigan Gospel Chorale (2:00p) Sanctuary

SUNDAY, DECEMBER 3 ADVENT 1

Advent wreath & ornament making (10:30a) Social Hall UMW Christmas Sale (10:30a) Social Hall Greeter Training (10:45a) Room 204 Adult Ed: Centering Through Faith (11:00a) Calkins

Notable meetings on our calendar

Meetings unique to the days ahead are listed below. Scan qr code at right for our full calendar.

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Dec. 6 — Advent Vesper Service at 6:30pm

Dec. 8 — Green Wood Coffee House: Katie Geddes & Friends

Dec. 10 — Youth Service and SUN FiSH evening

Dec. 11 — Giving Tree program ends

Ann Arbor District Christmas Party at the District office

Dec. 12 — All-Church Conference

Dec. 13 — Advent Vesper Service at 6:30pm

Dec. 15 — FiSH FRI Service evening: Wrapping presents

Dec. 16 — A Service of Light in Darkness

PRAYER REQUESTS The FUMC Prayer Chain is here for all, members, friends, and visitors. If you have a prayer concern,

you may email your request, write the request and place it in the Prayer Request Box in the narthex, submit your request via the church website, or contact one of the pastors directly. To submit your request via email, contact Olivia Fanning at olfanning@icloud.com.

Green Wood Coffee House Series Join us for exceptional music, coffee, and dessert in an intimate setting at one of our Green Wood Coffee Houses.

All concerts begin at 8pm. Doors open at 7:30pm. Seating is first come, first served. Refreshments available.

Reservations are highly recommended! (1) Online reservations/purchases may be made through the webpage (www.greenwoodcoffeehouse.org), (2) Conventional reservation method is to call Green Wood (665-8558) and leave a message with your name, no. of tickets, and performance date; then write a check to “FUMC” for the total, with “GW Coffee House” in the memo and send to: GREEN WOOD - 1001 GREEN RD., ANN ARBOR, MI 48105. We’ll see you at the door at 7:30 p.m. on performance night. Either way you make your reservation, tickets aren’t mailed.

December 1: Don White ($20)

December 8: Katie Geddes & Friends ($15)

(See the full schedule at greenwoodcoffeehouse.org)