Hello Duluth First UMC Family! We are collecting gift card donations for the care packages we will send out to our college students. As finals week is quickly approaching, we want to show our love and care for our college students by sending them care packages for them to enjoy during their finals week!

If you would like to donate a gift card, please purchase any of the gift cards listed below with the amount of $25 per card and drop them off in Rev. Min Lee’s office (Director of Youth Ministries), located on the 1st floor of the Sheldon Family Life Center, by Sunday, November 2nd. Gift cards needed are:

• Chick-fil-A (most requested by students);
• Starbucks.
  

Also, if you have a college student (or if you are the college student) who is a member of Duluth First UMC, we ask you to click on COLLEGE STUDENT CONTACT INFORMATION to fill out the contact information form and update the student’s mailing address.

Should you have any questions, please contact Rev. Min Lee by e-mail at mlee@duluthumc.org. Thank you for your support of our college students!

Students in the 6th through 12th grades are invited to join us on Sunday nights for Sunday Night Gatherings from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. in the Youth Center (“The Fish Tank”), located on the 1st floor of the Sheldon Family Life Center. Sunday Night Gatherings include great dinners, fun games, amazing worship, inspirational and relevant messages and life-changing small groups.

Our schedule for the month of October is:

• Sunday, October 19th: Sunday Night Gathering at 5:30 p.m. in the Youth Center (“The Fish Tank”);
• Sunday, October 26th: Trunk or Treat at 5:00 p.m. in the church’s front parking lot.

Our schedule for the month of November is:

• Sunday, November 2nd: Sunday Night Gathering at 5:30 p.m. in the Youth Center (“The Fish Tank”);
• Sunday, November 9th: Sunday Night Gathering at 5:30 p.m. in the Youth Center (“The Fish Tank”);
• Sunday, November 16th: Sunday Night Gathering at 5:30 p.m. in the Youth Center (“The Fish Tank”);
• Sunday, November 23rd: Friendsgiving at 5:30 p.m. in the Youth Center (“The Fish Tank”);
• Sunday, November 30th: Sunday Night Gathering at 5:30 p.m. in the Youth Center (“The Fish Tank”).

Please click on YOUTH MINISTRY for more information.

Questions? Please contact Rev. Min Lee, Director of Youth Ministries, by e-mail at mlee@duluthumc.org.

Do you participate in Sunday School, Small Groups, or Fellowship Groups at Duluth First UMC? Please let us know more about them and what other types of studies you would like to participate in! Don’t participate in any groups? Let us know a topic or type of group you would be interested in participating in.

Please take a moment to fill out the survey by clicking on ADULT SMALL GROUP SURVEY. Print outs of the survey can be found on the 1st floor of the Sheldon Family Life Center. If you have any questions, please contact Rev. Dr. AnnaKate Rawles, Associate Pastor, by e-mail at arawles@duluthumc.org.

Have you ever had a topic that you simply wanted to talk about with others at church but there doesn’t seem to be a class or group to focus on that one thing? Then Simply Something is just the place to be. Join Rev. Dr. AnnaKate Rawles and Rev. Dr. C. Kay Fuino on Tuesday mornings from 10:00 to 11:30 a.m. in room F145, located on the 1st floor of the Sheldon Family Life Center, for Simply Something, a weekly discussion place to bring up all things theological, biblical, social, Methodist, or simply on your mind about life in today’s world.

Each week at Simply Something will begin with prayer and a short devotion, followed by discussion about a variety of topics chosen by the group. Join us with your list of topics to plan for our future time together. Bring your coffee, tea or water, and your open mind to learn from each other.

For more information, please contact Rev. Dr. AnnaKate Rawles, Associate Pastor, by e-mail at arawles@duluthumc.org or 770-476-3776, ext. 128.

Our Food Ministry staff, along with our amazing Dinner Belles and Beaus volunteers, prepare excellent meals at very reasonable prices. Enjoy fellowship around the table with family and friends.

The menu for Wednesday, October 22nd, is pot roast with gravy, oven roasted potatoes, fresh carrots, peas, rolls, and dessert. For the kids - hamburgers and French fries.

Dinner service hours are 5 to 6:30 p.m., with to-go boxes available from 6 to 6:30 p.m.

The prices for Wednesday Night Dinners are:

• $10.00 for adults (including seniors and from 11 years up);
• $7.00 for children 10 years and younger;
• $30.00 for family meals (nuclear family members only – husband, wife, their children under 18 years);
• $7.00 for salad bar only, which includes the salad bar, a choice of baked potato or sweet potato, dessert and a drink.

Credit/debit card payments, as well as cash and checks, are accepted.

Make plans to join us on Wednesday evenings at Duluth First United Methodist Church for activities for everyone:

• Wednesday Night Dinners:  5 to 6:30 p.m. in Hinton Hall, 2nd floor of the Sheldon Family Life Center;
• Book Bunch for kids (ages 3 – 4):  6:15 to 6:30 p.m. in the Louise McDaniel Memorial Library, 2nd floor of the Sheldon Family Life Center. CLICK HERE FOR MORE INFORMATION;
  
• DuluthKids (ages Kindergarten through 5th grade): 5:45 to 7 p.m. in the Children’s (C and D wings) classrooms. CLICK HERE FOR MORE INFORMATION;
  
• Youth Bible Study (grades 6 – 12): 6 to 7 p.m., room F149, 1st floor of the Sheldon Family Life Center. CLICK HERE FOR MORE INFORMATION;
• Parent Connection Group: 6 to 7 p.m., room F207, 2nd floor of the Sheldon Family Life Center. CLICK HERE FOR MORE INFORMATION;
• “The History and Archaeology of the Bible” Class for Adults: 6:00 to 7:30 p.m. in room F145, located on the 1st floor of the Sheldon Family Life Center. CLICK HERE FOR MORE INFORMATION;
  
• Happy Sacks: 6 to 6:30 p.m., room F152, 1st floor of the Sheldon Family Life Center. CLICK HERE FOR MORE INFORMATION;
• Yarn Art Ministry: 6 to 7 p.m., room F205, 2nd floor of the Sheldon Family Life Center. CLICK HERE FOR MORE INFORMATION;
• Handbell Ensemble rehearsals: 6 to 7 p.m., in the Sanctuary. CLICK HERE FOR MORE INFORMATION;
• Chancel Choir rehearsals: 7 to 8:30 p.m. in the Don Lee Music Suite. CLICK HERE FOR MORE INFORMATION.
  

The Wednesday Night Food Drives at Duluth First UMC for the Hands of Christ Duluth Co-op are our weekly mission project, combined with the many Wednesday evening activities offered at the church.

This October, Christian Beginnings Preschool & Kindergarten is launching its annual Read-A-Thon! Our students, families, and church community will be turning pages and raising support together. Every book read brings us closer to our goal—and every gift makes a difference! Every donation helps Christian Beginnings continue building a vibrant ministry for our children.

You can join the fun and give by clicking on READ-A-THON. Thank you for your support!

Our Food Ministry staff, along with our amazing Dinner Belles and Beaus volunteers, prepare excellent meals at very reasonable prices. Enjoy fellowship around the table with family and friends.

The menu for Wednesday, October 29th, is Coq au Vin (chicken braised in red wine), roasted Brussel sprouts, broccoli, rolls, and dessert. For the kids – chicken tenders and French fries.

Dinner service hours are 5 to 6:30 p.m., with to-go boxes available from 6 to 6:30 p.m.

The prices for Wednesday Night Dinners are:

• $10.00 for adults (including seniors and from 11 years up);
• $7.00 for children 10 years and younger;
• $30.00 for family meals (nuclear family members only – husband, wife, their children under 18 years);
• $7.00 for salad bar only, which includes the salad bar, a choice of baked potato or sweet potato, dessert and a drink.

Credit/debit card payments, as well as cash and checks, are accepted.

An American Red Cross Blood Drive will be held at Duluth First UMC on Wednesday, November 12th, from 3 to 7 p.m. in the Dorothy L. Rainey Fellowship Hall. To schedule an appointment to make a blood donation:

• Click on BLOOD DRIVE ONLINE REGISTRATION;
• Call 1-800-RED-CROSS (1-800-733-2767);
• Contact Tracy Brinker by e-mail at tbrinker@duluthumc.org, or call 770-476-3776, ext. 112.
• Last, but not least, be a “walk-in” on Blood Drive Day.
  

Free A1C testing, a test commonly used to screen for diabetes and pre-diabetes, will be offered to those who donate blood. Each donor will receive a $10 e-gift card to a merchant of choice and will automatically be entered for a chance to win one of three $5,000 gift cards. Please go to RedCrossBlood.org/Harvest for more details.

Crafters, potters, artists, and bakers of all kinds – your talents will be needed in November! It may seem a long time from now, but it really isn’t and it is not too soon to be thinking about our annual missions fundraiser, Bundle Up for Buffalo, on Saturday, November 15th, and Sunday, November 16th. All proceeds from the Bundle Up for Buffalo fundraiser help our sister church, Seneca Street United Methodist Church in Buffalo, NY, keep the heat on their facility during the winter months which fall from October 2025 through April 2026. This helps provide a safe, warm, after-school location for neighborhood children to go to.

You have been so faithful in prayer for this “pocket of poverty” in the North for many years. Please consider what you can make, and something that others would enjoy purchasing.  Thank you for your support.

Six weeks are remaining in this year’s Operation Christmas Child, our annual participation in Samaritans Purse’s mission for God’s children around the world. As we did last year, there will be physical shoeboxes available to be completed by you as well as the online option to complete shoeboxes. Empty shoeboxes are available in the Narthex, the Veterans Memorial Gathering Room, outside Hinton Hall, and outside of room F145 on the 1st floor of the Sheldon Family Life Center. Completed shoeboxes are to be returned by Sunday, November 16th, and can be returned to these same locations.

The cost of the Build On-Line Shoebox option is $30, and these shoeboxes are delivered to certain locations with special custom and cultural needs. This year we have increased the goal and expanded the timeframe, and are currently at 14% of this year’s goal of 80 online shoeboxes. The DFUMC Goal Page is active and you can complete an online shoebox by:

• Using specific instructions, prepared for using the online process, which are available at the shoebox distribution locations around the church.
• Clicking on OPERATION CHRISTMAS CHILD ONLINE SHOEBOX.
  

Online shoeboxes are delivered to certain locations with special customs and cultural needs. Take-home instructions for online shoeboxes can also be found at the Operation Christmas Child tables. This year we hope to fill 80 online shoeboxes. The deadline to complete online shoeboxes is Friday, December 19th.

Operation Christmas Child is a worthwhile and fun project for our Sunday School classes, Women’s Circles, Youth Group, and families with their children to undertake. Let’s try to better Duluth First UMC’s total of 160 boxes we packed last year! For more information or if you have any questions, please contact Charlie Doerlich by e-mail at chaz3d@gmail.com or call 678-662-2115.

The Hugs for Soldiers Ministry is collecting care package donations for soldiers serving overseas. Take part in Christmas for a Soldier 2025, our 22nd Christmas for supporting our troops. Please help us spread some holiday joy to troops who can’t be home during the holidays by donating the following items.

Christmas Cards: Deployed service members would love to receive a handcrafted or signed card from you with holiday wishes.  Do not seal your cards in envelopes; we do not need envelopes.  All cards are mixed and re-boxed into larger boxes so that your cards are received at various military bases. PLEASE…NO GLITTER on cards! Glitter will come off during the two-week shipping overseas.

Snack Items:

• Individual packets of hot chocolate, apple cider, assorted flavors of tea bags individually wrapped;
• Instant Ramen Noodle Soup 3 oz. packets;
• Microwave popcorn;
• Holiday candy (this is a great time to ship chocolate);
• Cereal/granola/energy bars, Trail mix, nuts, sunflower seeds, fruit snacks;
• Slim Jims, beef jerky.

Other Items:

• Handmade holiday ornaments. Use your creativity and skills to make ornaments! From painted wood ornaments to beaded wreaths and everything in between, your ornaments can be anything you like. PLEASE NOTE: No glitter, no breakable ornaments, nothing dangerously sharp and nothing made out of food/candy.
• A new pair of socks.

The deadline for donations is Friday, November 21st. Donation boxes will be located inside the back entrance to the Sheldon Family Life Center and on the stage in Dorothy L. Rainey Fellowship Hall.

Monetary donations are also appreciated to help purchase items not received and for postage.  Checks are made payable to Duluth First UMC with Hugs for Soldiers written in the memo section, or go to the ONLINE GIVING page on the church’s website – www.duluthumc.org – click on MISCELLANEOUS GIFT and specify “Support Our Troops/Hugs for Soldiers.”

For further information, contact Angie Doerlich by e-mail at hugsforsoldiers@gmail.com or call 404-316-8183. For additional information about the Hugs for Soldiers Ministry, please visit their website at www.hugsforsoldiers.org.