Our church’s Missions Ministry will be hosting Drive-Up Food Drives for the Hands of Christ Duluth Co-op, a local missions ministry, on every-other Thursday. The next Food Drive will be held on Thursday, December 2nd, from 10 a.m. to noon.

The food drives were hugely successful when Wednesday Night Drive-Thru Dinners were offered, and we are excited to continue to offer a meaningful and safe way for your family to serve our community. We will be collecting a variety of goods at a donation station set up underneath the portico in the back of the Family Life Center.

A listing of critically needed food items for the food drive on December 2nd will be posted closer to the date of the food drive.

To learn more about the Duluth Co-op, please click on Hands of Christ.

Children, ages Pre-K through 5th grade, are invited to join us on Friday, December 3rd, from 5 to 7 p.m. for a night at the movies! The Children’s Ministry will be showing “The Star” in the Youth Center (“The Fish Tank”), located on the 1st floor of the Family Life Center.  For just $5.00 your child will spend a few hours with friends eating pizza and watching a movie about a small but brave donkey named Bo, and his new friends as they follow the star on a big adventure!

Please enter through the back door of the Family Life Center under the portico. Your child is encouraged to bring a pillow, blanket or anything they would like for comfort while watching the movie. Please bring a new puzzle (wooden or less than 20 pieces) for a donation to Christian Beginnings Preschool & Kindergarten.

For additional information, please contact Leslie Yokeley, Director of Children’s Ministries, by e-mail at lyokeley@duluthumc.org, or call 770-476-3776, ext. 138.

As we gather together with our families to celebrate Christmas this year, there will be many families missing loved ones who are serving our country overseas.  It is important for us to remember, as we celebrate Christmas while in the safety and comfort of our homes, the contributions and sacrifices our military are making on our behalf.  Many of our troops do not have the family support to send them holiday greetings. Join us for Christmas for a Soldier 2021, our 18th Christmas supporting our troops, and let’s come together and send them some holiday cheer.

Join us on Saturday, December 4th, at 10 a.m. in the Scout Hut (located at the back of the church property) to help us assemble and pack the Christmas care packages.

For further information, please contact Angie Doerlich by e-mail at hugsforsoldiers@gmail.com or call 404-316-8183. You may also visit the Hugs for Soldiers website at hugsforsoldiers.org. Thank you for your continued support.  God bless our troops!

Everyone is invited to An Old Fashioned Christmas on Saturday, December 4th, beginning at 2:30 p.m. in the Sanctuary. There will be Christmas Carols, Christmas readings, and our special guest, Santa Claus. The event will be live streamed on the Duluth First UMC Worship page on YouTube.com.

Afterwards, join us in the Fellowship Hall for cookies and hot chocolate. An Old Fashioned Christmas is presented by the United Methodist Women of Duluth First UMC.

Join us for Wednesday Night Dinners in Hinton Hall, as the Dinner Belles and Beaus prepare excellent meals at very reasonable prices. Enjoy fellowship around the table with family and friends. The menu for December 8th is meatloaf, scalloped potatoes, green beans, broccoli, rolls, and dessert. For the kids – hamburgers and chips.

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:

• $8.00 for adults;
• $7.00 for seniors;
• $5.00 for children under 11 years of age;
• $23.00 for family meals (immediate family members only);
• $5.00 for salad bar only, which includes the salad bar, a choice of baked potato or sweet potato, dessert and a drink.
  

The Worship Committee invites you to remember or honor a loved one with a poinsettia this Christmas season. The poinsettias will be used to adorn the Sanctuary and Hinton Hall on Sunday, December 19th, and on Christmas Eve. The cost per plant is $20. You may pick up your poinsettia/poinsettias following the worship services on Christmas Eve. Printed copies of the poinsettia Remembrance/Honor listings will be available at the worship services on Sunday, December 19th, and at the three worship services on Christmas Eve.

All proceeds go to Seeds of Hope, whose funds are used to help meet the needs of God’s people living in Duluth and Suwanee--often strangers, widows, orphans, homeless, those who are lost, and those who are without hope--who come to Duluth First United Methodist Church seeking assistance.

Paying by credit or debit card?  Please click on POINSETTIA ONLINE ORDER FORM.

Paying by check or cash?  Please click on POINSETTIA ORDER FORM. Additional forms are available at the Welcome Centers. Please place your completed form/forms, along with a check made payable to Duluth First UMC and marked Poinsettias in the memo section, or cash, in the Church Staff Drop Box located in the Atrium, or send to Duluth First United Methodist Church, Attn. Ken Willi, 3208 Duluth Hwy. 120, Duluth, GA 30096.

NOTE: All poinsettia orders must be received by Sunday, December 12th, by 5 p.m.

Join us on Sunday, December 12th, at 5:30 p.m. in Hinton Hall for the Youth Ministry’s Ugly Sweater Christmas Party. Please have your child wear an ugly sweater to this event and we’ll have a competition to decide who wore the ugliest sweater. Also, please have your child bring a wrapped gift of under $20 for the White Elephant Gift Exchange. Lastly, we will provide ham and turkey and a few sides. We ask that you would send in a side or/and a dessert for the Christmas party meal.  For additional information, please contact Min Lee by e-mail at mlee@duluthumc.org.

Join us on Sunday, December 12th, at 7:00 p.m. in the Sanctuary, as the Duluth First UMC Chamber Chorale will presents a Christmas concert. The concert is FREE. Donations to the Duluth First UMC Music Ministry are greatly appreciated.

The Bereavement Support Group meets on the 2nd Monday of each month. The next meeting will be held on Monday, December 13th, from 7 to 8:30 p.m. in room F-151, located on the 1st floor of the Family Life Center. Everyone who has had a loss is welcome to attend.

The group is led by Stephen Ministers. For more information please contact Brenda Bridges at 770-313-6002, or the church office at 770-476-3776.

Join us for Wednesday Night Dinners in Hinton Hall, as the Dinner Belles and Beaus prepare excellent meals at very reasonable prices. Enjoy fellowship around the table with family and friends. The menu for December 15^th is chicken fried chicken, mashed potatoes, turnip greens, fried okra, biscuits, and dessert. For the kids – chicken tenders and 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:

• $8.00 for adults;
• $7.00 for seniors;
• $5.00 for children under 11 years of age;
• ­­$23.00 for family meals (immediate family members only);
• $5.00 for salad bar only, which includes the salad bar, a choice of baked potato or sweet potato, dessert and a drink.
  

PLEASE NOTE: This will be the final Wednesday night dinner in Hinton Hall in 2021. Dinners will resume in January 2022.

Join us on Wednesday, December 15th, at 6:00 p.m. in the Sanctuary, as the children present the Christmas musical, Calling All Angels, and lead us in Christmas carol sing-along.

Sunday, December 19th, at 11:00 a.m. in the Sanctuary, the Chancel Choir will present their annual Christmas music program. This worship service of scripture and song will feature new and beloved carols, accompanied by string ensemble, organ, piano, and percussion. It will also feature the first-ever performance of Max Bruch’s choral and orchestral work, Greeting to the Holy Night, in English, featuring world-renowned soloist, Jeanne Brown.

Information Station, a class for new members and those who are considering church membership, will meet on January 9th, 16th, and 23rd from 9:30 to 10:30 a.m. Classes will be held in the Conference Room, located on the 3rd floor of the Family Life Center. Classes include history and information about The United Methodist Church, opportunities for involvement at Duluth First UMC, a tour of the church campus, and a good time of fellowship.

For additional information, please contact Rev. Beth Brown Shugart by e-mail at bshugart@duluthumc.org, or call 770-476-3776, ext. 128.

Based on the latest guidelines from the CDC, Duluth First UMC’s COVID protocol is as follows. This applies to worship and all other church events and to all areas of the campus:

• For those who have been fully vaccinated, masks and social distancing are not required.
• For those who have not been fully vaccinated, masks are required and social distancing is encouraged.
• The church will continue to make masks available for all who want or need them.

Many thanks to everyone for working together so graciously to be the church during this pandemic--from the time we went to online only on March 15, 2020, through our re-opening on June 28, and going forward.

Your cooperation in loving your neighbor as yourself is helping us to help people follow Jesus.

Terry Tippens,
Senior Pastor