Completed shoeboxes for this year’s Operation Christmas Child, our annual participation in Samaritans Purse’s mission for God’s children around the world, are due back to the church by today, November 15th. Completed shoeboxes may be left in the Narthex, the Gathering Room, outside of Hinton Hall, and outside room F145 located on the 1st floor of the Sheldon Family Life Center.

The on-line DFUMC Goal Page for building online shoeboxes will continue to be active through Saturday, December 19th. The cost of the Build Online Shoebox is $30 per shoebox which includes the $10 donation. This is a quick and easy way to participate in this mission. You can select the items for the shoebox yourself, or you can let Samaritan’s Purse build the shoebox for you. There is no shopping going store to store, no lines, and no driving.

Detailed instructions for building online shoeboxes are available in the Narthex, the Gathering Room, outside of Hinton Hall, and outside room F145 located on the 1st floor of the Sheldon Family Life Center. Duluth First UMC also has a special web site for you to use to complete your shoebox online, and our goal is 80 online shoeboxes by December 19th. The web page is active - just click on OPERATION CHRISTMAS CHILD ONLINE.

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.

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.

The Sunday Night Gathering schedule for November is:

• Sunday, November 15^th: Friendsgiving at 5:30 p.m. in the Youth Center (“The Fish Tank”);
• Sunday, November 22^nd: Sunday Night Gathering at 5:30 p.m. in the Youth Center (“The Fish Tank”);
• Sunday, November 29^th: 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.

Join us for a time of food and fellowship around the table with family and friends at our Wednesday Night Dinners from 5 to 6:30 p.m. in Hinton Hall, located on the 2^nd floor of the Sheldon Family Life Center. Chef Kenny Lewis, our Food Ministry Manager, along with our very talented and dedicated Dinner Belles and Beaus volunteers, prepare excellent meals at very reasonable prices.

The menu for November 18th is roast pork loin, macaroni and cheese, steamed broccoli, southern green beans, rolls, and dessert. For the kids – hot dogs and French fries.

Dinners are served from 5 to 6:30 p.m. in Hinton Hall, 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 and 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.

Please Note: Menus are subject to change.

The Wednesday Night Food Drive at Duluth First UMC for the Hands of Christ Duluth Co-Op is our weekly mission project, combined with the many Wednesday evening activities offered at the church. Donated food items can be left on the Food Drive table located outside of the main entrance to Hinton Hall, located on the 2nd floor of the Sheldon Family Life Center.

Items needed during the month of November are:

• November 18th: peanut butter and jelly.

Join us for a delicious dinner and fellowship in Hinton Hall, pick up a to-go dinner for your family, join us for any of our Wednesday evening activities, and drop off food items to help other families in need. We thank you for your support!

Holiday celebrations take on a different meaning when you are grieving. Are you in need of finding a way to survive the holidays? Do you wonder how to celebrate when your loved one is gone?

Join the Grief Share Support Group on Wednesday, November 18th, for a special “Surviving the Holidays” class from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. in rooms F154/155, located on the 1st floor of the Sheldon Family Life Center. This class may be beneficial in helping you plan a holiday schedule that is best for you during the holiday season.

For additional information, please contact Brenda Bridges at 770-313-6002, Sue French at 404-434-8001, or call the church office at 770-476-3776.

Parent Connection, our small group for parents of children of all ages, meets on Wednesday evenings from 6 to 7 p.m. in rooms F206/207, located on the 2nd floor of the Sheldon Family LIfe Center. Discussions will center around positive Christian parenting in a world that often seems to look to culture for a parenting model.

Please contact Rev. David Burchett by e-mail at dburchett@duluthumc.org for more information.

The Worship Committee invited you to join us on November 22nd, following the 11 a.m. worship services, as we decorate the church for the Advent and Christmas seasons. We will prepare and install the indoor and outdoor wreaths, hang garland, assemble the Advent wreath and the Gathering Room Nativity scene, and put up the trees and other decorations in Hinton Hall.

Worship Committee members will be available to assist you. Please contact Verena Anders by e-mail at vanders@duluthumc.org to sign up or with any questions, or you can just stay following the worship services on November 22nd. We look forward to you joining us as we prepare for the Advent and Christmas season.

Help us “deck” the church lawn with the beautifully-painted stars on Sunday, November 22nd, following the 11:00 worship services. Each year we put our stars on the lawn for the season of Advent to celebrate the coming of the Christ child. Having our beautiful, handmade, individually painted stars on the lawn helps us share that joy with our Duluth neighbors!

If you’ve ever wanted to have your very own star out on the lawn, please contact Rev. Dr. AnnaKate Rawles by e-mail at arawles@duluthumc.org. We have stars available to paint and return to be displayed.

Make plans to join us for Hope for the Holidays - A Candle Lighting Service of Remembrance, on Monday, November 23rd, with services at noon and 7 p.m. in the Sanctuary. Join us for a program of reflection followed by candle lighting in memory of your loved one(s). The 7:00 p.m. service will be streamed live on the Duluth First UMC Worship page on YouTube.com. Childcare in Childcare Corner will be available for both services.

We are asking people to send in names of loved ones that they would like to be read aloud during candle lighting. Please send the name(s) by e-mail to Tracy Brinker at tbrinker@duluthumc.org by Friday, November 20th. Please put “Service of Remembrance Names” in the subject line of your e-mail.

We understand the holiday season may be a challenge for individuals and families who have lost someone special. Duluth First UMC has established a meaningful time for people to come together… to reflect, to remember and to honor those lives that have meant so much.

Mark your calendars, save the date, and invite your family and friends to Sweets with Santa on Saturday, December 5th, from 9:00 to 11:00 a.m. in the Dorothy L. Rainey Fellowship Hall. Come enjoy breakfast pastries, Christmas crafts, and a chance to meet Santa! Bring your friends, family, neighbors, and children of all ages!

The cost is $5 each for adults and children age 3 and up, and children age 2 and under are free. To sign up online and pay online, please click on SWEETS WITH SANTA. For more information or questions, please contact Rev. Dr. AnnaKate Rawles by e-mail at arawles@duluthumc.org.