“Be at peace with one another”
– Mark 9:50
“Be at peace among yourselves”
– 1 Thessalonians 5:13
“Live in harmony with one another”
– Romans 12:16
“Pursue what makes for peace and for mutual up-building”
– Romans 14:19
Grace and peace to you, friends, in the name of the living Christ.
It is a great gift to be part of the church, particularly during times of civil strife and disturbance. The church can be a place of calm and peace in the storm of unsubstantiated opinions, ad hominems, and alternative facts. Dietrich Bonhoeffer understood the church as a place that “takes up space” in the world. By this he was not just referring to the physical space of church buildings, but to a space in the world that is different because of people whose lives have been formed by their faith. The church is neither a place for contemplation that makes no difference in the world, nor is it part of a political programming aimed at vastly altering reality. Rather, at its best, the life of faith brings order to the chaos of the world and disrupts the order that the powers of the world attempt to wield over it. Imagine that kind of understanding coming from a theologian attempting to survive in the context of Nazi Germany!
Still today, the church is, above all else, a sanctuary, a place where we can find both rest and rediscover our center in Jesus Christ. A place of safety and hope. This Fall as we return to church after adventures far and near, may we all find peace and mutual understanding, mutual love in God’s house.
As we share our lives together in the space of a building that is not just for us, but we have created for the larger community, particularly for a successful preschool, there are a few rules for us to remember so that we might exist together in peace and harmony:
Please do not bring any kind of nuts into the building. We have children with serious nut allergies who could be seriously harmed by the presence of nuts in our building.
Please do not enter Sunny Hill Preschool between the hours of 9 AM to 3 PM, Monday through Friday. This is both for your protection and the protection of the children. Monday through Friday, the preschool occupies the area from the double doors leading to the classrooms all the way to Hawes Hall. It also includes the basement space below Hawes Hall. *We make special arrangements for Magic Years to use this space.
The Church is a place for everyone, the stranger and the familiar, the least, the last and the lost. May we always offer the love of Christ to those visiting for the first time, or those who have been at SUMC all of their years.
Looking forward to welcoming you all back on Homecoming Weekend, September 15! Plan for pancakes!
Welcome Home!
Pastor Leigh
LEARN
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Greetings from the SUMC Youth!
Adults needed…
The youth program would be impossible without volunteers like you (yes, you!), and working with the youth is the most fulfilling volunteer opportunity the church has to offer because we do a little bit of everything – and we’re a lot of fun to be around, too!
There are a few ways that you can get involved with the youth ministry program at SUMC.
Sunday Night Adult Leaders: We need help with both middle and high school groups. Briefly, Sunday night fellowship involves games, Bible study, and dinner. Do you like games? Do you like learning about the Bible? Do you like food?!? Then you’ll love youth group.
Sunday Morning Devo Leaders: Before worship, the youth meet in the youth room below the sanctuary from 9:15-9:45 a.m. to read and reflect on a devotion from d365.org. Some of the youth stay to be part of SUMC’s livestream team.
Chaperones/Drivers: For day trips, weekend retreats, or even week-long mission trips, we need responsible adults to help us out.
Sunday night dinners: As stated earlier, we eat dinner on Sunday nights, and we rely on SUMC members and families to feed us. If you are interested in providing dinner for a Sunday night youth meeting, click this link to sign up: https://tinyurl.com/4aaueexn
If you want to know more about any of these opportunities to work with SUMC’s teens, contact Zack zack.sumc@gmail.com. If you are a parent or youth who wants to receive weekly email updates about all things youth, you should contact Zack about that, too.
Keep the Faith.
Magnific Moment
September Pancake Kickoff (and Sunday Morning Programs!)
We will start the new program year with our third-annual Pancake Breakfast Kickoff this Sunday, September 15. So plan to eat breakfast at the church this Sunday. The following week (September 22), Kidbury UMC will reopen along with Christian formation opportunities for adults and youth.
Kidbury UMC is in Hawes Hall, the Youth Devo is in the youth room below the sanctuary, and the Upper Room group meets in the O’Reilly Room. There is something for all ages on Sunday mornings, and all of the classes/programs are from 9:15-9:45 a.m.
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New thing on Sunday
Come and…be. The world is a busy place. We live in a busy community, and so we want our members – in particular our parents – to know that they can come to SUMC and experience peace. We invite you to come to the sanctuary before worship, where you will find red ropes on the back pew. Take one of those ropes, sit wherever you like, drape the rope on the pew next to you as a sign that you do not wish to be disturbed, and then…breathe. Or pray. Or think. Or play on your phone – whatever you need to do to decompress. The rope will be an indication that your moment of peace will not be interrupted.
Children’s Bags
Please remember that the children’s activity bags should be returned at the end of worship. Do not take the bags home with you. If there are mini coloring books or word puzzle booklets that your child started, feel free to bring those home, but please drop off the bag and the toys in the narthex when you leave.
Wanna help?
If you are interested in volunteering with our children’s programs or for more information about our Christian Education/Formation programs, contact Zack Moser zack.sumc@gmail.com or Caryl Walsh carylw@comcast.net.
Spirituality Group Starts October 10, at 6:30 p.m.
This fall we’ll revisit Fr Richard Rohr with a discussion of the Daily Meditations written by The Center for Action and Contemplation that he founded in 1987. This year’s theme is “Radical Resilience,” and each week explores an aspect how we can face hardship with love and awareness through sustained inner strength, purpose, and connectedness. By choosing love and peace over anger, denial, and despair, we can not only imagine a better future, but live that better future out into the world.
To access the Daily Meditations, go to https://cac.org/email-sign-up/?tfa_5118=1 and sign up. Each Thursday, starting October 10th at 6:30 p.m., we’ll review the week’s topic, highlighting the intersections of the readings with our lives.
Please email Karen Lubic at kglubic@gmail.com for the Zoom link.
Disciple Bible Study – Fast Track 1
Pastor Leigh will facilitate a Disciple Bible Study beginning on Sunday, September 22, through December 15, from 12:00 to 1:30 p.m., in Davison Chapel. The cost of the study materials is $45.00 per person. Please contact Christie White for more information at cwhite1968@gmail.com.
Do You Have A Prayer Request For “Concerns And Celebrations?”
How can we pray for you? Share prayer requests at: https://www.facebook.com/SudburyUMC/ and send us a message by clicking on the blue “Send Message” button. Or email sumc@sudbury-umc.org.
"Where the World Meets to Pray"
Free copies of The Upper Room may be found in an outdoor Lucite rack next to the O'Reilly Room entrance and in the narthex. Daily readings can also be found online by clicking: https://www.upperroom.org/.
Five minutes, fifteen, or thirty reading Scripture and sitting quietly in God’s presence will set the tone for the whole day.
ANNOUNCEMENTS
Red Pew Ropes
Are you among the people in our congregation who simply wish to sit in the sanctuary before worship and pray or meditate? Please know that we have seen you and heard your desire to spend a few minutes alone before worship communing with God.
Beginning September 15, Red Ropes will be hanging on the last pew of the sanctuary on Sunday morning. If you would like to sit in silence, you are invited to take one of the ropes with you to your pew, place it over the end of pew, and sit undisturbed until worship begins.
Everyone should take note of the Red Ropes, and avoid interrupting people using them.
Please give people using Red Ropes space and exercise boundaries. A Red Rope is not an invitation to sit with someone, pray with them, or alert the pastor.
Please also note that the sanctuary is used for choir rehearsal prior to worship, so the sanctuary will not necessarily be quiet before worship.
Thank you in advance for your support of people seeking some personal space and time in our sanctuary.
Save the Date: Bishop Bickerton's Installation Service is November 2
Please mark your calendars for Saturday, November 2, 2024, as the New England Conference gathers for a worship service to install Bishop Thomas J. Bickerton as our episcopal leader. The service will be held here at Sudbury UMC at 1:00 p.m. A reception will follow. We hope you will be able to attend as we welcome the Bickertons. We will continue to share more information as plans are finalized.
Musical Notes
- Davison Chapel Schlicker Organ Dedication
Sudbury United Methodist Church plans to dedicate the Schlicker pipe organ recently installed in Davison Chapel at SUMC this Sunday, September 15, immediately after coffee hour fellowship. After a very brief liturgy from the Book of Worship for the dedication of an organ, a program featuring organists from SUMC and from outside SUMC will feature short pieces to demonstrate the capabilities of this new to SUMC instrument.
Acquisition of this Schlicker pipe organ was made possible by two bequests from Yuh Rong Tsay-Smith and Russ and Wanda Doughty. These gifts were made with the stipulation that SUMC investigate the addition of a pipe organ in Davison Chapel. Music Director Kevin Murphy worked with Russ and Andover Organ Company this past spring to facilitate the move of this organ from Kearsarge Community Presbyterian Church in New London, NH to SUMC.
Come meet this new musical member of the SUMC community! It is a markedly smaller instrument than our Stuart tracker in the sanctuary, but it has a lovely sweet voice, surprising power and a couple of distinctive colors in its palette. You will be glad you attended this celebration!
- Singing School
Singing School has gotten off to a roaring start. Attendance has been great, and I am processing the mp4s of our meetings. I will post the videos as soon as they are ready. If you are interested in joining the class or wish to access the videos, contact Rob or me anytime. All are welcome! We meet in the choir room from 7:15 p.m. till 7:45 p.m. every Thursday.
rhammerton@charter.net or kevin@sudbury-umc.org.
Coming to Church? Please Follow Safety Guidelines!
The windows in the sanctuary will remain open for the foreseeable future to improve air flow and enhance public safety. We’re trying to prevent the spread of viruses and COVID. Please be mindful of the outdoor temperature and dress accordingly Mask wearing is optional; if you need a mask, the ushers have a supply on hand.
GIVE
SUMC Financial Year to Date Update
Current Revenue $482,501 Current Expenses $480,544
Help Us Identify a Stock Transfer
Sudbury UMC recently received a stock transfer of 174 shares of Franklin Stock. The Finance team would like to be able to attribute the funds to the correct donor. If you initiated the transfer, please let Mike Greb know by emailing him at michael@sudubry-umc.org or by calling him at 978-443-4351. Thank you.
How to Donate Sunday Morning Altar Flowers
The Flower Team welcomes altar flower donations in honor or memory of a loved one. Please choose a date; perhaps an anniversary, birthday, or just a date you’d like to honor someone special, by visiting a user-friendly website: Flower Sign-Up Genius. Please use the comment section to note if your gift is intended to be in honor or in memory of someone special. And if you have specific flowers in mind, please share that information also in the comment section. The cost is $50.00. Enhance our worship by giving this gift to God. Thanks.
Going Shopping? Pick-up Something for the Food Cart!
Donations to our church’s shopping cart may be left at the O’Reilly Room entrance Monday through Friday. The best canned items to donate include solid white tuna, fruits, and vegetables. Raisins in boxes, dried beans, condensed milk, rice pilaf, pancake mix, syrup, pasta and pasta sauce in jars, macaroni and cheese, instant coffee, laundry detergent, shampoo, soap, feminine care products, and wipes are also appreciated. Whenever you shop – or have groceries delivered to your home – please remember the food cart!
Finding Sudbury UMC on SOCial media
Live-Streamed Sunday Services Available on YouTube and Facebook Live
Sunday morning services at Sudbury UMC can now be viewed on SUMC’s own YouTube channel and Facebook page live each Sunday morning. Missed a service and want to watch it later? You can find them using the same links! We hope these social media platforms will help us reach a larger audience. Please help us grow by using these services. You can also connect with SUMC through InstagramSUMC and TwitterSUMC.
Sudbury United Methodist Church, 251 Old Sudbury Road, Sudbury, MA 01776
Phones: (978) 443-4351 or (978) 443-6785
Church Office: sumc@sudbury-umc.org Website: http://www. sudbury-umc.org
Church Staff
Pastor: The Rev. Leigh E. Goodrichpastorleigh@sudbury-umc.org
(Pastor Leigh observes Sabbath on Friday)
Youth & Children’s Ministries Director: Zachary Moser zack@sudbury-umc.org
(Zack observes Sabbath on Wednesday)
Organist/Music Director: Kevin Murphy, AAGOkevin@sudbury-umc.org
Sanctuary Choir Director: Rob Hammertonrob@sudbury-umc.org
Business Manager: Michael Grebmichael@sudbury-umc.org
Sunny Hill Director: Kathy Palmerdirector@sunnyhillpreschool.org
Office Manager: Shetal Kaye sumc@sudbury-umc.org
Sexton: Joe Picorellijoe@sudbury-umc.org
We are a Reconciling and Welcoming Congregation
Please use the QR code below if you would like to make a contribution to Sudbury United Methodist Church.
