TWELFTH SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST

Message from Pastor Mori 

Ravenswood Fellowship United Methodist Church The Weekly Newsletter    Message from Pastor Mori Dear RFUMC Family  There are so many places which display rainbow signs and say, "we welcome all." But one day I read the book "True Inclusion" by Brandan Robertson. I learned that we should be aware about our inclusiveness, because simply hanging a sign saying "all are welcome" does not guarantee that we are welcoming all people.   In the book Brandan explains about the meaning of "welcome." All genders, sexualities, ethnicities, cultures, socioeconomic statuses, disabilities, backgrounds, and religions embraced with God's unconditional never-ending all expansive love.  Ravenswood Fellowship UMC is a welcoming church and we are a Reconciling Ministry church.    However, we don't have many chances to hear from LGBTQ+ religious leaders or hear the voice of diverse members of our congregation during the pandemic.   As we resume in-person worship, we can now invite guest speakers so we have the privilege of listening to a LGBTQ+ pastor's preaching this week.   From August for the next few months, we will on occasion be inviting LGBTQ+ persons to preach for us and we will have a chance to become a more widely open community, celebrating diversity.   These Rainbow Sundays will give us a chance to learn about the type of inclusion which Brandan says " is a fundamental shift in our way of seeing and being in the world that changes how we think about everything and everyone."    This upcoming Sunday, Aug 15 is our first Rainbow Sunday. Rev. Brittany Conley will be with us to deepen our understanding of becoming an inclusive and welcoming place for all. I know many of you choose to attend worship using Zoom and Facebook Live, but this Sunday I want to invite you to the sanctuary to meet Rev. Brittany in person.   Let's go beyond just hanging signs: let's create a community of radical embrace!   See you all in the sanctuary,    Blessings  MORI      Give on PayPal    Community Info & Links                       RFUMC Backpack Blessing             Kids Above All's Back-to-School Backpack Drive is here! Each year Kids Above All partners with members of the community, as well as our faith, corporate and community partners to make sure the school-aged kids in our programs have what they need to succeed this upcoming year. The Backpack blessing will take place here at church on Sunday August 29, After worship service. As with our recent drives, we've created Amazon Wishlist to help make ordering items for our kids and easy as possible. Please send or drop off donated school supplies at the church office (4511 N Hermitage Ave Chicago IL 60640) by August 28. Catherine Inserra who works for Kids Above All will give us sermon and blessing for the students. Download a copy of the flyer for distribution here.                                                                             Thirsty Ears Returns on August 14 and 15                                                Saturday, August 14 2:00 – 10:00 PM Sunday, August 15 2:00 – 9:00 PM           Jonathan Hannau will be performing on Saturday August 14 at 7:00 PM  ACM is proud to present the sixth annual Thirsty Ears Festival: Chicago's only classical music street festival! For two days Wilson street between Hermitage and Ravenswood will be closed to feature seventeen stellar ensembles and soloists performing music from Beethoven to Shostakovich to Reich and everything in between on the main stage. There will also feature vendor booths, kid friendly activities and food trucks on both days. Highlights include a special performance of our Sound of Silent Film Festival Saturday at sundown and, to close out the fest on Sunday, a classical remix from Origin of Animal. $10 suggested donation, all proceeds support the ACM School of Music, a non-profit organization. 1758 W. Wilson Ave. Parking is limited to street parking           Rainbow Sunday                          During the months of August through November, we will be celebrating Rainbow Sundays when we will invite guest preachers from the LGBTQ+ community to give us their messages of inclusiveness and welcome. Remembering that we are a reconciling congregation who welcomes everyone, our first Rainbow Sunday will be August 15, 2021.                                                 RFUMC  Ladies Lunch Friday Aug 20 , 12:30 PM                         Fin Sushi Bar (1742 W Wilson Ave, Chicago, IL 60640)                                                            We're having a Ladies Lunch on Friday Aug 20 2021 at 12:30 PM at Fin Sushi Bar located at 1742 W Wilson Ave Chicago If you are interested in attending, please contact the church office.                                                      An Update from our Friends, The Dornon's We have received an update from friend's of the church, The Dornon's.  As you may recall, they are missionaries located in Nepal.  One of our members gives a brief update: In the summer of 2019 Dr. Les Dornon and his wife Debbie came to the USA for a visit and then the COVID19 virus erupted and they were confined to their home in Ohio.  Les is a missionary Dr. at a hospital in Nepal and Debbie is a teacher. They both started attending Christian Fellowship Church (CFC) when Les was in medical school at Northwestern University..  His father had been a Missionary in Sendai Japan for many years.  They became members and friends and after graduation, they decided to commit themselves to mission work in Nepal.  Some of us remaining CFC members have kept in touch with them and donated to their cause.  We just received the attached Newsletter from them and it is so interesting to hear about their work in Nepal.    Prayers for their work are always appreciated. Click here to read their full newsletter.                                                                                                                           Upcoming Meetings                                                                  Ladies lunch meeting - Friday Aug 20 12:30 PM                                                        Fin Sushi Bar (1742 W Wilson Ave)                   Trustee meeting - Sunday Aug 22 11:30 AM (after worship)                                                         In-Person, at Church                      Early Adopter Team Meeting - Thursday Aug 26 7:00 PM                                                          Zoom Online                                                                                Sermon by Phone service                                               If you do not have computer access or cannot access our Sunday worship service through a smart phone, we now have a sermon by phone service, which is available at any time! The phone number is (773) 219-0861.  You can listen to a recent version of Pastor Mori's Sunday sermon and it's free!                                                                                  RFUMC Building Ministry                  Ravenswood Fellowship UMC  Aug 2021 Calendar Here  Church Room Reservation Form (to request use of the common areas of the church Click Here                        After Covid-19 Updates.  Read about the Phases for Re-Opening here. Is that document too long? Read the summary version here. Chicago is currently in Phase 5. Click here to view phase 5 recommendations. Chicago Reopen guidelines Here Cook County Depart of Public Health Facebook https://www.facebook.com/CCDPH                                              Links for Worship                   Join Zoom worship by going to this link at 10:30 AM on Sunday: https://zoom.us/j/806489040. Or call in at 1-312-626-6799 (Meeting ID: 806 489 040).  Let's boost our worship! Please sign-up for Worship service Bible reader Sign-Up here. September Scriptures and sermon titles are here Young People's Bible Study. Ages 12-18 are invited to join the Zoom discussion of Jesus stories at 9 AM on Sunday mornings. Join the Zoom call here (Meeting ID: 828 2305 3546, One-tap mobile+13126266799) Want prayer? During our Prayers of the People, we will read your prayer requests. Submit your prayer requests here. Download. Get your bulletin here. Having trouble? Try logging off and logging back on to Zoom during the video. Or simply log off and call in.  Missed last week? Check out the Facebook Live video on our page here.  Give on PayPal Our mailing address is: 4511 North Hermitage Ave. Chicago, IL 60640 Contact us at: ravfelumc@yahoo.com (773) 561-2610 Want to change how you receive these emails? You can update your preferences or unsubscribe from this list.

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