EIGHTEENTH SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST

Message from Pastor Mori 

Ravenswood Fellowship United Methodist Church The Weekly Newsletter    Message from Pastor Mori Dear RFUMC Family,   I will start this letter with my honest feelings: before our Deep Listening Day, I was worried because this would be my first opportunity to hear from you about Ravenswood Fellowship Church.    I was worried because I don't know you well! Because of COVID-19, I have not had a chance to meet all of you, and we have not had a chance to have good conversations about this church until our Deep Listening Day! I am still a new pastor, so I didn't have any idea about your opinions and concerns.   However, my worried feelings changed to appreciation as we started our first session. Most of all, I am impressed by your participation. It means you care for RFUMC and our future!  Many of you came to a Deep Listening Session. Most sessions had double the number of requested attendees and what I heard from you makes me think that I am at home here.    We, Ravenswood Fellowship, are a welcoming congregation!  I heard our history and how we have welcomed and shared our space. This broadened my vision about the church and confirmed that we are open to diversity and will honor and respect differences.   The other thing that was confirmed for me was that we are a very strong church.Before starting ministry at Ravenswood Fellowship, I had heard a simple history that we had experienced several mergers, but during the sessions, I heard a history that emphasized several crises that this faith community had overcome. We are a very resilient congregation.    I especially feel that I am in the right place because we strong passion for social justice. As a Christian we want to be a light to the world. We have a Japanese American legacy including members who experienced the profound injustice of being placed in internment camps and then being rejected by the people around them as they were released. Working for social justice is just us. I want to share Carole's beautiful quote "There are other wonderful institutions and places that I admire. But Christianity's angle is that it isn't just about acceptance, but love."    This is why I feel at home here, as a marginal pastor, I have dreamed about being part of a community like RFUMC where inclusiveness is normal and all people belong without asking about their nationality, ethnicity, gender identity, disability, or social status.    After the session, I realized that you have already come so far on the journey, and you are ready to move into a better future.    Thank you so much for your opinions and caring for Ravenswood Fellowship UMC. I want to especially thank the Early Adopter Team for their hard work and devotion to this effort: Sarah, Megan, Dolan, Yuko, Cody, and Cheryl.    The next step in this effort is receiving a report from Rev. Beth and her consulting group about her visit which the Early Adopter Team will review and share with the congregation.    Blessings, Mori        Give on PayPal   Community Info & Links     This Sunday during Worship Service.... This Sunday, September 26th during worship service, we will be given a report from our Lay Leader, Donna Sagami.  Thank you Donna for continuing to be our Lay Leader and for actively participating in our Lake North Conference.  To follow the service download the bulletin.                          Thank you very much for your participation in the Deep Listening sessions last week.  We appreciate your sincere heartfelt devotion and support for Ravenswood Fellowship UMC.  Your opinions and concerns matter to us and we appreciate it. Rev. Beth has safely returned to Portland.  For the next step, she and her team will analyze results and write reports which will be sent to us. As soon as we receive it, the Early Adopter team will have a meeting.                                                Wellness Ministry RFUMC Yoga Class                                                                      Gentle Yoga Saturday Mornings 8:45-10:00 AM  Multi-level classes for sparkling health and radiant life!  All public health guidelines observed.  $12 suggested donation                           Instructor Gina Maria  (to learn more about Vitality click here)  There is also a permanent Zoom for those who would like to take the virtual option                                         https://us02web.zoom.us/j/87440845573                                                                                           Conference Day of Prayer and Fasting - Oct. 1 Join on Zoom anytime during the day from 6 am - 5 pm to pray for the Annual Conference Shepherding Team's three Task Forces (Anti-Racism, Discipleship, Vital Congregations) and the 2021 Ordination and Commissioning Class, who will be ordained and commissioned that evening at 6 pm. Prayer leaders will be on the hour for devotions and time for silent prayer. Click here for details. The Zoom link will be posted closer to the date.                                                                                                   Afghan Refugee Assistance After the evacuation of U.S. troops from Afghanistan in August, World Relief Chicagoland immediately began accessing the needs for the number of Afghan refugees expected to resettle in the Chicagoland area. Not soon after, the Northern Illinois Conference Board of Global Ministries voted to donate $10,000 from the 2018 Bishop's Appeal offering, which raised money for Global Migration, to World Relief Chicagoland to help assist a family of four arriving from the war-torn country. World Relief anticipates welcoming 150 Afghans in the weeks and months ahead. More details will be coming together soon. If your church would like to help, reach out to NIC's Refugee Coordinators, Rev. Jonathan and Rhodalyne Crail at jcrail@firstumc.net, and visit World Relief for volunteer and donation resources at chicagoland.worldrelief.org.                                       Pastor Mori Commissioning Service                                                                                Friday October 01 6:00 PM Ordination and Commissioning Service for the 2021 class at 6 pm. Preacher: Bishop Tracy S. Malone from the East Ohio Conference. Limited in-person attendance (invite only). It will be livestreamed on the NIC Facebook page and YouTube channel.                                   Justice for Our Children: Call for Remembrance The Native American International Caucus of The United Methodist Church is encouraging churches to create a day of  remembrance on Oct. 6 for the hundreds of thousands of tribal children who were taken from their families and placed in boarding schools, often violently, between 1869 and the 1960s. In particular, the caucus calls us to remember those who died while at the schools, and whose bodies were buried far from their homes. Read the Call to Action.Click here for details on ways to organize your event.                                                                      We are back to our regular church office hours.  They are as follows:                                            Monday: closed                                            Tuesday: 9:30 am -2:30pm                                            Wednesday: 9:30 am - 2:30 pm                                            Thursday: 9:30 am - 2:30 pm                                            Friday: 9:30 am - 2:30 pm                                                                         Upcoming Meetings                                           Finance Committee Meeting                                                  Friday Sep 30 7:00 PM                                                                                Pastor's Off Day                                            September- Every Tuesday                                                                                     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 September 2021 Calendar Here October 2021 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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SEVENTEENTH SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST

Message from Pastor Mori 

Ravenswood Fellowship United Methodist Church The Weekly Newsletter    Message from Pastor Mori Deep Listening Day is tomorrow!    Tomorrow is Ravenswood Fellowship UMC's Deep Listening Day. Since last year, I have been hearing a lot of concerns and worries about RFUMC's future.    The main concerns are: "most of our member are older," or "we need a next generation leader," or "our building is beautiful, but many parts are broken down," or "church membership is not growing." And people have said, "I don't know the answer Pastor Mori, what can you do?"    Honestly, I don't have an A+ answer, but I know one important thing: that we start to do something to change. However, we have limited financial and human resources to change everything at one time. And we don't know where we need to start and what needs to be different. So, we asked a consultant group to help to redefine "who we are" and "where we are" and "what is the way to go forward" to a healthier tomorrow for Ravenswood Fellowship.    Tomorrow Rev. Beth Estock will visit us and listening to your opinions in small group conversation. She will also be worshiping with us. After the second listening session, we will walk around with Rev. Beth to explore the neighborhood.  Please do not lose this chance to meet her!  I hope you can join in-person and meet Rev. Beth. If you didn't have chance to register for Sunday's sessions, please come to the Monday Morning session. We still have spots open during the Monday morning session. (09/20 10:00-11:30AM)    Also, if you are unable to come to the church in person, you are welcome to join through Zoom.    Here are Zoom links:   Sep 19 Sunday 9:00 AM Session Zoom  Join Zoom Meeting https://us02web.zoom.us/j/81561127830 Meeting ID: 815 6112 7830 One tap mobile +13126266799,,81561127830# US (Chicago)   Sep 19 Sunday 12:00 PM Session Zoom  Join Zoom Meeting https://us02web.zoom.us/j/81198203645 Meeting ID: 811 9820 3645 One tap mobile +13126266799,,81198203645# US (Chicago)   Sep 20 Sunday 10:00 AM Session Zoom  Join Zoom Meeting https://us02web.zoom.us/j/89690016676 Meeting ID: 896 9001 6676 One tap mobile +13126266799,,89690016676# US (Chicago)   I hope this Deep Listening Day is a starting point to a renewed future for RFUMC.    Thank you so much for your support and prayer for the Early Adopter Team – Sarah, Megan, Dolan, Cody, Yuko, Cheryl and Mori. We have been meeting every month with Rev. Beth and have been preparing for this Deep Listening Day.    After Deep Listening Day, with our opinions gathered, we will start to work to on drawing a blueprint for RFUMC's future with the consultant group.    If you have any question or concerns, please reach out to us and let us know. We want to hear from you!   Blessings.   MORI      Give on PayPal   Community Info & Links       RE-OPENING Team Survey Thank you so much for your cooperation in following our safety guidelines!! In this revised survey, we want to ask three more questions to improve safety during the recent spike in COVID-19 infections. This survey is anonymous. Take the survey- click here           2021 Annual Conference Updates Sept. 23: Pre-conference Briefing at 10 am. Sept. 27: Pre-conference Briefing at 7 pm. (Choose one briefing to attend. Zoom links will be emailed to anyone who's already registered for Annual Conference. Choose one date most convenient for you. No new registrations required.) Oct. 1: Ordination and Commissioning Service for the 2021 class at 6 pm. Preacher: Bishop Tracy S. Malone from the East Ohio Conference. Limited in-person attendance (invite only). It will be live-streamed on the NIC Facebook page and YouTube channel.                                                                             RFUMC Deep Listening Day                                              CONSULTANT MEETING WITH Rev. Beth Estock   We will have time to listen to your voice about the Ravenswood Fellowship life and find the best way to grow up together and become an even more beautiful community.                                       Ravenswood Fellowship UMC Deep Listening Day Schedule.                            Please choose one of the following group (Sign-Up)                                                            Group A  Sunday  Sep 19  9:00 – 10:30 AM Main Topic :  What is our story? What can we discover about the values that inform our story? What is the next chapter to our story?                                                            Group B  Sunday  Sep 19  12:00-  1:30  PM Main Topic : What do you think that we do best?  Things like our wonderful fellowship, music, family and relationships, gardening, social justice, food. How can we take what we do best and what we love and share it?                              Group C  Monday Sep  20 10:00 -11:30  AM Main Topic : 3.If our sanctuary is safe and inclusive, how may we challenge ourselves and our community to practice our mission for social justice  and the words of Jesus. Rev. Beth Estock coaches churches all over the United States. She grew up in the Midwest, began her patrol work in the Bible Belt, and then moved to the Pacific Northwest two decades ago. She is an ordained pastor in The United Methodist Church, a contemplative, cultural architect, and futurist. She and her husband, Jeff, and two daughters live in Portland, Oregon.    Wellness Ministry   RFUMC Yoga Class                Instructor Gina Maria  (to learn more about Vitality click here)  Come join us on Saturdays! Every week on Saturday, 08:45-10 AM CT   Please join us for Open Level Yoga at Ravenswood Fellowship / 4511 N. Hermitage on Saturday mornings from 8:45-10 a.m. This is a very easygoing class, focusing on the function of the practice and slow, deep breathing. You will feel simultaneously invigorated and relaxed! And then leap up and dash out to enjoy your weekend ! There is also a permanent Zoom meeting ID for those who would like to take the virtual option. https://us02web.zoom.us/j/87440845573 Do come sit awhile in the Peace Garden at Morse & Ashland this Saturday, September 18 and listen to the beauteous compositions of For the Birds Jazz Band! The show starts at 4, and your donations will be much appreciated by the musicians.  All the Best, Miss Gina.                          Justice for Our Children: Call for Remembrance The Native American International Caucus of The United Methodist Church is encouraging churches to create a day of  remembrance on Oct. 6 for the hundreds of thousands of tribal children who were taken from their families and placed in boarding schools, often violently, between 1869 and the 1960s. In particular, the caucus calls us to remember those who died while at the schools, and whose bodies were buried far from their homes. Read the Call to Action.Click here for details on ways to organize your event.                                                Online Lay Servant Ministries course: Rediscovering Our Spiritual Gifts - (Oct. 4 - 15) Cost $75. Participants will interact via online discussions, journals, and videos throughout the two weeks. Participants are also expected to read the Discipleship Resources book, "Each One a Minister," by William J. Carter, and "Spirit Gifts," by Patricia Brown. Click here to register.   We are back to our regular church office hours.  They are as follows: Monday: closed Tuesday: 9:30 am -2:30pm Wednesday: 9:30 am - 2:30 pm Thursday: 9:30 am - 2:30 pm Friday: 9:30 am - 2:30 pm Upcoming Meetings  Sep 19-20 Deep Listening Day  Zoom + In Person  Pastor's Off Day  Aug 30- September- Every Tuesday                                               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 September 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.

This email was sent to ravfelumc.church@blogger.com why did I get this?    unsubscribe from this list    update subscription preferences Ravenswood Fellowship UMC · 4511 N Hermitage Ave · Chicago, IL 60640-5303 · USA