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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