Ravenswood Fellowship United Methodist Church The Weekly Newsletter | | Message from Pastor Mori
Dear Ravenswood Fellowship family,
A few weeks ago, we had a trustee meeting about the building usage. As you know, most of our trustee members are (excuse me trustees!) an older generation than Millennials and Gen Z. So, when we started to talk about how our building might be used, I did not expect your zeal and passion about inclusiveness and your spirit of sharing this place with the community. But it was wrong expectation! RFUMC surprised me when I heard from your passion about inclusivity and supporting of the community. My heart was amazed and felt blessed that I am your pastor.
RFUMC wants to be a more inclusive community, welcome everyone, and make everyone feel safe and serene at RFUMC.
Inclusivity has far more to do with how LGBTQ+ people are invited into the life of the community than it does with how many LGBTQ+ people attend our church. This is all about "conversation," and "sharing and listening."
So, I invite you this week to our Second Rainbow Sunday. This time we will listen to a sermon from Rev. Andersen Voinovich who is serving as an Associate Pastor at First UMC Downers Grove.
Andersen (Andi) Voinovich, is an Elder in the Northern Illinois Conference of the United Methodist Church. They graduated from Garrett-Evangelical Theological Seminary with a Master of Divinity. Prior to that, Andi received a degree in Spanish Language and Literature from Bowling Green State University in Ohio with minors in Educational Studies and Gender Studies.
I met Andi at Garrett and I never saw Andi alone. Which means they were always surrounded by many friends. Andi is the one who would ask new students, "How are you" and the one to invite international students to activities. I learned from them about what makes an inclusive community warm and welcoming.
This week Andi will drive a long way to share with us their message. I hope everyone at RFUMC will have a chance to meet Rev. Andi.
Blessings
MORI
| | Community Info & Links
Sunday September 5 Holy Communion 
This week we will celebrate Holy Communion. If you do not have your communion cups/wafers, please have love feast
RFUMC Second Rainbow Sunday
Second Rainbow Sunday - Sep 05 2021
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.On Sep 5th Sundaywe will listen sermon from Rev. Andi Voinovich.
Hurricane Ida Damage Includes UMC Churches! Category 4 Hurricane Ida delivering 150mph winds caused widespread damage in southeast Louisiana, including to several United Methodist churches and parsonages. Much of Louisiana remains without power or cellphone service.Read more.
The United Methodist Committee on Relief (UMCOR) has already awarded a grant to the Louisiana Conference to support relief efforts and remains in prayer for the many communities impacted by this major storm.
How to Help
Give to UMCOR's U.S. Disaster Response and Recovery through Advance #901670.
Donations also can be made through the Louisiana Annual Conference's disaster response fund.
For information on relief supply kits, visit umcmission.org/umcor-relief-supplies or midwestmission.org.
Learn more about UMCOR's monthly training opportunities. For September, they're launching UMCOR's revised Connecting Neighbors with an introduction to accessing the workshop materials and information on how YOU can become a Connecting Neighbors Ambassador. Click for details. | |
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 State. 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.
Please register to join at sign-up link here or call to the Church office 773-561-2610. If you have any questions about The Early Adopter Consultant Program at the Ravenswood Fellowship UMC, please let us know!
Well-being Ministry RFUMC Yoga Class Open
Instructor Gina Maria (to learn more about Vitality click here) Gina is a therapeutic yoga instructor by vocation. Over the past 20+ years she's had classical training and learned therapeutic techniques studying with excellent, widely regarded professionals in the field. From her combined training and experience, she has forged a style designed to restore pain-free movement with manual neuromuscular facilitation and maintain optimal function with sequences based upon solid biomechanical principles. She also holds academic degrees in Literature and History.
Lake North District Outdoor Worship
(Sept. 19) at 3 pm at Central UMC,
8237 Kenton Ave., Skokie.
Our District Superintendent, Rev. Brittany Isaac invites us to outdoor worship. All Lake North churches are welcome! Reconnect with God and each other in this Ravinia-style worship service as the new Lake North District. Click for details.
Upcoming Meetings
Sep 19-20 Deep Listening Day
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 Aug 2021 Calendar Here Church Room Reservation Form (to request use of the common areas of the church Click Here
After Covid-19 Updates.
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.
| | | | |
No comments:
Post a Comment