Fall Foliage Tour


It’s autumn.  And it arrived right on schedule.  Did you notice that?  We had 90-degree heat for days and then it was the autumnal equinox and boom, fall arrives.  And it has been pleasant ever since.  Well, mostly.  Here in Indiana anyway.  And I’ve begun to see advertisements for Fall Foliage Tours.  Either those you take yourself and drive around looking at the colors of fall, or the ones where you sit on a coach or boat and let someone else drive you around.  While I’ve tried to pay attention to the colors of fall as I drove around, I can’t say that I have ever taken a Fall Foliage Tour.  Maybe someday.
But I thought I would do one here, in this space.  What, you’re thinking, put in pictures of brightly colored landscapes or maybe leaves?  No, I want us to take a look at some things that on our landscape here at Southport UMC for the fall.  A quick tour of some highlights, but also some invitations and ways you can participate in upcoming events.
First of all, we celebrate World Communion Sunday the First weekend of October.  A chance to remember that we belong to a family bigger than we see week by week.  Come celebrate the global dimension of the body of Christ.  Next up in October is a series on one of my favorite verses of the whole Bible: Micah 6:8 What does the Lord require of you but to do justice, love kindness, and walk humbly with your God. We’ll explore these most important concepts for being followers of Jesus in the world today.
In November, we begin the month with an All Saints Celebration, remembering those who have gone before us and now are a part of the great cloud of witnesses.  But we also will celebrate the saints around us even now.  Be sure and plan to attend this celebration of the family that we are and have been. 

The rest of the month of November (the month that includes Thanksgiving, in case you forgot!) we will have our Stewardship Emphasis.  This is our chance to talk about finances in our church, but more importantly to talk about gratitude and responding to the blessings we have been given.  It’s an opportunity for us all to think about the investment we make in our church, the partnership in the organization designed for mission in the world. 

A new feature we are adding to the emphasis this year is a special session on planned giving.  We have been blessed this year by a member who put Southport UMC in her will.  We want to share the information about that, and provide an opportunity for others to consider a similar gift.  Currently scheduled to follow the Community Meal on November 4th our own Bill Holwager will walk us through the process for making that gift a reality.  Watch for more information on this event.

Now our tour brings us to December and the grand celebration of Advent and Christmas.  Always a special time in the life of the family, this year our emphasis will be on worship.  “Come, Let Us Adore Him” is our Advent theme, from the great hymn of the season, O Come All Ye Faithful.   We have many ways of worshiping during the season, individually, as families, and all together.  I am to bring them all together in a special way.  I’m asking for two things from members of the congregation this Advent season.  First, I would like to see an array of Nativity Sets throughout the church, in the Gathering Place and Worship Center both.  So, beginning the first Thursday and Sunday of Advent, I’m asking you to bring a set with you to church for sharing with the whole family.  Secondly, I want to prepare an Advent devotional for every family and individual to have during the season, so that we are all on the same page – so to speak!  My suggestion is that you write about the Nativity Set that you are bringing to share.  Tell us why it is meaningful to you, where it came from, or any other information you’d like to share.  We’ll compile them and have them ready for distribution that first weekend of Advent.  There will be guidelines for the devotional available to help you put together your story. 

Well, that’s our fall tour.  I for one am excited about all that is to come, the beautiful variety of color and light that is the family of God here in this place.  I hope you are too.

Shalom,
Pastor Derek

  

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