Pastor Greta with the Chorister ChoirIgnite Youth GroupUPAVIMPastor Jim giving a sermonMision FronterasPastor Greta baptizing a child

Prayers for Oklahoma

Prayers for Oklahoma

Please hold the people of Oklahoma in prayer. Support relief efforts with a gift to UMCOR disaster response. 100% of your donation will go directly to help the victims. Our thoughts and prayers are with the people of Oklahoma, as well as others affected by tornadoes.

If you feel that you want to give financially to help those in Oklahoma, the United Methodist Committee on Relief, better known as UMCOR, is a great vehicle to do that. They are able to send 100% of your donation directly to disaster response because the United Methodist Church takes on the responsibility of paying all overhead, administrative, and fundraising costs for UMCOR, with the help of separate fundraising such as the One Great Hour of Sharing.

UMCOR Disaster Response |

How Does Your Garden Share?

Don’t let any extra produce from your home garden go to waste this summer. The 2013 DGFUMC Sharing Garden program will collect extra vegetables and donate them to folks in need. All summer long, just bring veggies to church on Sunday and leave them in the big basket in the parlor. The Missions Work Area will deliver them to the PRC food pantry in Westmont.

Watch for the program launch in the parlor on May 19. Free tomato and pepper plants to anyone who will grow a few extra for the food pantry. Or perhaps add an extra row of any veggie to your home garden. Contact Jean Krusinski with questions.

Note: There will NOT be any church plots at Mar-Duke farms this year. We are asking church members to plant and share from their home garden.

Thank You JJ Mannschreck

JJ and Sara MannschreckWe want to congratulate Seminary Intern JJ Mannschreck on his recent graduation from Garrett-Evangelical! JJ has had a very successful seminary experience, as you may have assumed from the high quality of leadership he shared during his two years with our congregation.

With seminary completed, JJ now steps out of his role with our local church and begins the rest of his journey in full-time ministry. He and his wife, Sara, plan to work abroad for the next two years, she teaching English, and he serving in available ministry capacities. Following that adventure, they plan to return to Michigan, where JJ will serve as a pastor in the Detroit Area Conference.

From working with the Praise Band, to leading youth ministries for a time, to beginning a small group, to preaching and pastoral care and administrative experience, JJ has gifted our congregation and made a difference in many ways.

Godspeed, JJ and Sara - we are grateful for you!

Young At Heart: McCullom Park Miniature Golf

The Young At Heart group of senior adults are going to meet at McCullom Park on Wednesday, June 12 to play Miniature Golf. We will start play at 11:00 a.m. We will play golf for about an hour and then go to Home Run Inn for a pizza lunch.

Each one will pay for their own golf and lunch.

You may sign up for this event in the Parlor between and after Worship Services on Sunday mornings or by calling Marilou Welch at 630.968.4136.

We Took the Hygiene Kit Challenge!

For the Northern Illinois Annual Conference in June, each district has been asked to get involved in helping those recovering from natural disasters by supplying items for the assembly of over 1,000 health/hygiene kits.

The Aurora District has been challenged to supply bars of soap and zip-closure 1-gallon plastic bags.

First United Methodist Church of Downers Grove has committed to bring 200 bars of soap and 200 zip-closure 1-gallon plastic bags. Soap should be bath-size in their original packaging. We have fulfilled our plastic bag commitment but we still need 83 bars of soap.

Donations will be accepted throughout the month of May in the Parlor on Sundays or in the church office. The last day for donations will be June 2. Please help us meet this challenge.

United Methodist Women May Meeting Dates

World Thank Offering Sunday - May 12th - United Methodist Women take over and help at all three worship services as lay readers, greeters, and ushers.  Listen as our UMW president, Julie Stone, tells you all about United Methodist Women.

Rachel Circle - Thursday, May 23rd - 9:00 a.m. - Wendy Nystrom's home

Miriam Circle - Thursday, May 23rd - 12:00 p.m. - Oak Trace

Ruth Circle - Thursday, May 23rd - 12:00 p.m. -  Elizabeth Vaughan's home

Mary Elizabeth Circle - Wednesday, May 29th - 12:00 p.m. - Oak Trace

Sarah Circle - Thursday, May 30th - at the PRC to volunteer for the evening

Friday Night at the Movies: Save the Tiger

NEW DATE : Friday, May 24 at the Safford Home Theater

Save the Tiger

Discussion Leader: Carol Lysne

I saw this movie in 1973, 40 years ago. One scene in particular had a profound effect upon me and I never forgot it. When I learned we were showing academy award movies this season, I immediately remembered Jack Lemmon’s performance in Save the Tiger and wondered if it would still have the same impact on me. I watched it for the second time. It did.

Save the Tiger follows a day and a half in Harry’s life. Jack Lemmon plays Harry Stoner, the owner of a dress manufacturing business, who sees himself as a good citizen. Jack Gilford plays his friend and partner Phil Green. The two spar repeatedly over moral issues as Harry seeks to make his payroll and keep his business going. The movie repeatedly asks how important success is when we measure ourselves against our ideals. Save the Tiger explores what happens when we come to believe that the end can justify the means?

Jack Lemmon wanted to make this movie so much that he waived his usual fee and worked for scale, $165.00 a week. His performance as Harry Stoner won him an Oscar for best actor.

Soft drinks, popcorn, dessert and coffee will be provided; a $2 donation is suggested.

Sign-up begins May 1 in the church office or using the form below.

Church Camp: All Things New

The First United Methodist Church of Downers Grove is offering a summer camp experience for children and youth from June 24 to 28, 2012. 

Camp offers children and youth the opportunity for fellowship with other children. It offers youth and adults an experience of God’s creation while exploring nature. It offers everyone a chance to experience Christian community and develop skills for Christian living.

This year, the theme of the camp is All Things New. From the very beginning, God creates order out of chaos. With each new day light overcomes darkness, new life emerges, and we find new potential in our own lives. The Bible provides the good news for us that as God restored the lives of ancient people, God will renew us today as well. Our experiences at camp together show us that through Christ, God continues to do a new thing in us, both individually and collectively.

Day 1: A New Thing (Isaiah 43:19-21)

Day 2: New Shape (Jeremiah 18:1-6)

Day 3: New Expressions (Luke 10:38-42)

Day 4: New Community (Philippians 1:3-6)

Camp will be held at Wesley Woods Conference Center in Williams Bay, Wisconsin. Wesley Woods is owned and operated by the Northern Illinois Conference.

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