White Plains United Methodist Church

Have you registered for the Journey to Joy Women's Weekend Retreat yet? Don't forget you must register by THIS Sunday, December 10th, to guarantee your space.

The retreat will take place February 16-18, 2024, at the Smith Conference Center at Ft. Caswell, Oak Island. Join us for a weekend of fun where facilitator Leigh Young will lead the weekend with music and worship by Pastor Kelly Lyn. All women are welcome, so invite your friends, sister, mom, or even adult daughters! Learn more and register online at wpumc.com/WomensRetreat to pay a $100 deposit to guarantee your space.

As the holidays approach, consider giving to our neighbors in need. This year the White Christmas Program will be providing gift cards for food and gifts to families in the Carying Place program (for disadvantaged families.) Any sum a Sunday School class, group, or individual can give would be greatly appreciated. Please indicate the funds to be added to the White Christmas fund. Thanks for helping others have a good Christmas this year. Contact Cheryl Phillips at [email protected] with questions.

Youth Caroling & Christmas Party Dec. 17th!!!

Hey ! Check Out What The WPUMC Youth Ministry is Doing This Week! Sign Up for the Secret Santa gift exchange on Dec. 17! WPUMC YOUTH MINISTRY WEEKLY eBlast Volume 04 Issue 54 December 5, 2023 Click HERE to view the White Plains UMC Calendar.     EMAIL JASON! Whi

On December 16th, we will have a Posada Party! Everyone is welcome to come and celebrate Jesus' Birthday with our community and Seeds and Harvest of Love. The Posada will start at 5:00 pm in the Sanctuary. At 5:30 pm, we will move to the Chapel for dinner and piñatas for the children.

El 16 de Diciembre tendremos La Posada. Todos son bienvenidos a celebrar el cumpleaños de Jesús con nuestra comunidad y semillas de amor. La Posada comenzará a las 5:00 pm en el Santuario. A las 5:30 pm nos moveremos a la Capilla para cenar y habrá piñatas para los niños.

The November Distribution was a huge success. We received 2200 pounds of food from Goodwill, which made 105 boxes of pantry staples, then added 145 Food Lion Feeds boxes to that to feed 250 families. Each family also received a box of produce, eggs, stuffing, butter, bread, children's books, infant and toddler foods (donated by Goodwill), and diapers. We plan to serve 325 families in December with basically the same offerings. The need in our community continues to grow. We continue to be so thankful for our congregation's support!

Learn how you can help with donations to the Toy Drive for the December distribution in our latest eBlast at wpumc.com/eBlast.

The perfect way to end the Advent Festival... a pageant!

Lots of fun tonight at the Advent Festival!

It seems as though we can't go anywhere without seeing the signs of the Christmas season. But what are the signs of the Advent season? Advent can be an uncomfortable time of waiting and anticipation as the days draw shorter and the light recedes. Whether you embrace or endure the outward decorations of the season, we pray you'll join us as we adorn our hearts with Hope, Peace, Joy, and Love. Today, we will read the great prayer of hope from Isaiah 64 and gather together at the Lord's table to receive Holy Communion. We hope you'll join us in person at 11 am or online to deck the halls of our hearts with hope.

November Heart and Home Update | We will soon be able to formally close out Phase 1A. It was delayed by issues we were having with our new HVAC system. Those issues seem to have been resolved and were mainly based in controls and graphics…the tech side of our unit.

We have a team from White Plains that is undergoing training to read and operate the new system. They have completed one day of training and have another coming up in mid-December. We have the option to schedule a third if needed.

Phase 1B is progressing well. Here is a list of where we are presently.

- All brick and block on the new exit stair is finished.
- Concrete has been poured to create the lower floor of the stairwell.
- The door between the first floor and the exit stair has been cut.
- Steel reinforcements are being installed in the exit stairwell to support the 2nd floor.
- Painting has begun on the 2nd floor. There is now one coat of primer on all of the new drywall. In the Fellowship Hall, the many ceiling supports, and the ceiling itself is being painted.
- Tile is finished in the restrooms. Fixtures have been installed. Stall partitions have been ordered.
- LED lighting in the Fellowship Hall is almost finished.
- Moisture tests for the 2nd floor will start next week. We don’t expect there to be a significant amount of moisture on the 2nd floor compared to what we experienced downstairs.
- You may have noticed the plywood structures placed along our sidewalk and up to the sanctuary doors. These were mock-ups for exterior signage to show size and placement.

If all goes according to plan, we are looking at a completion date sometime in March or April. This largely depends on supply delivery dates.

Your prayers and generosity are greatly appreciated as we move towards our goal of, once again, having a fully functioning and updated CLC.

Have you registered for the Journey to Joy Women's Weekend Retreat yet? Don't forget you must register by Sunday, December 10th, to guarantee your space.

The retreat will take place February 16-18, 2024, at the Smith Conference Center at Ft. Caswell, Oak Island. Join us for a weekend of fun where facilitator Leigh Young will lead the weekend with music and worship by Pastor Kelly Lyn. All women are welcome, so invite your friends, sister, mom, or even adult daughters! Learn more and register online at wpumc.com/WomensRetreat to pay a $100 deposit to guarantee your space.

The season of Advent is almost here, come celebrate with us! We invite you to check out all of the events that we will be having over the next month, including a bible study, Children's Ministry Advent Celebration, a concert with the Raleigh Ringers, La Posada, Christmas Food Panty and Toy Distribution, Longest Night Service, and of course Christmas Eve worship services for the whole family!

You are invited to celebrate the season of Advent at White Plains UMC! Mark your calendar for these events we have going on this month.   Come Deck the Halls and Celebrate Advent Season at White Plains UMC!     Deck The Halls | A New Sermon Series As we Deck The Halls of

The Children's Ministry Advent Celebration is a time for families to join together to prepare our hearts for the birth of baby Jesus. There will be crafts for children and adults, cookies, hot chocolate, and a visit from Santa. The celebration starts at 5:00 pm in the Chapel. At 6:30 pm in the Sanctuary, all children will choose a nativity character and participate in a no-rehearsal pageant with traditional Christmas carols and the Christmas story. Invite a friend and come celebrate the birth of Jesus with us! wpumc.com/adventcelebration

On this we ask for your prayer consideration with a gift to White Plains United Methodist Church. All gifts are used to do God’s work and help make his love real in our community and beyond! We invite you to make a gift today at wpumc.com/give

How are you making an impact with your giving today?

We are having a Toy Drive for our Food Pantry and need your help! On December 16, White Plains is spreading joy to the children in our community at our Christmas Food Pantry distribution. You can share the magic and wonder of Christmas by donating new toys for all ages! A $5-$10 toy will bring a smile to a child’s face and bless the family with our generosity and love. Suggestions include dolls, cars, art kits, games, stuffed animals, building blocks, doctor kits, Legos, and action figures. Suggestions for older children include family games, puzzles, earbuds, footballs, basketballs, and soccer balls. Please include a gift bag with your donation. Donations can be dropped off in the marked barrel in the sanctuary lobby or in Michele Vansteen’s office. The deadline for donations is Sunday, December 10.

After Moses' encounter with God in the burning bush and his call to go to Pharaoh, we find in Exodus Chapters 6-16 an action-packed sequence of drama. These 10 chapters cover the back-and-forth conflict with Pharaoh, the plagues, the Passover, the flight of the Israelites to the sea, their rescue and Pharaoh's army's defeat, the Israelites complaining in the wilderness, and God's gracious response.

The story of the Exodus is THE central story of the Old Testament. From here on out, God is identified as the "one who brought us up out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery." This story also changes how the Israelites define themselves in relationship with God as those whom God delivered from slavery in Egypt.

Join us in worship this morning in person or online as we journey through Exodus!

I love you, but spend your Sunday with your family and friends. It’s a good time to be the church, my friends.

Tomorrow, we continue our sermon series on With-God Life, focusing on The People of God in Exodus, part 2. The story of the Exodus is THE central story of the Old Testament. Will you join us? You can tune in for online worship at wpumc.com/online or join us in person at 11 am for worship! See you in the morning!

https://youtu.be/QPWo1oTGxEc

Jason and Rob discuss the second part of the story of Moses and God's people as found in Exodus chapters 6 - 16. Here are three questions you might find helpful as you discuss these chapters in your family or small group or just process them individually:

1. How is God being revealed?
2. How is God "with" Moses?
3. How do we deal with Bible stories we find challenging (like the violence in this story)?

Withness 9 - The People of God in Exodus part 2 Jason and Rob discuss the second part of the story of Moses and God's people as found in Exodus chapters 6 - 16. Here are three questions you might find help...

SAVE THE DATE: January Leadership Training on Zoom | Sunday, January 7, from 2-3:30 pm and 4-5:30 pm

Training includes Trustees, Council, Finance, S/PPRC, Nominations, and a session introducing the Keeping the Faith Program created by the Duke Clergy Health Initiative. Lay leaders will be invited to attend Keeping the Faith. More information is coming soon.

Today and every day we give thanks for all of the blessings that God has given us. What blessings are you thankful for this year? Is it a person in your life? Be sure to tell them how much they mean to you! Is it a memory with friends or family? Be sure to tell them the impact that they have made on your life and that you are thankful for them! - Happy Thanksgiving from all of us at White Plains UMC!

The Ralph Dr. beautification project continues! A huge thank you to new Trustee Kathy Fitzgerald and a team of dedicated volunteers for all of their hard work. Thanks be to God for faithful servants who make our grounds such a welcoming place!

Are you looking for a fun group of women to join together in fellowship with? Then you don't want to miss out on Journey to Joy, a Women’s Weekend Retreat that will take place February 16-18, 2024, at Smith Conference Center at Ft. Caswell, Oak Island. Join us for a weekend of fun where facilitator Leigh Young will lead the weekend with music and worship by Pastor Kelly Lyn. All women are welcome, so invite your friends, sister, mom, or even adult daughters!

Arrival is on Friday from 4:00 to 5:30 pm. We will depart on Sunday around 11:30 am. Hotel-style lodging includes meals Friday evening through Sunday breakfast and all retreat fees. The cost per double room is $200, and a single room is $225. Partial scholarships are available. Contact Robin Cranfill at [email protected] for more information. Register online at wpumc.com/WomensRetreat to pay a $100 deposit by Sunday, December 10th, to guarantee your space.

The Light of Day Book Club will not meet in November or December. The November discussion has been rescheduled to January 16, when we will begin meeting on the THIRD Tuesday of each month instead of the second Tuesday. This gives you lots of time to read our January selection - All My Knotted-up Life: A Memoir by Beth Moore – a thoughtful, funny, and vulnerable glimpse into the life and ministry of a woman familiar to many but known by few. For more information, visit wpumc.com/bookclub. Contact [email protected] to be added to the mailing list and notified of updates and Zoom links.

Today is Youth Sunday! We invite you to come see the new things God is doing in the lives of our young people at White Plains! Jason's never seen the youth this excited about leading their church in worship. Emanuel Salazar Flores will proclaim the Gospel and share all the places Jesus showed up during the planning of a brand new NCCUMC youth event.

Watch online at wpumc.com/online or join us in person at 11 am in the Sanctuary for a unified worship service.

What a great night for Grace Notes singing 5 sets of Christmas music at Biltmore!