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Dyer United Methodist Church 2016 Church Street Dyer, IN 46311 219.865.8947

www.dyerumc.org

Our journey to becoming a more fruitful congregation for our community and God's kingdom is set to begin very soon. I want to take this opportunity to share some details about what the first leg of our Fruitful Congregations Journey (FCJ) will look like and to ask all of you to save some very important dates in the near future.

First, one of the Ministry Action Plans (MAPs) that our church voted to accept and strive to achieve included a task that was explained in the report like this: "The Trustees will do a facilies audit of the church building and make a list of areas that need to be uncluered and/or refurbished so !"#!$!"%$&"'(&"$"#)$&*%#+,$'-.#!%.$)-#&%$/0($1!)$21+1)!(1%)$34$5#)!%($0/$6789:;$

A team has been formed to begin work on this goal with plans to get started in mid November. The team will be visiting several other church buildings where congregations have already done this necessary work. Following those visits the team will survey our own space and write a report including a Next Steps Plan to be shared with the Trustees Committee as a whole. The Trustees Committee will discuss the feasibility of the plan and share their intentions with the Administrative Council.

The second FCJ update I want to give this month has to do with some very important dates in January, February and March of 2015. Another major part of the report from Church Development was in reference to our need for a vision statement to support our mission which is, "To make disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world." The work of developing our vision statement will begin with three very important workshops that everyone in our church are invited to and encouraged to attend. The workshops are:

Core Values Workshop--January 27, 2015 at 7pm Vision Workshop--February 17, 2015 at 7pm Vision Teams Reporting Workshop--March 10, 2015 at 7pm

As the dates of these workshops draw closer more detailed information about each of them will be available. For now though, I would like to ask that you do two things; first, mark these dates on your calendars and make plans to attend each of them so that you can offer valuable input as we seek God's guidance in the visioning process. The second thing I would like for you to commit to doing immediately, is to pray for our church and the Fruitful Congregations Journey; please pray that God would be ever present in this process, and that we, the people of Dyer UMC, would listen to Him and follow His lead as we move forward and become more fruitful in our community. Through Christ, Pastor Jim

November 2014 Volume 5, Issue 11 Published Monthly Making disciples of Jesus Christ for the Transformation of the World

Page 2

Look what happened last month!

I WITNESS NEWSLETTER

Look whats happening around our church!

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I WITNESS NEWSLETTER Page 3

A Note from Pastor October has been National Clergy Appreciation month since 1992. I heard God calling me and my family into ministry 10 years later, in 2002. So, for as long as I have been a pastor, October has been National Clergy Appreciation month. I have to admit, as a pastor, October is a wonderful month. I could not even begin to explain how nice it is to receive the cards and notes and all of the other tokens of appreciation that are shared with me and my family during the month of October. That is why I want to take this opportunity to offer a truly heartfelt, "Thank You," to our Dyer UMC family for all of the ways you have expressed your appreciation to us this year and during the previous three years of our ministry here. We hope you know how much it means to all of us to be appreciated by all of you.

In addition to thanking you for your expressions of appreciation for us; we would like to express our appreciation for all of you. When Paul wrote his first letter to the church in Thessalonica he started it with these words:

"We always thank God for all of you and continually mention you in our prayers. We remember before our God and Father your work produced by faith, your labor prompted by love, and your endurance inspired by hope in our Lord Jesus Christ."

Paul appreciated the people who made up the churches he served and I want all of you to know that my family and I appreciate all of you in the same way. It has been a true blessing to be the pastoral family at Dyer UMC. We love being in ministry with all of you; we love the op-portunities we have to share the love of Jesus alongside all of you; we love walking with you when you need a friend in Jesus, and we love it that you will walk with us when we have the same need. We are, and always have been, so very sure that God brought all of us together because He had work for us to do together. So, we appreciate you, not only for welcoming us into your family, but also for partnering with us in ministry...so that the gospel might be shared, disciples made and the world transformed.

We love you.

Pastor Jim, Megan, Jamie, Josie and Jenna Clark

A Note from Pastor Jim

To Our Beloved Church Family,

Laura and I would like to extend our heartfelt gratitude and appreciation to everyone for your love and support due to the sudden passing of my mother, Helen.

Quite frankly, we were overwhelmed! Your expressions of sympathy were expressed from phone calls, text messages, posts on Facebook and Twitter, cards we received in the mail and all those who came to my Mom's visitation and funeral.

A special thank you to the team who prepared the delicious food and refreshments to make it easier on us. All we can say is "Thank You from the bottom of our hearts."

Forever In Christ, Lloyd And Laura Schiemann

Our church is used for many community centered events!

Just this past month, we hosted a few health wellness events: Fall DUMC Blood Drive, Flu shots were administered to members who were interested and a Life Line Screening!

Life Line Screening

I WITNESS NEWSLETTER Page 4

Upcoming Sermon Series

Extravagant Generosity The Heart of Giving

November 2 thru November 23, 2014 During the month of November we will focus on the love God pours out on us and the ways we are

called to respond through a stewardship program called, "Extravagant Generosity: The Heart of

Giving". You will not want to miss one of the four Sundays planned as we explore and celebrate

matters of our hearts. This will be a very meaningful time for our congregation.

November 2, 2014 EKG: Ministry Flows From the Heart 1 Timothy 6:17-19 As we get started on our journey to Extravagant Generosity this week, we'll consider our spiritual

health; we'll start with a "check-up." It's a good idea for people to check their pulse on occasion to be

sure that their heart is beating properly; that it is healthy and long life is ahead. Checking the "pulse"

of the Church is also a good idea...for the same reasons; to see how healthy we are and to make

adjustments where needed to ensure long life ahead; not just life, but life that is truly life.

November 9, 2014 Deuteronomy 6:4-6 and John 13:34-35

The Art of Love: Relationships Are Matters of the Heart This week you will have received a letter with a card that asked you to express who you love in the

church and why; who in this church has helped you grow in your faith? Let's focus this week on

celebrating those we love and their positive influence in our lives. From the great Shema of the Torah in

Deuteronomy to the teaching of Jesus found in John 13, this focus on loving relationship is at the root of

the scriptural values of our faith. Loving relationships are yet another component of the Extravagant

Generosity we are striving for.

November 16, 2014 Joel 2:28, Matthew 6:28-33

Bucket Lists: Vision and Hope Are Inspirations of the Heart

This week we'll ask ourselves what our dreams are for ourselves and for our church in the coming year.

What would a "Bucket List" for yourself and our church include? As we continue this series about our

generosity and the direct connection it has to our hearts, we'll turn to Matthew's gospel and God's

promise to supply us with all of our needs when we seek Him first. When we are truly generous with our

lives God responds. Let's dream this week about how He might respond to our generosity with more of

His own generosity.

November 23, 2014 John 3:16 and 2 Corinthians 8:24

Declarations of Your Heart: Extravagant Generosity is an Expression of Your Heart

This is the final week of the Extravagant Generosity series. The first 3 weeks of the program found us

considering God's generosity in our personal lives, in the missions and ministries of our church and in

the way we are able to dream and envision what else God has in store for this community of faith as we

reach out in love to our community. This week, as we are reminded again of God's extreme generosity,

we'll have an opportunity to express our own generosity in response through our pledged giving. Our

giving is an expression of our gratitude.

I WITNESS NEWSLETTER Page 5

Missions

Every third Monday of the month Dyer UMC welcomes the community to come to a community breakfast at our church. The breakfast is prepared and served each month by people from our church. People from our church also eat breakfast around the tables with our guests. That is where they have the opportunity to get to know them and their needs and to share Jesus love with them. Both of these roles, the preparer/server and the witness, are so important to this ministry. We invite each of you to come on a Community Breakfast morning. Whether you come to eat, to serve, or to bear witness to Jesus incredible love, you will be blessed. And chances are, the people you meet will also be blessed. Then they will take that blessing as they go back into the community, share it, and then our little corner of this world will be transformed!

Free

Community Breakfast

Dyer United Methodist Church 2016 Church Street

Every 3rd Monday 8:3010:30 a.m.

Tis the seasonfor Angel Tree.

Our Angel Tree Ministry is underway! Forms are being distributed to our schools, missions, and food pantry families. If you know of someone who could use some extra help this Christmas season, please feel free to pick up a form in the church office. All forms are due back by November 14th. The tree will be in the lobby beginning November 23 (Just in time for Black Friday shopping! J) This year we

are trying something new: There will be family groups on the tree for a small group, Go Group, Sunday School Class, or any other group to provide for all the kids in a family! We also need volunteers to help check/sort the gifts that are donated. If your family or group of friends would be interested in adopting a specific school to check, please see Paul or Diane Myers or contact the church office to let us know! Thank you for all the support you have shown for this ministry in the past! Please keep Angel Tree in your prayers through the Christmas Season!

T hanks for your donations of food for our

food pantry! This and our church

neighborhood food drive have provided our

food supply for the fall months.

This past summer, twice each month we served about

23 visitors representing 71 family members. We now

see 35 visitors representing 124 family members, as

needs increase from fall through spring. Each visitor

receives 16 pounds of food, which is equivalent to 13

meals. This provides two days of meals for a two-

person family; it provides a little less than one day of

food for a family of six.

This winter food distribution of food is 1120 pounds a

month, which is 140 bags of food items. We and other

local pantries would like to give families with four or

more people enough food to cover two days; this

would require an additional 560 pounds or 70 more

bags of food each month.

We currently have a supply of most food items to last

into December. Our largest need is to find a major

food supply source to sustain our needs of 5600

pounds of food for mid-December through April 2015.

I WITNESS NEWSLETTER Page 6

Upcoming Events

Sign up for email event reminders at www.dyerumc.org. Go to the calendar page.

Pastor Jim Clark .................................... ...james.clark@inumc.org

Music Director Juanita Jarecki....juanitaj88@gmail.com .

Office Administrator Diane Sinishoffice@dyerumc.org

Nursery Coordinator/Custodian Angie VanDeursen....vandeursen@sbcglobal.net

At Your Service

Go Groups are now forming!

To pray, study the Bible (The book of Mark first) and discuss ways we can be in service to our community.

Wednesday Nights at 7PM: Applebees Go Group: Young Adults (18-30ish) Applebees in Schererville, Route 30.

Thursday Nights at 6:30PM. Subway Dyer (977 Sheffield)

More groups will be forming in the community very soon. Please pay attention to the Go Group Bulletin board for upcoming group information.

Matthew 28:19

Being a church that leaves the building.

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Children's Christmas Program!

It's hard to believe, but yes, it's that time again.

The program this year is called "Unfrozen-Do You Want to Meet a Savior?"

If your child is interested in being involved,

please contact either

Donna George at 219.613.3580 donnaegeorge@sbcglobal.net

Juanita Jarecki at 219.322.6309

email at juanitaj88@gmail.com.

You are welcome to join

us immediately following

Sunday school!

We will be decorating the

church on November 23rd

Guest Preacher on January 11: Herb Buwalda "The Church that Jesus Built"

Scriptures: Proverbs 29:18, Matthew 16: 13-18.

Core Values Workshop: January 27, 2015 @ 7:00PM Vision Workshop: February 17, 2015 @ 7:00PM Vision Teams Reporting Workshop: March 10 @7PM

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Mailing Address Line 1

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Weekly Service Times

Sundays 9:00 a.m. Worship Service 10:15 a.m. Fellowship Time

10:30 a.m. Sunday School (All ages)

Prayer Gathering 7:15 a.m. Sunday Mornings

www.dyerumc.org 219-865-8947

November Meetings

Open Hearts, Open Minds, Open Doors

2016 Church Street

Dyer, IN 46311

Childrens Ministries Monday, November 3 6:30PM

Worship Team Monday, November 3 7:00PM

N.O.A.H Tuesday, November 4 6:30PM

Trustees Tuesday, November 4 7:00PM

Missions Team Monday, November 10 7:00PM

Staff-Parish Monday, November 17 7:00PM

DUMC Staff Tuesday, November 18 10:00AM

Finance Team Tuesday, November 25 6:00PM

Ad Council Tuesday, November 25 7:00PM

Join us for Youth Group Sunday Evenings at the ARK 13501 109th Ave, Dyer, IN