Announcements
The flowers on the altar are in honor of Lori Catlin Garcia, whose leadership and hard work made Rally Day such a huge success. Thank you, Lori!
THANK YOU!
Thank you to everyone who made our Rally Day possible. Literally dozens of volunteers helped with cooking, set-up, photography, office work, etc. It takes a village, and all of the work was appreciated!
Pledge Reminder
As of August 31st, we're behind in our giving by about $50,000 for the year. This tends to happen every summer, so I'm not panicking yet, but if you can catch up on your pledge donations, that would be much appreciated. Thanks, Jen Acheson and the Finance Team
New Name Tags and Lanyards
If you missed Rally Day, you missed your PRIZE! We have beautiful SUM lanyards and name tags on the stage. Please take a lanyard and look for your name tag in the alphabetized boxes. If you are new (or if we accidentally missed your name), you can sign up, and your name tag will be ready the following week.
NEW! Sermon and Devotions Webpage
Our sermon webpage has been redesigned with the addition of weekly devotions! Each week, Pastor DH will create a daily devotion based on the sermon topic. If you missed church, you can watch the service or read the sermon on the same page. Check it out here.
Carillon and Stained Glass Tours
Did you know that SUM has the second-largest carillon in the state of Connecticut? Or that our sanctuary includes three Tiffany windows? Church members will be giving tours of the carillon tower and the sanctuary/stained glass windows on Saturday, September 20, from 10:00 a.m. to 12:00 noon. Join us and learn about these treasures!
SUM Worship Committee Needs Your Help
The worship committee is looking for a volunteer to recruit and schedule readers for the 10:30 service. This task involves asking church members to select a date they would like to read the scripture during the 10:30 service, keeping a calendar of names and dates members are available to read, and sharing this information monthly with Melissa and Sandy. If you would like to help, please get in touch with Sandy Lipscomb or Melissa Fearrington.
Blessing of the Animals
Join us on Saturday, October 4th, from 1 to 3 p.m. on the SUM front lawn with your animal(s). Pastor DH will bless your pets, and you can spoil them by purchasing homemade cookies, scarves, and other goodies. All proceeds go to Double Dog Rescue in Simsbury.
Confirmation Class
This year, we will be offering Confirmation Classes for children who are in the 7th or 8th grade. These classes occur every other year at SUM. We will gather for four two-hour classes spaced out throughout the year, as well as a one-hour orientation session. If you are interested, please contact Tami LePage or Deb Reid.
Volunteers Needed for Church School and the Nursery
We are looking for volunteers to help out in the nursery and Church School on Sundays. Please contact Elizabeth Webber if you can help.
Susannas Meeting
The Susannas’ first meeting will be to tour the Hill-Stead Museum in Farmington, which will take the place of our Sept. meeting. Lynn Wadhams will give us a private tour of this lovely home and museum. Please contact Lucille Burke for more information.
Church Bulletin Boards
We have limited room on the bulletin boards and kiosk for non-SUM announcements. If you have posters you would like us to consider, please drop them off at the office. We kindly ask that you don't post items yourself.
Food & Fellowship Signup
Join us for great food and great company! Food & Fellowship is a great way to meet church members in a casual and comfortable setting. Four times over the next eight months, we will gather around the dinner table to laugh, tell stories, and get to know one another. How it works: You will get a welcome letter, a schedule of the fellowship groups, and the contact sheet. The host prepares the main dish, and the three guests bring either an appetizer, side dish, or dessert. Depending on our numbers, each household will host once and be a guest the other three times. Please sign up here, or see the flyer on the kiosk in Wesley Hall. For more details or questions, contact Susan Samuel. Please sign up no later than Sept. 15th. Thanks!
Adult Spiritual Growth Classes
Once again, our volunteer facilitators have come up with a variety of classes on different days, at different times, and about different subjects. There is something for everyone. Please read the descriptions here and register, or let your facilitator know you will be attending, so you receive the class assignments in a timely manner. Let’s grow together.
Praying for the Entire SUM Family
Each week, we will publish five SUM directory entries to the Messenger so that you can add these people to your prayers. By the end of the year, we will have prayed for the entire SUM family. This week, please pray for the following: the Kline family (Jolie, Barry, and Nicholas), Jessica & Andie Klopfer, Robert & Rosa Klotz, Bob Knight, and the Knight family (Glenn, Lei, Benjamin, and Mei).
The Prayer Chain is Ready for Your Requests
The SUM reinvigorated Prayer Chain is ready for your requests. We have a dedicated team of Prayer Warriors who will receive them. To submit a prayer request, email our Prayer Warriors. Please let our Prayer Chain team know if the prayers are no longer needed by sending an update to the same email address.