The NewDay Christmas Eve service on Dec. 16th at the worship annex. Hot cocoa and cookies served at 6:30 pm, followed by worship at 7:00. Invite someone and worship together as we Repeat the Sounding Joy of Christmas!

The PUMC Children’s Christmas Program will be held on Wednesday, December 13th, at 6:30 pm in the sanctuary. This year’s theme is “Jingle Jam.” We will have cookies, crafts, singing, worship, and more to help us celebrate the Christmas season and find meaning in the coming of Jesus! Everyone is invited, especially our weekday families, children, and the young at heart. This is a great way to meet people you might not know across PUMC and celebrate the season! If you are interested in helping prepare for this event, please contact Charity, our Director of Kids and Children’s Programming, at caton@pumc.org.

Have you recently visited the church office on a Monday or Thursday morning? If so, you might have noticed a new staff member. We are excited to introduce Carol Clem as our new part-time Office Receptionist. Carol will greet guests, direct traffic, and assist with various office tasks. Please join us in welcoming Carol to our team!

Angel Tree provides gifts, cookies, a Bible, and a personal message to children whose parents are incarcerated. By December 4, pick an angel from the tree in the Main Lobby, buy, wrap, and return your gift by noon on December 10.

You can also:

• Volunteer to bake and/or sort cookies
• Volunteer to help sort gifts
• Volunteer to deliver gifts

Important dates:

• Angels available on November 19, 26, and December
• Gifts due by noon on December 10
• Gift sorting starts at 1pm on December 10
• Cookies due by 5pm on December 15
• Gift delivery starts on December 17 at 11am

For more information, contact Terry Jones at 317-412-3123.

Give thanks to God for his gift. –2 Corinthians 9:15.

After careful thought and 42 years of ministry, Pastor Charlie and Donna have announced their intent to retire! This is not an easy decision for them since they both agree the 10 years they spent at PUMC have been the most welcoming and wonderful place they have served. As much as they have enjoyed their time with us, it is time for them to travel and spend more time with their kids and grandkids. Charlie’s last sermon will be on Father’s Day, so we still have many months of worship with him and Donna. Our Superintendent and the Bishop’s office are already aware and working to ensure they appoint the right pastor to follow in Charlie’s footsteps. The diligent process they used to send Charlie and Donna to PUMC will bring us another great pastor. While we are all excited for Charlie and Donna, we also recognize that we are sad at the thought of them leaving, and change can be hard and a little scary. We will work through all of that together and with prayer. Please join me in congratulating Charlie and Donna on their wonderful years of service and upcoming retirement.

A message from Pastor Charlie:

Grace and Peace to you.

Thank you, PUMC, for supporting me and Donna as we have served here for what will be ten years at the end of this coming June. We love you! We wanted you to know about our retirement before the Advent/Christmas and Lent/Easter seasons so that we could enjoy these special times together. You are a uniquely loving, caring, inclusive, and hospitable congregation that consistently serves others to make the grace and love of God in Jesus Christ clear to all. We continue to trust God to use the system by which we came to be sent to PUMC in 2014 to send a wonderful new Sr. Pastor to PUMC next summer. Though things will change next year, we celebrate the truth that Michael W. Smith famously sang, “Friends are friends forever if the Lord’s the Lord of them.” All God’s blessings, friends.

Shalom,

Charlie and Donna Wilfong

Are you a big fan of Christmas? Do you enjoy singing along to festive tunes? Would you like to join in on the fun and sing popular Christmas carols like “Deck the Halls,” “Let it Snow,” and “Joy to the World”?

If you answered “yes” to any of these questions, we invite you to join the PUMC family for the third annual 2023 Carol-A-Thon on December 3, 2023. This event is open to everyone, including friends, neighbors, and children.

You’ll get to suggest your favorite Christmas carols and help decide the playlist for the sing-along. Visit the Carol-A-Thon display in the Lobby and Worship Annex today and for the next two Sundays to make your suggestions. The most requested songs will be featured in the sing-along on December 3 at 6:30 pm in the Sanctuary at PUMC.

Join us on the last Saturday of the month for a free lunch. Pass the word and bring a friend. Everyone is welcome! Door 14 will be open, and we will serve from 11:15 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.

PUMC members are welcome to attend this annual business meeting of the church on Sunday, November 26, 2023, 3:00 p.m., at Danville UMC. We will conduct necessary business of the church, make appropriate reports to the District, and celebrate our ministry and life together.

Contact the church office for more information.

A team from PUMC traveled to Henderson Settlement in Kentucky for a week of mission work. They replaced rotted steps and modified existing stairs to fit a deck. Future mission trips are scheduled for May and September 2024. Volunteers can work in various areas, including construction, office help, library organization, greenhouse work, sewing, thrift shop assistance, landscaping, and maintenance. Joining a team is an open invitation for anyone interested. Room, board, and three daily meals will be provided. Contact Don Sanders at dsandjs@att.net for more information.

Volunteers in children’s ministry are the backbone of spiritual growth and well-being for children in church communities. Their selfless dedication and tireless efforts have far-reaching positive impacts on the children’s emotional, social, and spiritual growth.
Through building meaningful relationships, they establish trust, care, and mentorship that create a supportive and nurturing environment for children. Volunteers teach children about God, the Bible, and Christian values while modeling Christ’s love through their words and actions. They demonstrate kindness, compassion, patience, and forgiveness, teaching children how to live out their faith in practical ways.

Volunteers ensure that the children’s ministry is a safe and secure space, both physically and emotionally, and provide a welcoming atmosphere where children feel valued and protected. They organize engaging activities, lessons, and games that make learning about God enjoyable for children.

Volunteers impact not only the lives of children but also support families within the church community. They come alongside parents, offering encouragement, resources, and guidance in raising children with a strong foundation in faith. By investing their time and energy in children’s ministry, volunteers have the opportunity to plant seeds of faith in young hearts, shaping children’s understanding of God, the gospel, and their personal relationship with Jesus Christ.

Children are the church’s future, and volunteers in children’s ministry have a direct impact on shaping the future of the church community. By investing in children’s spiritual development, volunteers help raise a generation grounded in faith, equipped to serve, and committed to living out God’s purposes.

Volunteers in children’s ministry are a valuable and essential asset to the church community. Their dedication and service make a lasting impact on the lives of children and the overall health of the church.

KIDS@PUMC currently needs volunteers in the following areas:

• Nursery/Toddler Room, two Sundays a month,
• Pre-K Room, two Sundays a month,
• Elementary Room, last Saturday of the month
• Childcare from 11:00 a.m. – 12:15 p.m., first, third, and fourth Sunday of the month.

To volunteer, contact Charity Aton at caton@pumc.org.