The Steeple October 2020

As we become more aware of God’s goodness, the spirit of gratitude grows within us and transforms our hearts and lives. During the month of October, we will be thinking about what it means to walk in the path of gratitude even in the darkest of times and how we could cultivate an attitude of gratitude instead of an attitude of discontentment or grum-bling. The gratitude path is the path in life that Jesus followed and the path that he invites us to walk with him. As we, as the body of Christ, strive to walk that path, we find a new sense of God’s grace that opens our eyes to God’s goodness surrounding us. We are grateful to God for our seven won-derful youth who have joined us as professing members. We are grateful to God for the gift they are to our church family. I strongly encourage you to join us for Sunday worship ser-vices at 10:30 in person or online as we prepare to choose and walk the gratitude path with one another. We also have some opportunities to love, serve, and grow together through small groups, hands-on missions, and fellowship op-portunities. May each of you experience the renewal of grati-tude during this season of fall!

Grace and Gratitude

Rev. Stephen Yun, Pastor

“The grass withers and the flowers fall, but the word of our God endures forever” (Isaiah 40:8)” Dear Church Family,

Fall, the season of change, has come again. Many trees have shown fall colors and have already start-ed losing leaves. The splendor of summer is gone, and darkness comes early these days. Recently I had to go outside with my youngest son when darkness fell. “Daddy, I am scared,” my son said to me as he was trying to step outside. I held his little hand and said to him, “Don’t be scared, Wesley. I am right be-side you.” He felt secured and soothed by my words and walked in the dark with me. What and who is your security base in times of dark-ness? Is your security base God and God alone these days? Dark times come to us in our journey. It is one thing to trust God’s goodness when things are going well. It is another to trust Him when things are going badly. When darkness falls, God wants us to be grounded in the promise of His words that endures and brightens our way. It sounds ironic, but God often does His best and most amazing work in the darkness. The question for us is whether we are will-ing and prepared to let God do what He wants with us even in the midst of darkness and to trust in God’s goodness.

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YOUTH MINISTRY

We celebrated the Confirmation ceremony with all our 7 confirmands along with their family, friends, and

the congregation. It was a very special time of hearing from these wonderful youth. Each confirmand shared

with us their statements of faith. And we joyfully welcomed them as professing members of SUMC and

blessed their faith journey ahead.

One year ago almost to the day, these 7 youth sitting behind me, along with their 4 teachers and 7 mentors, embarked

on a 9-month journey towards confirmation. Little did they know that their confirmation year, a year that is supposed

to be filled with trips and bonding would result in zoom classes and social distancing. But despite the circumstances

that we all faced in March, when COVID-19 hit, these 7 young people and the supporting cast, their teachers and men-

tors pressed on and they completed their confirmation requirements and declared themselves children of God, believ-

ers in Christ. So it is my absolute pleasure to be standing before you, speaking today, in-person. And without further

ado, I would like to present to you our confirmation class of 2020!

(Above spoken by Donna Anderle, SUMC Director of Youth & Family Life at ceremony, September 13, 2020)

journey.

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Confirmation Class

2020

Confirmand Mentor

Colin Canzone Bruce Hopper

David Doherty Stacey Waldron

Bridget Donnelly Marge Peletier

Clara Donnelly Kim Germain

Lucas Mesaros Roger Hendrickson

Jake Morgan Jocelyn Hughes

McKenna Stierch Michelle Anderson

Confirmation Teachers

Gloria Anderle John Dewart

Rob Anderson Andrea McCurdy

Congratulations to Colin Canzone, David Doherty, Bridget and Clara Don-nelly, Lucas Mesaros, Jake Morgan and McKenna Stierch, our confirm-ands , who completed the Confirmation program!

We give thanks to the parents and our confirmation teachers and men-tors for all their support and prayers for their confirmation journey!

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The PARENTCUE app

EDUCATION

When the COVID pandemic began, the Christian curriculum commu-

nity jumped into action very quickly by offering several resources for

churches. One of the many resources I came upon that I would like

to pass onto my fellow parents is The ParentCue. It is a free app that

I download onto my phone. It delivers weekly inspirational bible

verses and parenting information about my child based on their

age. One of the main features I look forward to is the Meal Time

Q&A. A simple question to help me engage with my child with God

in mind. Something a little different than the "Would You Rather"

questions at the dinner table or in the car. For further information

visit their website. https://theparentcue.org/

THE PARENTCUE App

OCTOBER

25TH

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YOUTH MINISTRY UPDATE

UMYF (United Methodist Youth Fellowship)

BASIC (Brothers and Sisters in Christ)

__________________________________________________________________________________

BASIC & UMYF—Disclaimer

Due to the current circumstances surrounding the world health crisis, all small group activities are required

to be held outside. UMYF and BASIC will meet on the lawn behind SUMC (where outdoor services are held),

until further notice and weather permitting. UMYF and BASIC will be held virtually in the event of inclement

IGNITE

BASIC, SUMC’s middle school youth group for youth in grades 5-7 kicked

off on Wednesday, September 30th from 6-7:30. We will meet every 2nd

and 4th Wednesday of each month from 6-7:30pm. All youth are invited

to join. Don’t forget to bring your own chair! We will meet outside of the

church on one of the adjacent lawns.

UMYF, our high school youth group for grades 8-12 kicked off Wednesday, Septem-

ber 30th from 7-8:30. We will meet every 2nd and 4th Wednesday from 7-8:30. All

youth are invited to join. Don’t forget to bring your own chair! We will meet outside

of the church on one of the adjacent lawns.

*Please note: 8th graders can attend all UMYF events and COP fundraising

events, HOWEVER, as per the guidelines of COP, they will not be permitted to attend COP

until 9th grade.

Community Service Opportunity: The Youth Ministry team is looking for youth in 10 grade and above and/or

young adults to help with BASIC on Wednesdays from 6-7pm. Please email Donna Anderle at

(donnaanderle@sumcnj.org)

Due to the current circumstances, GNJ and Next Generation Minis-

tries have decided to postpone IGNITE to January 29-31, 2021. No

information has been communicated regarding what the plan is for

IGNITE at this time. We are unsure if the event will be in-person,

online or a hybrid of the two. Unfortunately, under the current cli-

mate, we do not feel it is safe to attend this event in-person. Howev-

er, if a virtual opportunity is presented, I will keep all parties inter-

ested informed.

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BIBLE STUDY— Wednesday’s, October 14, 21 & 28 at 7 pm via Zoom

BIBLE STUDY “The Gratitude Path”

Please join us for a three-week small group study based on the

book, The Gratitude Path, October 14, 21, 28 at 7 pm via Zoom. As we

focus on developing an "attitude of gratitude," it is our hope that we find

the ability to be thankful in every situation, that our spirits will be lifted,

and we will walk away able to truly count our blessings! The study will

be led by Jill Roland and Karin Ruppel and the cost is $14.99 for the

book. For registration, please contact the church office or sign up

online.

COURAGEOUS CONVERSATION—Wednesday October 7, - 7-8:20 pm Zoom

Join us for our first Courageous Conversation series as we watch a

short video and engage in a discussion facilitated by Pastor Ste-

phen. What hinders and helps fruitful and meaningful dialogue on

issues of race and racial justice? How myths about race define how

we live in life including work and school in the form of racism? Hope

you can join us and have a deeper, more authentic discussion about

issues of race as Christians. All are welcome!

FUNDRAISERS AND INFORMATION

The SUMC United Methodist Men are offering Gertrude Hawk Chocolate sale. This is a great opportunity to pur-chase Holiday Chocolate Gifts remotely and to support our ministry. What you need to do is to browse the electronic PDF Brochure and complete the PDF Order Form. Your Completed Order can be given to Larry Priester on a Sun-day during outside worship or mailed to him at 3 Schmitz Drive Flanders, NJ 07836. If you have questions - Call John Dewart at - 973-713-5200. Deadline - to Submit your Order - November 16th.

FUNDRAISER FOR

EDUCATION MINISTRY

Thank you for your Mum &

Fall Plant orders to support

our education ministry We

ordered a total of 96 Mums

this year. Thanks again for

your support!

Education Committee

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The Missions team has been staying busy with trying to support our various programs during the COVID 19 pandemic. Here are some updates on what we have been doing.

CUMAC Update – We are still collecting clean plastic grocery bags for CUMAC to

use for their food donations to their clients. You can drop them off at the bin at the back door of the church at any time!

Thrift Shop donations reminder— Please do not put donations for the Thrift Shop in the plastic bin at

the back of the church. This bin is for our food donations for Roxbury Social Services and the donated plastic bags for CUMAC. If you have donations that cannot be dropped off during the Thrift Shop hours on Tuesday or Wednesday or during our church service on Sunday, please contact Stacy Migneault for assistance.

Christian Outreach Project (COP) Thank You – Many thanks to all of the

youth, their parents and the adults that participated in Christian Outreach Project (COP) day camp this year! A special thanks to Larry Priester who made our morn-ing worship Podcasts possible each day! Also a special thanks to Stacy Migneault and Dick Preuss for delivering lunch to the COP participants on the Monday of day camp! Thanks to everyone’s participation, we were able to support major repairs at the homes of three amazing families.

Again, the generosity of this church family is so wonderful on all of our Missions programs! God bless all of you for your continued support and prayers for those that we work to serve! MANY thanks, Linda Diffley – Missions Chairperson Please contact Linda Diffley at lddrag@optonline.net if you would like to understand more on any of our missions, have new activities to suggest or have questions on how to donate to any organizations.

MISSIONS MINISTRY

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FAMILY BREAKFAST—will resume in October United Methodist Men sponsored Family Breakfast will resume via Zoom in October. More details on exact date, guest speaker and zoom information will follow.

PRAYER SHAWL MINISTRY— The group will be meeting at the picnic tables opposite the soccer fields and playground at Horseshoe Lake Monday’s at 2:30 pm with masks and social distancing. They have been working on our sewing, knitting and crocheting projects at home and meet for keeping in touch and prayer requests. If you can, please bring a chair to aid in our social distancing. Questions? Call Melanie Newton at (973) 343-7051. New members are always welcome.

TABS (TUESDAY ADULT BIBLE STUDY) - On Hiatus Would you like to know the Bible better? Whether you’re brand new to the Bible or know it inside and out, you’re welcome to join us! Bring your Bible and a little something to share for our potluck lunch. We provide beverages, a lively study and discussion of the scriptures. Bring a friend!

MEN’S STUDY—Saturdays, 7:00 am to 9:00 am via Zoom The Men’s Study Group has returned to Saturday morning Zoom meetings, where they study a variety of relevant Christian topics. The group will continue with their current study with Nabeel Qureshi entitled, “Seeking Allah, Finding Jesus”. Please contact Lee Pitea at pitea.1@osu.edu with any questions or if interested in attending. Zoom Information: Meeting ID 356 235 535 Phone 1-929-205-6099

HOSPITALITY MINISTRY

“Don't forget to show hospitality to strangers, for by so doing some people have shown hospitality to angels without knowing it.” - Hebrews 13:2

Hospitality is not only offering our gifts to a guest but recognizing and accepting the gifts others bring and offer to us.

As we welcome back our SUMC family to outdoor service celebration, we are thankful for our Hospitality / Greeter team members who have so thoughtfully volunteered to greet our congregants upon arrival. We follow the guidelines as established by our Reopening Team. As such we do temperature checks, confirm that people are wearing face masks and are properly sanitizing. The message we would like to send to all who join us at worship service is:

There is a place for you here.

SMALL GROUP MINISTRIES

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Annual Conference is a yearly session for clergy and lay mem-bers to worship, learn about programs and conduct the busi-ness of the United Methodist Church of Greater New Jersey. During the 2020 virtual Annual Conference session, members of the conference will hear reports of past and ongoing work; adopt future goals, programs and budgets; ordain clergy members as deacons and elders and participate in congrega-tional leadership development workshops and a mission pro-ject. Pastor Stephen, Liz Kihm; Lay Member to Annual Con-ference, Jennifer Antoncich; Reserve Lay Member to Annual Conference, will be attending the virtual; conference in rep-resentation of SUMC.

ANNUAL CONFERENCE 2020 (Oct 5 - 6)

HOME FOR THE HOLIDAYS—Canceled

MONTHLY VIRTUAL FELLOWSHIP HOUR— Sunday, Oct. 25

THE NEXT FELLOWSHIP HOUR IS SUNDAY, OCTOBER 25 FROM 12:00 PM TO 12:30 PM VIA ZOOM!

It’s an opportunity for us to have a time of fel-lowship to catch up and share how we’re doing with our church family. Grab a cup of coffee or tea and a snack, and join the Zoom meeting for some face-to-face fellowship with your church family. Feel free to stop by and leave anytime. All are welcome!

According to Tap Into Roxbury...There will be no Home for the Holidays street fair in Rox-

bury this year, thanks to COVID-19 . The continued presence of the coronavirus prompt-

ed township officials to pull the plug on the annual Home for the Holidays, an event that

had been scheduled to take place on Main Street in Succasunna on Dec. 5. This year’s

event would have been the sixth.

“The organizing committee made this difficult decision in the interest of public safety,” DeFillippo said. “Hopefully,

these and all the other events that have been canceled can be brought back next year.”

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STEWARDSHIP

Starting October 11, in our worship service and through a weekly bible study, we will walk together on The Gratitude Path. We will explore the meaning of giving with a grateful heart and believing that God can work the miracle of generosity through each of us with our time, our talents and our monetary treasures. We en-courage each person on the walk to keep a weekly gratitude journal. Writing down one or two gratitude points each day can be very powerful. On October 25, we will celebrate Gratitude Sunday. Let us bow our heads in an attitude of gratitude and prayerfully count our blessings.

While the year has been challenging, there is much to be grateful for. It feels even more important to focus on what is right with our lives and what is right in our hearts. Let us reflect on these blessings and reflect on how we can give to God and our church. God is always with us. He created our lives, the ground we walk on, the air we breathe, and the people in our lives.

With summer coming to a close we look forward to the change of seasons, cooler temperatures, fall leaves and kids heading back to school. Admittedly, it has been a different kind of a year and so much in our lives has changed and feels somewhat askew.

October 11 (Week 1) The Gratitude Path: “Just to Say Thanks”

October 18 (Week 2) The Gratitude Path: “Give and It Will Be Given to You”

October 25 (Week 3) The Gratitude Path: “Expect a Miracle”

TRUSTEES

The Trustees have been hard at work with the upkeep of both the church grounds and the parsonage.

Here is an update of our projects:

1. Completed plumbing repairs and updates in parsonage

2. Continued weed control around the front of the church and around the Prayer Garden

3. Mulched around the parsonage and the parking lot area

4. Removed a tree and stump at the parsonage

5. Seeded the areas disturbed during stump removal.

6. Continued on the task of replacing all the florescent lights with LED lights

Our able group of volunteers work tirelessly to keep our facilities and grounds in tip-top condition. If you

know of anything projects that the Trustees should investigate, please contact any of the Trustees.

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A Monthly SUMC United Methodist Men Positive Thought! “Every breath is a gift from God.”

To SUMC—Thank you for the beautiful prayer shawl. As it turns out, blue and purple were Alina’s favorite colors. Your support was very much appreciated. Fondly, Deb Carr and Tom Carlson

To SUMC—

On behalf of the Roxbury Social Services Department, I would like to extend my sincerest gratitude for the following: $230 donation in March, $200 donation in Walmart gift cards, $510 in Shop Rite gift cards, and from both your church and the First Presbyterian Church from the Ash Wednesday offering in April. Janet Wald, Director

Thank you for your faithfulness and generosity!! Your financial

commitment to our church helps empower us to "Love. Serve.

Grow." We thank the many of you who have honored your

commitment to your pledge and gifts toward our ministries. We

thank those who continue to give generously. The summer

months continued to be strong months for giving through your

weekly offerings. We have also been blessed with a few matching

fund gifts. This strong giving has kept us ahead of our expenses

year-to-date. Thank you!

We have an electronic option for making regular offerings through

Vanco, our eGiving processor. We have more than 40 families

enrolled and more than 60% of our general fund giving is done

online. If you'd like to join this program, just go to sumcnj.org/

give for more information.

God is doing great things through this congregation. Your financial

support allows us to imagine and plan all the ministries that we

have been called to do here at SUMC!

Thank you from your SUMC Finance Team

UMM POSITIVE THOUGHT !

THRIFT SHOP is OPEN! The shop is open Tuesday’s from 8:30 am to 11:00 am for donations and Wednesday’s, from 9:30 am to 12 :00 pm. For shopping. We accept clothing, household items, glassware, jewelry, linens, etc. and particularly welcome seasonal items like boots, coats, and sweaters. Your donations can make a difference in the community! Masks are required to be worn and temperature checks will take place to enter the building.

FOOD PANTRY For the month of October we will be collecting paper goods, laundry & dish detergents, bottled juice, snacks for kids, Dinty Moore stew, canned chicken, small jars of mustard, microwaveable mac & cheese, and diapers sizes , 1, 5 & 6. Donations can be dropped off in the bin at the back door of the church.

BOX TOPS FOR EDUCATION A BIG

thank you goes out to all that take the time to save and clip Box Tops. Please continue to save them as they will continue to be sent to Kentucky.

MISSIONS

FINANCE UPDATE

GIVING THANKS Our Digital Ministry team contin-ues to serve tirelessly in video re-cording, editing, and live stream-ing each Sunday throughout this pandemic. We appreciate their expertise, knowledge, and dedica-tion to our worship ministry.

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GIVING

Church Staff

Rev. Myounghun Stephen Yun, Pastor pastorstephen@sumcnj.org

Donna Anderle, Dir of Youth & Family Life donnaanderle@sumcnj.org

Audrey Schultz, Director of Music Angie Stierch, Praise Band Leader

Caryn Porter, Admin Assistant Melanie Pancoast, Sexton

Church Information Office Hours: 9am—2pm

Tuesday—Friday Phone: 973.584.7349

Email: office@sumcnj.org

Sunday Schedule

Outdoor & Virtual Service 10:30 am

OUR MISSION

Succasunna United Methodist Church is a caring fellowship called to love and serve according to Jesus’ example, welcome all people,

worship God and grow as Christian disciples.

SHOPRITE AND SUSSEX MARKET GIFT CARDS Please consider purchasing Shop Rite and Sussex Market gift cards in preparation for your holiday feast. Please contact Bruce

Hopper if you would like to purchase For each gift card purchased the church receives a donation. We receive 5% for Shop Rite cards and 10% for Sussex Market cards. We thank you for your support of

this program.

CHURCH OFFERINGS DURING THE COVID-19 HEALTH CRISIS

Thank you for your financial commitment to SUMC. Although we can't get together face-to-face, our

ministries need to continue. We ask that you continue to support our ministries with your generous

offerings. We also appreciate the ministry of our Finance Team to manage and guide the financial resources

and health of our church!

ONLINE GIVING SUMC offers an electronic option for making regular offerings through Vanco, our eGiving processor. If you are interested in joining this program go to the SUMC web page at sumcnj.org and click the “Give” tab at the top. Questions? Contact Jocelyn Hughes, Finance Chairperson at jocelynohughes@yahoo.com or Stephanie Rheinhardt, Financial Secretary at stephanie.rheinhardt@gmail.com.

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