“Where You Belong”

PRAYERS

GIFTS

PRESENCE

SERVICE

WITNESS

DECEMBER 2019

The Newsletter of the West Branch

United Methodist Church

Singing Tower

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My Christmas Wish

What is it like for you preparing for Christmas? Do you like to

decorate? When I moved I tried to downsize. I really did! I

discovered that I could not part with some of my Christmas

decorations. Christmas is my favorite holiday! I love the decorations

and the music and the Christmas story about Jesus and the nativities

and all the joy!

As I prepare for this Christmas, I know all my kids won’t be home

for Christmas. My daughter Rachelle and her husband in Arizona stay there for

Christmas with his family. My daughter Becca and her family live in Cedar Rapids and we

usually are together on Christmas Eve. My son Reuben moved to Portland, Oregon, and

he may be home for Christmas. I still will bring up all the tubs of decorations and

decorate! As we all prepare for the holidays, we are filled with a mixed bag of emotions:

we look forward to be together with family and friends and to meet new members of the

family, and also sad with the loss of loved ones, and empty spaces at the table.

Just as it is with our families, it is with our church family. This past year has been

great in many ways, to get to know you and your families, to be involved in the

ministries of our church and our community. Yet my heart is sad for all the families who

have left our church this year, and I miss them. I’m sure they each have their own

reasons, but I want them to know they are missed and I would welcome them back with

open arms!

My heart is heavy as I write this, with the reality of budget cuts and possible staff

cuts in the near future. I love working with our staff and we have a great working

relationship! I wish they all could stay! Our hearts are in tune with each other and we

share a passion for ministry and God’s work here in this place! Our single board is

struggling with this concern and their hearts are heavy, too. We don’t know what the

future holds, but we know who holds the future!

As I think of my Christmas wish for you, I remember Amy Grant’s song, My Grown

Up Christmas Wish. When we were young and sat on Santa’s knee and asked him for

presents, we had childhood fantasies. She sings, “Well, I’m grown up now and still need

help somehow. I’m not a child, but my heart still holds a dream. So here’s my lifelong

wish. My grownup Christmas list, not for myself, but for a world in need. No more lives

torn apart, then wars would never start, and time would heal the heart. And everyone

would have a friend and right would always win. And love would never end, oh, this is

my grown-up Christmas list.”

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My prayer for you this Christmas:

A HOPEFUL CHRISTMAS PRAYER

Rebecca Burlow Jordan

Your name is still called “Wonderful,” “Counselor,” “Mighty God,” “The Everlasting Father,” and “The Prince of Peace.” As your children, we cry out for a fresh filling and a

new awareness of who You are. We choose by faith to make the “good news of great

joy” a reality in our own lives, so others can see us as lighted trees of life, pointing to You this Christmas. We know one day every knee will bow and every tongue confess

that You are Lord. And we know that peace on earth can only come when hearts find peace with You. You still are our Joy. You still are our Peace. You are no longer a babe

in the manger. You are Lord of Lords and King of Kings. And we celebrate You as Lord—this Christmas and always!

May God bless you abundantly!

Pastor Connie

May God, who has poured out among us the light of Jesus, fill us and heal us. May the same light enkindled in our hearts shine in our lives, at Christmas and all days, through

Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior. Amen.

Thank you!! Words are not sufficient to express the gratitude I and our family have for the love

and support we have experienced from our church family when we lost Ed in September. This

outpouring is not a surprise as it is not the first time we have encountered this blessing. It is a reminder of

the caring community we have been part of for more than 54 years. Please know that you have been part

of the healing process that comes when unexpected events alter the paths we are presented with in this

life. Thank you so much for hugs, visits, food, kind words and remembrances of Ed’s life. Bev and the

Spencer family

Our Candlelight Christmas Eve Services

with Communion

5:30 Family

11:00 Traditional

Do you enjoy the ease of giving online? You can now give to the church through Venmo without costing you or the church any money. To give go

to: www.venmo.com/WestBranch-UMC or if you already have a venom

account you can give us money at our account : @WestBranch-UMC

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December Leaders / VOLUNTEERS

Check the weekly bulletin for more leaders and volunteers.

Communion Servers: Katie Herring, Martha Luke & Barb Wilcox

If you wish to sign up or take your name off the list, please contact the office

This year’s statistics: Last year’s statistics for the same weeks:

Week Attendance Giving Week Attendance Giving

11/3/2019 82 $6,122 11/4/2018 103 $4706 11/10/2019 78 $16,679 11/11/2018 105 $3406 11/17/2019 69 $778 11/18/2018 79 $1174 11/24/2019 73 $9,463.81 11/25/2019 55 $1643 YTD AVG 77 $4007 YTD AVG 99 $3351

When you shop Black Friday deals

at smile.amazon.com/ch/42-0865445, Amazon Smile

donates to West Branch United Methodist Church!

29th

Worship Leaders

1st- Shirley Patrick

8th – Katie Herring

15th – Lori Waters

22nd – Nancy Slach

29th – Kathy Hoskins

Offering Counters

1st – Shirley Patrick & Bev Spencer

8th – Margaret Wick & Barb Wilcox

15th – Troy Vincent & Lisa Kofoed

22nd – Carol Jones & Chris Kofoed

29th Linda Albrecht & Chad Schutte

Office Hours:

Monday 11am-4pm

Tuesday 8am-4pm

Wednesday 8am-noon

Thursday 8am-noon

Friday 8am-noon Please understand there may be times I may need to leave unexpectedly to care for my child. If you want to guarantee I

am here please call me on my cell 319-325-6486

Office will be CLOSED December 25th & 26th ; December 31st & January 1st For the Holidays.

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Youth News

Youth Soup Supper

Soup Supper is just around the corner on December 7th at 5:00pm-7:00pm here in the Church basement. Please stop by when you need to warm up from the Christmas Past activities and have some nice warm soup and help support our youth who are hoping to do some mission work next summer. All soup is prepared by youth and supervising adult volunteers. For a free will donation, you can eat your fill!

To make the soup supper a success, we also need your help with donations. There is an online signup sheet as well as one in the entry way at church. Please help if you can. Also please be in prayer for our youth that they may feel God’s love surrounding them in this place and that it may be transformative for them. Thank you for your continued support of our youth and this very important ministry!

K4C

There are some exciting things happening here on Wednesday nights! We hope you will join us on

December 18th at 6:00pm for our annual Christmas program. (Students & teachers are still to arrive at

5:30pm)

Our mission project for this fall semester is still Matthew 25. There is information about the

wonderful things this organization is doing in Cedar Rapids up on the bulletin board at church. Please

help your children to give generously.

Please be in prayer for our youth that they may feel God’s love surrounding them in this place and

that it may be transformative for them. Thank you all for your support of this very important ministry.

J8:11 We are looking into revamping this program some and part of that may be a time change. Please keep

your eyes and ears open for more communication about these changes. If you are a Youth please sign up

for your shifts for the soup supper. Much fun is had but only if everyone does their part. We are asking

that everyone help prep on Friday December 6th after school and comes back for one of the shifts on

Saturday the 7th. This is our biggest fundraiser of the year, so we need it to be a success if we are going to

have the funds for all of our BIG plans.

K4C & J8:11

5:30pm- Opening Worship in Sanctuary 5:45pm- Class time for K4C & J8:11 JR 6:15pm- Closing Worship in Sanctuary

6:30pm- Supper in Fellowship Hall 7:00pm- J8:11 & 5th-6th

Upcoming Events

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Live Nativity Scene 5 p.m.-7 p.m., Dec. 7

Would you like to participate in our Live Nativity Scene? Barb Wilcox is

looking for volunteers to dress up and stand in the cold for short periods of time,

along with maybe a llama, or some other furry animal, to portray the Christmas story for our community. They expect it, so let’s not disappoint our friends and neighbors. Let’s show them what Christmas really means!

Call for Candy!

Dec. 7 WBUMC will hold its annual Candy Sale. So bring out your recipe books or box, however you keep your favorite recipes organized. Look over those recipes for tried and true, or new and unknown sweets. Get organized, so that when the Thanksgiving turkey has gotten to left-overs, you can decide what you would like to bring to the Christmas Candy Sale! Please have your candy here no

later than 7:30am December 7th. Thank you!

The Mental Health Support Group is open to the entire community. Our intent is to

provide support, education and advocacy. Our next meeting will be January 14, 2020 at

7:00pm, Topic: TBA. Contact: Barb Wilcox, Lisa Kofoed or Ruth Blayer.

Our November 12 meeting greeted a new person attending, got acquainted, reviewed past

efforts and looked to the future. There is no plan for a December meeting. Watch for

information re: a January meeting.

Worship @ Crestview

2 pm, Thursday December 5, 2019

All welcome to this 30 min worship time. The residents enjoy having guests.

The next anticipated date is January 2, 2020.

Note: a local church provides a worship experience @ Crestview each Thursday @ 2 pm. (FYI: Ruth Blayer will lead Worship @ Crestview on December 12, 2019 representing the WB Friends Church.)

“Coffee & Devotions” at Crestview will be 11 am, December 2, 2019

All are welcome to join this 30 min. activity. The residents enjoy having guests join in. The next anticipated date will be @ 11 am, on January 6, 2020

Mary Martha: Will not have a regular meeting in December. You are invited to the

UMW Christmas Program @ home of Rosamond Cumings Dec. 9th @ 7pm.

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C.U.P.S. Group

(Connecting & coffee, Understanding faith & WBUMC news,

Prayer and Sharing fellowship)

Tuesdays, 9:30-11 am, UL 25 (December 3, 10, 17 and 31st, 2019)

(NOTE: NO CUPS Dec. 24 due to the Holiday)

All welcome, come when you can. We intentionally pray for the prayer list and others. We also feature a time when the Bible is read and discussion can be shared. Currently we read and discuss Scriptures related to the previous Sunday sermon. Know that you are welcome to add to discussion or just take it in quietly

ALL are invited to come and participate in the ongoing Thursday Bible Study (T.B.S.)

small group. The group meets every Thursday at 6:00- 7:15 pm (so free by choir practice.) We are currently reading the Gospel of Mark. We read aloud, study and discuss the Bible together. Study Bibles with commentary and other resources will be our guide as well as letting the Holy Spirit speak during discussion time. Bring your Bible (study Bible recommended).. Contact: Tom Bowie or Ruth Blayer for more information. Please NOTE: we will NOT meet December 26 due to the Holiday.

The Bed Mat Ministry

The next BED MAT ministry meeting will be December 9, 2019 at 6:30 pm in fellowship hall.

This is one way we are in a service ministry (Remember: Worship plus 2? Regular worship.

Spiritual growth activity. Service ministry.)

The Bed Mat Ministry is in full swing as bags are being collected and several mats

created. The congregation prayed for the first mat and more are being completed. LOTS and

LOTS of plastic bags are needed to make one mat! Plastic bags which cannot be recycled are

made into bed mats for those who find themselves sleeping on hard ground such as the homeless.

Collection of clean and dry plastic bags (such as grocery bags) (all colors) continues with the

drop-off site located in the church entry under the coat rack. There is cutting and prep of the

plastic bags before a bed mat is created so help is welcomed with varied tasks.

Please contact Jodi Havill or Ruth Blayer for more information. Shirley Patrick has a

braiding method she can demonstrate.

Prayers & Squares ~ Because of the Holiday we will be skipping December, but will

resume again in January, 2020.

Please call Gloria Scharnweber at 643-2872 for more information.

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UMW News Please join us on December 9th at 7pm the UMW Christmas program! It will be held at the home of Rosamond Cumings; 130 Lincoln St (The newer section of the mobile home park. The last home on the left just before you turn the corner) Come enjoy an evening of celebrating the coming of Jesus with fun, fellowship, a Christmas quiz and a tour of the Cumings extensive Nativity Scene collection! Car pooling is encouraged and we hope to see you there!

Upward & Onward

Congratulations! As of December 1st, you have paid $43,660 of

principal and $5,046 in interest. Making the total paid $ 48,706 this year from

donations, pledges and memorials to the accessibility project! At the beginning of 2019

we owed $119,713.00 on our loan. Minus what you gave we had $76,053 left. This

fall we received the spring 2019 Iowa Conference Builder’s Call. From donations from

United Methodists all around Iowa, we received $20,037.26!! This will bring the total of our loan

down to $56,016!!

If we only pay the minimum due each month of ($1,353.63) we will pay the loan off in 4

years. Thank you to everyone who has donated either themselves, helped fundraise or used

their loved ones memorial to make this vision happen. We have paid a HUGE chunk of this loan

off this year and we could not have done it without all of your help! Blessings

Manda Frauenholz-Brown

ACCESSIBILITY PROJECT UPDATE

Total Pledged $293,511 Total Project Cost: $625,000

Loan Balance: $56,016

The Excitement Begins The Spirit is moving in the West Branch UMC! Starting in January we will be kicking off a

new round of small groups. On January 7th at 6:30pm we are asking those who are feeling called to help us lead this new expression of love and care to join us for the launch of this new ministry. Please be in prayer about what God might be nudging you into this New Year. Watch for more information in the New Year!

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Prayers? Presence? Gifts? Service? Witness?

You read about them last month. Yes, those are our membership vows as we join a UMC

congregation. They also serve us well as we daily consider how to follow Jesus and engage in

the ministry Jesus calls us to (yes, all of us). Continue to reflect on your own discipleship pathway-

how are you doing in any of them? WBUMC pledges to help you live them out.

Missions Christmas past is rapidly approaching. Saturday December 7th is the appointed time.

Candy will be sold 8am until noon. The cost is $.50 an ounce or $8.00 per lb. The annual Serrv

Sale of fair trade items will be held during the candy sale and at the soup supper that evening.

These items give artisans in foreign countries an opportunity to show their talents and receive a

fair price for the items.

Thank you to everyone who brought items or participated in the live or silent auctions. We

raised approximately $2800 for mission projects. Everybody appeared to be having a good

time.

Don’t forget the live nativity from 5pm-7pm December 7th. It’s always a moving

experience.

The annual Serrv Sale of fair trade items will be held during the candy sale and soup supper on December 7th. These items give artisans in foreign countries an opportunity to show their talents and receive a fair price for the item.

Christmas Families Check out the table in the upper entry. We have many opportunities to help local families at Christmas this year. Take one tag (or more) buy gifts, wrap and attach the tags to the church. Please return by December 18th. Thank you for helping make someone’s Christmas brighter.

POINSETTIA dedication sales are happening now! Please contact the office if you would

like to order one this year. We need to have orders no later than December 8th to be here in

time for advent season. The price will be the same of $10.00. Please do not assume that one

will be ordered for you again if you ordered last year, we will need everyone to

confirm this year. Thank you 😊 The Alter Committee

This Photo

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From the Wedding Coordinator

Congratulations to Sean Waison and Lorena McGee who were married in our church on

Saturday, November 2nd, 2019! Sean is the son of Brad and Jennifer Waison and Tricia and Bill Manning.

He is also the grandson of Al & Connie Tisinger. Sean and Lorena met at Iowa State University and both

have careers in engineering. Lorena is a civil engineer with Snyder and Associates in Ankeny and Sean is a

mechanical engineer with Vermeer in Pella. They will be making their home in Newton.

A fun side note: Three generations of Sean’s family have been married in our church – Al & Connie (51

years!), Tricia & Bill Manning , and now Sean and Lorena. May God bless the marriage of Sean and

Lorena! We wish them many years of happiness.

Nancy Lathrop

Wedding Coordinator

Thought of the Month” (from Dec 2019 “Upper Room” devotional)

“December is the month when the secular year comes to an end and the Christian Year

begins. At the going of the old year, the coming of Christ is celebrated with Advent and

Christmas.

“This in itself is a parable of the way God moves to meet us. Just when our enthusiasm may

be running down, God’s love is gearing up to energize us for new adventures.

“The ancient world was coming to an end. Pagan religions were unable to deliver persons

from their burdens. Then there was a star and a stable, and the possibility of a new world

religion began when Christ was born. The sense of responsibility which Christ brought led

Christians to seek a new social order. That search still goes on in a world of injustice, poverty,

and starvation. The Incarnation brought a new power to those who seek justice in God’s name.

“Our personal energies may be running down this time of year. We feel the accumulated pressures of the month. The push of the crowd matches the pinch of the budget as we try to do our shopping; the sins we cannot conquer weight us down; our anxieties gang up on us. “But Advent and Christmas mean that just when we reach the end of our rope, God throws a new lifeline to us in Jesus Christ. The season of his birth is the time to let go of everything from the past which holds us back and let God do his work in and through us now and in the days to come.”

David James Randolph (New York) (From: Upper Room November-December 2019, p. 5)

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Vision 2032 by Manda Frauenholz-Brown

Last Monday (the 18th) Pastor Connie, Ruth, Katie and I (Manda); had the opportunity to go to a vision session with Bishop Laurie Haller. For those who don’t know, Laurie is the Bishop of the Iowa Annual Conference. She gave an inspiring sermon about her vision for the future of the Iowa Annual Conference by 2032. (13 years) Bishop Laurie prays that in 2032 our relationships will be more important than theological convictions. Innovation, Creativity, and Imagination will be more important than stagnation, rigidity, sacred cows and the status quo. And that the primary focus of the church will be on the great commission and the great commandment; to go out into the world and make disciples of Jesus Christ. She spoke of the church becoming different, changing because we are changed. She charged us with how we could sharpen our Vision. Told us that when we embrace our diversity we are at our best.

After her talk we were split up into different tables of six people from different churches. We were not allowed to sit with people from our own congregations. We were tasked with first writing our worries and joys about the current climate of the church. There were similar worries across the district. The last thing we were tasked to do was come up with ways for the conference to cut money so that they would have a working budget of no more than 5-6million. Our current budget is approx. 14 million. Districts are already closing offices, and making District Administrative Assistants work from home and District Superintendents Remote. The conference has nearly paid off it’s office building and are looking for ways to rent it out for extra income. They also have cut many jobs over the last several years to keep apportionments down.

One idea that was across the board to cut costs was to have online meetings. This would cut down across the state costs for churches and the conference in mileage and staff meals. Something I suggested was to have Annual Conference remote as well. In our day of technology, there are so many options for the future of the conference and our local churches. I do hope that we do not also loose the human relationships as well. All of the suggestions from our session are online at https://www.iaumc.org/vision-2032-responses .

Pastor Connie : “The Visioning Night with Bishop Laurie was excellent! Bishop Laurie inspired us with Scripture and her message. It was good to meet others in our district and work together lifting up our concerns and joys of the place we are as a UMC and to brainstorm and vision where we want to be in 2032! I was encouraged by the number of people there, and by hearing other groups share their visions and dreams. I look forward to looking at this on the conference website and hearing from other districts, and hearing from Bishop Laurie in a few months as she puts this together. I am thankful Ruth and Katie and Manda went along!”

Katie : “It was a very encouraging sermon & event. What I heard is that even though our path is foggy & unclear we are still charged with loving God, loving our neighbors, and going out into the world to make disciples. Money and attendance is an issue across the board but we are trusting that God has a plan for us.....so, GO and build relationships that help build the Kingdom of God!”

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Mission and Ministry Plan of WBUMC by the COM committee. Based on your current reality, what is God asking of your congregation at this time?

Be welcoming to all, and be clear about it

Be inclusive

Reach out beyond our walls – listen in other places in the community and bring that back to the church community

Connect people in the work of the church

People need grace when they are not able to attend/volunteer

New ways to get people involved on a different ministries – e.g., bed mat ministry

Meditative ministry, possibly in a setting other than the church

Try new small groups, keep looking into new ideas to help people engage Deciding Next Steps

What are your goals for next year to help you accomplish what God is asking of you? Prayers and presence:

Increase attendance on Sunday morning by 10% (Possible actions: Attract more of the Wednesday night families to attend on Sunday morning through children participating in the service.)

Have an activity to attract parents and congregation members to attend one Wednesday night event (Possible actions: Christmas program)

Gifts:

Increase giving units by 10% Service:

Learn more about Matthew 25 and how we might implement similar local mission projects here

o Commit to helping with one project with Matthew 25 next summer o Commit to one project in West Branch at a later date

Witness:

Encourage every church member to invite someone to church during the next year

Our Mission:

We are disciples of Jesus Christ making disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world.

How Do We Accomplish This Mission

1. Invite others to become disciples of Jesus Christ and members of our church We have found it useful to use a house as a metaphor for this part of the process.

A. The porch – The porch is where we first meet visitors. “Porch” events are those events where someone encounters WBUMC for the first time. We want to invite people to these events, welcome them, and let them know how they can get to know us better. Porch events:

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Worship Wednesday nights Soup supper Tailgater Tasting Bee Website visits To do:

Encourage the congregation to invite people to porch events. (This can be done as we roll out our discipleship plan.)

Revise the welcome brochure in the pews and have it available at other porch events. (What should be included in this brochure?)

Capture information about our visitors.

B. The living room - After we have met people on the porch, we invite them into the living room to get to know us better. “Living Room” events are events where people can learn more about us and about the church.

Living room events: More regular worship attendance Wednesday nights Small groups (CUPS, adult Sunday school, book studies) Coffee with the pastor (opportunity to ask questions) Church 101 and prayer training To do:

Follow up with visitors to learn more about them and invite them to living room events.

Feature these events in the welcome brochure.

Ensure that there are small groups targeted to a variety of people.

Remove the barriers to attending these events (for example, child care).

C. The kitchen – When we are more familiar with people, they hang out in our kitchen when they come to visit. They are ready to prepare to become members of our family. Kitchen events: Involved in a ministry or mission Developing a prayer life Contributing to the general fund One-on-one meeting with the pastor To do:

Brainstorm ways to move people from the living room to the kitchen

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2. Growing in our faith Structured around our baptismal vows. Prayer: How might you practice prayer and scriptural meditation in a way that will make a tangible difference in the way you live? Presence: How might you connect to the Christian community more fully through worship and small group participation? Gifts: What is the next step toward growth in your financial giving? Service How might you use your gifts to serve others in the upcoming year? Witness How can you share the ways that God’s love and grace have made a difference in your life? Ideas to help people focus on growing in their faith:

1. Book study – A Disciple’s Path 2. Circles activity – Draw five concentric circles. Put Jesus at the middle of the innermost

circle. Divide the circles into 5 wedges (like pieces of pie). Each wedge represents one of the five baptismal vows. For each wedge, assess where you are on your discipleship pathway. Are you close to Jesus in your prayer life? In your attendance at worship? Or are you further away from Him? How can you move one step closer to Jesus?

3. Include a discussion of the discipleship pathway in our stewardship campaign.

Single Board Meeting Report

The Single Board met on November 17, 2019 and reviewed the following items with the following resolutions:

1. The Safe Sanctuary Policy SPRC has been working on was approved.

2. Presidential Builders was approved for snow removal.

3. It was approved to pull $24,000 out of the UMF fund to pay for the roof repairs and some of the bills

for the month.

4. It was suggested that we do not pay our 4th quarter apportionments due to a lack of funds, except for

the Missions money (The Missions money will be paid as normal). In a special meeting/vote on November

24, Single Board voted to not pay 4th quarter apportionments.

5. Mission in Ministry was approved.

6. A long discussion was had on our budget for 2020. a. The trustees were able to find some cuts that could be made based on numbers that have been

used over the last couple years. b. After making these changes and a couple of additional pledges coming in, Single Board

approved the budget as is, with a continual review happening into January and the first quarter. c. Potential cuts will be discussed at this time if necessary.

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Worship Opportunities

WORSHIP ON-SITE9:00 am Sunday worship Blended worship featuring liturgy, hymns, praise music, a choir, and a message. Communion is offered once a month.

10:30 am Refuge Flexible worship style primarily featuring acoustic praise music with our Refuge Band. This is a more relaxed service with a conversational message. Communion is offered once a month.

WORSHIP OFF-SITE You Tube Search for our channel WBUMC Iowa or follow the link from our website or Facebook page. Services are usually posted Monday of that week.

Yes! You can view the past Sunday’s worship on our youtube channel, or go to our website www.westbranchumc.org and click on worship to find the link there. The website is continually being updated, and we are working on improvements. If there is something you think the church should have on there, please let Manda know and we will take it into consideration.

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Prayer Requests

Thank you to those who have kept the church informed of prayer concerns and provided updates and kept us aware of hospitalizations. Please know we would rather have three

calls from family/caring friends than miss a need. Please contact the church office with prayer requests

or to join the prayer chain.

643-5489 or youbelong@westbranchumc.org **Please contact the office with any updates or if the person you added should be taken off the prayer list.**

Rhonda Myrvik lost an aunt Oct 30th Prayers for the family.

Caiden Loehr ( and his mom, Kim Loehr)- 4 year old who has had many medical challenges lately.

Barbara Howard continued healing Kathy Woody-scans came back clean! Jim Huber Bob & J Kline Carolyn Hoxton’s twin sister Caren Krutsinger Carolyn Hoxton’s Mom Lucille Stone Todd Stoolman Confirmation Kids Matt Hoskins- Son of Kathy & Gary John Roth- Jodi Havill’s Friend Curt Johnson- Peg Anderson’s Son in law Peg Anderson David Hosier, son-in-law of Colleen Vargason Sharon Castelda, awaiting a lung transplant.

Ron Cousins sister. Nathan Trent, Gloria Scharnweber’s nephew. Russell and Christine Smith, Bette Potter’s son-in-law and daughter. Pray for family concerns. Dana Kolpin, currently undergoing treatment. Joyce Scharnweber, Mark Scharnweber’s

sister. Amanda Polson-Tinebra, Lynn and Shirley

Patrick’s granddaughter

Prayers for the safety of service men and women and their families: Including, Brecken Peden, Navy Seal, friend of Katie Herring

To the Crestview residents including: Ruby Franke, Joan Jamison, Audrey Kofoed, Audrey Rex, Byrdetta Wehrman, Gene & Nancy Vincent Simpson Resident: Darlene Lenz Heath Resident: Lucine Morrison Christi Musgrave, battling cancer, cousin of Katie Herring Madi Nargang, niece of Phil and Amanda Rushton; cousin of Gabby John Wilcox Kathy Fountain, a friend of Dale and Carol Thomas Dakota, a friend/student of Andy Corr Barb Dinnen, Connie Laughlin’s cousin Rusty, Kathy Harmon’s cousin's son Brady Verlo Erica Hoover, cousin of Tami Streinz Nick Holbrook, friend of Matt & Kris Brack For all those caught in the middle of the

conflicts around the world. Those grieving for loved ones. Family members going through transition. Those who are caregivers. Our church family, and unity. Those walking the road of recovery. Volunteers: school, community, and church. Those struggling with mental health. Missionaries in the United States and around

the world, including the Kies family, missionaries in Mutare, Zimbabwe.

Those affected by natural disasters. Our country and our leaders.

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Your Church Staff

& Contact #’s

Office #: 319-643-5489

Minister: Pastor Connie Markle

563-370-6724

Care Ministries Pastor: Ruth Blayer

319-530-6648

Office Administrator:

Manda Frauenholz-Brown

319-325-6486

Youth Ministry Coordinator:

Katie Sabourin

319-530-3963

Music Director: Dale Thomas

Refuge Musician Leader: Elle Teslik

Pianist: Maggie Mowery

Custodian Becky Knoche

Contact us by E-mail:

youbelong@westbranchumc.org

pastorconnie@westbranchumc.org

Or Visit our website at:

www.westbranchumc.org

1Hannah Knoche

2Holly Searson

2Wesley Neuberger

3Jordan Leith

4Jess Burger

5Scot Harold

5Kathy Hoskins

6Dora Stoolman

6Jay Wildman

7Eric Dorr

8Blanche Siegling

9Kevin Knoche

9Lucinda Harms

10Grant Vincent

10Julianne Jensen

10Carol Slach

10Julie Bridges

10Carolyn Harold

12Katie Herring

13Wendy Fowler

13Becca Haganman

15Tammy Sexton

15 Myrt Sexton

16Kyle Jones

17Tracey Stoll

18 Jackie Sexton

19Ciara Warden

19Susan Soper

20Carol Thomas

22Janet Woody

25Chris Rushton

25Madison Connell

25Lucas Lamont

26Katie Laughlin

26Austin Perks

27Rhonda Leith

28Betty Orr

28 Cindy Kusick

29Chris Olney

30Rachel Morrison

30Marisa Herring

December Birthday’s

Sorry if we don’t have your birthday on our list; please contact the office so we can add it

on for next year!