Dear U Park Family,
There’s a funny thing about end of the world predictions: they never seem to be wrong. Of course they’re never right either, so the people making those predictions often have to reinterpret them, or explain them differently, or revise. But preachers and self-appointed scholars trying to strike holy terror into our hearts by announcing the end times rarely if ever just shrug and admit they were mistaken.
This Sunday, I’ll be preaching on a segment of Mark’s Gospel that’s often called “the little apocalypse,” because in it Jesus seems to be announcing the imminent end of the world – or at least that’s how his words have often been understood. I think that understanding is mistaken, and that his words are much more hopeful than that. I hope you’ll join us at the church for worship on Sunday at 9:00 in Wasser Chapel or at 11:00 in the Sanctuary.
Thanksgiving is approaching fast, and on this Thanksgiving Day we’re hosting Denver’s annual Interfaith Service of Thanksgiving at 10:00 A.M. I appreciate those who’ve volunteered to help, and we can always use a few more people. We need ushers to help people find seats and take offering, as well as greeters to staff our doors and guide people to the Sanctuary, elevator, and restrooms. I’ll need some help the day before cutting up bread and putting it in baskets so that we can serve it during worship, so if you can give me a hand with that please let me know. On Thanksgiving, we’ll have parking spaces available in the Daniels’ Parking Garage across University Blvd. from the church and in another DU lot as well as in our own.
In preparation for hosting Thanksgiving service, we’re hosting a church cleanup day this Saturday, November 16, starting at 10:00. This is an opportunity to spruce the place up before people come for the Interfaith Service. We’ll serve snacks and coffee and have jobs ranging from small and quick to longer and more involved. You’re welcome to come and help out for any length of time from 30 minutes to four hours, and whatever you can do will make a difference.
Thanks to all who have contributed to our Food For All event, coming up on Sunday, November 17. That afternoon, our youth group will band together with United Methodist youth from all over the city to package Thanksgiving dinner boxes for people who might not otherwise be able to afford one. We have more than the 20 $25 gift cards we were asked to bring, and we still need about 150 cans of cranberry sauce to get to our total of 300. If you can bring some canned cranberry sauce to church this week or Sunday morning, your donation will be very helpful in this effort.
I’m thankful that our pledges of support for next year’s ministry continue to come in. If we fulfill our goal, we’ll get to $370,000 pledged in financial support for 2025. In the two weeks since commitment Sunday, we’ve seen pledges for more than $230,000. So we’re well on the way, and you can help. You can offer your commitment of financial support by filling out one of the “Dreams and Visions” pledge cards you can find throughout the church. Our goal is to increase our giving by 7% total for the year, and however you can help will be terrific. If you have questions about our plans for ministry in 2025, I’d be happy to talk with you and answer questions.
A few of you have pointed out to me that some of our red hymnals are getting worn: covers held together by tape, pages crumpled and creased, bindings falling apart. We’ve had a very generous offer from one of our members of a $1200 matching gift for any donations toward new hymnals by the end of this month. If you’d like to donate a new hymnal in honor or memory of a loved one, just email me at adunning@uparkumc.org along with the name of the person you’re honoring and we’ll see that we get the hymnals you purchase properly inscribed with the correct name. Hymnals are $24 each, so if you’d like to purchase one and dedicate it to someone important in your life, let me know and I’ll get it set up. With this matching gift, we could purchase as many as 100 new hymnals – just in time for Christmas Eve services.
Thanks for all the ways you support and strengthen our ministry – I look forward to seeing you at church!
Grace and Peace
Andy