November is here, and Thanksgiving will soon be upon us. We have so much to be thankful for every day! During November, I want to encourage you to spend some time prayerfully reflecting on the many ways God has blessed Union in 2023. Here is a short list of things we can thank God for as a church family this Thanksgiving!
Thank God for the worship, fellowship, and service that fills our lives with joy as we seek to follow Christ together!
We’ve welcomed five new members by transfer of letter in 2023: David Lovell, Madison and Adam Fitzgerald, and Pam and Larry Gunter. We’ve welcomed 2 new members by baptism, Noah Whitehurst and Cora Sledge. We've also welcomed several new active participants into the community this year!
We’ve had several opportunities to reach out to young families in our community through Fall Family Fun Night, Vacation Bible School, Parents Night Out, and the Easter Egg Hunt. God has graciously grown our Ministry to Children and Youth over the last year as well!
God continues to use our GriefShare Ministry, providing comfort and care for the participants through our extraordinary leaders. God has even grown this ministry, allowing us to partner with our friends at Presbyterian Village to host a safelight group this fall.
Our Young Adult Hangout Group continues to be an excellent way for our young folks to stay connected and find an outlet for Christian fellowship.
In addition to Sunday School, we offered 3 small group Bible Studies, 2 groups for women and 1 group for men, in the winter, spring, and fall. We’ve seen participants in the women’s Bible Studies from the wider community. We also had a meaningful Soup and Study during Lent.
Our Disciples Men spent a day serving at Camp Christian last spring, and they just held a dinner to enjoy fellowship and learn more about the ministry of ACTS.
Many volunteers in the church family regularly serve with ACTS, and we are thankful for their support of this life-giving ministry.
Our Tuesday morning craft group has made 1,435 fleece comfort pillows to encourage people undergoing medical treatments. They are now diligently working on some amazing new Chrismons for our Sanctuary Tree!
Union has spent 4 weeks providing meals and serving as hosts to support Family Promise of Athens, with a fifth week on the horizon in December.
Your giving to our Fifth Sunday Benevolence Offerings has helped families in need in our local community 31 times this year. You’ve also shared 40 Easter Food boxes, and we plan to share around 50 food boxes with families this Thanksgiving.
You've generously given supplies and money to support 12 different Christian Women's Fellowship Projects throughout the year, impacting families in our community and around the world.
Indeed, we have much to be thankful for as a church family! I hope you will spend some time this month thanking God for all these good gifts in our life and ministry together!