Come join us on a journey through the Christmas Story. We begin with Mary. When the angel told Mary she would carry God's son, she said yes to God's plan, despite her fears. She had to trust God completely and become a hope for the entire world by bringing Jesus into it. We often use the word "hope" for small things like hoping for good weather, but real hope is much bigger and requires us to take action. Just like Mary, we're not meant to wait for hope to come to us. This Advent season challenges us to ask: How are we saying yes to God's plan and becoming bearers of hope for others?

At the end of Matthew's Gospel, Jesus gives his disciples a clear mission: go and spread the good news of his life, death, and resurrection to everyone. That mission was a call to action that should change how we live day to day. As disciples, we're not called to simply fill church pews, but to actively work toward transforming the world into God's Kingdom. Our job is to create and tend to Kingdom Moments in our daily lives, trusting God to work through us even when we fall short. See you Sunday for the final message in our stewardship series, "More than a Church, a family".

Being part of a church means coming together as a community. True community isn't about staying comfortable—it's about making room for others who need a place to belong, even when that challenges us. In this week's sermon, we'll look into our worshipping community. When we worship together, we must focus our hearts and minds on God and what it means to be "in community" with those around us in worship. The physical spaces give us a place to worship, but the building is temporary—it is our place in God's family that is eternal.

Last week, we honored the saints who have come before us. Today, we look at those who come after us - the children. In our Sermon series this month, we are diving into what makes this church our home - and what is a home and family without children? Join us us Sunday to look at what it means to pass our faith on to the next generation through our love, service, and kindness.

On Sunday, we begin a special sermon series about YOU! In November, Pastors Adam and Val reflect on what makes FUMC more than just a church, but a family - where every seat feels like home. In the first sermon in the series, we look back at the Saints of our church. We are who we are today because faithful Christians before us taught us, served alongside us, and showed us what it means to follow Jesus. All Saints Sunday services will take place at all three worship services, 8:30, 11:00 & 11:15 am.

We've spent four weeks building a house together, and this Sunday we're adding the finishing touches—the furnishings that make it uniquely ours. We all have our own faith stories that shape who we are. Your experiences with God are like your fingerprint—no one else has the exact same journey, and that's exactly how God designed it. This week we'll explore how the moments you've witnessed, the people you've met, and the ways you've served all come together to create your personal faith story.