The Challenger - Issue No. 21

Fall Festival
Thursday, October 25
6:00-8:00 pm
Admission: Suggested $2.00 per child ($5 per family - max) and one large bag of individually wrapped candies per family

Round up the kids (and their friends and your neighbors) and join us for this all-indoor event for the community at First Woodway. You'll enjoy ALL NEW inflatables and carnival games, plus face painting, photo booth, cookie walk, candy galore and more! Pizza by the slice and soft drinks will be available for purchase.

Operation Christmas Child
October 14 – November 11
Through the Operation Christmas Child project, God has given unparalleled opportunities to touch the lives of millions of boys and girls in over 150 countries. Many of these children have never received a gift and never heard the true meaning of Christmas—until they open shoeboxes filled with gifts from people like you. This year, First Woodway will be collecting shoe boxes from October 14 – November 11. All shoe boxes need to be dropped off in the Bride’s Room (Room 118). Click here for a list of gift ideas. If you have questions, please email rmaciel@firstwoodway.org or call the church office and ask for René Maciel.

Ladies' Fall Craft Day
Saturday, October 20
8:30 am, 3rd floor
Ladies’ Fall Craft Day is Saturday, October 20 from 8:30 am - 2:30 pm. Spend the day creating six different craft items to give to a friend, a new neighbor or someone on your prayer list. Cost is $35 which includes breakfast and lunch. Childcare is provided with rsvp. Register now by clicking here.

Volunteer at Fall Festival
If you are part of an adult Sunday School class at Woodway, you can sign up to serve at a booth with others in your class. If you are not part of an adult Sunday School class, please contact Barbra and get on the volunteer list. This is an all-hands-on-deck outreach event and is so much fun!

Candy and Monetary Donations Needed
Fall Festival is our single largest outreach event each year. Our desire is to allow the community to attend “free of charge” (not having to pay or bring candy). We know that for many in our community, paying or bringing candy can be a hardship. We want to bless our community by allowing them to attend as our guests. In order to do this, we need our church family to provide a little bit more in order to offset the cost of Fall Festival.

Collection baskets will be in the children’s building, on the first and second floors, as well as in The Venue and outside the main church kitchen. Both candy and monetary donations (hand monetary donations to Barbra) will help Kingdom Kids provide a fun-filled Fall Festival evening where members of our community, as well as our church families, can fellowship with one another in a safe and fun environment.

Free Admission Tickets
If you have un-churched friends or neighbors and would like an easy way to invite them to Fall Festival, we have “free admission” tickets available that you can hand out. You can pick one up in your adult Sunday School class or see Barbra. (These tickets are NOT for First Woodway members/attenders or for members of other churches.)

Hoop-De-Doo
Friday, October 12
Middle Schoolers of Waco:
Get ready for the most epic night of the year! Hoop-De-Doo is back and it’s all going down October 12. It lasts all night and there’s no better place to be. No need to sign up in advance – just show up at The Venue at 10:30 pm with $39 and tons of energy! We will have a rockin’ program at church and then cruise around town and eat some of Waco’s best pizza, watch a hilarious movie, dominate at bowling, and look super fly on some roller skates. We return to the church at 7:00 am sharp. Everyone is welcome, so bring all the friends you can find!

Attention Parents of Middle Schoolers of Waco:
We are looking for volunteers to join us for Hoop-De-Doo on October 12! This opportunity allows you to graze on Waco’s finest pizza, relax at a movie, and experience the thrill of roller-skating and bowling in the middle of the night. This epic overnight event for all middle schoolers is seriously a blast. Let Mark know if you would like to join the party! Email him at mtate@firstwoodway.org. You will be among our favorite people.

WNL Missions Rally
Wednesday, October 17
High school students will get to hear about the missions opportunities that will be coming their way next summer. It will be our special missions edition of WNL on October 17 at 7:00. We’ll be in The Venue to hear testimonies and see videos about previous trips to Namibia, Belize, and La Grulla. Afterwards, there will be a meeting for all interested students (parents are welcome to come to this meeting around 8:15). We’ll give some preliminary details, talk about itineraries, and share costs. It’s a no obligation, strictly informational meeting. Make sure you’re there.

Caregiver's Corner
Hal Ritter, Ph.D.
Noise is a real problem for some people. When attending seasonal events of celebration, sensitivity to sound can be quite disturbing. Even at home, loud noise or loud music may be very troubling. Families are familiar with comments such as, “Use your inside voice,” or “Keep it down, the baby’s asleep.” However, they may not have the same awareness for when an illness makes loud sounds very unsettling.

Be aware of the sound level of everyday activities, as well as the special sounds of seasonal activities. Fireworks, or sudden, scary sounds intended to frighten, and even loud church bells ringing in the season can be disturbing to someone whose noise levels are very sensitive. Oftentimes in a family, someone who is receiving care will not say anything about sound levels because they do not want to be a burden to the family members who are the caregivers. Be aware of the surrounding sounds.

2nd Annual Fall Classic Basketball Tournament
Saturday, October 20
Our second annual Fall Classic basketball tournament will be held in the MAC on Saturday, October 20. Teams may consist of up to five players, but rosters are final on October 17. Register here.

84 Runners/Shipley 5K Donut Dash & Fun Run
Saturday, October 27
8:30 am, MAC parking lot
Entry fee for 5K: $20 early registration, $30 day of the race. Entry fee for Fun Run: $10. There will be a donut eating contest to follow! Click here for more details.

ReNew - Marriage Tune Up
November 9-10
The Venue
No one buys a car and drives it off the lot expecting it to last forever, even when they perform regular maintenance on the vehicle. Yet many couples believe they can get married at the altar and then drive away and never do maintenance on their marriage.

Jeff and Debby McElroy are coming to help us “tune-up” our marriages November 9-10. They have spoken in many mega-church settings around the country and even have spent time leading marriage conferences for places like Chick-fil-A. They bring together humor, insight, straight talk, and experience to help take couples deeper into the “marriage garage” in order to allow couples to see the value of making sure that they are investing heavily in the health of their relationship. The cost for this weekend is $65/couple and includes five sessions to provide some needed maintenance for any marriage relationship whether married two months or fifty years:

God’s Design: “Dealing with your Differences”
Communication: “Adding Oxygen to the Fire Instead of Just Blowing Hot Air”
Conflict Resolution: “Keeping the Spirit Glowing When the Sparks are Flying”
Intimacy: “Fanning the Flames Without Getting Burned”
Spirituality: “Feeding the Fire Within”

Sign up here to go. Sign up here for childcare for this event. Contact Ronny at rhiggins@firstwoodway.org for more details.

Ways to Get Involved with Marriage Ministry
We have many ways to get involved with the Marriage Ministry at First Woodway:

ReNew refers to our big event gatherings which happen once a year.
ReFocus refers to our small groups which meet during the fall, spring, and summer semesters in multiple week studies coinciding with our discipleship calendar.
ReIgnite is our newsletter aimed at giving couples insights that spark conversations and encourage the relationship. Sign up at firstwoodway.org/marriedpeople.

We have plenty of great things coming in the days ahead to enrich and support our married couples of all ages. We hope you will journey with us as we learn how to sustain healthy marriages which will encourage healthy families. Contact Ronny for more details at rhiggins@firstwoodway.org.

E2S - Equipped to Serve (Missions Training)
Sundays in October
4:00 pm, MAC Parlor
For those planning on going on a mission trip or even becoming involved in a local ministry, we strongly encourage you to come and participate in this training - October 7, October 14, October 21, October 28. Sign up here.

Go South to the Road
Meyer Center Breakfast
Friday, October 12. Starts at 6:00 am.
Sign up here.

Caritas
Thursday, October 25. Starts at 9:00 am.

Creekside Spooktacular
Wednesday, October 31. Starts at 6:00 pm.
Sign up here.

Break for Breakfast
Saturday, November 17
9:00 am, Fellowship Hall
Shirley Langston will be sharing how you can get involved with Restoration Haven. We will be making small gifts for the young students Shirley ministers to daily. Women of First Woodway, sign up now and bring your daughters and granddaughters with you. It will be great time to learn and serve together. Sign up here. Childcare for children ages birth to 5 years old.

In the Big Inning
Sunday October 21
6:30 pm, Worship Center
The Children's Choir will be performing "In The Big Inning" on Sunday, October 21 at 6:30 pm in the Worship Center. This baseball themed musical will focus on “Hall of Faith” heroes from the Bible. All are invited to come!

Baylor Soccer Faith and Family Night
Baylor Women’s Soccer Faith and Family night is on Friday, October 19 at 7:00 pm. First Woodway members are invited to attend this game. Any church member can get discounted tickets online (click here) using the promo code FAITH. Click here for more details.