10755 Scaggsville Rd. in Laurel, MD 20723 www.EUMCLaurel.org // 301-725-5200 // office@eumclaurel.org Office Hours: Due to the pandemic, the office will remain closed until the church is able to reopen. Phone message will be checked on a regular basis.
Emmanuel Preschool can be reached at 301-725-5178 or www.emmanuelpreschool.com.
THIS SUNDAY AT EMMANUEL
NOVEMBER 29, 2020
SERMON SERIES FOR ADVENT: Those Who Dream
First Sunday of Advent
United Methodist Student Day
This Sunday: "Those Who Dream: Keep Awake" - Rev. Stephanie Vader
9am Online Worship Service Live-Stream HERE Click HERE to view or download this Sunday's bulletin!
What does it look like to live as those who dream? The prophets, the psalmists, John the Baptist, Mary, Elizabeth, Joseph, Simeon, Anna, the shepherds and the Magi—they were all dreamers. They received, discovered, and responded to God’s dreams for the world. In Advent, we step into the mystery and awe of God’s dreams and pray they shape our reality. This theme is for the dreamers in all of us—those who dream of a deeper connection with God and those who dream of a better world. It’s for those who dream of comfort and for those who have given up on their dreams. It’s for those whose dreams have been crushed and for those who show us that dreams take time.
If you have Joys and/or Concerns, please email them to RevKim@EUMCLaurel.org or send them to her by text at 301-520-9219 by Wednesday evening of each week. Please make sure to give your name, and if you would like the information shared just with staff, with everyone on Sunday during our live streamed service (info will be shared on the screen during worship), and/or added to the Prayer List that is sent in this weekly E-News every Friday morning. You also may complete an online Joy/Concern card HERE.
If you are a visitor to Emmanuel UMC, please complete our online Guest Card HERE. We look forward to hearing from you!
If you would like to give to Emmanuel during worship, please give electronically and securely on our website by clicking HERE!
PRAYER LIST - BIRTHDAYS - ANNIVERSARIES
LARS 2020 HOLIDAY PROGRAM
The EUMC family is excited to help LARS make its Holiday Program a success again this year!
The Holiday program includes:
Adopt-A-Family - We are adopting 6 families and giving wrapped presents and gift cards to about 25 children and their parents
Giving Week - Unwrapped gifts for children and gift cards for families not able to participate in Adopt-A-Family
Holiday Food Help - Donations of gift cards and food
Please look over the list of requested items and sign up to donate a gift or gift card HERE.
Drop off gifts on Sunday, December 6th in front of the Ministry Center from 10 AM - noon.
If you have any questions, contact Carolyn Taylor at donbri12@verizon.net. Thanks in advance for your generosity and support!
YOUNG ADULT CAMPFIRE
Young Adult Campfire
Sunday, November 29 @ 5:30 PM
at the Ministry Center
Join Us for Pizza and Pie!
STEWARDSHIP NEWS!
We have had an excellent response to the “Our Money Story” campaign for giving pledges to Emmanuel for 2021. To date, we have collected 65 pledges for a total of $294,511.28 (with an average of $4,530.94 per pledge!) for our General Operating Fund.
If you have not yet turned in your pledge, you will receive a mailing in the next few days that contains a second Pledge Sheet. Please complete your Pledge Sheet and return it to Emmanuelby Sunday, December 13. You can mail it back to the office, scan and email it to office@eumclaurel.org, or put it in a sealed envelope addressed to Becky (Church Admin.) and drop in in our locked mailbox at the entrance to the parking lot. You may also complete an online Pledge Sheet by clicking HERE!
Please help us meet our goal of at least 100 pledges received!
UM STUDENT DAY
SPECIAL COLLECTION SUNDAY, DECEMBER 13
Gifts to the United Methodist Student Day offering help deserving UM students continue their education and their faith journeys as they strive to make a difference in the world and discern what God has called them to do.
Mail your check to EUMC and wirte UM Student Day on the memo line, or give online by clicking HERE.
ADVENT & CHRISTMAS EVENTS
Advent & Christmas @ Emmanuel
Advent 2020 Theme: Those Who Dream
Image Credit: A Sanctified Art
For more information about the Those Who Dream theme, or about any of the offerings below, visit our Advent & Christmas webpage at www.eumclaurel.org/advent2020.
Longest Night Service - Sunday, December 20, 7:00pm on Zoom
The Longest Night—a night around the time of the winter solstice, when there are more hours of darkness than light. Come together with Rev. Kim for a time of music with guest vocalist Resa Gibbs, readings, lament and prayers. Click HERE to join the Zoom, or view the service later at your convenience on our YouTube channel.
Children’s Christmas Eve Service - Tuesday, December 22
Watch the special pre-recorded Christmas service for children and their families, available on our YouTube channel.
Interested in having your child participate in the virtual children’s choir or in another part of the service? Email Donna Meoli at eumcyouth@eumclaurel.org.
Christmas Eve Services- Lessons & Carols – Thursday, December 24, 1pm & 9pm
Join us for lovely services of Lessons and Carols. We will hear the much-loved story of God’s dream for us through scripture, sing beloved Christmas carols, and view seasonal art. Go to our YouTube channel at 1pm & 9pm on Christmas Eve for these special Lessons & Carols services. Afterwards, join us on Zoom to see some friendly Emmanuel faces and to sing Silent Night! Click HERE to access the 1pm & click HERE To access the 9pm.
Christmas Eve In Person @ Emmanuel – Thursday, December 24, 4:45pm
Come to the Emmanuel parking lot and gather to sing Silent Night by candlelight!
Christmas Day - Friday, December 25, 11am on Zoom
It’s hot chocolate w/ Rev. Leo & Rev. Giovanni! Join for a warm Christmas check-in with trivia, hymns, and a brief message. Click HERE to join via Zoom.
ELIZABETH HOUSE
Emmanuel serves as the host for Elizabeth House in Laurel on the first Saturday of each month.
Elizabeth House is responding to social distancing and the coronavirus outbreak with special operating procedures. Please click HERE for more information.
A huge thank you to our wonderful volunteers who served on November 7: Tina Armstrong and Rosemary Robinson!
Our upcoming dates to serve at Elizabeth House are: December 5, January 2, February 6, March 6, April 3, May 1
Please consider volunteering and sign up by clicking the button below!
THEOLOGY ON TAP
Second Wednesdays - 7:00 PM
Join us on the second Wednesday of the month as we enjoy food, beverages, great company, and conversation via Zoom. As usual, we’ll spend some time just getting to know each other and discuss the topic of the month. No preparation necessary. All are welcome!
Upcoming dates:December 9, January 13, February 10, March 10, April 14, May 12
Meetings are held on the 3rd Thursday of each month at 7:00 PM either outside with social distancing and/or on Zoom. All are welcome to join us for a lively discussion!
Our next meeting: December 17 at 7:00 - 8:15 PM
The book for December is: Prairie Lotus by Linda Sue Park.
Click HERE for more dates, books, and summaries (book cover pictures & summaries taken from Amazon.com)!
HELP THE EMMANUEL OFFICE!
Please help Emmanuel keep your information up-to-date!
We are very excited that Servant Keeper, the company we use to house our church family members' information, now allows you to update your own page!
(If you have not received an email from no-reply@servantpc.com giving you access to your information, or if the link has expired, please contact Becky at office@EUMCLaurel.org, and she will send you the link.)
Please create your secure account with your own password, then...
bookmark the page so you will have easy access
check to see if your basic contact information is correct
upload photos of your family and the individuals in your family
check some boxes to let us know some more things about you and your family, and the gifts you have to offer! (This information has been updated, so please log in and check out the categories! Your old information may not have been saved!)
You'll also be able to see your pledge to EUMC, and how much you have donated. (Please remember that the donation information is updated only a few times each quarter, so recent donations may not be visible right away!)
We will have an on-line church photo directory that you can access with a password you can get from Becky. People will only be able to see the information that you allow! And only our church family will be able to access the directory, just as it is with the directory that the office creates, but now the information will always be up-to-date and at your fingertips!
Are you interested in receiving text notifications from Emmanuel? Then you can text EMMANUELUMC to 84576 to join our texting group. We will send you short messages about time-sensitive topics. These could include cancelled/rescheduled services or upcoming events. It might also be used in the future for contact tracing purposes should we ever need it. Your number will not be shared with other organizations and services. We promise to not over-text you! Have more questions about it all? Email Rev. Matt at mattupshaw@eumclaurel.org.
LINK MADNESS!
Are you looking to sign up for something at Emmanuel? We've created a single page with all of our sign ups! We've got Drive-In Worship, Sunday Worship, special events, and more. Just visit: https://www.eumclaurel.org/sign-up/.
Howard County Recycling Division's new Sustainable Shopping webpage is a great resource for you to minimize your carbon footprint and make purchases with the environment in mind.
When it comes to our food and household item purchases, it really pays to reduce, reuse, recycle and rethink!
LGBTQIA+ AWARENESS IN NOVEMBER
As a reconciling congregation, Emmanuel UMC is committed to welcoming and affirming LGBTQIA+ people.
Transgender Awareness Week(Trans Week) is November 13-19, where we celebrate, share stories, and educate the public about our transgender siblings. Transgender Day of Remembrance, the day after trans week, is observed on November 20th. Intersex Day of Remembrance(Intersex Solidarity Day) is on November 8th, which is different from Intersex Awareness Day on October 26th. It highlights the issues faced by Intersex Day.
DISABILITY AWARENESS IN NOVEMBER
All people are welcome to Emmanuel UMC. We continue to offer a special welcome to people with disabilities.
As we enter into the holiday season, we should recall Diabetes Awareness Month, sometimes referred to American Diabetes Month. Whether Type 1 or Type 2, including prediabetes, preventative and maintenance are key.
LOVE FOR LARS
Food delivered to LARS!
Please continue to leave non-perishable food items on the picnic tables under the carport of the Ministry Center as you are able. Rod Sams will pick them up daily, and deliver them to LARS weekly!
ANTI-RACIST LENDING LIBRARY
Please check out one of our many fantastic resources in our Anti-Racist Lending Library!
Located on the carport of the Ministry Center, the collection includes books for adults, young adults (YA), everybody (E - appropriate for young children), and even some DVD's and magazines. You can borrow any of the materials by signing them out on the clipboard that is in the box with the collection. To access an updated list of the available items, click HERE!
ANOTHER OPPORTUNITY TO CONNECT
The Bible teaches us to pray in every situation. Emmanuel’s Prayer Ministry group invites you to their weekly prayer conference call. Every Wednesday from 7:30pm to 8pm you can join the call. We start with a prayer, scripture reading, and devotion. Then the line is open for anyone to pray for joys or concerns.
For more information, or to join the Prayer Line, click HERE.
WE ARE EMMANUEL
Emmanuel UMC embraces Jesus’ message that God loves everyone and we affirm that all persons are of sacred worth. We believe that every human being is created and gifted by God; therefore every human being is invited to be part of our church.
We welcome into our fellowship, membership, and leadership, all people, regardless of age, economic reality, education, ethnicity, faith history, family structure, gender identity, nationality, disability, race, sexual orientation, and life experience.
What does it look like to live as those who dream? The prophets, the psalmists, John the Baptist, Mary, Elizabeth, Joseph, Simeon, Anna, the shepherds and the Magi—they were all dreamers. They received, discovered, and responded to God’s dreams for the world. In Advent, we step into the mystery and awe of God’s dreams and pray they shape our reality. This theme is for the dreamers in all of us—those who dream of a deeper connection with God and those who dream of a better world. It’s for those who dream of comfort and for those who have given up on their dreams. It’s for those whose dreams have been crushed and for those who show us that dreams take time.
If you have Joys and/or Concerns, please email them to 
If you are a visitor to Emmanuel UMC, please complete our online Guest Card 
Join us on the second Wednesday of the month as we enjoy food, beverages, great company, and conversation via Zoom. As usual, we’ll spend some time just getting to know each other and discuss the topic of the month. No preparation necessary. All are welcome! 
Meetings are held on the 3rd Thursday of each month at 7:00 PM either outside with social distancing and/or on Zoom. All are welcome to join us for a lively discussion!
We will have an on-line church photo directory that you can access with a password you can get from Becky. People will only be able to see the information that you allow! And only our church family will be able to access the directory, just as it is with the directory that the office creates, but now the information will always be up-to-date and at your fingertips!
Are you interested in receiving text notifications from Emmanuel? Then you can text EMMANUELUMC to 84576 to join our texting group. We will send you short messages about time-sensitive topics. These could include cancelled/rescheduled services or upcoming events. It might also be used in the future for contact tracing purposes should we ever need it. Your number will not be shared with other organizations and services. We promise to not over-text you! Have more questions about it all? Email Rev. Matt at 
Are you looking to sign up for something at Emmanuel? We've created a single page with all of our sign ups! We've got Drive-In Worship, Sunday Worship, special events, and more. Just visit: 
Transgender Awareness Week 
As we enter into the holiday season, we should recall 
