Announcements

Construction of the new youth space is progressing well and is forecasted to complete mid-March. We all look forward to serving the growing spiritual needs of teens in our community! Financially, we expect the existing budget to cover the construction costs, but we need support from the congregation to purchase furnishings. This includes things such as couches, chairs, tables, A/V equipment, games, decorations, and other items needed to fill the nearly 1500 square foot space. This is an opportunity to give above and beyond, to support emerging new youth ministries in a brand new space. If you feel God has blessed you to support this project, please mark your donation with ‘Youth Room Furnishings’. If giving surpasses our needs, any extra will be transferred to the church’s general budget when the project is complete. Please feel free to contact Ryan Buffenbarger if you have any questions. God bless this project!

The blessing box in our parking lot is a wonderful ministry that has seen a lot of use. It’s so successful that it’s become too much for small groups to handle, so we are asking the congregation as a whole to pitch in! Please, if you’re able, bring in: non-perishable food (rice, pasta, tuna, Vienna sausages etc), hats and gloves, toiletries, toilet paper, hand warmers, etc. Please place your donations on the silver shelves in the Narthex. The plan is to fill it Sundays, Tuesdays, and Thursdays. Thank you so much for the love you share for this community.

The 2023 Spud Bowl is almost here! Please join GroveYouth in the Activity Center on Sunday, February 5th, following the 10:45 service for our signature baked potato bar with all the fixin’s! Donations will be accepted, and all proceed go toward GroveYouth’s summer mission trip to Atlanta, Georgia.

Grief Share will be meeting again Sundays starting February 5th from 3:00 to 5:00pm in rooms 304/305. For further information, please contact Pastor Bonnie.

A Church Conference to vote on moving to a Single Board Accountable Leadership Structure at SGUMC is scheduled for March 16th at 7:00pm in the sanctuary. The Rev Dr. Jim Wilson, our District Superintendent, will preside. At a church conference, all official SGUMC members in good standing have both voice and vote. If you are not sure about your membership status, please contact Traci in the church office. If you have questions about the proposed leadership structure, please contact Barry when he returns to the office on March 1st. Please mark your calendars now and plan to attend this important meeting.

Does our Church database have your family membership record correct? Here is your chance to update your record for our annual Guide Book & Directory (if you haven’t already done so). It is time for us to update our database with any changes, additions, or deletions that may have occurred in your family over the past year. Have you changed your phone number? Have you moved? Are you preparing to move soon? Are all of your children still at home and are they all included in your membership record? Do you want your record published?

If you have not already informed the Church Office about changes to your record, please let us know now so that the information in the Guide Book & Directory is correct. All information must be received no later than Monday, January 30th. Any information received after the deadline date will not be used and the info that is in the database will be published. Please send updated information to the church office or click the button below. If nothing has changed, there is no need to resubmit info. Thank you for your help!

We will be sending our second care package of the year to our college students on Sunday, February 5th, just in time for Valentine’s Day. If you would like to bake cookies or send any treats, such as individual packages of popcorn, pretzels, Chex mix, candy, etc., or anything else you think they might like, please contact Nancy Trent at 937-681-2701 or send an email to Tonyponcho@aol.com. Please provide your name, what you plan on donating, and your best contact number or email. Plan on 30 boxes. Please bring your items to the kitchen on Sunday, February 5th before 10:30 and be sure to label them “FOR COLLEGE KIDS”, so they do not get mixed up with the goodies for any other group. Also, it is extremely important, parents and grandparents, that you submit new information or verify old addresses so that we do not miss anyone. Please turn the names in no later than January 29 to Nancy (information above). Providing this information in a timely manner helps with buying supplies and allows those making or supplying goodies to budget accordingly. Our students really appreciate that we are thinking of them while they are at school, so THANK YOU in advance for volunteering to provide goodies for them.

Critical Race Theory (CRT) has become a divisive issue in America. You have probably heard the phrase “critical race theory” used in a lot of political advertisements during the primary season. You will no doubt hear that phrase again from candidates running in the November general election. But what do you know about CRT? What is it really? Why has it become so divisive? Charles Garland will lead a group discussion about CRT in Holden Chapel between services starting February 5, 2023 and continuing for eight weeks. The outline for the discussion is as follows:

• CRT Origin and History
• What Is CRT?
• Critiques of CRT
• Application of CRT Today
• What might professing Christians say about CRT?

We will use the book “Critical Race Theory, an Introduction”, Third Edition, by Richard Delgado and Jean Stefancic, New York University Press, 2017. This book can be purchased via Barnes and Noble or Amazon. Please email Charles Garland if you think you will participate in the group discussion.