Alexandria United Methodist Church
Wednesday, September 27, 2023
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AnnouncementsAnnouncements/Events(All events are subject to change)
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Coffee Fellowship
After our 9 a.m. service every Sunday, join us for Coffee fellowship!
If you are interested in providing the treats for Sunday's Coffee Fellowship, please email us at office@alexumc.org. This year's schedule can be found by clicking here. We prepare an annual sign-up in November each year so now is the time to let us know you would like to be added as a regular or a sub. Thank you in advance for your food ministry to our church!
Mark Your Calendar
Ditch Clean-up, October 7, 11am - meet at the church for coffee and rolls before we begin the work!
Bricks to Bread event, October 8, 1-3pm
The event is free but we ask that you register at this link:
https://brickstobread-bloom.kindful.com/e/bricks-to-bread-alexandria
Fresh Expressions "Imagine Day"!
When: Sept. 30, 10 a.m. - 4 p.m., includes lunch Where: Detroit Lakes UMC Who should attend? Alexandria UMC members! Sign up in the Narthex and indicate if you can ride-share! ABIDE Training & Workshop
When: October 5, 1-5 p.m.
Where: Path of Grace UMC, Maplewood (759 County Road B East)
Who should attend? Members, of our SPRC team and anyone from Alexandria UMC that is interested in forming a Racial Justice team
An introduction to how our own church's Landscape Assessment will help us as we embark on a commitment of workshops and training around racial equity and diversity. The email from our new Racial Equity Director, Sabrina Tapia, describes it this way, "an informational session where you can help further the Racial Justice Audit by answering more qualitative questions as a group, as well as learn about our Racial Justice Plan, Racial Harm protocols and ABIDE tools."
Sign up in the Narthex and indicate if you can ride-share! Ongoing Fellowship Opportunities with Alex UMC
Friends Gathering "Friends Gathering" is simply women gathering for friendship~food~creating memories~ we share stories and our lives in fellowship and camaraderie. We welcome newcomers and we meet monthly.
Where: The Lure Lakebar, 2800 N. Nokomis NE, Alexandria, MN 56308, on Lake Le Homme Dieu.
When: September 25, Fireside Room at The Lure, 5 pm
RSVP to Jean Bristow, mikeandjean@charter.net
Adult Fellowship happens once a month - all are welcome - we meet at Fat Daddy's in Alexandria, 115 30th Avenue E. Please consult the Weekly Calendar page for this meeting schedule.
JOY Circle Joy Circle will not be meeting during the summer months. Joy circle will reconvene the third Thursday in September. We hope everyone has a wonderful summer and we hope to see you all back in the fall. Contact Carol, 320-763-5814 or cmeyer@rea-alp.com for updates, questions. Coffee Fellowship second Tuesday of every month, coffee fellowship is hosted in the Narthex ~ join us ~ all are welcome! Christian Education with Alex UMC
All-Church Read – "Messy Church" by Lucy Moore and Jane Leadbetter (books still available)
Sunday, September 20, we had our first "Messy Church" service and it was WONDERFUL and well attended!
Thank you to all!
Please Pr. Amy suggests that readers notice how many times prayer/pray is mentioned by Moore and Leadbetter. Endeavoring to explore Messy Church is a matter of action AND prayer. As we head into fall, Pr. Amy will be leading us in a few wrap-up sessions for this all-church read. Please consult upcoming bulletins for details.
Ecumenical Bible Study, NEW Day of the week beginning in October!
10:30 - 11:15 a.m. on Mondays, Windmill Pond Chapel (2nd floor)
 715 Victor St, Alexandria, MN 56308,All are welcome and encouraged to join us! We meet for 45 minutes or so and Pr. Amy and Sue Helgeson lead the group in sharing, prayer, Bible-based discussions and often a hymn or two! No homework - just come as you are!
#SeeAllThePeople – if you missed the first time, please join Pr. Amy in May for this series on discipleship – kick-off breakfast and details forthcoming.
Social Creed and UMC Principles Study - Please consult the weekly calendar for updates on the meeting schedule.
More happenings at Alex UMC!
Pizza Ministry at the Alexandria Community Wood-fired Oven
Wednesday nights, June-August: 4:30-7pm See schedule here: https://alexandriacommunitywoodfired.com/index.php/entertainment/ FAMILY CAMP on the shores of Lake Andrew!
Join Pr. Amy VanValkenburg and Pr. Christa Forsythe as they embark on their fourth year together offering Family Camp on the shores of Lake Andrew (Spicer)! More details will be released when we get closer to the 2024 date!
Sponsoring a youth camper!
Youth camping - many dates and programs from which to choose - Northern Pines (Park Rapids) and Koronis Ministries (Paynesville) has camping for youth starting at age 6. Our congregation is encouraged to sponsor a youth to attend camp for a week of their own choosing. Depending on which week a camper chooses, costs vary, see pamphlet on bulletin board or go online to www.campminnesota.org . Confirmation and our Youth programming with Alex UMC
Pr. Amy leads and interactive children's message every Sunday! Sunday School starting soon!
After Children's Time in Worship, children will have the opportunity to head to our youth rooms for a short lesson from the Bible, a craft/activity, and snack before coming back to join us in worship as we sing and receive a blessing for the week!
Pr. Amy also takes youth on field experiences - watch for announcements here and in the Sunday Bulletin. Recently, Pr. Amy led Family Camp 2023 with Pr. Christa and her church on the Shores of Lake Andrew. Prior to that, she took confirmation age youth to the Faithful Five event at Koronis Ministries: an introduction to Confirmation for middle school/high school students who are considering Confirmation. More to come regarding the next youth event/excursion! Stay tuned! The Faithful Five: Prayers - we visited various stations that led us in different ways to pray Presence - we listened to a presentation on noticing how our attention to our faith life is vital for our formation as Christians Gifts - we took an 80 question assessment that revealed spiritual talents that we are using every day even if we aren’t consciously thinking about it Service - we created a skit about a service project we might do in our congregation. Our group did a skit about starting a ‘kindness campaign' Witness - we heard testimony from one of our group leaders about his own faith journey "I am excited and curious about all that we can do together, and most importantly, I am interested in endeavoring to grow in faith alongside the youth of Alexandria UMC." -Pr. Amy
If you have a youth interested in our weekly programming or in our Confirmation programming, please contact her at pastor@alexum.org. If you are an adult interested in learning more about Confirmation and/or helping with our youth programming, please contact Pr. Amy and schedule an appointment. Pastor's office hours are posted in the weekly bulletin or call Ginger at 320-763-4624. Looking Ahead to 2024!
Pr. Amy and Thomas are planning travel to the Holy Land in April 2024!
"The Holy Land - The Women in Jesus' Life"
Are you interested? Dates are set for April 15-24, 2024.
Click here to register, or visit the URL below by copying and pasting it into your preferred web browser:
Price Main Tour:
Starting at $3,750 per person sharing a double (optional single room supplement $870)
Our Contact information
Rev. Amy VanValkenburg, LLP Email: pastor@alexumc.org, Pastor's mobile: 320-309-5574/320-460-0776 Ginger Mayer, Admin. Assistant, Phone: 320-763-4624 Email: office@alexumc.org, Office Hours: 9am - 1pm, Church Address: 2210 Sixth Avenue E, Alexandria, MN 56308
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