November 18, 2024

Fall Time Greetings~

What does that mean? Fall time greetings (at least in my intentions) are filled with the beautiful colors of leaves changing as the trees prepare to rest for the winter. Fall time greetings include cozy sweaters and blankets. Fall time greetings mean the smells of pumpkins, turkey and stuffing. Along with fall comes the understanding that the summer warmth is fading away and the crisp beauty of a snowfall is just around the corner. Fall time greetings means that we will begin to witness people offering thanks and sharing gratitude. It is the season of Thanksgiving.

The past several weeks has brought obvious changes in my life along with the reds, yellows and browns of the leaves that are more abundant on the ground than on the trees this time of year! So, I will begin by offering my Thanks to all of you for your patience as I adjust to married life and moving to Trumansburg. My new husband, Rob, is the Pastor of Trumansburg UMC and lives in the parsonage. This made the most sense to us as we navigated combining our two lives together. I know many of you are concerned with my commute time and I appreciate your care for me! I honestly do not mind driving, and though I am sure the weather will make some days less pleasant than others; I plan to use the time making phone calls, listening to podcasts and at times, just sitting in silence. This will all be good for me. Also, I have flexibility in my work at The Living Well, so, if necessary, I will work from home when the days get too snowy or play it safe and stay with my mom in Rushville.

I would like to share a bit about my changing family! As you know, I have 3 children, Joe (28) who is engaged to Lizzie. They will be married in October 2025. Joe is a department lead at Walmart in Victor and Lizzie is a Labor and Delivery nurse at Highland Hospital. They live in Fairport. Abby (26) is a Teachers Aid at Happiness House in Canandaigua and lives in Lyons next door to my nephew Ryan and his Partner Matt. Alex is also working at Walmart but overnight in Canandaigua. He is studying for an Engineering Certification that will enhance his Mechanical Engineering degree. Alex will be taking over renting the house in Potter. Rob also has 3 children, Austin is 16, Jay is 14 and Hope is 7. They live near Buffalo. but we get to see them about once a month for a long weekend.

I know that mine is not the only life that is in transition. Many of you are navigating life in changing jobs, new grandbabies, and the loss of very special people in your lives. All this is a reminder of how fast the seasons change and how important it is to remain grounded in our faith with our sights set upon God. The world is in commotion, but through it all God is the Creator, Sustainer, Redeemer and Savior of this world. I pray that you never forget that!

Fall always brings about the opportunity to remember special moments of beauty as well as gatherings with family and friends. We get to gather around the Communion table together on the first Sunday of each month. As we do so, we remember the community that Jesus formed and led, teaching, guiding, nurturing and encouraging. A tradition at Branchport UMC is the No Fuss, No Muss dinner where we save ourselves the menu planning, the grocery shopping and the cleanup that comes from a family meal and invite you to make an offering to our church. Branchport UMC 3376 Guyanoga Road, Branchport BUMC2022@gmail.com What would it cost you to prepare a meal in your home to enjoy some fellowship together? OR What would it cost to go out for dinner with family and friends? Save a trip, share your story and make a donation to support the mission and ministry of Branchport UMC. Please tell us who you would invite, why you want them there and what you would like to tell them! Just make a note on the memo line of your check: NFNM.

The best part of this meal is that it doesn’t matter if distance is always a factor. If it is a loved one who has passed away, you can still envision a meal with laughter and great conversation! What would you want to say to them if you had the chance? If things are busy, no worries about finding a time that fits everyone’s schedule! Send us a note and let's share with one another the No Fuss, No Muss meal that will nurture our spirits and hearts. We are truly blessed to be in ministry together.

“For I received from the Lord what I also passed on to you: The Lord Jesus, on the night he was betrayed, took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and said, ‘This is my body, which is for you; do this in remembrance of me.’ In the same way, after supper he took the cup, saying, ‘This cup is the new covenant in my blood; do this, whenever you drink it, in remembrance of me.’ For whenever you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes.” 1 Corinthians 11:23-26

Some dates to share:

★ November 27th~ 6:30pm Ecumenical Thanksgiving Service at St. Mark’s Episcopal Church

★ November 30th~ Church clean-up and decorating at 10:15am. Join us at 9am for Gentle Flow Yoga with Kathleen.

★ December 1st~ The first Sunday of Advent. We will begin a 4-week study entitled: “Waiting Here for You.” We will gather each week after worship and wrap up no later than 1:30pm

★ December 3rd~ Council of Churches Community Prayer Service for Advent at 12:15pm at St. Paul’s Lutheran Church.

★ December 18th~ Service for Comfort and Peace at St. Paul’s Lutheran Church at 6:30pm

★ December 24th~ Christmas Eve: Candlelight Worship at 7pm

*Please note there will be no Community Dinners for November and December. Hope you will join us for these other times of Gathering and join us again on the last Saturday of January.

May you know how much you are loved this season and always.

God Bless,

Kim

Branchport UMC

3376 Guyanoga Road

Branchport BUMC2022@gmail.com