On Friday, December 1, at 6:00 p.m., we will meet in the Ringgold UMC parking lot on Nashville Street to continue with our annual ‘block party’ during Ringgold’s Downhome Christmas Parade. The idea began to take shape about four years ago as many of us gathered to enjoy the parade noticed the community around us and started dreaming aloud some ways we could be intentional spreaders of joy, plant seeds for holy moments, and show the community the kind of love & belonging they could find at RUMC primarily through witnessing how much genuine fun we have together. We wrote down many of these ideas and took a step toward bringing them to life the next year by setting up a tent, offering free hot chocolate & glow sticks to anyone who asked, inviting the people around to join the Chancel Choir in singing Christmas carols, and offering free access to our church restrooms. Equipped with many lessons learned from our first attempt we built upon our success for last year’s parade by expanding the physical area of our party, adding a fire pit to keep folks warm, including a kettle corn fundraiser by our Men’s Ministry to benefit our ongoing partnership with Christ Chapel Share & Care Ministries, and being even more intentional about making church invites.

We want this year’s Christmas Parade Block Party to be bigger and better and more fun than ever, and we need you to make that happen; yes, of course we will need people to serve by helping with set-up & clean-up, serving hot chocolate, building fire pits, etc., but what we need more than anything is your presence. Come! Come sing Christmas carols with the Chancel Choir at 6:00 pm. Come pass out hot chocolate and other goodies throughout the parade. Come share God’s love around a warm fire. Come point needy, wayward souls in the direction of the restrooms. Come buy kettle corn and support Christ Chapel. Come with a willingness to let God work through you on the people you meet in ways you might have never imagined possible. Come and have fun!

Join us Saturday, December 2nd to help decorate the church for Christmas and the advent season. We will have a brief devotional at 10am in the sanctuary before we get started and there will be many easy tasks for you to choose from.  Setting up and decorating 3 trees, displaying nativity scenes, and hanging wreaths and garland. All ages welcome!  Please call Marty at 423-227-7209 or sign up on the app. Please come and restart a very important tradition at RUMC!

Let’s show our appreciation for our staff this year by sending them a Christmas card. Beginning Sunday, December 3rd, a box of cards will be placed in the narthex and the Sparks Street entrance. You can acknowledge each staff individually or as a group. Once you complete your card, you can place them in the box provided. Monetary gifts for Pastoral staff can be designated to the SPRC discretionary fund. If you prefer, you can put gifts in the cards. Thank you for supporting the staff of RUMC.

IT’S ALL MOST HERE!  The Children’s Celebration of Christmas is Saturday December 9th. We hope you’re planning on helping in some way.

The ‘red bags’ are out (in both the front and back entrances).  Grab one with a list inside.  Fill the bag with the items on the list and return to the church. Return filled bags by Wednesday, December 6th.

Sign-ups are available for servants.  On Wednesday December 6th, (from 5pm until finished, around 7pm) we’ll be packing food boxes, stuffing stockings, wrapping gifts and putting up trees.  

On Saturday December 9th there is work to do from early afternoon until 8 or 8:30pm. You can help by working in the kitchen, serving food, hospitality, passing out gifts & or food boxes, cleaning up, etc.  Heck, we’ll let you do just about anything you are willing to do!

For more information call, text or email:  Eddie Floyd, 423-488-6317, efloyd@catt.com

Ringgold United Methodist and Friends of Momance have established hope for the village of Momance with a school for 250 students; however, not all our students or their parents are thriving.   We have identified a need in our overall program. The program is in need of consistent health care and identification of illnesses in our students.   Two months ago, we had a 6 yr. male student, Marc Gregorie die from pneumonia. Last month one of our student’s fathers died from cholera.  Currently our 11 yr. old male student, Roodley, has a damaged valve in his heart which requires him to be on 5 different medications a day until surgery can be performed.  His heart condition most likely developed from an untreated strep throat.    

We have identified the need for a school nurse that could provide the expertise to identify, assess, and manage our students’ health care issues.    

Dreams are powerful but they are only meaningful if we act on them. You can help us achieve the goal of having a school nurse by purchasing a Christmas ornament made in Haiti.  The ornaments are $20 each; the proceeds will go toward the salary of the school nurse.

Pick the ornament you want off the tree in the lobby and mark your check or donation for Haiti.  You can give online or put your check in the offering plate.

Thank you for being a church who cares!

Our next 49er’s meeting will be December 12th at 1:30 PM at Park Place Restaurant in Fort Oglethorpe. Please note the time change.

RSVP Kay Harrell.  423-504-2737.

It has come to my attention that there are questions regarding our re-keying of the exterior doors. Previously, there were 57 keys issued to known individuals plus an unknown number of additional copies made and shared. Some of the individuals still retaining outside church keys had ceased being involved years prior. We had tried to retrieve as many keys as possible to narrow access with little success.

As you know, we live in a time where safety, especially surrounding schools, is paramount. Our local schools make security a top priority and for good reasons. We have not had a major incident and we pray we never will but as you realize it only takes one unfortunate incident for a tragedy to occur.

It is our responsibility and frankly our liability to ensure the greatest safety standards for our preschool children and staff.  We lock the preschool doors, including the interior doors going into the preschool wing. We have installed cameras at all the doors.  We have communicated to groups that use the church during preschool hours regarding the importance of staying in appropriate areas including how to enter and leave the building which secures preschool operations. Unfortunately, we continued to have people unrelated to the preschool walking through their area when it was in session. So, it was time to rekey the exterior doors.

We, however, continue to need and request YOUR HELP. The back glass doors off the Sparks St entrance (gym / fellowship hall entrance) must remain locked while the Preschool is in session. There is no exception to this rule. Various people have found these doors unlocked and visitors wandering the hallways. If you have an activity in the gym or at that end of the building, and need to grant access through that entrance please have a greeter present at the door to allow entry. It must be by a greeter. This door cannot be propped open at anytime when the Preschool is in session. If you are unloading, which is an extra difficulty if you are alone, we understand, but there must be a person monitoring this door if it is open.

Further, while this door is supposed to self-lock when closing, it does not always latch. We have had contractors work on this but to no avail. To make sure the door is locked, please give it a tug, and if it opens, push on the door to make sure it catches.

Finally, the Preschool entrance is for the Preschool to use. If families are coming and going to pick up early or drop off late and we have other church members coming and going it creates confusion for the Preschool.

Remember, you can always go to the front of the church and Pam Blaylock, or other staff can let you into the church.

Thank you for your understanding in keeping our youngest safe.

November 10-12, r|youth traveled to Camp Glisson for the Rooted Retreat. Over this 3-day trip, our youth learned what it means to be rooted in faith. They received an Invitation to Grow, discovered the importance of Who we’re Rooted Around, and why everyone needs to Grow Your Own Roots. They all came away from this retreat knowing that their name matters and God is calling each of them to change the world.

Between powerful worship, Silly Songs with Larry, and a little Party in the USA, it’s a weekend that won’t be forgotten.

Downhome Christmas Parade
December 1st , 6 PM

Hanging of the Greens
December 2nd, beginning 10 AM

Children’s Celebration of Christmas Wrap and Pack
December 6th, 5 PM

Children's Celebration of Christmas
December 9th, guests arrive at 5:30 PM

Christmas Eve Morning Service
10 AM ONLINE ONLY

Christmas Eve Evening Service
5 PM Contemporary Service
9 PM Traditional Lessons and Carols

New Year’s Eve Morning Service
10 AM Combined Service

49er’s 
December 12th, 1:30 PM Park Place

Growing Stronger Exercise for Older Adults
Tuesdays/Thursdays 10-11 AM, RUMC gym

Recovery @ Ringgold
Thursdays at 6:30 PM in the MPR

RUMC Quilters
Thursdays at 8:30 AM - 2 PM, Room B-8

Sew What?
2nd and 4th Mondays at 10 AM, Room B-2

General Budget
Full Year Budget: $610,500
Budgeted in October: $50,875
Received in October: $53,547
Spent in October: $49,974
Budgeted October YTD: $517,689
Received October YTD: $438,430
Spent October YTD: $503,510
 
Mortgage Payment
Mortgage balance: Zero!

In Person :
9 AM: 83
11 AM: 65
 
Online:
9 AM: 70
11 AM: 22

General Fund
In Memory of Donna Swaney by:
Phil & Terran Summers

Christ’s Chapel
In Memory of Charles Turner by:
Aubrey & Donna Greeson

NCIC
In Memory of Lorene Deckert by:
RUMC Quilters

Ringgold United Methodist Church
706-935-4777 | www.ringgoldumc.org
7484 Nashville St
Ringgold, GA 30736

Chris Bryant, Senior Pastor
Sally Ensley, Minister of Care
Britta Alton, Director of Children’s Ministry
Michael Arnold, Worship Band Leader
Kodi Lowry, Director of Preschool
Taylor Lankford, Executive Director of Worship and the Arts
Marty McGee, Coordinator of Senior Adult Ministries
Pam Blaylock, Office Administrator
Drew Sherrill, Communications and Technical Director
Jamie Smith, Director of Youth Ministry
Carolyn Turner, Organist
Ann McMillen, Pianist