There is a parable told by Jesus about a man who lived his whole life thinking one thing to be important only to discover at the end that he had missed all that really counted. The story goes like this: "And a certain man’s land brought forth plenty. The man said, ‘What shall I do? I have nowhere to store my crops. I know what I’ll do. I will tear down my barns and build larger ones.’ Then I will say to myself, ‘Take your ease; you have ample goods stored up for many years. Eat, drink, and be merry!’ But that night a voice said to him, ‘You fool, tonight you will die. Then whose will these things be?’"

No thoughtful person can read this parable without some serious soul searching. The question each of us must answer for ourselves is this: "Am I finding in life the truly important things?" We all must wrestle with what we will value and hold in high regard.

It has been suggested that God intends for us to use things and love people. Turmoil usually results in our world when we attempt to reverse this adage by using people and loving things. We are expected to use our resources in service. When we fail to do this and attempt to hoard these resources, we do not become rich. We become poor. Remember the land owner in the parable. He tried to keep everything and discovered he could keep nothing. There came that threatening voice: "You fool, tonight you will die. Then whose will these things be?"

There is an old story told of a pastor visiting one of his parishioners somewhere out West. The parish member was a rancher and one afternoon took his pastor to a far-away spot on his ranch. "Anywhere you look," said the rancher," you are seeing the land that belongs to me. It’s all mine." "That’s not quite true," commented the pastor. "It’s not really yours." "Oh!" said the rancher. "Why isn’t it mine? I hold the title to every acre of land that you see. I paid for all of it. If it isn’t my land, to whom does it belong?" The pastor’s eyes twinkled a little as he said to the rancher, "Let’s talk about that a hundred years from now."

What we call ours does not really belong to us. We only hold it in trust. If that’s true, then we are accountable for the use of it. That’s what stewardship is all about. Perhaps that is the reason this timeless saying persists: "You only take with you what you send on ahead, as you pay-it-forward." What we leave behind falls into the hands of others.

The challenge for each of us during this season of stewardship and thanksgiving is to make sure our lives are focused on the important things of life. All of us want to be able to stand at the end of our journey knowing that we have so used our lives that we can now have joy and satisfaction. The only way to achieve that objective is to live each day to the fullest by spending the moments given to us on things that really matter.

Someone has wisely said that everyone needs to stop now and then and ask, "If this were my last day to live, how would I spend it?" When you think about that question, life takes on a new perspective. We discover that many things we so often take for granted are more important than we dreamed.

May God bless each of us as we attempt to focus our lives on the important things of life.

With you on the journey of Hope,
Pastor Scott

WE EXTEND OUR SYMPATHY to Josh and Laura Vander Ploeg following the October 9 death of their son, Griffin, age 5 weeks; and to the family of Hazel Ream, age 97, who died October 27.

GET WELL WISHES go to Mary Griffiths, who was a patient at Marshalltown Medical & Surgical Center October 9-11; Carl Lester, who had hip replacement surgeries on October 12 and 16; Dale Shirk, who had surgery for a broken hip on October 14 and is now at Villa Del Sol;

Frank Dunn, who has been at MMSC since October 21; Jan Otto, who had eye surgery on October 23; Ray Speas, who had a heart procedure in late October; Shirley Ossman, who remains hospitalized in Des Moines after undergoing heart surgery on October 30; and Chuck Heggen, who had surgery in Iowa City on November 3.

NEW GRANDCHILD: Doug and Anita Hensley are proud grandparents of their first grandson, Esmond Shane, born October 9 to their daughter, Carissa Bryant, and Shane Merry of Wellsburg.

Dear Church Friends: I am home from Villa Del Sol. I’ll continue with physical therapy. Thank you for your visits, cards, flowers, calls, goodies, and prayers. Special thanks to Pastors Scott and Darrell for visits and prayers. It was all very appreciated.

June Oleson

__________

Thank you for all that was done for the funeral lunch.

Herb Ash Family

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Thank you so much for the many cards, thoughts, and prayers during my recovery. Special thanks to Scott and those who visited in the hospital.

Carl Lester

THE UPPER ROOM daily devotional guide for November/December is available in the foyer—donations of $.95 (regular edition) and $1.10 (large-print version) are appreciated.

Appointed scriptures: Ruth 3:1-5, 4:13-17; Psalm 127; Hebrews 9:24-28; Mark 12:38-44 (sermon text)

8:15 a.m. Chancel Choir.

10:45 a.m. Voices of Inspiration.

Appointed scriptures: I Samuel 1:4-20; Psalm 113; Hebrews 10:11-14, 19-25; Mark 13:1-8 (sermon text)

Pastor Lothe’s sermon: "Embracing God’s New Story"

8:15 a.m. Voices of Inspiration.

10:45 a.m. Chimes of Hope and Chancel Choir.

Appointed scriptures: II Samuel 23:1-7; Psalm 132:1-12; Revelation 1:4b-8; John 18:33-37 (sermon text)

Pastor Lothe’s sermon: "The End of the World As We Know It"

8:15 a.m. Chancel Choir.

10:45 a.m. Special Music/Small Group.

Appointed scriptures: Jeremiah 33:14-16; Psalm 25:1-10; I Thessalonians 3:9-13; Luke 21:25-36 (sermon text)

8:15 a.m. Voices of Inspiration.

10:45 a.m. Chancel Choir.

Appointed scriptures: Malachi 3:1-4; Luke 1:68-79; Philippians 1:3-11; Luke 3:1-6 (sermon text)

Pastor Lothe’s sermon: "Make Way!"

8:15 a.m. Chimes of Hope.

10:45 a.m. Chancel Choir.

Some of the best reasons to sing in the Chancel Choir...

Character. Choir helps build character. Singers give one night a week to rehearse and worship together. These people have real character.

Healthy. Choir makes you healthy! How often do you exercise your lungs? To improve your quality of life, come and sing!

Otherwise. Otherwise it won’t be as much fun if you’re not there! Otherwise you’ll miss many opportunities to offer God your praise and adoration through great music.

Interesting. You’ll sing interesting music! You’ll hear interesting comments about your singing! You’ll meet some interesting characters.

(See letter "C.")

Your interest in worship will increase as you prepare to participate in the next Sunday’s worship.

Relaxation. After a stressful day of decision-making—should I sell this, buy that, watch this, cook that—it will be sooo relaxing to have someone say to you, "Sing this! Sing it this way!"

Besides all that, you have a reserved best seat in the house!

Chancel Choir welcomes all mature voices. Rehearsals are Wednesday evenings at 7:15 p.m. Come, let your voice be heard!

Chimes of Hope, under the direction of Libby Bowie, has been invited to participate at the Holiday Stroll in downtown Marshalltown on Friday, November 20. You can hear them perform in the lobby of F & M Bank, 11 North 1st Avenue, from 7:00 to 7:30 p.m.

I wish to thank all members/persons who donated to the CROP Walk. There were several walkers from the Church who joined me. Dave and Helen Espersen encouraged the Hope youth to be a part of this endeavor. Wow! What a job they did. The 8 youth and 4 adults collected $575.50 (most of these funds were from the youth) from the pledges made to them. Those not asked by a walker contributed an additional $426.00. This brings the total to $1001.50 that Hope gave to the Marshall County CROP Walk. This money is used by Church World Service to fight hunger in the United States and beyond (25% will remain locally to be used by the Emergency Food Box, the House of Compassion, and the Salvation Army). Thank you again for the support given to our youth and to this mission project.

Sandy Bennett

Items most needed at this time by the Emergency Food Box are peas, corn, green beans, carrots, chicken noodle and assorted cream soups, and noodles. (Please note expiration dates on the items.) Donations may be placed in Hope’s grocery cart. Monetary gifts (payable to Hope UMC) may be marked "Emergency Food Box" and put in the offering. Funds are used to buy needed items locally and to pay handling charges for items the agency is able to get from the Food Bank of Iowa in Des Moines.

The Worship Arts Committee thanks everyone who chose to become a Hope UMC Organ Donor during the campaign last spring! Thanks to the excellent response, the organ fund now stands at over $68,000 in funds received. The pledges continue to come in, and the Committee is yet looking at a June 2010 goal for beginning installation of our wonderful pipe organ.

Worship Arts has kept in close communication with Leadership Council and has benefited from the Council’s input and advice. Several additional fundraisers are in the works in addition to the Arts series. Donations/ pledges continue to be welcome at any time.

November 7 – Solon United Methodist Church Choir will present a concert under the direction of Marshalltown native Marian (Peterson) Andersen. Marian will also offer solo piano music from sacred, to light, to classical as part of the program.

November 14 – Double D Wranglers, a professional group from Nebraska, will bring Western cowboy entertainment. The group is known for award-winning musicianship, featuring authentic harmonies, instrumentation, and one of the greatest cowboy yodelers in the country!

December 12 – Emily Erickson will present piano selections, and Janet Collison will perform on the harp. This should be a wonderful holiday event.

All concerts are at 7:00 p.m. with dessert receptions following. Free will offerings are received in support of the organ fund.

Advent decorating of the church will occur on Saturday, December 5 at 4:00 p.m. Those attending are asked to bring chili to be placed in a large pot to stay warm. Cookie decorating and crafts will be available for children. Decorating will take place first with dinner being served around 5:00 p.m. The Program Council will provide vegetables and dip, crackers, dessert, and drinks.

On Sunday, December 20, everyone is invited to an afternoon of singing all our favorite Christmas carols and songs. Hosted by the Worship Arts Committee, the caroling will begin at 4:00 p.m. in Fellowship Hall. Gathered around tables, we’ll sing and enjoy cocoa and cookies. There may even be a surprise or two! The afternoon is free to all.

THE HOPE OFFICE WILL BE CLOSED November 26 and 27 (Thursday and Friday) for the Thanksgiving Day holiday.

Judy Beane and Carolyn Salasek will be leading a study entitled "The Beauty and Courage of Sudan (Why a Dream of Peace is Possible)" during the 9:30 a.m. Sunday School hour on November 15 and 22 and December 6 and 13. They will be sharing information they received at a recent UMW Mission Education Event. All are welcome to attend this 4-week study.

Pastor Scott’s Sunday School class will not meet on the days the Sudan study is being held.

A 4-week Advent study is being offered beginning Sunday, November 29 at 5:00 p.m. The book, "Christmas from the Back Side" by

J. Ellsworth Kalas will be used. Watch for more information about how you can participate.

Gingerbread is the theme for the next two youth meetings! Houses will be built following lunch at the church at noon on Sunday, November 15 (get gingerbread plans from Helen Espersen in advance). Delivery of the gingerbread houses will take place following lunch at the church at noon on Sunday, December 13 (note date change from December 6). All youth in grades 6-9 are welcome at Youth Group activities!

Year 2010 wall and pocket calendars are now for sale—just $6 each! Magnetic notepads are available for $3 and small notepads for $2—great stocking stuffers! Pick yours up after worship services on Sunday or by contacting Mary Borton (479-2827). All proceeds go to the Youth Group and Youth Mission Trip funds.

The Birthday Offering to be received Sunday, November 15 will be for the House of Compassion Christmas Project to provide food and gifts for a family or families in need.

The Noisy Offering to be collected by Hope children on Sunday, December 6 will go to the local Big Brothers Big Sisters organization. Through this program, volunteer school-based "Bigs" age 16 and up and volunteer community-based "Bigs" age 18 and up are matched with a child and meet with them weekly to provide guidance, friendship, and support.

Here are several gift ideas for persons who may have "everything." Equal Exchange coffee, tea, and hot cocoa mix are available from the display just outside Fellowship Hall. Money may be left in the box at the display. Purchases help small farmers in developing nations earn a fairer share of income from their products.

Gift cards are available again this year in the Hope office for donations to Heifer International in honor of the person of your choice. You may choose a donation of any size for Heifer to use where most needed or choose a share of a specific animal for as little as $10. Donations for tree seedlings and honeybees are also possibilities! Catalogs are available to help you make a decision. If you would like to select a gift from Heifer International to honor someone in your life, contact Jeri Jeffries or

Judy Nanke in the office.

Also available in the office are gift cards for donations in someone’s honor to Church World Service. Catalogs with many gift ideas are available at the Hope welcome center in the foyer. These gifts may be given for $10 and up and include animals, grains, wheelbarrows, seeds and tools, soccer balls, mosquito nets, literacy classes, sewing supplies, blankets, and more!

One final suggestion is to honor family and friends by feeding the hungry. A $12 gift donation to the Society of St. Andrew provides 800 servings of fresh, nutritious food. The Society is known at Hope for its Potato Project and feeding America’s hungry by gleaning America’s fields. Christmas gift order forms are available at the Hope welcome center.

Mary/Martha Circle will meet Wednesday, November 18 at 9:30 a.m. in Fellowship Hall with hostesses Carol Eddy and Phyllis Willer. Carol will give devotions, and Carolyn Salasek will give the program.

There will be a general meeting for all United Methodist Women in Fellowship Hall on Thursday, November 19 at 6:00 p.m. A soup supper will be provided by the UMW board. Greta Thomae will be installing 2010 officers, and there will be a thank offering and pledge service.

The annual Cookie Carry Out will be Sunday, December 6 in the foyer between worship services. Cookies will be 1 dozen for $2.50 or 2 dozen for $5.00. Members are asked to bring 4 dozen cookies early that morning or on Saturday, December 5 between 10:00 a.m. and 12:00 noon. All Hope people are encouraged to participate on Sunday, as well as donate cookies. Money will go to missions.

The UMW is studying and supporting the mission of the Church in Sudan this year. We were challenged at our School of Christian Mission to raise money for the desperation of the Darfur people in Sudan. The Church has mission fields there and is making progress in helping the people. At School of Mission, 25 people were given $50 and challenged to multiply the money and bring those profits back to School of Mission in 2010.

Carolyn Salasek accepted the challenge; and she, Patty Moon, and others are making designer purses that may be purchased for $10-25 each. Samples of these can be seen or purchased at the front of Fellowship Hall by the UMW sign. For more information or for choice of fabrics, contact Carolyn (752-2053) or Patty (475-3214). Checks should be made payable to Hope United Methodist Women and given to Carolyn or Patty or left in the Hope office.

You may have noticed that the Silent Auction is now underway. Bidding started November 1 and will continue until 12:00 noon on Sunday, November 15, at which time the sheets will be removed. You will be called during the week of November 16 if you have the winning bid, and pickup can be made Sunday, November 22 or Sunday, November 29. Please do not pick up an item if you have not been called. Payment must be made at the time of pickup. Items not picked up by the 29th will be awarded to the second-highest bidder. If you have questions, you may call Nancy Diggins (752-2258), Donna Hoop (753-3508), or Jeri Jeffries (752-3827). Money raised will be used for our commitment to Project Home Mission and for camperships.

The third quarter update for the Project Home Mission family sponsored by Hope Church has just been posted on a church hallway bulletin board. When you read about the family, you will realize how important Project Home Mission, and your support, is to these individuals.

Hope UMC will hold its traditional Thanksgiving meal for any member of the congregation who would like to participate. The date is Sunday, November 15, 6:00 p.m. in Fellowship Hall. As in the past, people are asked to volunteer to host a table of about 8 people or to sign up individually or as a family to join the festivities. The host usually prepares the table and brings the main course. Others at the table may bring side dishes or dessert. Communion will be served at the end of the meal. If you would like to be a part of this celebration, please sign an "Opportunities" sheet in your Sunday bulletin or contact Sandy Bennett (752-0816). She can also answer any questions you may have.

New members will be received at Hope Church during worship services on Sunday, December 13. If you would like to join the church on that date, please contact the Hope office at 752-5104 or hopeumc@adiis.net or indicate your interest on an "Opportunities at Hope" insert in a Sunday bulletin.

Bring food to share and your own table service.

Free will offering for beverages.

Informal services led by Pastor Lothe.

The Trustees are looking for persons interested in clearing snow from Hope sidewalks and building entrances on weekends as needed this coming winter. A snowblower is available—as well as shovels. If several people are interested, an on-call team would be great! Indicate your interest on an "Opportunities" insert in your Sunday bulletin or contact Trustees chair Brian Bacon (485-3471) or the Hope office.

Wonderful Wednesdays is off to a great start, with 45 children attending each week. We have studied creation, Adam and Eve, Noah and the flood, and Daniel in the lion’s den. We have made sheep name tags and did a creation wheel, a rainbow wind sock, and rainbow shrink art. Pictures have been taken, and our new banner will soon go up with the theme, "The Lord is my shepherd. He cares for me."

We appreciate people who have done cutting for us: Bee and Denise Wilson, Letha Morgart, Andrea Stonewall, Patty Moon, Carolyn Salasek, Janet Weis, and Nancy Swessinger. The snacks have been super, ladies. Thanks to Bee and Denise Wilson, Sandy Bennett, Mary Alice Groff, Greta Thomae, Jeanne Christensen, and Kathy Baker. Helpers and teachers have included Helen Espersen, Jennifer Jensen, Donna Packer, Faith Ridenour, Karen Schwake, Glenn and Becky DauSchmidt, Joe Griffiths, Diana Miller, Barb Green, Cheryl Ridenour, Ruth Kinney, Shirley Hesse, Les and Bev Risius, Joann Neven, Lois Cochran, Pat Sutten, Shirley Foster, and our youth helper, Jordan Bacon.

We will not meet November 25. On December 16, there will be a Christmas program at 5:00 p.m. in the sanctuary, followed by a meal for all Hope people and WW children and their families. Please circle that date on your calendar and think about coming to our program and sharing a meal with our families. We feel that it is a great outreach and a way to welcome these families. Hope people will be asked to bring a large side dish that is kid friendly. Table service, sloppy joes, buns, chips, condiments, and beverages will be furnished.

The children’s bells have arrived and were used by the 5th and 6th grade Sunday School class at the late service on October 28. WW children will be playing the bells for the December 16 program. They are excited to share their music with you.

We can still use plastic flip-top lids (such as those found on salad dressing, ketchup, and shampoo bottles) for a WW project.

Again, thank you, Hope people, for your generous and faithful support!

Carol Eddy, Coordinator