CHURCH OFFICE HOURS: MONDAY – FRIDAY
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While you watch the live stream, we would like you to be aware of two things. First, you may notice a small delay (up to two minutes) when watching the live stream. Second, while you may still experience buffering it should be short lived (15-30 seconds), but it will recover quickly and there should be no loss of content.
Thank you all for your patience as we worked to correct and improve our live streaming.
OR go through our gallery of
past services and midweek devotionals on the Worship Tab.
9:00 a.m.
11:00 a.m.
Christmas Eve Candlelight Celebrations
Saturday December 24, 2022
3:00 and 5:00 PM
Christmas Day
Sunday, December 25
10:00 AM One service with Pastor Ron Friesen
More information to follow
NOVEMBER: A MONTH OF GRATITUDE
Consecration Sunday
Saturday, November 19 or Sunday, November 20
On October 31 (if not slightly before) our financial secretary mailed to you a letter and Gratitude Calendar inviting you to consider the whole month of November as a season of gratitude. The calendar has a place for you to record something for which you are thankful for each day of the month. These things can be very simple: I am thankful for… a morning when the temperature is under 80 degrees. I am thankful for…. a beautiful sunset. I am thankful for…a neighbor who brings in my paper…. I am thankful for a place to live and food to eat.
On the back there is a place for you to also write down, once a week, a thanksgiving related to the church. How is your life blessed and enriched by being a part of this worshiping community?
It is surprising how developing an attitude of gratitude can begin to reset our spirits and remind us of the many blessings God pours into our lives day-by-day. Remembering God’s generosity to us helps us shape our spirits to be more generous.
A little later in the month you will receive a second letter inviting you to complete and return your estimate of giving for 2023 on Saturday, November 19 or Sunday, November 20, as an act of worship. We hope you will plan to be here on that weekend, which will serve as both our Thanksgiving and Consecration Worship (when we consecrate our commitments for giving to God).
Take a little time this month to consider whether you giving to the church reflects the joy it brings to your life; the connections with others it allows you to develop; the deepening relationship with God that you are growing as you gather with others to pray, praise, search the scriptures and devote your life to his service. You will be glad you did.
A HUGE thanks to everyone who made our Rummage Sale a success! It took all of us working together to get it done. We will be scheduling a luncheon meeting soon so we can review and discuss what went well and what needs to be different. Be watching for that. In the meantime, a big Thanksgiving blessing to all.
Thanksgiving/Christmas Offering
The Missions Committee has prepared the Thanksgiving/Christmas letter with an offering envelope. The plan was to hand them out before and after worship services last weekend.
Due to the community spread of the Covid virus and in-person worship services being cancelled, the Missions Committee has mailed the letters to you. Please prayerfully consider your gift, place it in the offering envelope provided and return it to the church by dropping it off, mailing it in or….hopefully…bring it to worship next Sunday.
Valley View Community Food Banks and UMOM will be the recipients of this year’s combined Thanksgiving and Christmas offerings. The Mission Committee has chosen these two local organizations in this time of rapidly rising costs for food and housing.
Valley View Community Food Banks has several locations in the West Valley including Sun City and Sun City West. More than one-third of its clients are over 55 years of age.
UMOM not only offers shelter and meals to the homeless, it also provides a range of other services including aid in finding a job.
Contributions can be made out to Shepherd of the Hills UMC with the notation “Thanksgiving/Christmas.”
For more information: feedingaz.org/about & UMOM.org.
ESTIMATE OF GIVING/COMMITMENT CARDS
Please return your pledge cards to the church office in person or by mail. We had hoped to offer them as an act of worship in-person on Consecration Sunday, but we will keep you safe instead.
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Blue Christmas Service Wednesday November 30, 2022 3:30 PM Sanctuary Shepherd of the Hills United Methodist Church Dear Friend/Member of Shepherd of the Hills United Methodist Church, This is a personal invitation to you, your family members and friends to join us for a Blue Christmas Service in the Sanctuary. The Blue Christmas service is a gentle, contemplative service for those who are carrying pain or loss during this season of celebration. We provide a safe place of rest, comfort and healing; to receive the hope that Jesus’ birth spreads among us. The first Christmas (and others after the first one) without a beloved family member who has died can be a time when it is difficult to be cheerful. There are many other kinds of losses that may bring feelings of sadness when people around us appear to be jubilant. In this service, we acknowledge that these struggles are real, and we can seek God in this time.
We hope you will decide to join us, and we pray that the love of God in all its fullness and tenderness, be experienced in your life through the Christmas season. Your Pastors and Care Team Office: 623-584-2280 Email: church@shepherdofthehills.org WE REGRET THAT WE WILL NOT BE ABLE TO OFFER A LIGHT MEAL AFTER THIS SERVICE. THIS IS OUT OF PRECAUTION, DUE TO CHURCH AND COMMUNITY-WIDE COVID SPREAD IN THE PAST COUPLE OF WEEKS. |
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THURSDAY, DECEMBER 8 AT 7:00 P.M.
WEST VALLEY CHORALE PERFORMANCE
HOLIDAYS FROM THE BRITISH ISLES
FEATURING JOHN RUTTER’S MAGNIFICAT
SECOND HALF FAVORITE CAROLS FROM PARTS OF BRITISH ISLES
The Gift
By Lloyd Larson
A Christmas Cantata
Saturday, December 10 at 4:00 PM
Sunday, December 11 at 9:00 AM
Coffee, Cookies & Fellowship Following Performances
Christmas is a season of celebration, gratitude and giving…and this new cantata from Lloyd Larson focuses on the ultimate Christmas gift…Jesus. Brimming with beloved carols and exciting new songs, The Gift traces the ageless Christmas story through the lens of gratitude and our response to the Greatest Gift. There are also (optional) moments to involve children in singing and offering gifts to the nativity, shaping this into a multi-generational experience for all.
Bring a guest(s) to this glorious cantata.
Save the Date—Nativity Scene & Unique, Heirloom Decorations Display
Fellowship Hall – Saturday, Dec. 17 & Sunday, December 18
We are inviting church members to bring their favorite Christmas decorations to the Nativity Scene and Unique, Heirloom Decorations display in Fellowship Hall on December 17 and 18. Set-up will be on Saturday afternoon, December 17 and the display will continue after the Fellowship Hour on Sunday, December 18. The public will be invited to come and enjoy these festive displays. More information will follow in SHUMC publications.
Christmas Eve Candlelight Celebrations
Saturday December 24, 2022
3:00 and 5:00 PM
Christmas Day
Sunday, December 25
10:00 AM One service with Pastor Ron Friesen
More information to follow
MEET OUR NEW FAITH COMMUNITY NURSE
GRIEFSHARE
You don’t have to go through the grieving process alone.
Each of the sessions are designed so that any person can feel welcomed, no matter what session number they are attending for the first time.
We affirm that each person’s grief journey is unique. Therefore, in an environment of respect and confidentiality, each participant can explore the questions and experiences of grief they bring to this safe space.
Community members are welcomed. Sign up at the office or the Kiosk on Sunday.
Grief Group Support
Meets every WEDNESDAYS at 10:30 a.m.
Location: Prayer Room
Facilitated by Rev. Ron Friesen
We are not having new member classes right now, but we welcome persons who wish to join. Let the church office know you are interested or have questions and Pastor Deborah will contact you. If you want to remain a member of “the church back home” you are welcome to become an affiliate member (a person who belongs primarily to another United Methodist Church or an associate member (a person who belongs to a church from another denomination).
FOOD BANK DONATIONS NEEDED
Food banks are way down. But hunger is up! Can you help? The Missions Team is extending food bank collections to be continuous during the summer. Next time you shop, please grab a few extra items that can be donated to our local food banks. Donations can be brought to the church during office hours and placed in the hall between the Library and Choir Room. Or feel free to donate by phone or online,
Call (602) 242-FOOD
Your donation is 100% deductible and may
Volunteers are needed to help at St. Mary’s Food Bank, located at 13050 W. Elm St., Surprise.
We meet on the third Thursday of each month from 10 AM to Noon. The task is to sort food that has been donated. No heavy lifting is required. If interested, please contact Becky F. at
623-584-2280.
SANDWICH MAKING FOR JUSTA CENTER
WILL MEET MONDAYS At 8:30 AM
The peanut butter party (weekly sandwich making) will meet on Mondays, at 8:30 AM in the Fellowship Hall to make sandwiches for Justa Center. Masks are mandatory during sandwich making.
Please call Mary G. at 623-584-2280 if you would like to join them.
LIFE CHANGING BIBLE STUDY 
The weekly Zoom Bible Study will meet on Mondays at 3:00 P.M. We hope you will join us! The Zoom link will be sent out every Monday morning to those interested in participating.
BOOK CLUB
CHESS CLUB 
The Chess Club meets on Thursdays at Noon in the Narthex.
Call the office 623-584-2280 for more information.
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PREPARING FOR A NEW BISHOP  Bishop Grant J. HagiyaRETIRES DECEMBER 31, 2022 Bishop Grant will become the new president of Claremont School of Theology on January 1, 2023, and start a leadership and innovation institute. The Desert Southwest Conference will be one of the areas to receive a new bishop! The new bishop will oversee the Desert Southwest Conference beginning January 1, 2023. |
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The Mission Candle can be dedicated to anyone to celebrate a birthday, anniversary, honor or in memory of someone special. Please call or email the office to set this up. Your request will be read during the worship services each week. Your donation of $20 or more will enable the United Women in Faith to raise more funds and allow the opportunity to help support approximately 13 local charities.
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Please have all articles in the office no later than Tuesday, November 15 in order to be included in the December of the Voice newsletter.THE PRAYER LABYRINTH
BEAUTIFUL CROSS ADDED 
TO LABYRINTH
Please stop and admire the beautifully crafted cross which was recently completed and added to our community labyrinth. Another cross is close to completion.
Rich B., a talented member of our church, designed and made the cross. A second cross is in the designing phase. The cross will grace our labyrinth and will become “weathered” over time. We thank you, Rich, for sharing your God-given talent with SHUMC!!
Check out the painted rocks in the Prayer Labyrinth!
They are absolutely beautiful!
SUPPORT THE PEOPLE OF UKRAINE
United Methodists and others wishing to provide humanitarian assistance to the Ukrainian people in the wake of the Russian invasion of their country may contribute to Advance #982450, UMCOR International Disaster Response and Recovery. This fund will provide direct assistance to those in Ukraine as well as assistance to Ukrainians fleeing to neighboring countries.
Gifts to support the people of Ukraine can be made in the following ways:
Online at https://umcmission.org/advance-project/982450
- By toll-free telephone: 888-252-6174
- By check made out to Global Ministries/UMCOR with “Advance #982450-Ukraine” written on the memo line, either mailed and addressed to Global Ministries/UMCOR, GPO, P.O. Box 9068, New York, NY, 10087-9068 or given at or through any United Methodist church
One hundred percent of all Advance contributions go to the designated cause.
The United Methodist community in Ukraine, though quite small, is actively engaged in assisting neighbors in need. Global Ministries is in touch with the church’s leadership as well as with church leaders in countries welcoming those who are fleeing from violence in Ukraine.
2022 LAY SERVANT CLASSES
Lay Servant classes are being offered through the Southwest District. Click on the link below to register for the different classes being offered.
REMEMBER: NO! PASTOR DEBORAH WILL NOT ASK
YOU FOR GIFT CARDS OR MONEY!
Friends,
Apparently they are at it again. Several members have received texts that purport to be from me asking for gift cards and/or money. The phone number is NOT MY PHONE NUMBER! (First thing to check). Call the church office to check phone number of pastor 623-584-2280.
But you really do not have to check, because you KNOW that I will not ask you for help/gift cards/money by email.
Be careful out there.
Rev. Deborah Lerner, Senior Pastor
