Mark your calendars now for Good Samaritan Circle Dinners set for Friday, Oct. 1, at 6 PM. These are informal pot-lucks for six or eight held at members’ homes, an excellent opportunity for fellowship. Interested in attending and possibly hosting? Sign-up sheets will be available after church throughout September, or you can contact Bob Anderson at 952.937.8656 or  rkanderson61@usfamily.net.

Friday Night at the Movies
September 10, 7 PM, Room 201
Movie: THE YOUNG VICTORIA
Admission: Cash contribution to the food shelves
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In January, Becky Sechrist will be starting a daytime covenant group.  This will be a group of people who agree to meet weekly for a five-month experiment on using a group of people to help hold us accountable to enriching our spiritual  lives.  We’ll share together, read together, pray together, and serve together.  If you are interested in being part of this group, please contact Becky this fall.

Have you ever wondered why all those books are in the Bible and how they got there?  Or why we read the Old Testament at all?  How do you get through a worship service with wiggly children?  Are the United Methodists really all that united?  We’ll be exploring these and many other topics on periodic Wednesday evenings.  Begin by coming to supper at the church at 5:30.  We’ll sit together and have a time to talk, and if you are running late, it’s no big deal.  When the food gets put away at 6:30 we’ll explore the topic for the evening, concluding by 7:30.  Child care is offered during that entire time, and dinner is inexpensive.  Each class is independent, so come for the topics that interest you. 

September 29 – What’s in the Bibl

Monday evening Bible Study will start again on September 20, from 7:00-8:00.  We’ll start out by studying the letters of Paul through Nov. 22.  Nov. 29-Dec. 20 will be a study of the book of Isaiah, a book of the Bible that is quoted (and sung!) often in preparation for Christmas.  Jan. 24- Mar. 7 will begin an exploration of heaven and hell, and Mar. 21-April 18 will be a Lenten study on the meaning of the cross.

Please sign up in the Fellowship Hall for the study on Paul so Becky Sechrist can send out reading assignments to you before the first class. 

We’ll be holding Sunday morning forums once a month this year in October, November, January, February, March, and April at 10:30.  Our theme for the year is “The Wisdom Within,” utilizing the wisdom within our own congregation.  October 10 will feature members of a mission team that went to Guatemala and November 14 will be looking at the changing face of the family, from the grandparents’ perspective.  Other topics will include Nancy Carlson on working in the book industry, living abroad, and GLBT perspectives on the world and the church.

Our book group decided on two books to read and study this year. We will meet for the first time on Sunday, Sept. 19 at 10:30 AM (the Sunday after Welcome Sunday).

We will start with MEMORIES, DREAMS AND REFLECTIONS by C.G. Jung and when we are finished, we will continue with THE CASE FOR GOD by Karen Armstrong. Bob Anderson has agreed to facilitate our discussion of these books. New members are welcome and encouraged to attend our lively discussions!

TUESDAY MORNING BIBLE STUDY meets on Tuesday mornings from 9:30–11:30 AM, September - May.  We study a wide variety of different topics.  For this year, we will be looking at the different ways we enrich our spiritual lives.September 14 is our welcome meeting, and Sept. 21-Oct. 19 we will be studying the sacraments of communion and baptism. Future classes will discuss the role of music, worship, prayer, stewardship, fasting, social justice, Bible study, and friendships.

Theatre a la mode meets to attend a play together and then go out for a discussion afterwards. 

Dudley: Rigged for Laughter!
World premiere – a hilarious look at the life of the legendary comedy impresario Dudley Riggs, a forth-generation circus kid who grew up to found the Brave New Workshop in Minneapolis.  Performed in the brilliant comic style of the Brave New Workshop and told by a zany cast of characters who know and love him, Dudley: Rigged for Laughter! is a madcap sketch comedy show packed with laughs and music. 
Saturday, October 23, 2:00 p.m.
$17.00
History Theatre
Reservations to Becky Sechrist by Sunday, October 10.

Good Samaritan announces a new support group for senior women of the congregation!
Gals with Gals: This group is for any woman over the age of 55 who is looking to get together with other women to discuss a variety of topics which may include but not limited to : aging, chronic illness, care giving, sexuality, depression, adult children, life transitions, grief and loss to name just a few. The group will be held at the church starting Thursday, September 9^th and every Thursday on an ongoing basis. The time will be from 10:30am-12pm. The cost is $10.00 per session per person.

The 4th Tuesday Readers will meet at 7:00 PM in the Fireside Room, on the 4th Tuesday of each month.  All are welcome. Contact Ron at rwshirk@comcast.net if you have questions.

The UMW Afternoon Book Group will meet Thursday, September 9, at 1:00 PM in the Fireside Room to discuss The House at Sugar Beach—In Search of a Lost African Childhood by Helen Cooper. Join us for discussion and refreshments. All are welcome.

Our meetings are the second Thursday of each month, September through May. We welcome women of the church to join us. The following books will be discussed during the coming year:
2010-11 BOOK SELECTIONS

Sept. 9—House at Sugar Beach in Search of a Lost African Childhood by Helen Cooper

Oct. 14—Benny and Shrimp by Katarina Mazetti

Nov. 11—Pearl of China: a Novel by Anchee Min

Dec. 9—Christmas Lunch, share a reading

Jan. 13—Waiting for White Horses by Nathan Jorgenson

The Upperroom, has developed a "Spiritual Types Test."
This quiz is meant to help you learn about yourself, see how you compare with others, and have a little fun.
If you're interested discovering your Spiritual Type this is the resource for you.  Check it out HERE. Let the fun begin!