Several years ago, a friend told Abby and me about a class that was very influential in her life, the Perspectives on World Missions class, and she recommended that we take it together. We signed up in the spring of 2007 only to discover that our friend was correct: the class completely altered our view of what the Bible teaches about the global purposes of God. It truly did give us a new “perspective” on how we read the Bible, on the purpose of the Church, and on God’s calling on our own lives.

The class material is essentially divided into three sections. The first few weeks are spent on looking at what the Bible says about global mis-sions. The second section is a survey of the histori-cal development of Christian missions around the globe, highlighting some of the key men and women God has used to spread the Gospel. The final section of the course focuses on current trends, needs, and methods in world missions.

Each class is taught by a different instructor with missions expertise, such as seminary pro-fessors or former and current missionaries. The course also has reading that is to be completed for each week, and can be taken for undergraduate or graduate credit (which entails extra reading) if de-sired. While the class does require a commitment of time to attend class and complete the reading,

I found it to be well worth the investment and I think you will too.

The Perspectives class will meet this year on Thursday nights from 6:00 - 9:00 p.m. at Eastview Christian Church beginning on January 12, 2012. Registration for the class is due in January with an early bird discount if paid by January 1. The cost is $275, but the First United Missions team has once again budgeted scholarships for those who

wish to attend. The Missions team is happy to

help send anyone who is willing to commit to doing the necessary work to grow in knowledge of God’s pur-pose for global missions. So far, elev-en people from First United have completed the Perspectives course. Please see Denny Foor, the Missions team chairperson for more informa-tion. You can also visit the Perspec-

tives website: www.perspectives.org.While life circumstances do not permit each

of us to participate in a semester-long class this Spring, my hope is that over time, many at First United will set aside a semester to read and learn about God’s purpose for His Church in global missions.

By renewing our minds in His Word, I hope and pray that God will use our church for His glory around the globe.

Grace and Peace,Andy

November Church Calendar13 Dr. Ken Cuffey teaching on Revelation adult and high school Sunday School

20 Thanksgiving Service - 10:30 a.m. (no 9:00 service) Thanksgiving meal following worship service

21-22 Thanksgiving Food Baskets distributed

27 Hanging of Greens - church building decorated Soup lunch served for volunteers

Volleyball Monday 6:00 pm See Kris Bridgers for info

Youth GroupsJr. High - Sunday 5:00 - 6:30 pmSr. High - Wednesday at 7:30 pm

Sunday Worship ServicesMorning Worship 9 am - 10 amChildren’s Church 9 am - 10 am 1st & 3rd SundaySunday School 10:30 am - 11:15 am

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Andy’s Letter • First United News • Spotlight on Holiday Traditions at First U Milestones • Attendance • First U News • Church Calendar

November 2011Andy Huette, Sr. Pastor Brett Monge, Jr. High Youth Director 407 W Seventh Street, PO Box 280, Gridley, IL 61744 309-747-2299 www.1stu.org

Dear Church Family,

Youth Groups at First United

See You at the Pole took place at EPG Jr. High at 7 a.m. on Sep-tember 28. The kids came back to First United for donuts, milk and juice after their prayer time. Our Jr. High Youth Group meets every Sunday from 5 - 6:30 p.m. in the Family Center. Adult sponsors are: Dave Ihlenfeldt, Lori Hardman, Katie Albritton, and Brett Monge.

November 6 Daylight Savings Time ends. Set your clock back one hour before you go to bed on Saturday.

The Sr. High Kick-Off was September 7. Our Sr. High meets on Wednesdays at 7:30 p.m. The weeks alternate with one week of preaching and the next with small groups.Our Sr. High Youth Group sponsors: Grant Stauter, Brett Monge, Tammy Sanders, Chris Zeller, Kansas Krone, Corey Sharp, Seth Zeller, Anne Wettstein, and Heidi Welsch.

Fields of Faith took place at the EPG football field on Octo-ber 5. See more Sr. High Youth Group information inside.

Keeping track of timeNovember 20 Thanksgiving Worship service begins at 10:30 a.m. No 9 a.m. service

Thursdays from 6:00 - 9:00 p.m.January 12 - May 3, 2012Eastview Christian Church

See Denny Foor about scholarships.www.perspectives.org

Our Core Values Open Bibles One Another Beautiful Feet Spiritual Growth Authentic Worship

Spotlight on . . . November and December at First U

2 3

Attendance & Offering10/2 266 $6,064 10/9 299 $4,564 10/16 237 $6,800 10/23 278 $5,122

November MilestonesBirthdays

12 Penny Grusy12 Tyler Roth13 Parker Mallory19 Larry Neuhalfen21 Dianne Kuerth21 Thelma Wesle23 Janell Hall25 Ferne Kilpatrick29 Andy Huette

Anniversaries12 Dave and Peggy Poppen16 Dave & Alisa Ihlenfeldt19 Duane & Alice Guth24 Denny & Dee Foor28 Jeff & Becky Stoller29 Jim & Ashley Neal29 Donald & Carolyn Raber

Sr. High Youth Group - Fields of Faith

First United observes several holiday traditions.

Food Pantry Holiday BoxesThe Food Pantry is overseen by Women’s Fellowship and in cooperation with the Apostolic Christian Church. We distrib-ute food boxes to area families the weeks of Thanksgiving and Christmas. You can participate by bringing canned goods in November and December or donate money to “First United Food Pantry.”

Thanksgiving DinnerWe celebrate Thanksgiving with a special service and Thanksgiving meal. The ser-vice is November 20 and starts at 10:30 a.m. (no 9:00 a.m. service). Extended family and guests are welcome! Please RSVP on the Friendship Pad and sign up during Coffee Fellowship to bring food.

Hanging of the GreensEach year, we decorate the church for Christmas. We will decorate on Sunday, November 27 after Sunday School. A soup lunch will be served. If you would like to help, please contact Tiffney Palm-er. Families are invited to participate.

Christmas StoreOn Saturday, December 3, the Christ-mas Store in the Family Center will be open from 9 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Children are invited to shop from donated items. They can purchase gifts for parents, teachers, friends, and family members. All items are priced to match a child’s budget. Parents are treated to cookies and coffee while children shop. Volun-

teers help the children choose gifts and wrap them to take home. All proceeds are donated to the Food Pantry.

Sunday School ProgramOur Sunday School children will pres-ent their Christmas program on Sunday, December 11. There will be no Sunday School that day.

Christmas Eve ServiceOur Christmas Eve service is at 7:00 p.m. on December 24. Our service ends in candlelight while singing “Silent Night.” The service lasts around 35-40 minutes.

Saying Goodbye and Remembering Our Past

Sr. High Youth Group is off to a great start. Our Kick-off event on September 7 was filled with yummy treats and lots of fun games. Since then we have heard a couple of really awesome sermons from Grant. He has been preaching from 2 Timothy. He challenged us to remember whom we serve. We have also met in small groups. The kids are split up into small groups based on gender and grade level. We watched and discussed in our groups a video excerpt from a John Piper sermon titled “Don’t waste your life.”

Our youth group also had an opportunity to share in an event put on by Community Bible Fellowship called “Fields of Faith” held on the high school football field. This event included 4 testimonies and 4 baptisms of EPG students. It was very exciting to watch both Mattie and Collin Buchanan share their faith as well as be baptized.

We look forward to continuing to see Christ working in the hearts of our high schoolers. —Anne Wettstein, sponsor

More photos from Fields are on back cover. Thank you to Heidi Welsch for the photos.

Joan was about ten years old when she began attending the Gridley Union Congrega-tional Church. Belle Kent (Maralon Stauter and Pauline Booher’s mother) picked her up and “got us started.” She did not experience a one-time “oh, the light went on” type of conversion but experienced a steady growth of faith that began in her teens. She recog-nized her need of a Lord and Savior and became a member of the Congregational Church in her sophomore year of high school. She says this faith became her “comfort, strength, and life’s guide forever.”

As a teenager, she and many others believed the two churches (Congregational and Methodist) should be one. “What a blessing and joy it was to be a part of that union!”

She and her husband, Ed, were married December 31, 1947 in the Congregational Church. They farmed in Gridley and raised two sons, Rob and Mark. Together she and Ed served in every possible capacity in church life. Joan has served on every committee except Finance; has taught all ages from pre-school to senior citizens; has been active in Women’s Fellowship; and served as Moderator of the Congregational Church for an ex-tended period of time when they were without a pastor. Ed served on Finance and as the church Treasurer for years. Joan said his big contribution was serving as the Building Fund Treasurer and providing an example of faith and integrity for all.

Over the years, she has had many pastors and a close association with a number of them. “With lots of ups and downs through the years, our attendance and support never faltered. I always said pastors will come and go (each leaving their legacy), but we’ll still be here and the Church will go on for it’s built on The Solid Rock.”

Like every Believer in Christ, Joan has a continuing testimony of God’s faithfulness and has relied for years on Proverbs 3:5-8. She says her “faith was (and still is) the force that kept me going through life’s blessings and joys—enriching our lives. There were also the times I leaned heavily on my Lord.” She has experienced serious illnesses of her children, and the ultimate trial of losing her husband. Ed died of renal carcinoma after spending six weeks in the hospital. More recently, she had oral cancer surgery and again experienced the One Another core value of First United.

“My heart will always be here with this congregation—my church, where most likely I will maintain my membership. I leave with love and gratitude for the way I’ve been nur-tured through these many years. My faith continues to grow.”

Joan’s new address is: 2025 E. Lincoln Street, Apt. 2210, Bloomington, IL 61701. Her telephone number is 309-664-9186.

Joan Widmer, after living her entire life in Gridley, moved to Bloomington in October. She, along with a handful of others at First United, have a history at First United that pre-dates most of us. This short biography is not meant to exalt her but to honor her faithfulness, remem-ber that First United has a long history, and to provide an example to the rest of us.

Little Lambs in Action

The 3-year old class dressed in costume on October 27. The 4-year old class (right photo) enjoyed a snack after learning how to hop and skip during their recess time.

90th Birthday Open House for Ferne KilpatrickSunday, November 20

from 1-3 pmSouth Point Park, El Paso.

No gifts please, but accepting donations for the

El Paso Food Pantry.Cards may be sent to Ferne at:601 E 2nd Street,El Paso 61738