Halloween Week was super fun at After School! The week started with a birthday celebration, recognizing our kids who have birthdays from August to October. Visitors Kaitlyn and Generation Kids brought interactive activities for the children during the rest of the week, and we wrapped up with lots of outside time on Friday after a super-rainy week full of being indoors for the kids. The beginning of November starts our Month of Gratitude.
Giving the Jesus Way
United Christian Ministries is in need of cereal.
To donate items, please drop them off at UCM’s building at 191 Skyland Drive. Thank you!
Midweek Meals Continue
Mid-week meals continue tonight, October 22 at 5:30 p.m. in the MFC. Costs are $12 for adults, $7 for K-12th grade, and college students as well as pre-K are guests of the church (no charge). Please remember to get your reservation turned in to the office by noon Monday so we have an accurate headcount. Sign-up sheets and pew cards will be available as well! Join us!
The mid-week meal for the remainder of our current year is planned for Wednesday, November 12. Additionally, our church hosts local congregations for our shared Thanksgiving meal and celebration on Sunday, November 23. Finally, a covered-dish is planned for Wednesday, December 17, with our First Explorers ministry sharing the Christmas Story. Remember to sign up by noon on Monday for the weekly meal and, sign up for a time you'll be available to assist with either meal prep or clean-up.
Mission Moment 11.5.25
Ossie McKinney
Director of Research and Administration and Consultant,
CBF Outreach and Growth
“Enlarge the place of your tent, and let the curtains of your habitations be stretched out; do not hold back; lengthen your cords and strengthen your stakes. For you will spread out to the right and to the left...” – Isaiah 54:2-3a
When I first stepped into ministry leadership, I felt like the space I occupied—emotionally, spiritually, even physically—was just enough for what I thought I could handle. I was content with boundaries that felt familiar and manageable. But life has a way of unfolding differently than we plan. In one season, I was asked to serve in a way that stretched me beyond what I thought I could bear. I resisted. I feared failure. I feared exposure. I feared being found out as not enough. And then I came across Isaiah 54.
This passage met me like a gentle but firm push from the Spirit: “Do not hold back... stretch... lengthen... strengthen.” It felt less like a command and more like an invitation to step into a promise. A covenant of peace. A heritage of assurance. A blessing not only for me, but for all of us who serve God while sometimes wondering if we’re doing it well enough. Isaiah 54 doesn’t ignore hardship. It names desolation, shame, rejection and fear. But it reframes them. We are told to sing anyway. We are invited to expand even when we feel barren. We are blessed with the promise that God will teach our children, protect our lives and establish us in righteousness.
This is a covenant not of striving but of belonging. And it is my prayer of blessing for you.
Stretch Without Fear
A blessing inspired by Isaiah 54:2-3
May you stretch without fear.
May you lengthen what has felt too short,
and open what has felt too tight.
May you let God enlarge your space of influence,
or healing,
or rest,
whatever it is you need.
May you not hold back.
Not because you are unafraid,
but because God goes before you.
You are covered by a covenant of peace.
You will not be put to shame.
This is your heritage as a servant of the Lord.
Amen.
Giving the Jesus Way
United Christian Ministries is in need of cereal.
To donate items, please drop them off at UCM’s building at 191 Skyland Drive. Thank you!
1st Explorers After-School Program Recap
It was a busy week at First Explorers full of fun visitors. Rebekah from 4H visited with an interactive activity for students, and Mrs. Cheryl Beck shared with the students about indigenous cultures in Appalachia and brought homemade snickerdoodle cookies for snack. The students have started working on their Christmas play with Mrs. Marina. Please mark your calendars to attend on Wednesday, December 17 for dinner and a fun time!
Mission Moment 10.29.25
Scarlette Jasper
Field Personnel in Corbin, Kentucky
Psalm 42:9-11a
”I say to God my Rock,
‘Why have you forgotten me?
Why must I go about mourning,
oppressed by the enemy?’
My bones suffer mortal agony
as my foes taunt me,
saying to me all day long,
‘Where is your God?’
Why, my soul, are you downcast?
Why so disturbed within me?”
Lament, while seemingly negative, can actually be a source of blessing. It allows for the expression of pain, grief and doubt, leading to a deeper understanding of oneself and a stronger relationship with God. By acknowledging our vulnerabilities and trusting in God’s strength, we can move from despair to hope and find renewed faith.
Lament can be a blessing.
Lament provides a space to express our feelings of hurt, anger and frustration without judgment. It’s a way to communicate our needs and seek God’s help and comfort. By acknowledging our limitations and expressing our vulnerabilities, we can learn to trust God more fully. This process helps us to understand God’s grace, love and faithfulness. The process of lament can lead to a deeper understanding of ourselves and our relationship with God. It can help us see the world from a new perspective and grow in our faith.
Lament is not just an end in itself; it can pave the way for hope and praise.
By expressing our pain, we can move towards a renewed sense of hope and trust in God’s plan. When we bring our grief to God, we become more aware of the suffering of others and are more likely to listen to their pain with empathy and compassion.
In essence, lament is a powerful tool for spiritual growth and healing, allowing us to navigate difficult times with grace and peace.
Blessing: Psalm 42
As the deer pants for streams of water,
so my soul pants for you, my God.
My soul thirsts for God, for the living God.
When can I go and meet with God?
My tears have been my food
day and night,
while people say to me all day long,
“Where is your God?”
These things I remember
as I pour out my soul:
how I used to go to the house of God
under the protection of the Mighty One
with shouts of joy and praise
among the festive throng.
Why, my soul, are you downcast?
Why so disturbed within me?
Put your hope in God,
for I will yet praise him,
my Savior and my God.
My soul is downcast within me;
therefore I will remember you
from the land of the Jordan,
the heights of Hermon—from Mount Mizar.
Deep calls to deep
in the roar of your waterfalls;
all your waves and breakers
have swept over me.
By day the Lord directs his love,
at night his song is with me—
a prayer to the God of my life.
I say to God my Rock,
“Why have you forgotten me?
Why must I go about mourning,
oppressed by the enemy?”
My bones suffer mortal agony
as my foes taunt me,
saying to me all day long,
“Where is your God?”
Why, my soul, are you downcast?
Why so disturbed within me?
Put your hope in God,
for I will yet praise him,
my Savior and my God.
UCM Ministries of Jackson County – Thanksgiving Gift Cards
United Christian Ministries will once again distribute Thanksgiving gift cards valued at $30 to food pantry clients for the purchase of meal items at Food Lion. We invite you to consider sponsoring one or more gift cards. Each contribution directly supports local households in need and helps provide a healthy, nutritious Thanksgiving dinner. For more information, email ucmsylva@gmail.com or call 828.586.8228.
Midweek Meals Continue
Mid-week meals continue tonight, October 22 at 5:30 p.m. in the MFC. Costs are $12 for adults, $7 for K-12th grade, and college students as well as pre-K are guests of the church (no charge). Please remember to get your reservation turned in to the office by noon Monday so we have an accurate headcount. Sign-up sheets and pew cards will be available as well! Join us!
Mid-week meals for the remainder of our current year are planned for Wednesdays, November 5 and 12. Additionally, our church hosts local congregations for our shared Thanksgiving meal and celebration on Sunday, November 23. Finally, a covered-dish is planned for Wednesday, December 17, with our First Explorers ministry sharing the Christmas Story. Remember to sign up by noon on Monday for the weekly meal and, sign up for a time you'll be available to assist with either meal prep or clean-up.
Midweek Meals Continue
Mid-week meals continue tonight, October 22 at 5:30 p.m. in the MFC. Costs are $12 for adults, $7 for K-12th grade, and college students as well as pre-K are guests of the church (no charge). Please remember to get your reservation turned in to the office by noon Monday so we have an accurate headcount. Sign-up sheets and pew cards will be available as well! Join us!