Social Activities
Community UMC has dozens of small groups for adults, providing opportunities for fellowship and Christian spiritual growth through social and service activities. All of these groups welcome new members – why not try one?
Click on the links at left to find out more about our social and service groups. See our church calendar for meeting times and locations, and our news page for notices of upcoming events.
You may also be interested in our adult programs and music ministries.
Gardeners
Many of our members give some of their time each week to help maintain Community UMC's lawns and flowerbeds, and even to add new plantings. Several groups meet weekly to trim and weed, and to enjoy some social time afterward. We also have an "Adopt a Bed" program where an individual or family can claim a section of flowerbeds to keep tidy – this is a great way for a family to show the children the importance of service.
Let us also take this opportunity to mention the Pass-Along Perennial Plant Sale. Each year, the Hunger Commission plants thousands of seedlings in early spring; many of these are donated by our members, hence the name "Pass-Along." They tend the plants for a couple of months, until they are lovely plants, acclimated to our weather and ready for transplanting into local gardens. The sale is in June each year, and 100% of the proceeds go to hunger causes. The sale has raised over $100,000 in its fifteen years. Watch the news page for upcoming events – the planters wash pots in summer and fall.
Women's Softball
Community UMC participates each Spring and Summer in a church-based softball league for women. The CUMC Swingers meet for practices every Tuesday evening in late April and May. Games against other area churchs begin in late May and continue through the end of July. The league is for fun only - and we have a lot of it. There is an ice cream night and a pizza night during the game season, and while we play hard, we also play with good spirits and fellowship with the other teams. To learn more or to joint the team, please contact Debbie Craig.
Keep an eye on our news page in March and April for practice times and locations. Cheering fans are also wonderful! Bring a lawn chair to the games.
Knitting Circle
The United Methodist Women's Knitting Circle meets every Monday (except holidays) at 7:00 p.m. in the church Parlor. The Circle also participates in local charitable knitting events several times a year. The knitters make many different items, often responding to local needs, such as hospital caps for premature infants. They also knit and bless prayer shawls, which are given to members and friends of Community UMC as an expression of love, care, and concern. In their three-year history, they have knit and distributed over 200 of these shawls.
The circle welcomes anyone interested in knitting or crocheting, especially young ladies. Lessons and tips are available.
Studio Workshop
The United Methodist Women Studio Workshop meets every Thursday from 9:30 to 11:30 a.m. in the craft room (childcare is provided). The crafters make a variety of projects, and also organize the annual Harvest of the Hands craft sale held on the first Saturday of November. The proceeds from the Harvest help the local UMW chapter meet its pledge to mission projects which benefit women and children around the world. Studio welcomes all.
Book Groups
Community UMC has several active book groups, some meeting monthly and some weekly. These include the UMW Book Circle (meeting monthly on Wednesdays) and the Sunday Book Group (meeting monthly on Sundays). The UMW Evening Outreach Circle also often does book studies. Our Christian Education program also offers regular book studies for adults, which in fall 2009 include:
- Women's Book Study of Toni Morrison's "A Mercy"
- Men's Book Study of "The Shack"
- Faith and Practice: The UMC Social Principles, Illustrated by Tom Brokaw's "Boom"
See the news page for meeting times and book selections.
Senior Lunch Bunch
The lunch bunch meets monthly on Tuesdays at area restaurants, and welcome everyone – bring a friend, too! Some meetings are themed, like their March St. Patrick's lunch and their December White Elephant exchange. Watch the news page for dates and locations.
Community of Parents
Community of Parents is a United Methodist Women circle supported by the Christian Education Committee at Community UMC. This parenting group provides support to all parents in a comfortable, fun, and family way by placing a focus on parents as individuals and includes the entire family as a whole. This group meets on the fourth Tuesday of each month from 7:30-8:30 p.m. in Fellowship Hall for regular monthly meetings, and also gathers for playgroups, park days, parent-child outings, moms/dads only outings, and family outings. For more information, please contact Tamara Gasior.
Worship Dramas
The OnCenter contemporary worship service often uses drama to illustrate or illuminate the day's scripture or message. The word "drama" may be misleading – they are often quite funny! A drama typically lasts two or three minutes, and has two or three people in the cast. Dramas are sometimes used in the main Sanctuary services as well. Contact Cindy Lytle if you would like to bring scripture to life in this way.
Community Players
The Community Players theater group does two shows a year, in the spring and fall. Their thirty years of shows have included Macbeth, The Mystery of Edwin Drood, Godspell, Arsenic and Old Lace (twice, twenty-five years apart!), Ten Little Indians, Brigadoon, HMS Pinafore, Room Service, You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown, Oklahoma, The Dining Room, and The Best Christmas Pageant Ever – among many others! The fall 2009 show will be Steel Magnolias. Auditions are open to all, and there is no membership fee. The Players have a great deal of fun putting on the shows, and the profits are used to support the ministries and missions of Community UMC.
Service in the World
Missions are a major part of the Community UMC "DNA." Our youth go on yearly mission trips, having visited Costa Rica, Washington DC, Mission SD, Flagler Beach FL, Parsons KS, Juarez Mexico, Russell KY, and other locations in recent years. Adult work trips are also held regularly, with trips to help with flood relief in Iowa and on the Gulf Coast, to work on the Wesley Woods retreat center in Wisconsin, and to help at our sister UMC congregation in Joliet. The confirmation class also goes on a service project each year.
Each year we also participate in several drives and fundraisers for world missions. These include our annual School Supply drive, supporting UMCOR's Midwest Mission Distribution Center; the October CROP walk to raise funds for hunger causes; and Heifer International every November and December (a great Christmas gift). Community UMC also helps through our Second Mile donations to projects such as Nothing But Nets and to overseas missionaries. For more information, visit our missions page.
Service in the Community
Community UMC serves the needs of the local area. From September to May of each year, we serve as a PADS site, providing shelter to homeless persons every Sunday evening and staffing the site on the second Sunday of each month. We have recently installed a clothing donation bin in the back parking lot; proceeds from the resale of the gently-used clothes go to PADS.
We have had long relationships with Habitat for Humanity, the Loaves and Fishes food bank, Hesed House, Marcy-Newberry Center (the major recipients of the seeds from our annual spring drive), and other local organizations. Community UMC also helps through our Second Mile donations to projects such as Nothing But Nets and to overseas missionaries. For more information, visit our missions page.
Service in the Church
Community UMC's many ministries could not function without the many volunteers who offer their time and energy. We list just a few of the many areas of service.
Worship – Ushers; worship greeters; acolytes; altar and banner committees; Communion stewards and servers; lay readers; musicians; vocalists; drama participants;
Administration – Church committee members; office volunteers; offering counters
Christian Education – Sunday School teachers; assistant teachers; chapel leaders; Son-Light teachers; Vacation Bible School leaders and helpers
Youth Ministries – Youth Fellowship volunteers; confirmation mentors; work trip chaperones
Outreach – C3 College Connection; "Red Bag" guest welcome; senior outreach service; PADS volunteer or donator of supplies
For more information or to volunteer, contact the office.