November 13, 2025

" I am the master of my fate; I am the captain of my soul" --William Ernest Henley

In This Edition:

Concert Tickets On Sale Now!

Join us December 6th at 2 pm! You can purchase tickets by clicking here.

Our 5th Annual Christmas Concert is coming up soon. Along with collaborations with United Church and Band Together, this year’s concert will feature internationally-known singer Victoria Egleston, and, of course, all the musical talent of Union Congregational! We’ve lowered the price of admission to encourage more attendance—please share the event on Social Media and be sure to invite your friends!

Stewardship Sunday - November 23

Stewardship Sunday will be November 23! Look for this year’s stewardship letter and pledge card to arrive in the mail soon.

Food Pantry Needs

The Walpole Community Food Pantry is a 501c3 that operates entirely from donations and grants.  In light of the current precarious state of SNAP benefits, we will collect any of the following food items this month.

The Food Pantry will be collecting paper products for the month of November.

The Walpole Community Food Pantry and our church have a great partnership.  They use our parking lot every Wednesday from 2-3 as a pickup location.

South Walpole United Methodist Church Thanksgiving Meals Delivery Mission 2025

We are planning to send out meals again on Thanksgiving Day to those in need in Walpole and the surrounding towns. We appreciate your interest in helping with this very special mission.

We will be doing food preparation, cooking, and setting up on Wednesday, November 26th and then again on Thursday, November 27th, at which time we will also deliver the meals. We have a coloring project if you bring any little helpers with you. We are looking for help on both days. 

As there is only so much room in the church community hall and kitchen, we are limited to how many people can be working at the same time. We appreciate your willingness and flexibility and will try to accommodate as many volunteers as possible, without going over our limits. 

Attached please find links with instructions to sign up for meals, to make food or monetary donations, or to volunteer your time. Please be sure to fill out the forms, as they help keep us organized. 

Order a Meal:  Online form: Meal Order Form 

By Phone: (508)212-1218

Donate Food: Online: Food Donation Sign-up 

Email Contact: [email protected]

Monetary Donation:

Checks should be made payable to SWUMC with Thanksgiving Meals in the notation. Checks can be mailed to SWUMC, P.O. Box 144, South Walpole, MA  02071.

Volunteer: Online: Volunteer Sign-up Form  Email Contact: [email protected] 

Thank you for supporting this special ministry

Blessings!

Lou McKeown and the Thanksgiving Meals Delivery Team

Voices United Event

Sunday School Volunteers

Thanks to those who have already volunteered for this important ministry of our church. This year, we are using a new one-room-schoolhouse style curriculum called Whirl, which introduces kids to biblical stories and themes through videos, songs, and fun activities. Our CE Committee (Joanne Grant and Deidre Donaldson) is ready and willing to help train teachers and familiarize folks with this new curriculum. We will also be able to provide materials in advance through our new online digital subscription (hard copies can also be made available from the church office), which will make preparation even simpler.

You can see the schedule of lessons for the Fall/Winter of 2025 and sign up to be a leader or helper by clicking here.

Bible Study

Weekly Bible Study with Pastor Shepherd is off and running! Each week we meet on Zoom on Fridays from 9:30-10:30 am. This Fall, to accompany the sermon series on the Fruit of the Spirit, we will be reading an accompanying text, Tending the Wild Garden, by Rev. Eugenia Gamble. If you’d like to participate and would like a copy of the book, please see Pastor Shepherd. This week, we’ll be discussing “Tending the Shoots of Joy” and “Tending the Shoots of Peace.”

Here is the Zoom Meeting link:

Holding in Prayer

This week, as a community of faith we pray:

  • for Pam’s brother and sister-in-law, as they travel to and from Portugal to celebrate his birthday

  • for Deidre, who was in a car accident, and for the other person involved

  • for the UMass Amherst community, and those affected by an apartment fire last week

  • for Anne Totten, who is recovering from a broken hip

  • for Sue’s brother, who is recovering from knee replacement, and for his wife as she provides care

  • for Sue’s niece, who is on bedrest for the last month of her pregnancy

  • with joy, for Mary’s mentee who is thriving at Blue Hills Community College

  • for Shirley’s friend Diane, who is recovering from back surgery

  • for peace in Gaza

  • for Jack, as he faces a cancer diagnosis alongside Alzheimers, and for his son, John and his wife Tammy.

  • for Phyllis’s friend Paula, as she enters hospice care

  • for Padraig, as he heals from an injured hip

  • for Charleen’s family, as they mourn the death of her uncle, and for her mom, recently diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease

  • for Lew’s brother Richard and his wife Paula, for health.

  • for Barbara Carroll, for healing after a couple of falls

  • for Kerry’s friend Diane, who is undergoing a difficult course of treatment for cancer

  • for Pam’s friend Cookie, as she battles cancer

  • for Lew’s friend Dan, as he faces kidney disease