A Stewardship Moment . . . Celebrating!

October is a month of celebration . . . with our community and Trunk or Treat in the Emory Village (10/24).  Host a car trunk and sign up here!

Join us at our Pumpkin Patch (unloading 9/27!)  working with and supporting our Youth with their mission trips.  Don’t miss the sign-up to work a shift for it’s a lovely opportunity to enjoy time with our youth, visit with pumpkin shoppers and possibly be a photographer for families looking for the classic fall photo op!

We participate with the Reconciling Ministries Network of North Georgia Methodists at the Pride Parade (Sunday, 10/11) and get your t-shirt’s hands down one of the most joyful opportunities to represent and celebrate “Loving God and Loving Neighbor”.

Get to Know the Glenn UMC Stewardship Committee

Welcome to the Glenn Memorial UMC 2026 stewardship campaign!  We have a new email address (GlennStewardship@gmail.com) in case you have questions about anything we send you or you want to share anything related to the connection between generosity and spiritual development.   

Let us introduce ourselves.  Here are personal stories of faith and discipleship from the stewardship committee members:

Dawn Francis-Chewning -- Sharing Blessings

Stewardship is the act of being a caretaker for God’s creation: “the earth is the Lord’s, and everything in it” (Psalms 24:1)    We are a church family, and also a member of the community, and the world; striving to bring a message of love and support while caring for God’s world. 

I’ve been a part of Glenn Memorial since the 80’s and have stepped through many decades of milestones with my children and now my grandchildren.  Glenn became a second “home” and one I hold very dear.  It has given me ongoing opportunities to strengthen my faith, dedication, and my connection in tangible ways.   Glenn clergy and members have guided me and mine all along the way through Church, Sunday School, Youth Fellowship, Choir and in life.  I share a past, a present and a future with Glenn Memorial UMC that has empowered me with love, faith and strength through sermons, scripture, and commitment.  It has helped me grow as a person in and of our world. I have felt cared for beyond measure and deliberately return that care in all the ways I can.

Your pledge helps perpetuate “Open Hearts, Open Minds, Open Doors” for all and share the blessings God has provided us.  Generosity with your treasures and time will help Glenn Memorial UMC continue to lovingly care for and serve our world.  

It’s time to renew our commitment to Glenn and I give thanks for it.  I encourage you to prayerfully make yours!

Ron Harris -- Storing Our Treasure in Heaven

When we came to Atlanta in 1993, after Grace was hired at Emory, we were looking for “community”.  We chose our first home on Ponce, in part so that our daughters could walk to school.  Since Grace and I both grew up in the Methodist Church, Glenn was a natural first stop when we were looking for our new church home.  After attending our first service, two Glenn members showed up at our door with bread and jam to welcome us to Atlanta and Glenn, our new home.  Over the years members of our family have built Habitat houses, worked the Pumpkin Patch, chaperoned Friday Night Skating, played basketball, served on and chaired committees, shepherded other Glenn members, sung in the Youth choir, and the list goes on.

Recently we have become involved in “Snack in a Backpack” and its mission to feed the hungry.   I believe this is a sacred mission, and my participation fuels my faith, but beyond that, the overwhelming support of the community through donations and as volunteers strengthens my faith.

Mathew (6:19-21) reminds us to refrain from storing our treasures on Earth.  My hope is that Glenn continues to grow, prosper and stand as a beacon to the community.

Mike Mountcastle

My family joined Glenn Memorial when our children were young, initially drawn by the programs and activities it offered for families. At the time, we belonged to another congregation, but we found ourselves increasingly connected to Glenn through the friendships our children formed and the genuine welcome we experienced wherever we showed up. What started as participation in activities gradually became something deeper. We began attending worship, became involved in Sunday School, and before long Glenn felt like home. Looking back, I realize it was not just the programs or activities that brought us here. It was the people, the sense of belonging, and the feeling that we were part of a community that truly cared for one another. 

Over the years, Glenn has been a gift to our family in more ways than I can count. It has encouraged me to grow, challenged me to serve in ways I might never have chosen on my own, and stood beside us through both joyful milestones and difficult seasons. Even now, as our children are adults, the faith, values, and relationships nurtured here continue to shape their lives and ours. That is why stewardship is so important to me. My support of Glenn comes from a place of gratitude for all that this community has given us. No contribution could ever fully repay the blessings we have received, but each year we prayerfully consider how we can share our resources, time, and talents so that Glenn can continue to be a place of welcome, support, and spiritual growth for others, just as it has been for our family.

Gena Morgan -- A Spiritual Act of Giving 

For Brent and me, giving has become much more than supporting the work of the church. Over the years, it has become an expression of our faith and trust in God.

When we were younger, we tended to think about giving as a way to support ministries and programs. Over time, though, our perspective changed. We came to see that everything we have is a gift from God, and that giving is one way of saying "thank you." The idea of offering our "first fruits," rather than simply what is left over, became meaningful to us and changed how we approach stewardship.

What surprised us most is that the blessing wasn't in what we gave, but in what we gained. Giving has deepened our trust in God, strengthened our faith, and reminded us that we are part of something bigger than ourselves. At a time when many people are “looking for the helpers” and for true examples of faith in action, Brent and I see giving as one way we can respond to God's call in our lives.

Jesus said, "For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also." Those words have stayed with us. Giving helps us keep our hearts focused on what matters most and align our resources with the faith that guides our lives.

For Brent and me, it has simply become one of the ways we live our faith together. It reminds us to trust God, hold our blessings with gratitude, and participate in something greater than ourselves.

Grace Pownall -- Becoming the person I want to be:

The Bible tells us over and over to feed the hungry, clothe the threadbare, comfort the sick, and shelter the unhoused, together as a church.  The person I want to be is an active part of following that teaching; to help others not just for their sakes but because it’s the right and only thing to do.  I struggle with my greed and selfishness, I struggle with my anger against those institutions who ignore the plight of the refugees, the ill and damaged, and especially the children.  I could channel my gifts to other organizations who provide relief to groups at risk, but instead I work through the church so the church will be seen by the world to be fulfilling its mission.  I believe the church makes disciples by working faithfully and joyfully to meet the needs of the least of these brothers and sisters.  Our expanding community of volunteers and supporters is evidence of that.  

Preschool Sunday School at Glenn

Dear Glenn families and friends,

My name is Alison LaGree, and you may have seen me around Glenn Church and Glenn School with family. I’m also one of the teachers for Glenn’s Preschool Sunday School, alongside fellow Glenn Moms Melissa Patton and Ally Kruse, and Suzanne Aloisio, a church member and retired Glenn School teacher who brings many years of love and experience with our youngest Glenn families.

I’m reaching out with an invitation—and also to share a little of my own parenting and faith journey with you.

First, the invitation: We would love to have your family join us for Glenn Church’s Preschool Sunday School—a joyful, engaging class where children can begin to discover what it means to be loved by God.

Our Preschool Sunday School class begins Sunday morning, September 13 at 9:45 a.m., in the Bunnies and Lambs classroom, Room 206 (walk across the stage towards the playground).

Each Sunday, we create a warm, age-appropriate experience filled with Bible stories, music, movement, creativity, prayer, and plenty of opportunities for children to wonder, ask questions, and experience faith in ways that make sense to them.

You are always welcome to stay in the classroom and participate alongside your child, or take a little time for yourself to enjoy the community around you. Our hope is that the whole family feels welcomed, comfortable, and at home at Glenn.

If you’d like to attend worship without your little one, we also have an amazing childcare team in the Bunnies and Lambs classroom during both the 8:30 a.m. service in the Little Chapel and the 11:00 a.m. service in the Sanctuary. Of course, your toddler or preschooler is always welcome to worship alongside you, too—whatever works best for your family.

And now, a little of my personal story.

When I first started teaching Preschool Sunday School at Glenn, I was a brand-new mom in the middle of COVID. My father had recently passed away, and I had stepped away from a consuming career to stay home with my one-year-old son. To be honest, I had absolutely no good reason to volunteer to teach a room full of two-, three-, and four-year-olds.

And yet, something compelled me to do it. Something beyond logic.

So I showed up.

And, by the mystery of faith—and simply the work of continuing to show up—I met amazing people who have become some of my dearest friends. We bonded over the beautiful, exhausting, hilarious, heartbreaking, and sometimes completely bewildering journey of parenting. We celebrated each other’s children, carried one another through hard seasons, and shared the joys that make these years so special.

The children I taught back then are now nine years old. And with every new class of little ones, my own faith continues to grow. I see it in the joy our children so effortlessly share with one another. I see it in the friendships they make and in the connections that form between families. And I see how a church community can become part of the village that helps us raise our children. That has been one of the unexpected blessings of my life.

And now, I want to invite you into it.

The blessing isn’t something you have to earn. You don’t have to know the right words, have the right answers, or have everything figured out. You simply have to show up—with your little one, as you are.

There is a place for you here, and we would love to grow alongside your family.

With warmth,

Alison LaGree

Glenn Preschool Sunday School

P.S. And yes, there’s a place for all ages on Sunday mornings at Glenn— Pre-K and older Children’s Choirs meet from 9:30 a.m. to 10:00 a.m., followed by Sunday School at 10:00 a.m., plus Nursery care for tiny ones, Youth Sunday School for teens, and several great options for adults to engage in faith discussions and hear from guest speakers to enrich your faith journey.

My Prayer/My Vote

(Please read to the end to learn about the call for My Prayer/My Vote art.)

The Social Principles of the United Methodist Church state that “[o]ur involvement in political systems is rooted in the gospel imperative to love our neighbors, to do justice, and to care for the vulnerable. As United Methodists, we acknowledge that love requires responsible political action and engagement aimed at the betterment of society and the promotion of the common good. We acknowledge that such political engagement demands humility and mindfulness of our own complicity in perpetuating injustice. It also necessitates compassion, prayer and a willingness to discern God’s guidance.”

Whether we are voting in local, state, or federal elections, we have the ability to share our views on a multitude of issues that can impact society and the common good. Decisions around climate, poverty, education, hunger, housing, peace, health, equity, the economy, elections themselves, and more, are made by the people who are elected by “we the people”. If we do not use our right to vote for the world we want to see, we have given up one of the most important ways we have to work for that world.

Over the last several years, we have seen increased efforts to suppress the vote. These efforts have not looked like what John Lewis and others faced on that bridge in Selma, or what Fannie Lou Hamer faced when she tried to register to vote. These days voter suppression is more likely to look like the elimination or relocation of polling places, particularly in areas with large numbers of minority voters, reduced polling hours, more onerous and stringent voter ID rules, the purging of voter rolls, gerrymandering, restrictions on mail in voting, and reduction in early voting days and locations. We are even seeing increased calls for restrictions on the rights of women to vote.

This is clearly something we should care about as citizens of a democracy. But we are especially called to care about it as people of faith. We are called to care about it because of our belief that we are all created in the image of God. When people are denied the right to vote because of the color of their skin, it acts as a denial of their likeness to God. We should care about voter suppression for the same reasons we should care about inequity in general – if we believe we are all children of God created in the image of God, then no part of how we have been created – race, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity – should be used to make us less than anyone else. As the writers at Sojourners put it, “We believe all human beings are made in the “imago dei,” the image and likeness of God — it’s a core tenet of ours and many other faiths. So any strategy that would negate people’s votes because of the color of their skin is not just a partisan tactic, but rather a denial of their imago dei, a theological, biblical, and spiritual offense to God. Protecting the right to vote affirms the divine imprint and inherent value of all of God’s children.”

This does not mean we will all necessarily choose to vote the same way on every issue. While we might each have strong opinions about how we believe people, and especially people of faith, should vote on an issue, others may arrive at different conclusions when standing in the voting booth. But, as the Sojourner writers say, “regardless of how Christians vote by their biblical examination on the issues, all Christians must stand and speak out against voter suppression — an offense to the image of God and the democratic rights of citizenship.”

The Justice Team encourages you to fully participate in the democratic process as we head more deeply into this year’s election season:

·       Make sure you are registered to vote,

·       Educate yourself on the candidates and the issues,

·       Check that you have the necessary i.d. to vote, and

·       Familiarize yourself with the date, times, and methods you can vote.

Over the next two months, we will be sharing important information about voting so that we can all cast our votes for the world we want to see.

We are calling this effort My Prayer/My Vote, and there is a special way you can be a part of it (in addition to voting!). You are invited to submit art pieces on the prompt “My Prayer/My Vote.” This can include art of any kind – painting, sculpture, poetry, essays, music, textiles, whatever! Art from all ages is welcome and encouraged. Please submit your pieces by September 25. Written pieces may be emailed to justice@glennumc.org. Physical pieces may be dropped off at the church office. Please ensure that pieces submitted are nonpartisan. If you have any questions, email Carol Allums at theallums5@gmail.com.