Hello Friends, Today, I want to share with you about a special day that we celebrate in the church. This day is known as All Saints Day, and it takes place on November 1st every year. It is not nearly as well known as the day before, All Hallows’ (Saints’) Eve, better known as Halloween, but is far more important in the life of the church. Our founder, John Wesley, even found All Saints Day to be very important. In a journal entry from November 1, 1767, Wesley calls it “a festival......

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Hello Friends! Happy Halloween week! I have a few Halloween jokes for you! What monster plays tricks on Halloween?–Prank-enstein!  What kind of music do mummies love?–Wrap music. And what is a monster’s favorite dessert?–I scream! Hahahahaha With Halloween approaching fast, I’m sure we are all excited to dress up in our costumes and eat all the candy we can get! What are you dressing up as for Halloween? Growing up I remember dressing up like a ninja, a rock star, a mad scientist, a vampire, and I’m sure I dressed up like......

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Hello Friends, Welcome to the second Sunday of October! Can you believe that October is half-over and not only will Halloween be on our mind–I bet it is already!–but so will Thanksgiving and Christmas! It seems as if the last three months of the year are going to fly by. However, I think it’s best to focus on the moment, and the moment is telling us that Halloween is just around the corner. Do you have your costume picked out? Do you have a candy route mapped out? Do you know which......

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Hello Friends, Welcome to the Second Sunday of October! Are you getting excited for Halloween? Believe it or not, Halloween is just 20 days away from today! That’s scary to think about. (Yikes!) Some of you aren’t thinking about Halloween yet because you are probably thinking about how you have no school tomorrow or how in just a few weeks you will have a four day weekend because of Parent Teacher Conferences. If you think about it, October is a busy month with lots to celebrate. I hope you find some time......

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Hello Friends, Welcome to a new month! Just a few weeks ago, we began a new season, and now we are beginning a new month. September has been packed up, and October has taken its place. Which means… pumpkins, leaves changing colors, apple picking, bonfires, fall festivals, cooler mornings, and Halloween! Here in Oblong, it means the Annual Fall Follies event: food trucks, tractor pulls, costume contests, scavenger hunts, live music, marching band competitions, and the longest nighttime parade in Illinois. What do you like most about October? As you think about......

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Hello Friends, Welcome to the first Sunday of Fall! Can you believe that just last week when we met it was still Summer?! And now, the weather is cooler, the leaves are falling, the fields are becoming empty, and the sun is setting earlier and earlier and earlier. We are definitely in a new season. Are you happy that Fall is here? While driving around, I’ve noticed, besides the leaves and falling and changing colors and the many tractors out in the fields, that many people around here have been having bonfires.......

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Hello Friends, I hope you are doing well and have been able to enjoy the last remaining days of Summer! That’s right; Summer officially ends this week. Can you believe that? On Tuesday, September 22nd, Summer will transition into Fall. For a little over 90 days, we have been enjoying early morning sunrises, late evening sunsets, beautiful flowers, and taking mini-vacations over the weekends; and now, in just a few days, things will change. The sun will rise later, the sun will set earlier, mornings will be cooler and crisper, sweatshirts will......

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Hello Friends, Can you believe that next week you will have been in school for one month?! One month of waking up early, one month of doing homework, one month getting adjusted to a new routine, one month of going to bed early, and one month of absorbing new information, listening to lessons, answering questions, and following your dreams. How has the first month of school been for you? Today, I want to share something with you that took place in my life when I was about your age. Twenty-five years ago,......

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Hello Friends, How are you doing? Can you believe that you are now three weeks into school with the fourth just hours away? Not only that, but can you believe that September began last Tuesday… (Yikes!) Fall is only 15 days way! Are you ready for Fall? Cool crisp mornings, mugs of hot chocolate, leaves changing colors, and the smell of pumpkin spiced (everything) in the air? Oh, and we can’t forget the late night bonfires and the many hours spent in the tractor harvesting the fields. It’s a new month with......

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Hello Friends, How are you doing? The countdown has begun…. As of today, the season of Fall is only 22 days away, which means there are only 22 more days of summer. I know that probably doesn’t mean much to you since most of you are in school, but in the grand scheme of things it means a lot. For example, Fall is only 22 Days away, Halloween is only 61 days away, Thanksgiving is only 88 Days away, Winter is only 112 Days away, and Christmas is only 116 Days away.......

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