News­let­ter

Dear friends in Christ, Greetings and peace to you all, and I pray that the fall season has started with blessings upon you and your loved ones. We have been richly blessed over the last few weeks. Our annual barbecue and hike in Grünbach was a great success and a time of spirited fellowship, with more than 100 members and friends joining in the day, thanks to the generous hospitality of Andrew Stones.We have also inaugurated our new Sunday School year, with three new teachers joining the teaching team; we give thanks to Sunday School coordinator Shelley Brauneis and all our Christian leaders who serve this vital ministry.As the number of small children in our community is increasing, we are looking to hire persons with childcare training to regularly provide childcare in our nursery during worship. If you are interested in this opportunity, or could recommend someone, please speak with Shelley or me.Related to our education ministry, as previously mentioned we are planning to hold a Confirmation course for youth aged 14 to 18. The course will begin in January 2026 and will culminate with the liturgy of Confirmation in worship on Pentecost Sunday, 24 May 2026. I invite the families of our youth in this age range who have not yet been confirmed to speak with me as soon as possible. The exact schedule and format of the course will depend on the number and ages of youth who enroll in the course. Thank you for your support and participation!Our newsletter below is filled with information about upcoming opportunities for worship and fellowship. We look forward to the celebration of our Harvest Festival during our service of worship on Sunday 19 October. Please kindly bring a dish of food to share with others. And we ask volunteers to join us on Saturday 18 October at 14:00 to help prepare our sanctuary and fellowship area for the festival; if you can help out for an hour or two on Saturday, please let me know.Lastly, below please find two articles in German, as the Fünfhaus Gemeinde formally celebrated the installation of Pastor Antje, and the UMC in Austria invites all youth to a ski holiday event in early January.I wish you a blessed month, and look forward to seeing you in worship.Yours in Christ, Pastor John

Dear friends in Christ, Greetings and peace to you! I pray that your summer season has been blessed. It is a joy to see you returning to our community of faith following the travels and activities of summer.We give a special thanks to the youth and young adults of our congregation for leading us in worship on Sunday 24 August. The reflection by Amelie Haslinger on the letter of James was especially meaningful, as we were reminded of the importance of encouraging one another to being doers of the word, and not just hearers.I also wish to thank Jutta Dietl and the leadership team of the Begegnungsstube ministry for the successful flea market held on 25 August. It was a blessing to open the doors of the church to our neighbors and welcome new friends into the community. We are grateful for the funds raised by the flea market that will be used in support of our ongoing outreach ministry.In this edition of our monthly newsletter, you will read of a number of ministry programs and activities that shall begin in the coming weeks, including the resumption of Bible study for adults and Sunday School for our children, our annual congregational BBQ and potluck, and a preview of our fall Harvest Festival.Lastly, please allow me this reminder: As announced last month, we are planning to hold a Confirmation course for youth aged 14 to 18. The course will begin in January 2026 and will culminate with the liturgy of Confirmation in worship on Pentecost Sunday, 24 May 2026. I invite the families of our youth in this age range who have not yet been confirmed to speak with me as soon as possible. The exact schedule and format of the course will depend on the number and ages of youth who enroll in the course. Thank you for your support and participation!Join us in the month of September for worship and fellowship, as we give thanks and praise to the Lord our God.Yours in Christ, Pastor John

Dear friends in Christ,Blessings and peace to you! With the start of December comes the arrival of the season of Advent, the time of the church year when we prepare for the coming of Christ. With joy and thanksgiving, we look forward and ready our hearts and minds for the arrival of our Lord Jesus, the light of the world, born in the city of David.In this newsletter, you will find a listing of the special services of worship in this season of Advent, including our Children's Christmas celebration, a Service of Lesson and Carols, and our Christmas Eve worship with candle lighting and Holy Communion. All services shall be held in our temporary worship space on the first floor of the church, while renovation works in our sanctuary continue (more details below). And please mark the date of Saturday 14 December; from 14:00 to 17:00, the children shall hold their final rehearsal for the Christmas celebration and will decorate our Christmas tree. All families are welcome!Recently in worship, our Finance Committee gave thanks to our church members and friends for your generous prayerful and financial support of our ministry in 2024. We also extend our appreciation to those who have already submitted your Estimate of Giving form for 2025. We are thankful for the financial and spiritual commitment you have made to support our congregation in the coming year.If you have not yet submitted your Estimate of Giving for 2025, you may pick up a form in the fellowship area in church, or make your statement of support online via this dedicated link:ESUMC 2025 Estimate of Giving FormLastly, a brief update on the renovation works in our sanctuary. In recent weeks, the engineering team began removing the old ceiling. This work should be finished by mid-December. Starting in January, the work to install a new ceiling will begin. At present, we do not have a fixed timetable for the completion of the renovation, which also will include the replacement of light fixtures and other improvements to the sanctuary. Again, we thank you for your patience and cooperation in this season of rebirth and renewal.I give you thanks for your faithful support of ESUMC, and pray God's blessings upon you and your loved ones in this holy season.Yours in Christ, Pastor John

Dear friends in Christ,Greetings and peace to you in the name of our Lord Jesus. I give thanks to God for the members of our community for your support and prayers over these past weeks, as I have traveled to the US following the deaths of a dear friend and my father.We appreciate Pastor Tom Garrison and Jerry Barton for delivering inspiring words during the Sunday services in October, and to all our lay leaders for their contributions to the life of our ministry. And we look forward to receiving the message from ESUMC member and UMC Global Mission Fellow Daniel Mohr in worship this Sunday.Please note that our celebration of All Saints' Sunday and the sacrament of Holy Commuion will be on Sunday 10 November.In this newsletter you will find articles and updates regarding the life and ministry of our congregation, including news about Stewardship month and the upcoming Wärmestube season.Due to the ongoing renovation works in our sanctuary, we continue to gather for our Sunday morning worship services in the upstairs fellowship area. As the renovation project takes shape, we shall keep the congregation informed of progress.I wish you a blessed month of November, and look forward to seeing you in worship!Yours in Christ, Pastor John

Dear friends in Christ,Greetings and peace to you all! At long last, the summer heat has finally abated, and the cool air and autumnal colors have arrived. We give thanks to God for the start of this new season, and for the fresh blessings that have come upon us, our loved ones, and our congregation.With the turn of every new season comes change, and in this moment we have a significant change in our community. As some of you may be aware, early this week a fault was discovered in the ceiling of our church sanctuary. Repair works are now underway, which has led to the temporary closure of our church sanctuary. At present, we are not exactly sure how long the sanctuary will be inaccessible, but we have been told to expect that the repair work could take about two to three months. The repair and renovation shall be coordinated and supervised by the property management office of the UMC in Austria.In light of this development, we have made arrangements for our congregation to gather every Sunday morning at 11:15 in the fellowship area on the first floor of our church building. As you enter from the street into the church, our ushers will guide you to this temporary worship space. Sunday School for children shall continue every Sunday as usual, and Coffee Hour Fellowship will be held in the downstairs fellowship area following worship.Unfortunately, the online worship livestream will not be available this Sunday 29 September. We hope to have the livestream available again soon. Also, this development will impact our plan to celebrate Harvest Festival on Sunday 20 October. I will keep the congregation updated regarding this important event.On behalf of our Church Council, I thank you for your understanding and support. As we shall be sharing these common spaces with our friends from the German-speaking congregation, we appreciate the patience and flexibility of both communities. I look forward to gathering with you in this more intimate space, as we continue our mission of loving and serving God and others.Yours in Christ, Pastor John

Dear friends in Christ,Greetings and peace to you! I pray that your summer season has been blessed. Thank you for your warm greetings as I returned to our church community last Sunday following my short holiday. It was a blessing to be reunited with you in our service of worship. On behalf of our congregation, I again offer our heartfelt thanks to the Rev. Dr. Tom Garrison for leading worship and preaching the gospel during my vacation. Pastor Tom is a true friend of our congregation, and we give thanks to God that this faithful brother in Christ is always willing to joyfully share his spiritual gifts with our community. In this edition of our monthly newsletter, you shall read of a number of ministry programs and activities that shall begin in the coming weeks, including the resumption of Sunday School for our children, our annual congregational BBQ and potluck (see the photo from last year, below), and a preview of our fall Harvest Festival.Join us in the month of September for worship and fellowship, as we give thanks and praise to the Lord our God.Yours in Christ, Pastor John

Dear friends in Christ,Greetings and peace to you! I pray that you and your loved ones are well and enjoying a blessed summer season.One of the highlights of the ESUMC community every summer is the celebration of Vacation Bible School (VBS). And this year was no different! Last week, twelve children from our community joined together for a week of learning, games, spiritual growth, and fun fellowship in our church and neighborhood.The theme of VBS 2024 was "Growing God's Garden." Every day, our VBS volunteer leaders shared a reading and led a discussion of Scripture, and organized games and activities based on the daily theme related to creation. On Friday, VBS journeyed to a nearby park for a scavenger hunt and other learning activities in nature.We give our great thanks to all who participated in VBS: to Shelley Brauneis and Noussi Zahraman for organizing the week; to Sophie Anusie for leading the musical program; to Daniel Mohr and Rania Zahraman for teaching the Bible and offering story time; to Natalie Agyemang and Victoria Sseruwagi for helping to lead activities; to Betty Brustmann, Sigrid Schulzer-Anusie and Deborah Koll-Petty for providing meals and snacks; and to all our children for helping to make the week a time of spirited joy! Please see the brief article below for more photos.Finally, on a personal note, my family and I will be on vacation during 5-21 August, visiting relatives and friends in the US south and midwest. Our good friend Rev. Tom Garrison will be preaching and leading worship on Sunday 11 and 18 August. I thank you for welcoming Pastor Tom with your love and appreciation.May God bless you all with a peaceful and joyous end to the summer season. And remember to register for our upcoming Barbecue and Hike in Grünbach, taking place on Saturday 7 September; see more information below.Yours in Christ, Pastor John