Many of you have asked how you can directly impact our community.  Here’s your chance!  The church has two families from William Lynch School who need our help this coming year.

We want to give the families a food basket and the children gifts at Christmas and on birthdays.  You can help make it happen!

Family #1

• Girl 6 years old in kindergarten birthday l0-1-04,
  shirt size 6T,Pant size 5-6T Shoe size: 1 above toddler age
  She would like for Christmas “Tinkerbell” hat and gloves – actually, anything Tinkerbell
• Girl 3 years old birthday 2-1-07,
  Shirt size 3T-4T, Pant size 4T,shoe size 7.
  She would like “Princess” hat & gloves, anything of Princess and the Frog
• Boy 1 year old Birthday 4-26-09,
  shirt size 2T, Pant size 18 mo- 2T, shoe size 5 infant.
• Girl 18 years old, date of birth 10-11-92
  shirt size medium, pant size 3 junior, shoe size 7

Family #2

• Boy 13 years old in the 7th grade, birthday 9-11-97,
  Shirt size 12, pant size 14, shoe size 5-1/2
  Special clothing request is for jeans, Toy request, legos or game boy advance game
• Boy 10 years old Grade 4, birthday 6-20-00,
  Shirt size 8, pant size 9 slim, shoe size 2,
  Special clothing request: jeans, wants a bike
• Boy 6 years old, in Kindergarden, birthday 10-22-04, shirt size 6, pant size 7 slim, shoe size 13,
  clothing request: jeans with hook & eye type closure,
  Toy request: Dart guns, Nerf type
• Girl 3 years old , birthday 1-4-07,
  Shirt size 4, pant size 5,shoe size 11. Clothing request: jeans l, long sleeve shirts
  Toy request: anything Dora

Please prayerfully consider helping these folks out. Donations may be dropped off at the church office.  If you would rather just give money, Bonnie Graves and Virginia West will act as your elves.  Thanks!

My efforts as a St. Jude Hero are continuing!  Did you know that the daily operating costs for St. Jude are $1.5 million, which are primarily covered by public contributions?

Please visit my Web site to see my progress and learn how you can help me reach my goal! Here’s the link:

https://waystohelp.stjude.org/sjVPortal/public/displayUserPage.do?programName=heroes&eventId=108867&userId=511645

Thank you for your support! -Ken McGrail

After much work and anticipation, your photos from the amazing Trunk-R-Treat event last Saturday are available for FREE download.  We’re still working on some of them (technical difficulties, ya know), so please bear with us.

Two ways to get them:

1. Visit our search page (CLICK HERE), enter your ID number that you got at the event, and download your photo(s).  If you don’t find them, try just browsing around the photo gallery.
2. Come into the church office (during normal business hours) and we’ll print them for you (yes, FREE)

Thanks again to all who participated in and volunteered for this wonderful community event!  See you next year!

Michael Helm and his dragon

Costumed little ones (and not so little ones) came from all over Dent County and the surrounding area on Saturday for Salem UMC’s 4th annual Trunk-R-Treat event. The event was created to provide our mostly-rural population a safe and convenient was to place for families to enjoy Halloween activities. More than 3,000 of our friends and neighbors enjoyed a parking lot full of decorated cars, free food and photos, and lots of candy.

The organizers would like to thank the community for supporting the event with their prayers and donations and especially the hard work of the event volunteers.

Photos taken at the event may be downloaded free of charge from the Salem UMC website, www.SalemMoUmc.com or picked up at the church office within the week.

UPDATE: Photos available! CLICK HERE

Each day during November an Alzheimer’s fact will be presented to help you understand more about the disease. These facts are offered by the Salem Area Alzheimer’s Support Group in affiliation with the Southwest Chapter of the Alzheimer’s Association.

The support group meets at 2:00 pm on the second Thursday of each month at the Salem United Methodist Church. For more information contact group facilitators: Rose Kinerk 729-6818 or Dixie Norfleet 729-4551.

For more information relating to Alzheimer’s disease you may contact the website for the Southwest Missouri Chapter of the Alzheimer’s Association at http://www.alz-swmo.org.

Thanksgiving is coming fast!  You can start your giving of thanks by joining with our own UMW in supporting this year’s World Thank Offering.  The event is called, “Break the Bank.”   Salem has had the largest offering for the last few years – lets keep up the good work!

The World Thank Banks need to be turned into the office or brought to the meeting. The meeting is November 11 at 10:00 at the church. It’s a fun meeting because we get to separate all that money.  Please come join us!!!

We are having a Vintage Christmas Booth again this year. If you have any Christmas decorations that you would like to donate, please bring them on November 4 or 5. If you have any questions, Call Gerry Harris or Carolyn Battey, they are the brains behind the bazaar ( or bizarre brains?)

We pray, we give, and we send folks, but have you ever wanted a real taste of what our Missions Team experienced in Mozambique?  Now is your chance!

Coming Friday, October 22nd at 6pm, YOU can come and share a typical Mozambique dinner and a presentation by the mission team that traveled to Mozambique, Africa this past summer.   Come make ministry a part of you.   You’ll be glad you did.

Thursday, October 14th the Salem UMC, in affiliation with the Southwest Chapter of the Alzheimer’s Association will host a support group meeting at the church beginning at 2:00 p.m.

Anyone who is a family member, friend, or caregiver to someone suffering from Alzheimer’s Disease is welcome to come and learn more about the disease, care options, and experience mutual support from others dealing with the devastating disease. Each meeting is free and open to the public.

For more information contact Rose Kinerk at 573-729-6818.

Taking care of folks in an emergency is a powerful way to show Christ’s love.  If you missed the Red Cross Shelter Operations training in June, or would like a refresher, Oak Grove Baptist Church will be hosting a training on Saturday, November 13th from 8:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m. There is no charge for this training and lunch will be provided.

In case of an emergency, both Salem UMC and Oak Grove Baptist would likely be called upon to be shelters, so it makes sense to work together and get acquainted beforehand.

Since a meal will be provided, Oak Grove has asked that we let them know how many from Salem UMC will be attending.  Please contact Dixie Norfleet at 729-4551 by November 5th (or earlier!).