24TH ANNUAL APPLE FESTIVAL
The 24th annual Apple Festival is Saturday, October 18th. Join us for a fun filled day! Apples, apple pies and apple goods will be available for purchase. Lunch will be available mid day and there will be a Chiavetta's chicken BBQ from 3 - 6 PM. Come do your Christmas shopping at "Gifts You Can Feel Good About Giving", featuring gifts that will benefit local and nationally based charitable organizations.
Needed for the Country Store: Cakes, pies, cupcakes, candy, breads, homemade jams & jellies, veggies, fudge and craft items. If you can help please call the church office at 759-6921

Caregivers Classes
Coming this fall for six Friday mornings beginning September 5 through October 10 here at CUMC. A six week educational program presented by Erie County Department of Senior Services. This educational program is designed to provide caregivers the tools needed for taking care of themselves. Through six 2 1/2 hour sessions held on a weekly basis, caregivers learn to reduce stress, improve self-confidence, better communicate feelings, and locate helpful resources. Pre-registration is required: call 858-2177 or e-mail caregiver@erie.gov for more information and to register. There is a $25 cost for the course, which includes a copy of The Caregiver Handbook.

Fall Women's Retreat - Living A Life Of Balance
       October 3 - 5, 2008
       River Rock Retreat Center
Are you struggling to juggle family, work, church, and other responsibilities? Do you feel overwhelmed by the pressures in your life? The theme for our fall retreat is "Living a Life of Balance". Dr. Brenda Bierdeman, a Christian Licensed Clinical Psychologist will be our leader for the weekend.
Save the date for our Fall Women's Retreat - Friday evening through Sunday noon, October 2,3 & 4 at the River Rock Retreat Center on beautiful Lake Chautauqua. Cost for the entire weekend is $40.00. Watch for a sign up sheet in August.

Library News
Has your child ever suffered from bullying? Hot Issues, Cool Choices is the title of a highly recommended new booking in our library which may help a young person deal with many difficult choices. Good for group discussions.
Stop by and check out the church library. You might find some things you would like to borrow! Suggestions for new materials are always welcome. The library will soon be forming a reading group for those interested in participating in a United Methodist Women's reading program. All are welcome!

Respite Days
Under the umbrella of our Adult Ministries programs, CUMC offers two days each month as "Respite Days" to those who are providing 24/7 care for a disabled or aging family member. It is designed to give caregivers a much needed break and is ably coordinated by Barb Greis and sometimes meets at the same time as the TUMS group. Caregivers can drop off their loved one at church for several hours, giving them a short but needed break from their responsibilities.

During these midday hours, we prepare lunch, do craft activities, incorporate singing/music, participate in an exercise program, play some familiar basic games, and encourage the sharing of "lifestories". This service is staffed by volunteers, and funded through the church's annual budget and assorted grant monies.

TUMS (THE UNITED METHODIST SENIORS)
Where can CUMC seniors find fellowship, fitness, fun, food, and continue their faith journey....all at the same time, in the same place? At our monthly TUMS meetings, of course! For those of you who are new to our church, TUMS stands for The United Methodist Seniors. We meet once a month, on the third Tuesday, in the community room...and ALL seniors are welcome! Lil Adrian leads the group in exercises, beginning at 10:30am. Then participants enjoy programs on a wide range of topics. At noon lunch is served, and it ranges from pot-luck to meals prepared by guest chefs. After lunch, Jim Aberle facilitates a Bible study.

We are also working with Catherine Klein, travel agent extraordinaire, to plan some TUMS trips....your suggestions and ideas are welcome! Call the church @ 759-8921 with any suggestions or questions. We're excited to get together again with all of our terrific CUMC seniors for another great year!

See our Events web page for the upcoming Respite Days - (volunteers needed - let us know when you can help out) and TUMS Days

Celebrate Recovery !!
The purpose of Celebrate Recovery is to fellowship and celebrate God's healing power in our lives through the 8 Recovery Principles found in the Beatitudes and Christ-centered 12 steps. This experience allows us to be changed. We open the door by sharing our experiences, victories and hopes with one another. In addition, we become willing to accept God's grace in solving our life problems. By working and applying these Biblical principles, we begin to grow spiritually. We become free from our addictive, compulsive, and dysfunctional behaviors. This freedom creates peace, serenity, joy, and most importantly, a stronger personal relationship with God and others. As we progress through the principles and the steps, we discover our personal, loving and forgiving Higher Power-JESUS CHRIST.
Celebrate Recovery meets every Friday at 6:30 PM. Food will be served in the Welcome Center and the meeting will begin in the Sanctuary. Contact Pastor Dave at 759.8921.

Adult Sunday School Programs will be back in the Fall 2008!!

Marriage and Family Life
Led by John and Julie Suckow, this class is for those who desire a relaxed Christian atmosphere in which to discuss current events and life experiences. Topics of study are decided on by the group.

Faithlinks
This class, led by John Brewer, is an informal discussion group connecting faith and life as United Methodists. The class topics change weekly based on current issues and how they relate to our faith.

Healthy Lifestyle (will start up after the Apple Festival)
Led by Dave and Denise Trabucco, this class is for those who desire to learn how to achieve a healthy balance in life.

Book Study: Mere Christianity by C. S. Lewis
The study of this timeless work will be guided by Bruce Eaton.

"From Genesis to Revelation - Hitting the Highlights"
Led by John Eddy, this is a new adult class. We will go through the main events that we've all heard about and put them into a time line to see how they relate to each other. From the Old Testament to the New Testament you'll realize God's continual love and patience.

Adult Programs offered during the week:

A New Study Opportunity Beginning October 26
If taking ten steps across the room could point someone toward faith it might change the way you walk. We are beginning a new study based on Bill Hybels' book "Just Walk Across the Room." This four week series will be offered in two separate times starting Sunday, October 26, from 6:00 - 7:30 PM and Wednesday, October 29, from 7:00 - 8:30 PM. This will also include a four week sermon series. Any questions please contact Pastor Dave. Look for the sign up sheet in the Welcome Center or call the church office at 759.8921.

WOW - Women of the Word - every Monday at 9:30 AM
We meet on Monday mornings for Bible Study, fellowship and encouragement. On September 22, we will begin a new 11-week study called Believing God. Believing God: Experiencing a Fresh Explosion of Faith by Beth Moore is based on Isaiah 43:10 and explores what it means to not only believe in God but to believe Him.

Disciple 4 Bible Study
We will be continuing the Disciple Series Bible Study this year starting Sept. 2nd at 7:00 PM. Anyone who has completed the Disciple 1, 2 or 3 series is welcome to join us. We will meet every Tuesday at 7:00 PM in the east wing of the church. This 32 week study will end in early May.
Anyone interested should contact the church at 759-8921.

Women God Can Lead Bible Study
We will meet on the second MONDAY of the month. We have had a good response and at least three new members have enrolled. Why don't you make it four or more? If you have thought of joining, this would be a good time since we are beginning a new and powerful book entitled Living a Life of Balance. It is a Women of Faith book and is described this way: "We constantly hear from the experts about balanced lifestyles - that we need proper rest, nutrition, and exercise. It's true enough that we need such things to maintain physical and mental health, but we also need spiritual balance. How do we manage all of that and the challenges of daily life?"
We will attempt to find the answer to this question in the next few months as we study this book together and engage in great discussions. It will be enlightening and fun at the same time. The FIRST MEETING will be MONDAY, OCTOBER 13, from 7-9 PM. Please call the church office for more information and for meeting location.

Men's Breakfast - once-a-month on Saturday mornings at 8:00
Come have a delicious breakfast and hear various speakers.

Men of all ages are invited to attend. Fathers with middle school aged or older sons, are encouraged to bring them along.

Ruth Circle
The Ruth Circle meets once a month on Wednesday mornings at 10 AM. All senior ladies of the church, as well as new members and guests are always welcome. Please call the church office for location of meetings.

Check out what we've done in the past!

• 50 catheter bags and 50 money bags were sewn by circle members and delivered to Erie County Home

• Advent Calendars made and sold by Circle Members

• Campbell's labels trimmed to be used by Henderson Settlement to purchase needed items

• 3 theme baskets were assembled for the Apple Festival

• Hand sewn quilt made for Journey's End

• Made contributions to: Henderson Settlement, Apple Festival, Boy Scouts, Journey's End, Zambia Africa (mosquito netting), New Horizon's, The Salvation Army (turkeys)

KIDZONE HELPERS NEEDED
Volunteers are needed to lead KidZone. During the sermon time children from ages preschool through second grade are invited to participate in Kidzone. Materials are provided and we need your help to continue this ministry. If you would like to help, call PJ Pasieka at 759.8921