november 2025
CALENDAR
November 2 All Saints Sunday
9 Noisy Offering for Habitat
15 Church Fair
16 Stewardship Sunday
30 Parish-wide Worship at 10:00 AM, location TBA
Missions
Items needed so VGUMC can help support Midnight Run - an organization which helps the homeless in New York City:
Clothing: Men’s new socks and underwear, pants/jeans, coats and jackets, shirts, sweatshirts and sweatpants, shoes/boots/sneakers, gloves, hats scarves
Toiletry items: soap, razors, toothbrushes, deodorant, shampoo, combs, etc.
Other: towels, blankets, coffee, hot chocolate mix, lemonade/iced tea mix,
From the pastor
FOREVER YOUNG
One of humanity’s most cherished ideals is the aspiration to “stay young forever.” This pertains to the desire for immortality. Consequently, many individuals experience happiness when they hear the compliment, “You look younger than your actual age.” Furthermore, it is observable that older adults engage in various activities to maintain a youthful appearance. They frequently visit salons to adopt younger hairstyles, select hair colors to conceal graying, and undergo facial treatments, among other procedures. Additionally, many people exercise at fitness centers, participate in walking or jogging routines, or take vacations—particularly during the summer—to rejuvenate and feel younger. These engaging activities are enjoyable, and I concur that they contribute to a sense of youthfulness. Nevertheless, aging remains an inevitable aspect of human existence that must be acknowledged. Humans are born, live, age, and inevitably confront the reality of mortality and death.
Considering the inevitable reality of aging, I wish to share my reflections on one of the most profound truths of spirituality: eternity. Ecclesiastes 3:11 states that God has “set eternity in the human heart.” In my readings of the Bible, contemplating the eternal truths concerning God and humanity, and engaging with divine wisdom, I have come to understand that God has inscribed eternity within the human heart as one of the most remarkable revelations of His word. It is a marvelous blessing to embrace God’s gift of eternity. God reveals this eternal truth as one of the highest expressions of divine love toward humanity. This is the reason why God gave His only begotten Son to die on the cross—to redeem humanity from sin and grant eternal life, thereby enabling eternal fellowship with God.
Furthermore, I reflect that there is one thing we need to understand: there is a divine dimension in human beings that never ages. It is the spirit. The spirit never grows old. The spirit is a vital part of us that remains forever young. The spirit reflects the endless nature of eternity. It is the divine component within us that never diminishes with age. This is God’s incredible gift to humanity. We are forever young because of it. This truth is made possible by God’s gift of eternal life through the redemptive work of Christ. That is why humanity should always be thankful to God. God has given us the gift of eternal life in Jesus Christ. We are eternally grateful to God for the gift of “forever young,” as a symbol of God’s eternal love.
Blessings,
Pastor Willie