--Nursery Volunteer: Christ UMC offers a staffed nursery for children ages birth - 4 years old during the 8:30 and 11 AM services, as well as Sunday school at 9:45. Each week, we ask for three volunteers* (one at each of these times) to fulfill our SafeSanctuary requirements and continue to offer this service to our families and visitors. If you have any questions or would like to get involved, please email Pastor Tawny.

*Please note: all Nursery volunteers MUST be SafeSanctuary certified before they start serving.

--Serve as Liturgist: Liturgists lead multiple times throughout the service including the Call to Worship, the Opening Hymn announcement (not singing!), Opening Prayer, Prayers of the People, and the Lord's Prayer. The Prayers of the People is the time for you to lead the congregation in a prayer that you have written before the service. Pastor Zach and Pastor Tawny are always happy to provide help with writing or checking over the prayer throughout the week. You can find a more detailed description here. You can sign up to serve on the Volunteer Sign Ups page.

--Serve as Scripture Reader: Scripture readers are responsible for only the Scripture reading each week. This is emailed each Thursday, and a print copy is provided at the lectern to be used during the service. The pastor will announce your name at the appropriate time. You will come to the lectern, announce and read the scripture, and then end with the response (typically, "This is the Word of God for us." to which the congregation will reply "Thanks be to God."). You can sign up to serve on the Volunteer Sign Ups page.

--Audio/Video Ministries: The A/V crew works together to provide a meaningful worship experience for our in-person and online worshippers. Whether we are live-streaming a service, assisting with a musical group rehearsal, or working after hours to update equipment and programming, we are always bringing glory to God through our efforts. We need many people with musical ears, multiple people with an eye for art and presentation, and a handful of more technical electronic focused people. If you've ever thought "that doesn't sound right" or "that slide is hard to read" then come help us make it better! You can get involved by training to be a worship sound technician, praise band sound technician, or video technician. For more information, please contact Jen Hopple.

--Serve as Acolyte: Volunteers of all ages are encouraged to assist during worship as acolytes. Acolytes are the volunteers who light the candles in worship as well as assist with communion and offering. You can sign up to serve on the Volunteer Sign Ups page.

--Serve as a Greeter: Greeters welcome people as they enter the church. They help direct those who are unfamiliar with our church to important places such as the nursery, the restrooms, the welcome table, etc. You can sign up to serve on the Volunteer Sign Ups page.

--Serve as an Usher: Ushers welcome people and hand out the service bulletin at the entrance to the Sanctuary. They also collect the offering and assist with communion by dismissing people from their pews to go up for communion. You can sign up to serve on the Volunteer Sign Ups page.

--The Bible Study: This class explores a book of the Bible in depth each semester. Participants are multigenerational, which brings a unique perspective to our open discussion around the chapters read each week. This class meets on Sundays at 9:45 AM in person and online.

--The Open Forum: This class generally studies video series by Andy Stanley, Adam Hamilton, Jim Cymbala and other pastors. This class meets on Sundays at 9:45 AM in person and online.

--Reichley Fellowship Class: A challenging curriculum that relates scripture to daily living, taught by a group of leaders offering varying points of view and opportunities for discussion. We welcome new members! This class meets on Sundays at 9:45 AM in person.

Vocal Choirs

--Chancel Choir: This is the adult choir that sings 3-4 times a month for Sunday Services. They sing music of various styles and time periods. This choir is open to those wishing to share the love of Jesus Christ with each other and the congregation each week. It is a group that enjoys and believes in what they sing and expresses that each week. Prior choral singing experience is not needed. They meet every Wednesday from 7:00-8:15 PM. The men’s choir, Gabriel’s Praise, and women’s choir, Sing Alleluia!, take turns meeting from 8:15-8:45 p.m. each Wednesday following the larger choir rehearsal. 

Bell & Chime Choirs

--Alleluia Ringers: This choir is an adult handbell ensemble for all adults and skill levels. If you can read music, you can learn how to ring handbells. The members of this group model God’s love and patience through the acceptance of all abilities. It is a relaxed environment to learn and enjoy fellowship while praising God with music. They meet on Wednesdays from 6:00-6:50 PM. 

--Gloria Dei Ringers: This is an advanced handbell ensemble. They play during church services and also offer their musical talents in the community, including nursing homes and festivals. By traveling, this group is able to share the spirit of Christ with others in the community. They meet Tuesday evenings from 6:30-7:45 PM. 

--Laudate Ringers: The Laudate Ringers is an adult handchime ensemble that enjoys ringing chimes as a way to worship our Lord. All adults are welcome to ring and no experience ringing bells or chimes is needed. The time of rehearsal is set in the morning so it is ideal for a retired adult, parent with preschool children, and anyone else available at that time. They meet Friday mornings from 9:30-10:15 AM.

Bands

--Praise Band: This group provides a time of praise through contemporary worship music during “Gathering Worship”, which occurs almost every Sunday. Our praise band is a lively group consisting of vocalists, keyboards, drums, guitars, and bass. If you have experience playing one of these instruments and are interested in joining the band, please contact us. They rehearse Thursday evenings from 7:30-9:00 PM.

--Jazz Group: This group (sometimes known as the “Wise Guys”) is a small group that aims to get together weekly to play jazz standards, typically American Songbook, Real Book, and gospel tunes. People in the group are learning and experimenting with improvisation, and really enjoy making music together. Although the group plays together largely for fun and fellowship, we do play for occasional church services, fundraisers, and other special events. This group meets Tuesdays at 7:30 PM.

--Short-term Bible Studies: Various Bible studies are offered throughout the year, typically lasting 6-8 weeks each. The Fall 2024 study focused on the Apostle’s Creed. Other recent offerings have included an in-depth study of Psalms and the New Testament. 

--Weekly Bible Reading Group: No matter your experience with the Bible, this group can help you gain new insights through our weekly meetings. This is an ongoing class-–you can join us at any time! The bible reading group meets every Tuesday from 11:00 AM.-12:00 PM. Bring your Bible if you have one, or just bring yourself! There is a large print Bible to loan. 

--Transformation Groups: These groups are made up of 5-10 people who, desiring to grow in their faith and to support others in that same growth, gather together on a regular basis to share about their lives and their Christian journey—the ups and downs, the praises and the trials. The group time is mainly spent on three things: fellowship, questions, and prayer. The questions take the majority of the meeting time and focus on consciously recognizing where God has been present over the past week and how we as Christians can grow stronger in faith and action. Christ UMC currently has 4 active Transformation Groups and we are looking to add more! Many of the current members have stated that their Transformation Group experiences have helped to deepen their faith and build a community of close Christian friends. 

--Books Between Friends: A congenial group of women reading a varied selection of books. We meet every 4 –6 weeks (depending on the current book and our schedules) on Monday nights, 7:00- 9:00 PM. Discussions are lively and thought provoking! 

--Kaleidoscope Book Group: This group of amazing women meets every Tuesday from 12:30-1:30 PM to discuss a wide variety of books. They also share Christian fellowship, giving each other support and encouragement. These women would love to have you join them! 

--Men’s Reading Group: This group of men gather to discuss various religion-themed books which are read ahead of time. They meet weekly in the lounge (with online options) on Tuesdays at 9:00 AM. 

--Men’s Breakfast Group: Meet up with other men from Christ UMC for fellowship and breakfast at a local diner. This group meets the 2nd Wednesday of the month at 8:30 AM, including the summer months. 

--Deborah Circle: The charter of this group is to support missions throughout the country and local community. Meetings often feature speakers from local charity groups within our community and denomination. All women are invited to bring your own sandwich or salad, a beverage, and a dessert. Meetings are held the 2nd Monday of each month at 11:30 AM. Deborah Circle also hosts an annual Christmas market in November and an indoor flea market in April to raise funds for our mission projects. 

--Susanna Wesley Circle: Monthly meetings range from doing mission projects together, to having guest speakers on a variety of topics, to traveling to a local venue for a tour. The Circle year begins in September with dinner and ends in June with a covered-dish picnic at a member’s home. Meetings are usually held the 4th Thursday of each month at 7:00 PM. Members of this group also volunteer at Mitzvah Circle the 1st Tuesday of each month. 

--Friendly Seniors: This energetic group of seniors (ages 55 and up) meets from September to June, around 11:30 AM, usually on the 3rd Wednesday of the month. Gatherings may include lunch and/or dessert. Several local tours are planned, as well as some meetings with guest speakers, trivia, and fellowship. Most activities are accessible for a variety of mobility levels. 

--Stitching Sisters: This group serves two purposes: to use their time and talents creating gifts to donate to worthy causes and to come together in friendship and fellowship while they work. Projects change every few months. The group meets on the 2nd Thursday of each month, from 10:00 AM to noon. There is also a group email for members who are unable to attend the sessions. 

--Christ Loves ALLiance: Transforming lives by affirming ALL people in a welcoming and safe space to explore their faith in Christ. We strive to be a Spirit-led, inclusive faith community who, through prayer and actions, seek to connect all people with the unconditional love of Jesus Christ and help each other to grow in our faith. The Christ Loves ALLiance invites you to join a time of fellowship with those who are concerned about siblings in Christ being left behind. We foster openness and affirm that we are all children of God. We meet quarterly to discuss issues affecting our world, prayerfully consider opportunities to act, and to share our joys in a supportive community. We promote being an active presence both inside the church and in our community to put our faith into action. 

--Caregivers Coffee: Are you a caregiver for a family member, friend or neighbor? Join other caregivers as they share their experiences, learn about coping strategies, self-care, and other topics requested by the group. Currently, meetings are online on Zoom on the 4th Friday of each month at 11:00 AM.

--GriefShare: GriefShare is a friendly, caring group of people who will walk alongside you through one of life’s most difficult experiences. This is a biblically-based video series. We meet Wednesdays at 1:30 PM; see our website www.cumclansdale.org for dates for each cycle. Cost for the 13 week series is $20 (scholarships are available). You don’t have to go through the grieving process alone. 

--Softball Team: We play all of our games at the CUMC softball field on Tuesday evenings at 6:30 PM. Games start mid-May and run through the end of July. All skill levels are welcome and the only requirement is that players must be 13 years old and up (with a parent at the field for youth players). You do not need to be a member of the church to be on the team. Bring a friend or family member!