Ever wished life had a rewind button? We’ve all made wrong turns, run from what we knew was right, or felt like we completely blew our shot. This Sunday, we welcome 2nd Chance Indiana, which helps people coming home from prison find work through job training, mentoring, and rides to and from their jobs. It’s a program built around the do-over: going back and trying again. As our fourth-quarter Big Give recipient, they’ll receive The Garden’s $2,000 donation during the service. We’ll also revisit the story of Jonah, the prophet who ran the other way and ended up in the belly of a great fish. Even then, the story says, “the word of the Lord came to Jonah a second time.” Even when we give up or run away, God never gives up on us. Grace always awaits your next chapter.

Have you ever used a stair climber at the gym? It’s designed so that you’re climbing the same few steps over and over and over again. You put in an incredible amount of work, sweat, and effort, but you never actually go anywhere. Does life sometimes feel that way? Like you’re taking the same few steps over and over? Are there times when you feel like you’re on a spiritual stair climber? Life wasn’t designed to work that way. As people of faith, we are called to order our steps so that our future is guided not by our own limited stride, but by a divine path and perspective. This Sunday’s message, “Stepping Up,” considers what it takes to break out of the loop, step it up, and live each day to its absolute fullest through spiritual reflection, positioning, and prospering. As Proverbs 16:9 reminds us, “The heart of man plans his way, but the Lord establishes his steps.” Don’t just drift through your week. Start positioning yourself for what God wants to do next. Bring a notebook, bring a friend, and let’s get ready to step up together!

Pastor Carolyn shares news of Lea Ann’s new role and invites you to celebrate her four years of loving and teaching our children on Sunday, November 8.

Each year at The Garden, we collect donated laundry baskets filled with specific household items to be given to families in need. These items cannot be purchased with SNAP funds, and for those living in poverty it can be difficult to afford these essentials. If you would like to donate, you can either make a monetary contribution and we will shop, or you can purchase and fill a basket and bring it to The Garden by Sunday, November 29. The following items are requested for each donation: 1 Large, Quality Laundry Basket 1 Bar of Soap 4 Toothbrushes 1 Large or 2 Smaller (4 or 5 oz) Toothpaste 1 Large (42-50 oz) Laundry Detergent 1 Large (15-16 oz) Dish Soap 1 Bottle (8 oz) Liquid Hand Soap 1 Roll Paper Towels 4-6 Rolls of Toilet Paper 1 Box of Facial Tissue 1 Large (16 oz) Bottle of Shampoo 1 Bottle (18 oz) of All-Purpose Cleaner We will also gratefully accept cash donations and volunteers to shop with.

All Saints Day

 In World War II, a “Dear John” letter was synonymous with breaking up. When The Garden was founded some 30 years ago, we sent our own “Dear John” letter to the United Methodist Church. We felt the path the traditional church had taken was too narrow, and The Garden wanted to champion “many paths and one purpose.” However, about 10 years ago, we realized we needed to co-parent this message of hope and love, so we reluctantly joined the Conference as a UMC congregation. This year, I’ve had the opportunity to get reacquainted with our Methodist roots and John Wesley himself. For me, it has felt like going to a class reunion and falling back in love with a high school sweetheart—realizing that even though we took different paths, we still have so much in common, and well, maybe it's time to get back together? This Sunday, we will look at how The Garden has lived into the very core message that John Wesley preached. We will consider how being part of the UMC connection can help us transform the world with God's love, and how The Garden can help the UMC see that there are truly many loving paths. Join us this Sunday for “Dear John.”

What makes some people extraordinarily generous, even when they have so little to give, while others who have so much find it difficult to share? In his letter to the Corinthians, Paul describes the Macedonian churches, whose poverty and hardships did not diminish their generosity. Instead, their joy overflowed into giving. Through personal stories and encounters with unexpected generosity, we'll explore what happens when grace becomes more than something we receive. It becomes something we share. Grace isn't something we hold on to. It's something we allow to flow through us. As The Garden reflects on its future, we have an opportunity to ask a deeper question: What kind of community do we want to create together? What would it look like to become a community where love, compassion, acceptance, and generosity overflow into the lives of others? Perhaps the greatest gift we have to offer isn't what we possess, but who we are and how we choose to share ourselves with the world. When grace overflows, generosity isn't something we have to do. It's something we get to do.

Indigenous Peoples Day invites us to pause and remember that we live on land with a story much older than our own. It is a day to listen to the voices, wisdom, stories, and resilience of Indigenous peoples and to acknowledge the painful history that is also a part of this land’s story. It calls us to move beyond simply remembering and to ask: “How might we live with greater humility, gratitude, and respect for the people and the Earth who have been here long before us?”

Although we define our world with borders, walls, and ideologies, World Communion Sunday brings us a simple reality: we belong to each other. This Sunday, we gather around a table that expands across the globe, a table of radical hospitality where all are fed, all are valued, and all are loved. Together, we commit to the collective work of peace, justice, and healing for our planet. Join us as we break bread and build bridges.