Activities
Get Involved
We are committed to providing activities for people of all ages. At High Desert we offer a wide range of activities for church members to get involved in. Below are some of our recent activities. Contact the church office to learn more about any of these activities.
Women With Purpose
The mission statement of Women With Purpose at High Desert Church is : "Love in Action." We help women in need in our community with practical items, assemble hygiene kits for United Methodist Committee on Relief (UMCOR), support local projects for the homeless and abused, and send notes of encouragement to those who are struggling. We also enjoy our time together as we have interactive devotional and time of fellowship. Good things happen when women get together!
Women with Purpose meet the first Thursday of each month at 10:00 am in the sanctuary; come join us!
Pastor leading prayer prior to filling the bags.
Table setup prior to assembly
Assembling the bags
Mission Accomplished!
Delivering food packs to one of the schools
Vacation Bible School
Vacation Bible School was held on Thursday-Saturday, July 11th - 13, 2019 from 6-8 pm. A total of eight children participated along with ten wonderful adult volunteers. We began each night with music in the atrium followed by a Bible story in the chapel, snacks in one of the Sunday School rooms, recreation on the south side of the building, crafts in the other Sunday School room, and closing with music back in the atrium.
2019 Neighborhood Cook Out
Neighborhood Cookout
On Friday evening, May 31st, High Desert UMC sponsored a Neighborhood Cookout in the church parking lot to introduce the church to the surrounding neighborhood. Well over 100 people enjoyed free hotdogs, hamburgers, potato salad, baked beans, watermelon, and deserts in addition to a time of fellowship.
Upcoming Events
Welcome
Thanks for worshipping with us this morning; please join us for coffee and refreshments in the Fellowship Hall following our worship service.
Rides
If you are willing to provide a ride for someone to church on Sunday morning, especially for the 9 am service, please contact Reuben, Linn or church office.
Offering
Collection plates. plates are now positioned around the sanctuary for your weekly contribution.
Church Bus
If you need a ride to church, please call the church office at (505) 891-4206.
Prayer Requests
Please call Sandy Dewbre at 505-238-1958 or email at dewbre998@gmail.com.
Flowers
If you would like to place flowers in the church, please sign up in the Narthex.
Amazon Smiles
If you order from Amazon, you can automatically generate donations to HDUMC, when you select “High Desert United Methodist Church, Rio Rancho” to be your charity. For more information, see flyer in Narthex or contact the church office.
We added a page called Amazon Smiles (below). Just follow the directions and your purchases through Amazon Smiles.
Church Office
Normal Office hours will be on Wednesdays from 9 am until 12 noon. If you have an announcement for the bulletin, please send it to Reuben before Tuesday each week.
Live Streaming
You can now watch the 9 am worship service at home by going to youtube.com using any internet browser.
At the top of the page, in the youtube search box, type in High Desert United Methodist Church. You may see a number of options, but select the one with a video feed picture of the sanctuary and a red box that says LIVE.
Podcast Ministry
HDUMC is extending our online presence to include a Podcast Ministry. If you are interested in being involved as a production coordinator for this new exciting ministry, please contact Lisa Isenberger at 505-228-3395 or lisenberger@gmail.com.
MorningStar Worship
We have an opening on the worship team for the 10:30 am Sunday Worship Service at MorningStar. You would only lead worship once every six weeks. Please consider this ministry opportunity and let Reuben know if you are willing to help.
Each Sunday one of our members leads worship at 10:30 am for the residents of MorningStar retirement community. We are currently developing the schedule.
Please see Missions Page of this website for more details on this Mission.
Pantry
The next food distributions is scheduled for scheduled for October 6th from 11 am - 2 pm.
October Collection: Canned Veggies
November Collection: Canned Soup/Stew
Contact Mike Fawcett at (715) 456-3044, for more information
Upcoming Events continued
Women With Purpose
Will meet on Thursday, October 5th at 10 am in the sanctuary. Our focus this month is creating 32 birthday party bags for the children living in the Saranam housing project. Our speaker will be a staff member from this worthwhile project. Join us for music, food, fellowship and work.
Church Cookout
Friday, October 6, 2023 from 5-7 pm in the church parking lot
We will provide hotdogs and hamburgers (and buns) with water, lemonade and ice tea. Please bring a dish to share.
There is a sign-up sheet in the Narthex for your dish and how you can help with the cookout.
This is a great opportunity to invite your friends and neighbors.
Blessing of the Animals
Saturday, October 7th at 9 am in the church parking lot.
Operation Christmas Child
In September, we are collecting hygiene items for assembling shoeboxes later this year.
Second Mile Giving
While Thanksgiving and Christmas are a few months away, we are already starting our holiday preparations. There are three opportunities for Second Mile Giving during October as noted below for helping others during the holiday season:
THANKSGIVING BOXES
For the last four years, High Desert has been providing Thanksgiving Boxes with all the items needed for a Thanksgiving dinner including the turkey to the clients of Haven House. They have indicated that they need 50 boxes this year.
Haven House is the only domestic violence shelter in Sandoval County. They provide emergency shelter, case management, support groups, life-skill classes, legal advocacy, referral to job opportunities, housing and other supportive services, and therapeutic counseling for both women and their children.
If you would like to support this ministry, please mark “Thanksgiving Boxes” on the memo line of your check to the church. We will purchase all the items and assemble the boxes.
CHRISTMAS GIFT CARDS
St. Joseph Mission School in San Fidel is one of our mission projects. The school serves 40 students from the Acoma and Laguna Pueblos. Last year, when we asked the principal Antonio Trujillo what we could do for the students at Christmas, he indicated that gift cards would be an excellent Christmas gift.
Due to your generosity, we were able to give each student a $50 gift card. This allowed the students to purchase what they really wanted for Christmas. We would like to continue this successful mission project and plan to purchase a $25 or $50 gift card for each student depending on how much is donated.
If you would like to support this project, please mark “Christmas Gift Card” on the memo line of your check to the church.
OPERATION CHRISTMAS CHILD
High Desert has participated in this mission project for several years, where members get a shoebox (any regular size will work), and fill it with toys, hygiene items, school supplies and a donation of $10 for shipping and bring it to the church.
We will take the boxes to Grace Outreach Church during collection week on November 17th, for distribution to children in need all around the world. We have been collecting items each month for the shoeboxes and will assemble these on November 17, 2023.
You can also assemble your own box (instructions and empty boxes are available in the Narthex) or you can donate $30 ($20 for items and $10 for shipping) to the church and Patty Latter will purchase the items. Last year we collected 127 boxes and our goal this year is 133 boxes.
Please mark “Operations Christmas Child” on the memo line of your check.
As you can see, there are several opportunities to give and make a difference in the lives of children and those in need. We hope that you will support at least one or all these mission projects. Your continued support and participation in the mission program of High Desert is greatly appreciated.