Friday Focus
News you need for the week of
December 5, 2025
The Many Moods of Christmas
The Music Ministry of Dunwoody UMC invites you to experience the splendor of the Christmas season as we present "The Many Moods of Christmas", featuring the DUMC Chancel Choir, Musica Gloria Chamber Choir, and full 45-piece orchestra. This beloved collection of familiar carols and choral classics by Robert Shaw and Robert Russell Bennett showcases the full spectrum of holiday spirit and the vibrant tonal colors of the choir and orchestra. In addition, the concert will include cherished holiday classics by composers such as John Rutter, Sergei Rachmaninoff, Felix Mendelssohn and more! You do not want to miss this festive musical event, presented at 4:00 pm on Sunday, December 14 in the Dunwoody UMC sanctuary. Admission is free and open to everyone. Nursery will be provided. Concert offering will benefit the Buford Highway Orchestra Project.
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Current Announcements
Communion During Advent
As we wait in hope for the coming of Christ, DUMC will not celebrate Communion in our Modern and Traditional services on Sunday, December 7. Communion will be celebrated each week in our 8:30 a.m. chapel services. We will also share Communion in worship on Christmas Eve at 1:00 p.m., 7:00 p.m. and 11:00 p.m.
Wednesday Night Supper
Join us for Wednesday Night Supper! Dinner begins at 5:00 p.m. and ends at 6:15 p.m. You also have the option of emailing Debbie Collins or by calling at 770-394-0675, ext 111. Reservations are due by the end of day on Monday. Please do your best to adhere to this reservation deadline so there will be a meal prepared for you. Click HERE to register. The cost for Wednesday Night Supper is $10 for an adult meal, $5 for a child meal (3-11 years). Children under 3 years eat for free. There will be no Wednesday night supper during the week of Thanksgiving. The last Wednesday night supper of the year will be on December 10. We will return with Wednesday night supper in the new year on Wednesday, January 7.
Christmas Eve Offering
Each year, DUMC dedicates our Christmas Eve offering to missions outside the walls of our church. This year that offering will support two worthy causes - our annual Habitat for Humanity build and disaster response. By giving on Christmas Eve you help DUMC provide stable, affordable housing for a family in our community. You will also make a difference for communities in Eastern Georgia and Western North Carolina who are still living in substandard conditions due to the destruction of Hurricane Helene. DUMC is grateful for the generosity of our congregation and the difference your giving has already made in the world. This Christmas season, we pray that you’ll join us as we continue to make God’s love known in the world through our giving.
Bible and Bourbon
Join us at Moondog Pub & Grub, 5077 Peachtree Rd., Chamblee on Monday, December 8 from 6:00 p.m. - 8:00 p.m. for Bible and Bourbon. Explore ancient wisdom with a modern twist from different faith perspectives. Don't miss this unique blend of spiritual exploration and networking. All are welcome! Featuring, Rabbi Brian Glusman of Marcus Jewish Community Center of Atlanta and Rev. Phil Schroeder of Dunwoody United Methodist Church. Free to attend, food and drinks available for purchase. Learn more at atlantajcc.org/bourbon.
Stay Connected and Inspired
Sign up to receive resources, news, and uplifting content delivered straight to your inbox. Find encouragement for your daily life, and keep up with the latest happenings across the church through newsletters from United Methodist Communications. Choose to subscribe to one or all of our newsletters and let meaningful, relevant content come to you. Click HERE to learn more.
Christmas Poinsettias
The Christmas season is the time for poinsettias, and we have them for you to purchase. You can purchase them in memory or honor of someone special, and they will be used to add color in our three worship spaces. You are welcome to take the plant you ordered after the last service on Christmas Eve. The cost of each plant is $12 and the deadline to place your order is Friday, December 12. Click HERE to order. Volunteers are also needed to deliver poinsettias to our homebound members on Tuesday, December 16. This is a great family service opportunity! If you have any questions, please call La'Saundra Anderson at 770-394-0675.
VEiL Exhibit and Meet & Greet
VEiL invites you to the library to view the work of their November/December featured artist, Mary Phillips.
BPBMA has a mission to provide weekend meals to food-insecure children in the Metro Atlanta area to enhance their mental and physical health. Dunwoody UMC is supporting that mission as a Community Buddy. Each week DUMC will have volunteers pick up nonperishable food from the BPBMA warehouse here in Dunwoody. The food is delivered to DUMC and packed by volunteers to be taken to area elementary schools for students to take home for the weekend so that they have food to replace the meals they would receive at school during the week. You can register here to participate in Backpack Buddies. There are three different opportunities: picking up food and delivering it to DUMC for packing, packing meals (approximately 35 meals), or delivering packed meals to Dunwoody Elementary. There are specific times for some jobs and others have some flexibility. Contact Bo Lane for details.
Volunteer with Hightower Homework Club at Crossroads Church (4805 Tilly Mill Rd.) from 4:00 p.m. - 6:00 p.m., Monday-Thursday during the school year. There are classrooms and plenty of room for the kids to play outside. Children, from kindergarten to 5th grade, receive instruction and homework help from qualified teachers. Volunteers are needed to assist the teachers, give individual homework help as well as provide playground supervision. Volunteers are welcome to make their own hours. If interested contact Rich Reynell or click HERE for more information or to start the process for volunteering.
Upcoming Disaster Response Training & Deployments
If you would like to be informed of upcoming domestic disaster relief trips and training, please visit dunwoodyumc.org/missions to be added to the D.A.R.T. Disaster Assistance Response Team Group. As opportunities arise, you will be alerted via email from the Group Leader. Please see the following upcoming opportunities.
· DARE / DART trips are scheduled for the 3rd week of every month (subject to change).
· Contact Ken Sexton at 678-523-3905 for details.
The Angels of Christmas Online Advent Study
In this three-week Advent study, we will take an hour from our busy days to dive into Susan Robb's book The Angels of Christmas, which explores the angelic visits to Zechariah, Mary, and Joseph surrounding the birth of Jesus. Through video, reading, and discussion we discover what these angelic appearances can teach us about God’s presence in history and our lives today. Wednesdays, December 3, 10, 17, 12:00 p.m. - 1:00 p.m., Meets on Zoom. Led by Rev. Calissa Dauterman. Click HERE to register.
Reset: How to Change What's Not Working
This New York Times Bestseller is a revolutionary guide to fixing what's not working—in systems and processes, organizations and companies, and even in our daily lives—by identifying leverage points and concentrating resources to achieve our goals. Changing how we work can feel overwhelming. Like trying to budge an enormous boulder. We're stifled by the gravity of the way we've always done things. And we spend so much time fighting fires—and fighting colleagues—that we lack the energy to shift direction. But with the right strategy, we can move the boulder. In Reset, Heath explores a framework for getting unstuck and making the changes that matter. The secret is to find "leverage points" or places where a little bit of effort can yield a disproportionate return. Then, we can thoughtfully rearrange our resources to push on those points. This class will be taught by four different "business leaders" within our DUMC Community. The book is optional and may be purchased through your preferred retailer. Wednesday evenings starting January 7 - 28, 2026, 7:00 p.m. - 8:30 p.m., Asbury Room. Click HERE to register.
Sunday School Options
We all need people who help encourage us to be more like Jesus. At DUMC one of the best places to find your people, is in a Sunday School class from 10:00 a.m. - 11:00 a.m. We have 18 offerings that span every season of life and concurrent offerings for kids and youth. Click HERE to see a full list of options or stop by a Welcome Center on Sunday morning. You can visit a different class every week if you want, and we promise your people are here!
DUMC Music Ministry presents, "The Many Moods of Christmas"
The Music Ministry of Dunwoody UMC invites you to experience the splendor of the Christmas season as we present "The Many Moods of Christmas", featuring the DUMC Chancel Choir, Musica Gloria Chamber Choir, and full 45-piece orchestra. This beloved collection of familiar carols and choral classics by Robert Shaw and Robert Russell Bennett showcases the full spectrum of holiday spirit and the vibrant tonal colors of the choir and orchestra. In addition, the concert will include cherished holiday classics by composers such as John Rutter, Sergei Rachmaninoff, Felix Mendelssohn and more! You do not want to miss this festive musical event, presented at 4:00 pm on Sunday, December 14 in the Dunwoody UMC sanctuary. Admission is free and open to everyone. Nursery will be provided. Concert offering will benefit the Buford Highway Orchestra Project.
DUMC Choirs
The music ministry of Dunwoody UMC is excited to kick off another great season. We ask that you prayerfully consider how you might participate in and support the musical life of this church. We have choirs for all ages, from 3 to 93 and beyond; handbell choirs for 3rd graders through adults; opportunities for instrumentalists in a variety of styles and capacities, and more. We invite you to click HERE to get more information about our opportunities, and to be connected with someone who can tell you more. Also be sure to check out dunwoodyumc.org/music for updated concert and performance information, as well as more information on how you can serve.
Clue: On Stage Auditions
Theatre 1548 Dunwoody and the FAME Conservatory at New Manchester High School have partnered to present Clue: On Stage, a madcap, slapstick comedy that brings the classic board game and cult-favorite film to life as a hilarious whodunit. Auditions will be held on Sunday, December 7 from 1:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m. and Monday, December 8 from 7:00 p.m. – 9:00 p.m. For more information and to sign up to audition, visit dunwoodyumc.org/theater-1548.
Preschool 2026-2027 Admissions Tours
Get to know Dunwoody UMC Preschool! Our accredited program is available for Toddlers (age 1 by 9/1/26) through Kindergarten (age 5 by 9/1/26).
Dunwoody United Methodist Church Preschool provides a developmentally appropriate education in a loving Christian environment where children are nurtured and encouraged to develop cognitively, socially, emotionally, physically, and spiritually to their full potential. Join us for a tour December 4, December 11, January 8, January 13, January 15 at 10:00 a.m. RSVP HERE.
Interested in Communicating Your Event or small group?
Start by submitting a communications request form. This will give us a written record and start the conversation. Need something else? Not sure what you need? We’ll talk through it with you and do our best to help. Reach out to Communications with additional questions.

