Have You Heard? FUMC Stacks The Shelves At the New Uptown Library Campaign

We are thrilled to announce that during the first week of the Stack the Library Shelves campaign, over $570 in books and cash was raised by the people of FUMC. This is a great start toward our congregational goal of raising $3000 worth of books for the library during the month of December.  

This Sunday, Dec 10, we are excited to welcome Brandi Cummings,  Assistant Director of the Kenosha Public Library for a special minute message during the 10:30am service.  Brandi will share plans about the new Uptown Children’s Library that is currently under construction and how we at FUMC are helping to bring new books to the shelves at this new space.    

During the month of December, First Church congregants have the opportunity to welcome and support Kenosha’s newest library - the Uptown Children’s Library by  participating in the “FUMC Stacks the Shelves”  campaign.   A  goal of $3000 worth of books has been set by our Church & Society team through local bookseller, Blue House Books.  

Here’s how you can participate:

1. Write a check and simply indicate “library fund” and place it in the collection plate or through online giving.  A jar for checks is also available at the Church & Society Library Table in the Great Room each Sunday.  

2. Choose books from a pre-selected list online through Blue House Books. (link to Blue House Books and instructions)  

3. Visit Blue House Books in person at 5915 6th Ave A and select books. (link below to specific instructions) 

4. Visit the Church & Society table after each service in December  to have volunteer elves assist you in selecting books and placing your order. To place an order, you must be prepared with your debit or credit card.  Putting books in the hands of young children increases kindergarten readiness, literacy and third grade reading levels (a key indicator of future school success).  Most Importantly, one of the key actions that rose to the top of our Holding Up Your Corner discussions was the need to address education of our Kenosha children.  We have an opportunity to begin that journey now by investing in a very tangible way in the  new Uptown Children’s Library.  This is an investment in Kenosha’s future.  We anticipate continuing the “Help FUMC Stack The Shelves” of our library through year-end. We also expect that once the new library is fully operational, we at FUMC will have opportunities for volunteering and becoming involved in hands-on ways. 

This is link for both:

Regardless of how donors choose books, any online or in-person purchase needs to include “First United Methodist Church” in order for us to track our progress toward our $3000 goal.  

This can be done in person by telling the sales associate (they have a spreadsheet for all First United Methodist Church purchases), or indicating “First United Methodist Church” in the special instructions box  after the payment information has been completed.  

Please remember to use the full “First United Methodist Church” verbiage so we can track our progress and periodically report to the congregation.  This is critical for tracking. 

Use the promo code “KPLKIDS” to receive a 20% discount for your online order. 

Use the special instructions box to indicate the purchase is  in memory or in honor of an individual. 

 For example: “In honor of Bo and Whit from Gigi”