Here is Graham. He and Melissa are doing great and big sister, Addison, is enjoying time with both sets of grandparents:)

Congratulations to Melissa and Andy Parsons. Graham Clayton Parsons arrived yesterday, the 2nd of December. He weighed 7 lbs. and is 20 1/2 in. (I will post the pictures when I remember how to or maybe Mary will save me the embarrassment and do it for me:)) They are at Memorial Hermann.

Thank you Seth for leading the study last week. We will continue on with the Advent lesson. Advent is a time of preparation and I hope you will make Sunday mornings a part of your preparations during this season.

Thank you Joanna Hein for hosting the ornament exchange last night.

Don't forget to RSVP for the couples' Christmas party hosted by the Erbeles. It will be held next Saturday, the 12th.

Mary Anderle is organizing our Christmas mission project. She sent an email out last week. Take a look at the needs and get back to Mary.

See you Sunday!

Tami and Gary

Welcome Alayna Ann Wylie

Alayna Ann Wylie arrived today, November 17th, at 9:07am weighing 5 pounds 14 ounces and 18.5 inches long. Amanda is doing well and is now in post partum at Methodist Willowbrook. Alayna is in the NICU and doing just fine for a 34 week baby. She will have to stay there for 3-5 weeks and is presently on a CPAP machine as her lungs were not fully developed.

November 12th

Good Morning! I hope you have all had a good week.

Sunday we will finish up the Parrott study on parenting. I hope you have enjoyed this and have benefited by it.

On the 22nd we will have two guests join us, Daniel and Becky Perez. They are with Mission Aviation Fellowship and will share information about their ministry. Becky is Michael Wortley's sister. I hope you will come and hear what they have to share with us.

Also on the 22nd is our annual Family Thanksgiving Dinner. Melissa Parsons is organizing this and needs your help. Please let her know if you will be attending. We need to know how much turkey to prepare:) This will begin at 4:00pm in Asbury Hall, at the north end of the building near the gym. I would like to challenge you to not only bring the dish you sign up for, but some food for the Interfaith Food Pantry. The pantries in the area are in dire need of donations.

Christmas is around the corner. TWUMC has a lot of programs so check out their website for details.

Under Construction will host a Ladies Ornament Exchange on December 2nd and our Couple's Christmas Party on December 12th. Watch for information on those. Melissa and Andy are doing a great job of setting up opportunities for us as a class to fellowship.

We would like to extend our sympathies to Traci Sims. Traci's aunt passed away last week.

Gary and I would like suggestions for future studies. Please contact us if you have some ideas.

Enjoy your day and hope to see you on Sunday~

Tami and Gary

Don't forget we will not be meeting as a class this Sunday. You are encouraged to attend the parenting seminar in Wesley Hall. It will be offered at 9:30am and 11:00am.

We will finish our Les and Leslie Parrott study next week.

Please RSVP to the annual Thanksgiving Potluck. This is a family fellowship time that will be held in the Asbury Hall on Sunday, November 22nd, at 4:00pm. We also have use of the Safari Stop!! Contact Melissa Parsons for more information. Please RSVP even if you aren't coming so we know how much meat and paper goods to buy.

December activities will be posted soon!

Enjoy the rest of this beautiful weekend!!

Happy Thursday!

No baby news this week. Continued thank you to Georgia Samford for organizing all the meals. How she keeps up is beyond me:)

Melissa Parsons has begun planning our Thanksgiving Dinner. It is for families and is Sunday, November 22nd at 4pm. We will meet in Asbury Hall which is at the north end of the building. If you did not receive the evite, please contact Melissa. Please RSVP even if you are not coming. For a group this large we need to know how much meat to have and it is a big expense. We want to make sure we have enough for the whole group, but not too many leftovers.

I was told by several of you that you enjoyed the seminar last week that was in lieu of class. Glad it worked out.

We will discuss Chapter 5 of the Parrot study this week.

Start planning for the holidays now: Ladies Ornament Exchange is Wednesday, December 2nd at Sheila Cocke's house. The Couples Christmas Party will be on Saturday, December 12th, at the Erbele's. Watch for more information.

Hope to see you Sunday,
Tami and Gary

Congratulations to the Kachers on the birth of their daughter, Emily Catherine.

Thank you to everyone who is helping make meals for our new families. I know this is a busy time with so many babies, but your help is appreciated.

Don't forget to order your cookbooks from Cara Van Loh. The first set will be copied on teh 28th of October. Contact her at cvanloh@yahoo.com. All profit will got to missions. This one is TWICE as big as our last. Remember Christmas is coming and will make great gifts!

We WILL NOT have class on Sunday. We were just invited to a program on raising boys (I know, some of you only have girls or no little ones at this time), but this is a good opportunity to hear great speakers and I'm betting some information will be relevant to girls.

This program will be offered at 11am in Wesley Hall ( main building located near the atrium). If you prefer to go to 11am service this week, it is also offered in the same location at 9:30am.

Matt Samford, you will get the chance to fill in another time. Thanks for the offer.

Andy, thanks for organizing the golf outing for the guys last Sunday.

I hope you all have had a good week.

Gary and I will see you next week!

Welcome Corben Randell Alexander

Congratulations to John and Robin Alexander and their new addition,

Corben Randell Alexander. He was born at 9:03pm on 10/6/2010. Corben was 8 pounds and 7 ounces and 20 1/2 inches long.

(It only took me about 30 minutes to upload/download?? the picture. I'm learning)

This Week in Under Construction

Hope you have had a good week!

We will continue discussing Week 4 of the Parrot study. I just take longer with discussions:)

Cara VanLoh and her committee are busy putting the cookbooks together. These will only be available by advance order. Cara will let us know the price and the deadline for ordering.

No babies this week, but keep the Kachers in your prayers. Jessica will have her c-section on Tuesday.

Also keep Amanda Wylie in your prayers. Their baby is due in December and she is having pre-term labor.

Also remember the Allen family. Jack and Jessica are the parents of LJ who was born last week at 2 pounds 12 inches. He is now at Children's Hospital. I would like us to take a collection to give to this family to help with hotels, meals and such as they spend so much time in Houston.

Don't forget the Guys Golf outing this Sunday at 1pm. Contact Andy Parsons for information.

Enjoy your weekend and hope to see you Sunday!!

Welcome Jacob Anderle!

Jacob Garrett Anderle was born Thursday, October 8th at 11:02pm. He was 6 lbs, 7 oz and 19.5 inches long. Mom & Dad are super proud and he's just finished his first chapter book! Thank you for all your prayers and support! :)

Welcome Jenna Chatigny!

Congratulations to Justin, Suzanne, & Julianne Chatigny who welcomed Jenna Elizabeth last Friday, October 2nd. She was 9 lbs 1 oz and 20.5 inches long. Mom & baby are doing great and big sister Julianna is super proud!

Please let Georgia know if you didn't receive the email for their meal sign up.

Welcome Stein Spencer!

Congratulations to Michael, Corey, & Sydney Spencer who welcomed Stein Charles Spencer on Friday, September 18th at 12:28pm. He weighed 6 lbs, 13 oz and was 19.5 inches long. Big sister, Sydney, is so proud and anxious to help out! Corey and Stein are doing great! Please let Georgia know if you didn't receive the Spencer's meal sign up.

Welcome Lexi!

7 lbs 9 oz of pure cuteness! Enjoy these pictures of baby Lexi Samford.

Lexi and her proud Daddy

Congratulations to Matt and Georgia Samford on the birth of their daughter, Lexi.

Thank you Mary Anderle for organizing meals for the Samfords.

This Sunday we will continue our discussion of Chapter 1 of the Parrott parenting study. If time permits, we will also see the next video.

Don't forget cookie making next Friday and guys poker night to follow.

Have a good weekend and hope to see you in class!

The short work weeks are good and bad. Not many days to work and then I have to play catch up because the end of the week is almost here:)
We will start a new study on Sunday, "Parenting the Early Years" by Drs. Les and Leslie Parrott. I will have study notes for each couple. This is a video study.
Don't forget the Bath Junkie night tomorrow for the girls in the class. Contact Melissa Parsons for information.
Hope to see you on Sunday!

Don't forget NO class this Sunday, September 6th. We will meet at Fuddrucker's instead at 11:00am.

Also, ladies daytime bible study begins on Tuesday at 9:15am in D209 and evening on Wednesday at 7:00pm in the Obbertein Room. Both studies will be doing Beth Moore "Esther". Workbooks are available at LifeWay. Childcare is available!

Ladies Night Out is Thursday, the 10th, at Bath Junkie. If you have questions, contact Melissa Parsons.

Have a great holiday weekend!!

Just saw Robert Wright on a morning show. He has written a new book, "The Evolution of God". For those of you who enjoyed our last study, this might be a book to check out. I haven't read it, but he was interesting.

No Class This Sunday

In lieu of class on Sunday we will meet at Fuddrucker's for lunch at 11:00am. This is a family friendly event! Come to visit and get to know class members. For those new to The Woodlands, Fuddrucker's is located in the Grogan's Mill Shopping Center at the corner of Grogan's Mill Road and South Millbend.

Kim Erbele will be making new name tags for the class. If you have one of the plastic holders, bring it to class the next time to get your new name tag. Please wear them so everyone can get to know each other.

We will start the video study, "Parenting The Early Years" by Drs. Les and Leslie Parrott on September 13th. Even if you don't have children, it will be interesting discussion. You'll be taking a look back most weeks:)

Enjoy this long weekend. If you are traveling, be safe.

Welcome to the Rawls and Hofseths!

Thank you to all of you who helped lead the last study. We appreciate the time and effort it took to put together discussion questions.

Don't forget the Harvest Family Breakfast from 8:15-9:15am this Sunday. You don't have to attend the Harvest to participate. In class we will talk about priorities. Make it a priority to be in class:)

There will be NO class next week, September 6th. We will have a class fellowship lunch at Fuddrucker's at 11:00am. Please contact Sheila Cocke or Kim Erbele if you will be attending and how many from your family to expect.

Sign up for the Fall Women's Bible Study! Beth Moore's "Esther" will be available Tuesday mornings beginning September 8th at 9:15am. Registration is online through the Church website, www. twumc.org. It is also available Wednesday evenings at 7pm and registration is through Mary Anderle. Childcare is available for both studies and workbooks are available at LifeWay Book Store.

We will begin the Parrott study, "Parenting the Early Years" on September 13th. This is a video based study. It might take us longer than the six sessions that is laid out because of our weekly time constraints. I would like to put together a study guide for each family. Please let me know if you would like one. This will be informative even if you do not have a family at this time.

Don't forget to look at the calendar portion of the blog. It has birthdays, anniversarys, socials and possible future studies.

Enjoy the rest of your week and we will see you Sunday!

Don't forget the Little Lambs Sale in the Loft and at the main campus the Change of Heart Sale! Both events are Friday and Saturday of this week.

This Sunday...

Thanks to Justin Chatigny for leading us in a great discussion last week! Gary will finish off our study this Sunday by going through Chapter 15.

Welcome to Doug & Amanda Wylie, who visited last Sunday. We hope to see you back in class this week!

Remember to RSVP for our September Serve cookie making project on September 25th. Don't forget to indicate if you need childcare.

Ladies, please also RSVP as soon as possible for the Bath Junkie night on September 10th. It really helps with planning! Thanks to Melissa for setting this up!

Remember that the ladies Esther bible studies will be starting up on Tuesday, September 8th (9-11am) and Wednesday, September 9th (7-9pm). Get your study guide at Lifeway now! Email Mary or Tami if you have any questions.

Please keep the Alman family in your prayers...Cara VanLoh and Daniel Alman's grandfather is in the hospital in Mississippi. He is doing a lot better this week but still in ICU.

Prayers also for all the expectant moms in our class! We are due to have SEVEN more babies by the end of the year - WOW!

See you all on Sunday morning!

Don't forget new Women's Bible Studies will begin Tuesday, September 8th and Wednesday, the 9th. We will be studying "Esther" by Beth Moore. Copies of the workbooks are available at LifeWay. Registration for the Tuesday Morning class is online at TWUMC.org. It is hard to figure out, but it is under the banner of 20/30 somethings. Mary Anderle will take registrations for the Wednesday evening class. Childcare is available for both times. Invite a friend!!

Happy Thursday!

Thank you Garrett for leading the discussion last week. This Sunday, Justin Chatigny, will take us through Chapters 13 and 14.

Welcome to our visitors Kevin and Jessica Daniel.

Friday night is Girls Night In hosted by Melissa Parsons. Contact Melissa for more information.

Your class officers have been busy planning fall activities. Volunteers are needed to help with a variety of projects, especially in the next few weeks at TWUMC. Please prayerfully consider helping out. Contact Sheila Cocke, Kim Erbele or Melissa Parsons for more details.

September Serve will be here before you know it. We talked about baking cookies for the Kairos program. Gary and I will be serving this prison ministry the first weekend of October. The two of us must bring 200 dozen cookies. Yes, it is not a typo, 200 dozen. We are trying to set up a cookie baking party for Friday, September 25th, from 4pm-9pm at the church. We need A LOT of hands to get that many cookies baked and bagged in that time frame. Gary and I will order the cookie dough and pizza for the night. Let me know if you can help with this. We are trying to set up childcare too!

I hope you all have a great day and we will see you on Sunday!

Tami

It's Thursday already!

Prayers to Erika Alman who had gallbladder surgery yesterday. Thank you Georgia for setting up meals for the family.

Guys, don't forget bowling tomorrow night at 7pm at the Woodlands Bowling Alley. Contact Andy Parsons and let him know if you are going to be able to attend.

Girls Night Out next Friday, the 14th, hosted by Melissa Parsons. See Melissa for details.

Thanks Seth Anderle for being our discussion leader last Sunday. Garrett Erbele will lead this Sunday. We will discuss chapters 9-12.

On line sign up has begun for the Tuesday morning women's bible study that will start on September 8th. See the church web site. It is open to all women in their 20-30s so invite a friend. Mary Anderle is taking evening sign ups. Both groups will be doing the study of Esther by Beth Moore. Nursery is available for both!

Time to think about how you can serve in the class. We need lots of help getting people informed and involved. There are a lot of areas that need volunteers. Mary, our super organized member, will be on maternity leave soon. And she keeps us on track in many areas:) Please think about areas you think need to be covered and contact Sheila Cocke or Kim Erbele as to how you would like to serve.

Check the calendar on this site to see what's coming up and also if your birthday/anniversary dates are correct.

Sunday is the last day to bring items for the soldiers.

Enjoy the rest of your week and hope to see you Sunday!

Happy Wednesday!

Congratulations to Laura and David Koch who are expecting their first child in February.

Also congratulations are in order for Jim Forshee who has completed his Masters Degree.

We had two sets of visitors on Sunday, John and Robin Alexander and Jim and Meredith Brooks. Welcome!

Our discussion leader this week will be Seth Anderle. Please read chapter 8 of "I Don't Have Enough Faith to be an Atheist". Thanks Andy Parsons for leading last Sunday.

Don't forget to bring your items for the service people! We have donated quite a few things. Thanks for helping out with this cause. Items will be collected up until August 9th.

On Sunday, August 2nd, there is a blood drive. You can make appointments at www.giveblood.org or just walk in. There will be a donor coach outside The Loft and donations are taken in the Gym of the main building.

September Serve is coming up. Do you have any ideas for Mary about how we as a class can serve? Please be thinking about this.

Don't forget to look at the calendar posted on the blog. It will let you know birthdays, anniversaries, socials and what we will be studying. Let me know if I have the wrong birthday or anniversary for you.

I hope you all have a great week. See you Sunday!

Congratulations to Peter and Lindsay Herrera on the birth of their daughter Mallory Hope. Mallory was born June 14th.

We will discuss Chapters 1-3 in "I Don't Have Enough Faith to be an Atheist" on Sunday. Matt Samford will be our discussion leader.

Pray for rain:)

Welcome Libby!

Congratulations to Trevor & Becky Rooker who welcomed Elizabeth Ruth at 9:27am on Friday, July 3rd! She was 6 lbs 13 oz and 19.5 inches long. Libby was delivered at a little over 36 weeks but was born completely healthy and is now enjoying her time at home with mom & dad!

Be on the lookout for the Rooker's meal sign-up. I know they will appreciate the extra help!

Minute Maid or Bust!

Remember to let Mary know by Wednesday, July 1st if you and your family would like to attend the Astros game on July 24th vs. the Mets! Tickets are $13 a person and children 2 and under are free.

There will also be a fun fireworks show after the game. Can't beat free fireworks!

Welcome Dawson Glennie!

Congratulations to Craig, Angela, & Morgan Glennie on the birth of Dawson Edward last Wednesday, June 17th. He was born at 12:35am weighing in at 7lbs, 4 oz and measuring 21 inches. Baby and mom are doing great!

Big Brother Morgan!

June 21st and 28th we will be studying a book of the bible, not sure which one(s) yet. Please bring your bible to class with you.

Girl's Night Out on July 2nd to see "My Sister's Keeper". Watch for more details on that.

NO CLASS on July 5th due to the holiday weekend.

Family BBQ at the Laugharn's on July 12th. More information will follow.

Discussion will begin July 19th on "I Don't Have Enough Faith to be an Atheist" by Norman L. Geisler and Frank Turek. We are looking for volunteers to be discussion leaders.

Do you have anything you would like to post? Contact Mary or Tami.

June Update

We look forward to seeing everyone on Sunday to finish up our discussion on grace. Gary has done an excellent job! He'll be discussing "Obstacles to Grace".

Mark your calendars for a family picnic and swimming at the Laugharn's on Sunday, July 12th in place of class. This will be a great time to get to know some of our newer members and enjoy good fellowship and food with everyone!

Also, save the date for Friday, July 24th...our night at the Astros! I'll be sending out more detail about that in a few weeks.

Have a great week!

New Additions!

Congratulations to Garrett & Kim Erbele who welcomed Blake and Jackson into the world last Thursday, May 28th!

Blake Allyn & Jackson Bruce

Congratulations also to Matt & Mallory Yartym on the arrival of Paige Elizabeth this past Monday, June 1st.

Our class has been blessed with lots of pregnancies (and births) so far this year! Make sure you check out the meal sign-ups for both families if you haven't had the chance yet.

It's Been A While...

You are all so good at this and I am not. I even had a hard time logging in!

Rev. Joel Purcell will be the guest speaker on Sunday, May 3rd. He will discuss his duties as a pastor at TWUMC and his ministry with SIM.

We will begin discussing Grace on Sunday the 10th.

There are a lot of interesting opportunities for men and women coming up. Check the church website.

Have a great week!

Tami

This Sunday

We will continue discussing "Men are Like Waffles Women are Like Spaghetti" on Sunday. We might even finish the book!
Rev. John Hull will be joining us on Sunday, March 29th, to talk about mission opportunities at TWUMC.
Gary and I have been asked to coordinate volunteers for the Good Friday Service. If you are going to be in town and interested in helping out, please let me know. We need a lot of volunteers to serve Communion and to be ushers. No experience necessary:)
Enjoy your week and hope to see you Sunday!

The Frazzled Female

Attention all ladies!

We will be studying The Frazzled Female by Cindi Wood in our Wednesday night bible study for the next 6 weeks. If all goes well and the correct book comes in this week, we'll begin on March 18th at 7pm at Georgia Samford's home. Directions will be sent out prior to that.

This is a great time to catch up with old friends, make new ones, and really dive into God's word. We'd love to have you join us!

In the meantime, we'll meet at Piccomolo's (located in the Walgreens shopping center off 242) this Wednesday evening at 7pm for some ice cream and fellowship. Hope to see you there!

Welcome Baby Wortley!

Congratulations to Michael & Allison Wortley on the birth of William this morning at 7:24am. He was 7lbs, 9 oz and 21 inches long. Everyone is doing great and stay tuned for more pictures of this precious blessing!

If You Want Your Blog Listed...

...and it's not included on the sidebar, let me know. It's a great way to share your pictures and fun stories with the class!

On the other hand, if I've added yours and you DON'T want it on here, send an email to underconstructionclass@gmail.com and we'll remove it.

This Sunday, the 15th, Kim and Garrett Erbele will lead the class. The NOOMA video, Rain, will be discussed. Gary has surprised me with a weekend in Austin:) Remember, Rev. Rob Renfroe will be with us on the 22nd. Any questions you have for him to discuss should be sent to me.

Have a blessed week,
Tami

Come on In!

Welcome everyone to our new class blog!

As you can see, minimal progress has been made, but we hope for this to be a great source of information, prayer requests, mission opportunities, laughs, and more!

If you have any suggestions or information you'd like posted on here, please send an email to:

underconstructionclass@gmail.com

We encourage you to check this frequently (well, not yet...but soon) to find out the latest happenings in the "Under Construction" class.

And if you didn't read Tami's email closely...yes, our class has a new name. :)

And let's start off by thanking Chris & Lydia Chappell for hosting our class Super Bowl party! We had a fun time with yummy food and great fellowship! Unfortunately, the camera man/woman was not on top of things and therefore didn't capture the memories of the night. So we'll work on that. Because we all know a blog with all words and no pictures can get VERY boring.

Also, please keep Traci Sims and her family in your prayers right now as her mother passed away last night. They have had lots of family in town and will be traveling to Lubbock this weekend. We will post more details once we know funeral arrangements, etc.

Have a great weekend and we'll see you all on Sunday morning.

That's all for now, folks!