November is the month of greatest strain on local area food pantries as the number of neighbors who are food-insecure increases coming into the winter/holiday season. Des Moines Area Religious Council—a longtime local mission partner of WDMCC—unites faith communities from around the metro to meet the need. DMARC is hosting a benefit concert called “Songs of Gratitude” at WDMCC on Sunday, November 2nd at 6:30pm in the Sanctuary and invites attendees to bring cash or non-perishable food donations to support the food pantry network. During the concert, faith communities from all over Des Moines (including WDMCC) will share a favorite song of gratitude. Hope to see you there!

Open to the whole community on Saturday, October 25th between 10:00am and noon, this event gives families
a chance to dress up for halloween and trick or treat in a fun, safe environment! The day will be full of jokes,
decorative cars, costumes, candy, cookie decorating, hot chocolate, coloring, and lots of smiling kids. If you’d
like to participate beyond attending, there are several ways to help make this event a success:

- Donate Candy – You can drop off individually packaged candy in the church office during the week or in The
Gathering on Sunday morning.

- Decorate a Trunk – We still need people to decorate a trunk with a fun theme for the kids to enjoy! We could also use a few more volunteers to help serve beverages and decorate cookies. Contact nicole@wdmcc.org and we’ll get you on our list!

- Invite Friends & Neighbors – This is a great fun-forward community event to invite people to. Round up your friends and neighbors and enjoy the morning together!