December Newsletter. FUMC, Sterling City, TX

Transcription

1 December Newsletter FUMC, Sterling City, TX THIS ISSUE: Welcome! CHURCH SERVICES Sunday School 10am -Services Worship Service 11am -Prayer Requests (Childcare provided during worship) -Calendar- Birthdays, Anniversaries -Pastor s Pen -Church Activities -Important dates -District Newsletters Please look through this newsletter, attend, worship, and follow or check out our Facebook page Sterling City First United Methodist Church

2 The Hodges Family Dick West The Iraan Community Bitsy Durham Larry Hooks Allison Bose s Mother George Horton Randy Peel Sandy Martin- Brain cancer Sid Long Carmen Copeland - Eyes Charles Grossman - Brain tumor Jerry Gibbs - Cancer Hunsley Strickland Janis Noble - Eyesight Jackie Brown - Eyesight Adela Dehoyos Bailey Pitman - Mission Trip Mike & Jaynell Bodine Haley Stallings Morris Hinshaw Culley Jo Wilson s niece, Emery Holt Carol Cotton - Cancer /Hospice Our Nation, Troops, & the World Kent Beard - Neck/Spine Helen Radde Grace Copeland Bill & Judy Eubank James Thompson Carol Brown - Cancer Ella Nelson - aka Big Ella Hadlee Holik - Brain Cancer Dolly Rauch - Cancer Persecuted Christians Jessie Cornelius Sr. - Cancer Randy Peel - Leukemia Ramone Navarro Debby Bynum - Knee Nata Alvie Sue McClure Susan Wyatt Betty Fields Donnie Hinderliter

3 December Birthdays & Anniversaries Birthdays Anniversaries 1st Monica Peters 2nd Brenda Foster 3rd Melissa Pittman 3rd Clyde Parham 3rd B.J. Thomson 4th Michael Jaramillo 5th Roberta McRea 6th Brantley Price 7th Luke Foster 9th Gunner Coburn 10th Ashtin Knittle 11th Tate Horwood 11th Denver McMinn 12th Carolyn Davis 13th Jason Cox 13th Betty Glass 14th Kennedy Foster 14th Ellen Shoemaker 14th Braxton Louder 17th Derek & Laura Bibb 15th Jessica Louder 19th Mike & Robbie Knittle 15th Shaun Foster 20th Jack & Janice Clark 15th Nathan Scott Foster 22nd Raymond & Lorrie Bratton 18th Freddie Thompson 18th Elizabeth Hart 19th Jimmy Don Davidson 19th Rose Monreal 20th Lyle Horwood 20th Gus McCombs 21st John Foster 21st Phillip Glass 24th Scott Long 28th Justin Barber 28th Jennifer Copeland Jordon 28th Sadie Madrid 30th Jordanna Franklin 30th Leigh Edens

4 Pastoral Pen November 29 th, 2016 The Christmas season is upon us! I m excited and a little overwhelmed at the same time. We have a flurry of activity culminating in Christmas Eve worship (6pm) and Pajamas & Pancakes worship on Christmas morning (beginning at 10am). I hope to see as many of you as often as possible! I am often amazed at the generosity of this church and community. I pray you will consider giving toward our UMC Microfinance fundraiser. Our goal is to raise at least $5,000 to start a village bank in Malawi. A village bank is a tremendous way to bring growth and economy to an area. I will show the video this weekend in worship (sorry for the technical difficulties last weekend, but I believe I have them fixed). Or, you can watch the video yourself at this link: You ll find the video about halfway down the page. It is a timely opportunity as anything we donate will be matched 3 to 1 by generous organizations. So our $5,000 would turn into $20,000 if given by year end. Please let me know of your pledge or get me (or Jason) a check soon! This is a tangible way to illustrate that Christmas is not YOUR birthday, it is the birthday of our Lord and Savior, Jesus the Christ. Hallelujah! It is a privilege being your pastor! Rev. Jim Noble

5 The Hodges Family would like to extend their warmest gratitude toward the FUMC Family and those who have given gifts of comfort at this time.

6 MARK YOUR CALENDARS! December 7th - Downtown Christmas Stroll December 10th - Elf Jr. The Musial at Foster Communications Coliseum. A NEW 5 week Bible Study with Lee and Sandy Puckitt on their study and travels with Ray Vanderlaan in Israel and Turkey. Wednesday nights - January18th - February 15th. Time will be determined. Please let Linda Horwood or Jim know if you would like to be a part of it. December 18th - Christmas Program - The Hallelujah Handbell Choir! K-5th We will NOT have elementary Sunday School class for the next couple of weeks as they will be working on the program during the Sunday School hour. December 24th - Christmas Eve Service at 6pm. December 25th - PJs and Pancakes (during regular Sunday School classes) with Christmas Worship to follow!

7 A Family Outing for Kids Club! If you are interested in seeing Elf Jr, we will meet on Saturday, December 10th at 1:30 pm in front of Foster Communications Coliseum. We will purchase tickets and then enjoy the 2:00 pm show together! Hope to see you there! Celebrate the Christmas season with your family at the theatre with the sugar-sprinkled, holiday musical Elf! Produced by San Angelo Broadway Academy with special arrangements with Music Theatre International, Buddy the Elf brings his Christmas cheer in a hilarious way to the Foster Communications Coliseum December 9th-11th. Featuring happy elves, tap dancing Macy s employees, and the big guy himself, Elf is a musical comedy for all ages! $15 - Adults $12 - Military & Children under 12

8 West District News December, 2016 Remembering God s Generosity I remember as a child being taught to give one dime out of each dollar of my allowance to the Lord at church. It sure seemed like an awful lot to tithe (give 10%). Did God need my money? The answer my parents gave was No, you need to learn to give. I remember as a youth with a paper route, how important it was for my folks to remind me of Christian stewardship. As you give more you open the door for further blessings. I remember the declining years of my parents health. They had tithed all their lives but in retirement their income was smaller than before. They decided to keep their giving at it highest level which meant giving 16-17% of their retirement income to the church. I remember many other generous gifts Mom and Dad gave to their children and to their church through the years. What I can t remember is anyone who was more generous than my Mom and Dad. Oh, I am quite sure others gave larger amounts but I don t think anyone was willing to silently sacrifice more on behalf of their family or church. Each year as I sit with Vickie and decide our giving commitment, I remember the generosity of God and the generosity of my parents. Then, I pray that God would help me become more generous so that I never forget my generous forbears in the faith. Happy Thanksgiving and beginning of the Advent Season! Happy Christian New Year!! Give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you. (Luke 6:38, NIV) Please remember! Steve Not what we gain but what we give, that measures the worth of the life we live. (From The Charles L. Allen Treasury, 78)

9 West District News West District News A Christian Greeting We have many parts in one body, but the parts don t all have the same function. In the same way, though there are many of us, we are one body in Christ, and individually we belong to each other. Romans 12:4-5 DISTRICT LEADERSHIP TRAINING The invitation is open to everyone in the church to attend this very important training session. If you are serving on a committee, considering serving and need information, or just want to know the functions of these committees, come and join us, ask questions, and a bonus is you meet other laity from other churches and together, you find your answers. Our exceptional session Leaders provide updated information and walk you through the process and responsibilities of your church committee. The commitment is more than showing up for a meeting! The training will provide the information to know the responsibilities and the guidelines to follow. Bring a friend! Hope to see you January 14, 2017 at Sierra Vista UMC. If you are unable to attend, order Guideline Books from Cokesbury (Individual Committee or Full Set) for additional information. Amen! More of Him, Less of me, Gini

10 West District Rio Texas Conference United Methodist Church 1315 South Abe Street San Angelo, TX Phone: Fax: s: Steve Purdy, District Strategist Gini Christian, Director of Programs Amy Moore, Operations Manager District Web-Page: umcwayoutwest.org