The Messenger December 2015

Transcription

1 The Messenger December 2015 Christmas pageant 1

2 PASTOR S CORNER If I speak in the tongues of men or of angels, but do not have love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that DECEMBER WORSHIP 6 Joy to the World Luke 1: Hark, The Herald Angels Sing Luke 2: The First Noel Luke 2: I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day Luke 23:44-49 can move mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing. If I give all I possess to the poor and give over my body to hardship that I may boast, but do not have love, I gain nothing. 1 Corinthians 13:1-3 (NIV). As I write these words, I am sitting in my newly carpeted office, the contents of my bookshelves scattered around me. In order to properly carpet the floors, everything needed to be removed from the offices, including everything from the shelves. And while I do not have quite as many books as someone who is nearing retirement from pastoral ministry, I am amazed at the sheer volume of bundled pages that have been splashed with knowledge and ink. I ve read almost every book in my personal library. That s a lot of words and a lot of ideas (some of which are good and useful). I have encountered a great deal of knowledge. However, fathoming all knowledge is nothing without love. Love in scripture is an interesting word. It is such a big concept, and it is the most defining characteristic of God. God is love. When we talk about love in the sense of God, it is an all consuming passion for the best experience, environment, and situation for everyone, especially someone else. This kind of love is always working, always striving, and yet never threatening or demanding. It is a love of purpose, a love that actually gives value to the knowledge we have. Throughout scripture, we are told that God loves us and that God desires the best for us. We know that God desires that all people are saved and that they find their place in his family. We know that we can encounter God through prayer, worship, ritual, gathering, and sharing. However, we also know that something is missing. The season of Advent is the expression of that longing and searching. Advent is the time when we prepare because something is coming. Love came down at Christmas time. It is in that moment that everything begins to come to life. Jesus is the incarnation of loving your neighbor, unlocking the mysteries of God, and speaking words of life with authority. Jesus is the expression of love that breathes life into knowledge, hope into kind acts, and possibility into disciplines of faith. As you read through the Christmas story again this year, consider the possibilities. Think about all those people who have waited so long to see God s greatest expression of love. And then be reminded that that love lives in us as Christ Jesus is the Lord of our lives. Because of that love, the gifts we give, the help we offer, the friendship we extend has value. During this season of Advent and Christmas, I pray that the knowledge of Jesus Christ may become expression of the all-consuming love of God. 2

3 Billy Graham once said, The greatest legacy one can pass on to one's children and grandchildren is not money or other material things accumulated in one's life, but rather a legacy of character and faith. For the past 17 years, Nancy Reid has been passing that legacy on to the children and grandchildren of Central United Methodist Church and the wider community. At the close of 2015, Nancy will retire from her role as Director of Family Ministry. She has dedicated her life to serving the children of Central UMC during Sunday school, Children s church, vacation Bible school, and numerous activities and programs. She has served the neighborhood children through tutoring, supervised playtime, and many other activities that welcomed children with the love of Christ. She has done all this while overseeing the Fishes and Loaves emergency fund, supervising custodians, and calling on church members in the hospital or other times of need. As she has done throughout her life, Nancy will continue to share the God s love with children and the world around her during retirement. But we as a church family would like to pause and celebrate this moment of accomplishment and transition in her life. We will celebrate Nancy s retirement in worship on December 20, Please, make sure you join us in honoring such a special, godly woman. 3

4 Hello, my name is Cody Ramsay. I will soon be your new Director of Family Ministries! My family and I have just returned from China where we served as Missionaries to the underground Church. Before I was in China this last time I was serving in New Jersey as a Director of Youth Ministries. My wife Vivian (Shuixian) is from China, she now is an American Citizen and has an MBA from OCU. We met back in 2007 in China when I served my first year abroad. We have a 3 year old son name Liam James. He is very, very active and you will probably see him running around all over the place. I (Cody) am from Vincennes and went to Oakland City University where I majored in Religious Studies. I love youth ministry and can t wait to meet all of the families and youth here at Central UMC. I have a passion for building relationships and having fun! I love Camp ministry, missions, and everything that is fun and exciting for youth! I can t wait to get started! We welcome you and your family!!!! It s beginning to look (and sound) a lot like Christmas in Central Child Care. The c hildren are really busy decorating the rooms and halls and also practicing for our program. Our annual Christmas program is on Thursday, December 10 at 6:30 pm. Church members are invited to attend, although you may want to come early to get a seat as we usually pack the sanctuary! Our children will have a very special holiday visitor on Friday, December 18th. We appreciate Ken Schreiber, Ron Romain and Amy Barron for their help in making this visit possible. We appreciate the support we receive from the members of Central UM Church and wish everyone a Merry Christmas and blessings for MANAGE YOUR GIVING ONLINE 1) Visit the church website at 2) Click on the Donate! Button, then 3) Click on the Create Profile button, then 4) Follow the onscreen instructions to create an online profile and to schedule your recurring contributions. YELLOW CARDS Please remember to place a yellow card in the offering plate on the Sundays that you give electronically, as a symbol of your giving to God. They may be found in the pew. 4

5 DECEMBER BIRTHDAYS 01 Dillow, Mindy 01 Devine, Shari 04 Jones, Emily 04 Norrington, Dolores 04 Romain, Ron 05 Guard, Charles 05 Dugan, Russell 07 Brockleman, Bill 08 Dave Davis 09 Giesman, Jacob 11 Millay, Steve 13 Meece, Alexis Blythe 13 Lisenbee, Ally 14 Raymond, Rick 14 Besing, Barbara 14 Duncan, Nathan 15 Cooley, Angela 15 Huey, Jaxton 16 Oakley, Anna 16 Wegner, Betsy 17 Counts, Talon 17 Adams, Grace Joy 19 Halbig, Angela 19 Bruce, Jeff 19 Mirando, John 21 Gosnell, Ruth 21 Georges, Liam 22 Pennington, Tracy 22 Brame, Jim 23 Esselburn, Brett 23 Whitledge, Mildred 23 Lynch, Evan 24 Romain, Linda 24 Scales, Olivia 26 Armstrong, Bruce 26 Redd, Wade 27 Daugherty, Suzy 29 Frazier, James 29 Lutz, Imogene 29 Giesman, Paula 30 Maglinger, John 30 Hubbard, Marc 31 Pendleton, Henry DECEMBER NURSERY SCHEDULE (Traditional, Sunday School, House Church) 6 Suzy Daugherty, Katy Swain 13 Heather Morse, Lexi Hartmann 20 Kim White, Barb Hubbard 27 Jeff Bruce, Emma Schreiber OUR SYMPATHY goes to Millard & Barbara Johnson on the death of Millard s sister, Patricia Patmore. She died November 17 in Rockport, IN. RESCUE MISSION DONATIONS Thank you to everyone who brought cranberry sauce. We reached our goal of 500 cans. And a special thank you to a couple of extra generous donors who helped us exceed our goal. COOKIES! COOKIES! COOKIES! Cookies, candy and holiday bread (all $5 per pound) will be sold December 13 starting at 8:15 a.m. & 9:45-11:00 a.m. in the Narthex. You may choose from a variety of small to large containers. Let the Wonderful cooks from the Compass Class do your holiday baking. ST. NICHOLAS FEAST DAY PITCH IN BRUNCH Join us December 6 at 10 a.m. for a pitch-in brunch as we celebrate the patron saint of children. Please bring a dish to share as we mark this day with stories, gifts, and a time of sharing joy. Questions can be directed to Patti Wright or the church office. CHARGE CONFERENCE There will be a Charge Conference December 7 at 5:30 p.m. 5

6 ANGEL TREE Shop this week for your Angels! Angel Tree gifts (wrapped or not) must be under the Parlor tree by next Sunday, December 13. There are still angels available. Helpers and Elves are needed to wrap and organize the gifts. This can be done anytime. Just call Gloria and she will give you the details. Also, on the morning (8:00 a.m.) of Christmas Eve we need Elves to deliver the gifts. LOAVES & FISHES Remember your loved one(s) with a gift to Central s Loaves & Fishes Ministry. This program helps the people from the nearby neighborhood who have a need for emergency assistance whether it be for rent, utilities or another emergency need. POINSETTIAS Remember your loved one(s) with a pink, white or red poinsettia ($10.00). Sunday, December 13, will be the last day to order. The poinsettias will be displayed as decorations to beautify our sanctuary starting December 20. If you would like to take yours home after the Christmas Eve Service you are more than welcome. _ Given by In Honor of In Memory of CHILDREN S PAGEANT & FAMILY ADVENT Our children will present a Christmas pageant that is filled with Stars that Twinkle and Shine on December 13th at 4:00 p.m. You won t want to miss a pageant filled with stars, a meteor, and even a comet! In addition to our younger children, we will also have special Christmas music presented by some of our youth. We promise an afternoon that will prepare your heart for Christmas! After the program, we will move to the Garden Room where we will celebrate the season with another Central tradition: Food! Join us for a chili supper and warm Christmas cookies, hot cider and some easy holiday crafts. If you can provide a pot of chili, please contact Nancy at or nreid@central-church.org. The pageant will be over before dark, but we will still try to provide transportation. Please call the church office if you need transportation. Poinsettias ($10.00) Total # Total $ Red White Pink Loaves & Fishes Given by $ In Honor of In Memory of PLEASE MAKE ALL CHECKS PAYABLE TO: CENTRAL UNITED METHODIST CHURCH We are asking that you make SEPARATE checks for each account, one for Poinsettias and one for Loaves & Fishes. 6

7 CENTRAL CALENDAR DECEMBER 2015 Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday 1 4:30 pm Mission Team 6:00 pm Bible Study 2 6:30 pm Last Children's Choir 6:30 pm Hand Bells 6 Communion 8:45 am Traditional Worship Service 9:45 Feast of St. Nicholas All church pitch-in Lunch 3:30 pm Youth Group 13 Poinsettia Deadline 8:15 am Cookie Walk 8:45 am Traditional Worship 10:00 am Sunday School 1:00 pm Power Family - Tunnels 3:30 pm Youth Group 4:00 pm Christmas Pageant 4:45 pm Family Advent Supper 7 5:30 pm Charge Conference 6:00 pm Zumba 14 11:00 am Deaconess Moms 12:30 pm 4C s - FLC 6:00 pm Trustee Meeting 6:00 pm Zumba 8 11:30 am Bee Conder Circle Christmas Party At Oak Meadow Country Club 6:00 pm Bible Study 15 11:15 am Literary Ladies 5:00 pm Evangelism Team 6:00 pm Bible Study 9 1:00 pm Mary-Martha Circle 4:30 pm Traditional Worship 6:30 pm Hand Bells 16 11:30 am Wednesday Friends 6:30 pm Hand Bells 3 5:00 pm Mitchell Rehearsal Setup Garden, Trinity Room 5:30 pm Zumba 6:30 pm Schmidt Basketball 10 6:30 pm Child Care Christmas Program 17 1:30 pm Child Care Mgmt. Team 5:30 pm Zumba 6:30 pm Schmidt Basketball 4 20 Christmas Cantata 24 Christmas Eve 31 New Year's Eve 25 Christmas Day 8:45 am Traditional Worship 10:00 am Sunday School 3:30 pm Youth Group 27 8:45 am Traditional Worship Service 10:00 am Sunday School 3:30 pm Youth Group 21 11:00 pm FaHoLo Party 6:00 pm Zumba 28 6:00 pm Zumba 22 6:00 pm Bible Study :30 pm Hand Bells Church & Child Care Closed 8:00 am Angel Tree Delivery 4:00 am Christmas Eve Service 11:00 pm Christmas Eve Candle- Church Closed at Noon 5:00 pm Mitchell Rehearsal Messenger Deadline Church and Child Care Closed 10:00 am Miner Tunnels 1.00 Mitchell Workman Wedding Reception Garden Room 8:00 pm N A Meeting 9:00 am Kiwanis Christmas Breakfast - FLC 4:00 pm Rupp Christmas Party Garden Room 12:30 Smith Birthday Party Tunnels 8:00 pm N A Meeting 19 5:00 Church of God Garden Room 8:00 pm N A Meeting 26 8:00 pm N A Meeting 7

8 SENIOR PASTOR Rev. Kevin D. Reed DIRECTOR OF FAMILY MINISTRIES Nancy Reid DIRECTOR OF YOUTH MINISTRIES DIRECTOR OF TRADITIONAL MUSIC & ORGANIST Terry Raymond HOUSE CHURCH MUSIC COORDINATOR CHILD CARE DIRECTOR Penny Campbell BUSINESS ADMINISTRATOR Charlene Smith OFFICE MANAGER Lisa Miner HOUSEKEEPERS Pam Klenck & Diane Johnson MAINTENANCE John Reitz * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * CENTRAL UNITED METHODIST CHURCH 300 Mary Street Tel: (812) Evansville, IN Fax: (812) Church cumc@central-church.org Web Site: CENTRAL CHILD CARE Monday thru Friday/6:00 a.m. until 5:30 p.m. Tel. (812) * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * SUNDAY MORNING WORSHIP Traditional Service 8:45 a.m. Sunday School 10:00 a.m. House Church 11:00 a.m. NON-PROFIT ORG U.S. POSTAGE PAID Evansville, IN Permit No ADDRESS SERVICE REQUESTED Follow 8