A Savior! Born for You!! Where the joy of life in Christ overflows Main Street Manchester, CT SUNDAY WORSHIP SCHEDULE

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1 1226 Main Street Manchester, CT Main Street Manchester, CT Return Service Requested The CHALLENGE December South United Methodist Church Sunday Worship Schedule 9:30 a.m. Traditional Worship with Choir Children s Story in the Sanctuary Communion served monthly 10:45 a.m. Sunday School For All Ages 11:45 a.m. Contemporary Worship with Wildfire Worship Band in the Café Communion served monthly with Rev. John Marshall Where the joy of life in Christ overflows Contact Information: Church office: (860) Office Hours: Mon, Wed, Fri 9:00a-12:00p Tues, Thurs 6:00p-9:00p address: office@southumc.com Web address: southumc.com January Challenge Deadline: Sunday, December 23, 2018 SUNDAY WORSHIP SCHEDULE 9:30a - Traditional Worship with Choir and Children s Story 9:45a - Sunday School for Nursery-Grade 2 10:45a - Sunday School for all Ages 11:45a - Contemporary Worship with Wildfire Worship Band *December 9th Combined Service 10am *December 24th 5:30p Family Service 10p Traditional I N S I D E T H E D E C E M B E R I S S U E Dec Worship 2 SUMC News 3 Dec Calendar 6 Outreach News 9 Ad Board Minutes 10 Dear Friends, The season of advent is once again upon us, with the reminder that the celebration of Christ s birth is a little more than three weeks away. Christmas Eve will be the culminating event when we will once again hear the joyous news, To you is born this day a Savior What is the meaning of a Savior being born to Jesus parents, to the shepherds, or to us? Joseph and Mary lived at a time when their country was occupied by a foreign nation. Worse yet, the emperor, Augustus, living in Rome, a city 2500 miles away from Israel declared that all of the people throughout the occupied territories needed to be counted. For Joseph and his very pregnant wife, Mary, this meant a perilous trip of nearly 100 miles from Nazareth, where they lived to the, city of David by foot. Upon arriving in the town of Bethlehem, Jesus, their firstborn son, was born in the most humble of places, in the crudest conditions: wrapped in strips of cloth, laid in a manger, softened no doubt by straw. The birth of Jesus Christ in Bethlehem was in fulfillment of the prophecy made 700 years earlier. (See Micah 5:2) Christ came to Mary and Joseph at a most trying time in their lives. Our Lord came with the reminder that God was with them in their trials, that he chose them to be the earthly parents of His son. God used Caesar and a nearly impossible journey to accomplish His purpose of salvation for not only Mary and Joseph, but ultimately His people and the world. Unlike Jesus parents, the shepherds had no advance warning of the imminent arrival of the Son of God. On what in every other way must have seemed to them an ordinary night, a supernatural event took place. As they took turns watching their sheep, God s angel appeared to the shepherds who were terrified! The angel had a simple, brief message: The Savior of the world had been born in the nearby town of Bethlehem. The shepherds would know the baby was the Messiah, by discovering him wearing simple cloth strips and lying in a cow s feeding trough! After this, the evening sky was seemingly filled with angels who gave glory to God who would announce peace to all people. Of course being more than a little curious, the shepherds headed straight to Bethlehem where they saw Jesus and his parents. What they saw was precisely what they angel had announced. Our Lord came to the shepherds with the reminder that you don t have to be religious, spiritual or particularly virtuous to be forgiven and saved. In fact, Christ came to help people like you and me who are ordinary, in need, and far from perfect! We at South Church have a simple gift to assist you during the advent season to ready your mind and heart to receive the good news of the coming of Jesus Christ. A devotional booklet, A Savior! Born for you! will be available at both worship services this Sunday, one per household. There is a reading for each day leading up to Christmas. I hope you will be present to pick up yours. On behalf of Terry, may you have a blessed advent and Christmas season, celebrating the Jesus the Savior, born to you! In Service to Christ, John T H E C H A L L E N G E D E C E M B E R A Savior! Born for You!! To you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is the Messiah, the Lord. (Luke 2:11) Jesus came to save ordinary people like us.

2 December 2018 Worship Themes Christ is Coming December 2, 2018: 1 st Sunday of Advent: Preparing the road Scripture: Luke 3:1-6; John the Baptist prepares the way for the Messiah Focus Verse: As it is written in the book of the words of the prophet Isaiah, The voice of one crying out in the wilderness: Prepare the way of the Lord, make his paths straight. (Luke 3:4) Theme: Experiencing the Lord s presence in our lives often takes thoughtful preparation. December 9, 2018: Advent 2: Christmas Pageant (one 10am service!) Our Sunday school children and youth will present a traditional Pageant entitled The True Story of Christmas followed by a pancake breakfast (downstairs in Cooper Hall) hosted and prepared by our youth. December 16, 2018: Advent 3: One who is more powerful is coming Scripture: Luke 3:15-20; John points the people to Jesus the Messiah Focus Verse: John answered by saying, I baptize you with water; but one who is more powerful than I is coming; I am not worthy to untie the thong of his sandals. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire. (Luke 3:16) Theme: Jesus the Messiah gave the Holy Spirit to all those believing in Him. December 23, 2018: Advent 4: Are you the One? Scripture: Matthew 11:2-10; John the Baptist in prison Focus Verse: Are you the one who is to come, or are we to wait for another? (Matthew 11:3) Theme: Jesus was and is the Messiah that people had been waiting for. December 24, 2018: Christmas Eve (Family service 5:30pm, Candlelight 10pm) Scripture: Luke 2:1-20 The birth of Jesus Christ Focus Verse: To you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is the Messiah, the Lord. (Luke 2:11) Theme: Jesus was born into our world to offer salvation to all people. December 30, 2018: Traditional Worship at 9:30am with Pastor Dick, Café Worship at 11:45am with Lin Daniels South United Methodist Church Contact Information Church office: (860) Office Hours: Mon Wed Fri 9:00a -12:00p Tues, Thurs 6:00p-9:00p address: office@southumc.com Web address: southumc.com Facebook: facebook.com/southumc Prayer Chain: (860) or prayer@southumc.com Text Giving: ($20 SUMC) South Church Staff Pastor - Rev. John Marshall ext. 14 Director of Music - Earle Bidwell ext. 11 Organists - Christopher Walton & Tatianna Lukyanova Director of Ministries - Terry Marshall ext. 15 Director Next Gen Ministries - J.T. Himmelstein ext. 13 Sexton - Ken Schaller ext. 20 Sexton - Don Wilby ext. 20 Office Managers - Colleen Olbert/Patti LaForest ext. 10 Rev. Richard Thompson (retired) S U M C N E W S P A G E 2 P A G E 3

3 2018 Christmas Pageant The True Story of Christmas as read in scripture Sunday, Dec 9th Rehearsal in the followed by a light snack in Reception Hall. PERFORMANCE at the 10 am service (one service only). ***Pancake Breakfast to follow*** (NO Saturday Rehearsal this year) Young Adults Pancake Breakfast December 9th Following the 10am service Cooper Hall...bacon, sausage, juice, coffee, tea $3/child $5/adult $15 max per family Youth will sing for tips!!! Tips go to Youth Mission Fund College Care Packages have been sent out to all of our students who are facing the Finals push for the next couple of weeks! Please pray for our students during this time, and join us in welcoming them back if they are able to come home for the break! There will be a Young Adult Christmas Party on Thursday, Dec. 20th, from 6:30-8 the Virginia Ryan Next Generation Ministries Home, which is located next door to our church building (the address is 21 Hartford Road in Manchester). There will be fun, food and fellowship for all who are able to attend! Friends are welcome :) RSVP with JT by text if you can make it! The Young Men's Bible Study will be continuing to meet for its 4-week study on the Thursday evenings of Dec. 6 and Dec. 13 from 8-9:30 the Virginia Ryan Next Generation Ministries Home (21 Hartford Rd)! The Study is called 'All In' by Mark Batterson, and while the sessions focus on being 'All In' each session has its own emphasis. If you haven't made any of the previous sessions and want to attend either or both of our December sessions that would be great! Please contact JT by text if you're interested: Pastor John s Book Picks... Some of you have asked me to list some of the Book Titles that I reference in my sermons, Here are a few I would suggest... Hidden Christmas: The Surprising Truth Behind the Birth of Christ by Timothy Keller, published by Penguin Books In the Manger: 25 Inspirational Selections for Advent by Max Lucado, published by Thomas Nelson Surprised by Joy: The Shape of My Early Life by C. S. Lewis, published by HarperCollins Publishers Connect for Women A New Study of the Psalms for Women 1st & 3rd Thursdays of the month December 6th & 20th 8:30-10am ~ 21 Hartford Rd. led by Terry Marshall & Catey Himmelstein all women welcome, please let Terry know ( x15 or terry@southumc.com) if you plan to attend. The Joy of Community Sharing! (was: Seasonal Sharing) We continue to collect food, gifts, and other items for the Christmas deliveries! Please bring them to the bin in the Reception Hall or outside of The Café each week: Please continue to shop for and bring in the following food items: jars of gravy, ½ gallon bottles of juice, and cans of coffee. We are all set with other food items. Place food in the bins in Reception Hall and outside The Café each week. Financial donations, designated for seasonal sharing (place in offering plate) $20 Stop & Shop gift cards (give to Jill Smith) Other ways to help: Purchase Christmas gifts for the 60 household members we ve adopted. Sign out a card in Reception Hall or The Café. Meet us on Friday, December 14 th in Cooper Hall to pack Christmas baskets Buy a turkey or ham sign up in Reception Hall or The Café. Deliver food baskets to families the morning of Sunday, December 16 th sign up in Reception Hall or The Café. Thank you to all those who endured the cold, sacrificed time with family, and helped park cars for the Manchester Road Race on Thanksgiving morning! Together we raised nearly $1,700 for the Youth Mission Fund. Praise God for His provision of servant hearts and for these finances, which will help us go on our mission trip next Summer! The Pancake Breakfast will be on the 2nd Sunday of Advent this year, December 9th, after the 10 AM Service, and the Youth will be hosting and serving those who are able to attend this fun gathering! There will be plenty of pancakes (gluten-free available upon request), your choice of bacon/sausage, juice, coffee, tea, and activities for children! The cost is $3/ child, $5/adult and $15 max per family The Youth will be caroling after the meal has been served, and it is customary to tip the carolers. Both the cost of entry and the tips will go directly to the Youth Mission Fund and will further enable the Youth to be in mission, particularly this upcoming summer! You can also text a gift! The Youth will have a Christmas the Virginia Ryan Next Generation Ministries Home (21 Hartford Road) on December 23rd! We will have yummy treats, a pizza dinner and hot chocolate while we partake in some festive activities. Please let JT know if you would be willing to provide some of the yummy treats! Text/Call or nextgen@southumc.com 12/2 Youth 12/9 Youth Pancake Breakfast 12/16 Youth 12/23 Youth Group Christmas 12/30 NO Youth Group Thank you for your continued generosity to our community! Congregational Care Deliveries and Visitations As part of our congregational caring, we will be delivering small poinsettia plants and a gift made by the SUMC craft group, sometime Friday, December 7 Sunday December 9h. In addition to delivering the plants and craft, we would like people to bring out a church bulletin and make a short visit with the person, if invited in. Many of our friends who cannot get to church regularly like to be updated on church activities and know that we are all thinking about them and praying for them. Please contact Bill McGugan at (text or call) for further details, if you are interested in participating or know someone who would like a visit. P A G E 4 P A G E 5

4 December 2018 Calendar Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday :00am Mini Fair 10:45am SS Advent Event 5:00pm Youth Group :00pm Commission Mtg. 6:30pm Wesley Ringers 7:30pm Concert Choir 12 8:30am Connect for Women 7:30pm Cong. Care Mtg. 8:00pm Young Men s Bible Study :00am One Service w/pageant Pancake Breakfast w/youth 6:30pm Staff Parish Mtg. 7:30pm Church Conference 6:30pm Wesley Ringers 7:30pm Concert Choir 8:00pm Young Men s Bible Study 5:00pm Christmas Basket Packing 9:00am Candlelight Concert Rehearsal 9:30am Knitting Group 16 4:30pm Candlelight Concert 5:00pm Youth Group :00pm SUMC Women s Christmas 19 6:30pm NO Wesley Ringers 7:30pm NO Chancel Choir 20 8:30am Connect for Women 6:30pm Young Adult Christmas Party 7:30pm 1-1 Caregivers Mtg :00pm Youth Group Christmas **Challenge deadline :30pm Christmas Eve Family Service 10:00pm Christmas Eve Traditional Service Christmas Day 26 NO 6:30pm NO Wildfire 6:30pm NO Wesley Ringers 7:30pm NO Chancel Choir :00pm NO Youth Group New Year s Day 6:30pm Wesley Ringers 7:30pm Chancel Choir 8:30am Connect for Women 7:30pm Cong. Care Mtg. 7:30am Men s Fellowship 9:30am Knitting Group P A G E 6 P A G E 7

5 THE CHALLENGE THE CHALLENGE More South News South Church is Reaching out through: CROP WALK!! SEASONAL SHARING (THANKSGIVING) CHILDREN S SHOE BOXES CROP WALK. On the afternoon of Sunday, October 26, 15 people from our church joined with people from other area churches for the annual CROP WALK and raised $2,000. The walk supports Church World Service and MACC. You can still be a part of this great endeavor by texting your donation to MACC or sending a check to the church office made out to CWS/Crop. SEASONAL SHARING (THANKSGIVING). Thanks to your many donations, we provided 15 Thanksgiving dinners to families in need throughout Manchester. Volunteers came together on Friday, November 16, to package the meals and others delivered the packages after church on Sunday, November 18. CHILDREN S SHOE BOXES. What a grand thing it is to help children around the world have a happy Christmas! 70 boxes were collected this year and delivered to the distribution point! The Women s Group helped with postage this year many thanks! Do what you love love what you do! RISE AGAINST HUNGER The Rise Against Hunger program provides packaged meals to starving individuals throughout the world. Our annual food packaging event for this most worthy endeavor will happen in the Spring. You can send contributions now via text with the keyword Hunger or by sending a check to the church office made out to SUMC/Rise Against Hunger. WORTH CELEBRATING!!! In October, Hartford Habitat held a celebration of its 30th Anniversary of building houses in this area. One of the people singled out at the celebration was our own Robin Roy who was offered a Habitat home in Manchester several years ago. Robin reported that, Having a safe, affordable home stabilized her family life. I eventually earned my GED and I now work for Companions and Homemakers serving people in need. The BIG news in 2 more years, her mortgage will be paid off and the home will be hers!! Well done, Robin!! SEASONAL SHARING (CHRISTMAS) We have now turned our attention to our Christmas collection for the 15 families that we are sponsoring. The food collection is well underway. We can still use gift cards to Stop and Shop to purchase last minute, perishable items for the baskets. Specific requests for Christmas gifts for each family member are posted in Reception Hall and The Café. We would love your help on Friday, December 14, at 5:00pm to put together the packages for the families that will be delivered on Sunday, December 16. P A G E 8 P A G E 9

6 SUMC Administrative Board Meeting October 16, 2018 Meeting Minutes In Attendance: Bill Hyde, Jennifer Dupont, Pastor Dick Thompson, Pastor John Marshall, Don Wilby, Ed Dupont, Jane Zadnik, Deb Grehn, Carol Goodwin, J.T. Himmelstein Opening Prayer/Reading of Vision and Mission Statements: The meeting was called to order at 7:35 p.m. by Chairperson Deb Grehn. There was a prayer by Pastor John and Jane Zadnik read SUMC s Mission and Vision Statements. Acceptance of Outstanding Minutes: Draft minutes from the September 11, 2018 Administrative Board meeting were reviewed. There was a motion (Bill Hyde, Jen Dupont) to accept the September 11, 2018 Administrative Board minutes inclusive of minor changes discussed by the group. All were in favor and the motion carried. Unfinished Business: There was no unfinished business discussed. Committee Reports: Memorials: Jane Zadnik stated that the Memorial Fund has not received any donations in the past month. Scouts Representative: Ed Dupont reported that monthly pack meetings are in full swing for the Cub Scouts. The scouts went camping last weekend and there will be a Halloween Party this week. The meeting schedule for the year has been fully approved. Director of Ministries/Education: Pastor John reported for Terry Marshall, who was unable to attend the meeting. Fall classes are in full swing, with 44 children registered for Sunday School, 46 adults attending and 16 adults teaching classes. Numbers are up this year! Bible Sunday was October 7; seven children and youth received Bibles. The Advent Celebration is set for 12/2 between the services in the Café. The Pageant date has been set for 12/9. There will be one 10:00 a.m. service followed by a pancake breakfast. The Picture Walls are still in process one in Reception Hall and one in the Café. Shut-in visits are going well and home communion deliveries are increasing. The name tag campaign is going well and 150 people have ordered name tags. Congregational Care is looking into a location at the church for people to store their name tags. Emily Rood Rouleau will be our new flower chairperson and is currently being trained for the role by Jeanne Eagleson. Next Generation Ministries: J.T. Himmelstein reported that it is an exciting time for Next Generation Ministries. The Teen Class is growing and is currently larger than the Youth Group. Recent Youth Group activities have included a trip to Foster Farms and a family night. College care packages are coming up; we expect to send at least 30, and the youth will assemble the packages. The Young Women are doing a study on the Book of Hebrews and the group is growing slowly. J.T. is hoping the Young Men s Bible Study will ramp up again soon. Staff Parish Relations Committee (SPRC): Deb Grehn reported for Nancy Dawson, who was unable to attend the meeting. The roll-out of the Leadership Covenant is complete. SPRC has discussed staff increases for 2019 and will be making a recommendation to the Finance Committee. SPRC will meet next on October 23 with the primary purpose of completing documents needed for the Church Conference. Pastor s Report: Pastor John stated that four people attended the Getting Acquainted session last Sunday. The Manchester Police were invited to conduct a security review of our church. They recently completed a walkthrough of the building and will issue a report with recommendations, which will be shared with staff and Trustees. Pastor John will conclude his Nicene Creed series with this Sunday s services. Terry Marshall and Catey Himmelstein have started a Women s Study the first and third Thursdays from 8:30 10:00 a.m. at 21 Hartford Road. New Business: Pastor Dick commented that he is looking for ideas to generate additional funds for Outreach/Mission without stressing the budget. The group discussed the possible addition of this area to the wish list published for Memorials. Adjournment: There was a prayer by Pastor John and the meeting adjourned at 8:45 p.m. Respectfully submitted, Carol Goodwin New Sermon Series Trustees: Pastor John reported for the Trustees. The landscaping at 21 Hartford Road is complete. We are hoping to paint the front of 20 Hartford Road this fall. United Schools is out of 48 Hartford Road and Trustees are looking at other lease options for this property. Work on the retaining wall will start soon. A permit has been secured but an easement is needed to accommodate our parking plan, and we re working with the Town on this. Paving for the new parking spaces and the parsonage driveway will also occur soon. Outreach: Pastor Dick reported on Outreach Committee activities. It s a busy time of the year. The Habitat Day event was held. October was the first month for the Rolling Suitcases at Washington School, and we re looking for a few substitute volunteers for this program. There is a desire to spread out the Rebuilding Together project, timing-wise, and Ben Timmons is following up on this possibility. The Crop Walk is coming up; donations are welcome. Operation Christmas Child shoe boxes are underway. We ll be helping 15 families with our seasonal sharing efforts this year. In response to a question from Deb Grehn, Pastor Dick confirmed that we will be doing the Stop Hunger Now event again in the spring and Bill Hyde stressed the importance of a reminder to those who volunteered, close to the event. UMW Representative: Jennifer Dupont reported that the Fair will be held November 3. We can still use some more volunteers to assist at booths or to assist at the end, with packing things up. Sign-up sheets for desserts, cookies, and candies will be in the Reception Hall. Treasurer s Report: Bill Hyde reported that September s income did not meet our planned budget, but Year-To-Date income remains above budget. September expenses were slightly below budget and Year-To-Date expenses are in line with budget. As of the end of September, we have paid 79% of our 2018 Mission Shares goal. Financial Secretary: Deb Grehn reported for Kim Grehn, who was unable to be at the meeting. The third quarter giving statements have been prepared and will be sent out soon. P A G E 1 0 P A G E 1 1