TOWER TALKS. (near Schoenherr Rd.) Hanging of the Greens

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1 TOWER TALKS First United Methodist Church of Warren A church for the whole family of God Published on November 16, 2018 Special Points of Interest: Amazon Smile Greeters, Ushers, Lay Reader Schedule Keeping our Facility Safe Ladies Christmas Tea Messy Church You re Invited to attend a Community Thanksgiving Service Tuesday, November 20, :00 p.m. St. Faustina Parish Mile Rd., Warren, MI (near Schoenherr Rd.) Mitten Tree Inside This Issue: Pastor s Pen 2 Advent/Christmas 3 Church Announcements 4 Prayer Concerns 5 United Methodist Women s News 6 warrenfirstumc.org Hanging of the Greens Ever wonder why we use the symbols we use to celebrate the birth of Jesus? What does a tree have to do with Christmas...or a poinsettia...or a wreath? We hope you join us at 10:30 a.m. on November 25th as we explore the symbols of Christmas. It will be an interactive service designed to begin the process of transforming our worship space for the Advent Season. Hope to see you there.

2 The Pastor s Pen: TOWER TALKS Page 2 We are fast approaching Thanksgiving and the very busy holiday season that follows. With Thanksgiving coming this next week, that means it is MCREST week here at Warren First UMC. MCREST (Macomb County Rotating Emergency Shelter Team) is a rotating shelter for woman and children that provides the resources necessary to help these women get back on their feet. For me, this week has been a week of service as I strive to be a Christ-like presence here in this place. It is also a week of blessings as I sit with these women and their children and hear their stories. This week, I am reminded of the words of Colossians 3:17 which states, "And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him." I believe that this is the perfect week to hold MCREST. As we go into Thanksgiving, it is a great reminder that we are blessed people and the blessing isn't always in what we have, but in our relationship with a living God that calls us to go forth and serve God by serving others. For me, the blessing this week has been in getting to know these strong, determined women. It has been in hearing their stories as well as their dreams for tomorrow. The blessing has been in praying for them as well as being a part (however small) of the solution. This next week, the majority of us will be gathering with family and friends. With that, there will be food...lots and lots of food. I don't know your family traditions but, in my family, Thanksgiving isn't Thanksgiving without a specific list of foods, and the list is long. When we are done cooking, we could probably feed a dozen or more people than sit around our table. Yet, Thanksgiving is more than family and friends gathering around a table. It's a day that is specifically set aside to stop and think about how blessed we truly are. It's about stopping the daily routines that often become ruts we get stuck in and thinking about the many little things we take for granted, moments where God is truly present and at work in our lives. Thanksgiving is also an opportunity. When we sit in a quiet space and reflect on the abundant blessings of our lives and see God at work all around us, we have an opportunity to respond to that. Did you know that the first Thanksgiving meal was a three-day celebration by the early settlers after their first harvest? After arriving here in 1609, the pilgrims faced many challenges, including the harsh winters where many lives were lost. The pilgrims became dependent on the help of their native neighbors. In 1621, they were able to plant their first real crops. The Thanksgiving celebration was a response to that first harvest in the New World. As part of their gratitude, they invited their native neighbors to come and be part of the celebration. I think it's an amazing story. The pilgrims survived because they received help from others. I hope that each and every one of you have a wonderful Thanksgiving celebration. I also hope that you will take a moment during that celebration to reflect on all the people God has placed in your life who have offered you a helping hand and a loving heart. With that, I also pray that you will then reflect on who around you need a helping hand and a loving heart. As we gather to celebrate all God has blessed us with, I believe we are also called to respond to those blessing by being God's blessing in the lives of those who surround us, especially those on the edges that we might not notice. "And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him." I hope you join us for our multi-religious Thanksgiving celebration this week at St. Faustina Parish on 12 Mile, Tuesday November 20 th, at 7 p.m. Have a Happy Thanksgiving. Blessings, Pastor Melissa

3 TOWER TALKS Page 3 Gifts that Don't Break!!! We will soon be entering the season of Advent. Advent is a season set aside to prepare us for the birth of our Savior. It is a season that has become so full of things to do and places to go and gifts to buy that we often forget why we are celebrating what we are celebrating. We purchase gifts for our loved ones that are broken before the tree comes down. Yet, in Christmas, God gives us many beautiful gifts that will never break. I hope that you will join us as we explore these amazing gifts over the four weeks of Advent. Christmas Services Please join for Christmas Eve Service as we celebrate the birth of our Savior. We will be gathering at 4:30 p.m. for a child friendly service followed by birthday cake. At 10 p.m., we will gather for a candlelight service. Christmas Eve Offering At Christmas, we celebrate Jesus' birthday. This year, our Christmas Eve Offering will be going to honoring Christ Jesus by being the presence of Christ in the world. Our offering will be divided between two missions. One will be a local mission; the other will be global. Both offerings will go to helping those who are struggling experience the love of God. More information as we get closer to Christmas. Ladies Christmas Tea The pastor would like to invite the ladies of the church (and any guests they would like to invite) to a Christmas tea. The Christmas tea will be a time for the ladies of the church to gather together for a time of fun and fellowship. It is also a time of reflection on the birth of Christ. There will be an opportunity to make an ornament to take home and place on your tree as a reminder of Christs love for you. The date and time will be settled soon so please stay tune.

4 Yarn/Mitten Tree Get ready! We need you to get out those knitting needles and crochet hooks to start making hats, mittens and scarves for the Mitten Tree. Free yarn is available, see Karen Jones or Shelly Haggart for details. The Mitten Tree will be up the month of December to receive your gifts, which goes to various agencies for men, women and children. TOWER TALKS Page 4 Church Announcements Deaths Dolores Dodie Drath, age 86 of Warren, MI passed away on October 12, Beloved wife of the late Albert. Loving mother of Sandra, Thomas, Daniel and David. Dodie was an elementary school teacher. She loved music, traveling and spending time with her family and many friends. She was a member of the Warren Community Chorus. A huge sports fan, she loved attending events and was a big fan of MSU and even the Lions. A service celebrating her life was held at Warren First UMC on October 18, The family requests donations be made to the American Heart Association. Thank You Corner... To Our Church Family: Bob and I would like to thank you all for the calls, attempted hospital visits and the many prayers offered on our behalf. I am feeling much better because of your concern. Have a Happy Thanksgiving and count your blessing as we are counting ours. Dot McLean Change of Address Clifford Jex 4851 Lakeshore Rd., Rm. 215 Ft. Gratiot, MI Messy Church: Supper, Biblical Story, Music and Craft for all ages! 1st Wednesday of the Month: 6:00-7:30 pm SAVE THESE DATES: December 5 & January 9 We are looking for volunteers to help with Messy Church each month: crafts, food prep, hospitality, food and/or funds for supper. Sign up sheets are in the Fellowship Hall. Prayerfully consider this opportunity. Keeping our Facility Safe! Our mission as a church is to Connect people to the love of God, Grow together in faith, and Go to serve God by serving others. To accomplish this, we also want to create a safe environment for that to happen. Many of you may have noticed that the signs as you enter the building stating that this is a nut, latex, and fragrance-free zone have been removed. Please know that although the signs have been removed, we are still encouraging our members to be aware that there are members of our congregation to be sensitive to those around them. We have members of our faith family who suffer from allergies, some of them very severe. Therefore, we continue to encourage everyone to avoid wearing heavy fragrants or bringing products that contain nuts into the facility. We are also asking that when enjoying refreshments before or after service, that you are careful if there are products containing nuts brought in, that you help to insure they stay out of all nut-free zones. Please help keep our people safe.

5 TOWER TALKS Page 5 PRAYER CONCERNS... Assisted Care Doug Anderson Martha T. Berry, Elizabeth Rd., Rm Mount Clemens, MI Cliff Jex Lakeshore Woods, 4851 Lakeshore Rd, Rm. 215, Ft. Gratiot, MI Mary Etta Miller Van Dyke, Rm. 247, Warren, MI Jean Minter Sunrise Assisted Living, Hayes Rd., Rm. 216, Shelby Twp., MI Clara Schaldenbrand Hillside, 5949 Snover, Decker, MI Continued Prayers Active Duty Jack Barnes United States Sean Boesman Germany Bradley Cornett WA Andrew Rivard MI Vincent Farmilo Germany Matthew Seilicki CA Vincent Von Lau Army All those in active military service. Names removed from this list remain on the prayer team s weekly prayer list. Questions? Please see a member of the prayer team or contact them below. Lora Quick: , prayergramma@gmail.com Dorothy Collins: Dot McLean: , dorothym308j@gmail.com Church: , contact@warrenfirstumc.org Ushers Schedule Paul Sadowski Linda Sadowski Nick Rowland Greeters Schedule Dec. 2: Janine & Phil Heavin Dec. 9: Peggy McIvor Dec. 16: Linda & Paul Sadowski Dec. 23: Lee Ann Witherspoon Dec. 30: Elaine Newman Lay Readers Schedule Dec. 2: Robert Knakal Dec. 9: Jerry Garriott Dec. 16: Melissa Meadows Dec. 23: Wendy Schwartz Dec. 30: Nick Rowland Counters December Carol Shinn Chuck Shinn Al Bise MCREST Church s December 2: Sts. John & Paul Church, Washington December 9: Open Week December 16: St. Michael s Catholic Church, Sterling Hgts. December 23: Trinity Lutheran Church, Clinton Twp. December 31: St. Margaret of Scotland Church, SCS Sunday Office Volunteers Dec. 2: Dorothy Collins Dec. 9: Claudia DeBacker Dec. 16: Dorothy Collins Dec. 23: Dorothy Collins Dec. 30: Jan Waud

6 TOWER TALKS Page 6 United Methodist Women Mission Team: Tuesday, December 4 10:00 a.m. Library Circle Meetings Tuesday, December 11 as designated below... 1 The Other Mary Iris Evan s 11:00 a.m. 2 Rebekah Clawson Steak 1:00 p.m. 3 Naomi Clawson Steak 1:00 p.m. 4 Joy Carole Wesner s 10:00 a.m. 5 Glory The 11:30 a.m. 6 Deborah Tuesday, December 4, 6:00 Pekarek s Fellowship Meeting: Tuesday, November 20 10:00 a.m. Fellowship Hall No Fellowship Meeting in December! New Location! The Men s Fellowship is now meeting at Kerby s Koney Island at 6004 E. 12 Mile Rd., (east of Mound Rd., on the south side) We meet on the second Tuesday of each month for breakfast Fellowship at 9:00 a.m. Warren First UMC is now connected to Amazon Smile (Amazon will donate a small percentage of eligible purchases to the church)! So as your holiday shopping revs up, and after too, please consider using Amazon Smile. The church s direct link is smile.amazon.com/ch/ Thank you! CALLING ALL LADIES!! NEW NIGHT! NEW FUN!!! BY POPULAR REQUEST WE HAVE RE-SCHEDULED OUR LADIES NIGHTS AND WILL NOW MEET ON THE FIRST FRIDAY OF EACH 6:00 P.M. FUN, FELLOWSHIP, & YUMMY FOOD! ALL LADIES ARE INVITED!!! December 7 th : Olive Garden Restaurant Van Dyke (S. of 13 Mile) RSVP: LeeAnn Witherspoon You do not have to be a member of Warren First UMC to join us! Bring a friend and come along!