November 2016 GIVING THANKS

Transcription

1 THE MONTHLY NEWSLETTER FOR THE HOLLAND S UMC FAMILY AND FRIENDS November 2016 GIVING THANKS I trust that we are always thankful for the bountiful blessings from God that are ours. However, the time of year is upon us when we turn our thoughts and hearts particularly to the privilege of giving thanks. As I sit by my window on this morning, one of the first crisp mornings of the season, I realize anew just how much there is to give thanks for this year and this day. I m thankful for my wonderful wife, two great children, their spouses, and our grandchildren (three and soon, any day now to be four). I m thankful for a warm home, bright sunshine, the hint of frost, candlelight, and the privilege of praying. I m thankful to be able to give a little aid to a neighbor in need. I m thankful for a blessed past, a comfortable present, and God s promise of an exciting future. I m thankful for the gift of Holland s United Methodist Church, for God allowing us to do ministry together, and for each of you who represent our congregation. My list, like yours, could go on and on. In this edition of The Connector you will read about so many opportunities as we move into this most blessed season of our lives, and into the season of Advent and celebration of Christmas. On November 6, we will celebrate All Saints Sunday. I think of this day as being the one that really kicks off the blessedness of what is ahead of us for the next several weeks. As we remember those of our congregation, who in the past year, have outrun us to God s throne of never ending grace, we will come to the Lord s table to celebrate Holy Communion. Sometimes we call this celebration The Holy Eucharist. Eucharist is the Greek word we translate into English as thanksgiving. As I look to the Lord in thanksgiving, it is God s gift of Jesus broken body and poured out blood for which I am most thankful. It is that gift that adds value to, and gives all the other gifts significant meaning for my life. As we approach All Saints Sunday, Holy Communion, Thanksgiving Day, and the beginning of the Advent and Christmas seasons, let s not forget the words of St. Paul: Thanks be to God for his inexpressible gift! (2 Corinthians 9:15). I hope to be seeing you at the Thanksgiving Place on Sundays. Pastor Gary Phone: (919) Fax: (919) office@hollandsumc.org Church Office Hours Mon-Thurs 8:30 am - 5:00 pm Friday 8:30 am - 12 noon Ministry Support Team Ext. Lead Pastor 10 Gary E. Allred gary@hollandsumc.org Associate Pastor 12 Rich Cooper rich@hollandsumc.org Pastor of Congregational Care & 20 Spiritual Development Jeremy Absher Jeremy@hollandsumc.org Minister of Music 23 Traditional Worship Pam Linke pam@hollandsumc.org Minister of Music Connexion Worship Lisa Treadaway lisa@hollandsumc.org Director of Youth 21 Ministries Susan Wright susan@hollandsumc.org Director of 21 Children s Ministries Jim Ellis jim@hollandsumc.org Administrative Assistant 11 Cindy Davidson cindy@hollandsumc.org Financial Associate 13 Ellen Chambers ellen@hollandsumc.org Facility/Media Manager Jim Gregory jimg@hollandsumc.org Pianist/Organist Angela Stephenson angela@hollandsumc.org Handbell Director Betty Bowes betty@hollandsumc.org Nursery Coordinator Grace Landau grace@hollandsumc.org Connector Newsletter Editor Susan Bailey susanbailey@hollandsumc.org

2 Gifts and Generosity Team Update - Note to Church Thank you to every man, woman and child at Holland's for your support of our Church and its ministries! By this time of year, normally you have heard a message about stewardship, received a Faith Pledge Card and been told about a Sunday for dedicating our cards for 2017 at the Church Altar. This year the Gifts and Generosity Team has a new initiative about Tithing, and Generosity that we will begin in early Team members are excited about sharing this information with you in January and throughout the year. We would ask you to consider as you live this season of Harvest, Thanksgiving, Advent, and Christmas how we as individuals and families are living our commitment to Christ in a generous life. Pray, Worship, Read the Scriptures, Witness, Give Generously and Help Someone! -Carolyn Middleton, Gifts & Generosity Chairperson ALL SAINTS SUNDAY All Saints Sunday, November 6 is a day of remembrance for the saints, with the New Testament meaning of all Christian people of every time and place. We celebrate the communion of saints as we remember the dead, both of the Church universal and of our local congregation. The names of persons in the congregation who have died during the past year will be solemnly read and candles lit in remembrance. TIME CHANGE Remember to reset your clocks on Saturday, November 5 one hour earlier (officially Sunday, November 6 at 2:00 am.) 2

3 BBQ HOLLAND S FALL BBQ Friday, November 4, 2016 $9/plate - Dine In or Take Out There are several ways to help out in this great fundraising event for our church: Consider joining one of the BBQ committee teams. Purchase some pork shoulders to defray costs. Bake or buy a dessert to donate. Sell takeout plates at your place of work. Pray for good weather and a hungry crowd! BBQ wouldn t be the same without dessert and we need YOU! We are asking each family in the church to donate at least one dessert. You don t have to precut your desserts. The dessert committee will take care of that for you! You may drop off your items in the choir room on Thursday, November 3 or Friday morning, November 4. If you don t have time to bake, store-bought desserts work wonderfully too. We appreciate all your donations for the 4,000+ desserts, as we need one for each BBQ plate. 3

4 YEAR-ROUND BIBLE STUDIES Sundays at 9:45 am Sunday School Mondays at 7:00 am Men s Charting the Course Led by Pastor Gary. Mondays at 6:30 pm Contemplative Prayer We are currently reading from some of the works of Barbara Brown Taylor. Tuesdays at 8:30 am Morning Glories Ladies Study Led by Linda Brown. The Young at Heart (YAH s) The YAH's met on October 20 and enjoyed great food and entertainment. Carol Gaddy planned our entertainment and Claudia Baker was a hit dressed as a little old lady. Richard Connelly was full of jokes, and his guitar playing/singing was enjoyed by all. See what you may be missing by not joining us for our monthly meetings. On Thursday, November 17th we will travel by bus to the Rudy Theatre in Selma, NC for their afternoon Christmas musical. We have extra seats available if you are interested in going with us (see Judy Best or Paulette Hackney). We will return by way of Angie's Restaurant, in Garner, for a buffet dinner. Looking ahead, Vickie Hardee will be presenting her story "Mary" for our Christmas program on December 15. More information will follow on this. 4

5 OPERATION CHRISTMAS CHILD More than 11 million shoebox gifts were collected last year. Each shoebox, given in Jesus name, provides the opportunity for boys and girls and their families to hear the Good News of Jesus Christ. Since 1993, Samaritan s Purse has delivered more than 135 million shoeboxes to children in over 150 countries. Prepare your shoebox gift and bring it to any of the three worship services, Sunday, November 13. Brochures and shoeboxes are available in the narthex. For more information visit the website, samaritanspurse.org/occ or contact Kindred Hearts at lyleandwendyo@earthlink.net. Samaritan s Pantry Samaritan s Pantry is an ongoing, church-wide ministry to help those in need. Each month, we will suggest an item of the month or you can bring an item you have on hand. Collected items are donated to Garner Area Ministries. The Samaritan s Pantry is located in the hallway near the church office. For more information, please contact Earlene Lancaster at Items for donation in November are: Canned Ham and Sweet Potatoes UMCmarket - Giving Made Easy! UMCmarket Every United Methodist Church in the US is now registered at the UMCmarket. Sign up your with UMCmarket and a portion of what you purchase from designated stores (Lowes, Staples, Walgreens, Office Depot, etc.) will be given to Holland s UMC. Please note in the search we are Holland s in Raleigh, NC. Here s what you do: How do I become a member? Go to our home page at UMCmarket.org. Enter your address and a password of your choice in the JOIN NOW box down to the left. You have now signed up to UMCmarket! How do the donations I create end up at my church? After joining, go to Box 2 to find your church. If you have trouble finding your church, try to search for the name (exclude UMC or United Methodist, etc.) and add the town you re located in. When you find it, click on the green JOIN ORGANIZATION button. 5

6 WESLEYAN COVENANT ASSOCIATION INFORMATION SHARING & LISTENING SESSION Thursday, November 10, 7:00 p.m. Pastor Gary and Jim Gregory attended the convening meeting of The Wesleyan Covenant Association in Chicago on October 7. They report that the day was Holy Spirit led as worshipful work and planning was completed to launch the WCA. The Mission and Purpose of the Wesleyan Covenant Association as adopted in Chicago is as follows: The Wesleyan Covenant Association ( WCA ) is an association of congregations, clergy persons, and laity who desire to cooperate in the mission of the WCA to promote the ministry of the gospel from a Wesleyan theological perspective within The United Methodist Church and kindred bodies. The WCA is organized exclusively for religious purposes. The purposes for which the WCA is formed include, but are not limited to: A. To promote the worship of the Holy Trinity, to preach the pure Word of God, to uphold the rich tradition of sacramental practice, to maintain Christian fellowship, to foster the edification of believers, and to welcome and advance the work of the Kingdom of God on earth. B. To be obedient to our Lord Jesus Christ s command to Go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I [Jesus] have commanded you (Matthew 28:19-20). C. To support disciples of Jesus Christ by proclaiming the good news of salvation through faith in our Lord Jesus Christ, and by exemplifying Jesus command to love God and neighbor, by any suitable method or media, which includes but is not limited to the following: 1. Connecting local churches who worship Jesus Christ, by using personal evangelism, television and radio, the Internet, conventions, preaching, teaching, missions and other Christian methods; 6

7 2. Assisting and furthering the proclamation of Scriptural Christianity through printed and digital material, by providing speakers, mentoring, or coaching, and by other instructional and educational programs which may be deemed necessary or convenient in effecting the above purposes; and 3. Establishing new programs of outreach and ministry, and the strengthening and partnering with existing programs and organizations that have a similar purpose and dedication to presenting Christ as Savior and Lord. D. To explore and promote the full ministry of the good and life-giving Holy Spirit throughout the life and work of the church, not least in the entire sanctification of Christian disciples. E. To guide the ministries of the WCA within the boundaries of the statement of faith, using accountability processes for congregations, clergy, and lay members as shall be promulgated by the WCA. F. To engage in spiritual work and services based upon the authority of the Holy Bible. The date and time designated above has been set for all who are interested to learn more about the WCA and the reason for it s coming into being. We will meet in the main sanctuary. November Missionary of the Month The Rev. Gregory S. Henneman is a Church and Community Worker missionary serving through the United Methodist General Board of Global Ministries as coordinator of the HEAL Initiative of Community Development for all People in Columbus, Ohio. HEAL (Healthy Eating and Living) assists and accompanies persons as they set goals and create action plans to improve their health. It is one of several health-oriented programs of Community Development for all People, a not-for-profit organization related to the United Methodist Church for All People on Columbus Southside. 7

8 Come join the YOUNG ADULT MINISTRY as we read SOUL DETOX and learn to cleanse the toxic behaviors and emotions from our lives. SUNDAYS AT 7:30 HOLLAND S HOUSE Contact Elizabeth Feola (919) or Chase Woodall (919) for more information! Pecans for Sale It s time to purchase your pecans for the holidays! First Journey Circle will be selling gift bags of chocolate-covered, cinnamon or roasted pecans. We are also introducing delicious pecan clusters this year. The 16-ounce bags of halves and chopped pecans for cooking holiday recipes are also available. Gift bags are $10 and the 16-ounce bags are $12. The American Red Cross will be holding a blood drive in the fellowship hall on November 13 from 11:00 am 3:00 pm. Schedule your appointment online at or call Kathy Nieberding at

9 United Methodist Women Circle information FIRST JOURNEY Sibyl Pedzwater - sibylpedz@gmail.com, Home: Meetings: 4th Tuesday at 7:00 pm at Holland's UMC (Room 103) NEW HORIZONS Amy Sawyer - amy.sawyer15@gmail.com Meetings: 1st Thursday of each month at 7:00 pm at Holland s House. WINGS Kim Turner - bowlady@nc.rr.com, Home: Meetings: First Monday of each month at 7:00 pm in members homes. KINDRED HEARTS Sandra Peeler - sandra_peeler@hotmail.com Meetings: Last Thursday of each month at 7:00 pm in members homes. LYDIA S SISTERS Donna Hayes - donnahayes@bellsouth.net Meetings: 4th Saturday morning of each month at 9:30 am in the fellowship hall. El Salvador 2017 Interest Meeting Travel dates will be June 19 - June 26, 2017 Interest meeting will be held on Thursday November 17, 2016 at 7:00 pm in Room 103 If you are interested but cannot attend the meeting, please Nancy Gregory at momrocks629@gmail.com 9

10 Let s Decorate God s House for Advent and Christmas! Time to order your poinsettias! The Worship Support Team would like to invite you to help decorate the sanctuary during Advent with poinsettias. If you would like to purchase a poinsettia(s) in memory or in honor of someone, please complete an order form and place it in the offering plate or return it to the church office. The order forms are located in the narthex. Each poinsettia will cost $10. Please make checks payable to Holland s UMC and indicate on the check memo line Poinsettia. If you have questions, contact Carolyn Middleton, , or Mary Giorgino, , mgiorgino87@gmail.com Donate a Holland s History Book There are (5) Libraries remaining for our Holland s History Book to be donated to. Please help us with your donation toward the full price or partial price of a book. A listing of libraries is shown below. There is also a list with a sign-up sheet in the narthex. Duke Divinity Library at Duke University Why Donate? Duke Divinity let us review and record the many archives on our 1800 s Pastors. North Carolina Conference Library & Archives in Garner Why Donate? The NC Conference Archives have many 1800 s and 1900 s pictures of our Pastors. Holland's Library Why Donate? Why Not? Bridwell Library Special Collections at Southern Methodist University Why Donate? SMU gave us the picture of Charles Wesley. Wilson Special Collections Library at University of North Carolina Chapel Hill Why Donate? UNC Chapel Hill helped us determine what $400 (William Holland s donation to build a church) looked like in

11 WEDNESDAY NIGHT LIVE SCHEDULE 5:00-5:45 JAM (Jesus & Me) Choir (Pam Linke) Children in Kindergarten - 5th grade Choir Room 5:30-6:00 Righteous Ringers (Betty Bowes) Youth in Grades 6-12 Room 108 5:45-6:30 WNL Supper (Jim Gregory, Donna Hayes) Donations for Supper Hosts accepted Fellowship Hall 6:15-7:30 (to 9:00 pm, if needed) Nursery (Grace Landau) Children, Birth - 3 years old Room 104 and 105 6:15 The Glory Bells (Betty Bowes) Room 108 6:30-7:15 Kingdom Kids (Jim Ellis) Room Children, Ages 4-5 Room Children, Kindergarten - 5th grade 6:30-7:30 Holy Hangout Hour (Susan Wright) Youth in Grades 6-12 Youth Room 6:30-7:30 Adult Handbell Choir (Betty Bowes) Room 108 6:30-7:30 By Grace Rehearsal (Lisa Treadaway) Sanctuary 7:30-8:45 Chancel Choir Practice (Pam Linke) Room 140 7:30 pm Prayer Works - Room

12 HOLLAND S YOUTH November 2016 TO INVITE AND EQUIP YOUTH TO BOLDLY LIVE AS DISCIPLES OF JESUS FOR THE TRANSFORMATION OF THE WORLD What s Happening! November Wednesday, November 2-No Holy Hangout Hour because of BBQ Preparations Friday, November 4-Holland s BBQ (Remember to sign up to help at the biannual Holland s BBQ. You can wait tables, assist with take-out, serve in the dessert room, etc. It is a wonderful way to fellowship with other church members and it is a LOT of fun! We always enjoy (& need) youth participation! Sunday, November 6-PRZ Rehearsal at 3:00 pm; Righteous Ringers at 4:30 pm; UMYF Operation Christmas Child Box Packing Party at 5:00 pm Wednesday, November 9-No Holy Hangout Hour Saturday, November 12-ASP Auction & Dinner Sunday, November 13-Righteous Ringers at 4:30 pm; UMYF at 5pm Wednesday, November 16-Holy Hangout Hour at 6:30 pm Sunday, November 20-PRZ Rehearsal at 3:00 pm; Confirmation Interest Meeting at 4 pm; Righteous Ringers at 4:30 pm; UMYF at 5 pm Wednesday, November 23-No Holy Hangout Hour because of Thanksgiving Sunday, November 27-No UMYF; Enjoy Thanksgiving with family and friends! Wednesday, November 30-Holy Hangout Hour at 6:30 pm In the Future Sunday, December 4-Annual UMYF Christmas Party Sunday, December 11-By Grace Concert with special guest, PRZ! No UMYF on November 27, December 18 or 25, and January 1! UMYF Simple Suppers We very much appreciate the suppers that parents and church groups have provided the youth. The suppers have provided wonderful fellowship time in addition to full bellies! UMYF suppers are a simple entree with a side item and dessert. Suggestions include hot dogs, pizza, chili, tacos, sub sandwiches, etc. Tea, lemonade, paper products, and ice are provided. UMYF Supper Sign-up We also have a wonderful group of volunteers who help out each Sunday evening. Karen Wilkins, Dee Nicol, and Denise Stewart are our UMYF Supper Coordinators. Please tell them THANK YOU! 12

13 Operation Christmas Child On November 6th at UMYF, our youth will be packing Operation Christmas Child boxes! Please prayerfully consider bringing items to use in the boxes. If everyone signs up for one or two of the categories we can package over 100 boxes! Operation Christmas Child Packing Party Sign-up For lots of gift ideas, go to It s important to look at what NOT to bring (toy soldiers, etc.) The suggested shipping cost of each box is $7. We will also be collecting money to help with the shipping cost of all the boxes we package. Please bring cash or check made out to Holland's UMC with OCC in the memo line in any amount that you feel led to give. Finally, the children who receive the boxes love to receive a letter in their box. Please write a note to include in one of the boxes we package together! Thank you! What is Confirmation? Excerpt from Beyond Baptism: What Confirmation Means to United Methodists by Joe Iovino At baptism, we are initiated into the new covenant in Jesus Christ and membership in the Church, Christ s body in the world. For many, this happens when they are very young Baptized infants are members of the Church the family of faith but are not yet capable of sharing everything involved in membership, By Water and the Spirit, The United Methodist Church s official statement on baptism, teaches. Confirmation is an opportunity to respond to the grace of God available to us, as acknowledged in baptism, and to promise to live as a person of faith. The confirmands answer for themselves the same questions their parents and/or sponsors did when they were baptized. They are also asked to take the same vows of membership in The United Methodist Church and their local congregation that all who join are asked. Readiness is key People often ask what age is most appropriate for young people to participate in confirmation. The issue is not so much about a chronological age, but rather about one s readiness to assume the vows of professing membership. Typically, youth in grades 6 and above participate in the Confirmation process when they are ready to profess their faith. In order to prepare for Confirmation, we will have a series of class sessions in which youth will learn the basic tenets of our Christian faith as well as United Methodist traditions and history. This year these classes will be held approximately every other Sunday afternoon from 3-4:30 pm beginning in January. Confirmands will also have the benefit of a spiritually mature adult to mentor them throughout the process. Confirmation Sunday will be Pentecost Sunday on June 4, 2017 at the 11 o clock worship service. There will be an informational meeting for youth and/or parents about the Confirmation process, on November 20 at 4 pm in Room

14 November 2016 Events November 4: Holland s BBQ November 6: All Saint s Sunday November 12: Shoebox Dedication November 13: American Red Cross Blood Drive November 27: First Sunday of Advent December 2: Jingle Jam Children s Program December 11: By Grace Concert December 18: Christmas Cantata December 22: Moravian Love Feast December 24: Christmas Eve Services December 25: Christmas Day 11:00 am Worship only HOLLAND S PURPOSE STATEMENT: We are a caring community that invites and equips people to follow Jesus. December 2016 newsletter articles are due by November 20, Please to susanbailey@hollandsumc.org 14