December Inside This Issue. The monthly newsletter of Salem United Methodist Church Clarksville, Tennessee

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1 The monthly newsletter of Salem United Methodist Church Clarksville, Tennessee December 2015 Inside This Issue News and Events 2 UMYF 3 Feedback from Christian Conversation Birthdays 5 4 Gree ngs Salem UMC, How I hope and pray your Thanksgiving allowed a moment to pause and give thanks. As I write this newsle er ar cle, my sister-in-law is preparing to welcome her first child, so our hearts are full of thanksgiving and an cipa on. An cipa on is an important word leading up to Christmas. We usually think of the sharing of presents and the yearly Christmas par es, but an cipa on in the weeks leading up to Christmas within the life of the church is a different type of expecta- on. The church is making room for the coming Christ. In fact, we refer to the four Sundays prior to Christmas as Advent. Advent derives from the La n word, adventus, which means coming. In the weeks before Christmas, we are expec ng the coming Christ, whose birth we celebrate once again, who comes con nually in Word and Spirit, and whose return in final victory we an cipate. (UM Book of Worship, p. 238) Now, before you tune in to Christmas carols and the smells and bells of the season, ask yourself how am I an cipa ng the coming of Christ? Have you considered making an Advent wreath with your children or grandchildren? It is a great way to pause and retell the hope and joy of this season! What a witness to the li le ones in our midst, when we turn off all the Pre-Black Friday, Black Friday, and Cyber Monday sales long enough to share the joy of the season with one another. Find devo ons for your family at h p://pockets.upperroom.org/advent-devo ons-5/ 2269 Seven Mile Ferry Road Clarksville, TN Phone: Fax: salem@salemumc.us Prayer Requests salemprayerchain@gmail.com Website salemmethodistchurch.com Have you planned to take me to serve during Advent - to see the Christ child in the faces of those we serve? We have Christmas Boxes to be delivered in just a few weeks. Would you and your family be able to deliver a food box to a family in our community? See Dianne Morris. Or maybe you are looking for an opportunity to serve. Warm Souls, sponsored by Hilldale Bap st, First Nazarene, and many other congrega ons in Clarksville, hosts a meal, store, haircut and picture booth for Clarksville on Christmas Eve. Any bus in the Clarksville Transit System will be transport someone to this event for free. There is no registra on process, so people are simply invited to come. Parents can choose a gi for their children, and children can do the same for their parents. There are free haircuts and a free family photo, followed by a wonderful meal. Are you able to serve on Christmas Eve or on one of the days prior? Dennis at North Meets South Restaurant can help you with more informa on! There are so many addi onal ways to give and serve. On Tuesday, December 1st, the United Methodist Church par cipates in #GivingTuesday, an alterna ve to the consumer-driven shopping days that surround Thanksgiving. Go to UMC.org to learn more and to support many missions and ministries around the world. Let s make room for Christ this Advent! Pastor Brian

Annual Golden Age Dinner Our annual Golden Age Dinner will be held Sunday, December 6. The Golden Age Dinner is a special event for all who are 70 and above.

If you would like to participate, please bring a toy or toys (unwrapped) and place under the Fireman's Christmas tree in the narthex.

2 The Newsletter Page 2.The UMW and worship committee will be removing the Christmas decorations on Saturday, Jan. 2 at 9:00. Anyone who would like to help is more than welcome!! There will not be a UMW meeting in December. Officers will be receiving an from Kathleen about a planning meeting for Annual Golden Age Dinner Our annual Golden Age Dinner will be held Sunday, December 6. The Golden Age Dinner is a special event for all who are 70 and above. The Cunningham Volunteer Fire Department will be collecting toys for their annual TOY DRIVE again this year. If you would like to participate, please bring a toy or toys (unwrapped) and place under the Fireman's Christmas tree in the narthex. We will be collecting these toys beginning on the Sunday after Thanksgiving through Sunday, December 13th, Cathy Castleberry & Dianne Stevens Christmas Play and Lunch The Renaissance Center s Gaslight Dinner Theater presents Mr. Jingle s Christmas, a musical comedy sure to be a memorable favorite that puts your Christmas spirit into high gear. This is sure to be a fun filled day and we are looking forward to enjoying the day with fellow friends.

Every youth group member has a big brother or big sister. We are reserving Sunday, December 13, for a special BASIC event.

One month it will be held at Salem, the next month at Ryes Chapel, and we will take turns, back and forth. Our youth will be leading these worship services.

Our kids have been encouraged to invite their friends and include students who go to other churches. Let s publicize it well and grow each month.

The first Raise the Praise held at Salem will be this Sunday, December 6, from 6:00-7:00 PM. Let everything that lives sing praises to the Lord! Praise the Lord!

3 Page 4 The Newsletter BASIC (Brother and Sisters in Christ) Another new ministry initiated by Salem s youth (vision of KARA PETERS) is BASIC, an acronym for Brothers and Sisters in Christ. Middle and High School can, at times, be really rough. It s great to have an upperclassman to talk to, ask questions, get advice or just understanding. That s why we started the BASIC program. Every youth group member has a big brother or big sister. We are reserving Sunday, December 13, for a special BASIC event. We don t have all the details worked out yet, but felt the holidays were a great time to express our care, interest and love to fellow youth group members. RAISE THE PRAISE A NIGHT OF WORSHIP AND PRAYER We are excited to announce a brand new event, and we re calling it Raise the Praise. As we experienced such awesome worship at the Fall Retreat, we realized that we need a whole lot more of that. Therefore, the first Sunday night of each month will be set aside for Raise the Praise. One month it will be held at Salem, the next month at Ryes Chapel, and we will take turns, back and forth. Our youth will be leading these worship services. They will give the devotional, share a testimony/story, lead the singing, and time of prayer. We would like to invite anyone who enjoys praise and worship to join us. Our kids have been encouraged to invite their friends and include students who go to other churches. Let s publicize it well and grow each month. This will be a time for youth to feel free to praise and worship like we do during Resurrection and Fall Retreat and have plenty of time to do that. The first Raise the Praise held at Salem will be this Sunday, December 6, from 6:00-7:00 PM. Let everything that lives sing praises to the Lord! Praise the Lord! --- Psalm 150:6 HOLIDAY HAPPENING Salem youth are revising their traditional Holiday Happening this year. They will still adopt a family for whom they buy gifts and provide food, but this will not be delivered by the entire youth group on the night of their party. A small group will present these the next day. Following play time and snacks, the group will divide into teams and visit some of Salem s elderly, sick or widowed with the goal of sharing some Christmas Spirit. Their Holiday Happening is set for Sunday, December 20, from 5:00-8:00 PM. WARMTH IN WINTER REGISTRATION The Tennessee UMC youth conference known as Warmth in Winter is scheduled for January 29-31, 2016, at the Embassy Suites and Convention Center in Murfreesboro. We have submitted our registration, but that does not mean it is too late for you to go with us. We can continue to add people until our hotel spots are full. If you sold Butter Braids, your cost for the conference is $50; if not, it s $100. Please complete and turn in the required forms and deposit as soon as possible. We are filling up quickly! YOUTH MINISTRIES COUNCIL MEETING The UMYF Counselors and SALTeam will meet Sunday, December 6, in the Fellowship classroom at 4:00 PM for their monthly council meeting. There is much business to be finalized and plans to make for the spring months. Please make every effort to attend. HOLIDAY SCHEDULE Sonday Night Live will not meet Sunday, December 27. We all have family gatherings that weekend, so we are taking a break and will resume regular youth group meetings the first Sunday in January. Christmas blessings to all our Salem families!

We welcomed 96 people in a endance and invited people to share through spoken voice as well as in wri en form. Below is the feedback we received from those who were present on Sunday, Nov. 15.

4 Chris an Conversa on regarding Homosexuality On November 15, Salem UMC engaged in a Chris an Conversa on regarding Homosexuality. During this conversa- on, we sought for each person to have a safe space to share their hopes and concerns as well as their stories and experiences. We welcomed 96 people in a endance and invited people to share through spoken voice as well as in wri en form. Below is the feedback we received from those who were present on Sunday, Nov. 15. These pe ons were included in the informa on packet we handed out beginning Sunday, Nov. 1. We have shared this feedback, the informa on packet, and the comments wri en by par cipants on Sunday, Nov. 15 with our General Conference delegates. The Church Council wanted you to be aware of the results as well. For the many who par cipated, thank you for showing the love of Christ in your presence and in your listening and sharing. Feel free to contact Pastor Brian if you have ques ons or cannot locate your informa on packet which includes the full text of the sample pe - ons referenced below.

Matt McNeill, Richard Hayes, Myranel Bryant, Abney Parchman, Olivia Allison, Kara Peters, Stephanie Carson, Kirsten Meaker, Joel Erb FOR KIDS We re on the

com December Birthdays Atticus Morrison Dec 1 Kara Peters Dec 5 Joyce Abernathy Dec 5 Ben Grayer Dec 5 Connie Hellums Dec 6 Kenneth Copeland Dec 6 Wendell

Carrie Stadel Swan Dec 14 Harold Mullins Dec 14 Terry Adams Dec 16 James McCall Dec 16 Kymberlee McFaul Dec 17 Celeste Greening Dec 17 Natalie Byard Dec 17

Johansen Dec 20 Riley Moler Dec 21 Tyler Cornell Dec 22 John Rose Dec 22 Kirsten Meaker Dec 23 Billy Davis Dec 24 Jeffery Hunter Dec 24 Cooper Nicholson Dec

5 Page 5 The Newsletter Salem United Methodist Church Pastor: Rev. Brian Marcoulier Youth Minister: Myranel Bryant Administrative Assistant: Misty Stone Custodian: Mike Bryant Nursery Coordinator: Deborah Morris Musicians: Matt McNeill, Richard Hayes, Myranel Bryant, Abney Parchman, Olivia Allison, Kara Peters, Stephanie Carson, Kirsten Meaker, Joel Erb FOR KIDS We re on the Web! salemmethodistchurch.com December Birthdays Atticus Morrison Dec 1 Kara Peters Dec 5 Joyce Abernathy Dec 5 Ben Grayer Dec 5 Connie Hellums Dec 6 Kenneth Copeland Dec 6 Wendell Cornell Dec 7 MJ Hendricks Dec 9 Ethan Sinks Dec 10 Petra Kela Dec 10 Rubin Bumpus Dec 11 Michelle Graves Dec 12 Patty Morrison Dec 13 James Jobe Dec 14 Carrie Stadel Swan Dec 14 Harold Mullins Dec 14 Terry Adams Dec 16 James McCall Dec 16 Kymberlee McFaul Dec 17 Celeste Greening Dec 17 Natalie Byard Dec 17 Christy Batts Dec 17 Jeff Sykes Dec 17 Seth Morrison Dec 18 Emily Davidson Nemoy Dec 19 Deborah Byard Dec 19 Judy Ford Dec 19 Chase Thweatt Dec 20 Donna Johansen Dec 20 Riley Moler Dec 21 Tyler Cornell Dec 22 John Rose Dec 22 Kirsten Meaker Dec 23 Billy Davis Dec 24 Jeffery Hunter Dec 24 Cooper Nicholson Dec 24 Marshall Scott Newberry Dec 25 Jaime Mobley Dec 25 Cassidy Reeves Dec 27 Kirsten Meeker Dec 28 Jim Brewer Dec 29 Matthew Mardis Dec 29 Sonja Schmid Dec 30 NEWSLETTER DEADLINE IS THE 15TH OF EVERY MONTH Salem UMC is a Safe Sanctuary congregation. All of our childcare workers are screened and accountable to Safe Sanctuary guidelines to promote the safest possible environment for our children.

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$g{x _ z{à{éâáx The monthly newsletter of Salem United Methodist Church Clarksville, Tennessee Greetings, Salem UMC, Inside this issue:$ g{x _ z{à{éâáx The monthly newsletter of Salem United Methodist Church Clarksville, Tennessee December, 014 Inside this issue: Singers Needed Belize Mission Trip Communion Offering Stewardship Christmas