First United Methodist Church 112 N Richhill St Waynesburg, PA

Transcription

1 I will praise the Lord as long as I live; I will sing praises to my God while I have being. Psalm 146:2 The newsletter of First United Methodist Church of Waynesburg December 2018 Dear Church Family, I have a comic strip saved from years past. It is a Family Circus comic. The three children are sitting on a couch with the oldest, a little girl, reading a story. She is saying, Mary and Joseph were camping out under a star in the east it was a silent night in Befleham until the angels began to sing then Santa brought baby Jesus in his sleigh and laid him in a manger The next scene has the girl looking at her brother, who has been distracted by looking at a picture of the family dog. She says, Pay attention, Jeffy, or you ll NEVER learn the story of Christmas! The third picture has them listening again as the story continues, Chestnuts were roastin by a open fire and not a creature was stirring so the Grinch stole some swaddling clothes from Scrooge who was one of the Three Wise Men riden on eight tiny reindeer I hope we know, and our children know, the story a little bit better! However there are differences in the stories of the birth of Jesus we have in the scriptures. The birth story in Matthew begins in 1:18. It seems as if Mary and Joseph already live in Bethlehem, there is no traveling to the town. An angel comes to Joseph and unveils the plan for the birth of the child. The baby is born and Magi from the east come to Jerusalem asking where the child is. Mary, Joseph and baby Jesus then flee to Egypt only later to return and settle in Nazareth. Mark and John both skip the birth narrative altogether! Luke has the opening 2 chapters dedicated to the birth of Jesus! Here we read about the angel speaking to Mary, the decree from Caesar Augustus, Mary and Joseph traveling from Nazareth to Bethlehem, the baby placed in a manger, shepherds and angels out in the fields, and shepherds going to see the newborn. Take a few moments and read these wonderful stories of the birth of our Savior Jesus Christ. Have you noticed the differences before? Did you realize that only two of the Gospels have a birth story? Knowing the scriptures is important. If they are not known, how can we live them? How can they be a part of our lives? How can we share them? As we journey through this Christmas Season and into the New Year, let us commit to reading from the scriptures every day for the truth will set us free. Shalom, Rev. David S. Lake Pastor David Lake s Office Hours: Varied (9-12 a.m. T-F) Church Office Hours: Mon.-Fri. 8:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m. Please join us for Sunday Services: 8:30 a.m. & 10:45 a.m. F.I.S.H. Club 9:30 a.m. Children plus Adult Ed Classes First United Methodist Church 112 N Richhill St Waynesburg, PA firstumcpa@windstream.net

2 Christmas Eve Candlelight Service Monday, December 24th at 7 p.m. Mission is most impactful when: 1. We know God our Master deeply. 2. We make sacrifices for the sake of others. 3. It is done through a community of people. Volunteers Needed: Meals on Wheels is in desperate need of volunteers! Also, Community Action Southwest is looking for Ombudsman volunteers. Call: or Volunteers Needed: The Cherry Door, an extension of the Washington Health System Greene Auxiliary is in need of volunteers. Please call if you are interested in helping.

3 GENERAL FUND 2018 MONTH INCOME EXPENSES PROFIT/(LOSS) JANUARY $ 19, $ 26, $ (6,252.51) FEBRUARY $ 21, $ 22, $ (1,339.97) MARCH $ 15, $ 19, $ (3,297.27) APRIL $ 22, $ 22, $ MAY $ 13, $ 22, $ (8,901.60) JUNE $ 15, $ 20,233,59 $ (4,259.96) JULY $ 15, $ 18, $ (2,557.47) AUGUST $ $ 16, $ 3, SEPTEMBER $ 13, $ 16, $ (2,966.27) OCTOBER $ 14, $ 18, $ (3,677.89) NOVEMBER $.00 $.00 $.00 DECEMBER $.00 $.00 $.00 *NOTE: Figures in parentheses are negative. *NOTE: Figures do not include in-church transfers. Salvation Army Bell Ringing at Giant Eagle Our church will be ringing on December 8, 14 and 20. Come out and give generously to the cause. The money raised in Greene County stays here. Thank you to those church family people who signed up to ring. If something happens that you can t ring, call Cathy Chopnyak at so she can fill your time slot. "Prayer for a Brighter Greene will continue on the third Tuesday of every month at 5 p.m. at the Greene County Fairgrounds (Building #9). Next meeting Tues., December 18, 2018!

4 Money is one of God s gifts to people. Every man also to whom God has given wealth and possessions and power to enjoy them, and to accept his lot and find enjoyment in his toil this is the gift of God (Eccl. 5:19). Every man also to whom God has given wealth and possessions and power to enjoy them, and to accept his lot and find enjoyment in his toil this is the gift of God (Ecclesiastes 5:19). Solomon, who penned this verse, was one of the wisest people who ever lived. When Solomon succeeded his father, David, as King of Israel, God said to him, Ask for whatever you want me to give you. Many of us would have answered differently than Solomon did. We would have asked for wealth, for beauty, for possessions or for material things of some sort. Solomon asked God for wisdom and knowledge so that he might properly rule over the nation of Israel. And because he did not ask for riches or wealth, God gave them as well as wisdom and knowledge to him in abundance. One of the areas in which Solomon s wisdom was prevalent was in the matter of wealth. That s why in our text for today from Ecclesiastes 5:19, Solomon describes wealth and the enjoyment of wealth as a gift from God. As we have seen in previous presentations, God grants mankind the ability to earn that which belongs to God Himself: money and wealth. But then He goes a step further and proclaims through His servant, Solomon, that we are to enjoy this provision, for both the wealth and the enjoyment thereof are a gift of God. Some people, of course, carry their enjoyment to an extreme. They abuse their wealth, this gift of God, by thinking that their enjoyment is all that matters. They excel in the enjoyment of their wealth to such an extent that they forget the foundational principle that all that we do including using our money is to bring glory to God. A pastor once was encouraging his congregation to give, and he said that some present that morning could not give. The reason, he said, was that they had left God s money at the shopping mall. In other words, they had placed their desires and their pleasure before what they should have given to God and to their church. How do you view money today? Do you realize it comes from God, that just as He gave to Solomon of old, He also gives to you? And in your use of the wealth that God has entrusted to you, are you glorifying Him? As you consider how to glorify God through your money and wealth, and as you consider the offering this morning, remember the words of missionary Jim Elliot, who was martyred in 1956 by the Auca Indians in South America:

5 MISSION HOUSE TO HOST 10,000 VILLAGES The shop will be open Thursdays through Saturdays, beginning on Nov. 29, 2018 and continuing through Sat., Dec. 22, 2018 at the Mission House located at 146 W Franklin Street. They will host the fundraiser for. 10,000 Villages, will be an offsite location of the Pittsburgh Store. If you would like to volunteer to help in taking down and/or selling while the shop is open, please contact Janice Gottschalk by at janicegotts@gmail.com or call her at Ten Thousand Villages is a nonprofit fair trade organization that markets handcrafted products made by disadvantaged artisans from more than 120 artisan groups in more than 35 countries. As one of the world s largest and oldest fair trade organizations, Ten Thousand Villages cultivates long-term buying relationships in which artisans receive a fair price for their work and consumers have access to gifts, accessories and home décor from around the world. Ten Thousand Villages is a founding member of the International Fair Trade Association (IFTA) and a certified member of the Fair Trade Federation (FTF). Ten Thousand Villages is also a nonprofit partner of Mennonite Central Committee. (taken from Wikipedia) will benefit from 15% of sales which translated to $500 in 2016 and $888 in PLEASE DROP IN BETWEEN 10:00 AM AND 5:30 PM THURSDAY, FRIDAY, AND SATUR- DAY UNTIL 2:00 pm. WE WILL LOOK FORWARD TO SERVING YOU. Janice Gottschalk, Coordinator Christmas Caroling HAS BEEN TRANSFORMED IN- TO A VALENTINE SERENADING EVENT IN NURSING HOMES DON T RECEIVE MUCH ATTENTION THEN. SHARE THE LOVE.

6 Gift Cards.the gift that always fits! Don t forget to get your gift cards to do your Christmas shopping. You can either give the gift card as a gift or use the gift card to buy the gift and the Antioch Connection receives a percentage of your purchase at no extra charge to you. A couple of things you might not know: Giant Eagle gift cards can be used to purchase any of the gift cards that Giant Eagle carries. Giant Eagle gift cards can be used at Getgo Amazon is one of the most popular and well received gifts.they have everything that anyone could want you can t go wrong giving an Amazon gift card. Walmart gift cards can also be used at Sam s Club Connie carries some $10 Walmart for the smaller gift giving. Sheetz gift cards cannot be purchased at Giant Eagle but Connie always has a supply on hand. Connie Hart will always have a number of gift cards available to purchase. See her in church or at cmhart@windstream.net and she ll make arrangements to get the cards to you. Also, please consider signing up at and selecting 2 nd Sam 9 as your designated charity. Any purchases you make on-line through igive will automatically give a percentage to 2 nd Sam 9. So, you ll be benefitting our church and God s work at 2 nd Sam 9. It s a win/win! Thank you for participating in the Angel Tree event and turning in your gifts by Sunday, Dec. 2nd. This was coordinated by Catholic Charities and the gifts will be appreciated by many boys and girls in Greene County.. Rada Products for Sale Rada products are always available with a catalog/order forms in the church office. Retired and Senior Volunteer Program Blueprints (formerly Southwest Community Action) is in need of retired and senior volunteers to help them during the daytime. Please call Jill at Ext. 520 if you are able to volunteer your time.

7 Hello! My name is Correy Limerick and I am very honored to be the new Director of Missions and Youth Ministry here at First United Methodist Church in Waynesburg. I have only been here about a month but I ve already received such a loving and warm welcome from both staff and members of the congregation. So to that I give a BIG THANKS TO ALL! I am so grateful to be here because everything from working with the youth, to the folks at Out Cafe has been amazing! It is my heart to see transformation in people s lives and this position gives me the perfect opportunity to partner with God and with others to see lives changed for the Glory of God. A little about me: I am 38 years old and I am the father of 4 beautiful children. I currently live in Washington, Pa and I grew up in Punxsutawney Pa. I grew up in a home where we went to Catholic Church and School, and although my parents did their best with what they knew, the principles that were modeled in my home were far from Christian. As a youth I ended up getting involved with the wrong crowd in Junior High School. For many years I lived a life far apart from the life that God had created me to live. If anyone s life was a total train wreck, it was mine. However, this set me up to experience the life transforming power, grace and mercy of our precious Lord. A month before my 24 th birthday I gave my life to Jesus Christ and He DRAMATICALLY changed my life forever! The transformation that I experienced through His Word and His Spirit put a fire in me that has never been quenched, even in the toughest seasons of life! A couple years after I was saved as I was planning to be a drug and alcohol counselor, God had His own plans and put a calling on my life to enter the ministry. I enrolled in Bethany Divinity College where I graduated with a degree in Pastoral Ministry. I ve been involved with various churches and aspects of ministry but though it all, my heart continues to burn for evangelism and outreach, to see Jesus take the least and the worst and transform them by His Mighty Power and Love. More specifically, my heart longs to see a generation of young people who are lost and have no direction be touched by our mighty God and come to find out who God really is, who they really are in Christ, and to discover the powerful destiny that God has for each one of them. I believe that there is a growing hunger in our youth culture today to experience something real. To be touched by God in a real and tangible way that they would experience His Love and His Goodness. That they wouldn t just be entertained by the latest fads, but that they would experience the living Word of God. Our youth have heard all the bible stories, the importance of going to church, and the latest Christian music, but what they are hungry for (and some of them don t even know it yet), is a genuine encounter with Jesus Christ! When the Word of God is being taught, The Spirit of God is in action, and the genuine love of Christ is being displayed through one another is when we will see a real breakthrough in our youth for God. So I ask that you please join with me in prayer for our youth! Prayer for breakthrough, that God would raise up a generation of on fire young people for His glory, who love God and His Word, and who have a heart to transform the world around them for Jesus!

8 Prison Ministry Update Our fall reunion session has come to an end and we ll have a little break over the holidays before starting our new session in January. Our last session together is always a little sad because we know we won t be seeing each other for a few weeks and we really enjoy our time together. During our last session we stay seated in a circle rather than at separate round tables. We share what we liked about the session and possibly what we should change. Inevitably the conversation always turns to how much the men have learned in the sessions over the years and how very much they appreciate us coming in each week and sharing with them. It seems like they cannot tell us enough just how much it means to them that we take time away from our families (their words) to be with them. And, they are always sure to give the glory to God for helping us volunteers to be faithful to what He has called us to do (their words). I thought in this update that I would introduce you to some of the men in our session and give you a little insight into what we are blessed to witness each week Mr. K has been with us for years and is always so happy to be in attendance. He considers his gift to be a prayer warrior and takes that very seriously. Each week he will ask you specifically about things that you have asked him to pray about. He will pray fervently until you tell him otherwise. Even over the summer three-month break, he prayed for our requests and immediately asked us about them when we returned in the fall. What a blessing he is and not only to us but to the other men in the group as well. Mr. H always arrives with the biggest smile you ever saw.you can t help but smile when that guy looks at you! He made the comment to the volunteers one time that you don t know how good it feels to walk in that door and see your smiling faces. He has no idea how much HE makes us smile by his sweet and grateful spirit! Mr. B has been there as long as I ve been doing prison ministry (12 years). When we asked why the men signed up for a particular session and what they were hoping to get out of it, Mr. B. said that he had no idea what the session was about but if Miss Marilyn (volunteering at the time) and Miss Connie were doing it, he KNEW that it would be good and based on the Word of God. Mr. W spent 30 years on death row in solitary confinement as a juvenile lifer. Because of a recent change in the law, juvenile lifers cannot be put to death, so he is now in general population and so grateful to have life in prison. Hard to imagine but true. So, that gives you a glimpse into just a few of the men we serve. God has been so good and allowed us to see so much growth among these men and in the volunteers. It s amazing how much we ALL grow in our faith when we spend each week with people who really want to dive in and understand what the Bible has to say and how they can apply it to their life. We volunteers comment often how we would have never experienced so much depth in our own Christian walk without this opportunity to serve at SCI Greene. We are so grateful to God for continuing to keep the doors at SCI Greene open to us and for continuing to allow us to minister to our brothers in Christ in prison. Matthew 25:36 (when I was in prison, you came to visit me) Connie Hart on behalf of the prison team; Shirley Baily, Rex Gardner and Rev. Bill Sukolsky

9 December Birthdays Choir Practice Bell Choir Thursdays at 6:30 p.m. Chancel Choir Thursdays at 7:30 p.m. 3 Ruth Eleanor Craft 5 Ella Elizabeth Milliken 6 Greg Riggle Jenna Dunn Greene County Hymn Sing December 9th at First UMC Carmichaels January 13, 2019 at Oakview UMC 7 Devin McCall 14 James McCall 15 Dora Hegyi 20 Kaye Schultz 26 Adam Yeager Anita Stoner 29 Lori Duer Did we miss anyone s birthday? Call the church office or send an to get your special day in the newsletter Call WE WANT YOU... Care &Share is not a 1, 2 or even 3 person job. It takes many people. Although we have many on our list to help, we wouldn't want to leave anyone out that would like to be of service. Do you like to cook? Could you use your time to take someone to an appointment? Do you have time to sit and visit? Do you have the talent to build or repair, or climb a ladder to change a light bulb for someone that can't? Please see or call Jeanette Lindsay ( ) or Janet Cree ( ) if you'd like to share your gifts & talents for the Lord. Pray always ~ without ceasing! Please call prayer requests to: the church office at If you would rather , send them to Wayne Hart at: wahart@windstream.net (Subject: Prayer Ministry) Your 2019 Offering Envelopes are on the pew in the back of the church and can be picked up anytime. Anyone who would like envelopes assigned to them, please call the church office at Announcement List December 2.Youth December KC Waddel December Rich Waddel December Wayne Hart December Rich Waddel

10 December 2018 SUN MON TUE WED THU FRI SAT 1 Christmas Parade 2 1st Sunday of Advent 3 Dartball 4 7-8:30 PM Disciple Fastrack PM Kid s Café 6 6:30 PM Bell Choir Chancel Choir 7 8 SA Bell Ringing at Giant Eagle 9 2nd Sunday of Advent 9:30 AM Breakfast 7 PM Greene County Hymn Sing 10. Dartball :30 PM Disciple Fastrack PM Kid s Café 13 6:30 PM Bell Choir Chancel Choir Noon-10 PM AA Christmas Party 16 3rd Sunday of Advent 17 Newsletter Deadline! Dartball :30 PM Disciple Fastrack PM Kid s Café 20 6:30 PM Bell Choir Chancel Choir SA Bell Ringing at Giant Eagle th Sunday of Advent 24 7 PM Christmas Eve Service 25 Merry Christmas PM Kid s Café 27 6:30 PM Bell Choir Chancel Choir New Year s Eve NEWSLETTER ARTICLES ARE DUE TO THE CHURCH OFFICE BY Monday, December 17th or earlier.