Stretching, Awaiting, Milton Lewis, Senior Pastor

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1 Having a baby changes your life. The world as you knew it ends, and a new world is created. The only problem is that the lifestyle, demands, needs, and problems of the old world carry into the new one. You have to keep doing your job and paying your bills. If you played golf before the baby was born, you want to find a way to continue playing golf in the new world you now inhabit. The baby s needs are great, and you are in love with your baby. Clearly, your life has changed, and the challenge is, how do you layer this whole new world on top of the world you were used to living in? In February of this year, NHUMC had a baby. A really big baby. We named it the Ministry Center. With the arrival of the new baby, a new world was born; yet our old world, or should I say previously existing world, continued on. Now, just like every family into which a child is born, we have the happy challenge of being citizens of two worlds: the world the baby brought, and the world we were living in before the baby came. I am proud of how we are embracing this challenge. Under the leadership of Lupina Stewart and our Missions committee/ team, we are providing a presence/event at the Ministry Center on the 18 th of every month. The Ministry Center Steering Committee and subcommittees have been meeting regularly, and plans are progressing. We are looking at a distinct possibility of approving the building remodel plans and commencing construction in the spring of next year. Likewise, initial conversations are underway to conduct a capital funds campaign in the spring. (Babies are expensive, you know!) The Center will be an outpost for a comprehensive ministry of worship, prayer, teaching, study, learning, social services, community, counseling, children s ministries, and a host of other ministries I m sure we haven t even thought of yet. (Reminder that about 1200 people daily get off and on one of the four bus lines that converge directly in front of the building.) Despite our best planning; despite our very intentional efforts to learn the nature of human and spiritual need in this community, we simply have no idea of the shape and quantity of opportunities that will emerge for us to love the world for which Christ died. We only trust that we will be ready to respond as needs and opportunities are revealed. Life will go forward in our established world at 3703 North Loop 1604 East. We have a multitude of challenges and opportunities on our main campus. Yet in the meantime, let us continue to pray for this new baby four miles away on 4306 Naco Pass. I am confident that God will provide the means for us to accomplish significant ministry in our old world and in our new one as well. Stretching, Awaiting, Milton Lewis, Senior Pastor

2 ( ) december 5 Breakfast with Santa, 9-11 a.m. 9 Children s Christmas Program, 6:15 p.m., Sanctuary 12 All-church Christmas party, 6:30 p.m., Northern Hills Country Club 13 Giving Tree gifts due 14 UMW Circulo de Esperanza, 6:15-8:15 p.m. UMW Hope Circle, 6:30-8 p.m. 15 Giving Tree gift delivery, 9 a.m. 1 p.m. UMW Faith Circle, 10 a.m. noon 18 Christmas Posada at the Ministry Center, 5:30-7 p.m. 23 Church office closes at noon 24 Church office closed Christmas Eve Worship in the Sanctuary: 2 p.m., 7 p.m., 11 p.m. Christmas Eve worship in the Worship Center: 4 p.m., 6 p.m., 8 p.m. 25 Merry Christmas (church office closed) 28 Emmaus Gathering, 6:30-8:30 p.m Church office closed Wednesday Nights in Dec. December 2: 5:30 p.m. Supper lite 6:15 p.m. Combined worship in the Worship Center (Lupina Villalpando-Stewart) and Children s Christmas Program rehearsal in the Sanctuary 7 p.m. Bible Studies/Choir practice December 9: 5:30 p.m. Supper Lite 6:15 p.m. Children s Christmas Program in the Sanctuary 7 p.m. Bible Studies/Choir practice No Wednesday Night activities for the remainder of December. Dec. Supper lite menu December 2: Chilaquiles (corn tortillas, chicken, green chile sauce, sour cream) December 9: brisket, green beans, potato salad No Wednesday Night supper/worship for the rest of December. (Join us at the Ministry Center on December 18 for tamales at the Christmas Posada.) October Attendance These figures include Wednesday worship and all Sunday morning worship services. 10/4: /11: /18: /25: th at the Ministry Center Christmas Posada By now, you ve probably participated in or seen the details on our events at the Ministry Center on the 18th of each month. This continues to be an effective meet those who live in and pass through the neighborhood. On Friday, December 18th, we ll have a Christmas Posada from 5:30-7 p.m. (There will be on Wednesday Night supper/worship that week; we encourage you to attend the Posada.) Watch your bulletin for more details. Hope to see you there! Church Calendar If you are in charge of a group and need church space for 2016, now is the time to submit your requests. Please go to and submit your requests. Group meetings and such are not automatically renewable and must be resubmitted each year. You will receive a verification from Tanna once completed. Moving On Group The Moving On group will be meeting at Salt Grass Steakhouse on December 12 th at 11:00 a.m. The restaurant is located at San Pedro (281 N access road). The Moving On group is a Christian fellowship group for widows and widowers. Please come join us for wonderful fellowship and great food. RSVP s are required. Call Maxine by noon on December 10 th to RSVP, Church-wide Christmas Party Saturday, December 12, 2015 Church-wide Christmas Party at Northern Hills Golf Club (the old neighborhood ). Festivities begin at 6:30 p.m. Tickets are $25 per person and include dinner, fellowship, singing, games, dancing, childcare, lots of fabulous door prizes, and more fun that you can probably stand! All are invited, but the venue will only accommodate 300, so plan to get your tickets soon.

3 Our Mission: Fiesta!!! Mirad cuán bueno y cuán delicioso es habitar los hermanos juntos en armonía! Salmo 133:1 How good and pleasant it is when God s people live together in unity! Psalm 133:1 Jesus teaches us through his example that one of the most important things to do when we want to connect and learn from the people in our community is to spend time together and share a meal. There is something special when we sit together and break bread together. I encourage you to follow Jesus example as a missionary on December 18 th from 5:30 to 7:00 p.m. at the Ministry Center at our Christmas Posada. Posada is a Mexican Christmas celebration where we tell the story of how Mary and Joseph are looking for a place to stay when Jesus was going to be born. This time of celebration will be one of our strongest outreach ministries for the Hispanic/Latino population of the area. We will o UMW The UMW will host Parent s Night Out on Dec 5 from 5:30-9:30 p.m. Childcare is $10 per child with a $25 maximum. Reservations due to sylvia.faber@yahoo.com by Nov 30. All women are invited to the UMW Unit Christmas Party and potluck on December 6 at 2 p.m. at 1118 Olympic Club. Childcare available at the church. Please contact Donna Roeder, roederdl@gvtc.com, for more information. Thank you for attending and supporting Fun, Food, Follies! It was a huge success and will help us support women and children' missions. have a time to share a meal (the best tamales in San Antonio), worship, learn about Jesus love for us and have a piñata time for the children. I need you to come with me and party together. Your strongest contribution is that you come, smile, and learn from the participants. I assure you that the language barrier will disappear. If you want to help in a more specific way at this event, we need prayer warriors, people to set tables, chairs, etc., servers for the meal, ushers to welcome people and pinata holders. Please s us at: ministerio@nhumc.org and we will be happy to add you to the list of volunteers. May God use each of you to strengthen our connection with the community and share with each other God s love and hope. Bendiciones o de Dios, Pastor Lupina Grief Support Group The NHUMC Grief Support Group hosted a six-week presentation of "Life After Loss" this Fall. The aim was that persons who have lost someone near to them in the recent past could attend the presentation which was very professionally conducted by Celeste Miller of Porter Loring Family Services. The average attendance was about 27 per week. Plans are currently ongoing to conduct another presentation in There is no charge for the presentation. o Support Ministry for Caregivers The NHUMC Grief Support Group meets on Wednesdays, from 4 to 5 p.m., in the Acts Cafe. All who have an issue to discuss are welcome to join us. Pastor Gene Bixler We are exploring the possibility of creating a support ministry for those who are caregivers of elderly parents or people who require a family member to take care of them. The following was written by Todd Phillips, sharing his experience as a caregiver. If you are in this role or if you would like to participate in this ministry, please contact us at care@nhumc.org. Sometimes I joke that when they asked for volunteers to be my dad's caregiver, everyone else in line took a giant step backwards. My mom died in 2009, and my 90 year old dad lived alone in a two story house for four years afterward. I drove to Austin several times on a moments notice to get him to or out of the hospital, and tried to organize his affair's for him while there. Near the end of 2013 he was taken by EMS to a local ER and received an emergent pacemaker implant. At that point I moved him to assisted living in San Antonio despite his protests. Since then, he has survived a broken neck and several other falls, while progressing further into dementia with significant memory loss. We sold his house, paid off his due and overdue bills, and moved him to skilled nursing when assisted living was no longer an option. Fortunately his retirement income covers his housing and care, and he empowered me to be his legal and financial proxy before he became unable to comprehend the need to do so. I have made mistakes, been through the learn-as-you-go school of care giving, and been stressed out & more exhausted than I thought possible. I have learned about power of attorney, medical power of attorney, and power of prayer. I know I am not alone in this type of situation, almost weekly I talk to someone dealing with the struggles of caring for someone who cant care for themselves. Prayers are said for all of us. God Bless.

4 Ministry Center Hosts District Meeting Representatives from across our District of the Rio Texas Conference met at the Ministry Center on Nov. 8 with District Superintendent Carl Rohlfs presiding. The event focused on ministering outside the walls of the church. Several district ministries shared displays and information concerning their efforts in the community. And three ministries made presentations to those in attendance. One of the three was the vision for our Ministry Center, delivered by Pastor Lupina Stewart. She also introduced Reverend James Labala and his wife Anna visiting from Liberia. We support their efforts back home which focus on children and their education needs. Prayer Time, Friday Mornings 6:30 to 7:00 a.m. Prayer Time, led by Able Stewart, takes place every Friday morning at the Ministry Center. We are delighted that the first persons from the community have joined. All are welcome, so please come if you can. Coming Up Join us at the Ministry Center on Friday, December 18 th for a traditional Mexican dinner of tamales (5:30-6 p.m.) and Posada, a typical Mexican Christmas Celebration with a narrated processional and culminating with piñatas and gifts for the kids at 6:15 p.m. Come let us worship the Christ Child in this Holy Christmas season. Building Development We are excited to move toward completing the Ministry Center build-out. After extensive work by the Steering Group subcommittees to identify their facility needs, we finalized our building requirements document this past summer. We initially hoped to team with ministry partners for a campus-wide development project, but have determined that moving forward with our build-out will best serve our goals. We re striving to maintain flexibility in this process so we have the option to partner on the construction project if and when the opportunity arises. We are currently in the process of obtaining a bid for a pre-construction/ design phase of the build-out that will further develop our internal planning documents to create final space allocations, a floor plan, and a construction cost estimate. After bid review and approval, we hope to start the pre-construction phase in January and complete it in late March From there, we anticipate having a bid for the construction phase of the project that would allow us to start construction in early summer 2016 with an optimistic completion date in the Jan 2017 timeframe. October 18 th Event It was a pleasant evening and a good crowd of folks who attended the October Praise Service on the 18th at the Ministry Center. It was a welcoming atmosphere with open doors and plenty of amplification for the music to reach those at the bus stop and beyond. Sharing their talents were Pastor Dan Harrington, Andrea Runnels, Abel Stewart, Nate Finley, Luis Perez, Chris Kester and Laurie Gibbs.

5 The story of Christmas begins long before Jesus birth. From the very beginning, God had a plan for redemption. The apostle Paul declared, The Son is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation For God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in him, and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether things on earth or things in heaven, by making peace through his blood, shed on the cross. Colossians 1:15, NIV From the beginning, the Bible tells of the love between God and his people. Through the many ups and downs and twists and turns, redemption is God s plan, and he will stop at nothing to fulfill that plan and rescue his people. And so God sent Jesus. God actually gift-wrapped himself in all his fullness, in human flesh, so he could come and live among us and offer us life and salvation that we could never gain on our own. Why Advent? We want Christmas! The season of Advent the four Sundays leading up to Christmas Day is a special time for believers because it challenges us to pause and remember the hope we have during a stressful season that all too often emphasizes greed and money. Advent allows us the time and space to refocus our hearts and minds on Jesus. The observation of Advent is a gift a time to reflect, meditate, and pray, asking God to do a great work in our hearts as we remember anew the great gift that has been given to us through his Son. We observe Advent because God expects something amazing to happen in our lives at Christmas. Embrace this season of Advent expectantly, grabbing hold of the hope that is come because God expects Christmas to change you. That is why he sent a Savior, born to change the world. That is why he gave us the gift of himself, in Jesus Christ. NHUMC Instrumental Ensemble is growing. Come learn, play and fellowship with other believers. Sunday afternoons 3:30-4:30. Youth Choir Will take a break after they lead worship December 6 th and resume January 10 th at 4:30 in the sanctuary. Sanctuary Choir Will present A Thrill of Hope Sunday December 13 th during the 8:30 and 11:00 Worship services. Christmas Eve Choir sign ups are underway! Just go to to sign up. The rehearsal will be Saturday December 19 th 9:30 in the worship center. Be sure to reserve your seat and pick up your music packet and CD by December. 6 th. Scott and Catherine Weiser Gid DeLaRosa Sue Brewer Tyne Tiller & Kelly Young Bill White Milton Cole & Jan Fulton Mind, Body, and Soul: A group where faith and fitness come together. Mind, Body, and Soul let s get healthy! Dee Dee Said is running a small group with the Daniel Plan. Books are $10. Join us on Sunday nights 5:30-7 for discussion on the book and a time of exercise. This is a group that will focus on encouraging one another as we strive for a healthier lifestyle.

6 Advent books and family activities will be given out in Sunday School November 29 and December 6. Please encourage your children to use them in your home to remind them that Jesus is the reason we celebrate Christmas and prepare their hearts for our Savior s birth. Our Children s Christmas program, Christmas is Jesus, will be on Wednesday, December 9th at 6:15 p.m. in the Sanctuary. Our Kings Kids and Cherub Choirs have been working hard on the music. Please join our children as we celebrate Christ s birth through their music, singing and story! Dress Rehearsal: Dec. 2, 6:15 p.m. Christmas Program: Dec. 9, 6:15 p.m. Join us on Saturday, December 5th for Breakfast with Santa, 9:00 a.m. 11:00 a.m. Bring your children, nieces, nephews, grandchildren, your camera and your Christmas spirit! A light breakfast will be served and Santa will be there for pictures. Take this time to choose an ornament from the Giving Tree! The greatest gift at Christmas is to share His love! Be a blessing to others and receive the joy of giving for yourself. Choose an ornament from the Giving Tree this Christmas. We will have items needed by the children at the Miller Child Development Center, Jireh House and other church-supported ministries written on the hanging ornaments. The Giving Tree will be in the Gathering Area starting November 29. Choose one or more ornaments, purchase the item, attach the ornament to the wrapped gift, and return to the Gathering Area by December 13th.

7 merry ChRiStMaS ( ) Christmas Parties! Wear your ugly Christmas sweater! December 2 is our middle school Christmas Party! Wear your ugly sweater and bring a white elephant gift for the gift exchange. We ll meet at regular youth group time 6:30-8 p.m. December 13 is our senior high Christmas party! Wear your ugly sweater, bring a white elephant gift, and join us for fun and games 6-7:30 p.m. What is a white elephant gift? It is a gift that cost less than $5. It is usually something silly, or junk you find around your house. This is not a serious gift exchange, so look through what you want to get rid of! Mid Winters Retreat January Combined with other churches from the Methodist denomination, we will join together at Camp Young Judea in Wimberley for 4 days of camp filled fun! Special events for both mid high and high school groups. This is a chance to grow deeper in your faith, and have a lot of fun doing it! The cost is $200 before Thanksgiving, $250 after. Scholarships are available, as are payment plans. Don t let money be the reason you miss this, we can help! Registration for students and adults: Youth Group Schedule There is no youth group December 9, come join us as we support the children and attend the Children s Christmas Program! There is no youth group on December 16-December 30. Join us December 18 at the Ministry Center for Christmas celebrations and Posada. Youth group will start back up January 3. Contact Carly: or carlyp@nhumc.org

8 Northern Hills United Methodist Church 3703 N Loop 1604 E San Antonio, TX p.m. Traditional Christmas Eve (Dan Harrington) 7 p.m. Christmas for All Nations (Lupina Stewart) 11 p.m. Silent Night service (Milton Lewis) 4 p.m. Christmas Eve with choir (Lupina Stewart) 6 p.m. Christmas Eve with choir (Dan Harrington) 8 p.m. Christmas Eve with choir (Milton Lewis) Holy Communion will be served and there will be candle-lighting at all services. For more information, please call the church office at