Christmas Eve at Door Village NEWSLETTER. December Candlelight Service 7 pm

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1 UNITED METHODIST CHURCH December 2018 NEWSLETTER Pastor Letter.1-2 Info/Events 3-7 Poinsettia Order...5 Children s Info.7 Birthdays & Anniversaries.. 8 Christmas Eve at Door Village Please join us as we celebrate the birth of our Savior Monday December 24 Candlelight Service 7 pm For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace. Of the increase of his government and peace there shall be no end, upon the throne of David, and upon his kingdom, to order it, and to establish it with judgment and with justice from henceforth even for ever. The zeal of the LORD of hosts will perform this. (Isaiah 9:6-7) Advent is upon us and we will soon be enjoying another Christmas season. Advent is a season of expectant waiting and preparation. It is a celebration of the Nativity of Jesus at Christmas as well as the return of Jesus at the second coming. The term advent is a version of the Latin word meaning "coming." Christians have spoken of the three comings of Christ: in the flesh in Bethlehem, in our hearts daily, and in glory at the end of time. The season of Advent also marks the beginning of the Western liturgical year which begins on the fourth Sunday before Christmas. Some call this first week Advent Sunday. Practices associated with Advent include keeping an Advent calendar, lighting an Advent wreath, praying an Advent daily devotional, erecting a Christmas tree, as well as a hanging of the greens ceremony. We had our hanging of the greens the last week of November. No one knows how or when Advent got its start but there are writings about it which go back to the year 480. The Council of Tours of 567 ordered the Monks to fast every day in the month of December until Christmas I will assume one meal a day, but I m not sure. The violet or purple color is often used for fabric decorations around the church. The Lutheran Book of Worship lists blue as the preferred color for Advent while the Methodist Book of Worship and the Presbyterian Book of Common Worship identify purple or blue as appropriate for Advent. (continued on page 2)

2 Many churches also hold special musical events, such as Nine Lessons and Carols and the singing of Handel s Messiah. To be honest, I have no background in Advent. I wasn t raised in church, and the Evangelical churches, by and large, are not big on it either. So, the first time I heard the popular Advent hymn, O Come, O Come, Emmanuel, I couldn t sing it because I had never heard it before. Seems strange to some, but I believe there are more people who do not have this tradition than those who do. The concept of the Advent wreath originated among German Lutherans in the 16th Century. Three centuries later, the modern Advent wreath began to take shape. It was in the nineteenth century while teaching impatient children during the weeks preceding Christmas that pastors in Germany began to use what we now have as a wreath. Those first wreaths had a candle for every day with larger ones for Sundays and one large one in the center. The wreath has evergreens on it, traditionally made of fir tree branches, which have a red ribbon. Some also have pine cones, holly, laurel, and sometimes mistletoe. There are a lot of traditions and symbolism attached to the wreath, and I m sure some of you could teach me a few of them. The candles have names, Hope Peace Joy Love. Some ministers bring messages on each name during this time of year. I hope I didn t bore you to death about Advent, but for me this is a rather new concept. I ve only been around it for about twenty years. So, when you look at people such as me who had no clue to what Advent was about and you think, how strange, just be aware that people like me may be doing the same thing looking in. Let s face it, Advent candles with names, purple colors, special music, and hanging of the greens can seem odd to most people around the world, but I had people who were very loving to me and helped me along the way. Blessed Advent, Merry Christmas, and Happy New Year to each of you. Prayer: Lord Jesus, help us to prepare our hearts for Your coming. Help us to believe You have come, You exist in our hearts, and You are coming again. Thank You and bless this time of year for all of us. Amen.

3 Mark your calendar for this year s UMW Dec 4 HOLIDAY COOKIES $5 PER DOZEN CHEESE BALLS FUDGE BREADS Saturday, Dec. 15 at Kabelin s 8 am 1 pm Proceeds to families in need Church office will be closed: Christmas Day, Dec 25 New Year s Day, Jan 1 MEN S BREAKFAST & FELLOWSHIP will meet December 8 at 8 am in Fellowship Hall UMW will be making Cheese Balls (for the bake sale) on Wednesday, December 12, in the kitchen at 1 pm. Advent devotional booklets are available on the ushers table. Electronic Giving Offerings can now be made from a mobile device or computer through a secure site by visiting our church website, doorvillagechurch.org, and clicking the electronic offering button:

4 On behalf of the Board of Trustees, I would like to thank you all for another successful Turkey Dinner on Nov 3. As we all know, the annual Turkey Dinner is probably the most labor intensive event (aside from the Great La Porte County Fair) that we, as a church family undertake throughout the year. Without the hard work and support of all of you, the success would be minimal at best. Although the numbers were down, we still made a significant profit to help supplement the Trustees budget. According to actual ticket count, 155 dinners were prepared in the carryout line, with 158 dinners being served to those choosing to dine in. With a total of 313 dinners it calculates out to a dinner being served in one line or the other every 34.5 seconds! After all expenses were paid, we realized a net profit of $ Words alone can hardly express how much we appreciate the way all of you, our church family, can come together to make this dinner a success year after year. Respectful submitted, Bob Wiltfong UMW Meeting & Christmas Potluck Monday, Dec. 17 6:30 pm in the church parlor for all church women. Secret Pals will be revealed. If you would like to participate, feel free to bring a $20 gift to exchange. Hostesses will be Diane Plotner, Cheryl Good, and Virginia Thomas. Thank you, church family, for all you do to support our many mission projects! DVUMC UMW Bake Sale at Kabelin s is Dec 15. Anyone is welcome to donate baked goods. Please bring them to the church on Friday, Dec 14, or to Kabelin s at 8 am on Dec 15. Cookies, fudge, candy, breads, and cheeseballs are needed to sell. Thank you. We always welcome new people to join us, so tell your friends about Kids Club at Door Village! Tuesdays after school til 5:15 After-school program for Grades K-5 Snacks at 4 pm - Pick-up time is 5:15 Christian lesson ~ Lots of fun December 4 Mission Night (pack a backpack) December 11 Christmas Craft & Cookie Decorating December 18 Christmas Caroling at Oakwood December 25 No Kids Club Merry Christmas!

5 School bags We need the following foods for the Kingsbury Backpack Project. Aldi s has the best price. We now pack 30. Brown Sugar & Strawberry Pop Tarts Millville Fruit & Grain Bars Ramen Noodles Lunch Buddies Fruit Snacks Peanut Butter Wafers Chewy Granola Bars Peanut Butter Sandwich Crackers Grand Oats & Honey Granola Bars Cans of Ravioli, Spaghetti-O s, etc. Small jars of grape jelly/peanut butter Canned Chicken Noodle Soup Macaroni & Cheese Mixes Choir Practices Wednesdays at 7 pm Donations for Families in Need UMW is asking for donations of food, household supplies, gift cards, and money for families in need this Christmas. A box is located at the front of the sanctuary for these donations or see Carolyn Eyrick to make a monetary donation. Thank you for your help. Poinsettia Orders If you would like to order a poinsettia, please fill out this form and give it to Bill Applegarth. Each poinsettia is $11. All poinsettias will be red this year. They may be picked up after the Christmas Eve service (Dec. 24 th at 7 pm). or Christmas Day service (Dec. 25 th at 10 am). Poinsettia in honor of Poinsettia in memory of Your name Deadline for orders is Dec 16, 2018.

6 Mon thru Thurs 7 am 12 noon Sundays Weekly Sunday School 9 am Weekly Worship 10 am Communion Service First Sunday Wednesdays Bible Study & Youth Group 6 pm Choir Practice 7 pm Sat, Dec 1 Sun, Dec 2 Youth Lock-In Tuesday, Dec 4 Senior Breakfast 8 am at Christos Saturday, Dec 8 Men s Breakfast 8 am in Fellowship Hall Wednesday, Dec 12 UMW Making Cheeseballs 1 pm Saturday, Dec 15 UMW Christmas Bake Sale 8 am 1 pm at Kabelin s West Store Monday, Dec 17 UMW Potluck 6:30 pm Thursday, Dec 20 Ad Council Meeting 7 pm Monday, Dec 24 Christmas Eve Candlelight Service 7 pm Tuesday, Dec 25 Christmas Day Office Closed DECEMBER COUNTING TEAM Joyce Koselke, Marlette Bernacchi, Kevin & Stephanie Kaiser VOLUNTEERS s ssssssssssss Greeters: Dec 2 Communion Service Nursery: Cathy Bradley & youth Dec 9 Traditional Service Greeters: Nursery: Pam Kievert & youth Dec 16 Traditional Service Greeters: Mary Becker Nursery: Connie Clougher & youth Dec 23 Traditional Service Greeters: Nursery: Jessica Martin & youth Dec 30 Traditional Service Greeters: Nursery: Laurel Noll & youth

7 Youth Meetings Wednesdays at 6 pm + Special Sundays All night Dec 1 st Invite friends & come hungry! Youth will be shopping for Christmas families and sharing a night of fun! DEC SUNDAY SCHOOL 9 AM ADVENT WITH YOUR FAMILY PRESCHOOL 5 TH GRADE DEC 2 - Elizabeth & Zechariah DEC 9 - Mary DEC 16 - Mary & Elizabeth DEC 23 - Joseph, Mary, & Jesus DEC 30 - Simeon & Anna

8 How to contact Pastor Bob: Mobile: Office: Find him on Facebook! 12/01 Jo Parsons 12/13 Marlette Bernacchi 12/24 Kim Kaldahl 12/10 Julie & Bill Sinclair 12/02 Tammy Pounds 12/13 Emma Fenstermaker 12/25 Carol Applegarth 12/26 Robert & Joyce Koselke 12/02 Maggie Schuster 12/13 Ava Fenstermaker 12/25 Terry Fenstermaker 12/27 Lloyd & Marilyn Vance 12/03 Tony Martin 12/14 Dory Morley 12/25 Mary Forbes 12/29 Mitch & Carla Marhanka 12/06 Jim Timmons 12/17 Dan Jeffers 12/25 Chris Profilovich 12/30 Greg & Bette Pointon 12/07 Brett Marhanka 12/19 Mandy Hindsley 12/26 Marion Amor 12/08 Alex Coulter 12/19 Johnny Gakle 12/26 Betty Shunk 12/10 Dave Applegarth 12/21 Samuel Veach 12/27 Stephanie Kaiser 12/11 Josh Timmons 12/22 Jean Coulter 12/30 Ryan Lippold 12/12 Jane Hubner 12/22 Kim Kuffel