Our mission: Embrace our community with God s love Make disciples to share in doing simple things for God s kingdom

Transcription

1 F I R S T U N I T E D M E T H O D I S T C H U R C H N E W S L E T T E R D E C E M B E R Our mission: Embrace our community with God s love Make disciples to share in doing simple things for God s kingdom This December, we are embarking on a mission to counter the overwhelming stress that this season brings to so many of our calendars, our bank accounts, and -yes- our worship and celebration. Instead of exhausting ourselves with the normal drain of the Advent season, we are inviting the church to join together in living out Jesus sacrificial love, following the simple tenets of the Advent Conspiracy: Worship Fully- Nearly every character in the Christmas story that encountered our King responded in the same way: worship. Let s make the conscious effort to reorient our hearts toward Christ. Christmas began with worship, may it end with worship. Spend Less- In our hearts we know mindless consumption is not the way to celebrate Jesus. But spending less does not mean spending nothing. Rather we will thoughtfully evaluate what companies and causes we support through our purchases. Give More- The best gifts celebrate a relationship. They require our time and our energy. Relational giving means that we think about the other person who they are and what they care about. Love All- Christmas is a chance to move closer to those in crisis. We will love others as Jesus has loved us. The poor and hurting of our world can be reached by God through the way we choose to celebrate Christmas. The Advent Conspiracy is about the entire body of Christ at work in the world. As we worship fully, spend less, give more, and love all, something begins to happen that is greater than any single person, church, or denomination. As the Church, we are telling the story of Jesus to the watching world. We have chosen to partner with Keystone Opportunity Center, who will be visiting on December 9 to share information about their work at both services. The mission of Keystone Opportunity Center is to help community members in need by offering a comprehensive array of social services that educate, encourage and empower them to become self-sufficient. As we live out Jesus love, we invite everyone to join us in supporting Keystone and their good work in our community. As we kick off the Advent season, a daily reading list and an Advent Calendar (pgs. 5 and 6) quite unlike any you ve encountered before are included with this newsletter. Also, throughout the Advent season, be on the lookout for weekly devotionals in our bulletins and on social media, as we conspire together to make Christmas meaningful (again)!

2 NOTE FROM THE PASTOR Rest in a Restless World Greetings friends, We live in a restless world. The evidence is all around us. We hurry from one project and activity to another. We may wake up at 5 in the morning, workout at the gym, come home, take the dog out, get the kid s breakfast before school, shower and get dressed, take the kids to the bus stop, pick up some items at the grocery store, all while thinking about what we have to do at work or what time we have to pick up the kids after school and take them to soccer practice, karate or piano lessons. If there is scarcely any time to make dinner, we may stop at McDonald s for a quick bite to eat. We do the same routine or rhythm of life all over again the next day. There will always be appointments and meetings we need to attend and the occasional last-minute trip to the doctors, but sometimes God can surprise us with a snow day and our daily routine is altered. We may carve out some time to play a boardgame with our kids or converse with our neighbor while shoveling our driveway. If we are retired, we often still find ourselves thinking of the next project we should be doing. Even when there is finally downtime in the evenings or the weekends, we may still feel restless and anxious. Rather than enjoying the quiet and truly resting, we may turn on the television and watch the nightly news or spend hours on our iphones and ipads checking out Facebook, Pinterest, or YouTube. It seems that we always need to be doing something. In his article, God s Rest In A Restless World, Dr. Charles Arand attempts to diagnose the problem. He suggests that our focus is too inward. We focus too much on ourselves, our activities, and our worries. He then points us to God s gift of Sabbath. The Sabbath, as the Bible speaks of it, directs us to look past ourselves to the works of our God. In this way, we truly receive rest that inspires and refreshes us. Then, we as creatures, receive the rest that our Creator has intended for us from the beginning of creation. In Genesis 2 we learn about God resting on the seventh day after he called his creation very good. Yet, we read nothing about God s creatures resting on the seventh day. We find that in the Third Commandment in Exodus 20:8: Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy. Two reasons are given in the Scriptures for the Third Commandment. First, in Exodus 20:11 it says, For in six days the Lord made the heaven and earth, the sea, and all that is in them, and rested on the seventh day. Therefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy. It was important for the Creator and so it is important for His creatures. Second, Deuteronomy 5 places the Third Commandment in God s work of redeeming creation: You shall remember that you were a slave in the land of Egypt, and the Lord your God brought you out from there with a mighty hand and an outstretched arm. Therefore the Lord your God commanded you to keep the Sabbath day (Deut. 5:15). As Arand observes, So the Sabbath is connected to the two great works of God: creation and the renewal of His creation. The one looked back to Eden, and the other looked forward to a new Eden, namely, the land of Canaan. Together they comprise God s epic story. Israel was to stop working, rest, and celebrate both of God s achievements. In the process, Israel would be refreshed, renewed, confident of God s provision (Arand, 6). God s works of creation and redemption in the Old Testament look forward to God s final renewal of creation accomplished in Christ. Through God s work in Christ He gives us, his re-created and redeemed people, rest. During our Sunday Morning Worship, God gives us rest in the work of Christ, rest from our sins, renewal in the Spirit of God so that we are empowered and enabled to truly live as God s people in a restless world. No other rest that we manufacture from our own hands will work. Only receiving and resting in the work of God s hands, our Creator and redeemer truly works. So, we continue to rest in God s work in Christ as he offers it in Word, Sacrament, Order, and Service on Sunday Mornings. We come and rest with our fellow brothers and sisters in Christ. We also encourage you to come out and pray with God s people every Tuesday night at 7pm, step up to light the Advent Wreath candles Sunday mornings during the Advent Season, or volunteer at our Christmas Nativity Display Outreach Replicas Of Where Christ Was Born Saturday December 1st from 4:30-8:30pm. What a wonderful way to prepare for Christmas this year! Come as God s child and rest in his Word and work for you. You may be pleasantly surprised by God altering your daily routine or rhythm of life this Holiday Season. From my family to yours, have a Merry Christmas! Pastor Scott 2

3 ADVENT AT FIRST UMC PERKASIE PREP FOR 3RD ANNUAL NATIVITY MUSEUM OUTREACH In November, the outdoor nativity figures were taken to the Upper Bucks Tech School for a clear weather-coating. A big thanks to Becky and Bill Davey (& grandson) for providing the truck and trailer to transport the painted wooden figures. Towards the end of November, the nativity figures were placed on the front lawn of the church, along with a smaller nativity on the 5th street side of the church. The outdoor display will be the first nativity to invite people from our community to come into the church on December 1 for the 3rd annual Nativity Museum. Be sure to contact Bernie DuBois to have your nativity be part of the Museum. Your nativity piece(s) will be returned to you long before Christmas. ADVENT WREATH CANDLE LIGHTERS During Advent, we prepare for, and anticipate, the coming of Christ. We are in need of persons, couples, or families to light the Advent wreath candles, and to read a short devotional. This would take place on Sunday mornings during the Advent Season at both worship services, and during the Christmas Eve services. To be a part of this meaningful tradition, please contact the First Church office for more information. CHOIR NOTES If you don t want to commit to singing in the choir fulltime, come out and join us for the Advent/Christmas season. Rehearsals are Wednesdays at 7:00pm. If interested, please see Robert. MUSIC SUNDAY Please be aware that this year s Music Sunday will be held on December 30th. The message will be proclaimed through music at both services. We invite you and your loved ones to join us for worship on Sunday December 30th! REPLICAS OF WHERE CHRIST WAS BORN CHRISTMAS NATIVITIES We invite everyone to join us and experience Replicas of where Christ was born Christmas Nativities on Saturday, December 1st from 4:30 PM to about 8:30 PM. More than 100 Nativities will be displayed. Stop in on your way to the 109th annual Perkasie Tree Lighting or stop by after the tree lighting. We will also have live music in the form of carols being played and sung. The Nativities will also be on display after worship services on Sunday, December 2nd. Refreshments will be served. 3

4 ADVENT SEASON AT FIRST UMC SATURDAY DECEMBER 1ST 3RD ANNUAL FUMC NATIVITY DISPLAY 4:30 PM TO 8 PM Replicas of Where Christ Was Born SUNDAY DECEMBER 2ND 1ST SUNDAY OF ADVENT; COMMUNION SUNDAY Advent Conspiracy Kickoff Worship Fully 9 AM Contemporary Worship; 10:30 AM Traditional Worship Nativities on display after Traditional Service SUNDAY DECEMBER 9TH 2ND SUNDAY OF ADVENT Advent Conspiracy Spend Less Keystone Opportunity sharing at both 9 AM and 10:30 AM services Giving Tree Gift Cards Due! SUNDAY DECEMBER 16TH 3RD SUNDAY OF ADVENT Advent Conspiracy Give More 9 AM Contemporary and 10:30 AM Traditional Worship SUNDAY DECEMBER 23RD 4TH SUNDAY OF ADVENT Advent Conspiracy Love All 9 AM Contemporary and 10:30 AM Traditional Worship MONDAY DECEMBER 24TH CHRISTMAS EVE 4 PM Candlelight Service Worship led by the Praise Band 7 PM Traditional Candlelight Worship with organ and choir SUNDAY DECEMBER 30TH 1ST SUNDAY AFTER CHRISTMAS MUSIC SUNDAY 9 AM Contemporary and 10:30 AM Traditional Worship 4

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7 THANK YOU!! A special thanks to the following people for giving of their time to help decorate the Sanctuary and Sanctuary Annex on Monday November 26th: Kathy Brun, Joanne Clark, Ruthanne Dietrich, Courtland Gardner, Lois Groff, Diane Holler, Joan Keating, Ed Schonheiter, Marti and Matt Shaffer, and Gale Snyder. It would not have been possible to make the Sanctuary beautiful without their help! Special thanks are also in order to Frank and Eileen Hilt for delivering the Harvest Home donations to F.I.S.H. A total of lbs. of Harvest Home drive items were brought to the pantry. Thank you, First Church Family, for all your generosity! ADVENT WREATH CANDLE LIGHTERS During Advent, we prepare for, and anticipate, the coming of Christ. Throughout the season of Advent, which begins December 2nd, we are in need of persons, couples, or families to light the Advent wreath candles, and to read a short devotional. This would take place during the 9 AM & 10:30 AM worship services, and during the Christmas Eve services. To be a part of this meaningful tradition, please contact the First Church office. GIVING TREE The Giving Tree is up in the rear of the Sanctuary! It has all of the tags on it for this year. There are directions about the gift cards on clipboards that are on a table, next to the tree. All gift cards are to be returned by Sunday, December 9th. JOY CIRCLE NEWS The family that JOY Circle is sponsoring this year is a mom and three daughters aged 23, 18, and 15. The mom is requesting gift cards only - no stockings. JOY s annual Christmas Party is Thursday, December 13th, 6 PM, at Perkasie Pizza & Pasta. JOY Circle will not be meeting in January & February due to possible weather issues. Meetings will be resumed in March at a location to be announced. MITTEN BASKET The mitten and scarf basket is in the rear of the Sanctuary! Help us get a jump start on a cold winter by bringing your donations of new caps, scarves, gloves, and mittens to the Mitten Basket. The items will be donated to F.I.SH and to where we see a need. Thank you, J.O.Y. Circle. F.I.S.H. DELIVERY & PANTRY LIST The delivery weight for the week of November 25th: lbs.! Current total: lbs.! PANTRY LIST: Rice Mixes; Canned Peas; Stuffing; Corn; Spaghetti; Dried Mashed Potato Flakes; Broth and Gravy; Canned Milk; Cold Cereal; Juice (64 oz.) or Juice Packs; Meal Helpers; Canned Pasta. F.I.S.H. is out of everything except Canned Pasta. DONATION IDEA FROM F.I.S.H. Please bring the following to the DONATIONS FOR HOMELESS container in the rear of the Sanctuary. (Your generosity greatly assists F.I.S.H. with this outreach!) New washcloths; Can openers; Toiletries, lip balm, nail clippers and nail files, feminine hygiene products; Toothpaste, toothbrushes, denture cleaner, floss; Small containers of laundry soap; Plastic storage containers with lids; Microwave safe bowls and plates; Mugs, cups, cutlery; Portable water bottles; Microwave safe casseroles and mixing bowls for cooking in motel rooms; Small containers of Instant Coffee; Pop-top canned food items; Blankets, towels, other bedding. NEED FOR LITURGISTS We are in need of liturgists for our 10:30 AM Traditional Worship service. The time commitment is minimal. We only ask you to lead worship one Sunday per month, or every other month. Please contact the church office if you are willing to serve in this ministry. DONATE TO FIRST UMC PERKASIE Giving is an act of worship. To donate online, go to fumcperkasie.com, then click Give Online at the top of the site on the banner. All transactions are secure. Thank you for your generosity. 7

8 Harvest Home 2018 at FUMC Perkasie 8

9 Christmas Decorating 2018 at FUMC Perkasie 9

10 Christmas Decorating 2018 at FUMC Perkasie 10

11 SHARE THE SANCTUARY We are excited that our beautiful Sanctuary is going to be used for all services at First Church. GOAL! You can be part of growing First Church by donating to this Share the Sanctuary campaign in memory of or in honor of a loved one or a special occasion Share the Sanctuary We have provided space for our First Service worshippers to move to the main Sanctuary and we will be upgrading the Sound System and Space. Donations should be designated for Share the Sanctuary Supported by: The Memorial and Honor Fund Committee 11

12 FIRST UNITED METHODIST CHURCH 501 Market Street Perkasie, PA Sunday Worship Schedule Church Office Hours 9:00 AM 10:30 AM Contemporary Worship Traditional Worship Tuesdays through Fridays: 9 AM to 1 PM Closed Mondays Pastor Scott Dorn Jac Filer Lay Leader Robert Creager Organist/Choir Director Melinda Krpata Worship Leader Alanna Jones Administrative Assistant Edmund Schonheiter Custodian D E C E M B E R h i g h l i g h t s In this issue: Advent Season and Christmas Eve schedule Harvest Home 2018 Update and Total Advent Conspiracy 3rd Annual Nativity Museum Outreach Preparations Call for Advent Wreath Candlelighters Our mission: Embrace our community with God s love Make disciples to share in doing simple things for God s kingdom 12