The Messenger. Treasure The Hope We Have In Christ Jesus Issue 48. United Methodist Women of Christ Church

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1 2018 Issue 48 The Messenger United Methodist Women of Christ Church UMW Executive Board: Pam Bluestein President (Open) Vice-President Amy Guzman Secretary Donna Kottwitz Treasurer Emily Henderson Nominations Billie Blair Program Resources Laura Vagata Missions Coordinator Laura Vagata - BAMBI Diana Gordon - Elijah Rising/Kendleton Farms Tomi Belgard Spiritual Growth Lynn Epstein Membership/Outreach Diane Sindelar Communications Debbie Grenier Publicist/Photographer Elaine Huffer Hospitality Welcome Committee Maria Eggenschwiler Bunco Czar Pat Stone (Open) Young Adults Eleanor Blain Member at Large Terri Skeen Member at Large Tara Velasco Member at Large Christ Church Sugar Land, 3300 Austin Parkway, Sugar Land, TX 77479, Scripture Verse of the Month Merry Christmas! December 2018 "For unto You is born this day in the City of David, a Savior, which is Christ The Lord." Luke 2:11 On behalf of our entire Executive Board, we wish you and your family a very Merry Christmas - filled with the love and hope for the future that only Christ Jesus can give. "May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing in the Power of the Holy Spirit that you may abound in that Hope." Romans 15:13 We look forward to serving with you again in Treasure The Hope We Have In Christ Jesus Crazy, busy, emotional, lonely, happy, expectant, sad, fun and spiritually rewarding and renewing... All these words describe the Season of Advent and Christmas because we have given in to the worldly vision of "Christmas". We start out with the Best of intentions, but we are weak and we enjoy the shopping and the family times, the stockings and the joy of watching the kids unwrap all those wonderful presents. But then it is over. What are you left with at the end of the day? Hope - The true gift of the Christmas Season. Hope for the future. Hope for eternity. Hope for your kids and family. Hope for health and happiness. Hope for the best in the coming new year. So, how does that happen? Well, you know! Stay in God's Word, stay in church, community and service with your Christian brothers and sisters. Treasure God's Word and that which He has put in your path. Being in The Word comes with Responsibility - The Responsibility to Respond. John 13:17 says, "now that you know these things, you will be blessed if you do them." Yep! It is just not enough to read the words! You must Act Upon Them! For most of us, this is the most difficult start, because Satan will fight you all the way... All The Way. There will be obstacles. There will be sickness, depression, work, kids, other activities, and sometimes, ya just don't feel like it. Ever been there? Of course, we all have been there. That's where the Hope comes in. What a wondrous gift! No matter what happens in the world, we have Hope in all that God provides whether it is here on the earth or in our eternal home in Heaven. This hope can sustain us through disappointments and rough patches until we are with God in eternity. In the meantime, you are

2 PAGE 2 Treasure The Hope We Have In Christ Jesus (Continued) not alone. You have a wonderful community here at Christ Church. There are people here who want to know you, to pray with you, to walk with you, to cry with you and to rejoice with you. Don't avoid that which is hard, but embrace it! Discuss your insights with others here at church, at UMW, in a Bible Study or Sunday School class. We can learn from each other and that is Exactly what God intended. We can learn real truths from others that we may never have discovered on our own! Our Christian brothers and sisters help to hold us accountable and to see and apply God's Word; they can help us achieve the very mission that God has laid out for us. One of my favorite quotes on the subject is from D.L. Moody, who said, "The Bible wasn't given to increase our knowledge, but to change our lives." In Season of Advent and Christmas, give it some it some real thought and prayer. Will you allow yourself to be inspired to respond to God's Word and message in 2019? I hope so. When God is the in Pilot's Seat, He will take you on an Amazing Ride! Christmas At BAMBI There are no words to adequately describe the feelings that wash over you when attending an event at the BAMBI Facility. For several years now, we have gone to the facility several times a year to visit with and to minister to the moms and babies of BAMBI. If you are new to the church, BAMBI stands for Baby and Mother Bonding Initiative and is a program run by the Texas Department of Criminal Justice. In the program, women who are sentenced to jail after they've become pregnant are allowed to keep their babies with them. Normally, upon the birth of the baby, the baby is taken from mom and turned over to family or CPS if there is no family. BAMBI moms get to keep their babies and receive training in health, parenting, Bible Study, vocational training, counseling for addictions, etc. What a blessing! Now moms have a vested interest and relationship with this child. Now the cycle of poverty and lack of education can be broken. This child, This Family has a real chance.

3 PAGE 3 Christmas At BAMBI (Continued) BAMBI is truly an amazing program and all those who have attended walk away feeling More Blessed than the blessings They Gave! So True! When you meet these young moms, you can see your own daughters, nieces, granddaughters, friends or even yourself. But for the Grace of God... Join us on Saturday, December 15th as we share our hearts and the Word of God for Christmas At BAMBI. You will be CHANGED. Ongoing Missions that we collect all the time Just place items in the UMW bin near the kitchen. Lipsticks and chapsticks (for Rescue Houston hotline phone number stickers) Hotel toiletries, bath items for Sonshine Boxes (for The Landing & Mexico Missions) Small lunch foods, juice boxes, and brown lunch bags (for Lunches of Love) Women s new undergarments in various sizes for our Rescue Wardrobe for rescued women. Infant Diapers of all sizes (for rescued women s infants) so diapers are available as the baby grows. Children s and Teen s books for RJM Fathers at the Carol Vance unit. Fleece blanket kits (50x60 inches) (for Foster children) Sweatshirts, sweatpants, socks, gloves and scarves (for our Rescue Wardrobe and human trafficking facilities) Toiletries and new or gently used gifts/toys (for Mexico Mission)

4 PAGE 4 Christmas at BAMBI!

5 PAGE 5 Shalom, Sisters! What a lovely afternoon we spent with our ladies and our own Kate Flint this past month. We discussed the idea of Actual Shalom During The Holidays and what it means to be at peace in Christ Jesus. Shalom is the kind of contentment, completeness and harmony that only comes with being in relationship with Jesus. One of our main takeaways from Kate's message was to endeavor to stay grounded in The Word, be prayerful and stay connected to our church community. It is in that regard that we invite you to be in community with us! We want to share our Shalom with You! Many thanks to Kate for her gifted presentation, we were all blessed. Joys and Concerns... Joys to: The Vagata s as they celebrate the birth of their third child, a boy named August Simon, on November 19th; Beautiful Lessons and Carols service, thank you Molly Ness, Bella Voce, Sacred Harps, and Jubilation Ringers; Merry Christmas to all, looking forward to a joyous and blessed holiday season. Concerns and Prayers to: Lynn Epstein health concerns; Pam Bluestein health concerns; Lahonda Sharp health concerns; Joyce Cochran health concerns; Families who will be missing a loved one as we enter the holiday season; Tough decisions facing the Global UMC; and prayers for our country and our people for a safe holiday season.

6 PAGE 6 Women s Wellness Event

7 PAGE 7 I love you, O LORD, my strength. The LORD is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer, my God, my rock, in whom I take refuge, On A Personal Note... As we close out our year, I would like to take this opportunity to say a heartfelt Thank You to my Executive Board, Pastor Michelle Hall, Kim Ripley and Debbie Meier for another Outstanding and Successful Year. The last few months have been a little bit of a struggle for me, but these ladies have prayed for me, ed me, brought food to my house, called me and hit me up on Facebook. They have Sustained Me. The days when I turned away from the Word because I didn't feel well or was just not "feeling it, they always seemed to show up as a constant reminder not to let Satan win. I really do Praise God Daily for these lovely, hardworking, godly women who have refused to give up on me, even when I wanted to give up on myself. You are all so different, so wonderful, so fun, so committed and that which binds us together is stronger than any differences that we may have - We Love Jesus! We Love Jesus to The Max! We love to Praise Together, To Worship Together and To Serve Together! I love each and every one of you. I am entirely blessed by you, humbled by you and taught well by you. I say all that to say this - if you have yet to join us for a meeting, a Bunco or an event - our women are Amazing! In the spirit of Mary, Elizabeth, Mary Magdalene, Sarah, Esther, Ruth, Naomi, Rahab, Abigail, Hannah and so many other women of great faith and bravery, who were not afraid to step outside the box, come be a part of a Christian Sisterhood that will widen your horizons, find new ways to serve and deepen your love of God The Father, who created us and sustains us to be in Community. Wishing My Board & All those who support and encourage us a Very Merry Christmas and wishing a Blessed New Year for you and your family! Pam Bluestein, President UMW of Christ Church my shield, and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold. Psalm 18:1-2 PRAYER HOPE

8 PAGE 8 UMW Membership Form - Now Online The Membership form for joining UMW is now available on the United Methodist Women webpage. Just click, fill in and click on the Submit button. So easy! Join us, you will be glad that you did! Mark Your Calendars for these Upcoming Events: Saturday, December 8th - CANCELLED - Breakfast and the Christmas Story with Santa! Saturday, December 15th, 1:00 p.m. - Christmas at BAMBI! This is our Annual Christmas trip to the BAMBI Facility in Houston. We will be taking refreshments, gifts and spirits filled with Blessings to Give! We will need volunteers to help with refreshments and to Hold Babies! Tuesday, January 15th, 6:30 p.m. Ladies Bunco Fellowship in The Gathering Hall. $7/pp. Saturday, January 26th, Women's Wellness Conference; Please join us as we discover new and innovative ways to take care of ourselves! Celebrating Our December Birthdays All the best... Happy Birthday to our wonderful members: Deborah Jones on 12/3, Emily Henderson on 12/5, Kim Ripley on 12/11, Karen Hill on 12/19, Donna Kottwitz on 12/25, Karen Sterling on 12/28, Amy Guzman on 12/29, and Tomi Belgard on 1/30. Wishing all of you a beautiful day with good health, happiness, and God s Many Blessings. C.H.I.A. Chia will meet the first Monday of each month. All ladies are invited to come join us for fellowship. We have a devotional and hands-on projects for missions. We meet in the Family life center in room 301. For more information call Billie Blair at Follow UMW on our Social Media accounts: Facebook: Twitter: Instagram: The Messenger UMW Newsletter Contributors: Pam Bluestein, Diane Sindelar, Deborah Jones, and photos by Debbie Grenier, Donna Kottwitz, and Laura Vagata.