Fall Sunday morning worship services: 8:00am and 11:00am in the Sanctuary 9:00am in the Family Life Center

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1 Open hearts. Open minds. Open doors. Making Disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world. Fall 2014 Sunday morning worship services: 8:00am and 11:00am in the Sanctuary 9:00am in the Family Life Center From the Pastors... People need to see where God is working. I had breakfast this morning with all the United Methodist pastors in our mission field and this side comment really resonated with me. People do need to see where God is alive and working. It has always been the mission of the Church to proclaim that, to live that, to show the world that God is alive. (I love the story in Habakkuk 2 where the prophet is called to write God s vision on tablets so large that, even when someone is running through the countryside, the words can still be read from far away). The world needs to see where God is alive in the Church....and so do we. We need to see where God is working, too. Especially in a church our size, it s easy to get caught up in the logistics, the activities, the announcements we get caught up in doing church and WE forget that GOD is working. We forget to look for the green spaces in our midst where God is alive and the church is growing. So that s the hope for this newsletter. Instead of a collection of announcements, Pastor Allen and I want this to be a place where the church can come together (get on the same page) and see and remember, witness and share, that YES, God is moving. New things are happening. Disciples are growing. And lives are changing. Look what God is doing in our midst! ~Rev. Emily Knight

2 New Ministry: Home Communion Servers by Kathy Wittman I would miss Holy Communion if I couldn t attend worship. I appreciate the Intimacy and Power of it....but many of our church members face health concerns that keep them home on Sunday mornings. We have twenty four if you only count those in nursing homes and rehab facilities. New Ministries Home Communion Servers carry the Light of Christ in their kits to any (and eventually every) home-bound church member. We serve as an extension of the Sunday Morning Communion service where the elements are blessed (which means that yes, lay people are allowed to do this). Our November visits went spectacularly. We saw five people in two rehab facilities and each person was thrilled to see us. Some are already planning groups to receive together. They express such appreciation and lend their own spiritual maturity to the mini-service. We definitely received more than we brought! And it's easy to do. The kits are self-contained. Written instructions are enclosed. It is once a month. We get our kit at the end of the worship service and go out in pairs. In our first month, the team has doubled (from one person to two) and hopefully it will do the same in December! Contact Cathy Wittman (mcwittman@cox.net) Home Communion kits ready to go! New Ministry: MEALS FOR NEW PARENTS Sisters in Service has started a new program for congregational care Fred Jr. and Sarah Roberts were the first to receive the fruit from this new ministry when their first son and third child, Tripp, was born in August. Here s how they felt about it The Roberts Family: Fred Jr., Ansley, Tripp, Sarah, and Ava It is wonderful to know that you have a church family that is thinking about you and there to help during good times and bad. While having a new baby is an amazing and exciting time, it is also very chaotic. Having a lovingly made meal brought to your house is such a thoughtful thing. We appreciated it more than we ever would have imagined. The ladies were amazing. They ran in, dropped off the food and were trying to run out the door. They knew things were a little bit hectic so they were as unobtrusive as could be imagined. That said, we were having fun with our new addition and our girls really wanted to show him off so we loved the opportunity to have company. On top of that, the food was just fantastic. We were so appreciative for the supremely kind gesture. It made us feel extremely loved and proud to be a member of such a wonderful church family. For those looking to touch people, this is a great way to do it. If you want to help with this new ministry, or know soon-to-be parents who would benefit from it, contact Cindy Gude (cmgude@cox.net) or Jan Edison (cakelady5183@aol.com), Sisters in Service.

3 Wholeness and Health Introducing Jessica Gilligan Jessica is starting a Health Ministry here at First Ocala. She is an RN with 20 years of experience, a mother of two, and recently completed the Monroe Parish Nurse program. Jessica s vision is to help connect our congregation and start conversations about embodied faith. Why should we care about physical health? Just ask her We need to be good stewards of what God has given us that includes our bodies. We have to take care of ourselves so that we can take care of others...and it s biblical! 1 Corinthians 6:19-20 says, Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you? For you were bought with a price; therefore glorify God in your body. Blood Pressure Screening 8:30am-noon Meet Jessica and get your blood pressure checked on Sunday, November 30th in Room #27 (near the Sanctuary, by the ramp at the Northeast corner of the courtyard) A Prayer for Those Affected by the Ebola Epidemic by Rev. Frederick Yebuah Gracious God, Great Physician. Today we especially lift up to you our brothers and sisters in Nigeria, Liberia, Guinea, and Sierra Leone for all those who live with the threat of the Ebola virus. We pray your healing power to touch those bodies that now shake with fever, ache with pain, and are too weak to sustain the demands of life. Grant access to medical care for the most vulnerable in West Africa. Protect doctors and nurses who kneel at the bedsides of the sick and the dying. Provide resources in places of lack. Guide churches and church leaders. Empower all who work tirelessly to be Christ s hands and feet. Gracious God, we believe you are Hope for the hopeless. Hold parents who ve lost children. Gently father and mother children who ve lost their parents. Make your presence known to those who are dying alone, in the streets, in wastelands, without friends or family. Speak tenderly to all who feel abandoned by the world s systems of government or power. Give strength those who feel that life more abundantly is an unfulfilled promise. Gracious God, we know you are the Light overcoming darkness. Why should we be afraid? Help us to trust in your unchanging nature in times of uncertainty. Grant us peace that Ebola or anything in this life that would threaten to undo us, is not impossible for you. Hear our prayer. Amen.

4 Trunk-or-Treat *2014* GREAT Volunteers LOTS of Candy 19 Trunks (plus a bus & a pyramid) 720 Hotdogs 3 Generations Together One HUGE Witness to Community and Christian Hospitality

5 Young Disciples: Gifts and Graces Lots of kids want toys for their birthday. Or video games....but what about mouthwash and pickles? Holland and Keeghan had a joint birthday party in October, but instead of getting presents, these girls wanted to support the homeless. Yep. You read that right: Instead of presents. Holland remembered bringing socks and sundries to vacation Bible school and said, We have our own homeless ministry. We should do it for the church. Holland (7) and Keeghan (5) show off their unique birthday presents. So party guests brought blankets and canned goods, tube socks and T-shirts. And the Hatchett girls gave all their birthday presents to people who needed them more. Good News From The Prison Men and women from our church recently went into prison to support and help with a Kairos Weekend a weekend focused on Jesus, grace, and forgiveness. Here s what Marty Goodwin experienced: There really are only two types of people in prison: those that will be released one day and those that won't. For those that will one day make it out into the community again, Kairos is a chance to address the issues that placed them in incarceration, and to focus their lives on their relationship with God. For those that will never be released, Kairos offers hope hope that their lives won't be meaningless, and that they can still know and serve God. Marshall took part in a tragic crime when he was 18. He is in his mid 30's now. He received a natural life sentence, and was denied any chance for parole last week. He will most likely never be released. I found him to be kind and intelligent, but he was very quiet most of the weekend, He began to open up on Saturday, and after the forgiveness exercises, I could tell he was really wrestling with some things. By Sunday, he was quite happy and talkative, and he took the opportunity to stand up in front of all the other inmates and bare his soul. He told them that after he was denied parole, he had seriously considered suicide. He saw no reason to go on, but then he was selected for Kairos. He figured he would at least go for the food. What he found was love and peace and hope and a reason to live. He may never leave prison, but he will make an impact for good on others that do. Another weekend is planned for April. Contact Marty Goodwin to see how you can help. (marty.goodwin@gmail.com)

6 Church Calendar In the beginning was the Word. And in Him was the light of all people... John 1:14 The season of Advent reminds us to look for light in dark places and gives us courage to step into broken places, knowing that Christ has come and is coming again. Advent calls us to confront our darkness (and the world s darkness) and wait for look for, prepare for Christ. Church Season: Advent. time of preparation for the coming of Christ. November 30th-December 24th Scripture Focus: John 1:1-14 the not-so-typical Nativity story. Worship Theme: The Light Shines in the Darkness This Advent, we remember that Christ came into this world, and we re meditating on what that coming means; God, the Light, the Word, the Life stepped into the darkness (the brokenness and messiness) of our world in order to redeem and heal and save it. The question is: Are we ready?...and the Word became flesh and dwelt among us John 1:14 Daily Advent Photo Challenge: #OcalaLight Daily Online Devotional. Saturday, November 22 nd Concert University of South Carolina Concert Choir 7:00 p.m. in the Sanctuary Thursday, November 27 th through Sunday, November 30 th Church Office closed for the Thanksgiving Holiday Sunday, November 30 th Blood Pressure checks 8:30 a.m. to Noon in Room #27 Saturday, December 6 th Concert Marion Civic Chorale s Christmas Concert 3:00 p.m. in the Sanctuary Sunday, December 14 h Blue Christmas Service 12:30 p.m. at Druid Hills United Methodist Church Tuesday, December 23 rd Tuesday Outreach Celebrate Christmas 10:00 a.m. & 2:00 p.m. in the FLC Wednesday, December 24 h Traditional Christmas Eve Worship Services 4:00 p.m. & 7:00 p.m. in the Sanctuary Family/Contemporary Christmas Eve Service 5:30 p.m. in the Family Life Center Thursday, December 25 h through Sunday, January 4 h Church Office closed for the Christmas & New Year s Holidays