Faith United Methodist Church 1025 Tullar Rd Neenah, WI By Faith

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1 Faith United Methodist Church 1025 Tullar Rd Neenah, WI By Faith The Monthly Newsletter of Faith United Methodist Church Month of.november, 2017

2 Rev. Tim Albrecht Pastor Keith Irish Lay Leader Music Director Micah Sommersmith Ron Roberts Church Accountant By Faith The Monthly Newsletter of Faith United Methodist Church December 2017 Bev Pezewski Church Secretary Nursery Coordinator Telephone: Fax: December 2017 Dear Christian Friends, As we begin December we remember and think about Christmas traditions. Some of those traditions could be setting up the Christmas tree, stringing lights, hanging ornaments, or making cookies. For some people there is remembering that Jesus was born and is still just a baby in the manger. As we get ready for Christmas, Jesus outgrew the manger and did grow up to be a man and was Emmanuel, God with us. God in the flesh. Jesus came to be the Savior of the world, our personal Savior. What difference does this make? As the world continues to spin (and out of control) there is a lot of chaos happening. We read about terror attacks, wars, threat of wars, disasters, and there is also watering down of God's word. In the traditions that are associated with Christmas, maybe it is time to start a new tradition and re-read the Christmas story and re-focus on what his all means and the importance of it. God's word and promises are the things that do not change even though we try to change them. Faith United Methodist Church 1025 Tullar Rd Neenah, WI What a joy it is for me personally and true peace to see the scriptures reveal them selves again and again. May you begin to find that joy and peace beginning this Christmas too. See you in Church, Sunday Worship Service 9:00 a.m. Sunday School (for all ages) 10:15-11:15 (Sept - May) Pastor Tim

3 December 3, 2017 December 10, 2017 December 17, 2017 PREPARING OUR HEARTS FOR WORSHIP SERMON TITLES The End or the Beginning Mark 13:24-37 Presentation MESSIAH A Cure For The Messiah Complex John 1:6-8, December 24, 2017 Sunday Morning The Impossibility of Love Luke 1:26-38 December 24, 2017 Christmas Eve The Light Shines in The Darkness December 31, 2017 John 1:1-14 The Usual Suspects Matthew 2;1-12 SUNDAY SCHOOL CLASSES Sunday Mornings Winter Quarter 10:15A.M. 11:15 AM Preschool-Kindergarten Susan Johnson & Bev Pezewski 2nd grade 5th Grade Kurt VanHandel & Ken Gellerstedt 6th 12th Grade Dan Duff & Kyle Flom Levi VanHandel Adult Classes The Good News Mary & Mark Muthig Be Wise (1Corinthians) Gary Reiter & Friends Senior Bible Study Classes Ruth Brusewitz Monday afternoons l:30 P.M.

4 MISSION MINISTRIES UPDATES SERVING AT THE HOMELESS CONNECTIONS Please consider helping us as we serve at the Homeless Connections in Appleton on Friday, December 15th from 7:00-9:00 p.m. There is a sign up sheet on the table in the Narthex. It is Christmas time would you consider the following opportunities to serve: Ring bells for the Salvation Army at Shopko in Neenah on Friday, Dec. 1 (2 hour shifts from 8:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m.) Contact Susan Johnson for times available.. Bake cookies or serve at the Community Christmas Dinner on Sat. Dec. 9. This is a wonderful opportunity to share Christ's love with some of our local people in need. We are called to not only feed the hungry but to feed them spiritually. There will be a healing service before the luncheon. Help decorate our Giving Trees This year we are collecting warm mittens, gloves, hats and scarves We will be giving the warm items to those at the Homeless Connections and COTS Faith Church is trying to gain support and visibility on our Facebook page. If you are on Facebook but have not LIKED our page, please do so. In addition, please encourage your family and friends to LIKE us too! You can find us at Faith United Methodist Church - Neenah, WI

5 GREETERS FOR THE MONTH OF DECEMBER Narthex Education Wing 3 Chris & Tish Bordeaux Bev Pezewski & Kevin Schuh 10 Charles & Sharon Bucholtz Terry & Joanne Ball 17 Judy Schwandt & Diana Vieth Bill & Ginny Shepard 24 Cindy & Mary Muthig Jim & Ardis Lyons 31 Todd & Cindy Boelter Gary & Charlene Reiter SENIORS OF FAITH Seniors of Faith Christmas Gathering is December 14 th at the Ground 4:30 p.m. Following our dinner we will gather at church for dessert, fun, fellowship and the annual white Elephant gift exchange. Reservations will be required. The hosts will be Ginny Shepard or Linda Fritz Contact Ginny and Linda to make your reservations. HANDEL'S MESSIAH AT FAITH CHURCH This Advent season will include a very special worship service. On Sunday, December 10th at 9 am we will present excerpts from Messiah by GF Handel. This great work has endured for over 250 years and celebrates the promised coming and redeeming power of Jesus Christ. Listening to Messiah is a great experience but singing it might be even better! For more information, contact Micah at msommersmith@faithchurchneenah.com or CHRISTMAS EVE TRADITION SOUP SUPPER A Christmas Eve tradition of Faith church is our soup supper which is served between the 4:00 and 7:00 services. You have two options: Come to church and stay for supper, or, come for supper and stay for church. There is no cost, but free will donations are always accepted and later used to further the ministries of our congregation. PS: There is just one requirement when joining us for supper, and that is to bring along a taste of your Christmas baking/goodies to share for dessert. It just wouldn't be Christmas without sweets! PSS: If you would like to join us in the prep work please call Terry Ball. See you on 12/24! Lord, we come to You in prayer for: Mary Jane Thompson, Kathy Bayer as she begins treatment at Froedtert Hospital in Milwaukee also safe travels, Gordon Brighum, Liz Roberts, Lois Stewart, Dick Raleigh, George Elwood, Gaylord Remmel, Alice Littlefield, Margaret Schultz, and for those with on going medical concerns, financial concerns, our shut ins and our military and their families and those in need of healing; our many unspoken prayers.

6 CARPET FUND Update: As you know, we are still trying to build up or pay back funds taken from the Building Fund and Capital Improvement Fund, to help pay for the carpet. As of October -here is where we stand on the Carpeting Fund October receipts were $112. Year to date receipts were $20,451. Year to date disbursements were $35,985. Receipts include $5,000 transferred from the Building Fund, $5,000 transferred from the Capital Improvement Fund and $707 of accumulated income transferred from the Pynch Memorial Fund. The first phase of the carpeting project was paid in May 2017 from these other funds. The Carpeting Fund balance at October 31, 2017 is negative ($8,178). Let s help the Finance team clean up - The negative balance of $ There are a lot of numbers words listed above., but the bottom line. In order to pay back the other funds listed above we need $8,178. Can you help? Let s finish out the year on a positive note. WEATHER RELATED ALERTS As the weather changes, we need to prepare should the Church decide to cancel worship service, or close the office due to inclement weather, we have several ways in which to alert you. We will have it listed with, Channel 5, station, we will have a note on our church website, we will have a post on our Facebook page, and we will have a message on our Weather message line (#25) on the church phone when you call in. It is our hope that one of these methods of communication will work for you! Contact the church office if you have any questions. INFORMATION FROM THE TRUSTEES As we move into the winter season, the trustees wanted to let you know that in the effort to preserve the new finish on our gymnasium floor and minimize winter plowing costs, we are going to limit snow removal in the South lot to allow for Emergency vehicles only. If you have any questions, please contact a member of the Trustee Committee GOODWILL is in need of VOLUNTEERS Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) Program at Goodwill NCW in Menasha needs volunteers from throughout the Fox Cities to help prepare tax returns for low-to-moderate income households, persons with disabilities or non-english speaking taxpayers. Tax prep experience is not required; however, computer skills are desirable. Training will be provided. To learn more, you can register to attend an information session at: or contact Jackie Zolp, Goodwill NCW VITA Site Coordinator, at or jzolp@goodwillnew.org. FAITH CHURCH OFFICE HOURS Monday thru Thursday 9:00 a.m. - 2:00 p.m. Friday - CLOSED If you are looking to contact Pastor Tim, you can call 'him here at the church or you can him at tjalbrecht79@gmail.com Please continue to pray for all the church staff members and committee members! That in all they/we do, we would honor God and His will for the church.

7 December Birthdays 12/2 Jeremy Olson 12/3 Gaylord Remmel 12/4 Tyler Fairchild 12/7 Eric Ball 12/8 Aidan Flom 12/14 Jayden Woodard 12/16 Justin Kuehl 12/16 Hanna Williams 12/18 Ken Gellerstedt 12/19 Andrew Hintze 12/23 Joyce Sanders 2017NEWSLETTER PUBLICATION DATES ** The deadline for newsletter articles will be the Wednesday prior to the publication date. The church office will be sure to advise of any changes to this schedule. You can either your information to Bev Pezewski or you can drop the information in the mailbox in the church office labeled newsletter/bulletin articles. Thank You! Please let the office know if there is anything else you would like to see added to monthly newsletter. 12/24 Randy Kuehl 12/25 Merry Beverlin 12/26 Cathy Geiger 12/28 Jenny Halverson 12/30 Mary Ann Wylie If you know of a birthday or anniversary that was missed, please let the office know so we can be sure our database is correct. HAPPY ANNIVERSARY 12/16 Gerald & Marlene Desing 12/27 Robert & Jan Lee 12/29 Clint & Emily Kemper If you are interested in becoming a member of Faith United Methodist Church, please contact the church office. REMINDER: If you are currently receiving the newsletter either via or through the U.S. postal service and no longer wish to receive it, please contact the church office and let us know and we will remove your name from our distribution list. If you would like to change how you are receiving the newsletter please let the church office know. CHURCH DIRECTORY Have you changed your address, telephone number or address Please complete your card on Sunday with all the changes or contact the church office. This will help us keep the directory up to date. If you have any questions, please let the church office know.

8 Important upcoming events for you! Please mark your calendars. NORTH EAST DISTRICT 2018 EVENTS FINANCE TRAINING For anyone involved in finance in the church Saturday, January 13, 2018 Event will be 9:00 a.m. 12:00 p.m. Neenah: Faith UMC 1025 Tullar Rd Neenah SPRC TRAININGS For clergy and members of Staff Parish Relations Committee Saturday, January 20, 2018; 9:00 a.m. 12:00 p.m. Green Bay: Bethany UMC 1110 Echo Ln Green Bay Saturday, January 27, 2018; 9:00 a.m. 12:00 p.m. Fond du Lac: Covenant UMC 20 N Marr St Fond du Lac

9 CALENDAR OF EVENTS FOR DECEMBER December 1, :00A.M. 4:00pm ) Ring Bells for the Salvation Army Shopko in Neenah (2 hour shifts) December 9, 2017 Make Cookies or serve at the Community Christmas Dinner at St. Paul s Church December 10, 2017 Presentation of Handel s Messiah during worship service December 14, 2017 Seniors of Faith Annual Christmas Get together December 15, 2016 Serve at the Emergency Shelter 7-9:00 P.M. December 24, 2017 Worship Service & Christmas Eve Services 9:00 A.M. morning worship 4:00 P.M. Candlelight worship 7:00 P.M. Candlelight worship December 25, 2017 Christmas Day If there are any other events you would like to add to our Calendar please let the church office know. SUNDAY SCHOOL CLASSES It is hard to think, that the fall quarter is over Do you have an interest in helping out in a Sunday School class study during the winter quarter. If you have an interest in being part of the education or Nursery team please see Bev in the church office. The winter quarter starts on December 3, 2017 Thank you to all the teachers and helpers who are giving of their time to share their faith with our church families Bev Pezewski YOUTH & FAMILY MINISTRIES ADVENTURES COMING UP IN DECEMBER, JANUARY & FEBRUARY Help with a reception following December 10th worship service. (Cookies AND Punch will be served) January Cooking a meal for the COTS program and attend a Basketball game. Anyone who can play an instrument playing for a worship service. February The Youth s annual Ski Trip to Nordic Mountain. All children/youth, friends, grandparents, parents and any member of the congregation are invited to come to our adventures. Watch the mini news for details.

10 Sunday School UPDATES & YOUTH/CHILDREN S NEWS YOUTH WORSHIP SERVICE NOVEMBER 19, 2017 THANK YOU TO ALL THE CHILDREN/YOUTH AND FAMILIES INVOLVED

11 "You Shall Call His Name Jesus" Theme: There is salvation in the name of Jesus. Scripture: You will be with child and give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus. Luke 1:31 One of the most exciting times in any couple's life is when they find out that they are going to have a baby. There are many things that must be done to prepare for the birth of a new baby, but none is more important than choosing a name for the baby. A baby's name is chosen very carefully because the baby will live with that name for the rest of his or her life. When a couple is choosing a name for their baby, they will sometimes go to a bookstore or a library and get a book like this one that I have this morning. It has thousands of names from which to choose. Not only that, but many names have a special meaning and a book like this will tell you what those names mean. I looked up a few popular names to see what they mean. (Note: These names are given as an example. Choose names that are popular in your area, or if time permits, look up the names of some of the children in your group.) John - God gave Mary - the perfect one Caleb - faithful, bold Alex or Alexis - helper Michael or Michaela - one who is like God Elizabeth - God's promise Daniel or Danielle - God is my judge When Mary and Joseph found out that they were going to have a baby, they didn't go to the bookstore and get a book to help them choose a name for Mary's baby. In fact, they didn't choose the baby's name at all! God chose it for them! God sent an angel to tell Mary what to name her baby. The angel said to Mary, "You will have a son, and you will call his name Jesus" You see, the name Jesus means "the Lord saves." Was it important for Mary's baby to be named Jesus? Yes it was, because the Bible tells us that there is no other name that can save us from our sin. (Acts 4:12) Dear Father, thank you for sending your Son. During this season when we celebrate his birth, help us to remember that there is salvation in the name of Jesus. In his name we pray. Amen.

12 PAGE TO COLOR... DECODER PUZZLE Each number represents a letter of the alphabet. Substitute the correct letter for the numbers to reveal the coded words.

13 The Angel Gabriel Appears to Mary Luke 1:26-38

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