Pastor Page. The Baby Changed Everything

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1 Pastor Page The Baby Changed Everything The Luck of Roaring Camp is a piece of American fiction from Bret Harte ( ) that captures something of the hope motif that is at the heart of the Christmas story. I d never heard the story before a reference to it by Bruce Thielemann in a sermon several years back. Maybe it s new to you as well. Roaring Camp was portrayed as the coarsest, meanest, toughest mining town in the Wild West of It was a terrible place where theft and murder were commonplace, inhabited entirely by men and one coarse, and, it is to be feared, a very sinful woman named Cherokee Sal. Sal died in the process of giving birth to a baby. The men in that harsh place took her infant and put him in a box that had shipped dynamite sticks with some old flannel rags under him. After burying Sal, they tried to figure out what to do with the baby. Send him to the closest camp with women that was forty miles away? There were too many dishonest, untrustworthy souls there to trust the baby s welfare to them! Try to find a woman they could hire to come to Roaring Camp to be his nurse? No decent woman would come there, they decided! To make a short story shorter still, they decided to keep the baby right there in Roaring Camp where he thrived and was named Luck. Tommy Luck. They sent one of their number to a town eighty miles away to buy a real cradle. Another was dispatched to Sacramento to get proper blankets and supplies. But a rosewood cradle and baby blankets made the house they were in look filthy. So those tough men got on their hands and knees and scrubbed the floor clean. That only made the dirty walls more apparent. They washed them down. But clean walls only made the bare windows look like they needed curtains. And so on and so on. Since babies need lots of sleep, they stopped their raucous brawling and fighting. And as the boy began to imitate sounds and learn language, they cleaned up their vocabularies and stopped swearing. As he began to try to walk and eventually was big enough to play outdoors, they planted grass and flowers in a garden. That was better than the dust and sand and sharp rocks. Trying to play with little Tommy, their huge hands looked so dirty. And they smelled. So pretty soon the general store was selling lots of soap and shaving gear. You re following the story now, aren t you? The baby changed everything. On a far grander scale, that is the Christmas story. God is with us. There is hope for the worst and dirtiest and meanest of us. During this Advent season may the babe who stepped out of heaven s glory and splendor change your life in ways that bring blessings and peace, for He is the Prince of Peace. Tell Mount Vernon, Posey County, tell all Hoosiers and beyond how the baby changed everything! ~1~

2 Spiritual Life Please Pray for Solarbron The Terrace Don Heberer Geneva Holler Mary Jane Dausman Solarbron The Point Lucille Saunders West River Health, The Legacy Charles Huey Dorothy Niehaus Ruth Russell Good Samaritan Home Phyllis Huey Mt. Vernon Nsg. & Rehab Geraldine Allen Mark Healy Primrose Memory Care, Newburgh Mary Beth Burkett Bill Baro Family of Donald Cronk Katelyn Culley (military) Helen DeKemper Carroll Funkhouser Jerry Funkhouser Mike Gibbs Debra Gregory Amy Higgins Josett Higgins Lourana Howard Mark Hudson Neal Jackson Maya Luna Mary Peach Family of William Rohlman Anwar & Family If we have inadvertently left a name off any list, please contact the church office at December Head Usher Bill Baumgart November Averages in Attendance and Offerings Worship 108 Offering $ Weekly Need $ /6 Rachel Johnson 12/8 Gary Schmitzer 12/11 Janie White 12/14 Dale Strupp 12/17 Vicki Roby 12/17 Gwen Raibley 12/20 Frances Tomlinson 12/20 Braden Bincsik 12/21 Philip Hageman 12/22 Birgitt King 12/28 Paula Alldredge 12/29 Jacqueline Rama Office Closing The Office will be closed 11:00 Dec 22nd Dec 25th 11:00 Dec 29th Jan 1st Christmas Poinsettias December If you would like to place a Poinsettia in the chancel in honor of a loved one on Sunday December 17 & 24, please arrange delivery by December 15. To have the name in the bulletin please contact Jan by December 13. Please see reservation form on p.6 and place in offering or return to office. Birthdays this month Green 12/30 David Ziegler 12/231 Guy Green 12/31 Haley King ~2~

3 Dinner and a Movie at Trinity United Church of Christ On December 17th at 5:00 p.m. we ll have Dinner and a Movie at Trinity, the dinner will begin at 5:00 p.m. with Subway subs and chips. Everyone is asked to bring a desert to share. The movie will be Christmas with a capital C and will begin at 5:45 p.m. in the sanctuary. Invite friends and family to attend a nice evening with some great food. Christmas Open House December 3 - Pastor Jamie Christmas open house in the fellowship hall for Trinity Church Family from 4:30pm to 6:30pm. We'll share in Christmas goodies, snacks and the joy of the season of Christ' birth. Children s Christmas Play Come and join us for the Children s Christmas Play, December 10 at 5:00 p.m. Following the play Music & Worship will host a chicken dinner. (See coupon on page 6). Santa will make his appearance approximately 6:30 p.m. Hope to see everyone there!! Worship Schedule for Christmas Eve Services will be held at 10:10 a.m. and 10:00 p.m. Communion will be held at both services. Trinity Jr/Sr High Christmas Party To be held at Posey Lanes, Thursday, December 21, 2017 from 4:00-6:00p.m. There will be bowling, pizza and exchanging gifts between $ for fun. Friends can attend just let Pastor Jamie know if you are attending. ~3~

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5 Wolfgang Orchestra & Chorus Presents Christmas Concerts 2017 Friday, December 15, 7:30 p.m. at American Baptist East Auditorium, 6300 Washington Ave, Evansville, IN. Sunday, December 17, 5:00 p.m. at First United Methodist Church, Wesley Hall, 601 Main Street, Mt. Vernon. Faith Music Christmas 2017 Saturday, December 9 Aiken Theatre Old National Events Plaza, Evansville. General admission is $10.00 per person. This is a family friendly event for all ages. Tickets are available online at ticketleap.com. For more information log on to FaithMusicRadio.com or by tuning in to 93.1 FM Confirmation Class Confirmation classes will begin on January 14 from 4:45 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. in the lounge. All 7th and 8th grades should see Pastor Jamie to sign up for the class. Christmas Assistance Program December 10-15, 2017 The Christmas Assistance Program will be held in the Fellowship Hall December We would like to request volunteers to help during this week. Please call Judy Heberer or Jan King Christmas Fund Offering The Christmas Fund for the Veteran of the Cross and Emergency Fund is the primary source of annual income for the work of the United Church Board for Ministerial Assistance, one of the corporations comprising the Pension Boards of the United Church of Christ. You can honor the Christ Child during this season by bringing gifts that will be used to support and honor those who have served, and are serving the church. Gifts to the Christmas Fund help provide pension and health premium supplementation to low-income retirees, emergency assistance to the families of clergy and lay employees and Christmas Thank You Gift Checks to hundreds of annuitants Contributions In order for Trinity church to credit a contribution to your 2017 giving, the contribution must be postmarked no later than December 31, 2017 OR in the church office no later than 11:00 a.m. on Thursday, December 29, 2017 This schedule is to keep us within the IRS guidelines Contribution Envelopes 2018 Contribution envelopes will be available at the back of the church Sunday December If you do not see your name, please contact Jan in the office. Please discard any unused 2017 envelopes at the end of the year. Christmas Offering This years Christmas Offering will go to Christmas Assistance Program and the Homeless Shelter. ~5~

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7 December 2017 Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat 1 2 Private Party in Fellowship Hall 3 9:10 Adult Bible Study & SS 9:45 Choir. 10:10 Worship Holy Communion 4:30 Open House 10 9:10 Adult Bible Study & SS. 9:45 Choir 10:10 Worship 5:00 Christmas Play & Dinner 17 9:10 Adult Bible Study & Sunday Sch 9:45 Choir. 10:10 Worship 5:00 Dinner & Movie 24 9:10 Adult Bible Study & SS 9:45 Choir 4 6:30 Boy Scouts 11 6:30 Boy Scouts 18 6:30 Boy Scouts 7:00 Council 5 9:00 Quilters 7:30 AA 12 9:00 Quilters 7:30 AA 19 9:00 Quilters 7:30 AA :00 Quilters 7:30 AA 6 6:00 Youth Choir 6:00 Bible Study 7:00 Choir 13 1:30 Spiritual Life 6:00 Youth Choir 6:00 Bible Study 7:00 Choir 20 6:00 Youth Choir 6:00 Bible Study 7:00 Choir 27 No Bible Study 7:00 Choir Newsletter Deadline 4:00 Jr/Sr Christmas Party Posey Lanes 22 Office Close at 11: Office Close at 11: :10 Adult Bible Study & SS 9:45 Choir 10:10 Worship December is Christmas Assistance Week in the Fellowship Hall December 24, Christmas Eve Services will be at 10:10 a.m. and 10:00 p.m. ~7~

8 TRINITY TRUMPET December Vol 19 Issue 12 Trinity United Church of Christ 505 Mulberry Street Mt. Vernon, IN Tel: E mail: trinityucc1@sbcglobal.net Facebook: Webpage: Address Services Requested THURSDAY, December 21, 2017 your notes, articles, or announcements to the office on time! Electronic submissions are especially appreciated! Trinityucc1@sbcglobal.net Inside This Issue Pastor Page 1- Visit our web page: Spiritual Life 2 Upcoming Events 3 Care Squares 4 Miscellaneous 5 Coupons 6 Food Pantry Baking Items Calendar 7 Miscellaneous 8 ~8~