THE MESSENGER CHRISTMAS DAY WORSHIP. ONE SERVICE AT 10:00 a.m. IN THE SANCTUARY. S E N I O R Pa s t o r w r i t e s... AN INCARNATION STORY

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1 THE MESSENGER S o u t h e r n h i l l s u n i t e d m e t h o d i s t c h u r c h D E C E M B E R / J a n u a r y S E N I O R Pa s t o r w r i t e s... AN INCARNATION STORY The gospel writer put it this way: The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth. John 1:14 He was trying to describe the incarnation of Christ. How does God identify with mortal beings? By becoming one of us in the person of Jesus Christ. The Protestant Reformer, Martin Luther, put it this way as he contemplated the doctrine of the Incarnation: The mystery of the humanity of Christ, that he sunk himself into our flesh is beyond all human understanding." So how do we grasp this concept? In 1873 a Belgian Catholic priest named Joseph Damien de Veuster was set to minister to lepers on the Hawaiian Island of Molokai. Leprosy is a terrible disease that destroys and disfigures the body. When he arrived he immediately began to meet each of the lepers in the colony in hopes of building a friendship and a ministry. It seemed that wherever he turned, people rejected him. He felt that every door to his ministry was closed. So he poured his life into his work, building a chapel and beginning new worship services with all of the lepers. But no one responded to his ministry. He was a failure and believed that everything he did was useless, so after twelve long years of rejection Father Damien decided to leave. He made his way to the docks to board a ship that would take him back home to Belgium. As he stood on the dock waiting for that boat, he nervously wrung his hands in defeat. He recounted again how he failed to reach even the lepers. It was then he looked down at his hands and noticed some mysterious white spots and felt some numbness. Immediately he knew what was happening to his body. He had contracted leprosy. Now he was a leper. At that moment he knew what he had to do. He returned to the leper colony to again do ministry. The word spread quickly about his disease through the colony. Within a matter of hours everyone knew. Hundreds of lepers gathered outside his hut. They understood his pain, fear, and uncertainty about the future. But the biggest surprise came the following Sunday when Father Damien arrived at the chapel to conduct the morning service. He found hundreds of worshippers were already there. By the time the service began there was standing room only. The place packed to overflowing. The rest is history. Father Damien had a ministry that became enormously successful. If you travel to Hawaii, someone will probably mention his works that began with the simple concept of working and living with other human beings. Now he was one of them. He could understand their pain and empathize with them. Now there was an identity. There was no question any longer that he really cared. This is the true essence of Christmas- how and why Jesus Christ came among us. The word that describes it is "Incarnation". The time when God became a human being, just like all of us. Bill CHRISTMAS DAY WORSHIP ONE SERVICE AT 10:00 a.m. IN THE SANCTUARY 1

2 KRISTINA WHITE - Children s ministry OCC: We collected 177 boxes for Operation Christmas Child this year! How exciting for us to be a part of a church who loves God s children so much! A special Thank You to Judy Blakeman for all of the work she has done to help make this a success! Advent At Home bags: This year, we want to help families dive in to Advent at Home. Please be sure to pick up your family s Advent At Home bags. There are seven devotionals that you can do with your children throughout Advent. Grow At Home by Dr. Winfield Bevin: Through the donation of a very kind member of SHUMC, we are able to provide each family with a book on Family Discipleship. These are in the Advent At Home bags, but if you didn t get one and want one, please let Kristina know! Kids and Families on a Mission will not be meeting in December. We will resume after the new year. Lunch with Mrs Kristina: I will begin having lunches with any child whose parent signs them up. If you would like me to come to your child s school, please sign up at the Check In desk by the Activities Room. Children s Christmas Party: On Sunday, December 18 during the 9:30 hour, we will be having our Annual Children s Christmas Party. We will have a devotion, games and activities. Parents are welcome to join us! Room in the Inn Is Seeking Great Volunteers for Room in the Inn has a table in the Education foyer to encourage Southern Hills and Christ Church UMC members to become a part of the volunteer wing of RITI to help with set-up, meals, overnight hosting, Sunday clean-up, laundry, and evening hosts for our 13th season. We provide Christian fellowship, a safe and warm place to sleep for the night, as well as supper, Sunday breakfast, and a sack lunch for up to 14 homeless male guests each Saturday night during the cold winter months ahead. From 5 p.m. Saturday to Sunday around 6:30 a.m., Dec. 3, March 11, 2017, our Activities Building doors will be open with preparations for our overnight guests. We would love to have as many of you as possible to help with this volunteer community commitment: from the financial expense for preparing, delivering, and/or serving a meal, to the time it takes to set up sleeping mattresses, towels, and bedding, to washing mattress pads at home and bringing them back to the church by the next Thursday, to transporting men from and back to downtown Lexington in our church van, to becoming a male supervisory overnight host, a Sunday clean-up committee member, or to being an evening host. This project is a wonderful way to serve the church and the community and to be a part of more than 20 Greater Lexington area churches who proudly offer these overnight services for more than weeks each winter season. Our booth will be signing up volunteers Sunday, Oct. 23- Sunday, Nov. 20 or you may call Bev Jaquith, (859) to select a specific date or position in which you would like to serve. Families, circles, small groups, scouts, youth groups, men s groups, and individuals are always welcome! We have spots for everyone! During part of this time, we will also be offering great holiday gifts of woodworking items (cutting boards and picture frames) for sale that our RITI guests have been making through the RITI 6 Treasures Ministry at Centenary United Methodist Church. Prices will range from $15- $40. Unfortunately, no credit cards will be accepted, just cash or checks. CHRISTMAS ACTIVITIES and WORSHIP OPPORTUNITIES UMW CHRISTMAS DINNER Wednesday, December 7th 6:00 p.m. UMM CHRISTMAS DINNER AND PROGRAM Monday, December 12th 6:00 p.m. FESTIVAL OF CHRISTMAS Wednesday, December 14th 6:30 p.m. SING FOR YOUR SUPPER Sunday, December 18th 3:30 p.m. CHRISTMAS EVE SERVICES December 24th 5:30 p.m. Family Friendly 7:00 p.m. Communion Served CHRISTMAS DAY SERVICE ONE SERVICE WILL BE HELD AT 10:00 a.m. IN THE SANCTUARY 2

3 Winter break is almost here for the schools. To help ensure our children at Arlington will have food to eat during vacation, we are asking the congregation to fill grocery bags of selected items that will be sent home with the children on the last day of school before break. The Backpack team will provide bags for you to shop. They will be available at church on Sunday, December 4th. If you are not in attendance that day, or if we run out, you can use a brown paper bag. Below is all the information you need to know. Any extra bags collected will be used for children at Mary Todd Elementary. CHRISTMAS BLESSING BAGS We have found it best to keep all the bags as similar as possible, therefore we have included a suggested list to help in your shopping. Sizes have been limited in order to keep bags from being too heavy for the children to carry home. Feel free to get any brand, but do your best to get the stated size, and please, no glass. PEANUT BUTTER (no larger than 18 oz.) JELLY (squeeze bottle is best, no larger than 20.5 oz.) SPAGHETTIOS (2 15 oz. cans) MARUCHAN INSTANT LUNCH (ramen noodles oz. containers) SALTINE CRACKERS (16 oz.) CHRISTMAS CHOCOLATE CANDY of your choice This should run about $12-$15. Please feel free to add a card or letter. Bags should be returned to church on SUNDAY, DECEMBER 11th. **LEAVE THEM BEHIND YOUR CAR** We will drive around to get them. If it is raining, please bring them to the Sanctuary entrance. If you are not at church on December 11th, you may drop your bag at church after December If you would like to be on any of the lists for volunteering, please Lyn Bracken at 2brackens@gmail.com or call WEDNESDAY EVENING MEAL AND ACTIVITIES Our Wednesday night fellowship dinners are served from 5:30-6:15 p.m. in Herren hall. We are excited to enjoy this fellowship time together and hope that you will join us and take the opportunity to get to know each other around the tables. The menu is posted weekly in the bulletin and we ask that you please make a reservation so we can plan for the right amount of food each week. Donations are suggested to help cover the meal cost. If you are able to help out on a Wednesday night, Please let me know. We would love for groups to volunteer to help with food prep or cleanup. We also welcome suggestions for menu or themes for our Wednesday night meal. Please contact Brian Cathey at rbcathey@southernhillsumc.org or call the church at (859) MENUS FOR DECEMBER December 7 (In Activities Kitchen by Gym) Hot Dogs/Chili Dogs, Fruit & Chips December 14 Pot Roast, Mashed Potatoes, Corn, Carrots, Rolls BAGBY LIBRARY I want a Hippopotamus for Christmas is flowing through purple hair s head. To be honest, all Christmas music runs through my head all year long. When I think of great gifts, not to disparage the hippo, the greatest gift is Jesus coming to be with us and take away our sins. The library has a nice selection of Holiday and Christmas DVDs and both sacred and secular music for the borrowing. Enjoy Advent with music and maybe there will be a song that either you or your kids do not know. At family gatherings, do you enjoy singing favorite hymns? We have a collection of hymnals and music at the back, right hand side of the library. These items are to be shared with our church family. Purple hair s son, Brian, was reading some of the children s holiday jokes (a book in the church library) and we giggled like the children of God that we show to the world. Make Advent your Advent, which in Latin means to come. Love the Holy Trinity and love one another this beautiful season of the church year. Amen! 3

4 Rev. Joan Wooden ~ Director of Music and Worship Lighting of the Advent Wreath Every Sunday during Advent, as well as Christmas Eve, we will invite a variety of people to lead in the liturgy and lighting of the Advent Candles for our traditional services. This year, we are specifically targeting the small groups of Southern Hills! If your small group is interested in participating, please contact Joan Wooden (jwooden@southernhillsumc.org or , ext. 23). Festival of Christmas Wednesday, December 14 th at 6:30 p.m. You are cordially invited to attend our annual musical celebration of the Christ Child, which will be presented on Wednesday, December 14 th at 6:30 p.m. Beautiful musical offerings will be presented by our Elementary Children s Choir, Youth Choir, Ladies Only Vocal Ensemble (LOVE), Men s Only Vocal Ensemble (MOVE), Carillon Choir (adult handbell choir), and Chancel Choir. There will also be lovely congregational singing of beloved Christmas carols! The evening will culminate with the Chancel Choir s presentation of John Rutter s Magnificat. We will be joined by a small orchestra, most of whom are members of the Lexington Philharmonic. Please make plans to attend, and invite your friends! Christmas Eve Candlelight Services This year, we will continue our long-standing tradition of having two Christmas Eve Candlelight services. Our first service, held at 5:30 p.m., will include a very special time for our precious children, as well as musical offerings from our Children s Choir and MOVE. The second service will be held at 7:00 p.m. and will include service music and an anthem by our Chancel Ensemble, as well as Holy Communion. Additional music will be provided by our own Devin Hart, a violinist in the SCAPA program (son of Marnice and David Hart). The singing of O Holy Night is another beautiful tradition at Southern Hills. This year, the piece will be offered by our Men s Only Vocal Ensemble (MOVE) at the 5:30 p.m. service, and our own Amie Huesman (granddaughter of Anna and Jerry Day) at 7:00 p.m. Both services will incorporate plenty of carol singing and will end with the traditional candle lighting during the singing of Silent Night. Please make plans to attend, and bring your entire family! Taizé Services Resume in January Our monthly Service of Prayer and Holy Communion in the Style of Taizé will take a brief break in December and will resume service on Wednesday, January 18 th at 6:15 p.m. Please make plans to attend! SING for YOUR SUPPER Please join us for the 15th Annual Sing for Your Supper at Southern Hills! Sing for Your Supper is sponsored by the Interact Committee and will be held on Sunday, December 18, 2016 Meet in Herren Hall at 3:30 p.m. Share carols with members of our Southern Hills community from 4-6 p.m. Return to Herren Hall for supper around 6:00 p.m. PLEASE BRING A CROCKPOT OF SOUP or a DESSERT to share! You can Make A Difference for Christ by sharing God s love through singing Christmas carols to members of our Southern Hills UMC community! Everybody is invited to take part in the fun! Please join us for a wonderful time of fellowship and holiday cheer! 4

5 Brian Shumard ~ Director of Youth ministry DECEMBER Snapshot: Sundays, Dec. 4 & 11. Join us as we seek to grow closer to God. We ll take a look at the story of Jesus s birth from a different angle & on Sunday, Dec. 11 from 5:30-7:30pm we ll have a Christmas party at Snapshot! Bring a small, silly gift for a gift exchange (worth no more than $5) Invite a friend & we ll talk about the hope we have in Jesus! High School Small Group: Join us on Mondays, Dec. 5 & 12 from 6:30-7:45pm as we have a meal together, share about how things are going & do a deep dive into the Bible & tough topics to see how our faith informs us on them. We meet at Maggie s house (4216 Nutmeg Dr. Lexington, KY 40513). Embrace Meal: On Monday, Dec. 19 we will go to Embrace church and help with their community meal. They need help with cooking, serving, & cleaning up. We ll leave from Southern Hills at 5:15pm be back by 8:10pm. Middle School Small Group: Wednesday, Dec. 27 We ll meet in the Great Room from 6:30-7:30pm. We ll have a Christmas party & invite 5th graders to give them a peek at what being part of SHUMY is like! Winter Blitz: Friday, January 20, 2017 through Sunday, January 22, in Broadbent Arena in Louisville we ll join with other Methodist youth groups from all over Kentucky to learn, worship & serve together! Tickets are $80. Last day to sign up is December 18th and money is due by Sunday, Jan. 8. Open to all SHUMY students. Youth Band: Youth Band: Wednesday, Dec. 7. We ll meet in the Great Room from 7:30-8:30pm to work on songs to lead worship at Snapshot. Sing For your Supper: Sunday, Dec. 18 meet at 3:30pm in Herren Hall to go out & sing Christmas carols to some of our senior church members. We ll come back to church by 6pm & have some soup & tasty treats afterwards! It should all be wrapped up around 6:45pm. Summer Mission: If you are interested in this summer's mission to Mexico or just want to hear more about it, join us in the reception room on Sunday, Dec. 4 at 10:30am to get all the info. Contact Brian with any questions. The mission team will go to Tijuana, Mexico on June We need 12 people to help build a house, work with 2 community centers that feed children & families, & continue to build relationships with people through Bible study & dispensing food. Visit bittersweetministries.org to learn more about the ministry. This opportunity is open to anyone from middle school on up. Room In The Inn: Saturday, Dec. 10 come to church at 4:30pm to help set up the beds, cook & serve supper for the homeless gentlemen that will be staying at our church. Bring the whole family to help out. JANUARY Youth Band: Youth Band: Wednesdays, Jan. 4, 11, 18 & 25 We ll meet in the Great Room from 7:30-8:30pm to work on songs to lead worship at Snapshot. Parent Meeting: Sunday, Jan. 8 meet at 7:00pm in the Great Room (youth room). We ll go over Winter Blitz, look ahead to summer plans, & talk about how second campus will look as it relates to SHUMY. Snapshot: Sundays, Jan. 8, 15 & 29. We ll try to get a fuller picture of what worship is. We are called to live a life of worship, & that means way more than going around singing all day. High School Small Group: Join us on Mondays, Jan. 2, 9, 23 & 30 from 6:30-7:45pm as we have a meal together, share about how things are going & do a deep dive into the Bible & tough topics to see how our faith informs us on them. We meet at Maggie s house (4216 Nutmeg Dr. Lexington, KY 40513). Embrace Meal: On Monday, Jan. 16 we will go to Embrace church and help with their community meal. They need help with cooking, serving, & cleaning up. We ll leave from Southern Hills at 5:15pm be back by 8:10pm. Middle School Small Group: Wednesdays, Jan. 4, 11, 18 & 25 We ll meet in the Great Room from 6:30-7:30pm. We ll dig into the Bible to better understand who God is & how we relate to Him. ROADRUNNERS is a group of seniors from our church that meets for lunch and fellowship twice a month. All seniors in our church our invited to join us. We also are planning some day trips and other activities next spring. Please contact Brian Cathey at church ( ) to be added to our mailing list. December 15 - Lunch at Wesley Village (please contact Brian Cathey to reserve your spot) January 12, Cracker Barrel at Brannon Crossing January 26, Red Lobster on Nicholasville Road 5

6 FROM THE BUSINESS OFFICE - RICK ARNOLD FINANCIAL CONDITION We are well into the month of November and we continue to be financially sound. The Thanksgiving and Christmas season is upon us and we have much to be thankful for all the blessings bestowed upon us. On Celebration Sunday many commitment cards were received and I continue to receive cards daily. If you have not turned in your card, it s not too late. You know how much I value these commitment cards, they are the foundation for the 2017 church budget, so please fill one out and send it to me. If you need a card, I have plenty, just stop by or call me in the Business office. Current Income / Expense November 16, 2016 Income (in thousands) % Budgeted SHECP 1, Contributions 1, Other Income Total Income 2, Expenses SHECP 1, Capital Property Personnel Administrative Education & Worship Leisure & Outreach Total Expenses 2, Balance (3) The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth. John 1:14 (NIV) Dear People of Southern Hills, On behalf of Nathaniel Mission I would like to thank you for your donation of $ received August 24th, As Christians we are directed to feed the hungry and clothe the naked. It s generous people like you who are helping us to meet that directive. Your generous donation ensures that more than 200 families per month will not go to bed hungry or be without clothes and have a safe place to retreat. As you continue to give, God will continue to bless. Please remember us in your end of year giving. In His service, Harvey Cozart Director of Operations 6

7 The PAT HERREN CIRCLE will meet at 11:00 a.m. Tuesday, December 13th, at the Gift Box for our monthly meeting and our Christmas luncheon. Please plan to attend. Visitors welcome! Our January meeting will be held on January 10th at 9:30 a.m. in the Fireside Room. We are looking forward to a Sing-A-Long with Ruth Haggard and Lois Dixon. Our mission food is boxed spaghetti and canned meat sauce. (Remember that at 9:30 a.m. on February 14th we will be having our annual cookies for shut-ins meeting.) The FAITH SUSANNAH WESLEY CIRCLE will meet on Wednesday, December 14th, at 10:30 a.m. at the home of Natalie Wilson. We will have our annual Christmas potluck luncheon and will find out who our Secret Prayer Partners were for this year. Our January meeting will be Wednesday, January 11 at 9:30 a.m. in the Reception Room at the church. The SARAH BAGBY CIRCLE will meet at noon on Wednesday, December 14th, in the Fireside Room. Our program, which starts at 12:30 p.m., will be Pledge to Mission Service 2017 Blessedness of Giving. Nancy Beck, Pam Bradley and JoAnn Ricketts will be presenting the program. Please join us to enjoy the fellowship and some Christmas snacks. Our January meeting will take place on January 11 in the Fireside Room. The program, which starts at 12:30 p.m. will be Learning More About One Another. Please join us! The NEW LIFE CIRCLE will not hold a regular meeting in December but will gather with all United Methodist Women for the Annual Christmas Dinner on December 7 at 6:00 p.m. We ll resume our regular meetings the first Thursday of each month beginning January 5. For information, contact Teresa Eikenbary ( ) or Marynell Freeman ( ). The MEADE SHOTWELL CIRCLE will be attending the United Methodist Women December 7th Christmas Dinner. Our January meeting will be Monday, January 9th at 7:00 p.m. at the church. Please check future bulletins and s for information regarding our program for January. The United Methodist Women wish to thank all church members, circle ladies, friends and neighbors who supported the Pecan Fundraising Sales this year. This money will be contributed to outreach programs in the community and beyond which benefit women, children and families. As we look forward to the Advent and Christmas season and the start of the New Year, we can feel overwhelmed with our lists of things to do. Here are a few tips to help you have a healthy holiday season. 1. Change Your Mindset Christmas comes every year so if you can t work in all the traditional plans, focus on trying them next year. Remember, JESUS is the reason for the season. 2. Practice the Power of NO the word NO can be liberating and powerful. It s ok to pick and choose what you do during the season. It s ok to say I m sorry, No I can t plan on doing that at this time. 3. Focus on Others Instead of getting wrapped up in gift giving, baking and other holiday obligations, find a way to give back to your community this year. There are many benefits to giving back for your own health and wellbeing. 4. Don t Skip your Regular Workouts It s easy to find extra time in your schedule by cutting back on your gym visits or afternoon walks, BUT because exercise is such an effective form of stress relief, all you ll be buying yourself is exhaustion and added worry. 5. Take a Deep Breath If you find yourself feeling too stressed out and overwhelmed to even consider any of the suggestions above, pause for five minutes and take a few cleansing breaths. Then get a piece of paper and write down all the tasks that are swirling around in your head and driving you crazy. Figure out what day and time you can accomplish your list you will then have a plan in place. From your Health and Wellness Ministry Team Women of Southern Hills Save the Date Dig out of your attic, buy, or make the ugliest Christmas sweater you can imagine (perhaps once worn with pride, or a gift from Christmas past quickly hidden from view). Wear to the United Methodist Women Pot luck dinner December 7, 2016 Herren Hall 6:00 pm. Followed by an Ugly Christmas Sweater Contest and brief program. 7

8 Southern Hills United Methodist Church Non-Profit Org. U.S. Postage PAID Lexington, KY Permit No Harrodsburg Road Lexington, KY Return Services Requested Sunday Morning Worship Services Traditional: 9:30 & 11:00 Contemporary: 9:22 Tel: Fax: Web address: shumc.lexington Senior Pastor Dr. William Moore Associate Pastor Rev. Jill Ruhl Director of Music & Worship Rev. Joan Wooden Director of Youth Brian Shumard Director of Children Kristina White Director of Recreation/ Fellowship Brian Cathey DECEMBER/JANUARY 2016/2017 DECEMBER/JANUARY SERMONS Sermon Series: The Virgin Mary had a Baby Boy November 27 Advent 1 Mary s Song, Luke 1:26-45 December 4 Advent 2 Mary s Protector, Matthew 1:18-25 December 11 Advent 3 Mary s Moment, Luke 2:1-7 December 18 Advent 4 Mary s Visitors, Matthew 2:1-12 December 25 Christmas Day ALL SERVICES COMBINED AT 10AM The Prince of Peace, Luke 2:8-14 Sermon Series: "Measuring Up" January 1 "Measuring Up: Am I Joyful?," Romans 15:13, Rev. Jill Ruhl, preaching January 8 "Measuring Up: Am I Doctrinally-Sound?," Ephesians 4:1-7, January 15 "Measuring Up: Am I Engaged in Growth?," 2 Timothy 2:1-15 January 22 "Measuring Up: Am I Loving?," John 13:33-35 January 29 "Measuring Up: Am I Grace-Filled?," Ephesians 2:1-10 Scan here with your smartphone QR Code Reader app to go to the Southern Hills website. 8