Circuit Rider THINGS TO PONDER

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1 Volume 12, issue 11 November On average, it typically takes readers between 2 and 4 minutes to read a pastor's newsletter article -- depending, of course, on the pastor's level of verbosity. With that in mind, I thought I'd try something different as we find ourselves looking ahead to the holy day of Thanksgiving. I invite you to take the time which you would normally spend reading my article and put it to far better use: Utilize this time for grateful reflection and prayer, giving thanks to the Lord for His goodness and His faithful love. In other words, pause to ponder...and to praise. I know that's what I'll be doing. U N I O N A V E N U E U N I T E D M E T H O D I S T C H U R C H Circuit Rider THINGS TO PONDER See you in church, Coralee Here's a good question: What if you woke up today with only the things you thanked God for yesterday? "Give thanks to the Lord, for He is good. His love endures forever." Psalm 107:1 All are invited to attend our annual Church Conference -- at the Westbrook Park United Methodist Church on Sunday, November 11th at 7:00 pm. This year's gathering is a Church Conference in which all church members have voice and vote (as opposed to a Charge Conference, in which only members of the Administrative Council can vote). Please let Coralee know if you'd like to join her there. It will be a time of worship and "blessed business," led by our new Tuscarawas District Superintendent, Rev. Benita Rolllins. All Saints Sunday will be commemorated in both worship services on Sunday, November 4th. Remember to VOTE on Tuesday, November 6th!

2 FAMILY MOVIE NIGHT Everyone is invited to MOVIE NIGHT on the big screen here at the church on Sunday, November 11 th at 6 PM. Snacks will be provided. The movie will be Dolphin Tale, an amazing true store based on a dolphin named Winter. Please put the date on your calendar and invite a friend. When we say FAM- ILY, we mean our whole CHURCH FAMILY and friends! This is an all ages show everyone will enjoy. Critics say, This is a can t miss event of the season! ROUND THE TABLE CAROL SING The Membership Committee invites you to join them in a new tradition, Round the Table Carol Sing, at Union Avenue. We will be gathering in Fellowship Hall on Sunday, December 2 nd, from 6:30p.m. 7p.m. to hear stories, Scripture, and join in singing the carols of the season on the first evening of Advent. We will end our evening with cookies and punch. You do not have to have any musical talent to participate. You won t want to miss this special start to the Advent season. WOMEN S STUDY GROUP All women of the church are invited to join our Women s Study Group on Tuesday evenings at 6:30 pm beginning November 13 th in the Middle School Sunday School room on the third floor. We will be using the Animate curriculum from Sparkhouse which brings together seven leading Christian voices to create an accessible, captivating exploration of big questions of the Christian faith designed to spark conversation in faith communities. Go to to preview the seven lessons. The class will be facilitated by Kelly Bericchia and Erin West. Please contact Kelly at or dbericchia@neo.rr.com or Erin at the church office by November 6 th if you will be joining us or if you have any questions. A NIGHT OF REJOICING A NIGHT OF REJOICING will be held on Sunday, December 16th at 7:00. Please join us for this Christmas concert featuring the Chancel Choir, Bell Choir, Praise singers, soloists, instrumentalists, and a drama. Refreshments will be served following the concert in fellowship hall. UNITED METHODIST WOMEN Carol Danford, President The United Methodist Women will have a meeting on Tues., Nov. 6th at 12:30 upstairs as there will be voting in the fellowship hall. Hostesses will be the Alice Kearns Circle. The program will be "Take a Walk with Christ" with Carol Danford and Kay Hettler. We will see some of our mission work in Alliance as well as some other places. Circles will meet on the third Monday at 7pm at the church and Tues. at 1pm at Copeland Oaks. We would encourage all women to become a part of the UMW. Sunday, Nov. 11 we will celebrate Thank Offering. Envelopes will be provided in the bulletins for both services. Congratulations to Al and Shirley Miller on the birth of their 8th grandchild, Roy Bennet Miller Spratt, who was born on October 20th! Page 2

3 THE LONGEST NIGHT Does the thought of Christmas this year cause you to feel sad? Are you grieving, and wondering how you'll make it through "the holidays"? Please mark the evening of Friday, December 21st on your calendar and join us in the Sanctuary for a service entitled "The Longest Night." More details to follow... LET US KNOW! You know you ve been considering it: presenting a Children s Chat during The Avenue or serving as Liturgist for our 11:00 worship. Please let Coralee know. INVITATION SUNDAY CHURCH WOMEN UNITED Who could YOU invite to church? Family members, friends, co-workers, neighbors, acquaintances, maybe even an enemy? Look for details in our future Sunday morning bulletins for when Invitation Sunday will be! Prayerfully consider. Church Women United will meet on November 2nd at the Vine Street UMC. At 11:30am they will start the Board Meeting and at 1:00pm the General Meeting will begin. The program will be World Communion Day. All are welcome! STEWARDSHIP REPORT 2012 October 2012 Stewardship Report Received in October Received in October Received Year to Date Received Year to Date Operating Budget Special Ministries Operating Budget Special Ministries $ 20,645 $ 4,652 $ 275,111 $ 39,837 The monthly operating budget income requested is $27,017 to support the ministries of DEEPEST SYMPATHY Our hearts and prayers go out to the family of our dear friend Sally Hartenstein. She will be truly missed. Just an FYI: Pastor Coralee will be participating in day-long meeting of the Conference Board of Ordained Ministry on Tuesday, November 27th. Page 3

4 MISSION NEWS UNITED METHODIST STUDENT SUNDAY November 25, 2012 You have an opportunity to help provide a college education for United Methodist students! United Methodist Student Sunday is observed on November 25. Your donation on this special Sunday supports approximately 500 scholarships ranging from $500 to $1000 for undergraduates and $1000 to $2000 for graduates (mostly seminarians). These scholarships are awarded yearly to students enrolled in United Methodist schools. In addition, student loans funded by this special offering exceed $2 million each year! Over the years, many students from Union Avenue United Methodist Church have benefited from United Methodist student scholarships, grants and loans. CHURCH-WIDE FOOD DONATIONS The Altar and Arts Committee is again encouraging the church-wide, food donation to be added to the Giving Tree Christmas Gifts which is organized during Advent. You may donate your non-perishable food items on Sunday, November 11 and Sunday, November 18. Bring your donations and place them in the baskets near the altar before or after either service. By doing this you will not only be giving to a very worthy cause, but you will be helping us create a very meaningful display on the altar. COMMUNITY OUTREACH FUND The needs continue to be great within the Alliance community. Support our church s work by dropping coins/cash in the C.O.F. wooden boxes or writing a check with Community Outreach Fund on the memo line. Page 4 PLEASE DON T FORGET TO LEAVE YOUR NON- PERISHABLE FOOD ITEMS THROUGHOUT THE FALL MONTHS AT THE HARTSHORN STREET CHURCH ENTRANCE DOOR OR IN FELLOWSHIP HALL NEAR THE PRESCHOOL GYM DOORS. THE NEED IS GREAT IN OUR COMMUNITY! ALL ITEMS DONATED TO THE ALLIANCE COMMUNITY PANTRY Kay Hettler, Chairperson THE GIVING TREE Once again this year, Union Avenue UMC will be providing an opportunity for our congregation to reach out to those children who are less fortunate during the upcoming Advent season through The Giving Tree. Located at the back of the sanctuary across from the elevator door, this Christmas tree will be filled with paper ornaments the Sunday after Thanksgiving. Each ornament will give information about a specific gift a child would like to receive. Please feel free to take one or more ornaments off the tree, purchase and wrap your gift(s), attach the paper ornament to the gift bag or box and place the present under the tree by Sunday, December 15. We are helping preschool children in need (and their siblings) from our own UAUMC preschool and also assisting youngsters at the A-FIRST permanent housing project in Alliance (for homeless families). Your support of this meaningful Advent outreach has been phenomenal in the past. Thank you for making a difference in the lives of these children again this year! ADVENT OFFERING This year s Advent Offering will be divided between three very worthy causes. The Community Outreach Ministry Fund provides short-term funds to area individuals and families who are in financial crisis for such things as a month s heating or electric bill or other basic necessities. Our pastor uses this money at her discretion to help those in need in the Alliance area. The Alliance of Churches helps screen those individuals and families who make requests so that there is not a duplication of services. Over the past year, the needs in our area have been so great that thousands of dollars have been distributed, and the fund is extremely low. Our Advent gifts will help replenish it. The Canton Calvary Mission is the mission project of our conference, and our church has a covenant pledge with them. This mission is located in the Gibbs section of Canton and provides many services to people in that area. Their clientele list is growing as the mission s services expand. The Methodist Church is a connectional church that looks at mission work not only in our own city, but also statewide, countrywide and worldwide. Our own Union Avenue United Methodist Preschool s scholarship fund will benefit from this year s Advent offering. The need to provide partial scholarships for children who attend our preschool has grown over the past few years as the economy in our area has weakened. The scholarship fund has been depleted. Young children who would greatly benefit from a preschool experience will be supported by our generosity.

5 MISSION NEWS continued... Kay Hettler, Chairperson BEST GIFT CATALOG and HEIFER INTERNATIONAL Holidays got your goat? Simplify your shopping this year! During this Christmas season how can we prayerfully and thoughtfully give gifts that will benefit others? Two suggestions are The Best Gift Catalog from Church World Service and The Most Important Gift Catalog in the World from Heifer International. Instead of giving more things, give more meaning by making a contribution in someone s honor to the life-giving work of Church World Service. The Best Gift and Heifer International catalogs can be found on the Welcome Center at the back of the sanctuary, in the church office and on the table with the Fair Trade coffee and tea in Fellowship Hall. One can be yours for the taking! A Best Gift helps bring genuine and lasting change to those who need it most. All gifts are examples of how Church World Service works in partnership to assist people in the world s poorest countries to find effective ways of tackling poverty and injustice. From chicks to blankets, wells to sewing machines, you re bound to find something for everyone on your list! Whatever gift you buy, your money will fund one of the program areas related to your gift: agriculture and livestock, emergency and disaster preparedness, care for the vulnerable children, water and environment, or women s empowerment. For example, if you buy a rabbit ($10), a beehive ($30), or a goat ($120), your money will go to agriculture or livestock programs that can boost people s income. A gift in honor of a sports fan might be a $10 soccer ball that helps build community in the Darfur region of the Sudan. For the a-maizing cook on your list, provide a two months supply of maize to drought sicken families for $30. The opportunities go on and on! For every gift, Church World Service will provide at your request a beautiful gift card that illustrates the particular fund you are supporting along with a small description of the specific item you have ordered. Another option for honoring friends and loved ones during the holidays is Heifer International. Pick up a catalog or go to their website: to see the many ways that you can help others in the USA and around the world by purchasing an animal (such as a goat or honeybees or ducks or cows or pigs). The family who receives the animal is taught to care for it and MUST give the offspring of their animal to neighbors in their community. The circle of being blessed and then giving to others goes on and on. Again, a gift card can be sent to the recipient of your generous present. THINK OUTSIDE THE (cardboard) BOX THIS CHRISTMAS! THANKSGIVING OPPORTUNITY First Immanuel United Church of Christ is once again sponsoring a free Thanksgiving meal for those in need in Alliance on Thanksgiving Day, Thursday, November 22 from 10:00 a.m. until 1:00 p.m. They have asked if members of our church might want to help with this mission. For the past seven years First Immanuel (with the help of other churches and individuals) has served a Thanksgiving meal to almost 5700 people. They are grateful for the generosity of congregations and individuals who have donated food and time to make this mission a success. What is needed this year? First Immanuel will gladly accept fully cooked, carved and ready to eat turkey as well as anything that fits a Thanksgiving Day meal. They need stuffing, cranberry sauce, gravy, sweet potatoes, mashed potatoes, vegetables, dinner rolls and a variety of desserts. Food items should be cooked and ready to eat. Food can be delivered to First Immanuel (located at 208 East Oxford in Alliance) on Thanksgiving Day after 8 a.m. Food will begin being picked up at the church or delivered to homes at 10 a.m. The delivery and pickups end at 1:00 p.m. If you are interested in helping to serve that day and/or donating money or food, please contact First Immanuel at or at office@fiucc.com before November 18. Working together and serving those who are less fortunate follows the example that Christ gave to us. Page 5

6 November SUNDAY WORSHIP OPPORTUNITIES 9:00 a.m. The Avenue 11:00 a.m. Traditional Worship Service *91.1 FM Sunday Morning at 11:00 a.m. Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat Don t forget Nov. 4th is Fall Back! 10am Bible Study am UMM Breakfast 10am Bible Study 6:30pm Cub Scouts 12:30 UMW Luncheon, rm28 5:30pm Girl Scouts pm Family Movie Night 6:30pm Cub Scouts 7:05pm Missions, rm28 Country Music Night :30pm Cub Scouts 7pm Susannah Wesley 1pm Alice Kearns Copeland OFFICE CLOSED OFFICE CLOSED Save the Date! & UM Student Sunday 4pm UMW Board, rm2 10am Wednesday with Rev. Copeland December 2nd 6:30pm for the Round Table Carol Sing! Page 6

7 UNION AVENUE UNITED METHODIST CHURCH CHANGE SERVICE REQUESTED S U N I ON AVENUE A LL IAN C E, O H A United Methodist Church Practicing Safe Sanctuary through the child protection policy Rev. Coralee Cox Pastor Rev. David Andrews Minister of Pastoral Care Kirk Miller Director of Family Ministries Erin M. West Administrative Assistant Membership Secretary J. Kim Lewis Director of Music Melody Schmid Director of Preschool Sherry Lepley Treasurer Christine Cochran Financial Secretary Donald Danford Custodian Rev. Coralee Cox works from the office Tuesday through Thursday. Appointments may be scheduled for those days. Friday is her day for worship and sermon preparation. Note: new cell Rev. David Andrews, Minister of Pastoral Care, will have office hours on Tuesday and Thursday from 10am to 12pm. Erin West, Administrative Assistant is in the office Monday through Friday from 8:30am until 2:30 pm. Phone: Fax: uaumc@unionavenueumc.org Keep up to date with us at CAN T MAKE IT TO CHURCH? - HEAR OUR WORSHIP SERVICE ON 91.1 FM SUNDAY AT 11:00 A.M.