Of the La Mesa First United Methodist Church

Transcription

1 Of the La Mesa First United Methodist Church Volume 64, Number 11 November 2017 November is a month of giving thanks. Even our nation has designated a national holiday for the purpose of giving thanks for the goodness of life, sharing meals with families and friends, and taking a well-needed break before the hectic season of Christmas. It s interesting that this Thanksgiving season comes right at the heels of changing our clocks from daylight savings to standard time. When that happens, although I may enjoy the extra hour of sleep on that first day, I dread the afternoons as what once used to be pleasantly lit dusk hour turns to total darkness with traffic conditions being a chaotic mess as people adjust to driving at night. So much of life feels like that chaos. As we approach the season when the days become shorter and darkness fills the hour, life can feel more depressing and the challenges we face feel more daunting. In our daily living, how often do we find ourselves sighing at the monotonous routines of life or, on the opposite spectrum, being overwhelmed by the stresses of life. Work in the office seems never-ending; house chores keep piling; to-do lists ever growing. On top of that, family members struggling with health; loved ones being in the hospital; relationships being strained; and finances ever dwindling. It s easy to lose that sense of thankfulness when life doesn t seem to go our way. And during this time of year, those struggles seem amplified as darkness fill our day. And so, perhaps having this designated holiday of Thanksgiving may truly be a blessing. It forces us to intentionally think about what God gifts us each day - family, friends, the beauty of nature, and church. I have an app on my phone that requires me each day to list three things that I m thankful for. It s not always easy to think of three things; but in doing so, it lift my eyes to the sky to look through the lens of God. For me, I can always thank God for my family, especially my children to bring me joy. I give thanks to God for my calling, that no matter how difficult ministry may be, because it is God s church and not mine, I know that God will take care of things. I m just in it for the ride. And I give thanks for the people, all of you, who make what I do meaningful. Sunday Worship Sunday Worship at La Mesa First Nov. 5: All Saints Sunday Matthew 25:1-13 Sermon: Are You Ready? Rev. Dr. Elbert Kim preaching Holy Communion Nov. 12 Twenty-fourth Sunday after Pentecost Mark 4:26-34 Seminary Intern Sylina Kidd preaching Second Sunday Supper Nov. 19: Thanksgiving Sunday Matthew 25:31-46 Sermon: Meeting Jesus Everywhere Rev. Dr. Elbert Kim preaching Nov. 26: Christ the King Sunday 1 Timothy 6:11-19 Youth Sunday Office Hours: Monday-Thursday 9 am - 1 pm We are closed on Friday. Mirror Deadline for next issue: So as long as I keep those things in mind, I can deal with this darkened season. How about you? What bring you joy in life? What should you keep in the forefront of your mind to give thanks to God that can lift your spirits? May God give us strength and hope for each day as we journey through another season of darkness. Blessings, Pastor Elbert Kim 1

2 Music Notes Music Sunday was a great day! Our Chancel Choir, Fiery Spirit Children s Choir, Bill, Rosy, Jan and I all had a wonderful morning presenting an entire worship service designed around music. Thanks to everyone for the effort they put in to making this a meaningful worship experience. What s next?... This week we begin rehearsals for our Christmas Concert which will be held on Sunday, December 10 th at 4:00 pm. We will be presenting a cantata by Tom Fettke and Thomas Grassi titled The Christmas Story (A Classic Carol Celebration.) Filled with music new and old, this story of Christmas is filled with glorious images of promise, joy, love, faith, worship, and a Baby, God's great gift of salvation. We hope you will bring your family and friends to share in this delightful afternoon and plan to join us for a light supper in the Social Hall following the concert. Music gives a soul to the universe, wings to the mind, flight to the imagination and life to everything. - Plato Mark your calendars! All Church Charge Conference will be Sunday, November 19th. All Conference reports will be due, Wednesday, November 1st. The Giving Tree Please your reports to Tina@LaMesaUMC.com In the Narthex is a tree with several envelopes. This tree is an opportunity to give a little extra towards a church expense of your choice. It s a great way to show gratitude for any additional blessing God is providing or simply to give more with a grateful heart. All you need to do is take an envelope off the tree insert your gift and put the envelope in the offering plate during service. Thank you for your blessing and generosity. Say Cheese! It s Time for a New Directory! If you haven t already filled out the new directory information sheet, please see Tina. We are asking everyone, even if you have lived in the same place for 20 years, to fill out this information sheet. We will be having photos taken on the following dates and times: Friday, Oct. 27 from Noon 8 pm Saturday, Oct. 28 & Sunday, Oct. 29 from 9:30 am 5:30 pm Monday Wednesday, Nov. 6, 7, 8 From Noon 8 pm FALL BACK November 5th. Church Staff Rev. Dr. Elbert Kim, Senior Pastor Sylina Kidd, Seminary Intern Ray Swaverly, Intern Robin McKinney, Children s Center Director Tina Wiedholz, Church Administrator Esther Brasmer, Finance Secretary Jill Coady, Director of Music Ministries Rosy-Dawn Whelan Bill Haworth Bill Kelly Debbie Millican Michele Butler, Iris Millican, Amy Sousa Ron Beierle Don t forget to set your clocks back on Saturday night, November 4th so you will be on time for church Sunday the 5th. Ekim@lamesaumc.com Sylina@lamesaumc.com Ray@lamesaumc.com LMUMCC@gmail.com Tina@lamesaumc.com Esther@lamesaumc.com Jill@lamesaumc.com Fiery Spirit Choir Director Organist/Accompanist Lay Leader Fireside Supervisor Child Care Workers Sunday Custodian/Van Driver 2

3 November 2017 Calendar Wednesday November 1 12:30 pm Faith Circle, OS 3:00 pm Bible Study, Grossmont Gardens Thursday November 2 Saturday November 4 8:00 am Arts & Crafts Fair, SH Sunday November 5 9:30 am Children s Choir Rehearsal, EB11 Children & Youth Sunday School 5:00 pm Youth Group Monday November 6 Tuesday November 7 7:00 pm Worship & Arts, WR Wednesday November 8 3:00 pm Bible Study, Grossmont Gardens Thursday November 9 Sunday November 12 Alternative Christmas, SH 9:30 am Blood Pressure Check, SH Children s Choir Rehearsal, EB-11 Children & Youth Sunday School 5:00 pm Youth Group, EB-11 Monday November 13 Tuesday November 14 9:00 am Children s Center Chapel, S 10:00 am Staff Meeting, EO 6:00 pm Trustees, OS Wednesday November 15 9:00 am Children s Center Chapel, S 12:00 pm Mirror Articles Due 3:00 pm Bible Study, Grossmont Gardens Thursday November 16 10:00 am Sunshine Circle, GR Saturday November 18 FS-Fireside, GR-Garner Room, WR-Wesley Room, Sunday November 19 9:30 am Children s Choir Rehearsal, EB11 Children & Youth Sunday School 12:00 pm All Church Conference, S 5:00 pm Youth Group Interfaith Shelter, SH Monday November 20 3:00 pm Finance Committee, WR 5:30 pm CC Advisory Council Meeting, EB-11 6:30 pm Outreach Committee, WR Tuesday November 21 10:00 am Staff Meeting, EO Wednesday November 22 Thursday November 23 Thanksgiving Offices Closes Friday November 24 Saturday November 25 Sunday November 26 Children & Youth Sunday School, EB, FS, Nursery 12:00 pm Men s Group, GR 4:00 pm Youth Group, EB 11 Monday November 27 Tuesday November 28 10:00 am Staff Meeting, EO 6:30 pm Church Council, FS Wednesday November 29 Thursday November 30 SH-Social Hall, S-Sanctuary, EO-Elbert s Office, OS-Off Site, PL-Parking Lot LL-Lower Level of Sanctuary 3

4 Why We Come to Church I have a confession. As a young adult I had to teach myself to greet people first before launching into whatever my business was with them. I would be so narrowly focused on whatever was on my mind that I would forget I was approaching another human without the courtesy of a Hello. I honestly had to practice until it became natural ; but which ended up greatly improving my interactions with folks and was also a boon to me personally. I would like to take this idea a little farther here at church. Why do we come to Church? Clearly, we come primarily to worship God; and, secondly, for fellowship among our church family. While many of us also have work to do, as staff or as volunteers, we all come on Sundays for a day of rest and worship. This includes you and me, and the trustees, and, yes, even the staff. While it may be convenient to do our business on Sundays, I encourage you to put it on hold for the Sabbath. Need to connect with a committee member? Give them a written note that says on top Read this tomorrow. Have a new idea for our pastor? Call the office on Tuesday. Want to give a trustee a wish list? Send it via on Wednesday. You get the idea. Yes, emergencies will arise: someone takes a tumble, a pipe breaks, a visitor shows up in crisis, or maybe a group has elected to have a meeting following worship. But most, if not all things, on most Sundays can wait a day. If in doubt, ask yourself, does this need immediate, urgent attention? If the answer is no, then wait, it s that simple. We all need our day of rest, free of the burdens of this world, and on which we can lean on God. Enjoy the day and the fellowship and let others enjoy theirs. And, if the first word out of my mouth doesn t sound like a hello to you call me on it. Mary Earnest, Worship Chair I approve of this message ~ God HOMELESS MOTHER OF THREE NOW HAVE A HOME! Because of the generosity of those in our church who gave to the Homeless Children project, a mother of a boy and two girls now have a home. This family was referred to the Interfaith Council of La Mesa by the school counselor. Our church was able to fund the deposit for them to move into an apartment after having lived in their car for several months. All three children attend the La Mesa schools. Their mother expressed her heartfelt gratitude to our church for helping her through this crisis in their lives. Lois Knowlton Online Giving Simplify your giving to the church by setting up automatic payments either through credit card or electronic fund transfer. Setup your profile and automatic payments and don t worry about bringing your checkbooks anymore. Go to our church website at: and click on the upper right hand corner on the Giving tab. November BIRTHDAYS Grace Kim 04 Heidi Martin 04 Dorothy Nottingham 06 (94) David Goff 07 Terrie Harrell 07 Ann Tarvin 08 Per Martin 09 Ralph Powell 11 Steven Rubin 14 Tom Matthew Gonzales 17 William Pirie 19 Susan Wong 19 Henry Desmet 20 Isabella Sousa 21 Rosadel Floyd 23 Ilene Davis 25 Randa D Aoust 27 A Friendly Reminder From Your Administrator Please remember there is no night security or custodian to check windows, lock doors, and turn off lights. If you turn it on, please remember to turn it off. It s very costly when a light or a fan is left on Thursday and no one knows it s still on until Sunday. Thank you. Tina Holding in Prayer Caroline Saunders Rosadel Floyd Susan Taylor Pat Chalmers Phil & Julie Dreylinger Karen Westgate- Phyllis Anning Dorothy Troxell Dale & Carol Conger-Cross UMW MEETINGS Faith: Wed. Nov. 6th 1:00 pm, SH Sunshine: Thurs. Nov. 19th 10:00 am, SH 4

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6 THE METHODIST MIRROR is published by the First United Methodist Church of La Mesa, 4690 Palm Avenue, La Mesa, CA METHODIST MIRROR 4690 Palm Avenue, La Mesa, CA (619) Fax (619) Arts & Crafts Fair Saturday, November 4 8:00 am 2:00 pm Admission is free Craft show is held indoors rain or shine Spread the word La Mesa First UMC is having its first annual arts and crafts fair. We are accepting applications for crafters through Monday, October 16th. Applications are available at the office or see Tina on Sunday. Bring a friend and shop unique handmade crafts for holiday gift giving. 6