December 11 Christmas Cantata Advent Songs Service Intergenerational Xmas Party Club 56 Caroling. December 12 Pub Theology.

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1 THE CIRCUIT BOARD December 2016 St. Matthew s United Methodist Church Join us for worship on Sunday mornings Traditional Worship 8:15 & 11:15am Modern Worship 9:45am Classes & Studies for all ages In This Issue A Note from Pastor Neil St. Matthew s Upcoming Events Music Ministries/ Worship Schedule Among our congregation WDS Update UMW Corner New Sermon Series Christmas Season Schedule December 12 Pub Theology Stop Hunger Now December 14 Advent Candlelight Prayer Service Advent Candlelight Services UMM Christmas Trees Welcome New Members St. Matthew s Upcoming Events St. Matthew s Upcoming Events December 3 UMW Christmas Brunch Appraisal Roadshow Family Advent Celebration December 4 Faith Friends Breakfast December 7 Advent Candlelight Prayer Service December 9 Bridge Group December 11 Christmas Cantata Advent Songs Service Intergenerational Xmas Party Club 56 Caroling December 15 Esther Circle *See inside for Christmas Eve service times*

2 From Pastor Neil s Study A few years ago, a young mother told me that her eight-year-old son did not want to come to church and did not like going to Sunday School. His reason was that, they keep talking about Jesus and telling the same stories all the time. I think many of us can relate to this young man. We do keep talking about Jesus and we tell the same stories over and over, again and again. It s especially true around Christmas. Most people in our society even people who have never been inside a church have heard at least part of the Christmas story. Even if they get some of the details mixed up, most people know that the Christian celebration of Christmas is about a baby and a manger, and that stars, shepherds and wise men are somehow involved. And yet, despite its familiarity, the church tells the same story year after year. We read the same passages of Scripture, we sing the same carols, put up the same decorations, watch the same Christmas movies, and observe the same family traditions. I think there are several reasons for celebrating Christmas year after year. One is so that we won t forget the story. We believe that the birth of Jesus set into motion a chain of events that have cosmic implications. We need to keep reminding ourselves what God has done and what it means for our lives. Another reason we celebrate Christmas every year is because we believe that God uses the Biblical stories to change our lives from the inside-out. We need to hear them again and again to allow God to have access to our hearts and minds. And because the Christmas story is so familiar, we have to be intentional about letting God break through the busyness of the season and everything else that we do to celebrate Christmas. As we read the Christmas story again this year, we re going to Listen to the Angels. The Gospel writers (Matthew and Luke) tell us what happened, but it s the angels God s messengers who tell us what it means. They have a very important message for us, if we are willing to listen. I hope you ll plan to join us for worship every Sunday this month, including Christmas Day, as we Listen to the Angels. I pray God s blessings for you and your family as you celebrate Christmas and discover once again that Christ our Savior is born. Anne, Rob, Andrew, and Emily join me in wishing every one of you a joyous Merry Christmas and a blessed Happy New Year. In Christ, Advent and Christmas Sermon Series: Listen to the Angels Every year we read the Gospel accounts of Jesus birth and enter the story of Mary and Joseph. We are amazed at the miracle of salvation that comes through the birth of Jesus. We worship with the shepherds and join the wise men as they follow the star to meet the new-born King. Throughout the story of Christmas, angels guide us along the way. The Gospel writers (Matthew and Luke) tell us what happened in the first Christmas; the angels tell us what it means. Please join us during Advent and Christmas at St. Matthew s as we Listen to the Angels and hear the Good News once again. The Carol Ringers and Peace Ringers will be playing a free concert on the Millennium Stage at 6:00 PM at the Kennedy Center on December 22. We hope you will join us!

3 Among Our Congregation November In Sympathies St. Matthew s mourns the loss of the following people. Please continue to hold their loved ones in your thoughts and prayers. John Levick, brother of Lois Fritts Robert Mast, uncle of Abby Madden Michael O Toole, brother of Susan Klemmer Maxwell Smeby, grand-nephew of Lyle and Nancy Minter Ruth Hutchings, grandmother of Emily Yosmanovich November Baptisms Christopher Lawrence Laughlin Sadie Grace Laughlin Bridget Susan Laughlin Addison Birch November Births Noor Phenicie UMW events are open to all women. Circles meet at various times during the month to accommodate our busy schedules. If you are interested in more information, please contact Sandy Plate at sdplate@verizon.net or Karen Cogan karen.cogan@verizon.net The St. Matthew s women held another successful craft fair on November 18 and 19. This year we made over $11,000 and the money will be distributed to the following organizations: UMCOR, Michelo Project, SMUMC ASP/JP, Ferrum College, SMUMC Venture Scouts, All God's children camp, SMUMC WDS playground, Rising Hope, and SMUMC Joy Fund. A very special thank you to our organizers: Eileen Coble, Nancy Minter and Kathy Nutt. December Prayer Focus: But the angel said to them, Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. Luke 2:10 CELEBRATE THE CHRISTMAS SEASON WITH US! Advent Candlelight Services Wednesdays thru December 7:00 PM Family Advent Celebration Saturday, December 5:00 PM Special Holiday Music Sunday, December 11th Christmas 8:15 & 11:15 AM Service of Advent 9:45 AM Christmas Eve Worship Saturday, December 24th Family 4:00 PM Modern 6:00 PM Traditional 8:30 & 11:00 PM Christmas Day Worship Sunday, December 25th One 10:00 AM New Year s Day Worship Sunday, January 1st, 2017 Modern 9:45 AM Traditional 11:15 AM (no 8:15 service)

4 Traditional Worship Music Schedule December 4 8:15 Altar/Wesley Choirs January 8 8:15 Chapel Choir 11:15 Sanctuary Choir/Peace Ringers 11:15 Sanctuary Choir December 11 8:15 & 11:15 Sanctuary Choir/Chapel Choir January 15 8:15 Chapel Choir/Carol Ringers CHRISTMAS CANTATA 11:15 Sanctuary Choir/Peace Ringers December 18 8:15 Chapel Choir/Carol Ringers January 22 8:15 & 11:15 St. Matthew s Brothers 11:15 Sanctuary Choir/Mitchell Ringers December 24 4:00PM All Children s Singing/Ringing Choirs January 29 8:15 Altar/Wesley Choirs/Celebration Ringers 6:00PM Modern Worship 11:15 Sanctuary Choir/Mitchell Ringers 8:30PM Sanctuary Choir/Celebration Ringers 11:00PM Chapel Choir/Carol Ringers St. Matthew s Weekday School November was a wonderful month! The Preschool Thanksgiving Feast was a blessing to all! The children dressed as pilgrims, Indians and turkeys! They worked hard all month making their costumes and placemats! Our yummy feast consisted of muffins, popcorn and applesauce. The Toddlers enjoyed Thanksgiving celebrations in their classrooms. The Monkey Class made a Thankful Tree that is hanging in the hallway. On each leaf is printed something they are thankful for. The Duck and Frog class made Thankful Turkeys. They shared something they are thankful for on the turkey s feathers. Here are some of the things the students are thankful for; mommy, daddy, friends, pets, home, books to read, Cheetos, stuffed animals, the sun, helping my mommy cook dinner, popcorn, cousins, Thanksgiving, my school and teachers, pancakes, flowers, purple medicine, rain, trains, blankets, and doing good things like helping around the house. When we returned from our Thanksgiving break it was time to focus on Christmas! The Celebration Singers, a volunteer women s song and dance group, from Northern Virginia are returning for the second year to share a Christmas program, A Toy Box Christmas. A big thank you to Alice Groenig for making all the arrangements to bring the Celebration Singers to WDS. New this year, the Blue Sky Theatre is coming December 15 & 16 th to present a puppet show, Rufus the Red- Nosed Raindog. The Toddler Classes will have a Holiday Sing-A-Long on December 17 at 12:30 and December 18 at 11:30 in the commons. Family and friends are invited to come. Once again the WDS is going to have a MITTEN TREE. Winter is here and there are many children in Northern Virginia that are in need of warm clothing. The WDS is collecting new mittens, hats, gloves and scarfs for the students at Weyanoke Elementary School in Alexandria. When a child brings in a donation (hat, gloves, scarf or mitten) they will hang the item(s) on the tree located in the hallway near the entrance to the WDS. We will cover all the branches, oh, what a pretty sight. It is said a gift of love can make the world bright! WDS SPIRIT NIGHT! Come join us for good food and fellowship at POTBELLY Sandwich Shop Fair City Mall on Tuesday, December 6 from 5-8:00 PM. The Weekday School will receive 50% of your purchase dollar. You must show the flyer or show it on your phone. You may find the flyer on the school web page, the church bulletin or the church web page. Thank you for your support! WDS teachers and staff wish you all a Merry Christmas!

5 Welcome St. Matthew s New Members! Chip and Rhonda Brundrett are a military family that recently moved back into the area with their son Trent (7yrs), and are transferring their membership from Annandale UMC. They really enjoy participating in little league baseball as a family, and look forward to getting more involved with the music program here at St. Matthew s. Hannah Flanders started attending this fall with her boyfriend Andrew, and immediately got plugged into the 20s and 30s ministry, Pub Theology, and helping support the junior high youth group. Hannah has her MSW and works as a case manager at Patrick Henry Family Shelter. Fun fact: she just ran the Philadelphia Marathon! Jane and Greg Frantz started attending St. Matthew s UMC last fall, and their daughters Emma and Claire (8 year old twins) are thoroughly enjoying the music program. Greg is a FCPS guidance counselor and Jane is Associate VP at Dewberry. Fun fact: Jane is from St. Croix, USVI. They were encouraged to attend by their friends Amy and Andrew Gay and Steve and Mandy Lloyd, and we are so happy to welcome them to our church family. Marla Grandolph comes to us from Vienna Presbyterian Church. Her sons Clay (16) and Lee (12) are enjoying youth group, and are looking forward to getting more involved with the music ministry. Marla is happy that the organ is back (as are many of us!). Chris and Karen Laughlin started coming to St. Matthew s through the Weekday School for their daughter Bridget. They attended a lunch with the pastors this fall, and decided to call St. Matthew s home. When not at church, Chris is CEO of LMO and Karen stays busy with Tyler s lacrosse, Sadie s swimming, and Bridget s drama. We are excited to see this family grow at St. Matthew s. Kim and Nate Phenicie started coming in March with their daughter Naomi (18mo) and have been active in Children s Ministry activities and just finished the PATH class for newcomers. Kim was raised in Indianapolis, and Nate was born in Lebanon and comes from the Christian and Missionary Alliance. Kim and Nate recently welcomed baby number 2 (Noor) into their family!

6 Fall Service Day: Stop Hunger Now Thanks to everyone who volunteered at our Fall Service Day for Stop Hunger Now! We received this wonderful note from our Program Manager about where our meals are going and the impact we are having on the community at large. For 6th grader Jonathan Lambert, and many other children like him around the world, going to school means hope. "I am really happy because sometimes this is the only meal I get for the whole day," he said. "My parents are not able to buy me food." The Stop Hunger Now meals Jonathan eats every day at school give him more energy to study and focus, and his grades have risen from Bs to As. Jonathan is only one of the tens of thousands of children around the world who receive Stop Hunger Now meals at school. By packaging meals with us, you have helped Jonathan grow and thrive. And because you shared your time with us, children have hope for their future, families can take a step out of poverty, and communities can prosper. We are delighted to announce that the meals from your meal packaging event on 10/22/2016 have been shipped in a container totaling 285,120 meals from our National Capital warehouse. The meals will be received by our in-country partner Salesian Missions in Haiti. This container is part of Salesian Missions' "Hunger for Education" project to improve food security among vulnerable students in Haiti. Hunger for Education is a recipient of the 2016 USAID International Food Relief Partnership grant to support Salesian school feeding programs benefiting 12, 733 students. In addition to donating eight 40-foot containers of meals, SHN is providing monitoring and evaluation technical assistance. Thank you for volunteering with Stop Hunger Now. We truly appreciate your dedication and commitment to the vision of a world without hunger.

7 2016 ANNUAL CHRISTMAS TREE PROJECT St. Matthew s United Methodist Men are selling fresh-cut Concolor, Douglas, Fraser, Grand, and Mediterranean Fir Christmas Trees and have an excellent selection available to beautify your home this Christmas. These Pennsylvania-grown trees range from 6 to 9+ feet in height. Sales will continue until the week of December 12th or until the last tree is sold. There is nothing quite like the aroma of a freshly cut Christmas tree in your home. Proceeds from last year s Christmas Tree Project were used during 2016 to support youth programs and missions at St. Matthew s including the Jeremiah and Appalachia Service Projects, hypothermia and other mission projects including the MicheLo Project in Swaziland, the Venture Crew and Probation House scouting programs, and an Eagle Scouting project. Each year this project requires a significant number of volunteers to help us sell Christmas trees. This is a wonderful opportunity for adults, youth and entire families to enjoy the fellowship of both new and longtime friends at St. Matthews and to participate in the joy of children as they help their family select a real tree to bring home for Christmas. The trees almost sell themselves now if only they could load themselves into the vehicles. Please visit our Sign-Up Genius page at to volunteer. Thank you for volunteering to help as you are able. If you have any questions, please contact Darold Plate at or Keith McCartney at We truly appreciate your continuing support! Christmas Eve Hospitality As a thank you to our staff who will be at the church all of Christmas Eve, we will again be showing them our appreciation by preparing some simple foods that they can enjoy in between services. We invite the congregation to participate by signing up at or by calling or ing Bonnie Von Kuegelgen at or svonk@verizon.net. Greeters for Christmas Services We will have four worship services on Christmas Eve: a family service at 4, a modern service at 6, and the traditional services at 8:30 and 11. On Christmas Day, there is one service at 10 AM. We are looking for greeters for each of the 5 services to show up 30 min early and greet newcomers and members with a warm welcome to St. Matthew s. If you are interested, please sign up here: or contact Joanna Boyles, Director of Welcoming at jboyles@stmatthewsumc.org. YEAR-END CONTRIBUTIONS: Please note that Friday, December 30th, is the last day for 2016 offerings, and the Church Office will be closing early that day. You may hand-deliver your 2016 offerings to the Church Office no later than noon on Friday, December 30th. If you elect to mail your year-end offering, please ensure it is postmarked on or before December 31st. After that date, all offerings received by St. Matthews will be credited to 2017 even if you dated your check OFFERING ENVELOPES: 2017 numbered envelope booklets are available in the Narthex. Please take a moment to pick up your envelopes on your way out of the Sanctuary. It costs the church over $2.00 in postage to mail them to you. Please help us to keep costs down by picking up your envelopes by Friday, December 30th. If you do not see your envelopes, or do not currently receive envelopes and would like to be assigned envelopes, please inform Jackie Dinker, the Financial Secretary at jdinker@stmatthewsumc.org. Alternatively, contact Jackie if you currently receive numbered envelope packets but want to discontinue receiving them because you are donating automatically through your bank. If you wish, you can be assigned a permanent number to use on pew envelopes but you will not receive an envelope packet.

8 St. Matthew s United Methodist Church 8617 Little River Turnpike Annandale, VA St. Matthew s United Methodist Church Staff Senior Pastor: Neil Hough Associate Pastor: Grace Han Associate Pastor of Senior Adult Ministries & Visitation: Bill Moberly Senior Administrative Assistant: Nancy Manning Director of Youth Ministries: Mike Fee Director of Welcoming Ministries: Joanna Boyles Director of Children s Ministries: Carrie Schwab Preschool Ministries Coordinator: Christine Moser Director of Communications: Liz Dutton Bookkeeper: Andrea Crews Finance Secretary: Jackie Dinker Office Assistant: Kim Lauer Director of Music: Nancy Cappel Assistant to the Director of Music: Abby Madden Assistant Handbell Director: Tammy Freeman Organist: Carol Workman Modern Worship Leader: Abby Madden Worship Media Coordinator: Dan Burrer Office Resource Assistant Volunteer: Claire Adams Weekday School (WDS) Director: Gail Pepin-Vivian WDS Business Administrator: Chris Spear