The Monthly Messenger

Transcription

1 The Monthly Messenger A Note From The Pastor... The Advent season has begun. For many people, the next few weeks will be hectic to say the least. It seems we are at our busiest during the month of December with all the items we add to our list of things to do. For a lot of folks, will be a welcome relief to mark down the days to Christmas Eve. And for many of us, that will be the day we conclude our preparations. It is the day we finish. We finish shopping. We finish baking and decorating. We finish sending cards, wrapping gifts, gathering at parties with friends and loved ones. December 24 is the deadline and now we finish with our church observance and in some ways we finish Christmas. Our gifts are now under the tree. Cookies, cakes and breads have been baked and are set out for us to eat. If we can, we ll attend worship services on Christmas Eve or Christmas Day or both. Then, everyone will return to their homes and open their presents. Christmas is finished. The point I want to make here is that once we reach December 24 or 25, we are NOT finished with Christmas. C. Neil Strait has said, The coming of Christ by way of a Bethlehem manger seems strange and stunning. But when we take him out of the manger and invite him into our hearts, then the Dalton United Methodist Church DECEMBER 2016 meaning unfolds and the strangeness vanishes. I hope that we will be able to take Christ out of the manger and invite him into our lives this year. Because when we do that, Christmas will never be finished! Blessings and Peace,

2 PRAYER CONCERNS Sandy Amstutz (sister of Jane Koontz), Herb Amstutz (friend of the Johnson s), Chris Barkman, (friend of Rose Ann Stark), Barb Boss (friend of the Johnson s), Jim Cisar (brother of Tom Cisar), Vicki Cisar, Maggie Conrad, Dylan Domer, Dallas R. Falb, Patrick Fone, Sonya Gatrell, Judy Harbaugh, Rev. Dwight Hayes, Sheryl Heart (sister of Steve Yoder), Dale Imhoff (friend of Steve Yoder), John (Sally Slusser s brother), Rich Kamph (friend of the Johnson s), Mary Loomis, Rev. Mike McHale, Don Meager, Roy Parsons (friend of Steve Yoder), Marilyn Pittman (friend of Clarabel Kurzen), Lavonne Speicher (friend of the Loomis ), Jan Ziegler (friend of the Johnson s), Laurie Zifcak. (friend of Diane Fischnich), Our nursing home, assisted living, and homebound residents: Gloria Amstutz, Harold Douglas, George Hann, Lucy Indorf, Donna Schneider, Jerry Swihart, Kenny Walkup All Military personnel on active duty and their families. (Please advise the church office at (330) if any these names should no longer be listed or of any updates) THANK YOU Thank you to everyone for all the calls, cards, visits and food, during Don s recent surgery, hospital stay and recovery time. It really means a lot to us ~Don Meager & family...thank you to everyone who donated items all year for the Operation Christmas Child boxes. We were able to pack 1,264 boxes altogether! THANK YOU! NEW ADDRESS: Blake Sommer 435 Danvers Ct. Orrville, OH (moved in with his daughter, Beth Jones) The Colors of Christmas We will be observing the Colors of Christmas beginning the first of Advent. These colors are rich in tradition and symbolism. Please join us as we celebrate the season by wearing the designated color to church each Sunday during Advent and on Christmas Eve. 4 PURPLE 11 RED 18 BLUE 24 WHITE 25 GOLD Even before I was born, God had chosen me to be his, and called me what kindness and grace to reveal his Son within me. (Galatians 1:15-16 TLB) Page 2 The Monthly Messenger

3 ABOUT OUR MEMBERS... ********************************************************** Canton Calvary Mission Collection Item For DECEMBER is: MAC & CHEESE ************************* Operation Christmas Child Collection Item for DECEMBER is: PRAYERS ******************************************* Confirmation Classes Beginning on January 15, These classes will be designed for those in middle school and older and will meet throughout the spring. (Time and dates will be determined at the first gathering of the class.) Our class members will become Church members on the Day of Pentecost which is June 4. If you are interested, please see Pastor Paul by January 1 so materials can be ordered. *********************************************** NEW ADDITION! Elise Marie. She was born Friday, December 2, 2016 at Aultman Orrville Hospital but has been transferred to Aultman Hospital in Canton after a difficult birth. She is in ICU. Elise is the daughter of Brian and Erica Troyer and great-granddaughter of Clarence and Marge Troyer. Our Deepest Sympathy.. To the families and friends of:... *************************************** COMMUNITY NOTES. The fourth Saturday of each month, from 10:00 am until 2:00 pm., drop off your gently used clothing, computers, and household items at the Dalton Village Hall. For more information, call # x232 ************************************************* PLEASE REMEMBER!!! Elijah s Cupboard can always use non-perishable food items for the Salvation Army and that we continue to collect food labels for the Red Bird Mission. Thank you for your support!! (Please consider donating items today) ****************************** SUNDAY SCHOOL CLASSES. will NOT be meeting Christmas Day, December 25, and New Year s Day, January 1. Issue 12 Page 3

4 MISSIONS NEWS Help us minister to those in need. Elijah s Cupboard can always use non-perishable food items for The Salvation Army. Please bring an item or two with you and place them in the good cupboard in the hallway. We also continue to collect labels for the Red Bird Mission. -Labels include "Campbell's Labels for Education", "General Mills Boxtops for Education"; and "Tyson Project A+ Labels for Education". A collection envelope for the labels is located on the bulletin board, in the narthex of the Church. Please consider donating today! -Canton Calvary Missions food collections for DECEMBER is: MAC & CHEESE this can be placed in the large basket in the narthex. Thank you for the continued support, ~ Missions Committee ******************************************************************************************** PRAYER ALERT Please pray for the WORLD SUMMIT IN DEFENSE OF PERSECUTED CHRISTIANS, on May 10-13, 2017, in Washington, D.C. All around the world today, Christians suffer at the hands of those who oppose the Name of Jesus Christ. Hundreds of Christian leaders, advocates, and victims of persecution from many countries will be invited to come together to address this scourge. Original plans were to hold the meeting in Moscow, but government changes there have caused this event to be moved to Washington, D.C. Pray for our brothers and sisters in the Lord who endure so much for their faith. Christmas is a time of the heart, not just a date. Its meaning transcends time. Jesus was born to love us and fill our lives with himself. Page 4 The Monthly Messenger

5 Operation Christmas Child Collection Item: PRAYERS DECEMBER 2016 CALENDAR OF EVENTS DALTON UNITED METHODIST CHURCH And the Word was made flesh, And dwelt among us, And we beheld his glory... ~ John 1:14 CANTON CALVARY MISSION COLLECTION ITEM: MAC & CHEESE Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat 1 2 5:00-7:00 LIVE NATIVITY 3 9:00-2:00 COOKIE WALK 7:30 CHORALATION :00 BIBLE ST. 3:30 JOYFUL N. 7:15 PRAISE :00-11:30 JOYFUL NOISE REHEARSAL 11 PRAISE CHOIR SINGS/WORSHIP 6:30 CHRISTMAS PROGRAM :00 BIBLE ST. 3:30 JOYFUL N. 7:15 PRAISE WINTER BEGINS 10:00 BIBLE ST CHRISTMAS EVE 7:00 CANDLIGHT SERVICE 25 CHRISTMAS DAY NO SUNDAY SCH. 10:30 WORSHIP 26 Church Office Closed :00 BIBLE ST. 7:15 PRAISE Church Office Closed 31 NEW YEAR S EVE BIRTHDAYS Darrell Domer 3 - Jeff McGinty 4 - Joellen Fone, Sonya Gatrell, Mary Haer 8 - Hannah Budd 10 - Hannah Farnsworth 12 - Dallas J. Falb, Kerri Nussbaum 14 - Jeremy Bradford, Daniel Stark 15 - Norma Schupbach, Jae Weaver Issue Alexzandra Haer 17 - Missy Falb 19 - Donna Scheider, Mark Streb 23 - Jim Streb 24 - Mark Jameson 25 - Jake Gregory 26 - Brenda Sourbeer 29 - Jerod Bradford, Becky Jones, Jen Reynolds 30 - Jackie Clark ANNIVERSARIES Bill & Carol Farriss 15 - Gregg & Heather Clark Page 5

6 News from the United Methodist Women The year is closing for the UMW. For the new year the UMW is in the need of new officers. The need is for president, vice president and secretary. Please pray about it and if you feel you can help out let Rose Ann Stark know. I hope there are some of you who would be willing to help in these offices so the UMW will continue. The UMW is a very important part of our Church. To start it is a time of Christian fellowship and a service to the Church, missions and our community. Everyone in the UMW helps but someone needs to lead the group. I would hate to see the things UMW does for the Church and community go by the wayside. Four of the most important things are the Thanksgiving meal, vegetable soup for shut-ins, cookie walk and Angel Tree. As I said before please pray! Another thing I would like you to do is to give a big thank you to each: Dixie Jones, Myrna Streb and Jane King for all the years of service they did for the UMW. I would also like to thank them personally because they did so much which I was unable to do. That is another great thing about the UMW everyone helps everyone. Were you able to attend the Thanksgiving Meal? If you did, I am sure you had a good time and had lots of good food. There was good conversation and laughter at our table and I could hear the same from the other tables close by. At the end there were comments like: Oh my, the food was sooo good! Thank you to everyone who made it a special day to give thanks together! By the time you get this letter the Thank Offering meeting given by Joann Page 6 Watson and the Cookie Walk, Bake Sale, and Luncheon will be over. Joann has given the devotions other times for the Thank Offering and they were always an inspiring message. I am looking forward to her message this year for I know I will come away feeling closer to God. I look forward to the cookie walk because we have a number of ladies who show up every year. It is so good to see them and catch up on their news from the year before. One of the ladies last year had to give up driving but the others made sure she got to the cookie walk. Another lady who always tries to be first was late and I was so worried something had happened to her but happily she came later. She had had something that held her up and she was so worried we would be out of cookies. There are always such nice people who come to visit with. I find things I like to tell you about in unexpected places. At the bottom of our phone bill was this exert of a speech about our country by Abraham Lincoln in We have been the recipients of the choicest bounties of Heaven; we have been preserved these many years in peace and prosperity; we have grown in numbers, wealth and power as no nation has ever grown. Think about these words. Of all the terrible things that were going on at that time in our country President Lincoln still found good. That is what we need to do now in our lives and country be positive and find the good. Carol Farriss gave devotions during Bible Study and these words stood out to me. Thankfulness takes The Monthly Messenger

7 the sting out of adversity. That is how I remembered it at the time. The devotion says to communicate with God every time something thwarts your plans. By speaking with God every time we have our plans ruined it removes the sting from difficult circumstances, making it possible to be joyful in the midst of adversity. Carol was reading from the devotional book Jesus Calling by Sarah Young. I d like to share the other devotion completely. Walk peacefully with Me through this day. You are wondering how you will cope with all that is expected of you. You must traverse this day like any other: one step at a time. Instead of mentally rehearsing how you will do this or that, keep your mind on My Presence and on taking the next step. The more demanding your day, the more help you can expect from Me. This is a training opportunity, since I designed you for deep dependence on your Shepherd- King. Challenging times wake you up and amplify your awareness of needing My help. When you don t know what to do, wait while I open the way before you. Trust that I know what I m doing, and be ready to follow My lead. I will give strength to you, and I will bless you with Peace. I hope you find these words as assuring as I do. God Bless you all during the Holy Days of Christmas and in the New Year, God Bless, ~Beth Johnson, UMW President He shall be very great and shall be called the Son of God. And the Lord God shall give him the throne of his ancestor David. An he shall reign over Israel forever; his Kingdom shall never end! (Luke 1:32-33 TLB) Issue 12 Page 7

8 Last month several of our youth helped assemble and pack 500 boxes at the Stone Family Farm in Wadsworth. We had a great time and did some wonderful work. We appreciate the opportunity to participate with this fine group. Thanks to Becky Jones for coordinating! YOUTH ACTIVITIES Page 8 The Monthly Messenger

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10 MITTEN TREE The Mission Committee is collecting mittens, gloves, scarves, socks, and hats (of any size or color) for Canton Calvary Mission patrons. Place or hang your donated items on the tree in the Church Sanctuary. Because of your generous donations, many people will enjoy the warmth from the cold crisp winter. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ The Salvation Army in Orrville needs bell ringers for the Red Kettle Campaign, beginning November 18 through December 23, at the Das Dutch Kitchen in Dalton. There is a sign-up sheet on the table outside the Church Office. Please see Becky Jones for more information. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ CONTRIBUTION ENVELOPES If you need envelopes for 2017, please contact Clarabel Kurzen or the Church Office. We will place a box of envelopes in your church mailbox. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ CHURCH LEADERS We are still looking for folks to serve on the Staff-Parish Relations Committee and the Nominations Committee, as well as someone to serve as Church Treasurer. If you would like to volunteer or have any questions, please see Pastor Paul. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ALTAR FLOWERS A sign-up calendar is located on the table outside the Church Office for those wishing to provide altar flowers for Please see Becky Jones with any questions. Page 10 The Monthly Messenger

11 SAVE THE DATE! January 28, 2017 Wadsworth United Methodist Church On the Road In Discipleship The Canal District Leadership Training Event and Workshops 9:00 am to 2:45 pm Keynote Speaker : Bishop Tracy S. Malone Brochures and Registration information is available. Topics to be include Finance Committee members and Treasurers Staff-Parish Relations Trustees Sunday School (children) Missions Evangelism Addiction and Human Trafficking Prevention, Intervention and Recovery and more See Pastor Paul for details He was given authority, glory and sovereign power; all peoples, nations and men of every language worshipped him. His dominion that will not pass away, and his kingdom is one that will never be destroyed. (Daniel 7:14 NIV) Issue 12 Page 11

12 Dalton United Methodist Church 204 W Main St PO Box 277 Dalton, OH Address Service Requested Nonprofit Organization DECEMBER Newsletter Dalton United Methodist Church DECEMBER- Altar Flowers Pastor: Paul Farren Phone: Cell Phone: pastorpaul@ .com Worship Hours 9:30 a.m. Sunday School 10:30 a.m. Worship Service 9:00 a.m. Wednesday Prayer Group *************************************************** Lisa Meager; Organist Beverly McGinty; Praise & Bell Choir Director Steve Yoder; Head Usher Nina Schultz; AV December 4 Bill & Carol Farris 60 th Wedding Anniversary December 11 Open December 18 Mark & Priscilla Sexton ~ In Memory of Rebecca December 25 Open JANUARY 2017 Newsletter Info Deadline: DECEMBER 25, 2016 Please let Sharon Starling know of any news, notes or additions/corrections to be included in the upcoming newsletter. Phone: # to: TheStarlings@aol.com Or leave items in Church Office.