CONNECTING, GROWING, SERVING, LOVING AS GOD S PEOPLE. December, 2017

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1 CONNECTING, GROWING, SERVING, LOVING AS GOD S PEOPLE Dear Friends, HERE S WHAT S HAPPENING December, 2017 As I write this the church is preparing again for the seasons of Advent and Christmas. It is difficult to believe how quickly the year has wound down! It is already the most wonderful time of the year - again! We begin with Advent -the first season of the Christian church year, which includes the 4 Sundays leading to Christmas. One writer says the season of Advent reminds us of what comes from God for the creation of his kingdom on earth. It leads us to keep his coming in our hearts and to shape ourselves according to it. That which is to come from God is the most important thing we have, in the past and in the present as well as in the future. Advent reminds us of this timeless quality of God s kingdom. For this reason, it is a necessary and beautiful prelude to Christmas. Advent at AUMC 2016 To be in a time of expectant waiting for God is difficult, if not impossible, when we allow ourselves to become all caught up in the consumer frenzy that tends to seep into even the quietest moments of the day. That s why am offering something a bit different this year. This Advent season I invite you to escape from the mad rush for an hour or so. Join me on Monday evenings at 6:30 in the upstairs youth room for a quiet get-away time with God. We will listen to and reflect on the songs and scriptures of Advent. We will pray. We will encourage and support each other so that we can, as the parable of the Bridesmaids teaches, replenish our oil to have our spiritual lamps lit as we wait for the master to return (Matthew 25:1-13). Just drop in when you can. We will remember the spirit of Advent throughout December, lighting the Advent wreath on Sunday mornings at both services and seeing beautiful sanctuary decorations to mark the season. In the past we had brief explanations about the crismons on the tree. I hope you ll check them out again to see what you remember about them. We will also have our annual Christmas Eve service on Sunday, December 24 th at 7:00 pm. We will hear the Christmas story, this year broken into sections. Each section will be followed by a favorite Christmas carol, so there will be a chance to sing many of your favorites. We will also have special music and end with singing Silent Night by candlelight. We look

2 forward to welcoming everyone this Advent/Christmas season. Thank you to all who will help to make this season so special. May we all be renewed and blessed. Most of all, may God be glorified through all that happens here. A note of thanks I always want to take time as we approach the end of the year to thank the church for its support during the year. Andy and I thoroughly enjoyed my pastor s appreciation gift of a night out. Thank you for your thoughtfulness! I also want to thank the many people who give so freely of their time and talents to serve God at Atlantic UMC. As we move toward the end of the year some leaders will be stepping down, including Shirley German and Diane Kleinfelter who have faithfully led the Thrift Shop Ministry for years. We appreciate their hours of dedication and service. Also, thank you to Gary German for all he has done to support this ministry. We also want to thank Bob Johnson for his diligent service as the treasurer of the church. We wish all of them God s blessings as they find new ways to fill the many hours they now will have free! In addition to the Thrift Shop and Soup Kitchen Volunteers, I also appreciate the Sunday morning worship assistants including the choir, lay readers, greeters and ushers. A special thanks to Mike and Sunny Trivits for their work in the children and youth Sunday school classes. To everyone who offers dedicated service through all of the ministries and events that happen at Atlantic, thank you from a grateful pastor! May God continue to guide our paths in His service during Mark your calendars (dates to be announced) Beginning in January, I will begin a video-based study on Moses using materials by UM Church of the Resurrection pastor Adam Hamilton. Dates will be worked out and publicized on the church website and in the bulletin. Here s some info about it from Amazon: Retrace the life of Moses from his modest birth and rescue as a baby to the courts of Pharaoh, from herding flocks in Midian to leading his people out of Egypt. Join Adam Hamilton as he travels from Egypt to Mt. Sinai, the Nile, the Red Sea and the wilderness exploring the sites of Moses' life. Using historical information, archaeological data, and biblical text, Hamilton guides us in the footsteps of this reluctant prophet who grew in his relationship with God and by the end of life had successfully fulfilled the role he was given. Turn your own reluctance into boldness as you examine the significant challenges facing Moses and how God shaped his character and life in powerful ways.

3 Have you checked out the newly formatted Church Website lately? Do you want up-to-date info about events at Atlantic UMC? Do you want to read the most recent newsletter? Are you looking for an easy way to find out when the church is closed due to stormy or snowy weather? Do you want to give your friends an easy way to learn more about the church? Are you interested in seeing videos that show Atlantic s ministries in action? hen please check out the Atlantic website: atlanticumc.org We have worked hard to make sure it includes the most up-to-date information in an easy to use format. It s just another way to know how to keep up with all that s happening! Check it out soon! Blessings and Peace, Pastor Patty Pastors Patty & Andy at Temple Bat Yam Simchat Torah Service, Berlin ***************** Please mark your calendars to attend a Church Retreat to be held at Atlantic on Saturday, January 13 th from 9:30 am to 3:00 pm. Rev. Jack Shitama will Lead At a meeting of the church s key leaders on November 7 th, it was agreed to hire Rev. Shitama to help the church design and implement a one-year strategic plan. Many of you know Rev. Shitama through his work at Camp Pecometh. In addition to this work, Rev. Shitama has a great deal of experience in coaching pastors and congregations to identify their strengths and build upon them through strategic planning. On Saturday, January 13 th he will lead a one-day retreat at Atlantic. A main focus of the retreat will be to identify the current strengths of Atlantic UMC. Rev. Shitama will work with attendees to identify these strengths. Out of this conversation, he will design a one-year strategic plan that includes quarterly goals to build upon them. Once the plan is approved by the Council, Rev. Shitama will work with the pastor and a 6-person lead team to implement it throughout the year. He will offer coaching sessions as the process unfolds. Stay tuned for more information, but please plan to attend the retreat. Pastor Patty

4 BELL CHOIRS BILLIE WALL, DIRECTOR O Little Town of Bethlehem "Where children pure and happy pray to the blessed Child, Where misery cries out to Thee, Son of the mother mild; Where charity stands watching and faith holds wide the door, The dark night wakes, the glory breaks, and Christmas comes once more." This is the fourth stanza of the beloved Christmas hymn, O Little Town of Bethlehem, words written by Phillips Brooks and music by Lewis Redner. It is often left out of our hymnals today. Mr. Brooks had visited the Holy Land in December of On the 24th of December, he attended Christmas Eve service at the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem. He was much moved by this service and three years later, he wanted to compose a hymn for the children to sing at the Christmas Eve annual program in his church, Holy Trinity, in Philadelphia. He wrote a little hymn of five stanzas, handed the words to the church organist the next morning. He asked Lewis if he could write a tune for these words. Finding it difficult to come up with a melody, Lewis had no inspiration. The night before the Christmas program, he was awaked by a melody ringing in his soul. He jotted down the melody, and went back to sleep. The next day, a group of six teachers and thirty-six children sang "O Little Town of Bethlehem". Taken from: Then Sings My Soul by Robert J. Morgan The bell choirs of Atlantic Church are fortunate to be able to meet together to play this music written for the church and arranged by professionals who prepare it for presentation by handbell choirs. Have you ever awakened in the night to hear the melodious ringing of handbells? Maybe that ringing is the invitation you need to join the handbell choir. We are always ready to welcome new players. May your Christmas be filled with joyous child-like wonder and your New Year with expectations of the plans God has for you. Blessings of the season, Billie Wall, Director: Atlantic Bell Choir and the Morning Glories CHANCEL CHOIR JUNE TODD, DIRECTOR We will have special music during Advent. At our 10 am worship service on December 3 rd, we will hear from special guests The Advent Prayer, a trio with Sharon Sorrentino, Joanne Waysz and Tom Hemmick, with guest flautist Sally Hendon. On December 10 th, Sunni Trivits will play

5 a violin solo for the Prelude. Also on the 10 th, the choir will be joining the bells at the 6:00 pm concert/pot Luck Dinner. On December 24 th at 10:00 am, Mary Price will sing a solo, Hallelujah (with Christmas words). At the Christmas Eve 7:00 pm service we will sing many carols, Christine Parks will sing O Holy Night and my daughter Mary and grandson Jeffrey will sing the duet, Gesu Bambino. We will end singing Silent Night by candlelight. This is my 55 th Christ at Atlantic. How time flies! Here are a few memories from Christmas Eves past. When Rev. Wimbrow was here in 1969, I fell asleep putting David to bed and was late for the service. When I arrived all out of breath, the choir was still waiting for me in the hall. One Christmas Eve, the Wiseman s feather caught on fire, thank goodness Sue Wills spotted it immediately and put it out. During Rev. Sterling s time, the angel s platform collapsed, and the six little girls went tumbling no injuries! A special thanks to Billie Wall and the bell choirs for adding their ringing to celebrate the season. The Pine Tones concert A Christmas Wish will be on Friday, December 15th at 7:30 pm. Free admission but a love offering will be received. Please join us for all or some of these special services and concerts. May God Bless you this Holiday Season! Merry Christmas FELLOWSHIP CONNECTION BILL & LINDA JONES On Sunday December 10 th, we will be having another Pot Luck Supper that will also serve as a time for our annual Christmas Concert. We will begin the evening at 5:00 PM with dinner, then move into the Sanctuary for Christmas music by the Chancel and Handbell Choirs, and finish the evening in the Fellowship Hall for coffee and dessert. It should be a wonderful event for everyone so please put the date and time on your calendar now. You won t want to miss this. MARTHA CIRCLE JACKIE STERLING, CHAIR The Martha Circle would like to thank EVERYONE who helped make our 2017 Christmas bazaar a wonderful success. Our co-chairs Linda Jones and Brenda Wimperis did a fantastic job. We could not support all the missions we do without this fundraiser, so we greatly appreciate your help. Our December meeting is Tuesday, the 12th at 11:45. We have a special guest coming, Susan Blakey from Believe in Tomorrow. All women of the church are invited. Bring your lunch; beverages and desserts will be provided.

6 We also will be helping Linda and Bill Jones with the Advent Potluck and concert on December 10th. If you have any questions, please call me, Jackie Sterling, Merry Christmas from the Martha Circle MISSION TEAM BILL JONES, CHAIR THRIFT SHOP The newly formed Thrift Shop Board has been meeting and several future projects are underway. First, we are recruiting people to fill several shifts in the Thrift Shop left by the retirement of the Germans and Diane Kleinfelter. Right now, we still need help on Fridays and Saturdays. There is no requirement that anyone commit to work every week. We are happy to accept volunteers who might work once or twice per month. If you are interested please talk to Bill or Linda Jones. Secondly, we have started to look at ways we can make the job of a Thrift Shop Manger(s) easier so that this function will not be so all encompassing. To do this we have begun the process of transitioning some of the stored clothes boxes to the church from our two storage facilities in Bishopville. Simultaneously, we have investigated renting a storage bin in West Ocean City where we will put seasonal items and cut down drastically on the travel time to/from this facility. A volunteer will be recruited to help with some of these trips so the Manager does not have to be responsible for all of them. Thirdly, we have decided to appoint a Shift Manager for each day we are open who will have the responsibility for the shop on their respective day(s). They will be authorized to alter some prices and have daily sales of excess items so the Manager will not have to be involved in every detail. Obviously, we still need to find someone who will function as the Thrift Shop Manager. Realistically this may not happen until after the holidays so we are prepared to operate the Thrift Shop, as a Board, until someone steps up to take over the function. Hopefully the reduction in some of the duties, and time commitment, will persuade someone to feel called to do this. If you are having any level of interest please feel free to talk to Pastor Patty or Bill Jones. WINTER SHELTER The Cold Weather Shelter officially opens December 1 st. To date we have had several church members express an interest in working at the shelter in some capacity. Right now, I can report that the biggest need exists for people who will prepare food for the guests or help with guest registration. The hours for both are usually 5:00-7:00 PM on whatever day(s) you would chose. We just need to get your name on the calendar so we know when you will do this. Please see Bill Jones if you are interested in helping in any way.

7 CHRISTMAS PROJECTS We have partnered with Worcester GOLD's Holiday Helping Hands program this season. Our church is sponsoring 7 children and 3 "at risk adults" in Worcester County. In church you will see a small Christmas tree holding ornaments. On the front of each ornament is the name of the child or adult being sponsored. On the back of the ornament is the age and item requested by the parent. Worcester GOLD's policy is that no gift cards, gaming systems, electronic games, jewelry, or weapon-like toys be purchased. They also request that the value of the item not exceed $ Presents should be wrapped, tagged (you can use the ornament if you wish) and returned to church by December 12th. Your participation as a caring community of faith is much appreciated. Any problems or questions contact Joann Waysz or Bill Jones. Anyone who does not wish to shop but would like to participate in the program can put a donation check in the offering plate. Checks should be made out to Worcester GOLD. Thank you. STEWARDSHIP COMMITTEE The Stewardship Committee thanks you for your generous support of the Church in 2017 with both your financial contributions and your time & service. We ask for your continued support in You may place your Pledge Card in the box in Fellowship Hall through December 17. Pick up your 2018 envelopes in Fellowship Hall THANK YOU and Bless you for all you do

8 Our 39 th Annual Bazaar was a HUGE SUCCESS! Both days ~ our hallways were filled with shoppers, the dining room was full ~ our meals were delicious, the bidders were bidding till the end of the Silent Auction and the over-all fun atmosphere of the Bazaar was great! A huge Thank You to all the church members who helped the Sunday before the Bazaar to carry everything ~ that s been worked on and stored upstairs all year ~ downstairs! It was a lot! AND it was heavy!! But, it was so good to see so many members hang in there and help us get everything downstairs! Including several young children! A huge Thank You to all the Bazaar Coordinators and their helpers ~ many husbands were onboard ~ who worked all week to get their areas set-up; all the buying, prep and cooking done; all the decorating completed so our doors could open on time on Friday at 3:00! We built it ~ and they came!! The talent that comes out of the walls when an event like this is happening ~ is heartwarming! Our fellow church members, church and community business owners, who support us is crucial to our success ~ Thank You All! Overall, a great Bazaar was enjoyed by everyone! Brenda Wimperis, Chair Linda Jones, Co-Chair FROM THE CHURCH OFFICE 2018 Contribution Envelopes are available for pickup in Tilghman Hall Poinsettia Orders due December 11 th Articles for January Newsletter are due December 27 th Church Retreat, led by Rev. Jack Shitama, January 12 th, 9:30am 3:00pm. All are welcome to attend. Soup Sales Returning! January 11 & 25, February 8 & 22

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10 CHRISTMAS POINSETTIAS If you wish to help beautify our altar and honor a loved one with a poinsettia, please complete this order form and include your check, payable to Atlantic United Methodist Church. You may drop your order in the offering plate, or mail it to AUMC, 105 Fourth St., Ocean City, MD The cost of each plant is $7.50. Deadline is December 11th. Make out just one check to include multiple orders. Thank you. IN HONOR OF: (Please print clearly.) by by by by IN MEMORY OF: (Please print clearly.) by by by

11 Meetings & Special Events Thrift Shop Board Thursday, December 7 2:30pm Potluck Supper/Christmas Concert -Sunday, December 10 th, 5:00pm Martha Circle - Tuesday, December 12 th, 11:45am Missions - Tuesday, December 12 th, 6:30pm Pine Tones Christmas Concert - Friday, December 15 th, 7:30pm Christmas Eve Service - Sunday, December 24 th, 7:00pm Recurring Events MUSIC Mondays 6:30pm Atlantic Bell Choir Tuesdays 10:00am Morning Glories Wednesdays 7:00pm Chancel Choir Bible Studies Mondays 6:30pm with Pastor Patty (thru December 18) Tuesdays-9:30am with Bob Johnson & Jack Moore Missions Thursdays 8:30am Backpack Fridays 9:30am Prayer Shawl Ministry Fridays 11:00am 1:00pm Soup Kitchen Thrift Shop Monday thru Saturday 10:00am 2:00pm BIRTHDAYS December 2 Tom Zimmer December 4 Joyce Baker December 5 Jack Moore December 6 Jeffrey James December 18 Melissa Grunewald December 27 Mary Eastman December 28 Frances Robinson December 29 Dave Moquin December 30 Christ Klebe December 30 Frank Wright December 31 Pat Parks December 31 Charles Strang

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