The Methodist. Put This Date on Your Calendar! Friday, March 27th At our Church Concert by Nebraska Brass HUMAN RELATIONS SUNDAY

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1 The Methodist A Publication of The Seward United Methodist Church 1400 North 5 th Street Seward, NE HUMAN RELATIONS SUNDAY January 18, 2015 is Human Relations Sunday. It is one of the six special Sunday offerings in the United Methodist Church. The purpose of the offering is to support youth offender rehabilitation programs, addiction recovery, and other programs that help people return to productive roles in society. Your gift will be used both in the Great Plains Conference and across the nation. Put This Date on Your Calendar! Friday, March 27th At our Church Concert by Nebraska Brass (more information to come) The Building Improvement Committee invites you to attend a presentation of the revised Master Plan for the Seward United Methodist church on January 25, We invite you to join us for fellowship after both services on Sunday, January 25, 2015 in the fellowship hall. During fellowship time after each service, we will be making a presentation of the revised master plan. The committee has met several times over the past year and worked with the Architects of the Clark Enerson Partners to revise the Master Plan that was completed in May of The revisions that were made include restructuring the priorities to focus more on mechanical upgrades to the existing facility, new fellowship and administrative spaces in the near term while addressing possible expanded worship space further out in the future. We believe that this revised version of the long range vision for the church s facilities better addresses the more immediate facility needs of the church while maintaining a vision for the future. So please plan on joining us for a cup of coffee or juice, cookies, snacks, and information about the long term facility vision for our church. The Building Improvement Committee.

2 Dear friends, By the time you read this the rush that overtook us sometime between Halloween and Thanksgiving, and stayed with us through New Year s Day, will be over. At least the end should be in sight. There are a variety of reasons for being so rushed during that time of year. Some of those reasons are legitimate, and some probably are not. In some ways we allow our culture to dictate to us what activities are necessary in order to celebrate properly, and what are not. Whether or not our activities during the last couple of months of the year is appropriate, the holiday activity is behind us for a year. We are beginning a brand new year. It is filled with new hopes, new dreams, and new possibilities. At one time, New Year s resolutions were very popular. Their popularity seems to have faded. Even so, a new year offers us an opportunity to think about our priorities and realign them where necessary. It is a time for new beginnings. The celebration of Jesus birth last week is the greatest reminder of new possibilities and new beginnings. It reminds us is that each day brings new opportunities. Every day is an opportunity for forgiveness and forgiving. Every day is a new opportunity for generosity. Every day is an opportunity to realign our lives to more closely reflect the life of Jesus. I recently read in a devotional book that Jesus is the fulfillment of all that had been written in the Scriptures up until that time. The author stated that Jesus fulfilled all of the Old Testament prophesy of a coming Messiah. He was also very careful to remind us that even so, the advent of Jesus does not mean that life has become predictable. We cannot predict what will happen to us today, tomorrow, or next year. What the author meant when he said that Jesus is the fulfillment of our Old Testament is that our lives can be fulfilling since Christ is with us, even when life is unpredictable. We can experience the love of God through Jesus every day. Every day is a new creation. I encourage you to begin every day by opening your life and your mind to the presence of Christ. Spend time with devotions and prayer. Trust Christ s Spirit to lead you in a fulfilling life, even if the events of the day turn sour. Even if you have not had this practice in the past, this is a good time to start. It can be a new beginning. In Christ s service, Pastor Dale Lambert

3 COMMITTEE UPDATES Mon. Jan. 5, Wed. Jan. 7, Thur. Jan. 8, Mon. Jan. 12, Tues. Jan. 13, Wed. Jan. 14, Thur. Jan. 15, Tues. Jan. 20, Tues. Jan. 20, Nurture Meeting, 7:00 p.m. -5&6 room UMW Unit Meeting, 1:30 p.m. -parlor Trustees, 7:00 p.m. -parlor Foundation, 8:00 p.m. -parlor Mission & Outreach, 7:00 p.m. -parlor Witness, 5:30 p.m. -library Finance, 7:00 p.m. -parlor BBCDC, 6:00 p.m. -parlor Worship, 7:00 p.m. -library Thank you to all who served Seward UMC with your time and talent in the past year. The committees and chairs have made a vital difference in the life of the church. Thank you, also, to those who agreed to serve the church in Your service to the church will continue to move forward and be all that Christ calls us to be. An opportunity to be of service without attending meetings! Although committee work can be rewarding, some church members have demanding jobs, children to care for and other commitments that preclude involvement in committee work, even while they would love to be of service to their church. Here is an opportunity to use your gifts and talents to assist the board of trustees with the various responsibilities they oversee. Occasionally, the trustees need help with minor repair work such as carpentry, plumbing, mechanical, painting, general landscaping upkeep and strong bodies for heavy lifting. If you would like to help with any of these tasks and can be available on short notice, please sign up at the welcome center and a trustee will contact you to discuss details. Even if you have already been helping out in this way or have talked with a trustee about how you could help in the future, please write your name on the sign-up sheet at the welcome center so we can keep track of names, phone numbers and areas of expertise. Thank you for your service. With blessings and gratitude, The Board of Trustees

4 WORSHIP OPPORUNITIES Adult Bible Studies Monday 7:30 p.m. Library with Cliff Lowell Watch us on Cable 9:30 p.m. on Sunday & 10:00 a.m. Thursday mornings. Thursday 9:30 a.m. Parlor with Pastor Dale Lambert Sunday Mornings - Sunday 9:30 a.m. Bmt. - Library with Cliff Lowell REMEMBER Call the Church ( ) or Pastor Dale ( ) if you are going to be hospitalized and wish to have the Pastor visit. Due to privacy laws, hospitals cannot disclose information. Worship Schedule 8:30 a.m. Blended Worship 9:30 a.m. Fellowship 9:30 a.m. Sunday School 10:30 a.m. Praise Worship 11:30 a.m. Fellowship Charles Jaudon, is out of the hospital now and wanted to thank the congregation for the prayers, cards and letters. Also thank you to Knit Wits for the beautiful shawl. Many blessings, Charles Jaudon PRAYERS AND CONCERNS Please remember those who were lifted up in prayer for on-going health concerns through the month Prayers For: Ken Paulsen, who is recovering from heart surgery. Charles Jaudon recovering from a broken hip. Margo Gish who is going through treatments for Non Hodgkin Lymphoma. Prayers for the family and friends of Elaine Tiritilli, Pam Moravec's mother, who passed away. Services were held Saturday, Dec. 6th at the church. Prayers for all those traveling during the Christmas Season.

5 Church Updates TEAM 1: John Moody Neil Butzke Jeremy Jirak TEAM 3: Clay Shepherd Rod Barth Larry Chapman TEAM 2: Jim McHugh Xander McHugh Marc Guthrie Team 4: Louis Reeder Blaine Clowser Doug Barker Monthly Budget: $29,834 November 2014 Donations: $34,614 (Includes November 30th) #2 Jan. 4 to Jan. 10 #3 Jan. 11 to Jan. 17 #4 Jan. 18 to Jan. 24 #1 Jan. 25 to Jan. 31 #2 Feb. 1 to Feb. 7 November 2014 Expenses: $22,371 (November Mission Shares had not been paid at this point) Note - does not include any restorations projects, insurance payments and rent income. Also does not include BBCDC. Sunday, January 4th & Sun. January 25th 5:00 to 7:00 pm. Bring a snack to share. Anyone welcome! ~Playing Pitch~ 12 pieces of Railing Various Lengths Call Jim Eitel if interested Donations will be accepted as payment

6 EVENING CIRCLE Your United Methodist Women are collecting BoxTops and Labels for Education during the months of December, January and February. Help us collect 1,600,000 points for EPWORTH VILLAGE in York, Nebraska so they can redeem the labels and coupons for a brand new Dodge Caravan. Mark your calendar for the January UMW Evening (Circle) Group meeting. We will be attending the Community Unity Church Service on January 15 at St. Gregory's Seminary, south of town, at 7:00PM. We will get together before for food and fellowship at the Dragon's Palace at 6:00PM. All are invited to come eat with us, if you can, otherwise we'll see you there. The Unity service is always inspiring for me, to see how all of the churches that follow Christ can start getting together more to serve him better. Information sheets are available from the project board by the church office. Your Box Tops and Labels4Education Coupons are being collected at the display. Thank you for helping the children and staff at Epworth Village. UMW Workdays Starting at 8:30 January 24 February 28 March 28 April 25 May -None- June 27 July 25 August 22 THANK YOU Thank you to all who expressed your love, care, and concern for Nancy and me this Christmas. Your gracious words and actions are greatly appreciated.

7 7:00pm Mission & Outreach 7 9:00am Quilters 14 9:00am Quilters 4 Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat :30 Blended Worship 9:30 Sunday School 10:30 Praise Worship 5:00pm Game Night 8:30 Blended Worship 9:30 Sunday School 10:30 Praise Worship 8:30 Blended Worship 9:30 Sunday School 10:30 Praise Worship 25 8:30 Blended Worship 9:30 Sunday School 10:30 Praise Worship 5:00pm Game Night :00pm Kitones 6:30pm Boy Scouts 7:00pm Nurture 7:30pm Bible Study 6:00pm Kitones 7:30pm Bible Study 8:00pm Foundation 19 Noon Newsletter Deadline 6:00pm Kitones 7:30pm Bible Study 26 6:00pm Kitones 7:30pm Bible Study 6 6:30pm Girl Scouts 13 7:00pm PEO 20 6:00pm BBCDC 6:30pm Girl Scouts 7:00pm Worship 21 1:30pm UMW Meeting 5:30pm God's Squad 6:30pm Chancel Choir 7:00pm UMYF - Godparents 7:15pm Adult Bells 5:30pm Witness 5:30pm God s Squad 6:00pm Confirmation parlor 6:30pm Chancel Choir 7:00pm UMYF - Godparents 8:00pm Living Last Supper 9:00am Quilters 5:30pm God s Squad 6:30pm Chancel Choir 7:00pm UMYF - Godparents 7:15pm Adult Bells :00am Quilters 5:30pm God s Squad 6:00pm Confirmation 6:30pm Chancel Choir 7:00pm UMYF - Godparents 7:15pm Adult Bells 1 8 Church Office Closed 9:30am Bible Study 5:30pm Food Net 7:00pm Girl Scouts 7:00pm Trustees 15 9:00am BBCDC Training 9:30am Bible Study 5:30pm Food Net 6:30pm Girl Scouts 7:00pm Finance 22 9:30am Bible Study 5:30pm Food Net 7:00pm Girl Scouts 29 Open Hearts Open Minds Open Doors :30am Bible Study 5:30pm Food Net 6:30pm Girl Scouts 2 5:30 Food Net :00 Family Event UMW Work Day Starting at 8:30am 8:30am UMW Work Day - fellowship Hall

8 Bright Beginnings Child Development Center Our book fair was a huge success. Thank you to everyone who purchased books and for those who donated books to our center. The children and the teachers love the new books. Hopefully you have all noticed that we have rearranged our rooms. The Preschool class is now divided into 2 different classes. The younger group also got a new teacher. Mrs. Meyer (Mary) is now the head teacher for the 2-3 year old room. She has had years of experience with children and brings some great knowledge to our center. Mrs. E will be over the entire Preschool but will teach the 4 & 5 year old classroom. Mrs. Saum will be a floater between the two rooms. She will assist both the teachers daily. The children have been excited about their new classroom. We welcome you to stop in the classrooms and take a peek. Miss Steph has moved back to the far blue room with her 6 toddlers. This has already been a great move as they now have unlimited access to the bathroom as well as more play area. Gabe and Tessa will be moving up to the 2-3 year old room with Mrs. Meyer after the first of the year. We will be transitioning them in the next few weeks. Cooper and Asher will be moving up to the Toddlers room around the same time. It s fun to watch the children as they develop in the different classrooms. Ms Nikki has 4 infants in her room. Broxton moved up to her room and Claire is in the process of transitioning into the older infant room. This room has older infant toys for them to discover. Anna, Broxton & Claire will welcome Ezra into the room sometime in January. We will miss you Jan! Thank you for all you have done for Bright Beginnings. You have inspired so many of us and have shown God s love to the children. May God bless you in this new chapter of your life. Come visit us when ever you are back in the area. We love you!! Preschool class singing for the UMW Christmas lunch. They did an amazing job. Class pictures were taken on 12/4 and we received them back on 12/12. Wow a great turn around. We captured some great shots of the children and classroom groups. We will be hanging the class photos in the hall each year.

9 Ms. Kori has been busy helping the little ones adjust to being here full time. Jase is our newest addition. He is so delightful to have. Our volunteers love to come in and rock the little ones. Mac and Jase will welcome Logan and Jocelyn in January to this room. Miss Marie has 11 school ager who she keeps busy after school. Over Christmas break Miss Marie along with Miss Cassie & Miss Courtney will be gone as they return to their homes to celebrate Christmas. During this time we will have some volunteers helping us out. We are starting to plan our new playground. We are looking at expanding our playground in order to make it safer for ALL ages and with the increase of students we really do need 2 separate play areas. We had a wonderful Thanksgiving celebration with our board members and volunteers. The Preschool class sang some songs for entertainment. We are so blessed with our amazing board members and volunteers. BBCDC wouldn t be anything without each and every one of YOU. Sunday February 1, 2015 will be our pancake fund raiser. Please come out and support BBCDC and enjoy some great fellowship. BLUE VALLEY COMMUNITY ACTION PANTRY Collection item for January Wednesday at 6:00 p.m. In the Parlor January 14th & 28th Toothpaste

10 Seward United Methodist Church 1400 North 5th Street Seward, Nebraska Non-Profit Org. U.S. Postage Paid Seward, NE Permit No. 62 ADDRESS SERVICE REQUESTED Mailing Label JANUARY ISSUE Open Hearts, Open Minds, Open Doors Church Office Hours: 9:00 a.m. - 3:00 p.m. M-F Phone: Fax: umcseward@gmail.com Website: Facebook: sewardunitedmethodist BBCDC: Seward United Methodist Church & Bright Beginnings CDC February MAILBOX DEADLINE IS Monday, January 19th Submit News by NOON Drop off your article at the office, call Krystel at the church office OR articles to umcseward@gmail.com