Keeping in Touch. New Small Group Bible Study to Begin

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1 November/December 2017 Evangelical United Methodist Church Keeping in Touch This is a fun & informative newsletter for all of our retirees & friends here at Evangelical Church! Included is church news & upcoming events, interesting articles found just for you, and some fun stuff mixed in! Let us know if there is something you d like included and we ll do our best! New Small Group Bible Study to Begin Sign Up Now for Christmas Is Not Your Birthday Bible Study Every year, we say we re going to cut back, simplify, and have a family Christmas that focuses on the real reason for the season Jesus. But every year, advertisements begin, the children plead and it seems easier just to indulge our wants and whims. Overspending, overeating, materialism, and busyness rob us of our peace and joy and rob Jesus of his rightful role as the center of our celebration. This Christmas, cut through the hype that leaves you exhausted and broke at the end of the year. Instead, experience the peace of knowing that God is truly with us, the joy of giving sacrificially, and the love of a Savior who gave everything he had for us. In five short, engaging chapters, Pastor Mike Slaughter inspires readers to approach Christmas differently, and be transformed in the process. You are invited to be a part of one of 4 different small groups that will be meeting, starting on Sunday, November 26: - Sundays at 9:30a led by Adam Drummond - Sundays at 11:45a led by the Laatschs - Wednesdays at 5:30p led by Marti Lundy - Saturdays at 8:00a led by Mark Swing Each study book is $5.00. Please call the church office to sign up or fill out the bulletin insert on Sunday morning and place in the offering plate or bring to the office. Decorating for Christmas Everyone is invited to stay after church on Sunday, November 26 to decorate the church building for Christmas. Meet in Common Grounds where lunch will be provided before we start. Service Time Reminder There will be just ONE service in the morning on Sunday, December 24 at 9:30. We ll celebrate worship with lots of singing and the Christmas band will be performing under the leadership of Tom McElhaney. In the evening, the Christmas Eve Candlelight services will begin at 7:00 and 11:00. On Sunday, December 31 there will be ONE service at 11:00 am. Come and count down with your friends to 12:00 NOON!

2 20 11:00p Happy Rockers lunch/museum trip 21 4:00-6:00p Cookie dough delivery 26 12:00 noon Church decorating 27 1:00p Blood Drive 5 11:00a Lydia Circle lunch/pizza Hut 8 Salvation Army Bell Ringing 9 Salvation Army Bell Ringing 14 7:00p Cantata 15 7:00p Cantata 17 2:00-5:00p Parsonage Open House, Churubusco 18 6:30p SonGrown Christmas Program 21 1:00p Blood Drive 24 9:30am One Service 7:00 & 11:00pm Christmas Eve Services *Christmas Cookie Crusade 31 11:00am One Service Wabash to tour the Ford House and have lunch at Eugenias! Everyone should meet at the church to carpool by 9:15a; they will leave no later than 9:20a. The tour is scheduled for 10:00a with lunch following at approximately 11:00a. A non-refundable reservation of $6.00 per person is due to Phyllis Pieper by December 3. EUM Christmas Band Performing on December 24 On Sunday, December 24, our Christmas Band will perform at 9:30 am, which is the only service in the morning. (Our regular 7:00 & 11:00 pm services will happen as usual.) Band rehearsals began on November 11 at 9:30 am and will continue every Sunday until performance day. EVERYONE INVITED!! Invites Everyone to Program On Monday, December 18, the kids in SonGrown will perform their annual Christmas Program in the EUM sanctuary. It begins at 6:30 pm. Carol Herzog, director, invites everyone to come and enjoy! Happy Rockers Plan Outings On Monday, November 20, the Happy Rockers will meet at Moe s Restaurant at 11:30a for lunch before heading to the Drummond museum at approximately 1:00p. Please let Norma Fisher know if you ll be attending to plan for lunch seating. Her number is: On Tuesday, December 19 they ll take a trip to

3 Lydia Circle Plans Lunch The Lydia Circle will meet on Tuesday, December 5 at 11:00a at the Huntington Pizza Hut. A speaker from the Bashor Home will be featured following lunch. All women are invited. Cantata Coming in December This year's Christmas musical is NOEL, NIGHT OF EVERLASTING LOVE. This compelling collection of timeless Christmas classics simply tell the amazing story of Jesus' birth with a beautiful blend of tenderness, majesty and exuberant energy. O Come, All Ye Faithful, Away In A Manger, O Holy Night!, Angels From The Realms Of Glory, What Child Is This?, Silent Night!, and Joy To The World are just some of the songs in this beautifully arranged cantata. These lush arrangements of traditional songs and carols capture the awe and wonder inherent in the coming of a holy Savior into a sinful world to redeem mankind. The dates for the performances are Thursday, December 14 at 7:00p; Friday, December 15 at 7:00p; and Sunday, December 17 at 8:30 and 10:30a. The choir will consist of members of Evangelical and other churches in the community. Mr. Mark Kiefer is the director. All money collected at the performances will go to Relay For Life Lundys Hosting an Open House Kent and Marti will be hosting an open house at their parsonage in Churubusco this year. It will be held on Sunday, December 17 from 2:00-5:00p. The parsonage can be found at 750 N. Main Street right behind Churubusco United Methodist Church. All are invited to attend! Kids Christmas Party on the 20th! The Wednesday night activities will take place as usual on Wednesday, December 20, including the family supper at 5:00p, with one little change. The kids are having a Christmas party! All kids are invited to come at 5:30p for lots of food and fun! Church Decorating Planned for November 26 All are invited to stay after the 10:30a service to help decorate the church for Christmas. Pizza will be available for everyone! It s Christmas Cookie Crusade Time! Every year, we collect cookies and candy from all of our talented bakers here at EUM and put together plates to share! On Christmas Eve morning, following the 9:30 service, anyone that wants to help, please gather in Fellowship Hall. We ll assemble plates for our police, fire and sheriff s departments, nursing homes, the hospital staff and more, in appreciation for all they do throughout the year! An insert will be in the church bulletin for the next couple of weeks to sign up to bring in goodies, help assemble plates and deliver. You can also call the church office at to let us know.

4 Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday 5:00p Supper & kid s activities 6:30p Piecemakers Quilt Club 5-mid FH res. 8a Early Risers 9a-5p FH reserved 11:45a Staff/ Parish Mtg 4:30 Cantata pr 6p Outreach 6:30p Trustees 7p PIX Sorority 9:30a Lydia Circle 5:00p Supper & kid s activities 6:30p Board Mtg. 8aEarly Risers 9-3p Piecemakers Quilt Club VETERAN S DAY 9:30 Band prac. 4:30p Cantata practice 6p Chg Conf. 7p Tri Kappa 6:30p Staff/ Parish Presch. 5p Supper/kid s activities 5:30 Youth at Stephanson s 8a EarlyRisers 9a District Council on Min. at EUM 9:30 Band prac. 11:30a Happy Rockers outing No supper/kids activities THANKSGIVING / childcare/ office closed. 8a EarlyRisers 9:30 & 11:45 Small Groups 12p Church Decorating/lunch 1p Blood Drive Presch. 5:00p Supper & kid s activities 5:30 Small Group 6:30 Bible Study

5 Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday 8a Early Risers 9:30 small group 11:45 small grp Noon FH reserv 4:30 Cantata pr 6p Outreach 6:30p Trustees 7p PIX Sorority 11:00a Lydia Circle at Pizza Hut 5:00p Supper & kid s activities Salvation Army Bell Ringing 8aEarly Risers Salvation Army Bell Ringing 9:30 Band prac. 9:30 small group 11:45 small grp -Cantata practice 4p C Grounds reserved 6:30p Staff/ Parish Presch. 5p Supper/kid s activities 7p Cantata 7p Cantata 8a EarlyRisers 9:30 Band prac. 2-5p Parsonage Open House 6:30p Presch Program 5:00p Supper & kid s activities 1p Blood Drive 8a EarlyRisers 9:30a ONE SERVICE 10:30a Cookie trays assembled 7&11p CHRISTMAS EVE SERVICES 11am ONE SERVICE

6 Sharing a Legacy of Love Compromise, if not the spice of life, is its solidity. It is what makes nations great and marriages happy. - Phyllis McGinley When my mother died at the age of eightyfour, my four sisters and I were heartbroken. How could we ever get over the loss of this warm and loving woman, a talented artist who enjoyed life in spite of its challenges and always doted on her husband, daughters and grandchildren? For weeks after, my sisters and I would meet for dinner, laughing and crying over old memories. When it came time to sell the home my mother loved, we spent many days in disbelief, clearing out her belongings. I remembered reading an Ann Landers column years earlier that discussed how many siblings fight bitterly over the possessions left by their deceased parents. I thought, How lucky we are that will never happen to us. Somehow, we easily and peacefully divided Mom s belongings furniture, jewelry and household items among ourselves and a few charities. Although I expected there might be a tug-of-war over her paintings, that never happened. Pretty good considering there were five daughters and four grandchildren. No conflicts, squabbles or disputes at all. Until we discovered the old nativity set in a box in Mom s closet. I remembered Mom telling the story of how she acquired the manger. An old friend who did carpentry work gave it to my mom and dad as a Christmas gift when they were first married. My sister, Eileen, however, remembers it differently. Mom told her she found the crèche in a garbage can belonging to Mrs. Bingham, the elderly lady who lived across the street from us. Unlike some of the ornate versions found in today s stores, this manger was crafted from dark wood and completely unadorned just a roof, a floor and a railing surrounding it. Though beautifully crafted, there was one flaw: one side of the double gate in front was lopsided. Mom filled it with three figurines to start Mary, Joseph and the Baby Jesus. For many years after, she continued to add others the Wise Men, shepherds, angels, and animals. As kids, we loved the annual rites of the Christmas season, especially taking the nativity set and decorations down from the attic and carefully putting them in place. When the sisters all married and grandchildren came along, they added new characters of their own to the stable, including a set of the three little pigs. After Mom s death, when the nativity set emerged, no one was prepared for the battle that would follow. My sister Joanne was the first to claim the manger, insisting it was the only on of Mom s possessions that she really wanted. Her wish was granted. But when my niece Mandy found out, she called from her apartment in California to voice her objection. She was clearly emotional as she repeated a decades-old promise made to her by my mother: Nanny promised me that I could have the nativity set when she was gone, she cried. The nativity set belongs to me. Joanne felt strongly that as Mom s daughter, she had first dibs. Neither she nor Mandy would budge. When the disagreement showed signs of becoming a full-blown family feud, we realized something had to be done. Enter the family arbitrator, my sister Eileen, who somehow saw through the fog. But as Mandy s mother and Joanne s sister, could Eileen handle this dilemma fairly? Temporarily, she set aside the emotion of the dispute, and thought logically. The nativity set was just a wooden stable, not an irreplaceable masterpiece of art. The beauty was in the eye of the beholders, the perception of two people who coveted a simple item owned by someone they loved. Couldn t a copy be created? Of course! She would order the wood from the lumberyard and get someone to build a second manger. The following day, Eileen went to Centre Millwork and stood in line behind several contractors ordering lumber from a young man. He was wearing a tag with his name, Brett, written on it. It was her turn. She pointed to the nativity set in her arms and told him the story. Brett took the stable from her, held it up with one hand and laughed, They re fighting over this? (continue on page 7)

7 From the Church Mailbox Thank You**Thank You**Thank You! Bob and Jean Straight want to thank everyone who brought food to their home while Jean was not feeling well. It was delicious and greatly appreciated. Thank you so much! Relay for Life is the signature fundraiser for the American Cancer Society. The money raised through Relay for Life events helps realize the American Cancer Society s mission: to save lives and celebrate life. Every day. Donations are used to fun lifesaving cancer research, patient support programs, prevention information and education, and detection and treatment programs. Fundraising isn t all we do but everything we do depends on it. Thank you for your support of Relay For Life. Because of your generosity and the support of many other businesses in the Huntington community, we surpassed our goal of $50,000 for Huntington County Relay For Life Mark and Vickie Kiefer, Huntington County Relay For Life Event Leaders 2017 (continued from page 6) Yes, Eileen explained. I know it seems crazy, but it was my mother s and they both loved her very much. Is there any way you could measure and cut some wood so we could have a duplicate built? Brett said, Leave it here. I ll see what I can do. Eileen left hoping he could come up with a minor miracle. That s what it would take. A few days later, she received a phone message saying that her order was ready. When Eileen arrived at the hardware store to pick up the wood, she couldn t believe was she say two identical stables sitting side by side. Brett had not only cut and measured the wood, he had built a second manger. I know you wanted them to look the same, so I added a couple of dings and flaws that were in the original. Hope that s okay. Sure enough, the new stable had the same lopsided front gate. Okay? Eileen said in tears. You have no idea what this will mean to my sister and my daughter. To the entire family. I don t care what this costs. Your work has saved the day. That will be $3.75 for the materials, Brett said. When Eileen insisted on paying him more, he said, I didn t do it on company time. I built it at home so I won t charge you for the labor. He pointed to the new manger. I hope this helps your family have a merrier Christmas. Eileen left Brett with a large tip and a big hug of thanks. When she got home and called Joanne and Mandy about her creative solution, they were very happy and extremely relieved that the problem was resolved. One phone call later, Joanne and Mandy had agreed that Joanne would take possession of the new stable as well as some of the old figurines including Mary, Joseph and the infant. Mandy would get to keep the original just as Nanny promised. Kathy Melia Levine (from Chicken Soup for the Soul Publishing, LLC 2013)

8 Cinnamon Roasted Butternut Squash 1 large Butternut squash, peeled, seeded and cut into 1 cubes 3 Tbsp. olive oil 2 Tbsp. packed brown sugar 1 tsp. cinnamon 1 tsp. salt 1 tsp. pepper 1. Preheat oven to 425F with rack on upper middle position. Line baking sheet with heavy duty foil. 2. In a large bowl, toss the squash with remaining ingredients until thoroughly coated. Transfer to foil-lined baking sheet, in a single layer, without overcrowding the pieces. Roast about 40 minutes, rotating pan midway during baking. When edges are browned and cubes are forktender, remove from oven immediately. You may want to start checking squash around 35 minutes, just to ensure that they don't become overcooked. Chocolate Chip Gingerbread Scones 1 1/2 c. whole wheat flour 1 1/2 tsp. baking powder 1 Tbsp. ground ginger 1 tsp. cinnamon 1/2 tsp. salt 2 Tbsp. unsalted butter, cold and cubed 1/2 c. plain nonfat Greek yogurt 3 Tbsp. maple syrup 2 Tbsp. + 2 tsp. nonfat milk, divided 1 Tbsp. molasses 1 tsp. vanilla 2 Tbsp. mini chocolate chips, divided 1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. 2. Whisk together the flour, baking powder, ginger, Holiday Goodies cinnamon and salt. Cut in the butter until the mixture resembles fine crumbs. Make a well in the center. Stir in the yogurt, maple syrup, 2 Tbsp. milk, molasses, and vanilla. Fold in 1 1/2 Tbsp. of chocolate chips. 3. Shape the dough into a 3/4 tall circle on the baking sheet, and brush with the remaining milk. Slice the circle into 8 triangular segments with a sharp knife. Gently press the remaining chocolate chips on top. Bake at 425 degrees for minutes until lightly golden. Cool 5 minutes and transfer to a wire rack. Corn Casserole - a holiday favorite! 2 cans whole-kernel corn, drained 1 can cream-style corn 1 box Jiffy corn muffin mix 1 c. sour cream 1 stick (1/2 c.) butter or margarine, melted In a large bowl, mix all together. Pour into a greased 9x13 pan for 45 min. at 350 degrees. May be sprinkled with shredded cheddar cheese after baking. Return to the oven for approx. 5 min. to melt. Cranberry Christmas Cake 3 eggs 2 c. sugar 3/4 c. butter, softened 1 tsp. vanilla 2 c. flour 12 oz. fresh cranberries Beat the eggs and sugar 5-7 minutes until slightly thickened. The mixture should almost double in size. Don t skip this step. Add the butter and vanilla and beat 2 more minutes. Stir in the flour until just combined. Add the cranberries and stir throughout. Spread in a buttered 9x13 pan for minutes until lightly browned. Cool completely and cut into squares. Would be pretty sprinkled with powdered sugar!

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11 EUM ~ A Year in Review! 2017 Anniversary Celebration in May! was special here at Evangelical! We have so many memories of this past year! New groups, fun events, graduations, baptisms, confirmation, & many more! Our 40th anniversary of our building was one of the biggest highlights of this year! Five of our former pastors were able to be here to help celebrate. We enjoyed having many guests with us and ended the morning with a big lunch for everyone. Many of us had a great time in July at a very hot Tin Caps Baseball Game in Fort Wayne! Confirmation 11 Confirmands were brought into the church family in May! We helped with the Little River clean-up back in September. EUM loves helping out the city!

12 Evangelical United Methodist Church 1000 Flaxmill Road Huntington, IN Merry Christmas from all of us at EUM Church!