The Methodist. Please join us for fellowship following both services.

Transcription

1 The Methodist A Publication of The Seward United Methodist Church 1400 North 5 th Street Seward, NE Church Office: (402) Please join us for fellowship following both services. Wed Dec 2 Witness Comm 5:30PM - Parlor MESSAGE FROM FINANCIAL SECRETARY The auditors of our 2014 church accounts and the IRS made it clear that donors MUST DELIVER OR POSTMARK contributions by December 31 to claim a charitable deduction for the 2015 calendar year. To facilitate closing the 2015 fiscal year in a timely fashion, please make your final contribution to the church by Sunday, December 27th. Mailed checks must be postmarked in 2015 to be deductible for this year. Contributions mailed after December 31, even if dated in 2015, do not qualify as contributions for Statements of giving in 2015 of $250 or more will be sent to contributors. Persons with giving below $250 for the year may request statements. - Cliff Lowell Sun Dec 6 Caring Ministry 6:30PM - Parlor Mon Dec 7 Nurture Comm 7:00PM - Parlor Wed Dec 14 Bldg Impr Comm 7:00PM - Parlor Watch us on Cable 13 Tues Dec 15 BBCDC Board 6:00PM - Parlor Tues Dec 15 Worship Comm 7:00PM - Library Tues Dec 15 M&O Comm 7:00PM - FH Thur Dec 17 Finance Comm 7:00PM - Library Tues Dec 22 Trustees Comm 7:00PM - Parlor at 9:30 p.m. on Sunday and/or 10:00 a.m. Thursday mornings.

2 However, I hope the wait for Christmas during Advent is full of anticipation. I hope that while we wait we can find some time for real conversation with God, whose son s birth we celebrate at Christmas. I hope the anticipation of time with family and friends enhances our celebration of the birth of Jesus. I hope the preparation will not become a time of drudgery, but a time of anticipation for food, music, family, and spiritually awakening music during our celebrations. Dear friends, While visiting my brother in Montreal, Quebec some years ago we ate out most of the time. My brother doesn t do much cooking. The wonderful thing about his neighborhood is that there are more types of restaurants within walking distance than one can possibly try in a month. Here in Nebraska we aren t very willing to wait very long for a meal. If the line for a table is more than 15 or 20 minutes we go somewhere else. Also, if the food is too slow in coming, we get antsy. In Montreal dining out is an all evening affair. Servers do not get in too much of a hurry, because to be in a hurry would seem rude to their guests. Drinks are served and a short while later menus are brought to the table. After a while the orders are taken and there is a delay between every item served. Salads come, and twenty minutes pass before the main course comes. After the main course is served there is quite a pause before the server asks about deserts. In Montreal dinner is an event. Waiting seems to be part of the meal. As one waits for the next part, anticipation builds. Diners have an opportunity to have a real, unhurried conversation. In this part of the country many of us are impatient. We have gotten so accustomed to instant everything that waiting for anything is often an annoyance. During December our church will be actively waiting for the birth of Christ among us again. We will have various activities to help us prepare. The children will have a Christmas program. The Scriptures and sermons will point toward the birth of Jesus. Various groups will provide a special music to help us get ready for celebrating Jesus birth. Various groups will have a variety of Christmas-related activities. The Hebrew people waited for a very long time for the coming of the Messiah. They waited more than a few weeks. They waited more than a few years, or even decades. They waited for centuries. Now we begin our short wait for the birth of the Messiah among us again. We do not have to wait centuries, but only four weeks. Our physical preparations may have become automatic by now. Even so, our spiritual preparation for Christmas is more important than our physical preparations. As you hang the decorations, bake goodies, and do all sorts of physical preparations, remember to prepare with prayer and worship also. Then Christ will be born among us again this Christmas. In Christ s service, Pastor Dale Lambert

3 November 29 th, :30 Aaron, Julie Abbie and Sydney Christensen 10:30 Jerry, Mary and Meghan Meyer December 6 th, :30 Eric, Jeanna and Alex Sick 10:30 Stacy, Brenden and Lindsay Flesner December 13 th, 2015 The church office will be closed starting at noon on December 24th through Monday, December 28th for Christmas and will also be closed January 1st for New Year's Day. 8:30 Dennis, Jennifer, Brynlie and Nolan Robbins 10:30 Mike, Peggy, Sarah and Zach Brown December 20 th, :30 David, Liz, Lucas and Danny Purdham 10:30 Chad, Kiersten and Cooper Hill December 6 8:30 a.m. Adult Bell Choir 10:30 a.m. Adult Bell Choir Communion served at both services December 13 8:30 a.m. Children s Christmas Program 10:30 a.m. Children s Christmas program December 20 8:30 a.m. All Music Groups Christmas Service 10:30 a.m. All Music Groups Christmas Service December 24 (Thursday) 5:00 Christmas Eve Candlelight Service 9:00 Christmas Eve Candlelight Service

4 The new January/ February copies of the Upper Room and Alive Now are available in the rack by the west entrance. Also available in large print. FAMILY GAME NIGHT SUNDAY, DECEMBER 20TH 5:00 PM HELP YOURSELF Senior High School Christmas Cookie Walk Sunday, December 20, 2015 Do you need help with your Christmas baking? Let the High School youth make your cookies for you. Come and choose from the wonderful variety of delicious holiday treats. Cookies will be available following both services. If you would also like to donate some homemade (from scratch) cookies, it would be greatly appreciated. Please have them to the church before the 8:30 service. Proceeds from the Cookie Walk will go towards Senior High Mission Trip. If you have questions, please call Karen Yelden at Thanks again for your continued support. Worship Schedule 8:30 a.m. Blended Worship 9:30 a.m. Adult Sunday School 9:30 a.m. Youth Sunday School 10:30 a.m. Praise Worship Monday Nights - Bible 7:30 p.m. Library Cliff Lowell - Leader Thursday Mornings - Bible a.m. Parlor Pastor Dale - Leader Thursday Evening - Bible p.m. Parlor Disciple Fast Track LaQuita McKibbin - Leader Sunday Mornings - Sunday 9:30 a.m. - Library "The Case for Faith" Cliff Lowell - Leader Sunday Mornings - Sunday a.m. - Parlor "Facing Your Giants" Dana Galusha - Leader Please come and enjoy some fresh rolls and support our youth group. Rolls will be available after both services. Also purchase rolls to go - up to six Free Will Offering - Sunday, January 17th

5 We Need Your Help!!!!!! OUR CHURCH DATABASE NEEDS UPDATED BADLY. We are asking EVERYONE to complete the member information sheet on the next page. If you have college students that are no longer living at home, please complete a separate sheet for them. You may have recently been asked to give us updated information but would appreciate if you would complete the sheet and return it to the church office by the end of January. You can mail it, it or just drop it in the box on the door. STILL LOOKING FOR A COUPLE OF PEOPLE WILLING TO BE ON THE SNOW TEAMS. The Reason for the Season DECEMBER RICE PANTRY COLLECTION Monthly Budget: $30,134 October 2015 Donations: $26,782 Expenses: $28,477 Donations: General Operating & Mission Shares Expenses: Budgeted Items Only As you may have noticed, we have new concrete in our fire lane and walkways. PLEASE NO ice or snowmelt of any kind is to be placed on any of the concrete at our Church until after November Use of any ice or snowmelt will void our new concrete warranty. If needed, we are to use sand for ice or snowmelt purposes. Thank you. - Your SUMC Trustees.

6 MEMBERSHIP INFORMATION SEWARD UNITED METHODIST CHURCH 1400 N. 5th St Seward, NE P: F: HOUSEHOLD INFORMATION: Name(s) on Mailing Label: Address: City: ZIP Code: Family Address: How would you like to receive our Monthly Newsletter? -Mail or - Home/Main Phone: This number will be used for our One Call System) HEAD OF HOUSE INFORMATION: Name: Gender: M - F Name on Nametag: Date of Birth Date of Baptism: Cell Phone: Work Phone: Current Church Membership: UMC Status: PM-Professing Member TM-Transfer from UMC NM-Trasnfer from Non-UMC SPOUSE INFORMATION: Name: Gender: M - F Name on Nametag: Date of Birth Date of Baptism: Cell Phone: Work Phone: Curent Church Membership: Marriage Date: UMC Status: PM-Professing Member TM-Transfer from UMC NM-Trasnfer from Non-UMC CHILDREN: Legal Name: first, middle, last (Preferred first Name) Gender: Date of Birth: Date of Baptism: Graduation Year Please note below if any above information should NOT be listed on Church Directory's. ***Please estimate year of graduation for children for Sunday school placement ***PLEASE COMPLETE A SEPARATE SHEET FOR COLLEGE STUDENTS WITH THEIR CONTACT INFORMATION

7 PRAYERS AND CONCERNS Please remember those who were lifted up in prayer for on-going health concerns. Prayers For: Greg Canning who is in Madonna for rehabilitation Lynn McAulay who is recovering after surgery Jean Algya who is recovering from surgery Roger Anderson who is recovering after back surgery POINSETTIAS If you would like to provide a poinsettia in memory or honor of a loved one for Christmas, please bring them to the church any time after December 13th. Please provide information to the church office regarding who it is in honor/memory of, and who has provided it. Forms also available at the Welcome Desk or church office. Bell Ringers We re asking for one hour of your time on Dec. 5 th to ring bells outside Walmart. Sign up at the welcome center. POINSETTIAS The time is here to start thinking about Christmas Poinsettias. Please turn this form into the office by Monday, December 14th, You can send this form to our office at 1400 North 5th. Poinsettias need to be in the kitchen by noon, Saturday, December 19th. Name Number of Poinsettias In Memory of In Honor of

8 Thank you Thank you Thank you Our Annual Church Bazaar was a SUCCESS!!! Thanks to all of you who worked to make this year s bazaar so successful: All the crafters who contributed items for sale All of the volunteers who worked before, during and after the exciting event All of the members of our church who talked to their friends and neighbors about our bazaar AND ALL OF THE SHOPPERS! Thanks to all who helped to raise a total of $4, This amount will be used by UMW towards meeting future needs of our church UMW Bazaar Planning Committee Thank you Thank you Thank you Thank you Thank you Thank you Thank you Thank you Thank you Thank you Thank you Thank you Thank you Thank you Thank you Thank you Thank you Thank you Thank you Special thanks to Sally Viets, Gail Brand, Karen Yelden and Lynette Broderick for their help in the Kountry Kitchen at the Bazaar. Thanks also to those who donated and made purchases in the Kountry Kitchen. You made all of it work and I could not have done it without you! Thanks again! - Holly Matzke

9 Bright Beginnings Child Development Center What a great fall we are having here at BBCDC. The children love the new outdoor classroom area. We still have a ways to go to get it completed. It s a work in progress! We had 9 Concordia students come and volunteer for us on 11/13. They painted the Infant 1 room and helped haul sand to our new play area. The new paint makes the Infant room look so clean. Thank you to Matt Kristalyn for helping with the window treatment insulation. On a sad note Nikki has decided to pursue a new vocation and will be leaving BBCDC. Her last day will be November 25 th. We hate to see her go but wish her the best in her new adventures. We have also decided to make some changes in our room arrangements. We will be splitting our Toddler class up. We will have a Pre-Toddler room and a Toddler room. This should help a lot with behaviors and toilet training. Cynthia Mick will become the head Toddler teacher. She will be in the Toddler room and we will be hiring for the Pre-Toddler room. The Pre-Toddler room will be moved to the Yellow room. Until we have a full time teacher hired we will have a couple of our Concordia students cover this room. Our Preschool and Pre K classes will combine daily at 3:45 pm and the School Age students will be in the Preschool room after school each day. December 2 nd our Preschool and Pre K classes will be singing for the United Methodist Women s luncheon. They have been presenting for this luncheon for the past several years and the women really enjoy having our students sing for them. Sunday December 13 th at 4 pm will be our Annual BBCDC Christmas Program followed by a Soup Supper. Please feel free to invite family and friends. This is a great time to fellowship with other BBCDC families. We will have a special guest attending whom we will be taking pictures with this special jolly guest. We look forward to having all our families attend. Starting in 2016 we will be hosting a staff/parent training on the Pyramid Model: Promoting Social Emotional Competence Series. There will be four 1 hour trainings. All BBCDC staff will be starting their training in these in December. This is a great way for staff and parents to be on the same page when it comes to behavior management for all our students. Every family will be receiving a new Parent s Handbook for BBCDC. We have made some changes from the existing one. If you do not receive one prior to the first of the year please let Kerry know. Starting in January we will also have a new Assistant Director. This position will be a great addition to BBCDC and will help with the communication between parents and the director. We will have security cameras installed this month for the protection of our children and staff. The cameras will be in the hall ways and one outside. This will also help to monitor the activities here at BBCDC. During this Thanksgiving Season we here at BBCDC wish to THANK all our volunteers, board members and others who have been a part of our wonderful mission to Provide a loving, caring Christian environment that fosters individual & educational growth for each stage of a child s development. Bright Beginnings Phone# Check us out on our FaceBook page. Bbcdc.seward@gmail.com Lots of pictures of the kids and activities!

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 Label DECEMBER Issue Church Office Hours: 9:00 a.m. - 3:00 p.m. M-F Phone: Fax: umcseward@gmail.com Website: Facebook: BBCDC: ~DECEMBER~ MAILBOX DEADLINE Wednesday, December 16th Submit News by NOON Drop off your article at the office, call Sandy at the church office OR articles to umcseward@gmail.com UMW Local Church Activities Chair persons for DECEMBER are: Connie Kamprath Marty Bender