St. Matthew's UCC. White Dove Flyer. December Pastor Suzanne Brooks-Cope. Office Hours: Mon, Wed, Fri 9-1pm. Phone:

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1 St. Matthew's UCC White Dove Flyer Sunday Services And Activities 9:00am Worship :30 am Sunday School Second Sundays Noon Special Alternative Worship Mr. Richard Frantz Council President Mr. Daniel Smale Organist/Choir Director December 2015 Mrs. Tracy Buskirk Pastor Suzanne Brooks-Cope Treasurer Office Hours: Mon, Wed, Fri 9-1pm Mrs. Rose Arace Phone: Pastoral Secretary Website: Dated Material. Please Do Not Hold St. Matthew's UCC 102 Church Road Kunkletown, Pa Nonprofit U.S. Postage PAID Permit No 74 Lehighton, Pa 18235

2 December, 2015 Dear Members and Friends of St. Matts, I am listening to a delightful book this week as I drive to and from Kunkletown Fannie Flagg s, Can t Wait to Get to Heaven. The book s main character is an octogenarian named Mrs. Elner Shimfissle who lives in the small town of Elmwood, Missouri. She climbed up on a ladder to get some figs to make fig preserves for a kind neighbor and bumps into a wasp nest that sends her falling from the ladder. When rescue arrives she is declared DOA. The only problem is she is not dead. She is just on a short adventure to visit her maker. She is greeted in heaven by her deceased sister Ida. Ida takes her to see Raymond whose desk name tag says Supreme Being. Raymond is sitting behind his cluttered desk in a cluttered office and asks Elner what questions she has for him. She asks lots of the usual questions Which came first, the chicken or the egg? Is free will a good thing? Does prayer work...etc? Then when she asks if she will get to see her deceased husband Will, Raymond says, Not this time. Elner then wakes up in her hospital bed surrounded by a grieving family and a nurse who becomes hysterical when Elner speaks. Before leaving heaven however, Elner asks God, aka Raymond, is there anything I should tells folks back home? Raymond says, Tell them things are not as bad as they seem. Raymond points out many of the good things going on these days cancer being cured, enhanced technology, people living longer. Raymond tells Elner to tell everyone that they are loved and cared about. Things are not as bad as they seem. I needed to hear that after the events in Paris, the threats from ISIS, the overwhelming refugee problems and the struggles closer to home. The word that we are loved and cared about is the message of the season of Advent. Into the darkness of our world, God is sending us light a light that will shine and expose all the brokenness, the evil, and the hurt. God is sending us the prince of peace, the King of kings, the Counselor God is sending the only Son. Christ will be born in our world, our hearts, and our lives. I encourage you to take the time to prepare for his coming. Spend time in worship. Spend time in prayer. Spend time being a blessing to others. Elner Shimfissle is a bright light in her small community she reaches out to her neighbors; she touches the lives of troubled teens; she helps those in need and is beloved by her community. She has no children of her own, but the entire town is her family. She was a blessing to others. This Advent, be a blessing to others. Fill your hearts and souls with the light of Emmanuel, God with us. Shalom, Pastor Suzanne

3 St.Matthew's U.C.C Prayer List (As of publishing date of November 20, 2015) We Join In Christ's Prayer For Our Church Members At Various Personal Care Residences or Our Homebound. Jane Gower Slatebelt Nursing & Rehabilitation Slatebelt Drive, Bangor, Pa Wilbert Hawk Brookmont Health Care Center PO Box 50 Effort, Pa Dothea Kresge Mahoning Valley 397 Hemlock Drive Lehighton, Pa Gladys Lindenmoyer Village of Palmerton 71 Palmerton Avenue Palmerton, Pa Mae Pearsol Getz Personal Care Home 1026 Scenic Drive Kunkletown, Pa Asher Smith Getz Personal Care Home 1026 Scenic Drive Kunkletown, Pa Maryellen Smith Renee's Personal Care Home 1305 Church Lane Palmerton, Pa Naomi Smith Village Of Palmerton 71 Princeton Avenue Palmerton, Pa Joyce Smale Pleasant Valley Manor 4227 Manor Drive Stroudsburg, Pa Latimer Eckhart Villiages Of Palmerton 71 Palmerton Ave Palmerton, Pa Pauline Smith 173 Fiddletown Road Kunkletown, Pa Violet Kromer Slatebelt Nursing & Rehabilitation Slatebelt Drive, Bangor, Pa Other Prayer Concerns Families of Lillian Borger and Howard Meckes. Jean Smith, Joy Engler, Doug Hawk, Elmer Frantz, Latimer Eckhart, Violet Kromer, Jean Anewalt, Dorothy Smale (friend of Linda Miller), Shirley Borger, Family of Gloria Pearsol, Arlene Kresge, Roy Anthony, Kaila & Brandon Palermo, Kim and Trevor Cope, Jean Gower, Jack Carry, John and Linda Kile, Rev. Alan Miller, Liz Arace, Virginia Anglemyer, Gladys Lindenmoyer, Margaret Hahn, Brayden Wunder

4 Don't forget to order your Poinsettias. Please pick up your order forms in the office or in the church bulletins in December. Also Do Not Miss St, Matthew's UCC & Effort UMC Christmas Cantatas, Joy, Joy, Joy. St. Matthew's will host On Friday, Dec 18th at 7:30pm. Effort UMC will host on Dec. 19th at 6:00pm.

5 The annual congregational meeting will be held on December 6, 2015 after our church service. In case of snow, our meeting would be held on the next morning service. We need all church members to come to this meeting and vote on the budget and ask any questions you may have. We also need new council members. A copy of the proposed 2016 budget is included in this newsletter. New envelopes will be ready. Journey To Bethlehem December 5th 6-8pm Join us at the grove for our drive through Journey to Bethlehem, a live nativity scene. Good will donation or a non-perishable item of your choice to go to local food bank. December Usher Schedule Dec 6th- Gerald, Henry, Shirley, Dan & Brenda Dec 13th- Magen & Lynn Dec 20th- Wilbert & Brenda Dec 24-7pm- Rich, Shirley, Magen, John & Cheryl Dec 24-10pm- -Lee, Tom, Wilbert, Gerald & Harry Dec 27th- Henry & Lynn Pastor is planning a new members class on January 10th.Please join us if you would like to become a member or know someone who is interested. December Birthdays 3 Maynard Sterner 12 Ted Kreger 17 Dorothy Gower 26 Janine Krechel 3 Rose Arace 12 Sterling Kresge 17 Jennifer Kibler 27 Daniel Frantz 5 Nancy Frantz 12 Rocky Smith 17 Nadine Scheller 28 Alysha Kresge 5 Helen Gower 12 Gerald Voorhees 18 Kim Scheller 30 Tracy Buskirk 6 Delbert Kresge 14 Catherine Lopresto 20 Beverly Frantz 30 Jeremy Smith 8 Connie Moretz 14 Marlin Smith 22 Kevin Yaple 9 Lisa Everett 15 Brittany Hanelong 23 Mitchell Hawk 9 Ernie Norton 16 Ricky Gower 24 Virginia Anglemyer 11 Lynn Courtright 17 Kay Frable 24 Devoe Brienich 11 Kaitlin Silliman 17 Kyle Frantz 25 Lynn Witt

6 Staci s Stuff By Staci Gower Tis the season for shopping, baking, wrapping and making memories with the family. It s a busy time, as we finish one year and prepare to start a new one. There are items on our to-do list that we rush to complete; resolutions we make for the future; and moments we capture on film to preserve our past. We try our hardest to live in the moment, but at holiday times the present is kind of chaotic. Relax, and let us wrap your presents this holiday season! The youth will have a Wrap-A-Thon on Sunday, Dec. 13 from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. in the social hall. For a donation of your choice, we ll wrap up your gifts while you enjoy hot chocolate and cookies and attend either service (9 a.m. worship or Family Table at noon). When you re ready to leave church, your presents will be ready to go under the tree. (No, we won t have a tree-decorating elf for that task!) Funds from the Wrap-A-Thon will go toward their trip to Florida in July The PNEC National Youth Event will take place in Disney World. I have been researching air plane flight costs, and attending meetings with other local leaders involved in the trip. Our fundraising efforts not only support our travel plans, but also benefit the church and community. For instance, the youth purchased a Foundation Rock and donated $20 to PVEN for a Thanksgiving turkey. We ll also be caroling this holiday season. Youth, friends and family are invited to join us when we get a bite to eat and go sing around town. We ll also bring some cookies to each house. We are still deciding on a date and time, we will announce this as soon as we know. Sunday School resumed in September at 10:30 a.m. The kids class has eight students; the youth class has five. It s not too late to enroll your child(ren). Ages 3 through adult are welcomed. Our rotating teaching roster includes four teachers and five assistants for the kids class, and four teachers for the youth class. I teach the youth class each second Sunday of the month, if you want to come see what our curriculum covers. Save the date: Vacation Bible School will be held in the grove July 11-15, 2016 for ages 3 and up. Our first planning meeting, for adult and youth volunteers, will be in March. Have a happy and safe Christmas! For more information on these and other upcoming events, contact me at stacigeorge0317@gmail.com or

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