Port Edwards United Methodist Church Newsletter for December 2018 The first Sunday of Advent December 2, 2018 Jeremiah 33:14-16 Psalm 25:1-10 (UMH 756) 1 Thessalonians 3:9-13 Luke 21:25-36
ADVENT SERMON SERIES- "Prepare the Way" December 2nd-- Stand (Stand and raise your heads- Luke 24) December 9th-- Refine (God will refine us spiritually) December 16th Do (Responding to the joy God gives to us) December 23rd Welcome (Welcoming Christ into our lives) December 24th Arrive (Celebrate the arrival of Christ) PREPARE THE WAY Our sermon series during Advent is on Preparing the Way. We will get ready for Christmas in various ways. We will decorate the church on December 1st. We will provide gifts for needy children in our area. We are planning to ring bells at Shopko on Saturday, December 8 th from 12-5PM. Another way we can make a place for Christ to be known in our community is by supporting the ministry of two of our partner organizations: Helping Hands Gospel Mission and Love INC. HHGM serves to bridge the gap of need for the homeless and near homeless in South Wood County. Love INC is about the work of transforming the lives of not only those in need but congregations as well. You are encouraged to add these to your shopping list for this year. Checks should be made out to the church with the either HHGM or Love INC in the memo section.
Mark Your Calendars Port Edwards Annual Tree Lighting will be held on: Tuesday, December 4, 2018 5:00 7:00PM. As in the past, we will serve hot cocoa and cookies at Austin s Diner. Hope to see you on the 4 th!!!! Join Us For Our Sunday School Christmas Program Christmas Hope Sunday, December 9, 2018 Our Christmas program will be on December 9 th this year so please mark your calendars.. Our final rehearsal will be on Friday December 7 th at 5:30 pm with a Christmas party to follow. We ll provide the food and a short movie and should be completed by 7:30. Please try to have your kids at as many practices as possible during that time.
The last day for monetary donations, is Sunday, December 2 nd. for local families in and around Port Edwards. We are asking for volunteers to: Purchase Gifts Wrap Gifts It s not too late to sign up. The sign up sheet can be found in the information center Contact Roberta Morell at 715.887.3435 or Cathy Guse 715.887.3481 with any questions. Thank You Roberta Morell and Cathy Guse Mission Committee
The United Methodist Women will host their annual Christmas Tea and special program on Thursday, December 6 in the Conference Room at the church. Please be prepared to eat at 12:15PM. The program will be presented by Midge Herschleb and is entitled The Sacred Space of God with Us. Hostesses are Vi Schott, Gloria Wunrow and Mary Heuer. Final Bake Sale Total is $1110.70 and again our grateful thanks to Everyone. This is the perfect time to invite all women to join UMW. We d love to have you join us!!! Mary Heuer Acting December President
HELPING HANDS GOSPEL MISSION Helping Hands Gospel Mission will be our special designated mission offering for November and December. HHGM serves the homeless and near homeless in Wood County. Our mission is to bridge the gap of human need. We truly believe that we are making a positive impact with those who are hurting and need a helping hand. Below is a story that our Executive Director, Tricia Janssen, shared recently: I have been working with a young mom who is a veteran struggling with PTSD. Originally from the east coast, she was alone, desperate and homeless in our community having come here to reconnect with a son. My contact with *Amanda began with a phone call from the Family Center to help a young woman who was willing to go to shelter out of town. We would provide the transportation there. Before she left, I was able to pray with her and assure here that God had not forgotten her. Her journey in short order brought her back to Wisconsin Rapids. She had police contact because of squatting and we once again were contacted, this time by the jail to help get her to a place where she would have safe shelter. Through several other contacts and working with several agencies, she was finally able to secure transitional housing! Yesterday I had the privilege of picking her up from the hotel we had put her in and move her into her new apartment! God is good. We appreciate your generously financial donations. You can give through the church (HHGMmemo section) or directly to HHGM, P.O. Box 1352, WI. Rapids 54495-1352 or online at helpinghandsgospelmission.org. BIBLE STUDY Pastor Dave will be leading a lectionary Bible study on Wednesday mornings from 11:00 a.m.- noon during November and December beginning on November 7 th. Each week we will study the scriptures for the upcoming Sunday (Nov. 7 th study will focus on lessons for Nov. 11 th ). You can find the scriptures in this newsletter.
Coming to United Methodist Church of Port Edwards NAMI Support Group Starting December 1 st AT 9:30AM - 11:00AM, our church will be hosting a monthly (1 st Saturday) support group for those persons with family members who are dealing with a major mental illness. Please feel free to join us, or tell family or friends. Contact Cathy Guse at 715.887.3481 with any questions. More details to follow in the coming weeks.
New Fundraising Project The Port Edwards United Methodist Church has a long history of reaching out into the greater community. Lives have been blessed and souls have communed inside and outside the walls. The PEUMC proposes to make our current facility more user-friendly by installing an elevator. The ability to provide complete access to all who enter our doors will further our ongoing tradition of community involvement in the local area. We host numerous events and groups that will benefit from the addition of an elevator. In addition, the time has come to replace the roof over our Fellowship Hall causing us to step out in faith to raise funds for both projects simultaneously. To achieve this mission we ask you to prayerfully consider supporting our quest for the future. Because some donations have already been given, a dedicated account has been set up at the NPESB in which to deposit funds. Our goal is to raise $200,000 for the combined projects. Note: Please make separate checks/cash for elevator and/or roof donations. We have 2 separate accounts and we want the donation to go into the proper account. Thank you May the Lord continue to bless us as we seek to serve Him in this place.
Education Committee News Sunday School Sunday school is humming along with a nice turnout. The focus of the lessons this semester have been related to family and will continue through part of December until we transition to the winter curriculum. These lessons will be done as time permits with the Christmas program practices starting on November 4 th. Advent and Christmas activities will be incorporated as well as the kids and adults love the holidays. Luckily the Sunday school room was not hit with the water damage the rest of the church received so we continue to have our lessons in our normal room. Our Christmas program will be on December 9 th this year so please mark your calendars. We started practicing on 11/4 and continue through the month of November and December up to the program. Our final rehearsal will be on Friday December 7 th at 5:30 pm with a Christmas party to follow. We ll provide the food and a short movie and should be completed by 7:30. Please try to have your kids at as many practices as possible during that time. There will be no Sunday school on the 23 rd and the 30 th of December and the second semester schedule will be sent out to teachers shortly. Watch for that in your emails and let me know if you have a conflict. Sunday School Teaching Schedule 11/25/2018 Jennifer Swensen 12/2/2018 Kali Mayek/Lisa Miller 12/9/2018 Lori Hintz/Anna Hintz 12/16/2018 Cathy Guse 12/23/2018 No Sunday School 12/30/2018 No Sunday School Join us Christmas Program Sunday, December 9, 2018 Please Mark your Calendars Noisy Collection Just a reminder that the noisy collection is the 2 nd Sunday of the month. We will continue to raise to pay for the church t- shirts for the kids and youth to promote the church and generate interest in the community. What a great way to get out our message! We will announce our second semester fundraising effort in the January newsletter. Volunteering We are always looking for people to help either through volunteering for Sunday school or youth group. If you are interested in helping, please let me know either through email, call or text. Otherwise, please get in contact with anyone on the Education Committee. Support of the children and youth programs are an important investment in the growth of our church. Tiffany Haddow tiffanyhaddow@gmail.com ph.: 715-213-4454 (call or text) Education Committee - Our next meeting will be held on December 2 nd at 5 pm. This will correspond with the confirmation class. Location to be announced. All are welcome!!
Dave s Ponderings We are about to move into the season of Advent which is a period of four Sunday s in length prior to Christmas. In our consumer society, this period of about a month has become known as the marker of the remaining shopping days left until Christmas. Advent for believers is more than just a way of counting the days before we get to open our gifts. The word Advent means to wait not in passive resignation but with expectant hope and anticipation of the coming of Christ into our lives and into our hearts. Advent encourages us to wait but also to prepare for the coming of God. This hope takes us beyond the celebration of Christmas. This hope looks forward to the promise that Christ will come again and will make all things right and new again. The prophet Isaiah wrote about such a vision and hope when he wrote, God shall judge between the nations, and shall arbitrate for many peoples; they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruning hooks, nations shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war any more. Certainly, in this Advent season we can get ready for the joy of Christmas because God has given us a gift of joy that no one can take away from us. We can buy our presents for needy children around us and worship and sing carols and ponder like Mary did about the meaning of the babe in the manger. We look forward to saying that word Emmanuel which means God with us. Christmas is God s homecoming with us. Let us also remember that Advent hope is also about the not yet. Dietrich Bonhoeffer, a Nazi resister, reminded German Christians that although it is admirable to have plans and goals in life; these plans can literally be destroyed overnight. The future we desire is never a certainty. He wrote, being a Christian today consists of only two things; praying and in doing justice among people. This reflects what Advent is all about. We pray and wait in patient expectation for the coming of Christ into our lives. We continue to work for justice among people towards that day expressed so well in the refrain of Star Child (#2095- Faith We Sing Hymnal), Let the day arrive when Christmas is for everyone, everyone alive. Keep your eyes and your hearts open my friends. May God touch you and surprise you with His amazing grace and joy this Christmas. For those of you for whom Christmas may not be a happy occasion, I pray that God will touch in with the warmth of His comforting love and bring healing to your hurting souls. In Christ s Love, Pastor Dave
For the Month of December December 2 1sr Sunday of Advent-Purple or Blue Jeremiah 33:14-16 Psalm 25:1-10 (UMH 756) 1 Thessalonians 3:9-13 Luke 21:25-36 December 9 2 nd Sunday of Advent - Purple or Blue Malachi 3:1-4 Luke 1:68-79 (UMH 208) Philippians 1:3-11 Luke 3:1-6 December 16 3 rd Sunday of Advent Purple, Blue or Pink Zephaniah 3:14-20 Isaiah 12:2-6 Philippians 4:4-7 Luke 3:7-18 December 23 4 th Sunday of Advent Purple or Blue Micah 5:2-5a Luke 1:47-55 (UMH 199) Hebrews 10:5-10 Luke 1:39-45 December 24 Christmas Eve White or Gold Isaiah 9:2-7 Psalm 96 (UMH 815) Titus 2:11-14 Luke 2:1-20 December 25 Christmas Day White or Gold Isaiah 52:7-10 Psalm 98 (UMH 818) Hebrews 1:1-4 (5-12) John 1:1-14 December 30 1 st Sunday After Christmas Day White or Gold 1 Samuel 2:18-20, 26 Psalm 148 (UMH 861) Colossians 3L12-17 Luke 2:41-52 December 31 New Year s Eve Watch Night White or Gold Ecclesiastes 3:1-13 Psalm 8 (UMH 743) Revelation 21:1-6a Matthew 25:31-46 Happy December Birthday December 2 Melanie Sillars December 4 Mick Teaford December 11 Kevin Swensen December 13 Lucy Silvester December 14 Jill Berryman December 19 Kyleen Roth December 21 Pat Arendt Alison Bruener Ethan Bruener Justin Bruener Sue Thomasgard December 22 Doug Berryman December 26 Jack Osteraas December Anniversaries December 5 Art & Carol Ann Harvestine December 8 Joe & Mollie Czahor December 15 Mick & Barbara Teaford December 26 Terry & Marie Hernesman December 29 Michael & Kali Mayek Peter & Joann Kurth December 30 Pat & Kathy McGrath
The Nurture/Outreach Committee News Second Sunday Social Sunday, December 9, 2018 after worship The Theme will be Holiday Treats We Encourage All to bring in a treat for our Second Sunday Social Diane Sweat & Sue Thomasgard Nurture Committee Co-Chairs Let us know how you like the idea and any suggestions for monthly themes are welcome. Diane Sweat & Sue Thomasgard Nurture Committee Co-Chairs
Nurture/Outreach Meeting Wednesday, December 5 th The meeting will be held at Love INC at 6:30PM. Anyone wishing to carpool call Diane Sweat at 715.887.4373. Circle of Friends Will meet Wednesday, December 12 th 1:00PM at church Next Men s Breakfast is Saturday, December 29, 2018 8:00AM at Grace s in Wisconsin Rapids Class Schedule for Fall 2018 Sunday, December 2 nd 5:00PM Dinner 5:30-6:30PM Class Sunday, December 16 th 5:00PM Dinner 5:30-6:30PM Class Winter and Spring Schedule will be posted in the coming weeks
United Methodist Church of Port Edwards 411 Wisconsin River Dr. Join Us For Christmas Worship Service Christmas Eve December 24 th at 4:00PM
A Look Back 2018