M aki ng your way i n t he worl d t od ay t ak es everyt hi ng you've got. T aki ng a break from all your wor ri es, s ur e would hel p a l ot. Williamsburg UMC Newsletter November 2016 Inside this issue: Special Missions 2 Women s Fellowship & Upcoming Events November Calendar 3 Birthdays & Anniversaries 2 4 From the Pastor s Desk I urge you to live a life worthy of the calling you have received. Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love. Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace. There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called to one hope when you were called; one Lord, one faith, one baptism; one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all. (Ephesians 4:1-6) As we enter these last two months of our calendar year, we begin a time of gathering and celebration! We gather the last of the fruits of our fields and we celebrate the harvest! We gather with friends and family and we celebrate our relationships, our histories, our bonds, our holidays! As we celebrate our harvests, let us recognize our abundance; in our abundance, may God lead us to care for those without. As we gather together with friends and neighbors, let us recognize the amount love we share; in our abundance, my God lead us to invite those without. Blest be the tie that binds our hearts in Christian Love; the fellowship of kindred minds is like to that above! (J.Fawcett, 1782) For many, this is our favorite time of year; family, fellowship, feasts! For others, this season opens wounds that have never quite healed; our attention is drawn to the lack of family surrounding us, the lack of true friendship in our lives, the lack of security in food and shelter. Lord God help us to recognize the needs of others and empower us to reach out, beyond our comfort zones, in the ways you have blessed us to do so. Help us to first and always recognize you as the God of the Harvest, you as the God of Fellowship, you as the common thread that binds our hearts to all of humankind! Amen! Grace and Peace, Pastor Nate Starkey
PAGE 2 WILLIAMSBURG UMC NEWSLETTER NOVEMBER 2016 Special Missions and Offerings November Noisy Offering will help support NOMADS NOMADS began in 1988 in the Rio Grande Valley of Texas. Methodists from Illinois, Iowa and Indiana were Winter Texans and someone finally said, "I am bored, there must be some good we can do here." So they approached local Methodist churches and offered their services. That first year there were 24 members who completed five projects in Texas and Oklahoma. NOMADS grew as an all volunteer organization under the North Central Jurisdiction of the United Methodist Church. Membership grew, and in 2001, NO- MADS incorporated and became an organization under the General Board of Global Ministries. Currently, NOMADS offers about 150 projects each year and has over 1000 members. Thank you for your contributions! Women s Fellowship Don t forget to bring your goodies for the Care Packages! They will be packed on November 6! Saturday, November 12th Long Lake Craft Show 9am 3pm November Events We are gathering mittens, gloves, scarves, hats (infant through adult sizes); hand-made, purchased, or gently used for organizations such as the Baby Pantry, TC Alternative High School, ACTS, Women s Resource Center, and more. This is an ongoing mission through March. Thank you so much! Join us for the Fall Harvest Dinner Come join us on Friday, November 11 for the annual Harvest Dinner. We ll have a full Thanksgiving meal: turkey, potatoes, stuffing, gravy, rolls, vegetables, cranberries, pies and more. The Men s Group will meet on Sunday, November 6 at 6 PM. The meeting will be at Jim Wright s house. 4810 White Rd South Wiliamsburg The Adult Social Group will be meeting on Tuesday, November 8 at 10 AM. There will be light refreshments and great fellowship. Please join us! Contact Rich Hargreaves or Marcy Block for more information.
november 2016 Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat 1 2 3 10am Bible Study 11am Church Women United at Old Mission Peninsula UMC 4 5 6 Daylight Savings Time Ends! Service & Communion 6pm Men s Group @ Jim Wright s **Care package items due 13 Service & Potluck 7 8 10am Adult Group Election Day 9 14 15 16 10 10am Bible Study 11 5pm Harvest Dinner Veteran s Day 17 18 19 12 9am 3pm Long Lake Craft Show 20 Service 21 22 23 24 25 26 Thanksgiving 27 Service & Brunch 28 29 30 Dec. 1st Advent Bible Study 10am & 7pm AA Schedule: Mon. 8pm everyone welcome Wed. 7pm Women only Sat. 10am Men only 7pm everyone welcome
WILLIAMSBURG UMC NEWSLETTER PAGE 4 November Birthdays and Celebrations! 1st Joyce Burrows 8th Ron Ridge 9th Sam Huver 9th Tom Slopesma 15th Rick & Anne Lovell Anniversary 18th Aaron Starkey 24th Nora Zeldes 24th Pastor Nate & Amy Starkey Anniversary 25th Bill Avitts Come, Ye Thankful People, Come Come, ye thankful people, come, raise the song of harvest home; all is safely gathered in, ere the winter storms begin. God our Maker doth provide for our wants to be supplied; come to God's own temple, come, raise the song of harvest home. All the world is God's own field, fruit as praise to God we yield; wheat and tares together sown are to joy or sorrow grown; first the blade and then the ear, then the full corn shall appear; Lord of harvest, grant that we wholesome grain and pure may be. For the Lord our God shall come, and shall take the harvest home; from the field shall in that day all offenses purge away, giving angels charge at last in the fire the tares to cast; but the fruitful ears to store in the garner evermore. Even so, Lord, quickly come, bring thy final harvest home; gather thou thy people in, free from sorrow, free from sin, there, forever purified, in thy presence to abide; come, with all thine angels, come, raise the glorious harvest home. Lyrics by Henry Alford (1810-1871) Music by George J. Elvey (1816-1893) Count Your Blessings And don t forget to thank Him (Philippians 4:6). In my daily devotional one day, the words of the song Count Your Blessings, Name Them One by One was included. I haven t sung that song for a long time - the words are tremendous: Are you ever burdened with a load of care? Does the cross seem heavy you are called to bear? Count your many blessings, ev ry doubt will fly, And you will be singing as the days go by. What a wonderful reminder to take the time to think about what God is doing for us. Too often we focus just on the horrid things - the evil, the hurricanes, the floods and devastation and famine. But take time every day to verbalize or write all you are thankful for. You may want to use this outline. Doing so will revitalize your soul. Begin With Thanksgiving Psalm 100:4 tells us, Enter into His gates with thanksgiving and His courts with praise. Thank Him for His patience and forgiveness. Thank Him for the privilege of coming into His presence. Thank Him for what He has done in and through your life in the last year. List What He Has Done Take time to list what God has done for you. Be specific. Think through every area of your life. Become Still Before the Lord. (Psalm 46:10) Consider who God is. (Psalm 103) Praise Him for His attributes. (Psalm 145) Rejoice in your fellowship with Him and that He delights in you. (Proverbs 15:8) Read passages of scripture and pray them back to God. (Psalms 146-150) Sing to the Lord. Lord I thank You for the beauty of the seasons. I thank You for health and strength. I thank You for people to love and people who love me. I love You God and thank for loving me first. Amen.
WILLIAMSBURG UMC NEWSLETTER PAGE 5 Psalm 100 (NLT) Shout with joy to the LORD, all the earth! Worship the LORD with gladness. Come before him, singing with joy. Acknowledge that the LORD is God! He made us, and we are his. We are his people, the sheep of his pasture. Enter his gates with thanksgiving; go into his courts with praise. Give thanks to him and praise his name. For the LORD is good. His unfailing love continues forever, and his faithfulness continues to each generation.
Williamsburg United Methodist Church PO Box 40 5750 Williamsburg Rd Williamsburg, MI 49690