No v e m b e r 2 9, 2 0 1 1 Dear Friends, Advent is one of my favorite times of the Christian year. If you didn t grow up in a church or your church didn t observe Advent, it s the time of year in which we prepare to get ready for the Christ child. While people is run around trying to find the perfect gift or create wish lists for perfect gifts, we already have a perfect gift in the Child of Peace, whose birthday we observe. One of the biggest wishes I ever had was to become a mom. At times that dream seemed out of reach. I was so fortunate to have my first child, a little boy. Two-and-a-half years later, I was expecting triplets right through Advent. Every year for the last 20 years I had been a pastor involved in wonderful church Advent celebrations, but not so in 2008. Rather, I was stuck on bed rest. Then, on December 7, I was admitted to the hospital. I delivered my triplets on December 9. They were healthy and between 3.15 and 4.15 pounds. But, as many of you know, I became very sick. I was in the hospital with heart failure until the day before Christmas eve. I didn t know what my future health would be. I had no way to go to church, and I really wanted to be there. I ll never forget late one night while still in the in the hospital, I was alone, grieving my health condition. I stumbled on to singer Faith Hill s Christmas special on PBS. She began to sing a song I d never heard before, A Baby Changes Everything (To see a video of Hill sing the song, go to: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o3wujkozv9e&feature=related). The song describes how Mary is unprepared for the news of an unexpected birth, how she worries whether Joseph will trust her, how she and Joseph s plans must change, how they must leave, and, ultimately, of course, the birth changes everything in their lives. The song concludes with, I once was lost, but now am found. A baby changes everything. When I heard that song, I cried. I so felt the presence of Christ. I d just had three more babies. My whole life had changed, but I knew I wasn t lost. In a tiny little baby named Jesus, God came to be with me. I was not alone, no matter what happened. Mike Slaughter, in his book, Christmas Is Not Your Birthday, asks, Do you struggle to come up with the perfect gifts each Christmas for the special people in your life? It can be tough, but here s an even more important question: what do you give Jesus on his birthday? How can we change the traditional focus of Christmas from materialistic self-indulgence to giving Jesus what he desires on his birthday? The answer is easy, but hard for us to live. God in Christ wants our lives, our love, our whole trust. I hope this Advent you ll prepare your heart for Christ to be the center. Renew your commitment to love more, give more, and share more of what you have and who you are with those who need concrete love. Jesus wish list was very clear. For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came and visited me (Matthew 25:31-36). For giving ideas, see our mission opportunity insert. A baby changes everything! Worship 8:30 & 10:45 am Solid Grounds 9:00 am Sunday School 9:30 am Sermon Series The Journey Walking the Road to Bethlehem December 4 Joseph of Bethlehem December 11 Mary s Visit to Elizabeth December 18 From Nazareth to Bethlehem December 25 The Manger ++++++++++++ A four week sermon series beginning January 8: Why? Making Sense of Suffering, Evil, and God s Will A Blessed Advent! Rev. Betsy
Youth Ham Sales Continue Contact any youth or call the church office, 666-2813, to order your smoked ham. They will be ready for pick up at noon December 17th. BRADY ANGELS Trinity members who adopted a Salvation Army Brady Angel, gifts should be returned to Trinity on Sunday morning 12/4 or 12/11. Thanks for your participation in this wonderful ministry. There are no words to express our thanks to all of you who have walked with us on our long journey. Your prayers, your visits, your calls and cards, your gifts of food have sustained us and given us strength and hope. Most of all, the outpouring of love has warmed our hearts and nourished our souls. You are truly a people in ministry and your gifts to us are too many to count. Thanks be to God! Love and Blessing to you all, The family of Travis Tunnell Trinity has recently expanded communications to those members and guests whose email addresses we have on file. If you are not receiving these emails, either we do not have your email address or perhaps the email is getting stopped by your spam filter. Please send us your email address if you think we may not have it. Adding our email address - trinity@tumclr.org to your address list should allow these emails to avoid being treated as spam. Trinity Night at the Warehouse Join your Trinity family for an evening at the Salvation Army Angel Tree Distribution Warehouse. Help is needed with sorting, organizing, and arranging the gifts which have been donated for the nearly 3,000 children being assisted this Christmas in Little Rock and North Little Rock. We will meet on Monday, December 12 from 6:00 to 9:00 at the Aplica Company warehouse located at 6901 Lindsey Road, just south of the Little Rock airport. This is an activity for adults and teens 16 and over. No one younger is allowed due to the insurance policy on the facility. If child care is needed for younger children contact Judy Gribble at 666-2813 by December 8. For additional information contact Georgiana Soderberg at 343-8717. Prayers and Presence Prayers Whitney Bordelon, Jennifer Laubacher (Rev. Betsy s nieces), Julie McCaghey, Laurence Connelley, Peter Guresky, Clay Price, Travis Tunnell, Rev. David Moore, Georgeann Osam, Alene Adkins, Sally Kenworthy, Henry Solis, Jon Newman, Christian English, Toni Wilson, Lew Elmore, Nadine Renfro, Germaine Schaefer, Rene Julian,Mary Francis Hodges, Suzanne Trussell, Jana Koonce, Maggie Moore, Dick Carter, Katy Elkins, Molly Lunt, Judy Brooks, Ginny Brumback, Luby Terry, Walter Rogers, Tacy Reed, Nannie Ola Carroll, JoAnn Lane, Martha Delacey, Turkey earthquake victims. Trinity members active in the Military: Dylan Blancett, Will Goggans, Derek Hays. Sympathy is extended to Neal Jansonious and family in the death of his mother, Phyllis Jansonious. Presence and Worship November 13 Sunday School 246 Worship 341 Visitors 45 November 20 Sunday School 276 Worship 421 Visitors 34 November 27 Sunday School 226 Worship 396 Visitors 37 Please remember that there is overflow parking available at Williams School if it is needed during the Advent Season. Thank you for your outpouring of support for the 2011 annual Ingathering. John Bassett took 110 health kits, some bulk materials, and a check totaling $1022 for UMCOR (United Methodist Committee on Relief). These are on their way to Sager-Brown Depot in Louisiana ready to assist in disaster relief around the world and in the United States. "Catch a New Life" a study with Rev. Betsy for new members and ongoing guests who want to know more about what it means to be a disciple and a committed member of a church. Study will begin Sunday, January 8 during Sunday school at 9:30 and January 11 at 6 p.m. Call the office 666-2813 if you are interested in knowing more about this class which will last for four weeks. January 3, 2012 is the last day to receive contributions that will be credited to your 2011 giving statement. Checks need to be dated December 31, 2011 In January, Reverend Betsy will tackle some of life s most difficult questions such as: Why do the innocent suffer? Why do my prayers go unanswered? Why can t I see God s will for my life? Join us January 8 January 29.
Calendar of Events Saturday, December 3 10:30 am-umw Brunch (M. Hall) Sunday, December 4 8:30 am Worship* 9:00 am - Solid Grounds Coffee Fellowship (Martin Hall) 9:30 am - Sunday School* 3:00 pm River City Men s Chorus Concert (Sanctuary) 10:45 am - Worship* 5:30 pm Youth Monday, December 5 1:00 pm Line Dancing (Triune) 7:00 pm River City Men s Chorus Concert (Sanctuary) Tuesday, December 6 6:30 am Men s Bible Study 9:30 am Strong Women Noon-Triune Christmas Party Martin Hall 6:00 pm Grief Recovery (Library) 7:00 pm Intergenerational Bible Study (Triune) 7:30 PM Open AA Meeting (Serendipity) Wednesday, December 7 6:15 pm Miracle Team 6:30 pm - Chancel Choir* Thursday, December 8 7:00 pm River City Men s Chorus Sanctuary Friday, December 9 9:30 am Strong Women (Triune) Sunday, December 11 8:30 am Worship* 9:00 am - Solid Grounds Coffee Fellowship (Martin Hall) 9:30 am - Sunday School* 3:00 pm Christmas Open House Snyder Home 5:30 pm Youth Monday, December 12 1:00 pm Line Dancing (Triune) 5:30 pm Finance (Searchers) Tuesday, December 13 6:30 am Men s Bible Study 9:30 am Strong Women 6:00 pm Grief Recovery (Library) 7:00 pm Intergenerational Bible Study 7:30 PM Open AA Meeting (Serendipity) *childcare available **childcare available by request Trinity Night at the Warehouse: Join your Trinity family for an evening at the Salvation Army Angel Tree Distribution Warehouse. Help is needed with sorting, organizing, and arranging the gifts which have been donated for the nearly 3,000 children being assisted this Christmas in Little Rock and North Little Rock. We will meet on Monday, December 12 from 6:00 to 9:00 at the warehouse located at 6901 Lindsey Road, just south of the Little Rock airport. This is an activity for adults and teens. If child care is needed for younger children contact Judy Gribble at 666-2813 by December 8. For additional information contact Georgiana Soderberg at 343-8717. JOIN THE GOOD NEWS CREW You may not think of a smile and a good morning greeting as a spiritual gift, but it is! Your gift is needed one month a year as part of our Good News Crews who greet guests/visitors/members arriving for the 8:30 or 10:30 Sunday service in addition to other special events held in our church. We especially invite new members to this greeting ministry as well as all other members. Please call Judy Parker at 225-0913 or email ht2717@sbcglobal.net if you can be part of the Good News Crew! SOUPER SUPPER AND CHRIST- MAS STORY Get out your soup spoons and join us for Advent fellowship at our 7 th Annual Soup er Supper! Wednesday, December 14 th 6:00pm in the Sanctuary-- Trinity staff presents Follow the Star, our annual re-telling of the Christmas story as performed for our Preschool 6:30pm in Martin Hall-- Soup er Supper fellowship dinner and soup er competition V{ Äw Éy cxtvx A Christmas Musical by Mark Hayes Sunday, December 18, 10:45 a.m. Presented by the Trinity Chancel Choir, Guest Instrumentalists, Soloists, and Narrators Invite your friends and families to join us in this glorious musical celebration of Jesus birth!
YOU ARE INVITED TO A CHRISTMAS OPEN HOUSE AT THE HOME OF THE SNYDERS SUNDAY, DECEMBER 11 DROP IN FROM 3PM TO 5 PM 50 ROBINWOOD DRIVE Contacting your Church Ministers Rev. Betsy Snyder revbsb@aol.com David Glaze, Music dagmusic@tumclr.org Paul Owen, Children powen@tumclr.org Jay Sweningson, Youth jay@tumclr.org Laura Hofman, Administrator laurahales@tumclr.org Judy Gribble, Communications judy@tumclr.org Tammy Childress, Preschool tammyc@tumclr.org Gordon Kumpuris, Marketing arpaddler@gmail.com (All Trinity Laity are Ministers) www.tumclr.org Trinity United Methodist Church Main # 501-666-2813 Rev. Betsy s emergency # 517-1661