Somerset UMC Newsletter - The Messenger Pastor.......................... Somerset UMC POB 237 137-141 East Main Street, Somerset, Ohio 43783 740/743-1029 - church SomersetUnitedMethodistChurch@gmail.com www.somersetumc.org We re on facebook Sunday School @ 9am Worship @ 8 & 10am November - December 2017 Rev Karen K Walters Antidote for Discontent Though discontent runs rampant in our modern age, followers of Christ are called to be worshipers, not complainers. There are basically two types of people in the world: complainers and worshipers. And there isn't much circumstantial difference between the two. Complainers will always find something to complain about. Worshipers will always find something to praise God about. They simply have different default settings. Thanksgiving is the antidote for discontentment, keeping it from taking root in our hearts. Many of the gatherings described in Scripture include giving thanks. There was even a group of men who were chosen and expressly named to give thanks to the Lord (1 Chronicles 16:41). Offering thanks was their job description. Look for opportunities to express gratitude to God. The prophet Samuel reminds us to consider what great things he has done for you (1 Samuel 12:24). Gratitude, writes Thomas Merton takes nothing for granted, is never unresponsive, is constantly awakening to new wonder and to praise of the goodness of God. For the grateful man knows God is good, not by hearsay but by experience. Giving thanks is not something anyone else can do for you. So... as the Spirit prompts, be sure to thank God for all he's done and continues to do throughout the world and in your life. May you have a blessed Thanksgiving, full of gratitude and family. Surrender yourself to God. Wish for nothing but one thing: that his will be done, that his kingdom come, and that his nature be revealed. Then all will be well. - Eberhard Arnold -1- -2-
Kroger Plus Card The Kroger Plus Card you have probably had for years will not only give you discounts on food and gasoline purchases but can also give a cash reward to Somerset UMC of up to 5% of your purchases and it costs you nothing. All you have to do is register your Kroger Plus card with Somerset UMC. It's simple and takes just a few minutes. Please note: this must be renewed each year. There are only a few folks currently registered. Enter 72634 for Somerset UMC Now each time you swipe your card, Somerset UMC will receive a donation. Some churches have raised as much as $10,000/year through this program so thank you for supporting your church in this way! Honor the Lord by giving him the first part of all your income. Proverbs 3:9 We invest in God s Treasury Fund by using some of our money to express worship. There s nothing we can give God that he needs. But when we give an offering to God where and when we worship, we re saying, God I love you. That s the first purpose of life: to know and love God. The Bible says, Honor the Lord by giving him the first part of all your income (Proverbs 3:9). We honor God when we tithe. It s an act of worship. God wants you to give to His fund before you invest in any other funds. Why? He wants our hearts more than anything else. It s not so much he needs our money; he wants what it represents. Wherever I put my money shows my priorities and values. This week, look through your checkbook and your credit card statements. What do they say about where your heart is today? Where do you want your heart to be? Put your money there! The true, living faith, which the Holy Spirit instills into the heart, simply cannot be idle. - Martin Luther Evangelism Goal Everyone at SUMC is challenged to pray for at least one unchurched person for at least one minute every day at 1:00 pm. If you cannot possibly pray for one minute at 1:00 pm, you may want to choose another time. The important thing is to pray! Begin to pray now about who God would have you invite to Christmas worship. Thanksgiving Service The Somerset Community Thanksgiving Service is on Tuesday, November 21 @ 7:00 pm. Lots of folks are cooking on Wednesday and can't make it to worship so we thank God on Tuesday for the many blessings over the last year. We sing all the traditional Thanksgiving songs and spend some time in thankfulness. Bring a friend. Faith is not only a commitment to the promises of Christ; faith is also a commitment to the demands of Christ. - William Barclay Evangelism Goal Everyone at SUMC is challenged to pray for at least one unchurched person for at least one minute every day at 1:00 pm. If you cannot possibly pray for one minute at 1:00 pm, you -3- -4-
may want to choose another time. The important thing is to pray! Begin to pray now about who God would have you invite to Christmas worship. Kids Sunday School Sunday School is at 9:00 am for all ages. The children use a curriculum called Deep Blue. The Tween Class uses Submerge and our teens are learning how to apply the Bible to every day life. We also have several adult classes. Come learn how to be a disciple in Sunday School! The opposite of joy is not sorrow. It is unbelief. - Leslie Weatherhead Giving to God Strengthens Our Faith Bring all the tithes into the storehouse so there will be enough food in my Temple. If you do, says the LORD of Heaven s Armies, I will open the windows of heaven for you. I will pour out a blessing so great you won t have enough room to take it in! Try it! Put me to the test! Malachi 3:10 (NLT) God uses finances to test your faith. Have you ever had to decide between paying a bill and tithing? You only have so much money where is it going to go? It's a test. God is saying, Do you really believe I can take care of your bills? Or do you think you have to take care of them on your own? He says, Bring all the tithes into the storehouse so there will be enough food in my Temple. If you do... I will open the windows of heaven for you. I will pour out a blessing so great you won t have enough room to take it in! Try it! Put me to the test! (Malachi 3:10) In effect, God is saying, "I dare you! I dare you to see what I will do if you become a giving, generous person. Tithe, and see what happens to your life. Did you know there are more promises in the Bible regarding giving than any other thing? Jesus talked more about giving than he did about Heaven or Hell. I believe this is because giving is the essence of being like Jesus. The Bible says God is a giver: God so loved the world that he gave... When we give, it shows God that we trust him and believe his promises to provide for us. Giving strengthens, stretches, and tests our faith. Do you really believe God will take care of your bills? If you re struggling in this area, ask God to help you in your unbelief. He wants to help you find the freedom in your finances that only comes from trusting in him. As you pray about your financial needs, write them down and then watch to see how God provides. By keeping a record of how God provides, you will find your faith deepening as you see God s faithfulness and his creativity in providing for your needs. The Scriptures teach us the best way of living, the noblest way of suffering, and the most comfortable way of dying! - John Flavel Bible Study The Thru the Bible class is now in the new Testament. We are placing the stories in chronological order so we can understand the grand sweep of God's reaching out to humanity. If you have something you'd really like to study next year, please make sure Pastor Karen or Jeanette Snider know. Sisterhood meets each week on Wednesdays @ 1 at Gloria Gill's home. All are welcome to that too. -5- -6-
He who shall introduce into pubic affairs the principles of Christianity, will change the face of the world.- Benjamin Franklin New Baby Congratulations to Sarah and Andrew Smith on the birth of their new baby! Blessings! Truth does not become more true by virtue of the fact that the entire world agrees with it, nor less so even if the whole world disagrees with it. - Maimonides Advent We ll decorate the church for Advent and Christmas like we did last year. Since schedules are so crazy this time of year, your Sunday School class, your family, a group of friends whatever group you pull together will choose something to decorate: put up a tree in the sanctuary, the narthex, hang wreaths... maybe add a new creative touch! You decorate whenever it's convenient for you - any time after the worship services on Sunday, November 26 and before Sunday December 3. The true measure of an individual is how he treats a person who can do him absolutely no good. - Ann Landers Christmas Eve Service Somerset United Methodist Church will hold a candlelight communion service on Christmas Eve at 8:00 pm. The choir will sing and we'll sing all the carols. Come and bring your family! Please note the time - when the service moved to 8pm, we picked up 78 more people. The timing is so there's time for dinner for those who have family dinner on Christmas Eve to eat and even exchange gifts then the whole family can come to worship together to celebrate the birth of the Baby Jesus. Man can live for about forty days without food, and about three days without water, about eight minutes without air... but only for one second without hope. - Hal Lindsey Christ the King Sunday Christ the King Sunday is November 26. This is the last Sunday of the church year. It s when we celebrate all Jesus is, all he s done for us and it s an opportunity to make him (or rededicate our lives so that he s) Lord and King of our lives influencing every single decision we make. Bell Ringers We need bell ringers for Salvation Army. We need ringers every Saturday from Thanksgiving thru Dec. 23 at Carpenter's Market. Remember money donated in Perry County, stays in Perry County to help those who are struggling to keep utilities on. Worship Volunteers November Liturgist is Kevin Snider November Greeters/Ushers are Mary & Arthur Wilson, Dottie Ackers and Wayne Williams December Liturgist is Randy Painter -7- -8-
December Greeter/Ushers are Randy & Teri Painter and Ben & Bobbie Burnworth Fundraiser On Nov 17 the Hole in the Wall is sponsoring a wing day fundraiser for Brandon Queen. For every wing sold he gets $.25 toward his trip to Ireland to compete in martial arts. Thank You Thank you to everyone who helped make the Turkey Dinner a success. We need to raise about $90,000 for a roof. This is our start. Final numbers aren't in yet but we brought in over $4000. Final count not in but it looked like we served a record number of people too. Veterans' Day There is no school on Friday, November 10 in honor of Veterans' Day. The office will be closed in honor of the holiday. We will thank our Veterans on Sunday during the 10am service. September Numbers Date Attendance Giving Sept. 3 141 $3671.00 Sept. 10 86 $2583.68 Sept. 17 115 $9613.28 Sept. 24 105 $2510.00 Missions News In our area, there is a need to provide food to children on the weekend. Families eligible for the free lunch program at school are given the opportunity to receive food through this new ministry as well. We are collecting food items throughout the school year that require minimal preparation as they will be sent home with elementary-aged children and means of cooking may be limited. Please do not include any items with nuts or nut butters. We plan to include items that cover each meal of the day. Examples include: Cereal Shelf stable milk Oatmeal packets Juice pouches Chef Boyardee Whole fruit Fruit cups Applesauce Tuna Mac and cheese cups Cheese crackers Fruit snacks, etc. A package will be prepared weekly and sent home on Fridays to help provide sustenance over the weekend. Money for the project may also be given to the Somerset Area Food Pantry and noted for the backpack ministry. Items may be placed in the Narthex bin. Angels will be available for Christmas on Sunday, November 19. This program is an annual one. We get size information and toy requests from families who are struggling and the congregation takes an angel and supplies as many of those needs as possible. Gifts need to be returned by Sunday, December 3. Saturday, November 11 a group is sewing 9am to noon. We are currently working on blankets to send to Children's and OSU hospitals. All welcome. No experience necessary. Charge Conference Somerset UMC's annual charge conference is Sunday, November 19 at 6:30. All members of the Leadership Team need to be present. Advent Study The advent study begins November 26 @ 5:00pm. The theme is Because of Bethlehem by Max Lucado. It's a video study and will include dinner and fellowship together. -9- -10-
Order Your 2017 Poinsettia You are invited to order a poinsettia to make our sanctuary beautiful over the Advent and Christmas season... Place # ordering in size/color box 6 ½ - $5 Red White Pink Marble Total Somerset United Methodist Church 137-171 East Main Street Street Somerset, Ohio 43783 Phone: 740/743-1029 Sunday School 9:00; Worship 8 & 10 The Messenger November/December 2017 Return Service Requested 8" - $9 10" - $13 Name Phone Total # pots Total Amount attached In Honor/Memory of (Deadline: Nov 27) -11- -12-
-13-
-14-
-15-