The Current ADVENT Christmas is over, now what? On the third day of Christmas my true love gave to me, three French hens, two turtle doves, and a partridge in a pear tree. We all know the carol, and we all know there are twelve days of Christmas. But, did you know the real twelve days of Christmas are the twelve days after Christmas? Most churches wrap up Christmas Eve candlelight services by singing the third verse of Silent Night in a sanctuary lit by the glow of little candles. For many, presents will be opened Christmas morning, and some may sing Jesus Happy Birthday. However, when you close their eyes on December 25th and open them the next morning Christmas is not over. In Matthew 2:1-12, the wise men came to Jerusalem searching for the child who has been born king of the Jews, and King Herod called on them to find out when and where the star had appeared. He sent them to Bethlehem to find the child and pay him homage. It took the wise men twelve days to find Jesus, Mary, and Joseph. In the Methodist calendar, these are the twelve days between Christmas and Epiphany. These are the real twelve days of Christmas, when we celebrate the gifts of the magi and the incarnation and baptism of Christ. So, if you are wondering when to take down your Christmas tree, the church s answer is after January 6th after we celebrate the twelve days of Christmas.
Caroling in the Park - 12/10/2017
Carl Graham In December, the church sadly lost member Carl Graham. For anyone who was not able to attend Carl s memorial service, you may view it on our YouTube channel or by copying this link: https://youtu.be/cwqtmkfoaay. United Methodist Women will be hosting their annual UMW Sunday on January 21 at 10:30 a.m. The guest speaker will be Sharon White, Lubbock District President from Friona. Fiesta Domingo St. John s is providing a meal for Fiesta Domingo at Hope Shalom on Sunday, January 28. We are looking for 2-4 volunteers to help cook the meal Sunday afternoon and 10-12 volunteers to help serve at 5:30 p.m. that evening. Please contact Elyse Kahler at 806-282-0806 or etkahler@hotmail.com if you are interested in helping.
Children s Ministry in December
Children s Ministry in December
Did you play along with the December trivia in the St. John s Connex Facebook group? If not, the fun fact shared was that the church office printed about 1,435 bulletins in the month of December! If you want to play along with trivia or interact with other members, search for St. John s Connex on Facebook, and click join!
Interfaith Dialogue Retired minister and attorney Doug Hinchcliff will speak on the topic, "Core Buddhist and Christian Understandings: A comparison and contrast." The meeting is at noon on Thursday, January 18, in the Conference Room. All are invited to this free event. Office Closures The church office will be closed Monday, January 15, in honor of Martin Luther King, Jr. day as well as Monday, January 22, for a staff planning day. Lessons & Carols If you missed this special music service in person or live on our Facebook page, you can view the service on our Facebook page or our YouTube channel. You can find us on YouTube by searching for St. John s United Methodist Church - Lubbock, TX.
Coming up: January 6 at 2:00 p.m. - Virginia Mehaffie s Memorial January 7 - Epiphany Sunday January 10 at 10:00 a.m. - Bennie McDonald s Memorial January 15 - Office Closed January 21 - UMW Sunday January 22 - Office Closed Share your news with us Share your joys and celebrations with us so we can share them in our next issue of the Current. To have an article, announcement, event, and/or pictures included in next month s newsletter, please email all materials to the church office by no later than the last Tuesday of the month. Also, if someone you know isn't receiving the newsletter and would like to, please have them email the church office at openminds@stjohnslubbock.org. Please hold the following people in prayer: Members: St. John's Homebound Friends and Family: Abby Rogers Family of Bennie McDonald Family of Virginia Mehaffie Food Voucher Clients