First United Methodist Church Circuit Writer Sunday Morning Worship 9:00 a.m. 10:15 a.m. Worship Service 10:15 a.m. 10:45 a.m. Fellowship time 10:45 a.m. 11:45 a.m. Sunday School December 3, 2017 - Hope Simeon s Hope Leviticus 12:1-8 Luke 2:25-35 Pastor Ron Russell December 10, 2017 - Peace Advent Promises New Life Micah 5:1-5a I John 3:1-3 Pastor Ron Russell December 17, 2017 - Joy Christmas Cantata Together For Christmas Choir December 24, 2017 - Love The Twofold Embrace Isaiah 9:2,6-7 Luke 1:5-13,18-20,24-25,39-45,56 Pastor Ron Russell December 2017 Inside this Issue Pastor s Page......2 Tommy and A Faithful Friend........3 Missions, S.O.S, F.F.F., Wed. Meals....4 Miscellaneous & Correspondence..5 Pictures of the Walk to the New Church...6 Birthdays/Anniversaries & Volunteers...7 Calendar............ 8 Youth..9 December 31, 2017 Love Is Born Hebrews 1:1-12 Psalms 39:1-5 Norm Glassburn FUMC STAFF Ron Russell, Pastor Jeff Hernley, Director of Youth Ministries Sarah Houser, Director of Children s Ministries Jeanne Weaver, Administrative Assistant Cassie Huys, Office Intern Greg Krider, Treasurer Larry Carlson, Lay Leader Anna Bates, Financial Secretary Maria Belmont, Custodian Peggy Yeater, Organist Craig Baker, Chancel Choir Sam Pohl, Hand Bell Choir Pastor Ron Russell Office Phone: 574-825-2585 Cell Phone: 502-396-3033 Email: revrugg@aol.com
Page 2 Pastor s Page From the Pastor s Desk December 2017 It s always a joy to be around a positive person and then also to be in the presence of a person who seems to be overflowing with thanksgiving? It has a catching effect in some ways, doesn t it? We have just been through our Thanksgiving Holiday, and for most of us it has been a wonderful time to get together with family and friends and just sort of reconnect. As we now go into Advent we need to continue to be Thankful for all the Lord has bestowed upon us! Christians have always known that God has commanded us to be a thankful people. The Bible teaches that one of the first signs of spiritual backsliding is a spirit of being unthankful. There is a passage from the Bible that teaches us as followers of Christ that we should always be overflowing with thanksgiving. From Colossians 2: 6-7, You received Christ Jesus the Lord, so continue to live as Christ s people. Sink your roots in Him and build on Him. Be strengthened by the faith that you were taught, and overflow with thanksgiving. The Greek word for overflow is perisseuo. It has the idea of super abounding, being filled to the point of flowing over the top so that others become the recipient of the abundance. If we remember in Psalm 23: 5 we can read that our cup overflows. I believe my cup overflows into the saucer and then on to the table and then on to the floor, because of how God has blessed my life. As we go into the Christmas season we should all strive to have the wonderful spirit of Thanksgiving! We should actually strive to have this as a part of our character, not just in the good times, but also in perilous times. God has sent His one and only Son, that we might have life, and we should have that Christ like spirit ---- Christmas Spirit within us all the time. We need to get rid of any stinking thinking that most of us have which is ---- If I just had a little more, I would then be thankful. The truth is, if we are not thankful for what we already have, we wouldn t be thankful for twice as much if we received it. When things are going well for us ---- we tend to forget to be thankful and even become calloused to all the good we are enjoying from the hand of God. When things are difficult for us, we tend to grumble and complain instead of reminding ourselves of all we still have to give thanks for. It is my hope and prayer, that as we go through the Christmas Holidays, we will stop and reflect on all of God s goodness, and pass it forward to others that they also might feel the Joy, Hope and Peace only God can give. Merry Christmas and God bless all of you!
Tommy and A Faithful Friend Page 3 I was just thinking as we are now into the Holiday Season and the many different events and parties we all go to that we ought to always pass it forward or have it charge to ourselves. I know you are wondering what this church mouse is trying to say. I know the good people of this church and how gracious they are as they reach out to the community in a number of ways. I also know how some of you go out to a restaurant and tell the waitress who serves you, to have a family you know in the restaurant to put their bill on yours. What a kind act that is and also it tells that family you love them and respect them. When someone pays a bill they do not owe themselves ------ it is much like Jesus. We all know the songwriter Ellis Crum who put it well, when he wrote: He paid a debt he did not owe. I owed a debt I could not pay. I needed someone to wash my sins away. And now I sing a brand new song, Amazing Grace. Christ Jesus paid a debt that I could never pay. The Bible says the apostle Paul wrote a letter telling Philemon that if a young believer Onesimus owed him any money, to charge it to him (Philemon 1:18). Paul was so convinced that Onesimus was a changed person, he was willing to pay out of his own pocket for anything that he may have owed Philemon. On a cold winter day in 1943 during WW II, four chaplains and 903 soldiers were sailing across the Atlantic Ocean on the SS Dorchester. At midnight on the morning of February 3, a German torpedo ripped into the ship. She s going down, the soldiers cried out, as they scrambled to get into the lifeboats. One young man crept up to a chaplain. I ve lost my life jacket, he said, and the chaplain gave him his life jacket. Before the ship sank ----- each chaplain had given their life jacket to one of the young soldiers. These heroic chaplains then linked their arms and began praying audibly as the ship went down. Jesus told his Heavenly Father to charge our sins to him. Our friends asked the waitress to charge our meals to them. The chaplains charged the young soldiers carelessness to themselves. What a blessing people like this are to our spiritual well being. I don t know about you but this mouse thinks it would be good for all of us to consider following Christ in this same way. When you see someone in need this season, even though they may not deserve it ---- for the sake of Christ, say Charge it to Me! Until next time Faithful Friends November s Faithful Friends were Craig and Cheryl Baker. Cheryl is one of our quilters who make the senior quilts and is extremely talented in the quilting world. Craig, is our choir director he also participates in the bell choir. He retired from the Middlebury Community School Corp. and now transports the Amish around. Now do some of the hints make sense? We are very fortunate to have them in our congregation. Love you both. December s Faithful Friends have been in our community for over 50 years. He traveled a lot with his job and she worked with the public. He also was a Boy Scout leader. She started selling concessions out of her car for the Little League park till they raised enough money to purchase a mobile unit for concessions. She also helped put together the First United Methodist first cookbook. Not a holiday goes by that they don t have their children, grandchildren, and great grandchildren to their house to celebrate. Family is very important to them. They have fond memories of all the activities they participated in over the years with their children here at FUMC. They love working in the church and she said they will as long as they can. Like so many of us, once you get involved here you love being here. Are they on your committee? Have you experienced one of their super smiles? Just as our bodies have many parts and each part has a special function, so it is with Christ s body. We are many parts of one body and we all belong to each other. ~ Romans 12:4-5.
Missions & S.O.S (Sisters Of Strength), F.F.F, Wednesday Evening Meals, Page 4 Missions The missions team had a great time at John s Island. They accomplished many tasks. Anyone Interested in going next year talk to those who have been there. FUMC is responsible for working at the Food Pantry every Saturday in January. We will also provide juice, milk and donuts/rolls/muffins on two Saturdays. Sign up sheets are on the table between the mailboxes in the fellowship area. (Sisters Of Strength) S.O.S S.O.S. will be helping the abused children of Bashor Home throughout the next year, by collecting items for the boys and girls. If you are interested in donating items please see Sarah Houser. Our next meeting is December 18th @ 6:30 p.m. At the meeting, which will be our Christmas Party, members should bring a white elephant item. Wednesday Night Meal Menu 12/6 - Beef Stew with Carrots and Potatoes, Biscuits, Lettuce Salad, Orange Jell-O with Mandarin Oranges and Pineapples for dessert 12/13 - Smoked Sausage, Cheesy Potatoes, Green Beans, Brownie for dessert 12/20 - CARRY-IN. Ham will be provided 12/27 - NO MEAL - Christmas Week These meals have been attended by 60-80 people. The $5.00 per person or $10.00 per family suggestion is used to purchase the next week s food items. Anything extra goes for the new kitchen items as needed. If you see something you would rather we take off the menu or add to the menu, let us know. Please check the posted menu so you know what is coming next as well. Family, Fun, Fellowship Here we go a caroling! Help us bring Christmas cheer to shut-ins and the beloved senior members of our congregation. Meet at the church on Sunday evening, December 10, at 5:00 for an evening of caroling. Bring along a finger food or snack to share in a time of yuletide fellowship when we return to the church. Steamy hot chocolate will be provided. All ages and voices are welcome! ~ Rosa Troyer & Patti Weirich
Thank you to all those who helped with the decorating of the church for Christmas, and the carrying of all the boxes, tree and etc. up from the basement. A special thanks to Jeff and the Youth for setting up the outside nativity. ~Peggy Yeater The family of Keith Frederick would like to thank the Church for your visits, your cards, the beautiful flowers, and the memorial gifts. Thank you, Pastor Ron for the meaningful service. Also, thank you to the women of the church who provided the delicious lunch. Dad loved his church and would have been so pleased. We truly appreciate our church family! ~ Julie, Mari, Dan, Mark, Bob, and Amy Thank you one and all for your donations and help during our celebrations of Keith s and Marion s lives! We are the ones who have been blessed for having known such kind, generous and loving gentle souls. Thank you! - Sally Kyle Dear Church Family, Your words of encouragement, cards and prayers are deeply appreciated as I recover from my spine surgery. It brings me immeasurable joy to read such words of compassion and encouragement. Thank you for your continued support. Sharing the journey together in the name of Jesus Christ. ~Larry Carlson Miscellaneous, & Correspondence Page 5 Thank you one and all to who has mentioned to me how much you like the Children s Department. I also appreciate all the people who have let me know they are praying for me. I m sure there are a bunch I don t even know about. I also want to thank everyone for their patience as I try to make this department my own. It is a big job to take on and I am thankful for the ladies who have signed on to help teach. With that said, I am planning a meeting for December 12th at 6 p.m. I will try to keep it short. ~Sarah Houser Disciple Class Leader: Mike Judson Tuesday, Jan. 9th, 2018 at 7:00 p.m. kicks off an 11 week journey into the Gospel of John. John is instructional, informative and reveals Jesus Christ to us and compels a response from us. The study will follow a Disciple Study format of daily personal reading and study, reinforced by a video presentation and discussion during each weekly session. Sessions will be about 90 min. with a book fee of $14.00 which can be payable after class begins. This will be Mike Judson s 8th leading experience for this designed study and 12th disciple experience overall. Sign-up sheet will be on the table between the mailboxes. The last day to enroll is Sunday, Dec. 24th, 2017. If you have any questions please contact Mike Judson at: E-mail: mjudson1756@gmail.com Cell Phone: 574-536-9851 Elderberries Elderberries will be held on the 3rd Friday of December at 11:45a.m. A Walk to Emmaus Spiritual Retreat Weekend The walks are scheduled in February at Epworth Forest. The Men s walk is Feb. 8-11 and the Women s walk is Feb. 22-25. Several within our congregation have attended a Walk to Emmaus and can speak to the benefits of such an experience. If you are interested in attending a Walk to Emmaus please speak to myself or Pastor Ron as connecting you with a sponsor is the first step of the journey. More information can be found at www.niemmaus.com. Please pray as you or someone else considers the participation in the upcoming Walk to Emmaus. ~ Larry Carlson Email: lcarlson507@gmail.com
The Church Walk to the New Building Page 6
Page 7 Birthdays/Anniversaries & Volunteers 12/01 - Robert Blair 12/01 - Alex Hoover 12/03 - Sam Lashley 12/03 - Jack Cook 12/03 - Phil Houser 12/04 - Diana Hoke 12/05 - Kay Kimmel 12/06 - Dave Harms 12/06 - Lisa Hernley 12/07 - Meribethe Lawton 12/07 - Crist Troyer 12/11 - Shirley Hoover 12/13 - Mary Hoover 12/17 - Robert Kyle 12/17 - John Yoder 12/18 - John Shoup 12/19 - Rich Miller 12/22 - Cindi Frederick 12/22 - Jeff Kiser 12/25 - Ron Troyer 12/28 - Julie Blair 12/29 - Steve Yeater December Ruth Carlson, Ch..238-1873 Sally Kyle... 533-8091 Darcy Ebersol...825-1441 Nancy Gleim... 825-5134 Laura Chapman.238-1874 Finance Committee Counting Dec. 3 - Rosie Long, Greg Krider Dec. 10 - Lynda Hershberger, Sam Hoover Dec. 17 - Doug Whitehead, Rod Nappier Dec. 24 - Joe Livings, Greg Krider Dec. 31 - Sam Hoover, Lynda Hershberger Acolytes for December Phil Houser s Sunday School Class 12/19 - Ron & Susie Larew 12/19 - John & LeAnna Schrock 12/20 - Ron & Linda Troyer 12/21 - Sam & Lesley Lashley 12/22 - Phil & Missy Pixley 12/23 - Jerry & Betty Drake 12/29 - Don & Bernita Smucker December Worship Leader Missy Pixley Find the Church! There is a picture of the church hidden in the newsletter. See if you can find it.
Page 8 2017 2017 SUNDAY MONDAY TUESDAY WEDNESDAY THURSDAY FRIDAY SATURDAY 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 See Sunday See Wednesday 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 See Sunday 6:00 p.m. -Newcomer Mtg. 6:30 p.m. - Care Mtg. 6:30 p.m. - Finance Mtg. 6:30 p.m. - Worship Mtg. 7:30 p.m. - Admin. Mtg. See Wednesday 11:45 Elderberries 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 See Sunday 6:30 p.m. - S.O.S. Mtg. See Wednesday 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 See Sunday Christmas Day No Wednesday Activities Christmas Eve Service 31 1 See Sunday New Year s Day New Year s Eve Sunday 9:00 a.m. 10:15 a.m. Worship Service 10:15 a.m. 10:45 a.m. Fellowship time 10:45 a.m. 11:45 a.m. Sunday School Wednesday 9:00 a.m. Prayer meeting 10:00 a.m. - Bible Study 5:30 p.m. Meal 6:00 p.m. Bell Choir Rehearsal 6:00-7:00 p.m. - Youth 7:00 p.m. - Choir Rehearsal
Youth & Children s Page Page 9 Christmas Party Pastor Ron and Lori will be hosting the annual Christmas party at their house. It will be held Friday December 22nd at 5:30. Come join for a great time and fellowship! Lock-In Our traditional New Years Eve Lock-In party will be on Sunday December 31st from 7pm to 7am. Director of Youth Ministries, Jeff Hernley Office Phone: 574-825-2585 Cell Phone: 574-536-6501 Email: ljhern3@yahoo.com Director of Children s Ministries, Sarah Houser Office Phone: 574-825-2585 Cell Phone: 574-849-1269 Email : sjhouserx3@gmail.com
First United Methodist Church 301 South Main Street P.O. Box 347 Middlebury, IN. 46540 Phone: 574-825-2585 Fax: 574-825-4198 Email: fumcm@maplenet.net www.fumcmiddlebury.org Lifting the love of God, and the teachings of Jesus Christ First UMC is a church that grows disciples with: A Heart for Christ Bended Knees for Prayer A Mind Transformed A Passion to Share the Good News Open Arms of Love A Spirit of Servanthood and Stewardship