12/18/24

FUMC Newsletter 12/18/24

WORSHIP 

• Fear for Love

• Speaker: Rev. Zach Moffatt

• Time: 10:00am

• Also available on WKSR Radio 100.9 at 10am, YouTube & Facebook Live! 

  
  

Verse of the Week:

John 1:14 “And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth."

ANNOUNCEMENTS 

The Christmas Cantata was beautiful. Thank you, Daniel, choir members, and narrators!

Thank you to everyone who helped with the pre-parade activities at The Table and for parents and kiddos involved in the Nativity Play.

Thank you to everyone who showed up to support Ice Skating on the Square - volunteer, snacker, or skater! What a fun Christmassy event! We made over 200$ from concessions.

The church office will be closed from December 24th - January 2nd.

Remember, year-end gifts should be dated and postmarked before December 31st to “count” towards 2024 Giving.

EVENTS

Today

@5:00pm SPRC Meeting

@6:30pm Choir Practice

Thursday

@5:30pm FUMC Hosts “An Evening of Cheer” Benefit for The Shelter in The Sanctuary

@6:30pm Blue Christmas Service at First Presbyterian Church

Friday

No Events

Saturday

No Events

Sunday

@9:00am Sunday School

@10:00am Worship

@5:00pm Youth Christmas Party

@7:00pm Theology on Tap

Monday

@8:15am Morning Prayers

No Social Talks

Tuesday

@5:30 Christmas Eve Candlelight & Communion Service

Celebration

Sometimes, working in ministry can be stressful. A lot goes on behind the scene of every event - making lists, gathering supplies, coordinating volunteers, worrying about the weather, carrying objects, setting up payment options, making snacks, etc. And, when it’s Christmas, and there is a ton of activity happening at once, it’s hard not to get overwhelmed. It’s easy to forget the big picture: God is with us, and He is good. Last night was a reminder of that. This church showed up, and even better, you showed up smiles on your faces ready to serve, connect, and have fun! It was a wonderful experience seeing the youth and other FUMC kiddos laughing and falling over each other on the ice, seeing volunteers chatting and handing out skates, and watching Stephanie slowly fill one hot chocolate order at at time. God was in all of it, and it was oh so good. Thank you to each volunteer, participant, and supporter of last night’s Ice Skating on The Square - and to Jessie at the Chamber for all you do to make our community a better place to live.

An Evening of Cheer

Tomorrow, you are invited to “An Evening of Cheer” featuring wonderful local vocalists Holly Aldredhe and Crystal Woolard, and our own Minister of Music, Daniel Roberts, and organist Alicia Gordon. 

Blue Christmas

Tomorrow, we are partnering with First Presbyterian and Church of the Messiah to offer a Blue Christmas Service - a safe space for any who need to grieve at Christmas. Join us at First Presbyterian Church.

Theology on Tap

Our last Theology on Tap of the year will be this Sunday, December 22nd at 7pm. It’s a great time of discussion, fellowship, and connection with people from differing backgrounds and viewpoints. This week’s topic is: The Reason of the Season.

Candlelight and Communion Christmas Eve Service

Our Annual Candlelight and Communion Christmas Eve Service begins at 5:30pm on Christmas Eve in the Sanctuary. This is Pastor Zach’s favorite event of the year! You don’t want to miss out on worshipping God in this profound and beautiful service.

Theologian of the Month

Our Theologian of the Month for December is none other than St. Nicholas himself. St. Nicholas, the predecessor of our modern Santa Claus, was a Bishop of Myra (located in modern day Turkey). St. Nicholas was orphaned as a teenager and went to live with his uncle who was a priest. This led St. Nick to enter the priesthood himself. Because of his own history of being orphaned, St. Nicholas always had a heart for children, especially the poor and outcast. As a priest, he was always known for his extravagant generosity. At some point in his priesthood, he heard about a man who had three daughters. They had no money, which meant no dowries, which meant the three daughters would never be married. As the legend goes, on three separate occasions, Nicholas secretly tossed a bag of gold into the girls’ stockings hanging by the fire—providing for their dowries. Another legend says once Nicholas became Bishop of Myra, he would, under the cover of night, visit the orphanages and impoverished areas of Myra, and leave toys, candy, and money for the children and families living there. After his death, words of St. Nicholas’s charity and generosity continued to spread. As people remembered the dear saint, they would practice his concept of secretly leaving gifts with others. This practice, as we now know, has taken a life of its own. Santa Claus is real. He is real in the man of St. Nicholas, who not only lives on through the Communion of the Saints, but who lives on as we embody the generosity of Jesus, and giving something of ourselves for others.

Book of the Month

December’s Book of the Month is What’s the Least I Can Believe and Still Be a Christian? by Martin Thielen. The title catches the eye and causes you to scratch your head. Throughout this short read, Pastor Thielen excitedly engages you to ask questions about the necessities of the Christian faith. Pastor Thielen shows how followers of Jesus don’t need to believe in what popular Christianity often proclaims. Christians don’t need to believe that sinners will be left behind, that God causes bad things to happen, or that it’s heresy to believe in evolution. While we must always take the Bible seriously, that doesn’t mean we have to take it literally. Rather, Christians do need to believe in the Lordship of Jesus Christ—his teachings, his death and resurrection, and his vision for the world. Throughout the book, Pastor Thielen invites us to think theologically about the big questions of life and how followers of Jesus respond. Questions such as: Where is God? What matters most? Is there hope in the midst of suffering?

Opportunities to Serve

Matthew 25 Thrift Shoppe

Tuesday - Wednesday - Thursday 9am-3:15pm

Community RFD

RFD meets every 3rd Wednesday at 5:30pm to pack boxes and the following Saturday at 8am at the Giles County Ag Park to distribute them. 

There are so many ways to get involved! Ask us about The Table Praise Band, the Young Adult Team, Youth Events, and more...

RFD Food Collection

RFD (Rural Food Delivery) is collecting donations in The Fellowship Hall. The item of the month is dried beans Please drop off these & other non-perishable food items on the shelf in The Fellowship Hall.

Community RFD is a non-profit organization that provides boxes of food at no cost to struggling families in Giles County.