12/4/24

Poinsettias, Moana 2, Advent Events

FUMC Newsletter 12/4/24

WORSHIP

Topic: Gift Exchange: Anxiety for Peace
Speaker: Rev. Zach Moffatt
Time: 10:00am
Also available on WKSR Radio 100.9 at 10am, YouTube & Facebook Live!

Verse of the Week:

Isaiah 7:14 "Therefore, the Lord himself shall give you a sign; The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and she shall call him Immanuel".

ANNOUNCEMENTS

Poinsettia orders are due by the end of the day today - they will be in The Sanctuary this Sunday! Nativity Play Practice will begin next week.

Moana 2 is playing at The Martin tonight - doors open at 6pm and the movie starts at 6:30. (More details on later page)

Disciple is cancelled this Thursday.

UT Southern is hosting a choir concert in the Sanctuary this Sunday, December 8th at 3pm. FUMC is hosting Ice Skating on the Square on December 17th as a programming fundraiser. WE NEED VOLUNTEERS.

EVENTS

Today, 12/4
- @6:30pm Moana 2 at The Martin
  @6:30pm Chancel Choir Practice
Tomorrow, 12/5
- 4:00pm Mingle Jingle
  Disciple Cancelled!
Friday, 12/6
- No Events
Saturday, 12/7
- No Events
Sunday 12/8
- @9:00am Sunday School
  @10:00am Worship
  @12:00pm Bible Beans
  @3:00pm UTS Choir Concert
  @5:00pm Youth Group
Monday 12/9
- @8:15am Morning Prayers
  @10:00am Prayer Shawl Ministry
  @11:00am Matthew 25 Board Meeting
  @3:30pm Social Talks
  @5:00pm Matthew 25 Volunteer Dinner
Tuesday 12/10
- @9:00am Coffee with the Pastor
  @5:00pm Finance Committee
  @5:00pm Nativity Play Practice
  @6:00pm Church Council Meeting
Wednesday, 12/11
- @5:00pm Children Christmas Caroling
  @6:30pm Chancel Choir Practice

Come See Moana 2

Doors open at 6pm - Movie starts at 6:30pm

$10 per ticket (Wesley & Youth Get in Free)

Concessions available for purchase.

Children's Caroling

December 11th at 5:00pm

Meet at the Parking Lot behind the UTS Gault Fine Arts Center

Comfort & Joy

Dec 15 at 11:30am

In The Fellowship Hall

For Kids & Parents

Pizza provided

Will make ornaments

Children will receive devotional

Volunteer for FUMC Ice Skate

December 17th from 4:30-9:30pm

You can sign up in 2 hour increments.

We need so many volunteers. So. So. Many.

Please sign up.

Please.

Merry Christmas

Nativity Play

Nativity Play practice will begin next Tues/Thurs at 5:00pm at The Table. Contact Kevin Garner for details.

What's Growing On?

The garden is still surviving amidst this crazy, winter weather!

Turnip greens and mustard greens are hardy creatures.

What's Up With Wesley?

Wesley’s Christmas party was a wonderful success!! The Wesley group was very grateful for the love and gifts. Thank you very much to Callie Murrey for all of your hard work with Wesley this season.

Advent Season Events

Sun, Dec 8th

@ 3:00pm UT Southern Christmas Concert in The Sanctuary

Tues, Dec 10th

@ 5:00pm Nativity Play Practice

Wed, Dec 11th

@ 5:00pm Children’s Christmas Caroling

Thurs, Dec 12th

@ 5:00pm Nativity Play Practice

Fri, Dec 13th

@ 6:00pm Growing Tree Christmas Concert in The Sanctuary

Sat, Dec 14th

@ 5:00pm Pre-Parade Activities & Nativity Play Performance at The Table

Sun, Dec 15th

@ 10:00am Christmas Cantata
@ 11:30am Comfort & Joy Children’s Christmas Event
@ 4:00pm Games, Casual Worship, Nativity Play Performance, & Youth Group at The Table

Tues, Dec 17th

@ 5-7pm Youth Ice Skate on The Square
@ 4:30pm-9:30pm First UMC Hosts Ice Skating on The Square

Sun, Dec 22nd

@ 5:00pm Youth Group Christmas Party

Tues, Dec 24th

@5:30pm Christmas Eve 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. Some of our congregants regularly volunteer with RFD