Dear Members and Friends of Waterville United Methodist Church,
With the reports of wintery weather again this weekend, now is a good time to review our strategy for inclement weather on Sunday mornings:
Level 1 Snow Emergency – the church service will be held
Level 2 Snow Emergency – Pastor will be at the church, but we urge you to use common sense about whether or not you feel comfortable driving in bad conditions
Level 3 Snow Emergency – Church will be cancelled
Thank you to those who have signed up to be bell ringers on Saturday at the Salvation Army’s Red Kettle. Here is the schedule and those working at the Waterville Kroger location:
9:00 a.m. – Pam Cook
10:00 a.m. – Wayne & Barb Strayer
11:00 a.m. – John & Ana Nicholson
Noon – Paul & Lily Croy
1:00 p.m. – Char Pritchett
2:00 p.m. – Zach & Jenni Bollinger
3:00 p.m. – Delores Young
4:00 p.m. – Ted & Terry Myers
5:00 p.m. – Barb Crandall & Gage McMillan
Our December Mission Focus will beIMPACT WITH HOPE (formerly ISOH/IMPACT) is a community based organization with a clear picture of God’s desire for us to help children, their families & communities in desperate need wherever we find them (1 Peter 4:10). They mend broken bodies, bones and spirits by serving the needs of others.
For over 50 years, IMPACT WITH HOPE has reached out across the globe and touched the lives of the poor, sick, and suffering. They are an effective means of reaching hurting people in countries around the world with food, medicine, and other assistance. Their medical teams bring hope by providing medical care to children and their families locally, nationally and internationally. They also supply mission hospitals with supplies and equipment that are desperately needed.
Their disaster and relief aid programs provide desperately needed assistance to victims of natural disaster, war, disease, and famine. They offer food, water, and a network to provide temporary shelter for children and their families in need. Their Bucket Brigade, Kids Against Hunger and Keeping Kids Warm & Kozy ministries reach out to provide the basic essentials for children and their families in crisis. By meeting the critical needs of families in crisis they create hope, and give children and their families a chance to rebuild their lives.
Through Seeds of Hope, IMPACT WITH HOPE and their international partners work with children, families and entire communities to provide micro-enterprises, job training skills, community feeding programs, and educational opportunities for children. These programs reach out and touch the lives in impoverished villages and neighborhoods help individuals break the cycle of poverty and give them hope for a better tomorrow. Mission envelopes are available in the pew racks.
The Because of Bethlehem small group study begins on Sunday mornings at 9:00 a.m. in the Fireside Room. Pastor Mike is teaching this class.
The Prayer Group will meet in the sanctuary at 9:00 a.m. Sunday morning.
Worship Service for Sunday, December 18: Fourth Sunday of Advent
Call to Worship
Lighting the fourth Advent Candle - the Candle of Love
Call to Worship
Song of Worship - Away in a Manger
Children’s Moment – Mission Jar Collection for IMPACT WITH HOPE (see article above about the December Mission emphasis)
Sanctuary Choir Anthem - Come, Follow That Star
Olga’s selections:
Prelude: God Rest Ye Merry, Gentlemen
Offertory: A Medley of Bells with Carol of the Bells, I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day and Jingle Bells
Postlude: Deck the Halls
Scripture- John 3: 16-17
Sermon - Every Heart a Manger
Hymn - O Little Town of Bethlehem
Choral Benediction - Our Christmas Prayer for You
Liturgist - Dave Landis
Terry Myers and Penny Greenlese are your Fellowship Hosts for December.
This will be our Welcome A Neighbor Sunday. We have 11 gift bags that will need to be delivered to new residents in our area. Each bag contains microwave popcorn, a pen and a pad of paper, and information about our church. Please be sure and check to see if any of these folks live near you!
The Christmas poinsettia plants have been ordered for December. Order envelopes are located in the pew racks ,in the attendance pads and in your bulletins this week. The price will remain $7.00 this year. You may order a plantand have it be in honor of or in memory of someone or make a donation to our Building Fund. All plants will be displayed during our Christmas Eve Worship Service and you will be able to take the plants home following the service. Your name and your flower’s dedication will be printed in the Christmas Eve bulletin. . Ten red plants are still available; all the white ones have been spoken for. This Sunday will be the final day to order your poinsettia.
The deadline for articles for the January issue of The Ambassador will be on Wednesday, December 21. Please send any items to Janet at wumcjanet@watervilleumc.org
You will find the Christmas Eve Worship Services invitation card in your church bulletin this Sunday. Be sure to pass it along to a neighbor, friend or family member who might want to experience worship with us on Saturday, December 24 at either 7:00 p.m. or the later service which will begin with a Christmas Concert by Olga and 11:15 p.m. and worship at 11:35 p.m. There will not be any nursery available at either service, but remember that we do have the Cry Room in the back of the balcony. Janet and Stephanie have also been busy working on activity sheets to be passed out for the children at the early service. Emma Grace Box, granddaughter of Cindy and Doug Box will be baptized at the 7:00 p.m. service. There will not be any communion at the late service this year.
We will be having our regular Sunday morning worship on Christmas morning, December 25 at 10:30 a.m. There will NOT be any Sunday School for the children that day.
The Friendly Centerserves Toledo’s inner city children and is a ministry of The United Methodist Church. During the cold winter months, they have extra need for NEW hats, gloves/mittens and socks. If you would like to support this ministry, there will be a basket in the Fireside room for collecting these items. The final day to donate will be January 15. Our Women’s Ministry will deliver them to the Friendly Center.
A new eight-week small group study will begin on January 8. It is called Unstuck – Moving from the Mundane to the Meaningful. Classes will meet on Sunday mornings at 9:00 a.m. in the Fireside Room and then again on Tuesday evenings at 7:00 p.m. in the same location.
The Church Mouse was SO impressed with the Children’s Christmas Program last Sunday. Everyone did such a wonderful job and your singing was just awesome!!! One of the photos that was taken from the balcony of the entire cast and then posted on the Facebook page of the church has reached 776 people. THAT is a new record for WUMC!!!! Thank you to all who “shared” the photo onto your pages also. Have you “liked” the Waterville United Methodist Church’s Facebook page? We are getting really close to crossing the 100 mark.
As the year draws to a close, new opportunities for 2017 are just around the corner. New sign-up sheets are posted on the bulletin board in the hallway for Greeters and Fellowship Hosts. Janet is finished with the 2017 Altar Flower calendar. There is also a new Prayer Partner list on the Prayer Table in the sanctuary. Where is God calling you to serve?