Happy New Year!

Youth Fellowship Saturday

The United Methodist Youth Group helps with a

Youth Fellowship Saturday

Where they hosted children 6th grade and under, for a craft project, lunch and fellowship, while the parents of the youth got a free Saturday morning out.

Rumor has it that this will become a monthly Saturday fellowship for the youth.

A Message from the Pastor

Greetings!


May we all experience the peace, joy, love and hope of this holiday season. It's a tall order to fill, given the many distractions during this time of year:  family visits, feasts, Xmas lists, Xmas parties, pageants, community events, baking, greeting cards and oh, yes...shopping.  Whew!  Finding time for the peace, love, joy and hope of Christmas is challenging.
We can find it though, even as we prepare daily for the celebration on the 25th. Yes we can   find the peace, love, joy and hope of the Christ Child. It requires our intentions be to put God first, at the top of our list in all that we do. 
God first before shopping, baking, Xmas lists, etc?  What might that look like as we prepare to hit Walmart or drive to Reno  for holiday shopping?  Maybe you take a deep breath, pray for patience or a prayer that this year, your joy is found in the abundance of blessings that permit you to "shop till you drop."
In baking?  Maybe you light a candle in the kitchen as you prepare meals, cookie dough or cakes.  We are reminded that the Light the Christ Child shines on us, can be shared with others.
Whether you're making a list and checking it twice, is the Christ Child at the top?  Put "Baby Jesus, come into my heart" at the very top.  Let this wish top your list this year. Do all you can to prepare your heart for the coming of the Baby Jesus.
Create a heart where the peace, love, joy and hope of the Christ Child is not only felt but lived.

Peace and Love,
Gayle
*********************
Looking Ahead
January 2011

Mission! Vision!  Mission! Vision!
Our cheer for 2011as I and our 2011 Vision Team gather to discern the vision of our church for the future and the mission that will get us there. 
There may be surveys to fill out, focus groups and any number of activities to get us there, into the future with confidence and a commitment to the church God is calling us to be.
More to be revealed in the coming months about this awesome process.

***********************************************

An open in invitation to the women of the church from the
United Methodist Women

We are all together,

The United Methodist Women.

Please join us as we celebrate the

Birth of Christ

With our annual

Women’s fellowship

Potluck brunch

At

The Parsonage

(the corner of Arnold and Melarkey)

On Saturday, December 11th at 10:00a.m.

 

Bring a dish to share and your Prayer Pal revealing gift.

(if you didn’t have a Prayer Pal this year, and wish to participate in the exchange, please bring a wrapped gift to the brunch, $10-$15 limit)

(and please come even if you just want the fellowship and chose not to participate in the gift exchange.)

UMW Christmas Bazaar and Bake Sale

December 4th, 2010 found the United Methodist Women, busy as bees, holding their annual Bake Sale and Craft Fair.

As  usual, a good time was had by all.

For more Craft Fair photos check out our facebook page!

Notes from Molly

Notes from Molly, the Pastoral Assistant:  


Hello!  I just wanted to say how thrilled I am to be working as your new Church Assistant.   Pastor Gayle and I have many new and exciting ideas that I cannot wait to bring to fruition.

* We are very much in need of a fellowship host & liturgist for November 28th.  (Please call the church right away if you are interested--sign up sheets are always in the back of the church)

* Jody is still looking for teaching partners in Sunday School for the month of December

* Please have your pledge cards turned into the church office by  December 1st

* I would love to have updated addresses, emails and phone numbers, if you could get those to me.

Thank you
~Molly Bryant

Charge Conference

Novemember 13th

A short message from the Pastor

A meditation from W. M. Wright sent to me and shared with you as we are ending our week and looking toward Sunday when we gather in God's name. Whatever your week has been like, with all its challenges, surprises or everydayness, please take time for sabbath...



Sabbath time. Sabbatical time. Jubilee time. Time to rest, to delight in what is given, to breathe in the beauty.


Time to be fallow, to heal wounds, forgive, regenerate. Time to restore the world to its primal pattern. Time to anticipate a new world in which justice, mercy and peace truly flourish. Time that anticipates the end and fullness of all time when tears, mourning and death itself will yield to the bountiful, blooming garden of God's own time.


Blessings,
Pastor Gayle
*********************************

CHOIR MEMBERSHIP DRIVE

The Choir is looking a bit thin!  No, they haven't been on a diet, they have lost a few members due to winter (snowbirds) and other reasons, so the choir is having a membership drive!   They are inviting YOU to join.
Choir practice is held on Tuesdays at 7:00 p.m.

They are also looking for a 'drum player' for the Christmas season. This would be a hand-held type of drum, like a bongo.
Contact Choir Director Laura Pike for more info.


STEWARDSHIP
Pledge cards will be arriving in the mail soon for 2011.  Please prayerfully consider what you can give and be sure and turn it back in to the church.
It matters not if you can give  'one dollar bill' or 'a billion dollars'...  what matters is making a budget.   The finance committee needs  numbers to work with, to build a budget.
Please keep their task in your prayers.

Stockholders Banquet

On Saturday, October 2nd, members of the congregation, who bought stock in the  Youth Group previously in the year, were treated to a banquet by the Youth to thank them for their support and  help  in sending them on different mission trips this past spring and summer.   The congreation were treated to a sit-down dinner of Tri-tip, baked potatoes, salad, vegetable, roll and dessert, not to mention entertainment too.  Jeanette Jones  delighted the diners with her accomplished piano playing during the evening.

We all should take great pleasure and pride in the involvement and commitment of our Youth Group.  Albeit small, they can move mountains with their faith.

Worship in the Great Outdoors

Water Canyon Worship Service

Sunday,  September 12th.

Thank You Sharon!

Our thanks to Sharon McAllistar for her years of service as secretry to the Pastor.



Important Church news!

This Saturday, September 11th, the United Methodist Women will  have their annual fall brunch at the home of Debbie Stone.  It will begin at 10:00.  All the women of the church are welcome to come... just bring a potluck dish to share if you do.   Coffee and juice will be provided.

On Sunday will be our first ever  (and 2nd for the year) Fall, outdoor worship service in Water Canyon.  It should be beautiful.  The service will begin at 10:00am.  Bring a lawn chair, a blanket and maybe a hot cup of coffee!  Please join us --and bring a friend--as we revel  in His awesome  nature surroundings.

When through the woods

And forest glades I wander

I hear the birds

Sing sweetly in the trees;

When I look down

from lofty mountain grandeur

And hear the brook

And feel the gentle breeze;

Then sings my soul,

My Saviour God, to Thee,

How great Thou art!

How great Thou art!

Then sings my soul,

My Saviour God, to Thee,

How great Thou art!

How great Thou art!

************************

MAC is coming!

The new Ministry of Arts and Crafts begins on Saturday, September 18th at 10:00.

A new ministry which will showcase all the talents of our congregation and take place about six times throughout the year.  Call Vicki Nye if you would like to "show-off" your talent and be kind enough to teach a one-time class.

Would you like to learn to do this:

Gail Andrews will lead our first class. Come to the church on Saturday the 18th and she will show you how to do Hawaiian embroidery.  This pillow above is her great handi-work.

Items you need to bring:

scissors for cutting cloth

white thread

and 18-inch embroidery hoop

18x18 pre-washed  square of fabric--your choice  (think calico or flowers)

embroidery needle

For more questions call Gail or Pastor Gayle.

This should be fun!

*******************************************************

Missionaries to talk at WUMC

On Saturday, October 16th at 10:00am,    Joseph and Marilyn Chan. missionaries with the General Board of Global Ministries of the United Methodist Church, who have been serving in Phnom Penh Cambodia since 1998,  will be speakers at a brunch hosted by the UMW.  The Congregation is invited and encouraged to attend.

Tara's Tales

A Note from Tara:



My internship has come to a close and I wanted to thank all of you for being a part of it. You have welcomed me into your congregation from the very start and you have been very open to experiencing a bit of Lutheranism along the way as well. It has been a really good year and I've had great ministry experiences here at WUMC. I have definitely grown as a pastor. Dean and I will remain in Winnemucca for a couple more years, so we will still see you now and then. I have seven classes to finish this year before graduating in May 2011. I will take most of them online and will be on campus for a few intensives. It will be a busy year. Blessings and peace to all of you!

Tara

Mission trip to Greenville:

In the middle of July, myself and Chasslyn McAllister and Kailyn Yetter went on a mission trip to Indian Valley, in Greenville, CA. We joined a small group of girls from Sacramento and a huge group of youth from Dallas, Texas. Our week in Greenville was filled with work, fun, and faith. The kids were troopers! We slept on the floor, showered outside behind tarps, and used blue porta-potties. It was also a very hot week and we were working on outdoor projects so it took a lot of get-up-and-go to focus on what needed to be done. I didn't hear any complaints, though. It was wonderful seeing all of the kids mingle and get to know each other during our time at the campsite, and it was even more awesome seeing them work hard and realize what it means to serve others. Experiences like these will impact the rest of their lives. Thanks to everyone who helped support our youth in these endeavors! It is greatly appreciated!

Buckaroo Breakfast

Our many thanks to the  United Methodist Men for hosting a long standing Labor Day tradition--Our Buckaroo Breakfast.  And thanks to Ed Andrews for taking the pictures.

See many more pictures of the Buckaroo Breakfast as well as other church activities on the right hand side bar.

Pastor's Page

I can smell autumn in the air. The end of summer, bidding the 100 degree temps adieu, no more pool time, VBS a faint memory and the glow of vacation time (or stay-cation time) even more faint (big Sigh!).

Summer seasons come to an end and the fall season begins.


Endings and beginnings. Thank God for the endings and the beginnings that can follow.


When our summer mission trip to Ft. Hall ended, I wondered what might be beginning in the hearts of Alec and Macie as they bid fond farewells to new friends. Were their mission experiences life changing/ Had their willingness to serve brought them in closer relationship with God? What beginnings were being born in them?


What new beginnings will be born in us the fall of 2010 As your Pastor, I am in discernment with our nomination and leadership development team, prayerfully considering fall in church, whose gifts and talents might be used in service to our congregation.
End of summer brings hopes and dreams of new beginnings in Christian Ed. We're enthusiastic about bringing Godly Play to our church and in the meantime, who will consider teaching Sunday School for our 3-year olds to 6th graders? (Mary Agnes will begin a "Reading the Bible" curriculum with our 7th to 11th graders).


What new ministries might be born this fall? What "old" ministries will begin something new?


I think of the earlier believers who were anxious and concerned when Jesus was no longer among them: "What do we do now?"
Many were baptized and welcomed the Good News, devoting themselves to teaching, service, fellowship, preaching and prayer.


"What do we do now?"
We simply begin.


Blessings,
Pastor Gayle
*******************

PS.    Vickie Nye had the misfortune of being in conversation with her pastor one evening. She was mentioned she would be willing to teach a class on Ukrainian egg painting. We discussed the plethora of artists and crafters in our church. Because the pastor's wheels are always turning and a light went off inside the pastor's head, Vickie Nye became the organizer of our "Ministry of Arts and Crafts."


She'll be our scheduler of arts and crafts workshops to be led by folk in the church or by crafters and artists in our community.


Rumor has it that Gail Andrews will be teaching a Hawaiian Quilting workshop this September. Much more to follow.


Kudos to Vickie for being a great church lady!

*******************************************************
Sunday School

Adult Sunday School Class will resume of Sunday, September 12th at 8:45 AM. If you have not received your new study book, Gail Andrews will have it available Sunday Sept. 5th.

We are still in need of Sunday School teachers.  Please prayfully consider teaching a 4-week rotation.
Sunday School for 3 years thru 6th grade is slated to begin on Sept. 19th.

******************************************************

A message from a missing member: The Knams

I just wanted to shout out a friendly hello to everyone!!!!

We are all doing well! Jonathan is excited about starting school tomorrow, and after receiving a guitar for his birthday, has started taking lessons.
Tim is back to installing vinyl siding and has also picked up a part time on call job at the docks unloading the ships that come in. I have taken a part time job in the schools as a paraprofessional and start tomorrow.


We miss you all, please pass along our hello's!


Peace of Christ be with you!!
Love


Tricia Knam
951 Stumpville Rd.
Jefferson, Ohio 44047
(440) 576-4130
*********************************************************************

At the beginning of summer, the adults of the congregation were asked to mentor the youth of the church while youth groups and Sunday School were on hiatus.   The congregation has stepped up to the plate.  This Sunday, the Norcutts will be taking the UMYF on a boating excursion to Rye Patch.

The church has two offical youth groups:
UMYF   United Methodist Youth Fellowship
Church Chicks    7th and 8th grade girls book and activity club

Church Chicks update

Pastor Gayle and Amy French enjoyed a day with for wonderful young women.

We spent the day learning to sew and the basics of quilting. Each created their own unique pillow using their choice of colors and patterns. We ended the day with a picnic of hotdogs on the deck. Everyone had such a wonderful time - it was a toss-up if the teachers or the students had more fun.

The home of Rich and Debbie Stone was the setting for the chicks to enjoy  a movie night on Wednesday, August 11th.
The girls  had read the book "The Outsdiers" earlier and then watched the movie at the Stones.  Hot dogs were enjoyed as well as popcorn during the movie and ice cream sundaes afterwards, along with a lively discussion about  friendships, cliques, gangs and belonging.