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"You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be
hidden....let your light shine before others, that they may see
your good deeds and praise your Father in Heaven." --Jesus
(Matthew 5:14-16)NIV
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The second Tuesday afternoon of each month the pastor makes home
communion calls. If you are unable to come to church for
communion, please call 872-3422 to have a time set up for you.
Tiding up
November....
As you receive this letter, if all went well, it should be just before the Thanksgiving Holiday. Hopefully, you will have a moment or two at least to catch the headlines from the front page so you won’t miss out on two important happenings at the end of the Thanksgiving weekend!
Community Thanksgiving Dinner
The community gets behind this group to provide a Thanksgiving Dinner free of charge to anyone who wants to attend. It is especially for those of our area who find themselves alone for the holiday. If you find you will be unable to join your family or they are unable to travel here, come to our hall for a great dinner!
The family style Thanksgiving dinner is served right at 12:00 noon. Take-outs are available after the meal is over. Watch the Cass City Chronicle for a phone number to order the take outs and to see other meal information.
Before you have had a chance to use up your leftovers, Advent will be upon us!! Sunday, November 30 is the First Sunday of Advent and the traditional beginning of the holiday season. During Worship at 11:00am, the Advent Wreath will be present and ready for the first candle to be lighted.
This
is also the day we take our Advent Offering for our Christmas Families
project. Due to the continuing economic slow down, we will serve two
families this year. One of our families is a grandmother raising her two
young grandsons. The other family has four children. The envelope with
this newsletter is for the Advent Offering. We hope you will be able to
respond for the November 30th offering but we know it is short notice.
Please, at your earliest convenience, drop your donation in the offering
plate or mail it to P.O. Box 125. Put your name on it if you want it
recorded.
Later
that day, "Hanging of the Greens" will begin at 3:30pm. Barb Kirn headed
up the decorating last year. It went very well. She sees no reason
things should be any different this year, except easier!! Now that she
knows what decorations work best in what area, she will rely on your
creativity to bring it to bloom! Adults, teens and youngsters are
invited to share their talents in making the building ready for the
holiday. A snack potluck will be held. Bring your favorite snack food to
share. This was a great success last year!! Just a reminder there is
refrigerator space, ovens and extra plugs available for keeping your
food cold or hot!
(Just a note: Poinsettias will arrive on December 12 or 13 in time for the Tom Thumb Concert. We are still needing someone to water the plants a couple of times from then to Christmas Eve. Please contact the church office if you can do a day!)
How can you make this the happiest Christmas of your life? Simply by trying to give yourself to others. Put something of yourself into everything you give. A gift, however small, speaks its own language. And when it tells of the love of the giver, it is truly blessed. Norman Vincent Peale Communication Resources, N. Canton, OH Newsletter, Newletter ‘92
From Pastor Paul
Leonard Sweet Calls It "A Googly World"
by Robin Russell – The United Methodist Reporter – October 24, 2008
www.umportal.org/article.asp?id=4335
The average United Methodist, born before computer technology changed the way people think, still lives in a "Gutenberg world" where communication happens through words and linear thinking, says author and futurist Leonard Sweet.
But if the denomination really wants to reach young people, it needs to "reformat" its collective brain to capture the heart of a computer savvy generation, he said.
Dr.
Sweet, the E. Stanley Jones Professor of Evangelism at Drew University
and the author of dozens of books, brought church journalists up to
speed in an Oct. 14 keynote address at the United Methodist Association
of Communicators 2008 convention, held in Providence, R.I.
Too often, he said, the church has clung to familiar ways of communicating that have worked well in the past—developing mission statements, perfecting documents and following parliamentary procedure.
Meanwhile, young people have moved on to more interactive faith communities where they connect through simultaneous use of digital images and sounds.
"Advertisers don’t spend billions to give you words—they give you images. Why are you not coming up with an image statement?" he asked church communicators.
Dr. Sweet, a United Methodist in the West Virginia Conference, is a consultant to denominational leaders and agencies. He’s also launched online "cafes" and newsletters to talk about spirituality with young people.
Young people see spiritual content in a different way than past generations, he said. When he travels the lecture circuit now, young people often ask to meet with him ahead of time rather than sit through a prepared address. That’s because while information is so readily available online, what they lack is face-to-face time.
"Googlies are ravenous for relationship," Dr. Sweet said. "I’m fully prepared that in the future, people won’t buy any books from Len Sweet. But they will pay for relationship. Stories that come out of relationship is the content."
And information overload can be a problem when just about anything is available at the click of a mouse, he added.
"This is the first generation in history that doesn’t need authority figures to have access to information," Dr. Sweet said. "They don’t need us to access information. What they need us for is to help process it—to assess what is good and bad information."
The shift to digital images as the primary way of communicating doesn’t mean that print is dead, Dr. Sweet said. Recent bestsellers prove that 1,000-page books don’t scare off young readers, he pointed out.
But Methodists, he said, have always been pioneers in using the communication tools of their day. John Wesley knew the power of pen and paper, and produced tracts and pamphlets for the hundreds who gathered in the streets and fields to hear his sermons.
Today, however, the primary delivery system for young people has become the Internet. And if churches did what Wesley did, "we’d be passing out Palm Pilots, hardwired with all the right software," Dr. Sweet said. At the very least, he added, every United Methodist church should become an Internet "hotspot" for their communities.
Unfortunately, pastors are among the last to catch on, and continue to use communication tools that are familiar to their own generation, Dr. Sweet said.
"Here’s the challenge you and I have: For Googlies, It’s not real until it’s on a screen. It doesn’t have authority until it shows up on a screen. It’s very hard for pastors to understand this. No pastor should have an office. Pastors should have a studio."
He advised church leaders to switch from Powerpoint – "the Gutenberg person’s use of ‘new media’" – to using veejays, or video jockeys who can spontaneously put Googled images on a screen in the sanctuary to illustrate sermon ideas.
Dr. Sweet suggested using metaphors and stories to communicate spiritual truth today. Jesus was a master at giving "unsettling and disturbing" messages that caught people’s attention, he added. Often his stories would begin with: "You have heard it said... but I say to you..."
"Your mind is made of metaphors," Dr. Sweet said. "Words come out of metaphors. The natural language of the brain is metaphor. When you reframe metaphors, you’re doing brain surgery."
Googly
profile
United Methodists need to study what appeals to younger generations, Dr. Sweet said. "We need people to teach us. It’s time we start sitting at the feet of our children and let them teach us what it means to do ministry in a Googly world."
Among their characteristics and needs are:
-The need to participate. Their favorite moment at a concert, Dr. Sweet said, is when the singer holds the microphone over the crowd and the song becomes their own.
-They’re drawn to the mystical. "It’s time to coax the Holy Spirit out of hiding in our church," Dr. Sweet said. "The greatest heresy of the Gutenberg world is that the most powerful forces are material. One of our biggest challenges is to dematerialize our thinking. I think we’ll see us live less out of the order of St. Roberts and more out of St. Paul’s rules of the spirit."
-They seek empowerment. "Everyone who is baptized is a minister of the gospel," Dr. Sweet said. "A mission trip is not something you take. It’s something you’re on your whole life."
-They are followers, not leaders. United Methodists can take a lesson from Willow Creek, a nondenominational megachurch, Dr. Sweet said. Though the church promoted leadership and congregational growth, they recently discovered an "oops factor": "We weren’t creating disciples."
-"The leadership paradigm is a fetish," Dr. Sweet said. "The basic category of discipleship is follower. Even [the popular Web site] Twitter has categories for that. It asks, ‘Who are you following?’"
-They understand technological language. Dr. Sweet said he sometimes uses the language of computers to explain spiritual truth: For instance, when explaining how Jesus is both exclusive and inclusive, he tells young people they can "doubleboot their faith" by believing simultaneously in a closed system like Microsoft ("Jesus is the way, the truth and the life") and an open-source system like Linux ("Jesus can do anything he wants. He’s already in every faith tradition, yet it’s still Jesus.")
-They are comfortable with extremes. Mathematicians used to plot cultural trends on a bell curve, Dr. Sweet said, showing that things tend to bunch up in the middle. American culture reflected that notion with such middle-of-the-road corporate names as General Electric, General Motors, General Dynamics, General Mills and even general agencies of the church.
-"They positioned themselves in the middle to be the most central," Dr. Sweet said. "Middle class. Mainline religion. How are all of those doing?"
-In a Googly world, however, the distribution curve looks more like a well curve, where the middle is shrinking and the ends are getting huge. Everything from churches to television screens are getting bigger and smaller at the same time, he said. "The worst place to position yourself is in the middle," Dr. Sweet said.
-They think in organic, rather than mechanistic terms —"things you grow rather than things you build," he said. A better metaphor for spiritual consumption, he said, would be an apple, which you eat whole, rather than an orange that you peel and take apart section by section.
-"Gutenbergs turn everything into an orange, whether it’s a book or the Bible," he said. "We versify the Bible by chapter and verse rather than telling stories."
-But like Jesus’ effective use of narratives, communicators need to tell the church’s stories in fresh and startling ways.
-"The church has become familiar," Dr. Sweet said. "It’s cozy, and it’s not fresh anymore. Your mission is to be on a campaign against clichés of the heart, mind and soul."
Group Highlights
Dorcas
Statistics for November
Meal: Meatloaf
Total Meals Served: 234
(Guests: 123, Take Outs: 80; Workers: 31)
Deposit: $1,673.00
(Note: the total or deposit sometimes includes
other funds given or paid to Dorcas.)
Next Dinner: Wednesday, December 10
Menu: Chicken Dinner
United Methodist Women
The December meeting for the UMW is the Annual Ladies’ Christmas
Dinner on Monday, December 1 at 6:00pm for punch and fellowship. The
dinner begins at 6:30pm. The cost for this meal is $6.00. Get your
tickets soon! The musical program by Jeff Randall and his group will
begin at 7:30pm. The congregation is invited to come to hear the music.
Our creative Judy Wallace has again put together an exciting theme. Take a tour of the fourteen decorated tables. You won’t want to miss all the unique and interesting place settings. You can expect to thoroughly enjoy the beginning of your holiday season!
Praise God!!
14th Annual Bazaar and Lunch
A Big Success!
Everyone was apprehensive as the donations started arriving. The economic news was getting worse each day. Donations seemed to be down some, but there were some very lovely arrangements made from strange things like a fishing creel, a minnow bucket, a bean cooker, chairs and old windows! There were wood items and knitted and sewn items equally nice. The baked goods and cookie walk were filled with tempting treats. Everything looked so festive!
The Straw Draw was a great success for the first year! It brought in over $300. So – watch year-end close-out sales to buy some really nice household and holiday decorations, housewares, toys and items for these tables for adults, teens and children. Thanks to Michelle Erla for taking the time to put this together on rather short notice. She said it went very well. Next year, items need to be in early because items need to be numbered and many straws prepared and stuffed for each item.
The lunch total was down a little from last year. Since the weather was cold and windy, those early shoppers who stormed the doors at 8:00am may not have wanted to come back at 11 o’clock.
When the total came in at almost the exact figure of last year’s first total, everyone was very pleased and grateful. Glory be to God for this blessing!
Progressive Class Christmas Party
The Progressive Class will hold their Christmas Party at the
Crossroads Restaurant at the corner of Van Dyke and Bay City Forestville
Roads, on Thursday, December 11 at 6:00pm.
Crossroads will feature a two-meat family style dinner for about $10.00 a person. If you would like to attend, please contact Ron Geiger.
Secret Sisters’ Brunch
Ladies, mark your calendar for Saturday, December 6 at 10:00am. The
Secret Sisters will hold their annual holiday brunch. This will be the
time to discover who has been sending you cards and gifts throughout
this past year. New names for next year will be drawn.
If you would like to join in the fun, come to the brunch or call Connie Schwaderer.
Christ in the lonely hours
The lonely hours are his; Christ is there with you. Others may be remiss, though all your life has been poured out for them. They thoughtlessly forget, not meaning to, but only occupied with other things. But Christ is there; and when you sense his presence and draw near, the loneliness is gone, your heart satisfied in him.
First Church of the Nazarene, Sacramento, CA
Communication Resources, N. Canton, OH
Newsletter, Newsletter, ‘92
Mystery of the Manger
"The Gospel Truth"
Children’s Christmas Musical
Sunday, December 7 at 6:30pm
in our sanctuary
An investigative reporter looks for "just the facts" – "just the facts." He finds himself at the practice of the annual children’s Christmas pageant. The children tell him that, like the wisemen, we are all searching for the truth. The Gospel accounts of Jesus’ life in the Bible are "The Gospel Truth!"
This promises to be another great production by the Sunday School children and youth. A big thank you to Laura Hill and her many helpers!
Pastor
Christmas Offering for the Pastor
For a good many years now, I (Linda) suspect to have managed (most of the time), by the grace of God, to keep this article from being seen by the pastor. It hasn’t been easy. Some pastors tend to be more inquisitive than others, others in the holiday spirit like helping out, while others by their nature and time of year must suspect something "fishy" is going on!
It takes planning to hide the article in a newsletter for the pastor, his family, relatives and close friends who receive the newsletter. It takes planning to have the stacks of papers ready to be assembled, laying out unprotected while the pastor is in and out of the office or volunteers’ work area sometimes mindlessly thumbing through those piles while talking to the workers. Having said this, it also takes a lot of prayers and some ingenious actions on the part of the Holy Spirit to pull it off! As I reflect on some of these times, I have to chuckle! It really has been fun!
I’m not computer savvy enough to know how or if there is even a way to put this out on the web and block it from the pastor’s view.
So here it is.... It’s time again to take an offering for Pastor Paul and Pastor Linda’s Christmas Gift. If you would like to make a donation toward this cash gift, please get your money to Doris Jones (6809 Herron, C.C.) or Julie Veneziano (4292 West, C.C.) in person, by dropping it by the library or mailing it to one of their homes. Please have your donation in by Friday December 19. The gift presentation will be made during worship on Sunday, December 21. Thank you for sharing! Linda
2007 Christmas Family Update
You may wonder sometimes what difference, if any, this project means to our families. Of course it is Christmas time, so you think it will help for awhile.
Last year we had a rare opportunity to make a huge difference in a young girl’s life. You may recall we received a frantic call from a mother who had just learned through the court system she had received custody of her ten-year old daughter who had been taken by the father to the State of Washington a couple of years earlier. By your generosity, not knowing this would happen, we had enough money already donated to be able to purchase the train tickets for the mother to go and retrieve her daughter. With a police escort, the daughter was safely transferred to her mother’s care. They returned to Cass City just a few days before Christmas.
The mother called a few weeks ago to say another thank you to this congregation. She is very grateful. She told us it has been a difficult but rewarding year. The daughter is adjusting with therapy. She now has her whole family in one house, brothers and sisters growing up together instead of children worrying about what might have been happening to the one far away. She can still hardly believe how it all fell together.
You just know the Holy Spirit is working in this whole situation. The mother had no idea how to put the money together except by calling churches. She attends church in one of our former buildings. Her name was given to us by the school social worker, as all our names are.
We were ready to serve our Lord when He called! Thank you.
Kind words, cheerful smiles and helping hands are shafts of sunshine through clouds of sorrow. William A. Ward
Communication Resources, N. Canton, OH Newsletter, Newsletter ‘92Tom Thumb Christmas Concert
Director Steve Fobear along with the community choir will present
another weekend of great music in our sanctuary! Singers from across the
Thumb take part in this event. The concerts have been moved back one
week to Saturday, December 13 at 7:00pm and Sunday, December 14 at
3:00pm. Mark you calendar and make plans to attend!
Christmas Eve Worship
Service of traditional Hymns and Scripture, Holy Communion and Candle
Lighting at 8:00pm
Bring the whole family to the Christmas Eve Service on Wednesday evening at 8:00pm, December 24 to celebrate the birth of our Savior, Jesus Christ. Take a step out of the hustle and bustle into the quietness of a lowly stable. Sing the familiar hymns and hear again the timeless account of his birth from the Bible.
A Carol Quiz
Can you identify Bryan Schaeffler’s "Olde Englyshe" descriptions of Christmas carols:1. Move hitherward the entire assembly of those who are loyal in their belief.
2. Nocturnal timespan of unbroken quietness.
3. Listen, the celestial messengers produce harmonious sounds.
4. Embellish the interior passageways.
5. Small municipality in Judea southeast of Jerusalem.
Communication Resources, N. Canton, OH Newsletter, Newsletter ‘85
This and That
Get to know ThumbWorks!
ThumbWorks! is one of 25 Michigan Works! Agencies serving Huron, Lapeer, Sanilac and Tuscola Counties. Whatever your need may be, they have a service to keep your career running smoothly for years to come.
Customers can expect to receive a multitude of services upon walking through their doors. From the business angle, assisting businesses with finding qualified applicants or training existing workers...or from the job seeker’s perspective, finding employment, bettering your employment situation or gaining valuable career education. There is something for everyone.
For job seekers, Step Up Workshops are offered every Wednesday in one of 4 locations covered by ThumbWorks! Check these out:
- Tools for an Effective Job Search
- Workplace Professionalism & Etiquette
- Teamwork & Problem Solving
- Job Retention & Embracing Diversity in the Workplace
- Managing Your Life Around Work
- Leadership, Supervision & You
- Managing Your Money
- Starting Your Own Business
You may call for an appointment to meet with a Career Consultant/Resume Specialist for a FREE one hour session which is private and a one-on-one opportunity to put you best foot forward with personal guidance. Individual classes may also be arranged to brush up on math, reading and to learn computers. From help with all the forms from being laid off to job search to beginning a new job, information on child care and much, much more, take advantage of ThumbWorks!
Contact ThumbWorks! in Caro by calling 673-8103 or visit the website: www.thumbworks.org. You may also find a few brochures on the kiosk in the narthex.
Community Christmas Hymn Sing
The Cass City Ministerial Association presents their annual Christmas
Hymn Sing on Sunday, December 7 at 6:30pm. The host church this year is
the Cass City Missionary Church on Koepfgen Road.
Everyone is invited to hear and sing the songs of the season with others from our community. An offering will be taken in support of the "In His Name" Ministry.
If you would like to present a special number, please contact the church office as soon as possible to be put in their bulletin.
Sermon Series with Study
Starting on Sunday, January 25, Pastor Paul will begin the 5-week
Sermon Series "Five Practices of Fruitful Congregations". The practices
include Radical Hospitality, Passionate Worship, Intentional Faith
Development, Risk-taking Mission and Service, and Extravagant
Generosity.
Those same Sundays, will feature an evening study and snack food potluck beginning at 6pm. Bring your favorite snack food to share.
Sign up on clipboards or contact the office.
Minute Highlights....
Board of Trustees: 11-06-08
Highlighted past activities:
- The tractor was $5350.
- At the parsonage: the windows were $8092.26, carpeting in hallway and bedrooms was $2218 and window treatments (with 2 windows left) are under $500.00.
- There is a total of $3823.74 left of $20,000 that was allotted to Trustees to get lawn mower and fix parsonage.
- The stairway project and screen door will be done by Lavern Rutkowski at a cost of around $1600.00.
- JP’s tree service in Elkton was the low price on removing the dead tree at the parsonage.
- Had a repairman look at steeple area. The roof is not leaking. It is an unheated area - the brick absorbs water and that is why there is water on inside. Styrofoam sheeting will have to be glued and because of moisture and cold it can’t be done till it warms up.
New Business
Discussed dissolving the Lock-Up Team: It was reported by one of the Trustees on lock-up that less doors are being left unlocked but lights are left on. The Trustees ask people who are having meetings, choir, renting hall etc. be sure and check all lights and locks before they leave. It is the responsibility of the person who is the head of the meeting to do this. (It was noted that choir often leaves locks undone.) We would like to ask the lock up committee to continue until 1-8-09. We would like a report at that time. The door mechanism on the east doors is sticking. Ted Furness will look at it.
Discussed several maintenance needs in the church.
A request has come from one of our members to use a room in the church as a place people could come to get interview clothing. There was much discussion and little room. There are organizations in this area who provide interviewing clothes. Michigan Works and many second hand stores will give a discount or just give clothing to people for interviews if they have a referral from a minister.
Worship: 11-18-08
- Disappointed with turnout at Ushers’ Training (4) and Altar Guild (2). Would like one usher at each sanctuary entrance - on the inside to seat people. Head Usher in narthex greeting and directing folks.
- Will have Upper Elementary Youth at entrance doors giving assistance.
- Junior Church will need to be divided into younger and older children.
- Sound/Projection booth needs to be elevated and relocated.
- Christmas Eve Candle Holders need sorting to remove damaged ones and replace candles.
- Praise Time - problem: Linda does not read music so cues may be missing repeats. Someone needs to write them out. Rev. Paul wants praise songs from our hymnal used so people know them. All verses.
- Discussed Nursery: The Nursery Committee develops guidelines for its use. Will look at Conference Guidelines suggesting certification for all people working with children, teens and vulnerable adults. Discussed having a Dutch door to keep little ones from fleeing when the door opens. Will ask for adult volunteers to help when nursery is busy. Recognized the great job Meredith Kirn is doing as the paid nursery worker.
- Lenten programs are set. Rev. Paul will do placemats - food and program in an hour.
- Rev. Paul will be doing a sermon series starting January 25 - February 22 which features an accompanying study. Will have the study at 6pm on Sundays with snack food potlucks. (See related article Sermon Series.)
Caring and Sharing
Deaths- Our Condolences to:...
- ...Laura Hill, her family and friends on the passing into life eternal by her best friend, Chris Koth of Filion.
- ...Donna and Gerald Auten, Jack and Pam Burns, their family and friends on the passing of Donna’s sister-in-law, Shirley Bader.
- ...Pauline Hulburt, her family and friends on the death of her brother-in-law, Howard Hulburt.
- ...Opal and Clarence Schneeberger, their family and friends on the death of Opal’s brother, David Holik.
- ...John and Melody Frankowski, Nataliah, Damon and Michelle Essenmacher, their family and friends on the passing of Lawrence Good.
- ...Nikki and Keith Czekai, Tyler and Heather, their families and friends on the sudden passing of Nikki's father, Tom Mason, of Linwood on 11-26. He had just been diagnosed with pancreatic cancer a week earlier.
Birth...
We celebrate the birth of Tristan James Gabriel born on November 17
to Tim and Lorena Karr of Oak Harbor, Washington. Tristan weighed 9
pounds and is 20 inches long. Proud grandmother is Cindy Karr. Happy
great- grandparents are Shirley and Jay Wisenbach.
In Your Prayers...
Rev. Paul & Rev. Linda; Donna Auten; Elaine
Proctor; Dorothy Knight; Rick Dillon; Denise Jones; Maurice Joos; Mary
Hutchinson; Thelma Graham; Ray Arnold; Carol Schaufele (treatments), Bea Baker; Brian
Mallory; Rev. Bob & Charlene Garrett; Winifred Lamb; Betty Scofield;
Marilyn Morgan; Barney & Ruth Hoffman; Laura Bryant; Lucille Copeland;
Dale & Mary Damm; Esther Guinther; Maxine Profit; Elizabeth Stine (6700
Westside, Bay City 48706); Betty Wareham.
Tendercare, 4782 Hospital Dr., C.C.: Florence Eimers, Don Buehrly
Northwood Meadows, 6086 Beechwood, C.C.: John Marshall, Fritz
Pomeroy, Marv Hobart, Tom Proctor.
Kings’ Daughters, 2410 Rodd St., Midland, MI 48640: Dorothea Quick;
Tuscola Medical Care Facility, 1285 Cleaver Rd., Caro 48723: Ruth
Freeman; Carolyn Chapman (Jamie Withey’s mother)
Service People: Mike Furness; Marc Inbody (Germany);Josh Sherman
(Ohio); Ben Wheeler (Iraq -Lori Inbody’s god-son).
From the Mail Box:
From Joyce McPhail: How do you say thank you for so many kind people.
The cards, the prayers, the inquiries, care and kindnesses. I am very
grateful to be so blessed with a church family so special. Your care and
kindness is very much appreciated and never to be forgotten. It touched
my heart. And thank you to anonymous: I am much better now and hope to
be back to my normal routine soon.
From Jeff and Jarod Stoutenburg: Thanks so much for the care packages that we received the past week. The treats were delicious and very much appreciated. It is good to know that everyone back home is thinking about us. Thanks again!
From Nick Stoutenburg: I would like to extend my thanks toward everyone in the congregation for the large box o’treats that I recently received . It is nice to know that people are out there thinking about you. It made a bright spot in my day with all the candy in there, topped off with a toothbrush to take care of any adverse affects from the candy. Once again, thank you and enjoy the upcoming holidays.
From Dotty Scollon: Just a note to tell you how much I appreciate and enjoy your Dorcas dinners. It is nice to see so many people there - a friendly atmosphere and, of course, the delicious dinners. Thank you for this service to the community.
From Elaine Thies to the UMW: Thank you for the great job you did for our family by putting on a fine meals after Jason’s memorial service. All comments were positive. The service was also very good. It all went smoothly and it made our service easier because of you. Thank you!
From Roy and Shirley Wagg: Thank you very much for the lovely flowers given us for our 50th anniversary. We have enjoyed them for a week.
From Jim and JoAnn Jezewski: Thank you for the fine lunch that you put on at Jason’s Memorial service.
From Meredith Kirn: Thank you for the amazing goodie box I received when I arrived home from school today! It was like Christmas when I opened it, seeing all the candy and goodies! Thanks again.
Fondly Remembering...
An obituary in the Cass City Chronicle on 11/11/08 regarding Kenneth Higgins stirred Joan Merchant to share a comment.
"When we first began attending C.C. Methodist Church seventy plus years ago, my favorite part was Kenny Higgins at the piano! He was in his teens, so he soon moved on – a young man to war. But he was the last male church pianist until Tim Knight and Don Greenleaf, bless their hearts. I felt the need to give Kenny a word of appreciative remembrance." Sincerely, Joan D. Sommers Merchant
Thanks to our helpers:
Newsletter: Linda Derfiny, proofreading; Judy Profit, Viola Walker,
Janis Seeley, Esther Guinther.
Garden work: Suzie Chappel
Our Cleaning Crew!!
Answers to the Carol Quiz
1. Oh, Come All Ye Faithful
2. Silent Night
3. Hark, the Herald Angels Sing
4. Deck the Halls
5. O Little Town of Bethlehem.
A special Thank You to our various committee chairpersons and their teams for their dedication and commitment to the church. The following list has those whose terms have ended, some will be leaving positions, some will be taking another term, and some will be taking new positions for 2009: Rod Sherman, Administrative Council Chairperson; Members at Large Ad. Council: Yvonne Sherman, Alethea Misch, Ron Geiger, Louise Buehrly; Nominations /Lay Leadership: Ron Kittle, Stephanie Baker; SPRC: Betsy Dillon, Suzanne Chappel, Doris Jones, Jim Veneziano; Finance: Doug Monroe, Dan Dickinson, Jim Baker; Trustees: Mick Kirn, Linda DuQuesnay, Shirley Wisenbach; Membership Secretary: Donna Adams; Ushers: Doris Jones, Dennis Hill; Greeters: Ardis Monroe, Joan Merchant; Communion Stewards: Mary Jane VanVliet, Heather Weiler; Nursery: Kristie Warren, Michelle Salcido; Altar Guild: Bob and Barbara Stickle, Caren Clara.
What Christmas Means to Us
by Central Christian Church, Lima, OH
C
H
ope, which we have in Christ, to face each day’s trials.R
esurrection, which assures us that Christ lives today.I
mmanuel, ‘God with us,’ who will never leave or forsake us.S
tar, which shone bright to remind us that Christ is the light of the world.T
he symbol of the cross, which is an undeniable part of the Christmas story.Communication Resources, N. Canton, OH Newsletter, Newsletter ‘90
Thanks be to God!
Worship Assistants for December
Greeters
December 7 John & Laura Merchant
14 John & Laura Merchant
21 Esther Guinther
24 Dolly Misch
28 Larry & Julie Janik
Readers
December 7 Jim Veneziano
14 Doris Jones
21 Cantata
24 Morris Powell
28 Whitney Kirn
Greeting & Praise
December 7 Rev. Paul
14 Barb Kirn
21 Morris Powell
28 Laura Hill
Sound / Projection
December 7 Morgan Erla
14 Curtis Dickinson
21 Curtis Dickinson
24 Morgan Erla
28 Jacob Kittle
Ushers: Captain: Dennis Hill
December 7 Gil & Connie Schwaderer
Gary Wichert, Mick Kirn
14 Gil & Connie Schwaderer
Gary Wichert, Mick Kirn
21 Gil & Connie Schwaderer
Mick Kirn, Ron Kittle
24 not yet known
28 Gil & Connie Schwaderer
Mick Kirn, Dennis Hill
Communion Steward: Ruth Wichert
Sunday, December 6 and Christmas Eve
Acolyte
December 7 Macy Dickinson
14 Jordan Kittle
21 Brad Baker
24 need volunteer
28 Rylie Weiler
Altar Guild
December
7 Caren Clara
14 Bob & Barbara Stickle
21 Gil & Connie Schwaderer
28 Jay & Shirley Wisenbach
Flowers
(Please use real flowers and plants.)
December 7
14 Rev. Paul & Rev. Linda
21 Morris & Pam Powell
28
Lock Up
December 7 Rod Sherman
14 Gil & Connie Schwaderer
21 Gary Wichert
28 Mick Kirn