A Newsletter Published by First United Methodist Church – Emporia, KS

November 25, 2008                                                                                     Volume LIV – Issue 20

LOOKING AHEAD

Mark your calendars for December 4.  There will be a special presentation of “The Innkeeper of Bethlehem” at FUMC.  Nick and Lucy Della Valle are Missionaries to America; Storytellers for Christ.  They share the Gospel of Jesus Christ through dramatic reenactments.  Watch for more details. 

HAPPY

BIRTHDAY

TO THE FOLLOWING MEMBERS!

            (70 years or more!)

Ione Carnine                                Dec 2

Betty Gibb                                   Dec 6

Richard Lowr y                            Dec 6

Leona Travis                                Dec 9

Doug Haig                                   Dec 9

Mildred Romine                           Dec 14

Clarence Boyer                            Dec 15

Paul DeBauge                              Dec 16

Carol Thomas                              Dec 19

Chris Hosey                                 Dec 20

Faye Nuessen                               Dec 20

Marianne Flint                              Dec 21

Elva Wayman                               Dec 24

Bob Sauder                                   Dec 24

Elva Wise                                     Dec 25

Darlene Bennett                           Dec 25

Ralph Shellhamer                         Dec 25

Louise Boles                                Dec 26

Dennis Harrington                       Dec 26

Cleat and Mary Buckbee                Dec 12

Lloyd and Twila Stone                   Dec 22

Regular Meeting Times

Committees & Other Groups (Weekly)

Boy Scouts—Tuesday @ 7:00pm

Campus Ministries Worship—Thursday @ 9:15pm

Celebration Choir Practice—Wednesday @ 6:00pm

Crossroads—Sunday @ 6:00pm.

Cub Scouts—Tuesday @ 6:15pm

Grief Support—Tuesday @ 9:30am

Jubilee Ringers Rehearsal—Monday @ 5:30pm

Lectionary Bible Study—Thursday @ Noon

Praise Band—Thursday @ 6:30pm

Prayer Shawl Ministry—Wednesday @ 6:00pm

Rolling Ringers Rehearsal—Monday @ 5:00pm

Sanctuary Choir Practice—Sunday @ 9:30am

Soul Focus—Sunday@ 6:00pm

Youth Choir Practice—Wednesday @ 7:00pm

Committees & Other Groups (Monthly)

Finance Committee—Second Monday @ 7:00pm

La Esperanza Board—First Sunday @ 7:00pm

Memorial Committee—Third Wednesday @ 3:00pm

Ministries Council—Second Sunday @ 2:00pm

Preschool Board—Third Monday @ 5:30pm

Sanctuary Choir—First Thursday @ 7:00pm

Senior Singles—Third Wednesday @ Noon

Stephen Ministry—Second & Fourth Sunday @ 4:00pm

Stephen Ministry—Second & Fourth Thursday @ 9:30am

SUPER Sunday Committees—Second Sunday @ Noon

Trustees—Third Monday @ 7:00pm

UMW Exec. Committee—Third Wednesday @ 1:30pm

UMW Dinner Crew—Second Monday @ 5:30pm

UMW Lunch Bunch—First Thursday @ Noon

UMW Manor Circle—Fourth Wednesday @ 10:00am

UMW Mon. Evening Circle—First Monday @ 7:00pm

UMW Wed. Morning Circle—First Wednesday @ 9:30am

UMW Thurs. Morning Circle—First Thursday @ 9:30am

Youth Board—Second Sunday @ 4:00pm

Committees & Other Groups (Quarterly)

Investment Committee—Fourth Tuesday @ 4:00pm

THE LECTIONARY SCRIPTURES FOR DECEMBER ARE ON THE WEBPAGE AT www.fumchurch.org                            

MOVIES

     There has previously been a review of The Secret Life of Bees in the Heartbeat and you’ve no doubt read that this book has now been made into a movie, of the same name.  This is a story of a white girl in the 1960’s in South Carolina who finds refuge with three angelic black sisters.  One national news magazine calls the movie “a honey of a film,” which stars Dakota Fanning and Queen Latifah.  Our copy of this book is waiting for you in our church library.

     We have other books on our shelves that have recently been made into movies, such as Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini, which quickly became a word-of-mouth sensation, finally becoming a number one New York Times bestseller.  This is a story of regret and redemption, friendship and family, taking us from the final days of the Afghan monarchy, through the invasion of the Taliban.  This is the first Afghan novel to be written in English.  We also have on our shelves A Thousand Splendid Suns, a heart-wrenching story by this same author of what happened to the country of Afghanistan.

     We have a DVD titled The Perfect Stranger, running time 86 minutes, based on the book A Day With a Perfect Stranger, by David Gregory, also in our library.  This is the story of a woman who went on an out of town business trip and finds herself seated on the plane beside a man who told her he was Jesus Christ, so she decided to call his bluff.  Their conversation soon leads to a fascinating exploration of spirituality, God, and the quest for meaningful connection.  The last thing she wanted was to talk about God; talking to him had never entered her mind.

     We also have a DVD titled Peter and Paul, starring Anthony Hopkins and Robert Foxworth.  These were the two key pillars of Early Christianity and Western Civilization.  But in their own day, the world didn’t want them.  There are many books on our shelves concerning these two early Christians.

                                                        Jean Brown, Librarian

Super Sunday Reminder

THERE IS NO SUPER SUNDAY IN DECEMBER.

Preschool News

November has been a busy time at Friends Together Preschool!  First of all, I want to say thank you to all of you who helped to make our Usborne Book Fair a great fundraiser!  We earned almost $240 to use toward the purchase of new learning toys and equipment for the classroom.  Our photo fundraiser with C. Allen Photography was also a success, earning $180 for the classroom.  Several apples have disappeared from the Apple Tree outside our classroom, as well.  I will be ordering the new materials soon so that they will be back in time for Christmas.  The children will really enjoy exploring the new toys and materials!

This month in the classroom we are exploring the theme of Transportation.  We have talked about different kinds of transportation, and what can and can not serve as transportation.  The four year old class will be taking a trip to the Emporia Police Department as our field trip this month.  Along with our main theme, we also have been discussing the Thanksgiving holiday, including what it means to be thankful and the history of the holiday.  Our fruit of the Spirit for the month is Peace.  Thank you so much for your support of Friends Together Preschool.  We are thankful for YOU!                                                                                          Mrs. Jenny

Children’s Corner

CHILDREN’S CHRISTMAS PROGRAM 

Please come and enjoy the children’s Christmas Program on December 14 at the 10:35 service.  (There will be NO 8:15 service on this day.)  We will have a potluck and the ALL church conference following the service.  There will be childcare for all ages and Christmas crafts and a movie for the elementary children.  Come one and all for food, fellowship, and fun!

CHRISTMAS CAROLING

Help us spread holiday cheer and make the day a little brighter for some of our FUMC members by caroling with us on Wednesday, December 17.  We will meet in the parlor at 6 pm to warm up.  We will go caroling at two nursing homes and to some of our homebound members.  Those with small children will go to the nursing homes so they will not be out in the cold.  After caroling, we will meet back at the church for some cookies and hot chocolate.  Wear your Christmas sweater and bring your voices!  Fa la la la la la la…

HALF TIME

Mark your calendars now for our next Half-Time session which will begin on January 21, 2009!

Youth News

Round Up

On Saturday, eight youth and two adults from FUMC spent the day in Lawrence at Round-Up For Hunger.  They took flood buckets, health kits and layettes that were distributed to agencies to help people in need.  All food that was donated stayed here in our pantry, but it was valued and we received credit for it at Round-Up.  Our total donations were valued at over $5000.  Many thanks to all of you for your generosity.

DC Study Tour

The Kansas East Conference is planning a youth trip to Washington DC for March 18-25.  Youth attending will visit many sites in D.C. as they discover new ways to apply their faith to daily life.  Students must be in high school in order to attend.  If you are interested, but feel that money is an issue, please contact Barb.  We may have some resources for you.

KC Plaza Trip

Our annual trip to Kansas City to worship at St. James, shop and go to the Plaza is scheduled for Sunday, December 7.  St. James is a predominantly African-American congregation and worship there is an energetic and exciting experience.  It is a great day.  Youth interested in attending need to have 500 miles.  Mark your calendars and plan on joining us.

Summer Mission Trip

Our summer mission trip is set for July 10-18, and we will be serving in the name of Christ on a Native American reservation in Red Lake, MN.  Youth in grades 8-12 who are interested in going on this trip need to get a $50 deposit to Barb.

Secret Santa’s

Any youth interested in being       

a “Secret Santa” this year MUST contact Barb by Sunday, November 30.

Children’s Christmas Eve Service

Youth will be leading the Children’s Christmas Eve service at 4:30.  This informal service is geared specifically towards families with preschool and grade school age children.  Any youth available to help with this are asked to sign up on the bulletin board.