Newsletter - St. James United Methodist Church

Volume 9, Number 23
December 17, 2014
“Beloved, let us love one
another, because love is
from God; everyone who
loves is born of God and
knows God. Whoever
does not love does not
know God, for God is
love. God’s love was
revealed among us in
this way: God sent his only Son into the world so that we might live
through him. In this is love, not that we loved God but that he loved
us and sent his Son to be the atoning sacrifice for our sins. Beloved,
since God loved us so much, we also ought to love one another.”
(1 John 4:7-11)
The writer of 1 John makes it very clear that love is the message of
Christmas – that God sent his son out of love for us to reveal God’s
love to us, and it is only when we can love one another as he has
loved us that we can truly know God, because God is love – that’s
the essence of who God is.
3100 Barrow Street
Abilene, TX 79605
Phone: 325-692-0263
E-mail: church@sjumc.com
The DRI Craft
Group made
Christmas napkin
holders this month.
Thanks to Jim
DeWitt for making
the napkin holders
for us to decorate.
Christina Rossetti, who wrote In the Bleak Midwinter, also wrote
another poem that has become a Christmas carol, Love Came Down
at Christmas, which beautifully captures this truth:
Love came down at Christmas,
Love all lovely, Love Divine;
Love was born at Christmas,
Star and Angels gave the sign.
Worship we the Godhead,
Love Incarnate, Love Divine;
Worship we our Jesus:
But wherewith for sacred sign?
Love shall be our token,
Love be yours and love be mine,
Love to God and all men,
Love for plea and gift and sign.
Such a simple message, but one we need to be reminded of during a
season that we have made anything but simple. So let us not get so
caught up in the frantic race against time to get in all the shopping,
parties, decorations, greeting cards, baking, house cleaning, meal
preparation, that we are too exhausted and spent to ponder the true
gift of Christmas – the simple gift of love. And may we share that
love as freely and indiscriminately as Jesus did, even (or especially)
with those it is so hard to love. And may our love for one another be
the sign of God’s love in us.
May love be yours and love be mine,
Jeanie
Sunday, December 21
Worship: But His Mother Only
Advent Candle Lighters:
Jay and Barbara Swonger
Children’s Christmas Presentation
March to the Manger
Wednesday, December 24
Christmas Eve Candle Light Service - 6:00 p.m.
What Can I Give Him?
Advent Candle Lighters: Jean Gore and
Richard and Karen Stacy
Staff Meeting
Tuesday, January 6, 2015
4 PM - Church Library
Page 2
Revelations
December 29 - January 2
Juarez Mexico
Financial Peace University is a life-changing 9-week program
on personal finance. It is designed to empower people to
manage their money better, eliminate debt, and build wealth.
All material is biblically based and taught via entertaining video
by Dave Ramsey.
This course is designed for you if…
 You think to yourself, “I can’t afford this program.”
 You feel like your money has control over you.
 You struggle in your marriage due to financial problems.
 You do not have a clear understanding of real estate and
mortgages, college planning, bargain buying, credit
reports, etc.
 You do not understand stocks, bonds, mutual funds, or
how to invest for your future.
 You live paycheck to paycheck. (Too much month at the
end of the money)
 You carry large credit card balances or use debt
consolidation loans.
Financial Peace University will meet Sunday evenings from
6-7:30 p.m. beginning January 11, 2015. The cost is $93 per
family. Child care will be provided.
To register, look for this form in Sunday’s bulletin, or copy this
form, fill it in and place it along with the registration fee in the
collection plate or leave it with Elaine in the church office.
Make checks out to St. James United Methodist Church and
put FPU on the memo line.
Name ____________________________________________
Address __________________________________________
City, State, Zip _____________________________________
Telephone ________________________________________
E-mail Address ____________________________________
Mark Your Calendars!
Coming! January 24, 2015
St. James UMC Annual Winter Fest
Chili and Cheesecake Cook Off
Make plans now to bring your family and
friends for an evening of fun, fellowship,
Bingo, raffles, and excellent food. All proceeds from the
sale of raffle tickets will go toward children’s ministries.
Prizes will be awarded for the best pot of chili and the
best tasting cheesecake. Everyone is encouraged to
participate in the cook off. Start searching for those
award winning recipes! Competition is fierce!
Proyecto Abrigo was founded in 1996 by Rev. Jose Luis
Portillo in Tierra Nueva, Mexico. Since then, over 7,000
homes, two churches, a medical clinic, and a vocational
school have been built to serve the poorer communities
outside of Juarez, Mexico. The houses, built of cinderblock,
measure 12′ by 24′ and have a cement floor. Each team is
aided by maestros, who show the team how to mix the mortar
and cement and lay the blocks. The family, when able, often
helps the team with the building of their new home. At the end
of the week, the team and family participate in a house
dedication. Teams stay in cinderblock dorms located within an
enclosed compound built similarly to the houses they are
constructing. Bunk beds with foam pads line the large
sleeping rooms. Running water, toilets, and showers are
available in each dorm. Bottled water is also provided for the
teams. Breakfast, lunch and dinner are served in the dining
hall at the dorms everyday. The food is well prepared and
safe for consumption. Wireless internet is also available at the
Proyecto Abrigo dorms.
If you are interested in going, the cost is $150 per student and
$200 per adult. If you would like to make a donation to help
with expenses, make your check payable to St. James UMC
and put “mission trip” on the memo line.
Christmas Cantata
Volume 9, Number 23
Thanks to everyone who contributed to the Salvation
Army Angel Tree, the Methodist Children’s Home, and
Friends for Life. You have made Christmas dreams come
true for young and old
alike!
The St. James Handbell Choir accompanied the
congregation on the hymns as well as bringing special
music for the Christmas season.
Advent Candlelighters
Bill and Paula Hughes
Garry & Delores Borg
Youth Lock In
St. James Youth joined with the youth group from Glen
Rose UMC for an evening of worship and fun at Primetime.
Page 3
Travel Mercies for Denton Berry and Denny
Turner, Martha Murphy, Gerald Bennett (Dottie
Woods uncle), Maggie Christensen, Karen Stacy
(hip replacement), Jay Swonger, Jack Payne
(Mission Team Leader), Charles Arnold, Sean Woods, Cody
(Paula Hughes’ son), Foye Flood, Billy Goodrich, Cole Watts,
Kelly Lynn Kincaid (Margie Flores’ niece), Amanda Nichols
(cancer) (Granddaughter of Denny Turner’s friend), Sue
Flores (Margie Flores’ mother), Ken Johnston (cancer),
Amber Richardson (Denny Turner’s friend), Chris Morris
(brother of Lindsay Williamson’s friend), Katrina (Diana Fish’s
sister), Shirley Scalf, John and Christina Cizek (Margie Flores’
co-workers), Glen Vickers (lung cancer) (friend of Mary and
Casey Welch), Teeny Dunnam, Etta Imboden (broken foot)
(Misti Kingston’s grandmother), Addie Hargett (Diana Fish’s
mother), Matthew Wander (cancer) (Vicki Cullar’s cousin),
Brenda Hollis (Michael’s mother), Wanda Fuller (Lynn
Wilkinson’s friend), Joyce Cass (Charles Arnold’s son-in-law’s
mother), Paul David Casanova (Grandson of Sides’ friends),
Jordan Kozlin (Diana Fish’s niece), Mike Brehm (Betsy
Graham’s father), Sheri (Dick & Annette Evatt’s daughter),
Kellie Spencer (Diana Fish’s friend), Sara Bradford
(Christensen’s granddaughter), Lady Jane Young (Nancy
Wilkinson’s mother), Trish & Carole (Beth Bryson’s friends),
Joe Becker (Don Christensen’s friend), Pat Williamson,
Michael Woods, Brady Smith, Mark Woods, Rain, Pillow
Recipients, St. James' Homebound, Our Military Personnel,
Unspoken Requests.
The Jan-Feb 2015
issues of The
Upper Room and
Devozine may be
found on the table
in the church foyer.
Large print copies
of The Upper
Room are also
available. Devozine
is a devotional lifestyle magazine by teens for teens.
The Patriarchs: Encountering the God of
Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob
by Beth Moore
Patriarchs is a 10 week journey through
Genesis 12-50. Discover God's pursuit of
a relationship with man, and marvel as His
plan to bless all people unfolds. Full of
twists and turns, ruin and redemption,
revelation and mystery this Bible study
keeps participants captivated by the God who stars in it!
Explore concepts such as blessing, covenant, and promise,
and the bearing each has on a New Testament believer's life
today. Group members will also study the Hebrew names of
God introduced on the early pages of Scripture. Many of the
most profound and enduring concepts in the whole counsel of
God's Word are initiated in this marvelous book of
beginnings.
This study will begin on Thursday, January 15, 2015, at 6:00
p.m. in the Bell Room. The cost for a workbook is $15.95.
Watch for a registration form in your church bulletin!
Page 4
Revelations
Methodist Food Pantry Shopping List
Tuna
Stew
Corn bread mix
Macaroni & Cheese
Chili
soup
Canned chicken
Check off your list and put your groceries
In the cart in the foyer or in the picnic
Basket at the east door! remember to bring used
books, magazines, & plastic Grocery bags!
Join us for Wednesday Evening Fellowship
Meals each week at 5:30 p.m. in fellowship
hall. Here’s what’s for dinner for the next few
weeks:
December 17th - Chicken Spaghetti
December 24th & 31st - No Meal!
January 7th - Soup
Cost: $3 per meal; children under six eat free.
College students eat free!
Come out and join us for good food and great fellowship.
Food Pantry Service
Tuesday, January 13th - 4-8 PM
1102 N. Willis
Volunteer to work a two-hour shift!
The United Methodist Service Center and Food
Pantry needs the following personal hygiene
items:
Toilet Tissue
Toothbrushes
Bath Soap
Shampoo
Toothpaste
Diapers (any size)
Put items in the food pantry basket located in the church
foyer. Travel sizes work great!
“Clip for Jane Long Elementary School
& McCurdy School”
Box Tops & Bar Codes
Bar Code
Have you been clipping and saving box tops and bar
codes? Put them in your pastel “Box Tops & Bar Codes”
envelope. Bring the envelope to church on Sunday,
December 28th. Don’t have a pastel envelope? Any
envelope or baggie will do! Check the expiration date!
Budget for 2014……………………..…..…….$286,730
Needed Per Month…...………….….……...…..$23,894
Received in December………........................$21, 089
Total Deposits…………………………………$283,629
Expenses………………...…………………….$260,754
2014 Shared Ministries………………………………….$32,803
Deposits…………………………………………………..$25,695
Disbursements…………………………………..…..…...$24,801
Special Offerings for 2014:
Build Renew Rejoice………………………………………..$185
Imagine No Malaria……………………………….…....…...$384
Human Relations Day………………………………………...$97
One Great Hour of Sharing…………………………………$753
Native American Ministries Sunday……………………….$248
Peace with Justice Sunday…………………………………$218
World Communion Sunday…………………………………$236
UM Student Day………………………………………………$63
“Celebrating God’s Love!”
Sunday Services:
Sunday School
Worship
Y.U.T.C. (Youth under the Cross)
Manna Bible Study
Wednesdays:
Fellowship Meal
Choir Rehearsal
9:00am
10:00am
5:00pm
5:00pm
5:30pm
7:00pm
Date
Sunday
School
Worship
11/23/14
56
118
11/30/14
49
95
12/07/14
67
114
12/14/14
57
107
St. James UMC Staff:
Jeanie Williams, Pastor
Elaine DeWitt, Secretary
Lucas Stultz, Nursery
Karsten Pippins, Nursery
Jewels Howard, Nursery
Amanda Hollis, Music Director
Jerry Kingston, Bell Choir Director
Lora Lynn Christensen, Pianist
Shannon Ives, Children’s Ministry
Jack Payne, Youth Director
Volume 9, Number 23
Page 5
If you are interested in becoming a Food Pantry Partner by contributing to the Building Fund,
pledge cards will be available soon in the church bulletin.