A Publication of Ann Street United Methodist Church

Rev. Taylor Mills The Chimes Pastor “Making disciples of Jesus Christ by the Telephone: 728-4279 sea and throughout God’s creation”

The church office will be closed from noon on Christmas Eve and re-open on Monday, January 4, 2020.

Youth News Chick-fil-A Wednesdays High School Students There will be no January Wednesdays at 12 noon meet us at the oak trees 2021 Chimes. and picnic tables on the waterfront beside the Dock Blood Drive House Ann Street United Methodist FREE Chick-fil-A and devotion Church will host an American RSVP to Julia by 10 am Wednesdays. Red Cross Blood Drive on Monday, December 7th, 9:00 Christmas Caroling a.m. - 3:00 p.m. The need for Christmas Party and Holiday food drive! blood continues. The Red December 20th 4:00 - 7:30pm Cross follows strict safety guidelines. Make an appoint- Bring a $5 gift for White Elephant ment to donate at Bring canned and non-perishable food for community www.redcrossblood.org. If you food bank. would like to be a part of our Children’s News volunteer team, contact John Sunday School McLeod at 252-223-3877. Children’s Sunday School is taking a break in November Please, be in prayer for the blood drive donors, workers, and we will start back in December focusing on Advent volunteers, and the patients and Christmas. receiving blood. Thank you for Facebook: Ann Street UMC Children’s Ministry saving a life. New Sunday School books are in! God bless, Family Devotional book available “Journeying Together” John McLeod with an outdoor focus.

OUR PRAYER CONCERNS TODAY: T. Lee Allen, Curt Barry, David and Prissy Beveridge, Pam Boyd, Susan Boyd, John Brooks, Jean Chappell, Charles and Erinanne Clark, Nelson Covington, Darryl Davis, Elva Debois, Bitsy Dudley, Carl Edwards, Aiden Elder, Jim Fix, Rosemary Garrish, Lucille Garvin, Chase Goodwin, Joyce Gutknecht, Anita Hardesty, Richard and Dorothy Harker, Dianna Herring, Sally Herring, Baxley Hoover, Cindy Kimrey, Catherine Lanier, Jim Ledbetter, Beverly Pigford, Andra Pond, Jerry Reiter, Cheryl Simpson, Tony Smith, Sarah Sorrell, Patty Springle, Sam Stainback, Dianna and Freddy Voliva, Chuck Wade, Jason Watson, the family of Charles Weatherby, Jr. Adam and Kristin White, Blanche Williams and for the UMC and all churches. From the Pastor: God's peace to you, Ann St UMC! You are persevering through the great pandemic that has changed our whole lives since last March. But to your credit and God's glory you have embraced new ways of doing our favorite old things. And you have engaged in new ministry that you might not have tried otherwise. As you get this last issue of The Chimes for 2020, and as Thanksgiving is soon approaching, let us look back and be thankful:  For how we haven't missed a Sunday worship and we have taken our worship to live stream and the radio,  for how we provided families with alternate school care when schools were closed and now after school care,  for how you have kept up so many small group activities through alternate ways of gathering, and  for how you have faithfully supported our ministry through your tithes and offerings, Just as soon as Thanksgiving is behind us, Advent starts that Sunday. This year we have for you an Advent devotional book, four weekly services with the lighting of the Advent wreath candles, an Advent Pastor's Bible Study, and three Christmas Eve services. Each of the three Christmas Eve services are rather different from one another, offering you choices. Please review their descriptions and plan what is best for you and your family. Advent and Christmas are God's vital reminder to us that we are not alone in this world, pandemic or not. God has not left us to our own devices but comes to us as Jesus our Emmanuel (which means God-with-us). As the seasons change and we face old and new challenges, may we remember that God is with us in the Holy Spirit of the One who was born to a world in turmoil, Jesus our Emmanuel. Peace on Earth, Pastor Taylor Mills Coronavirus Task Force Update We are very pleased to report that our safety protocols for worship and other activities are effective. However, cases of COVID 19 in our county and state are increasing. Our task force is monitoring this data and taking into account the guidance of officials. To that end, we are returning our small group maximum size to 15 effective November 15. If further changes are necessary, notification will go out from the church from email, pre-recorded phone call, and social media. Thank you for your cooperation and support! Rev. Taylor Mills Dr. Brady Way (chair) Pastor's Bible Study for Advent 1. Dec. 1 - Matthew 1:18-25 - God chose to set things right in the world through the power of a baby. 2. Dec. 8 - Luke 2:8-18 - An angel proclaimed Christ's birth to the shepherds and was immediately joined by a choir, a multitude, of angels who sang a heavenly song. 3. Dec. 15 - Matthew 2:1-11 - We can learn much from these mystical strangers who came seeking the one who was to be born King of the Jews. Dec. 22 - Luke 2:25-38 - When he was only eight days old, an old man and an old woman met him and his parents at the temple and declared him to be the Messiah. (No class on Dec. 29) Classes are on Zoom at 10:30AM on Tuesdays and are recorded and uploaded to our YouTube channel for anyone to view and study with us. The Zoom link can be found in our weekly e-newsletter or by emailing [email protected]. From the Pastor cont’d

TIME LOCATION NOTES

3PM Grayden Paul Park Outdoor interactive and participatory children’s Christmas 718 Front St Eve service called "The Night Jesus was Born." Includes (masked) carol-singing and Communion with liturgy especially for children.

5PM Grayden Paul Park Outdoor family service with (masked) carol-singing, candles, 718 Front St and Communion. Bring your own chair and light a candle as the sun goes down.

7PM Ann St. UMC Indoor traditional service with candles and Communion. sanctuary and live Followed by an optional outdoor (masked) carol-singing in streamed on face- front of the church. book.com/asumc

Stewardship God blessed us with a wonderful Consecration Sunday and All Saints Sunday on November 1st. Many of you joined us for worship in person or online. Our beloved Saints were remembered. Claire Cox-Woodlief delivered a wonderful message. It was exciting to see members of our congregation as they picked up their chicken dinners. Conversations held through car windows were a great joy. We came together as a church family. Estimates of Giving were made by 83 families/individuals amounting to $424,009 of pledged financial support for 2021. God is working through Ann Street United Methodist. Thank you for being a part of His work. God Bless John McLeod

After School Care Things are going great! We are operating Monday - Friday 2pm-6pm with school pick-up! This is an exciting new ministry and service to families in the Beaufort community. WE STILL HAVE SPACE so please share about our new program and ask those interested to contact Julia Royall Johnson [email protected].

Special Holiday Schedule We will be open for full day care (7:30am - 5:30pm) Monday &Tuesday December 21st & 22nd. We will be closed for the Christmas and New Year’s Holiday from December 23rd - January 3rd. We will be open Monday January 4th and Tuesday January 5th for full day care, 7:30am - 5:30pm. Registra- tion can be found on our website under the ASC tab and throughout our regular communications starting December 7th.

Children’s Christmas Eve Service - “The Night Jesus was Born”

Join us on Thursday, December 24th at 3pm for an interactive and exciting children's Christmas Eve service. This outdoor service will take place at Grayden Paul Town Park (the kayak launch) on Front Street in downtown Beaufort. This service, for the whole family, will offer your child the opportunity to step into the shoes of someone who was there the night Jesus was born; maybe a sheep, a wise man, or even Mary! As we journey through the Christmas story together, we will sing carols and have special child-friendly language with the communion liturgy.

Let us remember in our prayers and thoughts those connected to our church family serving our country in foreign lands: Sgt. Mason Booth, US Army, Rusty Cotterman-SF, CSM John M. Farlow, Michael Hart-NG, SSgt. Joshua W. Jones, Sgt. Jason Peterson, ENS. Jack Phillips, CPT. Wade Sokolosky, Jr.

Thanks and Praise

To Ann Street United Methodist Church, Please forgive me for taking so long to express my thanks to Ann Street UMC, Rev. Taylor Mills and so many wonderful members. To all who sent cards of condolence, thank you for your sweet sentiments. To all who sent flowers, plants and a tree, thank you for brightening a sorrowful time. To everyone who prepared or purchased an array of delicious food, thank you for suppling suste- nance for family and friends visiting and sharing their memories of Tina. For those of you that made monetary contributions at a critical time of austerity, thank you for seeing a need and helping to assuage it. To the anonymous church members who contributed to the replacement of our air conditioner when Tina was struggling with breathing, thank you, thank you, thank you for meeting that need at a critical time during Tina’s treatment. To the men and women who financed or operated the United Methodist Response Team that replaced a section of our roof, thank you so much for that repair and preventing interior damage, expenses we could not afford. In all of this I see the Kingdom of God at work so finally, thank you God for your gifts and your guidance. Reflecting on Rev. Mills’ sermon from November 7th on the virgin’s lamps, thank you Ann Street for the “oil”. The “oil” in Ann Street’s reservoir depends on our tithes and offerings so thank you to those who made donations to the church and HD equipment in Honor and Memory of my beloved wife Tina Gilchrist. In Christ, Doug Gilchrist

Pastor Mills, Thank you for providing volunteers that help feed our work crews for Habitat for Humanity. We at Crystal Coast HFH would liked to do a special “Shout out” to Barb Fix, she provided lunches in July, August, and September. “Those that can do. Those that can do more, volunteer!” We thank your church and Barb for taking the extra step! Bless you! Crystal Coast Habitat for Humanity

Reverend Taylor and Members of Ann Street UMC, Thank you for allowing me to share in your Charge Conference! What a blessing you were to me on a rainy Sunday afternoon. Keep loving God, each other, and your neighbors more loudly than the noise of this world. I look forward to seeing you soon in person. Kim Smith Sound District Lay Leader Non-Profit Org. The Chimes U.S. Postage Paid Permit # 10 Beaufort, NC December 2020 28516

OFFICE and STAFF INFORMATION 417 Ann St. Beaufort, NC 28516 Office-252-728-4279, Fax-252-504-3865, Preschool-252-728-5411 E-mail address: [email protected] Web page: www.annstreetumc.org Polly Conrad, Administrative Secretary, Rhoda Allred, Assistant to the Pastor for Visitation, Laura Lewis, Financial Secretary, Julia Royall Johnson, Children and Youth Director, Chris Barnes, Preschool Director, Joe McCreary, Director of Music, Kandice Davis, Organist, Lee Jones, Custodian, and Rachel Wyman-Dawson, Communication Specialist.