Pylon, Dec. 2020 & Jan. 2021
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Woodmar United Methodist Church Making disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world Pastor Esta Rosario December 2020 & January 2021 PASTOR’S PONDERINGS Dear Families and Friends of Woodmar UMC, Grace and peace to you in the name of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ! Happy New Year! Yes, I do realize that we are just beginning the month of December, so I will say it again…Happy New Year! For Christians, ADVENT is the beginning of the liturgical year, and No- vember 29th is the first Sunday in Advent…Happy New Year! The four weeks leading up to Christmas mark a special time in the life of the church. During Advent we are invited to slow down…to reflect on what the birth of the baby Jesus means not just for us, but for everyone! We are also invited to reflect on how the Second Coming of Christ impacts our lives today…how Christ gives our lives meaning and purpose. Advent is a time of introspection…waiting… watching…being alert…of expectant hope for the future. I shared in the November Pylon that we are beginning a new tradition at Woodmar…we’re going to give this Christmas away. Last year during Advent, I preached a series called “The Advent Conspira- cy.” As you already know, I realized during my preparation for the first Sunday of Advent that this sort of series needs a longer prep time for ALL of us to take action together, so I preached the series again in July. I’ll be preaching the same series with different scriptures & different sermons, but the same themes in Advent. I invite you to prepare your hearts for Advent by reading and meditating on these scriptures the week leading up to each Sunday. Sunday, November 29, 2020, ADVENT I: Worship Fully in Daily Living Mark 13:24-37 Sunday, December 6, ADVENT II: Prepare the Way by Spending Less Mark 1:1-8 Sunday, December 13, ADVENT III: Be a Witness by Giving More John 1:6-8, 19-28 Sunday, December 20, ADVENT IV: God Sent Jesus to Help Us Love All Luke 1:26-38 You should have received your Advent Devotional by now. If you haven’t, please, please contact the church office via email: [email protected] or phone 219-844-3030, and we will get one to you! The purpose of participating in “The Advent Conspiracy” is to raise our awareness of how easy it is to get pulled into the secular Christmas and to remind us that we are called to so much more than the world offers us. We are to worship fully every single day with the way we live, to spend less, to give more and to love all. “The Advent Conspiracy” is helping us reshape our thinking about Christmas in a way that is more in line with who we are as followers of Jesus. This year, will you please prayerfully consider giving sacrificially to a project that cannot be accomplished as individuals and will make a difference in the community? During Advent we have many opportunities for sharing the resources God has entrusted to us: 1. Reverse Advent - Every day throughout Advent (November 29th - December 24th), thank God for your blessings and set aside a non-perishable food item (canned vegetables, fruits, soups) to donate to the Hammond First United Methodist Food Pantry. By December 24th you will have collected 26 cans of food to donate. Together, we will make a positive impact on hunger in our community! (Continued on page 2) 1 (continued from page 1) 2. Save $$ to give generously to the Literacy Project we will be launching in January 2021. The government subsidized program for Women, Infants & Children (WIC) is allowing us to give a Ziploc bag with a children's book and a tip sheet for reading with children. This is a beautiful opportunity for us to invest in the children of our community. Let's conspire to approach Christmas differently this year and give sacrificially to this effort. Please mark "Literacy Project" on the memo line of your check. (We are able to purchase a board book Brown Bear, Brown Bear for $5.50 through Scholastic. $275 will allow us to assemble 50 bags to launch our Literacy Project. Beloved Children of God...how many literacy bags will we be able to fill in January 2021? I can't wait to see how God's Holy Spirit moves in us and through us!) 3. The Bishop's Children's Offering: The offering we receive for Christmas Eve will go towards The Bishop's Children's Offering. These funds are used to help children around the world and in local communities. Let's conspire to approach Christmas differently this year and give sacrificially to this effort! Please mark "Bishop's Offering" on the memo line of your check. I invite you to listen to this song as you prayerfully consider how you will choose to steward the resources God has entrusted to you: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9BVGkb5bxRY. Here are the lyrics by Matthew West: What if I told you, you have the power to give someone hope far beyond their wildest dreams? What if I told you it’s right there in your hands? In your hands. It's hard to imagine how something so small can make all the difference, tear down the tallest wall. What if December looked different this year? What if we all just give this Christmas away? If there’s love in your heart, don’t let it stay there. Give this Christmas away, and your life will be changed by the gift you receive when you give this Christmas away. It’s feeding the hungry; it’s serving the poor; It’s telling the orphan: You’re not forgotten anymore. It’s doing what love does even when no one’s watching you. Give this Christmas away. If there’s love in your heart, don’t let it stay there. Give this Christmas away, and your life will be changed by the gift you receive when you give this Christmas away. For God so loved the world, He gave His only Son, So we could be His hands, His feet, His love…His love. What if I told you, you have the power to give someone hope far beyond their wildest dreams? What if December looked different this year? What if we all just give this Christmas away? If there’s love in your heart, don’t let it stay there. Give this Christmas away, and your life will be changed by the gift you receive when you give this Christmas away. During this blessed season of expectant hope and joy, may we learn to worship fully, spend less, give more, and love all…for the glory of God! Amen. Conspiring with you to share the love & joy of Jesus! Pastor Esta 2 ZOOM Evening Prayers Monday - Thursday at 8PM we are gathering for 15 minutes via Zoom for Evening Prayers. If you have a specific prayer request you would like to have lifted up, please email me by 7:30PM: ero- [email protected] and I will include your request in our prayers. It is a meaningful time of con- nection and uniting in prayer during these uncertain times. If you haven't logged in to Zoom before, I suggest beginning to log on by 7:40 or 7:45 to allow time for your computer or device to download the Zoom app. The first time it may take several minutes to get into the meeting. If you prefer, you may simply call the number listed below to enter the meet- ing. Calling in allows you to hear the meeting and to share if you'd like to! Esta Rosario is inviting you to a scheduled Zoom meeting. Topic: Evening Prayers Time: Sep 24, 2020 08:00 PM Central Time (US and Canada) Every week on Mon, Tue, Wed, Thu, until Feb 16, 2021, 50 occurrence(s) Please download and import the following iCalendar (.ics) files to your calendar system. Weekly: https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/tZIqc-mvpjIqG92O4nnGJttwJF3gUnC0pmfa/ics? icsToken=98tyKuGuqT8qHdycsBiORpwAB4-gc-3xiFhfjfoPs0vrDQd5dhfhHMQRNYdxM4jA Join Zoom Meeting https://us02web.zoom.us/j/86740789019?pwd=ZUdsaU9vcmpGNmd5V085RzljcmZoZz09 Meeting ID: 867 4078 9019 Passcode: 544563 One tap mobile +13126266799,,86740789019#,,,,,,0#,,544563# US (Chicago) Dial by your location +1 312 626 6799 US (Chicago) Meeting ID: 867 4078 9019# Passcode: 544563 INTENTIONAL FAITH DEVELOPMENT Our Racial Equity Habit Building Discussion Group is launching a Literacy Project in Hammond in January 2021. Through the month of December (and beyond!) we will raise funds to support this project. The government subsidized program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) has agreed to allow us to provide a Ziploc bag with a board book and tips for reading with young children for their clients. If you are interested in learning more about this, please contact Pastor Esta via calling/texting 219-669-4201 or email: [email protected]. 3 THE ADVENT CONSPIRACY STUDY will meet on the following days/times via ZOOM: WEDNESDAY STUDY WEEK 1, Worship Fully: Wednesday, November 18th at 6:30PM WEEK 2, Spend Less: Wednesday, December 2nd at 6:30PM WEEK3, Give More: Wednesday, December 9th at 6:30PM WEEK 4, Love All: Wednesday, December 16th at 6:30PM Esta Rosario is inviting you to a scheduled Zoom meeting. Topic: Advent Conspiracy Wednesday Evenings Time: Dec 2, 2020 06:30 PM Central Time (US and Canada) Every week on Wed, until Dec 16, 2020, 3 occurrence(s) Dec 2, 2020 06:30 PM Dec 9, 2020 06:30 PM Dec 16, 2020 06:30 PM Please download and import the following iCalendar (.ics) files to your calendar system.