Montgomery United Methodist Church 117 Sunset Road, Belle Mead, NJ 08502 - 908-874-3273 www.WelcomeChurch.net - The Rev. Dr. Anthony J. Godlefski, Senior Pastor The Weekly Reminder – December 22nd & 29th, 2019

Service of Worship at 9:30 AM Greetings from the Pastor

Dear Friend in Christ, I looked out my window this morning as the sun was rising and I saw a patch of snow on a nearby roof. The angle of the sun was glistening upon the snow. The snowflakes caught the light in such a way that the little white patch had become a blanket of diamonds. Sparkles of orange and red and blue and green and yellow danced upon the surface of the cold white patch of snow. How wonderful of God to tuck such beauty into that little area. I am wondering if you feel overwhelmed by this season? It's easy to get lost in the flurry of all the things we need to do. But I would invite you to stop in the midst of all this, and simply take a moment to be still. Wherever you are, whatever's going on, take a moment to be still and remember that the Lord is God, and that He loves you very much. Take a moment to be still and admire the beauty that he has placed within every moment. God has placed little miracles like the sparkles in the snowflakes to remind us that He is with us, that He loves us, and that He wants us to be mindful of His goodness and love for you. May you take a moment to be mindful this Christmas. I hope I get to say hello to you this Christmas time. I look forward to the privilege of greeting you and personally wishing you a Merry Christmas. God bless you, Friend. See you in Church!

Your friend in Christ, Pastor Tony

2. Looking for a Church Home? If you have no church home in this area, we warmly invite you to become part of the “Welcome Church” family. Please see the Pastor for more details.

3. Today’s Schedule Here is the schedule of events for this Sunday: • 9:30 AM service of worship. • Coffee and fellowship. • Christmas Eve and Reader Rehearsal • Discovery Bible Study

4. Christmas Eve Ushers and Acolyte Needed There are opportunities for ushers to be a part of Christmas Eve services at 4 PM and 8 PM. We are also in need of an acolyte. If you are interested, please contact Don Culbertson at (908) 963-2161 or email him at [email protected]. There will be a rehearsal for all ushers on December 22nd, 2019 after coffee and fellowship.

5. Christmas Eve Helpers Christmas Eve is this Tuesday. We still need some help for those special services. If you are willing to read, or help with ushering, please see Pastor Tony after the service today. Thank you so much!

6. About the Christmas Eve service at 4 PM Our 4 PM Christmas Eve service will be a pageant for everyone! Children and adults alike will be invited to take part in a "stress-free" Christmas pageant narrated by Pastor Tony. Always wanted to be in a Christmas pageant, but never had the chance? This is your chance! Costume helpers will be present. Or, you can simply sit in the congregation and be one of the townspeople. Come take part in the joy of Christmas!

7. The Great Christmas Offering The Finance Team wishes to thank you for your abundant generosity throughout the year. We are getting close to meeting our goal for the Great Christmas Offering, which supports United Methodist mission work around the world. We hope you will consider a generous year-end gift to the Lord's work through your Church. The special Christmas offering envelopes will be used for the Great Christmas Offering. Thank you in advance for your generosity - both now and throughout the year. The Stewardship and Finance Team.

8. The Sunday After Christmas Next Sunday, December 29th, 2019 we will continue the joyous celebration of our Lord's birth. It will be at this service that we will have the first official sounding of our new William H. Scheide Memorial Pipe Organ! We are pleased to tell you that the generous donor of this wonderful instrument intends to be with us on that day. Please come and help us worship the Lord at this Christmas time, and to thank Mrs. Scheide for her kind generosity toward our Church.

9. Hope for the Holidays: Christmas with Jared Picone and Friends You’re invited to enjoy an evening of Christmas music with Jared Picone and Friends on Saturday, December 28th, 2019 at Holy Trinity Episcopal Church, 90 Leonardine Avenue, South River, NJ. Come enjoy a free spaghetti dinner and be inspired by Jared Picone and Friends. Dinner will be served at 5:30 PM, followed by the concert at 7 PM. A free will offering will support cancer research.

10. About Spoken Announcements We ask that you help us all stay on schedule by keeping your announcement to 30 seconds. There will be a digital timer in the pulpit to help you do this. The light will flash green to indicate you’re within 30 seconds. Please keep an eye on the timer. Thank you so much!

11. Chapel of Peace A live image of our altar area and quiet music will be available Friday evening through Sunday morning. If you’d like to have a quiet time of prayer at your computer screen, tune into www.WelcomeChurch.net and click on “Live Broadcast”. Please enjoy the peace of our sanctuary during the weekend.

12. Happy Birthday to You! December - 1 - Nancy Kuziola; 3 - Heidi Runnells; 7 - Mike Thompson; 8 - Marie Poelstra †; 10 - Ajalyn Turanski; 14 - David Lawrence; 14 - Doug Mallett; 15 - Shelley Cincotta; 15 - Lennix Varela-Turanski; 15 - Claire Solonick; 16 - Gavin Lawrence; 17 - Rev. Marion Sanders; 18 - Natalia Lefebvre; 18 - Wade Cardinal; 21 - Sarah Ladyman-Ulivella; 21 - Bob Bjornsen; 21 - Gloria Lagerman; 22 - Vyola Willson; 25 - Baby Jesus; 27 - Ali Specht; 27 - Mike Kester; 28 - C.J. Benito; 28 - Joan Musante; 29 - Len Thompson; 30 - LaToya Thomas; 31 - Leo Jurado January (partial) - 1 - Sharon Fantozzi!; 1 - Rohan Samuels!; 3 - Joey Cincotta!; 3 - Keith Fleischer; 3! - Kieran Kessinger!; 4 - Mary Dubberly; 4! - Carrie Heckel !

13. The Prayer List Let us surround our loved ones and friends with the blessed power of prayer: • Let us pray for Marc Brodeur, Pat Stern’s son-in-law, who is undergoing a heart procedure; (12/1/2019) • Let us keep Latoya Thomas’ family in our prayers - her Aunt passed away after an illness; (11/24/2019) • Prayers for Rob Cheek in the passing of his beloved mother, Eileen Cheek; (11/17/2019) • Let us pray for Joe Librizzi’s sister, Marion, and brother, Roy for increasingly good health; • Prayers for Nina Hunter, Savannah Hunter’s mother, who is recovering from a right hip replacement, as well as thanksgiving for being 16 years cancer free; • For a family dealing with the passing of their beloved son; (11/5/2019) • Prayers for Patrick Ploe, Deb Ploe’s brother, for a full and complete healing from retina surgery on Thursday October 31, 2019; 10/30/2019 • For Sam Sapienza III, father of Sam Sapienza IV, undergoing cancer treatment; 10/30/2019 • For Paul Ammirata, Jean’s son, for healing after surgery; • For Barbara Elisa Patricia Foster, beloved mother of Kaye Foster, who passed away on August 11th, 2019. Please uphold Kaye and her family in your prayers; (8/16/2019) • Please pray for Cathy Johnson- Brown’s brother Bill Johnson, for healing; (6/25/2019) • For Ashley Snyder, for healing (6/13/2019); • For Barbara, a friend of Sue Wilder, for recovery from surgery; (5/16/2019) • For Bill Potter, for relief from back issues and pinched nerves; (5/14/2019) • For Anthony Bottitta, Hedy’s husband, for good health. Please also remember Hedy Bottitta in your prayers as she recovers from a torn rotator cuff; (1/10/2019) • For Karen Fleischer’s Mother, for strength and good health; (11/21/2018) • For the sister of Steve Cooper, for comfort and healing; (10/11/2018) • For Bob and Sandi Bjornsen, for increasingly good health for themselves and family members; (10/11/2018)

“Hold me in your prayers, Friend, hold me in your prayers; half the power of praying is knowing someone cares.” (Marcus Bach)

Guidelines: Names will remain on the Prayer List for 30 days. If you wish to keep the request for a longer period, simply call the Church office at (908) 874-3272 or contact Nancy Hranek at [email protected] or (609) 954-6743. Prayer requests can be renewed as often as you wish.

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