December/January 2020-21 MUSTARD SEED
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D ecember/January Volume 51/52 I s s ue 12 /1 2020-21 MUSTARD SEED The Joy Is In The Giving Our church family offers us many ways to learn And Being Together! and grow together in ministry. Thank you to everyone who has given of their time and talents! Christmas Pageant Eli Nolan Baptism Sunday School Craft UPCOMING EVENTS ~Saturday, December 12th @ 5:00 p.m. - ONLINE Church Christmas Drama ~ Sunday, December 13th @ 5:00 p.m. - ONLINE Blue Christmas Service ~Thursday, December 24th - ONLINE Christmas Eve Services 4:00 & 8:00 p.m. ~Sunday, December 27th @ 9:30 AM - Guest preacher Marlin Hartman Topic: “Love it if we made it.” ~January 3rd - January31st - “Heal Us, Lord!” Sermon Series 2 - - Pastor’s Page Dec./Jan, 2020 21 “Nevertheless, there will be no more gloom for those who were in distress…. the people walking in darkness, have seen a Great Light; on those living in the land of deep darkness a Light has dawned. (Isaiah 9:1-20) Thanks be to God that 2020 is almost over. It’s been a year when a global pandemic gripped the whole earth. Af- ter such a year, we need to hear the Good News of God’s grace more than ever. We are desperate to see the light at the end of the tunnel. The invitation to prepare and wait for the arrival of a Savior has taken on a new meaning. Praise God for the gift of “Emmanuel,” God with us. Praise God for the birth of the babe in Bethlehem, whose life brings Hope and Peace for us all. I hope all of you had a restful and peaceful Thanksgiving. Like Thanksgiving, Christmas will be hard for many of us. We will be away from family and friends. We’ll continue to be reminded of the loneliness and isolation from the past year. Friends, let’s stay positive and practice gratitude in the coming weeks. While we cannot gather to- gether physically for worship, let’s remember that not everything is canceled. God’s love is not canceled. Christ’s birth is not canceled. The unchanging promise of Emmanuel is not canceled. The love of family and friends is not canceled. Yes, some Christmas traditions will be different this year. However, the heart of Christmas cannot be changed. So, let’s fill our hearts and minds with gratitude. Let’s utilize the gift of technology to connect with one another. May our spirits and home be filled with love this Christmas! The Northern Illinois Conference had its first Zoom Annual Conference on Nov. 14. (Above is a selfie in front of the computer during the Annual Conference). Here are some of the results of the Annual Conference. First, the Northern Illinois Conference is eliminating one district and renaming the rest. Starting in July 2021, we will be- long to the “Prairie South District.” This District covers the western half of Illinois and will be overseen by Dis- trict Superintendent, Rev. Brian Gilbert. Second, the NIC will receive a new (interim bishop). Bishop Sally Dyck is retiring at the end of 2020. Starting January 2021, interim Bishop John Hopkins will preside over the NIC. To learn more about what happened at Annual Conference, talk with Shari Millard or me. On December 6, Minooka UMC gathered virtually for our Charge Conference. This offered an opportunity for us to share our 2020 celebrations and 2021 plans with District Superintendent Jeffry Bross. Specifically, we offered an update on our plans to start building on Ridge Road in 2021. We received Rev. Bross’ blessing to continue our work of pursing God’s dreams for MUMC. I am grateful for your positive responses to our Advent sermon series, “Christmas at the Movies.” This is a fun and different way to hear the Christmas message through Hollywood Christmas Classics: A Christmas Carol, It’s Wonderful Life, and Home Alone. If you missed any of these messages, check them out on our Facebook Page and website. I pray that all of you can join us for our virtual Christmas Eve worship services (4:00 pm or 8:00 pm.) All services will be live-streamed on Facebook. If you’re not available at these times, you can visit our Facebook page and watch these services anytime. In January 2021, we will start a new sermon series, “Heal us, Lord!” This 5-week series will cover the importance of health: physically, mentally, relationally, spiritually, and emotionally. Will you make a resolution to be much healthier in 2021? If so, I hope you’ll make it a priority to join us for this series. Invite your loved ones to join us, as well. Sisters and brothers, let’s discover God’s gifts of Hope and Peace this Christmas and New Year. I pray that you and your loved ones stay healthy and well. Let’s wait and look forward to the arrival of God’s Savior, our Hope this Christmas. As we gather for worship, communion, candle lighting, and singing on Dec. 24, let’s proclaim that God loves us and God is with us always. Pastor Sarah 3 Minooka United Methodist Saturday 5:00 p.m. SUSPENDED Worship Church 205 West Church Street Sunday 9:30 a.m. Online Worship Minooka, IL 60447 815-467-2322 Please keep us informed of Tuesday & Friday 5 p.m. minookaumc.com members who are critically ill Online Devotion or in the hospital: Facebook: Minooka United Methodist Office 815-467-2322 Church Pastor Sarah 815-212-5166 To be on our Prayer Chain, Saturday Worship please call the Church Office. SUSPENDED 5:00 p.m. The holiday spirit is alive and well! Last month we reported our cupboards were almost bare. Some happy news! As of today our cupboards are full with a variety of items. Even Sunday Worship Schedule in this challenging year, the community has come together to show they have not forgot- 9:30 a.m. ten “love thy neighbor” and “feed the hungry”. Online Blended Worship Service This past month, the Scouts, MUMC and St. Mary’s Church, and community individuals worked together to organize and hold a food collection. Together we collected 200 bags of groceries. Thank you to all the scouts and six youth volunteers who helped make our Online Devotion food drive a huge success. Tuesday & Friday 5:00 p.m. Also, during this time, the Lion’s Club contacted us and decided to deliver complete turkey dinners to our families. The Pantry team would like to thank the Lion’s for providing a festive dinner to our families. Church Office Hours: Before the Lion’s generosity, we were trying to get turkeys. We suddenly were offered Wednesday & Friday enough turkeys for all our families. They came from various individuals. These will be 9 AM - 2 PM in our Christmas baskets. Our luck was not finished. The Channahon Methodist Church delivered three long tables of food to our pantry. Then as I thought we were finished, I received a call from the Administrative Assistant Minooka Intermediate School. Even with the school changes, they managed to have a Katie Wojcieszak food drive. Thank you to all these organizations. Church Phone: 815-467-2322 To change direction, our pantry schedule and family look is changing. We have more Church e-mail: appointments, but we are supporting fewer people. Several bigger families no longer need our support. However, several single senior citizens have asked for support. [email protected] As I write this, I realize our pantry has been blessed. It has been a challenging year, but we have always had the resources to provide the support we needed. I am proud to thank and give a “shout out” to our community and volunteers for their caring generosity and Pastor Sarah Hong community spirit! It is the beacon of hope we need for a brighter new year. 815-212-5166 We thank everyone again and wish you a blessed Christ- [email protected] mas. Stay safe; have a “Merry Christmas” and a “Happy, Healthy New Year”! Music Director Jean Jun, Virginia Guertin, and the Pantry Team Jill Kohler [email protected] “2021-Into the Unknown” As we enter the New Year of 2021, no one knows exactly what the future holds. Humanity is neither all-knowing nor all-seeing. Yet each of us has times when we want to control our life circumstances and determine the out- comes according to our desires. If we are honest, we realize that putting our- selves in control is to choose pride over trust, self-confidence over God- confidence. Because God is who He is-all knowing and all seeing, faithful and good, lov- ing and kind, the great Shepherd of His flock—we can walk into an unknown future (with all its unpredictability) in trusting God-confidence. “He tends his flock like a shepherd: He gathers the lambs in his arms and carries them close to his heart, he gently leads those that have young.” (Isaiah 40:11) Let trust and peace reign in our hearts! New Year Blessings, In Christ, Pearl Lindley, Certified Lay Servant 4 2020-21 Class Information Virtual Sunday School Videos will be uploaded on Friday afternoon on the Minooka UMC Children & Youth Facebook page to use at your convenience. Family lesson packets are available outside of the church entrance. Sunday School Lesson Plans Date Pre-K through 5th Grade Date 6th through 8th Grade 12/13 An Angel Visits Mary 12/13 Joseph’s Story (Matthew 1:18-24) 12/20 Mary Visits Elizabeth 12/20 Jesus’ birth (Luke 2:1-20) 12/27 Holy Night 12/27 Jesus’ family tree (Matthew 2:1-18) 1/3 Isaac Blesses Jacob 1/3 Jesus Calls Disciples (John 1:35-51) 1/10 Jacob’s Ladder 1/10 Jesus Teaches about God’s Kingdom (Matthew 13:31-46) 1/17 12 Tribes of Israel 1/17 Jesus Frees a Man from Demons (Mark 5:1-20) 1/24 Jacob and His Brother 1/24 Jesus Calls Women (Luke 8:1-3, 10:38-42) 1/31 The Holy Spirit Surprises (Acts 10:1-48) December Class Schedule ~Sunday, December 13th - 10:45 AM (In-person) ~Sunday, December 20th - No class ~Sunday, December 27th - No class January Class Schedule ~Sunday, January 3rd - No class ~Sunday, January 10 - 11:00 AM (Zoom) ~Sunday, January 17th - No class ~Sunday, January 24th - 10:45 AM (In-person) ~Sunday, January 31st - No class Please pray for our Confirmands: Zachary Beitler Mason Smith Ava Staley 5 Finance Committee Finance Report 2020 Summary Church Council and Finance Committee have approved the 2021 budget that had been presented at church confer- ence.