CONNECTING, GROWING, SERVING, LOVING AS GOD's PEOPLE December, 2017
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CONNECTING, GROWING, SERVING, LOVING AS GOD’S PEOPLE HERE’S WHAT’S HAPPENING December, 2017 Dear Friends, As I write this the church is preparing again for the seasons of Advent and Christmas. It is difficult to believe how quickly the year has wound down! It is already “the most wonderful time of the year”- again! We begin with Advent -the first season of the Christian church year, which includes the 4 Sundays leading to Christmas. One writer says the season of Advent reminds us of Advent at AUMC 2016 what comes from God for the creation of his kingdom on earth. It leads us to keep his 2016 coming in our hearts and to shape ourselves according to it. That which is to come from God is the most important thing we have, in the past and in the present as well as in the future. Advent reminds us of this timeless quality of God’s kingdom. For this reason, it is a necessary and beautiful prelude to Christmas. To be in a time of expectant waiting for God is difficult, if not impossible, when we allow ourselves to become all caught up in the consumer frenzy that tends to seep into even the quietest moments of the day. That’s why am offering something a bit different this year. This Advent season I invite you to escape from the mad rush for an hour or so. Join me on Monday evenings at 6:30 in the upstairs youth room for a quiet get-away time with God. We will listen to and reflect on the songs and scriptures of Advent. We will pray. We will encourage and support each other so that we can, as the parable of the Bridesmaids teaches, replenish our oil to have our spiritual lamps lit as we wait for the master to return (Matthew 25:1-13). Just drop in when you can. We will remember the spirit of Advent throughout December, lighting the Advent wreath on Sunday mornings at both services and seeing beautiful sanctuary decorations to mark the season. In the past we had brief explanations about the crismons on the tree. I hope you’ll check them out again to see what you remember about them. We will also have our annual Christmas Eve service on Sunday, December 24th at 7:00 pm. We will hear the Christmas story, this year broken into sections. Each section will be followed by a favorite Christmas carol, so there will be a chance to sing many of your favorites. We will also have special music and end with singing Silent Night by candlelight. We look forward to welcoming everyone this Advent/Christmas season. Thank you to all who will help to make this season so special. May we all be renewed and blessed. Most of all, may God be glorified through all that happens here. A note of thanks… I always want to take time as we approach the end of the year to thank the church for its support during the year. Andy and I thoroughly enjoyed my pastor’s appreciation gift of a night out. Thank you for your thoughtfulness! I also want to thank the many people who give so freely of their time and talents to serve God at Atlantic UMC. As we move toward the end of the year some leaders will be stepping down, including Shirley German and Diane Kleinfelter who have faithfully led the Thrift Shop Ministry for years. We appreciate their hours of dedication and service. Also, thank you to Gary German for all he has done to support this ministry. We also want to thank Bob Johnson for his diligent service as the treasurer of the church. We wish all of them God’s blessings as they find new ways to fill the many hours they now will have free! In addition to the Thrift Shop and Soup Kitchen Volunteers, I also appreciate the Sunday morning worship assistants including the choir, lay readers, greeters and ushers. A special thanks to Mike and Sunny Trivits for their work in the children and youth Sunday school classes. To everyone who offers dedicated service through all of the ministries and events that happen at Atlantic, thank you from a grateful pastor! May God continue to guide our paths in His service during 2018. Mark your calendars (dates to be announced) Beginning in January, I will begin a video-based study on Moses using materials by UM Church of the Resurrection pastor Adam Hamilton. Dates will be worked out and publicized on the church website and in the bulletin. Here’s some info about it from Amazon: Retrace the life of Moses from his modest birth and rescue as a baby to the courts of Pharaoh, from herding flocks in Midian to leading his people out of Egypt. Join Adam Hamilton as he travels from Egypt to Mt. Sinai, the Nile, the Red Sea and the wilderness exploring the sites of Moses' life. Using historical information, archaeological data, and biblical text, Hamilton guides us in the footsteps of this reluctant prophet who grew in his relationship with God and by the end of life had successfully fulfilled the role he was given. Turn your own reluctance into boldness as you examine the significant challenges facing Moses and how God shaped his character and life in powerful ways. Have you checked out the newly formatted Church Website lately? Do you want up-to-date info about events at Atlantic UMC? Do you want to read the most recent newsletter? Are you looking for an easy way to find out when the church is closed due to stormy or snowy weather? Do you want to give your friends an easy way to learn more about the church? Are you interested in seeing videos that show Atlantic’s ministries in action? hen please check out the Atlantic website: atlanticumc.org We have worked hard to make sure it includes the most up-to-date information in an easy to use format. It’s just another way to know how to keep up with all that’s happening! Check it out soon! Blessings and Peace, Pastor Patty Pastors Patty & Andy at Temple Bat Yam Simchat Torah Service, Berlin ***************** Please mark your calendars to attend a Church Retreat to be held at Atlantic on Saturday, January 13th from 9:30 am to 3:00 pm. Rev. Jack Shitama will Lead… At a meeting of the church’s key leaders on November 7th, it was agreed to hire Rev. Shitama to help the church design and implement a one-year strategic plan. Many of you know Rev. Shitama through his work at Camp Pecometh. In addition to this work, Rev. Shitama has a great deal of experience in coaching pastors and congregations to identify their strengths and build upon them through strategic planning. On Saturday, January 13th he will lead a one-day retreat at Atlantic. A main focus of the retreat will be to identify the current strengths of Atlantic UMC. Rev. Shitama will work with attendees to identify these strengths. Out of this conversation, he will design a one-year strategic plan that includes quarterly goals to build upon them. Once the plan is approved by the Council, Rev. Shitama will work with the pastor and a 6-person lead team to implement it throughout the year. He will offer coaching sessions as the process unfolds. Stay tuned for more information, but please plan to attend the retreat. Pastor Patty BELL CHOIRS – BILLIE WALL, DIRECTOR O Little Town of Bethlehem "Where children pure and happy pray to the blessed Child, Where misery cries out to Thee, Son of the mother mild; Where charity stands watching and faith holds wide the door, The dark night wakes, the glory breaks, and Christmas comes once more." This is the fourth stanza of the beloved Christmas hymn, O Little Town of Bethlehem, words written by Phillips Brooks and music by Lewis Redner. It is often left out of our hymnals today. Mr. Brooks had visited the Holy Land in December of 1865. On the 24th of December, he attended Christmas Eve service at the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem. He was much moved by this service and three years later, he wanted to compose a hymn for the children to sing at the Christmas Eve annual program in his church, Holy Trinity, in Philadelphia. He wrote a little hymn of five stanzas, handed the words to the church organist the next morning. He asked Lewis if he could write a tune for these words. Finding it difficult to come up with a melody, Lewis had no inspiration. The night before the Christmas program, he was awaked by a melody ringing in his soul. He jotted down the melody, and went back to sleep. The next day, a group of six teachers and thirty-six children sang "O Little Town of Bethlehem". Taken from: Then Sings My Soul by Robert J. Morgan The bell choirs of Atlantic Church are fortunate to be able to meet together to play this music written for the church and arranged by professionals who prepare it for presentation by handbell choirs. Have you ever awakened in the night to hear the melodious ringing of handbells? Maybe that ringing is the invitation you need to join the handbell choir. We are always ready to welcome new players. May your Christmas be filled with joyous child-like wonder and your New Year with expectations of the plans God has for you. Blessings of the season, Billie Wall, Director: Atlantic Bell Choir and the Morning Glories CHANCEL CHOIR – JUNE TODD, DIRECTOR We will have special music during Advent.