November – 2015
December The 2016
CONNECTION
DELTA UNITED METHODIST CHURCH
Sunday Worship
8:30am & 10:45am
Pastor Karen Hurst
Office: (970) 874-9501 Office Hours: M-F 9:30am-1:30pm
Email: 477 Meeker Street
Website: deltamethodist.org Delta, CO 81416
December 2016
Sunday / Monday / Tuesday / Wednesday / Thursday / Friday / SaturdayPK – Pastor Karen / 1
World AIDS Day
1:30pm-3:30pm Senior Connection
6:30pm Del-Rose Chorus
7:30pm Spanish Congregation
PK 10am-4pm / 2
8:00am Cookie Walk
PK 10am-4pm / 3
9:30am Advent Study with Karl
4 2nd Sunday of Advent
Communion Sunday
8:30am Contemporary Worship
9:30am Sunday School / UMYF / Advent Study with Aaron
10:45am Later Worship
3:00pm Spanish Congregation
6:00pm Disciple Bible Study / 5
5:30pm 5th Street, Bell Choir
6:30pm Trustees Meeting
PK 10am-4pm / 6
7:30am Men’s group
@ C&J’s
4:00pm Girl Scout Troop Meeting / 7
9:00am UMW Executive Board
5:00pm Chancel Chimes, Bell Choir
6:00pm Choir Practice
7:00pm Emmaus Reunion Group / 8
6:30pm Del-Rose Chorus
7:30pm Spanish Congregation / 9
PK 10am-4pm / 10
9:30am Advent Study with Karl
4:00pm Fellowship Hall Reserved
11 3rd Sunday of Advent
9:30am Sunday School / UMYF / Advent Study with Aaron
10:45am “Our Manger Gift” Worship Service
3:00pm Spanish Congregation
3:00pm Fellowship Hall Reserved
6:00pm Disciple Bible Study / 12
5:30pm 5th Street, Bell Choir
5:00pm Fellowship Hall Reserved / 13
7:30am Men’s group
@ Fellowship Hall
6:00pm Finance Committee
PK 12pm-7pm / 14
5:00pm Chancel Chimes, Bell Choir
6:00pm Choir Practice
9:00am Fellowship Hall Reserved
PK 10am-4pm / 15
9:30am Susanna Wesley Circle
6:30pm Del-Rose Chorus
7:30pm Spanish Congregation
PK 10am-4pm / 16 / 17
8:00a.m. Church Breakfast @ C&J’s
9:30am Advent Study with Karl
5:30pm Fellowship Hall Reserved
18 4th Sunday of Advent
8:30am Contemporary Worship
9:30am Sunday School / UMYF / Advent Study with Aaron
10:45am Later Worship
3:00pm Spanish Congregation
5:00pm Caroling
6:00pm Disciple Bible Study / 19
5:30pm 5th Street, Bell Choir
6:00pm Church Council
PK 12pm-7pm / 20
7:30am Men’s group
@ Fellowship Hall
4:00pm Girl Scout Troop Meeting
Newsletter articles due into the office / 21
5:00pm Chancel Chimes, Bell Choir
6:00pm Choir Practice
PK 10am-4pm / 22
6:30pm Del-Rose Chorus
7:30pm Spanish Congregation
6:00pm Men’s Group Concert, Meal After
6:30pm Esther Evening Circle / 23
Office Closed / 24
Christmas Eve
6:00pm Worship Service
25 Christmas Day
9:30am Sunday School / UMYF / Advent Study with Aaron
10:30am Worship Service
3:00pm Spanish Congregation / 26
5:30pm 5th Street, Bell Choir
Office Closed / 27
7:30am Men’s group
@ Fellowship Hall
4:00pm Girl Scout Troop Meeting / 28
5:00pm Chancel Chimes, Bell Choir
6:00pm Choir Practice / 29
6:30pm Del-Rose Chorus
7:30pm Spanish Congregation / 30 / 31
Watch Night
News Year’s Eve
Pastorz Corner
Let's say you are an athlete. Very specifically you are a sub for the Denver Broncos. What is the most important aspect of your work? You need to be ready; you have to be prepared. That's the name of the game if you are a sub; you have to be just as ready as if you were on the field. There is a sense of readiness that you are going to go to work in the very near future. There is that edginess, that sense of preparation, an anticipation that it just may happen.
And so it is with a Christian during Advent. We live with a sense of readiness, an edginess, a positive tension, of momentary involvement. Just like a sub on a football team.
What are some qualities of readiness? There are at least four.
The first is to live with the assurance that I am a child of God. This readiness is a confidence that God is gracious and knows my first, middle and last name. I know that love does not depend on my good behavior, my good theology or my good denominational pedigree. I know I am loved by God because of the grace of God.
A second quality of readiness is to be a person of love. To be a person of love with your nearest and dearest, with you husband, your wife, sons, daughters, moms, dads, your closest friends, strangers, those in need. As a Christian we don't want and God doesn't want us to neglect others. Make sure you go to sleep at night with a peace. A peace that all is well with all of your relationships.
A third quality is the readiness to do the job. To do the tasks God has given you to do. Each of us have roles that God has given to us to do. You may be a husband, a wife, a grandparent, son or daughter. You are a member of a congregation. You are a friend, you are a member of the human race, a citizen of the United States and more. So we each need to live with a readiness to do those tasks for each of these roles God has given us. And to do these jobs in such a way that God will say, "Good job." Live life that God will be proud of you.
The fourth quality of this sense of readiness is to be loyal to the values of Jesus Christ and appressed. To be loyal to a sense of love, justice and compassion, to always have a special concern and action for the poor. Don't embarrass Christ with your behaviors; live life so Christ will be proud of you.
This is what Advent is about; to be ready -- to be ready as a child, to be a person of love, to do the job and be loyal to the values of Jesus Christ. As we prepare our homes, our work, our families for Christmas, may we take the time to prepare our hearts; to get our hearts ready for the coming of Christ.– Pastor Karen
December Ministry and Service
Communion Sunday – December 4, 2016
Senior Connection
Thursday, December 1, 1:30 to 3:30 pm, Fellowship Hall. Join us for a Christmas Concert featuring music from Delta High School choral groups under the direction of Julia Nicholas. Refreshments will be served. -- Lynn Williams
Caroling
Everyone come and enjoy caroling around. There will be a van provided to help transport to our designations. Please meet at the church at 5:00pm on Sunday, December 18.
Christmas Service
Rev. Carol Layton will be providing a Christmas Day Service at 10:30am.
Fellowship Hour
If you enjoy the fellowship after the 10:45a.m. worship service, you can thank the groups who have agreed to set up and clean-up after the snacks. They do not have to provide the snacks. The groups are:
Dec. 4 Education Jan. 1 Education
Dec. 11 Missions Jan. 8 Missions
Dec. 18 SPRC Jan. 15 SPRC
Dec. 25 UMW Jan. 22 UMW
Jan. 29 Men’s Group
Liturgists Greeters Musicians
Dec. 4 Carol Phelps Merle & Alan Bushman Janet Freed
Dec. 11 Cliff Chastain Cindy Warren & Merriam Helmsing Sam Kevan
Dec. 18 Cynthia Herbison Sue & Terry Hughes Dona Lee Cockroft & Marsha Thomas
Dec. 24 Sam Kevan
Dec. 25 Gayla Clay Earl & Jean Dimmick Sam Kevan
Missions
DUMC in Ministry in the World
The Abraham Connection is providing a much needed service in Delta. We will again help with meals as a church on the 2nd Sunday of each month. If you would like to help with this meal please call the church office or Carol Phelps 874-7310. If you would like to be trained to volunteer to do a shift please contact Kami Collins at 361-8905. They are in need of individual snack items, bottled water, paper products and cleaning supplies. If you would like to donate any of these items let the office know.
Jose Valdez traveled with the work team organized by Pagosa Springs to Baton Rouge to clean out homes that had been flooded. We are grateful that Jose was able to go and look forward to hearing more about his trip.
The UMCOR Fair Trade coffee, chocolate, nuts and tea would make great gifts. The cart is open every Sunday and people may also buy during the week. The cart will also be open during the Cookie Walk December 2.
There is a gift tree set up for the children in Families Plus and the unwrapped gifts need to be back to the office by December 10. You may also donate using the cards that are by the tree.
For just $5.00 per church member we are able to help support the mission work in Cambodia with Kennedy Cruz. His birthday was in November and if you would like to send him Holiday greetings his email is . Sam Kevan will again be traveling to Cambodia early next year to work with Kennedy Cruz. – Carol Phelps
Education Committee
COME! WORSHIP OUR NEWBORN KING!
Sunday, Dec. 11th
It is an exciting time for the educational committee and our church family as we approach the Advent Season. “Our Manger Gift” will be presented as a wonderful worshipful experience during the 10:45 service on Dec. 11th. There will be NO contemporary service on the 11th as we hope everyone will join together as a church family to celebrate our Savior’s birth. This service is a combination of what we formally called “The Nine Lesson’s of Christmas’ and the Children’s White Gift pageant. It will feature our children, our musicians, scriptures and congregational singing. Our White Gift mission offering will be for the Abraham Connection and we will have an opportunity to bring our gifts forward to the manger at the close of the service. A potluck finger food fellowship will follow the service.
Fall has been filled with Christian growth experiences. Karl is teaching an Advent Study on Saturday morning from 9-10 beginning Nov. 19th. Come and join Karl even if you missed the first sessions. Aaron is teaching an Advent study “Not a Silent Night” from 9:30-10:30 Sunday mornings.
Thank you for your donations for UNICEF. We raised $276 for this mission project.
Our November food pantry drive saw 374 food items delivered by the youth and children on November 20th.
Items needed by The Abraham Connection as our White Gift Offering on Dec. 11th include:
Pantry Staples: bottled water, individual snacks, sugar, coffee, etc.
Cleaning Supplies: Hand Soap, Windex, Clorox Wipes, Lysol, etc.
Paper Products: Toilet Paper, Tissues, Paper Towels, Napkins, etc.
Personal items: Socks, Gloves, Disposable razors, Chap Stick, travel size Deodorant, etc.– Lana Kevan
UMW
UMW Christmas Luncheon
Our annual Susannah Wesley Circle UMW Christmas luncheon will be on Dec. 15th at 12:00 noon in the fellowship hall. All women of the church are invited. We will be having a potluck lunch so bring your favorite dish! Entertainment will be provided. Our Christmas project is to bring mittens and hats for our mitten tree. These items will be given to the grade schools for children in need. Come celebrate the Christmas season! – Sue Hughes
From Your Administrative Council
The Church Council meets the 3rd Monday of each month at 6:00pm. The next council meeting will be December 19 at 6:00pm. For those who wish to read the minutes in their entirety they are available in the church office. For mailing purposes, only the new business was printed.
There was no Church Council meeting last month. The Church Office received the Church Conference minutes if there is anyone liking to see them. Contact the Church Office.
Finance Committee News
General Fund Contributions/Expenses
September - $9,521 / $10,760
October - $8,419 / $10,286
Building Fund Contributions / Expenses
September - $15,507 / $5,431
October - $2,236 / $2,520–Becky Tallent
Looking Ahead at Dates to Remember
December 2016 January 2016
1 – World AIDS Day 1 – Epiphany Sunday/Feast of the Holy Name/New Year’s Day
4 – 2nd Sunday of Advent 6 – Epiphany of the Lord
11 – 3rd Sunday of Advent 8 – 1st Sunday after the Epiphany/Baptism of the Lord
18 – 4th Sunday of Advent 11 – Human Trafficking Awareness Day
24 – Christmas Eve 15 – 2nd Sunday after the Epiphany/Human Relations Day
25 – Christmas Day 16 – The Rev. Martin Luther King Jr.’s Birthday Observance
31 – Watch Night/New Year’s Eve 18-25 – Week of Prayer for Christian Unity
22 – 3rd Sunday after the Epiphany/Ecumenical Sunday
29 – 4th Sunday after the Epiphany
Birthdays & Anniversaries
We wish you all a joyous day of celebration!
The Connection - 3 - December 2016
December Birthdays Anniversaries
Darlene Johnston 12/05 Maurice Kreutz 12/14 Gary & Sherry Lippard 12/01
Carol Rhan 12/06 Alan Bushman 12/25 Robert & Janet Freed 12/31
Merriam Helmsing 12/08 Beverly Jean Smith 12/27
Jill Jurca 12/08 Mary Lynn Williams 12/31
Ethan Siettmann 12/08
Lectionary Readings for December
Dec. 4 – Isaiah 11:1-10 Dec. 11 – Isaiah 35:1-10
Psalms 72:1-7, 18-19 (UMH 795) Luke 1:47-55 (UMH 199) Romans 15:4-13 James 5:7-10
Matthew 3:1-12 Matthew 11:2-11
Dec. 18 – Isaiah 7:10-16 Dec. 24 – Isaiah 9:7-10
Psalms 80:1-7, 17-19 (UMH 801) Psalm 96 (UMH 815)
Romans 1:1-7 Titus 2:11-14
Matthew 1:18-25 Luke 2:1-20
Dec. 25 – Isaiah 52:7-10 Dec. 31 – Ecclesiastes 3:1-13
Psalm 98 (UMH 818) Psalm 8 (UMH 743)
Hebrews 1:1-4 (5-12) Revelation 21:1-6a
John 1:1-14 Matthew 25:31-46
Pastor Karen Hurst (PK) December Office Hours
December 1 – 10:00am-4:00pm December 15 – 10:00am-4:00pm
December 2 – 10:00am-4:00pm December 19 – 12:00pm-7:00
December 5 – 10:00am-4:00pm December 21 – 10:00am-4:00pm