Embed Size (px)
Citation preview
813 West Myrtle Street
Stillwater, MN 55082
phone: 651.439.1880
email: [email protected]
HAPPY BIRTHDAY
We’re on the web!
Pastors: Marty Raths & Donna Buell
Music Director: Becca Bellman
Youth Director: Abigail Ozanne
Office Manager: Monica Basaker
NON-PROFIT ORGANIZATION
PERMIT NO. 132
U.S. POSTAGE PAID
STILLWATER, MN 55082 RETURN SERVICE REQUESTED
Dec. 2 Deb Auer, Robert Erickson, Marshall White, Meara White; Dec. 3
Jennifer Bye, Jim Luckey; Dec. 4 Abraham Anderson, Judy Holst; Dec. 7 Cole
Funck; Dec. 8 Ann Haraldson, Gail Martell; Dec. 10 Sharon McAuliffe; Dec. 11
Abby Helwig, Blair Smith; Dec. 13 Bernie Darling; Dec. 14 Karla Keller; Dec.
20 Drew Keller; Dec. 23 Natalie Janssen; Dec. 24 Kris Huntley, Diane Jackson,
Jane Krentz, Ray Marshall; Dec. 25 Jessica Holst; Dec. 26 Sue Niethammer;
Dec. 27 William Bickner; Dec. 28 Kristine Bruggemann, Erin Hoff; Dec. 30
Maurice Grogan, Brett Hartman, Jason Haugen, Teresa Myhra, Elias Roll.
Jan. 2 Anita Carter, Mary Harcey; Jan. 4 Ellen Campbell, Angie Deaton, Brett
Keller; Jan. 7 Sabrina Myrah, Jacki Butterfield, Jenny Heaton; Jan.8 Joe Haines,
Sarah Joyal; Jan. 11 Myrtle Potter; Jan. 12 Joe Hibberd; Jan. 15 Jacob Martell;
Jan. 17 Jackson Wright; Jan. 20 Benjamin Tabios; Jan. 21 Doreen Miller, Kath-
leen Ramsay; Jan. 24 Lorraine Weber; Jan. 25 Sarah Norheim; Jan. 26 Diane
Petterson; Jan. 27 Allison Hibberd, Ernie Jones; Jan. 28 Taylor Tabios; Jan. 29
Parker Tabios, Helen Torelle; Jan. 30 Alan Salmela.
December
January
DEC. - JAN 2016/17
WORSHIP Dec. 2016 & Jan. 2017
November 27th
First Sunday of Advent
A Thrill of Hope
Isaiah 2:1-5, Romans 13:8-14
Celebration of Communion
December 4th
Second Sunday of Advent
All is Calm, All is Bright
Matthew 3:1-12
Rivertown Ringers
December 11th Third Sunday of Advent
Joyful, All Ye Nations Rise
Choir Cantata
Go, Sing it On the Mountain – by Pepper Choplin
December 18th
Fourth Sunday of Advent
Let Every Heart Prepare Him Room
Children’s Christmas Program
Carol of the Animals
Christmas Eve Worship
Saturday, December 24th
Come and Behold Him
5:00 p.m. Service of Carols, Scripture
and Candle Lighting
This festive service will include the biblical
story of Jesus’ birth and lots of carols and
special music. As we near the end of our
service we will pass the light of Christ
throughout the congregation and sing Silent
Night together. We will go forth, singing Joy
to the World. Nursery will be provided.
Cont>>
10:00 p.m. Candlelight Service of
Lessons and Carols
This beautiful service will be built around the
biblical story of Jesus’ birth and lots of
congregational carol singing. Special music will
be provided by organ and piano, the Rivertown
Ringers, and the Church Choir. The service
will end with a quiet celebration of the birth of
our Savior as light is passed throughout the
congregation and we sing Silent Night.
December 25th
Christmas Day Worship
Is Anyone Missing Jesus?
no Sunday school
Luke 2:22-38
January 1st
New Year’s Day Worship
By Way of Contrast
Isaiah 40:1-3, John 1: 1-5, 9-10
Celebration of Communion
no Sunday school
January 8th
Celebration of Epiphany
Embracing the Journey
Matthew 2:1-23
January 15th
Baptism of Our Lord
Matthew 3:13-17
January 22nd
Follow Me
Matthew 4:12-22
January 29th
Blessed Are
Matthew 5:1-12
SCRIP PROGRAM
MUSIC NEWS
No Rivertown Ringers
Handbell practice on
Wednesdays, Decem-
ber 7th and December 28th.
Puffins will be delivered on Wed. Dec.
14. If you are here for supper, you can
pick them up then. Otherwise, you can
pick them up before or after worship on
Dec. 18. Thank for helping the Bell Choir
with your purchase!
The Sunday School children will be presenting
a special Christmas production as part of the
worship service on December 18th. The
Christmas story will be told from the animals'
perspectives.
CAROL OF THE ANIMALS
Join us on December
11th for the Christ-
mas Cantata. This
year, the Chancel
Choir is performing Pepper Chopin's new canta-
ta "Go Sing It On the Mountain". The birth of
Jesus is a scene of awe-inspiring humility: God in
human form, born in a lowly manger for our sal-
vation. Pepper Choplin's distinctive, folk-infused
musical style is particularly well-suited to capture
this story. Hope to see you there.
The Family Band will once again come togeth-
er on Christmas Eve for the 5 o'clock service. If
you, your family, or your friends are interested in joining us, we'd love to have you. All instru-
ments are welcome! We will be meeting at 4
o'clock on Christmas Eve to run through the
music. if you would like more information, or if
you'd like to sign up to join, please talk to Becca.
(651-500-8015)
HOLIDAY GIFY CARDS!! Now is the time to purchase Christmas gift
cards. Teenagers, young people and just about everyone else LOVES getting a
gift card. Take the guesswork out of what to give. Tons of choices, plus Every
card purchase provides much needed funding for First UMC programs. Scrip
cards can be ordered in the Fellowship Hall following worship every Sunday.
Click here to view many low denomination cards that give back big percent-
ages.
https://shop.shopwithscrip.com/About/WhatsNew/2016/October/1973/free-
shipping-bbw
CANTATA
L IFE IN THE CHURCH
SUNDAY SCHOOL
Wednesday Game Nights Beginning in January, we are planning to start a tradition of Church Family Game Nights
following our Wednesday evening meals. People of all ages are encouraged to stick
around and play together after dinner, if they don’t have another commitment. This is
going to be fun!
Help at the Valley Outreach Food Shelf Several times each year our congregation sends volunteers to help at the local food shelf at
Valley Outreach. We always have a good response from our members, and we appreciate the
willingness to serve. It is our turn again on Monday, Wednesday and Friday morning, December
12, 14th, and 16th. If you could help out for a couple of hours, there is a sign-up sheet at the
Information Center. If you think you might like to serve, and want to find out more about what
is involved, feel free to speak with Pastor Marty.
First United Methodist
Church is pleased to host a
health event. Life Line
Screening, a leading
provider of community-based preventive health
screenings, will host their affordable, non-
invasive and painless health screenings on
MONDAY, 12/05/2016. Five screenings will
be offered that scan for potential health
problems. All five screenings take 60-90 minutes
to complete. In order to register for this
event and to receive a $10 discount off any
package priced above $129, please call 1-
8 8 8 - 6 5 3 - 6 4 4 1 o r v i s i t
www.lifelinescreening.com/community-
partners.
More….
In this newsletter you will find an Advent Calendar. The
calendar was created and designed by Rev. Thomas Mousin and
Rev. Merry Waters who have collaborated on creating illustrated Advent Calendars for nearly 30 years.
Thomas is a seminary classmate of Pastors Donna and Marty and has given us permission to use this calen-
dar freely in spreading the good news of Advent. Thank you Thomas! You can find additional information
about the calendar and its creators online at: http://thomasmousin.wordpress.com/
Christmas Decorating - Saturday,
December 3, 9:00 am
Help get into the sea-
son of Christmas by
giving a little
time and joining in the
fun of decorating the
church. The coffee pot
will be on and there is
room for lots of
people to help so eve-
ryone can get on with
their Sat.
L IFE IN THE CHURCH Sunday Adult Study Prepare the Way of the Lord During the Season of Advent, the prophet Isaiah calls us “to prepare the way of
the Lord.” As a part of our preparations for the birth of Jesus at Christmas, we
will be exploring some of the enduring themes of this holy season on each of the
Sundays in Advent:
Come, join us at 9:30 am in the Wesley Room.
November 27: Living with Hope
December 4: True Peace
December 11: Surprised by Grace
December 18 In Those Days . . .
Come Caroling!
Come Share the Spirit of Christmas! Sunday, December 11th, at 4:00 pm
We will be going caroling on Sunday afternoon, December 11th, as a way to
share a little of the Christmas spirit with some of the members of our
church family.
This is an event for all ages, and children and youth are especially
welcome, and especially appreciated by those whom we visit.
We will gather at the church at 4:00 pm, and we should be done caroling around 5:30 pm.
CHRISTMAS PROJECT Every year our Mission Committee recommends special projects for our
congregation to include in our holiday giving. This Christmas Season they are recommending three
projects for us to support.
Spirit River Community UMC in Isanti, MN. As we did last year, we will be providing Christmas gifts
for all ages and helping with their Family Christmas Store. Here are some specific gift ideas:
Infants: baby books, baby toys, clothing
Kids 2-10: dolls and accessories, Lego and building blocks, puzzles, books, coloring books,
crayons, cars and trucks, sports balls, art supplies and science kits, sleds, Play-Doh, and board games.
Tweens and Teens: gift cards, billfolds, purses, board games, puzzles, DVD movies, puzzles,
make up, jewelry. Adults: household items, kitchen items, tools, mens’ and women’s gloves and mittens, Target
or WalMart or Cub gifts cards.
We will also be collecting gift cards to Target, WalMart, and Cub Foods that the committee will
distribute to the Spirit River Church along with the following two projects.
Young Lives which is a teen parent mentoring program here in Stillwater. Teens meet regularly with
their mentor who provides support and assistance for teens in their new role as parents. The gifts cards
will help the teens to purchase Christmas gifts for their children and other needed items.
A Family Emergency Fund to be administered by Donna and Marty to help when someone within our
own church family is in a time of need.
YOUTH NEWS
WOMENS MINISTRIES
UNITED METHODIST MEN (UMM)
The UMM will meet for breakfast at the Lowell
Inn on Saturday, December 10th and
January 14th, at 8:00 am. All men of the
church are invited.
The Ada/Ruth Circle will meet on FRIDAY,
December 9th at 9:30 am.
KID’ S CLUB
Please join us for Kids Club on December 7h
from 6:15 to 7:15 pm. There will be
Christmas decorations to make and take
home, fun games to play and some snacks to
eat.
Youth Christmas Party –
Wednesday, Dec.ember
21st. All youth are invited to
a Christmas Party on Dec. 21 at 6:00 PM.
Games! Prizes! Treats! Friends welcome!
Youth Lock-In
Join us on Friday, January 27-28 at 7pm for a
lock-in at the church. We will hang out, play
games, talk about things we wonder about
faith, and eat breakfast together in the
morning. Bring a friend! Cost is $5 per
person. Permission slips on the youth room
door.
The Missions Committee will not meet in
December.
New Beginnings Circle Christmas Luncheon,
Monday, December 21st, 2015 at 1130 am at
Mallards Restaurant in Bayport.
"Growing in Love of Neighbor" Thursday, Janu-
ary 19th - Refreshments from 9:30-10:00
provided by the Winners Circle. Program at
10:00. Guest Speaker: Nate Cox, Principal at
Lily Lake School, will be speaking about the
school, its demographics, the population of chil-
dren, some challenges, needs, and rewards.
As a church we have supported Lily Lake in a
variety of ways. Questions will be taken at
the end. Everyone in our congregation is invited.
Sponsored by United Methodist Women.
New Beginnings Circle January Meeting
You are invited to Mary Harcey’s house
at 1:00 pm on January 16th for food, fellow-
ship and a program. All are welcome.
Many thanks to all who helped out with
this year’s Festa di Pasta!
We sold 234 dinner tickets (serving 225) and
raised $3,311.00
We sold 108 tickets for our two beautiful
quilts, raising $356.00. Congratulations to
Randy Darling and Laurie Bauer!
The Country Store raised $1,141.50
The Silent Auction included 93 items and raised $2,818.40
Donations received for leftover food $44.00
Total receipts: $7,666.90.
After expenses, we were able to contribute $6,867.42 to our General
Fund, in support of the ongoing ministry and mission of our church
here at the corner of Greeley and Myrtle.
Many thanks to our coordinating team: Jim Nelson (publicity), Mary
Harcey and Shelley Carter (dining room), Anita Carter and Tito Reyna
(kitchen), Bev Walmar (Country Store), Linda Ash (Silent Auction),
Sandy Ridgway, Diane Jackson, Ellen Campbell, Pastors Marty and Don-
na. We are also grateful to over 70 volunteers who helped in so many
ways to make this event a great success. The fellowship we shared as
we worked together was a blessing to us all, as well.
SAVE THE DATE for the 12th Annual Festa di Pasta … October 28,
2017!
175 years of Methodist Ministry in the St. Croix Valley!
On Sunday, November 20th, we celebrated 175 year of Methodist ministry in the St Croix
Valley. In 1841 the Rock River Conference of the Methodist Episcopal Church appointed
Rev. Henry Brace to the St. Croix Mission. This mission covered all the area along the St.
Croix River from Lake Peppin to St. Croix Falls and west to the Mississippi River. The
Martha Group created a display from our historical archives and unveiled a new banner to
mark the anniversary, and we sang an updated text of a hymn that was written by Joy Schil-
ling for a previous anniversary celebration.
1846 marks the beginning of the active and permanent organization of the Methodist Epis-
copal Church in Stillwater, when Rev J.W. Putnam was assigned to the charge. It was November of 1854
when the first church building was dedicated, a plain building, 24X36, erected on the north side of Myrtle
between 2nd and 3rd Streets. In 1870 the congregation moved to a second church building on North Third St. That same year the Swedish Methodist Church began its ministry in Stillwater, building at the corner of
Greeley and Fourth St. in 1883. In 1945 the two congregations merged, and worshipped in that building
until moving to the current location in 1955.
May God continue to grace our congregation as we seek to grow in our love of God and neighbor, here at
the corner of Greeley and Myrtle.
Standing Rock Presen-
tation:
Abigail Ozanne will give a
presentation on Tuesday,
Dec. 5th at 7:00 PM about
her time at Standing Rock,
ND with those opposing
the Dakota Access Pipe-
line. In early November,
she joined 500 other cler-
gy people in bearing wit-
ness to injustice and call-
ing for it to end. All are
welcome to come and
learn about this faith-based movement.
THANK YOU’S
Dear First UMC,
Thank you for joining in our Sunday campaign
and for collecting 363 pairs of socks and
underwear for the Valley Outreach
Clothing Closet! With your support, we
collected a total of 6,709 pairs of socks and
underwear to distribute to families who are
not quite making it on their own.
Traci Maki
Executive Director
(Our Mission Committee also
made and additional contribution of
$200 to support Undie Sunday)
A huge thank you to all
who contributed, and helped for the
country store. This was our best year. I can
attest that many homemade goodies were
delicious.
It was a totally fun experience!!
Bev Walmar
Thank you,
Thanks to all who helped make the
Autumn bake sale a great success.
We appreciated all who helped bake and
sell, but couldn’t have done it without the
buyers who contributed such generous
donations.
We covered the cost of the chairs with
some extra for our next project.
Sincerely,
Martha Group
I’d like to give a heartfelt thank-you to Earl & Freya Kask, Dorothy Reeves and
Kathy Jones. Every month for decades, this group has volunteered to fold, tape, address
and mail approximately 250 newsletters. They have volunteered their time and endured
rain, sleet and snow to make sure our monthly newsletter went out in time. I’m grateful
for the shared laughter and love.
I also want to say thank you to Don Bishop and Beverly Palumbo who have helped the
last several months and are willing to continue to come be of service. I appreciate all of
you so much and appreciate your commitment and wish all a very happy and safe holiday,
followed by a wonderful new year!
Respectfully,
Monica Basaker
