Already another year has passed

us by, and already a new year is

drawing nigh. Unbelievable!! I

love the way God has set thing up

for us. It’s an amazing cycle of

leaving the past and moving on.

And while we sometimes

complain about getting older or

we wish we could hold on to a

stage of living, God’s plan is

better in the long run!

All of us have things we need to

leave behind. All of us have made

foolish mistakes or just plain

defiantly done things we knew we

shouldn’t. All of us have pains

and hurts from things we’ve done

to ourselves or things others have

done to us. We need to leave

those things behind. God’s plan

of time moving on allows us to do

that.

And we all need to move forward.

There are some places where

things never change, but when you

visit them they are a little bit

scary. We crab about technology

or “modern conveniences” that

drive us crazy, and we worry

about what tomorrow is going to

bring, but the truth is we have all

benefited moving forward in life.

There should always be something

to look forward to, something that

makes us eager for the future.

Ultimately, of course, we have

heaven to look forward to, so even

as bodies decline we have

something wonderful ahead of us!

I love the words to the old hymn,

“O God our help in ages past, our

hope for years to come!” How

true that is. Healing from the past.

Hope for the future. That’s what

it’s all about. God gives that to

each of us with every new day.

I hope you are looking forward to

2014. I know God has good

things in store for each of us.

Let’s look forward together to

everything God is going to do in

us and through us. May this be an

exciting and blessed new year for

all of us!

Remember, God’s Word says,

“Behold, I make all things new!”

(Revelation 21:5)

See you in church!

JANUARY

2014

CIR

CU

IT

WR

ITE

R

ERLANGER UNITED

METHODIST CHURCH

Thank you!! Thank you for your contribution

on 12/03/13 to the General Board

of Global Ministries through the

Advance, to the Red Bird

Mission, Advance. Your gift of

$150 is providing spiritual,

educational, health and outreach

ministries for people in remote

Appalachia in Kentucky. Giving

through The Advance enables

United Methodists to partner with

one another in mission and

ministry around the world. Thank

you for joining with us in God’s

mission. Thank you for giving so

generously.

(This is just a portion of a letter

sent from The General Board of

Global Ministries; the complete

letter is in the office if you would

like to read the entire letter.)

Paintball League Please contact the church office if you are

interested in being a part of The Erlanger United

Methodist Church Paintball Team. This is a 6

week, 1.5 hour playtime each week, for a 5

person team, you must be 18 years old or older.

There are charges for team registration, marker

rental and for the paintballs. Sign up if you are

ready for some fun and exciting action!

2 Jacob Wurtz

4 Chris McPeters

7 Greg Steenken

7 Mike Markey

8 Thelma Martin

8 Thomas Doyle

9 Patrick McMahon

10 Mary Sharp

13 Sue Wells

19 Cindy Slaven

20 Ben Mellott

22 Sue Lambert

23 Tiffany Herbers

26 Brenda Herbers

26 Wanda Ballmer

26 John Gillespie

29 Connie Evans

29 Chuck Love

**Please let us know if your birthday has been left off this list. We want to include everyone!

Methodist Mountain Mission

Pick up Wednesday, February 12, 2014

URGENT NEEDS LIST

January Birthday

Children’s: Coats and Shoes

Men’s: Clothes and Shoes

Underwear and Socks for the whole family

Uniforms – Scrubs

To use at the Plant:

Windex, Paper Towels, Hand soap, Toilet Paper, Pinesol or other

cleaner, Pledge or other furniture polish, Garbage bags – 13 gallon and

33 gallon sizes

And, of course, all of the other wonderful good and usable items you

donate to the Mission!

Blessings,

Karen Bunn

The Church office will be closed, Wednesday, January 1,

2014, for New Year’s Day as well as Monday January

20, 2014 in Observance of Martin Luther King Day.

From the Erlanger United Methodist Men

Hi Folks.

As we look back on 2013, we realize our accomplishments would not have happened without

you. Your participation in our events is much appreciated. Thanks to you, we were able to give

$400.00 to the United Christian Volunteers, $400.00 to EUMC Manna Mission, $400.00 to the

Children’s Home in Versailles, $400.00 to Master Provisions, $200.00 to The Laws

(Appointment Congo), and $200.00 to the Zimmerman’s (World Gospel Mission). Also, earlier

in the year, we gave $100.00 to Adult Ministries for the Ida Spence cake auction, $200.00 to

the EUMC General Fund, $500.00 to the EUMC Children’s Ministries, $250.00 to the Lloyd

High School Football Team,That adds up to $3,050.00 towards getting the Lord’s work done.

Thank you for a great 2013.

Thank You!!!

Our first fundraiser of 2014 will be the Spaghetti Dinner on Saturday, March 8, 2014. More

details will be available soon.

Canned goods update for the United Christian Volunteers. Thru December 14, 2013, 3,160

food items have been delivered. Emphasis in January 2014 is on “Breakfast Items”. Our goal

for 2014 is 3,850 food items. There are many folks in the local area that can’t afford enough

food for their families. Your support has gone a long way in helping this cause. Thank you.!

Whatever you bring will be greatly appreciated.

We would like to invite all men to join the Erlanger United Methodist Men. Our next meeting is

January 4, 2014, Saturday, 8:30 am at Erlanger UMC in the Asbury Room.

Thank you and GOD Bless you all.

The mission of the General Commission on United Methodist Men is to assist men to know Jesus

Christ, to serve Him, to grow spiritually and seek daily to do His will.

Free Family-to-Family Classes

Class starts Tuesday, January 14, 2014 at

Boone County Main Library,

Room B Second Fl. 1786 Burlington Pike, Burlington, KY 41005-9557

NAMI NKY (NAMI Northern Kentucky) is presenting a FREE Family-to-Family Education Course which begins at the Boone County Library, Burlington, KY on Tuesday January 14th, 2014. The class runs from 6:00-8:30 p.m. The class will help family members understand and support individuals with serious mental illness, while maintaining their own well-being. Family members, partners, and friends concerned about someone with mental illness qualify to participate. Participation requires advance registration at (859) 392-1730. The class is a 12-week series occurring on the same day each week. (unless otherwise noted for special circumstance) The class is limited to 30 persons, and will be cancelled or delayed without a minimum of 16 advance registrations. The Family-to-Family course includes information on the workings of the brain, the illnesses and medications. It incorporates workshops on problem solving, communication skills, and empathy. A key component is the recovery and reintegration of those with mental illness back into society. "This course had an immensely positive effect on the lives of those in our congregation who took it" reports Mark Caldwell-Reiss, co-pastor of First Christian Church in Ft. Thomas. The class covers Major Depression, Bipolar Disorder (Manic Depression), Schizophrenia, Schizoaffective Disorder, Borderline Personality Disorder, Panic Disorder, Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD,) Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder and Co-Occurring Brain and Addictive Disorders. The co-teachers are trained NAMI family member volunteers who know what it is like to have a close relative struggling with one of these brain disorders.

Lay Academy of Congregational Excellence (LACE)

LACE is a program designed to help equip laity to serve in their local churches and communi-ties. It

is not just for laity that are interested in public speaking or preaching! We have several different

tracks that emphasize a variety of areas that laity are called to be leaders.

Lay Servant Track: This is the track for folks who are looking to follow the more traditional lay

speaker training. The course includes sessions like “Leadership,” “Teaching the Word,” “Crafting a

Message,” and “Discipleship.”

Servant Leadership Track: This track is for those who are more interested in “servant” based

ministries. This course includes sessions like “Telling Your Story,” “Stewardship,” “Evangelism,” and

“Spiritual Gifts.”

New Ministry Track: This track will help train and equip laity to start new ministries or plant new

churches within their communities and district. This will run simultaneously to the LACE basic

training, however is a total of 10 months and requires a recommendation letter by a pastor. (The

second half dates will be determined by the group.)

*All tracks fulfill requirements for becoming a Local Church Lay Servant. To become a Certi-fied Lay

Servant, an additional advanced course (of participant’s choosing) is required.

The dates for LACE in 2014 are:

January 18th February 15th March 15th April 12th May 17th

Each workshop will be held at Alexandria UMC and cover the different topics listed above. The

workshops will be 9:00am to 4:00pm. The total cost for LACE is $30. Make checks out to Covington

District. Lunch will be provided for these workshops. For questions or more infor-mation call the

district office at 859-442-5444 or email Grace at grace.rockstroh@gmail.com.

Name:

Address:

Phone:

Email:

Church:

Lay Servant, Servant Leadership, or New Ministry Track:

(To register, Mail this to: Covington District Office, 8306 W. Main St., Alexandria, KY 41001)

INCOME REPORT FOR DECEMBER 2013 GENERAL FUND INCOME: SPECIAL GIVING INCOME: Tithes $24,940.00 Building Fund $1,102.09 Loose Plate $113.00 Emmaus Emergency $41.00 Church School $195.96 Emmaus Various Projects $86.00 GECDC $9,558.78 Emmaus Zimmerman $74.00 Interest/Dividends $48.62 Flowers $10.00 Miscellaneous $4,000.00 Good Samaritan Fund $90.00 GENERAL FUND TOTAL $38,860.36 Holiday Offering $35.00

Laws $20.00 Manna Mission $435.00 Methodist Men $10.00

GRAND TOTAL $41,478.45 Methodist Home $270.00 Miscellaneous $145.00 Average to General Fund $7,772.07 Reimbursements $100.00 UMCOR $100.00 UCV $10.00 Youth $80.00 Zimmermans $10.00 SPECIAL GIFTS TOTAL $2,618.09

YOUTH SUNDAY SCHOOL CLASS

Beginning on January 12th, 2014 the Youth Sunday School Class will have a 4 week

Study on how the “Hunger Games” Movie relates to the Bible. So if you thought

Sunday School was outdated or just plain boring come to class these 4 weeks and see

what a differences it can make in your perception of Sunday School. All “R” Welcome!!

New Years Word Search

J A N U A R Y C G C D N X C

Y W P C C E V E P S Z O V O

H T A B B N Y Q K P Q I T U

I M R A L S H G G X V T H N

K U T A F M A A V T E U G T

W R L S P Q N T Y F X L I D

C E L E B R A T I O N O N O

R A E Y N W A Y G M A S D W

S K R O W E R I F V H E I N

R A D N E L A C P G R R M J

CALENDAR CELEBRATION COUNTDOWN

EVE FIREWORKS JANUARY

MIDNIGHT PARTY RESOLUTION

Kids’ Corner!