The Messenger Mio United Methodist Church Newsletter '

December, 2015 Vol. 12.15 Pastor Brenda Klacking 989-826-5521

UMW ANNUAL COOKIE WALK

SUNDAY, DECEMBER 13™ AFTER WORSHIP

Are you baking cookies?

Please have them at the church on Saturday, December 12^^ between 9am and Noon unless other arrangements have been made.

Are you buying cookies?

There will be 3 size boxes - $5.00, $10.00, and $15.00. You will be given the size box you request and a plastic glove. From there your fun begins. Fill your box with your choice of cookies. There are always lots of different shapes and kinds. Have a great time! Share them with your neighbors or maybe a shut-in!

PASTOR'S PONDERINGS

What do you remember about Christmas when you were a kid? I have several but I suppose the one I remember the most is Christmas morning each year. Mom would fix oatmeal for breakfast (because that was fast to fix) while we sat in front of the tree with the presents wondering which one was ours. Then we would have to eat breakfast before we could open any presents. We would "wolf down our oatmeal and head back to the tree.

My Dad, would be in the kitchen, eating up all the little bits of oatmeal that we had left in our bowls and purposefully taking his time about doing it. We're yelling for him to come in the living room so we could open our gifts and I can just picture a smile on Dad's face as he made us wait. Like many others, we didn't have a lot with 5 kids in the family but we had the wonderful love that only parents can give.

The other "tradition" that Tom and Terry and I do each Christmas is watch the "Garfield Christmas Special" on the CD that Tom and Terry bought me several years ago. I really love that show but my favorite part is when Garfield stops everything and asks to share one sentimental moment and says, "It's not the giving, it's not the getting, it's the loving!"

Christmas has always been about love. The God of Love allowed His Son to be bom to be called the Prince of Peace. As we look at our world today, we realize that we have wandered, as a society, away from the loving and back to the giving and the getting at the expense of other people. And we still are looking for that peace and love that God wants to give us.

Jesus was not bom mto a peaceful world. We hear about the angels and the shepherds and a little baby but Herod's castle was very near the place where Jesus was bom. Herod later tried to kill baby Jesus and Mary and Joseph had to flee the country to Egypt to save His life. I guess if Jesus was bom in a world of chaos and killing and people trying to suppress other people, then Jesus will come into our world again amid the chaos and killing and people trying to suppress other people. And that's good news! Jesus is coming back again and then we will see what peace really is.

In the meantime, we come to Christmas remembering the little things that made each Christmas a special time where it wasn't all about the giving and the getting, just the loving!

Christmas blessings to all of you from Tom and I for a loving, peace-filled Christmas.

Blessings,

CHURCH NEWS AND NOTES Ad Council

Info Items • The Soup 'n Pie Supper garnered $370. * There will be at least 25 Christmas Shoeboxes. • Nancy Crane will be teaching an Adult Sunday School Class. See Nancy for more info. • Kitchen Clean Up will be scheduled soon. • 300 bags of candy were given to children for Trunk or Treat.

Action Item $19.95 was added to the offering for Paws of War to bring the total to $300.

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Mitten Tree is ready for all of the gloves, mittens, hats, and scarves that you have been working on or maybe that you have purchased.

Bring them to church and hang them on the tree. They will be distributed to Mio and Fairview Schools and His Love Family Resources.

Let's have a great year with the tree overflowing with protection from the cold for many kids. TV-ee

Poinsettias will adorn the altar for Christmas Eve. They may be purchased and dedicated to the memory of or honor of someone special to you. The cost is $10 per poinsettia. See Sally Boerner-Granlund for more info.

GOOD NEWS! GREAT JOY!

Operation Christmas Child was a huge success. We collected 26 boxes here at Mio UMC. Every shoebox gives Samaritan's Purse International Relief the opportunity to touch the life of a child in Jesus' Names, So praise God for the grateful and generous hearts that responded to the call to fill a shoebox for a child.

Advent Envelopes are included in the Newsletter this month. The gifts that are received will be used for the Adopt-a-Family Christmas program. This is an ongoing project combined with the Lent envelope donations.

Please pray about your gift and the families that will benefit from it. (See following article about Adopt-a-Family Program.)

ADOPT-A-FAMILY FOR CHRISTMAS

This is a mission outreach to our local community that provides the poor and disadvantaged adults and children with Christmas gifts. Family fare Gift Certificates and a box of our special homemade Mio UMW cookies. This ministry has touched many families in our community in the past and we look forward to doing the same for six families this year. Check out the display on the window as you go into the Sanctuary. Gift tags identifying the family and family member by number and the gift idea will be hanging there for you to choose. Take one tag or more if you can and purchase the gift Bring it back wrapped and identified with the tag or one of your own and put it under the tree in the Fellowship Hall. Bring Christ's joy to someone and pray for that someone to come to church and get to know Jesus as their personal Savior if they don't have a relationship with Him. Thank you for reaching out with Jesus' Grace and Compassion.

KIDS AND ADULT SUNDAY SCHOOL

Sunday Schoo MAKES A DIFFERENCE

SEE JANUARY NEWSLETTER FOR MORE INFO.

CHRISTMAS REMINDERS

May Christmas

gifts remind you of God's greatest gift, His only begotten Son.

candles remind you of Him who is the "Light of the world."

trees remind you of another tree upon which He died for you.

cheer remind you of Him who said, "Be of good cheer."

bells remind you of the glorious proclamation of His birth,

carols remind you of the song the angels sang, "Glory to God in the highest"

season remind you in every way of Jesus Christ your King.

December 2015 Sunday ;? - Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday F"day Saturday

9:30 AM Worship < 10:45 AM Kids' SS

1 2 3 4 5

6 »«9:30 AM Worship « 1 0 : 4 5 AM Kids'SS

7 8 9

k-

10 « 6 : 0 0 PM SPRC «>«6:30 PM Finance « 7 : 0 0 PM Ad Council

11 "=10:00 AM UMM

12

13 « 9 : 3 0 AM Worship « 1 0 : 3 0 AM UMW

Cooltie Walk « 1 0 : 4 5 AM Kids'SS

14 15 16 - 1 : 0 0 PM NO Prayer

Bears

17 18 19

20 «»9:30 AM Worship -10 :30 AM UMW

Cookie Walk « 1 0 : 4 5 AM Kids'SS

- » • i * •' i f :) > -

21 22 23 24 "•6:00 PM Christmas

Eve Service

25 26

27 « 9 : 3 0 AM Worship « 1 0 : 4 5 AM Kids'SS

-• ? f

' H

28 «.9:00 AM NO UMW

29 30

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31 i

DECEMBER BIRTHDAYS

2 - Marietta Kusey 4 - Virgil Geister

10 - Bev Sparks 12-Jerry Doll 21 - Lariy Lee 29 - Bruce Graff ^ ,

DECEMBER LECTIONARY

Dec, 6 Malachi 3:1-4 Luke 1:68-79 Philippians 1:3-11 Luke 3:1-6

Dec. 13 Zephaniah 3:14-20 Isaiah 12:2-6 Phihappians 4:4-7 Luke 3:7-18

Dec. 20 Micah 5:2-5a Lukel:46b-55 Hebrews 10:5-10 Luke 1:39-45

Dec. 24 Isaiah 9:2-7 Psalm 96 Titus 2:11-14 Luke 2:1-10

Dec. 25 Isaiah 52:7-10 Psalm 98 Hebrews 1:1-4 (5-12) John 1:1-14

Dec. 27 1 Samuel 12:18-20, 26 Psalm 148 Colossians 3:12-17 Luke 2:41-52

PRAYER CONCERNS

Our church Paris, France Wayne Agosa Dora Jean Babcock Mary Ellen Boelringer Richard Briggs Jimmy Burrell Dan Butler Tim Butler Myca Byler Henry Camling Jeanne Cardinal Siphiwe (Malawi orphan) Judy Doring Bob Dudek, Jr Jeannie Grabner Dawn Hall Ron Handrich Julie Hershberger Tom Hacking Marietta Kusey Keith Lantz Sharon Lantz George Lawson Judith Lawson Terry Lee Todd Lee Joan Long Sue Moore Cristen Morgan Tim Morgan Nancy Oliver Gail Powers Brad & Peggy Scjmianski Hannah Sherwood Lena Sherwood Sherwood Family Mark Smith Mark Starr Bea Stitt Norma Strickland Austin Tarkelson Ralph Terry Nancy Trew

Linda Wagner , i Doreen Wiegand MarkWillet Rick Wilson Tyler Wilson Kerry Yost

At The Brook - West Branch Dick Valley

At Wellspring - Fairview Kim Stitt

At Home Chariotte Peters

At Grayling Bev Sparks

Military Brandon Clouse Dennis Ray Kann, III Justin Nash Josh Petrik Lars Scheid James Schneider Jordyn Smith All Armed Forces

Families of: Louis Ward

Dick Whaley

m M I o U n I t • d M . t h o .J I , t - ^ . . M I o , M I e h l g a i , 4 8 ( 4 7

C h u r c h

MIo United Methodist Church 1101 W.Sth Street MIo, Michigan 4 8 6 * 7

Phone number 989^26- 5S 98

Address Service Requested

Visit our Web Site at: www.MioUMC.org Also ciieclc us out on Face Boole E-mail Address: Office@MioUMC.org

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TEN COMMANDMENTS FOR CHRISTMAS

1. Thou shalt not leave Christ out of Christmas.

3. Thou shalt not value thy gifts by their costs.

5. Thou shalt give thyself with thy gifts.

7. Thou shalt not neglect the church.

9. Thou shalt spend sensibly and responsibly.

Thou shalt come!

Scripture - Carols - Message - Carols - Fellowship

6:00 pm atMio United Methodist Church.

2. Thou shalt not forget the needy.

4. Thou shalt give to missions.

6. Thou shalt experience Christmas as a little child.

8. Thou shalt not let Santa take the place of Jesus Christ

10. Thou shalt prepare yourself spiritually for Christmas. Pe^prlnted from The Joyful Noiseletter •