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For Christmas this year, we’re looking at Joseph, the earthly father of Jesus. There’s a moment in Jesus’ adult life when people make fun of him for being Joseph’s son: “[Jesus] returned to Nazareth, his hometown. When he taught there in the synagogue, everyone was amazed and said, ‘Where does he get this wisdom and the power to do miracles?’ Then they scoffed, ‘He’s just the carpenter’s son… Where did he learn all these things?’” (Matthew 13:54-56) Where did he learn these things? Maybe, just maybe, his earthly dad taught him a few things as he was growing up! Even though we don’t have a lot of information about Joseph, we do know a few key things about him. From the Bible verse I just mentioned, we know he was a carpenter, so we’ll be exploring what difference it made that Jesus was raised in a carpenter’s home. How would he have been different had he grown up in a professional’s or an academic’s home or a nobleman’s or a businessman’s home? How did his father’s profession as a craftsman influence Jesus’ upbringing? And tradition has it that Joseph likely taught Jesus his craft as well, meaning Jesus may very well have learned to make furniture and other items from wood. We also know that Joseph tried to do right for his family. Matthew 1:19 tells us that when Joseph discovered Mary was pregnant, “Joseph, to whom she was engaged, was a righteous man and did not want to disgrace her publicly, so he decided to break the engagement quietly.” He was a righteous man, honorable in wanting to do the right thing for Mary. We’ll explore what it means to be honorable and to seek to do the right thing for our families, using Joseph as an example. We know that Joseph wanted to protect his family and provide for them. In Luke 2:4-5, we realize that Mary travelled to Bethlehem while she was pregnant because it was Joseph’s ancestral hometown. And even though there was no lodging available for them, Joseph ensured that she was provided for when the time came for her to give birth to Jesus. What does it mean for us to want the very best for our families? Finally, we know that even though Joseph wasn’t the biological father of Jesus, Joseph raised him as his son and gave him fatherly love and care. Many of us in our families and all of us in the church family find ourselves caring for young people who may not be our biological kin, but whom we nurture and care for and love in extraordinary ways. We’ll celebrate how Joseph offered support and love for Jesus, and how we can do the same for the young people in our lives! So while the Biblical knowledge we have about Joseph is rather limited, you can easily see how there is a great deal of resonance between his life and his contributions to Jesus’ life and our lives today. We’ll gain a new appreciation for how Jesus’ life and ministry was influenced by Joseph. And we’ll gain a new appreciation for contributions of fathers in our midst today, and for our ability to nurture and care for others just as a good father loves his children.
Peace in Christ,
The Web News
December 2017
From Pastor Brian Inside this issue:
West Bloomfield United Methodist Church seeks to show the love of God through worship, prayer, discipleship, and commitment.
From Pastor Brian
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Adult Fellowship 2
Impact Youth 2 Women of WB 2
50th Anniversary Celebration
2
Exercise groups 2
Bingo 2
Poinsettia orders 2
Birthdays & Anniversaries
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Missions 3
Women’s Bible Study
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Family to support 3
Education 4
Coffee Hour help 4 Tree Trim 4
Staff Recognition 5
Financial Info 5 Worship Assistants
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Coffee Hour Hosts
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Ways to Connect 6 Cookie Walk 7 Christmas Events 8 Ways to Donate 9-
10 Calendar 11
of West Bloomfield UMC
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Adult Fellowship Activity Christmas At Brightmoor
Thursday, December 7th at 7:00 PM
A Christmas for All Time! This Broadway-style musical tells the story
of Bill—a man who is too busy for Christmas—and his encounter with a mysterious stranger named Bartholomew who reveals the “spirit in the hearts of Christmases past.” Together, they take a moving musical journey through time—visiting the shepherds at the nativity; a medieval castle; a time when Christmas was outlawed in 1657 England; an 1845 orphanage; a stirring freedom scene in 1855; immigrants coming to American in 1902; a 20th century America by the decades; and, in the moving conclusion, return to the present where Bill comes face-to-face with his own hard-heartedness and need for a Savior.
Audiences will experience music, drama, live animals, and flying angels that capture the wonder of Christmas and how a personal encounter with Jesus Christ is the only way to bring true joy to Christmas today. A sign-up sheet is on the bulletin board. Or please contact Trika McCabe for tickets. We need to arrive 1-2 hours in advance to get seats. Last year there was quite a line. If you prefer a different night, feel free to call Brightmoor.
December 3 Tree Trim
December 10, 9:30 AM Sunday School
December 17 Christmas Program
December 24 Christmas Eve
Christmas Poinsettias
Don’t forget to order by December 10th. Forms are in the bulletin or by the front entrance.
Give them to Butch or Barb Johnson or put them in the church office.
Bingo
Monday, December 4th is your last opportunity this year to volunteer at the West Bloomfield Nursing Home and Convalescent Center on Maple Road. Bingo is fun and the residents love it. Come join us at 2:15 PM. Look for the 2018 schedule on the bulletin board soon. Please sign up or contact Pam Melton at 248-676-9243.
Exercise Class The women’s exercise group is on. You
will be notified when it will resume. The men will meet at 7:00 PM on Wednesday nights at the church. Bill Beach leads the men’s group.
Women of West Bloomfield
The next regular meeting of the Women of WBUMC will be held in 2018. Stay tuned for the schedule. All women are cordially invited to join. There will be no meetings during the month of December.
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Monday Night Women’s Bible Study
The women’s Bible study group will meet
on Monday evening at 7:00 PM on December 4th & December11th, 2017 at Jackie Beach’s home, but not on the 18th or 25th. The current study on women in the Bible will be completed at that time. A decision will be made by the group concerning a future study topic and the start date for it. If you enjoy learning about the power and meaning of the scriptures and sharing how they impact your life, please plan to attend. All women are welcome! Contact Jackie if you need directions to her home. Supporting a Family for Christmas
We are supporting a family from Roosevelt School this year. It is a single mother with 2 children. A Thanksgiving meal was provided in November and we will be purchasing gifts for the family and providing a Christmas meal as well. Gift ideas are posted on the Giving Tree in the Narthex. We are asking that gifts be brought to church by Sunday, December 24th, 2017.
1 Debbie Cochran 2 Rev. Brian William 7 Sean Hughes 8 Dianne White
10 Libby Beck 11 Kendal Wayne 13 Shaun Hoffman 14 Bill Beck 16 Jason Maman 19 Alexisandrea Reese 20 Dr. Mosha Ahmed 21 Isha Kamara 22 Brian Mulligan 22 Bella Hughes 24 Karen Langner
25 JESUS! 25 Kent Land 25 Krista Herbst 28 Timothy Risk 30 Patricia McCabe
12 Simon & Wendy Kissonergis 23 Dan & Mirella Ducu
Missions Committee
This month, the Mission Committee will
be focusing on our Christmas Offering. This offering will be used to support two of our mission projects. Half of the offering will be sent to the Joy-Southfield Community Development Corporation that supports the Joy-Southfield Health and Education Center. The health clinic has expanded its services to include mental health and dental services, since it is now operated by Christian-based Covenant Community Care. The other services provided by the the Development Corporation includes community gardening, cooking classes, home ownership support, home foreclosure prevention, youth mentoring and local econopmic development, among others.
The second half of the offering will be sent to the Methodist Children’s Home in Redford Michigan. Their mission is to help hundreds of children each year be providing safe havens, creating forever families and raising reesponsible young men and women. Whild they formerly functioned primarily as a home for children, their focus now is placing children in stable, loving foster families with the hope of finding them forever families through adoption.
Please help us support these two important ministries of Christ. The Missions Committee thanks you for the love, generosity and compassion that you have for all of the people we serve.
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Calling All WBUMC Coffee Hour Hosts
Here is your opportunity to start a new
Coffee Hour Host team or join an existing one for the upcoming year. We have a couple of existing teams that could use a new member. Teams can be made up of one person, family or several people. We would like to add at least two new teams to our list for 2018 and beyond!! Twelve teams would mean the teams would only have to do four (4), possibly five (5), Sundays a year. There may be a Sunday when we have a special event, so your team would be off the hook for that week. I will set up the list of teams with new team numbers and make up a schedule for the year, as well as provide Guidelines to help you know how it all works!! Please join us in hosting Coffee Hour. If you have a change to your existing team, please let me know.
Thank you!! Dorinda McMullen Phone: 248-363-8030 or Email: [email protected]
From the Education Committee We want to thank all of you who prayed
for - or - contributed shoe boxes to - or - contributed funds for mailing the shoeboxes to Samaritan’s Purse for Children all over the world. I’m pleased to report that our church donated 43 shoeboxes to Operation Christmas Child this year.
Franklin Graham said, “We are praying for over 10 million shoebox gifts this year. Every shoebox is an opportunity to show God’s love and share the Gospel with a hurting child. Please pray specifically for the children who will receive your gifts. There’s nothing more powerful than prayer.”
Let’s continue to pray that people all over the world will be blessed by this ministry and praising God for it.
Closer to home, the people of our church donated several beautiful hats, gloves, mittens and scarves to Baldwin Center in Pontiac. They greeted us with much warmth and said that they were looking forward to our arrival with the winter outerwear.
It’s wonderful to be part of a church where the people care so much for the less fortunate from far and near that they purchase, knit or sew beautiful gifts to give them. Dorothy Maman, Ed. Chair
Annual Tree Trim Family Fun Festivities
Sunday, December 3rd, 4:00 PM
The annual tree trim will be Sunday, December 3rd from 4:00 PM until 7:00 PM This special family event will enhance your holiday season. The fun and festivities begin with a potluck dinner at 4:00 PM. Please bring a dish to pass serving 8 to 10 people. Table service and beverages will be provided. After dinner, families may use their artistic talents to make decorations for the Christmas tree. Supplies to make decorations will be provided. However, if you choose to bring your own materials to make decorations, please remember: No glitter or glue guns (glue dots are ok). Families will be invited by tables to have their picture taken with Santa. After the decorations and pictures are completed, Pastor Brian will lead everyone to the sanctuary to place the decorations on the tree. There will be adults on the ladder to assist with placing decorations up high on the tree.
Finally, we’ll find seats with our family to sing those favorite Christmas carols and songs including the traditional “Twelve Days of Christmas”. Our evening will conclude with candle light and singing “Silent Night”. Start the holiday season by attending this special Christmas event.
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Staff Recognition On Sunday, December 17th we will be
recognizing our staff during the morning worship service and presenting them with their Christmas gift from the congregation. We hope that you will jo join us for a time to honor these dedicated servants of the church.
WBUMC Financial Information
from January 1 - October 31, 2017 Offering Received $127,041 Other Income (Northville Insurance reimbursement, AA Rent, Kroger) $ 6,644 Total Income $133,685 Total Expenses $134,165 Net Income (Deficit) ($ 480)
December
Liturgists
December 3 Bill Maman December 10 Kay Ducu December 17 Ivy Nuamah December 24 Margaret Cantrell December 31 Pam Melton Greeters December 3 Ivy Nuamah December 10 Kumba & Sulaiman Kamara December 17 Ivy Nuamah December 24 Libby Beck December 31 Mirella & Dan Ducu Trustee on Duty
December 3 Ralph Worley December 10 Bill Beach December 17 Dan Ducu December 24 Wendy Kissonergis December 31 Glenn Joseph
Counters
December 3 Joe Sutschek & Ralph Worley December 10 Sulaiman Kamara & Mark
Borns December 17 Tim McCabe & Gary Langner December 24 Vicki Hernandez & Dan
Langford December 31 Di Ahmed & Kara Mulligan Administrative Meetings December 10 8:30 AM Board of Trustees December 12 7:00 PM Finance Meeting December 12 7:45 PM Church Council Ushers December 3 Ralph Worley Mark Borns Melodie Langford Joe Sutschek December 10 Brent Webster Wisam Jirjis Barbara Shoger Vance Shoger December 17 Darwin Wayne Gary Langner Butch Johnson Dora Wayne December 24 Vicki Hernandez Marty Bopp Dorinda McMullen Fritz McMullen December 31 Ivy Nuamah Simon Kissonergis Bill Maman Diane White
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Coffee Hour Hosts December 3 Kay Reese
Mirella & Dan Ducu December 10 Margaret Cantrell Pam Kimura Joanne Herbst Jo Anna Risk December 17 Kara & Rob Mulligan Ralph Worley December 24 Melodie & Dan Langford Karen & Bill Sutherlin December 31 Kelly & Shaun Hoffman Patricia & Tim McCabe
Ways to Connect Office hours:
Tuesday, 9:00 AM to 1:00 PM Wednesday, 9:00 AM to 1:00 PM Friday, 9:00 AM to 1:00 PM
Pastor’s office hours:
Tuesday, 9:00 AM to 4:30 PM Wednesday, 9:00 AM to 4:30 PM Or call any time with emergencies or to schedule an appointment.
Church contact info: Telephone: 248.851.2330 Email: [email protected] Website: westbloomfieldumc.org
Newsletter submissions: [email protected]
Pastor Brian contact info: Home Telephone: 248.851.0149 Cell Phone: 248.672.7481 Email: [email protected] Staff: Rev. Brian William, Pastor Jo Anna Risk, Administrative Secretary Warren Johnson, Youth Director David Carlson, Custodian Broader Church Connections:
Bishop David Bard, Michigan Area Bishop Rev. Charles Boayue, Detroit Renaissance District
Superintendent
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Attention Everyone!
Saturday, December 9th
COOKIE WALK!
In our Fellowship Hall, we will set up tables that will be stacked high with homemade holiday cookies, jams,
and candies. The doors are open from 10 AM – 11:30 AM for all to pick out and buy their selections.
This is one of our HUGE fundraisers, and we need you to make this a success!
Please sign up to:
☻ Set Up – Friday, Dec. 8th, set up tables 4-6 PM
☻ Clean Up – Take down and put away
☻ Fanout – Call Church Members to see what each is baking
☻ Publicity – Advertising
☻ Shopping – Buy supplies (with church money)
☻ Buckeye workshop at the Church – Tuesday 11/28, 9 AM (Kay Reese)
☻ Cookie Workshops – Monday, 12/4, 9 AM and Friday, 12/8, 9 AM (Glenda White)
☻ Cookie Take in – Accept cookies at the church the night before, Friday, Dec. 8th, from 4-7 PM
☻ Cashiers – Weigh cookies and cash out customers
☻ Sale Day – Work the day of the sale
☻ Bake Cookies – bake, bake, bake and drop off your goods by 8 AM, Dec. 9th
☻ Donate – Not a baker? Just donate money towards baking supplies!
Grab a pen and sign up for one of the above items. The sign up sheet is located on the bulletin board (adjacent
to the front door of the Church).Got Questions? Contact Jennifer Joseph at 248 538-7132
Sundays in December
During the weeks leading up to Christmas, we’ll learn about Joseph, the
earthly father of Jesus. We’ll learn about Joseph the carpenter who likely
taught his trade to Jesus as a boy. We’ll learn how Joseph tried to do right
for his family as he was described as “an honorable man.” We’ll learn how
Joseph wanted to provide for his family as he cared for Mary when the time
came to give birth to Jesus. We’ll learn how Joseph offered fatherly love
and care for Jesus, even though he wasn’t his biological father. Each
Sunday in December at 10:30 AM, we’ll recognize the valuable lessons
Joseph has for us today.
Tree Trim – Sunday, December 3rd, 4 PM
It marks the start of our Christmas festivities here at the church. The Tree
Trim includes a potluck meal, crafts and ornament making for the kids,
decorating and singing in the sanctuary, plus of course Santa!
Christmas Program – Sunday, December 17th, 10:30 AM
The children and youth will be presenting the Christmas program under the
direction of Butch and Barb Johnson. The young people will use their gifts
and talents in a unique way to share the Christmas story with us. The
younger children will also be included in the presentation, as sheep, angels,
animals, and shepherds. Then they’ll go to enjoy a “Birthday Party for
Jesus” as the youth and adults enjoy the rest of worship.
Christmas Caroling – Sunday, December 17th, 12 PM
Lunch will be provided at noon, then we’ll go out to nursing homes and
residences to sing Christmas carols as we bring joy and cheer to the hearts
of our shut-ins.
Christmas Eve Service – Saturday, December 24th, 5 PM
The Christmas Eve family service will be at 5:00 PM. The final candle of
the Advent wreath, the Christ candle, will be lit celebrating the birth of
Jesus, our Lord and Savior. Holy Communion will be served. This
beautiful, joyous, and inspirational service will conclude with lighting the
candles and the singing of “Silent Night.” Remember, Jesus is the reason
for the season. Let us celebrate!
Christmas Events
umcmarket.org provides an easy way to
donate to WBUMC's ministries without costing you a cent. Simply make online purchases as you usually would, and WBUMC gets a percentage – what's not to like?!
After a few seconds to sign up at umcmarket.org and another few seconds to install it on your web browser, it’s all automatic! Say you go to the petsmart.com website, you’re asked the question, "Want to earn a 2.5% donation on purchases from Petsmart?" Yes! Or if you type "Sony TV" into a google search, the first result has a shopping cart icon and "1% donation" next to it. That means if you chose that retailer, 1% will be donated to WBUMC.
And looking around, all sorts of websites are included – travel, clothing, cosmetics, gifts, shoes, athletics, electronics, etc. Everyone has different spending habits, but I'm certain you'll find several that you've bought from:
Kohl's, Lane Bryant, Lord & Taylor, Travelocity, Orbitz, Macy's, Saks Fifth Avenue,
Ulta, The Vitamin Shoppe, Avon, New Balance, Hanes, Best Buy, f.y.e., Starbucks,
Fannie May, Omaha Steaks, GameStop, Nordstrom, Rockler, Carters, Stride Rite,
Petsmart, Finish Line, Gander Mtn., Samsonite, Priceline, Old Navy
And that's just a partial list!
And of course, it's not just restricted to people who can attend our church regularly. Your son grew up in the church and now lives in Maryland but wants to support the church – he can participate! Your sister isn't connected with a church but she does tons of online shopping – she can participate!
Do your online shopping as you usually would and WBUMC benefits – it's that simple!
A Double Tax Benefit for 2017! It's the end of the year, which means a lot
of us are thinking about our 2017 taxes. And while receiving a tax benefit isn't the primary reason we make charitable gifts, it's sure a nice side effect. But most of us have never considered the most favorable tax benefit that's available to givers – giving appreciated assets to the church. By transferring appreciated stock, real estate, or other asset, you can receive a double benefit by avoiding capital gains tax and receiving a charitable deduction.
Just to put some numbers on an illustration, let's look at the benefits of a hypothetical gift:
The Smith family is in the 25% tax bracket (which means they pay 15% capital gains tax). They purchased stock in XYZ Inc. some years ago for $1,000, and now it's worth $5,000.
If they transfer that stock to the church, they will receive several benefits:
• The Smith family will avoid $600 of capital gains tax – $5,000 - $1,000 = $4,000 x 15% = $600
• They'll still get the $1,250 charitable tax deduction – $5,000 x 25% = $1,250
• The satisfaction of generously supporting the important ministries of the church
So the full $5,000 benefits the church, and the Smith family gets an additional $1,850 in their pocket next April 15th! Of course, this is just a hypothetical example – you'd want to consult with your tax professional to confirm the financial impact given your situation.
If giving appreciated assets to the church is something you'd like to consider or something you'd like to learn more about, please contact our financial secretary, Dan Langford, at [email protected].
Easy Ways to Donate to WBUMC
West Bloomfield United Methodist Church is now an approved charity for Amazon Smile. Amazon Smile is operated by Amazon with the same products, prices, and shopping features (including Prime) as Amazon. The difference is that when you shop on Amazon Smile, 0.5% of the purchase price of eligible products to will be donated to our church.
You have the same Account and Login information for Amazon Smile as you do for Amazon. Simply type in smile.amazon.com in your web browser (rather than just amazon.com), and you will be asked to pick a charity. Type in West Bloomfield United Methodist Church and make it your charity. You are only required to select the charity the first time and Amazon Smile will remember it! Then remember to use smile.amazon.com each time you shop and they’ll send a donation to WBUMC!
You will also be able to see how much your purchases have contributed and how much our church has received. Every little bit helps! Please sign up as soon as possible and tell your friends (including social media friends) and family about it.
Many of us do our grocery shopping at Kroger, and there’s an opportunity to enroll in the Kroger Community Rewards Program. To do this you can go to your nearest Kroger and sign up at the customer service desk, or you can visit the website at: www.krogercommunityrewards.com.
You will be asked to enter your Kroger Plus card number. If you don’t have one, you can get them from the Customer Service desk at any Kroger store. Click on SIGN UP TODAY, and go from there. Our church NPO (non-profit organization) number is 82773. A percentage of all purchases made at Kroger is given to the church.
Easy Ways to Donate to WBUMC
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West Bloomfield United Methodist Church 4100 Walnut Lake Road (just west of Orchard Lake Road) West Bloomfield, MI 48323 248.851.2330 [email protected] Web: westbloomfieldumc.org
