Focus 2013 12

A little girl was saying her prayers at the end of a frustrating December day. She got her words mixed up and said: “Give us this day our daily bread and forgive us our Christmases as we forgive those who Christmas against us.” *

Christmas has become a time of chaos, clutter, and confusion. For some, there are too many gifts, too much food, too much drink, and too many expectations. For others, there are not enough gifts. There is not enough money. There is loneliness, grief, or hardship. There are decorations, candles and carols. But where is God in the midst of the realities of human life? How does Christ come into our world when even the celebration of his birth gets in the way? Is the December countdown about Christmas or confusion? Is it about Bethlehem or bedlam? James Moore says it is not about one or the other. “God breaks into our confusion and becomes known in Jesus Christ. Christ breaks into our chaos to be present right where we are.”*

This is the story of Christmas. It is the story of a God so in love with God’s own, that God chooses to enter the chaos and bedlam of human life. It happened decisively in the birth of Christ in Bethlehem. It happens every day when God enters the chaos and bedlam of our lives in the here and how. I invite you to take steps this December to seek God in the midst of your life. Here are three ways you can discover God and find Bethlehem in the bedlam of this season.

-Come to worship. Allow the sounds and images and warmth of worship to help you connect with God.

-Use a devotional, read a book, or use the Advent photo project (available to pick up at the back of the church or online at our website and facebook) to guide you in looking for God in the midst of the season.

-Buy a gift for a child whose parent is incarcerated using the Angel Tree, or buy gifts for a family using the Salvation Army tree, or pick up a mitten and buy a gift card for an alternative high school student. Connect with God through a specific action of love for your neighbor.

As we move toward Christmas day, may we find a Bethlehem of the heart. May we experience the love and grace of God even in the midst of this world’s struggles and chaos. May we come to Christmas Eve with a new confidence that the birth of Christ makes a difference in our lives and in the world.

Grace and peace to you,

Pastor Lynn

*from the book Finding Bethlehem in the Midst of Bedlam by James Moore

Church Events, Caring

Ministry, Birthdays,

Stephen Ministry

2 & 3

Nurture Ministry 4 & 5

Outreach Ministry,

Witness Ministry,

memorials

6 & 7

Finance, UMW 8

Youth Ministry,

calendar

9

Inside this issue:

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December 2013

I’VE BEEN HEARING ABOUT VITAL CHURCH INITIATIVE.

BUT WHAT EXACTLY IS V.C.I.??

For the past few months, thirteen members of our church have been involved with the “Vital Church Initiative” or VCI. The purpose of VCI is to train people for leadership, visioning and revitalization of existing congregations. We meet monthly with teams from Wyoming Park UMC, Martin UMC and Faith UMC. In addition, we meet once a month at Holland First UMC with three additional home team members. Our focus is to work on strategies and procedures that will help us turn our vision and mission statements from words into action... but how??

—Article continues on page 8

Come join the Lunch Bunch on Sundays following the 10:45 a.m. service. We will gather at the Good Shepherd window to get a head count and head out to a local

restaurant. All ages are welcome to join including singles, couples, and families. Check the bulletin for the days’ location or contact David Newton.

Epsilon will meet Wednesday, December 18 at 11:30 AM at Beechwood Inn. Please call Dave or Dorothea 392-3493 by December 16 for reservations.

will meet on December 5 at 1:30 PM in the Fellowship Hall for the John Benson Christmas Tea. The Grace Gospel Band will perform. Reservations are needed. Call Sharon Rocker at 392-1966.

The Kids In Tow December event is the adults only Christmas Party on the 21st. Watch your emails for the evite and more information about time and location.

For December 9, Book Club will be discussing Half Broke Horses by Jeannette Walls which tells the heartwarming story of the author's grandmother, an irrepressible woman who carved her own destiny. Read the book and join us in the Conference Room at 6:30.

The Alliance for Cultural and Ethnic Harmony (ACEH) warmly invites members and friends of First United Methodist Church to its annual Holiday Potluck and

Cultural Sharing Party, which will be held in Fellow-ship Hall on Saturday, December 7, from 5 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. There will be music, children’s activities, and performances by Laotian youth dancers, Maciek the Magician, and Caribbean drummer and poet Erick Picardo. Please bring a dish to share from your cultur-al background, and nonperishable items for a local food bank; ACEH provides beverages and table ser-vice. A silent auction of many reasonably priced goods

The deadline for article submissions for the January Focus is December 13. Please email articles

to [email protected] by that date or earlier. If a hard copy must be used, please bring

to main office by that date also. If you would prefer not receiving the Focus in the mail, please

let Marj Haney know at [email protected].

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Happening this Month

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and services will help support ACEH diversity pro-grams, publications, and community outreach. Call Ann Weller at 396-2201 for information.

Mitten Tree is returning for another year! Please thoughtfully consider supporting the students as they work to earn their diplomas. Mitten

donations are benefiting West Ottawa's Dunes Alter-native High School and W-A-Y Program, Muskegon. These programs give students, who have not been successful in a traditional classroom, opportunities to earn their diploma . Here's how:

1. Select a mitten from the tree

2. Write your name and a brief message of support or encouragement on the mitten

3. Attach a $10 gift card (Gift cards can be from restaurants, Meijer, Target, Walmart, etc.)

We are hoping to collect at least 70 gift cards to distribute, one to each student in each program, this year. If you have any questions, please talk with: Traci Howard [email protected]

Meet and Eat Singles will have their Christmas Party here in the church lounge on December 11 at 6:00 pm. Please call David Newton for reservations by the 9th. Singles of all ages are welcome to attend.

Birthday Wishes!

Please be in prayer for these congregation members and friends...

Notes of appreciation received since the last Focus:

Sid Kenyon wrote: I am deeply grateful for all the prayers cards, and calls during my recent surgery. A very

special thank you to Pastor Lynn and Sharon Rocker for their hospital visits, the UMW for the bud vase and the Stephen Ministry team for all of their support and

prayers. I feel blessed to be part of such a caring church family and have felt God’s healing presence in my life.

Marilyn Klomparens wrote: A big thanks for all the prayers, cards and calls during my stay in the hospi-tal. Thanks to UMW for the flower. We have a great church family.

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These friends are celebrating at least their 85th birthday this month. Please extend your well wishes!

Ruth Lumbert; Parker Lepard and family; Marilyn Klomparens; Jeanne Kleis; Laurie Mutschler; Florence Kail; Jessie George; Stephen Steggerda; Flora Nies; Al and Donna Wiegerink; Lisa Snyder; all those with loved ones and family who are hurting or ill

Sympathy to the friends and family of Cereta Veldhuis who passed away November 9 and to friends and family of Joyce Alderink who passed away on November 18.

Congratulations Dave and Heidi Vruggink on the birth of their first child, Zoey Jean, on November 2. She weighed 7lbs 2oz and was 20 inches long. Welcome Zoey!

Stephen Ministry - The Quiet Sufferer

Christ Caring for People Through People Jesus said: “Take care of my sheep.” John 21: 16b

Stephen Ministers provide ongoing Christian care to people experiencing a wide range of life needs: the bereaved, the lonely, empty nesters, new parents, others. These are obvious needs. But there are less obvious needs; the Quiet Sufferer is one. This may be someone who encounters a series of smaller losses, stresses, or problems – any one of which the person could normally take in stride – but when

added together, pose a challenge bigger than the sum of its parts. In most instances these quiet sufferers may very well be able to work things through alone. They do not need to do so, and God does not want them to do so. They could work through the situation much better, faster, or with less stress if they each had a Stephen Minister. Plans are formulating for the next class for Stephen Ministry training. Are you being called? Get on the list. Contact Ann Nieuwkoop (405-0701, [email protected]) or Marsha Burnham (395-0054, [email protected]).

December

18 Maxine Klinesteker 361 Evergreen Dr. Holland MI 49424

23 Paul Klomparens 800 Clarewood Ct. Holland MI 49423

Caring Ministry Sharon Rocker, Director of Visitation Ministries (ext. 104)

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Nurture Ministry Marj Haney, Director (ext. 106) Heidi De Moss, Director of Adult Ministry

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Spark Rotation will continue its People of the Bible theme in December and focus on the most important person in the Bible, Jesus! We will talk about his birth and the circumstances that surrounded it. Rejoice, our Savior is born!

On December 1, instead of our usual Rotation, we will join with the other classes and adults in the Fellowship Hall to make ornaments and other decorations for Ad-vent and Christmas. Please bring a parent and/or grandparent along for the fun!

Our rotation will continue the next three Sundays-December 8, 15 and 22 with combined groups the

whole month. We are looking for extra adult

helpers this month so if you are available to stay and help, please do so and we appreciate it very much!

We will have Jubilant Journey on Dec. 22 but not on Dec. 29 for the children and youth but some adult classes may meet. Jubilant Journey will start up again for children on January 5 and some adult classes may meet that morning as well. Worship Center and the 3rd grade Bible Class will take December 29 and January 5 off. On December 29, we will premiere the new Veggie Tales Christmas story called ‘Merry Larry and the True Light of Christmas’ in the lounge for all children pre-school through 5rd grade at 10:45. On January 5, there will also be a movie for all children preschool through 5rd grade in the lounge at 10:45, title to be announced.

Small Groups

Nurture Ministries would like this to be the year that every-

one at FUMCH tries a Small Group, a class, or both. Look

for programming, Small Group studies, classes, and presen-

tations that will give you the opportunity to engage with

your Bible and your God in a new and deeper way.

Small Group is a commitment that will bring you closer to God, grow your understanding of various Christian topics and the Christian faith itself, and bring you into deeper fellowship with some other Christians who are seeking the same thing. Studying together, supporting each other, and holding each other accountable is some of what Small Groups is about. Mostly, it is building connection. If you haven’t tired a Small Group yet, talk with one of the leaders, a member, or Heidi and find out more.

Here is a list of FUMCH’s current Small Groups:

Sunday Night Group Sunday Evening Led by Dave Marckini & George Ward Lounge taking a break for Thanksgiving/Christmas. If anyone wants more information, he/she may call George Ward at 786-4761 or email [email protected]

Coffee Klatz & Conversation Monday Morning Led by David Newton Lounge

The Searls Group Monday Evening Led by Jim Searls Room 301 at 7:00

The Rocker Group Monday Evening contact Bill & Sharon Rocker (every other week) This group is using the Finding Bethlehem materials.

Tuesday Night Group Tuesday Evening fed by Steve and Sandy Snyder Sr. Snyder home

This group is full at this time.

Bible Study for Moms Wednesday Evening Led by Pastor Lynn Conference Room Taking a break for the holidays

Ladies Only Thursday Morning contact office (every other week) Care Ministry Office

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Adult Nurture Opportunities

This Advent… Finding Bethlehem in the Midst of Bedlam

Christmas or confusion, Bethlehem or bedlam . . . Which will you choose this year? Christ-mas and confusion--weren’t they intimately

related at the first Christmas when Jesus was born? Sometimes we forget that. Christ breaks into our chaos and confusion and brings Christmas--Bethlehem always happens in the midst of bedlam. Cokesbury.com, edited for

length by Heidi DeMoss

How will you be involved? Classes, Small Groups, a de-votional?

Folks are learning and growing...

Faithlinks Class has had great discussions, and has more coming. How is God calling us to work out in the world?

Pastor Lynn’s Class always helps each other in prepar-ing for the sermon, (or responding to it).

Committed To Christ follow-up...

What commitments did you make? How can something here help?

What are you going to do this Advent and Winter?

Here are some details for you:

Ongoing Classes

FaithLinks Class Where : Filling Station contact Peg Minert

UMC FaithLinks material

Leadership will be provided by FaithLinks members.

Pastor Lynn’s Class Where : Conference Room led by Pastor Lynn

Finding Bethlehem in the Midst of Bedlam by James W. Moore

Christmas or confusion, Bethlehem or bedlam . . . Which will you choose this year? Christmas and confu-sion--weren’t they intimately related at the first Christ-mas when Jesus was born? Sometimes we forget that. Christ breaks into our chaos and confusion and brings Christmas--Bethlehem always happens in the midst of bedlam. Cokesbury.com, edited for length by Heidi DeMoss

Dec. 1 ~ Finding Bethlehem

Dec. 8 ~ Free at Last

Dec. 15 ~ Love Came Down at Bethlehem

Dec. 22 ~ Christmas Memories

Dec. 29 ~ will not meet

Lecture/Presentation Classes

Short Term Class for December

Dec. 1 ~ meet in Fellowship Hall dur-ing the Jubilant Journey Hour

All Generations ~ Advent Ornaments and Offerings led by various helpers

What : Time to gather together and make ornaments and offerings for your home, or to share. Everyone is invited! Glitter glue, pipe cleaners, yarn, ribbon... Will you make a Chrismon, or some oth-er type of ornament? How about decorating an Advent calendar. On this first day of Advent gather together with other members and friends at FUMCH and find some joy in creating some decorations for this Christian season.

Dec. 8 & 15 ~ In the Lounge

Advent Journey in Art led by Andrew Snyder

What : Wouldn’t it be wonderful if you could be led through images of art depicting Advent by someone who really knows what the heck they’re talking about. Art that can show you new ways to look at Advent, both art you may know and art that is a revelation to you. Andy is an artist, gifted in a variety of mediums, with an ability to dig into art history and explain it. He has a wonderful sense of God’s Spirit, and a great sense of humor. This should be an opportunity not to be missed!

Dec. 22 & 29 ~ Holiday Break - no class

Fellowship Space

Coffee and Conversation Where : West end of Fellowship Hall

What : A time to gather and visit with each other, or just relax and refresh. Copies of the newspaper are pre-sent, as well as coffee, tea, and often some light refresh-ments.

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Outreach Ministry

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Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! You have generously supported our special offerings. Communion Offering on November 3 in support of the Haiti Hot Lunch program, your gifts totaled $230.43

Bread Pan Offering (November 17) in support of Community Action House , your gifts totaled $2009.

Bread Pan Offering on Sunday, Decem-ber 15, will support Imagine No Malaria.

Since the time of King Tut, Malaria has been killing thousands of people a year. Right now Malaria is killing a person every sixty seconds. Most of the victims are children under five years of age and pregnant women. It is literally robbing families and stealing the future of the entire African continent.

But we can eradicate this plague. Our efforts already have cut the death rates in half. The United Methodist Church’s focus through Imagine No Malaria is focused on four key areas: prevention, education, communication and treatment.

The gift you give to our bread pan offering this month will help the Michigan Area UMC reach a goal of $1,500,000. That is about $10 per member. Using that calculation FUMC Holland’s goal will be about $6500. The Church Council has voted to support this effort and Council mem-bers have already contributed the first $120.

Join thousands of Michigan United Methodists and make a contribution to the bread pan offering Sunday December 15.

For more information www.miNomalria.org

Communion Offering, Sunday, December 1, will support Haiti Hot Lunch.

In partnership with United Methodist Committee on Relief and Michigan Area Methodist Churches, Haiti Hot Lunch provides meals three days each week to youth enrolled in and living near UMC schools in Haiti. This ministry is helping to reduce hunger, improve school attendance, and increase academic performance. At a cost of only $1-2 per meal, Haiti Hot Lunch is a vital part of our holist outreach and Christian witness to Methodist students - nurturing mind, body, and spirit.

Our Christmas Eve Offerings will also support the Imagine No Malaria campaign as requested by the Bishop.

2014 Adult Mission Trip to Guatemala Mark you calendars and start planning and budgeting to join our mission team July 12-19, 2014. More details will come at the start of 2014.

Community Action House

As always we accept donations of non-perishable food items, household cleaning,

and hygiene products for the emergency pantries of Com-munity Action House. Your donation may be brought to the church anytime and placed in the baskets at both main entry doors.

Recycling

We will be collecting Styrofoam on the first and third Sunday of each month. All items must be clean! Please, do not to bring items during the

week - we have no place to store it. We are again able to accept batteries for recycling - a bucket is located at the east end of the 9th Street hallway. If you would like to help with this effort please contact Dave Marckini. ([email protected]).

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Justice for our Neighbors (JFON) news:

On November 15th, eleven citizenship class members came to our church from Latin Americans United for Progress (LAUP) to complete the process of citizenship with the

help of our JFON lawyer and several volunteers who were trained how to help prior to their coming.

On December 13th,13 more class members will come to complete this same process. Some require interpreters and others don't. Please pray that each one will become a US Citizen in the weeks ahead. They still need to go to Detroit to complete the process six weeks from the time they mail their information.

Thanks to the many volunteers from our church and the community who support JFON. As Christmas approaches, we think of having Peace on Earth. Becoming a citizen has to bring a sense of peace in the family.

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Please welcome our new members who joined on Novem-ber 24

Cynthia and Dwight Vincent are transfer-ring to us from St. Paul American Lutheran Church of Dearborn, Michigan. They have three adult children and their daughter/son-in-law, Pat and Mark Roehling, are members of Holland FUMC. Cynthia has a BA in Educa-

tion from University of Michigan and is a retired teacher who enjoys reading, hiking, and needlework. Dwight has an AB in Law from the University of Michigan and received his JD at U of M Law School in 1957. Dwight is retired from Clark Hill PLC as a Senior Partner. His hobbies are reading, swimming, walking, golf, and bridge. He was baptized in the UMC of Akron, Ohio, so he is back to his roots! They are a lively couple living at Freedom Village. Their fellow-ship friends are David and Lynne Hall.

Mary Robinson is coming to us by profession of faith with her previous church affiliation being the Assembly of

God. She was baptized in Wichita, Kansas, and retired as a librarian at Herrick. She has a BA in education and a Mas-ters in library science. Mary is the mother of two adult chil-dren who live in Holland. Her FUMC friends are Robin and Lee Voigt. Mary likes to travel, read, and knit. Her fellowship friend is Kathy Beal.

Jamie and Eli Paquette are joining us and have two daughters, Hannah and Olivia who attend West Ottawa Schools. Jamie previously was a social work assistant but now works as an eligibility specialist at the Dept. of Human Services on James St. She has a bachelors in Human

Service. Jamie loves her family life and Zumba, plus reading, and running. Eli is employed by the U.S. Coast Guard and is the Chief Petty Officer at the Holland CG Station. Besides his love of family he enjoys hunting, fishing, hockey, boating, and running. At one time Eli was stationed in Sault Ste. Marie and they attended the UMC there. The Paquette family’s fellowship friends are the Paul & Suzanne Jones family.

Witness and Invitational Ministry Liz Travis, Director (ext. 103)

Lay Servant (formerly known as Lay Speaking) Classes to be offered are below:

Basic Class: February 8 & March 1 , 2014 (Must attend both classes)

Advanced Class: "Prayer" February 8 & March 1, 2014 (Required for Advanced Lay Speaking Certification and suggested for Advanced Lay Servant Certification)

Advanced Class: " Polity" February 8 and March 1, 2014 (Required for Advanced Lay Speaking certification

and suggested for Advanced Lay Servant Certification)

Polity class uses the Book of Discipline as course mate-rial to provide an overview of the UMC structure. All classes run 9:00am-3:00pm on both Saturdays. Caledo-nia UMC will be the host site with lunch provided as part of the $25 registration fee. Registration Deadline is January 10, 2014. Questions? Want to attend? Please contact Jody Pratt via email [email protected] or phone 269.792.0481.

Caledonia UMC (9am-3pm lunch provided) 250 Vine St. Caledonia, MI 49316

Spotlight on Memorials

Over the years the Memorial Committee has played an inte-gral role in assisting families to honor God through gifts given in memory of or tribute to loved ones. Our beautiful stained glass windows and chandeliers, kneeling rails, land-scaping, church bus, and courtyard garden are but a few of the memorial designations that have so enriched our church facilities and ministry. The Pastors Discretionary fund, Ste-phen Ministry program, Senior Meals, and Music fund have also been generously supported with memorial gifts.

Individual donations from family and friends can range from a few dollars to thousands. Families may either desig-

nate a specific use of the funds, or choose to leave them “undesignated” to be used at the discretion of the Memorial Committee as needs are presented to them by staff and oth-er church groups. A new brochure has been designed to highlight some of the general areas of need within our church and options for memorial giving, and these are avail-able on the wall racks near each entrance. Committee members Mary Buttrey, Al Minert and Sarah Kenyon (chairperson) welcome your calls for additional information and explanation about the process of honoring loved ones through this church ministry.

United Methodist Women

Finance Update Liz Travis, Treasurer (ext. 103)

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Thanks to all the volunteers who made our bazaar so special. There are no regular meetings of circles or the board in December. The next board meeting will be on January 2nd at 6:30 p.m.

Hope Circle will meet on Jan. 8th at noon

Shalom Circle meets at 10:00 a.m. and Joy at 1:00 p.m. on Jan. 9th

On December 6th, the United Methodist Women are sponsoring a Christmas luncheon in our own Fellow-ship Hall at noon. There are over 55 women who have signed up so far but there still may be room. If you did not have a chance to sign up and want to come, please email Mary De Ridder at [email protected] or call her at 399-2161. Cost is $10.

Christmas Market!

You still have time to catch the 17th Annual Holland Friends of Art Kerstmarkt, Dec. 6-7 & 13-14. As in the past, the United Methodist Women are offering their famous Pigs-In-The-Blanket, authentic Dutch pea soup, white chili, Dutch mettwurst, hot dogs, cookies and banket. Members of our Youth Group are also helping out by selling at the booth and will receive a portion of the profits for their mission work.

Hours for the Kerstmarkt are: Fridays 5-8 pm and Saturdays 9 am-5 pm. For more information or if you would like to help in the booth or in the kitchen, call Mary Jo Wiswedel (335-9522)….or just come to eat and shop!

HELP…..our general fund is in need of income. If you can get caught up on your pledges early, it would be greatly appreciated. Our capital reserve fund is at $72,166 and we will have to use some of that to repair the stained glass windows in the fellowship hall. The 10th St. House Commercial loan is at $13,128.

All contributions for 2013 must be in the office by December 31 at noon.

Please be sure to get your pledge card in soon for 2014!

Continued from page one…

Our VCI team has chosen to begin by incorporating Radical Hospitality, one step from the first book the group read by Robert Schnase: Five Practices of Fruitful Congregations. The five practices: Radical Hospitali-ty, Passionate Worship, Risk-Taking Mission and Service, Intentional Faith Development and Extravagant Generosity are qualities that demonstrate congregational health, vitality, and fruitfulness.

As part of our brainstorming around ways to make our church more “hospitable”, we discussed many areas for improvement: better signage on the exterior and interior of the church, designated escorts to help people find the right room on Sunday morning, and tour guides to show visitors the full extent of our facilities. The VCI team felt that some changes to our coffee fellowship might be a good first step to engage visitors after worship and to promote more interaction with regular congregants. We had several different ideas to try, so we will be doing some experimentation in December and January. Ready yourself for the change and be prepared to offer feedback on the changes.

In addition to your feedback, we would also invite you to think about ways you personally could make Holland First UMC a more welcoming place to be. What gifts and talents could you share that would make members and visitors alike feel like our church was their “home”? What behaviors or attitudes do you express that might be inadvertently interpreted as unwelcoming? As we move forward in the VCI process, we invite everyone in the congregation to share their thoughts and impressions on making our church vital to God’s work in this world.

Youth Ministry LuAnne Stanley Hook, Director (ext. 108)

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Schedule of Events

December 9 Endowment Team 7:00 PM

December 10 Staff Parish 7:30 PM

December 16 Trustees 7:00 PM

December 17 Finance 7:00 PM

December 19 Stephen Supervision 7:00 PM

Christmas Eve Services

December 24 at 5, 7 and 11 PM

Each week:

Tuesday noon: Senior Meal

Thursday 7:00: Volleyball

Saturday 8:30 AA-AL anon

The holidays are finally here, and the youth are so grateful for your support for our toy drive for the children of the Rosebud Lakota reservation! We took in SO MANY toys and several warm winter items as well. As you are receiving this newsletter, the Beasley family (Chuck, Laura, Charles and Isaac) is traveling to South Dakota with a loaded trailer of our donations and more. Please pray for safety and bless-ings for their trip and for Tree of Life ministries as they dis-tribute the bounty in a few weeks.

In the midst of the busy-ness of the holiday season, the youth are sharing the love of Christ in several ways, such as making cookies for shut-ins, hosting the all-church caroling in December, and assisting the UMW in the Kerstmarkt booth. We wish a meaningful Christmas and a most blessed new year to you all!

On January 12 we will begin our annual $10-for-10 campaign, which supports youth mission trips and camp scholarships for our children and youth. We appreciate your generous love and support!

Youth Group December Schedule and into the New Year:

Help at the UMW/Youth booth at the Kerstmarkt this holi-day season, or come by and purchase some yummy goodies while you are shopping. Contact Carol Streur or LuAnne about openings in the schedule to work. The Kerstmarkt runs the first two weekends in December: Hours for the Kerstmarkt are: Saturday., Nov. 23, 9 a.m.-3 p.m. (senior highs on retreat this weekend); “Black Friday,” Nov. 29, 9 a.m.-8 p.m.; Sat., Nov. 30, 9 a.m.-5 p.m.; Tue., Dec. 3, 3

p.m.-8 p.m. (Holiday Parade); Friday, Dec. 6, 3 p.m.-8 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 8, 9 a.m.-5 p.m.; Friday, Dec. 13, 3 p.m.-8 p.m.; Saturday, Dec. 14, 9 a.m.-5 p.m.

Sunday, December 8: Both groups, 5:30 p.m. Middle schoolers, please bring $2 worth of candy in a wrapped pack-age for a Christmas exchange. High schoolers, please bring assigned ingredients to bake cookies in the church kitchen.

Sunday, December 15: Everyone is invited to join in the fun this evening! At 5:00 p.m., a soup supper with “carry in” sides and desserts will be served in Fellowship Hall. At around 5:45 p.m., caroling groups will be formed and as-signed some “carolees” to sing to, before returning to the church by 7:30. Bring the whole family and a side and/or dessert to share, and stay for all or a part of this festive occasion!

Sunday, December 22 and December 29, No Youth Group—Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

Sunday, January 5: Youth group, 5:30-7:30. Pizza and a movie in the Eclipse for those who are back already from break. Time to recharge for the new year!

Sunday, January 12: Confirmation Class begins weekly meetings, 9:40 in The Well.

Youth Group 5:30-7:30. Look for information to come on overnight lock-ins for both groups in January! Dates/times TBA.

Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat

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8 9 10 11 12 13 14

15 16 17 18 19 20 21

22 23 24 25 26 27 28

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December 2013

Pastor Rev. J. Lynn

Pier-Fitzgerald

Phone: 616-393-6242

Nonprofit Org.

U.S. Postage

PAID

Holland, MI

Permit No. 445

Worship Topics for December Sunday Morning 8:30 and 10:45

Pastor Lynn Pier-Fitzgerald, preaching

Advent Series: Finding Bethlehem in the Midst of Bedlam

December 1 “Finding Bethlehem” Isaiah 7:10-17, Luke 2:8-15 December 8 “Free At Last” Galatians 5:13-15, Luke 1:46-56 December 15 “Love Came Down in Bethlehem” Matthew 11:1-6, John 4:7-12 Sacrament of Baptism December 22 “Christmas Memories” Deuteronomy 4:29-31, Luke 2:1-20

December 24 Christmas Eve 5:00 PM Child Friendly Worship

6:30 PM Festival Prelude Concert

“Light One Candle” 7:00 PM will feature the handbells and the band 11:00 PM will feature the Chancel Choir Both will include The Lord’s Supper and Candle lighting

December 29 Service of Covenant Renewal Guest Speaker

57 W. 10th St.

Holland MI 49423

Return Service Requested

FI RST UNIT ED MET HODI ST CHURCH

Phone: 616-396-5205

December 2013

Visit us online at

www.fumcholland.org