Sermon Series: Sing We Now Of Christmas · to see family on Christmas Eve. On Christmas Eve we will still have our Children’s Christmas Eve service at 4:00pm in the CLC or Gym,

Volume 24, Number 12

December 1st, 2018

Like us on Facebook and stay connected!

In the event of

inclement weather

that may cause

services to cancel,

check our website

www.eastcross.org,

radio stations

1400AM & 100.1FM,

local TV stations

or facebook.

Church Office:

918-333-0810

FAX: 918-335-1664

ECC: 918-333-3814

Newsletter articles for the next issue

are due in the church office by

noon on Thursday,

December 13th.

Email articles to [email protected]

East Cross News

Monthly Publication of East Cross United

Methodist Church

December 2

1st Sunday of Advent, Communion

O Come, O Come, Emmanuel

Hope—John the Baptist and Jesus John 1:1-14

December 9

2nd Sunday of Advent

Joy to the World

Joy—Mary and Elizabeth Luke 1:39-56

December 16

3rd Sunday of Advent

It Came Upon the Midnight Clear

Peace—Zechariah and Baby John Luke 1:57-80

December 23

4th Sunday of Advent

Away in a Manger

Love—Mary, Joseph, Baby Jesus Luke 2:1-20

December 30

We Three Kings

Magi, Mary, Joseph, Jesus Matthew 2:1-12

Sermon Series:

Sing We Now Of Christmas

Christmas Eve Services at East Cross

Little Drummer Boy / Silent Night, Holy Night

I Bring My Gift Matthew 1:18-25

Sunday, December 23

4pm Traditional Christmas Eve Service & Communion, Sanctuary

Monday, December 24

4pm Children’s Service, Christian Life Center

6pm, 8pm, 11pm Candlelight & Communion, Sanctuary

Gather to hear the Christmas story through scripture and song,

share in Communion and light candles in celebration of Christ’s

birth. Nursery available for infants through preschool on Sunday,

December 23 at 4pm and on Monday, December 24 at 6pm.

C hristmas is always a

big deal around East

Cross. When I

arrived here almost

eight years ago, we had two

Christmas Eve services and the

6:00pm service was so

crowded it was uncomfortable

to be here. We went to work to

better meet the needs of this

congregation and our

community. We immediately

added an 8:00pm service which

allowed us to serve more

persons and so families could

be more comfortable

worshipping together.

A few years ago I had a vision

of beginning a Christmas Eve

worship experience specifically

for our children. So we began a

4:00pm service, totally centered

around our children, which gets

larger every year.

A couple of years ago I noticed

that many of our senior adults

who cannot drive after dark

were being left out, so we

started a “traditional” style

Christmas Eve Candlelight

Service at 4:00pm so people

could worship and get back

home before dark. This service

also continues to grow each

year.

This year, we are making one

more change to our Christmas

Eve Service schedule. We are

moving our “daylight” or

“traditional” 4:00pm Candlelight

service up one day to Sunday,

December 23, at 4:00pm. This

will also serve those who travel

to see family on Christmas Eve.

On Christmas Eve we will still

have our Children’s Christmas

Eve service at 4:00pm in the

CLC or Gym, then our 6, 8 and

11pm Candlelight services will

be in the Sanctuary or Worship

Center.

Invite a friend and another

family to join you this year as

we celebrate the birth of Jesus

Christ in our Christmas Eve

Candlelight Services. There’s a

place here for you.

Merry Christmas a few days

early,

Pastor Jeff

The Journey Continues… - 2 -

Another step in our journey…

Traditional Worship

E ast Cross will have their

2nd annual Christmas

Sampler December 12

during the last

Wednesday of Connections. Last

year, we had such a wonderful

time celebrating the holiday as a

church family. Once again, you

are guaranteed to have a fun

evening as the live studio

audience on the KBEC radio

show. K-Bartlesville East Cross is

the perfect place to hear DJ

Santa C spin all the greatest

Christmas hits with the EC Studio

Singers (the Sanctuary Choir),

the EC Praise Band, the EC Kids,

and special guests, the BHS Jazz

Choir. Everyone has a must-have

treat or snack that is a tradition

during the holidays. Bring your

favorite must-have holiday treat

for sampling. You can even

include recipe cards to exchange

your favorite and then find many

new favorites after sampling all

the goodies. Don’t forget to wear

your Christmas sweaters! This is

one Christmas event you will not

want to miss! Mark your

calendars on December 12 for

the Christmas Sampler. Dinner

and treats will begin at 5:30pm

and the program will follow. Tune

in to KBEC…Join the Journey!

Margie Green,

Traditional Worship

W hat is the greatest

gift that you have

ever received?

Take a moment and

really think about it. I know the

answer to this question ranges

from the deep and sentimental to

the wow and the exciting. For

some, it is just the gift of being

born or the macaroni picture that

one of the kids made in first

grade that hold the honor of the

“greatest gift ever”. While for

others the title of “greatest gift

ever” goes to the time that your

parents surprised you with a trip

to Disney World or a brand new

car. For me, there are so many to

choose from — when Lesli said

“I Do”, when Riley and Cameron

were born, or even the G.I. Joe

“U.S.S. Flag” Aircraft Carrier (one

of the greatest toys ever) that I

received one bright Christmas

morning. However, the greatest

gift I ever received came a few

years before my birth, actually it

came 1,976 years before I was

born (give or take a few years

depending on historical records)

but a gift that I did not open until I

was 9 years old at church camp.

That is because the greatest gift

of my life is the love of God

revealed in the birth, life and

death of Jesus. This amazing gift

is the reason that we celebrate

Christmas. This sacrificial gift has

transformed the world, and this

gift has the power to transform us

as well — as long as we open it

and truly receive it.

One thing for us to keep in mind

during this Christmas season is

that a gift does no good if it sits

under the tree and is never

opened. The giver of the gift did

not intend for it to go unopened

or unused, because the whole

reason for giving a gift is to bless

the one receiving it. The same is

true of the gift of the baby Jesus

born so long ago in the most

humble of circumstances to two

everyday people who were no

different than you or me. God did

not send Jesus just to Mary and

Joseph, but to the entirety of

humanity for all time. God gave

each of us the gift of Jesus so

that our lives did not have to be

the same. The “Greatest Gift

Ever” was given so that we, as

John 10:10 says, can not only

have life, but life to the fullest!

However, even the “Greatest Gift

Ever” needs to be opened and

fully received if we are going to

experience life to the fullest. So

as you open your gifts this

coming Christmas morning, take

time to think about the “Greatest

Gift Ever” and the impact that it

has had on your life. It might be

that you still have yet to open it. It

might be that you have opened it

and have set is aside. It even

might be that you have opened it,

received it and you have seen

how God’s love has transformed

your life.

Let me leave you with a scripture

to ponder as you approach this

year’s Christmas celebration.

James 1:17 (CEB) says, “Every

good gift, every perfect gift,

comes from above. These gifts

come down from the Father, the

creator of the heavenly lights, in

whose character there is no

change at all.”

Have a Merry and Blessed

Christmas!

Pastor Chad

learning to follow Jesus,

inviting others to join the journey - 3 -

From Pastor Chad…

Student Ministry

Christmas Beyond Gifts

This month I’m sure we all will be

preparing Christmas trees,

wearing Christmas sweaters, and

anticipating what gifts we will be

receiving from loved ones. On

top of all that, we will be

celebrating the birth of Jesus

Christ the Lord! Isn’t that funny

that our minds usually think about

Christmas in that order of detail?

We care so much about the gifts

we give or receive but we tend to

put something even greater

behind that.

Last year, our students got

together on a Wednesday night

and walked over to the blue

apartments next to the church

and went caroling door to door.

We handed out hot chocolate

and candy canes and brought

some Christmas cheer to each

door that we could. What I

noticed is that not only did we

bless the families that we visited

with gifts but we also received

something in return. Something

we could not have planned or

even thought of asking for. Let

me explain. We started by filling

up on some hot chocolate and

hanging out by the doors of the

church. We were laughing

together as we waited for others

to show up. We talked about the

amazing Angel Tree program that

our church puts on every year.

Once everyone showed up, we

took off together talking about

Christmas and how excited we

were for all that comes with it. As

we walked and sang, I looked

around at all of us serving

together. It was really something

special. We were enjoying our

time together even with freezing

cold temperatures. We were

really having just a great time

being together. And that’s what I

realized we received.

We were together. Connected.

Because of Christ in our lives, we

were connected together through

our Savior and we were sharing

that with others. We shared it

through our gifts of singing and

hot chocolate, sure, but mostly it

was through our smiles, laughs,

and our “oneness” in Christ. It

helped me to remember

especially during this time of year

that sometimes the greatest gift

you can receive may not be a

tangible physical box but

something entirely deeper and

more meaningful. Being

connected with Christ!

Evan Holmes,

Director of Youth Ministries

The Journey Continues… - 4 -

T hank you so much to all

those who have donated

Christmas trees for our

Christmas stage design

this year! Like many of you, I am

looking forward to seeing the

finished product throughout our

Advent series, and during our

Christmas Eve services! Don’t

forget that our traditional

Christmas Eve service will be at

4pm on December 23, and our

children’s and contemporary

services on December 24. We

look forward to seeing you there!

This Advent series is especially

exciting, as it centers around the

music that makes Christmas so

special. Most of us have those

special songs on our playlist this

time of year that take us back to

a special time and place that

warms our hearts. We hope that

our music this month has that

effect on you and reminds us all

of the true reason we celebrate.

Come let us adore, let us bring

our best for Him, let us receive

our King!

Wishing you the merriest of

Christmases,

Zack Michel , Contemporary Worship

Contemporary Worship

G uys, we were

messing up. Big

time. But instead of

giving up on us,

God did something about our

greatest need by giving us the

greatest gift imaginable. God’s

compassion for the people He

created led to the greatest act

of love the world has ever

seen. He sent His only Son to

make us right with Him. Jesus!

This month our focus is

Compassion: caring enough to

do something about someone

else’s need. And there’s no

greater example of

compassion than of God

giving us Jesus! We will learn

what compassion means in

our own lives and that we

show our compassion when

we care about others and

show them how much God

loves them.

Our month is also full of lots of

fun events. Check out the

dates below!

December 1st: EC Kids

participate in the Bartlesville

Christmas Parade

December 2nd

: CIA – Angel

Tree Shopping from 3-5pm

December 5th: Connections

Christmas Mug Exchange

Party

December 12th: EC Kids

performing at our 2nd

Annual

Christmas Sampler

December 16th: Baby Jesus

Birthday Party during

Children’s Church

December 24th: Kids’

Christmas Eve Service at 4pm

– come enjoy our video

starring our very own children!

December 30th: Pancakes and

Pajama Party during Sunday

School

It will be such an exciting

month and I can’t wait to share

it with your kids! Merry

Christmas from my family to

yours!

Aimee Hall, Director of

Children’s Ministries

learning to follow Jesus,

inviting others to join the journey - 5 -

EC Kids

STAFF APPRECIATION GIFTS…

We are so thankful for our pastors and staff members and would like to provide an

opportunity for all of us to show our gratitude. If you would like to participate, simply

make a donation by Sunday, December 16 and note “Staff Appreciation” on the memo

line of the check or giving envelope. Staff Parish Relations Committee will distribute

your gifts to our staff before Christmas.

Your generosity is appreciated.

Sharon LaFerry, SPRC Chair

O ur program will again be offering, for

its ninth year, “Count Your Blessings”

fundraiser during the month of

December which provides each of our

classroom teachers a small “holiday bonus” that

is solely and directly provided for by each of the

Early Childhood Center program’s families! All

contributions are a very nice way to show

gratitude for the time the teachers are working

with each of their classroom children—thank you!

Parent Day Out Program:

Ms. Lacey—Infant classroom

Ms. Chandler and Ms. Liz—Toddler classroom

Ms. Persia and Ms. Lindsay—Two-Year-Old’s

Ms. Colleen and Ms. Jennifer—Young 3’s

Preschool Program—Three and Four Year Olds:

Ms. Christy and Ms. Nancy;

Ms. Valerie and Ms. Gloria;

Ms. Melissa and Ms. Tasha;

Ms. Sonia and Ms. Genna and Ms. Lisa

Director’s Assistant and Classroom Substitute:

Ms. Nora

Happy Holidays!

~ Coleen Williams, Director @ East Cross

Early Childhood Center

Email: [email protected] Phone: 918-333-3814

The Journey Continues… - 6 -

EARLY CHILDHOOD CENTER

C hristmas is the most

wonderful time of the

year, particularly when

we get to celebrate it

with children. The wonder on

their faces is just magical. One of

my favorite things is all the

decorations especially the lights.

It’s great to take a drive around

the neighborhoods and take a

look at all the homes that have

been lit up. It can be so easy to

get caught up in the beauty of the

lights that we might think that is

what Christmas is all about. But

the lights aren’t Christmas; the

lights are just reminders of the

True Light that came to bring light

into the world.

This Christmas as you enjoy the

beautiful Christmas lights, let’s

remember that while they are

beautiful they are only reminders

of the one true light—Jesus.

May you enjoy this Christmas

time and may you create

memories that will last a lifetime.

Merry Christmas!

Liz VanDeVenter, Nursery Director

EAST CROSS NURSERY

Jeff Burress, Pastor Chad Perceful, Pastor Evan Holmes, Youth Ministries Aimee Hall, Children’s Ministries Linda Smith, Ministerial Coordinator Linda Thornton, Treasurer-Membership Coleen Williams, Early Childhood Center

Liz VanDeVenter, Nursery and Childcare Margie Green, Traditional Worship Jan Watt, Pianist Zack Michel, Contemporary Worship Charles Binau, Audio Coordinator Jon Colliver, Building and Maintenance Crystal McCollam, Custodian

Merry Christmas from your East Cross

Staff!

learning to follow Jesus,

inviting others to join the journey - 7 -

Mountain of Food

M atthew 25:40 says “Whatever you do

for the least of these brothers and

sisters of mine you do for me”. Our

annual MOF drive raised over $17,000

and we donated 932 cases of food to our three

local agencies. We are serving people in our

community by feeding the hungry at Agape and

the Lighthouse and stocking the food pantry at

Concern which lasts them 2-3 months.

God Bless each one of you and your families for

your generosity carrying out God’s mission to

provide for local people in need.

Thank you to all the volunteers who helped

receive food from Homeland on Madison on

Saturdays. The manager at Homeland delivered

our order each week to the church which

made the job so much easier.

A big thank you to the many volunteers who

helped deliver on Thursday, November 15.

We are a blessed congregation….

We Are Truly Rich!!!

Kay Ruehlen and the Outreach Committee

Angel Tree

Angels are on the tree! We

have 84 children from Big

Brothers and Big Sisters, and

Foster children from DHS.

Pick one or more that you

want to purchase for: girl or

boy, preferred age, register on

the sign up sheet the number

on the angel and your phone

number. Help a less fortunate

child have a Blessed day.

Return to church December 9

in a gift bag, not wrapped

please. Add another blessing

to your life.

VIM (Volunteers In Mission)

Want to take a mission trip to

help the less fortunate? Costa

Rica plans are in the works. If

interested contact Jeretta

Amburn. There will be a sign

up meeting on December 2 at

2:00pm in Fellowship Hall.

Wesley Foundation

This Mission project will help

at University of Arkansas, OU,

and OSU. We are so blessed

at East Cross to be able to

serve our Lord’s directives.

Love one another and serve

where you can. We do!

Chili Cook-off

is just around the corner (end

of January). Are you going to

enter your favorite recipe? We

can always use

items for the

“Silent Auction”.

Do you have

something you

would like to provide? Let

Jeretta Amburn know what

you feel you want to do.

To carry the theme of the Chili

Cook-off, new tablecloths are

being made for this fun

project.

Outreach Committee

We had two couples checkout

the Outreach Committee at

our meeting in November. Are

you serving on a committee?

Want to join us? Contact

Jeretta Amburn to get

information.

All new white tablecloths have

been purchased for our

church. The old ones were

well used. Please help keep

the new ones nice for as long

as we can. Thank You!

“We are learning to follow

Jesus, inviting others to join

the journey”. Have you invited

anyone to join us?

Continue to Love one another

and Pray, Pray and Pray some

more for all things! God has

blessed us soooo much.

GENEROSITY BOXES

Our local mission outreach for

the month of December 2018

will be the FOOD 4 KIDS

program!! Your fantastic

kindness in helping to meet

the needs of many of our

Bartlesville kids is appreciated

more than you realize! While

visiting with the director, she

mentioned that they pack

about 650 packets a week to

be sent home to those in need

each weekend which is close

to 2,600 food packs a month.

This program is in need of the

following items to supplement

that which they are able to

obtain from the local food

bank.

Pudding cups –

vanilla or chocolate;

fruit cups;

raisins – small boxes;

fruit snacks – the ones with

100% fruit juice;

cereal bars;

boxes of regular cereal

So while you are shopping,

won’t you grab a few of these

items and toss them in your

cart? These items can be

dropped into the Generosity

Boxes that are conveniently

located at EACH entrance to

ECUMC!

The Journey Continues… - 8-

December Outreach News

learning to follow Jesus,

inviting others to join the journey - 9 -

Announcing the birth of…

Lindy Jane Brammer born October 27 at 3:02 pm.

Lindy weighed 7lbs 12.5 oz and was 20.5 inches

long!

Proud family is Lee, Amanda and big brother

Hollis, and, grandparents Bob and Paula Lindblom,

Cynthia and the late Dr. Stan DeFehr, and David

and Annette Brammer.

Congratulations to all!

Dear East Cross Family,

Thank you to those of you that signed up to be prayer partners with our college

students. We have 31 students that are being prayed for by East Cross church

members. Our students are spread from California to Georgia. We appreciate the

time you spend sending prayers and notes their way. For the month of October,

the ministry team sent all the students a $10 Braum’s gift card for a “treat” on us.

Thank you,

Kim Wood and Kendra Deffenbaugh, College Ministry Team

Dear East Cross,

Words cannot express to you how much we appreciate all the wonderful

food and the wonderful offering! This helps us so much! May God richly

bless each and everyone for their giving.

God Bless,

Sherri Smith, Agape Mission

The church office will be… CLOSED: Tuesday, December 25

OPEN: Limited Hours — call ahead

Wednesday, December 26

Thursday, December 27

Monday, December 31

CLOSED: Tuesday, January 1, 2019

OPEN: Wednesday, January 2, 2019 If you have an emergency, please call:

Jeff Burress 1-918-977-0658

Chad Perceful 1-918-850-4402

PRAYER LIST

New Prayer Requests…

Luci Black (Clyde and Connie’s daughter-in-law), Matt Miller (Clyde and Connie’s son-in-law), Greg Spears (Charlene’s son), Carol Warden (Connie Black’s mother), Michele Willoughby

————————————————————–——————-

Vanna Baddley, Annie Bollinger (daughter of Charlie and LeAnne Christensen), Paul Broerman, Kathy Christian, Joan Collins (friend of Pam Knuth), Doris and Eddie Danford (Brenda Commons’ parents), Dave Faust (Melda and Gary Howard’s son-in-law), Muriel Faust (Dave Faust’s mother), Don Fleming (Teresa Dietz’ friend), Blaine Fraser (Bob Fraser’s dad), Marcia Goode, Amy Kelton (Teresa Dietz’ friend), Barry Knuth, James Kuntz, Louis and Emily Kuntz, Bob Murnan, Leslie Neff, Mike Paxson (brother-in-law of Coleen Williams), Marie Puckett, Euela Randall, Spence Rigdon, Helen Shell, Jeana Smith (Tim Smith’s sister), Isabella Sousa, Rosy and Leelani Swisher (daughter-in-law and granddaughter of Sharon), Kermit Tanzey, Joyce Taylor, Jeremy Waldorf, Chris Watson (Chad Perceful’s aunt), Glenna Wright (Steve Wright’s mother), Keith Wyrick (Erville Orndorff’s newphew), Allie Zoldoske

Condolences to…

Glenn and Susie Harbison on the death of his mother, Edna Harbison, on November 10.

If you know someone that needs to be

added or removed from the Prayer List,

call the church office at 918-333-0810.

ONLINE GIVING...You can give electronically by going to our website

www.eastcross.org. Click the menu tab on top of the Welcome page

and click on “Give Online” OR scroll to the bottom of our Welcome

page and click on “Give.” Funds can also be withdrawn automatically

weekly or monthly by completing a request form available in the

treasurer’s office.

East Cross also offers a mobile version of our

online giving page to make it easy for you to

give anytime from your smart phone. Simply scan

the image to the left using your phone’s Quick

Response (QR) code reader.

The Journey Continues… - 10 -

All East Cross men are invited to meet for

breakfast and fellowship at Boulevard Diner

on Saturday, December 1 at 8am!

Pray for our Military

Please pray for all persons serving in the military and their families.

If you have a loved one or a friend currently on

active duty in the military and would like them

added to our Wall of Honor, please contact

Charlie and LeAnne Christensen at

[email protected] or 918-327-1226.

* SPC Luis Balli

* Robbie Lawson

* SSG Gary Mabry

* SSG Jared Seat

* CPT Derek Smith

* deployed

LTC Darrin Cox

Esn. Lisa Freeman

Mark Hathaway

LCDR Eric Rolfs CPT Daniel Smith

CDR Robert Staten

SFC Clifton White

Sunday Morning Van Ministry

Call the church office at 918-333-0810 and leave

a message on extension 105 before 7:30am on

Sunday mornings. You may also have a standing

request to be picked up each week.

Church Women United Annual Meeting and Tea

Friday, December 7 at 1:00pm

First Christian Church 520 SE Osage Ave

Sunday

8:30am Traditional Worship Service 9:45am Small Groups for all ages 11:00am Contemporary Worship Service 11:15am Children’s Church 12:00pm S.A.L.T. Lunch 5:00pm C3 Youth Ministry Monday

9:30am-3:00pm Early Childhood Center (not on 12/24 or 12/31) Tuesday

4:00pm Prayer Group

Wednesday

9:30am-3:00pm Early Childhood Center (not on 12/26) 7:00pm Sanctuary Choir (not on 12/19) 7:30pm Praise Band Practice Thursday

Friday

9:30am-12:00Noon Early Childhood Center PreK (not on 12/28)

Saturday

Weekly Activities at East Cross

Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat

1 8a Men’s

Breakfast at Boulevard Diner

6:30p Christmas Parade

2

1st Sunday of Advent

Communion

5p PG Small Group

3

6:30p Prayer Shawl Ministry

4

5

Connections

5:30p Meal

6p Discussion

on future of

the UMC

6

7

6:30p S.A.L.T. Fellowship

8

9

2nd Sunday of Advent

10

6:30p Young Adults

7p Miriam

11

7p Outreach

12

5:30p Meal

6p Christmas Sampler

13

14

7p Church Bridge

15

4p S.A.L.T.

Fellowship

16 3rd Sunday

of Advent

11a Baby Jesus Birthday Party

5p PG Small Group

17

6:30p Prayer Shawl Ministry

7p Trustees

18

6p Piecemaker Quilters

19

No Connections Tonight

20

9:30a Rebecca

21

6p Blue Christmas

22

23 4th Sunday of Advent

4p Traditional Christmas Eve

30

24 Services: 4p Children’s

6p, 8p, 11p

Christmas Eve

31

25

Christmas Day

Church Office

Closed

26

No Connections Tonight

27

28 29

December 2018

learning to follow Jesus,

inviting others to join the journey - 11 -

EAST CROSS NEWS (USPS 164-540) Published monthly

Postmaster: Send address changes to:

East Cross United Methodist Church 820 S. Madison Blvd. Bartlesville, OK 74006-8533

PERIODICALS U.S. POSTAGE PAID AT BARTLESVILLE, OK 74003

USPS 164-540

learning to fo l low Jesus, inv i t ing others to jo in the journey

Rev. Jeff Burress Pastor

Chad Perceful Pastor

Evan Holmes Director of Youth Ministries

Aimee Hall Director of Children’s Ministries

Linda Smith Ministerial Coordinator

Linda Thornton Treasurer-Membership

Coleen Williams Early Childhood Center Director

Liz VanDeVenter Nursery and Childcare Director

Margie Green

Traditional Worship Director

Jan Watt, Pianist

Zack Michel Contemporary Worship Director

Charles Binau Coordinator Audio Equipment/Volunteers

Jon Colliver Building & Maintenance Coordinator

Crystal McCollam, Custodian

Celebration Luncheon!