UNION CENTER UNITED METHODIST CHURCH 128 Maple Drive, Endicott, NY 13760
Nov. Dec. 2014
NEWSLETTER
Please visit the church web page at www.unioncenterumc.com Also, please visit Pastor Brown's home page at www.brownnaik.blogspot.com
THANKSGIVING Dear friends, As we prepare to celebrate Thanksgiving I would like to share with you the first verse from Psalm 136. "O give thanks unto the LORD; for he is good: for his mercy endureth for ever." His love never fails. His love never gives up on us. As a church family many are facing some severe health concerns. Some of our people who are faithful, devoted, and committed are facing some severe health problems. In the face of these life threatening situations these sweet servants of Jesus are courageous and confident. We praise the Lord for their faith and their faithfulness. They teach us how to live well and how to face the adversities of life with deep faith in our Lord Jesus Christ. We ask questions such as: Why do bad things happen to good people? Why do the righteous suffer? Life is full of mysteries. It's so easy to get caught in the moments of discouragement. The refrains of loss, discouragement, and anxiety are everywhere. So much of the national focus is on all the things that are wrong, that are going to be so hard to fix, that may never be the same again. We are called by the Lord from whom come all good and perfect gifts to punctuate the story line of our lives with the exclamation point that is Thanksgiving. The Bible is the record of the faithfulness of the Lord. The people of the Lord who trusted Him have found Him to be mighty and merciful, gracious and very generous, truthful and trustworthy. I love to read about the people of the Lord in the Old Testament. They suffered more than enough to have plenty of question marks. They journeyed on and on, through a seemingly relentless series of battles and breakdowns. At times they came to a full stop against sea and mountains that seemed un-crossable, fortresses and foes that seemed unconquerable, and sometimes it led them into seasons of deep despair and complaint. In the face of all adversities the Lord of the journey showed up and performed His mighty miracles. In 1 Chronicles 16, we get a picture of just such an exclamation point in the life of Israel. By this time the reign of King Saul was over, and a young warrior named David had been elected king by prophetic designation and popular acclamation. He led the Israelites in successful battle against the Philistines, and the armies of Israel captured the ancient city of Jerusalem—the crown jewel of Canaan. David ordered that the ark of the covenant — the box containing the Ten Commandments — be brought up to the city so that God could be reverenced there in the capitol of his new kingdom. David led the procession into the city, literally dancing with joy in front of the ark as it is carried in. "And they brought in the ark of God and set it inside the tent that David had pitched for it, and they offered burnt offerings and peace offerings before God. And when David had finished
offering the burnt offerings and the peace offerings, he blessed the people in the name of the Lord and distributed to all Israel, both men and women, to each a loaf of bread, a portion of meat, and a cake of raisins" (1 Chronicles 16:1-3). David went on to appoint members of the tribe of Levi as the official worship leaders of the people. Their job was "to make petition, to give thanks, and to praise the Lord, the God of Israel." In other words, some of them were to name the prayer requests, some of them to list all the reasons for thanksgiving they could think of, and the rest to make music. It was a Thanksgiving worship service! It was at that first Thanksgiving in Jerusalem that David gave to Israel and the world the first of his famous Psalms, "Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; his love endures forever." From the time they first fled persecution in the land of Egypt, the Israelites learned to stop along their journey to give thanks to God. We read how in many places they'd build a pile of stones to mark where they'd become particularly conscious of God's blessing. They would bring a special offering and sacrifice it as a way of saying thank you for God's protection or provision. One of the leaders of their family would stand up and recite in detail the record of God's providence over the long haul of history behind them. They would gather the tribes together from various parts and hold a feast at which God was named the honored guest, and everyone around the table would exclaim how good and glorious God is. In these various ways, they both exalted God and re-engaged a wiser perspective. They were reminded that, as hard as life could be, they were a richly blessed people. They remembered that they had gotten this far on life's journey not by their own genius, sweat, and merit, but by the grace of God alone. They once again understood that God had been profoundly active for good along their journey and that there was every reason to believe that, if they remained faithful to him, there would be many blessings ahead. It was from the example of the ancient Israelites that the pioneers and pilgrims who have gone before us learned the pattern that became in this country what we now call Thanksgiving. Fleeing persecution in England, the pilgrims who crossed the sea faced many challenges here, too. Half of their number died of cold, disease, and malnutrition that first hard winter, raising I'm sure some serious question marks about God's providence. Those who survived the winter immediately set about trying to construct better shelter and to cultivate the land. The challenges were so great there was hardly room for a pause in the daily struggle. We know that some of them gave up hope. Some actually boarded ship and started to leave the colony, only to be reinvigorated by the sight of another vessel making its way into the harbor with medical supplies and food. Somehow, they persevered and, as the second winter crept in, their governor, William Bradford, proclaimed that on November 29, 1621, the colonists should cease their striving, gather as a community, and raise Thanksgiving to God. It has been 393 years since that day in Plymouth, Massachusetts, and some 3,000 years since that day in Jerusalem, but the capacity of God's people to handle with courage and wisdom the great questions, the daily demands, and those inevitable periods when hope seems finished still flows from our relationship with God. So here's my invitation to all of us. As we go to our Thanksgiving table this year bring a copy of the Bible with us, and read aloud 1 Chronicles 16. Let us go around the table and talk about which verse comes alive for you and how. Then let us share with one another an exclamation of gratitude to God — for the gift of life on this remarkable planet; for the people
you love and who have loved you; for your mentors and models; for the abilities and resources he's entrusted to you; for his Word that guides you, his grace that forgives you, his mercy that preserves you, and his eternal arms that await you; and for whatever else comes to your mind or pours from your heart. Let us stop and "Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; his love endures forever." With Deep Gratitude Pastor Brown Put on your calendar Nov. 15 Thanksgiving Dinner for the community. – 5 & 6 pm Nov. 16 Deadline for Operation Christmas Child Shoeboxes Dec. 6 St. Petersburg Men’s Ensemble at 6:30 and dinner at 5:30 Dec. 9 Young at Heart Christmas party at Blue Dolphin at noon, Rich Wilson entertainment Dec. 13 Youth Event at the church Dec. 14 Christmas Caroling Dec. 20 Living Nativity at Mall 5-7 PM and Hallelujah Chorus Flash mob 6:30 Dec. 24 Candlelight Christmas Eve service 4:30 Wesley, 7:30 UCUMC Jan. 11 for 90 days - Shoe Drive – bring shoes any time, boxes in Narthex
Church-wide Christmas Dinner and Concert Saturday, December 6, 2014 at 5:30 PM We are privileged to be able to celebrate thebirth of our Lord and Savior once again with joy and gladness. Once more the world is preparing the celebration of the birth of the Savior of the word. We will celebrate this gift of the Lord as we share in a banquet on Saturday, December 6, at the Fellowship Hall of our church, Union Center United Methodist Church. The banquet will be prepared by chef Justin Clark. It will be served at 5:30 PM. The St. Petersburg Men's Ensemble will be in concert following the meal, at 7 PM. We will receive a love offering for the food and for the musicians, who will have come to be with us from St. Petersburg, Russia. It will be a great time for coming together in the season of Advent in anticipation of the Birth of the Savior.
Living Nativity at the Center Court of the Oakdale Mall
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And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, which is Christ the Lord. Luke 2:10-11 We have been given permission to present a "Living Nativity" at the Oakdale Mall on Saturday, December 20, 2014 one of busiest shopping days of December. It will be presented
from 5 to 7 PM. Children, Youth, and Adults from our church will be participating in this beautiful event. Lynn Rosenbarker is in charge of organizing the Living Nativity. We will be singing Christmas carols during the presentation of the living nativity, with Yancey Moore accompanying at the Grand Piano. Come and invite all family and friends to join us. Please pray the Lord would use all of us to share with others the Good News of Great Joy. It will be a wonderful time and setting to share about Jesus Christ, the Newborn King. Join the singers! At 6:30 there will be a great chorus of people singing the Hallelujah Chorus from Handel’s Messiah. All are invited to join this “flash mob” event.
Youth Christmas Party: On Saturday, December 13, there will be a Christmas party for the youth of the church and the area. The youth will be playing Christmas games, decorating the fellowship hall, making Christmas cookies and writing Christmas cards for shut-ins, and having a time of worship and celebration together with our Russian friends. Christmas Caroling: "Here we come a-caroling"! On Sunday, December 14, we will gather at the fellowship hall at 5:30 PM for a hearty mug of soup and then go out caroling on Maple Drive and a short section of Boswell Hill Road. We will take cookies along with us for shut-ins. After caroling we will return to the church hall for some old-fashioned hot chocolate, cookies, and fellowship. An Invitation to Share: There are many families amongst and around us whom we are called to bless in these seasons of Thanksgiving and Christmas. We will be taking Thanksgiving and Christmas baskets to some of the families amongst us. Please give generously for this ministry of caring and sharing. Thanksgiving baskets will be taken out on November 22. Please contact Hannah if you are willing to be a part of this important outreach ministry. 748-6329 We have one family with several children whom we would like to bless with a special gift this Christmas season. They need clothing and shoes. Please call the church office for details. Thank you for caring and sharing. Christmas Eve Services: On Wednesday, December 24, there will be Christmas Eve Candlelight Communion Services held at 4:30 PM at Wesley UMC, 1000 Day Hollow Road, Endicott, and at 7:30 PM at Union Center UMC, 128 Maple Drive, Endicott.
Christianity – a Unique Religion During a British conference on comparative religions, experts debated what, if any, belief was unique to Christianity. They began eliminating possibilities. The Incarnation? Other religions had different versions of gods appearing in human form. Resurrection? Again, other religions had accounts of return from the dead. The debate went on for some time until C. S. Lewis wandered into the room. "What's the rumpus about?" he asked, and heard in reply that his colleagues were discussing Christianity's unique contribution among world religions. Lewis responded, "Oh, that's easy. It's grace." After some discussion, the others had to agree. The notion of God's love coming to us free of charge, no strings attached, seems to go against every instinct of humanity. Grace tells us that everything is all right in spite of so much in us being so wrong. God is patient and does not punish us as we deserve. He is compassionate with those who are weak, make foolish mistakes, and are discouraged. In a psalm we are reminded of God's grace and mercy toward us. "He does not treat us as our sins deserve or repay us according to our iniquities." "Grace" has been defined as God giving us what we don't deserve and his "Mercy" is not giving us what we do deserve - the adequate punishment for our sins. In Christ, Brown Television outreach Pray for our weekly Television outreach this evening on Time Warner channel 4 at 7 PM. I am posting a sermon, "Come to Jesus and Live" on YouTube, and also on our church's Face Book page. You can visit "Brown Naik" on YouTube. We are praying that it will be blessing to many. Brown, Thank you for sharing. Testimonies to effective outreach Thank you for the daily devotions. They give me something to ponder for the day. They bless me so very much. I think God whispers in your ear, just what I need. God bless, Karen DeWitt Tennessee Pastor Brown, I read your daily discussions every day and enjoy them and get uplifted by them. Thank you for bringing the word of God to us all in this manner. We can never get enough of the love of Christ in our lives. My daughter, DJ, and I just returned from a two week biking trip along the Adriatic Sea visiting 5 countries; Italy, Slovenia, Croatia, Bosnia and Montenegro. Libby does not like to fly so DJ goes with my to bike trips to Europe. Our hotel was a ship that held all 200 of us. We spent the first day in Venice, then started biking/cruising all the way to Dubrovnik, Croatia. The biking was wonderful, challenging and once again we viewed the beauty of this world, that God created. We biked and toured many cities that are over 500 hundred years old. I was in awe over the churches, tabernacles and synagogues that we visited. God was so ever present. We also learned of the war, just 20 years ago that created these countries from what was Yugoslavia. The people have endured a lot but have recovered from the awful aspects of war.
Libby and I belong to a large Methodist church here and we are looking forward to the holiday season. Our beloved pastor of 23 years retired in July so we are getting used to our new pastor who once was an associate pastor at this church. He is bringing a new religious experience to us that we welcome and are enjoying. We do not know if we will be at the farm again this year, but might be to put the railing on our new porch. It depends on my son's schedule. Betty has told me of the pray concerns for people in the church, especially Dave Ring and Gary Mc Fadden. We constantly pray for you and the people in the church. God bless all of you and your family. Roger . Grace, Pure Grace In his book Leaving Home, Garrison Keillor tells a fictional story about a family from Lake Wobegon, Minnesota. Grace Tollefson married Alex Campbell, who turned out to be a ne'er-dowell. They had three kids: Earl, Marlys, and Walter. Then he left her, took all the money, and she was forced to move back home and live off the kindness of folks there, enduring the relentless I-told-you-so's of her mother. It was humiliating. Then, "One day they got a letter from a man in Philadelphia doing research on Scottish nobility who asked who their ancestors were, so he could look it up." Grace wrote back, and a few days later another letter came. "She opened the envelope. It was addressed to Mrs. Grace Campbell, but the letter began with "Your Royal Highness." He wrote: "Today is the happiest day of my life as I greet my one true Sovereign Queen," and went on to say that their branch of the Campbell family was first in the line of succession of the House of Steward, the Royal Family of Scotland. Another letter soon came with a complicated genealogical chart with a line in the corner leading right straight to them: Earl, Marlys, and Walter. The Royal Family of Scotland living in Lake Wobegon in a green mobile home, furniture donated by the Lutheran church. They were astounded beyond words. Disbelieving at first, afraid to put their weight on something so beautiful, afraid it was too good to be true, and then it took hold—this was grace, pure grace that God offered them. Not their will but his. Grace. Here they were in the same dismal place, but everything had changed. They were different people. Their surroundings were the same, but they were different." Ultimately, years later, the youngest son, Walter, finds out the whole business was a fraud, but he never tells his mother or siblings, because thinking you are royalty, whether anyone else knows it or not, changes a person. At the end of the story, Grace is old, and she says to her son, "Oh, Walter, what would I do without you? You're so strong. You're so good to me. You're a prince, you know. They can put a crown on a dog and call it a prince, but you are a prince through and through. They may not know it now, but they'll know it soon. Next year we'll be in Edinburgh with the bands playing and the flags flying and the crowds cheering." It is written and we're given the divine assurance: " But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s own people, that you may declare the wonderful deeds of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light." 1 Peter 2:9 Our Lord God has reminded us that we are unrecognized royalty in this world. And for that great privilege we should be full of thanks, we should be eager servants of God, and we should "see life through the eyes of promise." That fiction of Garrison Keillor's is actually our truth: "They were astounded beyond words. Disbelieving at first, afraid to put their weight on something so beautiful, afraid it was too good to be true, and then it took hold—this was grace, pure grace that God offered them. Not their will but his. Grace. Here they were in their same dismal place but everything had changed. They were different people. Their surroundings were the same, but they were different. In Christ, Brown
ADVENT THOUGHTS Annual Visitation I'm ever and always a stranger to grace. I need this annual angel visitation … to know the virgin conceives and God is with us. —Eugene H. Peterson, The Contemplative Pastor Be Born in Us Again Thou Son of the Most High, Prince of Peace, be born again into our world. Wherever there is war in this world, wherever there is pain, wherever there is loneliness, wherever there is no hope, come, thou long-expected one, with healing in thy wings. Holy Child, whom the shepherds and the kings and the dumb beasts adored, be born again. Wherever there is boredom, wherever there is fear of failure, wherever there is temptation too strong to resist, wherever there is bitterness of heart, come, thou blessed one, with healing in thy wings. Savior, be born in each of us who raises his face to thy face, not knowing fully who he is or who thou art, knowing only that thy love is beyond his knowing and that no other has the power to make him whole. Come, Lord Jesus, to each who longs for thee even though he has forgotten thy name. Come quickly. Amen. —Frederick Buechner, The Hungering Dark Small Package Our salvation comes from something small, tender, and vulnerable, something hardly noticeable. God, who is the Creator of the Universe, comes to us in smallness, weakness, and hiddenness. I find this a hopeful message. Somehow, I keep expecting loud and impressive events to convince me and others of God's saving power; but over and over again I am reminded that spectacles, power plays, and big events are the ways of the world. Our temptation is to be distracted by them and made blind to the "shoot that shall sprout from the stump" [Isa. 11:1]. —Henri J. Nouwen, Gracias! A Latin American Journal The Greatest Gift Jesus is sheer, absolute gift of God. He is not a mere product of human history; he is the humanity of the God who graciously identifies with us and shares our human condition. No less human for that, for God's solidarity with us requires his full humanity. But human as God's selfgift to humanity, as "Immanuel." —Richard Bauckham and R. D. Williams, "Jesus—God with Us" His name is Emmanuel— the God who is with us—who is made out of the same stuff we are and who is made out of the same stuff God is and who will not let either of us go. —Barbara Brown Taylor, Home By Another Way
What We Need How thankful I am that when God became man He did not choose to become a man of iron nerves; that would not have helped weaklings like you and me nearly so much. —C. S. Lewis, Letters of C. S. Lewis PRAISES Praise the Lord for the Month of November. We are entering the season of Thanksgiving and Advent. Praise the Lord for the very good Charge Conference that was held last Sunday after the second service where the Staff Parish Committee met with our District Superintendent, Rev. Dr. David Kofahl. He also chaired the Charge Conference. It was a very good meeting. Praise the Lord for all the members of the various committees, including Trustees, Staff Parish, Finance, Administrative Council. The Lord has blessed yet again. We will keep on trusting in His grace and faithfulness to finish the year well. Praise the Lord for the youth event that was held a week ago Saturday. Approximately 30 youth attended. There were creative and very imaginative foods and activities for the enjoyment of all. All the young people were blessed. Thank you Dave and Jane for opening your home and hearts for the youth. We are planning for another creative and brilliant youth event on the Saturday the 13th of December, 2014. Praise the Lord for the Thanksgiving Banquet. This is an exciting ministry of outreach to our neighbors. Please invite all your neighbors and friends to come and share. We will be serving all the traditional Thanksgiving menu. Praise the Lord for Lou Pasquale and his team. We will be taking some meals to our Shut- ins. We will also be showing the movie, "Faith Like Potatoes". It will be shown in the sanctuary. Those who are waiting to be served will watch this movie which is powerful and inspiring. Thank you to Scott who made the Outdoor sign of invitation for the banquet. We are planning the meal for 300 people. If anyone is led to give funds towards this ministry of outreach you can make the check out to the church and designate "Thanksgiving Banquet". Come, Share Rejoice The Lord blesses us with beautiful Sundays, every Sunday, a day set apart for worship and celebration. Our church observed "Pastor Appreciation Sunday" on October 26, 2014.. It was all good and very gracious. Thank you for all your loving kindness and grace expressed through cards, gifts and love. Alice and I are blessed and are loved. Soon after the morning worship we had a special outreach ministry with the children. The church parking lots and the church grounds were transformed into carnival scenes and settings Over 200 children were blessed and gifted. Thank you for all the workers who labour with so much love. Praise the Lord for the way He grants us His joy as we serve Him in every season for He is the Lord in every season and He is the Lord of all seasons. Thank you for everyone who opened their trunks and hearts with so much love and generosity. The Lord gave us a glorious day . Praise the Lord for the way He surrounds us with so much love and grace. Praise the Lord for the way He embraces us with so much beauty and so many blessings. He is worthy of all our praise.
Gratitude and Appreciation Our family of Christians within Union Center UMC show love and support to each other. Read below one family’s expression of appreciation to our dear brother, Dave Ring, suffering from cancer. Dave: I want to write you to let you know for sure a few things. At this time words are hard. Words are hard but feelings shine through with ease and clarity. First off I know that you know we all are praying for you and your family. Lynn and I pray every morning for you after we read the word together. As I have told you in the past, this has been the saving grace in our lives and our marriage. Back to feelings. When I pray for you most often tears come to my eyes. I know its strange but the fact remains they do. Tears not because I don't believe God has you in His arms. Not because I am unsure of your salvation. Not these but simply because of the fact that I LOVE YOU. I see you as a friend. I see you as a mentor who with a quiet demeanor has stood in the background and reflected the meaning of a living example for Christ. One who has just shown up whenever and wherever needed. You always said you wanted to not be in the foreground but in the background where I know the servants work is done. I have seen you show up when the sheet rock needed carrying in. When the meal needed to be prepared time and time again in Endicott. Whatever was needed you stand in the gap ready to wash the feet as Jesus has done. So many years with so much care and direction you directed the feet of us all with Administrative Council. A staple at the alter when the bread and wine were taken by the family at Union Center. To me you up there at that time felt comforting and familiar. A man who is a living example of one who excepts me as I am defects and all. You avoid being judgmental. Take time to associate with the ones of lower standing in this world. You Dave are a magnet to the children all around you because of these traits. Traits that are gifts from God. Thank you Dave for your light that shines so brilliantly before men such as myself that I see and give glory to my Father in heaven. I say that I cry when I pray for you and I do. I do because I love you. I do because you are beautiful. Made beautiful by the author, perfecter, and finisher of our faith. You are a mentor to me. I give thanks to my Father in heaven for you. So tears come not because of a lack of trust, or lack of His abilities concerning you; but for that you are my friend. My mentor. My brother and, I love you. You mean more to, and have had influence on those around you more than you know. Who We Are: Upper New York Annual Conference With more than 182,000 members, the Upper New York Annual (Regional) Conference of The United Methodist Church comprises 937 churches in 12 districts, covering 48,000 square miles in 49 of the 62 counties in New York state. Our mission is to “live the Gospel of Jesus Christ and to be God’s love with our neighbors in all places." Union Center United Methodist Church is a ministry that is part of the Upper New York Conference of the United Methodist Church.
Sundays: Wednesdays: Fridays:
Union Center United Methodist Church WORSHIP SERVICES: 8:30 &11:00 a.m. Worship Service 9:50 a.m. Sunday School 9:30 a.m. Worship at Wesley Church 6:00/6:30 p.m. Soup Supper/Bible Study 7:00 p.m. TV Ministry Cable Channel 4
Church office hours are: 9 AM to 1 PM on Tuesday, Thursday and Friday You are a stranger here but once YOUR CHURCH STAFF PASTOR BROWN NAIK FINANCIAL SECRETARY LIZ HAAS TREASURER GLENN GODOY ORGANIST BETTY PHINNEY MUSIC COORDINATOR/CHOIR DIRECTOR ARIC PHINNEY INTERIOR SEXTON BANALATA NAYAK EXTERIOR SEXTON DENNIS CORWIN ADMINISTRATIVE ASSISTANT HANNAH SMITH WEBMASTER KARI HETTINGER