First Focus A Newsletter of First United Methodist Church of Holland Michigan
December 2017
Serving Our Neighbors 2018 Save the dates of July 26-29! For these three days FUMC will be Serving Our Neighbors (SON) through home repair projects, yard work, relationship building, meals together, and special children’s activities at the church concurrent with Vacation Bible School. This short-term, local mission project will culminate in a celebratory worship service and meal on Sunday the 29th. We will be sharing three full days of God’s love, interacting with the neighborhood, building relationships with each other, and with those who live among us. This will be no small feat, and one in which all church members will be invited into ministry. Mark your calendars and prayerfully consider taking a couple vacation days from work so you can plan to be a part of it! Our goal is to have whole families engaged in ministry together. Sign-ups will begin after the New Year, however we will need special assistance in the following areas:
Site Selection Home Repair Food Preparation Marketing Children’s Activities including Vacation Bible School and Childcare Worship Hospitality
If you can help in these areas, please contact LuAnne Stanley-Hook at lstanleyhook@fumcholland.org. More information about Serving Our Neighbors will be coming as we enter the New Year!
Vacation Bible School 2018 During our Serving Our Neighbors (SON) event from July 26-28th, the Child Serve Team will be hosting a full-day Vacation Bible School with childcare for young children. We will need volunteers who feel called to lead centers, share music, prepare food, run games, and much more! Our goal is to not only serve our kids but to serve the children of the people our SON teams are serving. Contact Traci Howard at keepmovingforward@comcast. net to join in the fun.
Inside this Issue: Presence Sunday & UMW
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Dec. Bread Pan Offering
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Adult Discipleship
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Youth Group News
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Children’s Ministry
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Prayer Requests/Knitting
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The Last Word
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Our Vision: To be a grace-filled community aflame with God’s love for the world.
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December 2017
United Methodist Women
For December, service ministry is assigned Hope Circle, and meals in time of need will be done by Joy Circle. A huge THANK YOU for all who worked, contributed, or prayed for our 2017 Bazaar. It was a huge success, and monies from this Bazaar will go to many, many missions around the world, nation, and local areas. The UMW’s Annual Christmas Luncheon is Friday, December 8th at 11:30am in Fellowship Hall and everyone is invited – women and men. Catering Concepts will be providing food. The cost is $12.00 per person. You must sign up and pay in advance at a Circle meeting or sign up on the UMW bulletin board and leave your check in the church office. Another option is to send your check made out to “UWM” to G. Virta at 12330 James St., Suite H100 Holland, MI 49424. The ten-member Chamber Choir and the Concert Choir (30+ members) from Black River School will be performing.
Presence Sunday On Sunday, December 17, there will be an opportunity for all ages to give of ourselves! Presence Sunday is an event after church, beginning with being “present” to each other as we share a potluck lunch around noon, and ending with being “present” to our church shut-ins and local children with a parent in prison. We will gather into small groups to drive to homes and residential facilities to sing carols and deliver cookies to our shut-ins, and to deliver Angel Tree gifts in our area. Please plan to bring a large side dish and/or dessert to share, along with any utensils or hot pads needed. Include your name on everything to make sure you get it back. We will also need a few people who are willing to stay back at the church to clean up and run the dishwasher. Presence groups should plan on returning to the church by 2:00 pm or before. Come and join in this day of giving of ourselves and the love of Christ to many in our community.
From the Treasurer
Thank You! Thank You! Our 2018 Stewardship Campaign, known as Extravagant Generosity, was a great success. Your giving to your church is 16.51% greater this year than last, reaching a total of $643,836. This kind of support allows FUMC to be successful in it’s missions and goals for 2018. Our current financial condition through the end of October is very healthy. Your giving is 6.48% ahead of our projected income level and total expenses are 0.30% lower than expected. This trend places us in a good position to finish the year on a positive note. Thank you again for your continued support of your church and its missions.
Guidelines for Recycling Styrofoam Recycling is important to help keep the earth cleaner. Styrofoam is recycled on the on the first Sunday of each month. Team members work after the first and second services on that Sunday. Clean, white Styrofoam is the only acceptable kind—we can’t recycle dirty or colored Styrofoam. Some other materials mimic real Styrofoam. One is packing ‘peanuts’ which are an off-white color, lightweight, and coarse in texture. UPS mailing stations love those—please take them there if you can. Another ‘false’ Styrofoam comes in thick sheets, is shiny, and has a coarse texture—it bends, instead of breaking. We welcome new team members. If you’d like to help with this ministry, please contact Dorothy Chamness via email: jkcham@wmol.com.
First Focus
November Bread Pan and Christmas Eve Offering The Bread Pan Offering for December will be going toward disaster relief in the United States and in U.S. Territories, namely Puerto Rico, Texas, and Florida, which were all hit especially hard this summer during hurricane season. Our donations will be going directly to the United Methodist Committee on Relief (UMCOR), which is the branch of the UMC that responds to worldwide crisis. Our monies will be put into a designated fund for U.S. and U.S. Territories through UMCOR. Since UMCOR has hands and feet on the ground in all of the affected areas that will receive support, we know our donation will make a difference. Join our church in making a difference on Sundays, December 17 and 24 as we support those who have been so negatively affected by natural disasters this year! Please note our offering for the Christmas Eve family service will go toward the Haiti Hot Lunch Program.
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Angel Tree Look for the Angel Tree at the back of the sanctuary. Sign up and buy gifts for children whose parent is incarcerated to let the children know they are not forgotten. Gifts are due back on Dec. 10. If you have any questions please contact Sandi Steggerda by email at sadra.steggerda@ gmail.com or by phone at (616)748-9989.
Good News Update Attention FUMC Team Leaders: You’re to join the Leadership Team on Wednesday, December 13, at 7:30 pm for the first ever quarterly Good News Update. This meeting, sponsored by the Leadership Team, is in keeping with the feedback we received at the September new governance workshops, where several attendees noted how helpful it would be to get a periodic update on the affairs of our congregation in the absence of the monthly Church Council meetings. As the leader for your team, we ask that you come prepared (or have a designee prepared) to deliver a brief update on the good things that have occurred over the past quarter along with a preview of the next quarter. There will be an opportunity for attendees to ask questions, but there will not be any kind of discussion or debate about matters - this is intended to be strictly informational and not a working session. We expect this meeting to last no more than 90 minutes. Please invite every member of your team to attend as the more members who hear the update, the better.
Hope Church Organ Recital Hope Church organist, Rhonda Edgington, is performing her annual Advent organ recital on Sunday, December 10 at 4:00 pm at Hope Church (across the street from FUMC). Her concert will include Advent and Christmas themed organ works, congregational hymns, pieces for flute and organ, and a trio for soprano, flute, and organ by French composer Frank Martin. Childcare is available.
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December
New Places to Connect for Winter 2018 Are you looking for a place to find community? Check out The Winter Term 2018 Small Groups Catalog, a list of opportunities for the coming semester (Jan. - Mar.), on Sunday, December 3. Reading a story and discussing what church might be like, learning about prayer, some options for Bible study, scrapbooking, Fiber Arts Fellowship, and the return of Financial Peace University - these are some of the opportunities available. The catalog will be available at the Information Center, in the office, and in the Lounge on Sundays. Group sizes are limited, so get your copy of the catalog, make your choice, and register. Don’t wait before it’s too late.
Birthdays and Anniversaries Birthdays of those who are 85 and older, and those celebrating 50 or more years of marriage. Birthdays: 12/05
Phyllis Bocks, 144 River Hills Drive, Holland MI 49424
12/23
Paul Klomparens, 800 Clarewood Court, Holland MI 49423
Anniversaries: 12/15
Norman & Sheryl Veldhoff, 276 Goldeneye Court, Holland MI 49424
12/18
Jim & Sherry Robinson, 16316 Greenly Street, Holland MI 49424
12/20
Larry & Linda Den Uyl, 276 Gol845 Claremont Court, Holland MI 49423
12/20
Barry & Linda Philage, 6104—A Palma Del Mar #104, St. Petersburg, FL 33715
Holiday Beauty with Poinsettias Poinsettias will be placed around the sanctuary beginning December 17 until Christmas. Those interested in purchasing a poinsettia to honor another (or multiple persons), may turn in an order form (with payment) to the office by December 12. You may pick up a form on one of the tables in the sanctuary or from the office. If you wish to take your plant home, they will be available following each service on Christmas Eve. Any poinsettia remaining after the 11pm service Christmas Eve will be donated to members of our congregation who find it difficult to get out. If you would like to help deliver the donated poinsettias, there will be postcards with names and addresses for each recipient available in the Lounge beginning Christmas Eve. Please make any delivery by December 31.
Needed The church office regularly receives requests from members to borrow a wheelchair. If you have a wheelchair or walker that is no longer useful to you, consider donating it to FUMC.
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Youth Group News This month the youth are busy giving of themselves to others as we thank God for the gift of Jesus Christ. On January 7, we will begin the 2018 $10-for-10 campaign. This annual campaign provides funds to help make youth mission trips and church camp affordable for our church families. Thank you in advance for your support of our children and youth, and have a merry Christmas! Here’s the Youth Group December Schedule and into the New Year:
Youth are helping at the UMW/Youth booth at the Kerstmarkt this holiday season! Come by and purchase some yummy goodies while you are shopping. All proceeds go to missions. All youth who work will receive a share of the proceeds toward their personal mission trip costs. The remaining Kerstmarkt dates are:
Friday, December 1st, 3 – 8 pm
Saturday, December 2nd, 9 am – 5 pm
Friday, December 8th, 3 – 8 pm (sled dogs 4 and 5 pm)
Saturday, December 9th, 9 am – 5 pm (sled dogs 11 am and noon)
Sunday, December 3: Both groups, 5:30 pm. High schoolers will bake cookies in the church kitchen. Bring your assigned ingredients! Middle Schoolers, bring $2 worth of candy in a giftwrapped package, plus an item to donate to Angel Tree families. 6th grade and leaders- Box or can of hot chocolate mix. 7th and 8th graders - bag of mini marshmallows. Note: high schoolers will likely end a bit late this evening.
Sunday, December 10: Youth Group in charge of Coffee Fellowship! Please sign up to bring something. Parents are needed to visit with people in the lounge during the Sunday School hour. Youth Group for both groups, 5:00-7:30 pm. Pajama Party and holiday fun for the whole group! Note the earlier time for this one.
Sunday, December 17: Presence Sunday—All Church Event
All youth, parents, siblings, and all other church folks are invited be a gift to others as we carol to our shut-ins and deliver Angel Tree gifts in the area! Following the second service, a potluck dinner with “carry in” sides and desserts will be served in Fellowship Hall. Around 1:00 pm, caroling groups and delivery groups will be formed. Groups can plan on returning to the church before 2:00 pm. Bring the whole family and a large side dish and/or dessert to share, and join us in spreading some holiday cheer! No additional youth activities this evening.
Holiday Sundays, December 24 and 31, No Youth Group—Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!
Friday, January 5, MIDDLE SCHOOL LOCK-IN! 7:00 pm to 7:00 am on Saturday. Bring $10 for laser tag and pizza, plus snacks and drinks to share for the night. More info to come through email.
Sunday, January 7: Senior High Youth group only, 5:30-7:30 pm.
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December
Children’s Ministry Children are a welcome and joyful part of our worship, learning times, and community here at First UMC of Holland. Nursery is available all morning for babies – Kindergarten. Our nursery renovation continues to progress. The temporary nursery location is in Learning Center room 101. Sunday School will continue to be offered for children Pre-K and older from 9:40-10:30 am. Classes for children and youth are located in the Learning Center.
Children begin with their families in the service. Starting today, an age appropriate learning
time will be available to children in Kindergarten-3rd grades every week after Children’s Time during the 10:45 am service. Kids are guided out by their teachers (or parents may walk with their child) and can be picked up at the Learning Center at the end of worship. Parents are also welcome to keep children with them in the service if they prefer. “Grace Space” and Lounge are available for parents who want to keep their children with them during worship. See the bulletin for details or ask an usher for locations. Questions? Contact Colleen Bajema at (616)834-8478 or cabajema@gmail.com
Christmas Eve Services on December 24: 9:40 am 10:45 am 5:00 pm
7:00 pm 11:00 pm
No Sunday School for children or youth Contemporary worship Nursery is available 10:30 a.m.- noon for babies-kindergarten kids Family friendly service, 40 minute service time Nursery is available for babies-kindergarten kids Pastor Brad will be telling a story and there will be songs familiar to kids Contemporary worship Nursery is available for babies-kindergarten kids Classic candlelight service with organ music where kids attend with their family.
The Last Word continued . . . patterns. I think all of us, now and then, long for a time when things were simpler and slower. This might sound like I’m pining “for the good old days;” I’m not. I’m fully aware that what made for good days for some, made for not-so-good days for others. No, this isn’t about the good old days, but it is about simplicity. My prayer is that you give yourself a present this holiday season. Care for yourself. Don’t make holiday activities a burden that adds to your already busy life. Let go of some things. Relish time spent with family and friends; relish in renewing those old traditions. Slow down, simplify and enjoy. Maybe you’ve noticed that I’ve yet to mention Jesus, or the nativity or anything religious in this column, and yet, in a certain sense I really have. The gentle cry of a baby breaking into a still night. The tender love of a young mother. The beaming pride of a new father. Animals quietly resting. Witnesses of all types gathering in silent awe. The most significant moment in human history is marked by its profound simplicity. The Baby of Bethlehem is God’s simple statement of love for humankind—God’s statement of love for you. Simply embrace it, all the frantic activity of modern life, indeed all else matters very little. Embrace God’s love in Christ and in so doing, discover the very merriest of Christmases.
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10 for 10
Prayer Requests
Prayers of love and support to the Carlson family for the passing of Clarence Carlson. Prayers for those struggling with health and financial hardships during this holiday season.
Prayers are appreciated for Marilyn Kelly and her father, Eaton.
Prayers for Cindy Helder’s brother and his family as he faces cancer.
Prayers of thanksgiving for the birth of Kathy Walton’s new granddaughter.
Choir Do you like to sing? Consider singing on Christmas Eve at the 11:00 pm service. The only requirement is to attend rehearsals on December 13th and 20th at 7:45 pm in the choir room. Interested? Contact Julia Collingsworth by email at juliamusicmaker@aol.com
Book Club Book Club will meet again in February - we will skip December and January.
$10-for-10 begins on January 7, 2017! This annual fund drive is our way of encouraging our church children and youth to participate in the formative experiences of church camp and mission trips by helping them with the high costs of these week -long trips. We do this without selling you things you don't want; instead, we tell stories from our hearts about what makes these experiences special to us. We are hoping at least 100 givers will be willing to contribute $100, or $10 for 10 weeks, and together those gifts will total $10,000! If you are able to do “second mile” giving over $100, please mark it as such. All of these extra donations and any amount raised over our goal will go to help families with more than one child wanting to camp or go on the mission trip. Thank you in advance for your support for our youth!
Knitting Fellowship Knitting Fellowship is undergoing a renovation both in the lounge closet, as well as in the name and purpose. We are now FIBER ARTS FELLOWSHIP with the hope of retaining the same spirit of giving by including lap quilts, and both crocheted and knitted prayer shawls. Our ministry has been extended to include scarves, hats, socks and mittens for the Community Meal participants. We still meet in the lounge on the 2nd and 4th Tuesday and Thursday afternoons at 1 p.m. but you do not have to be there to contribute. Prayer shawls and items, including donated yarn or fabric may be dropped off in the church office. Our supplies are located in the lounge closet. We will supply yarn, patterns and fabric upon request. Our fellowship is lots of fun as we share ideas and patterns, yarn deals, and local shops, but the need is great for anyone to contribute. Watch for news as we progress in this new ministry, thanks to the support of the Risk Taking Mission Team. The deadline for submissions for First Focus is Tuesday, January 9th. Please email articles to erin@fumcholland.org by that date or earlier.
Have you remembered First United Methodist Church in your will?
Nonprofit Org. U.S. Postage PAID Holland, MI Permit No. 445
First United Methodist Church 57 W. 10th St. Holland MI 49423 Return Service Requested
Pastor Brad Bartelmay Phone: 616-396-5205 ext. 105 December Worship Series: UnWrapping Christmas
Visit us online at www.fumcholland.org
Christmas Eve Services on December 24, 2017
The Last Word
5:00 pm Christmas with Candlelight and Carols, Childcare available
What is it about Christmas? Something happens to us when December hits. We fast-paced, constantly reinventing ourselves, forever pursuing the next-new-thing citizens of the United States suddenly become consumed by tradition. We break out the old family ornaments and decorations and place them in the exact same spot they’ve always been. We sing the same songs and carols that take us back (as the song says) “to Christmases long, long ago.” We make the same old family recipes and some of us try to relive our peculiar ethnic traditions like mashed potatoes and kale.
7:00 pm Christmas with Candlelight and Carols, Childcare available
It’s as if we spend eleven months a year on an express train to heaven only knows where, then come Thanksgiving we slam on the brakes, jump off the train, and gaze longing back to where we once were. Why?
10:45 am Christmas with Carols, Childcare available
11:00 pm Christmas with Candlelight and Carols
I don’t have an answer but I do have a thought. The frenzy of contemporary life is a wearing, even an exhausting thing. Maybe, when we get to the end of the year we need a little break from our kinetic lives so we settle into old familiar
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