The 2013

DECEMBER

2013

DECMEBER 2013

Grapevine

Making disciples for Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world. All Members Ministers

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1 COMMUNION SUNDAY FIRST SUNDAY OF ADVENT

2 No Golden Chain mtg tonight Golden Chain will meet on Saturday for Christmas luncheon

3 10 am Esther Circle

4 Handbells and Choir Practice

5 10 am ELYH Fellowship Hall

6

7 Hispanic Ministries

Rev. Johnnie Wright Pastor

11 am Golden Chain Luncheon at Tea for Two

Mr. Tom Fifer Duke Intern

12 Sanctuary Reserved for Organ Tuning

13

12:00 Spiritual Formation meeting Rm 212 8 SECOND SUNDAY OF ADVENT 12:15 pm Parsonage Committee Meeting, rm 212 15 THIRD SUNDAY OF ADVENT Spontaneous Christmas Pageant @ 11:00 worship service Following 11:00 Service MRC mtg, rm212 5 pm—Youth Christmas Party (Fellowship Hall)

10:30 am Hawfields Pres. Circle group

9 1 pm Newcomers Knitting Group, rm 212

10 9 am Singles & Single Again Breakfast at Cracker Barrel

11 Handbells and Choir Practice

16 Sanctuary Reserved at 10:30 for Piano tuning

17

18 Handbells and Choir Practice

Rev. Wright Mtg @ Methodist Bldg—1:30 pm

19 7 pm MUMS Preschool Christmas Program (Sanctuary)

20

Mrs. Sue Modlin Director of Music & Accompanist

14

Mrs. Sherry Ashley Administrative Assistant

21

Mebane United Methodist Church 200 S. Fourth Street ~ Mebane, NC 27302 Website: www. Mebaneumc.com Office: (919) 563-4301 Fax: (919) 563-4326 Return Service Requested

Non Profit Org. US Postage PAID Mebane NC Permit No. 35

5 pm—Trustee mtg, rm 212 22 FOURTH SUNDAY OF ADVENT 8 am Men’s Breakfast 8:45 Blended Worship Service with special music 9:45 Sunday School

23 Knitters will not meet today ~ Have a Merry Christmas.

24 5 pm Candlelight Christmas Eve Service

Fellowship Hall Reserved

Youth Luminaries will light our side walks

11:00 Cantata

Church Ofc will be closed

No Youth tonight 29 Regular Worship Services Blessing of the Toys at 11:00 service No Youth tonight

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31

25 No Handbell or Choir Practice

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27

28 Sandwich Ministry

Merry Christmas Church Ofc will be closed JAN 1 No Handbell or Choir Practice Church Ofc will be closed

JAN 2

JAN 3

JAN 4

DECEMBER 24 AT 5 PM

VISION: Mebane United Methodist Church is a community of the faithful who: Gathers to worship God. ~ Nurtures one another in the love of Jesus Christ. ~ Serves God and others in word and deed.

Message from the Senior Pastor "NO ROOM RESERVATION MADE”

DECEMBER 24 AT 5 PM

Sunday, December 29th During 11:00 Worship Service

Some critics are saying, “Surely if Jesus was supposed to be born in Bethlehem and he was supposed to be the Son of God, then why did God not make a room reservation in the inn for his only Begotten Son Jesus?” Where do we go from here? Listen to the Gospel of Luke 2:7 “And she brought forth her firstborn son, and wrapped him is swaddling clothes, and laid him in a manger; because there was no room for them in the inn.” Was this a planned birth for Christ? Were the Scripture and Gabriel correct in the proclamation and his assignment to young Mary when he said, “26 And in the sixth monthly the angel Gabriel was sent from God unto a city of Galilee, named Nazareth, 27 to a virgin espoused to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David; and the virgin’s name was Mary. 30 And angel said unto her, Fear not Mary; for thou hast found favour with God. 31 And behold thou shalt conceive in thy womb, and bring forth a son and shalt call his name JESUS.” (Luke 1 26-28, 30-31) Moreover, then why was accommodations not made? Why was there no room in the inn for a Savior? Was there a mix up with the innkeeper that night in Bethlehem? We have so many questions about the phrase: “because there

was no room for them in the inn.”

Let us revisit the beginning of Luke 2:1 “…then there was issued a mandate by the authority of Cyrenius who was governor of

Sunday Evenings 8:45am 9:45am 11 am 5 pm

Worship Service Sunday School Worship Service Youth

Wednesday Evenings 6:00 pm Handbells 6:45 pm Praise Team 7:30 pm Chancel Choir

Syria. It all happened like this, “And it came to pass in those days that there went out a decree from Caesar Augustus, that the entire world should be taxed.” (Luke 2:1 KJV) Because Joseph was a citizen of Bethlehem of the house of King David, then he was responsible for adhering to the mandate of the Emperor’s demands. He had to sojourn to his home with his espoused pregnant wife, Mary. Apparently, Mary was well in her trimester and the baby was due. However, because of the demands of the Emperor, Joseph and Mary had to take the trip like so many other Jews, whether the wife was pregnant or not Cont. on next page

~ DECEMBER USHERS ~ Steve Ferguson

Jim Hill

Richard King

Nehl Yeager

Dec 1

Dec 8

Dec 15

Dec 22

Dec 29

Counters

B. J. Smith & Dave Weislak

Gary Brant & Jane Johnson

Bernice Wilson & Ben Saunders

Pat Miesner & John Payne

Gary Brant & Jane Johnson

Flowers

Ginger Snyder Dixon

Kitty Hupman

Poinsettia Sunday

Poinsettia Sunday

Kim Ferguson

Advent Readers

United Methodist Women

United Methodist Men

The Kerins Family

Chancel Choir

Merry Christmas & Happy New Year

Time with Young Disciples

Rev. Johnnie Wright

Tom Fifer

Children’s Spontaneous Christmas Pageant

Christmas Cantata

Blessing of the Toys

(Children’s Message)

~ COMMUNION SERVERS ~ Dec. 1—Dave & Sue Bell Dec. 24—Daryl & Mary Spradlin

~ CHRISTMAS EVE ~ Communion Servers: Daryl & Mary Spradlin Advent Readers: Rev. Johnnie & Annette Wright Nursery Attendants: Peg Kueider & Billy Modlin

Spontaneous Christmas Pageant Sunday, December 15th During Children’s Time at the 11:00 Worship Service

Message from the Senior Pastor cont.

s y a thd

Bir

December 2 Paul Hodges Judy Merritt

December 16 Grayson Coleman Chris Thomas

December 3 Brad Miesner

December 18 Paul Cooper

December 29 Wayne Holden

December 8 John Payne Mary Spradlin

December 19 Grace Jones

December 31

December 11 Peggy Hill December 14 Natalie Herman Dale Whitt December 15 D. C. Ramey

December 22 Aubrey Gray Lynn Jones

December 27 Joseph Belangia Amy Grener

Jean Bartis Benners Harrison

December 23 Emilie Henderson December 25 Doug Smith December 26 Gloria Glenn "This is the day which the Lord has made; Let us rejoice and be glad in it." (Psalm 118:24)

to honor their obligations and pay their individual taxes that were charge to them.

Luminaries on Christmas Eve

Would it be rude to blame Joseph for “No Room Reservation Made?” Is there a plausible remnant that we can blame Joseph instead of God and Gabriel? Would the critics of yesterday and today, blame the man Joseph as careless, because Mary was a poor little virgin and pregnant. Remember, that Mary was the one who found favor in God and the Holy Spirit came upon her. But now, the world heard and continues to hear of all suffering and what she experienced. She experienced disgrace with her first born son who was born in a barn. His name is Jesus. This Jesus was to be the Messiah, the Christ, the Savior to the world, but he the Savior of the Jews and world was born and placed in swaddling clothes lying in a manger surrounded by animals in a stable.

Our youth are again sponsoring a fund raiser that will make your journey to church this Christmas Eve simply beautiful.

In short, I believe that all of what transpired in the story of the angel Gabriel, Virgin Mary, husband, Joseph, Bethlehem inn, wooden barn, old stable, and manger, were all planned by God. God does not have to make room reservations to any inn, because he is the owner of the inn and land. God, knows all and can do all. He is the God of everything. Therefore, God is not to blame nor Joseph for no room in the inn. Who should be blame? Maybe individuals who do not believe in the great powers of our Heavenly Father. The God, I believe in showed us a new side of the Messiah’s coming and it has a lot to do with humility. When we read the story in the Old Testament, especially the book of Isaiah, then we discerned that the coming of Jesus was foretold. The no room in the inn, is part of the planned story, for the faithful in Christ Therefore, if we are to celebrate Christmas, then we must believe that Christ’s coming was planned from above. If we love God and all that he has done in our lives, then we will let this “No Room in the Inn” be a positive reading in the New Testament in connection with baby Jesus and the birth narrative.

For further information, contact Dave Weislak at [email protected] or look for an order form in our December bulletins.

For $10, you may gift those who will worship here with a lighted pathway from their cars to the sanctuary. These luminaries may be given in honor or in memory of a loved one. A list of those being remembered will appear in the Christmas Eve bulletin and in January’s edition of the Grapevine.

Funds from this adventure will benefit others through the Youth Summer Mission Trip Fund.

OVATIONS & THANK YOU’S Dear Church Family Many thanks to you for the prayers, gifts of food, flowers and other acts of kindness during my recent shoulder surgery. May God bless you. With love, Sara Miesner

The youth would like to thank everyone who participated in the Trunk or Treat event at the church. Thank you to all the volunteers that helped with the hot dog supper. Thank you to all those that decorated their trunk and handed out candy to all the trick or treaters, This is one event that the youth organize as a way to give back to the church. It would not be possible without the involvement of our church family.

Ovations and Thank You The Holiday Season is definitely upon us. Good fellowship, good food and visiting with family. Lots of great things have been happening here at MUMC. Let’s celebrate!!! Congratulations to Luke Hawks for making A Honor Roll for the first nine weeks at Woodlawn Middle School. Congratulations to Hannah Hawks for making A/B Honor Roll at E.M. Yoder Thank you to the youth and chaperones that represented Mebane United Methodist Church at Pilgrimage 2013. I hope all of you enjoyed Pilgrimage as much as we did. ~ Patrick and Lisa Stanley Congratulations to Will Stanley for making all A’s for the 1st nine weeks at Woodlawn Middle School. Congratulations to Logan Stanley for making all A’s for the 1st nine weeks at Eastern Alamance. I want to send a BIG Thank You to Robert Dollar, Patrick and Lisa Stanley, Annette Wright and Tom Fifer for taking time out of their busy schedules to chaperone the youth at Pilgrimage in Fayetteville. Thank you to the youth group for being such an awesome group of young people. It is a joy to work with you. And last but certainly not least, thank you to the congregation at MUMC for their continued support of our youth. ~ Gary Brant Congratulations to Amy Grener who made A Honor Roll for the first nine weeks at Eastern Alamance. Also, she was recently inducted into the EAHS Chapter of the National Honor Society of Dance.

The youth would like to thank Congratulations to Bayleigh Dollar for making the A Honor all who participated in the Blue Roll for the first nine weeks and Eastern Alamance. Also, Ribbon Diner fundraiser. The congratulations for making the Fusion Volleyball Team!! money from the fundraisers was Love, Mom, Dad, Sheena, Paislee and Grandmother. used to offset the expense of going to Pilgrimage. We are grateful that Thank you to Girl Scout Troop 1976 at Mebane UMC for their we have a church family that supvolunteer efforts and for their generous donation to the ports us so well. Sandwich Ministry program. ~ The Mission Team

MUMS NEWS MUMS Daycare will be selling Domino’s Pizza Cards for only $10. With one card you can receive 16 free pizzas! MUMS will use the proceeds to purchase items for the daycare.

E. L. Y. H. EVENT You are invited to join the E. L. Y. H group on

December 5th 10:30 am in the church fellowship hall to help assemble Christmas baskets for our members who are homebound. Please bring a bagged lunch for yourself. The ELYH leaders will provide a desert and beverage. Brownie Troop 1289  December: making and distributing Christmas cards  December 3: Singing at Hawfields Presbyterian home For more information on Troop 1289, please contact Quinn Loy at [email protected]. Coat Drive Please place your gently used or new coats in the collection bins located outside the church office and in the narthex. Coats will be collected, cleaned and delivered to those in need within the Alamance County area.

What is the first thing that you think of when you see a wrapped box? Is it for me? CAN I OPEN IT?? Gifts do not always come wrapped in the fanciest of papers, some look tattered and torn, and even some we question why they have been given to us. But, there has never been any greater gift given, than the gift of Christ Jesus. He was neither store bought, nor the fanciest of offerings. We did not deserve the gift, we did not earn the gift, and yet the gift was freely given to us…we only needed open hearts to receive. Take time out from the commercial onslaught this Christmas season to offer thanks to any and all, but most of all to the One who gave all. “For God so loved the world that he

gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.” ~John 3:16 Musically Yours,

Sue Modlin

ANNOUNCEMENTS The Coffee Café invites you to join us between the services each Sunday. Have a cup of coffee, a (normally) homemade treat), and some good conversation with others. Also, Sally MacDonald. has made some beautiful creations which she has donated to the Coffee Café. We have them priced for sale and the sales proceeds will go toward our operating costs. Please stop by between the early and late service and join us. Please bring a new, unwrapped toy and place it in the Toys for Tots box located in the “Coffee Café”. Each toy will go to a very deserving child in our area. MERRY

ANNOUNCEMENTS Poinsettia Sunday December 15th & 22nd, 2013

MORNING GLORIES BIBLE STUDY Please join us on Wednesday mornings at 10 am for “Morning Glories” bible study. The meeting is held in room 212. We hope to see you there!

We are offering the opportunity to honor or remember a loved one by helping to sponsor poinsettias for Missions Sunday. A list will be published in the January newsletter and also beginning in the December 15th Sunday bulletin. Beautiful poinsettias will be placed on the altar in honor or in memory of your loved ones and to the glory of God. If you would like to participate in this offering, please fill out the information below and place it in the offering plate or deliver it to the church office by Wed, December 11th Thank you. Please make check payable to: Mebane UMC Donations will go towards supporting our Good Samaritan fund. Your Name:________________________________________ Contact Number: ___________________ Ck#: ___________________ Amount: $ ___________________ Poinsettia In Honor of: ________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________________ By: ________________________________________________________________________________

CHRISTMAS!

Poinsettia In Memory of: ______________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________________

December 22 at 8 am

By: ________________________________________________________________________________

Fellowship Hall The holidays are especially difficult for persons dealing with personal grief, loneliness, illnesses of all kinds, economic concerns, separation from family members and relationship issues like separation or divorce. Try focusing on the reason for the season and that our God welcomes the stranger and the outcast and loves us just as we are. For more information or help through the holidays: DBSA (Depression & Bipolar Support Alliance) www.dbsalliance.org; Pathways to Promise at www.Pathways2 Promise.org or Mental Health Ministries at www.mentalHealth Ministries.net Please continue to watch the bulletin, facebook and our website for updates and changes. This is NOT a complete list of upcoming events.

CHOIR PRACTICE

Every Wednesday Night 6:00 pm Handbells 6:45 pm Praise Team 7:30 pm Chancel Choir

In Loving Memory of

Louise Pender By Margaret Cole Irene Wade B. J. Smith Bernice Wilson Carol & John Payne Tal Jobe Jay and Janice James

UNITED METHODIST WOMEN (UMW)

UNITED METHODIST WOMEN (UMW) PURPOSE of United Methodist Women

The organized unit of United Methodist Women shall be a community of women whose PURPOSE is to know God and to experience freedom as whole persons through Jesus Christ; to develop a creative, supportive fellowship; and to expand concepts of mission through participation in the global ministries of the church.

Golden Chain: 1st Monday @ 7 pm; 212 Leader, Sara Miesner 919-563-6367

Helping Hands: 2nd Tuesday @ 7 pm Meet in various homes Leader, Linda Zeller 919-563-1084

Esther Circle: 1st Tuesday @ 10 am Leader, Jane Johnson 919-384-2112

Covenant Circle: Various Days & Times Leader, Pam Saunders 919-619-6699

CALENDAR OF EVENTS Four Year Theme Scripture – “Today, Tomorrow and Beyond – God is calling us to . . . (2013-2016) God, who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, hath shined in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. 2 Corinthians 4:6 (KJV) (2013 Scripture) God is calling us to . . . pray And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord’s people Ephesians 6:18-19 (NIV)

December 3

Circle Worship at Hawfields Presbyterian Home, 10:30 a.m., Leader(s) TBA

December 5

Covenant Circle Christmas Cheer Party, time TBA

December 19

Mebane UMC Book Club, Room 212, 7 p.m.

January 7

Circle Worship at Hawfields Presbyterian Home, 10:30 a.m., Leader(s) TBA

January 16

Mebane UMC Book Club, Room 212, 7 p.m.

February 4

Circle Worship at Hawfields Presbyterian Home, 10:30 a.m., Leader(s) TBA

February 20

Mebane UMC Book Club, Room 212, 7 p.m.

MEBANE UMC BOOK GROUP All adults are invited to participate in the Mebane United Methodist Church Book Club. We meet the third Thursday of each month at 7:00 p.m. in room 212. If you have any questions about the book club, please contact Allison Weislak at [email protected] or (919)304-2307. December 19: January 16 February 20 March 20

Fatty Legs by Christy Jordan-Fenton and Margaret Pokiak Please Look After Mom by Kyung-Sook Shin Not Just a One Night Stand: Ministry with the Homeless Half the Sky

PROGRAM RESOURCES Our UMW library, Room 202, is located in the old church office behind the sanctuary. Sherry has placed a "Library" sign on the door. You will find our current "for credit" selections on the right side of the door. Please feel free to borrow a copy of Response magazine, read at least one article, and pass it around. United Methodist Women is dedicated to missions. Response keeps us informed on what other women are doing in their local units and the far-reaching missions in third-world countries. If you have any questions, please contact Gloria Glenn at [email protected] or 919-2416233. February 21-22

Save the Dates!!! NC Conference UMW 39 and Under Event -- First UMC Elon -- Elon, NC Conference Event in our own District!

May 17 -- Spiritual Enrichment Retreat, Pinehurst UMC -- Bishop Hope Morgan Ward, Speaker Registrations coming soon!

Covenant Circle The Covenant Circle will be having their annual Christmas Cheer wrapping and covered dish dinner on Thursday evening, December 5, with host Dayne Harrison. Time TBA.

UMW Members Lead Circle Worship at Hawfields Presbyterian Home We are fulfilling our mission to reach out in our community as disciples of Jesus Christ through leading circle worship at Hawfields Presbyterian Home. Persons scheduled to lead at 10:30 a.m. on the first Tuesday of the month for are Shelby Kueider for October 1 and the Golden Chain Circle on November 5. Please contact Sherri Buckner at [email protected] or 336-597-4000 to volunteer to lead during a future month for this vital ministry. Note: Persons do not need to belong to a UMW circle to be a UMW member. Please look at our Mebane UMW Facebook Page and our bulletin board at the church ramp entrance for photos and discussions of our activities.