Our schedule for the next two weeks will look like this:

Wednesday, December 31

NO YOUTH, for New Year’s eve

Wednesday, January  7

5:30 - Terrific Nights Together (we eat and enjoy the company of the church and community)
6:15 - Junior High Youth
7:00 - Senior High youthWe’ll start youth back up on January 7, giving everybody a chance to get home from vacations and get back in the swing of things. We’re going to have a meeting with youth + parents in January so we can plan out what our group will be doing up to the summer so keep your eyes pealed for the date that happens. I hope that everyone has had a wonderful Christmas and starts the New Year off great!

Are you aware that this week starts another new year? You may be more aware of it already but I feel it is my duty to make you aware of it if not. If so, just tolerate my ramblings. After all, that is the name of the article.

One of God’s greatest gifts is a new year. Just think, 365 days without anything yet to fill them. No work, illnesses, no lawn mowing, no bill paying. No nothing as yet. I know that come Thursday all that changes as each and every day will soon fill them selves.

There will be times we will fill them as we wish and there will be times when they will get filled without our desire. Still, as of now they are blank. Yes I know that the really organized of you have penciled (inked in for the really well planned person) all those dates like birthdays, doctor appointments, meetings. Rutherford B. Hayes Presidential Celebration Day.

However, those are simply your ideas. God may fool you with plans you aren’t even aware of yet.  That is why I have fallen in love with a saying I heard some years ago. “Yesterday is history, tomorrow is a mystery. Today is all we have and it is a gift from God. That’s why we call it the PRESENT.”

So I wish you celebrate your history and look forward to your mystery but just enjoy today. It is after all a present. By the way Mark your calendar for Oct. 4th. President Hayes birthday celebration. Details to follow.

 Peace and grace. Reed.

The Junior High Sunday School Class/Youth group hosted a “Birthday Party for Jesus” for the children on Sunday, December 21 during the Sunday School hour.  The youth presented the Christmas story of the birth of Jesus.  They also helped the children participate in such activities as relay games, Cookie Walk, Blow-up slides, decorating cupcakes and cookies, making a Christmas ornament, “Pin the Nose on Rudolph” and “Pin the Star on the Christmas Tree.”  The children enjoyed the cupcakes they had decorated and sang “Happy Birthday.”  Each child took a balloon outside and as everyone said “Happy Birthday, Jesus,” the balloons were released.  It was a great celebration of God’s Christmas gift to us, His Son Jesus.  The Junior High Sunday School Class meets on Sunday morning at 10:00 a.m.  The Junior High Youth Group meets on Wednesday evening at 6:15 p.m.  Members of the group are Rebecca Bearden, Colton Cantrell, Harrison Bailey, Mary Byrne Hill, Arianna Andrews, Joshua Ott, Morgan Pevehouse, Shelby Siddons and Brittney and Samantha Meeks. 

Last Sunday it was announced that our congregation is starting a church-wide emphasis on five practices of Fruitful Congregations. These five practices include: Radical Hospitality, Passionate Worship, Intentional Faith Development, Risk-taking Mission and Service, and Extravagant Giving.

On Sunday, January 4^th, the devotional books for this emphasis will be available in the foyer of the Sanctuary (next to the coffee nook). Each family has a book with their name on it. Please be sure and drop by and pick up your family’s book on the 4^th. Remember, Day one (the day to start the devotionals) is Sunday, January 11^th. Sunday, the 18th will be the first of five Sundays where each of the five practices will be emphasized.

We want to encourage each family to fully participate in this program. The members of every household are encouraged to read these devotions, Scriptures, prayers, and challenges together during the five weeks. Each week, we’ll read together about the practice that we’ll focus on in the upcoming Sunday worship.

We also want to encourage each member to become involved in as many ways as possible. As you read the devotionals, listen to God’s calling on how you can become more involved in the practice of developing fruitfulness. We encourage you to share with others, and especially the five practices teams, whatever it is God is telling you during your devotional times about these five practices. The five practices team leaders and their phone number are: Radical Hospitality – Jim Gwaltney (582-8226); Passionate Worship – Cathy Williams (694-3969); Intentional Faith Development – Sandra Gage (582-8118); Risk-taking Mission and Service – Becky Cliett (582-9808); and Extravagant Giving – Tony Marley (582-3509). Give them a call and share with the teams what God is calling you and us to do as a fruitful congregation. Better yet, join one of the teams and become fully engaged and involved in our congregation developing fruitfulness.

So, get ready; be prepared. Developing and then practicing fruitfulness is going to be an exciting process and time for our church, and community.

Don’t forget to pick up your devotional books on Sunday, the 4^th of January. And remember, DAY 1 is January, 18^th, 2009 – just 26 days away and counting…

God’s grace and peace be upon you and your household.

There are several bad ideas around Christmas and I thought that as a good pastor, I would share them with you and then one good idea.

 1. The home shopping channels. Not only do they sell it to you but you don’t even get the benefit of getting exercise by walking in the mall.

2. Plastic bags that they do put stuff in at the mall. The handles shrink to the point that they can surgically remove fingers.

3. Food Courts. It isn’t fair to choose one so you end up eating at all of them at the same time.

4. Lights. Not to see with but the torturous way they get tangled up. Although it does teach you to watch your words if there are children close by.

5. Fruit cake.

6. Things that are not assembled. Why not let whomever we buy it from put it together?

7. October. I know you’re asking why. Since they start the sales in October, if we eliminate it, they wouldn’t start until November since September is way too soon.

8. Wrapping paper and the idea of wrapping.

9. Returning gifts. Why stand in line for fifty-three hours to return the singing bass. Why not just re-gift it and send it on. It’s kind of like fruit cake. There’s only about 100 of them anyway. We just keep passing them along.

10. Did I mention FRUIT CAKE!!

Now for a good idea. Merry Christmas. I hope you find the holidays to be enjoyable. Remember that the reason and purpose for us to celebrate Christmas is to share in God’s gift to us. Do so with joy, with you family and in worship.

 Peace and Grace. Reed

Sunday night, December 14, about 25 of FUMC’s finest went Christmas caroling around the city spreading the Christmas spirit and having a good time. Under the able direction of Warren Smith, the group (a little hoarse, but in good spirits) returned to the church after about 2 hours for snacks and refreshments. Ask Emma Jane what it was like to have this group show up at your house, unannounced.

Many years ago, a little girl wrote the New York Times wanting to know if there was a Santa Claus. The answer to her was the famous letter of reassurance that there is indeed a Santa. Watching the news recently about Washington State and allowing religions of all types and even an atheist attack on all religions to be placed in the rotunda of the capital. With the little girl named Virginia in mind:

Dear Governor: Yes there is a God and His Son is Jesus Christ. While we can be a pluralistic society, our nation and the holiday of Christmas is not a celebration of all things and all notions. It is about the celebration of the birth of Jesus.

In fact the day is named for that singular event. Christmas is the blending of Christ and Mass or the worshipful celebration of His birth.

While rabid commercialism seems to the be the norm, it is not a religion. Gift giving that fuels the economy during the season is based on the Magi giving gifts of Gold Myrrh and Frankincense. Ninja turtles were not on the list. Finding out the reason for these three gifts might change many peoples ideas as to why we do so.

You see dear Governor, while few will traipse through the rotunda, and many are seeing the government as increasingly hostile to many of our ways of life, on Christmas eve millions of even your own constituents will brave the Cascade snows to enter into church after church in order to “Fall on their knees to hear the angels voices…” and renew their faith in something bigger and greater than mere existence.

While we uphold the freedom and liberty of others to believe or not as they so choose, at Christmas we call upon all to hear the good news and promote “Peace on earth and good will to all.” And by the way, since science and disbelief cannot answer all questions, may I suggest that we can answer as to why there is a winter soltice in the first place.

So you see dear Govenor, there really is a God and there really is a Jesus and He really is Emanuel, God is with us. So with that, God bless and on behalf of us all, Merry Christmas. And by the way, it would be alright if you join us in church.

 Peace and Grace.  Reed