To unlock the doors in the Family Life Center it takes a special key. Actually it’s just a hex wrench. We have bought several over the years. Unfortunately two things happen. The first is that they disappear. The second is that we can’t buy just the one. We have to buy the entire set.

If you have an extra 1/8 hex wrench hanging around, could you donate it to the church. We would love it and could use it. Plus, it would save the church some money.

We will announce the financial numbers later as we still have some follow up to do but so far here is what we have that is a very positive result. We had 44 pledges so far. Of those, 22 increased their pledge, 19 stayed the same and only 3 reduced their pledge. That is outstanding!! Given the economy and the uncertainty of our world if we had seen more holding or reducing, it would not have been surprising.

Great job so far and thank you for all who have decided to go the extra mile. If you have not submitted a pledge card yet, please do so as soon a possible. This could be a very encouraging year.

Also, thanks go out to Jim Gwaltney for his efforts.

This is Thanksgiving week and so we will talk just a bit about that wonderful holiday. As James Swanson from Costa Mesa, California once said, “The first Thanksgiving was in 1621. The Pilgrims gave thanks for having survived another year and the Indians gave thanks for having survived another Pilgrim!”

A very devout Christian woman bought a parrot in a pet store but was warned about the salty language of the parrot whose previous owner was a sailor. Sure enough the the parrot swore. After several attempts to correct him, she decided to put him in the freezer to teach him a lesson.

After 10 minutes, she took him out. SHivering, the parrot said, “Pppllleese Ladddy wwwould yyyou tttell mmme wwwhat ttthe ttturkkkeey dddid wwwrong?”

On a more serious note Thanksgiving is a truly unique holiday in our national experience. It was about the thankfulness of literally surviving the first year in what was then this new nation. At that first Thanksgiving the Pilgrims and Indians brought what they had grown and hunted. The day was devoted to enjoying the blessings of God.

Some years later the government decided to dedicate one day a year to the giving of thanks. The proclamation issued by President George Washington was unapologetic about its call to worship God and to give thanks. If you read that proclamation there are a couple of things that stand out. The first is that God is mentioned in nearly every sentence. The second is that that role of government was to see to the well being and benefit of the people. You can find a copy in the recent Reporter newspaper here in town.

I would like to invite all of you to both enjoy the day off. Enjoy the wonderful meal. Above all else, enjoy what we have as a nation among those: The freedom to meet as we choose, worship as we please, accociate with those we want, speak as we desire and to know that all of what we have comes not from the wisdom and industry of man but from the very manifest goodness of God.

Have a great Thanksgiving. Reed.

P.s. On the occasion of the second thanksgiving the Pilgrims included football.

Wednesday night’s Thanksgiving dinner at TNT was a great success with the line going out the door.  Special thanks should always be given to Cathy Justus and her cooking and serving team for this and every evening of Terrific Nights Together.  Don’t forget that there will NOT be a meal next week as many of us will be busy with family activities.  Photos from the evening are featured below:

We are near to the goal of paying our Apportionments this year. We are a little short and need your help. If you can give a little more, we can reach our goal. Now the question is why should we? The Apportionments are our mission beyond our church into the world.

Now without going into a lot of details, let us look at just one example. Two of our kids, James Charles and Julian Merkle, are getting scholarships and grants to attend college. That is an example of how we give to support the Apportionments and the benefit comes back to us. There are other examples as well. Take the hurricanes that struck some years ago Katrina and Rita. While most agencies and even some churches have pulled up and are long gone, we Methodists are still there and we will be until the job is done.

When we pay our share, that is what happens. When we fail, we can’t do as much. Imagine if we had to tell a student, “Sorry no money.” Imagine if we had to tell the victims of another disaster, “Gosh, if you would have only been in Katrina we would have helped but this year, sorry.”

Now, if you can, give a bit more and be sure to identify it as “Apportionments” and every penny will go into the funds. Let’s meet our goal and celebrate the generosity of our church.

Consider the ancient ship especially those they had during the days of Christ. Above is an example. Notice there are two methods of powering the ship. The first was the sail. The sail depended on the wind for propulsion. At times the wind blew strongly and at times hardly at all. It could come from all directions and sail driven ships were designed to take advantage of the wind no matter what direction it came from nor how little it blew.

As the Scriptures remind us, “The wind blows where it wishes, and you hear the sound of it, but cannot tell where it comes from and where it goes. So is everyone born of the spirit.”

The second mode of moving a ship was the use of oars. Whenever needed they could move the ship and add to the movement of the ship. In ancient ships, the oarsmen sat with their backs to the front of the ship. It is easier to pull the oars than to push them. As a result, the oarsmen couldn’t see where they were going nor their final destinations. They had to trust the helmsman for that.

The final main thing I want to point out is that at the rear of the ship there was an oarsman who was able to see where the ship was headed and could turn the ship with a relatively small oar no matter how great the ship was. Believe it or not, even great ships today are steered with a relatively small rudder.

Now in the case of the church, we are in essence something like a ship. The Holy Spirit fills our sails and gives us the power we need. We add to that God given power with our own efforts. The truth is that we know what is our ultimate destination but we must trust in God to give us the power to get there.

In the case of the church, our helmsman is Jesus Christ. Only He can clearly see our destination and goal and we must trust in Him and in Him only.

Now, there is one last thing to think about. On the ancient ships, the oarsmen pulled together. If one side pulled harder than the other, the ship would go in a circle. If some didn’t pull their oars as hard as others, the ship would not progress as rapidly.

You and I all need to trust in the course of our great ship. In other words, trust God to give us the power and trust Christ to give us the direction. Then let’s work together each pulling our weight and our share. After all, when we do, God gets the glory and we reach the safe port called the Kingdom of God.

Not peace and grace but Ahoy Mates. Reed.

Across from the coffee nook and information table in the north foyer, two new photo boards display pictures of some of our church members.  Since we have two church services, those who attend one regularly may not know those who attend the other, at least not by name.  These boards are an attempt to make it easier for us to call everyone by name.  The photos on the boards are some we gathered from a variety of recent events.  If your picture is not yet up there, please provide us with a current photo of your family (with the names on the back).  Just drop it in the silver box beneath the photo boards.  Otherwise, remember, someone with a camera may soon be looking for you! 

On Wednesday evening, November 18, those who attend TNT (Terrific Nights Together), are in for a real treat.  Our festive fellowship meal will include turkey, dressing, and all the trimmings.  Chef Cathy Justus and her crew will prepare a very special Thanksgiving feast, so please plan to join us in the Family Life Center at 5:30 p.m. 

We will not have our regular TNT meal on Wednesday, November 25, since many families will be hosting visitors or traveling out of town.  TNT will resume on Dec. 2. 

This was in the Waco paper this morning. I thought it was really good so here it is for you.

Are you socially engaged?

1. Do you read newspapers and magazines on a regular basis?

2. Did you vote in the last election (local or national)?

3. Do you attend church on a regular basis?

4. Have you had a personal telephone conversation in the past week or so?

5. Do you browse or read books or materials from a library or bookstore?

6. Have you written a personal note or e-mail in the past week or so?

 7. Hat you attended a meeting or event of a club, group, or society in the past month?

8. Do you have a reliable mode of transportation to go shopping?

9. Do you have a full or part time job or volunteer?

10. Have you been away for vacation in the past year or so?

11. Do you plan to go on a vacation in the next year or so?

 12.  Do you interact with friends or family members as much as you would like?

13. Do you have at least one friend or family member within easy driving distance?

14. Can you leave your home and walk independently outside (with or without a cane or walker0?

15. Do you get out and do things as much as you would like?

16. Do you have a least one friend or neighbor who you could ask for urgent help if needed?

If you said yes to 14 or more, you have good social health. If you have 12 or 13 you are in fair shape. Below 12 and you need to develop your social network or life.

Now on a personal note. If you do #3, you can use it to develop almost all the others. Just using #3, you can improve or even add 4, 5, 6, 7, 9, 12, 13, and 16. That’s a 9 and we can help with a couple of others. See, church is good for you.

Peace and grace. Reed.

Linda Volkert, the Center Manager and Meal on Wheels Coordinator for Hillsboro, provided the program for the November breakfast meeting of the United Methodist Men on Friday morning.  (See photo below).  She explained how this program originated in 1969 in the Waco area sponsored by the United Methodist Church and has grown from about two dozen meals per week to about 357,000 meals per year currently.

The current program in Hillsboro provides about 25 meals at the service center and delivers about 50 meals to the clients’ homes, five days per week.  This is an extremely important service financed largely by federal and state funds and contributions by the clients.  In many cases the people who receive meals delivered to their homes are “home bound” so that the contact with those delivering the meals is one of the few daily contacts they have from people outside of their homes.

Currently, the Meals on Wheels program is in urgent need of volunteers to deliver meals in Hillsboro. Volunteers can select how often they can deliver, from daily to once per week to once per month, depending on their situation. The time required is about one hour around the lunch hour. For more information or to volunteer, contact Linda at 254-582-9572.

A brief discussion of the recent Faith Builders (a home repair assistance service) activities and plans for the immediate future revealed that eight people had received assistance since mid October and that two possible projects are under development. In addition, the Faith Builders brochure was included with the Meal on Wheels deliveries last week to publicize the service and identify people who need assistance.