Dear Friends in Christ,
Calm & Bright
Advent and Christmas Worship
This year is the 200th anniversary of the debut of "Silent Night, Holy Night." This hymn has become the best-loved worship moment of many Christians. Something mystical occurs as we light our candles and sing the hope of "all is calm, all is bright"–peace and light for the world. Our Advent and Christmas worship series will celebrate the carol's message and highlight its call for our lives that can guide us all year long. Each week, part of the birth story of Jesus will be lifted up, we will celebrate communion, and there will be poetry, music, and visuals that tie into the focus word of the day. December 16 will be an extra blessing as all three services will have music and words to bring the story of the season to life. The choir will lead us at the Daybreak and Cornerstone services with a special cantata, and our Praise Band has prepared a contemporary cantata for the Ignite service. During this busy season I challenge you to
come to worship each Sunday
. Make time to give God the ultimate gift; your time, your worship, your thanks for all the blessings in your life. I look forward to seeing you in worship. It is a better place when you are here.
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December 2 Sleep in Peace: PEACE
Luke 2: 6 and Matthew 19:13-15
Silent night, holy night, All is calm, all is bright, Round yon Virgin Mother and Child, Holy Infant so tender and mild, Sleep in heavenly peace, Sleep in heavenly peace - vs. 1
December 9 Glories Stream: JOY
Psalm 86: 9-11 and Luke 2: 8-20
Silent night, holy night! Shepherds quake at the sight, Glories stream from heaven afar, Heavenly hosts sing “Alleluia"! Christ, the Savior is born, Christ, the Savior is born - vs. 2
December 16 Redeeming Grace: LOVE
MUSIC SUNDAY
John 1: 1-18
Silent night, holy night, Son of God, love's pure light, Radiant beams from Thy holy face, With the dawn of redeeming grace, Jesus, Lord, at Thy birth, Jesus, Lord, at Thy birth - vs. 3
December 23 Let us Sing: HOPE
Isaiah 9: 6 and Matthew 2: 1-12
Silent night! Holy night! Wondrous star, lend thy light; with the angels let us sing, "Alleluia" to our King: “Christ the Savior is born! Christ the Savior is born.” - vs. 4
December 24 Calm and Bright: CHRISTMAS EVE
The full Silent Night hymn and the Christmas story
4:00 pm
Family focused service with our Praise Band. Children will help tell the story and create a manger scene. We will end with communion and Silent Night candlelight.
6:30 pm
This service will have a blend of traditional and modern music as we sing the familiar hymns, hear the birth story of our savior, celebrate communion, and sing Silent Night with candlelight.
10:00 pm
During this traditional candlelit service, we share the story of Christ’s birth, sing our sacred Christmas hymns, and share in communion before singing Silent Night and lighting our candles.
December 30 Is Born: Sunday after Christmas
Revelation 21: 1-6
The story continues. Even though we feel as if the Christmas “season” is over and the tree is quick to come down, the real story begins again in the renewal of our very souls as God nudges us toward new life and possibilities in the new year.
Remember to invite your family and friends to come celebrate the birth of Christ this Advent. Hold this season as we claim the hope of peace and joy for
our world.
Love and Peace in Christ, Rev. Mary McInnes
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December Women's Book Club
Our December women’s book club will take place on Tuesday, December 11th at 6:30 pm at the parsonage, 650 S. Lafayette. December is a busy month so no pre-reading is necessary. Come as we hear some Christmas poetry and a children’s book. During discussion time we will enjoy Christmas cookies and drinks. I am looking for a few volunteers to read out loud during our time, so let me know if you are willing. To participate, please sign up on the kiosk or the Ignite bulletin board. For more information contact Rev. Mary (
revmarymcinnes@att.net
).
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Mission of the Month: Good Samaritan Fund
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December’s mission appeal gets its name from the story of the Good Samaritan as told by Jesus in Luke, chapter 10. As it is written a man was traveling from Jerusalem to Jericho, when he was attacked by robbers. Both a priest and a Levite crossed to the other side of the road when they saw him. After they passed, a Samaritan man who was traveling took pity on him. Verses 34-35 says the Samaritan “went to him and bandaged his wounds, pouring on oil and wine. Then he put the man on his own donkey, brought him to an inn and took care of him.
35
The next day he took out two denarii
and gave them to the innkeeper. ‘Look after him,’ he said, ‘and when I return, I will reimburse you for any extra expense you may have.’
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Upcoming Opportunities for Men:
Monthly breakfast Saturday, December 7
th
The ultimate hike on the Appalachian Trail with our intrepid hikers Dave Fanning, Julie Lyons, Jeff Poiner, and Rev. Kenny.
Every Tuesday morning
devotion, prayer and breakfast at 6:30 in the Parlor
The Tuesday night weekly study group meets 7:30 – 8:30 pm in the Parlor.
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Mark your calendars….
Women’s Christmas Breakfast – December 8
th
All women invited
Have you ever wondered what it would be like to live, go to school, work, or celebrate the holidays in a foreign country?
Join us for our Christmas Breakfast December 8 at 9:00 AM in the Friendship Room.
Vanessa and Meredith Steneker will tell us about their experiences while living, going to school, and working in Korea and Brazil for 6 years.
Please sign up on the kiosk sheet by December 2
nd
if you are planning to attend.
ATTENTION ALL READERS:
Because the United Methodist Women units all around the world are committed to educating us in the areas of spiritual growth, social action, education for mission, leadership development, and nurturing for community, the books in their reading program have been selected for helping all of us grow through learning. If you wish to see what books have been selected for this year's reading program, please consult the website for "UMW reading program 2019 books". There are books to be downloaded on a Kindle and books in print that may be purchased. There are books for adults, youth, and children. Check them out. Feel free to contact Lynn Kneisel as
lkkneisel@gmail.com
or at 248 437 8612.
While in the library, do look at our books already on the shelf, purchased in recent years and still a "good read".
Thanks.
Lynn Kneisel
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Advent Adult Sunday School Study
Advent season is upon us and it is bringing us a gift! Come and join us for an Advent study beginning December 2nd on Sunday mornings from 9:30-10:30. This short term class will be led by Dave Fanning and Heather Fazio and will take place during Advent in room 110. The book we will use is "All I Want for Christmas". Let’s explore the gift of this season together! For more information contact Dave Fanning (
dwfanning@sbcglobal.net)
or Heather Fazio (
hfazio@gmail.com
).
Upcoming Children & Youth Activities
Ho Ho! Ho! It’s that time of year again and we have tons of stuff coming up for children and youth. Kindergarten through 5
th
graders are invited to our Youth Group Lite on Wednesday’s from 5-6 pm. Mom and Dad can check it out too! We will have lots of holiday fun, time with friends old and new, and Jesus too!
Middle school and High school, we haven’t forgotten about your gifts either. Check out these fun gifts!
Cool Yule Family Fun Event. December 1st, 3-5pm. We will help with crafts and projects for the kiddos and we also will be building the church float from 10:00-noon and then we will eat!
Valley Below project. Help us spread joy this season by delivering cookies to some of our church's senior citizens. Noon-3:00, December 2nd.
Youth group: Game night, white elephant gift exchange, and more! Nothing better than church, Christmas, Jesus, friends, and youth group. See you there!
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Cool Yule
South Lyon First UMC
December 1, 2018
Once again South Lyon has a large event planned to usher in the Christmas season. Our church is reaching out to our community in many ways on this one day. Please lend a hand, voice, or cheer on your church and support these events.
3:00 pm – 5:00 pm Family Fun Event
We will host this in our Fellowship Hall with crafts and music. Please see the article below for more information.
6:00 pm Parade
Our church will have a float this year. Please come and cheer us on!
7:15 pm Sing-a-long at Tree Lighting
We will be leading a sing along at the Heinanen Engineering Christmas Tree Lighting. This will be the first year for this tree lighting and rumor is that it will be 75 feet tall. All voices are welcome and needed.
Meet at 7:15 pm to sing and the tree will be lit at 8:00.
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Family Fun Event during Cool Yule
The Christian Outreach team will again be hosting a free Family Fun Event to coincide with the downtown South Lyon "Cool Yule"
Saturday,
December 1st, 2018 from 3:00-5:00 PM
. This event has been a huge success in past years. We could not have done it without the help of the many volunteers who signed up and showed up AND had a great time being part of it!! We need your help again this year as we try to make this free event an even greater success for both our church and our community. There is a sign-up sheet on the kiosk. Please consider gifting us with a bit of your time by signing up to help and spread the word! The spirit of Christmas will be over-flowing; we can assure you of that!
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Cookie Bake - December 14
The Christmas Cookie Bake is open to all bakers of the church. We will meet in the church kitchen on Friday, December 14
th
, beginning at 5:30 pm. The cost for ingredients is $16 per baker and you will take home 16 different kinds of cookies! Instructions and the sign-up sheet are on the kiosk. Contact Colleen Gesler (
cmgggesler@gmail.com
) for more information.
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Attention Snowbirds!
If you are traveling south for the winter, please provide the office with your winter address and travel dates before you go. We’d like to keep in touch with you during the winter and the class of mail that we use does not forward mail. Document your information on the sign-up sheet on the kiosk or the Ignite bulletin board. If you have questions, contact Jen Denny in the church office (248-437-0760 or
jendenny@att.net
).
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Love with a ShoveL
The United Methodist Men and the Mission Team have a shoveling program for those in our church community who are unable to shovel after large snowfalls. If you live in the South Lyon area and are in need of such a service, please sign up on the kiosk or the Ignite bulletin board. If you would like to join the ShoveL team, contact Scott Ries at
msu_ries@sbcglobal.net
.
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Amazon Smile Rewards Program
Do you shop or order Christmas presents on Amazon? If you begin your shopping on the website
www.smile.amazon.com
(bookmark it!), you will earn kick-backs for our youth mission trip. Choose the charity “First United Methodist Church of South Lyon” and shop as usual. Support our youth for shopping you already do!
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Leadership Training Event – January 13
Our annual Leadership Training Event for all team (committee) members will be on Sunday, January 13
th
from 12:15 – 3:15 pm in the Friendship Room. In addition to time for spiritual growth as leaders, we will also talk about team information, office policies, how to best use our CCB software, & how to review our budgets. Lunch will be provided. Sign up on the kiosk or at Ignite to participate. Let us know if you need child care. For more information, contact Rev. Mary (
revmarymcinnes@att.net
).
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Stewardship Update
The Stewardship Team thanks everyone for participation in our special stewardship worship services and for returning annual pledge cards! So far, we have nearly 100 cards returned. Many families have generously increased their pledge from last year. These pledges form the basis for planning financial support of our mission and programming in 2019. We would like to reach a goal of 140 returned pledge cards. If you have not yet returned your pledge card please pray, consider how your contribution will help us present Christ’s love to our community and world, and send your pledge card in soon!
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What are the Benefits of an IRA Rollover Gift?
If you are 70 ½ or older, a Charitable Rollover Gift satisfies your annual required minimum distribution (RMD) and offers several significant tax advantages. It allows you to give from pre-tax assets. If you do not itemize or are subject to charitable deduction limits, the IRA rollover still allows you to give while receiving tax benefits. An IRA rollover gift could also help you avoid income that could push you into a higher tax bracket. Contact your financial advisor for more information.
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Let's Get Moving!
The Walking Club will resume again this winter, starting on January 3, 2019. Join this group who walk the hallways of the church building from 4:00 – 5:30 p.m. on Tuesday and Thursday afternoons. Some walk fast, some walk slowly – everyone is welcome. One lap around the building is between 1/10 and 2/10 of a mile. Bring walking shoes to change into to help keep the carpets clean. We are looking for walkers to volunteer to coordinate the start and end of each period. If you have any questions call Lindy Juergens at the church office (248) 437-0760.
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Thanksgiving from Heath Whitehead
Today I am giving thanks. When I arrived 8 years ago for my job interview here at SLFUMC, I was greeted by sidewalk chalk all over the parking lot, area youth playing basketball, and people sitting and enjoying the outdoor smoking area. I knew immediately that this was a church that loved and accepted people. I have been proven right about that sentiment over and over and over again.
Thank you for the love and support you have given to me and my family. We have made so many great friends and memories through the years. There has been much love and laughter. Thank you to the many people who have given love and support to our youth and children. Your work and care have helped us grow to where we are today and will help lead us on as we continue to grow. Thank you for helping raise up youth who continue to be active in their faith, missions, and service, even after they graduate from high school. What a great testament they are to the love and faith of this congregation! Thank you to the countless adults who drove thousands of miles to take us places where we heard the love of Jesus in powerful ways. Thank you for giving up your weekends and family time to join me in those moments. Thank you for copious amounts of soup and salad you ate and wreaths that you bought! Thank you for the huge amount of meals you provided. Thank you for so many encouraging words and thoughts. Thank you for the many prayers you said for me, my family, and our youth during my time here. God is good all the time!
Thank you most of all for loving and serving my Jesus. He is the reason for all of this and the reason this all works. I will always be thankful for and look back fondly on my time with you here.
Jesus’ blessings,
Heath Whitehead
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Thank you from Rev. Mary
Dear church family,
Thank you from the bottom of my heart. During this last month you showered me with flowers and appreciation for being your pastor. Then last week, you celebrated my 50
th
birthday. Thank you for all the ways that you care and support me in my ministry and everyday life. I am honored to be appointed here and be in ministry with you. As I look forward into my next decade, I look forward to how God will transform me, but I also look out over this next decade with you and wonder where and how God will nudge us to make disciples for Jesus Christ and live out our faith through mission. May we all be faithful in this journey. Thank you again, Rev. Mary
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Thank you from the Noble family
Thank you all for the prayers and love sent our way for our family during the death of our father. Many thanks for all the sympathy cards we received. We appreciate Pastor Mary and Pastor Kenny for the time that they spent with us. What a blessing it is to be part of this caring and loving church. Thank you, Dan and Sue Noble and family.
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Church News
11/11/18 Henry Franklin Wilson was Baptized.
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The church office will be closed from December 24
th
- January 1
st
. If you have a pastoral emergency during this time, contact Rev. Mary (586-515-0013) or Rev. Kenny (248-361-6658). All other voicemail and email will be monitored and returned as needed.
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Click the link below to see
this month's birthdays!
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Worship Schedule
8:15 am Daybreak in Sanctuary
9:30 am Sunday School
10:45 am Ignite in Fellowship Hall
11:00 am Cornerstone in Sanctuary
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for more information about our church or any of these programs!
Do you prefer a printed copy of our newsletter? Hard copies are available on the kiosk in the lobby!
Newsletter is edited by Lori Penndorf
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