November 25, 2022

Quintessence Messiah Sing

Join Matt Greer and the singers of Quintessence for our 11th annual Messiah Sing tomorrow at 3 p.m. in our sanctuary. Ring in the season by singing the Christmas portion of Handel’s masterwork, accompanied by professional chamber orchestra. Tickets are $10 at quintessence-abq.com, or at the door. Bring your own score or borrow one at the event. Hallelujah!   

Omelet Bar This Sunday

The next Omelet Bar Mix-and-Match is coming up on Sunday, November 27. Omelet Bar is in The SonShine Cafe between 7:45 a.m. and 1 p.m. You can get a made to order 3 egg or egg white omelet that you can choose to fill with a generous selection of meats and veggies plus a piece of toast with jam or butter. All for just $7 per omelet with a drink included! Bring a friend and enjoy a quality, made from scratch breakfast and great conversation around the cafe tables with folks from all 3 Sunday services!  

There will be no Omelet Bar Mix-and-Match in December on Christmas.  

We need volunteers to take money and be a runner—no running required. Use the button below to sign up to volunteer. If you have any questions, text or call Nancy Douglas de Baca at 505-238-5895.   

Jingle and Mingle on December 1

Our United Women in Faith Christmas Luncheon is scheduled for Thursday, December 1, at 11 a.m. in the Family Life Center, and we want you to join us for the festivities. Chef Tim's menu includes: turkey, a fruit tray, veggie salad, and dessert, for a donation of $12.00 per person. Reservations are required, no later than November 25, by contacting Regina at hamptonmason1@msn.com. We'll have a short program, our Installation of Officers for 2023, plenty of time to "jingle and mingle", and eat! We'll warmly welcome everyone, and, as always, encourage visitors to join us!

(Executive Committee will meet at 9:30 a.m. in the Family Life Center for a brief meeting, followed by luncheon set-up.)    

Charge Conference at Church Council Meeting on December 1

At our regularly scheduled Church Council meeting on 12/1, we will be convening a brief Charge Conference in order to approve Nominations for 2023 and handle the Membership Audit for the current year. After addressing these two business items, the Church Council will continue with its agenda for the evening.

Congregational Care Team Meeting December 4

The Congregational Care Team Meeting will be Sunday, December 4 at noon in the library upstairs.

Zuni Christmas Blessing Tree December 4

Zuni Christmas Blessing Tree will be here on Sunday, December 4. This will be our second year to bless children from Zuni Elementary school with Christmas gifts. Please grab a tag, buy the gift, and return it wrapped with the tag attached by Sunday, December 18. Any questions please contact Pastor Tiffany thollums@stjohns-abq.org.

Quintessence Presents "Wonder Tidings" December 4 and 5

Join Quintessence: A Community of Singers and conductor Matthew Greer for their winter concert “Wonder Tidings,” featuring gorgeous music of the season. Quintessence will be joined by the Concert Choir from Rio Rancho High School, directed by Rebecca Kendall. Performances are Sunday, December 4 at 3 p.m., and Monday, December 5 at 7 p.m. (Students of any age get in free to the Monday concert!) Tickets are available at quintessence-abq.com, and St. John’s members receive a 25% discount on advance sales by using the code SJUMC at checkout.

Youth Announcements

December Youth Schedule

• December 4, 4-6 p.m.: Regular Solid Ground
• December 10, 9:00 a.m.- 12:00 p.m.: Youth help with Bair Foundation Christmas party foster children (FLC)
• December 11, 4-6 p.m.: Regular Solid Ground
• December 18, 4-6 p.m.: Solid Ground gift exchange (bring a wrapped gift under $10)

Nursery Announcements

The nursery will be available for Lessons and Carols services and at the Christmas Eve Service at 4:00 p.m. There will not be nursery available for morning services on December 25 and January 1.

St. John's UMC Foundation

The St. John’s UMC Foundation is governed by the board whose purpose is to manage the endowments established for long term growth and support of the church’s ministries. When you donate to St. John’s UMC Foundation via a gift, memorial or in your Will, you help to ensure the mission of St. John’s, “Loving God, Loving Others, and Changing Lives” continues throughout the years. Anyone can leave a gift no matter how big, or how small, to the Foundation and be assured your gift will make a difference in the continuing efforts of St. John’s UMC. We ask you to prayerfully consider gifting to the St. John’s Methodist Church Foundation. If you have any questions about the St. John’s UMC Foundation, or how to include St. John’s UMC Foundation in your will, please contact Jamie Davidson at JDavidson@stjohns-abq.org or 505-883-9717.

Memory Cafe Update

We would like to thank Roger Eaton and his band, Dave Ring and all others who helped to put the 'fun' into our first meeting in almost three years!

However, we will be cancelling our Dec. 10th meeting and hopefully reuniting in January.

Our December meeting coincides with the all-day Care Givers Conference at the Marriott ABQ hotel. This conference is free and is sponsored by the Alzheimer's Organization.

Unfortunately, we feel we cannot continue successfully unless we have a few more dedicated volunteers who will commit to taking positions both behind the scenes and at meetings. These monthly meetings are so important because they give caregivers a chance to enjoy time with their loved ones in a fun and supportive environment and to meet others like them who are traversing the same journey. Please consider lending your time and talents to this important group. For more information, contact Sharon Jensen at ssmjens@aol.com.

Join the Advent Bible Study on Sunday Mornings

Family Spirit Sunday School class invites you to join us in person in classroom 257 on Sunday mornings at 9:30 a.m. to 10:30 a.m. as we study: The Angels of Christmas, Hearing God’s Voice in Advent, a book by Susan Robb.

Between November 27 and December 18, 2022, we will be studying this new book and watching in class the video series on DVD of the author teaching us about her new book. In class, over the four Sundays of the Advent Season, “we will explore the four angelic visits surrounding the birth of Jesus, with Zechariah, Mary, Joseph, and the shepherds." In this study, the reader will explore the visits and dive deep into the history of the angel Gabriel and other angels in the Bible. The messages of the angels hold means for listeners both then and now.”

Facilitator: Brian A. Eagan. No pre-registration is needed. Walk-ins welcome. This free class is open to all adults. Guests and visitors are invited to drop in to sample the class. To learn more: watch this quick introduction video (just 1 minute) by the book author, Rev. Susan Robb of Dallas, TX, about her newly published book: https://youtu.be/SKn7KsMtLVo

And to read a free sample of the book (Chapter 1 of 4), to see if you like the book, please go to https://www.cokesbury.com/The-Angels-of-Christmas and click on: Take a Look Inside (to read all of Chapter 1 and to view the Table of Contents, and to view the Front Cover image and Back Cover image of book

Volunteers Needed to Serve Communion

We need volunteers to assist our pastors in serving communion to our congregation Sunday mornings at the 11:00 a.m. services. We need two people to stand next to each pastor to offer the cup to our congregants. For more information, please contact Brenda Rogers, by phone (505) 293-7948, or by email wewasus@hotmail.com.

Help Fill Stockings for the Bair Foundation

The youth and children at St. John's UMC are going to be making stockings for children and teens who are in treatment foster care through an amazing ministry in town called the Bair Foundation. If you would like to learn more about the Bair Foundation, please visit https://www.bair.org/locations/albuquerque/. We need stocking goodies to fill about 45 stockings! Please help us by bringing any of the following: small toys, trinkets, coloring books, games, stuffed animals, candy, individual snacks, or anything else that you can think of that a child would love in a stocking. These stockings will be given to the children and teens at their Christmas party, held here at St. John's in December! For questions, please contact Tiffany at thollums@stjohns-abq.org. 

Christmas Food Boxes For the

John Marshall Community Center

Interested St. John’s church members are invited to participate in our program of providing Christmas food boxes to needy families served by the John Marshall Community Center in the south Broadway area of Albuquerque. This year’s timeline:

• Sunday, December 11, 2022: Commit to Jack Nuzum (tel. 505-265-5241, jcnuzum@juno.com) as to the number of boxes which will be provided and by whom. There also will be a sign-up sheet in the Hospitality Center with a suggested list of contents for the boxes. List of contents can also be accessed by this LINK.

• Saturday, December 17, 2022: Bring the completed boxes to the WEST side of St. John’s between 8:00 a.m. and 9:00 a.m. 

Thank You for Participating in the

Angel Tree Ministry

Thank you once again for your support of the Angel Tree program. We'll let you know how many children have been served this year, in a few weeks.

Meanwhile, don't forget to return your wrapped gifts on November 27 and no later than December 4!

Save the Date: New Mexico Conference Lay Servant School January 20-21

This event, scheduled for Friday evening and Saturday daytime, will include a choice of three courses: Basic Lay Servant, Personal Prayer, and Congregational Care. These are available for Lay Servant credit or for personal Christian growth. Registration will be available soon through the NM Conference website (https://www.nmconfum.com/lay-servant-training/ ). Questions: Please contact Mike Furnish (mdfurnish@comcast.net or 505-440-7292).

St. John's United Methodist Church

2626 Arizona Street NE | Albuquerque, New Mexico 87110

Office Hours (call only): Monday - Thursday, 9a.m. - 4 p.m.

Friday, 9 a.m. - 12 p.m.

Pastor 24-Hour Hotline | (505)808-1624

Pastor care is available for after hours emergencies. Any congregational care needs, please send those to Pastor Tiffany at thollums@stjohns-abq.org as we all work together to love one another well.