Dear Friends,
We have so much to be thankful for:
We are worshipping as one congregation!
We are moving ahead with plans for a new church building!
We are responding to the needs of our communities!
God has brought us all together at this time and place to make disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world. That takes all of us working together. It requires sharing our resources—our time, talent and treasure.
Time and talent are generously shared in this community of faith. Many of you are serving on committees, helping to discern our future. We have lay readers, greeters, bakers, and ushers who make our weekly worship an inviting time of prayer and praise. We have Sunday school teachers who share their love of God with our children. We have people who quietly work behind the scenes repairing buildings. Others reach out to neighbors.
On November 13, you are invited to make a pledge to support our ministries in 2012. Your pledge is a gift of gratitude. Your pledge is about your walk with God, not about the church budget. The same principles that guide your personal budget as you consider your pledge drive the church budget: where your treasure is, there will your heart be also. (Luke 12:34) The way we spend our money reveals our values. Our Finance Committee works had to see that we spend our money wisely, in a way that benefits our community.
I pray that you will put your treasure where your heart is, that you will support the work of our congregation as we seek to be the church God is calling us to be. Please join us November 13 to celebrate Thanks / Giving Sunday and recall the blessings we have received.
Peace and grace,
Pastor Kim
\
Community Ministries
THANKS / GIVING LUNCHEON
November 13, 2011
10 AM Worship
11:30 AM Lunch
RSVP: church# or info@umcwilliamstown.org
Please join us for these special Thanks/Giving Sunday events. The luncheon is a free catered meal (not a potluck).
Please let us know if you plan to attend so we can plan accordingly. We look forward to giving thanks this day for the commitments of support for the work of the church in the coming year.
Family Worship
Lately some of us have been trying to think of ways that we can better engage our youth in the life of our church. In that spirit, November 13 will be Family Worship Sunday. The Sunday school students will stay with us throughout worship. I expect that we will be blessed by their ushering and singing, but especially by their smiles!
Barb
Story of John D. Rockefeller, Sr., founder of Standard Oil
By age 35, he had made his first million. He was a hard-driving man who had success and acquisition front and center in his life. Then, at the age of 53, he was struck with an illness that caused his hair to fall out, made him unable to digest food, threw him into depression and gave him a diagnosis of one year to live. One night, as he struggled to sleep, he realized he could take nothing with him and that maybe he had missed the mark. The next day he awoke with a new mission: to give and to use his resources to make a difference. He gave away hundreds of millions of dollars to hospitals, universities, medical research, his church, and missions. His funds helped with the discovery of cures for a host of killer diseases. By learning to be generous, he so dramatically changed his life that he lived well beyond his prognosis, dying at the age of 99. Rockefeller’s life was saved when he stopped focusing on himself and acquiring and began to focus on others and giving away.
World News
Julia’s Newsletter from Edinburgh, Scotland
“Christianity is the world’s most syncretistic faith.”
She sends a message to all: It's summer here in Scotland this week, with temps in the 70s, warmer than any day of August. But rumor has it next week is going to snow. =) Hope you are all well. Stay in touch.
Julia is tutoring two undergraduate classes: Introduction to Biblical Studies, and Religion 1A. She says: “Most of the students in my weekly discussion group are British first-years from non-religious backgrounds. They are eager to study Christianity, Judaism, and Islam. What a great opportunity to help these “freshers” learn important things about three of the world’s great faiths—and hopefully about God, too!”
She thanks all for praying for “God & Sex” outreach event, over 100 people attended.
“Only God knows what the long-term impact of these endeavors will be, of course. Eager as I am to see “fruit,” Paul reminds me again that although we may plant and water (and weed!), it is God who gives the growth (1 Cor 3). May it be a fruitful year here in Edinburgh, and also where you are.”
Belinda Forbes Newsletter from Nicaragua
Belinda participated in a dental health team with Medical Teams International in June. Daughter Isabel joined her as a translator and assistant (see photo). AMC treated 113 patients in the five-day mobile clinic, offering over 460 procedures of fillings, extractions and cleanings.
AMC Intercultural Youth Exchange Program – Communication for Change: The objective of the program is to motivate young people to be involved in global issues like economic justice and work toward mutual understanding and respect.
AMC Hosts United Methodist Mission Intern: AMC is pleased to have among their staff missionary Alex Devoid of the General Board of Global Ministries Young Adult Mission Program. Like Belinda, Alex is commissioned and assigned to AMC. His term is 17 months after which he will return to the US for the second part of his assignment.
Inauguration of the Indigenous Center for Agricultural Training: In August AMC launched a pioneering project on the Coco River to provide an educational alternative to young men and women in isolated communities.
Chevy Chase & Metropolitan UMC Visit AMC: In August one of Belinda’s supporting churches Chevy Chase UMC (MD) visited AMC’s Matagalpa project. They were joined by a delegation from the Metropolitan UMC (D.C.) and members of other congregations in a mutual mission project of painting and repairing over 35 school desks for children of AMC’s Model Farm (Land Bank) in Nueva Jerusalem, La Dalia. A great day was had in this worthy effort to give the 48 children and one teacher more dignified conditions for education (see photo, above).
Church News
New Secretary
Hi everyone! I am Jenna Haley and am very excited to be a part of your community. I am a senior at Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts this year and I’m majoring in English and education, I want to teach high school English. I attend Blackinton Union Church in North Adams and I love the church community, it is important to form those solid relationships with people whom you can trust and rely on. I am enthusiastic about working for your church. I actually applied for this position a year ago and was in consistent communication with Pastor Kim for several months. I was extremely surprised and overjoyed to have gotten an email recently asking me if I was still interested in the position. A few short tidbits about myself: I love to draw and paint and have been doing so for eight years. I have a younger sister who will be entering college next year; she currently attends Drury high school. My family and I provide the worship songs in my church, with my parents and I playing the guitar, as the four of us sing. Music and teaching are my two most prominent passions, outside of working for God. I also love to write, mostly poems, and reading is a large part of my life.
I can’t wait to get to know some of you. I will be in the office on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 4:00pm to 7:00pm and on Fridays from 1:30pm to 5:30pm. If you have any questions about me please don’t hesitate to ask, I am a quiet and very easy going person.
Thank you for making me a part of your church and your lives!
~Jenna
HOLIDAY BAZAAR
Don’t miss our Holiday Bazaar to be held on the Saturday before Thanksgiving, November 19, from 9:00 – 2:00. Again, it will be held at the Masonic Temple,
172 Church Street, in North Adams.
Grace Williams will be heading up the Attic Treasures/Books/ Video tables. We are looking for clean, gently used items. Please let Grace know if you can help with sorting, pricing or working the day of the Holiday Bazaar.
Donations can be given to Grace at church on Sunday. Or, you can bring them to the Masonic Temple on Thurs. or Fri., November 17 or 18 from 10 am to 4 pm and 6 – 8 pm. Sorry, but we CANNOT accept clothing or magazines.
Your handcrafts or grab bag items can be delivered then. If you need to have them picked up, please arrange by calling Jeanne or Ray Moulthrop at 663-3630.
Baked goods can be delivered to the Masonic Temple from 6:00 – 8:00 pm on Friday, November 19.
Elinor Long & Oralie Thurston will be chairing the Baked Goods tables and the Calling Committee. Please say “yes” when called upon to bake or work.
Again, the Silent Auction will have a large assortment of gift certificates, gift baskets and items from local businesses & restaurants. The Silent Auction will end promptly at 2:00. If you have items for the silent auction, please give them to Jeanne Moulthrop as soon as possible (or bring them to church on Sunday) so that the sheets can be made up ahead of time.
Lisa Allen & Karen Marino will be chairing the Luncheon this year. It will run from
11:30 – 1:00 and offer the ever-popular seafood salad, egg salad, sliced ham or turkey sandwiches. Also available will be chili, clam chowder and chef’s salad, as well as beverages & homemade pie or cheesecake for dessert. If the supermarket has a bogo sale on canned sodas, you could donate some soda for the luncheon.
The Handcraft Tables will be filled with many knitted and crocheted items, such as hats, scarves, mittens, rugs and possibly some handmade jewelry, as well as gorgeous kitchen towels and more.
Karen Dean is in charge of the adults Holiday Grab Bag. Items for the Adult Grab Bag can be given to Karen Dean.
We will also have the ever popular Kids Grab Bag with many surprise items. Items for the Kids Grab Bag should be wrapped in Christmas paper. Please let us know which are boys, girls or generic children's items.
MAPLE PRODUCTS FROM IOKA FARM will be for sale again--syrup, maple butter, maple cream, barbecue sauce & mustard.
Something new: RADA cutlery/utensils, stoneware, cookbooks, quick mix cakes, dips, breads & soy candles will be sold.
A percentage of the proceeds for the Maple and Rada products will go to the Camp Scholarship Fund. There will also be order forms available for delivery at a later date.
PLEASE LET US KNOW IF YOU CAN WORK AT THE BAZAAR OR HELP BETWEEN NOW & THEN. Contact the chairman of the area where you would like to help or call the Moulthrops, 663-3630.
A flyer is included in the newsletter that you can post where you work or shop. If you need more, you could pick them up at the Church office or on Sunday. Call your friends & family – they won’t want to miss this year’s Bazaar.
The Masonic Temple is handicap accessible using the rear door off the parking lot.
Mark Your Calendar:
On-Site Congregational Development Training specific to our congregation with Path One Coach Dirk Elliot Friday January 27 from 2-6 PM with dinner afterwards and Saturday January 28 from 8:30 AM to 3 PM with lunch included. More details to follow.
Late-Breaking News
Due to the October 30th snow storm, our charge conference has postponed until Saturday December 10 at 2 PM. Watch for further details.
Book Discussion
We’re starting a new book on Tuesday November 15—Phyllis Tickle’s The Great Emergence—How Christianity is Changing and Why. Come join us for a discussion of church past, present and future. Tuesday mornings at 10 AM and Meadowvale Apartments in Williamstown.
