Bible Studies and Groups (Everyone is welcome to join at any time)

Sunday Morning Prayer : 8:30 am in Sanctuary. A brief time to pray for our church and the morning Sunday School class & worship.

VISITATION Team : The third Tuesday of the month gather at Crooks at 10:00am and be blessed by visiting our shut in church family members in pairs. Come when you can! Contact Art Wolz: 804-684-5779

Ethel Story Bible Study : 9:30am on Wednesdays in the Crooks Library. We are studying The Psalms. Contact: Donna Hamilton 898-6822

Celebrate Life! Book Club : Are meeting once a month to enjoy lunch and discussion of the current book. Come join us! Contact: Sue Weilmuenster 898-7361

Friday Morning Prayer : 7am each Friday

TWEENS (3rd -5th Grades) 1st & 3rd Sundays: 5-6:30pm. Contact: Nancy Root 877-9544

YOUTH! (6th–12th Grades) 1st & 3rd Sundays from 5-6:30pm. Contact Pastor Lisa

MOMs Group! : Every 2nd and 4th Sunday, with childcare, from 5:30-7:30pm for dinner, study, and fellowship. This group is diverse in age and stages of family life. All women are welcome! Contact Pastor Lisa: 898-6702

BG’s! (Widows & Widowers Beyond Grief!): The 2nd Monday of every month for fun & fellowship. Contact Janet Hunley: 898-5397

United Methodist Men : Usually the 3rd Sunday of every month at Church @ 7:30am for a huge country breakfast, devotion & short meeting. Chuck Eldred 898-1025

United Methodist Women : The second Tuesday of each month at Church @ 10am. Contact Frances Creel, UMW President: 898-6227

Wonderful Wednesday Night Supper, Dec. 16th

Prepared by United Methodist Men

All Proceeds go to Missions!

Roast Chicken – Dressing – Gravy Sliced Apples – Rolls - Salad

Please RSVP if you plan to attend. Indicate your desire for a meal on the Connection Card or

call the Church Office by 10am on Tuesday, December 15th

To sign up for preparing a meal, call Susan Johnson at 898-8212

Assisted Hearing Devices and Large Print Hymnals are available from an usher.

We welcome children of all ages in worship.

Special worship bags and bulletins are located in the narthex.

A staffed nursery is available on Sundays for children 2 yrs. and under. Children’s Church for 3 yrs – 2nd Grade occurs after “Small Talk” on all

Sundays but the 1st of the Month. Every 1st Sunday, we invite families

to stay together during worship ~ ~ Join Us Today & This Week ~ ~

Meet & Greet @ 11:00am in the Fellowship Hall after Worship

MOMs Group! : Sunday, December 13 @ 5:30pm BGs! : Monday, December 14 @ 11:00am

VISITATION TEAM : Tuesday, December 15 @ 10:00am ADVENT STUDY : Tuesday, December 15 @ 7pm

Blue Christmas A Service of Comfort, Hope and Healing.

Thursday, December 17 @ 7:00pm

~ ~ Next Week ~ ~

TWEENS & YOUTH! Bowling Party : Sunday, December 20 @ 4 – 6pm ADVENT STUDY : Tuesday, December 22 @ 7:00pm

5 & 11:00pm

MOMS GROUP : Sunday, December 27 @ 5:30pm

Come Grow with us!

We are blessed by your presence, especially if you are a first time guest with us. God is doing great things in our midst and you are encouraged to find ways to

connect, grow, and serve here at Crooks.

~ Opportunities to Connect and Grow ~

YOUTH & TWEENS ARE GOING BOWLING! DEC 20th 4-6pm FAMILIES AND FRIENDS ARE WELCOME TO JOIN US TOO!

COVENANT BIBLE STUDY Our next 8 week session of this in-depth Bible Study will begin on Tuesday, Jan. 14, 2016, at 7pm. Anyone is welcome to join, even if you missed our first module. This study uses video, discussion, and Scripture reading to explore the books of Genesis to Revelation over 3 – 8 week sessions. A commitment and a participant book are required, ($20 – scholarship available). Please sign-up via the Connection Card so that a book may be purchased in advance. Books will be made available by Jan. 7th. Contact: Pastor Lisa.

CELEBRATE LIFE! BOOK CLUB Meet at Panera on Tuesday, January 5, 2016 at 10:00am for discussion of “Shepherds Abiding” by Jan Karon, followed by lunch at 11:00am. Sue Weilmuenster (898-7361) All are invited (Shepherds Abiding - Amazon - $14.56; Kindle edition - $9.99)

~ ~ Opportunities for Giving & Serving ~ ~

Bless others by being an expression of love and care from Crooks to those unable to be actively involved. Our next gathering is Tuesday, December 15 at 10:00 am. Meet at the church for a devotion and a few “instructions”

before you depart. Questions? Art Wolz at 804-684-5779 or arthur.wolz@cox.net. Contact Art or indicate your RSVP on this week’s Connection Card.

2015 Christmas Offering

TO SUPPORT UMCOR’S WORK WITH REFUGEES. Collected throughout the season of Advent

UMCOR is responding to the needs of refugees

through our close partner Church World Service and its network of over 35 refugee resettlement sites. They are seeking to meet the needs of refugees and build more welcoming communities by facilitating partnerships between newcomers and local United Methodist congregations. By offering a small number of Refugee Ministry Grants UMCOR is strengthening projects connected to the churches serving immigrants and refugees. The type of impact our giving can have: Refugees of Messstetten, Germany, who have spent days, weeks, or months journeying from their war-torn lands to Germany are finding a warm welcome at a café hosted by volunteers from local churches. “God brought these people to our doorstep; now it’s our turn to figure out how to respond to them,” said the Rev. Rolf Held - an immigrant pastor from South Africa - of the United Methodist Peace Church in Messstetten. Each Thursday evening, a Christian worship service is held and all are invited. Tino Murgia, a Lutheran immigrant from Italy, explains the “church café” to visitors. “There are two parts,” he said. “Part one: Communicate; Part two is the church service. We explain that it’s a Christian church service. We mix all the languages: English, Farsi, German, Arabic.” Whatever their faith tradition, many stay for the fellowship. Consolidated: *Linda Unger, senior writer:

General Board of Global Ministries. Our Christmas Offering will be through Christmas Eve. Give what you can, place it in an envelope and write on your envelope and check “Christmas Offering”. God Bless!

We have rented out the entire bowling center! Plan to be there about 5-10 minutes early as we’ll bowl from 4-6pm. Bowling is free but you may want money for the snack bar. Twin Pin is located on the Naval Weapons Station at 2072 Lebanon Church Rd, Newport News, VA. Contact Pastor Lisa or Nancy Root with any questions. Can’t wait to see you all there!

BG’s! (Widows and Widowers Beyond Grief!) The BG’s! leave Crooks at 11:15am on Monday, December 14th, for a Noon Lunch at the Williamsburg Lodge. Enjoy the food and companionship! Janet Hunley, 898-5397.

COMMITMENT SUNDAY UPDATE: THANK YOU to all who have offered a commitment in the ways in which you will Worship, Connect, Serve, and Give in the coming year at Crooks! To date, 47 households have committed towards our SHARED MINISTRY AND MISSION! Through these commitments we have secured faith promises to fund 51% of our 2016 budget. This is an EXCELLENT place to be in the life of a church. But, of course, there is still room for others to commit. If you haven't had a chance to do so, please feel free to either mail in your Faith Promise Card or leave it in the offering plate during service. Additional cards, as well as the letter sent with them, are available in the narthex. See Pastor Lisa or Harris Hamilton with any questions.

Crooks for Christ –

Praise the Lord for your generous donation of 8 shopping bags! And $105.00!

for the York County Food Pantry last Sunday. God bless your

open hands for supporting this ministry.

Bob & Jean Carden and Judy Davis

Dear Friends in Mission: 100 percent of your $725.00 Contribution received on November 5, 2015 will go to Disaster Response, International. Thank you for joining with us to “Be Hope” to those who desperately need it the most. You can find out more about UMCOR’s work by visiting our website at www.umcor.org. Grace and Peace,

Roland Fernandes, General Treasurer

General Board of Global Ministries

ADVENT AND CHRISTMAS SERVICES

Blue Christmas Service – Dec. 17th @ 7pm

A service of comfort, hope, and healing. Not everyone is able to experience fully the joy and cheer of Christmas. For many, Christmas can be a

time of loneliness, sorrow, alienation, sadness. Some struggle with grief, brokenness, loss of relationship,

illness, questions about the future, and a host of other situations that may make this a

more painful time. This year we are offering a service to help people claim these feelings while

remembering the compassionate and healing love of God. This will be a service of song, readings, prayer,

candlelight, and communion.

Cantata – Dec. 20th - 10am Our Chancel Choir presents this Celtic Christmas Celebration Cantata of traditional carols, scripture and candle lighting which will instill the message of God’s love in the hearts of His people. This combination of readings and music from Ireland, Scotland, Wales and England will be narrated by Patti and Alyssa Grella. Chuck Eldred will play the Irish bodran. Please consider inviting friends to this special service. We promise it will bring a smile to your lips and a song to your heart! “May the Father of all lights gather us to His heart and weave us into a wonderful Tapestry of Light.”

Christmas Eve Services – Dec. 24th- 5 & 11pm 5pm: Family Service with carols, character readings

and candlelight.

11pm: Service of Lessons & Carols with communion and candlelight.

Crooks Memorial’s Prayer List – December 13, 2015

Please use this prayer list during your individual prayer time this week

WE PRAY FOR:

HOMEBOUND, NURSING HOME AND THOSE RECOVERING AT HOME Willa Mae Alderman (Spring Arbor); Susan Atwood (Regency); Jim Bailey; Gerald & Rosetta Craig; Ray & Ruth Duley (Ruth at St. Francis); Lee & Edith Lumpkin; Arnold & Mary Robinson; Ritchie Smith; Myrtle Soles; Bill & Joy Wallace (Colonial Harbor); Preston & Nancy Williams; Donna Young

FAMILY AND FRIENDS

Our Bishop Young Jin Cho, our YRD Superintendent Seonyoung Kim; Beth Rhodes, Taylor Stallard, David & Joan Rhodes, Pat & Ray Andrews, Julie & Mike Duke (Rhodes); The Seifert Family; Tommy Wakelyn; The Root Family; Amy James & Severn Robbins (Kay O’Beirne); Niece Kaylee, Kim Smith & Ellen Garriss (Susan Johnson); Arnold Robinson, Lesa & her daughter (Robinsons); Nellie Newbill (Doug Newbill); Major Chuck Bowen (Mandeville); George Kincaid (Mark Kincaid’s father); Betty Lou Kopczynski; Melba Karas (Giffins); Sue Weilmuenster; Crook’s Children Ministry; Joanie Krieg (Shirley Hunter’s sister-in-law); Visitation Ministry, Teresa’s brother (Carolyn Prokup); Greg Whitman (Jan Christianson’s Brother); Rose Bardusch (Cooper); Debbie Braziel; Donna Soles; Deb Ferrell (Jacksons); Kym O’Connor and Family; Gloria Brown; Sam Stratton (Callis); Keith Wilson (Scott Brittle); Gary Robertson’s Aunt; Relative of Carole Benton-Lewis; Dee Flynn and Pam Burgess (Judy Davis); Danny Sterling & Mac McQuillan (Linda Hall); Sue Belvin (Patty Belvin); Sharon Hoover & Family (Patti Grella); Joan Hogge (Carol Jarrett); Kay Mayton’s family & Clay Knick (Callis).

OUR MILITARY

COL Rob Dillon (Kay O’Beirne), MSgt Richard Ley (Andrea Ley), Jeffery Haddock, E-4 Victoria Davis (the Robinson’s granddaughter), Airman E5 Jason E. Ferguson, LTC Tim Middleton (David Middleton), E6 Travis Argue (Melissa Atwood Argue), LT Morry Jackson (Ed & Kathy Jackson), Ensign Remington Roth, (Jeff & Sherri Roth), WO1 Mark Jordan (Susan Griffin), Col. John Redinger (Ed & Nancy Renninger), Andrew Poe, Otto Giese, Brian Larkin (Tom & Danette Hayes); WO1 David R. Mummert VA NG (Patty Belvin); Cody Ryan Stroup (Griffin); Airman 1st Class Brett Barley (Kimi Perry)

OUR NATION & WORLD

Syrian Refugees, Middle East Conflicts, World and National Leaders, Unity for our Country, Christians Suffering Persecution

MISSIONARY WE SUPPORT

Lisa Nichols, Deaconess and Director of the Henry Fork Service Center

Please help us update our prayer list: Prayer requests will be listed for four weeks unless we are otherwise informed

Going Deeper: Questions for Further Reflection

Advent Sermon Series: Sent

Jesus Is God With Us

1. Jesus was sent to be “God with us” always – in our pain, in our waiting, and in our rejoicing. Have you ever struggled to believe this? How have you experienced the presence of God in your life?

2. Read Matthew 1:18-25. What does the Incarnation tell us about Jesus and the human experience?

3. Read John 11:33-35 and Isaiah 41:10. Have you ever experienced God’s presence in a tangible way? Perhaps through the presence of another, an object, a song. Describe (if in group) or reflect (if alone) on that experience.

4. Read Matthew 6:5-6. What role does silence play in your faith life? How do you feel about silence?

a. Take 5 minutes (you will need to time it). Sit still and silent, breathing deeply. You may want to hear the words, “Be still and know that I am God” in your head. Be open to what God may or may not speak to you.

What was your experience? Comfort? Difficult?

5. What would it look like for you to live out the reality that Jesus is “God with us” this Advent? How can you allow God’s light to radiate through you – even in the darkest places?

6. This week, look for people or incidents that seem to be incarnational signposts and for ways that you can be an incarnational signpost.

***Resource: Both the book and Leader’s Guide for Sent: Delivering The Gift of Hope at Christmas by Jorge Acevedo with Jacob Armstrong, Rachel Billups, Justin LaRosa, and Lanecia Rouse.