the messengerthe messenger
TRANSCRIPT
McMannen United Methodist Church
4102 Neal Road † Durham NC 27705
The MessengerThe MessengerThe MessengerThe Messenger
December 2014December 2014December 2014December 2014
Sunday, November 30 1st Sunday of Advent, 8:45 and 11 am worship
Sunday, December 7 2nd Sunday of Advent, 8:45 and 11 am worship
Alternative Christmas Market 12:15 pm Fellowship Hall
Saturday, December 13 Birthday Party for Jesus at 12:00 pm Fellowship Hall
Sunday, December 14 3rd Sunday in Advent, 11 am worship only
Christmas Cantata 11 am
Friday, December 19 Preschool Christmas Program, 10:30 am in the Sanctuary
Sunday, December 21 Last Sunday of Advent, 8:45 and 11 am worship
All-Church Christmas Caroling 3:00-5:00 pm
Wednesday, December 24 Family Friendly Christmas Eve Worship at 4 pm
Thursday, December 25 Merry Christmas!
Join the Journey To Christmas
P��� 2
Thur, Dec 4 Sander’s Family Christmas at Temple Theatre, Sanford, lunch at Mrs. Lacy’s, 11:20AM – 5:30PM, deadline 12/1 at noon -- $37 inclusive
Fri, Dec 12 Christmas lunch at Croasdaile Village, 12:00 —1:30 pm — $7 RSVP by 12/7
Thur, Dec 18 Trip with Aldersgate UMC to Danville to view Chrismon decorations, details TBA
Primetimers Exercise at 10:30 am Monday & Wednesdays in Fellowship Hall
To register or receive more information about a Primetimers Program please contact Jim Lore at 384-2102.
December Committee Meetings
Church Council Tues, Dec 2 @ 7:00 pm (FH)
SPRC Tues, Dec 16 @ 6:30 (FH)
Trustees Tues, Dec 23 @ 6:30 pm (FH)
Christmas caroling
All are invited to par�cipate!
Sunday, December 21
3:00 pm—5:00 pm
The Church Office will be Closed Wednesday,
December 24 and Thursday December 25
Our Church Family: Marti & James Bennett; Cordelia Blalock; Marian Clark; Amanda Ford; Matt Howe; Bobbie Morgan; Emma Jean Phelps; Dean Porterfield; Wendell Family; Preschool Families and staff
Friends and Family: Addie & Winston; Alli; Family of Todd Arrowood; Layne Baker and her father; Jerry Beauman; Linda Bird; Rev. Blakely; Family & Friends of Chris Butler; Amy Boone and Family; Carol Carson; Family of Ruby Causey; Robin Clements; Alida Cockerman; Mason Dermott; Mike Dermott; Mary Jo Hall; Heather James; Linda Kerns; Elsie King; June King; Lois King; Jerry Lassiter; Rod Mabry; Martinez Family; Grady McCutcheon; Bobby McDonald; Francis McDonald; Patti Morrison; Dolly Mueller; Mary Ann Norris; Natasha & Maxim; Bob O’Conner; Barbara R. ; Pam Rigsby’s mom; Louis Rivers; Family of Susan Rouse; Jack Snell; Gail Steinke; Alex Sykes; Grace Taylor (Katie Wagstaff’s mom); Alexandra Tong; Janet Truckner; Paul Turner; Nancy Via; Taylor Wagner; Sarah Webster; Renee Wendell; Alex Whitaker; Family of Kent Winberry; the unemployed and their families; the victims of violence; travel mercies; Christian Believer Bible study group; Iraqi Christians; our armed forces and military.
Care Facilities: Cleo Fox (Carillon Durham), Sadie Micol (Brookshire), Mildred Neal (Croasdaile Village), Bernita Linthicum (Elm Croft—Raleigh), Gertie Smith (Hillcrest), Cathy Young
C.L.U.B.S. C.L.U.B.S. C.L.U.B.S. C.L.U.B.S.
Movie NightMovie NightMovie NightMovie Night Friday, December 19Friday, December 19Friday, December 19Friday, December 19
7 pm in the 7 pm in the 7 pm in the 7 pm in the
Fellowship HallFellowship HallFellowship HallFellowship Hall
Enjoy free food, fellowship and friendship!
All Youth Grades 6-12
Sunday School
10 am in the Youth Center
Sunday Nights
5-7 pm Youth Group in the Youth Center
ZAZAZAZA
Supper mee�ng in the Fellowship Hall
December 18, 2014
6:30 pm
Presented by the McMannen Preschool twos, threes and fours
classes at
10:30 AM
Friday, December 19
in the sanctuary.
The preschoolers will celebrate Jesus as the very best Christmas present of all. They will share how important it is to share that very special gift with everyone around
them and not keep it to themselves.
December 1December 1December 1December 1————19191919 We will be collecting mittens, gloves, hats, scarves, ear
muffs and socks to donate to Urban Ministries and
then be distributed to men, women and children here
in Durham. You may drop any items off in
Jackie’s office (the sacristy), place them on the tree
yourself or give them to Jackie Rohde Bolen.
The Alternative Christmas
Market will be held on
Sunday
December 7 12:15pm
in the Fellowship Hall. The goal of the Alternative Christmas Market is to provide an opportunity this holiday season to give
gifts that have far-reaching, hope-building results.
Please keep in mind that you may choose to give a gift in honor of someone you love that will change the life of someone in need. We hope you’ll plan to support these
important programs:
McMannen Preschool
McMannen Servants at Work (SAW)
Interfaith Hospitality Network
Camp Chestnut Ridge
Heifer Project International
Please consider giving the gift of hope this holiday season because…
Hope is a very precious gift!! Please plan to enjoy lunch during the
Alternative Christmas Market. The menu will be soup, grilled cheese sandwiches, dessert and beverage.
This will be a fundraiser for the Youth and SAW, so please give generously!
McMannen Preschool News
Through our culturally diverse half day ministry to children
ages one to five, we serve as a place of child care
excellence for the community. We help parents of
preschool age children establish a base of faith and
learning by strengthening the bridge between education
and God's love. Please call Jackie Bolen at 919-383-1263 or
stop by any weekday morning between 9:30 and 11:30 to
learn more about this ministry. Applications are available
on our website mcmannenumc.org
Visit our website to pay tuition online!
Mcmannenumc.org
McMannen Preschool is participating in the Labels for Education Labels for Education Labels for Education Labels for Education program this year for the first time. We are trying to collect enough labels to purchase three butterfly gardens by the spring so we can watch the caterpillars turn into chrysalises, emerge as butterflies and then release them into the community. Each butterfly garden is 1,500 so we really need your help. Please click on the link below (our zip code is 27705) and look at the participating products. Labels can be dropped off in the big red box outside of the church office or turned into my box at the church.
Please feel free to stop by and say hi any time you are at the church. We would love to have you set up a time to come share your favorite book with us, bake cookies with us, do a craft with us or share any other gift or talent with us. Jackie is always willing to talk about opportunities for you to get to know us better!
Our Preschool kids love snacks!! We are always looking for donations of goldfish, Cheez Its, Nilla wafers, Cheeri-os, Cinnamon Toast Crunch, cheese balls, ani-mal crackers and plastic bathroom sized cups. Any donations can be left in Jackie's office (the sacristy) or in the labeled box in the narthex.
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Your recycled magazines would be appreciated
at
C.A. Dillon Youth Development Center
Suggested magazines:
cars, sports, youth, Our State, video games
Sunday, December 14
11:00 am
McMannen is a Hot-Spot drop off
location for the NC Diaper Bank. Their biggest needs are for size 4, 5 and 6 diapers but all sizes
are gladly accepted. Pull Ups and Swimmy diapers are also in high demand. Drop them off in the box located outside of Jackie's
office. One in three families face the daily crisis of diaper need. You can be part of the ongoing campaign to bridge this diaper
gap today, tomorrow, and in the future. Together we can provide comfort and peace of mind — one diaper at a time.
We are very excited to announce our new feature that allows you to make online payments for the following::
♦ Your tithe
♦ Preschool Tuition
♦ Fall Festival stew orders
♦ Vacation Bible School registration
♦ Children's ministries registration
♦ Servants at Work (SAW) registration
♦ Payment for classes or class materials
You have the option of using a credit card or having your checking account debited (one time or recurring).
Check out our website to make your payment online!
McMannen has a history of honoring
the work of our paid staff by
collecting donations for a holiday
bonus for each staff person. If you
are interested in participating, give
your gift to any SPRC member or me
by December 14.
Greg Pagett, SPRC Chair
Dennis Soberl
Larry Hawkey
Jim Wheeler
Renee Beard
David Pratt
Judy Hutchins
Diane Owens
Audrey Shaw
Carol Swinson
Bill Cole
.
“Servants At Work” Fundraiser
Pancakes with Santa and cookie
decorating for the kids!
Saturday, December 6, 2014Saturday, December 6, 2014Saturday, December 6, 2014Saturday, December 6, 2014
8:00 AM till 10:00 AM8:00 AM till 10:00 AM8:00 AM till 10:00 AM8:00 AM till 10:00 AM
McMannen UMC
4102 Neal Road, Durham, NC
Donations Accepted & Appreciated
Sponsored by “Servant At Work”, a ministry of McMannen United Methodist Church
Phone: 919-383-1263 / www.mcmannenumc.org / www.servantsatwork.org
Happy New Year! While that may be early for our society's calendar, it is indeed right on time in the life of the church. The first Sunday of Advent, which this year fell on November 30, is the first Sunday of the church year. So it's perhaps time
to think of things with new perspectives. As I write this to you, I must confess that my body is a bit sore and stiff from having sat at a table at the Mad Hatter bakery all morning, trying to catch up on a long list of overdue tasks related to the work God has called me to do among you and the greater community. I barely scratched the surface: sending emails to get or keep things rolling; planning worship for advent; thinking about how best to steward the shared resources of our church family. I've been surround-ed by an incredibly diverse population here in the old coffee shop! Probably 10 different nationalities, people of apparently different cultures and faiths, singles and couples, well off and struggling, old and young, professionals and job-seekers and students. What a blessing it is to live in such a diverse place!
For some reason, as I prepare for the Christmas season this morning, I have been pondering the subject of "leaving church." Do not fear; I am not resigning from my post. Instead, I'm reflecting on how the phrase has been used in a few different contexts:
I was recently talking to a friend not long ago who was moving and is facing the prospect of finding a new church
Some who have been consumed by God's missional Spirit talk with great excitement about reaching those who have never been to church, thus leaving the security of church walls
Many of our recently graduated high school students are now faced with independence and decisions about if or where they will worship and grow in their faith
I speak with adults on a regular basis who have left the church of their childhood and never looked back.
Sometimes first time church leaders wrestle with the new-found experience that church can be a messy place as leaders try to discern how to get along or disagree with integrity and grace, thus leaving the innocent church of their prior perceptions
In the midst of difficult societal issues, church folk often accuse other church folk of leav-ing the true church when they disagree about positions
Of course, it didn't take me long to make the connec-tion to a book of this title: "Leaving Church: A Memoir of Faith" by noted author, preacher, and modern-day theologian Barbara Brown Taylor. Her book is filled with profound, wonderfully articulated and accessible reflections, such as this one:
“Although I never found a church where I felt com-pletely at home again, I made a new home in the world. I renewed my membership in the priesthood of all believers, who may not have as much power as we would like, but whose consolation prize is the freedom to meet God after work, well away from all centers of religious command, wherever God shows up.” ― Barbara Brown Taylor, Leaving Church: A Memoir of Faith
What is a "priest" in this priesthood of all believers, you may be asking? She answers the question in her characteristically beautiful way:
“...a priest is someone willing to stand between a God and a people who are longing for one another's love, turning back and forth between them with no hope of tending either as well as each deserves. To be a priest is to serve a God who never stops calling people to do more justice and love more mercy, and simultaneously to serve people who nine times out of ten are just looking for a safe place to rest. To be a priest is to know that things are not as they should be and yet to care for them the way they are.” ― Barbara Brown Taylor, Leaving Church: A Memoir of Faith
It strikes me, at the beginning of this Advent season, this new year, this time of preparation to remember Christ's coming, that we worship a God who left the temple to dwell among people. God was born in Christ, not in a regal ceremony, but in the overlooked stable; not among the pews of the temple, but on the margins and in the shadows. Jesus was born there, lived there, even died there on a hill far away from the city center. Jesus left church to find it and create it, reminding us, perhaps, that no matter how or if we leave church, God never leaves us. God is with us. Immanuel. In discovering that God is with us, we re-discover that we can, perhaps even must, return. Indeed, we never leave in the first place, no matter how far from the church walls we may wander.
Your fellow wanderer,
Pastor Ed
Please always refer to the
calendar on the McMannen
website for the most
up-to-date informa�on.
Download our calendar information: A file can be downloaded and imported into any calendar program that will let you import a comma-delimited text file. Most calendaring software, like Outlook, Lotus, etc. has this feature built right in.
• Simply click the ICAL symbol on the calendar (bottom left corner) on our mcmannenumc.org website to
download it to your hard drive.
• Then open your calendar software and import it.
4102 Neal Road
Durham, NC 27705-2320
919-383-1263
Fax: 919-383-0546
www.mcmannenumc.org
Church Office Hours:
D eadline for the
next newsletter,
“The Messenger”, is
Monday, December
22— 9 am for all
events through
January.
Sunday Mornings 8:45 am - Worship
(in Neal Chapel)
9:30 am - The Gathering
(in Fellowship Hall)
10 am - Sunday School
11:00 am - Worship
(in the Sanctuary)
Come and Worship!
Mission: Mission: Mission: Mission: To proclaim the gospel of Jesus Christ to the world and to live it out in loving witness to whomever we meet with the purpose of changing hearts and
strengthening the community of believers.
StaffStaffStaffStaff
Ed Priestaf, PastorEd Priestaf, PastorEd Priestaf, PastorEd Priestaf, Pastor [email protected]
919-274-8061
Jackie BolenJackie BolenJackie BolenJackie Bolen Director of Preschool
Anggie Thompson Anggie Thompson Anggie Thompson Anggie Thompson Office Administrator
Floalice Reaves Floalice Reaves Floalice Reaves Floalice Reaves Organist
John BentonJohn BentonJohn BentonJohn Benton
Director of Music Ministries [email protected]