The Wesley Message Our Mission is to Love God and Our Neighbors

Volume 35, Number 12 11/30/2017

The Rev. Clair Sauer, Pastor

From the Pastor

There’s No Place Like Home Christmastime and thoughts of home just go together, like milk and cookies or peanut butter and jelly. “I’ll Be Home for Christmas” and “There’s No Place Like Home for the Holidays” are two of the most popular holiday songs year after year. Christmas movies and television shows regularly feature stories of people going to their family home or extended family home over the holidays. Among the rituals we create for this darkest time of the year in the Northern hemisphere, perhaps the majority of them are associated with either going home or doing special things at home—whether lighting candles and having a time of prayer during Advent, or decorating a Christmas tree, or caroling through the neighborhood, or hosting festive parties for friends. It’s all about home.

But Advent and Christmas are also about another kind of homecoming, the homecoming of Christ to redeem and renew us, the earth, and all creation till “heaven and nature sing” with joy eternally. Still, part of anticipating God’s homecoming is rea lizing just how far we have strayed from our “home” with God, and we are challenged to turn back to “home” ourselves.

This year, our Advent and Christmas sermon series, “There’s No Place Like Home,” embraces the seasonal metaphor of homecoming to consider the challenging Biblical message of waiting and preparing for Christ’s coming. Each week, we will reflect on how to make our hearts, our lives, our families, our communities, and our world more like the home Christ’s ultimate homecoming will make it to be. Indeed, there is no place like home, and I hope we all will join together in finding our way home this Christmas season.

December 3—Come on Home December 10—Home is the Meeting Place 6:00pm—Sing Joy to All the World, Christmas Cantata December 17—The Joy of Home December 24—God Makes this World a Home (Part 1) 5:00pm—God Makes this World a Home (Part 2), Christmas Eve Candlelight December 31—Turning for Home

Pastor Clair

We are taking orders for red poinsettias to be used in the sanctuary during Advent. The cost is $7.00 each. You can order by filling out the form in the Sunday bulletin and giving it to Sue Steffner or by calling the church office. We need your orders as early as possible

since they will be placed in the sanctuary at the end of next week.

PLEASE NOTE . . . .

Due to a number of contributing factors, we regretfully have cancelled the Christmas Cantata and Reception which was scheduled for next Sunday, December 10th. Evergreen clippings needed! Our youth will learn about and create their own Advent Wreathes on Sunday, December 3rd. If you have evergreen bushes/trees and can clip small cuttings that would work well for a wreath and enough to fill a shoebox, your contribution would be greatly appreciated. Please bring your shoebox full Sunday morning December 3rd and leave them in the library.

5:00 PM

Sunday, December 24th

5:00 PM

Sunday

December 24th

USHERS/GREETERS Eric Burnett & J Newman Mary Jo McAfee & Sue Steffner LAY LEADER: 12/03 Debbie Hackney

Thomas Alford PRAYER BEFORE WORSHIP: 12/03 Connie & Naomi Hay 12/10 David Smith 12/17 Tom Steffner 12/24 Jerri & CD Hilliard ALTAR GUILD: TBA ALTAR FLOWERS: Poinsettias

AUDIO-VIDEO: Dan Coleman & Kip Smith

In Ministry the Month of December

Sympathy We extend our Christian love and sympathy to the family and friends of

Charles Rodgers who passed away on November 21st.

Wesley Memorial United Methodist Church

6314 East Brainerd Road

Chattanooga, TN 37421

Return Service Requested

Church Office Email: acballew@wmumc.comcastbiz.net Website: wesleymemorial-chatt.org

Church Office Phone: 423-892-6446 Pastor’s Cell Phone 423-664-3300

Advent Missions Opportunities During the month of December, there will be several opportunities to be involved with projects that will serve many in our community. Each Sunday, a Sunday School Class will sponsor one project that will be completed during the Sunday School hour (9:30-10:30AM). We encourage everyone to support these important missions, please read on for details on how to get involved! December 3—Support for Seniors (sponsors—Disiciple and Wikle Classes). Working with the Salvation Army and Lifecare of Collegedale, we will provide Christmas gifts for Seniors as well as much needed toiletry supplies that will be distributed throughout the year. December 10—Trees for Tots (sponsor—Hope Class). We will decorate small (2-3ft.) artificial Christmas trees that will adorn the room of young patients hospitalized at Erlanger Children’s through the holidays. These trees will be placed in children's hospital rooms to provide cheer and brightness. The children will be able to take the trees home once they are discharged! December 17—School Supplies for Woodmore Elementary (sponsor—Jones Class). Each year, many students and teachers have to re-stock their supplies over Christmas break in preparation for the second semester. We will gather much needed supplies to support Woodmore Elementary. December 24—For Our Furry Friends (sponsor—Youth Class). The Humane Educational Society has a variety of needs throughout the year as they care for our animal friends in need. This is a great opportunity to support our furry friends.

A list of suggestions for gifts and supplies is posted on the bulletin board in front of the church office.

CURRENT CONCERNS: Rick Mansfield, Thomas Alford – Erlanger, C. D. Hilliard, Tracie Durham, Becky Sullivan, Ken Ford (Lifecare of Ooltewah - Room 118), Doris Wilkinson (Lifecare of Ooltewah – Room 113) ONGOING MEDICAL CONDITIONS: Ken Akin, Ann Anderson, Dot & Gene Arnold, Dennis Billings, Don Bowers (father of D. J. (Valorie) Bowers), Betty Brickman, Steve Brothers, Malinda Cawthorne (cousin of Brenda Fields), Dan & Janice Coleman, Ron & Carla Coleman (brother & sister-in-law of Dan Coleman), Steve & Susan Cox, Margaret & Phil Ellington, Hazel Garner, Rick Grigsby (Cousin of Starr Alexander), Harold & Helen Hendrixson, Sid Hodges (brother-in-law of Margaret Ellington), Freda C. Johnson (sister-in-law of Bonnie Colquitt), Eleanor Jones, Christopher Ledford (Friend of Rick Mansfield), Mike Lynn (friend of Pam Brooks), Susie Magnuson (Friend of Karen Mansfield), Mike McAfee, David Minnick (Father of Kelsey Shaver), Jonathan Murray, Judy Nichols, Dot Pate, Chuck Poole (friend of Hendrixsons), Jackie Robinson, Kevin Schultz, Cheryl Stowell, Floy Strickland, Barbara Uren, J. Dan Weeks (Friend of Pam Varnell), Bruce Williford (Stepson of Ken Ford), Tawana Woods, Madison Wright (Daughter of Hector & Sonia Pagan), Lynn Young (cousin of Margaret Ellington) MILITARY: MC/MM Scott Gamble – US Navy (Goose Creek, SC) ASSISTED LIVING/RETIREMENT CENTERS/NURSING HOMES: Betty Brown – Standifer Place (Room 321), Billie DeFriese – Morning Pointe (Apt. 520), Virginia Horton – Soddy Daisy Healthcare, Connie Nelson – Lifecare of Cleveland (Room 78B), Dorothy Orr – Lifecare of Collegedale (mother of Sue Steffner), Madeline Sims - Martin Boyd Christian Home (Room East 114), Becky Teague – Southern Oaks (Room 210)

Prayer Concerns

November 26th Attendance & Monthly Giving

August 27th OFFERINGS (For Month of November) $20,000.00

Sunday School 41

Morning Worship 65

December Birthdays 05 Griffin Long 27 Marnie Martin 09 Donie Anderson 30 Emma Rogers 13 Pam Brooks Steaven Rogers 18 Betty Brown 28 Naomi Hay 19 Betty Brickman