“In GOD we trust!”

Grace Notes

Office: 904-829-8272 Fax 904-829-8201

8 Carrera Street, St. Augustine, FL 32084

E-Mail: office@gracestaugustine.org

Website: gracestaugustine.org

Our Mission Statement:

“Help people find life in Jesus Christ.”

DECEMBER 2015 STAFF:

Revs. David & Carolyn Williamson, Co-Lead Pastors Rev. James Walker, Associate Pastor

Peggy Namie, Office Administrator Nataliya Birmingham, Church Treasurer

Mike Sanflippo, Music Director Robert Meade, Organist

Mackenzie Taylor, Choral Intern Rebecca Woods, Choral Intern

Jason Forrest, Contemporary Music Director

Zach Grant, Youth Minister Martha Yamnitz, Children’s Director

Amanda Richter, Nursery Attendant Supervisor

Theresa Braxton, Nursery Attendant Jessica Newell, Nursery Attendant

Brian Bowman, Custodian Barbara McColskey, Deaf Interpreter

Mildred Thomas, Audiovisual Tech—Volunteer Lanny Linn, Head Usher—Volunteer

Grace United Methodist Church

8 Carrera Street

St. Augustine, FL 32084

OUR DECEMBER MISSION OFFERING — UNITED METHODIST VOLUNTEERS IN MISSION

*Please use your mission envelope when giving.

Printed copies of Grace Notes & the monthly calendar are available at the church

or via mail (upon request). You may also view the newsletter at gracestaugustine.org .

TWELVE REASONS I LOVE GRACE CHURCH

Pastor Dave Williamson

It’s the twelfth month! So here’s twelve reasons I love Grace Church. It was hard to just

pick twelve! Maybe this will inspire you to make your own list.

I love that groups of people gather to sing hymns together with folks who are in the nursing

home, rehab center or unable to leave home.

I love that people pray through the sanctuary for the people who will gather there prior to wor-

ship on Sunday morning.

I love that friends with special needs are not only welcome at Grace, but are the reason some

folks have experienced God and have chosen to make Grace Church their home.

I love that all the prayer concerns shared in worship get prayed over on Tuesday mornings and

cards get sent out to those being prayed for when possible.

I love that my daughter has so many wonderful “spiritual grandparents,” great examples of Je-

sus followers, as well as friends in faith her age.

I love that Grace church has opened his doors and wallet to support the beginnings of a United

Methodist Campus ministry at Flagler College.

I love that someone who is homeless feels welcome to worship at Grace.

I love that a homemade meal is made every third Friday and the homeless are welcomed to eat

it.

I love that the children’s ministry is growing and that children are leading the church with their

gifts of joy, presence and inspiring generosity (17 llamas for Heifer Project!).

I love that you can come to worship and meet the Lord using both traditional and modern ele-

ments.

I love that the first woman ordained in the Florida Conference United Methodist Church grew

up and was supported by Grace Church.

I love that I get to be one of the pastors of such a great church that wants to help people

meet, follow and live like Jesus!

THE PURPOSE OF THE CHURCH

The purpose of the church is to make disciples of Christ for the transformation of the world. Grace UMC

is a place where this is happening! Children and youth are being discipled, the least and the lost are be-

ing fed and cared for, the sick are being prayed for, new people are finding a home at Grace, and all are

offered a place to worship, grow and serve. A way you can continue to help make this happen is through

your end of the year giving. There are a number of ways to accomplish our need to give, especially at

year-end, when many people are carefully planning their giving in light of tax law and government pro-

grams. Here are the “nuts and bolts” of a few of them.

Gifts of cash

If you made a pledge for calendar year 2015 and your economic situation allows, please consider paying

your pledge in full by the end of the year. No matter your income level, if you itemize deductions on

your tax return, you will receive a tax deduction for your gift.

You may also consider pre-paying all or a portion of your 2016 pledge before the end of 2015, depend-

ing on your own cash flow and deduction situation. Consult with your financial or tax advisor to deter-

mine what’s best for you.

Gifts of appreciated securities

Gifts of appreciated securities (shares of individual stocks, bonds, mutual funds) are very attractive tax-

wise. If you give appreciated securities to your church, not only do you receive an income tax deduction

for the full value of your gift, but you also avoid the capital gains tax were you to have sold the securi-

ties yourself. When you give stock to the church, the church sells it tax-free and receives the full value

of the gift. If you own stock that has gone down in value you may be able to sell the stock, make a gift

from the cash proceeds to your church and apply the realized loss on your 2015 tax return. Again,

check with your financial advisor before making any securities gifts or transactions to see which strate-

gies are best.

Gifts from your IRA

Congress has yet to act on the current IRA Charitable Rollover provision, and given the political climate

in Washington, it is unclear whether legislators will do so in 2015. In past years, legislation was passed

very late in the year, but made retroactive to Jan. 1.

If Congress does act, here’s how the provision is expected to work: if you are 70 and a half or older and

must take an annual minimum required distribution from your traditional IRA, you may roll over up to

$100,000 to your church without recognizing the rollover as income, effectively making it a tax-free

charitable transfer. In order to qualify, the funds must not pass through your hands. Instead, your IRA

trustee must send the funds directly to your church or other qualified charity.

We appreciate your gifts to Grace to help make disciples of Christ for the transformation of the world!

From the GUMC Staff

REPORTING FOR THE MONTH OF OCTOBER -

DINING WITH DIGNITY OCTOBER — Served 91

General Fund

Needed through October $ 572,201

Received through October $ 547,754

Mission Offerings:

Children’s Home $ 3,760

Cuba $ 2,944

Imagine No Malaria $ 2,096

Transportation $ 1,481

The Florida Conference $ 1,113

STOP Hunger Now $ 1,462

VBS Llama $ 2,550

Children’s Special Events $ 295

Alpha Omega Home/

St. Gerard house

$ 1,090

Council on Aging $ 1,031

CCW $ 910

St. Francis House $ 807

Capital Fund

Needed through October $ 32,121

Received through October $ 21,184

PROCEDURES TO FOLLOW FOR...

FACILITY/ROOM USAGE:

Please check in with the church office/Peggy

when planning an event or meeting so that it

can be placed on the “Church Calendar” and

to make sure that there are no conflicts. That

also enables arrangements for parking to be

made in advance.

KITCHEN USAGE: For all groups that plan to

use the kitchen, you need to check in with

the church office/Peggy before hand. You

will need to meet with her prior to using

kitchen equipment/appliances to make sure

that you are familiar with the proper usage of

each. This will help to avoid mishaps and

prolong the life of the kitchen equipment.

Your cooperation is greatly appreciated!

“IN NEED OF REPAIR” SHEET

This is located on the bulletin board in the

Breezeway...

The purpose of this sheet is to

enable you to report anything

that needs fixing that you might

come across while you are at the

church.

OFFICE HOURS:

The office hours for Grace United Methodist Church are:

Main Office: Monday—Friday, 9am—3:00pm/ Peggy Namie—Office Administrator

Finance Office: Tuesday & Thursday, 9am—2pm/ Nataliya Birmingham—Church Treasurer

SUNDAYS ARE THEIR DAYS TO WORSHIP!

ALL GUMC OFFICES will be CLOSED on Friday, December 25th & Monday, December 28th.

DEADLINES FOR CHURCH PUBLICATIONS:

→WEEKLY BULLETIN SUBMISSIONS ARE DUE BY 2PM THE WEDNESDAY PRIOR TO THE

BULLETIN THAT THE INFORMATION IS TO BE INCLUDED IN:

DECEMBER 6th bulletin—submissions due by DECEMBER 2nd, 2pm

DECEMBER 13th bulletin—submissions due by DECEMBER 9th, 2pm

DECEMBER 20th bulletin—submissions due by DECEMBER 16th, 2pm

DECEMBER 27thbulletin—submissions due by DECEMBER 22nd, 2pm (Note change)

JANUARY 3rd bulletin—submissions due by DECEMBER 30th, 2pm

Have you tried using the weekly GPS [Grow, Pray, Study] Guide? This is something we are doing to help you grow, pray and study on your own during the week and maybe with a friend or group of friends. You’ll no-tice there is space for you to make notes on the sermon. And there is a different reading from the Bible, reflection questions and prayer for every day during the week. We realize that some of you may already

have a “grow, pray and study” plan you are using. That’s great. But you might appreciate this resource to help you do this. We hope it will do two things: • It will help you engage more deeply the Scripture theme from worship during the week. • It will strengthen our sense of unity and community as many of us read and pray together these same scriptures during the week. And by the way, you can find copies of the GPS on the church website as well as an audio recording of the sermon. Go to www.gracestaugustine.org and click the media page.

BUSY FINGERS

Busy Fingers meets on Thursdays, 1pm—3pm in the Wesley Room (except for the second Thursday of

each month when UMW meets).

Grace United Methodist Church presents

by

Annual Christmas Cantata Special Service

Sunday, December 6th at 11:15 am

Featuring the Grace Chancel Choir and guests

retelling the Christmas Story through readings,

and new and traditional carols

USHERS NEEDED

Two ushers are needed for the 8am worship services, three ushers are needed for the 9am worship ser-

vices, and seven ushers are needed for the 11am worship services (one for the 4th Sunday of the

month and six for 5th Sundays).

DECEMBER BIRTHDAYS

1 Naomi Menser

2 Dan Rieder

4 Lilla Reyes, Richard MacMullen, David Parlin

6 Steve James, Jim Reeher, Peggy Getsinger

7 Jason Forrest

8 Linda Caldwell

9 Gen Kennedy C. Bullard, Pam Lowe

10 Carolyn Little, Cheron Sanders

11 Mel Harvey, Karen Mathis

12 Peter Paul, George Von Bretzel

13 Lucy Norton-Ponder, Harry Ruhsam

15 Lovie Fox, Donna Ruhsam

17 Lauris Evans

18 Barbara Crookshank

19 Bonnie Altman, Dee Deyloff

21 Randy Altman

22 Linda Beall

27 Jean Backlund

30 Tom Power, Don Rix, Dylan Sanchez

31 Dianne Cook, Kayleigh Gades

DECEMBER ANNIVERSARIES

8 Steve & Debbie Herbert

22 Dan & Libby Shorb

MEETINGS THIS MONTH:

FINANCE Committee, Tuesday, December 8th -

11am

ADMINSTRATIVE BOARD, Tuesday, December

15th—6:30pm

INTERESTED IN HAVING THE CHURCH

DIRECTORY ON YOUR SMART PHONE?

You can view the GUMC Directory from an

iPhone, iPad, Android or Kindle Fire by download-

ing the free Instant Church Directory Members

App.

Search for “Instant Church Directory” in the Apple

App Store, Google Play, or Amazon Appstore, or

email them this link:

http://www.instantchurchdirectory.com/app

CIRCLE OF CONCERN

Please lift up in prayer: all unspoken prayer requests, Grace United Methodist Church, Paytn Nowak,

Phyllis Reed Adzima, Elwyn Kinney, Betty Fleming, Carlos Avilles, Cindy Amy, Isabel Garner,

Francessca Bellavista, Mark Hunt, Norm Allmen, Claudia Johns, Jason Morehead, Haleigh McKee

Allegro: Fred Grubb

Bayview: Elaine Frenzke

Bayview—The Pavilion: Don Allen

Brookdale: Lovie Fox, Maria Schineller

Clyde E. Lassen State Veterans’ Nursing Home: Jim Donnelly

Moultrie Rehab: Agnes Jurgens

St. Augustine Health & Rehab: Lila Reyes, Erich Geyer

Westminster Woods: Midge Berger

In the Military: Joel Prevatt, US Air Force, Maj. Will Bermeo, Lt Jg. Christopher Bordino, Jacob Bradley,

M Sgt. Kat Brumfield-US Air force, Brandon Burnette-US Army, Nicholas Callahan, Brandon W. Clark,

SPFC Aaron Conkey, Capt. Mallory Conlon, USAF, Capt. Jimmy Harris, ISC Ray LeMieux, SSgt Miles

Massey/USAF-OSI, Sgt. Donald Newman-US Army, Brian Riggenbach, MAC Albert J. Spiess, Master Sgt.

Justin Smarr, CTR Mark Spurling, Jr., Jason Strohmetz, Thessalomica Vila-Navy, Tom Wetmore,

John Young, Jr.

ANGEL TREE

Please stop by “The Angel Tree” located in the Breezeway Hallway to select your angel,

sign the sheet, and take a plastic bag to place the items in. When you have completed

your purchases (please purchase the gift that the child requests) and return the gift/s

unwrapped in the plastic bag. Take your receipt stub for tax purposes and place the

lower section in the bag. Return to the church no later than Sunday December 20th.

Thank you for your support!

NEW MEMBER ORIENTATION CLASS

There will be a New Member Orientation Class on Sunday, December 13th, noon—2pm in the Wesley

Room (lunch will be provided). Please RSVP if you are interested in attending 904-829-8272 or

office@gracestaugustine.org.

The Miracle of Jesus

takes families

(adults, youth, and children)

on a sensory-rich Christmas adventure

that fills them with more joy than you could

pack in a million stockings.

Families will see, hear, taste, touch, and

smell the Bible-times

town of Bethlehem.

Through hands-on activities, games, stories, and more,

they’ll experience firsthand the amazing impact of the

miracles of Jesus’ birth—and life. Join us on

December 24, 2015

4:30pm - 6pm

to travel back in time.

This event will conclude with a candle-light service (glow sticks for children) in the sanctuary.

DONATIONS ARE NEEDED FOR THE MIRACLE OF JESUS CHRISTMAS EVENT FOR FAMILIES

In the breezeway hallway there are “sheep” with an item on it that we ask to be donated or borrowed for

the upcoming Christmas Eve Family Event. Please turn in your donation/borrowed item/s on or before

Sunday, December 20th. There will be a collection bin located in the Breezeway hallway. Thank you for

your support!

MISSION OF THE MONTH FOR DECEMBER: UNITED METHODIST VOLUNTEERS IN MISSION

United Methodist Volunteers in Mission, SEJ is the short-term mission sending agency of the Southeast-

ern Jurisdiction of the United Methodist Church. UMVIM exists to promote, encourage, and enable

Christians to exemplify “Christian Love in Action” through short-term mission service at home and

abroad. We will have a team go to Cuba in the first quarter of 2016, we are in need of funds for sup-

plies and possibly to subsidize travel expenses.

A RECOVERING AMERICAN SOLDIER

If you would like to send a Christmas card to A RECOVERING AMERICAN SOLDIER...here is the address:

A RECOVERING AMERICAN SOLDIER

C/O Walter Reed Army Medical Center

6900 Georgia Avenue

NW Washington, DC 20307-5001

CHRISTMAS EVE CANDLELIGHT SERVICES

Traditional

7pm in the Sanctuary

The Miracle of Jesus -

A Christmas Event for Families

ending with a candlelight service in the sanctuary

4:30pm—6pm

SPECIAL REQUEST FROM THE UPPER

ROOM PRAYER CIRCLE. . .

DEAR ONES

On behalf of the prayer Circle here at the church, I would like to ask all of you who in a

prayer request card, to give us much possible. We take these very seri-

ously and each week we enter a sentence prayer on a 3x5 card and when card is filled with

these specific and personal prayers, we mail them to each recipient. you prefer to have the

prayer cards sent to you, please let us know and include address, either for the person we

are praying for or yourselves. We have provided with spaces for all kinds of so it

would be very much appreciated and if we could have enough to mail out our cards. is

such a joy to receive these even if there is no request, we pray for all the unspoken

prayers that lie deep in

Incidentally, if any of you have a desire to come, see and perhaps join our Upper

Prayer Circle, we certainly invite you to come to the church at 10 o'clock each morning

in the church parlor to observe what we do to see if this is something that be meaningful

to you. is never our desire to be exclusive but inclusive if this is in heart.

With Gods Blessings, The Upper Room Prayer

KIDS OF GRACE

Every Wednesday, 5—6:30pm

Will not meet on December 23rd.

BIBLE TALES FOR TOTS

Every Wednesday, 10am, Room #6

Will not meet on December 23rd.

CHILDREN’S NEWS

Children’s Sunday School classes continue to meet every week from 9am -10am during the Contempo-

rary worship service and also during our 11am worship service. If anyone is interested in helping with

the Children’s Ministry programs at Grace Church, please contact Martha Yamnitz at 904-501-9043 or

marthayamnitz@gmail.com

All children ages 3 thru 5th

grades are encouraged to join us at KIDS OF GRACE every Wednesday from 5pm – 6:30pm.

Join us each week:

December 2: Christmas Dinner Theater

December 9: Never Too Late for Redemption

December 16: Jesus’ Birthday Party at SWING Park

GRACE UNITED METHODIST WOMEN—GUMW

The GUMW’s Christmas Luncheon will be held at the Marsh Creek County Club on

December 10th at 11:30am.

Please turn in your entrée selection no later than December 2nd.