c b - elumc
TRANSCRIPT
The classic hymn, “Silent Night,” first made its debut on Christmas
Eve, 1818 at the St.
Nicholas chapel in Oberndorf bei Salzburg, Austria. The melody, by composer Franz Gruber is instantly recognizable from the first few notes, and the original text by Joseph Mohr has been translated from the original German into over 140 languages. In 1914, just four years shy of the 100th anniversary of “Silent Night,” the soldiers fighng World War I along the Western Front held a ceasefire in some areas out of mutual respect for the holiday. Members from opposing sides exchanged gis and stories with one another, played games, and sang Christmas carols together including the beloved hymn “Silent Night.” Today, churches all over the world gather together each year on Christmas Eve to light candles, sing “Silent Night,” and parcipate in a meless tradion of inimitable ritual power.
At the me when our communies, our churches, and our world are torn and divided about many issues of cultural contenon, perhaps this Christmas could be a me of ceasefire from our own sources of conflict. Perhaps this year, we will raise our voices in song to celebrate the birth of Christ with spirits of peace and love that transcends all barriers.
This does not mean we advocate for the silencing of anyone whose voice needs to be heard–
especially those on the margins in need of economic, social, and polical jusce. Rather, the silence may help us to listen, hearing those voices more clearly and drawing us to hear Jesus’ cry in them.
Our children’s messages will center around our capacity to soothe a crying baby as we claim our agency to be a part of the soothing of humanity and to bring the gis we have to the manger of Jesus Christ –
Emmanuel – God-with-us, cradle of hope. The Manger Missions will be a visual representaon of our efforts to soothe the region.
Just as the people yearned for God’s presence in the social and polical context into which Jesus was born, we need God’s guiding light for our me. The image of the star reveals God’s guidance, and it’s presence throughout our space will invite us to look for ways to shine this season.
For those accustomed to an Advent without Christmas carols, this year’s Calm & Bright series may seem irregular as each of the four Sundays
in Advent will feature a verse of “Silent Night.” And there’s a song wrien for our series that even our children have learned–we’ll have a chance to hear our choirs as part of a naonal video singing “We Need a Silent Night In Here.”
Our prayer is as we sing of God’s presence, we move in God’s light. (See page 5 for Advent opportunies) –Worship Design Studio
December 2018 (2nd edion) P h
o to
b y
Fr ed
G ag
n o
2
Special health concerns: Bev & Hank Kalloch, Little Ford, Ellen Marcil, Jes- sie Grabowski, Phyllis Rathbun, Rich- ard MacGovern, undergoing cancer treatment.
Dot Buzelle - Redstone
Paul Willer - Reeds Landing
As the office will be closed between Christmas and the New Year, the for the J Methodist Messenger will be Dec. 10th. If you plan to have an article in
that issue, please submit it by the deadline.
P O W F
Each of us can help the denominaon find its
way into a more inclusive, jusce-loving way for- ward. EVERY day for just 3 minutes we're praying for the United Methodist gathering on February 23-26, 2019 in St. Louis, MO. Set a reminder so that every day from 2:23- 2:26 we can come together in prayer (wherever you are) for the kind of church we're commied to creang--one with truly open hearts, open minds and open doors.
Open hearts Open mind Open doors
S JFON C A C D
The Springfield JFON Clinic hosted a Dinner & Silent Auction event on November 10th at Trinity
UMC. Jusce for Our Neighbors (JFON’s) works to provide
legal services to immigrants and refugees.
ELUMC parcipants at the event included Jim & Lois Harris, Tom & Joan McGowan, John & Julie Dunlop, Carol Derouin and Marcia Rintoul.
Marcia wanted to share some of her thoughts on this special event:
I just wanted to thank everyone at the East Longmeadow United Methodist Church for inving me to be a part of the annual dinner and silent aucon for Jusce for Our Neighbors. It was truly inspiraonal to hear about the work that this group is doing, as well as the lives that are being transformed with their help. In this very difficult polical me, it is so important to remember that, “All God’s people maer.”
Marcia Rintoul
Tom & Joan McGowan check in at the JFON Dinner
N S B Thank you to Jim & Lois Harris
who donated a snow blower for the parsonage and to Sco Grabowski and Paul Kinney who bought a used one for the church.
Thank you Diane Hemingway
and Dorothy Allain for your help in giving the kitchen a thorough cleaning.
Thanks also to Sco Grabowski, John Dunlop & John Ketcham for their assistance recently in removing Rev Kelly’s old desk and moving a slightly beer desk into her office.
T M M
3
G O Here are a few opportunities for you to show your generosity during this season of giving:
E Y F W M
Please make your generous 2nd-mile gis NOW so we can support the varied & important ministries of United Methodists around the globe.
T M T
Deck the tree with hats & mittens. You are invited to donate hats & gloves for the mien tree (knied by your own hand or not). Scarves & socks are also needed items. Donaons to the mien tree will be sent to Open Heart Ministries in West Virginia and to the Grey House in Springfield.
S E G - T G T
You can give a donaon to Global Missions of the United Methodist Church, to Open Hearts Ministries in West Virginia or to Loaves and Fishes (for our monthly meal preparaon) in Spring- field. Simply remove a card from the tree and send a donaon of any amount you wish to ELUMC. Please speci- fy on your check the organiza- tion you want to receive your donaon, then give the card to someone on your gi list.
SOUP’S ON The Mission Shares marketplace will be open in the fellowship hall aer the worship service Sunday, December 9th. A variety of homemade soups and baked goods
will be available for purchase; sales will help support ongoing missions programs and services of the United
Methodist Church. 'Hope to see you there.
Calling all folks who want to help us create sensory-rich worship in the coming year. There will be a
mini-worship planning retreat Saturday, January 26, 9:00 am - 3:00 pm at the Hutchinsons.
Let the church office know if you can aend.
Interfaith Coffee and Conversaons Every Tuesday
9:30 - 10:30 am, unl June 4, 2019
A weekly drop-in gathering at Starbucks in the Longmeadow Shops anchored by Pastor Marisa of First Church of Christ in Longmeadow, UCC and joined each week by different area interfaith clergy.
Come by for a private chat, a group queson, or a connecon with a cup and a faith presence!
See you there!
S O?
A wide range of flavors are available in a variety of sizes
including cupcakes.
Best of all, sales benefit Mission Shares.
Please see Vance Gagnon or email [email protected]
for more informaon and to place an order. Thank you.
Have you turned in your pledge for 2019?
We've received 43 pledges so far with 3 new pledges & many who have pledged to increase their giving, so we’re just short of our goal of 52 pledges.
Can you be one of those pledges we need to fulfill our goal?
T M M
C A F
The Cray Apple Fair was held on Saturday, November 10th. The event offered everything from custom jewelry, jams & jellies, cashew brile, candles, hand craed Christmas decoraons and an excellent bake sale. It was a great place to get started with your holiday shopping. The fair was well aended and everyone had
a great me. Thanks to everyone who gave of their me and efforts to help prepare, set-up and work the day of the Cra fair. A special thank you to Sco Grabowski, Bill & Carol Johnston, Liz Gelinas, Kelly Greene, Kevin Greener, Laura Kinney, Paul Kinney, Diane Hemingway, Julie & John Dunlop, Ashlee Deziel, Fred Gagnon, Vance Gagnon, Marj Mollar, Barbara Ollson, KC Leveille, Pam Minihan, Bailey, Ivy & Theo and all the volunteers who made this event a great success.
Crafter Jammin’ Jeff Hendee sent along this note to thank everyone for making the Cray Apple Fair such a great experience for him.
Just a quick note to express my thanks to you and all the volun- teers who worked so relessly on behalf of both the vendors and the customers yesterday. I had another successful oung and hope others did also.
Best wishes to you and yours for a Happy Thanksgiving!
Jeff
Seng up for the big annual Cray Apple event with CrayMom, Gale Flood custom jewelry, Cras by Chris, Noly's Creaons and many more.
#BeAStar #ELUMCshines
Advent Pauses – Drop in “office” hours with the
pastor breathe deeply, write your Christmas Cards, listen to carols, weigh in on the Sunday scriptures (what do you think the spirit is saying to the church this Advent)
Wednesdays at 11:00 at Shelburne Falls Coffee December 5, 12, 19
Mondays at 3 in the chapel Dec 3, 10, 17, 24
December 6 – Ladies Advent Lunch & Tea RSVP to office to join us for the lovely annual me to catch up and enjoy the season
December 10 -Painng Night-“Starry Night All are invited to Painting with a Twist in East Longmeadow for this creave oung. Contact Vera Denyko for more informaon.
December 16 Come and join us for Music Sunday on December 16! We will be featuring our Bell Choir, who will perform the Introit and "The Gi of Love." Our Chancel Choir will perform "We Need a Silent Night in Here," and "I Then Shall Live" to the Finlandia tune.
The Christmas Eve service will feature a violin player and two guest singers!
At-home Advent Creang an Advent wreath at home is a simple way to connect what is happening in worship on Sunday with ritual at home. These simple prayers, used in worship, will reinforce the message of calm and bright and encourage holy play.
Family Wreath Time Together Please see page 7 for instrucons.
Christmas Eve – December 24 Candlelight Family Service at 7:00 With special music and candlelight singing. Children arrive a few minutes early to choose a costume from the manger scene and take part in the no- rehearsal retelling of the story where we all “hear” the
T M M
Calm and Bright
This year is the 200th anniversary of the debut of "Silent Night, Holy Night." This beloved hymn sung by candlelight on
Christmas Eve speaks beyond it’s once-a-year appearance. Something myscal occurs as we light our candles and sing the hope of "all is calm, all is bright"–peace and light for the world. We join with hundreds of other churches to celebrate the carol's message over the enre season of Advent and highlight its call for our lives that can guide us all year long.
Manger Missions Instead of a book study this year during the hecc holiday season, we are building blessing baskets to bring bright light into our com- munity. As we make room for baby Jesus in the manger we re- member how the adult Jesus calls us to love our neighbor as our- selves . . . so we’re collecng for:
Public Servants – Firefighters, Police and City Hall Bring in treats (think about the kind that have a shelf life) like “kind” bars, chips, dried fruit, etc. Our kids have already made the appreciaon notes that go with our offerings. Avoid gi cards because these are frowned on –there are ethics rules restricng gis of monetary value.
Protein for Lile Ones Bring in peanut buer, canned tuna fish, etc for the Springfield Open Pan- try.
Warmth for Piggy Wiggies Collecng warm socks for homeless.
Mien Tree Collecng hats and miens for the children served by Grey House and beyond.
Giving Tree You can give a donation to Global Missions of the United Methodist Church, to Open Hearts Ministries in West Virginia or to our monthly meal preparaon for Loaves and Fishes in Springfield. (see page 3). Whatever mission you’re involved in this December don’t forget to share your efforts on social media using hashtags #BeALight
SAVE the DATE W P R
October 4-6, 2019 (yes, we're planning that far ahead because the retreat center books up quickly and we need at least 15 who will commit to aending in order to make the retreat possible).
Who should come? ANY and all people interested in planning worship for the coming year and Worship Team members (past, present, future).
We need those who are dramatic types, visual types, musical folks, those who can think like our youngest disciples, those who want to connect worship with mission and social jusce work, introverts, extroverts. We all have different learning styles and ways of being in the world and we like to make sure our sensory-rich worship connects with all the various types (maybe not every Sunday but with regularity we want everyone to connect with the spirit in their preferred mode).... so we like lots of feedback and voices in our planning.
In the past, this team has been responsible for creang some of the most powerful and creave worship series that have drawn in members and visitors alike. They have wrien original dramas, hung dramac overhead art in- stallations, written powerful liturgy, created sand mandalas, designed a labyrinth, discerned the needs of the congregation and ways to address those needs through worship series.
They've created a trufalo tree forest, a Dickens Christmas village complete with electric train, and a broken mosaic communion table. They have opened us to new ways of praying, introduced Taize music, exciting communion liturgies, connected us to ancient & tradional styles of worship and created space for community witnesses.
They have provided frayed knots, beach glass pendants, keys, back scratchers, etc. to help deepen a theological point and remind you of the experience.
Guard this weekend jealously. Let the office know if you'd like to aend.
T M M 6
W P
L F
The Loaves and Fishes team meets diligently At 8:30 a.m. on the third Wednesday of each month to prepare a hearty meal in our church kitchen, which is then later served at an area soup kitchen.
Volunteers are needed to help with the food preparaon.
Also, because so many are in need of this service, the cost of the monthly meal ingredients is approximately $180/mo. This is not a funded item in our church budget but an im- portant mission that we’ve supported for many years.
If you are able to donate toward the cost of the meal, please write a check to ELUMC with “Loaves & Fishes” on the memo line.
Denise Evans, Kelly Greene, Chris Hutchinson, Tom McGowan and Rick Marcil exchange ideas at the Worship Planning Retreat held
recently at the Bethany House of Prayer in Arlington.
Hi everyone,
We are very excited about our December “Calm and Bright” series, based on the 200th anniversary of Silent Night. We will be focusing on the themes of Peace, Joy, Love, and Hope.
In January we will be featuring our “Gospel Goes to Broadway” series, which we gave a preview for on Novem- ber 4 with “Somewhere” from West Side Story.
Grace and Peace, Rick
from His great variety of SPIRITUAL GIFTS
Use them well to serve one another.” 1 Peter 4:10
T M M
F A W T T
Each week or each day, whenever your family gets together (maybe at mealme), invite your child to light the candles and talk about that week’s focus using one or more of
the quesons/acvies below, or come up with your own.
Start by telling (or asking) your child which week it is - peace, joy, love, or hope, and let them find that candle.
Light the candle(s) for the previous weeks and the current week. Encourage your child to light the candle themselves.
As you light the candle, you can say: “Peace is born.” the following weeks, say “Peace is born, Joy is born,” and so on, adding the new candle each week.
Aer the candles are lit, you can say this response together (the same response said in worship):
Fill us with your peace and light, make the world so calm and bright.
Then ask one of the suggested quesons below for that week. Let your child answer and give them me to ponder. You can also share your thoughts as well.
Depending on your child’s age and aenon span (or just depending on the day they’ve had) this can be a me of profound conversaon, or it could be a me, well, less than profound. When the laer happens, it is ok - give grace in the moment and don’t be discouraged. This ritual is all about meeng them where they are, and that day they may just not be there. Don’t push them to respond to quesons, but maybe offer a quick thought or example, then go ahead and move to the closing prayer. Come back to it again tomorrow. The repeon and roune of this ritual me together will help with their understanding and can open reflecon.
When you talk about the queson “who needs peace, joy, love, hope light)?” You can invite your child to say with you the prayer we use in worship this season:
Wrap them in hour live so ght, Guide them with your holy light.
As a close to this me together, invite your child to pray this prayer with you © www.worshipdesignstudio.com
July 19-29,2019
You Are Invited!
All youth and young adults between the ages of 16 and 30 are invited to join a life-changing pilgrimage to Taizé, France, a place which is filled with deep Christian spirituality and broad ecumenism. This week-long experience will be led by Bishop Sudarshana Devadhar.
Discover an inner peace as you meet Jesus through simple living where He is waing for you. Prayer, singing, Bible reflecon, and sharing are some of the opportunies the Taizé experience provides to deepen the relaonship between your faith and all aspects of your life. The pilgrimage will help to fulfill the mission of our Conference and churches—to make disciples for Jesus Christ who are commied to sharing the gospel, in word and deed, throughout the world.
Go to hp://www.neumc.org/taizepilgrimage for more informaon.
Applicaon deadline is January 15, 2019.
Let the office know if you're interested
SAFE SANCTUARY
East Longmeadow United Methodist Church 215 Somers Road, STE 2
East Longmeadow, MA 01028-2998
www.elumc.org
8:30 a.m. – Bible Study for Jr./Sr. High & Adults
10:00 a.m. – Worship & Kid Zone (pre-schoolers through Grade 5) Professional child care is provided for “Cribs & Creepers”/“Toddlers & Twos.”
11:15 a.m. – Fellowship Time
The Methodist Messenger is a journal of the ministry of The East Longmeadow United Methodist Church. Open hearts. Open minds. Open doors.
The deadline for ordering Christmas poinsettias is:
Sunday, December 9, 2018
Please make checks payable to: “ELUMC” and write “Christmas Flowers” in the memo section. (Payment by check would be appreciated.) You may place your order in the offering plate, leave it in the church office, or mail it to the office prior to the deadline. The cost of each poinsettias is $9.00.
I would like to order _____ (number) poinsettia plants for the sanctuary on Christmas Eve.
Given by:________________________________________________________________________
PLEASE PICK UP YOUR PLANT(S) AFTER THE CHRISTMAS EVE SERVICE.
For the on-line church calendar follow this link:
http://57650311.view-events.com/
The Open and Affirming Team Invites You to Movie Night on January 4!
The ONA Team of First Church UCC in Longmeadow invites everyone to see the movie
“Normal” on Friday, January 4 at 6pm in the Buxton Room. We will have pizza and popcorn,
view the movie, and hopefully have a little time for discussion afterwards.
An official selection at the 2003 Sundance Film Festival, this HBO Films production
adapted by Jane Anderson from her acclaimed play “Looking for Normal” mixes humor,
drama, and tenderness in telling the story of a seemingly "normal" Midwestern factory
worker who stuns his family and community by revealing that he wants a sex change
operation.
Roy Applewood (Tom Wilkinson), after fainting on the night of their 25th marriage
anniversary, shocks his wife Irma (Jessica Lange) by revealing plans to transition into
being out as a woman and change her name to Ruth. While Ruth tries to keep the
family together, Irma's initial reaction is to separate from her. Patty Ann (Hayden
Panettiere), their daughter, is more accepting, but Wayne (Joseph Sikora), their son,
struggles with the transition. He mocks Ruth after receiving an explanation letter.
Come join us for an enjoyable and informative evening to start off our new year!
Please let the church office (567-6287) know you are coming so that we may have
enough food for all.
Nicholas chapel in Oberndorf bei Salzburg, Austria. The melody, by composer Franz Gruber is instantly recognizable from the first few notes, and the original text by Joseph Mohr has been translated from the original German into over 140 languages. In 1914, just four years shy of the 100th anniversary of “Silent Night,” the soldiers fighng World War I along the Western Front held a ceasefire in some areas out of mutual respect for the holiday. Members from opposing sides exchanged gis and stories with one another, played games, and sang Christmas carols together including the beloved hymn “Silent Night.” Today, churches all over the world gather together each year on Christmas Eve to light candles, sing “Silent Night,” and parcipate in a meless tradion of inimitable ritual power.
At the me when our communies, our churches, and our world are torn and divided about many issues of cultural contenon, perhaps this Christmas could be a me of ceasefire from our own sources of conflict. Perhaps this year, we will raise our voices in song to celebrate the birth of Christ with spirits of peace and love that transcends all barriers.
This does not mean we advocate for the silencing of anyone whose voice needs to be heard–
especially those on the margins in need of economic, social, and polical jusce. Rather, the silence may help us to listen, hearing those voices more clearly and drawing us to hear Jesus’ cry in them.
Our children’s messages will center around our capacity to soothe a crying baby as we claim our agency to be a part of the soothing of humanity and to bring the gis we have to the manger of Jesus Christ –
Emmanuel – God-with-us, cradle of hope. The Manger Missions will be a visual representaon of our efforts to soothe the region.
Just as the people yearned for God’s presence in the social and polical context into which Jesus was born, we need God’s guiding light for our me. The image of the star reveals God’s guidance, and it’s presence throughout our space will invite us to look for ways to shine this season.
For those accustomed to an Advent without Christmas carols, this year’s Calm & Bright series may seem irregular as each of the four Sundays
in Advent will feature a verse of “Silent Night.” And there’s a song wrien for our series that even our children have learned–we’ll have a chance to hear our choirs as part of a naonal video singing “We Need a Silent Night In Here.”
Our prayer is as we sing of God’s presence, we move in God’s light. (See page 5 for Advent opportunies) –Worship Design Studio
December 2018 (2nd edion) P h
o to
b y
Fr ed
G ag
n o
2
Special health concerns: Bev & Hank Kalloch, Little Ford, Ellen Marcil, Jes- sie Grabowski, Phyllis Rathbun, Rich- ard MacGovern, undergoing cancer treatment.
Dot Buzelle - Redstone
Paul Willer - Reeds Landing
As the office will be closed between Christmas and the New Year, the for the J Methodist Messenger will be Dec. 10th. If you plan to have an article in
that issue, please submit it by the deadline.
P O W F
Each of us can help the denominaon find its
way into a more inclusive, jusce-loving way for- ward. EVERY day for just 3 minutes we're praying for the United Methodist gathering on February 23-26, 2019 in St. Louis, MO. Set a reminder so that every day from 2:23- 2:26 we can come together in prayer (wherever you are) for the kind of church we're commied to creang--one with truly open hearts, open minds and open doors.
Open hearts Open mind Open doors
S JFON C A C D
The Springfield JFON Clinic hosted a Dinner & Silent Auction event on November 10th at Trinity
UMC. Jusce for Our Neighbors (JFON’s) works to provide
legal services to immigrants and refugees.
ELUMC parcipants at the event included Jim & Lois Harris, Tom & Joan McGowan, John & Julie Dunlop, Carol Derouin and Marcia Rintoul.
Marcia wanted to share some of her thoughts on this special event:
I just wanted to thank everyone at the East Longmeadow United Methodist Church for inving me to be a part of the annual dinner and silent aucon for Jusce for Our Neighbors. It was truly inspiraonal to hear about the work that this group is doing, as well as the lives that are being transformed with their help. In this very difficult polical me, it is so important to remember that, “All God’s people maer.”
Marcia Rintoul
Tom & Joan McGowan check in at the JFON Dinner
N S B Thank you to Jim & Lois Harris
who donated a snow blower for the parsonage and to Sco Grabowski and Paul Kinney who bought a used one for the church.
Thank you Diane Hemingway
and Dorothy Allain for your help in giving the kitchen a thorough cleaning.
Thanks also to Sco Grabowski, John Dunlop & John Ketcham for their assistance recently in removing Rev Kelly’s old desk and moving a slightly beer desk into her office.
T M M
3
G O Here are a few opportunities for you to show your generosity during this season of giving:
E Y F W M
Please make your generous 2nd-mile gis NOW so we can support the varied & important ministries of United Methodists around the globe.
T M T
Deck the tree with hats & mittens. You are invited to donate hats & gloves for the mien tree (knied by your own hand or not). Scarves & socks are also needed items. Donaons to the mien tree will be sent to Open Heart Ministries in West Virginia and to the Grey House in Springfield.
S E G - T G T
You can give a donaon to Global Missions of the United Methodist Church, to Open Hearts Ministries in West Virginia or to Loaves and Fishes (for our monthly meal preparaon) in Spring- field. Simply remove a card from the tree and send a donaon of any amount you wish to ELUMC. Please speci- fy on your check the organiza- tion you want to receive your donaon, then give the card to someone on your gi list.
SOUP’S ON The Mission Shares marketplace will be open in the fellowship hall aer the worship service Sunday, December 9th. A variety of homemade soups and baked goods
will be available for purchase; sales will help support ongoing missions programs and services of the United
Methodist Church. 'Hope to see you there.
Calling all folks who want to help us create sensory-rich worship in the coming year. There will be a
mini-worship planning retreat Saturday, January 26, 9:00 am - 3:00 pm at the Hutchinsons.
Let the church office know if you can aend.
Interfaith Coffee and Conversaons Every Tuesday
9:30 - 10:30 am, unl June 4, 2019
A weekly drop-in gathering at Starbucks in the Longmeadow Shops anchored by Pastor Marisa of First Church of Christ in Longmeadow, UCC and joined each week by different area interfaith clergy.
Come by for a private chat, a group queson, or a connecon with a cup and a faith presence!
See you there!
S O?
A wide range of flavors are available in a variety of sizes
including cupcakes.
Best of all, sales benefit Mission Shares.
Please see Vance Gagnon or email [email protected]
for more informaon and to place an order. Thank you.
Have you turned in your pledge for 2019?
We've received 43 pledges so far with 3 new pledges & many who have pledged to increase their giving, so we’re just short of our goal of 52 pledges.
Can you be one of those pledges we need to fulfill our goal?
T M M
C A F
The Cray Apple Fair was held on Saturday, November 10th. The event offered everything from custom jewelry, jams & jellies, cashew brile, candles, hand craed Christmas decoraons and an excellent bake sale. It was a great place to get started with your holiday shopping. The fair was well aended and everyone had
a great me. Thanks to everyone who gave of their me and efforts to help prepare, set-up and work the day of the Cra fair. A special thank you to Sco Grabowski, Bill & Carol Johnston, Liz Gelinas, Kelly Greene, Kevin Greener, Laura Kinney, Paul Kinney, Diane Hemingway, Julie & John Dunlop, Ashlee Deziel, Fred Gagnon, Vance Gagnon, Marj Mollar, Barbara Ollson, KC Leveille, Pam Minihan, Bailey, Ivy & Theo and all the volunteers who made this event a great success.
Crafter Jammin’ Jeff Hendee sent along this note to thank everyone for making the Cray Apple Fair such a great experience for him.
Just a quick note to express my thanks to you and all the volun- teers who worked so relessly on behalf of both the vendors and the customers yesterday. I had another successful oung and hope others did also.
Best wishes to you and yours for a Happy Thanksgiving!
Jeff
Seng up for the big annual Cray Apple event with CrayMom, Gale Flood custom jewelry, Cras by Chris, Noly's Creaons and many more.
#BeAStar #ELUMCshines
Advent Pauses – Drop in “office” hours with the
pastor breathe deeply, write your Christmas Cards, listen to carols, weigh in on the Sunday scriptures (what do you think the spirit is saying to the church this Advent)
Wednesdays at 11:00 at Shelburne Falls Coffee December 5, 12, 19
Mondays at 3 in the chapel Dec 3, 10, 17, 24
December 6 – Ladies Advent Lunch & Tea RSVP to office to join us for the lovely annual me to catch up and enjoy the season
December 10 -Painng Night-“Starry Night All are invited to Painting with a Twist in East Longmeadow for this creave oung. Contact Vera Denyko for more informaon.
December 16 Come and join us for Music Sunday on December 16! We will be featuring our Bell Choir, who will perform the Introit and "The Gi of Love." Our Chancel Choir will perform "We Need a Silent Night in Here," and "I Then Shall Live" to the Finlandia tune.
The Christmas Eve service will feature a violin player and two guest singers!
At-home Advent Creang an Advent wreath at home is a simple way to connect what is happening in worship on Sunday with ritual at home. These simple prayers, used in worship, will reinforce the message of calm and bright and encourage holy play.
Family Wreath Time Together Please see page 7 for instrucons.
Christmas Eve – December 24 Candlelight Family Service at 7:00 With special music and candlelight singing. Children arrive a few minutes early to choose a costume from the manger scene and take part in the no- rehearsal retelling of the story where we all “hear” the
T M M
Calm and Bright
This year is the 200th anniversary of the debut of "Silent Night, Holy Night." This beloved hymn sung by candlelight on
Christmas Eve speaks beyond it’s once-a-year appearance. Something myscal occurs as we light our candles and sing the hope of "all is calm, all is bright"–peace and light for the world. We join with hundreds of other churches to celebrate the carol's message over the enre season of Advent and highlight its call for our lives that can guide us all year long.
Manger Missions Instead of a book study this year during the hecc holiday season, we are building blessing baskets to bring bright light into our com- munity. As we make room for baby Jesus in the manger we re- member how the adult Jesus calls us to love our neighbor as our- selves . . . so we’re collecng for:
Public Servants – Firefighters, Police and City Hall Bring in treats (think about the kind that have a shelf life) like “kind” bars, chips, dried fruit, etc. Our kids have already made the appreciaon notes that go with our offerings. Avoid gi cards because these are frowned on –there are ethics rules restricng gis of monetary value.
Protein for Lile Ones Bring in peanut buer, canned tuna fish, etc for the Springfield Open Pan- try.
Warmth for Piggy Wiggies Collecng warm socks for homeless.
Mien Tree Collecng hats and miens for the children served by Grey House and beyond.
Giving Tree You can give a donation to Global Missions of the United Methodist Church, to Open Hearts Ministries in West Virginia or to our monthly meal preparaon for Loaves and Fishes in Springfield. (see page 3). Whatever mission you’re involved in this December don’t forget to share your efforts on social media using hashtags #BeALight
SAVE the DATE W P R
October 4-6, 2019 (yes, we're planning that far ahead because the retreat center books up quickly and we need at least 15 who will commit to aending in order to make the retreat possible).
Who should come? ANY and all people interested in planning worship for the coming year and Worship Team members (past, present, future).
We need those who are dramatic types, visual types, musical folks, those who can think like our youngest disciples, those who want to connect worship with mission and social jusce work, introverts, extroverts. We all have different learning styles and ways of being in the world and we like to make sure our sensory-rich worship connects with all the various types (maybe not every Sunday but with regularity we want everyone to connect with the spirit in their preferred mode).... so we like lots of feedback and voices in our planning.
In the past, this team has been responsible for creang some of the most powerful and creave worship series that have drawn in members and visitors alike. They have wrien original dramas, hung dramac overhead art in- stallations, written powerful liturgy, created sand mandalas, designed a labyrinth, discerned the needs of the congregation and ways to address those needs through worship series.
They've created a trufalo tree forest, a Dickens Christmas village complete with electric train, and a broken mosaic communion table. They have opened us to new ways of praying, introduced Taize music, exciting communion liturgies, connected us to ancient & tradional styles of worship and created space for community witnesses.
They have provided frayed knots, beach glass pendants, keys, back scratchers, etc. to help deepen a theological point and remind you of the experience.
Guard this weekend jealously. Let the office know if you'd like to aend.
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W P
L F
The Loaves and Fishes team meets diligently At 8:30 a.m. on the third Wednesday of each month to prepare a hearty meal in our church kitchen, which is then later served at an area soup kitchen.
Volunteers are needed to help with the food preparaon.
Also, because so many are in need of this service, the cost of the monthly meal ingredients is approximately $180/mo. This is not a funded item in our church budget but an im- portant mission that we’ve supported for many years.
If you are able to donate toward the cost of the meal, please write a check to ELUMC with “Loaves & Fishes” on the memo line.
Denise Evans, Kelly Greene, Chris Hutchinson, Tom McGowan and Rick Marcil exchange ideas at the Worship Planning Retreat held
recently at the Bethany House of Prayer in Arlington.
Hi everyone,
We are very excited about our December “Calm and Bright” series, based on the 200th anniversary of Silent Night. We will be focusing on the themes of Peace, Joy, Love, and Hope.
In January we will be featuring our “Gospel Goes to Broadway” series, which we gave a preview for on Novem- ber 4 with “Somewhere” from West Side Story.
Grace and Peace, Rick
from His great variety of SPIRITUAL GIFTS
Use them well to serve one another.” 1 Peter 4:10
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F A W T T
Each week or each day, whenever your family gets together (maybe at mealme), invite your child to light the candles and talk about that week’s focus using one or more of
the quesons/acvies below, or come up with your own.
Start by telling (or asking) your child which week it is - peace, joy, love, or hope, and let them find that candle.
Light the candle(s) for the previous weeks and the current week. Encourage your child to light the candle themselves.
As you light the candle, you can say: “Peace is born.” the following weeks, say “Peace is born, Joy is born,” and so on, adding the new candle each week.
Aer the candles are lit, you can say this response together (the same response said in worship):
Fill us with your peace and light, make the world so calm and bright.
Then ask one of the suggested quesons below for that week. Let your child answer and give them me to ponder. You can also share your thoughts as well.
Depending on your child’s age and aenon span (or just depending on the day they’ve had) this can be a me of profound conversaon, or it could be a me, well, less than profound. When the laer happens, it is ok - give grace in the moment and don’t be discouraged. This ritual is all about meeng them where they are, and that day they may just not be there. Don’t push them to respond to quesons, but maybe offer a quick thought or example, then go ahead and move to the closing prayer. Come back to it again tomorrow. The repeon and roune of this ritual me together will help with their understanding and can open reflecon.
When you talk about the queson “who needs peace, joy, love, hope light)?” You can invite your child to say with you the prayer we use in worship this season:
Wrap them in hour live so ght, Guide them with your holy light.
As a close to this me together, invite your child to pray this prayer with you © www.worshipdesignstudio.com
July 19-29,2019
You Are Invited!
All youth and young adults between the ages of 16 and 30 are invited to join a life-changing pilgrimage to Taizé, France, a place which is filled with deep Christian spirituality and broad ecumenism. This week-long experience will be led by Bishop Sudarshana Devadhar.
Discover an inner peace as you meet Jesus through simple living where He is waing for you. Prayer, singing, Bible reflecon, and sharing are some of the opportunies the Taizé experience provides to deepen the relaonship between your faith and all aspects of your life. The pilgrimage will help to fulfill the mission of our Conference and churches—to make disciples for Jesus Christ who are commied to sharing the gospel, in word and deed, throughout the world.
Go to hp://www.neumc.org/taizepilgrimage for more informaon.
Applicaon deadline is January 15, 2019.
Let the office know if you're interested
SAFE SANCTUARY
East Longmeadow United Methodist Church 215 Somers Road, STE 2
East Longmeadow, MA 01028-2998
www.elumc.org
8:30 a.m. – Bible Study for Jr./Sr. High & Adults
10:00 a.m. – Worship & Kid Zone (pre-schoolers through Grade 5) Professional child care is provided for “Cribs & Creepers”/“Toddlers & Twos.”
11:15 a.m. – Fellowship Time
The Methodist Messenger is a journal of the ministry of The East Longmeadow United Methodist Church. Open hearts. Open minds. Open doors.
The deadline for ordering Christmas poinsettias is:
Sunday, December 9, 2018
Please make checks payable to: “ELUMC” and write “Christmas Flowers” in the memo section. (Payment by check would be appreciated.) You may place your order in the offering plate, leave it in the church office, or mail it to the office prior to the deadline. The cost of each poinsettias is $9.00.
I would like to order _____ (number) poinsettia plants for the sanctuary on Christmas Eve.
Given by:________________________________________________________________________
PLEASE PICK UP YOUR PLANT(S) AFTER THE CHRISTMAS EVE SERVICE.
For the on-line church calendar follow this link:
http://57650311.view-events.com/
The Open and Affirming Team Invites You to Movie Night on January 4!
The ONA Team of First Church UCC in Longmeadow invites everyone to see the movie
“Normal” on Friday, January 4 at 6pm in the Buxton Room. We will have pizza and popcorn,
view the movie, and hopefully have a little time for discussion afterwards.
An official selection at the 2003 Sundance Film Festival, this HBO Films production
adapted by Jane Anderson from her acclaimed play “Looking for Normal” mixes humor,
drama, and tenderness in telling the story of a seemingly "normal" Midwestern factory
worker who stuns his family and community by revealing that he wants a sex change
operation.
Roy Applewood (Tom Wilkinson), after fainting on the night of their 25th marriage
anniversary, shocks his wife Irma (Jessica Lange) by revealing plans to transition into
being out as a woman and change her name to Ruth. While Ruth tries to keep the
family together, Irma's initial reaction is to separate from her. Patty Ann (Hayden
Panettiere), their daughter, is more accepting, but Wayne (Joseph Sikora), their son,
struggles with the transition. He mocks Ruth after receiving an explanation letter.
Come join us for an enjoyable and informative evening to start off our new year!
Please let the church office (567-6287) know you are coming so that we may have
enough food for all.