Christmas Reclaimed

What are your expectations for the Christmas holiday this year? I look for-ward to seeing the decorations on homes, to hearing the music of the season, special music at church and in concerts. I enjoy the UMW Christmas luncheon and the gathering of the staff which I host at my house. I love the scriptures of the season and hearing them float on the music of Handel’s Messiah. I will look forward to family gatherings and to the Christmas Eve communion with the church family. What I do not look forward to are all the extra tasks: the list making, the shopping and the questions of what to buy and for how much, the stressed relationships, and the exhaustion. Sometimes, it seems it is just too much of a good thing.

Mike Slaughter in his book, Christmas Is Not Your Birthday, says that Christmas has been hijacked. He goes on: Overspending, overeating, materialism, and busyness rob us of our peace and joy and rob us of Jesus at the center of our celebration. Honestly, our event- packed Decembers have little to do with the simplicity and poverty of Jesus’ birth. We give lip service to putting Christ back in Christmas and then continue in a frenzy of activity and gift buying. Slaughter suggests, however, that for Christmas to be reclaimed we will need to act differently. Further, for there to be transformation in our observance of Christmas, it will require the work of the Holy Spirit within us and our willingness to be changed.

Grace-filled, passionate, and striving are key words in our vision as a congregation. This December, we will strive to practice a new kind of Christmas preparation and celebration. First, I will challenge you to set aside a portion of what you intend to spend on Christmas and give it away in Christ’s name. Your set aside gift may become part of the Bread Pan and Christmas Eve offerings for victims of Hurricane Sandy in the US,

Haiti, and the Caribbean. There will be an Angel Tree, Salvation Army Tree, baby blankets, and other ways to give gifts honoring the Christ Child as well. Secondly, we will be invited to reflect on our usual Christmas customs and celebrations. Do these events and festivities honor Jesus’ call to love our neighbors and care for those in need? How might your Christmas preparations be made simpler or more focused on gifts of time and love? How might you include someone new in your celebration? For example, in early December, the UMW offers an opportunity to take a gift to a shut-in or you might join us for caroling on the home bound on December 16, or for our outreach ‘off campus’ on Christmas Eve. Third, let us challenge the frenzy of the season with prayer. Each day in December, light a candle, use an Advent devotional, and pray. The ancient tradition of the Church was that Advent, the four weeks before December 25, would be a season of repentance and prayer.

Our vision is that as a congregation, we are on a mission for God. In the Christmas season, we will focus on what really matters: faith, family, friends and service. May God’s transforming Spirit be at work in our lives, and through us, in the world.

My prayer is that you may know the joy, love and peace of Christ, in this season and always. -Pastor Lynn

Church Events, Caring

Ministry, Birthdays

2 & 3

Nurture Ministry 4 & 5

Outreach Ministry, UMW,

Finance, Kerstmarkt

6 & 7

New member information 8

Youth Ministry, calendar 9

Inside this issue:

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December 2012

Come join the Lunch Bunch on Sundays following the 10:45 a.m. service. We will gather at the Good Shepherd window to get a head count and head out to a local

restaurant. All ages are welcome to join including singles, couples, and families. Check the bulletin for the days’ location or contact David Newton.

Epsilon will meet Wednesday, December 19th, 11:30a.m. at Beechwood Inn. Please call Dave or Dorothea 392-3493 by December 17th for reservations.

will be meeting at the church on December 6 at 1:30 pm for the John Benson Christmas Tea. All senior members of the church are invited to this special event which is being underwritten by John’s memorial gift to Care Ministries. Please RSVP to Sharon Rocker at 392-1966 before December 1.

The Kids in Tow group will have an adults only Christmas dinner on December 8. Please watch your email for your evite.

Book Club— For December, we will be discussing Catfish Alley by Lynne Bryant. This is a moving debut novel about female friendship, endurance and hope in the South. Read the book and join us Monday, December 10, 6:30 in the Conference Room.

The Care Team would appreciate it if you know you are going to be in the hospital that you let the church office know so a visit can be made. Also if you are admitted to the hospital, please put your church affiliation on the form so the team knows you are there!

The deadline for article submissions for the January Focus is December 13-please note early dead-line. Please email articles to mhaney@fumcholland.org by that date or earlier. If a hard copy must be used, please bring to main office by that date also. If you would prefer not receiving the Focus in the mail, please let Marj Haney know at mhaney@fumcholland.org.

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Happening this Month

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The Meet’N’Eat Singles Group will gather at Salt & Pepper, 11539 East Lakewood Boulevard on Thursday, December 13 at 6 p.m. for our annual Christmas dinner. All singles are welcome to attend. Please make

reservations with David Newton at 396-5205 by Decem-ber 12.

Holiday Events

We will be hosting a Blue Christmas Service, Sunday, December 9 at 2 p.m. early in Advent by the Good Shepherd Window for people who know that this Christmas will be a hard one, either because they have had a death in the family, a loss or broken relationship or because of painful memories of Christmases past. The service will include candle lighting, scripture readings, and music that give full expression to both sorrow and the longing for hope. Christmas is for everyone, espe-cially those who are in deep darkness, for on them the light has shined, too!

A fun-filled Holly Jolly Christmas Celebration waits all for the annual Christmas Green Room on Friday, De-cember 14 at 7 p.m. in Fellowship Hall. Numerous vo-calists from our church are busy preparing Christmas music both secular and sacred. Join in the fun with a holiday sing-a-long of your Christmas favorites; old and new Christmas music; a few surprises as well as meeting friends will add to your holiday celebration. Bring a friend, neighbor or family member as well as a Christmas treat or desert to share. Coffee and other hot beverages will be available.

Join in the Christmas Caroling fun on Sun-day, December 16. Our youth will have pre-pared delicious cookies for you to hand out and help with our important shut-in minis-try. Your voice and presence is needed to

make this annual holiday event a memorable part of our congregation’s Christmas celebration. Join us for soup to warm your souls at 5 p.m. in Fellowship Hall and then we’ll leave in groups at 6 p.m. to carol. Words to the carols are provided and we love all ages from 1 to 92 to join in song!

Worship Times and Topics for December Sunday Morning 8:30 and 10:45

Pastor Lynn Pier-Fitzgerald, preaching

CHRISTMAS RECLAIMED

December 2 “Changing Our Expectations” Jeremiah 33: 14-16 Luke 21: 25-36 The Lord’s Supper

December 9 “Favored, Not Perfect” Malachi 3: 1-4 Luke 1: 68-79

December 16 “Scandalous Love” Isaiah 12:2-6 Luke 3: 15-18

December 23 “Jesus’ Wish List” Micah 5: 2-5 Luke 1: 39-45

December 24 5:00pm Child Friendly Christmas Eve Worship 7pm and 11pm Christmas Eve Worship with Holy Communion “Ordinary People on a Mission for God” Luke 2: 1-20

December 30 “What Are You Wearing?” I Samuel 2:18-21 Colossians 3:12-17 Rev. Jan Lancaster, preaching

Happy Birthday Wishes! Please be in prayer for these congregation members and friends...

Notes of appreciation received since the last Focus:

Lee Strebel wrote: Thank you for all of the cards, meals, cookies and other treats. Bust most of all thank you for your prayers! I’m sure that your care has helped speed my recovery from my foot surgery. God bless you all! Pastor Lynn wrote: Thank you for all the cards, pray-ers, food and gestures of concern following my knee surgery. You are a blessing.

Shari Moore wrote: Thank you to everyone for your prayers, cards and love during this difficult time for our family. Lois Mitchell wrote: I would like to extend a thank you to the United Methodist Women for the flowers, and to the knitting group who make the lovely shawl I received while in the hospital. My thanks also to Sharon Rocker for her visits and her words of comfort. God bless you all.

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Caring Ministry

Sharon Rocker, Director of Visitation Ministry (ext. 13)

These friends are celebrating at least their 85th birthday this month. Please extend your well wishes!

December 18 Maxine Klinesteker 361 Evergreen Drive Holland MI 49424 23 Paul Klomparens 800 Clarewood Ct. Holland MI 49423

Kathy Leshner; Jim Hays; Brenda Bullard; Loretta Tiethof; Bob Jaskulski; Al and Donna Wiegerink; Joyce Buis; Pastor Lynn Pier-Fitzgerald; Lois Mitchell

Sympathy to the friends and family of Nick Thoennes (he and his wife Peggy are former mem-bers of FUMC) who passed away in North Carolina on October 25. Sympathy to Joan Musgrave and family on the death of her husband Terry on October 24. Sympathy to the family & friends of Ann Nelson who died November 8.

ing, now would be a great time to start!! We have a great time each week and would love to see more kids coming during our Jubilant Journey time. And if any grown-ups would like to try leading a class for a week, please sign up on the first floor. Thanks!

Both the Cherub and Junior Choirs will not have rehearsal Dec. 26, January 2 or 9. If you would like to join a choir, please join us on Janu-ary 16 when we will begin prepar-ing for our spring musical. Cherub Choir is for kids in the 1st-4th grades and meets on Wednesday nights at 6:30. Junior Choir is for youth 5th grade-8th grade and meets on Wednesday nights at 7:15.

their teachers to see when they are meeting.

Confirmation will only meet in December on the 16th for a field trip and will begin regular weekly meetings on January 13.

Worship Center and Bible Class will not meet on Dec. 23 or 30 but there will be a special movie event both of those Sundays for kids preschool through the 5th grade. This is be held in the lounge and begin following the Children’s Time at second service. Worship Center will begin for the new year again on January 6.

Spark Rotation for elementary kids will begin a new theme on January 6-John the Baptist and Jesus. If you haven’t been attend-

Spark Rotation

For December, we will be doing the children’s version of the all-church study “A Different Kind of Christmas”. We hope parents will join an adult small group during this time too so families can have discussions and make plans together for how you will celebrate this Christmas season.

Holiday Schedule for Classes

Because of the Christmas holiday, some classes will be taking a break. The schedule for Decem-ber will be this:

Normal classes for all ages Dec. 2-16. The toddler class and Spark Rotation will meet on Dec. 23 but not on Dec. 30. Middle and High School Youth need to check with

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Small Group Meetings

Nurture Ministry Marj Haney, Director (ext. 15) Heidi De Moss, Director of Adult Ministry

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The following small groups are offering the Advent study and have started

or will be starting soon: Coffee Klatz & Conversation Monday Morning in the lounge Led by David Newton Monday Night through Dec. 17 Marj and Tim Haney’s home Young Adult’s Bible Study Tuesdays at 5:30 in the Conf. Room Led by Pastor Lynn

Young Mom’s Bible Study Wednesday Evening in the lounge Led by Pastor Lynn These small groups continue to meet and are using other materials: Monday Night Jim Searls, leader Room 301 at 7:00 Monday Night (every other) contact Bill & Sharon Rocker Ladies Only Thursday Morning (every other ) contact Lucy Larsen

All groups are open to new people at any time. Please contact the leader or Heidi DeMoss for more information on times and places. If you would like to begin another group, see Heidi as well.

Adult Jubilant Journey Opportunities

Advent 2012

A Different Kind of Christmas Based on Mike Slaughter’s popular book Christmas

Is Not Your Birthday, our worship, offered studies, and devotions, will empower you, your family, and FUMCH to reclaim the missional meaning of Jesus’ birth. You are asked to consider setting aside a por-tion of your Christmas budget for missional giving instead of gift giv-ing. Experience a Christmas season with more peace and joy than any toy or gadget could ever bring.

Ongoing Classes Open Minds Class Where : Conference Room led by Heidi DeMoss A Different Kind of Christmas by Mike Slaughter Reclaim the missional meaning of Jesus’ birth and experience a Christ-mas season with more peace and joy than any toy or gadget could ever bring. Come experience the call of God to live generously to fulfill God’s mission in the world. Nov. 25 ~ Expect a Miracle Dec. 2 ~ Giving Up on Perfect Dec. 9 ~ Scandalous Love Dec. 16 ~ Jesus’ Wish List Dec. 23 ~ By a Different Road Dec. 30 ~ No Class Faithlinks Class Where : Filling Station contact Kathy Herrick Nov. 25 ~ No Class UMC FaithLinks material These sessions will deal with Advent and Christmas themes. Leadership

will be provided by FaithLinks mem-bers. Dec. 2, 9, & 16 ~ Advent FaithLinks materials Dec. 23 ~ No Class Dec. 30 ~ No Class Pastor Lynn’s Class Where : Lounge Sermon based Discussions Pastor Lynn will lead group discus-sion on the scripture text for the day. This will correspond with the wor-ship for the day. During Advent, the scriptures used will support the themes found in Mike Slaughter’s study A Different Kind of Christmas. Nov. 25 ~ Christ the King Sunday Dec. 2, 9, 16, 23 ~ Advent Dec. 30 ~ No Class Fellowship Space Coffee and Conversation Where : East end of Fellowship Hall What : A time to gather and visit with each other, or just relax and refresh. Copies of the newspaper are present, as well as coffee, tea, and often some light refreshments.

Individual Devotions for Advent

A Different Kind of Christmas: De-votions for the Season by Mike Slaughter Intended to be used from the begin-ning of Advent, this devotional has thirty individual days of scripture, readings, stories, and prayers. Only 78 pages, over five-weeks, takes you through the Advent and Christmas season. If you are interested in a

copy of this devotional, please speak to Marj or Heidi. Other things of interest... Early Methodist Medicine Interested in history? Do you know how awful conditions were for the early Methodists in England? Do you know that John Wesley, the pri-mary founder of Methodism, wrote a self-help health care book called "Primitive Physick"? "Primitive" meant basic or simple, and "physick" meant medical or health care. He wrote it for the poor, and it was the best selling book of its kind in the 18th century. Pastor Jan is working on new research in early Methodist medical care as part of her seminary studies. Check out her blog at http://primitivephysick.blogspot.com/ Eventually, she will teach a Sunday School class, publish a webpage, and publicly present at her seminary about this fascinating topic. Our Rev. Jan Lancaster has been approved by the Board of Ordina-tion of the West Michigan Confer-ence for full ordination as a deacon in the UMC. A UMC deacon is a clergy called to work to bridge the church and the world. She acts as clergy in the world through her work as a nurse, and will continue to serve as our Associate Pastor for Congregational Care.

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Outreach Ministry Tracy Garrett, Director (ext. 11)

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Celebrate Jesus’ Birthday!

Please prayerfully consider your ability to reach out to oth-ers through these great opportunities for service and giving.

The Salvation Army - Angel Tree Program

Donors can pick up Angel “tags” or ornaments that are printed with an Angel’s name, age, gender, clothing sizes, shoe size, gift requests and a code number. The donor pur-chases individual gifts and returns them to our church.

The Angel Tree

Donors can pick up Angel tags completed by the incarnated parent with gift suggestions.

The donor purchases the individual gifts and return them to the Angel Tree here at our church.

Flood Buckets

Donors can fill a 5-gallon bucket with cleaning supplies to help with the Hurricane Sandy recovery efforts.

Completed buckets or bulk items from the content list can be brought to the church through December 30.

5-gallon bucket with re-sealable lid Buckets from restau-rants or bakeries are ok if washed and cleaned.

liquid laundry detergent Two 25 oz. or one 50 oz. bottles only.

liquid household cleaner 12-16 oz. liquid cleaner that can be mixed with water. No spray cleaners.

dish soap 16-28 oz. bottle, any brand.

1 can air-freshener Aerosol or pump.

1 insect repellant spray 6 - 14 oz. aerosol spay or pump with protective cover.

1 handheld scrub brush Plastic or wooden handle. No toilet brushes, kitchen, or dish brushes.

18 cleaning wipes Handi-wipes or reusable wipes. No terry-cloth cleaning towels.

7 sponges No cellulose sponges due to mold issue.

5 scouring pads No Brillo, SOS pads, or any kind that will rust.

50 clothespins

Clothesline Two 50ft. or one 100ft.cotton or plastic.

24-roll heavy duty trash bags 30 - 45 gallon size.

5 dust masks

2 pair disposable kitchen gloves Rubber or latex.

1 pair work gloves Leather palm needed.

Bread Pan Offering on Sunday, December 16, and our Christmas Eve Offering on Monday, December 24, will support the recovery efforts in the wake of Hurricane Sandy.

This storm devastated areas of Haiti, Cuba, Unit-ed States, and other countries in the Caribbean. United Methodist Committee on Relief is aiding in the recovery and clean-up efforts. 100% of donations to UMCOR will di-rectly support recovery efforts - no funds are held back for overhead or administrative costs. Please prayerfully consid-er sharing your financial blessings on December 16 & 24.

Recycling is resuming!

We have found a new place that will take Styrofoam and batteries for recycling and so will begin taking

yours again on Sunday, December 2, and every first and third Sunday to follow. All items must be clean! Do not to bring items during the week - we have no place to store it.

Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! You have generously supported our special offerings in November.

Communion Offering (November 4) in support of Haiti Hot Lunch (an ongoing feeding program of Michigan Area UMCs), your gifts totaled $283.94.

Bread Pan Offering (November 18) in support of Commu-nity Action House, your gifts totaled $1991.07.

You also donated one and a half pallets full of food to the pantries of Community Action House.

And Kids in Tow filled 15 “care boxes” with cleaning and hygiene products to be distributed at the Holland Rescue Mission’s Thanksgiving banquet. What a wonderful hands on experience of generosity by the kids and their parents! Thank you all for sharing God’s blessings!

Kids in Tow is group of young families who gather monthly for family friendly activities. Your family with young chil-dren is welcome join us, contact Tania Dozeman (566.4165) or Kendra Gerlach (834.1755).

United Methodist Women

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Finance Update Liz Travis, Treasurer (ext. 12)

This holiday season we thank everyone who has supported FUMC Holland this past year with their time, talent and financial contributions and look forward to support from all of our members in the year ahead.

As the pace of life speeds up, especially around the holidays, you may find electronic giving a good way to make contributions. The church uses Vanco Services and some members send checks from their banks. If you need a convenient way to make regular offerings, we encourage you to check out electronic giving options. Please contact the church office for more infor-mation.

Have an enjoyable holiday season and thank you again for your contributions to FUMC.

Big thank you to our church for all your support for the Bazaar. With all of us working together it was a big success financially and socially. We had a good time and our guests seemed to enjoy the day. The calendar for the month of December: Kertsmarkt continues at the Civic Center; Nov. 30, 3 - 8pm; Dec.1, 9am - 5pm; Dec.7, 3 - 8 pm; Dec.8, 9am - 5pm. Come to shop and enjoy the food booth. Dec. 7; The Christmas Luncheon will be held at the Church at 11:30. Paid reservations of $10 are due by Nov. 30. We will welcome Creative Concepts Cater-ing for the roasted turkey dinner with home made pies

from the Hope Circle. Rachel Searls choir from Black River will serenade us during lunch. Carol Myers will present a program on the History and Importance of Saint Nicholas. Hope Circle is our service group for the month of De-cember.

FUMC of Holland at the Kerstmarkt!

Don’t miss the 15th Annual Holland Friends of Art Kerstmarkt at the 8th Street Marketplace (Civic Center) during the holiday season. Sixteen vendors offer unique gifts and food items from charming wooden booths un-der the canopies. Once again we will be offering our famous pigs-in-a-blanket as well as soups, hot dogs, mettwurst, hot chocolate, hot apple cider, desserts and other weekly specials.

Hours for the rest of Kerstmarkt are: Friday, Dec. 7 3-8 and Saturdays Dec 1 & 8 9-5.

The United Methodist Women (Booth #13) will be of-fering our famous Pigs-in-the-Blanket, authentic Dutch pea soup, Jane’s award-winning white chicken chili, hot dogs, Dutch style metwurst, hot chocolate and apple

cider and other weekly specials. All proceeds will benefit mission projects throughout the year.

Our Youth Groups will be helping, again, this year and will also be in charge of the work schedule. They will be calling past Kerstmarkt volunteers but you may also call them to help support this church wide event. A per-centage of the proceeds will be shared with the youth to fund their projects.

We’re looking for helpers, shoppers and eaters! Whatev-er you do best, join us for the fun! For more infor-mation or if you would like to help in the booth or in the kitchen, call Mary Jo Wiswedel (335-9522) or Carol Streur (399-9425).

Thanks to all who have helped so far and those who will be helping! Couldn’t do it without you!!

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Witness and Invitational Ministry Liz Travis, Director (ext. 12)

These persons were accepted into membership with us on Sunday, November 18. Please welcome them!

Carol and Gerald Hunter come to us from Collegiate United Methodist Church , Wesley Foundation, Ames, Iowa. They have retired in this area to be closer to their

daughter, her husband and grandchildren. Carol previ-ously was employed by Iowa State University as a county extension home economist. She has a BS from Iowa State & MS from Purdue both in Home Econom-ics. Gerald farmed for a living and in his education training he received a BS in Agriculture from Iowa State. They are living in Freedom Village and Pat & Jim Beals are their fellowship friends.

Vern and Louise Shumaker are transferring to us from Calvary Reformed Church, Holland, Michi-gan. They have two grown children and four grand-children. Louise received a BA from Hope College and an MA from Western Michigan University and she is now working at Hope College as a disability special-ist. She has already joined the chancel choir and her interests are horseback riding, reading, and playing chess. Vern is a sales engineer with Macaire Inc. in Grand Rapids. His hobbies are golf and woodwork-ing. Linda and Larry DenUyl are their fellowship friends.

Melissa Clutters is transferring from the FUMC of Des Plaines, IL. Melissa is a 2009 graduate of Hope College and is the general manager at AMC Theatres

(Star) here in Holland. She likes movies, pop culture, music and readying. Melissa has already joined the chancel choir, young adult study group, and has helped with the youth group. She is full of enthusiasm and we welcome her! Melissa’s fellowship friend is Kristen Beckner.

Lloyd and Cindy Helder come to us from the First United Methodist Church of Mt. Pleasant MI. They have two grown children. Lloyd is a physician, MD/pediatrics and now is employed by Censeohealth, Dal-las Texas. Lloyd enjoys fishing, walking, biking, and cross country skiing. Cindy was an RN and her inter-ests are sewing, crafts, walking and biking. She was in-volved with the bazaar this year! We welcome them; Dorothy and Jim Chamness are their fellowship friends.

Dale & Jeanine Roberts are returning to us from Lambertville UMC in Lambertville, Michigan. Dale graduated from Hope College and now works as an engineer at Magna Mirrors. Jeanine graduated from Central Michigan University, and works for Ottawa County Parks as a naturalist guide. Previously she was an environmental educator at Toledo Botanical Gar-den. They have two adult sons, John and Mark. Jeanine likes hiking, local history, bird watching, knitting, and reading. Dale enjoys sailing and hik-ing. Their fellowship friends are Tony and Ann Nieuwkoop.

Our next new member class will begin in January, please check with Liz Travis, 396-5205, ext. 12, if you are interested.

ACEH Holds Holiday Party at FUMC Dec. 8

The Alliance for Cultural and Ethnic Harmony (ACEH) is holding its annual Holiday Potluck and Cultural Sharing Party here at First United Methodist Church from 5 p.m. to 8:30 p.m., Saturday, December 8.

Everyone is welcome; invite family, friends, co-workers, and neighbors. Please bring a dish to share, maybe one from your own heritage, and a nonperishable item for a local food bank. ACEH provides beverages and table service. There will be music, entertainment, art activities, and a silent auction of items contributed by local busi-nesses, artists, and others. It's fun for all--please come!

ACEH was founded in Holland in 1999 to work for justice, equal opportunity, apprecia-tion for diversity, and cross-cultural understanding. For more information, see the web-site www.harmonyalliance.org or call 392-5086 or Ann Weller at 396-2201.

For times and locations of events and meetings each week, refer to the calendar available at our website, www.fumcholland.org on the right hand side of the page. Staff can be reached via the website by clicking on Contact Us at the top. Check out our new website!

Youth Ministry LuAnne Stanley Hook, Director (ext. 19)

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Schedule of Events

December 4 Outreach Team 7:00 PM

December 11 FUN School board 7:00 PM

December 11 Staff Parish 7:30 PM

December 17 Trustees 7:00 PM

December 18 Finance 7:00 PM

December 20 SM Supervision 7:00 PM

Each week:

Tuesday noon: Senior Meal

Thursday 7:00: Volleyball

The holidays are here, and the youth are making merry and staying busy. In the midst of our busy-ness, we are trying to share the love of Christ this holiday season. The youth of our church will be shopping for Angel Tree gifts, making cookies for shut-ins and hosting the all-church caroling in December, as well as assisting the UMW in the Kerstmarkt booth.

On January 13 we will begin our annual $10-for-10 cam-paign. Many thanks in advance for the generous support of our church family for youth missions and camp scholarships for our children and youth!

Youth Group December Schedule and into the New Year:

Help at the UMW/Youth booth at the Kerstmarkt this holi-day season, or come by and purchase some yummy goodies while you are shopping. The Kerstmarkt runs the first two weekends in December: Friday, November 30: 3pm-8pm, Saturday, December 1: 9 am - 5 pm, Friday, December 7: 3 pm - 8 pm , Saturday, December 8: 9 am - 5 pm

Sunday, December 2: Both groups, 5:30 p.m. High school-ers to bake cookies in the church kitchen. Bring your as-signed ingredients!

Sunday, December 9: Both groups 5:30-7:30 p.m. We will be celebrating Christmas together by giving to others. Eve-ryone, please bring $5 to contribute toward Angel Tree gifts that we will purchase together during youth group.

Sunday, December 16: Everyone is welcome to join the youth group as we carol to our shut-ins! A light supper will be served in Fellowship Hall, starting at 5:00 p.m. Caroling groups will then be assigned some “carolees” and will go and sing to those folks, before returning to the church by 7:30. Bring the whole family for this fun occasion to bring holiday cheer to some of our church members! Donations welcomed of Christmas cookies to share afterward.

Sunday, December 23 and December 30, No Youth Group—Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

Sunday, January 6: Youth group, 5:30-7:30. Pizza and a movie in the Eclipse for those who are back already from break. Time to recharge for the new year!

Sunday, January 13: Confirmation Class begins weekly meet-ings at 9:40 in The Well. Youth group from 5:30-7:30.

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December 2012

Pastor Rev. J. Lynn Pier-Fitzgerald

Phone: 616-393-6242

Nonprofit Org.

U.S. Postage

PAID

Holland, MI

Permit No. 445

57 W. 10th St.

Holland MI 49423

Return Service Requested

FI RST UNIT ED MET HODI ST CHURCH

Phone: 616-396-5205

December 2012

We’re On the Web

www.fumcholland.org

Poinsettia Order Form Please place in the collection plate or return to the office by Monday, December 13.

Cost: $8.50 (Please print clearly)

Donor:_______________________________ ________________________________Env.# ____

Please donate to a shut-in: Yes_____ No_____

In Memory of: ____________________________ In Tribute to: _____________________________

Poinsettia will be placed on the altar and around the sanctuary for Christmas Worship Services and will be delivered to members of our congregation who may not be able to get out as much in the winter months.

Donors may also elect to pick up their poinsettias.