December 2013

Homer United Methodist Church

UNTO YOU… Our mission is to make disciples of Jesus Christ who will minister to all creation through service

and words that heal and free.

Inside

Page 2 A Note from the Pastor

Page 3 Committee Updates

Page 4 Lectionary Readings

Page 5 December Events

Page 6 Methodist Moment

Mission Trip Musings by Ruby Nofziger

What an enriching trip this has been for Dave and me and how grateful I am to all of you who contributed to the trip in various ways. Justin Thomas from Sitka had picked up a flyer at conference and he wanted to definitely go. Soon Janice Hamrick also from Sitka came on board. Although Dave and I wanted to go we made sure that no one else wanted to take advantage of the opportunity. With three fundraisers and donations we were able to raise $5,500 to take along with us on our trip and to give to the Macatbong UMC Church at its 92nd anniversary and ground breaking for the education wing.

Justin Thomas, Janice Hamrick, Dave and I met in the Seattle airport. We traveled more than 17 hours before arriving in Manila where we were met by Pastor Fred and his wife Naomi and Rolla, their driver. Pastor Fred had a written plan that he handed to each of us. He had scheduled several things for each day, important sights that he wanted us to see including his home church, the church where he was the pastor before he came to Homer, a war memorial, a statue of Dr. Jose Rizal, a poet, who was their national hero pushing for independence from Spain, a scenic view of the volcano, and the oldest Catholic Church in the Philippines built in the 1500s. At the churches we were given lunch and welcomed by the church leaders.

Continued on Page 4

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December 2013

“Hallowthanksmas” is modern slang for the holiday season from October to December. Instead of three distinct holidays – Halloween, Thanksgiving, and Christmas – they all seem to run together in a blur of food, family, and fun. And shopping. Lots of shopping. Christmas decorations rub elbows with Halloween costumes and paper turkeys on store shelves, and it’s hard to focus on any individual holiday because we are already planning for the next.

While on the secular calendar, holidays are accordioned together into one big mass, the church calendar invites us into a different type of celebration. The season of Advent (the four Sundays before Christmas day) are a time of preparation. Much like Lent, Advent is a quiet time of centering and reflection. And frankly, a very pleasant antidote to the mad rush of Hallowthanksmas.

Advent invites us to create space in our lives. Space for prayer, space for peace, and space for anticipation. After all, sometimes the best part of receiving a gift is the wait leading up to it. We have a great gift coming, a gift that we see once as a tiny continued on page 3

Jubilation! Bells The bell choir, Jubilation! Bells, performed on Saturday, January 7, at the Nutcracker Faire. They participated in the flash mob at 2 pm. The Swing Choir began singing “White Christmas,” and gradually singers and instrumentalists began to join in until the whole crowd was singing. There was a saxophone, two cellos, the bell choir, and dozens of singers. It was a joyful way to start the holidays. Then the Jubilation! Bells played a 30 minute set of Christmas music. The crowd thoroughly enjoyed the music and responded with rousing applause. Great job, ringers!

Winter Youth Break-Away at Birchwood Camp

Registration is now open for Winter Youth Break-Away (December 27-30) at Birchwood Camp. This awesome winter camp for middle school and high school students includes four days full of worship, friends, games, sledding, snowshoeing, cross country skiing, delicious food, broom ball, snow shelter building, crafts, a sweat-prayer experience in our sweat lodge, ice skating, and more! More information about the camp and online registration is available at

www.birchwoodcamp.org/camps. Counselors are also needed for this camp; contact Marie Sweezey, Camp Director (director@birchwoodcamp.org or 907.688.2734), if you are interested in this important service opportunity.

If there is enough interest, then transportation will be provided from Homer UMC to Birchwood Camp and back. Call the office for more information (235-8528).

A Note from the Pastor

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December 2013

Committee Reports The Finance Committee welcomes the

new members Kim Cooney, Mary Fell, Tom Early and Crystal Kameroff. We thank Mari-Anne Gross for her dedication and hard work as Treasurer as she leaves this committee.

The committee is now in the process of getting the 2014 budget ready for Church Council approval.

The Benevolence Fund is being used mostly for housing during cold weather for homeless individuals and families. There is a lack of shelters and affordable housing in Homer, and the Homer UMC is one of the few organizations in town that will help people with emergency housing needs.

The bills have been paid to date, and the audit uncovered a few areas that need to be worked on before it can be completed in full. These areas are being addressed.

The Christmas Eve offering will be split between the Benevolence Fund for community assistance and the general fund. In addition, the Finance Committee encourages you to prayerfully consider making a special Christmas gift to decrease the building debt.

Choir practices Tuesdays at 5 pm and Jubilation! Bells on Wednesdays at 5. Everyone is welcome!

Continued from page 2 baby, and a gift that we will see again, as the Lord reigning over all the world.

Advent not only prepares us for Christmas, it prepares us for Christ’s Second Coming when all of creation will be renewed. In the bleak midwinter, we have the opportunity to look ahead to new life – resurrected life. We wait with joy for the boy child that we know will be born soon, and we also wait with joy for the restoration of the world.

As John the Baptist cried in the wilderness, “Prepare ye the way of the Lord!” That is the Advent invitation. How will you prepare the way of the Lord?

Peace, Pastor Lisa

https://www.facebook.com/HomerUnitedMethodistChurchAlaska

Serving on a committee of our church is an important ministry. We thank everyone who attends meetings or serves as chairperson. Most committees have their own budgets and items can be covered without problems. If your committee would like to take on a project that uses finances from the general fund, please make sure you check with the Finance Committee to assure there is funding available.

Thank you, Finance Committee

Important Announcement from the Superintendent

Dear Alaska Colleagues and Friends: There is a season for everything. Twenty-two years ago Kim and I packed our four kids into our car and trekked across the country from Ohio to Alaska. We figured we could do this mission adventure for four years. What an amazing chapter in our lives this time has been! 7.5 years at Soldotna UMC. 10 years at St. John. And 5 years as your superintendent. The time is right at this point in our lives to return to the parish. I have asked Bishop Hagiya for an appointment in either the Pacific Northwest or Oregon/Idaho conference effective July 1, 2014. The location of this appointment will be announced at a later time. Bishop Hagiya is giving prayerful thought to the appointment of your new superintendent. I encourage your prayers for all of us during this leadership transition. Until then I continue to give my full attention to our common mission to grow disciples of Jesus for the transformation of Alaska and the world.

Sincerely, Rev. Dave Beckett

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December 2013

Lectionary Readings

December 1, 2013 Isaiah 2:1-15 Romans 13:11-14 Matthew 24:36-44 December 8, 2013 Isaiah 11:1-10 Romans 15:4-13 Matthew 3:1-12 December 15, 2013 Isaiah 35:1-10 James 5:7-10 Matthew 11:2-11 December 22, 2013 Isaiah 7:10-16 Romans 1:1-7 Matthew 1:18-25 December 29, 2013 Isaiah 63:7-9 Hebrews 2:10-18 Matthew 2:13-23

Continued from page 1

Pastor Fred then took us to the poorer part of the city where the people who work at the fish dock live. Also we were able to visit the headquarters for UMCOR (United Methodist Committee on Relief) for the Philippines. The head of UMCOR told us what they were doing for the victims for the cyclone. She showed us the many bags of rice and other food that was to be given to the victims. Apparently three Methodist Churches were completely destroyed.

On Saturday we took the bus to Cabanatuan City and we were met by Pastor Elijah from the Macatbong Church along with the Council Chair, Jun. We were welcomed by a service in the afternoon, which included singing and dancing and speeches by the church leaders and all of us. We were asked to preach Sunday morning at three different places and afterwards we were invited into the homes of different members. Sunday afternoon was the three hour anniversary celebration and the ground breaking ceremony followed by a meal at the church with all the church dignitaries who came for the ground breaking service.

Monday morning we went back to Cabanatuan City to the Central City Temple UMC for a breakfast with the District Superintendent and the leaders of that church. Then we went to the Wesleyan University where the chaplain showed us the University Church. We were then taken to the University Hospital and shown around by the hospital administrator. Before heading back to Manila we met with the University President and had lunch in his presidential suite.

The first impression has to be all the traffic in Manila. One cannot get very far very fast in Manila, especially during the rush hours of the day. There may be three lanes of traffic but there seems to always be four vehicles abreast.

The people were all so welcoming, warm and friendly. At Fred’s home church the people had a meal for us and one of the young girls sang for us. It seemed that each church welcomed us with open arms and served us a meal - sometimes we had two breakfasts!

For me the heart-breaking theme was the many people who were separated from their families because one person had to go overseas to work so that the ones back home could make ends meet. Both of the persons that I sat beside going and coming on the plane were flying home because a family member was ill.

We felt that our trip was very worthwhile, and we thank you for all your contributions. Our presence was an encouragement to the churches and it certainly was an inspiration to us.

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December 2013

1 SUNDAY

9:45 Adult Sunday School 10:00 Kids’ Sunday School 11:00 Worship Potluck after worship Bowling 7:00 pm Love Feast at St. Augustine’s Episcopal Church

2 Monday 3 Tuesday

5:00 Choir 6:00 Bell rehearsal

4 Wednesday 5:00 Jubilation! Bells 5 Thursday 8:30 Men’s Breakfast

6:00 Centering Prayer and Christian Practices

6 Friday 10-6 Sugarplum Bazaar at HUMC

7 Saturday 10-6 Sugarplum Bazaar at HUMC 3:00 Jubilation! Bells perform at Nutcracker Faire

8 SUNDAY 9:45 Adult Sunday School

10:00 Kids’ Sunday School 11:00 Worship 12:00 Games with Kids

9 Monday 10 Tuesday 5:00 Choir 6:00 Finance Comm. 11 Wednesday 5:00 Jubilation! Bells 6:00 Trustees 12 Thursday

8:30 Men’s Breakfast 6:00 Centering Prayer 7:00 Exploring Christian Practices

13 Friday 14 Saturday

DECEMBER

15 SUNDAY 9:45 Adult Sunday School

10:00 Kids’ Sunday School 11:00 Worship 12:00 Games with Kids 12:00-2:00 Parsonage Open House

16 Monday 17 Tuesday 5:00 Choir 18 Wednesday

1:00 UMW Christmas Party 5:00 Jubilation! Bells

19 Thursday 8:30 Men’s Breakfast

5:30 Community Dinner 6:45 Centering Prayer

20 Friday 21 Saturday 22 SUNDAY

9:45 Adult Sunday School 10:00 Kids’ Sunday School 11:00 Worship

23 Monday 24 Tuesday 7:30 pm Christmas Eve Service 25 Wednesday MERRY CHRISTMAS! OFFICE CLOSED 26 Thursday

8:30 Men’s Breakfast 27 Friday 28 Saturday 29 SUNDAY

9:45 Adult Sunday School 10:00 Kids’ Sunday School 11:00 Worship 12:00 Games with Kids

30 Monday 31 Tuesday New Year’s Eve Have a safe celebration! 1 Wednesday HAPPY NEW YEAR! OFFICE CLOSED

Recurring Events Mondays

All day: Food Pantry 5:00 Fresh Start

Tuesdays 9:00 TOPS 5:00 Tiger Scouts

5:00 Cub Scouts 5:30 Overeaters’ Anonymous 6:00 Cub Scouts Wednesdays 3:00 Girl Scouts

5:00 Cub Scouts 6:15 Women’s AA

Thursdays 11:30 High school lunch 6:00 Alanon Fridays

12:00 Overeaters’ Anonymous

December Birthdays 2: Alan Olson 9: Darrell Walker 11: Barb McBride 13: Maynard Gross 17: Emma Bowman 21: Joe Talbott 24: Joan Evans 25: Ruby Nofziger

Watch over your children, Lord, as they begin another year. Help them grow in wisdom and grace, and strengthen their trust in your

goodness all the days of their lives. Amen.

December 2013

Methodist Moment: The Lectionary

The Revised Common Lectionary, or the lectionary, is a list or schedule of readings from the Bible that follow a three year cycle. Those years are labeled A, B, and C. 2014 is an A year. Each year focuses on a different gospel. We just finished Year C, which emphasized Luke. Year A focuses on Matthew and Year B Mark. The Gospel of John is used throughout all three years, particularly around Easter. The lectionary lists of readings, which include four texts, for Sundays and holidays of the Christian year are taken from the Old Testament, Psalms, Gospels, and Epistles. One purpose of the lectionary is to allow people to hear a full and varied collection of scriptures each week from throughout the Bible. There are different tracks or streams that the preacher may follow throughout the year. In the Methodist tradition, churches are not obligated to follow the lectionary readings. Some pastors choose to preach thematically, while others choose a combination of lectionary and thematic texts. The Bible is so rich and deep that it would take years of Sundays to read the entire book out loud. The lectionary’s three year cycle doesn’t even cover the entirety of scripture but does provide a broad range of readings. The Revised Common Lectionary was created by a collaboration of North American Christian churches and is used by a broad range of Protestant denominations.

Homer United Methodist Church 770 East End Road Homer AK 99603 (907) 235-8528 humcalaska@gmail.com www.homerumcalaska.org