MESSAGE FROM THE PASTOR

I am always amazed at the news during this season of the year. In a time where we as a society

press good will toward one another we hear of the escalation of crime and actions of hate upon

one another. The love of many truly has waxed cold. In the story of the birth of our Lord, a

forerunner to Christ would be born to prepare the way of the people for the messiah. John the

Baptist would preach righteousness and call the people of God to repentance. He would turn the

heart of the people to God and would baptize them with water as a sign of their repentance until

Jesus would baptize them with fire and the Holy Spirit. His message would burn away the wax

from their hearts and prepare them for Christ the King. As we make our way to Bethlehem let us

turn our hearts back to our God once more and rededicate ourselves to the Church in which he

gave himself for and the message of the Gospel. John

CHRISTMAS EVE

SERVICES

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BLOOD DRIVE FOR

JANE COLLINS

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CHRISTMAS

PARADE

OUTREACH

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LIGHT HAS

COME

THIS

SUNDAY

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Volume XXXV December 4, 2013 Number 48

CURRENT EVENTS

SENIOR ADULT MINISTRY

SPECIAL CHRISTMAS SERVICES

December 8 - 8:30 a.m. - the Praise Band presents a service of exciting Contemporary Christian Christmas music.th

December 15 - 10:55 a.m. - the Sanctuary Choir presents a beautiful service of Lessons and Carols.th

December 15 - 6:00 p.m. - the performance of The Christmas Play, a marvelous Christmas pageant written by ath

British woman in the midst of W orld W ar II, following the death of her son.

December 24 - THREE CHRISTMAS EVE SERVICES th

12:00 p.m. 4:00 p.m. 6:00 p.m.

USHERS NEEDED FOR CHRISTMAS EVE!

Ushers are needed for the 4:00 & 6:00 p.m. Christmas Eve services. Please call Don Pratt at 601.527.3740 or Philip

Busbee at 601.483.3991 if you can usher for either or both services.

SPECIAL THANK YOU TO:

Terese Stuckman, Jan Nowlan, Mary Ethridge, Caroline Carns, Linden, Reagan, Madison, & Blaise Barefield for decorating

the trees etc. In addition, thank you to Michelle Blood, Lurah Blood, and Mary Ethridge for decorating the sanctuary.

“STOCKING STUFFERS” NEEDED!

Central’s Children’s Center is collecting “stocking stuffers” for Hope Village for Children. There are approximately 30

teenage boys/girls and 12 younger children - a full house! If you would like to help Hope Village, please drop off your items

in the box in the Children’s preschool front hall by Dec. 13 )th

WESLEY HOUSE AND FOSTER CHILDREN

There are 600 Foster Children in our area that will have no gifts under the tree at Christmas without your help. (These

are children who have been abused and neglected and removed from their family) Please help us give them a Christmas

to remember during this difficult time in their lives. Call Maya Edwards at W esley House 601.485.4736 if you would

like to help these Foster Children. Thank you so much for your help!

SPECIAL THANK YOU to Brooks Hunter, Joyce Barber, and Angela Tharp for volunteering their time and service toprovide Thanksgiving lunch at Central.

DINNER AND LIGHTS - MONDAY, DECEMBER 16 - 5:30 P.M. TH

Dinner: Steamed shrimp, potato salad, baked beans, coleslaw, french bread and ice cream. (Dinner at the church)

Lights: Travel around Meridian and Minnow Bucket Road to see the Christmas lights.

Cost: $10.00 (includes meal and transportation) Please call the Church office at 601.693.1521 by 10:00 a.m., Friday,

December 13 to make your reservations. th

THIS WEEK AT CENTRAL

MISSIONS AND EVANGELISM

SPIRITUAL FORMATION & GROWTH

BLOOD DRIVE FOR JANE COLLINSCentral will host a “Blood Drive” for Jane Collins. It will be held Sunday, December 22 beginning at 10:30 a.m. andnd

will end at 1:30 p.m. in the Celebration Hall.

PEOPLE’S CHARITY CLINIC NEEDS HELP!The People’s Charity Clinic needs coats, blankets, insulated underwear, sweaters, gloves, etc. for the homeless especially

on cold or rainy nights. If you have hotel privilege points, they can be used to house some of the most vulnerable adults

in a room. Any of the above items including the hotel points would be greatly appreciated. If you would like to donate any

of these items, you may drop them off at the clinic located at 310 Russell Drive, call Christie Rainer at 601.482.8442 or

email her at Crain42@aol.com.

CENTRAL’S ANNUAL 5k RUN - MARCH 1, 2014On Sunday, December 8 , we will be offering sponsorship opportunities for Central’s 5k run that will be held March 1, 2014.th

There will be a sponsorship sign up station located in the Crossing on that date. More information about the run will be

coming out soon. W e are very excited about this event and hope that you will be a part of it. Last year, there were over

300 runners and over $4000 raised for the Boys and Girls Club. If you are unable to partner with the

race in sponsorship, there are other ways in which to serve. W e are going to need volunteers to assist before and on race

day. Thank you in advance for your support.

FH=Fellowship Hall Sunday, 12/8/13 8:00 a.m. - Breakfast 8:30 a.m. - Worship/SS 10:55 a.m. - Worship Service 4:30 p.m. - Youth Praise Band 5:00 p.m. - Christmas Play Practice 5:30 p.m. - Club 412-Zone Christmas 6:00 p.m. - Children’s Christmas

Monday, 12/9/13 3:00 p.m. - Prayer Shawl Ministry 7:00 p.m. - College Bible Study-offsite

Tuesday, 12/10/13 6:00 a.m. - Ledbetter Bible Study 6:30 a.m. - Pratt Bible Study 9:30 a.m. - Tuesday Morning Bible 5:15 p.m. - Staff Parish 6:15 p.m. - Girl Scout Troop 6:30 p.m. - Boy Scout Meeting 6:30 p.m. - Praise Band Practice - FH

AAR=Adult Activities RoomWednesday, 12/11/13 7:00 p.m. - Choir Rehearsal

Thursday, 12/12/13 6:00 a.m. - Allred Bible Study

Friday, 12/13/13 8:00 a.m. - Fall Awards Trip11:00 a.m. - Williams Men Bible Group 11:30 a.m. - Lunch Bunch

Saturday, 12/14/13 No Activities Scheduled

Food for the Journey[suggested Bible readings for Dec 9. 2013, - Dec. 15, 2013

Morning Noon EveningMon. Dec. 9 Daniel 1 Psalm 77 Colossians 3Tue. Dec. 10 Daniel 2 Psalm 78 Colossians 4Wed. Dec. 11 Daniel 3 Psalm 79 1 Thessalonians 1Thu. Dec. 12 Daniel 4 Psalm 80 1 Thessalonians 2Fri. Dec. 13 Daniel 5 Psalm 81 1 Thessalonians 3Sat. Dec. 14 Daniel 6 Psalm 82 1 Thessalonians 4Sun. Dec. 15 Daniel 7 Psalm 83 1 Thessalonians 5

CHILDREN’S MINISTRY

CENTRAL COMMUNITY

OUR DEEPEST SYMPATHY TO:~Genie Durden and family following the death of her sister-in-law, Jackie Barnwell of Linden, AL., who passed away

recently.

CONGRATULATIONS TO:~Tim Allred and Heritage Builders for the Best in Mississippi award for Home Remodeling at state awards for MS

Homebuilders Association.

~Mac Barnes and the Lamar Raiders who won the AAA State Championship recently beating Magnolia Heights 24-21

in Clinton.

~Tiffany Plott, Principal of Carver Middle School. Ms. Plott received Meridian’s Junior Auxillary’s 2013 Humanitarian of

the Year Award. Carver is our adopted school, so we share in her joy!

THANK YOU....Thanks to Melissa Bellenger and team for the fantastic job on this year’s Advent Fair! It was a fun family event that helped

to set the mood for all of the celebrations at Central for the coming weeks! Many, many hours of preparation goes into an

event like the one last Sunday evening, and we truly appreciate the dedication and hard work. As always... thank you to

Central’s support staff for everything you do to make our events a success - from promoting to cooking to making sure we

had heat in the gym, the set up and the clean up... we could not do it without you!!!

VOLUNTEER NOW FOR THE CHRISTMAS PARADE OUTREACHSATURDAY, DECEMBER 7 TH

Meridian’s annual Christmas Parade has become Central’s outreach to the community. W e open our doors (beginning at

4:30 p.m.) for the annual Christmas Parade at 5:00 p.m., to provide soup, popcorn, hot chocolate, train rides and a visit

with Santa. W e also show the broadcast of the SEC Championship Game on the big screens in the Fellowship Hall. It is

an evening of fun and fellowship! As always, we need volunteers to help make this night a big success! If you are willing

to help with this outreach, please contact Sabrina at sabrina@cumcmdn.org or sign up either at the W elcome Center or

in your Sunday School folder.

CARVER STAFF CHRISTMAS/STUDY BUDDY LUNCH TUESDAY, DECEMBER 17 - 11:00 A.M.TH

As we celebrate the Christmas season at Central, we will once again reach out to our adopted school by offering lunch to

the Carver Staff and Study Buddies. W e are asking for your help by supplying the following:

*Salads and desserts from church members. (These may be dropped off at Central on Tuesday before 10:00 a.m.

OR taken directly to Carver.)

*Monetary donations to purchase any needed food

*Volunteers to set up and serve on the actual day.

If you have any questions, you may call Julia Green at 601.527.1160 or email her at jrgjbg@bellsouth.net

ZONE AND CLUB 412 (SUNDAY NIGHT) HOLIDAY SCHEDULETHIS SUNDAY, December 8 - 5:30 p.m.-7:00 p.m.-Zone and Club 412 Christmas Party. Don’t miss the fun! Bring a partyth

food to share, a gift (not to exceed $10) and an item to stuff our stockings for our outreach project! (snack crackers, fruit,

nuts, popcorn, hot chocolate). W e will eat, watch a movie, exchange gifts...you don’t want to miss the fun! This will also be

the LAST NIGHT to complete your Fall memorization chart and be eligible for the Zoo Lights Trip on December 13 !!!th

December 8 will be our last Sunday night meeting until January 12 .th th

WEDNESDAY NIGHTS will resume January 15 .th

FINANCE AND STEWARDSHIP

YOUTH MINISTRY

PRAYER CONCERNS

STEWARDSHIP THOUGHT“W ill anyone rob God?”

Malachi 3:8

In order to keep everyone better informed of current concerns, names will remain on the Prayer Concerns list in the“Call” for only two weeks unless there is a new concern.

Tayvion Barnett Frances Emerson Dawson Smith

Mary Frances Benton Carol Leggett Bud Thompson

Reed Clodfelter Kim McCarty Sarah Upton

Jane Collins Pal Parker Sherra Vincent

MILITARY PERSONNEL SERVING OVERSEAS:Family & FriendsTyrone CunninghamAlan Joyner, grandson of Vi McBrideSeth Mitchell, grandson of John & Faye MitchellJason Quick, nephew of Alan & Marilyn BrownAll U.S. Military Personnel

OPERATION CHRISTMAS TREE

Please sign up now for the Operation Christmas Tree on December 7 . If you would like to help deliver and set up ath

Christmas tree for one of our pre-determined senior adults or make and package Christmas cookies, please contact

Paula Rucks or Liz Fox.

DON’T FORGET CHRISTMAS CAROLING - DECEMBER 11 TH

2 ANNUAL CHRISTMAS PLAYND

Come and support the youth who will be participating in the 2 Annual Christmas Play Sunday Night, December 15 . Thend th

pageant is under the direction of Caroline Carns.

UGLY CHRISTMAS SWEATER PARTY-DECEMBER 22 ND

The party is at King and Queen of Hospitality’s home, David and Sarah Purvis. There will be food, ugly sweater contest,

Dirty Santa, and give-a-ways galore to make your Christmas Candle burn brightly this Christmas. And no, you don’t have

to wear an ugly Christmas sweater to attend.

4 & INCHES!TH

Sign up now to play on the Central Nation flag football team in the King’s League and Missions Bowl. This is a co-ed

league so everyone is welcome to play. W e will have 2 practices and then begin play so sign up on the bulletin board in

the 4 floor hallway if you would like to play. th

January 2 - BREAKTHRU - This is a great trip for our ENTIRE youth group and you don’t want to miss it. Four fun fillednd

nights at Pulanki. Space is limited so turn in your $50 deposit now to secure a spot on this spiritually challenging life

changing event. The total cost is $200.

MLK SKI RETREAT-JANUARY 17-20, 2014-WINTER PARK, CO. TOTAL COST: $750

NOVEMBER DEPOSIT WAS: $175

DECEMBER 1st: $200 DECEMBER 15 : $100 JANUARY 5 - Remaining balances dueTH

WORSHIP

On Call Pastor

Dec. 6 - Dec. 8, 2013

Bob Peden

Cell: 601.938.7868

Home: 601.485.3716

AttendanceDecember 1, 2013Live Streaming - 4

8:30 SS 10:55

275 251 168

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