November/December 2014

University City United Methodist Church

3835 W WT Harris Blvd. Charlotte, NC 28269

phone: 704-369-8000 fax: 704-369-0481

www.ucumc.org facebook.com/ucumc1 Twitter: @UC_UMC

Instagram: @UC_UMC

Worship Times: 9:45am - Traditional

11:00am - Contemporary

Quarterly Celebration Sunday: one service at 10am

Office Hours: Monday - Friday 9:00am - 5:00pm

OUR VISION:To become a disciple making church

OUR MISSION:To make disciples by Loving God, Growing in

Christ, and Reaching Out to Others

OUR CORE VALUES:

May the infinite love of Jesus fill your life with Hope and Peace and your season with Joy.

Have a Wonderful Christmas!UCUMC Pastors and Staff

Table of ContentsTo explore the Celebration Newsletter, click on any of the categories below to go to that page. On each page of the newsletter there is a link in the bottom left corner that says “Back to top”; click that link to return to this page.

Notes from our Staff 1Giving to Others 2Thanks to our Congregation 4Kicking off the Christmas Season 5Celebrations in our Congregation 6 Meet our Newest Members 7For Your Calendar 8

The next publication of the UCUMC Celebration Newsletter will be after the first quarter of 2015. Watch UCUMC Publications for the exact date.

Do you have information you would like to include in the next Celebration Newsletter? We’d love to hear from you! Please contact the head of the ministry area that corresponds with the information you would like to share

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Notes from our Staff

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I love Advent because it is a time filled with joyful expectation. During Advent we wait, with excitement and anticipation, for the coming of the promised messiah! We have a different perspective than the parents of Jesus. Can you imagine their excitement…their anxiety? Mary knew that she was carrying this child—this Godchild, Jesus. Joseph knew the importance and significance of this child. He had, after all, been visited by an angel! They knew that this child would be the fulfillment of the Prophets declarations. They would have known that the coming of this Christ would usher with him hope. They would have known that from the shoot of Jesse would come one whom… … will delight in obeying the LORD. …will not judge by appearance, nor make a decision based on hearsay. …will give justice to the poor, will make fair decisions for the exploited. (Is. 11:3-4)

This Christ—the one whom we eagerly await—brought with him all of these things, and more. This Christ—this Messiah and Lord—beckons us to be those who delight in him. He calls for us to imitate him. He calls for us to not judge by appearance, to not make decisions based on hearsay, to give justice to the poor, and to make fair decisions for the exploited. These are great and lofty objectives. How can we do those things more fully? How can we, during this Advent and Christmastide, put ourselves to accomplishing these objectives?

May we, this Advent and Christmastide, remember why we celebrate. May we, the Jesus people, be bringers of light. May we be bringers of justice. May we, eagerly await the second advent of Christ.

Happy Advent and Merry Christmas,

Ray S. McKinnon, Christian Service DirectorUniversity City United Methodist Church

UCUMC Discipleship Newsletter: As most of you know, Tim Patrick has resigned as the Director of Children’s Ministry. I am appreciative of the hard work that Tim did in our Children’s Ministry over the past several years. We are all affected by Tim’s resignation and if you or your family would like to write him a note of appreciation or letter to say good-bye please do so and then give the note/letter to me and I will make sure it gets to him.

Although we miss Tim, I am excited about all the Lord is doing at UCUMC in our Core Value of “Committed to Growing in Christ”! We have had some excellent presentations at our Wonderful Wednesday Speaker Series this Fall…our FUSION Youth Ministry took 121 youth and adult leaders to their annual Fall Retreat and are studying the theme “Whatever” (based on Corinthians 10:31) this year…in our Sunday morning WORKZONE, our children have been learning about the Creation story, great ways to serve others and how to stand against temptation…and 617 different adults have participated in at least one small group or short term study this year!!

These are some remarkable statistics and reportings but what is most encouraging to me is that every week I hear someone talk about how the Lord has used them in some way to help someone else in their faith journey OR how He has used someone else to bless them and help them grow! I love to hear these stories and know that God continues to be at work in our lives on a daily basis! In the next few pages, you will hear about some of the awesome things that have taken place in the GROW ministries over the past few months and also about some of the great things that are coming up during the Christmas season and early part of 2015. I hope you will make it a priority in the coming weeks and months to seek the Lord’s guidance for what He wants to do in you and thru you as we all strive to live as disciples every day!

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

Bert

Giving to Others

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FUSION Christmas Store – The 11th annual Christmas Store served 75 families, representing 174

children. We were also able to support 10 angel tree children. The youth of our church run the store which involves check-in, assisting shoppers, childcare, wrapping

presents, collecting payments, handing out stocking stuffers, praying with shoppers, and assisting shoppers to their vehicles. After serving the families that came to shop, the extras were donated to Children’s Home Society of NC. We are thankful for the support of all at UCUMC who were a part of this mission!

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Charlotte Rescue Mission Breakfast: On October 12th, a group from UCUMC procured, prepared, and served breakfast to about 130 participants in the Rebound

substance abuse recovery program at Charlotte Rescue Mission. This was the last of our scheduled CRM meals for 2014.

Thanksgiving Food Baskets to David Cox & Morehead Academy: The Missions Team with volunteers from the Back Pack Ministry, MTO and the Celebration Choir delivered 18 Thanksgiving food baskets to children who attend David Cox Road Elementary School and Morehead STEM Academy. This food provided a wonderful Thanksgiving meal and additional food to feed these homeless children during the school break.We anticipate that we will be able to supply 28 baskets to feed the children during the Christmas holiday break. If you would like to volunteer to help on Monday, December 15 at 2:00pm for set up or Tuesday, December 16th at 9:30am to assemble the baskets, please contact Sally Ropp at skropp@carolina.rr.com.

November 2014 is the two year anniversary of the Prayer Shawl Ministry at UCUMC! The time has passed very quickly and brought many blessings. In those two years our faithful crafters have made 270 shawls!Over 230 of those shawls have gone out into the world, both locally and internationally, as a tangible reminder of the power of prayer in our lives and that God loves us all. They have also been a great blessing to those who make them. Our own prayer lives have been strengthened as we created the shawls, and we have found comfort and strength as we serve in this place in God’s Kingdom.And God keeps providing us with new ways to reach out with the gift of our hands. Most recently we participated in the Fall Craft Bazaar to raise money for the ministry by making scarves and gloves, caps and purses. As we were wondering what to do with our extras, the Lord opened a door to send them to Appalachia to those in need through a nearby Methodist Church ministry. We are very thankful that we continue to find ways for God to use us to share His love with others. And we are very thankful for all the support shown to us by the staff and congregation of UCUMC! If you are interested in joining the ministry, please contact Sharon Weynand at smweynand@gmail.com.

Operation Christmas Child: Thank you each so much! As a Relay Center we collected approximately 1700 shoe boxes. Of those 1700, 750 were from the UCUMC family. A huge, “Thank you” goes to the Penuels who have given leadership to this initiative for many years. Thanks for your dedication to this ministry and to your desire to make Christ known to children whom you may never meet.

Giving to Others (cont.)

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Weekday School: In November we talked about things we are thankful for and giving to others. We reinforced these ideas by collecting pop tops for the Ronald McDonald house & food for the David Cox back pack ministry.

Another awesome Adult Mexico Mission Trip! by Andrea Reed: Kip & I have been involved with Back2Back Ministries since 2009 when we took our first trip to Monterrey, Mexico with a youth team.

This year, we were blessed to lead a team of 22 adults to Monterrey to serve alongside our friends at Back2Back for a week. The folks on our team were amazing to work with. Everyone pitched in and did his or her part in tasks such as cleaning out a storage room, “mowing” grass with a weed whacker, replacing wax rings on some leaky toilets, pushing a child on a swing, jumping on a trampoline with a group of boys, holding a child in their arms for hours while she slept, and chasing a 6 year old boy around a park while he picked up sticks.

While in Monterrey, we interacted with the children and caregivers at Casa Hogar Del Norte (CHDN) - a children’s home that Back2Back supports. We cooked lunch for family visitation day and took and printed family photos for the families. We put together

Operation Christmas Child shoeboxes with the kids. And we poured some love into the caregivers at CHDN with gifts from the team (Prayer Shawls, Bibles, and goody bags).

Kip and I continue to be involved with Back2Back because we see how the lives of the children are impacted for the good. Because of Back2Back, the 39 children at Casa Hogar Del Norte – as well as the kids at the 5 other children’s homes they support – have healthier food to eat, clean water to drink, clothes to play in, a bed to sleep in, and caregivers who genuinely care about their wellbeing.

Back2Back also works to change the future for the children they serve through their Hope Education Program. This program help children get a high school and college education. In Mexico, the public (free) education system ends after 9th grade. Teens in the Hope Education Program are able to go to high school and college because of the support they receive from Back2Back.

Kip and I support the Hope Education Program by sponsoring Selene, a young lady in the Hope Education Program. She turns 20 in a few weeks and is in college studying to become a dentist. We love spending time with her each time we go to Monterrey and it is usually a highlight of our week each year. We communicate with her regularly throughout the year – via Skype, Facebook, Whatsapp texting, and e-mail. But nothing replaces the feeling of a big hug.

Back2Back’s motto is Care for Today, Hope for Tomorrow and we see that put into practice every time we go to Monterrey. We will continue to be involved with Back2Back, as we continue to see the impact this ministry is having on the lives of the children they serve.

Stoplight Kits: Thank you to each person who helped to assemble stoplight kits for the homeless!

Thanks to our Congregation!

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Serving - Yay God!Total Serving: 700 peoplePercentage of Average Worship Attendance (AWA) (745) Target: 94%Percentage of Members (1123): 62%Percentage Increase from 2013: 21%Percentage of New Members Serving (50): 40%

We celebrate our administrative volunteers! This warm, friendly, loyal caring group that bring cheer to the office, have been serving the staff and congregation for many years. They are the friendly voice on the phone and the welcoming face at our reception desk, they work tirelessly using their gifts to serve the Lord. Pastors and Staff thank you for your labor of love and your willingness to use your gifts and abilities to strengthen the mission and ministry of UCUMC. We love you and appreciate you; thanks for sharing your love and for being an inspiration to us all! Donna Benson will be leaving our group in the 2015 and we welcome Frances Surgenor whom will join us soon! We could not have made it without you!

Each one should use whatever gifts he has received to serve others, faithfully administering God’s grace in its various forms. —1 Peter 4:10 (NIV)

Our Admin volunteers (not pictured: Frances Surgenor)

DivorceCare, GriefShare, DivorceCare4K: Thank you to each of the UCHope leaders: Erin Banks, Marcia Copeland, Matt Copeland, Nancy Hall, Kristen Hickling, Wallie Kincaid, Nicole Miller, and Stephen Miller for their leadership in leading DivorceCare, GriefShare, and DC4K! There was a lot of great ministry and care to families from our church and the community during some of the most vulnerable and trying seasons of life. Keep an eye out for the next semester of DivorceCare, DC4K, and GriefShare!

A few of the UCHope leaders.The College Ministry thanks you for your support of our college students! This fall we mailed 40 boxes to college students associated with UCUMC. The students were very happy to receive this surprise. One student sent a note saying:

“I wanted to let you know that I received my package yesterday and it was wonderful! Thank you so much for thinking of all of us; it’s so nice to know we have people supporting and praying for us during these especially stressful times. I am so thankful for the College Ministry at UCUMC and all you do.”

Kicking off the Christmas Season

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Heart-Readying Christmas Memories from LaDonna Gatlin Saturday, November 22 may seem a little early to welcome Christmas. After all, the Thanksgiving turkey wasn’t even thawed. Yet, LaDonna Gatlin sang and reminisced with a crowd of over 100 from UCUMC, Independence Hill Baptist Church and the surrounding community sharing a special performance of Christmas Memories, written by her and husband Tim Johnson. LaDonna is the younger sister of the country superstars the Gatlin Brothers. Before LaDonna’s brothers were stars and she became a successful performer, speaker and author, they were all growing up in Texas. Their father worked in the oil fields and their mother played piano at their church. LaDonna and her brothers started out as a quartet singing southern gospel music in churches. They even won a local talent contest beating out a young man who would also make music history, Roy Orbison. Throughout her show, Gatlin shared humorous stories from her childhood and adult life with her husband, daughters and grandchildren. In between the laughter, she sang her favorite Christmas carols. She even stopped the show and took requests from the audience playing from memory gospel favorites like “The Old Rugged Cross” and “Go Tell It on the Mountain.” By the end of the show, Gatlin and the audience found their hearts ready for Christmas, thankful for Christ and for the love of family. Interested in more events like this? Look for details coming soon about the Women’s Night Out planned for February 20, 2015.

Pray4Five Celebration! Congratulations UCUMC for your participation in our very first Pray4Five campaign. As a congregation, we have been praying for 750 individuals every single day for the month of Advent. This is a tremendous accomplishment! Basically, for every person who comes on Sunday morning, we, as a church, are praying for someone who isn’t there yet. As I recorded the names and have been praying for your Five with you, I was impressed by the realization that, even though they simply look like a long list of names on a piece of paper, those people are ones God loves as much as you and me, and He wants to see them come into a relationship with Him through His Son Jesus Christ. Continue your daily prayers for people who need to know Jesus, and remember to invite your Five to our Christmas Eve services on December 24th at 4pm (family), 6pm (traditional), or 8pm (contemporary).

Eli Suddarth – Evangelism Director

Christmas Musical - December 6th & 7th! Amen, Bravo, and Congrats to the Celebration Choir, Psalm 150 Orchestra, Joybells, Exaltation Ringers, Renovation Youth Choir, 11:00 Worship Team, Percussion Ensemble, Spirit Singers, and Tech Team for a beautiful and uplifting presentation of A University City Christmas 2014.

This free concert brought many from our church and community to start the Christmas Season off with a unique set of carols. A love offering was received and up to half of the proceeds will be

donated to Urban Ministry Center of Charlotte as they strive to help the homeless in our community. Thanks to all who attended for your support of UCUMC’s Worship and Arts programs!

Celebrations in our Congregation

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FUSION Fall Fun – over 100 youth and adults spent an evening at Hall Family

Farms on October 18th, where we participated in a corn maze, hayride & bonfire.

In October, UCKids hosted a Family Fall Festival here at UCUMC. It was a wonderful time of fellowship and fun!! We had many different games, activities and crafts hosted by different groups in our church. We also had a cotton candy machine and pony rides!! It was a great day! Many thanks to everyone who helped us open up our campus to our children and families as well as those from the community!!

Tsunami Fall Retreat – 98 youth and 22 adults attended Tsunami’s “More Than” retreat, November 7th-9th at Ridgecrest Conference Center. We had a great time of

fellowship and growing in our relationship with God as we learned about being “more than” what the world labels us to be.

October and November were uplifting months in Worship at UCUMC! We had many wonderful moments in worship:

• On Sunday, October 5 we celebrated World Communion Sunday, and will remember persecuted Christians around the world, especially those in Iraq and Syria.

• On Sunday, November 2 we celebrated Holy Communion and remembered our dearly departed in an All-Saint’s Sunday observance. And

• On Sunday, November 23 more than 750 people joined in a combined 10:00 Celebration Sunday where we received 6 new members, celebrated Baptisms, Holy Communion, and had the Operation Christmas Child Shoebox Dedication.

During the Advent-Christmas season, November 30-December 28, we will offer several wonderful worship services and special presentations for you to enjoy. On Sunday

mornings in Advent, our pastors will speak about how Christmas makes Everything New with the Hope, Peace, Joy, and Love that came to us through the baby Jesus.

Celebrations in our Congregation (cont.)

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Meet our Newest Members! During our Nov. 23rd Celebration Sunday we welcomed 6 new members: Lenora Callihan (not pictured); Ric & Kelly Anne Eiflander; Dennis & Jackie Mourning; Eli Suddarth

Dennis & Jackie Mourning Ric & Kelly Anne EiflanderEli Suddarth

BINGO/Bake Sale – On November 16th, FUSION youth held their 4th annual BINGO/Bake Sale with dinner, BINGO and a baked goods auction. We raised over $9,000 to benefit the youth-sponsored Christmas Store, which serves families in need in our area. Thanks to all who supported the BINGO/Bake Sale either by attending, buying, or baking.

Check out what has been going on in the WDS:In November, Our preschoolers enjoyed a visit from the Charlotte Children’s Theater. The Tarrididdle players performed the play The Lion and the Little Red Bird, a story of an inquisitive bird and a good hearted lion’s unlikely friendship.

We celebrated Thanksgiving with our traditional corn-cake feast (pancakes). Thank you to all of our parents that helped us cook, serve and clean up. Tarrididdle PlayersCooking up

some pancakes

Renovation Youth Choir Port-a-Pit: The Renovation Youth Choir would like to thank all those who supported them by eating Port-A-Pit in November. If you enjoyed your chicken and would like to have more in the near future, please contact Kristen Hickling, khickling@ucumc.org, to acquire your Port-A-pit Chicken.

On Monday, November 10, the Celebration Choir sang a special Veteran’s Day Concert at Charlotte Brookdale East (formerly Wilora Lake Lodge). More than 50 residents, including Dan Broach and Nettie House, came, sang along, waved flags, and enjoyed an evening of Patriotic Music presented the Choir.

For Your Calendar

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Dec 11 - Prayer Shawl Ministry, 7pmDec 13 - Renovation Youth Choir & FUSION Praise Band at Billy Graham Library, 7-8:10pmDec 17 - Heavenly Readers: Walking the Road to Bethlehem (Hamilton)Dec 17 - Children’s Christmas Collage Concert, 6:30pmDec 20-Jan 4 - Weekday School closed for Christmas HolidaysDec 20 - Children’s Nativity Practice, 9am in the Fellowship HallDec 21 - Children’s Nativity, combined 10am serviceDec 24 - Christmas Eve Services: 4pm - Children/Family; 6pm - Traditional Communion and Candlelight; 8pm - Traditional Communion and CandlelightDec 24-Jan 4 - Church Administration Office ClosedDec 29-31 - Finance Office open, 10am-2pmJan 4 - LIFE Group Registration OpensJan 14 - Goodtimes LuncheonJan 18 - FUSION trip to Winter Jam - Click Here to sign up (opens Dec. 14th). Jan 19 - Church Office Closed (Martin Luther Kings Jr.’s Birthday)Jan 21 - Wonderful Wednesday Meals begin - Click Here to make reservations.Jan 23-24 - FUSION 30 Hour Famine - Click Here to sign up (opens Dec. 14th).Jan 26 - Weekday School Registration for 2015-2016 school year begins

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Children’s Nativity (Dec. 21st) – there will be one worship service on Dec. 21st at 10am where our children will play a big role in helping us tell the story of the birth of Jesus – the reason we celebrate Christmas!! We want all of our children to participate so make sure to go to the church website to get signed up (www.ucumc.org/familyevents). Deadline to sign up is Dec. 14th.

Christmas Eve Services - Wednesday, Dec 24th: 4:00pm: Children/Family service with Communion: this service is designed specifically for our children and their families. Join us for “The Colors of Christmas.”6:00pm: Traditional Candlelight-Communion service 8:00pm: Contemporary Candlelight-Communion service

Children’s Christmas Collage Concert: Wednesday, December 17 at 6:30PM: Presented by our 3 & 4 yr old Little Lambs Choir; K-5th Grade CrossTraining Singers, Actors, Dancers, Percussionist, and Chimes; and our HIS HANDS Puppet Ministry. Childcare available for ages 0-2 years.

The Renovation Youth Choir will be joining the FUSION Praise Band at the Billy Graham Library on Saturday, December 13th from 7-8:10pm. Come out to enjoy worship led by our youth and the Christmas celebration at the Billy Graham Library.