Blue Christmas Service
The Christmas season and Christmas can be a painful time for some. It may be the first Christmas without a loved one or the first Christmas after a significant change in a person’s life. The constant refrain on radio and television, and shopping malls and churches, about the happiness of the season, about getting together with family and friends, reminds many people of what they have lost or never had. The anguish of broken relationships, insecurity of unemployment, the weariness of ill health, the pain of isolation, all these can make us feel very alone in the midst of the celebration going on around us. We need the space and time to acknowledge our sadness and concern; we need to know that we are not alone.
For these reasons the Claybanks United Methodist Church is offering a special “Blue Christmas” service on Thursday night December 20th at 6:00 pm. This “Longest Night” service is meant to help us through the long dark nights of our soul and the winter of our discontent when memories of past experiences and the pain of present experiences can become overwhelming to us. We invite all to come and meditate on pain and anguish that we bring, to offer our pain to the Christ child in the prayer that we will find hope and comfort in knowing that we are not alone.
Charge Conference
The Charge Conference for Claybanks UMC will be at CUMC on Wednesday, November 28th at 7:00 pm. (SPRC will be meeting with the D.S. at 6:15) The meeting will be held with the new District Superintendent, Rev. Dr. Margie Crawford to discuss the business of our church. There is much work to do and we need input on decisions that will be made during this important meeting. The more voices we can have in attendance the better the church will be represented as a whole. Please try to do everything possible to attend and be a part of the business aspect of our church and to welcome our new D.S.
Nursery Schedule
12/2 – Doris Graham
12/9 – Edith Bogart
12/16 – Carol Adams
12/23 – Liz Grossman
12/30 – Kathy Ohman
Christmas Caroling
Get your singing voices warmed up, the Christmas Spirit in your heart, and your smile on. It’s time once again to take some Christmas Joy to the residents and staff of Heartland Manor in Whitehall. We will have a good old-fashioned caroling party complete with music books, a piano player, punch and cookies. We’ll be meeting at the Manor at 2:20 with the kickoff around 2:30. Please set the date aside and come help to let the residents know they’re not forgotten in all the hustle and bustle of the holidays. If you know of someone at the Manor that would benefit from joining us, please try to encourage them to come to the dining room and join the fun.
Christmas Eve Service
We will be gathering together for a meaningful candlelight worship service, music and fellowship on Christmas Eve at 6:00 pm in remembrance of that special night so long ago.
What’s Your Favorite Music?
Now that Megan has moved, the choosing of our hymns has fallen to the Worship Design Committee. We recognize the fact that a lot of people have had a hard time singing unfamiliar songs. So….with that in mind, we would like to ask you to make a list of your favorite hymns, so we can incorporate them into our Sunday services. Starting in January we will choose at least one hymn per week from the list and dedicate it to the person who requested it. This is not to say that we will never have a new song, but hopefully we’ll know more of them than in the past. Be sure to put your name on your list and turn it in to Pastor Gary or Konnie.
Christ
grew in Mary until
He had to come out.
Christ
will grow in you until
the same occurs.
He will come out in your speech,
in your actions, in your decisions.
Every place you live will be a
Bethlehem, and every day you
live will be a Christmas.
You, like Mary, will deliver
Christ into the world.
-Max Lucado
Our Next Big Mission Project
Claybanks Mission Committee would like to host Dr. Dick Kamps, Founder and President of the Board of Directors of Step Up in Muskegon, to come and speak about this very important endeavor of helping young adults achieve stability and empowerment in their lives through the group home created to assist women that have aged out of the foster care system in Muskegon County. We will welcome him in February 2019, but in the meantime, they are currently working on a house for young men in need, and following is some information to become familiar with the program and the current needs they are experiencing. Thank you for your time and consideration to support this awesome organization inspired by God, as they continue to build spiritual growth in our young people in Muskegon County. The following is taken from the Step Up Newsletter available to you on the back table in the Fellowship Hall.
“Hey my name is ____ and I’m thinking I might need some assistance. I’m 20 years old I aged out of the system has been homeless a bunch, couch hop. I just wanna get my life back in order. I’m embarrassed and ashamed. If yalls have a phone can you call me plz.”
Step Up
OUR VISION: The vision of Step Up is to equip and empower young adults in Muskegon County to be financially independent, to aspire to further their education, and to find fulfillment in their work as they develop healthy relationships with others and pursue a relationship with God.
OUR MISSION: The mission of Step Up is to provide Christ-centered mentoring, housing, educational guidance, life skills training, and a community with accountability for Muskegon County young adults ages 18-24, primarily for youth who have aged out of the foster care system.
OUR CORE VALUES: With wisdom requested from and given by God, we commit to the core values of compassion, integrity, and empowerment. These values are expressed in our relationships with each other and the community we serve.
We invite you to participate in the lives of these young people
A question often asked is, “What do you need?” There are many answers to that question. Most importantly, we board members, mentors, program coordinator and house managers need the wisdom that only God can give. Wisdom of how o best love and guide these young lives. Wisdom for how to best use the donations entrusted to us. Wisdom of how to deal with challenges that await us. In short, we ask for your prayers.
With that as our foundation, here is a list of things needed for the men’s house:
Financial support
Adopt a bedroom: single bed, dresser and bedding
Microwave – above stove
Dishwasher
Electric stove
2 bathroom vanities: 30-35 inches wide
Shower doors
Window blinds
Area rug for living room: 10-12 X 8-12
One wardrobe for a bedroom
Snowblower
Linens for kitchen and bathrooms
Television for living room
Security cameras
Computer, modem, router and printer
As Christmas approaches, the young women would love to receive gift cards to local grocery and clothing stores. They also would love gift cards to the Cinema Carousel.
Please contact Dick Kamps at 231-557-9411 or dlkamps@comcast.net if you are able to participate in any way.
Tax deductible donations for Step Up can be mailed to:
Community Foundation for Muskegon County
425 West Western Avenue, Suite 200
Muskegon, MI 49440
Please write Step Up Fund on the memo line of your check.
Our mailing address is:info@stepupmuskegon.org
Facebook: facebook.com/stepupmuskegon
P.O. Box 1626, Muskegon, MI 49443-1626
Our email address is:
info@stepupmuskegon.org
Facebook: facebook.com/stepupmuskegon
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