Christmas EveChristmas EveChristmas EveChristmas Eve There will be one combined worship service Christmas Eve morning at 9am. There will be no Sunday School on Christmas Eve. There will be one

Candlelight Service on Christmas Eve at 10:00pm. Walk-In Communion and quiet meditation will be available in the sanctuary from 4pm-8pm.

New Year’s EveNew Year’s EveNew Year’s EveNew Year’s Eve On Sunday December 31st, there will be no changes to our regular worship schedule. 8:45am—Traditional Worship; 10:00am—Sunday School; 11:00am—Contemporary Worship

Children’s ProgramChildren’s ProgramChildren’s ProgramChildren’s Program This year’s Wednesday Night Children’s Program will be in the form of a Children Led Christmas Worship Service. It will be held on Wednesday, December 13th starting at 6:30pm and everyone is encouraged to attend. The worship service will include the story of the Birth of Jesus

as well as many well-known Christmas Carols sung by the congregation and led by our Growing in God classes.

We hope to see everyone there to help support our youth!

Sunday School Christmas Sunday School Christmas Sunday School Christmas Sunday School Christmas CelebrationCelebrationCelebrationCelebration On Sunday December 17th, from 10 to 1045 am, everyone is invited to attend (and even participate in!) our first ever Sunday School Christmas Celebration! There will be music, skits, and more all in Celebration of Jesus" birthday! Sunday school classes of all ages are encouraged to participate. Individual acts are also welcome. If you would like to be a part please contact Cathy Steidinger (784-4752 or cathy12345627@yahoo.com) The Celebration will be held in the Sanctuary and there are plenty of pews, so invite your friends and family!

PoinsettiasPoinsettiasPoinsettiasPoinsettias As in past years, we will be displaying Memorial/Honorarium Poinsettias in the sanctuary starting no earlier than December 10th. The memorial and honorarium list to be printed in the December 16th/17th

bulletin. If you would like to ensure that you get your own poinsettia back, please make sure that it is well labeled. Poinsettias can be collected anytime after the Christmas Eve Candlelight Service.

TTTTTTTTTTTTHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHE MMMMMMMMMMMMESSENGERESSENGERESSENGERESSENGERESSENGERESSENGERESSENGERESSENGERESSENGERESSENGERESSENGERESSENGER

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Visit us at gcumc3.org or Find us on Facebook: “Gibson City UMC”

Pastor—John Tennyson Church Phone 217-784-5452 Church Email gcumc@sbcglobal.net

Saturday • 5:30pm—Casual Worship Sunday • 8:45am—Traditional Worship

Sunday • 11:00am—Contemporary Worship

Sunday School—10:00am

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WWWWORDSORDSORDSORDS FFFFROMROMROMROM OOOOURURURUR PPPPASTORASTORASTORASTOR

Love Came Down at ChristmasLove Came Down at ChristmasLove Came Down at ChristmasLove Came Down at Christmas

Love came down at Christmas, Love all lovely, Love divine; Love was born at Christmas; Star and angels gave the sign.

Christina Rossetti (1830-1894) authored three collections of religious poetry and four devotional books. Rossetti’s poems were not composed as hymns for congregational singing. However, two became well known Christmas hymns: “In the Bleak Midwinter” (1872) and “Love Came Down at Christmas,” (1885). “Love” is mentioned 12 times in three short stanzas. The poem is based on 1 John 4:7-11, a passage that mentions “love” 11 times in 4 verses. Verse 8 states, “Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love”.

As we ponder the One who came down at Christmas, the One who taught us how to love, let us consider that love is a gift. Love cannot be earned. There is nothing you or I can do to make God love us more than God loves us right now.

There is something incredibly right about choosing love:

Loving God, loving neighbor, and loving yourself. Anyone can hate. Anyone can be cruel, mean, intentionally hurtful. There is no honor in a self-centered life.

Love gives us such choices as compassion, kindness, grace, respect, dignity, and integrity. Love heals. Love teaches us what it means to be human. Love determines what kind of families, community, and world we’re going to live in.

Jesus prioritized 100’s of laws in the Hebrew scriptures in the 1st commandment to love God with all our heart, mind and strength; and in the 2nd commandment to love our neighbor as ourselves.

Jesus exemplifies love in how he treated the children, women, poor, marginalized, and most vulnerable in society. Consider the woman at the well: she was not welcomed in the synagogue, she was the wrong race; the tax collectors were not welcomed in the synagogue, they were considered thieves. The woman caught in adultery was not welcomed in the synagogue, she had

the wrong past. Despite risking popularity and scorn, Jesus loved them.

This Advent, let us ponder anew the One who came down at Christmas; the One whom the prophet Isaiah foretold would be named: Wonderful Counselor, Prince of Peace, Almighty God, and the Everlasting Father.

#GivingTuesday#GivingTuesday#GivingTuesday#GivingTuesday As we approach the holiday giving season, UMC #GivingTuesday is an opportunity to celebrate the spirit of cheerful giving by making a donation through the Advance. November 28th, United Methodist once again are invited to extend the spirit of giving thanks into the Advent season by participating in UMC #GivingTuesday.

When you make an online donation November 28th, you will “Give Light, Give Love, Give Life.” As always, when you give through The Advance, 100 percent of your gift directly supports the ministry you designate; overhead costs are covered through other channels.

Some project recommendations:

• #773726—Red Bird Mission Providing spiritual, educational, health and outreach ministries for people in remote Appalachia.

• #32244—Global Refugee/Migration Addressing the global refugee and migration crisis

• #3021027—Africa University Farm

Development Developing Africa University’s farm to improve instruction for agriculture students and area farmers.

To donate, please visit www.umcmission.org/give. Thank you for your faithful support in changing lives by making a generous gift on November 28th.

~Pastor John~Pastor John~Pastor John~Pastor John

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This calendar can help families and individuals focus on the blessings of giving rather than receiving as we count down the days to Christmas. It reminds us of the Reason for the Season! Here are 24 suggestions of items to provide a touch of love for those in need. Donations may be brought to worship on Christmas Eve or Christmas Day as a way to honor the Christ child. All donations will go to Handles of Hope (see information at the bottom of the page).

RRRREVERSEEVERSEEVERSEEVERSE AAAADVENTDVENTDVENTDVENT CCCCALENDARALENDARALENDARALENDAR

December 2017

“HOPE ANCHORS THE SOUL.” - Hebrews 6:19

1 2

A backpack or reusable shopping bag for a teen.

A backpack or reusable shopping bag for an adult.

3 4 5 6 7 8 9

Shampoo & Conditioner

Toothpaste Toothbrush Deodorant Lotion Body spray and/or perfume

Baby wipes, wash and/or diaper cream

10 11 12 13 14 15 16

Coloring books—for children and/or adults

Activity books—word search, crossword, Sudoku, etc

Crayons Markers & regular pens

Colored pencils & regular pencils

Journals, datebooks and notebooks—helps teens and adults

Play-Doh

17 18 19 20 21 22 23

Hershey’s plain chocolate bars—A favorite of Veterans

Little Debbie Snacks—also a favorite of vets as they reminisce

Lay’s plain potato chips—another vet fave!

Stuffed animals, new or gently used, and/or Hot Wheels

Flashlights—for older foster kids, to ease fears in new places

Decks of cards Baby pacifiers and teether toys

24 25 26 27 28 29 30

Bring your items to worship as a gift for Jesus!

From veteran’s homes to homeless shelters to foster families to street ministries and more, Handles of Hope provides hope for those who are struggling. The list of suggested items comes from these agencies. Questions? Contact Handles of Hope, a local 501(c)(3) non-profit organization, at handlesofhope@yahoo.com (also on Facebook) or GC UMC Director of Education and Mission, Barb Horsch at 217-784-5452.

For convenience, assemble donations in the bags obtained for the first two days. It does not matter what items go in what bags; it will all be sorted and organized by HOH.

The bags you provide, even a simple shopping bag, can help provide a vital sense of stability for those who have nothing they can claim as their own.

For all items, any amount/size/brand is welcome, including hotel size hygiene items.

Lots of $1 options at Dollar General & County Market

Hygiene items are simple yet essential for health and confidence in new school situations, job interviews, etc.

Coping items help provide tools to ease anxiety, depression, fear and overall uncertainty in life.

These items help provide fun and comfort.

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Harold Underwood 1 Marci Fisher 1 Marsha Riddle 2 Colleen Woodcock 2 Ellen Maxey 4 Gabriel Wurmnest 4 Sarah McCall 6 Nathan Young 6

Rick Young 7 Jamie Young 7 Heather Murphy 8 James Collison 9 Bill Romshek 9 Todd Baillie 10 Ronald Baird 11 Phoenix Kruse 11 Kami Knerr 12 Carolyn Ryan 13 Adam Hood 13 Christina Moody 14 Karla Hunter 15 Kenleigh Friday 16 Danielle Christensen 18

Sharon Pool 19 Kyle Freehill 19 Brenda Main 20 Rachel Quinley 20 Kyle Bielfeldt 20 Lynne Titus 22 Ruth Fisher 23 Kenneth Hendricks 23 Debbie McCullough 24 Tom McCall 25 Gayle Hager 27 Wrigley Maxey 27 Pauline Beesley 28 Derek Kietzman 30 Kenny Hawthorne 30

Chelsey Lange 30 Robert Hill 31 Logan Ward 31

Nursing Home

Residents

Manor Ruth Fisher Judy Peters Jane Hill Phil Lutz Annex Mary Rosebraugh Sonny Boundy Doug Hager

Paxton Health Care Michael Morano Bill Dueringer

Health Concerns Delmar Bedel Cathy Breeden Edith Christensen Dusty & Nancy Davis Ruth Fisher Herb Green Jerry Holsten Phil Lutz Mike & Judy Morano Servicemen and women SGT Colton Young AB Cody McCoy PFC Glenn Mehl III

Weekend Sat

5:30

Sun

8:45

Sun

11:00

Oct 28th & 29th 10 99 14

Nov 4th & 5th 9 108 32

Nov 11th & 12th 15 123 25

Nov 18th & 19th 13 142 18

Sunday

School

56

77

76

67

PPPPRAYERSRAYERSRAYERSRAYERS, B, B, B, BIRTHDAYSIRTHDAYSIRTHDAYSIRTHDAYS, A, A, A, ANNIVERSARIESNNIVERSARIESNNIVERSARIESNNIVERSARIES

Jan—Oct 2017 Offering for Budget $222,205.72

Jan—Oct 2017 Operating Expenses $269,200.90

Day Years Kenny & Candice Hawthorne 1 10 Ben & Jodi Kaeding 1 Kip & Judy Rutledge 2 28 Jack & Marlene Royal 6 59 Micheal & Judy Morano 14 Tom & Kelly Borton 23 32 Roger & Brenda Main 26 47 Tom & Kathy Bennett 27 37

2018 Altar Flowers2018 Altar Flowers2018 Altar Flowers2018 Altar Flowers In the coming weeks, new sign-up sheets will be out in the Narthex for 2018 Altar Flowers. As with the last two years, please pay the office $30 the week you provide flowers. Arrangements in 2018 will be provided by County Market.

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The office will close at noon on December 22nd and will not reopen until Wednesday, December 27th . If you have a non-urgent need, please call and leave a voicemail or email the office and your question will be answered within the day. If you have an urgent need, please contact Pastor John at 217-249-5453.

Wesleyana CircleWesleyana CircleWesleyana CircleWesleyana Circle The Wesleyana Circle will be at Holly Brook on December 13th at noon. The annual Messiah performance sponsored by Gibson Area Music Foundation will be held at 3 p.m. on Sunday, December 4 at the Gibson City Bible Church. The guest soloist this year is Shondra Summerville. Returning soloists are Amanda Broaddus, Andrea Dunahee, Jim Mayer and Jason Morgan. We are pleased to have Dr. Janet McCumber conducting for the first time this year. She has previously conducted GAMF performance of Seven Last Words. No admission charged; this year's free-will offering will be donated to the Canaan Baptist Academy of Urbana, in memory of the late Willie Summerville, who conducted the local performances for 10 years Refreshments served after the performance.

Giving Tree 2017Giving Tree 2017Giving Tree 2017Giving Tree 2017

We are again sponsoring a Giving Tree for needy children in our area. Each tag represents a child and will have their sizes and list some needs and wants. Tags will be available by Sunday, December 3rd on the tree in the Narthex. We only put

one tag per child on the tree, so you may want to buy

several items for this child, such as clothing and a toy. Also, school supplies and personal items are great to include in the box as well. Would you like to help, but dread shopping or are unable to shop? There are other ways in which you can help! • Sponsors—if you would like to sponsor a child, the

request donation per tag is $50 • Elves—do you LOVE shopping? Please contact the

office if you would like to be an elf this year. We are in need of shoppers for the tags that are sponsored by donations. We can help you with ideas and pointers from previous years’ shopping trips.

• Wrappers—do you LOVE to wrap gifts? Once our elves return, there are often many gifts to wrap. Please contact the office if you would be interested in helping wrap the gifts that the elves bring back.

• Distribution Elves—lastly, we need a few able bodies to help distribute the gifts. Distribution will be on Thursday, December 21st from 8:30am-12. This would entail helping the families out to the car with their gifts. This morning usually involves donuts and coffee!!

Thank you, every one, for your generosity during this difficult time of year for some families.

Save The DateSave The DateSave The DateSave The Date———— Lay Leadership TrainingLay Leadership TrainingLay Leadership TrainingLay Leadership Training Illinois Great River’s Conference will be hosting lay leadership training at New Horizon Church in Champaign, IL on Saturday, January 27th. Included in the training will be two safe sanctuary workshops. Please keep this date in mind and look for future information from the conference.

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Leadership Needed: Leadership Needed: Leadership Needed: Leadership Needed: Education Chairperson(s)Education Chairperson(s)Education Chairperson(s)Education Chairperson(s)

The good news for our Children’s ministry is seen every Sunday morning and every Wednesday night. Thanks to many adult volunteers, we have a rotation of teachers to love and mentor our kids to a loving faith in Jesus.

As a church, we should rejoice in the number of children and youth that these two programs are reaching. We are grateful for the time and talents of our adult teachers and those organizing special events and music.

However, we are in need of leadership. The Nominations Committee has not been able to find a chairperson for Education. This position could be divided into 2 chairpersons, one for Sunday School and one for Wednesday nights.

Please prayerfully consider if God is calling you to provide the oversight and leadership for our children and youth education. Thank you. - Pastor John

You are You are You are You are Invited!Invited!Invited!Invited!

The Worship Committee invites everyone to the annual Hanging of the Greens on Saturday, December 2 at 8:00 am in the Fellowship Hall at church. We will first provide breakfast for all attending. After sharing food and fellowship (about 8:45) we will decorate the church for the Advent season.

March to the Manger March to the Manger March to the Manger March to the Manger This year’s March to the Manger, one of two annual offerings taken for our missionaries, will take place on December 16th/17th. We are invited to step forward to offer monetary gifts of support for folks who bear the message of Christ in missionary service throughout the world. Our March to the Manger offerings will be divided equally among: • the Tankersleys serving in Columbia,

• the Smallwoods serving in Appalachia,

• the Warfields serving in Senegal, and • Margaret Farnsworth serving in Kenya. All are encouraged to prayerfully prepare for this opportunity to enter into the timeless story and connect with God’s healing work in the world.

The month of October was Pastor Appreciation Month. As a congregation, we donated $100 in Pastor John’s honor to the Preachers’ Aid Society and Benefit Fund. Here is the thank you we received from them.

Thank you for your recent gift in honor of Pastor John. Your generosity enables PASBF (Preachers’ Aid Society And Benefit Fund). To make a significant difference. One spouse wrote, “PSABF is saving my life!” Thank you, Rev. Keith Anderson Executive Director

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Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday

1 2 Communion

5:30 PM Saturday Night Light Worship

3 Communion 7:00 AM Men’s Breakfast

8:45 AM Traditional Worship

10:00 AM Sunday School

11:00 AM Contemporary Worship

4 9:00 AM Prayers 7:00 PM Trustees

5 12:00 PM Lion’s Club 1:00 PM Communion Manor/Annex

6 WEDNESDAY NIGHT FELLOWSHIP 1:00 PM Connection Team

7 7:00 PM Finance

8 9 Mission Socks 5:30 PM Saturday Night Light Worship

10 Mission Socks 8:45 AM Traditional Worship

10:00 AM Sunday School

11:00 AM Contemporary Worship

11 9:00 AM Prayers 7:00 PM Covenant Council

12 12:00 PM Lion’s Club

13 5:30 PM Fellowship Meal 6:30 PM Christmas Program 7:00 PM Pie Night/Manor

14 15 16 March to the Manger 5:30 PM Saturday Night Light Worship

17 March to the Manger

8:45 AM Traditional Worship

10:00 AM SS Celebration

11:00 PM Contemporary Worship

18 9:00 AM Prayers

19 Newsletter Articles Due 12:00 PM Lion’s Club

20

21 22 23 5:30 PM Saturday Night Light Worship

24 9:00 AM Worship 10:00 PM Candle Light Service

25 OFFICE CLOSED

26 OFFICE CLOSED

27

28 9:00 AM Newsletter Prep

29 30 5:30 PM Saturday Night Light Worship

31 8:45 AM Traditional Worship

10:00 AM Sunday School

11:00 AM Contemporary Worship

WEDNESDAY NIGHT FELLOWSHIP 5:30 PM—Fellowship Meal 6:30 PM—Youth Classes 6:30 PM—MS/HS Youth Group 7:30 PM—Sanctuary Choir 8:30 PM—Jake’s Boys

2017

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NON-PROFIT ORG.

U.S. POSTAGE PAID

PERMIT NO 13 Gibson City, IL 60936

RETURN SERVICE REQUESTED

Gibson City United Methodist Church 206 East 10th Street Gibson City, IL 60936

DDDDECEMBERECEMBERECEMBERECEMBER SSSSERVICEERVICEERVICEERVICE SSSSCHEDULECHEDULECHEDULECHEDULE

Pastor—John Tennyson cell 217-249-5453 email: pastorgcumc@sbcglobal.net Director Education/Missions—Barb Horsch cell 217-781-8048 email: mgf@leapstream.net Administrative Assistant—April Rotramel office 217-784-5452 email: gcumc@sbcglobal.net

Church Custodian—Jeremy Rotramel Organist—Beverly Nagle Choir Director—Ruth Davis

Nursery Attendants—Melissa Jamison Susan Schultz, Volunteer

OUR STAFF

Liturgist Greeters

(West, South, North) Acolytes

Sound

Room

(8:45)

Projector

(8:45)

Projector

(11:00)

Dec 3 Kent

Bielfeldt

Tom & Sandy Fairchild Rick & Becky Young

Kenny & Candice Hawthorne Bailey Grider

Lonnie Engel

Connor Engel

Jeremy Steidinger

Dec 10 Amy Hood James & Carol Steinman

Mike & Ann Young Arsenault Family

Maddox Lindelof Steve

Hawthorne Dani

Eckerty Katie

Quinley

Dec 17 Mick

Kingsley

James & Carol Steinman Mike & Ann Young

Arsenault Family Grace Steidinger Jon Clark

Zander Wier

Mitchel Quinley

Dec 24 Lisa Farmer Jeremy Grider

Dwaine & Barb Horsch Patrick & Ashley Morris

Addison Farmer Lonnie Engel

Erin Arsenault

Rachel Quinley

Head Usher for December is Glenn Riddle.

Dec 31 Rhonda Eckerty

Jeremy Grider Dwaine & Barb Horsch Patrick & Ashley Morris

Maci Lindelof Steve

Hawthorne Dani

Eckerty Katie

Steidinger