FROM THE PASTOR…

“THE GIFT OF LIGHT”

December 24, 2010

7:00 PM and 11:00 PM

Communion/Worship Service

CHILDREN’S CHRISTMAS PROGRAM

SUNDAY, DECEMBER 12, 2010

DURING THE 10:00 AM WORSHIP SERVICE

CHOIR CONCERT AND

SING-A-LONG

SUNDAY, DECEMBER 19, 2010

7:00 PM

PASTOR KATHY’S REFLECTIONS

It is such an honor to participate in the youth activities at SUMC and experience the adventure of our youth group members discovering their gifts and talents, growing in their understanding of faith, and reaching out to serve others. On Friday evening, November 12^th I joined three of our youth and Debbie at the “One Homeless Night” event held at Synergy House on Parvin Road. The evening began at 7:00 PM with great group-building activities for the approximately forty participants and ten leaders. We also enjoyed art projects, games, a movie and informational discussions. A central focus of the night was building temporary shelters out of huge cardboard boxes, and participants actually spent the night in their cardboard “house.” The youth from our group had a great time building their houses! Our SUMC youth participated in all activities, interacted with other participants, met youth who had actually been homeless, and demonstrated great sensitivity to the realities of homelessness. In the near future I am hoping that Jarod, Jacob, Morgan and Debbie will share some of their experiences with the entire church family during a morning worship service.

SUMC is a loving church of service! The church is offering a variety of opportunities to help address the basic needs of persons during the upcoming holiday season. During the next few weeks members of SUMC are invited to share their gifts of time and resources in the following ministries:

· The weekly Offering for Others collected by our children each Sunday morning before the children’s message.

· The Ministerial Alliance food drive. Food products may be placed in the large marked barrel in the great room.

· The Ministerial Alliance toy drive. New toys may be place in the large marked barrel in the great room.

· The Boy Scout collection of slightly used or new coats and blankets. Donations may be taken to the scout room.

· Ringing Bells for the Salvation Army. Saturday, December 4th.

· Youth breakfast at the Smithville Housing Authority on Saturday, December 18^th.

· The Small Steps Preschool food drive for Harvester.

· Christmas Day Dinner for persons who may be alone at Christmas.

· The January 8^th NUMANA Project to provide food for Haiti.

During this advent season, we will continue growing in our understanding of God’s gifts. Each Sunday morning we will use a guide written by James W. Moore to explore “Christmas gifts that won’t break:”

1^st Sunday of Advent, November 28^th: The Gift of Hope

2^nd Sunday of Advent, December 5^th: The Gift of Love

3^rd Sunday of Advent, December 12^th: The Gift of Joy

4^th Sunday of Advent, December 17^th: The Gift of Peace

Christmas Eve Candle Light Communion Service: The Gift of Light

Sunday December 26^th: The Gift of a New Day

I look forward to sharing the wonder of this advent season with each of you.

Blessings,

Pastor Kathy

Words from your Lay Leader – Sharon Fairlie

This is the time of the year where you will find yourself reflecting on past Christmases. The Christmas without someone we love, the first Christmas of a child or grandchild, the time or times when the Spirit of the moment was so apparent you could almost suffocate from the pure pleasure of it.

One time very special to me was when my mother and I decided to make something to give to each member of the family for Christmas. After scouring all the craft books, we came to a decision. We would make a Rudolf the Red Nosed Reindeer out of wood. The pattern looked fairly easy. Mother would cut the figures using my step-dad’s band saw and I could do the painting.

After much ‘cipherin’, we bought the wood and paint and set out one weekend to make the little critters. The sawdust was fairly flying with mother cutting out the figures all the while my step-dad keeping a close eye on the entire operation. I think he feared more for his band saw than our fingers if the truth were known.

We finished in plenty of time, very proud of our work knowing full well the family would keep this, our little gift, for many generations. Or so we hoped.

Isn’t so true that what brings us the most pleasure is in the preparation? Each year as Christians celebrate the gift of Jesus, tearing away all the commercialism, we will find the true gift that keeps on giving. Don’t you think Christmas is preparation for us to share with others the gift of Christ’s love?

“And he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believes in Him, will not perish but have everlasting life”… Amen and Merry Christmas

Thank you to all that participated in the 7^th Annual Miriam Thompson Pie Auction/Spaghetti Dinner (Youth, UMM, people that made pies and people that came to enjoy the event). We made over $2300. The money will go towards summer camp and preschool scholarships.

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Thank you to everyone that helped in any way with the Chili Supper. We couldn’t have done it without you. We made around $2300 that will go towards benevolence.

WAYNE COOK CLELBRATION

The celebration of the life of Rev. Wayne Cook will be held Sunday, December 5^th at 1:00 pm here at SUMC. This is a joyful gathering for the remembrance of my father and a friend to so many. If you knew him, come with a story or two to share with everyone “What would Wayne want from his Memorial?” Is the theme of our gathering. He would want joy, not sadness. Let’s have fun in his memory.

Susan Cook

SALVATION ARMY BELL RINGING

SUMC will be ringing the bells for the Salvation Army on Saturday, December 4^th from 10:00 am to 6:00 pm. There will be ½ hour shifts. No age restrictions. Please sign up as soon as possible. If you have any questions please contact Kerry Winans.

UMW CHRISTMAS LUNCHEON

Thursday, December 9^th at 11:30 am the UMW will host their annual Christmas Luncheon here at the church. The invitation is to all women and men of the church. The luncheon will be a potluck, so bring your favorite dish or dessert. Please let any of the UM Women know if you plan to attend.

When: December 12, 2010

Where: Right here at Church

Time: 11:15 am

Why: Help support us for our WOW trip and mission’s trips.

We will be having all you can eat breakfast breads, biscuits and gravy, waffles with toppings, eggs, sausage, juice and coffee.

PLEASE HELP SUPPORT OUR YOUTH GROUP

CHRISTMAS PARTY/POTLUCK

You are invited to a potluck dinner on December 18^th at 6:00 pm in honor of our paid staff. We have many people working for this church to help us fulfill God’s missions on earth. Please come on December 18^th to help celebrate these hard working people and their families. Bring a covered dish or two to share. Beverages will be provided. We will have a short program to honor our staff toward the end of dinner. All are invited.

Small Steps Preschool invites you to their Christmas Program

Where: Here at SUMC, in the Great Room

When: Friday, December 10, 2010

Time: 6:30 pm to 8:00 pm

We will be performing a few songs for you. Afterwards there will be homemade cookies to partake in and an opportunity to get your picture taken with Santa.

We hope to see you there.

Merry Christmas from Small Steps Preschool

A Christmas Day Ministry

The 4^th Annual Christmas Day Dinner will begin at noon on December 25. Meet and drinks will be provided. Assistance is needed for food donations of salads and desserts, possible transportation help, attendance, and prayers from the SUMC congregation as we try to grow this ministry. This ministry is provided for new SUMC transplants with no close relatives, SUMC members who are confined to their homes, and a special invite to residents of the Smithville low income housing program. The meal will be followed by games and fellowship! As was the case last year, a reschedule date has been set for January 1, 2011, should the weather not cooperate. Thank you for your support of this special ministry.

As you read this the Holiday Season is upon us. As a SUMC Youth Group we have a lot going on. We will be participating in activities for the community. As always we have the food barrels for the Ministerial Alliance. No one is too young to bring in non-perishables foods and the need is great!

Dec 12th after the Children’s Christmas Program we will have our 3rd annual Brunch. This is a fundraiser for the YOUTH GROUP and has been a great success in the past.

Along with the Missions Group, we will be ringing bells for the Salvation Army on Saturday, December 4th.

December 18th - Serving Breakfast to the Shut-ins at the Smithville Housing Authority.

Thanks to all of the Youth and Parents and members who support our Youth at SUMC. It takes all of us together to continue the program.

Debbie

IMPORTANT NEWS

Many thanks to Sarah Crutcher for her dedication to the youth ministry of this church. Sarah submitted her resignation affective November 30^th. We wish her many blessings as she continues the next chapter of her life’s journey.

Please notice the Art Group’s Exhibit currently showing in the Smithville Library’s display case.

In December, at the church, small paintings will be shown which are suitable for Christmas gifts – for others or for yourself!

Don’t forget that the class is open to anyone interested in learning to paint watercolors. There is no charge and you need not be a member of the church. Beginners are welcome, as well as more advanced students.

For information, please call Martha Urquhart at 532-3772

SAVE A DATE

The Smithville UMC has signed up to work with NUMANA and several area churches to package meals. We will need several volunteers to work 2 hour shifts thru out the day. Volunteers can be young (5-6) to the very mature. This would be a great project to do as a family, a group of friends or any organization that you may be a part of i.e. Boy Scouts, Girl Scouts, Chamber of Commerce, you get the idea. NUMANA provides meals to countries that are in need of help. We will be packaging meals for Haiti. This is a great community service project. It is super simply to do and a lot of fun as well. We will be providing more information next month. So please mark your calendar for January 8, 2011. We will have a sign-up located at the church bulletin board. This is really a great project and a great way to start your New Year. *Location has changed to: Lewis and Clark Elementary School 1407 Nashua Road, Liberty, MO 64068-3368.

The toy store this year will be at Grace Community Church on December 9^th and 10^th. There is a barrel in the Great Room for your donations of new & unwrapped toys, games, etc. Please have your donations in by November 28^th. If you would like to make a monetary donation please mail to Grace Community Church, 1520 Hwy. DD, Smithville, MO 64089. Make checks payable to Grace Community Church (in the memo write Christmas Toy Store).

The 2011 Altar flower chart is now available in the Great Room on the table on the east wall if you wish to sign up for flowers. Flowers are $12.00. Make your check out to SUMC. Please put “flowers” in the memo and drop in the collection or leave in the office. On the chart put your name and what the flowers are for (honor, memory, etc.). If you have any questions please see or call Lu Darr at 532-0106.

NEWS FROM THE SMALL STEPS PRESCHOOL

Dear Members of the Church,

We recently took the children on the meditation trail that the Eagle Scout with the support of the church worked so hard to complete. After our walk we asked the children what some of the things they were thankful for. Here is what they had to say.

Logan Stevens said, “I am thankful for the leaves, and once you get to the top seeing all the things that you can see.”

Brandon Hatch said, “I’m thankful for the signs and getting to read them.”

Jordan Anderson said, “I’m thankful for the whole trail and the signs that the people built.”

Jack Trotter said, “I like the steps on the trail.”

Dalaney Pollard said, “I am thankful for being able to walk on the trail, following the path, and seeing nature.”

Braelyn Hannigan said, “I’m thankful for being able to see a white horse while walking on the trail.”

We would all like to say thank you to the church and the Eagle Scouts for providing this trail for us to use.

Thanks,

Ms. Katie Fish and Ms. Jessica Johnson

BOY SCOUT NEWS

Troop 412 will have a Hobo campout on the SUMC grounds on Friday, December 17^th. As part of the event the scouts will be collecting blankets, coats and nonperishable food items for the community food pantry. The congregation is welcome to participate in this collection. All items will be dedicated during the December 19^th worship service.

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In recognition of Scouting’s 100^th birthday, Troop 412 planted a flowering tree on SUMC grounds as a thank you for allowing us to use your facility. May the spring flowers of this tree warm your heart and remind you that you can make the world a better place.