The season of Lent is fast approaching. Easter is very early this year and we will begin Lent with an Ash Wednesday service on February the 6th. I hope that everyone will make a special effort to be at the church that night at 7:00 p.m . for this service.

   As Lent progresses, we have several opportunities for worship and fellowship available for you.

• A special Lenten Vesper service at 6:00 p.m. on Sunday February 10th
• We’ll have our March Fellowship Luncheon on the 2nd following worship.
• Another Lenten Vesper service on Sunday March 16th (Palm Sunday) at 6:00 p.m.
• The Bluefield Ministerial Association will once again host the Lenten Lunches during Holy Week
• We will have a Holy Thursday foot washing and communion service on Thursday March 20th at 6:00 p.m.
• We will have a special beans and cornbread Wednesday night meal on March 12th
• Immediately following the dinner, the children and youth will present an Easter drama in the sanctuary.

I hope that you will take the time to attend as many of these events as possible. They will deepen your spiritual life and connect you more closely with other members of the body of Christ.

We hope that you are planning on joining us for some of the special worship services that we have planned for the Advent/Christmas seasons. It is a very special time of the year and some very special and different services are being planned.

 The first service happens on Sunday morning December 2nd. We will celebrate the First Sunday of Advent during worship and will also have the chance to partake of Holy Communion. That evening, we will gather at 6:00 p.m. in the chapel to conduct an Advent Vesper Service. This service will involve many of the same elements used in the Lenten Vesper Service: the room will be darkened, there will be chanting, reading of psalms, singing of familiar tunes, prayers offered for the season, etc. These services were very moving during Lent and I expect that they will also be equally moving during Advent.

On Sunday December 9th. During the morning worship service we will have a special time to recognize various leaders of the church that will be rotating out of their leadership positions on January 1st. Then, at 6:00 p.m., we will once again meet in the Chapel for a Healing Service. Those present will have an opportunity to have hands laid on them in prayer and to be anointed with oil for healing. This service would be especially good for those persons that are having a difficult time this Holiday season. Come and let the healing power of the Holy Spirit wash over you. Participants will also be given the opportunity to light a candle on the altar symbolizing their faith in Christ, the light and hope of the world.

The following Sunday morning, December 16th, we will gather for a choral presentation during our morning worship service. That night, we will gather for our traditional children’s Christmas program.

On Tuesday night December 18th everyone is invited to gather at the church at 6:00 p.m. for a time of Christmas caroling. We will leave the church and visit various homes in the community. We’d love to have your voice joining with us as we sing the songs of the season.

Our final special service is the Christmas Eve service that begins at 7:00 p.m. During the service we will be singing quite a few Christmas carols. As a matter of fact, the communion liturgy will be composed of various sung sections set to familiar Christmas tunes. That should make the evening special enough, but we will end the night by dimming the lights and coming forward to light the candles arranged in a cross shape at the front of the church. This has been an especially moving moment for me during the past couple of Christmas Eve services.

All in all, there are plenty of extra opportunities for you to begin experiencing the Advent/Christmas seasons in a whole new way. All it takes is the added effort to attend these specially planned worship services.

It all grew out of series of discussions that started in the Finance Committee about a year and a half ago. Some on the Committee felt the need to have a Pledge Campaign so that we could better understand where the funds might come from to underwrite the church budget.

The idea became a reality this year when we held our first Consecration Sunday campaign. The campaign was led by the Reverend Dr. Tom Conley. Through a series of letters, sermons, and testimonies, we learned some of the principles of stewardship that had not been conveyed for quite a while in the church. Those principles will be further expanded upon in 2008 with the Holy Smoke–Whatever Happened to Tithing small group studies and through sermons offered at various times upon the topic of stewardship. We will also, most likely, conduct a second campaign in the fall of 2008.

The campaign culminated on Consecration Sunday. On that day, everyone was given the opportunity to indicate how he or she would support the ministries of the church during 2008. We had a modest increase in giving, about 1.5% over the 2007 amounts. In reality, this percentage may be higher. It seems as if the pledge cards were confusing to some people. Some indicated they would give more than in 2007 but failed to indicate how much more they would give. Thus, increases were promised, but we can’t accurately determine the dollar amounts of those increases.

All in all, I am pleased with the outcome of this campaign. To make it effective, however, those that made a pledge should strive to follow through on their commitment during 2008. To help with that commitment, we will be sending quarterly statements to all givers during the coming year that will indicate their pledge amounts and the status of their giving up to that point.

The church thanks each person for the financial support that he or she gives to the church. We know that money does not grow on trees and appreciate the sacrifice that your giving makes. Thank you in advance for the lives that will be touched through the gifts you will make in 2008.

  Sunday November the 18th will be a very important day for our church. Following worship, we will have a pot luck meal in the fellowship hall. As the meal ends, we will begin a Vision and Planning session designs to help the Natural Church Development Health Team plan activities, events, classes and other programs for 2008. During 2008, the Health Team will help our church better understand what it means to engage in a Gift Based Ministry.  

· We believe that each person has received a gift from the Holy Spirit when he or she made a profession of faith in Jesus Christ.

·  We believe that the gift was given so that it can be used.

· We believe that the church must find ways of connecting a person’s gift with ministries within the church.

· We believe that you can help us make this happen by attending this Vision and Planning Session.    

In order to make the most of this Vision and Planning Session, we need as many people as possible to stay and share ideas and help us to develop those ideas into goals that are S.M.A.R.T (specific, measurable, attainable, results oriented, and time bound). With your input, the plan that we design can help us transform our church into a church that can more effectively serve God’s Kingdom and make an impact on our community.   

Please mark this date on your calendar and plan to join us for this session. 

  Our Annual Holiday Show is this Saturday, November 3rd from 8:30 a.m. until 4:00 p.m. in the church fellowship hall. In case you haven’t been to one of the Holiday Shows, let me tell you what is in store for you. First of all, it’s a great place to get Christmas gifts for people. There will be vendors selling items that make great gifts. Secondly, it’s a place to enjoy some great food. The United Methodist Men are cooking breakfast. The United Methodist Women are doing their hot chicken salad plate for lunch. We invite everyone to come out and join us. The proceeds from this event help to pay our 2007 Fair Share Apportionment.

  Last night, we entertained 28 children (as well as a few parents) in the fellowship hall with a Halloween Party. I don’t want to debate the theology of a Halloween Party, I just want to let you know that we had a fun evening. It all began with a costume contest. We then had snacks. Our first official game was the cake walk. Actually, it was more like a reverse hot potato game. Everyone either one a cake or other baked good. We then had the group break up into smaller groups and every group then rotated through four stations: bean bag toss, ping pong ball toss, Halloween Bingo, and musical chairs.

   Congregations that approach financial stewardship from a biblical perspective do not view the money Christians give to their church merely as a way to pay its bills. Rather, such congregations see financial contributions as a way to help people grow spiritually in their relationship with God by supporting their church’s mission and ministry with a percentage of their incomes.

   Our congregation’s finance committee has selected the New Consecration Sunday Stewardship Program as a way to teach the biblical  and spiritual principles of generous giving in our stewardship education emphasis this year.

   New Consecration Sunday is based on the biblical philosophy of the need of the giver to give to his or her own spiritual development, rather that on the need of the church to receive. Instead of treating people like members of a social club who should pay dues, we will treat people like followers of Jesus Christ who want to give unselfishly as an act of discipleship. New Consecration Sunday encourages people toward proportionate giving in response to the question, “What percentage of my income is God calling me to give?” During morning worship on Consecration Sunday, we are asking our attendees and members to make their financial commitments to our church’s missionary, benevolent, and educational ministries in this community and around the world.

   Every Attendee and member who completes an Estimate of Giving Card does so voluntarily by attending morning worship on Consecration Sunday. We also urge people to attend who feel strongly opposed to completing a card. The procedure is done in such a way that no one feels personal embarrassment if he or she choose not to fill out a card.

   We will do no home solicitation to ask people to complete cards. During morning worship our guest leader will conduct a brief period of instruction and inspiration, climaxed by members making their commitments as a confidential act of worship.

   We will encourage participation in Consecration Sunday events through the Consecration Sunday Team and governing board members. Since we will make no follow-up visits to ask people to complete their cards, we will make every effort to inform, inspire, and commit everyone to attend Consecration Sunday worship. 

   Thanks in advance for your enthusiastic participation in Consecration Sunday events.  

David Parris
Administrative Board Chairman  

   Jim Nickles and Teen Challenge rolled into the sanctuary this morning and blessed those present to hear their combination of music and testimony. Sometimes, we forget the marvelous prayer answering power of the living God. Sometimes we forget that can and will change lives. Sometimes we forget that all of our are sinners in need of God’s saving grace.

   After hearing the Teen Challenge stories, though, we are now aware of the things that we all hope for can and still do happen. God does answer prayer and God still changes lives. If you weren’t present for worship today, then you missed the best opportunity to hear the story of God at work changing lives that’s been told in recent times.

   I’d like to thank all those folk that brought extra food for the meal. It was terriffic and no one went away hungry. Thank you for your generosity. Thanks also for the continued support that you give to Teen Challenge.

 Join us for our second Wonderful Wednesday meal on October 17th at 6:00 p.m.

The proceeds from this meal will help us with the Celebration Sunday Catered meal. So please give generously at this meal. 

Our Menu for the Meal:

Meatball Extravaganza
Brown Gravy, Barbecue, & Teriyaki Meatballs
Steamed White Rice
California Vegetables
Green Beans with New Potatoes
Bread
Fresh Salad
Desserts (please bring some)

Helpers need to be in the kitchen around 5:00 p.m. 

   We have a talented and gifted group of United Methodist Women at the church. Once a year, we celebrate UMW Sunday by having them plan and lead the morning worship service. This year, they will be doing this on Sunday October 14th.

   They are inviting A/Captain Barbara Lester from the Salvation Army to deliver a message at the service that morning. We hope that everyone will be present to support the UMW and to welcome their guest.