A Publication of Saint Andrews

United Methodist Church December 2013

Heart to Heart Christmas: The Father’s Gift. This gift gives you what you most need. The Father gives to “whosoever will believe” the gift of hope, and the gift of love, and the gift of joy, and the gift of peace. For you who do Advent Devotions and Candles with your family leading up to Christmas Morning, you will remember that those are the names of the four candles preceding the Christ Candle. (Jesus is our Hope, Love, Joy, and Peace) I have also heard Christmas described as the season of: “The Inclusive Gift: Whosoever Will”, as “The Exclusive Gift: Who Believe”, as “The Greatest Gift: A Savior, Christ the Lord”, and as “The Worst Gift: Herod Became Enraged.” The Baby born in Bethlehem was no ordinary baby. This was, and is, and will always be, the unique Son of God; sent from Heaven to save us from our sins. Eight hundred years before the birth of the Savior, the prophet Isaiah declared: “The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light.” Isaiah 9:2 (Isn’t this still the need for the people of the world?) Christmas proclaims the physical entrance of God into human history in

the only way it ever happened, before or since. “And the Word (of God) became flesh and dwelt among us and we beheld His glory, glory as of the only begotten from the Father, full of grace and truth.” (John 1:14) It was as though a trumpeter had taken his stand upon the turrets of time and announced to a despairing, hopeless, and frustrated world the coming of the Prince of Peace. How silently, how silently, the wondrous gift is given. So God imparts to human hearts the blessings of His heaven. No ear may hear His coming, but in this world of sin. Where meek souls will receive Him still, the dear Christ enters in. Amid the glitter and busyness of the season, may you and your family not lose sight of the miracle and meaning of this Gift that was sent from heaven. Like the shepherds on that night and later the wise men, let us all fall down and worship Jesus Christ, the Savior of the world! Pastor Wayne

“TODAY IN THE CITY OF DAVID THERE HAS BEEN BORN FOR YOU A SAVIOR, WHO IS CHRIST THE

LORD” Luke 2:11

The Following Memorial Gifts Have Been

Received In Memory Of:

Henry Hockaday: Dan & Lyn Cochrane Larry & Nancy Goff

Charles & Pat Rackley Vince & Kathy Revels Gene & Gloria English

Jack & Serena Matthews

Marion Hicks by: Gladys Rutledge Pathfinders Class

C.L. & Kathleen Byrd Gene & Gloria English

Linwood & Harriette Finch Charles & Pat Rackley

Ed & Linda Spence

Gloria Lambert by: Charles & Pat Rackley

Jack Stanley by:

Carol Stanley

The Following Memorial Gifts Have Been Received In Honor Of:

Greg & Lisa Reinhard by:

Ben & Tina Garner

JOY CLUB

The JOY Club will meet in the fellowship hall on Tuesday, December 17 at noon for a Christmas

party. A lite lunch will be provided. Everyone is welcome at the JOY Club.

Jack Matthews

EMPTY BOWL PROJECT NIGHT Please join Vandora Springs Elementary for their

annual Empty Bowl Project on Thursday, December 12th from 6-7:30 pm. Over 80 hand-crafted ceramic bowls will be bartered off with a donation of 20 items of non-perishable food per

bowl. All of the food collected through this art-based community outreach will go to benefit the food

pantry at Garner Area Ministries. Thank you for your continued support in the fight

against hunger. God Bless, -Jim Hunt (jhunt@wcpss.net)

December 1 Carey & Courtney Denning December 8 Brian & Linda Wiggs December 15 Gary Shook December 22 Brenda Kirkland December 29 Paul & Corothy Sims

Greeters for 8:30 a.m. Worship Service

December 1 Joseph McLeod Amanda Driscoll December 8 Robin Pleasant Cathy Olson December 15 Joseph McLeod Amanda Driscoll December 22 Robin Pleasant Cathy Olson December 29 Joseph McLeod Amanda Driscoll

We offer heartfelt Christian sympathy to Sylvia Hockaday on the death of her husband, Henry.

We offer heartfelt Christian sympathy to Gene &

Gloria English on the death of Gloria’s aunt, Gloria Lambert.

VOLUNTEERS WHO SERVE Acolyte December 1 TBD December 8 TBD December 15 TBD December 22 TBD December 29 TBD Greeters December 1 Vince & Kathy Revels December 8 Carol Shaw, Pat Smith December 15 Dock & Sara Rogers December 22 Ed & Linda Garrison December 29 Ken & Rita Sumner Ushers Vince Revels, Brady Moore, Don Stranad, Paul Holbrook, Dock Rogers Nursery Workers December 1 8:30 a.m. TBD Nursery TBD 2-3 yr olds Claude Jenkins December 8 8:30 a.m. TBD Nursery Glenda Norris 2-3 yr olds TBD December 15 8:30 a.m. TBD Nursery TBD 2-3 yr olds TBD December 22 8:30 a.m. Karen Turner Nursery TBD 2-3 yr olds TBD December 29 8:30 a.m. TBD Nursery TBD 2-3 yr olds Jim & Teresa Hunt

01 Jennifer Neighbors, Verne Futrell, Donna Price, Becki Leeland, Delane Hayes 02 Kenny Janik 03 Ryan Bader, Susan Holland 05 Emerson Denning 06 Ralph Denning, Allyson Lyon, Faye West 08 Wanda Baker 09 Carol Shaw 12 Connor Hare, Ken Sumner, Lucy Merical, Ed Spence, Kyle Turner 13 Isabella Saudo, Annabel Holland 15 Nancy Woodward, Chad Wurr 17 Randy Creech, Gary Kieft 19 Rachel Sheffield, Chris Green, Hannah Canavin 20 Zach Woody 21 Abby Cope, Brenda Eason, Brenda Honeycutt, Frances Matz 23 Tara Lester 24 Ashley Janik, Dee Keene 27 Bryer Jewell, Zachary Bone 29 Logan Pearce 31 Sally Young

DECEMBER 04 Paul & Corothy Sims 04 Tom & Polly O’Quinn 08 Josh & Maggie Smale 13 Vic & Carolyn Byrd 14 Brian & Linda Wiggs 16 John & Heather Majernik 18 Shay & Leigh Anne Creech 19 Jerry & Glenda Norris 20 George & Pam Brewer 27 Michael & Rhonda Gillespy 28 Jake & Patsy Bryant 30 Jeff & Julie Canavin

***To sign-up for volunteering in the nursery, please go to the following link. www.signupgenius.com/go/10C0D48A5AD2AA6FF2-volunteer and pick your Sunday. If you have any questions, please contact the church office.

Loads of Love continues to meet on the first Monday of each month to prepare and deliver meals for our shut-ins. We are so glad Corothy is now able to resume making those wonderful cards for us. She makes over FIFTY cards each month!! If anyone knows of someone who should be on our list to receive a card or a meal and card, please let us know. We will meet again on Monday, December 2nd at 10:00 a.m. and invite anyone who is interested in this very special ministry to join us! If you would like to be involved but are not available on Monday morning, we welcome contributions of food and/or money to help with this ministry. For more information, contact Gloria English at 919/772-4285 or ggenglish@nc.rr.com Friendship Circle… We participated in the Turkey Tree for Garner Area Ministries and have made plans to assist a family Christmas. We are responding to the plea for help with a new air conditioning system for our church. Our December meeting is the highlight of our year! The children in the St Andrews Preschool will perform their Christmas program for us on December 18th; this serves as a rehearsal for the performance for their parents the following day. Pastor Wayne will read the Christmas story and we will all bring Christmas goodies to share during our fellowship time. All women in our church are automatically members of UMW and we encourage you all to get involved in either the daytime circle (third Wednesday of each month at 10:00) or the night circle (second Tuesday of each month at 7:00). For more information, contact Gloria English at 919/772-4285 or ggenglish@nc.rr.com (daytime circle) or Becky McNeill at beckymac1@hotmail.com or (919) 451-5302 UMW EVENING CIRCLE NEWS…December is always a great month in the UMW Evening Circle! We will celebrate the birth of our Lord at our annual holiday party at the McNeill residence on December 10 at 7pm. If you have never attended a UMW meeting, but are curious and would like to learn more about this fellowship opportunity, we invite you to join us. Please bring a snack or treat to share. We will also be collecting a holiday love offering to donate to one of the charities we have supported in the last year. There will be no childcare at this meeting, but we will resume our normal childcare schedule in January. The month of December also means POINSETTIAS! Did you know that the shape of the poinsettia is a symbol of the Star of Bethlehem which led the wise men to Jesus? And that the colors represent the blood of our Savior (red) and his purity (white)? You can help us deck the halls of the sanctuary, celebrate our Savior's birth, and honor your loved ones by purchasing your holiday poinsettias from UMW. We will place all the purchased flowers throughout the church and then send them home with you to enjoy. Look for order forms throughout the month of December. And as we round out 2013, we celebrate the fulfillment of our 1 Kid, 1K commitment to the Methodist Home for Children!!! The Evening Circle donated $1,000, over the course of the last year, to support the care of 1 child at the MHC last year! If you would like to lend your support to this inspiring mission, tickets to the MHC winter gala are now available. This is the mission's largest fund raiser of the year! You can purchase tickets at www.awinterstale.org We hope to see you there!

UMM NEWS

The UMM meet Thursday mornings in December at 6:00 a.m. We will study the last episodes of the

video series with Chip Ingram, True Spirituality. The monthly meeting of the UMM on December 21st will be a dinner at a restaurant to be announced

later. You won't need to bring a steak- a waiter will bring one to you!

Save the following two dates next year. January 19th- Bowling Tournament

April 6th- Chili Cookoff

End of Year for Missions

2013 is almost over - and once again I am saying

thank you to all of you for all of your support, prayers, time and donations.

I watched as you walked for the cure (and enjoyed the food), donated supplies and food for needy students, gave food for families in need, supported the mission

teams, donated funds for Barbie dolls and Hot Wheels, gave your time to the young children and adults to further their walk, brought flowers for the

cross, helped clean the church buildings and grounds, exchanged an empty turkey envelope for a gift card, filled shoe boxes with toys and love for children you

did not know, awaited the opportunity to pick an angel from the tree to replace with presents for children

whose parent(s) are in prison and all the other ways you made Saint Andrews one of the most active

churches I have been a member. Thank you -- and looking forward to seeing all the

opportunities 2014 will give us.

Patti Hendrickson

TEACHERS CORNER-By Paul Sims

“Do you believe in God?” I’ll bet any number of people have asked you that question, and I wouldn’t be surprised if you had asked it of others. But I’m not asking it of you, I just want to talk about the question itself for a bit. Let me begin by saying that I think the question misses the point entirely. Or rather, the question really has no meaning. After all, wouldn’t you say “Yes.” if I asked you whether you believed in air? Wouldn’t you feel like a fool saying “No.”? Either way, what you believe does not alter what is. So often, people have felt compelled to argue for God’s existence. They wanted to show a non-believer or a skeptic that the evidence is on the side of God. Except that it isn’t. Not evidence that can be incontrovertibly true, anyhow. Like air, we can’t see God. But unlike God, we can prove the existence of air – at least, beyond a reasonable doubt. Well then, where does that leave us? Without incontrovertible evidence, that’s where. So we have a choice – we either believe in God or we do not. At this point, you’re probably saying, “Hold on! Didn’t you just say that believing wasn’t the point?” No, I said asking the question was not reasonable. Like air, God exists or God doesn’t exist. Our belief in God doesn’t affect whether God exists. Our belief is what gets us into heaven. God is a fact. I’m not going to ask if God exists, because to me it’s a fact, just like the existence of air is a fact. And therein lies my hope of eternal life. Someone will believe or they won’t. That belief determines where they will spend eternity, not who’s in charge of it. About 2,000 years ago, God did something none of us expected and that we are still struggling to understand. Jesus, (Immanuel – God with us), was born into this world. He grew, he ministered, he showed us the Father. At the end, he sacrificed himself for us, breaking forever the power of sin. After three days, he rose from the dead, breaking forever the power of death. He has returned to the Father, sending the Spirit in his stead to remind us of all that he has said and to guide us into all truth. That truth is: God Exists! So, at this time of year, as we commemorate the birth of the Son of God, the Christ, let us go beyond believing in God. Let us know God. Let us know that God is. God has come in the flesh, that the world might through him be saved. As someone said, “Faith is not believing that God can – it’s knowing that God will.” Amen!

CHANCEL CHOIR CANTATA Please come and enjoy our Chancel Choir Cantata on

Sunday, December 22nd at the 11:00 a.m. worship service.

December 2013 Building Committee Update

On Tuesday, November 12, our architect, Ann Collier and Project Leader, Blair Grizzard met with eleven Saint

Andrews members, Pastor Wayne and the Building Committee Chair. These individuals were previously identified by the Building Committee as needing to have early input in the building plans. While at the church,

the architect did a “walk through” of the church and reviewed plans of the existing facilities. The concept for the new building has not changed. It will include an elevator, six classrooms, a multi-purpose area that will seat

400 at tables, bathrooms, showers and a kitchen. The multi-purpose room will also include a raised platform. The architect will also make some recommendations for improving the entrance to the sanctuary .The lumber cut from the trees that were removed from the building site has been kiln dried and is at Mullis Mill Works in Louisburg where it will be milled into a finished product and stored until it is needed. As of November 17, we have received $657,687of the $1,025,310 pledged in May 2010 for the new building. We have also received

$99,305 in non pledged gifts. At the end of October, the balance in the Building Fund was $887,480, bringing us very close to $900,000. Thank you for your gifts to the Building Fund. We are grateful for your generous pledge

commitments and encourage you to fulfill them as you are able. If you joined the church since the Capital Campaign was conducted, you are encouraged to make a pledge to the Building Fund. Minutes of the Building Committee are on file in the church office and are available for review by Saint Andrews members. Thank you for your support, patience, understanding and encouragement in working through the Building Plan Process.

Please share your thoughts and concerns about the work of the building committee with Vince Revels, Chair of the Building Committee.

United Methodist Women have started selling Auto Bell car wash tickets. Each ticket is $15.00 and is good for a $14.95 full-service car wash at any Auto Bell location. Please contact any UMW member to

purchase these. Remember…these make GREAT gifts for teachers, friends, family members, yourself … anybody whose car gets dirty!! We will be selling tickets through December 15th.

JOY Christmas Card Delivery Once again this year, the JOY Club will deliver Christmas cards for you, to active members of Saint Andrews,

for only .25 cents per card. Just drop the addressed cards/money off in a box provided in the narthex, beginning Sunday, December 1. The cards will be delivered the following Sunday to those in

attendance. Cards must be in by December 15, for delivery before Christmas. All money collected will go to the Building Fund; make checks payable to Saint Andrews. Save a trip to the post office and expensive postage by

supporting this project.

THANK YOU - JOY CLUB

What enthusiasm we showed when singing for the Joy Club! We were able to show off our skills of listening,

following directions, timing, motor skills, and just plain enjoying the music we all have inside ourselves. We had the

opportunity to give the gift of song to others. Thank you for inviting us and for your monetary contribution to our program.

We look forward to singing for the morning UMW in December as we practice for our Christmas program.

GIVING TO OTHERS

In addition to the gift of song, we had a “Giving to Others” outreach project in November. Our Preschool

families brought in 123 food items which were taken to the Garner Area Ministries. We asked the parents to talk with

their child about buying and bringing in food for families who might not be able to purchase the food they need. We

are proud of our little angels!

FUNDRAISER

We have completed a small fundraiser with our families through Art By Me. Almost all families were able to

purchase an item that will have their child’s artwork on it. We do not have a firm total yet, but will probably net around

$300.

HARRIS TEETER

Link your VIC card to St. Andrews UMC Preschool (account # 6827).

Thank you for your continuing support! Mrs. Pat, Director

LIVE NATIVITY Please mark your calendar for Saturday, December 14th and Sunday, December 15th for our Annual Live

Nativity. If you haven’t filled out a form to help with the Live Nativity, please contact the church office. We still need many volunteers.

Thank you in advance for making this an annual event that our community looks forward to.

What: Parent’s Night Out

When: Friday, December 13th from 6:00-9:30 p.m. Where: St. Andrews UMC

The Youth Group will be providing a night of babysitting for parents who need some time to themselves during this busy holiday season. Plan to drop your children off with us with a bag supper. We will make sure they are fed and entertained while you have a night to yourself. Look for sign-up sheets placed around the church.

The Tuesday Morning Bible Study will resume meeting on Tuesday, January 14, 2014 at 10 am.

We will be studying - Grace in a Tree Stump by Ellsworth Kalas. Here is how the author describes his book - "Christians often assume a sharp of distinction between the Old and New Testaments.

They are too quick to view the Old Testament as a book of strict laws and commandments and the New Testament as a witness to grace. The God of the Old Testament is misperceived as a God of

wrath and judgement, while the God of the New Testament is seen as a God of love and mercy.

Using stories of the Old Testament, Kalas helps the reader see that grace has always been a part of the character of God and the Old Testament demonstrates that fact in a variety of ways. The

character of God has not changed, says Kalas. It has always been grace-filled."

The cost of each book will be about $10.00. Please come, join us for 18 weeks of great discussions! Looking forward to seeing you there!

Betsy Youngblood byquiltn1@gmail.com 919-889-2177

For the next two Sundays, the UMW will be selling poinsettia’s after each worship service. There will be an insert in your Sunday bulletin to mark your poinsettia in honor or memory of someone. On Christmas Eve

there will be an insert in the bulletin publicizing those whom you are honoring.

Adam & I pray that everyone has a joyous Advent and Christmas season full of love, joy, and precious memories. Remember that you can say “no” to some events in order to have more quality time with your family. Remember that the best gift ever is Jesus. In our stressful, busy seasons, I pray that we take time to spend time with God and to allow Him to help us keep our focus. I am so proud of our children who have worked hard on the puppet show for the “Happy Birthday Jesus Party!” We have a creative group of children, and I look forward to seeing what they create in the Spring. Thanks so much to all those who taught Guppies & Tweens this semester. We had a great time together learning God’s truths from the life of David. Guppies & Tweens will start back January 5th. Also, parents please mark your calendars for a Parent Meeting on Sunday, January 19th at 4 p.m. in the Fellowship Hall. I look forward to a great time of brainstorming and visioning for the future of the SAUMC children’s ministry.

Because He Lives, Alicia Beard

Moravian Love Feast

On December 8th at 7:00 p.m., Saint Andrews will celebrate a Moravian Love Feast. It is an informal, yet contemplative service of worship that includes music and song, and the sharing of sweetened coffee and

bread.

CHRISTMAS EVE WORSHIP…We are pleased that once again this year Marilyn Aldridge, long-time pianist here at Saint Andrews, will present an hour of special piano music beginning at 5:00 p.m. At 6:00 p.m. our Christmas Eve worship service will commence. We’ll conclude by 7:15 p.m. Included in this worship time will be the celebration of Holy Communion and a candle-lighting service.

Dave and Nancy Woodward would like to invite the church family to their annual “open house” celebration on December 24 immediately following the Christmas Eve Service. Please join us for food and fellowship

as we celebrate the blessings of the season. The address is 6209 Vicky Dr., Raleigh, 27603, in the Colonial Heights subdivision.

Counselor’s blahba …

Greetings Easter people!

This month we celebrate the birth of the Christ Child. We rejoice in God’s promise of a Savior to save us from ourselves and our inequities. What a great moment in history that forever changed mankind. It’s sad how such a monumental moment has become over shadowed by our need for greed. Take a moment this year and STOP. Say “Thank you” to God for what you have, not want you want. Tell your family that you love them and mean it. Open your heart to others. Forgive them their trespasses as they forgive you. Pray for strength. Strength to listen and follow God’s path and not the one you want be on.

Have a Merry Christmas!

December Sunday 1st No Youth Happy Thanksgiving! Sunday 8th TBA Love Feast Friday 13th 5;30 pm- Parent’s Night Out babysitting 7:00 am Fundraiser Lock in/Christmas Party Saturday 14th 6:30-8:30 Live Nativity Sunday 15th 6:30-8:30 Live Nativity/No Youth Meeting Sunday 22nd No Youth Meeting Sunday 29th No Youth……………Happy New Year!

SAUMC Apparel! We have several St. Andrews UMC Shirts, Hoodies, sweatshirts etc. available for Christmas! Please contact

Greg or Lisa if you are interested in getting one. Happy Birthday!!! 12th Connor Hare 21st – Abby Cope 29th – Logan Pearce

Youth Basketball Season is starting in December. Watch for game schedules and come out and support our teams!!!

St. Andrews Youth News

Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat 1 2 3 4 5 6 7

Happy Birthday Jesus Party 5:00 pm

Prayer Ministry 9:00 am 6:00 pm Loads of Love 10:00 am

Sonrise Practice 7:00 pm

STP Service 6:00 pm Choir Practice 6:45 pm

UMM BibleStudy 6:00 am

Square Dancing 7:00 pm

Hope Ministries 9:30 am-3:30 pm

8 9 10 11 12 13 14

Moravian Love

Feast 7:00 pm

Prayer Ministry 9:00 am 6:00 pm

Sonrise Practice 7:00 pm UMW Evening Circle 7:00 pm

STP Service 6:00 pm Choir Practice 6:45 pm

UMM Bible Study 6:00 am Empty Bowl Project 6:00 pm

Youth Babysitting 6:00-9:30 pm

6:30-8:30 pm

15 16 17 18 19 20 21 Prayer Ministry 9:00 am 6:00 pm

JOY Club 12:00 pm Sonrise Practice 7:00 pm

UMW Friendship Circle 10:00 am STP Service 6:00 pm Choir Practice 6:45 pm

UMM Bible Study 6:00 am

Square Dancing 7:00 pm

UMM Monthly Meeting

22 23 24 25 26 27 28

Prayer Ministry 9:00 am 6:00 pm

Marilyn Playing at 5:00 pm Christmas Eve Candlelight and Communion Service 6:00 pm

Merry Christmas

UMM Bible Study 6:00 am

Square Dancing 7:00 pm

_______29

_______30 Prayer Ministry 9:00 am 6:00 pm

_______31 Sonrise Practice 7:00 pm

Saint Andrews United Methodist Church 1201 Maxwell Dr Raleigh, NC 27603

SAINT ANDREWS UNITED METHODIST CHURCH Telephone: (919) 772-4410 Fax: (919) 772-1256 Pastor Wayne’s Cell (919) 628-3658 E-Mail: saumcgarner@bellsouth.net Website: www.saintandrewsumc.org Wayne Hicks, Pastor Marilyn Aldridge, Pianist Emily Turner, Director of Music Ministries Greg & Lisa Reinhard, Co-Youth Directors Alicia Beard, Director of Children’s Ministries Harriette Finch, Parish Nurse Pat Sheffield, Preschool Director Kim Tingler, Administrative Assistant Worship: 8:30 a.m. Sunday – Contemporary 11:00 a.m. Sunday – Traditional Sunday School: 9:45 a.m. Sunday

✡ To

know Him as He is

today, not as a manger-

babe, but as the One who lived and

died and lives again, enthroned and reigning in our hearts,

to sense the need of those who only know the tinsel and

the rushing of the crowds, who celebrate a day and nothing

more — because to them, He slumbers yet at Bethlehem! To love Him and His

Word above all else, and loving, wish to tell others everywhere

the tiding of redemption! this to

us is

CHRISTMAS!