NEWSLETTER STAFF: Mary Lou Pennell, Editor Phone: 746-8538 mlpennell@comcast.net Linda & Chuck Connors CHURCH INFORMATION: R. Spencer Broce, Pastor Lisa Beckwith, Youth Minister Linda Kennedy, Choir Director Sarah Davis - Accompanist Meredith Vogel, Nursery Associate Bonnie Field, Adm. Assistant

Worship Services; 9:00 am and 11:00 am Sunday School: 10:00 am

Church Office: 746-0980 Pastor’s Home: 550-2734 Lebanon UMC 8492 Peaks Road Hanover, VA 23069

NOVEMBER , 2016

We wil l resume ou r reg ula r worsh ip schedule on Sunday, Sept . 18 with contemporar y worsh ip at 9 am, Sunday School at 10 am, and t rad it ional worsh ip at 11 am.

CAR ITAS Arr ives Sat . , Nov. 19

We wil l again be host ing a g roup of homeless women at Lebanon for a t wo-week per iod be -g in n ing Sat ., Nov. 19 and r un n ing th rough the mor n ing of Sat ., Dec. 3. Help is needed in so many ways and there a re lot s of oppor t un it ies for you to ser ve! You can help prepare breakfast or d in ner, pack lunches , s t ay over n ight , do laund r y, prov ide toi le t r ies , or help monitor the use of a mobi le showers un it on the g rounds of Lebanon. Sign up sheets a re in the Gather ing A rea . Once you have signed up for a specif ic a rea , one of ou r coord inators wi l l contact you with more specif ic deta i ls , but i f you need some quest ions answered before sign ing up, you can contact Mar y Lou Pen nel l , the key coord inator for th is project , at mlpen-nel l@comcast .net or at 304 - 6633.

Some of you have been sav ing toi le t r ies a l l yea r. We have some items lef t over f rom last yea r, but rather than ask for specif ic items, we’re ask ing you to just br ing the items you’ve been sav ing. Just remember we need t ravel si zes. A ny items for which we have a su r plus wi l l be donated to ACES (Ashland Ch r is t ian Emergency Ser v ices) as they a re a lways in need of toi le t r ies. Please put these items on the back t able inside the sanct uar y.

The Giv ing Tree is a lso up in the Gather ing A rea and f i l led with or naments that descr ibe items that a re needed to help r un th is event for t wo weeks. Please look these over and t ake an or na- ment or t wo!

CA R ITAS is def in itely an ef for t that involves and needs ever y- one’s help in prov id ing shelte r and food for th is g roup of 32 homeless women.

Reminder : Don’t forget to t u r n you r clocks back an hou r before going to bed Sat u rday n ight .

This yea r Lebanon wi l l pa r t ic ipate i n Operat ion Chr istmas Chi ld . Th is is an out reach mission that br ings the news of Ou r Lord and Sav ior to g i rl s and boys in more than 150 cou nt r ies as they get to exper ience the joy of Ch r is t mas and hea r the Good News of Jesus Ch r is t . There a re many ways you can get i nvolved in th is wonder f u l prog ram.

1st – You can pick up a box and pam- ph le t i n the gather ing a rea . P ick boy or g i rl and an age bracket . Then pack you r ow n shoe box, w rap i t (w rapping the top and bot tom sepa rate) and re t u r n i t to chu rch.

2nd – You can pray for the shoeboxes and the ch i ld ren they wi l l bless . Th is t akes no money at a l l and is jus t a s needed as we prepa re the boxes and the hea r t s for those who wi l l receive them.

3rd – You can help suppor t the cost of sh ipping the boxes c reated . Each box is jus t $7. Please w r ite “Opera- t ion Ch r is t mas Ch i ld” in the memo por t ion of you r check or mark

you r donat ion envelope.

We ask you to pray about how God can use you in th is project . Work ing together as the body of Ch r is t to spread HIS Good News, the com mis-sion He gave us to do and together we can make the world see what h is f ree love looks l i ke.

PLEASE R ETU R N A LL SHOEBOX ES BACK TO LEBA NON BY SU NDAY, NOV EMBER 13th

Please contact Jen n i fe r Ben net t (nen 22h@yahoo.com) or Bet t ie Sue Mil ls (sonsh ine16@comcast .net) with any quest ions.

Bishop Sharma Lewis’ Chat & Chew

Come and meet ou r new bishop as she wants to meet and hea r f rom you!

Bishop Lewis is plan n ing on hav ing an extensive meet ing with the cle rg y and lay leadersh ip f rom each Dis t r ic t . She wi l l be meet ing with us on De-cember 11th for conversat ion and d in ner at Wood-lake U MC. Clerg y wi l l gather f rom 2 to 4, we wi l l a l l (cle rg y and la it y) have d in ner together f rom 4:30 to 6 , and then la it y wi l l meet f rom 6:15 to 8:15 PM. We expect a l l cle rg y and key la it y f rom each cong regat ion to be there but of cou rse a l l la-i t y a re welcome and encou raged to come. Th is is ou r oppor t u n it y to get to k now ou r new Bishop and for her to get to k now ou r Dis t r ic t! Please le t Pas-tor Spencer k now you r plans to at tend v ia emai l a t pastor@lebanonumc.org.

That mi xer board in the sound room sure looks int imidat ing! It’s not as d i f f icu lt to operate as one might th ink .

We g ratef u l ly appreciate a l l t he helpers that r u n the sou nd room, but we need add it ional volu nteers . Two volu nteers a re needed for the 9 am worsh ip se r v ice to manage sou nd and change pages on the sl ideshow and one volu nteer i s needed to r u n the sou nd for the 11 am ser v ice. I f you have some basic tech n ical sk i l l s and the wi l l i ng ness to lea r n , you , too, can assis t i n the sou nd room. No mixer boa rd exper ience is necessa r y. Tra in ing wi l l be prov ided on Wed nesday even ings and du r ing wor-sh ip se r v ices. Plus there a re many v ideos avai l-able on YouTube i f you want to d ive into the det a i l s about the boa rd .

I f you a re i nte res ted in volu nteer ing or have ques-t ions , please contact Alan Nesaw at 723-9059 or by emai l a t Alan@NesawTravel .com.

As of th is newslet te r, t he proceeds f rom the chu rch ya rd sa le (i nclud ing the sa les of ch i l i and hot dogs) tot a l $1,600. A 10% t ithe w i l l be g iven to the chu rch’soperat ing budget leav ing $1,440 to be donated toThe Jubi lee P roject . Than ks to ever yone whohelped make th is f u nd ra ise r a successf u l event!

Liberat ion Fami ly Ser v ices Veterans Commu-nit y Shelter Meal w i l l be held Su nday, Nov. 13. Ch icken /t u rkey casserole , tossed sa lad , rol ls , f resh f r u it , iced tea and lemonade and desser t s make up the menu. See the inser t i n the week ly bu l le t i n to f i nd ways you can help by donat ing i tems and /or volu nteer ing. Contact Linda Wilde at (804) 405-3663 for more in for mat ion.

The Chancel Choi r wi l l present the Ch r is t mas Cantat a , “Jesus!, The Advent of the Messiah” by Mar y McDonald and Rose Aspinal l , on Su nday, Dec. 18 at both worsh ip se r v ices. Narrators and singers are needed . I f you a re i nte res ted in na r-rat ing or sing ing, please contact Linda Ken nedy, choi r d i rec tor a t l ken nedy385@g mai l .com or 730 -4655.

Ou r an nual Stewardsh ip Campaig n is about to be -g in . Please g ive thought f u l considerat ion of what you can do to g ive generously to the work of the Lord th rough Lebanon Chu rch.

I f you should have quest ions about the campaig n , you can contact Jim my Mil ls , ou r i nte r im chai r of Stewardsh ip, a t jmi l lsihsl lc@comcast .net or 798-2213.

To Lor i and Ter r y O’Toole and thei r fami ly as they g r ieve the loss of Lor i’s mother, A n n Freezor Tal-bot who passed away on Oct . 18 at the age of 82.

Church Counci l to meet . . .

Ou r las t chu rch cou nci l meet ing of 2016 wi l l be held Tuesday, Nov. 15 at 7 pm. These a re open meet ings to anyone who at tends Lebanon and we encou rage ever yone to come to lea r n about a l l t he “beh ind the scenes” act ion as wel l a s more about the business of the chu rch.

To Aaron Smith and f iance Sam my Jo Bar n har t on the bi r th of thei r son , R iver Lyle Smith , bor n Su n-day, Oct . 23.

R ichmond Distr ic t Leadersh ip Train ing Event

Su nday, Jan. 8 , 1:30 - 5:00 pm

Revei l le U MC4200 Car y St reet Road

Key note Add ress: Benjamin P. Campbel l“You r Com mu nit y is You r Chu rch”

Breakout Sessions / Workshops

Tr usteesFinancePastor/St af f-Pa r ish Relat ionsNominat ions and Leadersh ip Dev. Food Just ice (P rov id ing sk i l l s , tools and suppor t to eat healthy)Next Stop: Socia l Media HighwayMission: W ho is You r Neighbor?Cross Racia l /Cross Cult u ra l Min is t r yLocal Chu rch Pa r t nersh ipsW ho Is My Neighbor - 6 Ways to Reach Them!W hat I f Youth Desig ned the Chu rch? (Workshop for Youth)You r Com mu nit y is You r Chu rch (Fol low-up conversat ion rega rd ing key note add ress)

Registrat ion dead l ine i s Dec . 9. Contact Spencer at pastor@lebanonumc.org i f i nte res ted in at tend-ing as one reg is t rat ion for m per chu rch needs to be submit ted .

“… give of your l i fe and of your l ive l ihood , g iv ing thanks for the bless ings you’ve rece ived…”

I say these words , or someth ing l i ke them, at least once ever y Sunday. I’m notsu re i f I came up with that mysel f or heard /read it somewhere else. For me ithas become more than just a Sunday mor n ing quip, i t ’s someth ing that I remind mysel f of ever y mor n ing in my t ime of qu iet and prayer. Ever y day God inv itesme to g ive of mysel f completely (my hear t , my soul , my mind , my resou rces) to Him. Not because we have a “needy” God , but because I must express my g rat-it ude for my l i fe and my eter n it y, which I have received in pa r t th rough the l i fe , death , and res-u r rect ion of Jesus Ch r is t . Th rough God’s love, g race and forg iveness I blessed beyond measu re. But I hope that I never s top t r y ing to measu re blessings and never s top g iv ing of my l i fe and my l ivel ihood.

“O g ive thanks to the Lord for He i s good . His love endures forever” (Psalm 136:1)

We give than ks in ou r prayers. We g ive than ks in the hym ns we sing in chu rch. We g ive than ks by t a lk ing about it with ou r f r iends and neighbors and teach ing it to ou r ch i ld ren and g randch i l-d ren. We show than ks in how we use and share the g i f t s that have been g iven to us. A nd we g ive than ks by g iv ing to the chu rch.

Giv ing is g iv ing than ks. It is one of the concrete ways in which we than k God for a l l He has done for us. Th is includes not just what He has done for us here in t ime, but what He does for us for a l l e te r n it y. He prov ides for a l l that we need in both body and soul. He is more ready to g ive than we a re able either to receive or even ask . That is who God is . That is God’s character. He is good and His love endu res forever. Let us then g ive than ks in a l l these ways, not in one way or the other. But rather in a l l th ings , ever y th ing that we do and say, whether it be in word or deed , in prayer and praise, in teach ing and g iv ing, le t us g ive than ks to God for He is good.

Over the coming weeks I wi l l cont inue to preach a ser mon ser ies cal led “Def y ing Grav it y.” Th rough it we’l l examine the generous l i fe —what it is and why it can be hard to exper ience. We’l l be s t udy ing the topic of generosit y, includ ing data f rom su r veys , insights f rom exper t s , and conversat ions with generous people about thei r goals and habit s . We want to underst and why generosit y br ings people joy and what forces work against i t . Many of us want to exper ience the sign if icance of blessing others but feel t rapped by past decisions and misled by a societ y that bombards us with messages of hav ing more and hav ing bet te r. The good news is that Jesus of fers us a way to “def y g rav it y” and break f ree f rom the cu lt u re of more. A nd as we do so we a re set f ree to be t r u ly g ratef u l for the blessings which God has of fered us.

Peace and Grace to you,

Pastor Spencer

It’s at Lebanon th is year. . . . Sunday, Nov. 20 , 5 PM with Hi l lcrest Bapt ist and Slash Disciple of Chr ist churches .

Donat ions of non-per ishable food accepted.

Operat ing Budget Data* Beg inning Balance 01/01/2016 $ 1, 588

Add: Of fer ings & Other Receipts including e -g iv ing $ 335,879 Value of Grocer y Cards on hand 650 Total to be added $ 336,529

Subt ract: Expenses/Al locat ions to Capit al Improvement Accts. $ 319,345 Funds “Rest r icted” for specif ic projects 8 ,752Total to be subt racted $ 328,097

Avai lable Operat ing Fund Balance 10/30/2016 $10,020

Year-To-Date Budgeted Need $342,553Year-To-Date Act ual Receipts $335,879

Total Grocer y Card Revenue $ 2 ,221Total Amazon Smiles Revenue $ 30

*Fig u res do not include other chu rch f unds , i .e., Missions , Capit a l Improvements , Chapel , Cemeter y, Pastor Discret ionar y.

Ful l t reasu rer’s repor t s avai lable at a l l Counci l meet ings where a l l a re welcome to at tend.Quest ions? Contact you r t reasu rer, Mar y Lou Pen nel l , mlpen nel l@comcast .net or 746 -8538.

Christmas is Coming!

Remember you can order nea rly a l l of the same g i f t s that you order on A mazon.com by using

smi le.amazon.com

and Lebanon wi l l receive a percentage of you r pu rchases! I f you have not used th is website before, i t wi l l be necessa r y for you to “Change you r char it able organ izat ion” (as another unfamil ia r name wi l l auto -mat ical ly pop up). Ty pe in Lebanon United Methodist Chu rch , select Hanover locat ion and you’re a l l se t . You can use the same account that you a l ready have set up for A mazon.com. Quest ions: Contact Mar y Lou Pen nel l at mlpen nel l@comcast .net or 304 - 6633.

Greeters

Nov. 6 Judy and Wes Ladd 13 Wes Ladd 20 Jim Dore 27 Jim Dore & Lynda Hawk ins Dec. 4 Lynda Hawk ins & Judy Ladd Flowers Please put a note in Bonnie’s mai lbox (Adm. Asst .) , leave a message on the church of f ice answer ing machine or send emai l to of f ice@lebanonumc.org i f you would l ike to designate your f lowers in honor or in memor y of someone.

Nov. 6 Aaron Smith & Jo Ann Ti lden 13 Enevoldsen Fami ly 20 Vogel Fami ly 27 Enevoldsen Fami ly Dec. 4 Del lar ipa Fami ly

Col lect ion Count ing Teams

November - Team Captain: Jimmy Mi l ls Par t icipant: Bet t ie Sue Mi l ls & Mary Beth Glass

December -Team Captain: Lisa Clay Par t icipant: Tom Kennedy

Nursery (Serv ing with our Nursery Associate , Meredith Vogel)

9 am 11 am

Nov. 6 Judy Ladd Mary Ford 13 Open Open 20 Open Open 27 Open Open Dec. 4 Judy Ladd Mary Ford

Lay Reader - 11 am

Carolyn Lane

NOVEMBER , 2016

Lebanon United Methodist Church8492 Peaks RoadHanover, VA 23069

Please note the fol lowing in for mat ion regard ing Lebanon’s WiFi: Name: “LebU MC”. Password: “ join lebumc”

Please use responsibly.

Ci rcles Ash land wi l l be s t a r t i ng a new g roup at the beg in n ing of 2017. Th is means that we wi l l need 2 set s of volu nteers . One g roup of Ci rcle Leaders (those work ing on pu l l i ng themselves and thei r fami l ies out of pover t y) has g raduated f rom the classes and a re s t i l l meet ing week ly to work on put t i ng thei r plans into place and change the d i rect ionthei r fami l ies have been in . We a re beg in n ing to i nte r v iew for ou r 2nd class of Ci rcle Leaders who wi l l s t a r t i n thei r classes at the beg in n ing of the yea r. I f you k now of anyone who cou ld use a hand up in work ing thei r way out of pover t y, appl icat ions can be fou nd on the Ci rcles Ash land website , c i rclesash-land-va .org. You can a lso ca l l 804 - 496 -1212 to have an appl icat ion mai led to you.

We wi l l a lso be need ing many volu nteers to get th is 2nd g roup up and r u n n ing:

Circle A l l ies - an intent ional f r iend with a long te r m com mit ment to a Ci rcle Leader - coach ing Ci rcle Leaders to ach ieve thei r goals . (each Ci rcle Leader wi l l have 2 Al l ies)Volunteers & Donors - Com mu nicat ions , Ser v ices , Recr u it ment , Big View, Job & Educat ion , Fu nd Development & Com mu nit y Teams.Circles Chi ldren’s Program - Teachers needed for th ree classes to teach Ci rcles Ch i ld ren’s Cu r r icu lum: 4 - 6 y r olds., 7 - 10 y r olds , and youth (11+)Meals - Join the K itchen War r ior s to f i nd g roups , i nd iv iduals , and organ izat ions to donate meals , help se t up, se r ve, and clean upDonate a Meal - for Ci rcles gather ings on Thu rsday even ingsHospita l i t y - I nd iv iduals needed Thu rsday n ight s to g reet ever yone, assis t with sig n-ins , name t ags , and other needs fami l ies or volu nteers may have

If you a re i nte res ted in any of the above, please contact Ter r i Sca rborough at 994 - 4412 or tksca r@com-cast and she wi l l con nect you with the r ight person.