November 03-CommunionLuke 19: 1-10“Transforming Love”

November 10-Stewardship/Pick A Topic Sunday

November 17-Hymn SingIsaiah 65: 17-25Ask A Question Sunday

November 24-Reign of Christ SundayHymn SingColossians 1:11-20“Together in Christ”

Worship Helpers for November

USHERS:3:Dick & Gloria

10: Dave Twining17: Dorothy & Gloria24: Dorothy & GloriaSOUND SYSTEM

Ken Bell

FELLOWSHIP TIME:3:Jane Porter & Dewey Purcell

10: George & Ann & MarciaPeterson

17: Bring a Snack Sunday24: TBD

November Worship Schedule

Birthdays inNovember

3 Ken North6 Nancy Myers

13 Donald Hills14 Marcia Peterson

Anniversaries in November12 Jose & Nancy Hauser

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I spend too much time thinking about that very subject.Do I use time wisely? Have I spent enough time doing what is really important? What is reallynecessary? Am I attentive enough to spend it with those whom I love? Or should I spend it repairingbroken relationships and reaching across the barriers of my fears and prejudices to touch the handsof those I perceive as enemies? Knowing that I only have so much time, do I play it close to safetyand do I take the risks necessary to making my life and my world better? Sometimes thinking is asfar as I care to go with these questions. Time might be a’wasting but it sometimes it is easier towaste it than it is to make the changes necessary to set things into motion.

But then this quote from Scripture causes me to pause. It implores me to be mindful of time. Toask God for this wisdom to number my days, to take none of them for granted so I may learn fromthem. It is only through learning from them that I become wise. Wise not just in mind for minds arepreoccupied with facts, loose anecdotes, and schemes to show my world how clever, how capable Imight be if given half a chance. No, it is the wisdom of the heart that I am looking for here-the com-passion to seek out people unlike myself, the empathy to hear their stories without inserting myown, and the passion to discover bridges where other people only see walls. And that kind ofwisdom is one that only developed if one is dedicated, if one is willing to spend the time necessaryto look for it.

The Bible, as a library, speaks of many subjects but time weighs heavily among them. For theChristian, it begins with God creating time and then, in a final revelation, brings time to a triumphantclose as it draws back into eternity. Throughout it many books, time presses on the writers. Thereindeed may be a season, a time for every purpose under heaven, but those that do not seize the‘nowness’ of time, who are not prepared to see God at work in their presence, miss those mostimportant moments that cannot be recovered. The past is always near to the heart of the story - TheCreation, The Law, The Exodus, The Exile, The Return-but so is the future-The Realm of God, TheComing Messiah, The Day When the Wolf shall lie down with the Lamb. But time both backwards

November, 2019

Newaygo Congregational United Church of Christ432 Quarterline • Newaygo, MI 49337• (231) 652-6624

Jonathan Riedel, Pastor

TThhee CChhuurrcchhmmoouussee

Time

“Teach us to number our days so we can have a wise heart.” Psalm 90:12 CEB

During Fellowship Time starting Sunday,Nov. 10th, Sue or Ann will help you selectnames and give you the shopping and gifttags to put on your gift. Please wrap or bagyour gifts and place them in Gloria’s Office byDecember 15.

Thank you for doing God’s work in ourworld..

For many years our church has helpedmake Christmas brighter for area families inneed. We will be adopting families to help fromthe Circles Group this year. You will have theopportunity to buy toys or clothing for children,as well as gifts for adults. If shopping is difficultfor you, please consider a gift of money and aMission Member will shop for you.

Christmas Families

Sunday MorningBible Study

9:00 am

We will be studyig Paul’s Letters to theCorinthians..

All are welcome.

Adult Bible StudyTuesdays at Noon

We will look at one of he most challengingbooks in the Bible: Revelation.

Over the course of this series we willexplore its metaphors, its structure, its pur-pose, and its possible meanings for us today.

Come and bring your questions.

(continued from page 1)

and forwards collide in the present. We make choices today because of what has happened beforeand by what God has promised that is to come. It is in the now that we always find God.

I have often tried to explain to the congregations I have and are serving that time has a specialmeaning in the bible as it captured by two Greek words-Chronos and Kairos. Chronos is clock andcalendar time, where we live most of our lives. Kairos is where God lives. It is a hard thing todefine, but it pay dividends to try. Have you ever been so involved in, say, a conversation, creatingsomething, or loving someone, that you look up a few hours later and wonder where time hasflown? You were so alive in the moment that you never noticed seconds, minutes, hoursdisappearing. Those are the moments most worthy of remembering because they are the ones thatmake feel the energy of every breath, every heartbeat, every neurons firing. That is kairos and,unsurprisingly, those are the times that we come closest to touching the face of God.

In this season of thanksgiving, I want to seek more of those moments, moments with the mostcreative side of myself, with the family and friends I love, with the world God created, and, most ofall, with God. I want to say my thanks to God but looking for those moments of Kairos andtreasuring them as best as I can. I want to have a wise heart, ringing with the resonances ofconversations well worth having and of people’s lives touched with my truest and empathetic help.So help me, O God, to number my days. To savor and pay attention to each one so that I may gainfrom them all that You want me to learn.

The Rev. Jonathan D. Riedel-Pastor,Newaygo Congregational United Church of Christ

Women’s Bible StudyTuesdays at 10 a.m.

We look over at the pastor’s preachingtext for the following week’s service.

Carolyn, Conrad Jr.,Fred & Lucas, Maxine, Carolyn S. and

Marcia S., Debi Walter, Bill B., Marcia E.,Audrey E.

These recipes are from a cookbook the ladies of this church made in the1950’s.

We will try to put one recipe in the Churchmouse for the next few months.Nancy Carlson

A Musician’s Lazy CakeHelen Chance Erickson

2 eggs1 cup sugar1/2 cup boiling milk1 T butter

Helen Chance Erickson was well known in oure area. She taught ceramics for several years.Her husband made and processed all the forms we painted. She was an accomplished harpplayer, a very pretty person with a nice personality. She had pure wite hair, which she claimedhappened overnight. She was a good ceramics teacher, a fine harpest. She left her mark.

--Nancy Carlson

1 tsp. salt1 Cup flour1 tsp baking powder1 tsp. vanilla

Beat eggs, add sugar slowly. Melt butter in boiling milk and add to above mixture, stirringconstantly. Add dry ingredients and vanilla. Bake at about 350º for 30 minutes. Frost with any typefrosting or fruit, whip cream or custard.

Thanksgiving Eve Service

Tuesday. November 26th -- 7 p.m.

Revelation - A Short Study

On Tuesday, November 26 we will celebrate our gratitude with praise andprayer.

Come and join us in our sanctuary at 7 p.m.

Pick a TopicSermons

Pastor would like to hear from you aboutwhich topics you would like Pastor Jon tofeature during his Pick a Topic sermons. Ifyou have a suggestion, you can call Pastorat 652-6624, put a note in the offering plate,or email him at

revjdriedel@gmail.com.

Treasurer’sReport

September 16 toOctober 15, 2019

Income Total Exp.

September 22 $3,602.00

September 29 2,057.00

October 6 2,323.00

Ocrtober 13 1,475.00

Total $9,547.00 $9,498.23

Difference ($41.23)

Phillips Fund $173,946.66

Family Fund $64,703.45

The Lord has blessed us with great

hearts, riches, and kindness. Thanks be to

God.

Dawn Anderson, Treasurer

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Canned Goodsfor Food Pantry

We are continuingthe collection of

Canned Goods for the food pantry. Thereis a special need at this time of the year.There will be a box under the coat racks inwhich to put your donations.

Thank You

Deadline for the DecemberChurchmouse

Please send any information or articlesyou would like included in the DecemberrChurchmouse to the office by Monday, November25.

You may e-mail information to:churchmouse@newaygoucc.orgor leave a hard copy in the office.

The NEIGHBORS IN NEED OFFERING IS SCHEDULED FOR SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 10, 2019.

Neighbors in Need offering supports the UCC ministries of JUSTICE and COMPASSION throughout theUnited States

Through ucc.org/justice, our national Justice and Witness Ministries office offers resources, news updatesand action alerts on a broad spectrum of justice issues.Justice and Witness continues its strong policy advocacy work on issues such as the federal budget, votingrights, immigration, health care, hate crimes, civil liberties, and environmental justice. The Neighbors inNeed also supports our American Indian neighbors in the UCC. There are at this date 20 UCC congregationalon reservations and one urban, multi-tribal UCC congregation in Minneapolis, Minnesota.

These churches and their pastors are supported by Council for American Indian Ministries (Caim).. CAIMis also an invaluable resource for more than 1000 individuals from dozens of other tribes and nations who aremembers of other UCC congregations in the U.S.

NEIGHBORS IN NEED HELPS MAKE A JUST WORLD FOR ALL POSSIBLE.FOR THIS TO OCCUR, IT NEEDS SUPPORT

Please give generously

Survey Results (27 responses)There is some inconsistency in the data-as several did not follow the instructions and chose more items

than they were asked to choose. Several others made choices and comments not included in the originaloptions. These are included below. To quantify the results I added a numerical value to each variable. Everyitem marked with a one I added 15 to its score, for a two 10, and for a three 5. That way we could producea score. I have also included the raw numbering for a point of comparison.

Revising and Modernizing the Service/Use Uplifting CD Music or Videos-205Going Through An Open and Affirming Process-285Respite Center/After School Drop-In-15Expanding Our Presence on Social Media-155Sponsoring Regular Musical Concerts-75Bring a Friend-60Build Better Signage-15Call on the Inactives-5Combine or Share Space With Another Church-115Change Church Time to 11 a.m.-5Monthly Community Dinner/Children’s Craft-15Change Minister-5

Raw Data (some survey used check marks rather than numerical values so I counted their check marksas ones because there was no other way to determine their worth.)

Revising and Modernizing the Service 3, 3, 2, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 2, 2, 2, 2, 3, 3, 2, 3, 2, 2Going Through an Open and Affirming Process 2, 2, 3, 1, 1, 1, 2, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 2, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 3, 2Respite Center/Afterschool Drop-In-1Expanding Our Presence on Social Media-1, 2, 2, 3, 1, 1, 1, 2, 2, 2, 2, 2, 2, 3, 2, 1, 1, 3Sponsoring Regular Musical Concerts-1, 3, 1, 1, 1, 3, 3, 1, 3, 2, 3Bring a Friend-1, 1, 3, 3, 3, 1, 3Better Signage-1Use Uplifting CD Music-2, 3Call on Inactives-3 Combine with Another Church -1, 2, 2, 1, 1, 1, 2, 1Change Church Time to 11 a.m.-3Monthly Community Meal/Children’s Craft-3Change Minister-3

“What would make an impact is a bold move. Moving to a different more modern service would have thegreatest impact, but only if it is the majority of Sundays. I’d propose three of the four Sundays be new andthe fourth be traditional. Here’s the rationale: new visitors will be confused and uninvited if one Sunday iscarved out. Doing all or the majority would signal that there is a commitment to change. It would be morelikely alternative music could be scheduled. And very importantly, it would challenge our currentcongregation to practice in a very visible way our core Christian beliefs.”

“I see the church downtown Newaygo having free hot dogs, chips, and water during the summer festivalsand during the Christmas Walk they give cider and donuts. Maybe we could do something like that.”Use Sound System and Screen for Modern Christian Music

Our congregation is 90% 65 and older. I don’t see any of the above working. Maybe a dynamic minister,easy to understand would make a difference or maybe we should accept that we continue the status quoand continue as long as we can. I can’t get behind the idea of a live band during worship and probablywould go to a different church if this happens.

Circles Meal Donations needed for Thursday, November 213 Casseroles (your choice)Jello - Lime Jello - two 9 x 13 dishes

Lemon Jello - two 9 x 13 dishesOrange Jello - two 9 x 13 dishes

Dinner Rolls - three packages of 12Desserts - Anything pumpkin - cookies, pies, cakes, etc.

There is a sign-up sheet in the Fellowship Hall.

Thank you for your donations.

--Gloria