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Pastor’s Message ................ Pg. 1-2

Sermon Series ............................Pg. 2

Christmas Services .................Pg. 3

Groups: Options .........................Pg. 4

Share Your Time, Talent........Pg. 4

Children’s Pageant ..................Pg. 5

Clinton Parade Hospitality ..Pg. 5

Blood Drive...................................Pg. 5

Youth Ministry ............................ Pg. 6

Children’s Ministry ...................Pg. 7

Mom’s Group ...............................Pg. 7

Mission Possible ...................... Pg. 8

IRA ..................................................... Pg. 8

Men’s Ministry ............................ Pg. 9

Flower Dedications ..............Pg. 10

Care Committee .....................Pg. 10

Prayer Chain .............................Pg. 10

CUMC Photo Gallery ............Pg. 11

CUMC Staff Directory .......... Pg. 12

December 2019

to the December 2019 issue of the Clinton United Methodist Church newsletter. We are a community sent for others; our hope is for all people to experience God’s love in Jesus Christ.

Blessed Advent-Christmas season to you and your loved ones. Advent marks the beginning of a new church calendar year. Advent is the period of four Sundays and weeks before Christmas (or sometimes from the 1st of December to Christmas Day!).

The Advent season focuses on expectation and it serves as our anticipation of Christ’s birth in the season leading up to Christmas. This is part of the story, but there’s more to Advent.

The word “Advent” is derived from the Latin word adventus, meaning “coming,” which is a translation of the Greek word parousia. Scholars believe that during the 4th and 5th centuries in Spain and Gaul, Advent was a season of preparation for the baptism of new Christians at the January feast of Epiphany. This feast celebrated God’s incarnation, represented by the visit of the Magi to the baby Jesus (Matthew 2:1), his baptism in the Jordan River by John the Baptist (John 1:29), and his first miracle at Cana (John 2:1). During this season of preparation, Christians would spend 40 days in penance, prayer, and fasting to prepare for this celebration; originally, there was little connection between Advent and Christmas.

By the 6th century, however, Roman Christians had tied Advent to the coming of Christ. But the “coming” they had in mind was not Christ’s first coming in the manger in Bethlehem, but his second coming in the clouds as the judge of the world. It was not until the Middle Ages that the Advent season was explicitly linked to Christ’s first coming at Christmas.

Welcome . . .

In This Issue:

Our Joyful Noise

The CHO-sen Words

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Today, the season of Advent lasts for four Sundays leading up to Christmas. At that time, the new Christian year begins with the twelve-day celebration of Christmastide, which lasts from Christmas Eve until Epiphany on January 6.

Advent symbolizes the present situation of the church in these “last days” (Acts 2:17, Hebrews 1:2), as God’s people wait for the return of Christ in glory to consummate his eternal kingdom. The church, during Advent, looks back upon Christ’s coming in celebration, while at the same time looking forward in eager anticipation to the coming of Christ’s kingdom when he returns for his people. In this light, the Advent hymn “O Come, O Come, Emmanuel” perfectly represents the church’s cry during the Advent season:

O come, O come, Emmanuel, And ransom captive Israel, That mourns in lonely exile here Until the Son of God appears. Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel shall come to thee, O Israel.

While Israel would have sung the song in expectation of Christ’s first coming, the church now sings the song in commemoration of that first coming and in expectation of the second coming in the future.

I hope this article was helpful in discovering the meaning and history of Advent. I eagerly look forward to journeying with you through this season of Advent and Christmas.

Joyfully and Faithfully, Lead Pastor Brandon Cho brandon@sentforothers.org • 908-735-7025 Ext. 1

12/1 The Advent Song: Hope Isaiah 40:1-5; Romans 15:13

12/8 The Advent Song: Peace Isaiah 9:6 and Isaiah 11:8-9

12/15 The Advent Song: Joy Isaiah 12:3-6; Luke 2:10

12/22 The Advent Song: Love John 3:16

12/23 The Best Christmas Gift Luke 2:1-7

12/24 What Child Is This? Matthew 1:18-23

Advent signals the beginning of a new church calendar year.

We begin by preparing for the coming of our Lord during this season and celebrating his birth at Christmas.

“The Advent Song” is the chosen theme for the Advent sermon series. We will focus on Hope, Peace, Joy, and Love during the four Advent Sundays. We will add a special Christmas Eve, Eve Service on December 23 for all of you and unchurched friends in our community. We will, of course, offer three wonderful services on Christmas Eve. Join us!

Sermon Series

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You’re Invited

Celebrate Christmas with Us!

December 23

Contemporary Service . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .7:00 p .m .

December 24

Family Service . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .5:00 p .m .

Traditional Service . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .7:00 p .m .

Communion Service . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11:00 p .m .

All services are candlelight.

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You likely know about our sermon-based groups, but do you know we have a wide variety of groups?

• Sermon-based groups (range of options and times) • Moms’ group • Men’s group • Sunday School classes • Friday morning fellowship

Because relationships play such an important part in growing in our faith, we’re constantly assessing our groups and considering new opportunities. Potential new groups include:

• Online group • New members/believers • Lifestyle (such as hiking) • Fun and fellowship (such as dinner) • Traditional Bible study (line by line study of book in Bible) • Missions (as a primary focus; all groups have a missional component) • Life stages (such as grief/healing, retirement) • Recovery

To join an existing group, contact the church office (office@sentforothers.org). To learn more about a new group or indicate your interest, contact Jill Puleo (jillpuleo@comcast.net). We’ll begin new groups once we have adequate interest and leadership.

Groups: An Array of Options

Sharing Your Time, Talent, and Treasure

For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do. (Ephesians 2:10)

Do you think of your time, talent, and treasure as gifts given to you by God? Do you think of them as tools for investing in Clinton UMC’s mission of sharing God’s love with our neighbors?

On November 24, we dedicated our financial giving plans for 2020 to God during Consecration Sunday services. (If you were unable to attend, you can mail your form to the church office or drop it in the offering plate.)

In addition to your financial gifts, the church needs your gifts of volunteering and your unique abilities to be able to be a light in our community. In the months ahead, you will see many specific needs for treasure, time, and talent. We will seek to inventory the skills of our members and ask you to identify ways we can minister to our community.

You are invited to share your time and talent in the areas below. If you have other gifts to share, we want to know more! Please contact the office more information.

[ ] Prayer[ ] Children/Young Families[ ] Youth/Young Adults[ ] Elderly [ ] Christian Care/Listening/Visitation [ ] Hospitality [ ] Care for Church Spaces [ ] Feeding/Sheltering/Other Missions[ ] Music and Other Art Forms[ ] Greeter/Usher/Other Worship Assistance[ ] Worship-Related Technology[ ] Social Media[ ] Community Outreach

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Children’s Pageant & Potluck Lunch Clinton Parade Hospitality

Blood Drive

Home-baked cookies are needed to be served

during the Clinton Parade on Friday, December 6.

All are encouraged to join us to welcome those

who come into our church to receive a warm

space, hot cocoa, and home-made goodies. Drop

off your donation (marked “Parade”) to the freezer

in the kitchen.

Saturday, December 7

8:30 am – 2:30 pm

Walk-ins welcome

or schedule online

at nybc.org

Note of Thanks

Dear CUMC,

Thank you all so much for all the prayers, good thoughts and well wishes since my cancer diagnosis at the beginning of the summer. It’s been quite a journey, and I still have a little further to go, but I am finally officially cancer free. It means so much to me to know that so many people were supporting me and cheering me on.

God bless, Kate Murray

Children’s Pageant & Potluck Lunch

Sunday, December 22One Service, 10 am

We will enjoy worship, the children’s Christmas Pageant and some favorite carols of the season. Afterwards, a potluck lunch will be served in the social hall. Please bring a dish to share and be sure to invite a friend!

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Youth Ministry

This quarter, our youth are stepping into a season of mission! We will be doing one mission project a month as well as participating in other outreach opportunities as we study what it means and looks like to be the hands and feet of Jesus. Our November mission was to create “blessing bags” for the homeless in our local region. Our youth created 80 bags in one night! In December, we will be shopping for Christmas gifts that will be given to local families.

Additionally, the youth participated in IGNITE Community Day, an initiative by the Next Generation Ministries of the Greater NJ Conference. At this event, our youth facilitated and participated in a large-scale worship night. Our goal of creating a positive, Spirit-filled experience for students who are new to church or youth group was greatly achieved.

~ Mecan Payne, Director of Youth Ministriesmecan@sentforothers.org 908-735-7025

December Events

Sunday, 12/1 Mission Activity

Sunday, 12/8 Christmas Movie Night

Sunday, 12/15 Christmas Party

Sunday, 12/22 No Youth Group

Sunday, 12/29 TBD

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Children’s Ministry

This past month in Sunday School, we have been learning about Bible characters who did some pretty cool things. We learned about the 12 Spies of Israel and we crawled through our own spy “laser” maze. We made our own horns like the ones Joshua used

in the battle of Jericho. We also learned about David and how he stood up to the giant Goliath, and the bravery of Daniel in the lion’s den.

This December brings our annual Sunday school Christmas pageant! This year’s pageant will center around music, and the kids will be using skills they have learned in the music activities we have been doing every Sunday. We will incorporate rhythm sticks and drums the kids have made themselves. We will also be performing on chimes, something that the kids are very excited for! Learning to play chimes has been the highlight of many Sunday mornings. I continue to be impressed with the children’s enthusiasm, and how quickly they have been able to pick this up. Our kids at CUMC are very talented! We hope you enjoy this year’s performance!

Faith Evers, Director of Children’s Ministry faith@sentforothers.org

Moms’ Group

Saturday, December 218:30 am - Noon

Babysitting is available but must be reserved in advance. All moms are welcome!

Want to learn more? Contact Jill Puleo at

908-455-0706 or jillpuleo@comcast.net.

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MissionPossibleMissionPossible

Serving During the Holidays

The holidays are here and it’s an exciting, joyful, stressful time. For folks struggling to make ends meet, it can be particularly stressful.

We have learned that a recent event designed to support the Open Cupboard Pantry was canceled and we want to fill that need. So please keep an eye in the social hall for more details on what we will be collecting to deliver to the pantry.

Thank you for serving during the holidays!

Serving During the Holidays

IRA Owners: Know Your Tax Breaks

Are you taking a required minimum distribution from an IRA? Contributing directly to a charity may result in tax advantages, according to The Best Way to Handle Required Minimum Distributions, (Forbes, April 13, 2018). In this article, author Bob Carlson discusses how qualified charitable distributions (QCDs) might both benefit your charity and lighten your tax bill.

Under a QCD, a charitable contribution is made directly from the IRA to the receiving organization.

The amount taken from the IRA isn’t included in the gross income of the IRA owner.

For more information, visit the IRS website on IRA FAQs or talk to your financial adviser to see if this strategy makes sense for you. If you have questions about how to give to Clinton UMC, contact Rose Leonard (rose@sentforothers.org) or Beth Crawford (beth@sentforothers.org).

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Men’s Ministry

Our men have been busy playing shuffleboard

on Tuesday nights. Richard Jordan is eyeing up

his shot with Al Fillebrown looking on. We start

bowling one Tuesday night monthly beginning

November 19 at Oakwood Lanes. Our next

breakfast is Saturday, December 7. Come join the

fun!Alex Vasilantone

Chair, Men’s Ministry alex.vasilantone@gmail.com

or text to 908-500-0220

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Show You Care: Share Coffee!

12/1 Available

12/8 Available

12/15 Dick & Elaine Peete celebrating their 50th wedding anniversary

12/22 Available

12/29 Available

Flower Dedications

Sign-up for altar flower dedications is located in the hallway. Feel free to write your dedication in the spaces provided for the week of your choice. The cost of the flowers each week is $35, which you can place in the offering plate with a note designating altar flowers.

Our weekly Sunday morning fellowship time held between services, enjoyed by so many, is staffed each week by those in our congregation. We are in need of hosts for Coffee Time n December. Sign-ups are on the bulletin board in the social hall. We encourage any who would like to share in this vital ministry to participate. Thank you!

Every Sunday, ShopRite cards are available for sale in the social hall. Five percent of all sales go toward our church mission. In the past, we have used these funds to provide the beautiful pew cushions in the sanctuary and to help pay for the air conditioning in the social hall. Please support us and come prepared with cash or check to purchase your grocery gift cards.

Contact: Nancy Smith Email: nsbestemor@embarqmail.com

Phone: 908-735-7276

We would love to add you to our prayer chain to receive the prayers of our people each week. We appreciate every prayer that is lifted for healing and comfort for those who are in a time of trial. You may also join us in the sanctuary each Thursday at noon to pray for our friends and loved ones. Prayers may be sent to the church office through our app or email.

Prayer is a treasure that is never exhausted.

Prayer Chain

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CUMC Photo Gallery

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IMPORTANT REMINDER ABOUT CHURCH CORRESPONDENCE!

The church does not receive mail at 12 Halstead Street (the church) or 10 Halstead Street (the church office).

Ensure your mail is not lost: Send mail to the church’s Post Office Box in Clinton: P.O. Box 5331, Clinton, NJ 08809

Send packages to 10 Halstead Street, Clinton, NJ 08809.

CUMC StaffRev. Dr. Brandon Cho

Lead Pastor 908-735-7025 Ext. 1 Cell 973-525-2888

brandon@sentforothers.org

Sandi Graham Administrative Assistant

908-735-7025 Ext. 0 office@sentforothers.org

Beth Crawford Executive Director, Pastoral Ministries

908-442-3934beth@sentforothers.org

Mecan Payne Director of Youth & Young Adult Ministries

484-798-5339mecan@sentforothers.org

Rose Leonard Accountant/Bookkeeper

908-735-7025 Ext. 4 rose@sentforothers.org

Corbin Payne Digital Ministry Lead

908-735-7025 corbin@sentforothers.org

Karl DietelAccompanist908-735-7025

Heather SchweitzerChoir Director908-735-7025

choir@sentforothers.org

Lauren CaseWorship Producer

lauren@sentforothers.org

Faith EversDirector of Children’s Ministry

faith@sentforothers.org

Danielle BanesManager

North Hunterdon Thrift Shopdanielle@sentforothers.org