Contents: Message from Pastor ........................................... 1 Worship Schedule ................................................. 2 United Methodist Women ................................... 3 Children & Youth Ministries ................................. 3 Giving Tree ............................................................ 4 Prayers of Joys & Concerns .................................. 5 Birthdays & Anniversaries .................................... 5 Calendar ............................................................... 6

and more!

December 2015

I suspect any of us seeing visions of angels or

dreams instructing us to do illogical things would

react with a call to the doctor, not joy to have been

chosen by God. Our modern understanding of the

workings of the mind make it harder and harder for

people to accept unusual ideas and messages. Have

you ever had an idea, or life choice, answered for

you in a dream? What about a thought that just

won’t leave your head? How about an opportunity

that arises and you surprise yourself with a sudden

snap decision? Could any of these be God giving

you direction? The key to hearing God is listening,

and true listening takes effort.

Look at the Magi who saw the star and traveled

from the East. No one else noticed the star. It is not

recorded in the astrological records of the day. But

because they were looking, these Wise Men saw it

and followed it to meet the baby Jesus. Their arrival

was a true miracle. Their gifts made it possible for

Mary, Joseph, and Baby Jesus to escape to Egypt

and live until Harrod had died. Those valuable gifts,

and their warning about Harrod, saved the life of the

young Jesus.

Christmas is a time of miracles. Take time to see

beyond the bright lights and plastic manger scenes

and take time to do nothing, and listen for God.

How often have you heard Christmas referred to as “The Season of Miracles”? It can be truly miraculous to see what can happen when many people pool their resources to meet a need or work on a problem. But it is sad that that is not a year around occurrence. However, what about the miracles that started it all?

I was wondering what it would have been like to

be a young woman like Mary, really a girl about the

same age as my own daughter Liz, and be visited by

an angel. It is no coincidence that almost every

encounter with heavenly messengers starts with, “Be

not afraid.” It must have been terrifying! But to be

told you would conceive a child and that he would

be the savior of the world? The miracle here is not

the conception, after all, God is God and anything is

possible for God. The miracle is that Mary listened

and received her roll as the mother of God’s son, as

a blessing. It would have been so natural, perhaps

even normal, to have refused such a call. Particularly

as it set her up to be seen as a harlot, a loose woman,

an unwed mother.

That brings us to the second miracle that made

God’s life among us mortals possible. Joseph, a

simple working man, was surprised to hear his future

wife was pregnant. He was ready to dump Mary, and

who could blame him. Who among us would accept

a fiancé who is suddenly pregnant, and not by you!

Joseph was responding just like any of us. But God

intervened and sent Joseph a dream, explaining the

situation and telling him to stick with Mary

(Matthew 1:20). The fact that Joseph heard that

message and accepted Mary, particularly in those

strict times, that was a miracle.

Message from the Pastor “Christmas Miracles”

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Date Scripture & Highlights

December 6, 2015 2nd Sunday of Advent Holy Communion

Read: Malachi 3:1-4; Luke 1:68-79 (UMH #208); Philippians 1:3-11; Luke 3:1-6 Message: “Peace - God’s Way”

December 13, 2015 3rd Sunday of Advent

Read: Zephaniah 3:14-20; Isaiah 12:2-6; Philippians 4:4-7; Luke 3:7-18 Message: “Choosing Joy”

December 20, 2015 4th Sunday of Advent

Read: Micah 5:2-5a; Luke 1:47-55 (UMH #199); Hebrews 10:5-10; Luke 1:39-45 Message: “Love for the Lowly”

December 22, 2015 Blue Christmas Worship Service

Read: Luke 14:15-24; Matthew 11:28-29; Revelation 21:1-7 Service of Remembrance and Meditation

December 24, 2015 - 7:00pm Christmas Eve Family Worship Service

Read: Isaiah 9:2-7; Titus 2:11-14; Luke 2:1-20 Homily: “Emanuel - God With Us”

December 24, 2015 - 11:00pm Christmas Eve Traditional Candlelight Worship Service

Service of Lessons and Carols

December 27, 2015 1st Sunday After Christmas

Read: 1 Samuel 2:18-20, 26; Psalm 148 (UMH page 861); Colossians 3:12-17; Luke 2:41-52 Message: “Finding The Lost”

December Worship Plans

There is a new way for you to support Colby youth and it cost you nothing!

It’s eScrip. Just go to www.escrip.com and select Colby United Methodist – Youth Programs, group ID 50082476, then register your participating customer loyalty cards and/or credit and debit cards.

A portion of your purchase will automatically be sent to the Colby Youth Fund.

Nothing more to do or think about. Log in today!

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December UMW Meeting

The UMW will be meeting on December 2nd at 7pm.

The UMW meetings are an opportunity for women at Colby United Methodist to strengthen our community of women and support each other in fellowship.

The purpose of UMW “is to know God and to experience freedom as whole persons through Jesus Christ; to develop a creative, supportive fellowship; and to expand concepts of mission through participation in the global ministries of the church.”

If you have any questions, please give us a call. Phone numbers listed below.

Ledine Wilson Jennifer Sather President Vice President (360)876-3245 (360)871-0244

Youth Group!

Colby’s Youth Group meetings are on Sundays at 12 noon.

Keep an eye on Facebook and check with John Mueller for more details.

Dorcas Circle The Dorcas Circle will not be

meeting in December.

Personal PA Systems

During the month of November we tested a personal PA system to assist people who need help hearing the service. Thank you for trying out the system.

This system was on loan from the Regional Media Center. To permanently install a similar system here at Colby would cost around $1000. If we had a system, it would be professionally installed and tested to assure best possible sound.

Please let us know your thoughts on how useful the system was for you and how it could be improved.

Colby UMC Website Updates!

If you haven’t checked out Colby UMC’s website in awhile, take a look! It is always changing and we have added some new content.

One of the new items added to the website is in the “About Us” section under “Our History.” The document “Looking Back—History of Our Church” (circa 1974) has been added. This document has some wonderful information about the history of our church and how we came to be who we are today!

To view this document and other information, go to our website http://www.colbychurch.org/

Advent Bible Study The books for our Advent Bible Study, Christmas: The Good, the Bad & the Ugly, are now available. Cost is $7.00. We will meet Tuesdays, Dec 1st, 8th, 15th, and 29th, at 7pm in the Hufty Room, here at the Church. This is a 4 week study focusing on 4 characters from the Advent story. You are encouraged to pick up a book and read the first session material prior to our first meeting.

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The HelpLine Giving Tree has

been set up in the Narthex. Please

remember to remove a tag from

the tree and provide an

unwrapped gift for needy children

in our community.

Below are gift suggestion lists for

teenagers.

Please bring all gifts no later than Sunday, December 13th.

Teenage Girls - Scented Battery Operated Flameless Candles Make-up Kits Lip Gloss Nail Polish Picture frames Journals Jewelry MP3 Players or iPods Movie Passes Gift Cards for Fast Food Restaurants Hair Accessories Perfume Scented Body Lotions Bath Products Shampoos & Conditioners Candy & Gum Wall Calendars Book Store Gift Cards Bowling Passes Hats Gloves Scarves Socks Pre-Paid Calling Cards (i.e. Tracfone cards) iTunes Gift Cards Starbucks Gift Cards

Teenage Boys - Movie Passes Book Store Gift Cards Gift Cards for Fast Food Restaurants Gift Cards for Video Games Stores (like Game Stop) Baseball Caps Wallets Candy & Gum MP3 Players or iPods Sports Memorabilia Bowling Passes Gloves Scarves Socks Ski-Style Hats (Beanies) Cologne Pre-Paid Calling Cards (i.e. Tracfone cards) Laser Tag Gift Cards iTunes Gift Cards Starbucks Gift Cards

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If you have a prayer request, please contact: Ev Small (360) 871-2045 or

Diane Bishop at dianeb@wavecable.com

Joy and Thanksgiving The gift of friendship

Health Concerns Bill Clarke’s Uncle Paul who has just received a pacemaker Marion Zaske and her husband David, as Marion endures her

3rd round of chemo Prayers for a speedy recovery for Midge Patterson after foot

surgery Continued prayers for Vera Brown as she recovers Continued prayers for Janie Hinds as she deals with the pain of

shingles

Wisdom and Courage to seek and do God’s Will All church leaders, here at Colby and everywhere

National & World Concerns Pray for racial, political, and economic tolerance to heal the

divisiveness in this world Wisdom and guidance for our elected leaders

Peace, Strength, and Encouragement Prayers for Mark Cain’s family Continued prayers for Carl and Marion Hill Prayers for the homeless, for those seeking employment,

struggling with addiction, struggling with mental illness, and dealing with domestic violence issues

For all those struggling to find God’s way

Protection Travel mercies for everyone throughout the holidays All active duty military, including Rusty Hoffman & Aaron Hoff

Ongoing Prayers Prayers for the Leonards’ grandson Brody as he continues with

his chemotherapy treatment Beth Mueller’s friend, Darla Day, who is dealing with serious

pregnancy complications Claudia Geasland continuing to recover

from surgery Karen Whitley who was diagnosed with

cancer Continued prayers for Ken and Edie

Peckham

Birthdays & Anniversaries

December Birthdays 2nd Bonnie Anderson Allyson Hoffman 5th Warren Barcalow Ledine Wilson 7th Valorie Reed 8th Jennifer Sather 12th John Mueller Charlotte Whitten 14th Jane Shafer 15th Charlotte Beltran 16th Alice Neman 18th Shalene Bell 20th Liam Hembd 26th Lee Morrison

December Anniversaries 19th Gene & Patricia Baker

Calls, Cards, and Casseroles

At some time or another, everyone needs some extra care. As a congregation, we seek to support

one another through times of illness, hardship, and grief. Everyone can be a channel of God’s blessing through congregational care.

Jennifer Sather coordinates these effor ts. Please let Jennifer know if she can call on you to offer care. You may specify if you’re able to send cards, make phone calls, offer rides, visits, short respite care, and/or meals.

Contact Jennifer at (360) 871-0244 or jsather0244@wavecable.com

Feeding the Low Income and Homeless

Our church helps feed the low income and homeless on the last Friday of the month at the First Lutheran Community Church located at 2483 Mitchell Road SE in Port Orchard. We need volunteers to help out. We start at 2:30pm.

Please contact Bonnie Anderson at (360) 871-3117 for more information.

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Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday

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2 7pm UMW

3 7pm Trustees

4 5 10am Greening of the Church

6 9:00am Choir Practice 10:30am Worship 12pm Youth Group

7 8 9

10

11

12

13 9:00am Choir Practice 10:30am Worship 12pm Youth Group

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15

16

17

18

19 9am Men’s Breakfast

20 9:00am Choir Practice 10:30am Worship 12pm Youth Group

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23

24 25

26

27 9:00am Choir Practice 10:30am Worship 12pm Youth Group

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29 30 31

December

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Colby United Methodist Church PO Box 4299, South Colby, WA 98384 Phone: (360) 871-3365

Pastor’s Email: colbyumc@gmail.com - Office Admin Email: colbyunited@gmail.com - Website: www.colbychurch.org Pastor: Brian Nelson Editor & Production: Duana Dugan

The Staff of Steeple notes reserves the right to edit submitted articles for clarity and to fit available space.

Colby United Methodist Church SE Harvey & Southworth Drive SE PO Box 4299

December 2015 Meetings & Upcoming Events

2 Wednesday UMW 7:00 pm 3 Thursday Trustees 7:00 pm 5 Saturday Greening of the Church 10:00 am 6-27 Sundays Choir Practice 9:00 am 6-27 Sunday Youth Group 12:00 pm 19 Saturday Men’s Breakfast 9:00 am 22 Tuesday Blue Christmas Worship Service 7:00 pm 24 Thursday Christmas Eve Family Service 7:00 pm Christmas Eve Candlelight Service 11:00 pm 25 Friday Christmas Day - Office Closed All Day

December 2015