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Pastor’s Message

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Compassionate Care

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Passionate Worship

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December 2015 Edition www.grandrapidsfumc.org

Can anyone believe that it is nearly De-cember? We are a few weeks away from Christmas… and then, a few days later, we will be en-

tering 2016. It hardly seems possible to me that time is moving so swiftly.

Of course, December means lots of activities are on the schedule of First Church. Advent is the anticipation and preparation for the coming of Christ that is celebrated on Christmas. There are so many ways to be involved and invested in living through the prepara-tory season of Advent. You will read about all of the opportunities to par-ticipate in the life of our congregation, from reading a daily Advent medita-tion resource, going caroling, attending Blue Christmas, being in worship, or serving in the myriad of outreach and mission ministries of First Church.

Our theme for Advent, 2015 is The Luminaria of the Fruits of the Spirit! The theme will actually take us through the month of January as well. Our primary text for the entire series is; Galatians 5:22-25.

Sunday, November 29 — The first Sunday of Advent! The sermon title is The Luminary of Love with the text from I John 4:7-19 and Colossians 3:12-4.

Tuesday, December 1 — at 7 pm is our Annual Church Conference. District Superintendent, Bill Haggard will be with us to review our ministry progress in 2015 as well as begin the preparations for 2016. EVERYONE is welcome!

W e d n e s d a y , December 2 — Blue Christmas Service at 7:00 pm. A Taizé-style service of scripture, prayer, song, light, and silence, specially planned for those who have experienced the loss of a loved one, health, employment, or relationship.

Sunday, December 6 — The second Sunday of Advent! The sermon title is The Luminary of Joy! The scripture lesson is Luke 2:8-14. We will also cel-ebrate communion.

Sunday, December 13 — The third Sunday of Advent! The Luminary of Peace is the sermon title based on Psalm 29:11 and Luke 2:13. Caroling to the homebound will also take place following worship.

Sunday, December 20 — The fourth Sunday of Advent is an all-church family-focused service of Lessons and Carols. The meditation will be titled; The Luminary of Patience.

Thursday, December 24 — Christ-mas Eve begins with the Community Breakfast that will be served once again along with the giving of Casey’s Socks.

5:00 pm is the Christmas Story family-focused service.7:00 and 9:00 pm are identical Christmas Eve services with a meditation based on Luke 2:15; Con-firming What the Lord has Revealed to us!

Sunday, December 27 — is the first Sunday of Christmas and once again, we will have ONE morning worship service at 10 am. The title of the ser-mon is The Luminary of Kindness.

Please make every effort to join us this Advent and Christmas season. In-vite a friend or relative as together we prepare once again for the coming of Christ. Join us this holy season by los-ing yourself in the beauty of worship that will restore your soul.

Pastor Bob Hundley

Advent is the anticipation and preparation for the coming of Christ that is celebrated on Christmas. There are so many ways to be involved and invested in living through the preparatory season of Advent.

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Intentional Faith DevelopmentOh, the anticipation... We asked four families of First Church to describe some of the ways they celebrate Christ’s coming in their homes and with their kids.

A lesson from my child-hood that I could not fully appreciate until be-coming a parent is this: the greatest gift you can give to someone is your time. During this season, where we are tempted to invest a lot of time and money running around, fi nding the perfect gifts for those on our list, I always look for-ward to our tradition of homemade gifts that our children make for each other. The kids love coming up with the perfect, crafty idea and I love the one-on-one time we carve out to ex-ecute it! They beam with pride when they are able to present a homemade gift to each lucky recipient on Christ-mas day. Through our tradition, they are becoming aware that the time that they invest working to make each other happy is far more valuable than any present that can be purchased from a store. I hope you are blessed with many small moments with loved ones this holiday season and fi nd them more precious than any other treasure under the tree!

Katie Flermoen

Attending the Christmas Eve service is one of my favorite traditions at Christmas time. As a child, I attended the various churches where my father preached, and Christmas Eve meant an evening of Lessons and Carols. I loved hearing the story of the birth of Jesus told in verse, paired with beau-tiful Christmas hymns like “Away in a Manger,” “O Little Town of Bethle-hem,” “We Three Kings,” “The First Noel,” and at the end of the service, “Silent Night” and “Joy to the World” with lighted candles. These days at

Christmas, I eagerly anticipate watch-ing my own children act out this pre-cious story by building the nativity in our children’s service of Lessons and Carols. It is a joy to hear the story, sing the carols, watch my children, and let our candles shine.

Sherah Eavey

Often times big events and celebra-tions can feel overwhelming. It’s diffi -cult to pace ourselves when the pulse of the holidays is so alive; when friends are gathering, groups are celebrating and families are sharing. So before the days begin to take on their own breath, we have chosen to light a candle, to set fl ame to the wick, remain close by, and watch it keep time.

Each day and every day throughout Advent, we light a new candle in ad-dition to each dark wick that had been lit before. We light a candle each day with hopes of ushering in slow and intentional, as opposed to our often default of fast and hurried. We light a candle each day to remember to an-ticipate and connect with the waiting. We light a candle to offer us a space to gather and attend together the coming of Christ.

Jessica Rozga

As we deck the halls with boughs of holly and numerous other holiday trinkets, we collectively refl ect on the true meaning of Christmas: praising our Lord by loving friends and family through a commitment of faithful fel-lowship. When the BIG DAY comes, we gather ’round the Christmas tree with three things in mind: is everyone roused for the occasion, is there coffee in the pot, and the incredible anticipa-tion of what is behind the wrapping of the “three gifts.” This might sound familiar. Yep, three gifts. Our family keeps the tradition alive by honoring The Gifts of the Wise Men for Jesus. Now gold, frankincense, and myrrh are a little out of our budget, but we aim to compromise. Our “Three Gifts” are simply a want, a need, and a reminder of God’s everlasting love. The “Three Gifts” idea is fairly new for our young family, but we believe that it will be a tradition to cherish and allow us to further incorporate the true meaning of Christmas.

Ken and Emily Mol

“The greatest gift you can give to someone is your time.”

Gray Flermoen used this silicone mold to make homemade LEGO-shaped crayons for his siblings. John Flermoen creates birdseed ornaments to be hung outside.

The Mol Family Christmas Tradition

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Refresh!Our much-loved Taizé service is being given distinctive new life as Refresh, a Wednesday evening time for contemplation and prayer with music from Taizé, Iona, and other faith communities, with an open table for bless-ings and communion. In our hurried and noisy world, we offer gracious space and an evening’s hour to enjoy the power of a quiet space, gently surrounded by candlelight, mu-sic and prayer. The contemplative tradition holds that we fi nd God in Christ in our hearts, in each other, and in all creation.

This is the welcome paragraph found in the Wednesday evening bulletin for Refresh! It refers to music of Taizé and Iona. I thought I would give, in two installments, a little background and perspective on these two commu-nities and their musical traditions.

Taizé refers to a small town in France, where Roger Schütz founded the community in 1940. Brother Roger as he would be known as, moved there intentionally from Switzerland in or-der to assist those being displaced by the Second World War. The little vil-lage of Taizé is located close to the demarcation line that divided France in two, and was well situated for refu-gees fl eeing the war. Here, they pro-vided hospitality and refuge for all, including Jews and agnostics. During these fi rst two years, Brother Roger

prayed alone in the woods so that none of the refugees would feel uncomfortable. In 1942, having been warned that the au-thorities had targeted the community, all abandoned the site, with Roger temporarily relocat-ing to Geneva. It was in Geneva that Roger formed, along with some other men, a monastic-style community of brothers. Returning to Taizé follow-ing the war 1944, Brother Roger and his sister Genevieve were able to pro-vide shelter for children who had lost their parents in the war, welcome Ger-man prisoners-of-war from a nearby internment camp, and welcome men who wanted to commit to a life to-gether in “great simplicity.” On Easter day, 1949, seven men made a life-long commitment to the celibate and mo-nastic order. The Rule of Taizé was written by Brother Roger during a long retreat in the winter of 1952-3 which outlined the essentials required in making a common life possible.

Today, there are over one hundred brothers, both Catholic and Protes-tant coming from around the world (30 nations). One of the central tenets of the community is one of reconcili-ation between divided Christians and separated peoples. The community accepts no donations, and allows no

personal inheritances. Several of the brothers live and work among the very poor and disadvantaged in Asia, Africa, and South America.

Thousands of people make a pilgrim-age to Taizé every year, with each en-couraged to return with a renewed energy to pray and work with others in the places where they live. While in Taizé, pilgrims experience the distinc-tive service, which consists of sing-ing short, meditative songs, prayer, and extended periods of silence.

Using just a few words they express a basic reality of faith, quickly grasped by the mind. As the words are sung over many times, this reality gradually penetrates the whole being. Meditative singing thus becomes a way of listening to God.

If you have not experienced “Re-fresh,” why not give it a try. It just may be a way of reinvigorating, renewing, and reimagining your spiritual center.

Eric StrandExecutive Director of

Worship, Music, and the Arts

Passionate Worship

Adult Faith Development Classes //Sunday, November 29 – December 20 from 9:15 – 10:15 am //Join us for an adult class this Advent. Books are available in the north lobby offi ce. Come to class ready to discuss the fi rst chapter. Sign-ups for adult classes are appreciated, but not required. Sign up via the Sunday bulletin or use the online sign-up sheet at www.grandrapidsfumc.org/sign-up-sheet. Contact Laure Mieskowski at laurem@grandrapidsfumc.org or 616.451.2879 for more information.• A Bead and a Prayer: A Beginner’s Guide to Protestant Prayer Author Kristen Vincent explores the history

and art of using beads in prayer, explains how to use prayer beads, includes instructions for making your own set of prayer beads, and offers a variety of prayers. Through this book you will learn how prayer beads can help you deepen your faith, understand Christian beliefs, and listen to God. Class facilitator: Patsy McGillivray. (First Place 3107)

• Couples in Faith Class A place for study, prayer, fellowship, and community for 30s/40s-something couples. While We Wait: Living the Questions of Advent offers new ways of connecting with faith questions. Somewhat surprisingly, in this Bible study Tamar, Ruth, Mary, Zechariah, Elizabeth, and the Magi ask questions that resonate with contempo-rary Christians during Advent. Class facilitators: Jess & Jake DeBoni, Karl & Angela Norton. (Chapel)

• Sent: Delivering the Gift of Hope At Christmas God sent Christ into the world as our Savior. That’s what Christ-mas is all about. In turn, Christ sends us into the world. But do we really understand how, where, and why we are sent? This Advent study challenges us through story, art, and Bible study to discover what it means to be Christ’s hands, feet, head, and heart. Class facilitator: Laure Mieskowski (First Place 3109)

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Christmas GivingFirst Church is providing opportuni-ties for you and your family to share the blessings of Christmas! You are invited to choose one or more of the following suggestions.

Alternative Christmas Gifts – Honor a loved one with a donation support-ing a mission or outreach ministry of First Church. For each person you des-ignate, we will send a beautiful Christ-mas card acknowledging your gift and describing the First Church ministry that you’ve chosen. www.grfumc.org/alternativegift

Casey’s Christmas Eve Breakfast – First Church will be serving a hot and hearty holiday breakfast for our Heartside neighbors in Wesley Hall on Thursday morning, December 24, 8 – 10:30 am. This annual event invites community members into our church for food and holiday fellowship. We need two kinds of helpers to make this event a success. (1) Table host: be a friendly host to our guests; share a cup of coffee, sit and chat, create a welcoming environment. (2) Food server/eorker: serve food, bus tables, and help clean up. Sign-ups for volun-teer helpers will be held in the sanctu-ary on Sunday, December 13 following both worship services.

Casey’s Socks for Christ-mas – Each Casey’s breakfast guest receives a Christmas sock fi lled with practical items and goodies. Purchase a pair of medium-weight, warm, winter, washable socks. Stuff one sock in the toe of the other so that

each recipient receives a pair of socks! Fill the sock with full-size personal care items like shampoo, soap, tooth-brush, toothpaste, and lip balm. Add a few extras like bandages, pen and pa-per, hard candy, nonperishable snacks, even a t-shirt. You might want to add a few safety pins on the outside and pin on a hat and warm gloves. (Please avoid items that have alcohol, anything sharp, and crushable foods.) Drop off your socks at the north lobby church offi ce or bring them to worship on December 20. With your help, each of our Christmas Eve breakfast guests will leave with a warm heart and warm feet.

Christmas Caroling – Share the songs of the season with our homebound, hospitalized, those recovering from surgery or an illness, and our senior members on Sunday, December 13. Watch for sign-up opportunities in the worship bulletin.

Christmas Offering – Our Christmas offering will be used to help people all over the world. Soon you will be receiv-ing a letter from Pastor Bob, and it will include an offering envelope for your Christmas gift. You may bring your of-fering to our Christmas Eve services, mail to the church offi ce, or give on-line at www.grfumc.org/missionoffer-ing. Whether your gift is small or large, let the love of Christ fl ow through you this Christmas to people in desperate need. Our goal this year is $20,000.

Coffee Can Offering – It’s a small thing, but your loose change can make wonderful things happen for those who are in need and hungry. Bring your coins to worship on Sunday, December 13 to benefi t the Feeding Program of our sister church in Her-radura, Cuba.

Family Promise – Consider giving the gift of your time this holiday season. Several homeless families will be our overnight guests during Christmas week. Volunteers will be needed to act as evening hosts, overnight hosts, and dinner preparers. Watch for sign-up opportunities in the worship bulletin or contact the church offi ce.

Giving Tree – You are invited to take one of the ornaments off the tree located in the north lobby. Each ornament contains a suggested item requested by Martin Luther King Academy staff for the classrooms and children. Please limit your gifts to the suggested items on the tree.Unwrapped gifts may be left under the Christmas tree for delivery to MLK.

Homebound Ministry – Pick up some address labels from the north lobby desk and send Christmas cards to our senior and homebound members. Your cards will help brighten their day while reminding them their church family is thinking of them this Christmastime.

Methodist Connection Caroling –Join members of our partner churches to carol to local senior housing resi-dents on Saturday, December 5 at 3:00 pm.

Please contact Laure Mieskowski at 451-2879 or laurem@grandrapidsfumc.org if you would like more information about any of the above opportunities.

Risk-Taking Mission and ServiceFirst Church will be serving a hot and hearty holiday breakfast for our Heartside neighbors in Wesley Hall on Thursday morning, December 24, 8 – 10:30 am.

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It is interesting to me the different reactions we get when we mention the word “tithe.” To some, this word is a natural part of their understanding that God provides everything we will ever need, and our grateful response to this reassurance is to joyfully give one-tenth back to God.

Indeed, First Church is blessed with many folks who have joyfully arrived at this point in their personal faith journey. This is evidenced by the many families who support First Church ministry with amazing generosity in the giving of time and money.

To others, the word “tithe” is an un-comfortable word, even prompting negative reactions. Some view the discussion of tithing in the same con-text as a tax increase. To some, giving money to the church is viewed more

as a duty rather than a joyful choice.

These two reactions refl ect the two ends of the faith spectrum as related to giving. Each one of us is some-where on this spectrum. Our person-al faith journey - our own walk with God - determines our response to the subject of tithing.

You likely have noticed that our stew-ardship efforts at First Church are less focused on detailed discussions about the church budget requirements, but rather focus on stewardship in a spiri-tual context. What we give refl ects where we are spiritually.

Our church giving is not dependent on what we can “afford.” Scripture tells us the story of the poor widow who gave everything out of her faith in God.

Our giving is not simply another part of our budgeted expenses. Scripture again tells us to set aside God’s gifts fi rst, and then live on the rest. If we don’t do this, God tends to only get our “leftovers.”

If your faith has led you to tithing, we rejoice with you. May you continue to experience the joy that comes from this Extravagant Generosity. If you are still on the journey to the tithe, we pray that God will continue to infl uence your faith, and that you will fi nd a meaningful relationship with God through your participation in the ministries of First Church.

We pray that your giving commitment for 2016 refl ects yet another step for-ward in your personal walk with God!

Chris Hawkins, Finance Committee

Extravagant Generosity

Pastor Bob will be preaching on the The Luminaria of the Fruits of the Spir-it! during Advent. He will be talking specifi cally about love, joy, peace and patience.

I’m going to challenge you to think and pray the whole week about each of his sermons and to ask God to deposit this gift in your heart with extra measure, then ask that situations present themselves for you to use that specifi c gift during the week. It will be both a rewarding and a challenging experience.

Love: There are many who walk around us without love in their lives. There are different ways of showing that love. Put money in the Salvation Army bucket as you walk into the gro-cery store. Pay for the person’s coffee or meal in the car behind you in a drive through. If someone is looking for money in their wallet to pay for their groceries, see if you can help.

Joy: Have a smile on your face as you go about your business of Advent. When the lines are long in the stores

smile and/or hum an Advent hymn: Who knows, it might be catching! Look at yourself in the mirror often and look for the smile on your face that shows you have love in your heart. Practice it the whole week; maybe it will carry over into the following weeks.

Peace: Share the peace that God has placed in your heart with others. Try to remain calm in diffi cult situations. Be the peacemaker for your family or circle of friends. Just sharing love and joy will also show the peace that you have experienced because of your faith.

Patience: Oh, that’s a good one for that last Sunday before the festivities! We are all starting to run out of it; but take a deep breath, count to ten and remember how much you are loved and share that with all those around you.

I’ve suggested you share these with those that you run into during your

days before Christmas but I also sug-gest you use them on Sunday morn-ings when you greet those around you. These four fruits are just the ones our visitors are looking for. Show them that we have them at First Church!

Patsy McGillivrayDirector of Invitational Ministries

Look at yourself in the mirror often and look for the smile on your face that shows you have Love in your heart.

Radical Hospitality

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A Blue Christmas?Joy to the world, the Lord is come! And fa-la-la-la-la’s fi ll the air. Brightly wrapped packages with big red bows, holiday parties, shopping, and upbeat holiday music playing everywhere you go. All this joy and excitement sur-rounds you, yet you don’t feel like cel-ebrating much of anything this year.

Yes, there are years when we hurt at Christmastime. The hurt may be due to the loss of employment, fi nancial concerns, depression, loss of a re-lationship or a dream, illness, or the death of a loved one. It doesn’t mat-ter whether the loss is recent or way in the past; the holidays may make the pain feel fresh once again. It is at such times we need to make space, to ac-knowledge how we are feeling, and to know that we are not alone.

If you are feeling down this Christ-mas or know someone who is strug-gling, consider attending our Blue Christmas Service which will be on Wednesday, December 2 at 7:00 pm in the Upper Room. It will be a service of light in the midst of darkness and will include readings, music, silence and candles in the style of Taize as we acknowledge our losses, disappoint-ments, and hurts together.

After the service you will be able to speak with a Stephen Minister and each other if you choose. A small re-ception will be held in the Library.

If you are fi nding the coming holiday season tough, please join us. Or think of people you know who might fi nd this Christmas season diffi cult and bring them! We have space for all to come and sit quietly and worship, mak-ing room for grief and frustration and memories, putting words to each while remembering we are never ever alone.

Abbey Press (the Care Notes Compa-ny) lists fi ve ways to help you through the holidays when you have experi-enced a loss. They are:1) Be patient and realistic with your-

self. Plan ahead and prioritize so you are not overwhelmed.

2) Listen to your heart and acknowl-edge your limits. Do what you can and let the rest go. Remember it is OK to say no.

3) Adapt cherished traditions. Don’t do everything the way you always have. Keep the traditions alive in new ways that now make sense to you.

4) Focus on the spiritual dimension of the holidays. When you are ready, one way to refashion the holiday season is to focus on the true reason of the season. Quiet refl ection and spiritual preparation are healing.

5) Allow the tears to come but look for joy amidst the pain. Memories will include heartache as well.

Remember you can use our Church As-sistance Program (CAP) through Pine Rest Christian services to help you or family members through this or any diffi cult time. Just call 455-6210 and tell them you are a member of First Church. You will receive two one-hour appointments with a compassionate social worker at no cost to you.

If you have questions, please contact me at 616 901-9224 or by email at marjt@grandrapidsfumc. org.

Grace and peace, Marj Timmerman, RN

Congregational Care

Compassionate Care

A Taizé-style service of scripture, prayer, song, light, and silence, specially planned for those who

have experienced the loss of a loved one, health, employment, or relationship.

Wednesday, December 2 at 7:00 pm in the Upper Room

The holidays aren’t always merry for everyone.If this year is a difficult one for you, please come.

If you know someone who is hurting, invite and bring them.

All are welcome!

Service

BlueService

BlueChristmas

Yes, there are years when we hurt at Christmastime. The hurt may be due to the loss of employment, fi nancial concerns, depression, loss of a relationship or a dream, illness, or the death of a loved one.

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Christmas Eve Christmas Eve Christmas Eve Christmas Eve Christmas Eve Christmas Eve

Advent 2015

fi rstchurch@grandrapidsfumc.org facebook.com/grandrapidsfumc twitter.com/FUMC_GR

First United Methodist Church227 Fulton St EGrand Rapids, MI 49503-3236

ADDRESS SERVICE REQUESTED

NON-PROFIT ORGU.S. POSTAGE

P A I DPERMIT #354

GRAND RAPIDS, MI

First United Methodist Church227 Fulton St E Grand Rapids, MI 49503

www.grandrapidsfumc.org/advent

Join us this Christmas season as we prepare our hearts for the

coming of Jesus. Lose yourself in the beauty of worship. Restore your soul.

Sunday Worship at 8:15 & 10:45 amNovember 29 — “The Luminary of Love”December 6 — “The Luminary of Joy”

December 13 — “The Luminary of Peace”December 20 — “The Luminary of Patience”

December 27 — “The Luminary of Kindness” at 10:00 am

Thursday, December 24An interactive family story-telling service at 5:00 pm —

Traditional communion and candlelight service. — at 7:00 and 9:00 pm —

Make us a new part of your

ChristmasMake us a new

ChristmasMake us a new part of your

Christmaspart of your

Tradition!part of your

Tradition!part of your