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VOICE OF WESLEY
December 2018
Growing in Faith, Transforming Lives, and
Creating Disciples for Jesus Christ
Wonder n. 1. a. One that arouses awe, astonishment, surprise, or admiration; a marvel. b. The emotion aroused by something awe-inspiring, astounding, or marvelous. 2. An event inexplicable by the laws of nature; a miracle.
http://www.thefreedictionary.com/wonder
I was in my 40's before I took my first airplane ride. That moment of takeoff when the wheels left the pavement and we started to ascend into the sky, I recall thinking to myself "I never want to forget this moment - the feeling of awe and wonder that this can even happen - I am flying." Since then, I have flown quite a few times. And every one of those times I have paused on the moment of take-off to remember that first time and try to recapture the sense of awe I had then - "I am flying. What a wonder this is!"
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Most of us think of January 1 as the beginning of a new year, but in the calendar of the Christian Church, the new year begins with the 4th Sunday before Christmas - the beginning of Advent. Although stores might have started displaying Christmas decorations after Halloween and playing Christmas music before Thanksgiving, Advent reminds us that it is not Christmas yet. That’s why churches that follow the
Christian calendar don’t sing Christmas carols quite yet, we sing Advent hymns. You see, Advent is a time of waiting, a time of expectation, a time of looking forward on the horizon for the inbreaking of God's salvation into our world, into our lives, into our hearts. Advent is a time of hopeful watching, waiting and listening.
But I have found it is not always easy to stay alert and attentive. It is not easy to listen to the airline attendants go through the flight safety instructions - how to fasten your seatbelt, properly put on an oxygen mask, locate the exit doors nearest you, or use the flotation device located under your seat - when you've heard them for the umpteenth time. (Although I'm still not for sure I could find and properly engage the flotation device under my airplane seat...)
Likewise, it is not easy to stay alert and attentive to what God is doing at Christmas when we've heard the familiar story so many times, or are distracted with "important" matters like decorating, Christmas card lists and holiday travel plans (let alone being continuously reminded that there are only ___ more shopping days until Christmas). No wonder Christmas often comes and goes and instead of experiencing feelings of awe and wonder, we feel relief that it is over and we can get back to our normal routine again.
Continued on page 2
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Shut Ins: Gene Conroy, Ann
DuVoisin, Carol Denault, Pat
Golding, Gale Lehnus, Rita Bass.
Prayers for our military - Dylan &
Austin Cote and Ryan Frantz
To truly experience the wonder of Christmas, we need to be intentional about recapturing a sense of awe. We need to observe Advent.
1Rev. Kenneth
Kovacs reminds us that Advent calls to us to "Wake up and stay awake. Something is about to happen in your heart, in your life, in your family, in your church, in your world. Something is coming. Someone is coming whose birth might shake us and startle us and maybe even scare us. But someone who will most certainly, completely change us
forever. Someone is coming who will enlighten our world and bring hope and meaning." What a wonder this is!
This Advent, may we wait and watch together with growing anticipation, eager to see what God is up to this Christmas. Elbow me if you see me nodding off - I don't want to miss it!
With you on the Way,
Pastor Dalene
1Rev. Kenneth Kovacs: Stay Awake!
Continued from page 1
Women’s Book Club
December 17, 6:30 pm
"The Pecan Man", by Cassie Dandridge
Selleck
CHRISTMAS EVE WORSHIP
Monday, December 24
5 pm - Bradley Wesley UMC
7 pm - Saint Mark UMC
"Behold, a virgin shall conceive and bear a son,
and his name shall be called Emmanuel" (which means, God with
us). - Matthew 1:23
Join us as we celebrate the wonder and miracle of Christ's birth, and the hope that is born anew for us and the world at Christmas. Bring a friend or neighbor with you!
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Third Thursday Supper Club
The 3rd Thursday Supper
Club will meet at 5:30 pm on December 20
at Burgers and Beer. All adults are
welcome to join. Reservations are needed
by Sunday, December 16 to ensure
enough seating is available. Contact Kay
Fisher at 815-549-0199 or send an e-mail
to [email protected] to make your
reservation.
The UMW would like to thank our Church family for supporting our Lasagna Dinner and Bake/Craft
sale. We would also like to give a BIG thank you to Teresa, Von and Pat for taking the reins of the bake
sale and craft sale table. Those ladies did a marvelous job and we couldn't have done it without them.
Thanks so much ladies ! The proceeds from this annual event go to organizations that help women
and children locally and also Cunningham Children's Home and Lessie Bates Davis Neighborhood
House.
Our UMW Christmas Party will be Tuesday, Dec 4th at the Village Grill at 6p.m. This is a good time to join
us for an evening of NO cooking but a lot of fun with the friendly ladies of
United Methodist Women. We promise we won't ask anything of
you, just come and enjoy an evening we all look forward to.
Please let Karen know if you will be joining us (815-693-4573) or if you
need a ride.
Our January meeting will be held Saturday, January 5th. at the Church at 11 a.m. We will be collecting snacks for Fortitude
Outreach and personal items for the Salvation Army. All women of the
church are invited to join us as we also enjoy a soup and sandwich
lunch.
At the Annual 4-H Awards Banquet on Sunday, November 18th, Wesley United Methodist Church was awarded the Friend of
4-H Award. Their presenter said "4-H has had the opportunity to use their facilities for activities for many years. They have kindly accepted our requests and opened up their facilities for our use. They have provided space for foods judging, General Projects judging and officer training. We are thankful for their hospitality and appreciate their kindness." On behalf of the church I accepted the plaque and pin. All the attendees at the awards banquet participated in a canned food drive. The 4-H Federation then donated all the collected food to the Wesley food pantry. In the past, Wesley also opened their doors for the Blue Ribbonettes 4-H club meetings when Ione Chappell was the leader. They also allowed me to teach 4-H dog obedience in the Fellowship Hall. Wesley for many years has been serving the community. I am proud to be a church member here.
Pat Farman
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WESLEY REACH OUT CELEBRATION
SUNDAY
November 25, 2018
So then, my friends, because of God's great mercy to us I appeal to you: Offer yourselves as a living
sacrifice to God, dedicated to his service and pleasing to him.
This is the true worship that you should offer. – Romans 12:1 Good News Translation
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During December, our
Mission of the Month
will be our 3rd annual
Reverse Advent! You
can pick up your bag and calendar
at church. There is a passage of
Scripture to read and meditate on
each day (a companion devotional
booklet is available at www.pts.edu/
devotional) as well as an item to
place in the bag. The donated
items will be given to Fortitude
Community Outreach, Blessings in
a Backpack, our Christmas
Shoebox Express, Gigi's
Playhouse, Harbor House, and
Wesley's Table Food Pantry.
Please return your filled bags by
December 30.
“Investing Time and
Money for God’s work
through Wesley”
Wesley is making progress on its Stewardship emphasis for 2019. The Finance Committee has many “Estimates of Giving” for 2019. There are a few more yet to receive.
If you have not yet had an opportunity to offer your estimate for next year, “2019 Estimate of Giving” cards are available at the church.
This year the emphasis is “investing” – not only giving financially, but also your time in attendance and service to the church -- all the gifts God so generously provides. We are asking everyone to step out in faith, in your giving and in your participation in the life of our church.
If you have not yet made your estimate, we encourage you to do so, as you are able.
The Finance Committee
It's getting closer to gift giving time. I will have shopping lists for gift cards for our Manna Program. I will be sending an order for Christmas on Monday, December 10th in order to have your gift cards for the holidays. This is the time of year when we really can make a difference in the giving to our Church. Proceeds from the Manna Program go directly to Wesley Church. The gift cards are priced from $10 to $100. As always, the Christmas gift cards need to be paid for when you order them. I really appreciate ALL the purchases throughout the year. The Wesley family has really kept this program going. Thanks for all your purchases.
Karen Warburton
Hurricane Relief
November and December sales donated to
UMCOR
The heart-warming story of a boy and his dog, written by Eddie Ellis, ONU professor of New Testament.
“. . . this book is sure to be inspirational for Christians, moving for dog lovers, and perfect for
readers who are both.” Kirkus Reviews
Available locally at the Love Shop, Bargains and Treasures, Traditions on Main (Manteno) and online at Amazon and Barnes &
Noble.
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WESLEY SCHOLARSHIP FUND
Applications for the Spring 2019 Wesley Scholarship is due on or before December 14, 2018. The application is available at the church office or from Donna Pangle, [email protected], and an application will be sent via e-mail.
That being said, I wanted to remind the members of Wesley that the 2018-2019 school year is quickly coming to an end, and we will have additional high school graduates and college students who could qualify for a scholarship from the Wesley Scholarship Fund.
The Wesley Scholarship Fund, originally a memorial scholarship fund established in memory of Eldon A. Stevens, who died on March 2, 1990, has provided scholarships to Wesley applicants. The scholarship fund is now totally funded by the generous donations from the congregation of Wesley.
"The requirements of receiving a scholarship are: a) The applicant must be full and active member of Wesley United Methodist
Church. (Not a constituent, associate or an affiliate member). b) The applicant must attend an accredited college or school. c) The applicant must be a full time student according to the school they are
enrolled in.
d) The applicant must fill out the required application form.
e) The applicant must apply annually, with applications being completed separately
for the Fall and Spring semesters.
The applicant will receive no more than $250 per year. The grant received per year will be based upon the number of applicants and the monies available." Please give, as you are able, to keep this worthwhile program of Wesley going. Without your assistance, the Wesley Scholarship Fund will not be able to help our young members in their journey to attain their higher education. Thank you.
Donna Pangle, Wesley Scholarship Fund Chairperson
Thank you to all who have donated plastic shopping bags for use in Wesley's Table food pantry. Our shoppers often don't have bags to
carry home their goodies. To make it easier on our shoppers, please only bring handled bags (no bread wrappers, newspaper bags, produce bags, etc) and
if possible, flatten them as shown in the pictures so that they can be placed in our hanging bags to make it easier for our shoppers and volunteers to access them.
Worship is the work of the people. We can always use
more Greeters, Ushers, and Worship Assistants. If you are interested please contact the Church Office 815-933-7932.
WORSHIP ASSISTANTS: Dec 2: Gerri Cote Suddeth Dec 9: Becky Conroy Dec 16: Pat Farman Dec 23: Donna Pangle Dec 30: Cheryl Enright
USHERS: Don Grace, Mike Skopik, Doug Wilkins
GREETERS: No one has signed up to be greeters during this month. Please volunteer if you are available.
Communion Servers: December 2: Cathy Conrad, Sue
Muhlstadt
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12/3 Leah Hurt 12/5 Hannah Grace 12/6 Jerriann Whitehead 12/8 Brad Mann 12/10 Wayne Dubree 12/10 Regina Rhodes 12/11 Diana Lustfeldt 12/12 Kim Grace 12/16 Candy Frantz 12/21 Debbie Rich 12/22 Bonnie Conroy 12/26 Joyce Raab 12/28 Austin Hamende 12/30 Lyndsay Schripsema 12/31 Earl Kelly 12/31 Linda Hammond
If we are missing your birthday, please call the church office 815-933-7932.
First Alert
The annual church rummage sale will take
place March 15-16, 2019. Please set aside items you just can’t stand to have around anymore.
Remember – “One person’s trash is another’s treasure.”
Large appliances & TVs will not be accepted. A complete informational article
will be in January’s newsletter. Any questions call Brenda or Don McCabe.
Thank You UMW!
Our 2018 Shower for Mary contributed 10 outfits and 14 pair of socks that were delivered to the Kids Closet. A big thank you to all who contributed. What better way to kick off the Christmas season than with a giving heart! If anyone would like to contribute it is not too late. Bring your gifts to the December UMW Christmas party or get them to me at church.
Bonnie Conroy
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On November 13th the Administrative
Council met to discuss the situation with the church parsonage at 525 Jonette, Bradley. Since Wesley purchased the home in 1970 it has served our pastors and their families well. Over the years church members have helped maintain and improve the now more than 50 year old house.
Due to the age of the house, there are some major updating and repairs that critically need to be done, mainly the bathrooms. The parsonage has been unoccupied since July when Wesley went to a shared pastoral appointment with St. Mark United Methodist in Kankakee, whose parsonage costs we help share. Sharing pastoral support was done to help the church financially.
The trustees and others have for months, been looking after the property with mostly volunteer help. Inside cleaning and checking, mowing grass, trimming/removing trees and bushes, cleaning gutters, removing junk mail, and generally keeping an eye on the place. However, the house sits empty which is not long term sustainable or fiscally responsible.
There have been suggestions from the Vermilion District and Great Rivers Conference that this property could be used in a mission project for a monastic group or some other outreach mission. However, church leadership believes the costs and management of the property with such a use are too great for Wesley to handle. To rent on the open market would return the property to real estate tax costs and necessitate repairs, and additional costs and management. Other current and future missional needs of Wesley will be focused
on church property at 500 N Cleveland, Bradley.
After much discussion and careful consideration, the Administrative Council voted to accept the Board of Trustees recommendation to proceed with steps to sell the real estate. The decision was not made lightly.
Questions that were considered included, “what if Wesley goes back to a full-time pastor and the need for a parsonage arises in the future?” The proceeds from the Jonette sale would be placed in a separate interest bearing account only to be used to go toward a replacement parsonage, either on our own or in sharing with another area Methodist church. Also considered was the fact that more Methodist pastors are retiring than are being ordained, so there will probably be more shared pastor appointments, or other situations, in the greater Kankakee area, with a need for parsonages likely declining.
There are a number of steps that need to be taken before the house can be put on the market. There needs to be a majority in attendance vote by the congregation at a Charge Conference called by the District Superintendent. That Charge Conference meeting needs to have at least ten days prior notice given.
Currently plans for that charge conference meeting and vote are for February 2019. Specific time and date will be made available later, when finalized.
If you have any questions, comments, or opinion you may contact any member of the Trustees or the Administrative Council, listed below:
Wesley United Methodist Church Parsonage
Mike Skopik Brenda McCabe Debbie Rich Teresa Girot
Kay Fisher Keith Schweitzer Don McCabe Bill Warburton
Judy Wilkins Chip Chappell Rita Bass Jason Hurt
Brad Mann Relda Kelly Karen Warburton Donna Pangle
Marge Therrien
Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday
1 9:00 AM Festival of the Greens
2 8:45 AM Worship 10:00 AM All Ages Sunday School 1:30 PM Food Pantry
3 10:00 AM Women of Moose
4 6:00 PM UMW Christmas Party @ Village Grill
5
6 10:00 AM Advent Discussion 1:00 PM Prayer/Patchwork Angels
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8
9 8:45 AM Worship 10:00 AM All Ages Sunday School 1:30 PM Food Pantry
10
11 5:00 PM Cub Scouts
12
13 10:00 AM Advent Discussion
14
15
16 8:45 AM Worship 10:00 AM All Ages Sunday School 1:30 PM Food Pantry
17 NO Prayer Shawl Ministry 6:00 PM Parish Nurse Network 6:30 PM Women's Book Club
18 5:00 PM Cub Scouts
19 7:00 PM Women of the Moose
20 10:00 AM Advent Discussion 5:30 PM 3rd Thursday Supper @Burgers and Beer.
21 Newsletter Article Due
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23 Food Pantry Closed 8:45 AM Worship 10:00 AM All Ages Sunday School
24 Office Closed 5:00 PM Christmas Eve Worship @ Wesley 7:00 PM Christmas Eve Worship @ St. Mark
25 Christmas
Day Office Closed
26 7:00 PM Women of the Moose
27 9:15 AM Mail Newsletter
28
29
30 8:45 AM Worship 10:00 AM All Ages Sunday School 1:30 PM Food Pantry
31 Office Closed
It is Wesley’s policy that borrowing items from the
church needs to be cleared through the office. This avoids confusion and items not being available when
needed. Please keep this in mind.
Brenda McCabe, Admin Council Chairperson
WESLEY UNITED METHODIST CHURCH 500 N. Cleveland Ave. Bradley IL 60915 815-933-7932 [email protected] Pastor Dalene Kuebler
We’re on the web!
www.bradleywesley.org
Advent, which comes from the Latin for coming or arrival, begins on the 4th Sunday before Christmas day and ends on Christmas Eve. This year, Advent begins on December 2. The focus of the Advent season is expectation of and preparation for God's coming to us in Christ. Advent invites us to pause to
wonder and open ourselves to God entering into our lives and world.
Throughout Advent we will be using an Advent Wreath during our morning worship. We light a new candle each Sunday of Advent in expectation of the coming of Jesus, the Light of the World. As the light grows, so does our anticipation and joy.
Please consider taking part in the special Advent worship and study experiences:
- Advent and Christmas Eve Readers and Candle Lighters are needed – Please sign up in the Welcome Center. Families or individuals are welcome!
- Advent Devotionals - Copies of “Practicing Generosity With All Your Heart, Soul, Strength and Mind” are also available in the Welcome Center. Join Pastor Dalene on Thursday mornings at 10 am at Wesley UMC to discuss and go through together. (Dec. 6, 13 and 20).
