Wesley Word, December 2011

8/3/2019 Wesley Word, December 2011

1/11

During WFN on December 14, the children

will go caroling. 6:30 pm.

The whole church, adults, youth and chil-

dren are invited to go caroling on

December 21st at 7:30 pm.

Come and join in the Spirit of

Christmas .

WESLEY UN ITED METHOD IST CHURCH

WES LEY WOR D

December 1, 2011

JESUS INVITES US INTOHIS PRESENCE

As we enter into the sea-

son of Advent, restore us,

O God; let your face

shine, that we might be

saved. When hope is

lost, restore us, O God.

When people are hurting,

restore us, O God. Whennations are fighting, re-

store us, O God. When

children are hungry, re-

store us, O God. Restore

us O God of life. Bring us

closer to hope, the hope

that lights the way on the

journey to Bethlehem.

During this season of

waiting, may we be open

to signs of your restoring

love. Restore us, O God.

May Your great and glori-

ous light shine through

us, that we might draw

others to Jesus. Amen.

Were moving all the

pieces into place as we

prepare for Christmas

and the season of Ad-

vent! Please join us on

the evening of the first

Sunday in December for

our first annual Lighting

of the Tree. This Christ-

mas, rather than per-

forming a cantata in

place of a Sunday morn-

ing sermon, the choir of

Wesley United Method-

ist Church will be per-

forming several selec-

tions, featuring solos,

carols, and readings

from Scripture about the

birth of Jesus to wel-

come in the Christmas

season and begin the

celebration of Gods

most perfect gift! Only a

Grinch would want to

miss this event!

Lighting of the Tree

Sunday Night, December 4th

, 6:00PM

Christmas Eve

6:00 pm Candlelight Communion - Celebrate Christ-

mas Eve as the choir sings and the children parade

in with the pieces of the Nativity set.

11:00 pm Candlelight Communion - This service will

blend contemporary music with ancient liturgy aswe prepare our hearts to celebrate the birth of the

Lord Jesus Christ.

Christmas Morning Worship

On Christmas morning, we will have a single wor-

ship service at 10:00 am. This will be a casual ser-

vice. Kids are invited to bring one present with

them for a blessing of the toys. Sunday School will

not meet that morning.

What at joy it is to receive

your gift of Jesus Christ


2/11

Derick Kardos 1st

Pat Salas 5th

Josalyn Mutchler 10th

Coleen Parkman 13th

Ben Wilks 15th

Colby Natal 17th

Ben Rowe 23rd

Holly Malone 24th

Andrew Brinkman 26th

Roseann Zammiello 26thHuilon McClellan 29th

Carter Camp 31st

Matthew Stein 31st

Pa

Saturday, December 3

UMW Christmas Social

Sunday, December 4

Lighting of the Tree

Friday, December 9

Kids Night Out

Sunday, December 11

Sunday Lunch Bunch

Wednesday, December 14

Childrens ministry goes caroling

Thursday, December 15

Primetimers December Lunch/offsite


Youth Bakefest

Sunday, December 18

Youth Bake Sale

Wednesday, December 21

Youth Caroling open to Church


Christmas Eve Service

Sunday, December 25

10 am one combined Worship Service


UMW members and church women

invited:

Annual Christmas Social Event (noregular meeting in December)

SaturdayDecember 3, 2011

10:00 a.m. at Betty Baileys home

2409 Hogans Hill, McKinney 972-94

0664

Bring brunch foods

Bring paper goods for Christmas

project (Samaritan Inn)

Bring gift for your 2011 Secret S

ter who will be revealed at party

Contact UMW President Pat Chadw

if you have questions (469-734-239

or e-mail [email protected]).

Prime Timers December LuncheDate: December 15, 2011

Time: 11:30 AMPlace: Bill Smith Cafe

1510 W. University DrMcKinney, TX 75069

The room in the back of the cafehas been reserved for thePrime Timers luncheon.

Cash or a check,they don't take credit cards.RSVP to Yvonne Campbell

214-585-0083 [email protected]

orJune Halpin 214-632-0089

Sunday Lunch Bunch, December 11, immediately follow-

ing the 11:15 Service. For this Sunday only, the two ser-

vices will be blended and identical, so you will have the

same worship experience for whichever service you plan

to attend. There will be a sign up sheet in the Narthex

this Sunday to sign up for attending the lunch.

The Fellowship Team would like to decorate the tables with Nativity

scenes. Do you have a Nativity you could share for the day?
http://[email protected]/http://[email protected]/http://us.mc817.mail.yahoo.com/mc/[email protected]://us.mc817.mail.yahoo.com/mc/[email protected]://us.mc817.mail.yahoo.com/mc/[email protected]://[email protected]/


3/11

Dear Members of Wesley UMC,

Merry Christmas to you all from the Staff Parish Relations Committee. I hope this

season finds you happy, healthy and blessed. Our staff has grown and worked hard forGods church during 2011. Our congregation implemented the two services, including theaddition of a contemporary service, and what a blessing! God has been working at Wesley

this year.

It is a tradition at Wesley to honor our paid staff at this time of year with a mone-tary Christmas love offering. If you would like to contribute, please drop a check or cashin the offering plate between December 4th and December 18th or bring your offering tothe church office before the 20th. Please note on the reference line of your check Staff

Christmas or place cash in an envelope that is labeled Staff Christmas.

Our hard working paid staff members consists of:

John Wilkes, Pastor

Kevin Davis, Contemporary Worship Leader

David Morris, Youth Director/Choir Director

Sandy Ragland, Administrative AssistantJason Stillwell, Accompanist

Laurie Wilkes, Children's Director

Nursery Staff

I hope you will consider helping SPRC honor these hard working servants this sea-son. May your Christmas season be rich with the Love of Christ that came to us so many

years ago.Staff Parish Relations Committee

Page 3


4/11

George the troubledyouth had, in amatter of months,become George theapostle to troubled

youth. Thetransformation wasnothing short of amiracle- somethingGod alone canaccomplish

Years ago, I spent the

summer as youth di-rector at a small townchurch out in WestTexas. A few weeksinto my time there, Imet a 15 year oldnamed Georgethrough the HighSchool summer pro-gram.

George was from thewrong family, in the

wrong side of town,with no motheraround, a father of noreputation, and abrother awaiting trialfor murder. Georgehimself was nostranger to the policeand to school officials.The whole town couldsee the path he wason. Yet the Holy Spiritkept telling me that

there was somethingto this young manwhich was being over-looked. I spent thenext few weeks con-vincing George tocome to youth group.

The first time hecame to church, hewalked right in thedoor of the sanctuaryfor Sunday worship.

Some folks stared.There were lots ofwhispers and a littlepointing. When he satin the pew with theother High Schoolyouth, they wereclearly uncomfort-able. After church, Ifielded plenty ofphone calls from con-

cerned church mem-

bers. Wouldnt Georgebe a bad influence onthe other kids? What ifhe makes trouble?What if he stealssomething? What willthe Baptists say aboutus with him here?

George had a sense ofwhat folks felt abouthim, but he seemeddrawn to the church

anyway. He came toUMYF, Sunday School,Sunday morning wor-ship, Sunday nightworship... if the doorswere open, Georgewas there. Someonegave him a Bible, andhe read the four gos-pels in two weeks. Bymid-July, he hadwalked the isle, pro-fessed faith in Jesus

and asked to be bap-tized. By August, hehad started bringingsix other teens withhim- all of whom werefrom the wrong sideof the tracks and withreputations of theirown to overcome.George the troubledyouth had, in a matterof months, becomeGeorge the apostle to

troubled youth. Thetransformation wasnothing short of amiracle- somethingGod alone can accom-plish.

Beloved, there areGeorges all around us:lost souls whom theSpirit is quietly plant-

ing seeds. In your

family, your work-place, your school,your neighborhood-somewhere there is aGeorge in your life- astory of redemptionjust waiting to find aplace to happen; achild of grace waitingto find a church fam-ily that will teachthem about the loveof God; a saint locked

in the life of a sinner,yearning to be setfree if only someonewould introduce themto the Savior.

As we near Christmas,let us remember thatJesus came for theGeorges of the world.Let us each ask theHoly Spirit to open oureyes to see, our

hearts to love, andour mouths to invitethe Georges in ourlives to come andworship Christ withus!

Grace and peace,

John

Dear Wesleyans,

Page 4


5/11

Page 5

tors as possible to

share with us a holy

calling from God to

give the mission of

Jesus Christ our all.

So Im asking each of

you to read the book

with us.

Radical is available in

most book stores, on-line, and electronically

for both Nook and

Kindle owners. It is

also in most public

libraries and will soon

be in our own library

here at the church. It

is also available as an

audio book for those

who dont enjoy read-

ing.

A few month ago, I

reviewed a book

called Radicalwritten

by a pastor named

David Platt. Starting in

January, I will be ask-

ing our staff and our

Church Council to read

this inspiring and chal-

lenging book so that

we can wrestle with

Rev. Platts fresh pres-entation of what it

means to follow Jesus.

It seems to me,

though, if we are to

really become galva-

nized as a body of

faith, it isnt enough

for just our core lead-

ership to catch a re-

newed vision. Weneed as many mem-

bers and regular visi-

Starting in early Janu-

ary, I will host a few

casual gatherings

where you will be in-

vited to discuss this

book in a small group

setting over coffee. I

will also be preaching

a sermon series titled

Radical for Jesus on

the last two Sundays

in January and the firsttwo Sundays in Febru-

ary.

Pastor Johns New Years Reading Challenge

Pastor Johns

Book Shelf

Hey Wesley Youth! Here are a few dates that you want to

make sure to mark onto your calendar!

12/9- Kids Night Out 6-10 pm (fundraising for the

Youth Mission Trip) One child-$15, Two children $20, Three

or more children $25. 20 spots are open!

12/17- Bakefest

12/18- Bake Sale

12/21-Caroling Night open to Church

Make sure to open up nights for these events as they are important fundraisers that will be used for the

Youth Mission Fund! More details on these events will be presented in Sunday School as well as in Fu-

sion. Oh, and Wesley Youth, Don't forget to ask yourself: What about Bob?


6/11

Reaching Out 2011-2012 December 2011 Edition

Page 6 O U T R E A C H

Thank you!!!To everyone who served at or donated items to Garage Giveaway. Over 3,000 guests received $900,000 worth of

household goods and services like 50 eye exams; 44 pairs of glasses given out or ordered (1 eye disease detected

and will be scheduled for eye surgery), 150 haircuts, 50 sets of nails painted, 30 back massages, 2,434 hot dogs

cooked and served up. There were 1,003 volunteers from a dozen churches showing the hands and feet of Jesus

Christ. Check out the local coverage from Channel 8 on YouTube. All media coverage can be seen, heard or read on

the 3e McKinney website www.3emckinney.com .

Its not too late!!!Slaughter Elementary School needs 3-4 volunteers to help judge 5th gradeScience Fair.

5th Grade Science Fair December 7th

Needs Judgesanytime between 8am to 2:30 pmPlease contact Terrilee Schober if you would like to serve.

[email protected]

Helping in the Classroom and

on Campus Here is a list ofopportunities where you can use your time and talents to

serve Slaughter. Please contact Terrilee Schober so you can

get started, as soon as possible.

[email protected]

Other Places to Serve

Opening car doors and greeting children and parents in the

carpool line. Monday thru Friday 7:15 am to 7:45 am

Picking-up Food4Kid boxes from Finch and delivering to

Slaughter. Every other Thursday 9:00 am to 9:30 am

Distributing Food4Kid bags to childrens backpacks. Fridays

9:00 am to 10:00 am (sometimes Thursdays)

Being a REACH Mentor; Date and time arranged with Com-

munity In Schools Coordinator

There are two mentors from Wesley making a dif-

ference in the lives of two children!!!! You can,

too!!!

(Cont pg 7)

Classroom Help K 1 3

make copies x

set up projects - science, etc x x

design bulletin boards x x

put up bulletin boards x xsort writing paper x

stock writing paper x

create board games x X

community members to speak in class-

room x

November - police officer, etc x

February - dentist x

mentoring x x X

making die cuts x x

read to/with a child/group x x X

tutor-

ing x x X

sort x

file x

hang artwork in hallway x

sharpen pencils x

create flashcards x X

clean toys x

assist with math facts X

help with science day X
mailto:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]


7/11

(Cont from page 6)

Have your Small Group, Sunday School/Bible Study Class, Ministry Team adopt a grade level. Adoption activity

ideas: Pray for the teachers .. Pray for the students.. Write the teacher a note of encouragement

We are still looking to update the Teacher Lounge over Christmas Break.

For any and all of these opportunities, please contact Terrilee Schober [email protected]

3e Christmas Care Angel Tree

updateWesley will again serve the families of Slaughter by providing Christ-

mas gifts for the children who attend Slaughter and their siblings.

Here are key dates and additional information.

11/17 (Thursday) 3e Christmas Care Angel Tree boards are up and

available for everyone to pick a child or children from Slaughter,Wesleys adopted school

As of 11/27 only 5 angels

left If you didnt get an angel,please contact Terrilee ASAP.

Remember12/7 (Wednesday) All gifts dropped off at Wesley by 6:00 pm.

Hands and Feet can Serve Here:Inventory Gifts: 12/3 - 10:00 to noon 12/8 6:00 pm to 8:00 pm 12/9 6:00 pm to 8:00 pm

Gift Pick-up: Sunday, 12/11 11:30 am to 1:30 pm

12/12, 13, & 14 - 7:00 am to 9:00 am 2:00 pm to 4:00 pm 6:00 pm to 8:00 pm

12/15, & 16 specific dates and times will be scheduled, as needed.

To sign-up for a date and time to be the hands, feet and face of Christ,

e-mail Terrilee Schober at 3eliaison@wumcmckinney.

Page 7


8/11

Page 8

As the year draws to an end and Chris-

tians the world over begin to sense that

special joy associated only with Christmas

I want to share some thoughts on how

this glorious season will touch the lives of

different people, in circumstance very

unlike our own, and how it should also

remind us of the extent to which our

Faith is under threat..

My childhood memories of Christmas

are, to this day, among my happiest;

Decorating the tree, singing carols, get-

ting to sleep with great difficulty on

Christmas eve and then awakening on

Christmas morning to find the empty

pillow case which had been fastened to

the corner of my headboard the previous

evening, now bursting with beautifully

wrapped gifts. Then the delight of open-

ing them, together with my brother, on

the lounge carpet as our parents lookedon with a sense of love and thankfulness.

There were the ritualistic Christmas

morning family visits to special acquaint-

ances, with the eager anticipation of

mince pies and hot beverages, and then

on to the traditional turkey, and ham and

hot Christmas pudding and custard mid-

afternoon meal at the home of my grand-

parents where the whole extended fam-

ily would be gathered.

Now Im a grandfather and all that re-mains of those cherished times are frag-

mented memories, excitement has given

way to relative aloneness, but the joy of

the occasion remains, enhanced even,

through greater understanding as to

what it really represents.

This week I sent a Christmas card and

calendar to Masechaba, a child living in

Lesotho, Southern Africa, whom I

adopted a few years ago through World

Vision. As I was writing a simple goodwill

message to her I was trying to imaginehow she would experience Christmas.

World Vision has promised to provide a

party of sorts for the children of her small

community but there will almost cer-

tainly be no presents, no table in her

humble home with choice things to eat

on Christmas day, but just as certainly

there will be a service in the little church

with its hard clay floor, glassless windows

and wooden benches for pews.. Clothes

will be washed, probably in a nearby

stream, in anticipation of the service so

the whole family can look their best.

I got to thinking about the emotions we

experience at Christmas and whether

there is perhaps an underlining compo-

nent that lends a uniqueness to what we

feel each year at this time? Having re-

cently experienced another Halloween,

albeit this year, half by design, from the

relative seclusion of a campsite at Lake

Ray Roberts, I tried to compare the un-

mistakable excitement and commitment

of children, and most parents, to this

bizarre festival, with Christmas. Clearly

there is excitement and happiness and

celebration in abundance, as there is at

Christmas, but what seemed to be miss-

ing is that special something experienced

by most, whether consciously or uncon-

sciously, which makes Christmas unique.

Its more than excitement or happiness;perhaps, as I alluded to earlier, its best

described as joy.

For some this is a time of great grati-

tude when attention is focused on the

incarnation of our Lord and what this has

come to mean for fallen humanity. Even

for those entirely focused on the festivi-

ties and revelry so successfully elevated

by the commercial world, there still re-

mains a sense, a vague undefined realiza-

tion that Christmas is special. As we grow

older in the faith circumstances may de-prive us of the excitement and even hap-

piness of bygone years but our joy in-

creases as we develop a deeper under-

standing of the true, the unique signifi-

cance of Christmas.

It is on this note that we need to be re-

minded of a more sobering reality; It is

precisely the goodness and Godliness in

Christmas that makes it a target for the

forces of evil rampant in the world. All

Christians were asked, during the month

of November, to focus on and pray forpersecuted brothers and sisters in Christ

around the world, vast numbers of whom

have, are, and will continue to endure

atrocities so extreme as to make even

the contemplation of such unacceptable

to the delicate sensibilities of western

complacency. To be a Christian, to be

found to be celebrating the birth of Christ

in many predominantly Middle-eastern,

Asian and North African countries could

have consequences of untold misery

from which even death would be a wel-

come release.

Back home, incase it has gone unnotice

by some, the very foundations of fre

dom and liberty on which this Count

was founded and for which hundreds

thousands have sacrificed their lives,

the focus of an insidious onslaught by th

forces of evil. Public prayer, Christia

symbols, public Christian gathering

open testimony, commercial affiliatio

Christian standards as criteria for mem

bership, the full and free proclamation

Gods Word, even from the pulpit, an

of course, Christmas are all under assau

from the forces of evil.

Why do I speak of forces of evil an

not just atheists? It is simply because it

what it is. We have always had atheis

among us but now the wolves have b

come more creative and ambitious both their objectives and how to reac

them. Leaders and foot soldiers in th

enemys ranks have infiltrated all leve

of the education system, the judicial sy

tem, all levels of both state and feder

government, yes and even the churche

while weve been asleep at the switch.

As Christians if we continue to ignore th

reality of this assault against our Faith w

do so at our own peril. And let us not

caught up in the gross deception that w

as Christians, need to tolerate those arayed against us as they merely have d

ferent opinions from our own; this

perhaps the most dangerous of lie

Paul, prior to his conversion on the roa

to Damascus, made it his lifes work

hunt down followers of The Wa

(Christians), and drag them off to priso

torture and often death. Although h

may have been sincere in what he w

doing do you think for one moment,

Paul the great apostle, he would loo

back on such actions and regard them tolerable by virtue of the fact that h

believed it was the right thing to do

the time, that it was after all his opinio

and therefore excusable?

When Pontius Pilot, during his interr

gation of Jesus, posed that immort

question, to himself and to his audienc

What is truth, he was about to set, f

all time, the bench mark against whic

the consequences of negating the tru

would be measured.

(cont pg 9)

We Confess by Barry Smith


9/11

When I was a kid my

parents had an electric

typewriter. I spent

hours playing with it. I

sat mesmerized by the

hum of the motor and

the clack of the keys. I

authored short storiesand penned verses of

poetry. I suppose that's

where I developed a love

for writing. Along the

way I also developed an

unhealthy obsession

with corrections.

It's weird, I know. I used

to appreciate the chal-

lenge of lining the tape

up just right, so the key

would strike at just the

right spot to cover the

error. I enjoyed smooth-

ing the rough edges of

the film down with my

thumb after I pulled the

paper off the roller. I

excelled at the puzzle of

finding a satisfying piece

of white, just the right

size for a word or a let-

ter, after most of the

sheet had been used up.

This proved to be a fre-

quent predicament...you

will imagine. I once cre-

ated a work of art on

blue card stock by per-

fectly "correcting" and

typing over every wordso that the words ap-

peared flawlessly sur-

rounded by clouds of

white on the sky hued

paper.

It did not stop with the

"cool" typewriter

gadget. I'll admit. I was

also accomplished at

using the correction pen-

cil with its stiff green

bristles to sweep waywhat wasn't

needed. My fifth grade

math teacher asked me

not to use the yellow

erasers that you put on

the end of your pencil

because they presented

a distraction for

me. (Sad, but true.) I

kept a bottle of white-

out in my bag at all times

in junior high. No, I did-

n't like the smell. I was

compelled with the idea

of correcting my words,

my grammar, my

thoughts... myself. I

honed the ability to hide

mistakes and faults; all

that did not measure upwas coated and re-

tooled. Even if someone

could tell something

wasn't originally up to

snuff, at least so no one

could really know what

was there in the first

place.

Publicly, I revealed some

spiritual, relational and

physical errors and typos

to prove that I could

correct them, or to make

other more grievous

ones easier to

hide. Worse yet, I

would cover the loneli-

ness and isolation of this

"correctional" existence

by helping others find

the corrections for their

faults. Sure, sometimes

this was done from a

TRUE CONFESSIONS AND CORRECTIONS By Laurie Wilks Director of Children Ministries

Page 9

(Cont from page 8) We Confess

If he had not chosen to blur the distinction between truth and deception might it not have resulted in the acquittal of

Jesus? Pilot at that moment was speaking for fallen humanity; Pilot continues to speak today for all those who call

evil good and good evil.

So this year as the count down to Christmas continues let us at least take a stand against those influences determined

to undermine its sacred meaning and foster, in any way we can, the truth of this glorious season. Know where the

companies you shop at stand regarding Christmas, affirm Christmas in your greetings and in your example and pray for

those for whom Christmas is a time of heightened danger. And as we celebrate Christmas in the company friends and

family let us remember those incarcerated, and suffering dreadfully, in some dank, dirty cell, awaiting a fate unknown,

because of their faith.

May the Spirit of Christmas sustain them, and us, this year.

Then I acknowledge

my sin to you

and did not cover

my iniquity.

I said, I will confes

my transgressions

the LORD.

And you forgave

the guilt of my sin

Psalm 34:5

place of good intentions

and loving, truthful lan-

guage. Sometimes, it

was done from a place

of thoughtless reac-

tion. Either way, the

damage looms clear and

pervasive.

The longer I live within

the reality of a God who

sees intimately into the

disaster I have made

with my cover-ups and

erasure attempts and

loves me completely; the

more I am intoxicated by

the strange mix of awe,

love, freedom and I

catch. I worship the

God whose grace cameto heal in the light the

things I hide in the dark.

And the more I wonder...

If Christ came for to heal

the broken and provide

a way for the lost, why is

His Church so full of peo-

ple who revel in the ap-

pearance of perfection?

If grace is more desc

tive of love than pre

scriptive of boundar

what does holiness

like?

If disciples are growand grace is formati

shouldn't disciples b

patient and conscio

the soil and environ

they present?


10/11

Page 10

May you all have a blessed Christmas&

A Prosperous New Year


11/11

Visit our website: www.wumcmckinney.org

WUM C ST AFF

John Wilks, Pastor

pastor [email protected]

Jayne Wolfe, D eacon

jwolfe570@gmai l.com

D avid Morr is, T radit ional Worship Leader

[email protected]

Kevin D avis, Contemporary Worship Leaderkevint hedavi s@gmai l .com

Jason Stillwell, Pianist

D avid & Julie M orr is, Youth D ir ectors

yout [email protected]

Laurie Wilks, Childrens D ir ector

kidst [email protected]

Barry H ines, T reasurer

t r easur [email protected]

H olly M alone, Financial Secretary

[email protected] Cook, M edia Coordinator

wesleysoundslides@gmai l.com

Sandy Ragland, Administrative Assistant

[email protected]

Karen Stein, Pr eschool D irector

Wcp_kar [email protected]

Get connected on Facebook! You can like Wesley on Facebook or friend us and stay up with what's

going on!

www.facebook.com/wesleymckinneytx

www.facebook.com/wumcmckinney

2705 Virginia Parkway

McKinney, TX 75071

972-542-2228

[email protected]

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Documents

Wesley Word, December 2011