PARKER UNITED METHODIST CHURCH

NEWSLETTER

  ISSUE 27                                                        DECEMBER MMVI

UNITED METHODIST YOUTH FELLOWSHIP

    There were two awesome events in November for the UMYF. The Fall Harvest Festival fundraiser brought in a record $1975.00 for our project to build The Lawrence and Margaret Pannell Playground. We now have over $6700. in the fund. The other event was the youth pilgrimage at the crown sponsored by the NC UMC Conference. The theme this year was “Candle in the Darkness” and how it is important for us to shine our light in the worldly darkness caused by temptation, loneliness, and sin. While the overall attendance was down slightly from last year (5,975 compared to just over 6000), Parker UMYF had a total of 29, a new record! Hooray! Seeing what other youth groups are doing, listening to other teens give their testimonies of Jesus working in their lives, and hearing Rev. Lisa Yebuah speak of our responsibilities as Christians, gave us all inspiration to carry our candles into the darkness and light up the world. The music, dancing, dramas, and fellowship with youth groups throughout the state were likewise very rewarding. For three days the Holy Spirit was strong in the coliseum and in our hearts.

The Rent-A-Teen fundraiser for November and December is something new we are trying. On November 26^th after the service we will have lunch with the UMYF selling soup and sandwiches and afterwards an auction will be held and church members can bid on the services of any of the youth (usually in pairs) for about five hours of house-hold tasks to be repaid on Saturday, the 9^th of December.

Again, we want to say thank you very much to all of those who supported our fundraising efforts that provided us the opportunity to attend the pilgrimage and other UMY events and enabled us to achieve our goal for the playground. We will continue to glorify God in all that we do.

-Shannon Strub

UMYF President

UMYF SPOTLIGHT

            This month the spotlight is on Mister Monte Lunsford who was interviewed by Heather.

            Mr. Monte has gone to this church for fifty-six years. He describes Parker as being spiritual, loving and caring. When asked if he would go to any other church if he had the chance, Mr. Monte said no because he has gone here his whole life.

Mr. Monte honors God by praising Him and by spreading His Word.

            When he was a teenager, Mr. Monte was outgoing and he loved sports (and still does).  Mr. Monte says his advice to a child or a young adult would be to hang out with good people and not bad people.                            Heather Benbow

UNITED METHODIST

WOMEN

   At this month's meeting we continued to make the new Chrismons and you will be able to see them on the Chrismon tree. The boxes for Samaritan's Purse were delivered to the collection point altogether there were 19 boxes donated for children who might otherwise have nothing for Christmas. We are recycling bulletins as packing material, so don’t forget that when the service is over on Sundays, to bring your bulletin out of the Sanctuary and put in the recycling box. This will also help keep our Sanctuary looking clean and beautiful. The shredded material is perfect to pack Christmas presents so grab a bag and take it home with you. If you are planning a New Years party, you can use it for confetti. That is all I have for now. Thank you for your support.

Sheri Runfola

President, Parker UMW 

UNITED METHODIST MEN

“Men are called to model the servant leadership of Jesus Christ”

   Mike Tredway and Monte have the plans for the structures for the new playground the UMYF has been raising money for. Monte will begin breaking ground for it since the Trustees have voted to approve the placement of it. The UMM will join the teens in building the wooden structures and assembling the equipment so we will need your help. All men are welcome to join us when we meet on the first Sunday of every month at 8:00 AM.

    We ask your help in keeping up to date on events in the church and community. Submissions can be photos, poems, or articles of interest.  To add items to the newsletter or website, E-mail UMMoffice@parkerunited.org  or give your contribution to any of the UMM. Please submit items before the 20^th of each month.

    We are also asking for photos of service members in uniform. Any current or former church member who served our country should be recognized for their service. The UMM are going to work on a proper tribute and need your pictures. If you have them in digital format e-mail them to the address above.

James Garner

President UMM

From the United Methodist Archives

This is the 6^th  of an 11 Part series about the history of the United Methodist Church

Reconstruction, Prosperity, and New Issues, 1866–1913

The Civil War dealt an especially harsh blow to The Methodist Episcopal Church, South. Its membership fell to two-thirds its pre-war strength. Many of its churches lay in ruins or were seriously damaged. A number of its clergy had been killed or wounded in the conflict. Its educational, publishing, and missionary programs had been disrupted. Yet new vitality stirred among southern Methodists, and over the next fifty years its membership grew fourfold to more than two million.

The African American membership of The Methodist Episcopal Church, South, had declined significantly during and after the war. In 1870 its General Conference voted to transfer all of its remaining African American constituency to a new church. The Colored Methodist Episcopal Church (now called The Christian Methodist Episcopal Church) was the product of this decision.

It was during this period that Alejo Hernandez became the first ordained Hispanic preacher in Methodism, although Benigno Cardenas had preached the Methodist message in Spanish in Santa Fe, New Mexico, as early as 1853.

The Methodist Episcopal Church did not suffer as harshly as southern Methodism did during the war. By the late 1860s it was on the verge of major gains in membership and new vigor in its program. Between 1865 and 1913 its membership also registered a 400 percent increase to about four million. Methodist Protestants, United Brethren, and Evangelicals experienced similar growth. Church property values soared, and affluence reflected generally prosperous times for the churches. Sunday schools remained strong and active. Publishing houses maintained ambitious programs to furnish their memberships with literature. Higher educational standards for the clergy were cultivated, and theological seminaries were founded.

Mission work, both home and overseas, was high on the agendas of the churches. Home mission programs sought to Christianize the city as well as the Native American. Missionaries established schools for former slaves and their children. Missions overseas were effective in Asia, Europe, Africa, and Latin America. Women formed missionaries societies that educated, recruited, and raised funds for these endeavors. Missionaries like Isabella Thoburn, Susan Bauern-feind, and Harriett Brittan, and administra-tors like Bell Harris Bennett and Lucy motivated thousands of church women to support home and foreign missions.

Significant Methodist ministries among Asian Americans were instituted during this period, especially among Chinese and Japanese immigrants. A Japanese layman, Kanichi Miyama, was ordained and given full clergy rights in California in 1887.

© Methodist Church Archives http://archives.umc.org/interior.asp?ptid=1&mid=346

Birthdays

 For November

4-Julianna    9-Cleo   

11-Clinton    20-Shane

23-Faith     

For December

10-Helga       17-Amanda

19-Randy H.   20-Patti 

21-Gavin       26-Christopher

26-Shannon    30-Tyrel

For January

4-Melissa     8-John

12-Jason      18-Gloria

29-Heather

EVENTS

December

2-Treasurer and Finance training at Methodist Building in Raleigh from 10AM to 2PM.

3-UMM meeting & breakfast

9-Finance chair & treasurer workshops. Locations to be determined.

17-UMW meeting 3:30

17-6PM Christmas Pageant

24-Christmas Eve Service

25-Christmas

January

7-UMM Meeting & Breakfast 8AM

 -District UMYF meeting 2:30

21-Lay Leadership training at Hay Street UMC from 2-4 PM for all new church officers.

22-Finance chair & treasurer workshops. Locations to be determined.

February

4-UMM meeting & breakfast

18-UMW meeting

   Laity workshop

24-Youth Lay Speaker Training   

at the Methodist Building in

Raleigh.

April

22-Conference Youth Rally at Wesleyan College. The theme is “Get a life, follow Jesus”.

May

United Methodist Days at King’s Dominion.

July

11-15 Youth 2007 S.P.L.A.T. in Greensboro

November

9-11 2007 Youth Pilgrimage the theme is “If we are the body”. Rev. Andy Lambert is the featured speaker.

Visitation Committee

Please consider joining the visitation committee on the first Wednesday of each month to minister to the members of our church and community and serve God as commanded by the “Great Commission” Matthew 28:19. Shirley Gleason is the chairperson of the visitation committee if you have any questions.

ADDRESSES 

Bob & Christine Juranek

21506 Stampede Trail

Lago Vista, TX 78645

Clinton Dawkins

659^th Maintenance Company

APO AE 09381

Q.  What do the candles in our Advent wreath mean? Why is there one rose candle and one white candle?

A.  The Advent wreath, four candles on a wreath of evergreen, is shaped in a perfect circle to symbolize the eternity of God. In some churches, four purple candles, one for each week in Advent, are used with one larger white candle in the middle as the Christ candle. Other churches prefer three purple or blue candles with one candle being rose or pink, to represent joy.

The lighting of the first candle symbolizes expectation; the second symbolizes hope, the third joy and the fourth purity. The Christ candle is lit on Christmas Eve or Christmas Day reminding Christians that Jesus is the light of the world.