Thursday, December 27, 2018

30 December Sunday 
Worship Service 
10:30 am 
"Calm and Bright: Is Born" 

Thought for the Week 
“Love intentionally, extravagantly, unconditionally. 
The broken world waits in darkness for the light that is you.” 
L.R. Knost

Upcoming 
Monday, Dec. 31 
Family Game Night, and Watch Night Service 

Family game night and Watch Night Service: Bring games you would like to share with others (board games, card games, etc.) for a 5:00 p.m. potluck and game time. Then at 7:00 p.m. (if we use 7:00 p.m.: which is midnight in London, when John Wesley would have observed his Watch night service), we will join together in a traditional Watch Night service.

John Wesley believed that Methodists, and all Christians should reaffirm their covenant with God annually, so he created a service in which an individual renews his/her covenant with God.

In 1755 Wesley held his first covenant service, and he published this service in a pamphlet in 1780.

The covenant hymn, "Come, Let Us Use the Grace Divine," was written for this service by his brother, Charles Wesley. The service is included in The Book of Worship under the title "An Order of Worship for Such as Would Enter Into or Renew Their Covenant with God."

This covenant service is often used in United Methodism as a Watch Night Service on New Year's Eve, and sometimes on New Year's Day or on the first Sunday in January.

Coffee Hosts Needed for January 
Please sign up to host our fellowship time after church 

Learning Opportunities 
Saturday January 26 and Saturday February 9, 2019.
Registration Due: Friday, January 11. 

At Weston UMC's annual Charge Conference on December 10, our District Superintendent Rene Perez spoke with us about the United Methodist Church's 2019 Special Session of General Conference coming up on February 26-29, 2019. In preparation for that important event, three learning opportunities are coming up:

Justice in Every Day Life – Takes an in-depth look at the Social Principles of The United Methodist Church - the church's attempt to speak on contemporary issues with which we are confronted today, and delves deeper into existing issues surrounding matters of faith and practice. Covers topics such as the Natural World, Social Community, Economic Community, Political Community, Biblical Foundations of the Social Principles, and Teaching the Social Principles, as well as the draft of the recommended changes to be voted at General Conference in 2020.

Lay Servants Lead in Conflict Resolution – Based on the book “The Spirit and Art of Conflict Transformation”, and led by its author Thomas Porter from Boston University together with one of our conferences three lay delegates to General Conference, Bonnie Marden. “The work of conflict transformation is about a way of life and the transformation of our culture to a culture of justpeace.” Part I explores how we can, as Gandhi stated, be the change we want to see in this world. Part II explores engaging others, and three important movements in peacebuilding: appreciative inquiry, interest-based mediation, and restorative justice.

Lay Servant Ministries Basic Course – Helps individuals discern and respond to God’s particular call on their lives. Encourages each person to recognize and employ his or her spiritual gifts for the church to become what God intended it to be. Invites participants to consider the importance of exercising servant leadership, developing future leaders, remaining rooted in consistent spiritual practices, and being part of a group that holds members accountable in discipleship. Offers guidelines for optimal communication in leadership and presents numerous types of ministries in which lay servants may assume roles.

For the registration form and details, see the bulletin board in the church narthex or Bob Hout or click the link above “Winter 2019 Lay Servant Ministry Courses” halfway down this webpage:
https://www.neumc.org/layspeakingcoursescma

Special Outreach 

Call for Prayer for Indonesia in Wake of Tsunami

Through UMCOR (The United Methodist Commission on Relief), United Methodist church families across the U.S. and the world are connected together and reaching out in compassion to people impacted by disasters including the earthquakes and tsunami in Indonesia:

https://www.umcor.org/umcor/resources/news-stories/2018/december-/call-for-prayer-for-indonesia

https://www.umcor.org/umcor/resources/news-stories/2018/august/umcor-responds-to-current-disasters-around-the-world

Let us be in prayer and loving solidarity with the people of Indonesia and the Christian community there, including the Methodist Church of Indonesia, in the wake of a December 23 tsunami that caused hundreds of deaths and injuries, notably on the islands of Java and Sumatra. The surprising, destructive wall of water is thought to have been caused by an eruption of the Anal Krakatau volcano. Global Ministries and the United Methodist Committee on Relief has reached out to partners there and have initially received a request for prayer for the families of those killed, injured and still missing.

UMCOR is fortunate to consistently work with many partners in Indonesia. We are currently coordinating with partners on the ground to address immediate needs of vulnerable people affected by the earthquakes and tsunami. We have been in contact with Methodist Church leadership to support assessment, initial relief work and further evaluation and prioritization of needs as we reach recovery phases.

To contribute online and support ongoing relief efforts: 
Click on "International Disaster Response Advance #982450" at: https://www.umcor.org/Search-for-Projects/Search-for-Projects

Thursday, December 20, 2018


Upcoming Meetings / Events
23 December  Sunday
Fourth Sunday in Advent
Worship Service
10:30 am
"Calm and Bright: Let Us Sleep"

Thought for the Week
"The greatest happiness of life is the conviction that we are loved;
loved for ourselves, or rather, loved in spite of ourselves."
Victor Hugo

Upcoming
Monday, Dec. 24
7:30 p.m. Christmas Eve Worship Service
Family and friends join together at this very special candle light service to celebrate the Light of the World and the birth of our Savior.  Traditional hymns and the re-telling of the Christmas story make this family friendly service a very special occasion in the life of the congregation.
Tuesday, Dec. 25
Merry Christmas!
Monday, Dec. 31
Family Game Night, and Watch Night Service
Family game night and Watch Night Service: Bring games you would like to share with others (board games, card games, etc.) for a 5:00 p.m. potluck and game time. Then at 7:00 p.m. (if we use 7:00 p.m.: which is midnight in London, when John Wesley would have observed his Watch night service), we will join together in a traditional Watch Night service.

John Wesley believed that Methodists, and all Christians should reaffirm their covenant with God annually, so he created a service in which an individual renews his/her covenant with God.
In 1755 Wesley held his first covenant service, and he published this service in a pamphlet in 1780.
The covenant hymn, "Come, Let Us Use the Grace Divine," was written for this service by his brother, Charles Wesley. The service is included in The Book of Worship under the title "An Order of Worship for Such as Would Enter Into or Renew Their Covenant with God."

This covenant service is often used in United Methodism as a Watch Night Service on New Year's Eve, and sometimes on New Year's Day or on the first Sunday in January. 

Coffee Hosts Needed: December 30
Please sign up to host our fellowship time after church

Continuing Prayer Requests 
Taj M., Bill B., Gail M.

Special Outreach
December 23
No-sew blankets
For children who are seriously ill or traumatized, or otherwise in need. Project Linus gets these to children and has patterns and other resources available.

Council On Aging (COA) Food Drive
Now that we have all stuffed ourselves at Thanksgiving dinner, let’s help stuff some others in our community, Our Church Council is sponsoring a canned goods and staple food drive for the Weston COA from December 9 thru December 23. We will have a container in the Narthex for the food.

UMCOR : Hurricane, Wildfire, and Earthquake Relief
Through UMCOR (The United Methodist Commission on Relief), United Methodist church families across the U.S. and the world are connected together and reaching out in compassion to people impacted by disasters including hurricanes in the east, wildfires in the southwest, and earthquakes in the northwest United States: https://www.umcor.org/umcor/resources/news-stories/2018/august/umcor-responds-to-current-disasters-around-the-world
Here are some powerful testimonies of United Methodist church families making a difference:
- October, Hurricane Michael:
- November, California Wildfires:
- December, Alaska Earthquakes:
To contribute online and support ongoing relief efforts:
  Click on "United States Disaster Response Advance #901670" at:


Upcoming Meetings / Events
23 December  Sunday
Fourth Sunday in Advent
Worship Service
10:30 am
"Calm and Bright: Let Us Sleep"

Thought for the Week
"The greatest happiness of life is the conviction that we are loved;
loved for ourselves, or rather, loved in spite of ourselves."
Victor Hugo
Upcoming
Monday, Dec. 24
7:30 p.m. Christmas Eve Worship Service
Family and friends join together at this very special candle light service to celebrate the Light of the World and the birth of our Savior.  Traditional hymns and the re-telling of the Christmas story make this family friendly service a very special occasion in the life of the congregation.
Tuesday, Dec. 25
Merry Christmas!
Monday, Dec. 31
Family Game Night, and Watch Night Service
Family game night and Watch Night Service: Bring games you would like to share with others (board games, card games, etc.) for a 5:00 p.m. potluck and game time. Then at 7:00 p.m. (if we use 7:00 p.m.: which is midnight in London, when John Wesley would have observed his Watch night service), we will join together in a traditional Watch Night service.
John Wesley believed that Methodists, and all Christians should reaffirm their covenant with God annually, so he created a service in which an individual renews his/her covenant with God.
In 1755 Wesley held his first covenant service, and he published this service in a pamphlet in 1780.
The covenant hymn, "Come, Let Us Use the Grace Divine," was written for this service by his brother, Charles Wesley. The service is included in The Book of Worship under the title "An Order of Worship for Such as Would Enter Into or Renew Their Covenant with God."
This covenant service is often used in United Methodism as a Watch Night Service on New Year's Eve, and sometimes on New Year's Day or on the first Sunday in January. 

Coffee Hosts Needed: December 30
Please sign up to host our fellowship time after church
Continuing Prayer Requests 
Taj M., Bill B., Gail M.
Special Outreach
December 23
No-sew blankets
For children who are seriously ill or traumatized, or otherwise in need. Project Linus gets these to children and has patterns and other resources available.
Council On Aging (COA) Food Drive
Now that we have all stuffed ourselves at Thanksgiving dinner, let’s help stuff some others in our community, Our Church Council is sponsoring a canned goods and staple food drive for the Weston COA from December 9 thru December 23. We will have a container in the Narthex for the food.
UMCOR : Hurricane, Wildfire, and Earthquake Relief
Through UMCOR (The United Methodist Commission on Relief), United Methodist church families across the U.S. and the world are connected together and reaching out in compassion to people impacted by disasters including hurricanes in the east, wildfires in the southwest, and earthquakes in the northwest United States: https://www.umcor.org/umcor/resources/news-stories/2018/august/umcor-responds-to-current-disasters-around-the-world
Here are some powerful testimonies of United Methodist church families making a difference:
- October, Hurricane Michael:
- November, California Wildfires:
- December, Alaska Earthquakes:
To contribute online and support ongoing relief efforts:
  Click on "United States Disaster Response Advance #901670" at:

Thursday, December 13, 2018

16 December Sunday 
Third Sunday in Advent 

Worship Service 

10:30 am 
"Calm and Bright: Redeeming Grace" 


Christmas Cantata 
Come Now to Bethlehem 



Christmas Luncheon 
Please stay and enjoy a wonderful time of holiday fellowship together! 


3:00 p.m. Healing Service

Thought for the Week 
'Twas the beginning of Advent and all through the Church 

Our hope was all dying-- we'd given up on the search. 
It wasn't so much that Christ wasn't invited, 
But after 2,000 plus years we were no longer excited. 


A baby, it seems, once had been born 
In the mid-east somewhere that first holy-day morn. 
But what does that mean for folks like us, 
Who've lost ourselves in the hoopla and fuss? 

Perhaps we begin by letting go 
Of our limits on hope, and of the stuff that we know. 
Let go of the shopping, of the chaos and fuss, 
Let go of the searching, let Christmas find us. 

We open our hearts, our hands and our eyes, 
To see the king coming in our own neighbors' cries. 
We can't make him come with parties and trees, 
But only by getting down on our knees. 

Can we block out commercials, the hype and the malls? 
Can we find solitude in our holy halls? 
Can we keep alert, keep hope, stay awake? 
Can we receive the child for ours and God's sake? 

He'll lead us to challenge the way that things are. 
He'll lead us to follow a single bright star. 
From on high with the caroling host as he sees us, 
He yearns to read on our lips: Come Lord Jesus!

Advent Bible Study 

Tuesday December 18 @ 10:30 am & 6:30 PM 

All are welcome. 

Join in the Advent Bible Study, Adam Hamilton’s The Journey: Walking the Road to Bethlehem
Journeying from Nazareth to Bethlehem, Adam Hamilton uses historical information, archaeological data, and a personal look at some of the stories surrounding the birth of Jesus.

Coffee Hosts Needed: December 30 
Please sign up to host our fellowship time after church 


Continuing Prayer Requests 
Taj M., Bill B., Gail M. 

Blankets for the Homeless in Waltham
At our last Monday serving night, I was approached by one of the Bristol Lodge Soup Kitchen workers helping with the 5 PM dinner we provided. She said there are several who sleep outside who need a blanket.

Please bring clean, new or lightly used blankets to church to be distributed to those in need.
Thank you, Debbi Miller


UPCOMING 

Christmas Cantata 
Come Now to Bethlehem 
December 16 

WUMC invites you for a special service on December 16th with Christmas lessons and carols, Come Now to Bethlehem by well-known American composer and choral director, Dale Wood, arranged by Douglas E. Wagner. The choral settings of eight traditional carols are adapted from Dale Wood's organ pieces.

Music is one of many offerings WUMC would like to share with its friends and community. The choir is made up of both accomplished professional musicians and gifted volunteer singers, providing a wide range of traditional, classical repertoire and contemporary praise and gospel music.

Christmas Luncheon 

December 16 

All are invited to celebrate the season - we will be providing ham and assorted casseroles. If friends would like to bring a side dish or dessert to share it would be appreciated. We look forward to sharing this time of fellowship with everyone in our church family.

Wednesday, Dec. 19
11:45 ROMEO 
7:00 p.m. Church Council 


Thursday, Dec. 20 
6:30 p.m. Outreach Committee 



Sunday, Dec. 23 
10:30 a.m. worship, 4th Sunday of Advent



Monday, Dec. 24 
7:30 p.m. Christmas Eve Worship Service 



Tuesday, Dec. 25 
Merry Christmas! 



Monday, Dec. 31 
Family Game Night, and Watch Night Service


Thursday, December 6, 2018

Thought for the Week 
“Salutation” 

Framed in light, Mary sings through the doorway. 
Elizabeth’s six-month joy jumps, a palpable greeting, 
a hidden first encounter between son and Son. 
And my heart turns over when I meet Jesus in you. 
-Lucy Shaw 

Upcoming Meetings / Events 
9 December Sunday 
Second Sunday in Advent 
Worship Service 
10:30 am 
"Calm and Bright: Glories Stream" 

Advent Bible Study 
Tuesday December 11 @ 10:30 am & 6:30 PM 
All are welcome. 

Join in the Advent Bible Study, Adam Hamilton’s The Journey: Walking the Road to Bethlehem
Journeying from Nazareth to Bethlehem, Adam Hamilton uses historical information, archaeological data, and a personal look at some of the stories surrounding the birth of Jesus.

Coffee Hosts Needed: December 23 & 30 
Please sign up to host our fellowship time after church

Christmas Cantata 
Come Now to Bethlehem 
December 16 

WUMC invites you for a special service on December 16th with Christmas lessons and carols, Come Now to Bethlehem by well-known American composer and choral director, Dale Wood, arranged by Douglas E. Wagner. The choral settings of eight traditional carols are adapted from Dale Wood's organ pieces.

Music is one of many offerings WUMC would like to share with its friends and community. The choir is made up of both accomplished professional musicians and gifted volunteer singers, providing a wide range of traditional, classical repertoire and contemporary praise and gospel music.