1. No category

November 2014
Winters Chapel United Methodist Church ~ 5105 Winters Chapel Road Doraville GA 30360 ~ 770-396-4550
An Attitude of Gratitude….
By Rev. Shelia Preacher
I was talking with Harriet Chapman the other day and she was commenting about how we
simply “pass over Thanksgiving” in our rush to get to Christmas. And if you think about it,
it is, indeed, true. Haven’t you noticed the Christmas decorations appearing in stores in October? Why, what happened to the month of November and Thanksgiving? And sadly, often
when we do acknowledge Thanksgiving, it is simply as the “start” of the mad rush of the
holiday shopping season.
The whole scenario got me to thinking about the concept of thanksgiving and the role of
gratitude in our lives. The word gratitude is derived from the Latin word gratia, which means
grace, graciousness, or gratefulness. And for the life of a Christian, doesn’t gratitude encompass all of these meanings? For as God freely bestows grace again and again, we can’t help
but recognize his graciousness, and, in turn, we find our hearts filled with much gratefulness!
Gratitude is a thankful appreciation for what an individual receives, whether the gift is tangible or intangible. With gratitude, people acknowledge that, even in the midst of life’s chaos,
still yet there is much goodness in their lives. And in the process, people usually recognize
that the source of that goodness lies at least partially outside themselves. As a result, gratitude also helps people connect to something larger than themselves as individuals.
Gratitude magnifies our experience of the good things in life, enabling us to enjoy them
more thoroughly. Gratitude also helps us to endure the hard things in life with dignity, and
perhaps, even with humor. An attitude of gratitude allows us to approach life like savoring a
fine meal, enjoying every bite, rather than racing through a meal as if it’s some sort of race.
So, are you up for a challenge? What if we decided to “put the brakes” on the race to Christmas? I wonder, what might happen if we chose to “savor” the blessings of November?
What if we were to embrace the whole month of November with an “attitude of gratitude?”
How would our lives be different if we chose to begin each day with an acclamation…“ Bless
the Lord, o my soul! And all that is within me, bless his holy name!” I am convinced we would
discover our days [even the difficult ones] becoming richer and fuller than we ever imagined.
Blessings with an attitude of gratitude!
Shelia
A Note from Dorcas…
Hello and many blessings. We are truly blessed to be able to serve the Lord
Jesus Christ and to also serve one another. I saw a perfect example of this
service during our trunk-for-treat event in the month of October. We had many
folks from the community come and out and fellowship with us, and it made me
think about the harvest time. Farmers plant their seeds and water them, nourish
them, watch over them, and continue to work on their fields
because they expect to have a wonderful harvest when it is all said and done. Jesus
even used this analogy of farming in many of his parables. We are the church of
Jesus Christ, and we are given a responsibility to serve our community in sharing this
message of love wherever we may be. As we work in discipleship and plant seeds of
love in ESOL daycare children, Sunday school class students, and donating blood at
the Red Cross, we must always remember that the harvest is for folks to be in
relationship with Jesus for the Kingdom of God. So let us continue to serve our
community with all of the resources that God has blessed us with, because we as the
Pastor Dorcas Rodriguez
Hispanic Ministry
church want the Kingdom of God to have a bountiful harvest. Praise God.
Blessings
Top Notch ESOL Programs
Whoo hoo...Winters Chapel and Tucker First are featured in this
North Georgia Conference article about ESOL programs. Take
a look at the link below!
http://www.ngumc.org/newsdetail/448255
Congratulations to the Liscio family with the birth of
Katherine Rose
on October 7
Celebrating the baptism of
Benjamin Thomas Wise
We welcome you into the loving arms
of your church family
Volunteers needed for The Bread of Life Café Sign up to provide light munchies, like juice and
muffins, on Sunday morning for your friends to nibble on before Sunday School. Please contact
Janice Whitehead or Alison Dixon to volunteer or sign up on the board in the Fellowship Hall.
Page 2
Another wildly successful American Red Cross
Blood Drive wrapped up in October with 41 pints
collected from members of WCUMC and the surrounding community.
Thank you for all of those who came to donate and
who came to volunteer! You truly are life savers!
As a member of Winters Chapel, I will faithfully participate in its
ministries . . .
(The Month of October)
Connie & Frank Bate
Clyde & Martha Beavers
By my Prayers . . . The Blackford Family
The Blevins Family
Andy Bowen
Kim Brooks
Jim Bryant
Sandy Carlton
Elizabeth Chavez
Andrea Cox
The Coy Family
The DeLeon Family
Gladys Dixon
Paul Epps Family
Mary Gardner
The Godwin Family
Jerry Greene
Dawn Hall
Richard Hanson
Lisa Humphries
Matthew Hunt
Odetta Hunter
Adrian Jones
Erica (Wade) Jones
By my Presence . . .
Sunday School: 21 (10/5); 19 (10/12); 17 (10/19); 21 (10/26)
11 am Worship: 62 (10/5); 69 (10/12); 54 (10/19); 63 (10/26)
5 pm Bi-Lingual: 10 (10/5); 10 (10/12); 10 (10/19); 15 (10/26)
Airica Liscio
Arianna Lindsey
Darwin Lloyd
Angie Matheny & Family
Gracela Monzalvo
Lee Pelfrey
LaToya Phanord
Angel Ramsey
Jason Ramsey
John Ramsey
Anthony & Karen Robinson
Katie Smotherman
Dawn Wade
Glenn Wells
Houston White
Jean Witcher
Joe Womble
Rena Wyatt
By my Gifts. . .
$1,736(10/5); $5,496 (10/12); $2,314 (10/19); $3,644 (10/26)
By my Service . . .
Altar Guild: Polly Albitz, Arlene Bishop, Nancy Trumble, Mary VanHorn, Joan Vining, Peggy Wallis, Betty
Williams
Audio:
Jeff Pruett, Judy Woodall
Counters:
October: Harry Honeycutt and Ronnie Letson
November: Tom Williams and Clyde Beavers
Greeters:
Vicki Brown-Macomber, Frank and Connie Bate, Gail and Mike Granberry, Mary Mwambay,
Francois Kaboya
Lay Leaders: Harriet Chapman, Don Dixon, Mike Macomber, Rufus Manley, Judy Woodall
Music:
Misha Stefanuk, Chancel Choir, Worship Band, Children’s Choir
Ushers:
October: Tom Preacher, Don Dixon, Alison Dixon, Leon Humphries, Linda Humphries
November: Jim Bishop, Arlene Bishop, Clyde Beavers, Tom Williams, Earle Trumble
The Fisher · November 2014
Page 3
Page 4
Story Time with Santa
Saturday December 6th 12:00 - 2:00 pm
Join us for an afternoon of fun, food, crafts, stories and a visit
from Santa and Mrs. Claus.
No charge, just “believe” in Santa to attend.
Don’t forget to bring your camera for that great picture with Santa!
St. Lucia Festival of Lights Friday, December 12 at 7:30 pm
The Festival of St. Lucia, begins the Christmas season in Swedish custom. The so-called Festival of Lights stems from the Swedish legend: a ship carrying a maiden "clothed in white and
crowned with light" appeared on the shore in Värmland during a great famine. The maiden,
widely believed to be Lucia, distributed food and clothing to the needy, thus endearing herself to the Swedish people. After the celebration, a reception featuring coffee and sweets will
be offered in the Fellowship Hall.
Sunday, December 21st, 11 a.m.
Christmas Cantata
Join us for an original Christmas Cantata, “Baby in a
Manger,” written and directed by Misha Stefanuk.
Following the service, you are invited to take a stroll through the Cookie Walk to
purchase some of your favorite sweets for those last minute gifts, parties or maybe Santa’s snack.
The holiday season is here; and one of our favorite events at Winters
Chapel is our annual Cookie Walk sponsored by the United Methodist
Women. It is never too early to start pulling out those favorite recipes or
looking for new recipes for the Cookie Walk. We welcome all bakers to
participate.
A Child Is Born….Celebrate God’s Gift
Join us for a Christmas Eve service designed for young
and old alike! Holy Communion will also be served.
Wednesday, December 24
6:00 p.m.
The Fisher · November 2014
Page 5
Presence: Our Second Membership Vow
Please join us for Commitment Sunday on Sunday, November 16, as we continue
to focus on our Membership Vow of Presence. Congregants will be offered the
opportunity to come up and bring their pledge cards and spend time at the altar .
Sunday, November 23rd, will be our Stewardship Celebration Sunday wrapping up the 2014
Stewardship drive with a luncheon and the Hanging of the Greens.
A BIG thank you to everyone who helped at the annual
UMM BBQ.
Chords
for
Caroline
Edwin Hall and daughters Jennifer Vaccaro and Heather Leopold
extend their thanks to all Winters Chapel people who attended and
contributed to the Chords for Caroline fundraising event this back in
October.
The weather was perfect and the music and fellowship were just fine.
Contributions to the Alzheimer's Association are still coming in, and
when all are in and counted, the event will have raised about $2,000
in Sweet Caroline's memory. THANK YOU, Winters Chapel for
the part you played.
ANGEL TREE CHRISTMAS GIFTS
Once again Winters Chapel will be participating in the Angel Tree Christmas
gift ministry with Gwinnett County’s Department of Family and Children’s
Services.
There will be a list of children and the gift they would like to receive in the
welcome center by mid-November. There will be children ranging from
infants to teenagers. Simply pick a child or children, purchase the gift(s), place
them in a Christmas gift bag and bring the gifts to the church and place them
behind the welcome center.
Gift tags will be provided by the Missions Committee to attach to your gift bags. Thank you for your
continued generosity in bringing great joy to so many lives.
HANGING OF THE GREENS
Sunday, November 23rd after Worship Service
Join us for the celebration of preparing our hearts and our church buildings for welcoming
Baby Jesus during Advent and Christmas. Share a meal of soup, salad & dessert; then
share in fellowship as we decorate for our Christmas season. All are invited to share in
this event.
Page 6
Holiday Season is Coming!
by Misha V. Stefanuk, music director and organist in residence
As the Holiday season approaches, I start thinking about what it means to me. We have Thanksgiving coming, the
day we pause to thank God for what he has done for us. And soon on its heels follows Christmas with decorated
trees and gifts and wonderful meals involved in both. You probably remember the New Opera musical we wrote a
few years ago called “The True Meaning of Christmas” whose presentation was done in conjunction with the
choir’s recorded voices and puppets…nearly half the church was involved! I am wondering these days if I still feel
the same way that I did when I wrote it, but the statement of faith is the same. Christmas is not about gifts and
Thanksgiving is not about turkey.
The greatest gift any of us will ever receive comes about by Jesus’ willingness to follow God’s will for his life. O,
the sacrifice was great, but look at the result – we are saved! It leads me to think about our willingness to follow
God’s will and the results it might have. And though our actions can’t compare to that of Jesus, often the
sacrifices we make…no matter how small…have effect on others as well.
For at the same moment we are enjoying our life, there are people who are in much worse shape than us, often to
the point that their life does not make sense anymore. A wise man once told me that serving others is what we are
supposed to do. No more, but no less. Life is hard on many people and, often, they do not have the anchor of
faith to which we solidly cling. What would happen if we chose to simply reach out to them with the love of the
Lord, sharing with them what a difference that relationship means to our lives? Could that gift of sharing Christ’s
love help transform a life?
As we continue to shape a new music ministry with fresh new approaches designed to appeal to a world in need of
a word of hope, help us by spreading the word…talk to your neighbors, random people at Publix, a guy at the
coffee shop, a girl who is crying in her car next to you at the red light. The opportunities are endless!
We have worked on the upcoming production of our cantata for about 3 months now, and we have never done a
production as integrated as this. It will include band, choir, children, bells, tons of readers, organ…everything we
got. This is what we are trying to do, offer God everything we’ve got! The choir is singing choir music; the band is
playing band music; the children's choir is singing carols. And YOU, the congregation will be asked to join in on
many songs instead of being a passive recipient. God wants you to be active, he wants you to get up and do
things, sing with us, bring people in, help us setup if you wish, help Sandra filing music, help Judy with slides, tell
someone in choir that you liked the music today or if you have any requests. This is YOUR church and YOUR
worship service and our sole purpose is for the experience to bring you closer to God and to help us all become
the people God wants us to be.
Holidays are a time for celebration, but they are also the time for reflection and action! The world around you
needs your help and we, your music ministry, need your help. Some sing with us, so you can see for yourself why
everyone involved was so deliriously happy in the last few months. Join us, we can use your help! Holidays are
around the corner. It's coming!
Winters Chapel Preschool has openings for two year olds and will be happy
to offered tours and discuss enrollment Monday through Thursday from 9:001:00. For more info email Mary Trompeter at [email protected].
Winters Chapel UMC Preschool will have our annual Thanksgiving Feast on
Thursday, November 20th at 11:15. The Primetimers are cordially invited to join
the preschool for lunch and the program.
The Fisher · November 2014
Page 7
Month
Month--at
at--a-Glance
NOVEMBER
Sunday Worship Times: Traditional: 11:00 am
Bi-Lingual 5:00 pm
Sunday School: 9:45 a.m. Please note that childcare is provided at 9:45 a.m. and during worship service.
Sunday
Monday
Tuesday
Wednesday
Thursday
Friday
Saturday
1
UMM BBQ
2
11 Traditional service
12:15 Church Conferece
3 Disciple
5 Bi-Lingual service
5 Youth fellowship
9
Angel Tree begins
3
4
7 Women of Faith
circle
Election Day
10
11
Veterans Day
11 Traditional service
3 Disciple
16
Commitment Sunday
11 Traditional service
3 Disciple
5 Bi-Lingual service
ESOL Thanksgiving
5 Youth fellowship
17
23
24
18
5
6
10: 30 Disciple
6 Staff Meeting
7 Choir practice
8 Worship Band
Practice
10:30 UMW
12
10:30 Disciple
13
7 Choir practice
8 Worship Band
19
10:30 Disciple
8
14
15
21
22
28
29
7 ESOL
7 ESOL
20
10:30 Faith in Action
Circle
6 Book Club Bible
Study
7 Choir practice
8 Worship Band
Practice
7 ESOL final
25
26
27
7 Choir practice
8 Worship Band
Practice
Thanksgiving
CELEBRATION SUNDAY
11 Traditional service
12 Hanging of the
Greens & Luncheon
3 Disciple
5 Bi-Lingual service
7
Office closed
30
11 Traditional service
3 Disciple
5 Bi-Lingual service
Happy, Happy Birthday to You!
06-Nov Rufus Manley
14-Nov Lilli Danielson
14-Nov Dollie Caruthers
17-Nov Earle Trumble
21-Nov Tatum Havard
23-Nov Jack Trump
25-Nov Michael Macomber
27-Nov Wendy Crowell
27-Nov Harry Honeycutt
29-Nov Janey Jones
If we are missing your birthday, please let
the church office know by emailing
[email protected]
You can reach us . . .
Winters Chapel United Methodist Church Staff
Rev. Shelia Preacher, Pastor
770-928-8031 (home); 678-925-0103 (cell); [email protected]
Pastor Dorcas Rodriguez, Hispanic Ministry
678-600-3228; [email protected]
Leslie Faulkner, Director Children & Youth Ministry
770-396-4550 (office); [email protected]
Misha Stefanuk, Organist in Residence, Director of Music
678-520-0749 (cell); [email protected]
Michelle Stewart, Administrative Assistant & Bookkeeper
770-396-4550 (office); [email protected]
Mary Trompeter, Preschool Director
770-393-3478 (office); [email protected]