A Ritual for New Year's Eve

Mt Carmel United Methodist Church

December 31, 2013



New Year's Eve Rituals My New Year’s Eve always begins at the church. I open the doors at 9:00 on January 31, just in case someone wants to bring in a check and finish paying off their 2013 pledge. This is my third year spending the morning in the Hope House. I will confess that my first New Year’s Eve stint was a disappointment. No one showed up at the last minute with a budget-fixing check. There was only quiet. I have come to expect quiet. Earlier this morning I nearly fell out of my chair when the Fed Ex delivery person banged on the office door! Now I find that starting the morning in silence is the New Year’s Eve ritual that I need. There is time to think about the last year and give thanks. It has been a good year, hasn’t it? I am thankful for summer sandwiches and nights with Family Promise guests. I am thankful for times when we packed soap, welcomed blood donors, and supported those who long that everyone have clean water. I am thankful for Bible study groups where I see God at work as people share about what is going on in their lives. I am thankful for the times when we get to know one another in new ways, sharing dinner at the Berkeley Lake picnic or after a Sunday combined worship service. I am thankful for those times when we left the church grounds to reach out to our community, offering apple pie slices at the elementary school literacy festival, offering Gatorade and caramels to runners in the Turkey Trot. I am thankful on Sunday mornings for musicians offering gifts that nourish the soul, for people who welcome with a smile and handshake, for artists who tell the good news in the ways they arrange flowers, craft altar arrangements, and paint banners. Most of all, I am thankful for those people that God brought into my life this year. I sit in the quiet and smile as I think of and pray for each new person. I can’t wait to see who comes in the church doors in 2014. Maybe next year, instead of opening the church office, I’ll open the sanctuary. Someone else might want to make that a ritual, too, to end the year in silent thanks and prayer. Gotta go…I hear someone else knocking on the door. Pastor Cyndi McDonald mtcarmel-umc.org Mount Carmel United Methodist Church


In the Newsletter this Week: From the Pastor End of Year Giving Children's Art on Bulletin Covers Mission Moment Book Club: January 10 at 7:00 p.m. Trinity Soup Kitchen: January 12, 2014 Love & Logic Parenting Class: Begins Jan. 14th End of Year Giving Thank you for your support of Mt Carmel this past year with your time, talent and financial contributions. If you plan to make an additional gift before the end of the year, we encourage you to look into our electronic giving options at http://mtcarmel-umc.org/connect/give Remember, all charitable contributions, in order to be tax deductible for this year, must be postmarked no later than today December 31. Mail contributions to Mt Carmel United Methodist Churc 5100 South Old Peachtree Rd Norcross, GA 30092 Attn.: Finance Children's Art on Bulletin Covers Thank you to Cate Campbell for her rendition of the manger on last Sunday's bulletin. And thanks to all of our children for sharing their artwork with us on Sunday bulletins! Mission Moment Aren't you thankful for the preschool? Please pray for our preschool students and teachers as the new year begins. If you missed seeing the mission moment with video clips of the preschool nativity program, you can watch it again here. Women's Book Club in January The Mt. Carmel Women's Book Club will meet on Friday, January 10th at 7:00 p.m. in the Hope House. This month's book is: The Language of Flowers, by Vanessa Diffenbach. Please contact Chris Bolton or Vicki Walden if you have any questions. Trinity Soup Kitchen - Jan. 12 Trinity Table (Trinity Soup Kitchen) is a Sunday Soup Kitchen that has been serving the hungry of Atlanta since 1982. They serve everyone who comes to the Table a hot meal and give each guest a to-go bag of food as well. This ministry is successful because of the work of dedicated volunteers. On Sunday, January 12, our youth, along with adult volunteers, will be going to Trinity Table to serve. In order to serve the 250 guests, we need your help. Please look below and also on the Connect Card in your Sunday bulletin to see if you can help with any of the items needed. You may either check the boxes on the back of the Connect Card, go to the church website, or contact the church office to sign up. Bring your donations to the church kitchen anytime before January 11. Please make sure that you put your name and "Trinity Soup Kitchen" on your donation when you bring it to the church. If you would like to go with the Youth to help serve, you may sign up for that too! Thanks! Needed: 1 gallon soup (need 35 gallons) (optional recipe here) Squeeze Margarine (need 18 bottles) Saltine Crackers (need 17 boxes) 3 boxes granola bars - any type (need 300 bars total) Help serve at Trinity Parenting the Love & Logic Way Learn practical tools and techniques that help adults achieve respectful, healthy relationships with their children and help them prepare their kids for the real world. Love & Logic uses humor, hope, and empathy to build up the adult-child relationship. Join Rev. Lynne Smith, 6:30-8:30 pm on Tuesday evenings in the Senior High Youth Room beginning January 14th. The workshop lasts 6 weeks and is limited to 16 participants. Registrations are due by January 5, 2014. For more information and to register go to http://ngfcc.org/educational-services/parenting-the-love-and-logic-way-class-in-norcross/. Rev. Lynne Smith NGFCC Minister of Education 404.277.9351 lynne.smith@ngumc.net www.ngfcc.org Prayers and Thanksgivings Please join with others in our church family in praying our concerns and thanksgivings this week. Concerns Erin, daughter of Lila's friend: improving - Shepherd Spinal Center Tom Irish - surgery Melanie Bagwell - surgery Ronda Bendig - recovering from head injury Jacque Tapley's brother - may have muscular dystrophy Chris Bolton's friend Beth in hospital Ryan Stark: foot surgery 12/23 Gail Bolton's father - vision problems Easley's friend Kay - cancer surgery Phillips' granddaughter - bi-polar & off medications - 5 yr. old son to care for Odom's neighbor Michelle - 3rd recurrance of cancer Odom's traveling for 3 weeks Thanksgivings Jacque Tapley's parents visiting Campbells in church with new baby Peter Hammond's 20th anniversary	Every week: Prayers Worship this week Birthdays and Anniversaries Save the Date Counseling Center Norcross Cooperative Sunday's Lesson This week in worship the lessons will be John 1:35-51. Birthdays this week: Carol Fisher Cheryl Martin Quinn Moore Ryan Stark Melanie Bagwell Melissa Crawford Joe Stark Vickie Tucker Charles Carroll Anniversaries this week: John & Gwen Lansing Save the Date CHURCH OFFICE OPEN DECEMBER 31 - 9:00 - 1:00 BROWN BAG STUDY DECEMBER 31 - 11:30 AM HOPE HOUSE CHURCH OFFICE CLOSED JANUARY 1 HAPPY NEW YEAR! SMALL GROUP MEETINGS JANUARY 5 11:00 & 12:00 FELLOWSHIP HALL OUTREACH COMM. MTG. JAN. 5 - 3:00 PM HOPE HOUSE YOUTH PLAY PRACTICE JAN. 5 - 3:30 FELLOWSHIP HALL COUNCIL ON MINISTRIES JAN. 5 - 4:30 PM ROOM 112/114 BROWN BAG STUDY JAN. 7 - 11:30 AM HOPE HOUSE WOMEN'S BOOK CLUB JANUARY 10 - 7:00 PM HOPE HOUSE YOUTH TO TRINITY SOUP KITCHEN JANUARY 11 SMALL GROUP MEETINGS JANUARY 12 11:00 & 12:00 FELLOWSHIP HALL Church Calendar Family Wellness through Counseling, Education and Research Mt. Carmel proudly supports the North Georgia Family Counseling Center. 678-242-9355 ngfccumc@gmail.com www.ngfccumc.org As one of the founding churches of NCM, we encourage your support assisting those in need in our area. Help with the most urgent needs. Share your story Do you have an article to include in next week's bulletin or newsletter? Email these to Suzanne Foster or call the church office.