First United Methodist Church

The voice
                        First United Methodist Church
                                          December, 2014
Pastor’s Message
     Pastor’s
Preparations,       Message
              preparations, preparations to be made! How will we find time to get it all done this holiday
season? We’ve been overwhelmed already with all things Christmas – commercials and songs and commercials
and decorations and commercials and cards and…did I mention commercials? And yet, every year, it seems like
Christmas is upon us before we’re fully ready.

Of all the preparations we will make this Christmas, the most important has nothing to do with presents or
parties or concerts or houseguests. It is about preparing ourselves to receive the gift of Emmanuel, the “God
with us” gift of Christ. Fit it is we find a room to welcome him: the best of rooms. With that charge, I offer
this poem by 17th century English poet, Robert Herrick. I pray it inspires you as it does me.

     “A Christmas Carol”
     Robert Herrick

     What sweeter music can we bring,
     Than a carol, for to sing                              Come and see
     The birth of this our heavenly King?                   The cause, why things thus fragrant be:
     Awake the voice! Awake the string!                     'Tis He is born, whose quickening birth
     Heart, ear, and eye, and everything.                   Gives life and luster, public mirth,
     Awake! the while the active finger                     To heaven, and the under-earth.
     Runs division with the singer.                         We see Him come, and know Him ours,
     Dark and dull night, fly hence away,                   Who, with His sunshine, and His showers,
     And give the honor to this day,                        Turns all the patient ground to flowers.
     That sees December turned to May.                      The darling of the world is come,
     If we may ask the reason, say                          And fit it is, we find a room
     The why, and wherefore, all things                     To welcome Him. The nobler part
     here                                                   Of all the house here, is the heart,
     Seem like the springtime of the year?                  Which we will give Him; and bequeath
     Why does the chilling Winter's morn                    This holly, and this ivy wreath,
     Smile, like a field beset with corn?                   To do Him honor; who's our King,
     Or smell, like to a mead new-shorn,                    And Lord of all this reveling.
     Thus, on the sudden?

Peace and blessings, today and always.

From the Director of Faith Education
On Advent and Christmas:

These seasons bring opportunity for our children and youth to participate in leading our
worship times. Having an opportunity to share our gifts, talents, and presence during
worship is important to all of us, including our younger generations.
The Children’s Choir will be singing December 14 during worship, as well as
the 7:00 p.m. Christmas Eve service. Choir members are reminded of rehearsals
each Sunday at 9:30 a.m.
The children will lead worship on December 21. Practices for the program and worship
pieces will begin after worship until 12:30 p.m. and continue every Sunday until
December 21. The date and time for a dress rehearsal (with healthy snacks) will be
announced. Volunteers to provide snacks and help each week during practice will be
appreciated. Please see Tami.

                              Friday Night Hangout!
 Friday Night Hangout is a time of fellowship for children in 1st-5th grade who attend First Church in
Oberlin UCC, Oberlin First UMC, Oberlin UU Fellowship and their friends. It starts at 5:30pm, dinner
  is at 6:00 pm, and it wraps up at 8:00 pm. The three above churches will rotate hosting FNHO. All
children attending need to have a permission form fill out and brought with them on the first night they
   attend. The form is good for all Friday Night Hangouts in the 2014-2015 school year. In order to
 ensure the proper food portions, it would be helpful if you RSVP to your appropriate staff person the
                       Monday before, however if you forget you can still attend!
November 21st: FNHO will be held at Oberlin UU Fellowship (355 E. Lorain St.)
Dinner menu will be: Home-made gluten free chicken nuggets, green beans, pineapple bites, and baked apples.
Activities for the night include: Thanksgiving centerpieces and service project of fringe tied scarves and blankets.

December 12th: FNHO will be held at First Church in Oberlin (106 N. Main St.)
Dinner menu will be: Whole grain spaghetti, chicken meatballs, homemade sauce, veggie plate, and home-made rice
crispy treats.
Activities for the night include: Christmas movie night

January 9th: FNHO will be held at Oberlin First UMC (45 S. Professor St.)
Dinner menu will be: Hamburgers, kosher hot dogs, baked potato wedges, fruit kabobs.
Activities for the night include: Beach party! Flipper races, sand art, dance party, beach volley ball

Youth Group Update
The Youth Group gathered on October 26th, a beautiful and
sunny day, and took on the challenge of the Lorain County
Metroparks Corn Maze at Carlisle. We did eventually
emerge from the maze relatively unscathed and regardless
of what the kids say, the adults did not get lost. (We were
waiting for them to get out of the maze first before we
walked around for another 20 minutes, you know, to let
them rest.)
The kids and a couple of adults spent a sunny, yet crisp afternoon on November 9 th tackling the
leaves that took over the Weston’s yard. It was great to have CJ, Evan, Ryanne, Emme,
Jack, and Matt helping to rake and dump gigantic piles of leaves. The kids didn’t let all
those leaves turn to compost before jumping, burying, and flying into the pile to
celebrate a job well done.
Thanks again to Joyce Wolfe for feeding hungry teens. If anyone else would like to take
on that task the kids are willing to take you up on it.
                                          Susan Fury

                            Membership Committee
On November 1 the Committee members along with Aiko Ebihara, Joyce Wolfe, Jean
Shannon, Jean Reno, Penny Locke and Denise Capers refurbished and enhanced new
and old Advent and Christmas decorations for the sanctuary of our church. It was a
great time doing this.
By the time of this reading we will have decorated the sanctuary (November 23) and I
hope you appreciate these efforts. Perhaps you will have joined us in the ‘Hanging of
the Greens’ as well as sharing in the Soup Supper.
Christmas caroling for our shut-ins will take place on Sunday, December 21. Please
join us again as we travel to our home-bound members and the nursing homes to sing
for the people. Everyone is welcome.
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to all.
                                             Bonnie and the Membership Committee.

Musical Voice for the VOICE
Since last month’s column was awfully long and serious, this month deals with my
favorite time of the year: Christmas! I even wrote a book of fifteen short stories
set at Christmas time. (Okay, one of them was Christmas in July, but who’s counting.)
I am that into this season.
The season has so many wonderful songs, some cheery and some melancholy; some are
secular and some religious. If I looked hard enough, some might even be mercenary, so
I won’t search out that kind of song.
The joy many of us feel is centered on the joy found in song texts. Whether it’s “Joy to
the World” or “The First Noel” or “Silent Night” or “Santa Claus is Coming to Town”
they are all filled with a sense of the season, a feeling of joy. Even Rudolph, after the
bullying of the reindeer games, comes across with a happy ending.
At this time of year, however, the joyous songs and carols don’t always reach where
they should. The melancholy mentioned earlier and found in some songs overtakes
some people, and for them this is the saddest time of the year. They don’t shop, they
don’t go to church, and they don’t go to the houses of friends to enjoy companionship
and goodwill. They sit at home and mope. For a limited few, that moping turns their
melancholy darker with tragic results.
This season, while you enjoy your parties, think about those few who will never reach
out but who will sit alone on the family days (Thanksgiving and Christmas! And even
New Year’s Eve!). The joy for us all can be spread further. “Have yourself a merry little
Christmas,” and help others to do so, too.
Note: In our sanctuary, December 14, at 7 p.m. will be a rare, outside of the Conservatory
performance of Bassoon Christmas. The honey-brown sound of the bassoon can light up
any number of songs. There are popular songs, carols, and even classical tunes – like the
Nutcracker Suite. The concert won’t be terribly long, but it is a bright way to get us all
into the joyous mood of the season. A reception follows.
                                  Alan Montgomery

                         POINSETTIA ORDER
                              Christmas Altar 2014
                               Cost: $8.00 each
Number of plants ______                                     Orders due December 14

In memory/honor of ____________________________________________

Given by _____________________________________________________
           (Payment must accompany this order. Make checks payable to Oberlin First UMC)

Missions Committee                       Since this is a new venture, the host
                                              church is looking for permanent
                                              supplies. Needed are: substantial
The Missions Committee of Oberlin             twin air mattresses; twin mattress
First UMC is planning to help the Oberlin     pads; flat and fitted twin sheets;
Unitarian Fellowship to host Family           pillows; pillow protectors; pillow
Promise the week of December 28,              cases and blankets.
2014 through January 3, 2015.
                                              Consumable supplies needed for
This program is a part of the Interfaith      breakfast and lunch-packing will be
Hospitality Network that has been             purchased in bulk and available
helping homeless families in Lorain           nightly for the families to use.
County since 1986. Other churches in          Funds will be provided by Oberlin
Oberlin have participated for many years      First UMC Missions budget and
including First Church UCC, Peace             Oberlin First United Methodist
Community Church, Christ Episcopal,           Women. Additional donations may
Crossroads, Sacred Heart Catholic             be needed.
Church, Mt. Zion and Rust UMC.
                                              If you would like to donate any of
The host church welcomes the families         the listed items or wish to volunteer
at 5:00 p.m., serves a hot evening meal,      to help, please contact Sue Brady or
organizes craft and homework activities,      Jean Shannon.
and provides overnight sleeping
accommodations. The maximum number of         Many Thanks!
people is 14 guests plus the two church
members. As the ‘partner church,’
Oberlin First UMC will provide
supplies for the families to daily pack a
breakfast and lunch which they take
with them. The shuttle bus picks up the
families at 6:00 a.m. to take them to the
Day Center, where they are provided with
shelter, professional help with job search,
housing search and other needs, plus a
location to bathe and wash clothing.
On school days the children are
picked up from there by their school
district bus. (The assigned FUMC week
will be during the holiday vacation.) At
5:00 p.m. the shuttle bus transports the
families back to the host church.