There is much that connects us to each other in this community of faith. Please keep these thoughts in your hearts and minds in the days to come.

 

•         Those who were unable to worship with us due to their current health limitations, including: Helen Evans, Margie Petry, Gene Snyder and Louise Miller.

•         Those among us who wish to keep their concerns close to their hearts.

•         The family and friends of Marcia Benjamin on her death Wednesday, November 24. The funeral service is today, Monday, November 29, at 10:30 here in our sanctuary.

•         Our sister church in El Salvador, Emanuel Baptist. We pray for Lydia Castro Mendez and the scholarship ministry for young women.

•         We pray for the leaders and medical personnel of Haiti as they continue to cope with the cholera epidemic by providing medical care and clean drinking water for the people of their country.

•         We pray for peace.

While Stewardship Commission has not yet designated a recipient (or recipients) for the Christmas Card Offering, we will once again “grow a Christmas Tree” from your designated gifts to the Christmas Greeting Fund.

It had come to our attention that there were some problems with our stewardship mailing, but over time we are hearing that the problems were more widespread than we initially thought. It appears that several people did not receive stewardship letters at all, while others received a letter but no commitment card or a commitment card but no letter. If you were one of these persons, I would greatly appreciate hearing from you as we try to assess how wide spread the problem was and take steps to ensure that it does not happen again.

Thank you.                               Kurt Borgmann

 

The Family Life Center is open from 8 to 10 am for walking and exercise. Nursery School may use the FLC from 10 to 11.

 

 

9:30 am   Peace Patch Preschool / FLC            

10:30 am Staff meeting

5:00 pm   Weight Watchers – Room 220

6:00 pm   Yoga – Narthex

7:00 pm   Witness Commission

7:00 pm   Livingston concert - TC Chapel

7:30 pm   Volleyball

 

       9:30 am   Peace Patch Preschool / FLC

     12:00 pm   Pastors’ lunch at Timbercrest

       6:30 pm  Holden Advent Service-sanctuary

       7:00 pm  Peace & Justice Committee

       7:00 pm  Circle of Trust

 

9:30 am    Preschool-Christmas Tree Farm

7:00 pm    Education Commission at the home of Diana Bucher

7:00 pm    Fellowship Commission

7:30 pm    Ecclesia Choir Rehearsal

 

 

 

The Senior High Youth will be delivering to our community's Food Pantry on Sunday, December 5.  Please bring your food items and financial gifts this advent season and place them in the Pie Safe in the vestibule

A rough draft of the 2011 directory will be available in the Narthex again this year for you to edit between Thanksgiving and Christmas. If you have changes in your contact information that you’d like to share with the church family, be sure to let the office know.

Pastor Kurt: 982-4233, cell 1-260-450-0759

Pastor Karen: 982-8420, cell: 578-1247

November 28 – December 4: Kurt

December 5 – 11: Karen

December 12 –18: Kurt

December 19-25: Karen

December 5 – Denominational Advent Offering

Prepare the way of the Lord. Pastor Kurt. Matthew 3: 1-12. Taizé Choir

December 12: Go and Tell. Pastor Kurt. Matthew 11: 2-11. Ecclesia Choir. Children’s Christmas Program

December 19: Name him Emmanuel. Pastor Kurt. Matthew 1: 18-25. Melodia Choir. Bells

December 24 – Christmas Eve Service

Ecclesia Choir. Bell Choir

December 26: On the run. Pastor Kurt. Matthew 2: 13-23. Special Music, Kenneth Miller

Questers meet in the Chapel.

December 5 Faith Journey Marie Willoughby

December 12 Children’s Christmas Program

December 19 Faith Journey Don Willoughby

December 26 – No Class, Merry Christmas!    

Koinonia meet in the Conference Room with Gordon Bucher as leader for December, Into the heart of Kings and Chronicles.

December 5 Passing the Torch

December 12 Children’s Christmas Program

December 19 Building a New Church

December 26 Death of a Popular Leader

 

 

At its meeting on November 17, 2010, the Executive Board:

•   had a conversation with Pastor Jim who asked board members to create six word poems reflecting our experience with our church. Example: “surrounded by family; held in love.”   

•   received the treasurer’s report as of October 31: bank balance is $109,018; contributions exceeded budgeted expenses in the General Fund by $12,687; other income exceeded other expense by $24,555; current projections are to break even at the end of 2010.

•   received a progress report hearing the new MCOB website will go “live” in the near future. The MEMO will no longer be emailed once that happens.

•   learned Barbara McFadden has accepted the call to serve as Deacon Chair. Calling of new deacons is currently underway.

• heard the new telephone system is installed and working as hoped. It provides options not available with the previous system.

•   approved the position description for a Membership Secretary to serve the congregation on a volunteer basis. Names of persons who might be called to this position were suggested.

•   approved the names of persons to be contacted to serve as Education Commission members.

•   celebrated with Kurt upon his sharing that he received a Louisville Institute grant for his sabbatical in 2011. He was one of 39 chosen out of more than 400 who applied. Yea!

Church Women United invites you to bake cookies for the shoppers at the Thrift Shop during December. The volunteers report that the cookies bring smiles of gratitude to the shoppers! Please package six cookies in a plastic bag, closed with a twister. Place them in the designated box at our church entrance or take them to the Thrift Shop. Thank you for adding Christmas Cheer! 

Dorothy Weldy, for Church Women United

Both Yoga and Zumba-Gold are often flexible, depending on the weather and Holiday Activities. The church office does not always get their last minute changes, so please call the instructors for information:

Yoga: Adria Pickett, 1-260-774-9336

Zumba-Gold: Mandy Shull, 1-317-431-5744

Richard Livingston will present a piano recital on Tuesday evening, November 30, at 7:00 in the Timbercrest Chapel. This recital will conclude a series of four recitals featuring the complete Songs Without Words of Felix Mendelssohn that Richard began in 2009 in commemoration of the 200th anniversary of Mendelssohn's birth. The recital on November 30 will contain the last dozen of the Songs Without Words, Opus 85 and Opus 102, along with an earlier piece, the "Rondo Capriccioso," Opus 14. The program will last approximately an hour. All are welcome. 

 

Please join us Sunday, December 12 at 11 am for the Children’s Christmas Program, Making Sense of Christmas. Each Sunday School Class (preschool through youth) will heighten our awareness of our Five Senses as they relate how they experience celebrating Christmas by focusing on a particular sense. Following the program, the fellowship continues with our All-Church Christmas Potluck. Please bring a festive dish or two to share and table service for your family.

 

 

The Children’s Christmas Giving Project is again in support of the Fellowship of Churches “Angel Tree” project. Angel gift tags can be found on the Narthex Christmas Tree until December 5. Tags will indicate the age of the recipient and a gift suggestion. Children are encouraged to choose gifts for other children (with parental assistance). Please limit your gift to one per tag, to ensure recipient equality. Wrap your gift, attach the Angel Tree tag, and place it under the Narthex Angel Tree by Sunday, December 12. Questions? Contact Laura Gable at the church (982-7523) or at home (982-2864) or on her cell (578-0378).

 

·Dec.4 - 9am-3pm.  Caramel Corn making in the church kitchen.  Sales are the next day after worship.

·Dec.10 - 6-7:30pm.  Friday night in the FLC.  Dress warm! 

Looking ahead:  Registration for the National Junior High Conference opens Monday, January 10, 8 pm EST.  The first 800 registrants will secure a spot at the conference held at Elizabethtown College. 

 

·Friday, Dec.3 - 5:15-8pm.  Childcare for "Parents’ Night Out."  Be at the church in time to greet the children. 

·Saturday, December 4, 8:30 pm "Just the girls/guys" at Sautters’ and Chinworths’. 

·Next Pantry Sunday is December 5.

·Sunday, December 12 - next youth meal at Chinworths’ with Becky Koch discussing the mural at the new pool and window designs.

Looking ahead:  CCS registration begins Wednesday, January 5, at 8 pm EST.  The first 100 registrants will secure a spot for this event held in New York City and Washington DC the end of March.  Info can be found at www.brethren.org. 

 

The Middle School youth will be selling Viona Brown's Caramel Corn on Sunday, Dec.5 following worship. Each bag costs $5 and goes toward their Heritage Tour/National Junior High Conference trip in June 2011. The number of bags of the caramel corn will be limited. You are also invited to sign up for a sub sandwich, which will be available Sunday, December 19. Use the form in the Sunday bulletin or submit a form online from our website (see Forms):

 www.manchestercob.net 

 

CPR is being offered on Monday, December 6 from 6-9 pm. Cost is $20 per person and will cover first aid, cpr and AED (automated external defibrillator)We need to know if you plan to attend so we can assemble hand-outs. If this date will not work for you, let us know so we can plan another training session. The class cost $20.

Call the church office, Debbie Chinworth at 982-4881 or Ann Hartsough at 982-6131.

 

Thank you for opening your building to host the Fellowship of Churches Community Thanksgiving Worship Service. 122 people attended (including the Manchester High School Select Choir directed by Marilyn Sexton Mason). The non-perishable food items were picked up by Rowena Greer on behalf of the Fellowship Food Pantry.

 

 

Ray and I truly appreciated being able to visit the Manchester congregation and attend the Gathering over last weekend. The warmth and hospitality of the congregation was super. Seeing all of those once great leaders of the church gather in the sanctuary for worship was for me the highlight of the weekend. I have known and appreciated so many of them. With gratitude, Elaine S.

 

Dear Friends, Thank you so much for your warm hospitality at the Progressive Gathering. I especially appreciated that you used REAL DISHES & silverware, and that you served healthy food. They were delicious! Blessings on your continued ministries. 

Peace, Nan Erbaugh

 

Since 2002, the Learn More Center has helped nearly 1,500 Wabash County adults acquire essential skills in reading, math, writing and computer use. Our programs help create individual paths to employment and improvement. While financial contributions to the Learn More Center are appreciated (contributions made before December 31 will be matched $1 for $1) we are also in desperate need of tutors. Your contributions will help eliminate illiteracy and enhance employability – which means less poverty and more prosperity for Wabash County.

Contact the Learn More Center, 603 Bond Street, PO Box 272, or call 982-6138 to become a tutor to an adult learner. www.learnmorecenter.org 

 Connections with our District and Denomination …

 

Your gifts to the Church of the Brethren Advent Offering Prepare the Way for Christ’s perfect peace and justice to be born again into the world. Together we provide a host of wonderful gifts for our brothers and sisters, our neighbors and even those who might be considered enemies. Such gifts tell the Good News of God’s presence with us through the birth of the Christ Child. Please return your specially designated offering envelope to the church by December 5.

 

Week of December 5. This is often an especially busy time of year for pastors and other church staff members. Give God thanks for them and their service, and then take a moment to tell them “thank you” for their ministry in your faith community.

Week of December 12.  As we pray for “Peace on Earth” during the Advent season, pause to also remember all those who live in areas of war and violence and can only dream of peace. Pray that Christ’s peace may reach them in difficult times.

Week of December 19. Pause in the joy and wonder of Christmas and simply open yourself to God’s presence. Say a special prayer of thanks for the ultimate gift of Jesus Christ that we celebrate at this season and throughout the year.

Week of December 26. Reflect thoughtfully on the past year with all the blessings and challenges along the way. Thank God for accompanying you through all circumstances and pray for the Spirit’s leading in the year ahead.

 

Standing Committee Delegate Jeff Castetter has scheduled Special Response Hearings. These are facilitated discussions to assist the Standing Committee of Annual Conference in formulating its recommendations to next year’s Annual Conference regarding the 2008 Standing Committee Statement of Confession and Commitment and the 2009 Query: Language on Same-sex Covenantal Relationships. Please put this hearing on your calendar to participate in the process of listening, as well as giving input:

·       Saturday, December 4, 9:30-11:30 am at Grandview C/B

 

Winamac, Indiana, Flood Recovery project this coming December 12-18, We are asking for volunteers for painting, and finish work as the project winds down. If you can help, contact Cliff Kindy at kindy@cpt.org or phone 260-982-2971.

The Haiti Workcamp information packet is available in the church office.

 

Dear Church Family,

By now you have had a chance to explore our new web-site. Some of you have made wonderful suggestions and contributions. Thank you so much!

For a limited time, we will continue to send you these links until you get a chance to add them to your list of “Favorites”

Web-Site: www.manchestercob.net

Middle School Sub Sale: under the “Forms” tab, you will find a drop-down list. Fill out and submit your sub order by December 12 so we can compile them. Your “customized” sandwich should then be ready for you to pick up after worship on December 19.

Newsletter: under the “Meet Us” tab, there is a drop-down box with the current issue of our newsletter. Next to it you can find the archive list. You can add the newsletter link directly to your list of “Favorites” if you don’t want to go through the drop-down box:

The Church Calendar loads automatically when you click on the “Events” tab. You can add this link directly to your list of “Favorites” as well:

 http://www.manchestercob.net/events.php

Feel free to explore the other tabs and let us know your reactions. We want to make it as user-friendly as possible. We encourage articles and content, photos and clips (we reserve the option to edit as needed and appropriate). Please send your items to our e-mail: manchestercob@gmail.com