Dec. 18-24, 2016
Monday, December 19
9:00 am
Genesis Singers Wrap Gifts @ Bass Pro Shop
6:00 pmSPRC MeetingWES 102
Friday, December 23
Office Closes at 12pm
Saturday, December 24
4:00 pm
5:00 pm
7:00 pm
11:00 pm
Family Christmas Eve Service
Come and Go Communion
Candlelight Communion Service
Candlelight Communion Service
Return Service Requested
Sunday, December 18
8:30 amTraditional WorshipSanctuary
9:45 am
Sunday School
11:00 amTraditional WorshipSanctuary
11:00 am
The Well Pratt Hall
4:00 pm
Prayer Ministry Team
WES 210
U.S. POSTAGE
PAID
Permit No.37
Non-Profit Organization
Calendar for the Week of December 18-24, 2016
Pratt Hall
Sanctuary
Sanctuary
Sanctuary
100 East 4th Street
Prattville, Alabama 36067
First United Methodist Church
Rhonda Vaughn by Mrs Martha Debusk
Death- Mary Ellen Avant, FUMC Member
Every year, about this time, I write an article to those who have lost something…
or someone…or themselves. So this article is dedicated to all the folks for whom
this Christmas may not be ‘holly’ and ‘jolly’ and ‘merry.’ I have said on several
occasions that Christmas tends to turn up the volume on our emotions. That is,
if you’re basically a happy person – a person who sees the good in life and people
– a person who sees color and joy, Christmas will turn the volume up for you.
You will tend to be happier…you will ‘sing and make merry.’
Second, go and do some volunteer work. Over the years I have had many people
tell me that when they got involved with some organization and volunteered
to do something that helped others, it made all the difference. You see, God
has designed us in such a way that our soul rejoices when we make the life of
another person better. By volunteering, you are giving of yourself and your time
to a cause you believe in.
A Gift Has Been Given in Honor of:
Extended Family- Cheryl Anderson, Eric Cates, Pamela Cooper, Charlotte
Courson, Karleigh Crabtree, Donna Denning, Sally Dewberry, Kevin, Brenda
Lewis, John Mayberry, Sandy Mead, Buddy Middlebrooks, Linda Morgan, Sue
Pruett, Rex Reddish, Tommy Sargent, (new to prayer list) Merrick Moncrief,
Ed Thompson
“For Those Who Have Lost…..”
I want to offer some observations. These come from having done what I do for
over 30 years and having seen hundreds of people limp through times when
others were joyful and life was good. First, do not isolate yourself. When you are
alone, the mind tends to play, over and over again, memories of past times. This
can easily begin a descent toward depression. Instead, as hard and awkward as it
may seem, seek out friends and/or family and surround yourself with others.
Wilma Slade by Mrs Rebecca Crews
Ralph Ward by Mr & Mrs David Schulz
Mabel Ward by Mr & Mrs David Schulz
Kathy Beckfield by Mr & Mrs David Schulz
Mabel Whetstone by Mr & Mrs David Schulz
Houston Meadows by the David R White Sunday School Class
Church Family- Hunter Baxter, Clara Birchfield, The Brasel Family, Matt
Creel, Polly Crenshaw, Jane Finley, Joyce Flournoy, Barbara Glass, Andy
Hudman, Susan Lipscomb, Jessica McDonald, Louise Moody, Ashley Petrunic,
Eddie Pope, Jeremy Seamon, Joan Taylor, Evelyn Wyatt
Worship • Grow • Serve • Multiply
But of you are a person who isn’t that way, Christmas will turn the volume
up on that as well. This might be a very tough season for you for a variety of
reasons. Some of you reading these words have lost a loved one – or a job – or
a relationship - or your health has made a major turn this year. This is the first
Christmas for you without…….(you fill in the blank). People are so different and
what impacts one deeply may not have a lasting effect on another person at all.
A Gift Has Been Given in Memory of:
Through Our Prayers
THE WEEKLY WORD
Third, choose praise and encouragement. As I said to our congregation this
past Sunday, praise is not a mood – it is a mindset. Choosing to praise God,
REGARDLESS of your circumstance, will change your entire disposition. Do not
allow yourself to fall into the cavern of complaining. Then, make the decision
each day to look for the good in someone and tell them. Nothing brightens a
person’s day more than being told that they are doing something well. Make it
your goal to encourage at least 3 people each day. You will find that your entire
view of the world will be better.
My family and I wish all of you a blessed and Christ-filled Christmas.
Pastor Bobby ,
100 East 4th Street, Prattville, Alabama 36067
334-365-5977 www.prattvillemethodist.org
Children's Ministry
Worship
This Sunday, December 18 , 2016
Worship
GriefShare, the grief support group for
those who have experienced the loss of
a loved one, has begun a new 13-week
session. They meet on Tuesdays from
6:00 - 8:00 pm in the church parlor.
Please extend an invitation to your
friends, neighbors and family members.
GriefShare is open to the community.
Highlights:
Sermon:
Service of Lessons
and Carols
Worship
Grow
Serve
Multiply
Through Our Gifts
2016 Operating Budget
$1,198,139.76
Total Received 12/11/16
$37,404.18
Total Received For 2016
as of 12/11/16:
$950,962.73
Total E-Giving Received For 2016
as of 12/11/16:
$42,441.02
Through our Presence
Worship- 614
Sunday School- 278
This Week's Prayer Focus:
To express our confidence in
God's promises.
Announcements
The church office will be closed at noon
on December 23rd and all day December
26th and 27th for the Christmas holidays.
If you need a pastor during these times,
contact Pastor Bobby Ellisor at 334-5957005 or Pastor Drew Willis at 334-5900942.
New Office Hours
Beginning January 6th, the office will
close at noon on Fridays.
Who is interested?
We are exploring having a class on Dave
Ramsey's Financial Peace University and
would like to know if there is enough
interest to pursue it. There would be a
cost of $109 for a family membership
and a 9 week commitment to the class
beginning Wednesdays from 7-8 pm in
February. A nursery would be provided.
If you would be interested, please call the
church office at 365-5977 or drop by and
add your name to the list. This would
also be open to the community, so ask
your friends if they might be interested.
Available- Christmas mugs and Nativity sets are available in the church office for a
suggested donation of $1 for the mugs and $5 for the Nativity.
2017 Nicaragua Mission Trip
There's still time to join the 2017
Nicaragua Mission Trip! The date has
been set for July 14-22, 2017. In addition
to our annual home building project,
we are working to expand our mission
at El Ayudante and the community we
serve in Nicaragua. If you are interested
in teaching music or arts and crafts to
children, or another service area, please
consider this incredible rewarding
opportunity. Visit www.eanicaragua.
com to learn about where we stay and
serve. The deadline to join is January
8, 2017. Contact Cathy Latham (334220-5449), John Parks (334-2025-5755)
or Drew Willis (334-365-5977) for more
information.
Poinsettia Deadline
December 21st
The last date to purchase your poinsettia
to be placed in the Sanctuary during
Advent in memory or honor of a loved
one or friend is December 21st. Available
on a first come, first served basis, large
red poinsettias are $23 and small red
are $14 each, payment made at the
time of order in the church office or
you may make your payment online at
www.prattvillemethodist.org/giving.
Poinsettias may be picked up after the
10:00 am Christmas Morning service.
Help beautify our Sanctuary during the
Christmas season and recognize a special
person in your life.
Announcements:
The Children's Ministry is in need of substitute teachers that would be able to
teach a children's Sunday school class if needed. Would you be willing to be on this
list? If so, please call the church office at 365-5977. Thank you!
Needed for VBS: Wrapping paper rolls and paper towel rolls. Please look for
collection boxes around the church or bring to the church office.
Music Ministry
Gift Wrapping!
The Genesis Singers will be wrapping gifts for donations at Bass Pro Shop from 9AM
- 9:30PM on Monday, December 19th. Come get some shopping done, get your gifts
wrapped, and support the Genesis Singers 2017 choir tour!
The History Behind Lessons and Carols
The Music and Contemporary Worship Ministries of First United Methodist
Church are pleased to present church-wide Services of Lessons and Carols this Sunday, December 18th at 8:30 am in the sanctuary and at 11:00 am in the sanctuary and
The Well.
First presented at Truro Cathedral in Cornwall, England on Christmas Eve 1878,
this service features scripture lessons- or passages and accompanying carols that tell
the story of the fall of humanity, the promised coming of the Messiah, and the birth
of Christ. Our adaptation of this service, featuring six lessons taken from the United
Methodist Book of Worship, and carols presented by the Chancel Choir and well Worship Team, is drawn from the 1918 version presented by the Choir of King's College in
Cambridge. We hope to see you this Sunday!
Youth Ministry
Winter Retreat and DNOW
Register NOW for Winter Retreat (Jan 14-16) and DNOW (Feb 17-18). Winter Retreat
is an annual event for the Harbor Youth group and takes place at the 4H Center in
Columbiana, AL. Cost is $100 and scholarships are available. New to the calendar is
Discipleship Now (DNOW), an opportunity where students from Prattville churches
come together for a weekend of worship and discipleship. Cost in $45, scholarships also
are available.