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Circuit Rider December 2018
Pastor Rev. Dr. Solomon Sudhakar, PhD
Cell: 773.936.8979 [email protected]
Church Office Janelle Henson Phone: 815/625-0114
Director of Music Ministries Kevin O’Keefe
Organists Pat Simester
Lori Kyger Tom Luther
Pianist Lori Kyger
Director of Christian Education
Jodi Perez
Custodian
Craig Deem
03 – John & Lynn Marshall 07 – Jim & Susan Weeks 08 – Darwin & Traci Nettleton 10 – Loyd & Joanne Crocker 21 – Bob & Marilee Ashley 28 – Matt & Angel Lillpop
02 – Lyndsey Hollowell 04 – Loretta Cullison 05 – Bill Burnette 07 – Tim Eshleman 07 – Kevin Henson 07 – Mandy Pinske 08 – Doug Kent 09 – Cody Britt 09 – Joanne Crocker 14 – Chuck Slifer 15 – James Hardt 15 – Angel Lillpop 16 – Lori Kyger 16 – Raychel Scott 25 -JESUS 27 – Vicki Scott 28 – Olivia Wolf 29 – Ken Hines 30 – Donna Hoffman
Blessings to our members who celebrated their 50th Wedding Anniversaries this year! Bob and Marilee Ashley Lyle and Vicki Butler Leonard and Mary Janssen Craig and Sue Wolfe Blessings to our members who celebrated their 70th Wedding Anniversaries this year! Art and Ruth Deem Jack and Daisy Linker
Check out these Easy Ways to Help Raise $$ for RFUMC!
Need gift cards for Christmas presents?…Shop with Scrip and raise money for our church! See Suzie Branch for details. Don’t forget to connect your Kroger Plus card to earn Community Rewards for our church as well!
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Join us Christmas Eve for our Candlelight Service @ 7pm
Please have all weekly bulletin and informer information to Janelle by Wednesday morning. You can call the office @ 815-625-0114 or email to [email protected] if you have any special information you would like to see. Thank you!
The angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord. This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.” Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying, “Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests”.
Luke 2:10-14
Dear Friends in Christ: Greetings and Blessings to you all during this season as we anticipate and wait for the coming
of our Lord Jesus Christ. Peace and Best wishes to you as you celebrate Christmas 2018! The passage from Luke as printed above is a great description of the announcement of the birth
of Jesus by the angels on that first Christmas day. This is the good news that brings great joy for all who wait for the coming of the messiah into their lives. God has come to us in the form of this little child wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger. Our foundational and most basic manifestation of the Divine, comes in and through the person Jesus. This understanding reinforces God’s self-identification with humanity and the world of the weak, vulnerable, the outcaste and the polluted, as reflected in the existential experiences of many. The life and work of Jesus the Christ is one that is vulnerable and one that has the capacity to suffer, and yet, liberate and transform. This Jesus is the human face of God, not merely a messenger or a prophet but God’s own self that came as a self-revelation to humankind. If God became human in this way, that tells us something about how we might seek our own fullest humanity – not in quests for power and wealth and fame but in service, solidarity with the despised and rejected, and the willingness to be vulnerable in love. For God so loved the world that he gave his only son Jesus Christ to suffer and liberate you and me from sin. Therefore let us join the heavenly chorus in singing, “Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests”. Even as we join the heavenly chorus, today we have people all around us who are waiting to hear something ‘good’, we have people around us who are going through difficult situations in their lives with sickness, loneliness, loss of loved ones, so on and so forth. We need to be those voices of hope and assurance and joy. This Christmas time let us strive to live as channels of God’s love and mercy. Let us intercede for one another. Let us try mend and restore relationships. Let us try to bring smiles on people’s faces and joy in people’s hearts. Let us pray for the sick and lonely. Let us pray for the weak and vulnerable. Let us pray for the hungry and homeless. Let us pray for our elderly members. And finally let us pray for peace in our country and around the world.
At church we are all planning for special services during advent and Christmas time. The chil-
dren are preparing for their Christmas pageant on Sunday Dec 16th. Choir members are preparing for special music during this season. Last month we had our Lay Servant ministries visit some of our elderly members and administered communion. We also have several members, especially young couples join our communion ushers group. Saturday Dec 1st we have a training session, and I will also encourage them to take communion and visit some of our elderly members in the future. On Dec 5th at noon, our church women have organized an all church Christmas lunch and celebrations. I heard it is going to be fun with lots of good food. Come and enjoy!
God Bless you and I wish you all a Merry & Blessed Christmas!
Pastor Solomon
Thank you Christa Moeller
and the rest of the volunteers
who helped decorate the
church during Hanging of the
Greens!
SAVE THE DATE!!! SUNDAY DECEMBER 16TH Children’s Christmas Program
during Sunday morning worship
UMW COOKIE SALE FOLLOWING THE SERVICE Cookie donations are needed! Drop off Saturday the 15th between 1—3 at the Church, or before service on the 16th See Robyn Meinen for details.
Christmas Luncheon
Wednesday, December 5th
12:15pm | Pippert Hall
All men & women are invited and welcome to come!
Thank You December Volunteers!!
Ushers: Alec Akerman, Luke
Akerman, Evan Laws, and
Matt Laws
Coffee Time:
12/2
12/9
12/16 UM Women Cookie Sale
12/23
Greeters: Lynn & John Jr. Marshall
Harlan & Pansy Browning
December 2018
Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat
1
9-10 am Communion
Training
2 10am
Christmas Program Practice
3 4 5 12:15 pm All
Church Christmas Luncheon
6 7 8
9 *
10am Christmas Program Practice
10 11
10-11am Bear
Necessities Work Day
12 13 14 15
10-12pm Bear
Necessities
16 **
9am Youth Christmas Program
Cookie Sale
17 18 19
6:15 pm Bell Choir
7pm Chancel Choir
20 21 22
23
No Sunday School or
Confirmation
24
Candlelight Service
7pm
25 26 27 28 29
30
No Sunday School or
Confirmation
31 * Bear Necessities
Offering ** Noisy
Plate Offering
For Committee Chairs: UMW, Memorial, Heritage Foundation, Bear Necessities & Scrip
The Annual Church Audit will begin in Mid-January. Please begin gathering your bank statements and any supporting documentation which may be needed for the audit.
NO Sunday School classes on December 23rd or 30th!
Sunday School will resume on
Sunday, January 6th
2019 Church Offering Envelopes are available in the Narthex!
Now would be the perfect time to consider Electronic Funds Transfer (EFT) for your Church Giving.
EFT is a method of instructing financial institutions to transfer money from one bank account to another bank account electronically.
PROVIDES MORE CONSISTENT GIVING EFT eliminates the need for a paper check and the costs related to check processing. The payments post to your account the next business day following the initiation of
your payment. Convenience - you no longer have to remember to write a check or put cash in an
envelope each week. Timing – you can choose to have the money sent weekly, bi-weekly, or monthly.
Forms are available in the Café Brandt. If you have additional questions about how this process works, please contact Janelle Henson (815-440-8282).
Completed forms may be turned into the church office.
Rock Falls United Methodist Church Council Meeting
Thursday, November 15, 2018
Those present included the Pastor, Jodi Perez, Marsha Thompson, Tom Thompson, Kevin Henson, Larry Thompson, Janelle Henson, Carol and Russ Siefken.
Devotions Jodi.
Opening Prayer Pastor
Staff Parrish - the committee asked for the Church Council to agree that the church could hire some-one from our church for the Secretary Job. A vote was taken it was agreed. Staff Parrish hired Janelle Henson to be the new Church Secretary for a trial period of six months at $9.50 per hour.
Finance – we have received $1,795 for the Thanksgiving offering, this will go towards the property in-surance for 2019. We have received $1,261 for the fire door. We have two offerings left in this month. A Christmas letter will be send the end of the month, that money will also be used for 2019 insurance.
Trustees –getting bids for the fire door. Lining up someone to do the walks and the drive this winter.
Church Women – had a great beef and noodle dinner, took in $2,402. Cookie sale will be on Sunday December 16. Will be hosting a Christmas Lunch on Wednesday December 5 for anyone in the church.
Sesquicentennial - securing a list of all the past pastors. Will be putting together an invitation letter for the celebration August 2019.
Christian Education - Christmas program will be on December 16. Worked on getting items ready for the Rock Falls Hometown Holidays had 30 kids and adults from our church.
Pastor – great support for the Church Conference. Pastor said he is sad about the finances, but hopeful for the future of our church, and knows with God’s help we WILL succeed. Jodi and Craig are now Lay Servants. Happy with so many attending the session about shootings. Will have a special Christmas Eve service. We have the new bells but we need a few people to join the group, get a hold of Kevin or the church office. Handed out “Respectful Communication Guidelines” for the Church Council.
Chair Report – thanks to everyone for returning their special Thanksgiving envelope, plus for helping with the cost of the fire door for the west side of our building. There was a great crowd for the Charge Conference. Thanks to our Church Women and all their helpers for the wonderful beef and noodle dinner. Welcome to Janelle Henson as the new church Secretary. She is has been our treasurer this year, taking care of the finances and also filling in when the last three secretaries moved on. She knows the ropes and will do a great job. Thanks to all our church members for continuing to honor their pledges for 2018.
Next meeting will be on January 17, 2019.
Non Profit Organization
U.S. Postage Paid
Permit #48
Rock Falls, IL 61071
Rock Falls United Methodist Church 210 4th Avenue Rock Falls, IL 61071 ADDRESS SERVICE REQUESTED
Office Hours Monday-Friday
9AM-12PM
Sunday Service 9AM Wednesday Service 5:30PM
Sunday School 10AM
