DECEMBER 2019 The ONNE TION - storage.googleapis.com€¦ · their awesome teachers. Ms. Hearns Autism Classroom is made up of 7 middle school students: 3 non-verbal students, 2 higher-functioning

The CONNECTION

OUR VISION

Living up to our heritage of reaching each new generation for Christ.

OUR MISSION

To Put Jesus F.I.R.S.T. In Our Lives, Our Church, and Our Community.

DECEMBER 2019

Happy December, friends! It's hard to believe that the "most wonderful time of the year" is upon us ... but it is! And as the Body of Christ, we are preparing for the arrival of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ -- born in a manger in Bethlehem to journey to the sacrificial cross of Lent/Easter. What a beautiful season begins! I look forward to sharing this Advent/Christmas season with you.

Advent begins December 1st, which is also Communion Sunday. On this Special Sunday, our Communion Rail Offering will go to help with needed supplies for Ms. Hearns' Autism Class at Dothan Preparatory School. I hope to also help support their Christmas Party again this year as we extend the love of Christ to the students and their awesome teachers.

Ms. Hearns Autism Classroom is made up of 7 middle school students: 3 non-verbal students, 2 higher-functioning students, and multiple personalities sharing one classroom Each student enjoys different activities. For example, one of our students is a great artist, one is in LOVE with Papa John's pizza, one is a great story teller, and another one is non-verbal, but loves to work! Each day is a new adventure for this beautiful class.

Our very own Danielle Atwell is one of the class teachers and we feel very blessed to have the opportunity to bless and support this class as they strive to be all they can be, made in the image of Christ.

Together, let's remember them in a special way through our Communion Rail Offering on December 1st. Thank you -- Happy Advent and Merry Christmas!

Love, Pastor T

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Greystone United Methodist Church

An Advent Invitation …

O Come, O Come Emmanuel

In the first chapter of the Gospel According to Luke, these words are recorded: “God sent the angel Gabriel to Nazareth, a village in Galilee, to a virgin named Mary. She was engaged to be married to a man named Joseph, a descendant of King David. Gabriel appeared to her and said, ‘Greetings, favored woman! The Lord is with you!’ Confused and disturbed, Mary tried to think what the angel could mean. ‘Don’t be afraid, Mary,’ the angel told her, ‘for you have found favor with God! You will conceive and give birth to a son, and you will name him Jesus. He will be very great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his ancestor David. And he will reign over Israel forev-er; his Kingdom will never end!’”

It is Advent – and once again, we find ourselves waiting for the arrival of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.

May we wait in peace. May we wait in hope. May we wait in joy. May we wait in trust. May we wait in love.

Together, that is what we plan to do during this beautiful season of Advent -- each Sunday, God's Word will inspire us into living a life of peace, hope, joy, trust, and love as we wait together for the Christ Child.

Make plans to join us each Sunday for Sunday School at 9:00 a.m. and Worship at 10:00 a.m.

And Christmas Eve promises to be a beautiful service of Candlelight/Communion Worship for all as we gather to rejoice in the nativity made complete. (Service at 5:00 p.m.)

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December 1 First Sunday of Advent Sunday School 9:00 A.M.

Worship Service 10:00 A.M.

(Greeters) Doris Spears/Priscilla Bird/Caleb Bullard

(Ushers) Bill Hart/Allen Brackin/Bobby Vick/Mike Johnson

K1 KIDZ— Patty Johnson Pre-School—Mary Bullard Nursery—Suzanne Harden

Coffee Nook Nibbles: Frances Foster

No Evening Service.

December 8 Second Sunday of Advent

Sunday School 9:00 A.M. Worship Service 10:00 A.M.

(Greeters) Pam Pilcher/Cornelia Cooper/Madison Bullard



Coffee Nook Nibbles: Allen Brackin

No Evening Service.

December 15 Third Sunday of Advent


(Greeters) Kathi Dasinger/Gayla Miskell/Olivia Bullard



Coffee Nook Nibbles: Need Volunteer

No Evening Service.

December 22 Fourth Sunday of Advent


(Greeters) Charm Russler/Carol Kinney/Caleb Bullard




No Evening Service.

December 29 Sunday School 9:00 A.M.

Worship Service 10:00 A.M.

(Greeters) Allen /Mary Beth Brackin/Addison Godwin




No Evening Service.

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A Special Offering for the United Methodist Children's Home …

Christmas Season isn’t about toys or presents or what’s under the tree. It’s about sharing joy, love, and family. Unfortunately, there are children in our communities who have been abandoned, neglected, and left without the support they so desperately need. But with your help, we can give them the greatest gift of all… hope, love, and a place to call home.

Mark this season of giving with a donation to the United Methodist Children’s Home. Your gift will help us provide shelter, love and better opportunities for children in need. It’s perhaps the greatest give you will give this Christmas Season.

Greystone UMC will be receiving these special offerings for the United Methodist Children’s Home through Sunday, December 29th. Thank you in advance for remembering these special children once again this year!


Welcome to Greystone,

Shelia Eschbach!

On November 10th, Greystone UMC was

blessed by our newest member

officially joining our Faith Family:

Shelia Eschbach.

Welcome, Shelia!

Please take the time to welcome her as our new sister-in-Christ and invite her to be a part of your small groups and Sunday School Classes! How thankful we are that she chose to make Greystone UMC her Church Home!

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January 21st at Noon

here at the Church.

Bring a friend & a dish to

share. Fried Chicken

will be provided.

Everyone is welcome!!!

Come join us for a time of

Friendship, Laughter and

Fellowship.

Everyone is welcome &

encouraged to come!!!

Contact Shirley Brackin or Jennifer

Hamilton for more information.

Hostesses: TBD

A.R.M.E.D., Greystone's Men's

Ministry, is a ministry for men and boys

of all ages. Their love for Christ unites

them with this ministry about

missions. The men meet the second

Tuesday of every month at 6:30pm in

the church sanctuary for a meal,

fellowship, and planning.

Next Meeting-

December 9th at 6:30 p.m.

Faith Circle is one of our Women’s Groups that

meets every month (second Tuesday) at 9:30

a.m. A brunch and time of devotion is shared

and enjoyed by all.

Grace/Love Circle is another Women’s Group

that meets at Mama Rosa’s on the third Monday

of every month at 6:00 p.m. for dinner,

fellowship and time of devotion.

Christian Women United (C.W.U.) is both of our

Women’s Groups combined. C.W.U. meets

quarterly at the Church for a Covered-Dish

Lunch and time of fellowship.

All women are invited to be a part of these

wonderful gatherings!

Christian Women United Circle Ministry Groups

Donation for Love In Action: Shampoo Donations for Wesley Place’s store

C.W.U. December 3 at 12 p.m. at church

. FAITH CIRCLE

December 10 at 11:30 a.m.

Grace-Love Circle December 16 at Mama Rosa’s at 6 p.m.


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Greystone UMC Children & Youth News What a blessing is was to watch our youth and children as they presented the skit for

Youth Sunday last month! I may be prejudiced, but I believe these are some of the most

talented young people around.

God is using our young people in a mighty way through the Stick Ministry and through our

monthly mission work at The Harbor Church. We have been told that the congregation at

The Harbor looks forward to the first Wednesday of each month. Every time I go there I

realize how blessed I am and how much more I could do to help those in need.

It is Operation Christmas Child time again and we are once again filling shoe boxes. We also

have an opportunity for a team of 8 people to work at the Operation Christmas Child

Processing Center in Atlanta. We will leave the church Saturday December 21 at 6:30 a.m.

and will return around 10:00 p.m. Youth will sign up first and we will fill the remaining

slots with adults.

I just want to say what an honor and pleasure it is to work with your youth and to serve

along with Pastor Teresa and the rest of the Greystone staff. Thank you all for allowing

me this opportunity.

Youth, don’t forget our regularly scheduled activities:

Sunday School at 9:00 a.m. with Mrs. Patti Walker.

Wednesday Night Stick Ministry practice.

Sunday Night Bible Study for youth and children.

God bless our December!

Mike

Youth and Children’s Christmas Party

Wednesday, December 11th

5:00-6:30 p.m.

Arts and Crafts, Handing Out Gifts for Cheerful Hearts, and more!

See you here!

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Yes, it’s that time of year…

A time for giving and sharing the joy of Christmas with family and friends and those less

fortunate.

The unwrapped gifts purchased for our “Cheerful Hearts’ Angel Tree” need to be brought to the church by

Dec. 4th at which time we will have a gift wrapping party in lieu of Wednesday Night Bible Study.

Whether you plan to help with the wrapping or not be sure to label EACH GIFT with the Cheerful Heart

participant’s name so we can check off that all have been provided for in this holiday season.

On Wed. Dec. 11th we will host a fabulously joyful Christmas party and banquet for them, and YES, YOU

ARE INVITED! This is always such a fun, festive, and truly joyful event with beautifully adorned table

settings, lots of holiday music, games, and a time of devotion as we hear the Christmas story from

scripture. Even Santa enjoys this event and will be on hand to pass out the gifts to our dear friends. As

is our custom, volunteers will prepare the meal and serve our guests first. The event begins at 5:00

with the meal being served around 5:30. There are still a few preparations to be made for the

banquet, one of which is the need for 4 or 5 more centerpieces. If you would like to share a festive,

Christmas centerpiece for this night only please let Ann Hart know (792-6805) or call the Church office.

If you plan to attend, it is important to sign up as for a Wed. night supper. A banquet style meal, $4 per

person, will be served for this holiday occasion. Thank you for your generous and compassionate support

in this ministry and please continue to keep our guests and our ministry in your prayers.


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'Tis the season...

Memories. More than any other time of the year, it seems that Christmas is the one that has the most memories for many. I have vivid memories of Christmas when I was young. We had (and my parents still have) a tradition of going to one of my Aunt's homes for Christmas Eve and we would eat, open presents, laugh and have a great time together. Time flew by and soon we were creating fun memories with our own family, watching our children eat, open presents, laugh and have a great time together.

However, for some, this time of year is anything but full of wonderful memories.

It may be because of the loss of a parent or a parent walking out or one was never been around to begin with. It could bring back memories of a terrible experience with a relative that is not talked about. Maybe it is the disappointment of never getting what you really wanted, therefore, you never really felt loved. Whatever the reason, for you, Christmas is not always the happy occasion everyone makes it out to be.

Sometimes it is difficult to know how to bridge the gap between the different experiences that we each have. Maybe for you, your memories are happy and joyful … so talking with someone who doesn't like this time of year may be a struggle. Or maybe your memories are painful and you are just trying to get through this time of year, gritting your teeth as you reply "Merry Christmas" for the umpteenth time.

Our Christmas Musical this year is named, "Waiting for Christmas." Regardless of which camp above you fall into, we are all waiting for Christmas. Some of the narration for the Musical is by a young girl named Sarah. She has written a letter to her Nanna, excited about the upcoming visit to her house. Sara writes about happy memories of food, people and presents. But there is also a memory that is not so happy mentioned. The song the choir sings after that exchange is called, "A Brand New Christmas." Without going any further...don't want to spoil the whole thing...what would "a brand new Christmas" look like for you? What would you want to be different this year?

Christmas is the beginning of God's plan of redemption.

Upcoming Events:

Christmas Musical -

Caroling to Wesley Place and Extendicare - 12/8/2019 (leave Church at 5:00 p.m.)

Christmas Musical - 12/15/2019, 10:00 a.m. Worship Service

Making a joyful noise, Chris


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Birthdays, Anniversaries And Other Important Stuff

ATTENDANCE

November 3 November 10

Sunday School: 45 Sunday School: 37

Worship: 90 Worship: 99

November 17 November 24

Sunday School: 40 Sunday School: 34

Worship: 86 Worship: 82

DECEMBER ANNIVERSARIES

Chris & Heather Adkins 12/05 Tex & Rhonda Rankin 12/09 Rob & Paige Hughes 12/15 Curt & Sherry Anderson 12/16 Rufus & Barbara Haymon 12/16 Ronald & Debbie White 12/17 Bill & Ann Hart 12/28

Newsletter Deadline is now the 20th of each month!

If you are a regular

newsletter-article

contributor OR would like

to contribute an article for

a monthly newsletter, we have put a

new newsletter timeline in place. We

need our monthly articles to please be

submitted no later than the 20th of

each month before the actual

newsletter month. It takes a lot of

time to process each article and

distribute the newsletter, so please try

to make this deadline a priority.

Thank you.

December Birthdays

Lucas Yeoman 12/05 Reagan Axtell 12/05 Lawanna Dykes 12/06 Joe Walker 12/08 Tex Rankin 12/09 Sara Williams 12/09 Michael Monday 12/14 Shirley Brackin 12/16 Billie Rabon 12/16 Bobby Dean 12/17 Davis Loftin 12/17 Saundra McGriff 12/17 Susan Miller 12/19 Pam Pilcher 12/20 Sabrina Watford 12/21 Thenia Park 12/22 Debbie White 12/23 Kenny Pitts 12/24 Mallory Benak 12/25 Frances Foster 12/25 Jennifer Hamilton 12/25 Lamar Miller 12/25 Ronald White 12/25 Glenda Sanders 12/26

November 2019

Income: $17,332.00 Expenses: $21,288.37

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NURSING HOME RESIDENTS

Lindy Sears Candace Helms Debbie Batchelor Beverly Sanders Jo Williams Judy Childree Wanda Schamp Charla Beauchamp Laura Michaud Lawanna Dykes Shirley Brackin Joan De Loach Linda Robbins Tom Walsh Jacob Hartley Lavania Herrington Carolyn Johnson Patricia Grondziak

Bob Schamp William Martin Katherine Hornsby Margaret Dudka Family of Jeanette McCollum Gene Richardson Gypsie Richardson Ruth Perdue Family of Brady Wallace

PRAYER LIST

Lois Christensen (5913 Granger Road, Marianna, FL 32446)

Clyde & Billie Cunningham (102 Pearce Street, 36301)

Polly Fortson (110 Hampshire Street, 36305)

Gerald & Ann McCallister (PO Box 286, Midland City 36350)

Marge Wood (707 Canterbury Dr., 36305)

. "Whatever you ask for in prayer with faith, you will receive." Matthew 21:22

Somerset Extendicare Myra Shewmake(#102) Vernon Sears(#513) Wesley Place Margrette Joiner(#532) Janie Arnold Sara Williams(#510) Troy Health & Rehab Center Billie Rabon(#727) Jerrie Hollis Angelina Walsh (#400) Richard White(#715)

***Please update or make additions to our prayer list by contacting the church office.

Those Serving our Country.........

CPL Cheyenne Anderson (Washington) (granddaughter of Curt & Sherry Anderson)

MAA3 Austin Caylor (Washington) (son of Toby & Veronica Philpot)

PFC Jonathan Hamilton (Jacksonville, NC) (grandson of Buford & Polly Fortson, son of Ted & Jennifer Hamilton)

LCPL Dakota (Cody) Justice (Jacksonville, NC) (son of Chris & Connie Justice)

PVT Penny Justice (Tallahassee, FL) (daughter of Chris & Connie Justice)

SFC Matthew Kingsbury (Alabama)

GySgt Michael Monday (California) (son of Allen & Mary Beth Brackin)

SGT Chris Moore (California) (nephew of Allen & Mary Beth Brackin)

SPC Justin Outlaw (Afghanistan) (great-grandson of Glenda Sanders)

MAJ Justin Shaw (Georgia) (grandson of Buford & Polly Fortson)

SR Robert Williams (Guam) (grandson of Bob & Wanda Schamp)

PO2 Mathew Dwayne Wilson (Seattle, WA) (son of Rick & Sue Wilson)

Homebound

Our Church, Our Community, and Our

Country

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Church Staff

Teresa Seevers Curt Anderson Senior Pastor Congregational Care Pastor

Chris Adkins Mark Robbins

Worship Leader/Choir Director Sound Tech

Carol Kinney Mike Johnson

Pianist Youth Director . Patty Johnson Mary Bullard

Children’s Director Pre-K Teacher

Suzanne Harden Heather Adkins Nursery Custodian

Jennifer Hamilton

Church Administration/IT Tech

Church Office Hours

Monday-Thursday 8:00 a.m.—4:00 p.m.

OFFICE: (334) 794-6725 FAX: (334) 712-9717

Email: [email protected]

Website: www.greystonedothan.org

Facebook: www.facebook.com/

GreystoneUnitedMethodistChurch

Twitter: @GreystoneUMC

Instagram: greystonedothan

F.I.R.S.T. Team Leaders

Fellowship Charm Russler

Instruct Jim Kinney

Reach Susan Loftin

Serve Barbara Haymon

Thanksgiving Carolyn Johnson

A donation was made to Greystone United Methodist Church

In Memory of Jeanette McCollum

By Steve Miller

A donation was made to Greystone United Methodist Church

In Memory of Jeanette McCollum

By The McCollum Family

Greystone Ladies,

Thank you so very much for sacrificing your time today and for the preparation of this wonderful meal. We are truly grateful for your kindness. Please accept this gift to Greystone in Jeanette’s name to continue your good works.

The McCollum Family

Documents

DECEMBER 2019 The ONNE TION - storage.googleapis.com€¦ · their awesome teachers. Ms. Hearns Autism Classroom is made up of 7 middle school students: 3 non-verbal students, 2 higher-functioning