King's Light December 2020 - First Bethel United Methodist ...
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King’s Light
December 2020
Dearly Beloved,
Greetings in the name of our Lord and Savior, Jesus the Christ.
Here we are at the end of another year. This year has not been easy.
It has had many challenges. But with God’s grace we can say we
made it thus far. God is good and continues to be good.
Our Thanksgiving will not look like it did last year and more than
likely, neither will our Christmas. But we will make the best out of
the cards we have been dealt. One thing that life circumstances
have allowed us to be is creative.
This year has allowed me to experience some firsts. I experienced
drive-by baby showers and drive-by birthday parties for the first
time. This is the first time that I experienced ZOOM worship. These
are some of the many things that I have experienced for the very
first time.
Overall, I have enjoyed these first experiences. I am amazed and
proud at the adjustments that we have made as Christians and as a
church family. We made it! Hallelujah we made it! We are now
entering December, with the grace of God. I like many of you, look
forward to what the next year of 2021 will bring. In the meantime,
do no harm, keep doing good, and stay in love with God (John
Wesley, 3 Simple Rules)
May each of you have safe and blessed
Christmas. I look forward to hearing about
your first experiences throughout this Advent
and Christmas season. May God richly bless
you and your family.
Pastor Judy
Four Sundays in Advent
November 29
December 6
December 13
December 20
9AM Worship on site in Sanctuary with limited seating*
10:15 AM FaithLink online via ZOOM
Noon Live Worship online with Pastor Judy via ZOOM
Worship Available on YouTube or Facebook anytime
*Pre-registration is required for on-site worship.
Call Patty in the Church Office at 412-835-0700 or email FBUMC@Verizon.net
before Friday at 2PM to reserve your spot for the following Sunday.
If you have a compromised health condition, are in a high-risk group, or are
simply not feeling well, we ask that you stay home and join us online instead.
Join Pastor Judy for a LIVE worship service
at Noon on Sundays using ZOOM – same time as
always!
https://zoom.us/j/8234301946
or call +1 312 626 6799 and
Meeting ID: 823 430 1946 for audio only
Advent focused worship experience with Advent wreath
lighting liturgy, a short message and special music by
First Bethel folks at a time that works best for you!
Available on demand via our Facebook page or YouTube
https://www.facebook.com/FirstBethelUMC/
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC_5nz-
hWzPv9bnAfeOxGSEw
Join Mike S. on Sundays at 10:15AM for FaithLink
Contact Mike or Gloria if you would like the weekly
FaithLink handout via-email.
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/86564520521
Meeting ID: 865 6452 0521
A Different Kind of Christmas
Please stop by the church and pick up the following items so we can
worship together in spirit during the Christmas season. Items will be
available in the coffee/parlor area or on the porch of the church office.
Use the buzzer at the KSK entrance weekdays 6AM-6PM to enter, then exit
out the coffee area door. Contact Gloria Stephan or Patty in the office if
you can’t stop by and we’ll get the items to you.
Mini Advent Wreath Kits
Includes everything you need for your own mini Advent
wreath, including readings and prayers for each Sunday
in Advent and Christmas Eve.
Reverse Advent Calendar
Join in with other First Bethel Families and do a Reverse
Advent Calendar. Each date has a suggestion for a non-
perishable food item to add to a box that you can donate
to SHIM.
Coloring page and Advent books for the kids
Color your own Advent wreath complete with Hope
Peace Joy Love and Jesus candles. You can even
have an adult share it with us on social media.
Christmas Eve Candle
We have a tea light candle for you to light at home
during the Christmas Eve service on ZOOM, Facebook,
or YouTube since we can’t be together this year.
Church offering envelopes will be available in the Narthex
Christmas Eve 2020
We will be unable to gather physically in
church on Christmas Eve due to the
current COVID-19 situation in our area.
Your safety and wellness will remain our top
priorities through the Christmas season and
beyond.
There will be two opportunities to worship on Christmas Eve and our
prayer is that you will feel God’s presence in a real way even though we
are apart. Celebrate with us in spirit and stay well until we meet again.
Thursday December 24th
4PM Worship online via Facebook or YouTube
Christmas Liturgy and Children’s Message
Pre-recorded Music with Jeff Leonhardt, Sam Campbell and
other First Bethel musicians and vocalists
Candle lighting service – Pick up your candle at church!
Service will be available online from 4PM on so join us at your
convenience
7PM Worship with Pastor Judy live via ZOOM online
https://zoom.us/j/8234301946 or call +1 312 626 6799 and
Meeting ID: 823 430 1946 for audio only
Christmas Liturgy and Christmas Message by Pastor Judy
Live Music with Phil Himmler, Sam Campbell and other
First Bethel folks
Candle lighting service – Pick up your candle at church!
May the spirit of the living God move through us
and bring us together as one in community and love
as we gather virtually on this most holy night.
Amen
Our Men’s Group collected over $2,000 in gift cards
and donations, plus food items towards Thanksgiving
and Christmas meals.
The gifts will be redistributed to several families in need
of a little help during the upcoming holiday season.
Thank you to those of you who chose to sponsor a Home of
Hope Outreach student for a year’s worth of schooling for
$100 per year.
These sponsorships are truly a gift to kids who otherwise
would be educationally deprived.
Thank you for letting your heart reach into your wallet for a
child in Nyadire, Zimbabwe.
A “Thank You, First Bethel” from Phil Himmler
Dear FB Family of mine,
You know that Nyadire, Zimbabwe is deeply imbedded in my heart.
Years ago, I composed a song called LET’S NOT WAIT ‘TIL CHRISTMAS
TO HAVE CHRISTMAS DAY with these lyrics “…the moment we share
God’s love, that’s when Christmas starts!”
You, my friends, started Christmas in September by donating $$ to our
TNC Hunger Appeal. We, TNC (The Nyadire Connection) and I were
hoping to raise $45,000 to feed 407 families for six months.
THANKS TO YOUR GENEROSITY, FIRST BETHEL, TNC raised a total of
$55,000! CHRISTMAS began in September and has been ongoing in
Nyadire, Zimbabwe because you chose to do something good with what
you have.
“If you can’t feed a hundred people, then feed just one”
Mother Theresa
Thank you, Thank you, TATENDA!
Outreach News
by Sally Irick – Outreach Committee Chair
It has been said many times that "it is better to give
than receive". At this moment in time it is
especially true.
The Outreach committee decided to give gift cards to Family Link and
SHIM in leu of our traditional angel tree gifts.
You can brighten someone's Christmas by making a donation You can
mail your donation to the church office or include it on your offering
envelope or online giving form. Please make sure you designate your
donation Christmas Angel Gifts.
We will purchase the gift cards through our youth program so we can help
them with their fund raising. The money needs to be at the Church office
no later than Monday December 7. Thank you for helping spread a little
happiness into a world that is in great need at this unprecedented time.
Our next two Daily Bread dates are Sunday December 6 and January
24. As always, we thank you for supporting our Outreach missions.
May your holidays be blessed! Stay Safe and God Bless.
The United Methodist Church Union is
collecting new winter coats to be distributed
by Pittsburgh’s Zone 1 Police to children,
youth, and teens throughout the city.
Deadline is December 9th
Drop off Sundays 10AM-1PM or Mon-Fri 8AM-
2PM at Calvary UMC, 971 Beech Avenue
Pittsburgh 15233 or Tue-Sat 11AM-3PM at The Olive Branch, 1160 Perry
Highway, Wexford 15090 For more information or to schedule a pickup or
drop off, please call 412-231-4900
Help TNC Meet The “Cash For Clinics” Challenge!
Since 2013, The Nyadire Connection
(“TNC”) has partnered successfully with the
United Methodist Mission in Nyadire,
Zimbabwe to rebuild rural health clinics. To
date, four of six clinics have been
refurbished, on-time and on-budget. Work
is ongoing on the next clinic,
Mashambanhaka (shown at right), and we
need your help to complete it. The United
Methodist Foundation of Western
Pennsylvania (“UMF”) has issued TNC a challenge grant: UMF will match up to
$25,000 of donations received by TNC by Dec. 31. To help meet the challenge,
TNC will host a one-hour Zoom webinar with testimonials from several
Zimbabweans, who will attest to the importance and life changing/life-saving
capabilities of the clinics. Please join us for this event, and help TNC to meet the
“Cash For Clinics” Challenge.
TNC Challenge Grant Webinar
7PM Eastern Time on Wednesday, December 2
To join, please click this link:
https://dentons.zoom.us/j/93323866570?pwd=TmY2T29IYkwranNCQ1ZDajVxd3c
1QT09 Or join by phone toll-free (1-877-853-5247 or 1-888-788-0099), along
with a Webinar ID (933 2386 6570) and Passcode (107848)
You can always donate through the following link on TNC’s website:
http://www.nyadire.org/donate.html
Please specify that your donation is for Rural Medical Clinics.
Donations to TNC are tax-deductible.
Have some shopping to do?
Here are two great online shopping opportunities that are also fundraisers
for our church.
Our Sarris Candies fundraiser will be online
and contactless this year!
Go to http://SarrisCandiesFundraising.com
Choose Order Here and enter
Group ID# 10-1027
Due to COVID-19, Sarris is offering Free Ground Shipping with no
minimum purchase. Fundraiser ends December 20th and proceeds benefit
First Bethel church ministries. Contact Charlene Phillips with questions.
Boon Supply has a great mix of eco-conscious
products, seasonally designed and sustainably
sourced. With every purchase, we will get 40% back
towards First Bethel’s 2021 ASP mission trip.
Help us by shopping the Boon Supply online store
using this link:
https://www.boonsupply.com/collections/611525-first-
bethel-asp
All products ship direct to you and the fundraiser runs
through June 2021.
Special Offerings for Ministries
Church Council highlights a special ministry area each month for extra mile
giving. These important ministry areas are provided here for your
consideration.
Simply indicate your gift in the Other area of
your offering envelope or online giving form.
December Youth Group
January Camping Ministries
Library News
Our Christmas Treasury
Our Library has a wonderful selection of Christmas books, including classics every child
loves. Let us know which titles you would like to check out during this special season, and
we will make arrangements to get them to you. Contact Lea Cook or the church office.
Some of our Christmas favorites:
A Christmas Snow How to Catch Santa
A Shepherd’s Song Sarah’s Song
A Treasury of Christmas Miracles: Snowmen at Christmas
True Stories of God’s Presence
The Christmas Candle
Advent Storybook
The Last Christmas Ride
Christmas Day in the Morning
The Littlest Reindeer
Christmas Jars
The Paperbag Christmas
Home by Another Way: A Christmas
The Polar Express
Story
How the Grinch Stole Christmas
From your church library staff
Book Club Information
Book Club will continue to meet via ZOOM until further notice.
Meetings are the third Friday of each month at 7:30PM.
Contact Gloria S. or the Church Office if you are not receiving the
Book Club emails.
New folks are always welcome. And we are always open to
suggestions for what to read next.
December 18 “The Chilbury Ladies’ Choir” by Jennifer Ryan
“The Chilbury Ladies' Choir unfolds the struggles, affairs, deceptions,
and triumphs of a village choir during World War II. As England
becomes enmeshed in the early days of World War II and the men are
away fighting, the women of Chilbury village forge an uncommon bond.
They defy the Vicar's stuffy edict to close the choir and instead "carry
on singing," resurrecting themselves as the Chilbury Ladies' Choir. We
come to know the home-front struggles of five unforgettable choir
members: a timid widow devastated when her only son goes to fight;
the older daughter of a local scion drawn to a mysterious artist; her
younger sister pining over an impossible crush; a Jewish refugee from Czechoslovakia
hiding a family secret; and a conniving midwife plotting to outrun her seedy past. An
enchanting ensemble story that shuttles from village intrigue to romance to the
heartbreaking matters of life and death, Jennifer Ryan's debut novel thrillingly illuminates
the true strength of the women on the home front in a village of indomitable spirit.”
Amazon
January 15 “In That Time” by Michael O’Donnell
“In That Time tells the story of the American experience in Vietnam through
the life of Michael O'Donnell, a bright young musician and poet who served
as a soldier and helicopter pilot. O'Donnell wrote with great sensitivity and
poetic force, and his best-known poem is among the most beloved of the
war. In 1970, during an attempt to rescue fellow soldiers stranded under
heavy fire, O'Donnell's helicopter was shot down in the jungles of
Cambodia. He remained missing in action for almost three decades.
Although he never fired a shot in Vietnam, O'Donnell served in one of the most dangerous
roles of the war, all the while using poetry to express his inner feelings and to reflect on
the tragedy that was unfolding around him. O'Donnell's life is both a powerful, personal
story and a compelling, universal one about how America lost its way in the 1960s, but
also how hope can flower in the margins of even the darkest chapters of the American
story.” AmazonLooking forward to 2021
by Gloria Stephan
Who: You?
What: 2021 ASP Trip
When: Sunday, June 20 – Saturday June 26
Where: Somewhere in an impoverished region of Central Appalachia
Why: Why not? Join us for a week of service making homes warmer,
safer, and drier in Central Appalachia.
Youth must be 14 years old by June, or 13 with 8th grade completed. Pairs
of Adult Group Leaders are also needed to mentor and guide our four work
crews containing up to 5 youth. Clearances are required for everyone age
18 or older. We are especially looking forward to having several of our
college age young adults with us next year. COVID-19 precautions will be
in place at all times during our trip.
We may also have an ASP board member from Johnson City Tennessee
joining us along with their spouse and teenaged son. How cool is that? We
might need to brush up on our “Wagon Wheel” singing, but I think we can do
it justice.
Registrations and non-refundable deposits are due no later than February
2nd. Deposits are $50/Youth/Young Adult and $100/Adult. Mark your offering
envelope or online giving form “ASP Registration”.
Contact Gloria at gstephan57@gmail.com if you have questions or need
more information, or see https://www.ASPHome.org
Part-time Custodian to work three to four hours on
weeknight evenings cleaning rooms used by our Kings
School Kids childcare center.
Please let the church office or SPRC Chair Lisa
McDermot know if you know anyone that might be
qualified and interested in this position.Belated Birthday Wishes to Barb White!
If we miss your birthday it is probably because we don’t have your
complete birthdate recorded in the computer. That can happen even if
you’ve been at First Bethel a long time. Contact Patty in the office to
update your information. Birthdays are listed by month but not date
because of security concerns. Call the office if you want the date of
someone’s birthday to send wishes.
Communion elements will be
consecrated and available on the
first Sunday of each month in
the sanctuary during the 9AM
onsite worship service.
You may stop by the church
office the following week to pick
up your consecrated elements so
you may partake in communion
via ZOOM on the second
Sunday of each month.Our beloved Shirley Scott passed away on
November 17th after a brief hospital stay.
Shirley was just shy of her 90th birthday
which would have been on December 1st.
No visitation has been arranged. A
celebration of life will be scheduled for some
time next year.
First Bethel extends Christian sympathy and
love to her family and many friends.
Christian sympathy is extended to the friends
and family of Bette Schmidt who passed
away on September 29th in Boalsburg, PA at
the age of 98.
No other information is available.
First Bethel has completed phase one of the
Wi-Fi network upgrade.
Wi-Fi connections are now available in the
Sanctuary, Oxford Room, Suzanna Wesley
Room, Founders Hall and KSK classroom
areas. The networks are securely separated
for use by our Staff, KSK children and Guests.
Connection information will be available soon!5901 Library Road
Bethel Park, PA 15102
Church Office: 412-835-0700
King School Kids Office: 412-835-6141
https://www.firstbethelumc.org
FBUMC@Verizon.net
We Are Here to Serve!
Lead Pastor: Pastor Judy Winston Thomas
Home: 412-833-1986 Mobile: 412-609-8003
PastorJudy@FirstBethelumc.org
Office Manager: Patty Willmott
OfficeManager@FirstBethelumc.org
Office Hours: Mon, Tue, Thu, Fri 10AM–3PM and Wed 1PM-4PM
Music Director: Sam Campbell
Organist: Phil Himmler
Director of Maintenance: Jim Howells
Custodian:
Kings Light Editors: Gloria Stephan & Patty Willmott
Director of KSK and Children’s Fellowship: Lynda Pore
KSK Office Administrator: Charlene Phillips
KSK10@Verizon.net
https://www.facebook.com/FirstBethelUMC/
https://smile.amazon.com/ch/25-1102686
Kings Light Deadline
The deadline for the January issue of the Kings Light is Noon on December 20th,
2020. Please have your article in on time to avoid the disappointment of not having it
appear in the next edition.You can also read
