Grace United Methodist Church NEWSCASTER 8:00 p.m. – Lessons and Carols Candlelight Service – in Sanctuary Traditional Christmas Eve Service with Scripture Lessons and Christmas Carols telling the story of the birth of Jesus and a Christmas message from Pastor Jim. The service will conclude with the lighting of individual candles and the singing of “Silent Night.” 11:00 p.m. – Carols by Candlelight Service – in TFEC Contemporary Christmas Eve Service with lots of candles and Christmas Carols - casual but meaningful atmosphere - and a Christmas message from Pastor Jim. The service will conclude with the lighting of individual candles and the singing of “Silent Night.” See you on the Journey Through Advent! I love being your pastor, Jim Dear Advent Traveler: ADVENT – CHRISTMAS 2013 Advent Theme – The Journey Walking the Road to Bethlehem We will journey with Adam Hamilton (United Methodist pastor and author) as he travels from Nazareth to Bethlehem in this fascinating look at the birth of Jesus Christ. Pastor Jim will preach on the themes and show portions of the videos with Adam Hamilton in worship. Sunday, Dec. 1 – First Sunday in Advent – “Mary of Nazareth” Sunday, Dec. 8 – Second Sunday in Advent – “Joseph of Bethlehem” Sunday, Dec. 15 – Third Sunday in Advent – “Mary’s Visit to Elizabeth” Sunday, Dec. 22 – Fourth Sunday in Advent – “From Nazareth to Bethlehem” Tuesday, Christmas Eve, Dec. 24 – “The Manger” (8:00 p.m. and 11:00 p.m. Services) Sunday, December 29 – Sunday after Christmas - “Gifts” Tuesday, December 24 5:00 p.m. – Children’s Participation Service – in TFEC A 30-minutes Christmas Eve Service with the children being invited when they arrive at the church to dress in simple costume of shepherd, angel or king and to participate in the telling of the Christmas story in a simple but meaningful way. We sing one or two stanzas of familiar Christmas carols and there is no candlelighting. This worship service is perfect for preschoolers and young children, as well as very meaningful for adults of all ages. 6:00 p.m. – Family Candlelight Service – in TFEC Family-Centered Christmas Eve Service – Sharing from children and youth along with the singing of carols telling the story of the birth of Jesus and a Christmas message from Pastor Devon. The service will conclude with the lighting of individual candles and the singing of “Silent Night.”
Transcript
Grace United Methodist Church NEWSCASTER
8:00 p.m. – Lessons and Carols Candlelight Service –
in Sanctuary Traditional Christmas Eve Service
with Scripture Lessons and Christmas Carols
telling the story of the birth of Jesus
and a Christmas message from Pastor Jim.
The service will conclude with the lighting of individual candles
and the singing of “Silent Night.”
11:00 p.m. – Carols by Candlelight Service – in TFEC Contemporary Christmas Eve Service
with lots of candles and Christmas Carols -
casual but meaningful atmosphere -
and a Christmas message from Pastor Jim.
The service will conclude with the lighting of individual candles
April 9 - Palm Dinner Theater, "Les Miserable’s" $80.00
Meetings
United Methodist Men
Grace United Methodist Women are currently asking for new
and used items for our sales at the Pancake Breakfasts
beginning in October. We will price the items, unless you
wish to set a certain price. If so, mark the price in RED prior
to donating. No clothing or furniture, but all other donations
are very much appreciated. Questions?
Contact Judy Johnson 488-6929.
United Methodist Women
PANCAKE BRAKFAST: The breakfasts are every 1st and 3rd
Saturday morning through April. For those of you that helped make
last year’s breakfast such a success we hope to count on you again.
Please come to TFEC at 7:30 am for servers and clean up or 7:00 for
kitchen duty. If you didn’t help last year and want to be a part of this
church outreach, all are welcome. Please see Larry Bender on a
Pancake Breakfast Saturday morning. If you don’t feel you can work
the breakfast you can still help by coming to breakfast and letting us
serve you. We do a great job!
United Methodist Men Supper Come and celebrate a Magical Christmas evening with the Grace United Methodist Men on Monday, December 2, 2013 starting at 6 p.m. in Punch Hall. Everyone is invited! A special supper will be prepared by the United Methodist Women for $10. This will be followed with a short Christmas devotional, music, and a professional magician performance by Glenn Gary. Glenn has recently moved here from the North-East and has set up a theater in Venice where he performs magic shows.
United Methodist Women—LIVING OUT VISION
United Methodist Women is turning faith, hope and love into
action on behalf of women, children and youth around the world.
We provide opportunities and resources to grow spiritually,
become more deeply rooted in Christ and put faith into action.
We are organized for growth, with flexible structures leading to
effective witness and action.
We equip women and girls around the world to be leaders in
communities, agencies, workplaces, governments and churches.
We work for justice through compassionate service and advocacy
to change unfair policies and systems.
We provide educational experiences to lead to personal change in
order to transform the world.
Men’s Club Dinner Monday, December 2 at 6:00 PM in Punch Hall
United Methodist Women Executive Board
NO UMW Executive Board meeting in December
United Methodist Women Christmas Tea
Tuesday, December 10 at 2:00 PM in Punch Hall
Staff Parish Committee Meeting Tuesday, December 10 at 7:00 PM in the Parlor
United Methodist Women Circle Meetings
Tuesday, December 15 OFF CAMPUS
Finance Committee Meeting
Thursday, December 19 at 8:00AM in the Library
Church Council
NO Church Council Meeting in December
Proverbs 31 Is taking a break for the holidays and will commence
in the spring. Details will be announced.
"Honor her for all that her hands have done, and let her works bring her praise at the city gate."
Proverbs 31:31
UMW upcoming events:
NO Executive Board Meeting in December
UMW will hold their Annual Christmas Tea on Tuesday, December 10 from 2 to 4pm in Punch Hall.
Tuesday, December 17 UMW Circle will have their Christmas lunches off Campus. Sales at Pancake Breakfasts: Grace UMW continue to sell used items & crafts at the Pancake Breakfasts. Funds go toward our mission projects and scholarship funds.
Grace Book Lovers Will Meet December 31 at 10AM in the Parlor
MEMORIALS MEMORIAL FUND IN MEMORY OF HAROLD WHITE by Phyllis & Melvin Johns and Terry & Carol Winfrey. MEMORIAL FUND IN MEMORY OF WALTER ARMSTRONG by Phyllis & Melvin Johns and Terry & Carol Winfrey. OPERATING FUND IN MEMORY OF BARBARA MOSLEY MITCHELL by Larry & Diane Bender.
ALTAR FLOWERS Kindly consider enhancing the
beauty of our worship areas by
placing flowers on the altar.
Flowers can be given
IN MEMORY OF or IN HONOR
OF loved ones or friends.
Bouquets are $30.00 each and are
yours to claim after the 11:00 AM
service. Sign up on the flower
Calendar in the hallway by
the staff offices.
IN MEMORIAM
Vivian Bonham ~ William Giering
Please help beautify our worship areas
by donating the cost of a poinsettia to
be placed on the altars of both the
Traditional and LifeJourney services on
Sunday, the 22 of December, in
MEMORY of or in HONOR of a loved
one. The total amount received in
excess of our cost ($10.00) will be used
for our MISSION projects.
Please mark POINSETTIAS on your envelope, and place it
in the offering plate or turn into the church office by:
Sunday, December 15 to be listed in Sunday, December
22 bulletin.
You may pick up your poinsettias after the Christmas Eve
Service of 8PM Lessons & Carols Service or the 11PM
Everyone is invited to a Christmas Open House at the
Parsonage on Sunday afternoon, December 15, 1:00 p.m. –
4:00 p.m. Pastor Jim and Nancy invite you to stop by
anytime during the Open House for a few minutes to share
Christmas and enjoy a few goodies. The Parsonage is located
on the church property at 1107 Davis Street. Feel free to park
at the Church and stroll over for the Open House.
From the Mitchells
We appreciate all the prayers, thoughts, calls, cards, UMW
gifts to mission in memory, and much more in the recent
death of Jim’s mother, Barbara Mosley Mitchell. Barbara
gave her time and service to the church in so many ways. We
know that Barbara was welcomed into heaven through her
faith in Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior. Thanks be to God for
her victory over death. -- Jim and Nancy Mitchell
From the Stucks
We thank you for all the prayers, thoughts, calls, cards during
Bill’s recent illness and surgery. A special thanks to Pastors
Jim and Devon for hospital visits and prayers.
—Bill and Bonnie Stuck
Thank you for Stop Hunger Now
Thank you for helping to feed hungry people all around the
world through Stop Hunger Now. With your help, we
packaged 10,000 meals and made a huge difference in the
lives of families. We still have more work to do locally and
globally to feed the hungry in the name of Jesus.
Disciple 1 Bible Study in Two Parts
Several persons have inquired about participating in the
Disciple 1 Bible Study during two winter seasons. Pastor Jim
is willing to lead a group in two parts: Old Testament during
January – April 2014 and New Testament during January –
April 2015. If you are interested in participating in Disciple 1
Bible Study with such a plan, please indicate your interest by
calling the church office or marking it on your Response
Card.
Dedication of Memorial Bricks On Sunday, December 8, there will be a dedication of the
recent Memorial Bricks given and installed in the Memorial
Garden. This brief Dedication Service will begin around
12:15 p.m. The Memorial Committee thanks all those persons
who have given to this special project. Memorial Bricks may
still be purchased; forms are available in the church office.
These additional memorial bricks will be dedicated at a future
time.
EVERY SUNDAY 8:15 - 11:00 Coffee Time, TFEC 9:00 LifeJourney Worship, TFEC 9:00 Galaxy; Children’s Sunday School 9:30 & 10:10 LifeWAY Classes 11:00 Traditional Worship, Sanctuary 5:00 Gateway, TFEC EVERY MONDAY 9:00 MMO, Nursery 10:00 Staff Meeting, Library 12:30 Preschool Dance, TFEC 6:30 Disciple I Class, Parlor B 7:00 First Place 4 Health, West Wing
EVERY TUESDAY 9:00 MMO, Nursery 5:30 GraceTones Rehearsal, Music Room 5:30 Girl Scouts, TFEC Room 203 6:30 Cub Scouts, PH/EW/WW/MRC 7:00 AA, Parlor B EVERY WEDNESDAY 9:00 MMO, Nursery 9:00 Piecemakers Quilting, A8 & PH 10:00 Disciple I Class, Parlor B 12:00 Preschool Gymnastics, TFEC 6:30 Boy Scouts, PH/EW/WW 6:30 Chancel Choir Rehearsal, Music Room 7:00 Al-Anon, Mtg. Rm C
EVERY THURSDAY 9:00 MMO, Nursery 12:00 Preschool Gymnastics, TFEC 7:00 AA, Parlor B 7:00 LJ Praise Team Practice, TFEC EVERY FRIDAY 7:30 Men’s Bible Study, Parlor B 9:00 Threadcatcher Circle, A8
Be sure to check the Church Calendar on our website at: www.graceontheisland.com The calendar is updated daily and is now the MAIN calendar for the church!!
Communion 6:30PM Disciple Study “The Journey”, West Wing
13 14
15 Children’s Coin
Ministry
16 6:30PM Suncoast
Emmaus Meeting, EW
17 8:00AM Finance
Mtg, Library UMW Circle Meetings, Off Campus 12:30PM Preschool Directors Meeting, MRC 6:00PM Preschool Christmas Program, TFEC
18 8:00AM Newscaster Collators, MRC
19 6:30PM Disciple
Study “The Journey”, West Wing
20 Pancake Breakfast
Setup, TFEC Poinsettia’s Delivered
21 8:00AM
Pancake Breakfast, TFEC
22 Canned Food
12:15PM Healing Service, Chapel
23 Holiday Camp 4:30PM Community Dinner, Punch Hall
24 Office closes at Noon 5:00PM Children Service, TFEC 6:00PM Family Service, TFEC 8:00PM Lessons & Carols, Sanctuary 11:00PM Carols by Candlelight, TFEC
25 Christmas Day
Office closed
26 Holiday Camp
27 Holiday Camp
28 Younger Adult
Progressive Dinner
29 United Methodist Children’s Home
30 Holiday Camp
31 New Years Eve Holiday Camp Office closes at Noon
10:00AM Book Lovers Group, Parlor
If your birthday or anniversary is not listed but should be, or if there are any errors, please email or call the church office so that a correction can be made. Thank you!
Pick Up Take Home 12/1 Bob Bainbridge Bob Bainbridge 12/8 Sheldon Toepfer Shelton Toepfer 12/15 John Thurston Steve Boone 12/22 Terry Winfrey Terry Winfrey 12/29 Robert Waldron Monty Andrews
Mel & Phyllis Johns Larry & Barbara Carmack Dan Boone ~ Marion Ogle
Judy Johnson
12/1 F Rosemary Richter & Peg Mendon B Ayleen Durrer 12/8 F Don & Pat MacLeod B Mary Bush 12/15 F Barb Newcomb B Mary Chambers 12/22 F Marge Buchanan B Jay & Linda Burnside 12/29 F Russell & Pat Johnson B Marcia Morley
OCTOBER VOLUNTEERS 1 David & Dolores Clarke 6 Dilworth & Dot Kay 12 Phil & Linnie Baker
Tic & Patsy Foulk Dick & Nancy Hoyt
16 Michael & Mary Williams 18 Bruce & Jennifer Kingsbury 24 Paul & Judith Johnson 28 Craig & Barbara Farrar Carl & Ruth Johnson Bill & Bonnie Stuck 30 Dan & Freda Boone
1 Kathy Granata Joyce Shelso Elizabeth Taylor 2 Jason Bossert Bill Paige 4 Judy Russell 5 Jayme Shahan 6 Gary Beck 7 Ed Klink Dan Earnest 8 Jean Owens Colin Graser Steve Boone Carl Johnson Taylor Paull 10 Dawn Bizer Joel Malkerson Bryan Flaherty 11 Madison Wetherill
12 Shirley Balduf Peggy Church 13 Taryn Taylor 14 Mark Hoffman 15 Russell Johnson Ralf Steiner 18 Jason Shahan Edith Cook Margaret Mantkowski John Newberry 19 Andrew Shofner Albert Pierce Matt Delaney 20 Carole Goolden Peg Oatley Janie Ewell 21 Todd Berbert 23 Mary Bush Stephany Stoddart 24 Katrina Cook Virginia Warner Holly Kane
25 JESUS Richard Warner 26 Paul Cline Ginny Derrough 27 Jim Tilton Jim Carfield 28 Tyler Rogers Lamont Andrews, Jr. Tony Babington 29 Fred Hammett 30 Elizabeth Mori Jerry Shelso Diana Gailbreath 31 Craig Farrar William Haws Anna Wright Miles Seekford
PUMPKINS UPDATE The Pumpkins are gone, but our thanks remain. Our 2013 Pumpkin Patch was another great year! We sold $12,350.50 worth of pumpkins (down slightly from last year’s total of $14,785) and made $4,112.72 for our Missions projects. Thank you to everyone who made the advance preparations for the pumpkin patch, pre-pared the site, unloaded the pumpkins, sold the pump-kins, bought the pumpkins, counted the money, took away the “smelly” pumpkins, and cleaned up the site. Special appreciation go to Barbara Wood Neal and Sheldon Toepfer for coordinating the 2013 Pumpkin Patch. The decision was to do it all again next year, so look for the pumpkins in mid-October of 2014 when the Pumpkin Church on the Island will be back in business!
News from the
This will be the last update from your Board of Trustees for
2013. The Trustees had a very good year and were able to
complete a lot of needed projects for the campus.
The following projects were accomplished since last we talked:
All campus and Parsonage windows were cleaned by the
Community Service (CS) helpers.
All 6,000 yellow turtle stakes from Mote Marine Lab. have
been painted yellow for the 2014 turtle season. The
following groups helped on this project: Our church summer
The church and chapel rugs have been cleaned by CS
helpers and all the burned out lights replaced.
Trustees had two drinking fountains repaired at a cost of
$482.
Trustees installed a new DVR for Punch Hall.
Currently we have four donated cameras recording 24 hours
a day, and will install 12 more donated cameras using this
DVR. The unit is secure in the Finance office. The
contractor was here for about 4 -1/2 hours. (unit and labor
was about $1,499)
Our much needed lawn blower has been purchased. (about
$160)
Trustees purchased a computer for the Sanctuary
Operations Console. (about $1400) We already have this
capability in TFEC.
Our church mortgage continues to be reduced. The church
mortgage as of 11-6-13 is down to $228,142.32. For 2014
will be making our regular payment of $4,025.02 each
month. Only about 41 payments remaining.
Trustees are currently upgrading the campus lawn sprinkler
system. One of the CS helpers is a lawn expert, with much
experience in lawn upgrades. He has cleaned and repaired
almost 300 campus lawn sprinklers. So far, at no cost to our
church. The CS helper has only 32 hours left to complete, so
we are doing the “critical, hard to do jobs” on the lawn
system.
The entire garage, florescent lights (27), have been replaced
for $5, thanks to Habitat recycle store.
Our Moller Pipe Organ was built in 1972, like any other
piece of equipment, it will soon need a repair program.
Mr. Hodges has developed a plan on how to proceed when
the time comes.
The budget for our first year as a charter church, 1961-62,
was $21,965.00.
If you would like to help on any projects please contact a
Trustee or Gene Stover 941-716-0636.
The following 2014 Trustees are as follows: Jack Dulmer,
Randy Johnson, Ruth Johnson, Jeff Bossert, Barbara Wood,
Larry Carmack, Jay Geerdes, Monty Andrews, Gene Stover.
From those of us who make music
The Praise Team & Band, The
Chancel Choir, The GraceTones
Handbell Ensemble, to the People
of God at Grace Church We wish you the
Merriest of Christmases and the Happiest of New
Years! Music Department Christmas dinner on
December 8, see Gene for details.
Coming in January . . . Our church will host the
January meeting of the American Guild of
Organists, Sarasota-Manatee Chapter. The
"meeting" will actually be a concert which is
being called ORGAN PLUS. Various
combinations of instruments and voices will duet
with our Moller pipe organ in a free, open to the
public concert. Mark your calendars now for the
26th of January at 7:00 pm, in the
sanctuary of Grace United Methodist
Church. Invite your friends, and plan to attend
what promises to be a very enjoyable evening!
Gene Hodges
Hello Grace family!
LifeJourney Praise Team is hard at work preparing and
practicing songs for our Sunday LifeJourney service. We are
eagerly anticipating the Advent season, already selecting
songs for our 11pm Christmas Eve contemporary service.
With the hustle and bustle of the holiday season upon us,
some radio stations are already playing Christmas music all
day, every day...and it's not even Thanksgiving! Whether you
are listening or not, I encourage you to listen to the sacred
holiday music this year in a new and different way. Hear those
familiar songs as an opportunity to worship as if you were in
the LifeJourney contemporary service praising our Father,
Savior, and Spirit in worship. Reflect on the words you are
singing as if they were displayed on screens in front of you.
Pray through those familiar words to internalize what they
mean to you. It may allow you the chance to experience the
birth of Christ in a whole new way!
In His season,
Andrea Poole
LifeJourney Worship Leader
The Piecemakers’ News
The Piecemakers extend a big thank you to everyone
who attended our Fall Open House. We are very
grateful for the support shown to our group of quilters.
We have pledged to tithe the earnings from the open
house to the operating budget of the church. The
remainder of the proceeds will go to other needs within
the church and our community.
The Piecemakers meet on Wednesdays in the East
Wing from 9:00 am to 2:00 pm. All are welcome to join
us in our mission or to stop by to see us at work. Our
mission is “to support each other in fellowship and love
as we create quilts for our babies, shut-ins, and friends
of Grace United Methodist Church who need comfort;
and to make items for sale to assist our church
financially.” You can also find our table of handmade
quilts and gifts at the Pancake Breakfasts.
If you know of someone in the congregation who would
like to receive a visit and a comfort quilt please let the
Piecemakers know. If you have a son or daughter
returning home from active duty in the military and
would like to have him or her receive a quilt, please call
Carol Simpson at 497-5460 or Audrey Tamblingson at
497-5478.
The Threadcatchers quilting circle meets every Friday
9am – Noon in Room A8. For information call Lorry
Stover at 485-0094.
NON– PERISHABLE
ITEMS ONLY, PLEASE!
Mark through the bar code then place in
the shopping cart located in the
TFEC Lobby and Narthex.
ALSO check the expiration date!!
Thank you for your support!!
Saving Campbell’s Soup Labels for the Red Bird
Mission
This mission outreach supports a school that is
teaching new job skills, music programs and much
more. Please save the circled part of the coupons. If
that is not present they are considered void.
The Newscaster is sent as an E-Mail publication. Contact Katrina Cook at 941-488-1374 or
[email protected] to be added to the list or pick up a hard copy in the Narthex.
NEWSCASTER DEADLINE Please submit all articles by December 9 for inclusion in the January Newscaster. Thank you, Katrina Cook
OCTOBER 2013
ATTENDANCE
Worship - 354 Sunday School - 86
Yearly Attendance Average Worship - 442
UMCOR DISASTER REPONSE - PHILIPPINES Three days after Super Typhoon Haiyan flattened part of the Philippines, relief was beginning to trickle in to survivors.United Methodists are among those starting to provide emergency supplies while assessing damages from the powerful Nov. 8 storm, known as Typhoon Yolanda in the Philippines, that made direct hits on several islands. Much of the early media attention has centered on Tacloban, a Leyte Island city of 200,000 that was nearly destroyed. The United Methodist Committee on Relief (UMCOR) announced a $97,000 grant Nov. 11 to provide emergency food, water and water purification tablets to 7,500 individuals (or 1,500 families) in Tacloban City. The funding also will help local UMCOR staff and volunteers build capacity to meet emergency needs. UMCOR is committed to the long-term disaster recovery efforts. To give, make your check payable to Grace United Methodist Church and mark your check/envelope “UMCOR Disaster”.
According to the Sharpe Group, a planned giving consultancy, "By carefully considering what you give and the timing of your
gifts, you may discover that you can make gifts you may not have thought possible."
Gifts of Cash If you made a pledge for calendar year 2013, and your economic situation allows, please consider paying your pledge in full by
the end of the year. No matter your income level, if you itemize deductions on your tax return, you will receive a tax deduction
for your gift.
Gifts of Appreciated Securities Gifts of appreciated securities (shares of individual stocks, bonds, mutual funds) are very attractive tax-wise. If you give
appreciated securities to your church, not only do you receive an income tax deduction for the full value of your gift but you
also avoid the capital gain tax were you to have sold the securities yourself. When you give stock to the church, the church sells
it tax-free and receives the full value of the gift. If you own stock that has gone down in value you may be able to sell the stock,
make a gift from the cash proceeds to your church, and apply the realized loss on your 2013 tax return. Please be sure to check
with your financial advisor before making any securities gifts or transactions to see which strategies are best for you. Many
Florida Conference churches are able to receive securities electronically, but if your church does not have that capability, the
Foundation is ready to assist you in making such a gift.
Gifts from Your Will or Living Trust Consider a bequest from your will or other estate planning vehicle. A bequest is an excellent way to "leave your legacy" to your
church as a statement of lifelong, comprehensive Christian stewardship. If you already have a will, a simple one-page
addendum or codicil is all that is required to make a bequest. If you don't have a will, we strongly encourage you to have one
written, and please consider a bequest to your church when you do so.
Make a Gift Now and Spread Out Grants Over Time A Donor Advised Fund administered by the Foundation enables you to make a tax-deductible gift now and make subsequent
gift distributions to qualified organizations over time. You make an initial gift to the Foundation, then advise us from time to
time on how you would like that gift to be distributed. The Fund will be invested and can be expected to grow over time. You
or others may add to the Fund at any time. A Donor Advised Fund is a convenient, low-cost alternative to a family foundation.
You may advise us to make distributions to your local United Methodist church or other agency or mission, as well as to other
qualified charities. Your Donor Advised Fund can become a permanent fund at the Foundation, as you may name children or
other family members as successor advisors after you are gone.
Make a Gift That Will Pay You Income For Life Life income arrangements, like charitable trusts and charitable gift annuities, combine a gift to your church with income to you
or loved ones. These are excellent planned giving alternatives that not only benefit your church, but also include income and
tax benefits for you or your family.
Charitable gift annuities are especially attractive now in our low interest rate environment. For example, an individual, age 75,
can receive an annual return of 5.8% on a charitable gift annuity with the Foundation. He or she would also receive an
immediate tax deduction for a portion of the gift. At the death of the donor, the remaining value of the gift annuity is distributed
to his or her church or other qualified organizations. Charitable gift annuities can be for one or two lives.
As always, we encourage you to consult with your professional advisor before making a planned gift.
For more information, please contact our Interim Finance manager, Scott Dowdy at the church office.
YEAR-END GIFTS—Year-End gifts provide a special opportunity to support our ministries.
According to IRS regulations, all gifts must be received in the church office on December 31, or must be postmarked before the
end of December, to be deducted in the current tax year. The church office will be open until 12:00 Noon on Tuesday,
December 31, 2013, to receive your year-end gifts. (The date written on checks does not determine the tax year in which the
gift is recorded.) For further information about year-end gift possibilities, contact the church office , or contact
