The Messenger CUNNINGHAM UNITED METHODIST CHURCH

A caring church family expressing Christ’s love to all December 2018

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From the Pastor’s Desk Getting Ready

December is a month for getting ready! Strange as it may seem, I see this process of getting ready as both future, past and present—all at the same time.

For some, it’s a time to prepare for something that will happen in the future—whether on Christmas Day or in the New Year.

For others, it’s a time to adjust to what already has happened. Maybe by making room for something new that has come to our lives, or letting go of something that we have lost. Maybe we were caught by surprise, so we just have to catch up.

And yet for still others, it’s a time to accept what is happening in our lives right now. Many of you have read the book by Spencer Johnson entitled The Precious Present in which he makes the point that one of the keys to happiness is realizing that we can only live in the present moment.

When we speak of “Getting Ready” during the month of December, we are speaking about all three. We prepare for the future, even while we adjust to the past and accept the present. That’s a lot of work to do while we are getting ready for Christmas!

Although “Getting Ready” for Christmas is part of the story, there is much more to it. We are not simply getting ready for a day on a calendar, or even a week or two of celebration. We are getting ready for a relationship that will last forever.

We remember the age-old story of God coming to earth as a child, the Savior born in Bethlehem, and we respond to the “good news of great joy” by accepting the love and grace of God into our lives right now, and we seek God’s help to change us and restore us to the “Children of God” that God created us to be.

With news like that, I want to be ready, and I hope you do too. Here are some ideas of ways you can get ready.

•Join us for our “Hanging of the Greens service on December 2. This service will be certain to get you focused as we transform our sanctuary into its holiday finest. Come to think of it, we hope you will join us for each Worship Service in December.

•Come to our Monday Night Bible Study at 7:00 pm in Fellowship Hall, We are studying the life of Joseph of Nazareth and his faithfulness to God’s call.

•Join us for our Children’s Christmas Pageant on December 16 at 4:00 pm. The kids have been working hard on two short plays—a “Super Christmas” and “The Gifts”. You won’t want to miss it!

•Join us for “Christmas at the Parsonage” Open House on Saturday, December 22 from 3 until 6 pm. Spend some time sharing with friends—both old and new!

•Join us for Christmas Eve at Cunningham. Once again, we will offer two services: a Family Service at 4:00 pm and a Traditional Service at 7:00 pm. Both services will include Holy Communion and the candlelight singing of “Silent Night.”

But the most important thing you can do to get ready is described in one of our favorite Christmas carols—“let every heart prepare Him room.” The most important thing you can do to get ready for Christmases—past, present, and future—is to prepare room for Christ our King.

I wish for you a blessed celebration of Advent and Christmas this year!

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Prayer Requests (As of December 1, 2018) Current Requests Aaron Backes Gina Bayzie Sara Brindle Katie Cabrera Allen Dove Jeanne Dunford Long Term Gabriel Albers Cindy Baker Judy & Ron

Baker Joan Banks Bev

Blankenbeckler Jessica Brennan Teddy Brennan Theresa Brown Jim Butcher Candy Kylie Carling Zaden Clark Sandy Coffey Ron Comfort Wayne Craig Thea Distephano Karen Dorsey Janice Eanes Evelyn Barbara Fechter Lucy Fillmore Steven Flanders Jean Foley Jim Gianniny Caleb Gibson Elizabeth Goforth Lynda Gray Rose Gurkin Norma Haney Chuck & Melanie

Harlow Boone Hichborn Laymon

Higgenbotham

Doug Frazier Dana Hawks Carolyn Kozerski Cole LaRochelle Linda Mattson Frankie McGuinn Gloria Miller Margaret

Hufstedler John Hughes Sydney Hurley Nancy James Susan Kilgore John Kimberlin Piper LaRochelle Norman

LaVerdiere Hank Luniewski Beth MacKenzie Joe Mannina Bill Mattson Rob Maxey Faith & Alexis

McAleer Stephen McCall Donita McGeary Patsy Mead Kathy Milliser Doug Mills Betty Moore Jack Moore Sharon Nalle Herbie Neher JoAnne Nelson Harriet Parrish Kay Payne Barb Perry Bill Peters Jackie Peters Steve Peters Betty Piccione Bobby Powell

Estelle Neher Charles Ruehle Etta Sue Sindy Patti Thompson Russ Whyte Jesse Upperco Judy Powell Mabel Powell Kim Rumsey Ritchie

Schaeffer Doreen Self Luke Sheridan Lisa Shiflett Teresa Shifflett Jim Spaulding Michael Spencer Scott Stenerson Laura Stoneman Mike Stoneman Harry Strang Rosemarie

Sutton Brian Taylor Claudette

Thompson Michael & Laura

Walsh Dottie Wampler Evelyn Watts Judy Wentz Andi Wheeler Karen White Latham White Bonnie Wigley Jennifer

Wilkerson Peter Willis Sheila Willis Dawn Wolf Lori Wolf

Cunningham Homebound Marilee Black Carolyn Kozerski

Ann Peed Carl & Adalene

Peters

Pam Smith

Our College Students Emily Baker, Kendall Baker, Morgan Baker, Victoria Berman, Stephanie Brady, Conner Brophy, Jacob Carney, Nathan Carney, Maddie Garrett, Saige Haney, Nicole Kent, Zack Kent, Harrison Lee, Emily Liles, Evelyn Marshall, Noah Perry and Braden Turley.

Our Troops Peter Bakke (husband of Marilee Black’s granddaughter) Gene Benvenutti (son of Stan & Mary Anne Benvenutti)

Mark Buell (brother of Adam Buell) Lindsay Coffee (Bridget LaRochelle’s sister) Trevor Grant (son of Brenda and Ken Grant) Stephen Hall (nephew of David Zimmerman) Caleb Haney (son of Rose Brogan and Brian Haney) Jeremy Haney (son of Rose Brogan and Brian Haney) Stan Jacukowicz, Jr. (brother of Theresa Simmons) Mattheus Jonkman (son of Chandra & Mark Jonkman) Jeff Pullinger (son of Steve Pullinger) Eric Wentz (son of Brad & Kim Wentz) Additional Requests Rebekah Koch, Serving in the Peace Corps. Lost Loved Ones Dennis Brent: Dennis (brother of Michael and brother-in-law of Kathy Brent) has passed away. Victims of California Wildfires Matt “Skipper, Smedley, Splatt” Johnson: Matt (friend of

Bill Whyte) passed away at the age of 51 due to complications from diabetes.

December Usher Schedule Dec. 2 Dave LaRochelle, Cole LaRochelle Dec. 9 Candy Pleasant, Mike Luniewski Dec. 16 Bill Alderman, Bill Whyte Dec. 23 Bill Peters, Ryan Peters Dec. 24 (4pm) Dave LaRochelle, Cole LaRochelle Dec. 24 (7pm) Craig Conboy, Kim Conboy Dec. 30 Bill Peters, Ryan Peters

Communion Servers for December Dec. 9 Mark Marshall, Richard Sindy Craig Conboy, Kim Conboy Dec. 24 (4pm) Richard Hawks, Carla Lee Bill Whyte, Emmalyn Whyte (7pm) Rhonda Kay Black, Charleene Frazier Rich Kalchbrenner, Mary Kalchbrenner

Feeding the Hungry On Monday, December 3, and Monday December 31, Cunningham once again will have the opportunity to help feed the hungry of Charlottesville at First United Methodist Church. We will gather at First Church at 11:00 am. By 2:00 pm, our cleanup will be completed. If you would like more information, please speak to Bill Peters.

Youth News Our Youth Group will meet on Sunday, December 9 from 6-7:30pm. Watch for additional details on the Youth Facebook Page! On December 30, the Charlottesville District Youth will present its “Fifth Sunday Praise and Worship” at Ivy Creek UMC from 3-5 p.m. Everyone is invited. This is a worship event for all ages, not just youth!! Ivy Creek UMC is located at 684 Woodlands Road, Charlottesville VA 22901. For more information, please contact Pat Carney.

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FCSS Food will be picked up by Craig Conboy on the second week of every month. You can help by bringing cans, jars, cereal, peanut butter, vegetables and other basic healthy items for next week. Please give generously to help the hungry of Fluvanna County. Partners in Ministry Update as of Nov. 25, 2018:

Source Amount Committed

Contributions 34 Pledges $465,070.00 $444,720.57

Other Contributions *$137,404.16 *$137,404.16 Total *$602,474.16 *$583,124.73

*Includes approximately $13,000 donated for classrooms. We welcome and encourage additional donations to help us stay within our budget and reduce the amount we will need to borrow to complete the new fellowship hall. Thank you for your faithfulness!

Grayson Peterson 3 Claire Kent 7 Adalene Peters 7 Grant Muddiman 9 Heather Perry 9 Adam Perry 10 Randall Dorsey 11 Brad Perkins 12 Carla Lee 13 Betty Meyer 13 Richard Payne 13 Savannah Peterson 13 Lizzy Whyte 15

Bill Alderman 17 Bob Gianniny 20 Lillian Grace Hull 20 Tammy Hirt 22 Peyton Marshall 23 Roger Black 24 Jeffrey Pullinger 25 Wayne Shiflett 25 Aaron Reese 28 Joyce Black 29 Alicia Peterson 30 Rich Kalchbrenner 31

Contemplative Thursday The holiday season is filled with excitement, busyness and activity. That may be great for most people, but some of us need some quiet time. Maybe it’s because of the loss of someone close to us or because of the unsettled world in which we live. In our Contemplative Thursday Service on December 20, we will offer a Quiet Approach to Christmas. Our service will begin at 7:00 pm. Please take some time with us to follow the example of Mary in “pondering” these things in our hearts. (Luke 2:19).

The Old Oak Tree Our children and youth planted tree seedlings at the rear of the Cemetery at Cunningham after the Service on November 4. These seedlings were grown from acorns that dropped off the old white oak that was taken down to make way for the new building and that were gathered and potted by our youth and children at Parents Night Out.

UMW UMW will meet on Tuesday, Dec. 18 at 9:30 am for their cookie exchange.

On Nov. 13, UMW prepared Thanksgiving baskets for Homebound members of the CUMC family

Prayer Shawl Ministry The Prayer Shawl Ministry will meet immediately following the UMW meeting on December 18.

Santa Paws On Sunday afternoon (December 2), Pastor Tom will be offering a “Blessing of the Animals” from 12:00 –2:30 pm at the “Christmas Paws 2018.” This event will be held at Castle Hill Cider, 6065 Turkey Sag Road, Keswick, VA 22947 and will benefit Green Dogs Unleashed, a special needs animal rescue and therapy dog program.

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Called Charge Conference A brief but important “Called Charge Conference” will be held on Tuesday, December 18, 2018 at 7:00 pm, immediately before the regular Church Council Meeting. The purpose of this special meeting will be the election of Church Leadership for 2019. All members and friends are invited to attend and be heard at the meeting; for this meeting. Under the terms of the Book of Discipline, voting is limited to current members of the church council, together with retired ordained ministers who hold their membership at Cunningham. We ask everyone to be in prayer for this Called Charge Conference.

Looking for Help Our Nominations and Leadership Development Committee has been hard at work seeking to fill the leadership positions for our church. We have a few positions that we still are trying to fill. These positions include: • Assistant Financial Secretary: This position is

intended, initially, as a chance to learn the systems and processes for recording donations, depositing revenues into our bank accounts, tracking pledges, and issuing both weekly and year-end reports. Our expectation is that the Assistant Financial Secretary would assume the duties of the Financial Secretary by the end of 2019.

• Assistant Treasurer: This position is intended, initially, as a chance to learn the systems and processes for issuing payments from the church’s accounts, maintaining the financial books and records of the church, and issuing periodic reports to the Church Council. Our expectation is that the Assistant Treasurer would assume the duties of the Treasurer by the end of 2019.

• Trustees: Trustees hold legal title to the church property “in trust” for the uses of the church. Trustees also are responsible for the maintenance of the church’s buildings and parsonage. This will be an especially important position as we look towards the completing of our new “Gathering Place” building.

Do you feel God calling you to serve your church in one of these roles? Please speak with Pastor Tom.

Christmas Pageant Our Christmas Pageant will be held on Sunday, December 16th at 4:00 pm. Final practices for the Christmas Pageant will be held after church from 11ish to 12 pm on December 2nd and 9th. For questions—please contact Heidi Hull at hullot@gmail.com. There will be a reception after the pageant. If you are able to provide goodies, please contact Carol Frost: 434-589-8423 or cifrost@aol.com.

Parsonage Open House Please come to the Parsonage on Dec. 22, from 3 – 6 pm. Enjoy fellowship with others from the Cunningham family. The address is: 5436 Ruritan Lake Road.

UMW Bazaar

The winner of the quilt was Sarah Paige Black. Second and third place winners were Brent Ferguson and Joyce Hall. The Bazaar brought in $5400 for use for missions. Pictured: Jan Butcher, selling tickets.

District Mission Project On December 2, you can help assemble cleaning and hygiene kits. All supplies will already be at Crozet UMC. In addition, five workshops will be offered from 4:15—5:30 pm covering such topics as: “SPRC Training” (Leader: Danny Kesner); “A Happier You: Managing Your Life More Effectively” (Leader: Judy Morris); “It’s A Whole New Day!” (Leader: Jim Chandler); “Being a Servant Leader in the Church Today” (Leader: Randy Orndorff); and “Church Audits” (Led by the Virginia Conference Treasurer’s Office). Come and learn more about the work being undertaken by other United Methodists in the Charlottesville area.

Advent Bible Study Advent is a time to prepare our hearts and lives for the coming of Christ. During the Season of Advent, the Monday Night Bible Study Group will study the faithfulness of Joseph, using Adam Hamilton’s book Faithful: Christmas Through the Eyes of Joseph. Joseph provides us with a great example of humble obedience to God even when we don’t understand God’s direction. We will continue to meet on Mondays in the Fellowship Hall, immediately after our 6:15 Supper. If you can join us, please let Carol Frost know (phone: 571-213-4286; email: cifrost@aol.com).

College Students’ Coffee with Pastor Tom Calling all college students! Join Pastor Tom at Cuppa Joe’s on Thursday, December 27 at 2:00 pm for coffee and conversation. Share your past semester experiences. Please RSVP to Pastor Tom at CUMC-Pastor@comcast.net. Remember—Pastor Tom is picking up the tab!

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Santa visited Parents’ Night Out

Building continues

Looking Ahead to our New Gathering Place We have been waiting for years for new space at Cunningham. For new space to gather for fellowship. New space to gather for mission. New space to gather for Vacation Bible School. New space to worship.

The years of waiting are about to pay off. In just three months, our new gathering place will be ready for ministry.

We have booked two events in this space already, and we ask you to mark them on your calendars.

On Sunday, February 10, we plan to dedicate this new space by gathering immediately after our worship service for our first meal as a congregation.

Then on Saturday, February 16, we will open our doors to the community for a Family Concert with singer/songwriter Chip Richter. Chip was a hit when he appeared at Cunningham in 2015. We hope you will invite your friends and neighbors to join us for this event.

What better way to inaugurate our new gathering place—fellowship and outreach! Please pray for God to bless our ministry in this new Gathering Space!

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Church Council Highlights November 26, 2018

TREASURER’SREPORT-RichardHawksCUMC Cash Assets, Restricted Fund Summary and General Fund Budget as of October 31, 2018

Union Bank Checking Account Balance $106,375.64 Union Bank 2845 (building fund) $69,566.37 Union Bank 2640 (building fund) $138,324.55 Subtotal Checking Account $314,266.56

Investments VUMDC 12 month CD $18,073.23

VUMDC 6 month CD $7,021.10 Subtotal Investments $25,094.33

Total Cash Assets $339,381.44 Unrestricted Fund Balance $ 32,719.24

Income Expense Last Year $118,927 $104,305 This Year $130,150 $114,503

FINANCE – Richard Payne • Copies of the Budget are currently available in the

narthex and via electronic communications. • A Commitment Letter, with a pledge card, will be

mailed this week to all identified donors. • Commitment cards will be dedicated on Sunday,

December 16, 2018. $25/mo. per giving unit will cover the costs of the new building.

• Next month, we will start drawing on the construction line-of-credit with United Methodist Development Company (UMDC) for future payments.

• We have made a final appeal to help pay for “pop up” costs that arose near the end of construction and reduce the possible amount of the mortgage, currently estimated at $250,000.

• We anticipate converting the construction line-of-credit to a mortgage during February 2019. The loan principal, interest rate and monthly payment will be established at that time.

TRUSTEES – Mark Liles • Maintenance completed during the past month: the

the sanctuary carpet was cleaned; and potholes at the entrance off of Route 53 were repaird.

• Work continues in the new building with interior trim and painting. Work has also started on the ceilings. This coming week work will begin on the tile floors.

• Rain has slowed work on the outside, but when permits the final grading will be completed and the siding will be going up.

• The Decor Committee will raise funds, serve as the buying agent and use the church’s sales tax exemption to purchase furnishings for the new gathering place. A pamphlet of suggested furnishings will be presented to the congregation on December 2.

SUNDAY SCHOOL- Marilyn Payne • The location of each class group may change from

year to year based on the size of the groups and their needs. Currently, we will plan to move Kindergarten and Elementary into the new building’s classrooms in February. This might change in the fall due to the

large number of fourth graders that will be promoted to Middle School and the smaller size of the kindergarten class.

• Ideas for safety and security included: using “floaters” to monitor the classes, contact with ushers by using cell phones, and/or walkie-talkie.

• Parents of the students in the two younger classes will be asked to come to the classrooms to pick up students after worship.

• Most believe that the older students will enjoy using the new building. This eliminates the need to heat the Potter’s Wheel during the cold months.

• The Adult Class needs to be contacted in regards to where they would like to hold their class.

• We continue to recruit teachers to fill our current vacancies.

MISSION OUTREACH – Mary Kalchbrenner • The next Mission Outreach meeting will be held on

November 26 at 4:00 pm

UMW – Linda Merhar • At the bazaar on November 10, UMW earned

approximately $5400 for our support of local and global missions.

• This week we made and delivered holiday fruit baskets for shut-ins and friends.

UMM – Bill Alderman • UMM is looking for a new mission to refocus their

energies.

KITCHEN COMMITTEE – Bill Alderman • A freezer, convection oven and ceiling fans may be

purchased during the “Black Friday” sales to get the best prices. Items will be held for delivery in January.

NEW BUSINESS • A question was raised about returning the starting

time for the “joys and concerns” portion of the morning church service back to 9:30 am.

• Although morning greetings and expressions of joys and concerns bring a feeling of community to Cunningham and should not be eliminated, the earlier time has caused some problems with interruption/noise of opening and closing doors, difficulty in hearing, and awkwardness for newcomers who come for the advertised 9:30 start time. Consensus was to return to 9:30 start time.

PASTOR’S REPORT AND CONCERNS: • We have been looking for a way to refer to the new

new building. After discussion, Council agreed to refer to the new building as our new “gathering place” in advertising for future events.

• February 10 – Dedication of our new “Gathering Place” after Sunday worship. The dedication will include the first meal served from Carmen’s Kitchen.

• February 16, 6:00 pm—First Community Event in the “Gathering Place” with Chip Richter.

• December 16—a Called Charge Conference will be held before our regular Council Meeting to elect Church leadership for 2019.

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December 2018

Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat

1 4p-8p Parents’ Night Out

2 9:30a-10:30a Children's

Sun. School 9:30a-10:30a Worship

Service 11a Pageant Rehearsal 11:15a-12p Adult Sun.

Sch. Class 5p Hand Chimes

3 11a Feeding the Hungry

6:15p Fellowship Supper

7:00p Bible Study

4 6pm UM Men

5 7p-8p Choir Practice

6 7 10:00a Moving On

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9 9:30a-10:30a Children's

Sun. School 9:30a-10:30a Worship

Service 11a Pageant Rehearsal 11:15a-12p Adult Sun.

Sch. Class 5p Hand Chimes

10 6:15p Fellowship Supper

7:00p Bible Study

11 12 7p-8p Choir Practice

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14 1p Singles

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16 9:30a-10:30a Children's

Sun. School 9:30a-10:30a Worship

Service 11:15a-12p Adult Sun.

Sch. Class 4p Pageant

17 6:15p Fellowship Supper

7:00p Bible Study

18 9:30 am UMW

Prayer Shawl Ministry

7p 8p Church Council

19 7p- 8p Choir Practice

20 7p Contemplative

Thursday

21 11:15a Delivering Meals

to Ronald McDonald House

22 3-6p Parsonage Open

House

23 9:30a-10:30a Children's

Sun. School 9:30a-10:30a Worship

Service 11:15a-12p Adult Sun.

Sch. Class 5p Hand Chimes

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4p Family Service

7p Traditional Service

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26 27 2p – College Students’ Coffee with Pastor Tom

28 29

30 9:30a-10:30a Children's

Sun. School 9:30a-10:30a Worship

Service 11:15a-12p Adult Sun.

Sch. Class 3 p Fifth Sunday District

Praise & Worship

31 New Year’s

Eve

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The Messenger CUNNINGHAM UNITED METHODIST CHURCH c/o The Rev. Dr. Thomas E. Frost 3389 Thomas Jefferson Parkway Palmyra, VA 22963-9516

Church Phone: 434-591-1363 Parsonage Phone: 434-589-8423 E-mail: CUMC-Pastor@comcast.net

December 2018

Church Directory Corrections and Additions Please Notify:

Chandra Jonkman 434-591-1363

Please submit information for the next Newsletter by the 15th of the month to: Carol Frost

cifrost@aol.com 5436 Ruritan Lake Rd. Palmyra, VA 22963 Ph. No. 589-8423

Cunningham United Methodist Church

9:30 am Worship Service Children’s Sunday School Nursery Care for Infants & Preschoolers

11:15 am Adult Sunday School Class

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Wheelchair Accessible

The Rev. Dr. Thomas E. Frost, Pastor