Leading People to an Active Faith in Christ

The Rev. Dennis Harper, Pastor Telephone Number: 660.826.4502 dharper@wesleyofsedalia.com Fax Number: 660.826.7604 Kevin Holbert, Youth & Education Coordinator, and Choir Director office@wesleyofsedalia.com Sarah Myers, Youth Ministry Intern www.wesleyofsedalia.com Connie Spalding, Office Manager

Anne Tempel, Pianist, Organist, Bell Choir/Wesley Angels Director

THE WESLEY INQUIRER We Want To Know November 27, 2016

FROM THE YOUTH FRONT

The youth are eager to get to Thanksgiving break and a few days out of school. The fall sports seasons are a memory and now their attention is going toward the winter sports, mainly basketball.

The youth will be helping with the children’s Christmas program on December 11th by speaking all of the narration.

We would also like to invite you to

participate in our annual Christmas Caroling which will be held December 18th from 3 to 5 p.m. We will go out and do some caroling and then come back and have a meal and fellowship. Everyone is invited to participate in this annual event.

We would like to thank everyone who has graciously supported our youth.

IN CHRIST, KEVIN HOLBERT, YOUTH DIRECTOR

Stephen Ministry Caring CornerStephen Ministry Caring Corner Thanksgiving is such a wonderful time of year. The greatest blessing of Thanksgiving is that it causes us to focus on all that God has done for us.

Psalm 96:2-4 (AMP) tells us:

“Proclaim good news of His salvation from day to day. Declare His glory among the nations, His marvelous works and wonderful deeds among all the peoples.

For great is the LORD and greatly to be praised…”

As God Cares, Katy and Kevin, Steven Ministry

Prayer Concerns

Prayer Concerns: Jill Bruns; Anne Hamilton; Melissa Stover’s parents, Mildred Duncan; Kevin Holbert; Alene Murphy; Sue Plowman; Ron Yates

Family Spirit at Wesley Our Christian love and sympathy is extended to…

Randy Whitcomb and family on the death of his mother.

Thank You

I am saying “Thank You and Goodbye” with a heavy heart. The Wesley church family has been so kind and loving. Thank you for bringing me into your church family and treating me with love and respect. I am leaving only to help my family financially and I will miss you all, but hope to continue to be a part of Mary’s Bible studies. Thank you for your kindness and God bless you all! Connie Spalding, Office Manager

To Our Church Family, Thank you all for the cards, thoughts, and prayers given at the passing of Randy’s mom. It was a comfort knowing the love of so many. We give a special thank you to FOCUS/UMW and the helping husbands for arranging and preparing the wonderful family meal. It was delicious, and certainly appreciated by all.

Thank you all so much! The Whitcomb Family

FAITHFULNESS AFFIRMED November 13 (52/74) 126

November 20 (37/100) 137

CHURCH SCHOOL November 13 65

November 20 68

TITHING COMMITMENT November 13 $ 1,617.80

November 20 $ 3,375.18

“The days are surely coming when I will fulfill my promise, says the LORD…” Those words were spoken by the prophet Jeremiah to a people in exile in Babylon as they await a new leader to bring justice and righteousness and return them to their homeland. God’s people are hoping that God can bring joy and hope after to soothe the pain and desolation that they have experienced.

This is the time of the year where we want God to do something incredible. The season of Advent means “coming.” We are celebrating the coming of Jesus Christ, as a child that will grow up to be our Savior. Our expectations are high that the days are surely coming where the world will be better. Our hope is in the Lord. It’s not in kings, or politicians, or the latest greatest program for the future. Our renewed hope started in a barn among a bunch of animals and was placed in a manger. Our hope is in the life, death, resurrection, and promised return of Jesus Christ.

Christ has come, and with God’s help, we can make the world better. As we celebrate the coming of Christ, what are you willing to do? Can you invest in the world around you? Who do you know that needs a friend? Is there anyone in your life that needs support, a note of encouragement, or an invitation to church? Through Jesus Christ, God is invested in us. Jesus gave his life so that we might live bring hope to not only our corner of the world, but the whole world.

Let’s take this opportunity to invest our lives to working to fulfill God promises of hope, peace, joy and righteousness. God is doing some amazing things in you. Take a look at all that is going on in the life of the church during the Advent/Christmas season. We have much to celebrate and look forward to. We have the privilege of celebrating that God is with us and sending us out to proclaim the good news of Jesus Christ.

The days are surely coming when all of God’s promises will be fulfilled. Your friend in Christ,

Dennis

Upcoming Lectionary

Scripture Readings

November 27, 1st Sunday of Advent: Isaiah 2:1-5; Psalm 122; Romans 13:11-14; Matthew 24:36-44

December 4, 2nd Sunday of Advent: Isaiah 11:1-10; Psalm 72:1-7, 18-19; Romans 15:4-13; Matthew 3:1-12

OUR CALENDAR AND PRAYERS OF INTERCESSION

Sunday, November 27 Annette Craig UM STUDENT DAY OFFERING

8:30 & 10:45 a.m. — Worship Service/Wesley Bell Choir 9:30 a.m. — Church School 10:00 a.m. — Angels Practice 10:45 a.m. — Chancel Choir Sings 1:00 & 6:00 p.m. — Spring of Life Church Gathers

Monday, November 28 Jason Oehrke 6:00 p.m. — Show Me Sound Member Drive/FH

Tuesday, November 29 John Lindstrom 12:00 noon — Communal Prayer Time/Chapel 6:30-9:00 p.m. — Stephen Ministry Training/Rm. 206

Wednesday, November 30 J. C. Myers 5:45 p.m. — Wesley Bell Choir Practice/Sanctuary 6:00 p.m. — Wesley Faithful Men/Rm. 206 7:00 p.m. — Chancel Choir Practices 7:00 p.m. — Staff Parish/Rm. 206 7:00 p.m. — Spring of Life Prayer Group Meets

Thursday, December 1 Kenneth Cromley 11:30 a.m. — United Methodist Women/Best Western

Friday, December 2 Peggy Holbert 7:00 p.m. — Spring of Life Church Gathers/Sanctuary

Saturday, December 3 James Currey 11:00 a.m.-2:00 p.m. — Show Me Sound/FH

Sunday, December 4 Laura Brandhorst 8:30 & 10:45 a.m. — Worship Service/Communion 9:30 a.m. — Church School 10:00 a.m. — Angels Practice 10:45 a.m. — Chancel Choir Sings 1:00-6:00 p.m. — Spring of Life Church Gathers/Sanc./FH 4-5:30 p.m. — WU2

Monday, December 5 Eileen Bennett 6:00 p.m. — Show Me Sound/FH

Tuesday, December 6 Melvina Edwards 12:00 noon — Communal Prayer Time/Chapel 6:30-9:00 p.m. — Stephen Ministry Training/Rm. 206

Wednesday, December 7 Carolyn Thomas 5:45 p.m. — Wesley Bell Choir Practice/Sanctuary 6:00 p.m. — Wesley Faithful Men Practice 7:00 p.m. — Chancel Choir Practice 7:00 p.m. — Spring of Life Prayer Group Meets

Thursday, December 8 Adam Cox 9:00 a.m. — Library Committee/Library 7:00 p.m. — FOCUS/Library 7:00 p.m. — Great Rivers Boy Scout Leaders/FH

Friday, December 9 Jenna Bernardfox 7:00 p.m. — Spring of Life Church Gathers

Saturday, December 10 Laura Cooke 9-11:00 a.m. — Children’s Christmas Program Rehearsal & Jesus’ Birthday Party/Sanc./FH

Secure online contributions may be made to Wesley UMC at http://tinyurl.com/lwzpp4j

Wesley UMC Music Department

will present a gift to you on

Sunday, December 11 at 3:30 p.m. in the Wesley sanctuary.

The Wesley Bell Choir, Chancel Choir and Wesley Faithful Men will perform, as well as

other special music.

Mark your calendar now!

Our gift to you!!

Join us!

Christmas

Caroling The youth will be Christmas

caroling on Sunday, December 18 from 3:00 to 5:00 p.m. and would like to invite the church members

to join them.

We will be decorating the sanctuary for Advent and Christmas on Saturday,

November 26 at 9:00 AM. We need your help! Please indicate on the worship

insert on Sunday if you can help.

Wesley Church

Calendars are now

available in the

library. They are free

but all donations that are received will provide

scholarships and special programs for the children

in our Kids for Christ Preschool.

Online Shopping that Benefits Wesley UMC: UMCmarket.org

John & Mary Meehan November 29, 1975

Scott & Julie Lightfoot December 3, 2005

If you would like to be included in our anniversary celebrations,

please contact the office with your anniversary date.

Children's Christmas Pageant to be held for all ages of children and youth during the 10:45 service on December 11th. Rehearsal for the Pageant will be held on

Saturday, December 10th, from 9:00-11:00 a.m.

Parts will be assigned on the day of the rehearsal.

The Birthday Party for Jesus will also be held during the rehearsal on Saturday.

Children are encouraged to bring a blanket or throw that is child-themed.

Stuffed animals will also be collected. These unwrapped gifts will be placed under our sanctuary tree to be donated to Child Safe as blankets and stuffed animals are given to

each child as they leave the facility. Yours in Christ, Mary Meehan

On Sunday, December 18 poinsettias will be added to our sanctuary for the Christmas season. We invite you to donate $12.00 (or more) in memory or honor of someone special to you. Any funds collected above the cost of the flowers will go toward missional support. Please return this form to the church office by Monday, December 12th. Please make your check payable to Wesley UMC and be

sure and mark on the check “Poinsettia”.

Donor’s Name ______________________________________________________ Telephone______________

In Honor _______________________________________________________________________________

In Memory _____________________________________________________________________________

You may sign up on the bulletin worship insert too!

Communion will be served.

6:00 & 11:00 p.m.

Change in Schedule Sunday, December 25 (Christmas day) and

Sunday, January 1 (New Year’s Day) , Wesley will have a single service at 10:00.

No Sunday School for the children.

We will be sending care packages to our college students during finals. If you have a family member enrolled this fall, please contact the church office by December 4. Monetary donations to help purchase items may be placed in the marked container in the library.

Missional Giving Challenge and Opportunity

The members of the Finance Committee have issued a challenge to our Wesley family. The members of the

Committee are willing to match dollar for dollar any funds that are designated to apportionments from now until the end of 2016 up to $8950. Apportionments are our basic support of missions through the United Methodist Church (our “portion” of the denomination’s mission and ministry). Our leadership is inviting our church family to consider making missional giving a priority as 2016 comes to an end. Don’t miss this opportunity to have your giving doubled! To qualify for the matching amount, funds must be received by January 1st. Please, put on the envelope or memo line of the check “Apportionments.”

Put God on Your Calendar

by: John Meehan,

Church Council Chairman

Your Church Council had been gathering on the second Monday of every other month this summer. Now,

because we have so much going on at Wesley, we have begun monthly meetings. We all lead busy lives

and our calendar fills up fast. Take a look at your schedules. Is God on your calendar? To help you keep

track of all the exciting events in 2017, Wesley Church Calendars are now available in the library. They

are free but all donations that are received will provide scholarships and special programs for the

children in our Kids For Christ Pre-school.

Lynn Shafer, church treasurer, shared that when giving doesn't coincide with expenditures he has been

able to periodically borrow from the rental account. We are thankful that we have a great trustees team,

and with the help of the congregation, they keep the rental property in good condition which provides a

steady revenue source for the church.

Pastor Dennis distributed copies of the church visioning report. A lot of great ideas were shared at the

visioning meeting and the church council will be reviewing those ideas through the winter. He also said

that the prayer walk was a success and we will want to consider doing this again.

Preston Hunter reported on behalf of the trustees that the parking lot lights have been installed,

inspection of the parsonage went well, a new stone walkway has been installed thanks to Kim Graves,

the rental property is in good shape, the renters are current, and repair of the ceiling in the vestibule

will be done soon.

Stan Taylor reported on behalf of the Finance Committee that we are a bit behind on our missional

support. The committee members individually and confidentially submitted their pledges which were then

pooled and tallied. They have now challenged the congregation to match a total of $ 8,950.00. This is a

MATCHING pledge where the committee will match, dollar for dollar, donations from the congregation

up to $8,950.00.

Karen Kay Taylor reported on behalf of the Worship Committee that only one 10:00 a.m. service will be

held on Christmas and New Year's Day. There will not be Children's Sunday School on those days but the

church will be open at 9:00 a.m. for those adults who may want to meet. She appreciated that a lot of

folks have volunteered to help with the Advent/Christmas decorating on Saturday, November 26th at

9:00 a.m. Four "Welcome Guests Parking" signs have been ordered to reinforce our extravagant

hospitality program.

Chris Levine reported for the Nurture and Outreach Committee that the church directory member

information has been sent to the publisher and the proof should be back soon. There were twenty four

cards sent to our veterans.

Kevin Holbert reported that the Stephen Ministry classes are going well and the commissioning service is

scheduled to be held on December 18, 2016. This ministry is self supporting and is not included in the

church budget at this time. Kevin also shared that the "Sounds of Christmas" will be presented to the

community on Sunday, December 11, at 3:30 p.m.

Natalie Smith reported on behalf of the Pre-school board that the spaghetti dinner was a huge success

and almost $700.00 was raised. Church members, Pre-school board members, and parents worked side

by side to provide a great meal and a chance for all of us to visit with the children's parents,

grandparents, and extended family members. Special thanks was given to Kevin for slaving over the

stove making lots of meat sauce.

Mary Meehan reported that the Children's Christmas Program will be on Sunday, December 11th at

the 10:45 service. In preparation, a rehearsal will be held Saturday, December 10th from 9:00 a.m. to

11:00 a.m. along with a birthday party for Jesus. Children's throws and/or stuffed animals will be

collected for Child Safe. Mary was happy to report that the Children's Sunday School is going great and

more children are coming each Sunday.

Wendy Myers reported that the youth participated in the prayer walk, will help clean up after the

Thanksgiving luncheon, bring down the Christmas decorations and will be Christmas caroling on Sunday

December 18th from 3:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. The Council expressed appreciation for a very good Youth

Sunday service.

Cara Chappelle and Jackson Levine said that the church van is getting old and may not meet the long

term needs of our church. Cara said that the youth were ready and willing to start fundraising for

transportation expenses. Preston Hunter will share their concern with the trustees and begin to explore

all the options available to the church.

In closing let me lift up one of the finest ladies in our midst, Sue Cromley. Sue, in addition to all the

things she has done for our church and church members, has served on the board of the Center for

Human Services/Children Therapy Center for over fifty years. She was among the very first parent/

volunteers to help children with special needs in our community. They originally met in the basement of

Bothwell Hospital and operated on a very meager budget. From this small beginning grew one of the

greatest gifts to our community and the thousands of children they have served during those fifty years.

THANK YOU SUE for all you have done.