A D V E N T & C H R I S T M A S2 0 1 8I S

T H E R Econnecting point informationThe Connecting Point is published monthly by FUMCT, 800 Greensboro Avenue, Tuscaloosa, Alabama 35401 | 205.345.7261 | www.fumct.org Editors: Savannah Stout & Hannah Crisp Submissions can be emailed to cp@fumct.org or may be submitted to Savannah Stout in the church office. To unsubscribe to this publication, send an email to contact@fumct.org or call 205.345.7261.

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F U M C T

The poor innkeeper has been given a hard time for centuries. The simple phase “for there was no room in the inn” has made the innkeeper the object of ridicule and the poster child for the lack of hospitality. He has been given little credit for finding an appropriate place under the circumstances for the young couple to give birth to their first child.

Our preaching theme for this Advent and Christmas will ask us to consider where is room in us for the deeper dimensions of the birth of Jesus. Is there room in our hearts to love others? Is there room in our hearts to forgive other people? Is there room in all the conflicting tension of our lives for peace? What about grace? Can we be gracious to others? To ourselves? In the competing priorities of our lives is there a place for Jesus? Is there room in us for the healing power of God’s Spirit to heal our hurts; to repair the brokenness of our lives; to change the damaging habits we have developed? Is there room in you for Christmas?Since 1973, my Christmases have been a wonderful mixture of worship and family. I have tried to do it all and be present at both places whenever needed. Truthfully, the demands and stress have often left me exhausted and often sick. I hope this year to find room for a bit more balance. Hopefully, I can be more present to enjoy the moment and in the process to have more room in my life for a deeper experience of Christmas.Can you find room in your life for the rich blessings of Christmas?

KenDr. Ken Dunivant, S E N I O R P A S T O R

Advent Christmas

END OF YEAR GIVING & STOCK GIFTSStock GiftsTransferring stock is a great way to give to the church. For those members who use stock to fulfill pledge obligations or for other purposes, please contact Charles Tuten at the church office (205.345.7261 ext. 103) with the necessary information as soon as you have notified your broker of the transfer. Stock transfers take several days to process, so make sure to leave enough time for your gift to reach the church by the contribution deadline.

2018 Contribution DeadlinePlease submit all 2018 contributions online at fumct.org/give or to the church office by Monday, December 31st.

Online DonationsYou may always tithe or give on our online donation page at www.fumct.org/give any time of the year.

ATTENDANCE

THIS IS A PUBLICATION OF FIRST UNITED METHODIST CHURCH TUSCALOOSA.Broadcast & Contact Information

The Sunday 11:00 AM Traditions Worship Service is broadcast on WACT 1420 AM, 96.9 FM and online. Listen to and watch sermons on our website at fumct.org/welcome/listen-to-a-sermon.

ATTENDANCE & BUDGET

CHRISTMAS HAPPENINGS2 CONGREGATIONAL INFORMATION 15

FINANCIAL REPORT AS OF 10/31/18Anticipated Income (YTD): $1,876,810Actual Income (YTD): $1,880,579Organ Debt: $330,999

AUGUST WORSHIP: 3,650AUGUST SUNDAY SCHOOL: 1,413

A D V E N T & C H R I S T M A S2 0 1 8I S T H E R E

S U N D A Y, D E C E M B E R 2 , 2 0181S T W E E K O F A DV E N T W O R S H I P

9:00 & 11:00 A.M. | TRADITIONS | DR. KEN DUNIVANT 9:00 & 11:00 A.M. | THE BRIDGE | REV. JESSE TOSTEN

11:00 A.M. | CHILDREN 3 YEARS – 5TH GRADE WILL SING IN THE BRIDGE

S U N D A Y, D E C E M B E R 9, 2 0182 N D W E E K O F A DV E N T W O R S H I P

9:00 & 11:00 A.M. | TRADITIONS | DR. KEN DUNIVANT 9:00 & 11:00 A.M. | THE BRIDGE | REV. JESSE TOSTEN

F O L L O W T H E S T A R 6:00 P.M. | TRADITIONS MUSIC SPECIAL

S U N D A Y, D E C E M B E R 16 , 2 0183 R D W E E K O F A DV E N T W O R S H I P

9:00 & 11:00 A.M. | TRADITIONS | DR. GORMAN HOUSTON

B R I D G E C H R I S T M A S M U S I C S P E C I A L | 9:00 & 11:00 A.M.

O L E FA S H I O N E D C H R I S T M A S PA R T Y | 4:00 P.M. - 6:00 P.M.

S U N D A Y, D E C E M B E R 2 0 , 2 018L O N G E S T N I G H T S E R V I C E

6:00 P.M. | DR. KEN DUNIVANT

S U N D A Y, D E C E M B E R 2 3 , 2 0184 T H W E E K O F A DV E N T W O R S H I P

9:00 & 11:00 A.M. | TRADITIONS | DR. KEN DUNIVANT 9:00 & 11:00 A.M. | THE BRIDGE | REV. JESSE TOSTEN

M O N D A Y, D E C E M B E R 2 4 , 2 018T R A D I T I O N S C H R I S T M A S E V E W O R S H I P

12:00 P.M. (NOON) | DR. KEN DUNIVANT4:00 P.M. | DR. GORMAN HOUSTON

6:00 P.M. | DR. KEN DUNIVANT

B R I D G E C H R I S T M A S E V E W O R S H I P4:00 P.M. | REV. JESSE TOSTEN

6:00 P.M. | REV. JIM WILSON

S U N D A Y, D E C E M B E R 3 0 , 2 0189:30 A.M. | SUNDAY SCHOOL

T R A D I T I O N S & B R I D G E W O R S H I P10:30 A.M. | TRADITIONS | STEPHEN STROUD

10:30 A.M. | BRIDGE | RANDY ALLEN

NEW MEMBERS:

BAPTISMS:• Grayson Michael Crafton, son of Abby and Ross Crafton.• Thompson Marie Gore, daughter of Brooke and Chad Gore.• Olivia Todd Kindred, daughter of Liz and David Kindred.• Everett Joseph Love, son of Daniella and Edward Love• Jameson Richard McGee, son of Janine and Jordan McGee.• Samuel Moxley Swoszowski, son of Nicole and Chad Swoszowski.• Harrison and Gresham Taylor, sons of Stacy and Josh Taylor.

Jeff and Kendra Powell with son, Harrison

Janie and Frank Parsons

John Adam and Susan Page with daughter, Katie Lee

Brooke and Chad Gore with daughter, Thompson Marie Gore

Casey and Jonathon Foster

Nicole Ferretti

Diane and Ron Ezell

Georgine Duckworth

Dianne Brannon

Ken and Libby Blalock with daughters, Allison and Suzy

Bill and Anne Marie Ashley with daughter, Sarah Ashley and son, Carter Ashley

Josh and Stacy Taylor with sons, Harrison and Gresham Taylor

Confirmation Class: William Holt Allen, Walden Redding Baker, Noah Stephen Billings, Joel Burns Brumfield, Russell Wilson Cole, Kaleb Moseley Colgrove, Anna Elizabeth Collins, Marlee Noelle Dollar, Madison Paige Dunn, Matthew Gaither Fox, Ella Kate Ferguson, Kagen Tyler Gilstrap, Jasper Martin Green II, Evelyn Rebecca Guthrie, Garrett Wilson Guthrie, Mary Hayes Henderson, Sadie Catheryn Imbody, Vivian Marie Lang, Layla Reese Lindsey, Ward Brightwell McFarland, William Mark Numnum, Jr., Hayden Randolph Smith, Paxton Grae Sneckenberger, Anna Stuart Thomas, Luke Alexander Wheeler

SEPTEMBER WORSHIP: 3,986SEPTEMBER SUNDAY SCHOOL: 1,847

OCTOBER WORSHIP: 3,696OCTOBER SUNDAY SCHOOL: 1,002

3BIRTHS:• Congratulations to Katie and Greg Stuhr on the birth of their daughter, Maria Jane Stuhr on August 3, 2018 in Huntsville, Alabama. Congratulations also to grandmother, Ethelyn Kyzer Stuhr.• Congratulations to Meg and Kirk Cornelius on the birth of their son, George Campbell Cornelius on September 13, 2018. Congratulations to big sister, Elizabeth Cornelius. Congratulations also to grandparents, Donna and Kirk Cornelius and to great grandmother, Gerry Wade.• Congratulations to Brenda and Bill Goodwin on the birth of their grandson, Miles Legree Kelso on September 14, 2018.• Congratulations to Beth and Dennis Stanard on the birth of their granddaughter, Ann Martha Fidler on August 18, 2018. • Congratulations to Sara and Jim Page on the birth of their daughter, Emery Ruth Page on September 24, 2018.• Congratulations to Christian and Kevin Barber on the birth of their daughter, Blakely Amelia Barber on October 18, 2018. Congratulations also big brothers, Lawson and Hayes Barber and to grandmother Tami Park and great grandparents, DeDe and Knute Christian.• Congratulations to Heather and Joseph Hubbard on the birth of their son, Aiden Edward Hubbard on October 20, 2018. Congratulations also to grandmother, Nancy Hubbard.

DEATHS:FUMCT MEMBERS:• In thanksgiving of his life Dan Vetesk of Lubbock, Texas who died on July 22, 2018.• In thanksgiving of his life Joe Taylor of Tuscaloosa, Alabama who died on August 8, 2018. Sympathy to his wife Tawana Taylor and his children, Brody and Molly Taylor.• In thanksgiving of her life, Evelyn Porter Smith of Tuscaloosa, Alabama who died on September 22, 2018. Sympathy to daughters, Kim (David) Hudson and Deborah Harland.• In thanksgiving of his life Max Morton of Tuscaloosa, Alabama who died on July 21, 2018. Sympathy to his daughter, Becky (Wayne) Guy and to his grandson, Conner (Leslie) Guy. Sympathy also to great grandsons, Sam and Oliver Guy.• In thanksgiving for her life, Virginia Marie Buck Mills of Tuscaloosa, Alabama who died on November 16, 2018.

SYMPATHY TO FUMCT MEMBERS IN DEATH OF FAMILY:• Sympathy to Anne Brandon on the death of her son-in-law, Mark McNutt of Fayetteville, Tennessee on July 21, 2018. Sympathy also to Natileigh McNutt on the death of her husband. Sympathy also to Brooke, Walker and Hannah Brandon on the death of their brother-in-law.• Sympathy to Glen (Lorean) Long on the death of his sister-in-law, Maria Long of Birmingham, Alabama on July 25, 2018.• Sympathy to Cindy (Tony) Allison on the death of her father, John E. Powell of Northport, Alabama on July 29, 2018.• Sympathy to Melinda (Lynn) Corder on the death of her mother, Johnnie M. Creel of Tuscaloosa, Alabama on August 5, 2018.• Sympathy to Tina (BJ) Stakem on the death of her grandmother, Doris Jones of Gordo, Alabama on August 15, 2018.• Sympathy to Cody (Hannah) Crisp on the death of his grandfather, James Nolen Sims of Anniston, Alabama on August 17, 2018.• Sympathy to Willie Mae (Charlie) Bolden on the death of her sister, Amy Mae Richardson of Tuscaloosa, Alabama on August 23, 2018.• Sympathy to Josh (Katie) Kidd on the death of his grandmother, Marie Kidd of Ardmore, Alabama on September 5, 2018.• Sympathy to Shelley (Chris) Kyle on the death of her father, John Morrissette of Mobile, Alabama on September 5, 2018.• Sympathy to Davis Sparks on the death of his father, Ricky Sparks of Tuscaloosa, Alabama on September 11, 2018.• Sympathy to Mac DeLoach on the death of his first cousin, Ruby Williams Whitcomb of York, Alabama on September 20, 2019.• Sympathy to Mike (Lynda) Case in the death of his brother, Butch Case of Memphis, Tennessee on October 22, 2018. • Sympathy to Kim Martin on the death of her father-in-law.• Sympathy to Aurelia (Chip) Swann on the death of her father, Don Spencer of Shelbyville, Tennessee on October 23, 2018.• Sympathy to Tim (Susan) Brister on the death of his father, John C. Brister, Jr. of Demopolis, Alabama on November 13, 2018. Sympathy also to Jessica Brister and Jason Brister on the death of their grandfather.• Sympathy to Grant (Terry) Huddleston on the death of his mother, Sherry Huddleston of Brigham City, Utah on November 13, 2018.• Sympathy to Justin (Stefanie) Thompson on the death of his grandfather, Charles Abston of Aliceville, Alabama on November 15, 2018. Sympathy also to Laurie, Leah and Lily Thompson on the death of their great grandfather.

Join us on Sunday, December 16th from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. in the courtyard on 8th Street and in Chitwood Hall for the final event of our 2018 bicentennial celebration. We will celebrate with the families of our church the way that people of the past have celebrated Christmas. We will have a horse and buggy ride around downtown, a visit from Father Christmas and caroling. Our own Chopped Jr. champion chef, Fuller Goldsmith will team up with others to produce a tasting menu of foods that were served for Christmas celebrations 200 years ago. You and your family will experience a live nativity and you will sing together, Silent Night, which is, like our church, 200 years old! Mary Virginia Best and her team are creating a memory for you! Be sure to mark it on your calendar and plan to attend.

Ole Fashioned Christmas

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C E L E B R A T I O N

Featuring Father Christmas, vintage crafts and games for children, traditional carols and refreshments.

SUNDAY, DECEMBER 16 FROM 4:00 TO 6:00 P.M. IN THE COURTYARD

F O L L O WT H E

S T RA CHORAL CONCERT OF MEANINGFUL CHRISTMAS MUSIC

PRESENTED BY THE CHANCEL CHOIR AND ORCHESTRASUNDAY, DECEMBER 9, 2018 | 6:00 PM | SANCTUARY

CONGREGATIONAL INFORMATION CHRISTMAS HAPPENINGS

WEDNESDAY N IGHTS

W I N T E R 2 0 1 8

4 CHURCH HAPPENINGS 13

UMW Circle Meetings

UMW BOARD MEETING | Monday, December 3rd at 2 p.m. in the Stabler

Conference Room

CELEBRATION CIRCLE | Monday, December 10th at 5:45 p.m. in the Stabler

Conference Room

T H E F I R S T U N I T E D M E T H O D I S T C H U R C H O F T U S C A L O O S A invites you to

THURSDAY, DECEMBER 20 at 6:00 p.m. in the Sanctuary

THELongestNightSERVICE

Poinsettia SundayIf you wish to give a Memorial or Honorarium for Christmas, please make your check payable to FUMCT or go to fumct.org/give and click Make a Donation. A customary amount would be $25. Submit the necessary information by Sunday, December 9th to be printed in the December 16th Order of Worship. Anything received after this deadline will be printed at a later date.

The InkeeperBY Frederick Buechner

W N A R E S U M E S J A N U A R Y 9 . V I S I T F U M C T. O R G / M I N I S T R I E S / W E D N E S D AY- N I G H T S - A L I V E

F O R M O R E I N F O R M AT I O N .

Christmas may be a difficult time this year for individuals dealing with the death of a loved one, facing life after a divorce or separation, coping with

the loss of a job, or living with cancer or other disease that puts a question mark over the future. All these situations make us feel sad and alone in the

midst of all the celebrating. In other words, you may be having a "blue" Christmas. Join with us during this special service as we recognize that God's presence is here for those who mourn and struggle. God's word

comes to shine light into our darkness, offering hope and healing to all.

CHRISTMAS HAPPENINGS

happened much in the way that you have heard. I did not lie about there being no room left - there really was none - though perhaps if there had been a room, I might have lied. As much for their sakes as for the sake of the inn. Their kind would have felt more at home in a stable, that's all, and I do not mean that unkindly either. God knows.

"Later that night, when the baby came, I was not there," the Innkeeper said. "I was lost in the forest somewhere, the unenchanted forest of a million trees. Fifteen steps to the cellar, and watch out for your head going down. Firewood to the left. If the fire goes out, the heart freezes. Only the wind, the wind. I speak to you as men of the world. So when the baby came, I was not around, and I saw none of it. As for what I heard - just at that moment itself of birth when nobody turns into somebody - I do not rightly know what I heard.

"But this I do know. My own true love. All your life long, you wait for your own true love to come-we all of us do-our destiny, our joy, our heart's desire. So how am I to say it, gentlemen? When he came, I missed him.

"Pray for me, brothers and sisters. Pray for the Innkeeper. Pray for me, and for us all, my own true love."

CHURCH HAPPENINGS12 5

Thank you to those who have given gifts to our annual Tuscaloosa DHR Tree of Bears gift drive. Don’t forget the deadline to return all gifts is Sunday, December 2nd! Gifts may be returned wrapped or unwrapped with the wish list card attached (no used clothing is accepted.) If you have any questions, please contact Morgan at morgan@fumct.org.

HOLIDAY CHURCH CLOSINGSThe church will be open for services on

Monday, December 24th at noon, 4:00 p.m. and 6:00 p.m.The offices will be closed on December 25th and 26th . We will reopen on

Thursday, December 27th at 8:00 a.m.

Fumct christmas gift project

Traditional

Dinner

a family, to run anything in this world for that matter, even your own life? It is like being lost in a forest of a million trees," said the Innkeeper, "and each tree is a thing to be done. Is there fresh linen on all the beds? Did the children put on their coats before they went out? Has the letter been written, the book read? Is there money enough left in the bank? Today we have food in our bellies and clothes on our backs, but what can we do to make sure that we will have them still tomorrow? A million trees. A million things.

"Until finally we have eyes for nothing else, and whatever we see turns into a thing. The sparrow lying in the dust at your feet - just a thing to be kicked out of the way, not the mystery of death. The calling of children outside your window - just a distraction, an irrelevance, not life, not the wildest miracle of them all. That whispering in the air that comes sudden and soft from nowhere - only the wind, the wind...

"Of course I remember very well the evening they arrived. I was working on my accounts and looked up just in time to see the woman coming through the door. She walked in that slow, heavy-footed way that women have in the last months, as though they are walking in a dream or at the bottom of the sea. Her husband stood a little behind her - a tongue-tied, helpless kind of man, I thought. I cannot remember either of them saying anything, although I suppose some words must have passed. But at least it was mostly silence. The clumsy silence of the poor. You know what I mean. It was clear enough what they wanted.

"The stars had come out. I remember the stars perfectly though I don't know why I should, sitting inside as I was. And my wife's cat jumped up onto the table where I was sitting. I had not stood up, of course. There was mainly just silence. Then it

Ken introduced us to our Advent Theme Is There Room? by referencing the Innkeeper assumed in Luke 2:7. Often portrayed as villain, we may in fact learn something about making room in our own lives when we imagine what his life might have looked like when Joseph and Mary stumbled upon his doorstep. As we prepare to make room this Advent, join me in reflecting on the human struggle found in the story of the Innkeeper, expressed by the author Frederick Buechner: The following Christmas monologue comes from “The Birth”, one of Buechner’s sermons at the Philip Exeter School and published in “Secrets in the Dark.”

"That was a long, long time ago," said the Innkeeper, "and a long, long way away. But the memories of men are also long, and nobody has forgotten anything about my own sad, queer part in it all unless maybe they have forgotten the truth about it. But you can never blame people for forgetting the truth because it is, after all, such a subtle and evasive commodity. In fact, all that distinguishes a truth from a lie may finally be no more than just the flutter of an eyelid or the tone of a voice. If I were to say, 'I BELIEVE!' that would be a lie, but if I were to say, 'I believe ...,' that might be the truth. So I do not blame posterity for forgetting the subtleties and making me out to be the black villain of the piece - the heartless one who said, 'No room! No room!' I'll even grant you that a kind of villainy may be part of the truth. But if you want to speak the whole truth, then you will have to call me a villain with a catch in your voice, at least a tremor, a hesitation maybe, with even the glitter of almost a tear in your eye. Because nothing is entirely black, you know. Not even the human heart.

"I speak to you as men of the world," said the Innkeeper. "Not as idealists, but as realists. Do you know what it is like to run an inn - to run a business,

HOLIDAY NOTES

I ST H E R E T H E

I N K E E P E RAND SHE GAVE BIRTH TO HER FIRST-BORN SON AND

WRAPPED HIM IN SWADDLING CLOTHES, AND LAID HIM IN A MANGER, BECAUSE THERE WAS NO PLACE FOR THEM

IN THE INN. -LUKE 2:7

Rev. Jesse TostenPASTOR OF CONTEMPORARY WORSHIP

6 CHURCH HAPPENINGS 11

What role does having good health play in your life? Here are five good tips for healthy living and wellness:1. Embrace life and be grateful for the gifts God has given you.2. Tune into the positive experiences that surround you to balance the tough times.3. Be active to maintain your body and your mental health. Make exercise a good habit!4. Make a commitment to eat a well balanced, more natural diet and watch sugar content in foods.5. Pray for peace on earth and good will to all men.

These tips may help you make a powerful New Year’s Resolution for 2019! Hope to see you soon in the Church Activity Center or the Body and Soul Fitness Center work out room. For more information on group classes or recreation contact Linda Dunn, Fitness and Wellness Coordinator FUMCT at ldunn@fumct.org or 205-345-7261, ext. 120.

a d v e n t, w e e k 3

Sunday, December 16 at 9:00 & 11:00 am in Chitwood Hall

Merry Fit-mas!

Women

#fumctgratitude

TIS THE SEASON FOR Gratitude

CHRISTMAS HAPPENINGS

Gratitude word cloudThis graphic represents most of the Post It notes you put on the Grateful Boards around the church. The larger the word, the more people posted that word.

CHURCH HAPPENINGS 10 7

GETTING TO KNOW

Y URCHURCH

NICE TO MEET YOU, Toni Tait!Volunteer Receptionist

If you come by the church office on Monday afternoons, you will be greeted by a kind and professional voice at the door, “How may I help you?” Toni Tait is one of nine regular volunteers* who staff the front desk of the office each week. She and the other eight answer the phone, fold and stuff the bulletins and greet and assist guests to the church.

A University of California at Irvine study shows that every time a worker is interrupted, it takes about 23 minutes for them to get back in the swing of what they were doing when the phone rang. Toni is there to channel the calls to the right staff member and minimize unnecessary interruptions. Especially on a busy Monday, Toni saves us time!

Toni was born in Jackson, MS but has spent most of her life in Alabama. She and her husband, David met in Camden, married and moved to Slidell, LA and then to Demopolis, where they spent 20 years. In high school and into her young-married years, Toni baked and sold wedding and birthday cakes. David was an engineer for Gulf States Paper. When oldest son, Trey, now 31, was just a baby, Toni decided to give up professional baking and be a stay-at-home-mother to her sons. They joined Demopolis FUMC and Toni volunteered there and in her sons’ schools.

Toni and David moved to Tuscaloosa 12 years ago and he now works as an engineer for Alabama Power.

Their son, Trey is in Atlanta and works for a tech marketing firm and son, Kyle, 27, is an attorney in New York City. While Toni’s Monday work at the front desk is exemplary, it is the job she does for the church once a month

She came with her family, two teenage girls, who were embarrassed to be there, and one rambunctious 4-year-old who wanted to run and play. She had been living at Turning Point, a Tuscaloosa shelter for battered women, for about two weeks. She left an abusive situation in California and found a safe place in Tuscaloosa.

The four of them were safe—so now it was time to get settled, get the children in school, find a more permanent place to live, get an Alabama Driver License. She had been feeling a little light-headed and a toothache kept her up all night last night. The children didn’t have any sweaters or long pants. They came to Homeless Connect in October, 2017. A staff member at Turning Point told them to go. She said, “I am not the type to be homeless. I have always worked and provided for my family. I just ran up on some hard times...”

Two FUMCT volunteers greeted her and the work of the day began. By 1 p.m. she had a driver license, a prescription for and a bottle of blood pressure medicine, school clothes for the girls, a Spiderman PJ set for her son and lunch for all of them. (Actually, she took her lunch home because she had four teeth pulled at the dental clinic).

This is Homeless Connect. A one-stop shop where homeless and down-on-their-luck people of Tuscaloosa can come and get all the services they need in one place, on one morning. A client can access almost 30 services including:

• Medical services• Pharmacy services• Vision care services• Dental services• Legal services• The Division of Motor Vehicles• Hair styling and cutting• Clothes closet• LunchOn Saturday, January 26th, our church has the honor of hosting this event. We need YOU to help us. It takes about 300 volunteers to be hosts and hostesses for the clients who will come. Some will drive buses to the dentist; some will make sandwiches in the kitchen; some will help in the vision care area. Most will work directly with the clients, welcoming them and escorting them around our church to visit all the services they need.

“If you participate, your eyes will be opened,” said Josh Davis, FUMCT Director of Outreach. “You will see the needs in Tuscaloosa and you will also see the compassion of the people and agencies of Tuscaloosa. We will be able to help about 235-250 people on this one day!”

Homeless Connect has been at Central High School for years and due to some policy changes, that site was not available this year. So Love INC, (Love In The Name of Christ), the organizer of Homeless Connect asked if our church could host. In our facility, we will be able to spread out the services more and offer the clients more privacy and better amenities.

“Your church opens its doors every Thursday night for our life training seminars and counseling services,” said Cathy Vanderford, Executive Director of Love INC. “Your generosity is overwhelming! Your downtown location will make it so easy to accommodate our clients for this big day.”

Volunteer sign up starts on December 1st. Mark your calendar and visit www.loveinctuscaloosa.com/homeless-connect/ to volunteer. If you have questions or need more information, please contact Josh Davis or Morgan Bruce in the church office.

In Isaiah 58 we read, "Shout out! Do not hold back! Lift up your voice like a trumpet! Share your bread with the hungry and bring the homeless poor into your house." Join us the morning of January 26th and help us host the homeless poor in our house.

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january 26, 2019

that makes her a star. She bakes a birthday surprise each month for the staff. She is famous for her sour cream pound cake, but it is the cupcake baking and decorating that she enjoys most. “I am still using the same decorating equipment I used more than 30 years ago,” she said. “I experiment with the icing. That’s the fun part.”

So what is for Christmas dinner at the Tait’s? “My mother-in-law handles the main dinner and I bake—maybe a crème brulee, a black bottom pie and always some oatmeal cookies.”

Thank you Toni for showing hospitality to those who visit or call our church. And for making our Happy Birthday celebrations yummy.

Thanks to all our front office receptionists. If you would like to substitute when one of these is out, please contact Morgan Bruce at morgan@fumct.org.

*CHURCH OFFICE VOLUNTEER SCHEDULE

CHURCH HAPPENINGS

identity2018

FAMILY MINISTRIES & CHURCH HAPPENINGS FAMILY MINISTRIES & CHURCH HAPPENINGS 98

CHILDREN'S MINISTRY

Thank you to everyone who helped make the Fall Festival a complete success. The children had so much fun performing the musical, It's Cool in the Furnace, and Dr. Motley and the interns did a great job. Special thanks to Josh and the kitchen staff for preparing and providing hamburgers and hot dogs for all. Our Trunk-or-Treat volunteers really went all out and were great with the children.All in all, the evening was a great opportunity for fellowship, and it was fun for our members and the community! We are grateful to everyone who participated.

Cong ratulations, ConfiCongratulations Confirmation Class of 2018! This year First United Methodist church welcomed 25 committed individuals to the church family as they confessed their faith in our Lord and Savior. It was a privilege to watch these students grow as they learned about community, theology and the purpose of the church. Our classes this year were taught by Colin Higginbotham and Katie Alexander. Both of these interns were confirmed at First United Methodist and are still serving their church. There are great days ahead for these students who will carry our church into the future as they help take our church to new places and continue the work of the church in this world.

Please join FOOMACK students at Hospice of West Alabama on Sunday, November 25th at 1:30 p.m. to decorate the Christmas tree. The tree is placed in memory of Jim Page and has been a tradition for the student ministries since his death in 2004.

The Fall Little Lambs Sale is scheduled for February 21-23, 2019. For over 20 sales, this committee has worked to raise money for the church and the children's ministry, reach community members with love, and offer high quality, gently used children's items to shoppers.

This year, the money raised went to refinishing the playground floor surface and redoing the Chanda Fehler room. But, as mentioned, this sale and its impact reaches farther than our church walls.

Each sale we have new mothers and fathers and grandparents looking for gently used baby gear or clothes that they would not

otherwise be able to buy. Each sale we talk to many teachers who come and buy for students in their classes, for friends of the family who are in need, for neighbors and more. Each sale, new community members are introduced to our beautiful church and its wonderful members who give up so much time during the week of the sale to make it all possible.

If you are interested in volunteering, please visit fumct.org/ministries/little-lambs and sign up or email littlelambstuscaloosa@gmail.com. We would love to have you.

This year, we began a new purpose-driven weekend that is geared to challenge students to understand their IDENTITY. In our first year there were 55 students, 10 middle school leaders and a team of adults that had the privilege to begin something new in our church.

Our focus was on light versus darkness—where light always wins. Students were challenged to understand that a little light can overcome a lot of darkness.

Light has the ability to give us hope and to help us see our way through difficult times. This weekend was a huge success as it served as a preview to Discovery, the middle school spiritual retreat.

Congratulations to our 25 new church members on their confirmation!: William Holt Allen, Walden Redding Baker, Noah Stephen Billings, Joel Burns Brumfield, Russell Wilson Cole, Kaleb Moseley Colgrove, Anna Elizabeth Collins, Marlee Noelle Dollar, Madison Paige Dunn, Matthew Gaither Fox, Ella Kate Ferguson, Kagen Tyler Gilstrap, Jasper Martin Green II, Evelyn Rebecca Guthrie, Garrett Wilson Guthrie, Mary Hayes Henderson, Sadie Catheryn Imbody, Vivian Marie Lang, Layla Reese Lindsey, Ward Brightwell McFarland, William Mark Numnum, Jr., Hayden Randolph Smith, Paxton Grae Sneckenberger, Anna Stuart Thomas, Luke Alexander Wheeler

rmation Class!

February 21-23, 2019