aA www.NewsletterNewsletter.com NOVEMBER 2021 Volume 43 • Number 11 save the handy sidebar on the next page. Proper nouns and adjectives Capitalize proper nouns that are offi- cial names of people, places and things (Pastor Smith, Boise, First Church). But don’t capitalize nouns that are general names (the pastor, the city, the church). Capitalize adjectives that derive from proper nouns (Christian faith, Facebook account, African American heritage). Note that some proper adjectives no longer need to be capitalized because they don’t depend on the proper noun for meaning (french fries, pasteurized milk, dutch treat). Titles and headlines Capitalize personal titles when they appear before people’s names and are used instead of courtesy titles such With capital letters, some rules are set in stone. We know to always capitalize the first letter of a sentence, the pro- noun “I,” names of people, churches, days, months, holidays and so on. Other rules are a matter of preference and can change. For example, some publications have recently decided to capitalize Black when it’s used to describe African American people and culture. For church publications, biblical and religious terms often are at the center of capitalization debates. The key is to choose a style and stick with it as con- sistently as possible. A guide such as the AP Stylebook can help you with tough calls. Use the guidelines below for a refresher on the ups and downs of capitalization. Also be sure to clip and as Mr. and Mrs. (President Dodd, Aunt Maggie). But don’t capitalize these same titles when they follow people’s names (Denise Dodd, president of the con- gregation). And don’t capitalize titles used without a name (The chairman announced his resignation). For titles of works, capitalize the first and final words, as well as all other words except articles (a, an, the); the conjunctions and, but and or ; prepositions of three or fewer letters (on, for, in); and the to of an infinitive (Called to Serve). Know the ups and downs of capitalization HOW-TO 1 Continued on page 2
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aA
www.NewsletterNewsletter.com N O V E M B E R 2 0 2 1
Volume 43 • Number 11
save the handy sidebar on the next page. Proper nouns and adjectives
Capitalize proper nouns that are offi-cial names of people, places and things (Pastor Smith, Boise, First Church). But don’t capitalize nouns that are general names (the pastor, the city, the church).
Capitalize adjectives that derive from proper nouns (Christian faith, Facebook account, African American heritage). Note that some proper adjectives no longer need to be capitalized because they don’t depend on the proper noun for meaning (french fries, pasteurized milk, dutch treat). Titles and headlines
Capitalize personal titles when they appear before people’s names and are used instead of courtesy titles such
With capital letters, some rules are set in stone. We know to always capitalize the first letter of a sentence, the pro-noun “I,” names of people, churches, days, months, holidays and so on. Other rules are a matter of preference and can change. For example, some publications have recently decided to capitalize Black when it’s used to describe African American people and culture.
For church publications, biblical and religious terms often are at the center of capitalization debates. The key is to choose a style and stick with it as con-sistently as possible. A guide such as the AP Stylebook can help you with tough calls.
Use the guidelines below for a refresher on the ups and downs of capitalization. Also be sure to clip and
as Mr. and Mrs. (President Dodd, Aunt Maggie). But don’t capitalize these same titles when they follow people’s names (Denise Dodd, president of the con-gregation). And don’t capitalize titles used without a name (The chairman announced his resignation).
For titles of works, capitalize the first and final words, as well as all other words except articles (a, an, the); the conjunctions and, but and or;
prepositions of three or fewer letters (on, for, in); and the
to of an infinitive (Called to Serve).
Know the ups and downs of capitalization
H O W - T O
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Continued on page 2
Continued from page 1
the Redeemer, the Holy Spirit), but don’t capitalize pronouns or derivative words that apply to the deity (he, his, thy, godlike, godliness). Your church or denomination may choose otherwise, possibly according to a preferred Bible version. Just be consistent. Bible terms
Capitalize Bible, Scripture, the Gospels and God’s Word. But lowercase biblical and scriptural. Capitalize names of Bible books (Genesis, Exodus) and versions (English Standard Version). Terms from Jesus’ life
Capitalize major events that don’t use Jesus’ name (the Resurrection, the Ascen-sion). But don’t use capitals for those same events when his name is included ( Jesus’ resurrection, the ascension of Jesus into heaven). Terms from church life
Capitalize Holy Baptism, Holy Com-munion and the Lord’s Supper. But don’t capitalize baptism, communion and confirmation.
Capitalize seasons in the church year (Advent, Epiphany). Don’t capitalize terms for the church building (sanctu-ary, narthex). Other church-related terms include Sunday school, vacation Bible school and Bible study.
Although similar rules apply to arti-cle headlines and subheads, capitaliza-tion in headlines is a matter of style. For example, The Newsletter Newsletter uses uppercase on only the first word and proper nouns (“Make the internet work for your church”). Exceptions are okay at times, such as when artists de-sign headlines as type treatments. Geography and seasons
Capitalize north, south, east, west and their derivatives when they refer to spe-cific regions (the South, Southerners, the West Coast, the Middle East). But don’t capitalize compass points that merely indicate direction (Our church is two miles east of town).
Seasons don’t need to be capitalized (We hold a bake sale every fall) unless they’re part of a proper noun (Plan to attend our Fall Bake Sale). Names and pronouns for God
Capitalize proper names for God (the Father, Jesus Christ, the Son, the Savior,
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Capitalization of common
religious terms
Advent season Almighty, the almighty God apostle Paul Apostles’ Creed baby Jesus Beatitudes Bible study biblical body of Christ
Christlike crucifixion, Jesus’ Crucifixion, the godless God’s Word (the Bible) Golden Rule Holy Communion kingdom of God Lamb of God Last Supper, the
scriptural Scripture(s) Second Coming, the Sunday school Ten Commandments Trinity, the Twelve, the (disciples) ungodly vacation Bible school Word (of God)
Capitalize names of denominations and affiliations (Methodist, Baptist, Lutheran). Don’t capitalize terms for religious movements (evangelical, funda-mentalist) unless they’re part of a denomi-national or church name. Miscellaneous
• When using a number at the begin-ning of a sentence, write out the number and capitalize the first letter (Twenty-two teens attended the camp).
• For hyphenated words in a title, capitalize the second word only if it’s a noun or adjective that’s as im-portant as the first (All-Church Picnic, Long-term Vision).
• After a colon, capitalize the next word if it begins a full sentence (They gave this reason: Offerings have been increasing).
• For lists, generally capitalize sentences or phrases but not single words. Again, be consistent.
• Capitalize abbreviations used as a title (Rev., Dr., Mr., Mrs.), but don’t capital-ize the when it’s used in a religious title (the Rev. Terry Smith).
In general, overcapitalizing gets dis- tracting for readers. This is especially true when you overuse ALL CAPS, which isn’t a preferred way to show emphasis.
What capitalization questions do you have? Join the conversation on our Facebook page!
! CLIP & SAVE!
WhomWhomWho?
Who has questions about using who or whom?Who/whom will sponsor this month’s meal?
In this case, he, which is subjective,
fits. Therefore, who, also subjective, is the right choice.
From who/whom did the church receive the memorial gift?
Questions are often inverted state-
ments, so the choice of he or him can be more difficult. Change the question to a statement to see whether the pronoun should be subjective or objective.
The church did receive the memorial gift from who/whom.
Now it’s obvious that we can substi-
tute the pronoun him as the object of the preposition from; therefore, whom is correct.
What English teachers call a “who clause” — a phrase that includes subject and verb — can act as a subject or an object.
The award will go to [whoever/ whomever volunteers the most hours].
Some grammar experts have tried to put whom out to pasture, but others are resisting that move. Here’s a primer for this usage debate:
Who acts as the subject of a sentence, clause or phrase.
Who will play the guitar this morning?
Whom acts as an object of either a verb or a preposition.
For whom will you play the guitar today?
Think of it this way: Who (subject) did what to whom (object)?
Here’s another helpful test. Most of us are comfortable using the pronouns he and him. He and who both end with vowels and are used as the subject. Him and whom both end with m and act as the object. When deciding whether to use who or whom, try substituting he or him to see which is correct.
Once you’ve made that choice, replace it with the corresponding pronoun — the subjective who or the objective whom. Use the same method to decide between whoever and whomever.
Here, the entire who clause acts as the object of the preposition to. In this instance, isolate the clause from the sentence; then use the he/him test. The pronoun he can be substituted as the subject of the who clause, so we know whoever is also correct.
The award will go to whoever volunteers the most hours.
Because whom can seem overly formal,
people are often self-conscious about using it. Rewrite stiff sentences for a more natural tone. In casual conversa-tion, feel free to use the comfortable who and ignore whom.
In a combined November-December issue, The Remarker makes remarkable use of our artwork to publicize upcoming worship services and seasonal events. The front page is elegantly framed with portions of the PowerPoint slide wisemen_20011p. The star twinkles up top, by the nameplate, and Magi travel on the dunes below, toward the church contact information. (This is a great example of keeping key details visible without adding clutter to the nameplate.) On the rest of the page, the clip-art image holyfam_19752c directs readers’ eyes toward a list of scheduled events. That illustration, taken from a Bible Quiz, originally faced left, but here it’s flipped to better fit the layout.
The Remarker is a publication of First United Methodist Church, Princeton, West Virginia.
Artwork guides readers along the journey toward Christmas
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F E A T U R E D
W R I T I N G
Volume 43 • Number 11 N O V E M B E R 2 0 2 1
Want us to see your e-newsletter? Add us to your mailing list: [email protected] Want us to see your print newsletter? Add us to your mailing list: The Newsletter Newsletter, PO Box 9290, Canton OH 44711
Children at your church will be thankful for Thanksgiving coloring pages, which are a snap to create with our artwork. Enlarge an illustration to fill a full or half sheet. (WMF files work best.) Remove or edit text with the online Caption Editor, if desired. Add the church name and a line for the child’s name.
Distribute coloring pages at worship services, after Sunday school classes or at church meals. They also work great in mailings for sick children or home-bound members.
Kids will gobble up coloring pages
A R T T I P
Seven C’s serve up seamless sentencesTo improve your communication
skills and become a more effective writer, apply these guidelines — and share them with your team:
1. Concise. Strive to keep articles short and simple. Readers have brief attention spans and want to know quickly how something impacts them.
2. Clear. Check for any church jargon, acronyms or insider language that might obscure the message. Don’t assume readers know what you’re writing about.
3. Concrete. When writing, be as specific as possible. Passive voice, allusions and flowery language can create doubt and uncertainty. However, specific details add inter-est while reducing the chance you’ll be misunderstood.
4. Complete. After finishing an arti-cle, double-check to see if anything important is missing. Have you an-swered the essential questions “who, what, when, where, why and how”? What might readers still need to know, especially if they’re new to the church? Provide any necessary back-ground, as well as follow-up details and contact information.
5. Correct. Fact-checking is key for maintaining credibility (another vital C!). Double-check items such
Let’s hope they didn’t litter with those liter bottles.
as dates, names and contact information. Have a trusted staff member or volunteer
serve as your second set of eyes. 6. Considerate. Convey courtesy and
respect with your newsletter’s tone. Remember that the publication reflects on your church and its members. Always keep readers’ needs and feelings in mind, espe-cially when dealing with difficult topics.
7. Change. Be willing to rewrite and edit as necessary. Writing tends to improve with each draft, so leave plenty of time for making improvements.
When writing and editing copy, adhere to these seven C’s with care to become a capable and captivating source for readers. Also provide this list to anyone wishing to submit information and articles to the church newsletter.
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T H E B A S I C S
Volume 43 • Number 11 N O V E M B E R 2 0 2 1
• “The more you recognize and express gratitude for the things you have, the more things you will have to express gratitude for.”
—Zig Ziglar
• “Even the smallest act of caring for another person is like a drop of water: It will make ripples throughout the entire pond.”
—Jessy and Bryan Matteo
Preparation for worship
God, you went ahead of Elijah to Zarephath to pro-vide for him and the widow’s family (1 Kings 17). Re-mind me that wherever I go this week, you’re already there, preparing the way.
• • •
I pray with Hannah: “My heart exults in the Lord; my strength is exalted in my God. … There is no Holy One like the Lord … no Rock like our God” (1 Samu-el 2:1-2, NRSV).
• • •
Alpha and Omega, the A and the Z, the beginning and the end: King Jesus, please rule in my life.
• • •
[Thanksgiving] Giver of all good things, I am thank-ful beyond words for your generosity and love. Help me share your love broadly. Amen.
• • •
Lord, you are our righteousness ( Jeremiah 33:16). We wait with bated breath for your awesome promises to spring forth.
Words of welcome
Welcome to this gathering of the saints, both here and in the heavenly kingdom. Let us worship God together!
• • •
Welcome to Church as we worship in the name of the Creator, the Savior and the life-giving Spirit. Amen.
• • •
Today we celebrate Christ the King, whose kingdom is grace and who rules by love. Welcome to worship.
• • •
Welcome to Thanksgiving worship! At Christ’s table of grace, all are family, and all belong. Let us praise God together.
• • •
Happy Advent! We direct our hearts and our worship now toward the coming of Jesus at Christmas and at the end of time. Welcome.
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C O N T E N T
Where do you live?
A man who resided near the border of two states had been told for years his house was in Minnesota. But when a new survey revealed that he actually lived in Wisconsin, he pro-claimed, “Thank goodness! I never could bear those cold Minnesota winters.”
Defining where we live certainly affects our attitude. Fol-lowers of Jesus, or saints, consider their true home to be in God’s dynamic presence. St. Paul was so connected to God through prayer that mystical experiences left him not know-ing whether he was in or out of his body (see 2 Corinthians 12:1-10). Living with one foot in heaven and the other on the way there, Paul could know peace. “Whether we live or whether we die, we are the Lord’s,” he concludes (Romans 14:8). Christian saints who are still living on earth can rest assured: Our true home is always with the Lord.
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Special dates
• All Saints’ Day, November 1, 2021 • Daylight-Saving Time ends, November 7, 2021 • Veterans Day, November 11, 2021• Thanksgiving Day, November 25, 2021• First Sunday of Advent, November 28, 2021
The subversive table
“The Lord’s Supper [is] a profoundly subversive political event in the lives of the participants,” writes Richard Beck in Unclean. “The sacrament brings real people — divided in the larger world — into a sweaty, intimate, flesh-and-blood em-brace where ‘there shall be no difference between them and the rest.’” Beck is quoting Walt Whitman, for whom “them” refers to “the wicked and the righteous.”
In our day, I think of political conservatives and liberals who receive equally the grace of God through Christ’s body and blood. I think of the man in a church I pastored, who took pride in stirring up controversy. I didn’t like him. But at the Lord’s table, though “divided in the larger world,” we shared a sacrament with no difference between us.
I think of my former parish near an Air Force base. Many members were military personnel and surely knew one another’s rank. But in church — at the conference table, the dinner table and especially the communion table — no difference existed between a colonel and a captain, a com-missioned officer and an NCO. It was a beautiful example of God’s kingdom subverting the world’s tendency to divide.
—Heidi Hyland Mann
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C O N T E N T
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Thankfulness in action
Thanksgiving is a spiritual exercise, necessary to the building of a healthy soul. It takes us out of the stuffiness of ourselves into the fresh breeze and sunlight of the will of God.
—Elisabeth Elliot, Keep a Quiet Heart
To speak gratitude is courteous and pleasant, to enact gratitude is generous and noble, but to live gratitude is to touch heaven.
—Johannes Gaertner
Let gratitude be the pillow upon which you kneel to say your nightly prayer. And let faith be the bridge you build to overcome evil and welcome good.
—Maya Angelou
Honoring our veterans
Veterans Day has its roots in what was called Armistice Day, when a peace agreement ended World War I on November 11, 1918. President Wilson proclaimed that Armistice Day was to be marked with solemn pride in heroism and with gratitude for victory as well as the “opportu-nity it has given America to show
her sympathy with peace and justice.” In 1954, the remem-brance was renamed Veterans Day to honor all U.S. military personnel. It’s a reminder to pray for and honor all who serve and sacrifice, to support and assist their families, and to pray that God will bring peace on earth.
A gratitude game
Years ago, ads for a toy-store chain featured an animated kangaroo jumping on a frown to turn it upside down. That reminds me of family life, which can feel like a nonstop at-tempt to keep everyone happy. Busy schedules, grumpy kids and tired parents can be a bad combination.
When our family needs to turn frowns upside down, we play the thankful game. The rules are simple: We take turns sharing one thing we’re thankful for. Everyone plays. No one can pass. No repeats are allowed. Our kids, now teens, still chime in.
As we share gratitude for football, Grandma, hugs, warm brownies, coffee and more, kids tend to stop bickering, and adults get a mental reset. Try playing, and bring on lots of smiles!
—Janna Firestone
Time to double down
After you have made a decision that is pleasing to God, the devil may try to make you have second thoughts. In-tensify your prayer time, meditation and good deeds. For if Satan’s temptations merely cause you to increase your efforts to grow in holiness, he’ll have an incentive to leave you alone.
When Advent begins on November 28 this year, so does a new church year for liturgical congregations. The church seasons, which correspond to key events in Jesus’ life, begin with the four-week Advent period of preparation for our coming Savior at Christmas. After the 12-day season of Christmas is Epiphany, which begins January 6 and contin-ues through Ash Wednesday, the beginning of Lent. That period of preparation culminates in Holy Week, and then Easter marks the pinnacle of every church year. Forty days after the Resurrection we celebrate Ascension, and 10 days after that, the Pentecost season begins; it lasts until Advent, when the cycle begins again.
“Like a great waterwheel,” writes Joan Chittister, “the liturgical year goes on relentlessly irrigating our souls, soft-ening the ground of our hearts, nourishing the soil of our lives until the seed of the Word of God itself begins to grow in us, comes to fruit in us, ripens in us the spiritual journey of a lifetime.”
Holocaust survivor and devout Christian Corrie ten Boom recounts how her sister Betsie thanked God for the fleas infesting their packed barracks. When Corrie resisted the idea, Betsie pointed out that 1 Thessalonians 5:18 says to “give thanks in all circumstances.”
Still, Corrie wasn’t convinced — until the sisters realized the infestation kept the guards away, giving prisoners in those quarters freedom to worship and pray. The biting pests, which seemed like added misery, became a blessing.
Anger and bitterness sometimes cloud our vision, causing us to forget to thank God in all situations, though not nec-essarily for them. Other times we don’t wait long enough for blessings to be revealed. But faith is like waiting through a storm, knowing a rainbow is coming eventually. Meanwhile, the Lord holds an umbrella for us, and the closer with him we walk, the less wet we’ll get.
—Julie Lee
For laughs (or groans!) around your table
Knock knock. Who’s there? Arthur. Arthur who? Arthur any leftovers?
Why was the Thanksgiving soup so expensive? It had 24 carrots.
If you use boxed mashed potatoes ... ... Great-grandma will turn over in her gravy.
My family said no more Thanksgiving jokes ... ... but I said I couldn’t just quit cold turkey.
Paradoxes of Christian virtues
In Reaching for the Invisible God, Philip Yancey says each virtue in 1 Corinthians 13:13 “enfolds a paradox.” Faith “will always mean believing in what cannot be proven, com-mitting to that of which we can never be sure.” Hope isn’t “the fuel that keeps a person going” but what “emerges from the struggle, a byproduct of faithfulness.” And love — “the greatest” virtue — is very counterintuitive. “Love involves caring about people most of us would prefer not to care about,” writes Yancey. “By nature we keep records, right wrongs, and demand our rights; love does not.”
A new Thanksgiving tradition
At Thanksgiving, we give thanks for things (food, home, clothing, work) and loved ones (family, friends, pets). But if the people we name aren’t present, they may never know how precious they are to us. This November, start a new tra-dition by writing notes of thanks to people you appreciate.
Follow Paul’s model of starting letters with thanksgiv-ing: “First, I thank my God through Jesus Christ for all of you, because your faith is being reported all over the world” (Romans 1:8, NIV). Notice how he thanks his addressees by thanking God for them. Paul is specific too, not writing, “Thanks for everything!”
Expressing genuine thanksgiving to God and another person, you might write something like this:
Dear Judy, This Thanksgiving I’m thinking about special people in my life. You are one! I thank God for our friendship, for your strong witness for Jesus and for your willingness to lend a hand as a substitute teacher. (Your chocolate cookies are icing on the cake!) I praise God for you! Sincerely, Joan
Color Image Image available online only NOTE: The artwork is available online in both high-resolution print format and low-resolution web-ready format.
CHRISTIAN SYMBOLCORNUCOPIA — Cornucopia, a Greek word meaning “horn of plenty,” has origins in Greek mythology. But the cornucopia became a religious symbol and was even stamped on Jewish coins. Overflowing horns, now common as Thanksgiving centerpieces, came to symbolize abundance and blessings.
As a thank you, we’re sharing free Bible activities from our sister publication Children’s Worship Bulletins. Bible Verse Hunt: Nature Edition is available in two versions: Junior (for preschoolers and kindergartners) and Regular (for elementary students). The hands-on seek-and-find missions encourage children to encoun-ter Scripture in fresh ways. To download the free activities, plus a free Leader Guide with helpful tips, visit https://blog.childrensbulletins.com/free-bible-games-for-kids/
CORNUCOPIA_8638 CORNUCOPIA_8638C
God made everything in our world, and the Bible is filled with
descriptions of God's good creation.
Read the Bible verses below. Draw a picture of the item in bold.
Then go outside and try to find each item that's listed!
The Lord is my , my fortress and my deliverer. Psalm 18:2
He will cover you with his and under his wings you will
find refuge. Psalm 91:4
[Elijah] went to Zarephath. When he came to the town gate, a widow was
there gathering s. 1 Kings 17:10
The withers and the flowers fall, but the word of our God endures
forever. Isaiah 40:8
But the falling on good soil refers to someone who hears the word and
understands it. Matthew 13:23
When the dove returned to him in the evening, there in its beak was a freshly
plucked olive ! Genesis 8:11
God made everything in our world, and the Bible is filled with descriptions of God's good creation. Look up and read each Bible verse. Fill in the blanks with the correct words. Then go outside and try to find each of those items in nature.
He makes ____________ grow for the cattle, and plants for people to cultivate—
bringing forth food from the earth.
The man of God asked, “Where did it fall?” When he showed him the place, Elisha cut a
____________ and threw it there, and made the iron float.
… to keep me from becoming conceited, I was given a ____________ in my flesh, a messenger of Satan, to torment me.
Produce ___________ in keeping with repentance.
“There is no one holy like the Lord; there is no one besides you;
there is no ___________ like our God."
“And why do you worry about clothes? See how the ____________ of the field grow. They
do not labor or spin. Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was
dressed like one of these."
But everyone who hears these words of mine and does not put them
into practice is like a foolish man who built his house on ____________ .
If we have sown spiritual ____________ among you, is it too much if we reap
a material harvest from you?
“As the ____________ are pulled up and burned in the fire, so it will be at the end of
the age."
"I am the true ____________ , and my Father is the gardener."
Those who trust in their riches will fall, but the righteous will thrive like a green
____________ .
Nebuchadnezzar … was driven away from people and ate grass like the ox. His body
was drenched with the dew of heaven until his hair grew like the ____________ of an
