Pastor’s Pen

I am tired. I share that with you in the context of the new year and as I

ponder making resolutions, and setting goals. A healthy part of making

resolutions and setting goals is reflecting on the past and pondering how

to move forward considering where you have come from. When I have

been doing that I have started to understand why I am tired. We have

accomplished a lot at Tom's Creek in the last couple of years! With that

in mind when I set my goals for the coming year I had nothing ground-

breaking on my list. Almost the entire list was helping to make sure what

we have already accomplished keeps moving forward and improving.

Let me give you some examples:

The last couple of years we have added close to 50 members. So this year

my goal is not to add new members (of course we would love to wel-

come some more) but to help those who have recently joined to make

sure they feel they are part of Tom's Creek. I want to find ways for our

new members to use their gifts in our church. I also want to make sure

we keep the feel of Tom's Creek that has made it so special and the rea-

son people have joined and stayed with us.

We paid down the debt on the building by almost $100,000 this year!!

We had a lot of people make commitments to help pay down our debt

so that we can be finan-

cially free to have minis-

tries that impact our com-

munity and not be wor-

ried about the size of our

debt. A major reason the

debt has gone down so

quickly is those that hold

the mortgage notes for the

church agreed to forego

the interest for a year (and

in one case three years). I

want to find ways for us to

continue to dramatically

reduce our debt. One way

is implementing electronic

Tom’s Creek

United Methodist

Church

10926 Simmons Road

Emmitsburg MD 21727

301.447.3171

tomscreekumc@gmail.com

Pastor

Rev. Heath Wilson

410-758-7707

hwilsonvt@gmail.com

Sunday Schedule

Traditional Worship………...8am

Coffee Hour………….……...9am

Sunday School………...….9:30am

Family Worship…….…...10:30am

Fellowship

Oldies & Goodies…3rd Thursday

F & F @ Flick’s……2:00 Thursdays

Vol. 10

Issue 1

Logan Aulthouse with parents, Teresa & Chris, on

the day of his baptism, November 27, 2016

Continued on next page

It’s no coincidence

A few quick emails can feed

the community. Pastor Heath

got word that CHS was in

need of more food for the

Backpack program. Since the

bulletins were already print-

ed, a last-minute email plea

for food went out to the

church late one Friday after-

noon. By Sunday, our back-

pack ministry food collection

box was OVERFLOWING!

Pastor Heath made the deliv-

ery the next day. Below is an

email from December 14 from Susan Weaver, CHS Backpack Coordinator

I sent out an email yesterday stating I did not know how long we would

be able to continue the CHS feeder pattern Backpacks. I come out of a

meeting today and BOOM- a delivery from Mr. WIlson, Pastor Heath,

and we are back in business. Thank you so much!

The Oldies and Goodies held their

Christmas Party on December 15th

at the church. Following the cov-

ered dish luncheon, Vicki Cramer,

who was leading the meeting in

place of Velma who was unable to

attend, offered a reading and rec-

ognized the December birthdays.

Fruit baskets were presented to

Velma Stambaugh and Nancy

Baker, both of whom were recov-

ering from surgery.

A few games were played with

gifts of a Christmas mug filled with

candy presented to the winners.

Thanks go to Jim and Vicki Cramer

and Betty Ann Mumma for helping

out with the party!

The next meeting of the Oldies

and Goodies will be held on Janu-

ary 19th. Watch the bulletin for

details.

~Submitted by Karen Wivell

8:00 January 1 January 8 January 15 January 22 January 29

Greeter/Usher

Ernie Staub & Jimmy Glass

Kim & Shane Wivell

Ken Hood & Jim Troxell

Jeanne & Chuck Schubert

Hong & Linda Woo

Lay Reader

Dottie Davis Barb Colby Roy Chapman Pat Chapman Bill Coburn

Coffee Hour

Dottie Davis Anita & Jimmy Hill Pat & Roy Chapman

Ann & Troy Sanders

Sandy & Frank Negro

10:30 January 1 January 8 January 15 January 22 January 29

Greeter/Usher

Mike & Karen Wivell

Barb Maly & Greta Nettleton

Amy & Cayden Messler

Susan Trice & Barb Phelps

Lay Reader

Mike Wivell Greta

Nettleton Amy Messler Elza Hurst Neil Price

Acolyte Kameron Kneer Cayden Messler

Aurora Munro

Nursery Amanda McGrew

Carol Amoss Phyllis Kelly Rita Allen

Debbie Kimball Debbie Wivell

Barb Phelps Teresa Aulthouse

Cheryl & Bert Waybright

Pastor’s Pen cont...

giving so it is easier for some people

to give when they travel, or for those

that don't use cash and checks.

We have a great witness with our sup-

port of the "Face of America" bike ride

that supports veterans. This year we

can improve upon the great work we

did last year so that we can be an

even greater supporter of our veterans

and those that have been wounded

while serving.

We will continue our support of the

backpack ministry that feeds hungry

school children. We might find ways

to partner with another school in the

area that needs support. We have cre-

ated a fund to end hunger in our com-

munity and we will continue to part-

ner with organizations to help assure

that children are not going to bed

hungry.

We have a new small group bible

study that meets in a public place,

Flick's in Taneytown. We have had

people come to this group from other

local churches that do not have bible

studies, we have had residence of the

attached Lorien healthcare facility join

us, we have had people that have

never been part of a church bible

study ever before come to this. I want

this ministry to continue to connect

with people and help them learn

about the Bible and more fully under-

stand their faith!

These are some of my goals for Tom's

Creek in the coming year. You can see

we have accomplished a lot in that

last couple years and perhaps that is

why I am a little tired. Perhaps you

are tired too. As we make resolutions

and set goals for the new year, they

do not always have to be earth shat-

tering. Sometimes there are seasons

just to set goals and resolutions to

maintain and build upon that which

has already been accomplished. We

can be tempted to think we need to

have another bold goal when it is

time to just care for and celebrate that

which has already been achieved.

Is it nap time yet(;

Pastor Heath

January Worship Assistants

Oldies & Goodies

A Blessing of Angels

by John O’Donohue

May the Angels in their beauty bless you.

May they turn toward you streams of

blessing.

May the Angel of Awakening stir

your heart

to come alive to the eternal with-

in you,

to all the invitations that quietly

surround you.

May the Angel of Healing turn

your wounds into sources of

refreshment.

May the Angel of the Imagination

enable you to stand on the true

thresholds,

at ease with your ambivalence and

drawn in new directions

through the glow of your contradictions.

May the Angel of Compassion open your eyes to

the unseen suffering around you.

May the Angel of Wildness disturb the places

where your life is domesticated and safe,

take you to the territories of true otherness

where all that is awkward in you can fall into its own rhythm.

May the Angel of Eros introduce you to the beauty of your senses

to celebrate your inheritance as a temple of the holy spirit.

May the Angel of Justice disturb you to take the side of the poor and the

wronged.

May the Angel of Encouragement confirm you in worth and self-respect,

that you may live with the dignity that presides in your soul.

May the Angel of Death arrive only when your life is complete

and you have brought every given gift to the threshold where its infinity

can shine.

May all the Angels be your sheltering and joyful guardians.

Glory to God in the highest

and peace to all people

Advent is the First season of the Christian

Year. As always, Tom’s Creek com-

menced the Christian year with

beautiful lights, candles, Christmas

trees, angels, and poinsettias.

Many thanks to all those who

make our sanctuary a warm and

welcoming place to worship.

TCUMC also celebrated the bap-

tism of Logan Aulthouse during

the season of Advent! Addition-

ally, the children offered their

songs of praise during the 10:30

service on December 18th before

heading to Fellowship Hall for a

birthday party for Jesus.

On Sunday, December 4th, the NOW

Team sponsored an afternoon of car-

oling to our elderly, sick and shut-in

members as well as those who have

gone through a tough time this past

year. We met in the fellowship hall

for lunch before dividing into groups

and heading out. Pastor Heath lead

the group that visited homes in the

Taneytown area, Curtis and Pat head-

ed up the group that went to

Waynesboro, Fairfield and Gettysburg

and Lynn was the leader for the Em-

mitsburg area group.

It was a great afternoon of sharing

Christmas carols, prayer, smiles and

laughs and even a few tears. Word

has gotten out that the Taneytown

group had an "after" party at the Schu-

berts! Thanks to Chuck and Jeanne

for hosting this.

And thanks to everyone who gave

up their Sunday afternoon to bring

some Christmas spirit to others.

- Submitted by Karen Wivell

A Caroling We Will Go…

T hank you for all the help

in the Nursery last year! If

anyone would like to help

in the nursery during the

10:30 services once every other

month to please contact Phyllis

Kelly 717-642-6963. Your help is

needed and very much appreciat-

ed. ~ Phyllis Kelly

A special thank you to the

NOW Team and to Lyn

Frayley, Jeff Wentworth,

Jacob Frayley, Robin Gu-

ber, and Jimmy Hill for their love

and help after my recent illness and

fall. Sincerely,

~Phyllis Dacus

T he family of John

“Kermie” McGlaughlin

would like to thank the

family of Tom’s Creek

Church for their loving thoughts,

hugs, and the gifts of food. For the

wonderful service with Rev. Heath,

Rev. Elza, and Virginia. With the

loving fellowship and wonderful

support, we were able to accept

most solemn occasion.

Love in Christ,

~ the McGlaughlin Family

I wanted to take a few mo-

ments to thank this church for

your generosity to the Catoctin

High School Food Pantry.

Without kind hearts like yours—this

endeavor would be daunting.

I hope that this partnership can

continue throughout the year. We

are currently sending supplements

of food to children at a rate of 60

per week, probably over 2,000

bags of food to CHS feeder pattern

children a school year. Thank you

and I wish you peace and love.

~ Susan Weaver

T he Altar Guild appreciates

the special donation for

the Thanksgiving and Fall

Harvest Home. Thank you

Roy Chapman and Curtis Baugh-

man for the squash, pumpkins, and

field corn.

I would like to thank the

church for their generosity to

me and my family. On Christ-

mas Eve, I was given a substan-

tial check as a Christmas gift from

the Tom's Creek Church communi-

ty! What a blessing! Throughout

the Christmas season, and really, all

year long, I receive many generous

gifts from the church and its mem-

bers. No words can convey the ap-

preciation of support and encour-

agement from the many blessings

poured out by you! Thank you and

blessings.

~ Pastor Heath

M any thanks to the

Tom’s Creek church

for your continued

love and support

personally and spiritually. It is a gift

to serve you as secretary. Thank

you for the end-of-year love offer-

ings that helped make Christmas a

little easier for the Messler girls.

~ Amy Messler

The TCUMC Book Club will meet

on Friday, January 13th at Donna

Ohler’s home (161 Gettysburg

Road, Littlestown). Dinner will be

served at 6:00 p.m. and book

discussion at 7:00 p.m.

The January selection will be Mil-

ler’s Valley by Anna Quindlen.

The book is

available at

Adams, Carroll

and Frederick

County Public

Libraries.

Please join us

for an enjoya-

ble evening.

Call Donna at 443-244-3788 if

you plan to attend (she will need

an accurate count for dinner).

Book Summary

For generations the Millers have

lived in Miller's Valley, Pennsylva-

nia. Mimi Miller tells about her

life with intimacy and honesty. As

Mimi eavesdrops on her par-

ents and quietly observes the

people around her, she dis-

covers more and more about

the toxicity of family secrets,

the dangers of gossip, the

flaws of marriage, the ine-

qualities of friendship, and

the risks of passion, loyalty,

and love. Home, as Mimi

begins to

realize,

can be "a

place

where

it's just as

easy to

feel lost

as it is to

feel content." Miller's Valley is a

study of family, memory, loss,

and, ultimately, discovery, of

finding true identity and a new

vision of home.

Next Book Club: February 10th --

Lilac Girls by Martha Hall Kelly –

Trudy Price’s home

TCUMC Book Club

Notes of Thanks

There are many people who give time to

assure that the church meets its goals and is

able to function. One vital job is paying

our bills and maintaining financial records.

We have had an amazing treasurer for the

last 9 years who diligently assured that our

bills were paid and the books were in or-

der. It is not an easy task and much of what

is done by the treasurer is not noticed by

the church.

Let us take time to celebrate the minis-

try of Anita Hill as she steps down from

her role as church Treasurer.

Some people do

a task just to get

it accomplished

but Anita has

been thoughtful

and caring as she

dispensed her

duties. She never

takes the easy

path or makes

assumptions but

always follows

through to make

sure that the job

is not just done but done right! Anita has

been a blessing to our church and will con-

tinue to be but no longer by fulfilling the

task of Treasurer.

As we celebrate the service of Anita Hill,

we also need to lift up Kay Martin who

has agreed to take on the task. She has

served as treasurer at another Methodist

church and has agreed to serve and use her

time, skill, and knowledge to help take up

the task here at Tom's Creek.

In the past, check requests have gone into

the mailbox for Jimmy and Anita Hill but

with this transition we have created a mail-

box named Treasurer and it is on the bot-

tom row where we have moved all the

staff and committee boxes.

As the new year starts please remember

that questions for the treasurer no longer

go to Anita. One of the ways we can bless

Anita for her years of service is allow her to

move on from the job and to get to know

Kay as she serves as Treasurer.

Tribute to the Treasurer 2017 Lay Leadership

Pastor Rev. Heath Wilson

Chairperson Sandy Negro

Vice Chair Marge Graham

Secretary Christine Shaffer

Lay Leader Karen Wivell

Lay Leader Donna Ohler

Lay Member to AC Donna Ohler

SPRC Chair Ann Sanders

Finance Chair Bill Coburn

Finance Secretary Neil Price

Church Treasurer Kay Martin

Trustees Chair Frank Negro

NOW Team Shannon Hess

Christian Education Linda Myers

President of UMW Donna Ohler

At-Large Members Pat Baughman

Curtis Baughman

Virginia Wantz

Mary Harner

Andrew Boller

Electronic Giving Now

Available at TCUMC

Contributions can now be debited auto-

matically from your checking or savings

account or processed using your credit

or debit card. Our new electronic giving

program offers convenience for you and

provides much needed donation con-

sistency for our congregation.

When travel, illness or other circum-

stances prevent you from attending ser-

vices, this program will allow your

weekly offerings to continue on an unin-

terrupted basis.

Scan here to give

A COVENANT PRAYER

I am no longer my own, but thine.

Put me to what thou wilt,

rank me with whom thou wilt.

Put me to doing, put me to suffering.

Let me be employed by thee or laid aside for thee,

exalted for thee or brought low by thee.

Let me be full, let me be empty.

Let me have all things, let me have nothing.

I freely and heartily yield all things

to thy pleasure and disposal.

And now, O glorious and blessed God,

Father, Son, and Holy Spirit,

thou art mine, and I am thine. So be it.

And the covenant which I have made on earth,

let it be ratified in heaven.

Amen.

"A Covenant Prayer in the Wesleyan Tradition" is used in the Covenant

Renewal Service, often celebrated on New Year’s Eve or Day. This version is on page 607 in the United Methodist hymnal.

Has anyone seen

two boxes of

boarders for bul-

letin boards that

were downstairs

on the shelf

above the coats?

Phyllis Kelly is in

search of these boxes. Please contact her if you

know of their whereabouts. (717-642-6963).

Has anyone seen my 8" Corning Ware baking

dish that was used for cracker pudding at the last

dinner? If you picked it up by mistake, please

bring it back to church andI'll come get it. Or if it

got broken just let me know so I can stop look-

ing for it. If you do bring it back please put my

name on it so someone can let me know it's

there. Thanks for your help. ~ Jocelyn Wivell

MISSING

ITEMS Fragrance Free: Please refrain from use of per-

fumes and cologne as many in our congregation

have sensitivities or asthma & allergies.

The official church calendar can be found online

at tomscreekumc.org. This Google calendar is

kept up-to-date by the church secretary. Please

be sure to check it out to see if your activities are

scheduled correctly.

Reserve Fellowship Hall: Many folks like to use

the fellowship hall for special events. To ensure

availability for your event, please reserve the

space with the church secretary who will put it

on the church calendar. The best way to reach

her is by email at tomscreekumc@gmail.com.

Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat

1 NEW YEAR’S

Worship

8:00 &10:30

Fellowship Hall

Reserved

2

NOW Mtg 7p

Brenda Myers

3

Prayer Group 9a

4

Roy & Pat

Chapman

Jeremiah Knox

5

F&F@Flick’s 2p

Praise Team 7p

Al-Anon 7:15p

6

EPIPHANY

7

Jonathon Fogle

8

Worship

8:00 &10:30

Paul Sullivan

9

Worship Mtg 7p

TJ Demmons

10

Prayer Group 9a

Council of

Churches 7p

Dan & LuAnn

Moser

Madelyn Long

11

Choir 7p

Carol Hipp

12

F&F@Flick’s 2p

Praise Team 7p

Al-Anon 7:15p

13 14

Pat Baughman

15

Worship

8:00 &10:30

Newsletter Arti-

cles Due

16

MLK DAY

Jessica Boller

17

Prayer Group 9a

Trustees 7pm

18

Ethan Moser

19

Oldies & Goodies

12p

F&F@Flick’s 2p

Praise Team 7p

Al-Anon 7:15p

Brad Brown

20

INAUGURA-

TION DAY

Lily Wolf

Ashley Showaker

21

Joan Keller

22

Worship

8:00 &10:30

23

Ad Council 7pm

Dick Glass

24

Prayer Group 9a

Doris Glass

25

Choir 7p

26

F&F@Flick’s 2p

Praise Team 7p

Al-Anon 7:15p

Dusty & Shirley

Boller

Trevor Cole

27

Frank & Sandy

Negro

Mindy Sweeney

28

Zach Imirie

29

Worship

8:00 &10:30

30 31

Prayer Group 9a