Wishes from congregation to all who celebrate Birthday and Wishes from congregation to all who celebrate Birthday and
Wedding Anniversary this month May God Bless you!Wedding Anniversary this month May God Bless you!
“Christmas, my child, is love in ac2on. Every 2me we love,
every 2me we give, it's Christmas.”
― Dale Evans Rogers
Bethel Methodist Church, Bangalore 7
THE STORY OF A CHRISTMAS CAROL
It is interesting to note briefly the history of our Christmas carol hymns. The word ‘carol’ is derived from the word ‘carola’ which means a ring dance. Carols, then have long been thought of as an early form of sacred folk music, dating in time from the early middle ages. Dur-ing this period, they seem to have been an integral part of the miracle plays which were widely used by the medieval church for teaching its religious doctrines. The carols were sung during these plays as an intermezzo between the various scenes, much like the role of a modern-day orchestra between the various scenes of a drama production.
Here is a brief background of one of the most popular Christmas carol of all time “Joy to the World.” Joy is the keynote of the entire Advent season, especially for the Christian who realizes its spiritual signifi-cance – very God Himself invading this world and providing a means whereby sinful man might live eternally. This hymn was written by the well-known hymn writer of the eighteenth century, Isaac Watts. Even as a boy, Isaac Watts displayed his literary genius and had learnt Latin, Greek, French and Hebrew and became an ardent stu-dent of theology and philosophy and wrote many notable volumes which had a powerful influence upon the people of his time.
As a seven year old, he wrote an acrostic, spelling out the letters of his name, which reflects his faith even at that tender age:
“I” – I am a vile, polluted lump of earth
“S” – So I’ve continued ever since my birth
“A” – Although Jehovah, grace doth daily give me
“A” – As sure this monster, Satan, will deceive me
“C” – Come therefore, Lord, from Satan’s claws relieve me
“W” – Wash me in Thy blood, O Christ
“A” – And grace divine impart
“T” – Then search and try the corners of my heart
“T” – That I in all things may be fit to do
“S” – Service to thee, and thy praise too
In all, Isaac Watts wrote approximately 600 hymns throughout his lifetime. He has rightly been called the “Father of English Hymnody.” Because of his bold departure from the traditional singing of Psalms to the writing of hymns using expressions based on one’s own thoughts and words, Isaac Watts was considered to be a radical churchman in his day. But today, more than two and a half centuries later, our hymnals still contain his beautiful hymns such as: O God, our help in ages past, Jesus shall reign, When I survey the wondrous cross, I sing the mighty power of God and many more.
Bethel Methodist Church, Bangalore 8
The music for the carol ‘Joy to the World’ was composed by the great German composer, George Handel whose composition ‘the Messiah’ is one of the greatest compositions of all time and undoubtedly the most frequently performed. It is said that Handel closeted himself for twen-ty four days and completed the entire musical piece of fifty three num-bers together and when he had finished, he emerged from his isolation with tears streaming down his face and said, “I believe I have seen heaven itself.” Some parts of the ‘The Messiah’ were rearranged by a 19th century choir director to fit to the words of Joy to the world writ-ten by Isaac Watts.
Thus, through the combined talents of an English literary genius and a German musical giant, both from the eighteenth century, a great hymn was born that has since found permanent place in the pages of our church hymnals for use during every Advent season – JOY TO THE WORLD.
(Compiled from the book 101 More Hymn Stories by Kenneth Osbeck)
Announcements
Special Announcements
• On December 8, 2013 (second Sunday) a special White Christmas offering will be
collected to give to various people during Christmas.
• There is a special Telugu Christmas Programme on December 14, 2013.
• Request various groups to come and sing in the BMC outreach inter-church carol
on December 15, 2013
• First and second Sundays of January 2014 will be family sing-song services.
• BMC Book Stall and a Kids library will be opened in the Church premises soon.
Child Dedica2on :
Baby Ida Miracle, daughter of Mr. Bernard Shaw and Mrs. Divya Bernard Shaw was
dedicated on November 24, 2013
Bap2sm :
Uphold the Bap�sm candidates Mr. Sunil, Mrs. Jasmine John and Mrs. S. Anushya
Subburayalu who will be bap�zed on December 1, 2013, at BMC.
Wedding :
Mr. Manish Nobert our member S/o Late Mr. Nobert and Dr. Nancy and Ms. Prema,
D/o Mrs. & Mr. George, members of East Parade CSI Tamil Church, MG Road will be
married on December 7, 2013 at the East Parade CSI Tamil Church.
Bethel Methodist Church, Bangalore 9
Missionary Profile - By Mrs. Anne F Sangeeth
CHARLOTTE WHITE – MISSIONARY TO PATNA Charlotte White was the first single American woman missionary sent to a for-
eign country. She was sponsored by the Baptist Board of Foreign Missions and arrived in
British India in 1816.
Charlotte Susanna Hazen Atlee was born in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, the daugh-
ter of Judge William Augustus Atlee on 13 July, 1782. She married Nathaniel Hazen White
in 1803, when she was 21 years old. He died just a year later in 1804 and the couple's only
child died in 1805, when she was just 23.
Though she lost so much at a very young age, she responded to the Lord's calling
to serve as a missionary. At first, Charlotte had a hard time because it was controversial to
let a woman become a missionary. The Baptist Board of Foreign Missions believed in only
letting ordained males become appointed missionaries. After her husband's death, Char-
lotte became the first single American woman missionary sent to a foreign country. She
volunteered her services and her personal property to go to Burma to care for the women
and children. Against stiff pressure, she was appointed as the first Baptist woman mis-
sionary from the United States.
Charlotte was appointed as a helper and companion for the wife of George
Hough, a missionary printer being sent to India with the assurance that she would be sus-
tained by her own resources. By the end of her service as a missionary in India, she not
only supported herself but also gave $200 to the Baptist Board.
Shortly after she arrived, Charlotte married Joshua Rowe, a missionary with the
English Baptist Missionary Society, also a widower with three children. The couple man-
aged missionary schools in Digah, near Patna. She then took care of a large school, a sta-
tion for which she was excellently qualified, where a directress was greatly needed, and
was introduced into a sphere of respectability and usefulness. She also wrote a Hindustani
language spelling book for children.
Joshua died in 1823, but Charlotte remained in India until 1826, when she re-
turned to the U.S. with her three children. Charlotte taught English, music and drawing in
an academy at Lowndesboro, Alabama in the 1830s.
Interesting facts: • No one knows her date of death.
• She once said, "Having found no period of life exempt from trials, I do not expect to leave them on leaving my native land, but rather to add to their weight and number."
• She was a missionary even though she had a tragic life. Charlotte White has set an example to many Christians by living for God though
she had gone through a lot of tragedy. All this she could do only because she found the
power of God working in her during her weaknesses.
My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness. There-
fore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power
may rest on me.
Bethel Methodist Church, Bangalore 10
Prayer Diary Compiled by Mrs. Anne F Sangeeth
Sunday:Sunday:Sunday:Sunday:
BAHRAIN: Key Facts
Bahrain, officially the Kingdom of Bahrain, is a small island country situated near the western
shores of the Persian Gulf. The country was one of the earliest areas to convert to Islam. As of
2012, Bahrain had a high Human Development Index, 48th
in the world and was recognised by
the World Bank as a high income economy. Educa�on is compulsory for children between age
groups of 6-14 years. Chris�an Bahraini ci�zens number 1000 people approximately. Chris�ans
are rela�vely free to prac�se their faith in private worship places but it is illegal to evangelise
Muslims. Muslim-background believers generally do not talk about their conversion. Pressure
comes mostly from family and community, though the government also imposes restric�ons
on na�onal and church life.
Capital: Manama, Official Language: Arabic, Current Popula�on: 1,234,571.
Government: Unitary Cons�tu�onal Monarchy, King: Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa
Prime Minister: Khalifa bin Salman Al Khalifa
• Pray for the unemployment, especially among the young, and the deple�on of both oil
and underground water resources which are major long-term economic problems.
• Pray for the health of the ci�zens as a high percentage of the popula�on suffers from
obesity, diabetes, cardiovascular diseases and sickle cell anaemia.
• Pray for secret believers who cannot talk about their conversion that they may grow in
their faith.
• Pray for Arabic Bibles and Chris�an literature to be available in public bookstores.
• Praise God for the rela�ve freedom of expression here. Pray that Chris�ans will make the
most of every opportunity.
Monday:Monday:Monday:Monday:
• Praise and thank God for the Harvest fes�val & MYF Outreach program that happened in
November 2013.
• Pray for all the Christmas programs that are being planned this month.
• Pray for those families that have lost their loved ones due to the tragic bus accidents last
month.
• KR Puram Area Fellowship & its members (Dennis, families of Ashok Doddanna, Athee-
joe, Jayant, Jeevan, Joseph Paul Abraham, Moses, Naveen Warren, Stephen Daniel,
Swaroop, Peter)
• Hoodi Tamil Area Fellowship & its members (Sagadevan, families of Mary Rita, Stephen
Sakshi is an apologe�cs network in India (SAN) that consists of a network of Chris�ans com-
miRed to obey the Great Commission given by the Lord Jesus Christ through apologe�cs, as
described and prescribed in the Holy Bible.
Vision:
• Apologe�cs as Evangelism:
- Evangelism through reasoning, discussions, debates, forum and dialogs in public places, reli-
gious ins�tu�ons, houses and all open venues through various media.(Acts 9:22, 9:29,17:2,
18:4, 18:19, 18:28, 19:8-10, 28:30)
- Evangelism by addressing the intellectual needs, issues of society and community so that the
Gospel of Christ is presented to its recipients. (2 Corinthians 10:5)
Bethel Methodist Church, Bangalore 12
• Training Chris�ans to do Apologe�cs as Evangelism in their own local context using locally
relevant means. (Ephesians 4:12)
• Networking and Partnering with other Chris�ans, churches and Chris�an organisa�ons to
conduct evangelis�c and training programs.
Core Values:
God’s Glory: Seeking the kingdom of God and His righteousness first in all the plans that SAN
prepares.
Biblical Authority: Primacy of the Holy Bible and uncompromising commitment to its authority
in all the decisions that SAN takes.
Integrity: Working with transparency, accountability and integrity in all the ac�vi�es.
Interdependence: Partnering and networking with fellow believers in execu�ng its visions and
plans.
Love: Commitment to each other’s well-being as evidenced in the example of Christ as com-
manded by the Scriptures.
Prayer Points:
• Pray for the Chris�an organisa�ons and churches that partner with SAN that they may
glorify the Lord through the wisdom He has given them.
• Pray for the financial support as it is a self-financed organisa�on.
• Pray for the various evangelical events that are scheduled to happen.
• Pray for the various ac�vi�es that they may reach the society and community through
relevant means.
Testimony - Angeline & Wilfred
We are grateful to the Lord for His countless good deeds in our lives.
The beginning of this year dawned on us with the expecta�on of a new baby. Yet a
shock awaited us �ll Angeline underwent the first thorough check-up for healthy pregnancy in
February. Upon examining her, the Gynaecologist no�ced a cardiac murmur, a condi�on that
is associated with blood flow problems in the cardiac vessels. We prayed to that Lord that this
would be healed and wouldn’t hamper the baby’s growth or cause complica�ons during deliv-
ery. A brief respite came from the Cardiologist who men�oned that the situa�on was nothing
to be alarmed of right away, but advised us to be aware of it and take precau�onary steps as it
could lead to complica�ons during delivery.
Months passed by. In the month of May, we had to go through another emo�onal
heartbreak. Ci�ng an issue, we had to hear wounding words from one of our most trusted and
confidante rela�ve whom we had looked up to as parents. We were pained by the words that
have remained in our minds �ll date. Angeline had broken down several �mes during these
days. For sure we were worried about the impact that this could have on the baby. We prayed
to the Lord that He would give us the strength to endure the pain that has been inflicted upon
us. Till the term and due date, we were tossed up and down through this pain.
When Angeline moved to Madurai for delivery, we men�oned about the cardiac
murmur. Upon diagnosis, the Cardiologist men�oned that it could have been a physiological
aspect noted earlier and that the issue had disappeared by then. Praise God! On 16th Octo-
ber, God blessed us with a healthy baby girl. 2013 has been a very difficult year for us but the
Lord has given us the grace and power to grow in Him from strength to strength. We thank the
Pastor and many members of our church, who visited, hosted and enquired of us during these
�mes. God willing, we are dedica�ng the new baby, christening her ‘Helen’ on the 29th of
December, the day that marks seven years of God’s faithfulness in our married life.
“My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness” 2 Cor. 12:9
Bethel Methodist Church, Bangalore 13
Bethel News roundup - Mrs. Ajji Alan
BMC Tamil Harvest Fes2val 2013 : On Sunday, 10th
November 2013, BMC family celebrated Tamil Harvest fes�val, an occasion of thanksgiving. The fes�val started with the regular Sunday service where Rev. Charles Mani brought out a message on different kinds of giving to the Lord. We were also happy to have Whitefield outreach children amidst us on this special occasion. Soon aBer the service, the foods stalls were opened with a word of prayer by our dear pastor. There were plenty of deli-cious dishes and snacks prepared by our church members. Apart from the food stalls, the youth team entertained us with lots interes�ng games. Meanwhile, the children enjoyed different designs painted on their face. Then, the giB offerings brought by our church members were auc�oned. All members par�cipated enthusias�cally in the auc�on. And the fes�val ended with distribu�on of Briyani lunch which members took home. It was an awesome day, full of fun, food and fellowship with the purpose of thanksgiving for our Lord. All the proceeds from the harvest fes�val is set aside for our church building fund.
BMC Kids Choir at IEM Christmas Get-Together 2013 : On 23rd November 2013, the kids choir of BMC directed by Mr Sathiya Prabhakar represented our church and her-alded the Christmas Season 2013 by presen�ng a few songs at the IEM Christmas gathering in the city at St. John's School auditorium. Apart from singing of Christmas carols, there were other programs like Missionary dedica�on, Mission report presen-ta�on and book release. Our BMC members took ac�ve par�cipa�on in the en�re program, star�ng with MC by Mr Isaac, Carol singing by kids, Mission Report by Mr Atheejoe, Puppet show by our Pastor and food serving by our BMC members. In spite of the heavy rain, people enjoyed the fellowship together.
BMC Advent Fes2val 2013 On 24th November 2013, during the Sunday service, the kids choir started the Advent season in our church. The kids performed various ad-vent music and heralded the Christmas season 2013 by proclaiming the birth of Je-sus.
December has arrived and brings with it the familiar sounds and sights of
Christmas. All our celebrations finally point to the one scene that man could
not have conceived, God as a human being, a little baby in a manger. And
there you are, Joseph, the carpenter of Nazareth, standing beside Mary, relief
and joy written over your face, gazing with wonder as you look down on your
sleeping son, but it was not always so easy, was it? The initial shock and dis-
gust had given way to bewilderment and amazement at what the angel told
you. For Mary, her integrity and innocence in the matter was something she
knew, but you had to trust and literally die to self to accept a situation that
was not easy to say the least, and reading between the lines of Scripture, we
can see through all the ups and downs you had to go through emotionally to
the inner strength of character and goodness that shines through you.
How was it like to hold the baby Jesus in your arms? Did your eyes ever fill
with tears as you felt overwhelmed by the awesome responsibility entrusted to
you? Could you fathom the paths those rosebud feet would have to walk as
they journeyed through life on earth? How exciting was it to hold Jesus’ arms
and teach him to walk as he took his first baby steps? to have the boy Jesus
running errands for you in your workshop? to teach Jesus to smoothen and
sharpen, to cut and saw, to fix and to hammer? How much Jesus’ brothers
and sisters must have adored him! How was it to sit down for prayer as a fam-
ily when the day’s work was over and to talk about the things of God with
him?
The Bible tells us very little about Jesus’ boyhood and early life, but we know
all we need to know to follow him. Reflecting on your life Joseph, the primary
lesson we learn from you is the willingness to give up, to die to self – to obey
God even when we don’t understand everything (something we never will
while we are here) and know the simple truth that it is only when we are will-
ing to empty ourselves that God can fill us – that as long as we are filled with
our own egos and desires and long for their fulfillment more than we long for
God’s ways – we will always be dissatisfied and unhappy and we will sadly
miss out on the main point of life – living the abundant life that Jesus teach-
es.
And when all our work on earth is done and we shall all gather to-
gether up there where the faithful have gone before us, someday prob-
ably in the not too distant future, we will sit around you Joseph, like
Sunday school children. Perhaps we would draw our stools closer to
you so as to not miss a word as you begin to tell us interesting stories
from Jesus’ life, “Once upon a time, in Bethlehem ...”
Bethel Methodist Church, Bangalore 15
Bச�ப� 2013 – நிக:Fசி அGடவைன
எதி�வ�� நிக:Fசி அGடவைன
Bethel Methodist Church, Bangalore 16
Date & Time Visi2ng Team Houses to visit
Dec 7th
Saturday
6 PM - 10 PM
Youth Team
Co.ord: Franklin Koilpillai / Jesuraj
Families of Joseph, Huldah, Paul Durai, Vijay, Bernard, Das, Rev.Stanley (To Tamil Bethel AF) + Families of George, Ravi (To Tamil Kodi-gehalli AF) + Family of Prabhu + Jonathan, Durai, Jus�n
6:30 pm (English) Outreach Inter-Church Carol Service
22-Dec-13
7:00 am (Tamil) Rev. Stanley Jeyaseelan
9:30 am (English) Rev. Stanley John
6:30 pm (English) Guest Speaker
24-Dec-13 10:30 pm (English)* Pastor / Christmas Eve Service
25-Dec-13 7:00 am (Bilingual)* Pastor / Christmas Service
7:00 am (Tamil) Pastor
9:30 am (English) Pastor
6:30 pm (English) Pastor
31-Dec-13 11:00 pm (Bilingual)* Pastor / Watch-night Covenant Service
29-Dec-13
1-Jan-14 7:00 am (Bilingual)* New Year Service
Pulpit Calendar
Theme: Theme: Theme: Theme: Good Tidings of great Joy - Luke 2:10
Editorial Team: Ajji, Anne, Asha, Hannah, Selvin, Wilfred & Pastor
Bethel Methodist Church, Bangalore 20
A few thoughts on Christmas ……
“I will honor Christmas in my heart, and try to keep it all the year.” ― Charles Dickens
“Christmas waves a magic wand over this world, and behold, everything is softer and more beautiful.” ― Norman Vincent Peale
“How many observe Christ's birthday! How few, His precepts!” ― Benjamin Franklin
“He who has not Christmas in his heart will never find it under a tree.” ― Roy L. Smith
“Christmas is not as much about opening our presents as opening our hearts.” ― Janice Maeditere
“Peace on earth will come to stay, when we live Christmas every day.” ― Helen Steiner Rice
“Want to keep Christ in Christmas? Feed the hungry, clothe the naked, forgive the guilty, welcome the unwanted, care for the ill, love your en-emies, and do unto others as you would have done unto you.” ― Steve Maraboli
“Christmas is not a time nor a season, but a state of mind. To cherish peace and goodwill, to be plenteous in mercy, is to have the real spirit of Christmas.”
― Calvin Coolidge
“As I read the birth stories about Jesus I cannot help but conclude that though the world may be tilted toward the rich and powerful, God is tilted toward the underdog.” ― Philip Yancey
"Off to one side sits a group of shepherds. They sit silently on the floor, perhaps perplexed, perhaps in awe, no doubt in amazement. Their night watch had been interrupted by an explosion of light from heaven and a symphony of angels. God goes to those who have time to hear him"-- and so on this cloudless night he went to simple shepherds." - Max Lucado
