Dear Centenary Church Family:

“Light two candles: Christ is coming, Christ brings Peace for the world…” With this verse of The Advent Candle Song, we will light the second candle on our Advent Wreath at our 10:15 AM Service of Worship this Sunday, December 10th. The children and youth of our Sunday School will then bring us closer to the birth of the Child of Bethlehem through their presentation of The Very Important Christmas Program: The Story of the Birth of Christ Told with Humor, Mystery and Awe!, a pageant written by Dennis Hartin. Throughout the presentation, the congregation will be joining with the children and youth in singing a number of familiar Christmas Carols. The annual Sunday School Pageant is always a special time at Centenary, and I know you will want to be present to receive this Advent/Christmas blessing from our children and youth. Our Celebration of Found Coins for this Sunday will be designated for Centenary’s Children’s Ministries program, and will be used to supplement funds available through the general budget to enhance our ministries with children.

A Reminder: The rehearsal for the Sunday School Pageant will be held in the Sanctuary at Centenary this Saturday (December 9th) from 2:00-4:00 PM.

A Second Reminder: TGIF will hold its annual Christmas Dinner at The Barge tomorrow evening (December 8th) at 6:30 PM. All are welcome! If you have not made reservations with Mike or Cathy Savoia, please do so today (732-826-1921) so that we may set a place at the table for you.

Wedding Bells! Congratulations to Timothy Nee & Jong Sook Divino, who will be united in A Service of Christian Marriage at which Pastor John Painter will preside at their home in Montclair, NJ, on Saturday, December 9th. Tim and Jong, and their children, Maya Nee and Manuel (“T”) Divino, reside at 85 Essex Avenue, Montclair, NJ 07042.

The Mitten Tree (actually a box) is now in the narthex. We are gathering mittens, gloves, hats, scarves, etc. for the Red Bird Mission in Beverly, Kentucky. This is a United Methodist Mission project in the Appalachian area of Kentucky. We will gather these items until this Sunday, December 10th, and then they will be shipped to the Mission. This is also the place where we send our Campbell Soup labels.

There are still some items available for purchase on the UMW table across from the Church Office. There are afghans, hand-knitted scarves, and decorative plates which would make great Christmas and/or hostess gifts during the holiday season. All of the proceeds help to fund the projects of United Methodist Women.

Centenary United Methodist Youth Fellowship Gift-Wrapping Project will be on Saturday, December 16th from 1:00-4:00 PM (the youth will be baking cookies from 9:00 AM – 12:00 Noon and then have lunch). The Youth Fellowship will wrap presents again on Sunday, December 17th, after Worship. Bring your Christmas gifts with you to the Church on either the 16th or 17th to have them neatly wrapped in time to put under the Christmas tree…and to assist our youth fellowship with funding their projects. Thanks!

Food Collection on Sunday, December 17th: Please bring cereals, staple food items in plastic jars or cans, and paper products to share with persons in need in our area. We are deeply grateful for your generous sharing.

Special Appeal for Diapers and Infant/Toddler Food for Amandla Crossing: Your assistance is needed to provide diapers (sizes #4, #5 & #6…not pull-ups) and infant & toddler food for children at Amandla Crossing. Please bring the items to Centenary and leave them in the boxes provided in the Narthex. Thank you. —Your Mission Committee

Centenary United Methodist Church
200 Hillside Avenue – Metuchen, NJ 08840
(732) 548-7622

Presents

CAROLS
&
COOKIES

Get in the Christmas mood!

Join your friends and neighbors for an hour of singing your favorite carols. Then continue the spirit with refreshments of your favorite Christmas cookies.

Sunday, December 17th, 2006
6:30 PM

Donations will be Accepted
A Fund-raiser sponsored by the CUMC Music Committee

Have You Returned Your 2007 Financial Commitment Card? The financial support of everyone at Centenary is imperative if we are to meet our ministry and mission goals for 2007. If you have returned your Financial Commitment Card indicating your pledge for the coming year, thank you. If you have yet to return your Commitment Card indicating your intention to share from your resources, we request that you do so as soon as possible. Additional Commitment Cards are available from the ushers during Worship each Sunday, and from the Church Office. Thank you for your faithful support of our shared ministry.
Some Thoughts for This Week:
Time is the coin of your life. It is the only coin you have, and only you can determine how it will be spent. Be careful lest you let other people spend it for you. – Carl Sandburg
Always be kinder than you need to be.
If we have no peace, it is because we have forgotten that we belong to each other. – Mother Teresa
Courtesy should be in the curriculum of every Christian.
Humanity is a symphony whose conductor is God.
There are only two ways to live your life.
One is as though nothing is a miracle.
The other is as though everything is a miracle. – Albert Einstein

Generous gestures yield the most when that isn’t their purpose.

Next Sunday — December 17, 2006:
9:00 AM – Adult Class – Salt of the Earth
10:15 AM – Worship & Sunday School (Pre-K thru Senior High)The Third Sunday of Advent
An Advent Service of Lessons and Carols with Harris Ringers, Junior & Chancel Choirs, Soloists and Festival Brass
Lectionary Readings: Zephaniah 3:14-20 Philippians 4:4-7
Isaiah 12:2-6 Luke 3:7-18
11:30 AM – Fellowship Time (Room 20)
11:30 AM – CUMYF Gift-Wrapping (Youth Room)
6:30 PM – Carols &Cookies! (Sanctuary/Room 20)
Bring your family, friends and neighbors and get in the Christmas mood with your favorite carols & cookies! Help will be needed in providing refreshments, so keep this in mind as you bake your Christmas cookies and make an extra batch to bring with you to “Carols & Cookies!”
Prayer for the Week of December 10: O God, our hearts sing with hope as we hear the distant sounds of your message to us. We rejoice in the grand adventures that are possible in your name and in your strength. We search with gladness for the unexpected ones, in our midst or far away, that might lead us into your new day and we thank you that there is never an end to your hope for us and in us. Thanks be to you, O God. Amen.

I look forward to sharing with many of you in Study, Worship and Fellowship this Sunday morning.

Shalom, John