Dear Centenary Church Family:

On this Second Sunday of Advent (December 9), we will gather at 10:15 AM for the annual Sunday School Christmas Pageant. The Mosteller Family will light the second candle on the Advent Wreath…the candle of Home…after which we will sing that great Advent hymn, O Come, O Come, Emmanuel. Our children and youth will present the Message of the morning through the words and music of their pageant, A Shepherd’s Story (Luke 2:1-20) by Hal H. Hopson. We will conclude the service with the singing of portions of three Christmas carols. Our Celebration of Found Coins for this Sunday is designated for the support of our Children’s Ministries at Centenary.

Reminders:
· Friday, December 7 — 6:30-8:30 PM – TGIF Intergenerational Dinner and Lectionary Discussion and a lot of fun together. A barrel offering is taken to defray the costs for the meal & materials. Persons of all ages are invited & encouraged to attend.
· Saturday, December 8 – 9:00-11:00 AM – Christmas Pageant Rehearsal
· Sunday, December 9 – 10:15 AM – Children’s Christmas Pageant:
“A Shepherd’s Story” (Luke 2:1-20) by Hal H. Hopson
Everyone is asked to be present by 9:00 AM for a Final Rehearsal

Centenary Book Club will meet at 7:30 PM on Friday, December 7, 2007, in the Sunshine Room. We will discuss both Moloka’i by Alan Brennert and The Double Bind: A Novel by Chris Bohjalian. The Centenary Book Club is open to men and women ages 18 and older. See you Friday for some great discussion and review.

Upcoming Children’s Ministries Events in December:
· Friday, December 14 — 6:30 PM – TGIF Christmas Dinner at The Barge in Perth Amboy. Please let Michael or Cathy Savoia know if you plan to attend.
· Sunday, December 23 – There will be no regular Sunday School Classes.
Children and Youth attending that Sunday will gather in the Perry Room to celebrate Jesus’ birth with a Birthday Party.
· Sunday, December 30 – No Sunday School Classes

Centenary UM Youth Fellowship December Dates to Remember:
· December 9 – 6:30 PM – Holiday Project/Fun
(Christmas Caroling w/n Fellowship members household)
· December15 – Cookie Exchange with Families & Family Social for Holiday
(9:00 AM – 12:00 Noon: Cookie Baking in Kitchen)
(1:00 – 3:00 PM: Gift Wrapping Fundraiser)
(3:30 – 5:00 PM: Family Social)
· December 16 – Congregational Cookie Exchange (presented at worship)
(Gift Wrapping to continue in Youth Lounge after Worship)
· December 23 – 1:00 PM: CUMYF Holiday Party
· December 30 – No CUMYF Meeting

MITTEN TREE: Once again the Centenary United Methodist Women (UMW) Mitten Tree (Box) is in the Narthex. Bring hats, gloves, mittens, scarves through this Sunday, December 9. These gifts will be sent next week to Red Bird Mission in Beverly, Kentucky—the heart of Appalachia. This is a United Methodist Mission and these gifts are greatly appreciated by the folks who live in the area and go to the Red Bird Mission School.

PECANS, PECANS, PECANS: United Methodist Women are again selling pecans, cashews, pistachios, candies, trail mix, etc. this year. So don’t go out and buy any pecans from anyone else. You will find the items for your holiday baking and giving on the table outside the church office. There is a blue box in which you can place your money. Thanks.

Centenary United Methodist Women still has a number of items for sale. They are on the table outside the church office. These items were made for the Metuchen Fair and will make wonderful gifts for your Christmas giving. There is a blue box in which you can place your money. Thanks.

Food Collection—Sunday, December 16: 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

Have You Returned Your 2008 Financial Commitment Card? The financial support of everyone at Centenary is imperative if we are to meet our ministry and mission goals for 2008. 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.

Refreshments: Persons are invited to sponsor the time of coffee and refreshments following our Sunday Worship services on December 23 & 30. Please consider sponsoring a refreshment time and signing up for one of these two available weeks or signing up for one of the many available weeks on the new 2008 Refreshment Chart now posted in the Narthex. Information on what you need to provide is available on the information sheet attached to the Refreshment Chart. Thank you for providing hospitality on a Sunday morning.

Flower Arrangements for 2008: Persons are invited to sponsor flower arrangements for our Worship services beginning on January 6, 2008. A new 2008 Flower Chart has been posted in the Narthex. Floral arrangements cost $25.00 each week to sponsor. Information is available from our Flower Chairperson, Linda Serentino (732-940-2135) or by calling the Church Office. Thank you for providing these beautiful tributes for our Sunday services.

Some Thoughts for This Week:

Prayer is not a device for getting our wills done through heaven, but a desire that God’s will may be done on earth through us.

If we had no winter, the spring would not be so pleasant: if we did not sometimes taste of adversity, prosperity would not be so welcome. – Charlotte Bronte

I’ve learned that no matter what happens, or how bad it seems today, life does go on, and it will be better tomorrow. – Maya Angelou

It is always safe to assume, not that the old way is wrong, but that there may be a better way. – Henry R. Harrower, Endocrinologist

The freethinking of one age is the common sense of the next. – Matthew Arnold (1822-1888), Poet and critic

Hope, struggle, fear, expectation and fulfillment are all part of our Advent experience. – Connections

Many of our fears are tissue paper thin, and a single courageous step would carry us clear through them. – Brendan Francis

Not a single person has ever accomplished anything of significance without first feeling scared to death! – Rick Beneteau

Fearlessness is not the absence of fear. It’s the mastery of fear. It’s about getting up one more time than we fall down. – Arianna Huffington

It is not a matter of thinking a great deal but of loving a great deal; so do whatever arouses you most to love. – Mother Teresa

When I was young, I admired clever people. As I grew old, I came to admire kind people. – Abraham Joshua Herschel

RISING OIL PRICES
The way it WAS: A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.
The way it IS: A journey of a thousand miles begins with a cash advance.
The way it WILL BE: A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.

O Come, All Ye Faithful!

Celebrate the Advent and Birth of Jesus the Christ at Centenary
Sunday, December 16th – The Third Sunday of Advent
10:15 AM Worship — An Advent Service of Lessons and Carols
With Harris Ringers, Junior & Chancel Choirs, Soloist, and Festival Brass
Lectionary Readings: Isaiah 35:1-10 James 5:7-10
Luke 1:46b-55 Matthew 11:2-11
6:30 PM – Carols &Cookies! Bring your family, friends and neighbors and get in the Christmas mood with your favorite carols and a cookie exchange! As you bake your Christmas cookies this year plan to make an extra batch to bring to “Carols & Cookies!”
Sunday, December 23rd – The Fourth Sunday of Advent
10:15 AM Worship
(There will be no regular Sunday School Classes on December 23. Children and Youth attending that Sunday will gather in the Perry Room to celebrate Jesus’ birth with a Birthday Party.)
Preacher: John D. Painter Theme: Joseph Prepares to Take His Place
Lectionary Readings: Isaiah 7:10-16 Romans 1:1-7
Psalm 80:1-7, 17-19 Matthew 1:18-25
Monday, December 24th – Christmas Eve
7:00 PM — Christmas Eve Service for the Young of Heart and Spirit
Special Children’s Message, Junior Choir, Carols and Candle lighting
Preacher: Terrilisa Durham Bauknight Theme: A New Old Story
11:00 PM — Christmas Eve Service: Carols, Candlelight & Holy Communion
Chancel Choir, Carols and Candle lighting
Preacher: John D Painter Theme: Jesus Puts a Face on God
Lectionary Readings: Isaiah 9:2-7 Titus 2:11-14
Psalm 96 Luke 2:1-20
Sunday, December 30, 2007 – The First Sunday After Christmas
10:15 AM Worship
(Note: There will be no Sunday School Classes on December 30th)
Christmas Carol Sing—A Final Opportunity to Select Your Favorite Carols
Lectionary Readings: Isaiah 63:7-9 Hebrews 2:10-18
Psalm 148 Matthew 2:13-23

Prayer for the Week of December 9: O God, we thank you for those, in every generation, whose words and lives challenge us—shouting with passion into our time and calling us toward truth. Thank you for the John the Baptists of our day and all those who have gone before us with lives full of justice and love that will always remind us of you. Amen.

I look forward to sharing with you in study, Worship and Christian fellowship on this Second Sunday of Advent at Centenary.

Shalom, John