Happy Thanksgiving!

Just a reminder that the Centenary Church Office will be closed on Thursday, November 27 and Friday, November 28 in observance of the Thanksgiving holiday. The office will reopen on Monday, December 1 at 9:00 AM.

This Sunday at Centenary: November 30, 2008 – The First Sunday of Advent / United Methodist Student Day

9:00 AM– Adult Study: A Christmas Carol Bible Study (Sunshine Room)
10:15 AM– Worship & Sunday School (Pre-K through 12th grade)
Children’s Message: Cathy Jean Savoia
Preacher: John D. Painter Theme: The Last Lecture
Lectionary Readings: Isaiah 64:1-9 1 Corinthians 1:3-9
Psalm 80:1-7, 17-19 Mark 13:24-37
Music: Chancel Choir – Song of the Advents by Russell Schulz-Widmar
Celebration of Found Coins: Katrina (Bishops’ Appeal for Churches)
11:45AM – Advent Pot-Luck Brunch and Christmas Crafts (Room 20 & Surrounding Halls)

Advent Sunday—November 30 @ 11:45 AM: Come, join us for the opening celebration of Advent with a pot-luck brunch and Christmas crafts for all ages following our 10:15 AM Worship Service. Please come and provide a main dish or dessert. Thank you.

Attention Junior Choir: There will be no rehearsal this Sunday, November 30, because of the Thanksgiving holiday. Junior Choir rehearsals resume on Sunday, December 7 at 11:45 AM.
Attention Centenary Youth: There will be no youth fellowship this Sunday evening, November 30, due to the Thanksgiving holiday. Youth Fellowship returns at 6:30 PM on Sunday, December 6.

ADULT CLASS OFFERS
A CHRISTMAS CAROL BIBLE STUDY AT ADVENT
Around the world, two Christmas stories are greatly loved. The first is the sacred birth of Jesus as told in the Holy Scriptures, and the second is Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol, which was written in 1843. As its Advent offering this year, Centenary’s Adult Class has combine these beloved stories into a four-week study.

With practical applications for daily living, this DVD-based Bible study features the classic black-and-white film, A Christmas Carol, and relevant Scriptures on the teachings of Jesus.
We invite you to join us in the Sunshine Room, on Sunday mornings from 9:00 AM to 10:00 AM, as we follow Ebenezer Scrooge on his life-changing journey from fallen man to redemption. The remaining schedule is as follows:
November 30 Marley and the Ghost of Christmas Past: Regret
December 7 Ghost of Christmas Present: Repentance
December 14 Ghost of Christmas Future: Salvation
You don’t necessarily have to make a year-long commitment to be part of the Adult Class. We usually schedule our courses to run no more than five or six weeks so you can attend as your schedule permits. If you see a course that has special interest for you, please join us. If you have suggestions for courses you would like the Adult Class to offer, please contact Bob Carlson at 732-549-6296.

Centenary will be serving a final dinner at the Ozanam Shelter on Monday, December 1. After many years, our Mission Committee has voted to conclude serving meals at the Ozanam Shelter as of December 2008. We will be exploring other local missions and ministries in which we hope to encourage greater participation from the entire congregation. We want to offer our special thanks to those who have faithfully participated in the Ozanam Shelter meals program over the years by preparing and serving countless delicious meals. Please check the information on the bulletin board in the Narthex and sign up to assist with food preparation or serving in November. December Menu: roast beef with gravy, over-roasted potatoes, collard greens, Christmas cookies & holiday ice cream. For further information, please contact Glenna Gundell (732-463-1431) or Mary Ellen Heim (732-548-2587). Thanks.

PANCAKE BREAKFAST

Blueberry Pancakes
Plain Pancakes
Waffles
Scrambled Eggs
Bacon and Sausage
Orange and Apple Juice
Coffee, Tea, and Milk

Saturday, December 6, 2008

8:00 AM – 11:00 AM

Only $7.00 per person
Children 10 and under – $5.00

Proceeds will be designated to support a proposed Spring 2009
Volunteer-in-Mission Trip to work with our
United Methodist Committee on Relief (UMCOR) in disaster repair and relief.

Centenary United Methodist Church
200 Hillside Avenue, Metuchen, NJ
732-548-7622

THE UNITED METHODIST WOMEN’S MITTEN TREE is in place in the Narthex. Please bring your mittens, hats, scarves, etc. These items will be sent to Red Bird Mission in Beverly, Kentucky.
The Red Bird Mission is a mission of the United Methodist Church and it is the place where we send our Campbell Soup Labels. It gets cold in the mountains of Kentucky so they really need our gifts to keep them warm. Be on the lookout for special bargains at our local stores for mittens, hats, etc. Frequently Target and Walgreens have good bargains. The deadline for collecting these items will be Sunday, December 7.

Upcoming Children’s Ministries Events:
T.G.I.F. Christmas Party at The Barge in Perth Amboy: Friday, December 5 @ 6:30 PM. Please sign up on the bulletin board if you plan to attend. Barrel offering.
A Christmas Carol—Friday, December 12: Our Children’s Ministries program will provide dinner and a movie. Come and see the classic story A Christmas Carol. Menu: salad, soup and sandwiches. A barrel offering will be taken.
A Night in Bethlehem—Christmas Pageant—During Worship on December 14: Lights, Set, Action! Wanted: Animals, Mary & Joseph and Jesus, AND village people to participate in this year’s Christmas Pageant. A full rehearsal will be Saturday, December 13, at 1:00 PM. Hear the festive music…wander through a bakery and marketplace shops. Meet shepherds who can’t wait to share a remarkable story. We need adults to participate as the shopkeepers and shepherds. Please join us in a Hands-On Bible Times Event AND HAVE SOME FUN.

Upcoming Music Ministry Events:
Sunday, December 21, 10:15AM Candles and Carols: A special lessons and carols service featuring instruments, choir, and congregational singing.
Sunday, December 21, 6:30PM Carols & Cookies: A community carol sing in the sanctuary followed by refreshments featuring a “cookie exchange.”

Watoto Children’s Choir in Concert: Christ United Methodist Church (485 Hoes Lane, Piscataway, NJ 08854) will be hosting a concert by the Watoto Children’s Choir on Tuesday, December 9th at 7:30 PM. This wonderful free concert is open to all. The free-will offering taken will go directly to Watoto Childcare Ministries, which affords housing and a family to children in Uganda, Africa who have been orphaned by AIDS and the ravages of war. For more info call Christ United Methodist Church at 732-463-1517.

Food Collection—Sunday, December 14
Please bring cereals, staple food items in plastic jars or cans, and paper products to share with senior residents in Perth Amboy. We and they 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

UMCOR Responding to Hurricane Disasters in Cuba
The United Methodist Committee on Relief (UMCOR) has begun relief work in Cuba in response to September & November hurricanes under new licenses the U.S. government has given to the General Board of Global Ministries (GBGM). This opportunity represents a lifeline to thousands left in need by the storms with home reconstruction, food, psychosocial assistance, church repair and livelihoods assistance.
A new Advance has been set up specifically for these efforts. Donations can be made online to UMCOR Advance #3020821, Cuba Emergency, at http://new.gbgm-umc.org/umcor/. You can also share your support for the relief efforts in Cuba by giving to this Cuba Emergency Advance through Centenary United Methodist Church. Please make your checks payable to “Centenary UM Church” (please write “UMCOR Cuba Emergency” in the Memo area) and place them in an offering plate at any Worship service or by sending them to the Church Office at any time. Thank you for your response to this emergency appeal.

Have You Returned Your 2009 Financial Commitment Card?
The financial support of everyone at Centenary is imperative if we are to meet our ministry and mission goals for 2009. 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.

Plan Ahead: Acolyte Training on Sunday, January 11, 2009, at 11:45 AM. If you are interested in being an Acolyte and are in the 4th grade or higher, please attend this very important training session.

Some Thoughts for This Week:

Thanksgiving Day comes, by statute, once a year; to the faithful it comes as frequently as the heart of gratitude will allow. – Edward Sandford Martin [adapted]

Don’t just do something, sit there! Sit there long enough each morning to decide what is really important during the day ahead. – Richard Eyre

We have too many high sounding words, and too few actions that correspond with them. – Abigail Adams, to her husband, John Adams, in Letters of Mrs. Adams

Always hold your head up, but be careful to keep your nose at a friendly level. – Max L. Forman

Love that doesn’t understand the language of sacrifice is not love.

Our problems are opportunities to discover God’s solutions. – Unknown

When the shepherd speaks well of the wolf, the sheep are in trouble.

Do or do not. There is no try. – Yoda, The Empire Strikes Back

Take the first step in faith. You don’t have to see the whole staircase, just take the first step. – Martin Luther King, Jr.

God is the only one who can make the valley of trouble a door of hope. – Catherine Marshall

Happiness is not so much in having as sharing. – Norman MacEwan

Prayer is an attitude toward life that sees everything as ultimately sacred, everything as potentially life-changing, everything as revelatory of life’s meaning. It is our link between dailiness and eternity. – Joan Chittister

Life isn’t a matter of milestones, but moments. – Rose Kennedy

This is the true greatness: To serve unnoticed and work unseen. – John Nelson Darby
Advent is the perfect time to clear and prepare the Way. Advent is a winter training camp for those who desire peace. – Edward Hays
A prison cell, in which one waits, hopes, and is completely dependent on the fact that the door of freedom has to be opened from the outside, is not a bad picture of Advent. – Dietrich Bonhoeffer
Hope, struggle, fear, expectation and fulfillment are all part of our Advent experience. – Connections

Next Sunday at Centenary – December 7, 2008
The Second Sunday of Advent / The Sacrament of Holy Communion

9:00 AM– Adult Study: A Christmas Carol Bible Study (Sunshine Room)
10:15 AM – Worship & Sunday School (Pre-K through 12th grade)
Preacher: John D. Painter Theme: Prepare a Way in the Wilderness
Lectionary Readings: Isaiah 40:1-11 2 Peter 3:8-15a
Psalm 85:1-2,8-13 Mark 1:1-8
11:30 AM– Fellowship Time (Room 20)
11:45 AM– Junior Choir Rehearsal (Music Room)
6:30 PM– Centenary Youth Fellowship (Grades 7-12) (Youth Room)

Prayer for the Week of November 30: Loving God, as we enter into this Advent season, help us to remember what is truly important in our lives. In his “last lecture,” Jesus instructed us to “Be on guard!” and to “Be alert!” Yet we have become complacent and forget these admonitions to be aware. Keep our eyes open to your arrival and inspire us to live as if each day were our last day. Let our focus be on preparing our hearts and homes for your coming—not on the frenzy of shopping and decorating. Help us to slow down and enjoy the simple things in life.
Let us care for one another, and be mindful of those who enter this season, not with a sense of gladness, but with grief or wistfulness or apprehension. We lift up, in particular, this morning those who are ill, who mourn the loss of a loved one, who struggle to make peace with painful memories of past Christmas seasons. May their hope be in you, and the promise of your return. We pray in the name of Jesus Christ, who is our Lord and Savior. Amen.

I look forward to sharing with many of you in Study, Worship and Christian Fellowship at Centenary on this First Sunday of Advent.
Tina and I hope you and yours will have a Blessed and Happy Thanksgiving!

Shalom, Pastor John