Corner Connections November 2018

A publication of First United Methodist Church, Tallassee

Healthy churches intentionally seek non-Christians

Recently I was listening to a church leadership podcast where the subject was charac-teristics of healthy churches. Some of the characteristics were anticipated, such as be-ing willing to embrace change, and truly believing in the power of the gospel. But one characteristic stuck out to me: it was that healthy churches intentionally look to inter-sect their activities with the lives of non-Christians.

This got me thinking: What would it look like if we re-imagined our ministries so as to engage with people in the Tallassee community who are inactive in church? Are there ministries and activities that, with some adjustments, could become outreach opportu-nities? That’s an exciting question to ask and to answer, and as we approach the Ad-vent and Christmas seasons, I look forward to exploring that question with you! All Saints Sunday

As you likely know, "Halloween" is "All Hallows Eve" - the evening before All Saints Day. All Saints Day was a day set aside by the church to remember martyrs and eventu-ally to commemorate those believers who had died and who transferred their mem-bership from the Church Militant here on earth to the Church Triumphant in heav-en. On Sunday, November 4 at both services, we will remember those church mem-bers who have died over the past year. In addition, you will have an opportunity during worship to remember your loved ones who have recently died. This will be a moving and powerful time of worship on November 4.

Operation Christmas Child

Operation Christmas Child in an annual ministry that collects gift-filled shoeboxes with the aim of touching the lives of children and families around the world, bringing hope through the Good News of Jesus Christ in the form of a simple gift. Our collection day is Sunday,November 11. You can contribute in two ways. One, you can bring items for the shoe boxes. You can find a list further down in the newsletter. The second way you can contribute is simply to donate funds. Just write out a check to the church and write “Operation Christmas Child” in the memo line. Blessings, Clint

Regular Weekly Schedule Sundays Worship 8:50 am Contemporary Service 11:00 am Traditional Service Sunday School 10:00 am all ages Evenings 4:00 pm Adult Bells 5:00 pm Chancel Choir 5 - 6:30 pm Children “The Show” 5 - 6:30 pm Jr. & Sr. High Youth 6:30 pm Grace Choir (3rd-8th gr) All Weekdays 2:30 - 6:00 pm Lighthouse

Mondays 6:00 pm Scouts

Wednesdays 4:45 pm Youth Bells 5:30 pm Alpha Bells 6:00 pm WNF meal 6:30 - 7:15 pm Wed. night programs

Children’s Musical: Carol and the Belles

November 25 at 6:30 pm THS Auditorium

It’s 1954, and at Big Bill’s Drive-In Restaurant, where the wait-staff sings your order and the Christmas decorations stay up all year long, excitement has never been higher. Join us for ‘50s fun, Christmas charm, cool tunes, and joy to the world as close to 30 of our children bring us their first Christmas musical in a long time, Carol and the Belles!

For those in the musical, please note and mark these special re-hearsals:

November 16, 3:00 - 5:00 pm Kids can come to the church immediately following school. We will give them a snack and then walk them to the high school. We will be practicing sound and staging on this day.

November 25, 2:00 pm to the end of the program We will have a dress rehearsal on this day at 2:00 pm, after which we will feed the kids, and then present the program at 6:30 pm.

Thank you to everyone who volunteered and helped out in any way for Trunk or Treat!

We will be practicing all month for the Christmas play! Please be sure you are at practice as much as possible on Sundays from 6:30 - 7:30 pm.

Don’t forget: our Shoebox Packing Party will be November 11 during The Show! We will be going Christmas Caroling on December 16. Meet at the church at 5:00 pm. We will return no later than 6:30 pm for a Christmas party in the Fellowship Hall!

I will be contacting those who have graciously volunteered to help out while I spend time with Cue after he is born. Thank you so much for your willingness to help me during this time! -- Hillary

Come and join us for a deli-cious meal and a time of fellowship with your church family! Following the meal, there are pro-grams available for all ages:

Bible study or dulcimer practice for adults, Bible study for youth, Devotions and fun activities for LAMP (5th & 6th grade), WOW Kids for those in K through 4th grade, and a nursery for our youngest children and ba-bies.

Meal served: 6:00 to 6:30 pm Cost: Adults - $6.00 Children (12 and under) - $3.50 Family Maximum - $18.00

Programs: 6:30 to 7:15 pm

November 14 marks the last WNF of 2018 -- Happy Thanksgiving! WNF will resume in January 2019.

November 7

Meal: pork tenderloin, mac & cheese, green beans, cornbread, dessert

Alternate: grilled cheese, chips, dessert

November 14

Meal: chili and fixings, cornbread & crackers, dessert

Alternate: hot dog, chips, dessert

This past summer, the Youth Handbells went to Lake Junaluska for Music and Worship Arts Week. While there, they played in an adult handbell ensemble and attended daily worship services. Their time was so meaningful, they want to plan ahead for another trip and to take on projects to benefit the bell program here.

To help raise funds for these projects, they are selling poinsettias in 7” pots for $10 each. Payment will be due when you receive your plant(s), which will be available for pickup at the church on Sunday, Decem-ber 2nd.

You may place your order by calling the church of-fice or signing up in the bulletin.

We give thanks for these servants of the church whom we remember and who have, this past year,

joined the Church Triumphant in heaven:

Jennie Noble

Mary Nell Atherton

Charles Reed

Elizabeth Haggerty

Hanging of the Greens

Sunday, December 2 6:30 pm

Join us as we prepare our hearts and church for the Ad-vent and Christmas Season, through traditional readings, hymns, and the decorating of our Sanctuary.

Don’t forget to set your clocks back before church on November 4!

Operation Christmas Child

2nd Annual Packing Party

Believe it or not, Christmas is right around the corner! That means

it is time for the kids at FUMC to have their second annual shoebox

packing party! This fun and rewarding party will take place on Sun-

day, November 11th at 5:00pm. To make this party a success, we

need of your help! We will be collecting the following items until the

day of the party:

Monetary donations (Each box costs $9 to ship!)

• Non-liquid Hygiene items (toothbrushes, washcloths, soap,

combs, hairbrushes)

• School supplies: pencils, pencil sharpeners, paper, notebooks,

erasers, crayons, coloring books

• Small stuffed animals and baby dolls

• Accessories: sunglasses, hair bows, barrettes, play jewelry,

etc.)

• Hats, gloves, scarves, t-shirts, underwear

• Games (travel-size games, puzzles, marbles, Jacks set)

• Matchbox cars and outdoor toys (yo-yos, jump ropes, small

balls)

• Small tool sets and mini sewing kits (LOTS NEEDED!)

• Small bags with a drawstring or handles (LOTS NEEDED!)

• No war related items or breakable items are permitted.

*OUR GOAL IS TO PACK 100 BOXES THIS YEAR!

Donation bins can be found in the fellowship hall and outside the

sanctuary. If you make a monetary donation, please indicate it is

for Operation Christmas Child. Through your prayers and donations,

the children of FUMC will help spread the love of Jesus to so many!

If you have any questions and/or would like to help, contact Beth

Noble @ 334-312-4877.

Join us for fellowship and good food! The Restaurant Supper Club will be going to “Our Place” in Wetumpka on November 6th. The van will leave the church at 5:30 pm. If you would like to join us, please contact Ann Stuedeman (334-303-2488 or astuedeman@aol.com) or call the church office. Please let us know by November 4th whether you wish to ride the van or meet us at the restaurant, so we can notify the restaurant of the number attending. We welcome new members or just one-time visitors!

Ways you can help

ACTS this

Christmas Season ACTS has begun planning for its 2018 Christmas program, and there are several ways members at FUMC can get involved! 1. Consider purchasing one or

more Christmas Food Boxes ($30 each), given out at Christ-mas to local families in need. Donations can be given to FUMC, designated “ACTS Food Boxes,” or sent directly to ACTS.

2. Bring a new, unwrapped toy

for a child in need (age 2-12) to church, placing it in the collec-tion box at the back of the Fel-lowship Hall.

3. Volunteers are needed to help distribute Food Boxes and Toy Bags on December 11 & 12. Please contact Barry Adair if you can help volunteer: 283- 6750. 4. Our church has pledged to pro- vide 2-lb. bags of cornmeal and flour to ACTS to help stock their food pantry. When you go grocery shopping, don’t for- get to pick up a couple of extra bags of flour and cornmeal for ACTS! ACTS is very grateful for all the support our church has shown in the past, and for our generosity again this year! THANK YOU!!!

MEET OUR STAFF:

Hillary Eckstein - Children’s Director

Hillary Pugh was born to Rev. Glen and Carla Pugh in Montgomery in 1992. She moved to Tallassee when Bro. Glen became our pastor in 2005. She became our Children’s Director in 2015. She teaches Pre-kindergarten at Tallassee Elementary School.

Hillary has watched “her” children growing in stature and in a relationship with Christ, which she finds the most satisfying aspect of her job at FUMC. Hillary said of her time here, “I have witnessed, with great joy and admira-tion, the intentional way parents raise their children and make God a pri-ority. That has given Cory and me some insights about how we want to

raise our children.” She also revealed that kids of all ages are sensitive to who speaks to them and who doesn’t. “They notice.” She wants all of us to remember that little people are still people. We never know how what we say or do may affect others, for good or bad.

When I asked her if she wanted to share about her life with Cory, she was very open and perceptive. Their relation-ship was just as friends for many years. They shared several mission trips to Ecuador and other destinations. How-ever, over time, friendship matured into a deeper, soul-stirring love. Christ has always been a part of their relation-ship. She says they have the same mindset about God and their marriage, which keeps them on the same sheet of music, often getting them past many of the normal tensions of early marriage.

After her Dad died, one of the things that disappointed her most was that he would never know the man she mar-ried. But he did. Only after they were married did Carla tell her that Glen had hoped Cory and Hillary would wed. Hillary has a Master’s Degree in Early Childhood/Elementary Education from Troy University. She considers it a privilege to have a relationship with our entire church family.

Hillary hopes to be a teacher coach as she matures in her school teaching. RESPONSIBILITIES: ● act as a liaison between the children and the other members of the congregation, will serve as an advocate for the children, and will work with the Children’s Council to plan year-round activities for the children ● be responsible for recruiting, training and nurturing adult volunteers to facilitate the children’s programs ● be responsible for planning and implementing appropriate activities for children (3 years old through 6th grade) that will Help them grow in their relationship with Jesus Christ, their families, and their peers. These activities should promote dis- cipleship, fellowship, faith development, leadership development, and fun GENERAL RESPONSIBILITIES IN CHILDREN'S MINISTRY ● oordinate yearly program for children's church -- develop schedule for volunteer teachers, mail lesson plans to teachers in advance and assist teachers when necessary ● work with Education Committee to recruit teachers, to provide training and order curriculum for the children's division ● be available for conferences with parents and other adults ● publicize children's activities in church newsletter and in local media outlets as appropriate SPECIAL EVENTS IN CHILDREN'S MINISTRY ● summer program activities.: direct weekly summer program for children who have completed grades K-6. Also, develop other summer-time activities that are age-appropriate. ● organize children's retreats and trips that emphasize learning, fellowship, music and worship ● help with Confirmation, plan and conduct a retreat, teach when necessary ● order necessary materials for the Confirmation process ● plan, implement and publicize Vacation Bible School. Recruit teachers, directors, and order related materials

“Meet Our Staff,” written by Bob Reed, will be a regular feature in our newsletters over the next months. Hopefully these articles will help you to get to know our staff better and give you a better sense of all they do for FUMC!

02--Gunner Justice 03--Kaci Sanders Patrick Taylor 04--Alan Milam 05--Loyce Cox Jennifer Crain Sally Shipman 08--Tammy Grumm 13--Jeanette Crain 15--Bob Taunton 20--Wylie Faughender Kristina Pendergrass Heather Weldon Julie Williams 22--Hunter Brooks Harry Jackson 23--Emma McBroom Natalie Milner 24--Hannah Miller Craig Sanders Jo Venable 25--Angie Achord Perry Bankester 26--Jillian Clark 27--Lindsey Hicks 28--Ethel Hale 30--Morris Hall

01--Brian & Daphney Ingram 04--Perry & Dora Bankester 05--Morris & Kay Hall 06--Jeff & Kelly Steele 17--Dave & Dana Metz 22--Robby & Amanda Glasscock 24--Darrell & Suzannah Wilson 27--Alan & Jeannine Parker

Endowment Committee News

As we find ourselves in the last quarter of the year, the Endowment Committee of FUMC would like to remind our congregation that the Endowment Fund can accept gifts of stocks and bonds to bene-fit our church’s long-term fiscal needs.

The benefit of giving stocks or bonds is that you can save on taxes! You can receive a charitable income tax deduction for the current market value of the appreciated securities. You can also avoid cap-ital gains taxes on the sale of your appreciated securities. And, the most important thing you would be doing is furthering the future ministry and mission of your church.

If you have any questions about this or any other bequest you may be considering to FUMC, please contact the church office or me personally.

Jackie Golden Chair, FUMC Endowment Committee

Altar Flowers 04--none 11--Margaret Brogdon 18--Betty Segrest 25--Anita McFaddin

Baby Shower!

The Youth and Children will be giv-

ing Cory & Hillary a Baby Shower

on November 18 at 5 pm in the Fel-

lowship Hall. If you would like to

help in any way, please contact one

of the following:

Leah Burnham: 334-444-8229 Daphney Ingram: 334-415-1076

Beth Turner: 334-651-4645

Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat

1 2 3

4 5 6 7 8 9 10

11 12 13 14 15 16 17

18 19 20 21 22 23 24

25 26 27 28 29 30

Crafty Christians 1:00-2:30 pm

Kids & Youth

Baby Shower for Cory & Hillary!

5:00 pm Fellowship Hall

Men’s Club Breakfast 7:15 am

OCC Packing

Party - 5:00 pm Fellowship Hall

Crafty Christians 1 - 2:30 pm

All Saints Day

Tuesday Small

Group Bible Study 10:00 am

Fellowship Hall

Restaurant Supper Club

Tuesday Small

Group Bible Study 10:00 am

Fellowship Hall

Tuesday Small

Group Bible Study 10:00 am

Fellowship Hall

Shepherding Committee

7:15 pm Allen Cowan

classroom

Tuesday Small

Group Bible Study 10:00 am

Fellowship Hall

last WNF of 2018!

Children’s Musical: Carol and the

Belles Dress rehearsal

2 - 4 pm Show - 6:30 pm

THS Auditorium

All Saints Sunday

Ecuador Mission

Team Meeting 7:30 pm

Fellowship Hall

LAMP in the DAYLIGHT

3:30-6:30 pm

Children’s Musical Practice

3:00-5:00 pm

Thanksgiving Day (office closed)

(office closed)

First United Methodist Church

P.O. Box 780147

Tallassee, AL 36078

Check out our new mobile-friendly website: www.fumctallassee.com Or our Facebook page: Facebook.com/FUMCTallassee

Listen to the previous Sunday’s worship service Sunday mornings at 11:00 am. Tune in to Clint’s daily devotions at 7:15 am each weekday morning.

WTLS 106.5 FM and 1300 AM

STAFF DIRECTORY

Pastor: Rev. Clint McBroom

Director of Music Ministries: Leslye Ames

Director of Youth Ministries: Cory Eckstein

Coordinator of Children’s Ministries: Hillary Eckstein

Encounter Worship Leader: Jordan Cunningham

Chancel Choir Director/Worship Leader: Jerry Cunningham

Office Manager: Kristina Pendergrass

Nursery Coordinator: Laura Mullins

Sexton: Jordan Cunningham

CONTACT INFORMATION

Church Office: 334-283-2195 Parsonage: 334-283-2194

P.O. Box 780147, Tallassee, AL 36078

www.fumctallassee.com email: FUMCTallassee@aol.com

Montgomery/Prattville District Office:

Rev. Allen Newton, Superintendent: 334-239-7329 www.montgomeryprattville.org