INSIDE THIS ISSUE:

Welcome Sherry Roscoe 1

Holiday Staff Schedule 2

Christmas Eve Services 2

Advent Study 3

Blue Christmas Service 3

Hearing God in Scripture 3

Family Life 4

Christian Education & Youth Group

5/7

The Christmas Story 8

Director of Nurturing, Visitation & Witness

9

Guns in Our School 10

What is this Reconciling thing?

11

Stewardship 12

Names of Jesus Advent Calendar

13

COVID-19 Updates 14

Keeping It Kind... 14

Missions Committee 15/16

Redner’s Receipts 16

The Importance of Worshipping Together 17

Thank You! 18

Wesley Preschool/Playcare 18

Christmas Café 19

December Birthdays & Anniversaries

20

December Calendar 21

Christmas Giving Form 22

The Wesley Crier

A PUBLICATION OF WESLEY UNITED METHODIST CHURCH

December 2021 VOLUME 3, NUMBER 11

Published 11-18-2021

V I S I T U S O N L I N E A T W W W . W E S L E Y U M C - D O V E R . C O M

Welcome Sherry Roscoe Joyful Noise Handbell Choir

Director

Hello! I am happy to be serving as the Director of The Joyful Noise Handbell Choir. This group has a long of history of musical excellence and ministry. I am grateful to be here to help cultivate and utilize this special and unique min-istry at Wesley UMC. I am a musician living and working in Viola, DE. I own and operate an independent piano studio, Grace Notes Piano Studio, where I provide creative, quality piano lessons to students of all ages. Maintaining a studio of 35-40 students, I am in my studio lots of hours in any given week and I love to teach!! The name of my studio is a definite and intentional play on words (grace notes are a musical symbol, and grace is what I freely receive every day as a Christian!) and I believe joy-fully serving and investing in the youth that come across my path is my mission field. In addition, I maintain an active schedule as an independ-ent contractor serving as accompanist in both choral and instrumental settings at schools and in the community in our local area. I received undergraduate degrees in Music Education (K-12) and Music Therapy from Wartburg College in Waverly, IA. Beyond this, I strive to continue to learn and grow as a Christian musician as I serve wherever the Lord leads me to be. I have been happily married to Jim Roscoe for over 25 years, and have three children; Bryan, Elyse and Chrysto-pher.

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Christmas Eve Services 4:00pm Family Candlelight Service with Hymn Sing and Communion

7:00pm Traditional Candlelight Service with Choirs and Communion

5:00pm Join us in Grace Fellowship Hall between the two services for finger-food and fellowship. For additional information please contact the church office (678-9626).

Unless otherwise noted - Childcare available

Thanksgiving and Christmas Holiday Staffing

The weeks of Thanksgiving and following Christmas will have low staffing levels in the building. Typically, these are times when there is low need for staff pres-ence. So if you have a need to reach Michele Dryda, Anthony Falkowski, Oveta Fullman, Nick Kowalick, or Pastor Amy, please be aware they are off some or all of these weeks.

Marian Hudson and Joe Young will be the staff here. If there is an emergency, Pastor Amy is on call, in town.

If you need to get into the building, when you arrive at the door, instead of pushing the silver button, call the church office 302-678-9626 and either Marian or Joe will come to the door.

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Advent Study

Go on an Advent journey guided by the practices in John Wesley’s means of grace. Join Pastor Amy and Patty Field in the parlor on Wednesday eve-nings, December 1th, 8th, 15th & 22nd at 6:30pm for this year’s Advent Study -- All the Good: A Wesleyan Way of Christmas, by Laceye C. Warner, Amy Valdez Barker, Jung Choi, Sangwoo Kim.

In All the Good: A Wesleyan Way of Christmas, a group of diverse Wesleyan scholars will take you on an Advent journey guided by the practices in John Wesley’s means of grace. In four sessions of study, prayer, and conversa-tion, readers will look at preparing the way for God, the discipline of pray-er, the substance of good works, and the recognition of God’s presence with us in communities that are called to serve the world.

This Advent learn and practice works of mercy and works of piety, examining how God’s love is embodied in communities of faith in the world.

Click link to register https://onrealm.org/wesleyumcdover/PublicRegistrations/Event?linkString=MjYyYTVlZTEtMDRkNS00YzljLTllYWQtYWRjNTAxNDRiZTRi

Blue Christmas Service By: Michele Dryda, Certified Lay Servant

The Blue Christmas Service will take place Saturday, December 18, 2021

at 4pm in the Sanctuary.

What is a “Blue Christmas” Service? This worship service is traditionally held on or around the longest night of the year, which falls on or about December 21th, the Winter Solstice. This is why it is sometimes called The Service of Reflection for the Longest Night. For some, memories of past experiences and the pain of present experiences and situations can become overwhelming. Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, or New Year’s Eve can be very difficult and a reminder of the challenges in our lives.

In this years service, we invite you to light a candle... to leave a name or a word on a blue paper or-

nament… to listen… to sing… to participate in communion... to come to the altar rail for Anoint-

ing/Comforting Prayer… to receive a prayer shawl.

Hearing God in Scripture

Want to learn to listen for God through Scripture? Join Pastor Amy in the practice of praying Scripture. Together, we will use one of the church’s most ancient practices: divine reading (lectio divina). In this practice of praying Scripture, we will practice listening for what God has to say to each of us through the Word that is always living and active (Hebrews 4:12).

We will gather via zoom on the second and fourth Thursdays, December 9th, January 13th and 27th, at 6:00 pm.

Click link to register https://onrealm.org/wesleyumcdover/PublicRegistrations/Event?linkString=ZTIxNDdlNjItMDM0MS00ZWVhLWE0ZmItYWRjODAxMDMwZjVi

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Family Life By: Jim, Sandi & Mardi

Family Life will unfortunately be having a modified schedule of events due to COVID. We are going forward with the Living Nativity on Friday, December 3rd at 5:30pm; however we will not be having the Advent Dinner on the evening of December 5th, but will have a special Fellowship Hour with baked goods etc., immediately after the 9:45am Cantata service on December 5th. Additionally, we will not be having Breakfast with Santa.

Please plan to come out for both events. We especially need your support on Friday, December 3rd, for our Living Nativity. We need folks to be dressed as the characters, no speaking parts, we will have live music and live animals. It is in conjunction with the tree lighting and Santa’s arrival in Downtown Dover. The Women’s UMW will be having soup and chili for sale that night, also.

We are planning to have a Pass the Paint night in February. It is a super fun time when you start a painting and in five minutes you pass it to another in your group and repeat several times. It is a really good family activity for all ages. We will have snacks and drinks. Details to follow Here is a sample of some paintings from a girl scout troop event held during Halloween.

This Photo by Unknown Author is licensed under CC BY-SA

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Christian Education & Youth Group By: Joe Young, Christian Education Director

Four Reasons Not to Be the Cool Parent Some parents start to think that being cool is a necessity for good parenting. A lot of dads and moms try to be their kids’ friends and ensure their kids are never uncomfortable or feel pain. They believe if they’re cool, their kids are going to like them -- and that that’s the definition of good par-enting. Unfortunately, this is setting their kids up for hard lessons and potential failure in the future. Here are four reasons NOT to be the cool parent. 1. Your Kids Don’t Need You to be Cool When kids hit the preteen and teen years, everyone around them is making every possible effort just to be “cool.” Your kids see people pretending to be who they aren’t and when parents do this just to be cool, it sends the wrong message to their kids. Your kids need a role model. Know who you are and be confident in it. How cool were your parents? ______________________________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________________________ 2. Your Coolness Doesn’t Add What You Think It Does Many parents think if they can be the cool parent, it will help their kids. They try being cool by giv-ing their kids whatever they want and never telling them no. They think kids need freedom and comfort. But what kids need is structure. Structure allows kids to feel a sense of belonging and safety. Kids need someone to guide them; to let them know when they’re heading in the wrong di-rection. Be a parent who sets good boundaries for your kids. How cool do you think you are to your kids? On a Scale of 1-10 1 5 10 How structured is your home? On a Scale of 1-10 (1 being ZERO structure and 10 being 100% structure) 1 5 10

3 Your Effort to Be Cool Is Actually Hurting Your Kids

Kids need their parents to parent and this means you’re not going to be cool with them all the time. Kids need parents who will love them unconditionally, who aren’t afraid to push back when they’re making mistakes. That won’t be seen as cool in the moment, but if you do it right, one day, your kids are going to thank you for not being cool! Again, this means being comfortable in your role as a parent and often, it also means showing tough love.

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Reflect on how you lead your kids through tough situations. Were you too hard on them? Did

you let them off the hook? Were you trying to be cool? Write some thoughts below.

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4. Your Kids Need A Great Parent

Your role is unlike any other role in the universe for your kids. It’s unlike any other relationship

your kids will ever have. You are a provider, protector, advocate, guide, mentor, discipliner, and

more. Your kids don’t need a great friend who’s cool all the time. They need a great parent to simp-

ly be their mom and dad. From birth to age 10, our kids are going to think we’re amazing and can

do nothing wrong! Once they get into those preteen years and older, we’re most likely going to be

anything but cool to them. And that’s OK! Because hopefully, as you embrace your role as a mom/

dad, one day, when your kids are older and start having their own kids, you then can become the

cool grandparent and friend.

DREAM: What kind of grandparent do you envision yourself being?

_________________________________________________________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________________________________________________

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WORK IT OUT: What kind of parent do your kids need today? What steps will you take today?

_________________________________________________________________________________________________

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************************************************************************************************** Sunday School Children’s Sunday School (K - 4th grade) meets in Grace Fellowship Hall, Youth Sunday School (5th – 8th grade) meets in the Ed Building on Sundays, and High Sunday School meets in the Parlor on the 1st and 3rd Sundays of the month.

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I’m looking for Sunday School teachers for the upcoming school year. If you feel lead to help, please contact me, Joe Young at 302-678-9626 ext. 114. Youth Group The Youth Group meets Sundays from 3 to 5pm at the Student Ministries Center.

A great time craving pumpkins

Upcoming activities November 28th – Pack Christmas mugs and Miniature Golf

Meet at the SMC at 1:00. When we are done with the mugs, we will go to Tre Sorelle Dolce for miniature golf and ice cream.

December 05th – Decorate tree for wildlife - Time – TBA December 12th – Progressive Dinner/White Elephant Exchange - 4 – 8pm December 18th – Game night - 3 –5pm - SMC

December 26th – NO Youth Group

Sunday School Help Wanted

The High School class is looking for a couple of people to help. Please call or email me, if you are

interested in helping.

──Joe

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Sunday, December 5, 2021 at 9:45am Wesley Chancel Choir Presents

Wesley United Methodist Church 209 S. State Street, Dover, Delaware 19901-6727 Telephone: (302) 678-9626 fax: (302) 678-9627

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A Fountain for the Common Good…

By: Anthony Falkowski

This is a timely message for all of us.

A Foundation for the Common Good

Jim Wallis, founder of Sojourners ministry and a longtime friend of Fr. Richard Rohr, connects the idea of the common good with Jesus’ proclamation of the Kingdom of God. I believe the moral prerequisite for solving the deepest problems this country and the world now face is a commitment to an ancient idea whose time has urgently come: the common good… a call to a different way of life, to reclaim a very old idea called the common good, Jesus issued that call and announced the kingdom of God _ a new order of living in sharp contrast to all the political and religious kingdoms of the world. That better way of life was meant to benefit not only his follow-ers but everybody else too. Christianity is not a religion that gives some people a ticket to heaven and makes them judgmental of all others. Rather, it’s a call to a relationship that changes all our other relationships. Jesus told us a new relationship with God also brings us into a new relationship with our neighbor, especially with the most vulnerable of this world, and even with our enemies. But we don’t always hear that from the churches. This call to love our neighbor is the foundation for reestablishing and reclaim-ing the common good, which has fallen into cultural and political- and even religious – neglect. Judaism, of course, agrees that our relationship with God is supposed to change all our other rela-tionships, and Jesus’s recitation of the law’s great commandments to love God and your neighbor flows right out of the books of Deuteronomy and Leviticus … In fact, virtually all the world’s major religions say that you cannot separate your love for God from your love for your neighbor, your brothers and sisters. Even the nonreligious will affirm the idea of “the Golden Rule: “do to others as you would have them do to you.” While some form of the Golden Rule has been around for thousands of years, we seem to have lost a sense of its importance and its transformative power. Wallis urges: It is time to reclaim the neglected common good and to learn how faith might help, instead of hurt, in that important task. Our public life could be made better, even transformed or healed, if our religious traditions practiced what they preached in our personal lives; in our families’ decisions; in our work and vocations; in the ministry of our churches, synagogues and mosques, and in our col-lective witness. In all these ways we can put the faith community’s influence at the service of this radical neighbor-love ethic that is both faithful to God and the common good. ──Anthony

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Guns in our Schools By: Pastor Amy D. Yarnall

If you have been following the local news, you know that since mid-October, there have been three cases of students bringing guns to school in Delaware. One was on October 19th while our son was in Dover High School; there was a ten-minute lock down. The second was in Smyrna Middle, and the third was at Dickenson High School. My response to this is to work with others in our community to ask that our state’s safe gun storage law be communicated by the school district to families. Using national resources, I am helping to provide leadership in asking our Capital School District to communicate about gun safety. We hope to speak at a school board meeting soon. Did you know that in our state, gun violence is the leading cause of deaths among children and teens? This includes shootings, gun accidents, and suicide. Safe gun storage would reduce these numbers. In the U.S. it is estimated that 4.6 million children live in homes with a loaded, unlocked firearm. The primary way that students gain access to firearms is from their own home, or the home of a relative or friend. By educating our school district families about safe storage practices, we can improve safety. This will lead to decreased likelihood of students bringing guns to school, and therefore decrease the likelihood of school shootings. Increased safe storage is also shown to decrease suicide rates and decrease rates of accidental shootings, especially involving children. Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense is an organization in which I am active. Part of what Moms De-mand Action does is provide gun safety training. It is called Be SMART (https://besmartforkids.org/).

I think we can all agree that guns should be stored safely. Please pray that this initiative will be suc-cessful in improving the safety of our children. ~Pastor Amy

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What is this Reconciling thing?

The Reconciling Ministries Group of Wesley United Methodist Church would like to introduce our-selves to you. We are

A newly forming group in Wesley UMC Dover.

Responding to the upcoming decision in the United Methodist Church international re-garding full inclusion of people of all sexual orientations and gender identities.

We believe

All people are created in the image of God.

We are called to join in community, theologically and biblically centered, to live by Christ’s example. We celebrate our diversity of sexual orientation, gender identity, race, age, marital status, nationality, physical abilities, mental abilities, and economic position.

We hope to

Expand our group.

Engage in respectful open dialogue regarding the issue of full inclusion.

Offer a welcoming affirming space for members of the LGBTQ community, their families and friends.

Work with others to prepare our congregation for the decisions of the General Confer-ence of the United Methodist Church (worldwide) currently scheduled for fall of 2022.

We invite you to

Join us for RUM and Coffee on December 12th.

some RUM (Reconciling United Methodists) will be available during the coffee hour (which may or may not involve actual coffee, depending upon COVID conditions) following the 9:45am service. We would love to talk with you about our group and our hopes.

Contact us with questions, thoughts, comments.

Our email is: reconcilingministries@wesleyumc-dover.com.

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COMMENTS ON THE THEME FOR THE 2022 STEWARDSHIP CAMPAIGN

“EMBRACING GENEROSITY” By: Tom Welch, Chair, 2022 Stewardship campaign “Embracing Generosity”

Since last November the Stewardship Task Force has given serious thought to the theme for the 2022 Campaign. After considering several other possibili-ties, the Task Force decided to use a variation on the 2021 theme “Embracing

Stewardship” and adopted “Embracing Generosity” for the coming 2022 year. Generosity is seen in several forms in Scripture. The “Widow’s mite” is seen as an example of a person who is totally committed to God and who was willing to give all that she had to express her dedication. The “Parable of the Good Samaritan” is an example of a man who was willing to cross racial and ethnic lines to give life-saving generosity to the man of a different ethnic and religious background. In our day-to-day lives we see examples of persons who embrace generosity. This is so when a person offers a seat on a bus to an older or feeble person. When a school child shares some of his lunch with another student who either forgot to bring food or whose parents could not afford it--- that is certainly an example of tangible generosity. When we engage in the habit of random acts of kindness, are we not embracing generosity? I asked my nine-year-old grandson what he thought was the meaning of the word generosity and he responded with “Grandaddy, isn’t it just manners?” How can you argue with that? All of these examples have been about day-to-day, person-to-person acts of kindness or generosity. However, as a connectional, international Christian denomination, our Methodist Church supports many mission programs in our community and all across the globe. This outreach includes sup-port of churches, schools, clean drinking water programs, and a wide array of other social support initiatives. While we as individual members of Wesley United Methodist do not have the benefit of offering these examples of generosity on a face-to-face basis, we can know that our contributions to Wesley Church contribute to so many worthwhile programs. So, we can engage in and embrace generosity both face to face in our lives and also be a part of supporting tries all over the world. It is through our pledge to the annual General Fund, that we are embracing generosity all across the globe. As of November 15th, our members have pledged $192,100 – which is roughly half of what we need to carry all of the ministries and programs of Wesley United Methodist Church. Many thanks to all those who have completed their pledge. To those who have not yet completed a commitment card, please consider doing so now.

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Names of Jesus Advent Calendar Evangelism Committee

During the month of November, we focused on “what brings us joy” and the reminder of gratitude. With Advent, our focus is on the upcoming birth of Jesus, so during December, look for the bulletin with different names we call Jesus. Did you ever think about the many different ways we refer to him?

This bulletin board will contain cards with the date on one side and one of Jesus’ names (such as

Emmanuel, Lord, Son of God, Lamb of God, Christ) on the other. Next time you are at the church

beginning in December, please stop by and take a look at the bulletin board.

Keeping Safe During COVID-19

By: Larry Josefowski, Co-Lay Leader

The planning team was pretty confidant earlier in November. The number of cases was dropping, there were fewer people being admitted to hospitals, and fewer people in the hospitals, and the percent of tests that were positive were all trending in the right direction. We were optimistically looking at fairly early dates to return to full normalcy. However, our peak optimism has crashed since that early November day. While much of the data is still trending positive, such as hospitalization rates (indicative of the success of getting vaccinated) the number of cases has been going up since that date. Delaware only had 63 cases reported on No-vember 8th, but one recent day it hit 400 cases a day…and we still have the holidays ahead of us. Based on that, we’ll continue with our current policy of masking. We’ll continue to watch the num-bers, we’ll continue to get the input of senior leadership and our medical advisors, and we’ll contin-ue to act for the best interests of the entire congregation. I ask your continued prayers for all those who are on the front line of this pandemic, and ask that God lift it from us. It is disheartening to hear, in our daily prayer sessions, friends and family who are affected by the pandemic, so let’s al-so pray for patience for all as we work through this.

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Keeping It Kind … On Social Media

By: Donna W. Josefowski, Co-Lay Leader

For those who are familiar with John Wesley’s Three Simple Rules - Do No Harm, Do Good, and Stay in Love with God, these are also good rules to follow for those who are on social media – Facebook, Instagram, etc. I found this information on the Resource UMC website and wanted to summarize some of their ideas. Do No Harm

What is the intent of the post? Does your post show Christ’s love or does it focus on judgment?

Do you speak disparagingly of others online?

Could the post “do harm” to the reputation of Christ, the church or another person (or organization)?

Could someone interpret the post as harmful, offensive, rude or distasteful?

Does this interaction recognize each person as a loved child of God?

Do Good

Does it serve the good of the ‘community’ and those in it?

Will it help God’s reign and fellow believers? How will people of different cultural or faith backgrounds receive it?

Do you communicate effectively by asking questions and providing information?

Stay in Love with God

What stories can you tell or share online to help others stay in love with God?

How does social media help you to stay in love with God? How does it hinder you?

How can your social media contribution help others stay in love with God?

Social Media is a great way to share with those around us. Let’s keep our focus on doing no harm,

doing good, and staying in love with God... in our lives and on social media.

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Missions Committee By: Jim Short & Carol Gambone, Missions Committee Co-Chairs

The Missions Committee continues to coordinate our church's support to many local, domestic, and international missions. In 2021 our church provided support to nearly 20 organiza-tions (many of them right here in Dover) with our time, labor, and financial gifts.

The next Missions Committee meeting will be held on Tuesday, December 14, 2021 at 7pm and we will be discussing the following issues (* indicates volunteers needed):

Status of the Dover Interfaith Mission for Housing (DIMH). Work is continuing to transition to the potentially new location on Division Street. City Council recently passed an ordinance re-zoning the parcels of interest that will allow pursuit of this location to proceed.

*The Second Saturday meal held on November 13, 2021 served approximately 30 meals with food service prepared in our kitchen and served at the WUMC Portico. Special thanks to all who were able to assist with meal preparation and serving. We are grateful to be able to contin-ue offering this service despite the on-going COVID cases and volunteers will be needed for the meals served on December 11th. Anyone interested in preparing meals during the Second Satur-day meal or for DIMH can get information by emailing missions@wesleyumc-dover.com.

*There will also be a spaghetti meal served at noon on Friday, November 26, 2021 (the day after Thanksgiving. Anyone interested in helping prepare the Spaghetti meal can get information by emailing missions@wesleyumc-dover.com.

*Please note the Salvation Army Bell ringing will be from 10am to 8 pm on Tuesday, December 14th and Thursday, December 16th this year. We will need a multitude of volunteers to cover these two 10-hour shifts, and any help you can provide is greatly appreciated. Please be on the lookout for the bell ringing sign-up sheets during the Sunday services between now and then.

*The Missions Committee has reached out to Maranatha Life Changing Church regarding providing assistance with their Homeless Ministry during Code Purple so please be on the lookout for additional information on ways you may be able to help with this ministry this winter.

*The Angel Tree tags are now available in Grace Fellowship Hall. We are planning to help dozens of families this year, so please take a tag if you are able.

*This year there is also “The Giving Tree” sponsored by the United Methodist Church through Heifer International, wherein the opportunity is available to give to a variety of causes. Also please look for The Giving Tree opportunities in Grace Fellowship Hall as well.

Any Church Committee member who has project ideas for use of the Mission’s endowment funding resources can now request funding under the guidance recently passed by Church Council. For more information on utilizing this valuable funding resource, please contact the missions committee at missions@wesleyumc-dover.com.

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The payment voucher for $2000 to the Capital School District for assistance with families that have exhausted all public funding assistance available and who may be experiencing chronicle homelessness, has been issued. The Missions Committee is always open to suggestions for mis-sions to support, alternate funding sources and/or redistribution of funding depending on re-cipient organization needs.

The Habitat for Humanity build on South Queen Street in Dover has on-going opportunities to assist with house construction on Wednesdays and Saturdays if anyone is interested in partici-pating. Please contact Dylan Grimes at Habitat at dgrimes@centraldelawarehabitat.org.

The Student Ministry Center (SMC) may be utilized to house a Volunteers in Mission (VIM) team this fall with participants who aspire to assist mobile home owners in need with repairs. Should this materialize volunteers to help VIM teams with their local needs, kitchen usage, wel-coming meal prep, local groceries, etc., will be needed.

Budget – The Missions Committee is requesting the same budget for 2022 as 2021 and a sum-mary of the final 2021 expenditures will be prepared for the December 14, 2021 meeting. The remaining $2000 that was not utilized for Rise Against Hunger this year will be reconciled in the end-of-year Missions budget.

The Clothing Closet reopening continues to go very well.

If you have suggestions on how to best utilize Mission Committee resources, are interested in participating with a specific mission, have a suggestion for a specific mission, or have an interest in participating on the Missions Committee, please don’t hesitate to email your thoughts to missions@wesleyumc-dover.com.

──Jim and Carol

Redner’s Receipt Tapes

Hello Wesley UMC ---

The Redner’s receipt program has done extremely well in the past. Since COVID-19 we have experienced a drop in receipts being turned in. We hope to continue these efforts, but we need everyone to please continue bringing in your Redner’s receipts.

Red collections boxes are by the kitchen, in the front entry hall, and the main entrance to the Sanctuary. Every receipt helps, and nothing is too small!

Thank you once again for your continued support of Wesley UMC.

──Cliff and Susan Neidig

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The Importance of Worshipping Together By Donna W. Josefowski

After almost two years of an often difficult and different worship experience, worshipping together is still as important as ever. Why is it important and why do we need it? After listening to Kristen Zeman’s recent sermon at Wesley, she got me thinking as she had pointed out several important aspects of “corporate worship” (worshipping together) from a spiritual viewpoint such as:

While we say we will study His Word on our own, we often just don’t do it Worshipping together is a “faith builder” Worshipping together allows us to witness together (growing in our faith)

Upon thinking further, there are other aspects of worshipping together including:

Fellowship (and friendships) Support (during both difficult and good times) Teaching us forgiveness Finding peace and calm - think mindfulness (especially important in our busy world) Reflecting on gratitude Providing opportunities to give back (and serve) Filling our hearts with song Finding a deeper meaning in life

Even though most Sundays, I am usually busy and the past several years have been more hectic in ways, I still find worship a place I find peace. For me, I love our stained-glass windows and there is something about looking at the sun glistening through them, that brings me instantaneous calm. Those beautiful windows tell a story and I often think about the generations that have gone before who have appreciated them as well. While our world (or even our congregation) may not be perfect, think of what worshipping together CAN do to make us better – spiritually, through fellowship and friendship, through support, forgiveness, peace, gratitude, song, serving, and finding a deeper meaning in life.

May it be so.

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Thank You!

I wanted to reach out to all of my church family and thank you from the bottom of my heart for your prayers, positive thoughts, texts, and emails that you sent me, and meals that you sent my parents in September. It was a nerve-wracking time with my father, mother, and husband during their hospitalizations. Even as I sat by myself in the waiting room because COVID protocols only allowed one person, I was never alone because of all of you. It could have been overwhelming, but I felt so lifted by my church family that I knew my family would all be fine in the end. It was amazing to see God’s work performed through all of you.

Thank you,

Mardi Spangler

Wesley Preschool and Playcare By: Anne Oliphant, Board President

Important Dates: Both Preschool and Playcare will be closed from December 23rd through January 2nd. We wish our children and their families special joy and good health as they celebrate the Christmas holiday together. The Preschool children will be participating in the Dover Tree Lighting ceremony in December. Also, teachers and staff will meet soon to plan special Advent and Christmas activities for the children during school hours. Please note that these activities are for the Preschool/Playcare chil-dren only. Families and siblings will not be joining the special events. Our Preschool/Playcare Director, Oveta Fullman, all of the Preschool/Playcare staff, and members of the Preschool/Playcare Board wish you Christmas Blessings. We hope that you will experience Love, Hope, Peace, and Joy during the Advent and Christmas seasons and throughout the New Year.

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Christmas Café Friday, December 3rd

Chili w/crackers or Fritos and a drink or Vegetable Soup w/crackers or Fritos and a drink

Drink Choices: ($1each if purchased separately) Cocoa • Coffee • Bottled Water

Homemade Cookies for Sale (Pre-bagged)

Menu is served from 5PM to 8PM - Wesley Fellowship Hall Eat In - Take Out

All proceeds from this event will be donated

to the Boys & Girls Club of Delaware

Thank you for visiting us!

Info: Contact Mary Ann Evans/302.653.6900 or

Barbara Rafte/302.632.6308

Sponsored by Wesley United Methodist Women

$6

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John & Madalaine Rawding 12/01

Larry & Donna Josefowski 12/14

Bill & Joyce Torbert 12/17

Eunice & Jerry Craig 12/23

James & Lynette Egloff 12/23

John & Michele Dryda 12/27

Henry & Anne Howe 12/29

Judith Cahall 1 Cameron Devine 10 Michael Windley 19 Fred Marker 27

Michael Greco 1 Oveta Fullman 10 Sandra Klima 20 Linda Rogers 27

John Noble 1 Marc Schaffer 10 Cindy Parker 21 Chris Jones 28

Larry Sterling 1 Sara Damron 11 John Parker 21 Hannah Kasten 28

Cameron Morris 2 Marian Hudson 11 Nicklaus Fowler 22 Don Knox 28

Aimee Petit de Mange 2 Reed Jones 11 Holly Purcell 22 AJ Senato 28

Bill Schaffer 2 Diane Boyce 12 Kerianna Berny 23 Amy Yarnall 28

Anne Oliphant 3 Ricky Thomas 13 Laura Gott 23 Catherine Bruffey 29

Cheryl Williams 3 Audrey Mason 14 Beverly Hughes 23 James Frazer 29

Matthew Faircloth 4 Pat Nichols 14 Linley Stratton 23 Donna Minner 29

Aden Yenchick 4 Stacy Howard 15 Peter Coker 24 Richard Miller 30

Reed Curtis 5 Sue Krabill 15 Mary Ann Evans 24 Harry Satterfield 30

Howard Rowley 5 James Brockton 16 Mary Jane Starkey 24 James Arthur 31

Kathleen Henry 8 Loretta Harpster 16 William Denbrock 25 Catherine Kuntzi 31

Amy Morris 8 Kenleigh Wardwell 16 Heather Hennnessy 25 Drew Kuntzi 31

Sherry Roscoe 8 Elizabeth Eastburn 17 Grady O’Connor 25

Fredda Vennard 8 Gary King 18 Cherie White 25

James Beninghove 9 Lorraine Loera 18 Crystal Brooks 26

Paige Casto 9 Tom Clow 19 Pat Lieske 26

John Dryda 9 Gabrielle Lord 19 Samantha Cahall 27

Gavin Kulhanek 9 James Turner 19 Michael Easton 27

21

2021 Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat

Pastor Amy is off every Monday as her Sabbath Day.

1

10:30pm Women’s Bible Study 1pm Clothing Closet 6pm NA 6pm Evening Prayer 6:30pm Advent Study 7pm Bell Choir

2

6pm SPRC Meeting 6pm Evening Prayer 7pm Choir

3 5pm Christmas Café 5:30pm Living Nativity 6pm Evening Prayer 6:30pm ACA Mtg.

4 9am-12pm Cantata Dress Rehearsal

5CANTATA

8am Worship 9:45am Worship 9:45am Sunday School 10:45am Fellowship Time 3pm Youth Group

6 6pm Evening Prayer

7

7am Men’s Bible Study 9:30am Staff Meeting

6pm Evening Prayer 7pm Nominations

8 10:30pm Women’s Bible Study 6pm NA 6pm Evening Prayer 6:30pm Advent Study 7pm Bell Choir

9 6pm Evening Prayer 6pm Small Group Study 7pm Choir

10

6pm Evening Prayer 6:30pm ACA Mtg. 6-8pm DSU Dreamer Christmas Party

11 12 pm (Noon) Community Meal

12

8am Worship 9:45am Worship 9:45am Sunday School 10:45am Fellowship Time 3pm Youth Group

13

6pm Evening Prayer

14

7am Men’s Bible Study 9:30am Staff Meeting 3pm Barbara Circle 6pm Evening Prayer

15 6pm Evening Prayer 6pm NA 6:30pm Advent Study 7pm Bell Choir

16 5pm Steering 6pm Evening Prayer 6:30pm Reconciling Ministries 7pm Choir

17 6pm Evening Prayer 6:30pm ACA Mtg.

18 4pm Blue Christmas Service

19 8am Worship 9:45am Worship 9:45am Sunday School 10:45am Fellowship Time 3pm Youth Group

20 6pm Evening Prayer

21

7am Men’s Bible Study (Breakfast) 9:30am Staff Meeting 6pm Evening Prayer 7pm Trustees

22 6pm Evening Prayer 6pm Preschool Board Meeting 6pm NA 6:30pm Advent Study 7pm Bell Choir

23 6pm Evening Prayer 7pm Choir

24 Church Offices Closes at 11:30am

Christmas Eve 4pm Family Service 5pm Fellowship Time 7pm Traditional

25

26 8am Worship 9:45am Worship 9:45am Sunday School 10:45am Fellowship Time

27 6pm Evening Prayer

28 6pm Evening Prayer

29 6pm Evening Prayer 6pm NA

30 6pm Evening Prayer

31

6pm Evening Prayer 6:30pm ACA Mtg.

22

2021 CHRISTMAS GIVING FORM

NAME__________________________________________________ PHONE _________________________________________________

With the Advent Season fast approaching we are asking for all Poinsettia(s) orders to be received in the church office by Friday, December 10, 2021. Poinsettia(s) $10.00 each Red ________ White ________ Please make check payable to Wesley UMC. Please note “Poinsettia” on memo line and mail or bring to the church office. DEADLINE FOR Monetary donations, Monday, December 20, 2021. PASTOR’S DISCRETIONARY FUND $_________ Please make check payable to Wesley UMC. Please note “Discretionary Fund” on memo line and place in offering plate, mail or bring to the church office. KENT ECUMENICAL FOOD AND CRISIS FUND $___________ *Note: Please make check payable to KEFCF and place in offering plate, mail or bring to the church office. Please print below the wording you would like in the bulletin. (Example: Joseph Carpenter in lov-ing memory of his parents, Mary and Joseph Carpenter Sr.) ____________________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________________

Please pick up your poinsettia(s) after the 9:45am Church Service on December 26, 2021. Any plants left after December 31, 2021 will be disposed of. Thank you!