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We are a Christ-following community that brings ourselves and
others closer to God.
December 2015 may go down as one of the GREATEST MONTHS in the history of Catalina United Methodist Church! On December 6 Santa arrived at Catalina. Not really. It was YOU bringing in Angel Tree gifts, not Santa! And what an outpouring of generosity! Helping to wrap those gifts is one of the highlights for the youth group every year. We had 3 different "holy families" last Sunday for Walk to the Manger and we collected a HUGE amount of much-needed items to benefit AVIVA Children's Services. (THREE new babies in the church? Yeah, that's great!) This Sunday, our children perform the Christmas pageant at 9:30 in Fellowship Hall and at 11:00 in the sanctuary. Then the Sanctuary Choir will present their annual Christmas concert at 4:30pm. Then, FIVE different Christmas Eve services and on the last Sunday in December (December 27), the crown jewel: Unity Worship and the Pack-A-Thon--or should I say the INTERFAITH Pack-A-Thon? We are expecting some of our Muslim and Jewish neighbors to join us in this effort to feed the hungry people of Tucson! 

Not too shabby for ONE MONTH, huh?

YOU are part of something great that God is doing in Tucson through Catalina United Methodist Church! Rejoice!
This is the front and back of our brand-new CHRISTMAS EVE INVITE CARDS! These cards will be available all around campus Sunday. PLEASE take some with you and INVITE friends and family to join you for Christmas Eve worship at Catalina!  People will come IF THEY ARE INVITED!

Complete info on all of our Christmas Eve services is available here.

Tomorrow you will receive an email with 5 different ways to invite friends, family, co-workers, and neighbors to Catalina!


Don't miss the sanctuary choir Christmas concert! Sunday, December 20, 4:30pm!  Invite a friend!

Candlelight Lessons and Carols
SLOW DOWN! Advent is a time of spiritually preparing for the coming of the Lord. One way we can keep that in focus is by slowing down and giving our time and attention to God. We can help you with that! Join us for ADVENT WORSHIP tonight (Wednesday)! We begin with dinner at 5:30 in E-23, and then we gather for a contemplative worship in Fellowship Hall around 6:15.

Pack-A-Thon!

Mark your calendars for THE SUNDAY AFTER CHRISTMAS! This is usually a pretty dead time around churches. Christmas Eve was amazing, people are travelling, and the Sunday after Christmas usually gets overlooked. This year, we are hosting a wonderful community event!  We will be packing 40,000 meals to feed hungry people right here in Tucson!  
We will be partnering with friends from the Tucson Muslim community and possibly also with friends from Temple Emmanu-El for a truly interfaith experience! Don't miss this truly unique experience of working together with our neighbors to feed hungry people! Contact Pastor Paul for more information!  We are currently working on a page on the church website with complete info. The supplies needed do cost roughly 25 cents per meal, so donations are welcome!  You can drop your donation in the clear plastic buckets in the entrance to the sanctuary and on the back table in the hall, or you can mark contributions for "Pack-A-Thon" and put it in the offering plate. "In Honor Of" cards are available so you can donate to the cost of meals and give that donation as a gift to a friend of family member.
In order to make this work, we are having ONE WORSHIP SERVICE on December 27! We are having a UNITY SUNDAY worship service at 10:30am in the sanctuary! The fellowship hall will be the site of our Pack-A-Thon!
A GREAT WAY TO SERVE JESUS AND CATALINA!  Jesus loves the little children, and so do we! YOU can show your love and help nurture children at Catalina by volunteering in the church nursery. Contact Kristin to sign up for a special hands-on training December 13 at noon in the nursery. You’ll learn all about the church nursery and the special way we care for babies and toddlers, and get a few slobbery kisses as a thank you. Kristin@catalinamethodist.org

YOUTH NEWS


Our annual Youth Group Christmas Party is this Sunday! The graphics below give the details, but you can get all the info here! We are planning to visit Winterhaven as part of our festivities, so volunteer drivers are needed! Another Christmas tradition is that we always invite our esteemed youth group alumni to join us for the Christmas party! So, youth group members of Christmas past, we'll see YOU Sunday, too!

Online Giving

Did you know that giving to support God's work through Catalina UMC is as simple as clicking here? It is!
 
Currently, we are collecting instant oatmeal and granola bars for Blenman. Bring your contributions to church with you!

Scars and Straw is the name of the series of Advent videos being shown in The Refuge on Sunday mornings. The concept is the prophet Isaiah giving his message in a contemporary urban setting, along with a compelling re-telling of the Christmas story. You can preview the videos (or watch them again) here.

By the way, church news and church event photos are always welcome!
Send submissions to richard@catalinamethodist.org by Tuesday noon. We intentionally keep this email brief (so we cannot include everything) and we intentionally keep it about Catalina (so, please, no requests to announce outside events). If you are submitting a photo, send it to richard.lee.jones@gmail.com (Gmail works better with large attachments like photos).

WE HAVE AN APP!  Keep up with all things Catalina while you're on the go. Search "Catalina Methodist" on the Google Play store (Android) or on the Apple store. You can also go to this website for links to download the app.
Okay, 3 wisemen, some cows, donkeys, and a few angels were all with baby Jesus at his birth, right? Think again! Watch here.