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We are a Christ-following community that brings ourselves and
others closer to God.

Christmas Is Jesus' Birthday.  Lets give Jesus a Gift!

Walk to the Manger will be part of our worship on December 13!  This is a Catalina tradition! A Catalina family with a small child portrays the Holy Family, and we walk down in worship to greet them. This year we have THREE holy families!  We are encouraged to bring gifts! Our gifts will benefit Aviva Family Services, who work with children entering foster care. Suggested gifts are new socks and underwear for children, and also winter hats and gloves. We remember the words of Jesus in Matthew 25, where he said that what we do for the least person, we do for HIM.
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!
**We will need HELP Thursday afternoon between 1pm and 4pm bundling the cards into sets of 3. If you can help, email Richard.
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.
Here are a couple of photos from the Women's Holiday Brunch on Saturday! On the left, there are the Singing Waiters, and on the right, you surely recognize Mary and Joseph! That's Timmy Hoskinson and Heather Holloman playing those parts.

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.
We had great worship experiences Sunday! All ages are welcome in worship!
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
On the left is a photo from Angel Tree wrapping with the youth and young adults. This is one of our highlights every year! On the right is gingerbread house making at Family First Friday!


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

Candlelight Lessons and Carols

YOUTH NEWS


Youth Group meets this Sunday! Join us from 5-7pm! We start with fun activities, and then we eat dinner, and hang out, discuss, pray, and study the Bible. This is your opportunity to relate to others face to face and to listen to and support each other! Meet outside Fellowship Hall to begin.

ANGEL TREE 

Thanks to all the help from you generous and caring folks, Angel Tree tasks have been completed for 2015! All that remains is the delivery of gifts (they have already been packaged up and prepared for pick up)! Once again, we want to thank Ina Smalzer for all of her work in leading and organizing Angel Tree! Thanks, Ina!
 

DAY SCHOOL CALENDARS ON SALE!

As a fundraiser, our day school is selling calendars containing original art work by our students! The calendars cost $10 and will be available December 13 after ALL worship services!
 

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.
Ever wonder why the colors around your worship space change? Do we take turns using favorite colors? And where's the beige? The colors we use are called liturgical colors. Watch here.