CHURCH FAMILY CELEBRATIONS 
Birthdays:
Melissa French 
Hiel Lindquist
Don’t see your birthday? Email info@peterboroughumc.org or just leave a note in the church office!

FINANCE UPDATE
The Finance Committee would like to thank everyone for their gifts of time, talents, and treasure during 2018.  It is through the generosity of everyone in this congregation that our church is able to continue our programs and missions in the name of Jesus Christ.  With your help our church not only continued our missions and programs from the past years but also added new missions in 2018.  The free church breakfast program was started, the children’s church was revived, bible studies have expanded, we increased our nursery services, the children raised $150 for the food bank (matched by another gift of $150), $1,800 + was raised during the holiday stroll to name but a few of the new initiatives during the year.  It is only through the services of many that this has been a successful year, so thank you again for your support.
With your generosity we will finish the year with a positive balance in our accounts, and we will be well positioned to continue our missions in 2019.  So far 20 members have sent in 2019 pledges totaling $56,780.  A full financial summary will be included in our annual report which will be available in late January / early February.  

WORSHIP COMMITTEE THANKS
There is always so much work to be done around the Advent season. The Worship team would like to thank everyone who helped in any way with the greening of our sanctuary and front doors, baking and serving all the holiday fare that was shared, creating peace doves for our Christmas trees, contributing their time and talents to the special holiday services, and raising their voices in song and prayer during this special season! Blessings! You all are the greatest! 
- Rev. Kathleene Card, Amy Clason-Gilmet, Andrew Wallenstein, Wendy Dunning, Gladys Bugler, Susan Lindquist

HUNDRED NIGHTS JANUARY WEEKEND DINNER DATE - Saturday, January 19th
The first PUMC-hosted Hundred Nights Weekend Supper of the new year will be on Saturday, January 19th. The cold winter weather calls for hot soup and sandwiches. Look for a menu sign-up sheet during the first week of the new year! The email will go out to our Peterborough area volunteers first and then be rounded out with PUMC congregation folks that have an urge to help out with this anti-hunger mission. Servers are always needed so if you would like to come serve and meet some of the folks who come for dinner, talk with Susan Lindquist, Daryl and Janet Hazel, or Bryan and Angela Molloy. We can give you an idea of the how the task is handled. Many thanks!!!

WINNER OF 2018 FOUR PATCH QUILT - Judy Leeds
Now that Christmas Day has come and gone, the winner of the Silent Auction can be announced. Bruce Leeds of Peterborough, NH placed the winning bid for the 2018 PUMC Quilters’ Four Patch quilt. He stood by on Holiday Stroll day while his wife, Judy admired the quilt. Then, he quietly placed a bid, hoping he’d win the quilt for a Christmas gift for Judy.
When he won the auction, he called and asked that we meet at the church for payment and pick-up of the quilt, but Judy was not present! He chuckled and commented that he was convinced she’d never guess what her gift would be on Christmas morning! The winning bid was $250. The PUMC Quilters have given half of the proceeds to the church for budget use and have kept the other half aside for contributing toward the 2019 project.

UNITED METHODIST WOMENThe UMW thanks the congregation for their support of the November calendar World Thank Offering.  We were able to send $278.00 to the national UMW to support world mission projects.
The women voted to give $75.00 to the UMW district for missions and $190.55, which was excess funds for the World Children's Fund, to support the purchase of windows and screens at the Raichur Girls Hostel (a UMC facility).
The following officers were elected for 2019 - President- Carol Owen, Secretary- Susan Lindquist, Treasurer- Laura Constantine.
The next meeting to be announced will be a planning meeting for 2019.

THE RIVER CENTER
The River Center is a family resource center in Peterborough that offers free family support programing throughout the towns in the Eastern Monadnock Region. Their mission is to strengthen individuals and families through parenting support, free tax assistance, money coaching and community connections throughout the area. Their funding comes from private and business donations as well as the United Way and other charitable groups.
Peterborough United Methodist Church has had an ongoing association with River Center. In addition to financial donations and program participation in the past, The River Center supported us in providing the use of their parking area when they were located across the street from our church.
Our church missions align well with the missions of the River Center. By helping in support of the River Center, Peterborough UMC can reach more people and families. As a small church, we cannot always provide all the family support we would like so by supporting the River Center we can leverage our resources in the community.
For our 2019 budget we would like to provide for a regular $25 monthly donation to the River Center.
While small, our regular donation shows our support to the River Center and its community programs. If you would like to help make this donation possible place a donation in the regular church offering. Place your donation in an envelope and mark “River Center” and we will apply your donation towards our regular monthly donation.
Thanks.

PUMC LIBRARY
Laura Constantine has donated some books to our library, that her mother had.  They are:  The Best of Will Willemon (Methodist Bishop and Preacher); Paul, the Prison Letters; Sinning Like a Christian; Devotions for Sunday School Teachers; Advent and Christmas Wisdom and 13 Pie Church.  Arnie Johnson donated Following the Angel Trail which he and his wife, Rev. Mary Johnson wrote.  
Rev. Card has placed The Listener's Bible, Old and New Testament in the library.  This is a complete library of the entire Bible on CD's.    Also The Topical Bible.  Both of these are in a zippered case.     A new paperback for young people, called The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind was donated by the Book Group.  We also have some good fiction so if you are looking for something to read this winter and can't always get to the town library, check out some of these.
Also on our library shelves are some large photo albums full of pictures of past church activities.  Would someone be interested in scanning these onto discs?  It's going to be a long winter and this might just be the project for someone.
Do we even want to save these pictures?  Our library is growing and we will soon need the space.  Anyone have a solution?  Talk to Cindy Faust if you have an idea.

Free us, Lord, in Your compassion, 
from whatever cares hinder the worship of You.  Amen

WORLD RELIGIONS CLASS
In January Rev. Card will offer a class on Christianity and World Religions
Here is a sample of the expectations of this study:

Class #1 World Religions and Questions People Ask

    Purpose and Structure
•    We hope to build bridges in a diverse world so that we may come to 
i.    Learn to understand our neighbors and
ii.    Learn to love neighbors (1st Great Commandment)
•    This course is very basic—
•    We know this kind of study is a life-long pursuit
•    We hope to enrich our understanding of our own faith
•    As we become clear about where we 
o    Connect and 
o    Differ 
•    We hope to come to understand eventually that people are unique, too, and that not all Hindu, Buddhist, Islam, Jewish or Christian believers are the same.
Prayer for Preparation
From the cowardice that dare not face new truth
From the laziness that is content with half-truth,
From the arrogance that thinks it knows all truth,
Good Lord deliver me.  Amen
    Kenyan Prayer

I will be ordering the book Christianity and World Religions by Adam Hamilton — so please let me know if you are interested.  This is a six-week class, and it was written by Adam Hamilton.  I will offer it on Wednesday mornings beginning on January 16 from 9:45-10:45. If there is enough interest, I will offer it in the evening, too.
Blessings,
Rev Card

PUMC QUILTERS - Saturday, January 26th @ 11 AM
It’s time to begin planning a new quilt project for 2019, ladies! Let’s meet at the church on the 26th to look at fabrics and patterns and decide on a project for the year. New members of the group are always welcome! If you would like to join the stitching fun, come on the 26th! PUMC Quilters are: Susan Lindquist, Laura Constantine, Cindy Faust, Karen Keenan, and Deb Batten.

PUMC BOOK GROUP - Start the New Year With a Good Book!
The PUMC Book Group will meet on Tuesday, January 29th @ 1PM at Parker & Sons Coffeehouse on Hancock Rd in Peterborough. Ann Peirce will be joining the discussion of her book on the writings of Florence Nightingale. It’s a special occasion when the author of our selection can be present ... pick up a copy of her book in the fellowship room or ask to borrow a copy from one of the regular book group members (Ann Hampson, Laura and Ken Constantine, Carol Owen, Ken Schultz, Susan Lindquist) and join us on the 29th! We will also be talking about the delightful Christmas story called The Best Christmas Pageant Ever!

CHURCH CLOSING NOTICES IN THE EVENT OF INCLEMENT WEATHER
It is getting to be that time of year again, time to remind everyone about our church closing procedures in the event of inclement weather. Rev Card, in conjunction with our Lay Leader, Jim Poplin, will decide whether church services will close due to inclement weather. In the event they decide to cancel church services a notice will be posted on WMUR TV. While an effort will be made to hold church services when possible, the congregation should use their best judgment on attending church during inclement weather events.

NEW LIFE HOME – The Blessing of the Paper Towels Ron and Priscilla Crowe delivered a car full of gifts to a very appreciative group at The New Life Home.  The residents were extremely thankful for everything—especially the large supply of paper towels, which are dearly treasured since they do not buy them!  The group is very successful and now has three houses and is entirely funded by private donations and receives no government funding.  Thank you PUMC for your generosity!

BEYOND THE GREEN DOORS
Everyone is invited to contribute to the newsletter! Send in your thank yous, birthdays, photos, events, testimonials, prayer submissions… 
Please submit all materials for the next newsletter (February) to our editors by the LAST TUESDAY, January 29. This is the newsletter that will be released February 3 and cover until Sunday March 3. Send to Melissa French at 924-4294 or email info@PeterboroughUMC.org, with the subject “Newsletter submission.” Thanks!