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The Church LOVE Grows by
Putting faith into action - Enjoying friendship with Christ - Connecting with communities

 
This week's news:
  • Dec 9 | 11:30am | 50+ Luncheon
  • Dec 9 | 6pm | Parents Night Out
  • Dec 10 | 12pm | Choir Cantata Rehearsal & Potluck
  • Dec 11 | 9 & 11am | Choir Christmas Cantata
  • Dec 14 |  10am | United Women In Faith
  • Dec 14  |  12pm  |  Advent Mid-Week Worship
  • Dec 16 |  6pm  |  Gingerbread House Night
  • Dec 16  |  7pm | Youth Lock-in
  • Dec 18  |  11am  |  Debbie's Retirement Party Potluck
Thanksgiving/ Ways to Serve
  • Note from Pastor Laura
  • Gingerbread House Night Candy Donations
  • Staff Christmas Gift
  • Holiday Events Thank You

Click here to register your child(ren)!
We are so excited to be hosting Parents Night Out again on December 9 from 6-9 pm! Participation is open to children who are potty trained through 10 years old. The cost is $10 per child with a maximum of $20 per family. You can pay through our website, or bring cash or check. We'll play games, sing songs, hear a Bible story, do a craft, and end the night with popcorn and a rated G movie. Feel free to bring a pillow, blanket or anything else for your child to be comfy while watching the movie. *Dinner will NOT be provided. Please feed your child supper before dropping off or send them with a sack supper. 
We invite you to come to the church and welcome in the Christmas season with the choir. From the miracle of prophecy to the miracle of the Savior’s birth, this Cantata blends familiar carols with original compositions in rich harmonies and blend to create a celebration that is moving, fun and inspirational. Please join us to celebrate the miraculous and wondrous story of Jesus birth!
Our speaker for Dec is Stephanie Rankin from Trotter House in Cedar Park. Trotter House offers specialized, practical service and programs to those in difficult circumstances who may need physical, emotional and spiritual support. Their mission is to continue to serve communities with excellence and unconditional love in Jesus's name. We are collection donations of diapers, size 2 and 4, baby wipes and formula of any kind. We have put a collection bin in the breezeway if anyone would like to donate any items.

Holly Briggs
President, United Women in Faith

PS- Marjorie Pyle is retiring from being our Vice President for many years. If anyone is interested in filling this position please get in touch with me at 512-566-2100
This is a mid-week opportunity to worship through art, scripture, and song. It will be led by Pastor Laura in the sanctuary. Livestream participants may like to gather a few art supplies to have on hand. Art will be optional.
 
This event was very successful last year, due to the generous donations from our church members.  Again this year, we need your help.  If you could donate items for this event, we would greatly appreciate it.  Suggested items are listed below:
 
     graham crackers                pretzel rods             peppermints
     gumdrops                           licorice                    hard candy
     Skittles                               marshmallows         coconut
     Hershey kisses                  caramels                  M&M's
 
Any other item you would like to donate will be accepted.   Simply place your items in the boxes when you come to worship.  Thanks. 
Come celebrate all the wonderful generosity of her time and talents that Debbie has brought to our church over the years.

The main course and dessert will be provided, so bring your favorite side dish to share!

The choir is collecting a love offering for Debbie, but if others want to do express their appreciation for Debbie, you are welcome to bring cards & cash/checks to the luncheon for her.
Here we are in the Advent season already.  We lighted the candle for hope this past Sunday, and my  hope for you is that this Advent will be as meaningful or more than it has been in years past, and that you are full of hope for the new year.  My hope for Leander UMC is that it will continue to fulfill your spiritual needs and sustain your Christian life.

Throughout this past year, it has been a comfort to know one thing that hasn’t changed is the passion and dedication of our staff. They worked hard to develop and support new ways of doing things in order for LUMC to continue its ministry to our community and congregation through difficult times.

It is our tradition at the end of the year to put together a monetary gift for the staff from the congregation as a thank you for their hard work. If you would like to contribute, please designate your offering as “staff gift” on your check, envelope, or electronic transaction.  Or you can give it in person to Harriet Dunne, Julie Ramsey, or me.

Thanks (in advance) for your generosity.
John Stetson
LUMC Board Chair

 
Dear Ones,  I apologize for the confusion last week in regards to the Change the World Offering for December. It was previously designated at the beginning of the year for December. And the Christmas Eve Offering was designated for the LUMC general fund.   

The Board has been wrestling with our year end deficit as well as balancing a budget for 2023.  Simply put, the church is blessed by your giving and will have to continue drawing on reserves in order to maintain our most lean expense budget which includes reductions in all of our programming areas and holding salaries at their current levels. 

Our current economy and demands on all of our fixed incomes have definitely been strained, HOWEVER, I believe by faith and faithful response God always provides.   

I believe there is enough for benevolences and enough for the church’s missional efforts. So please bring your ‘change’ for New Wineskins and your offering for the local church mission (operational as well as program activities).   

With Mighty Gratitude for your giving,   Pastor Laura

 
During the upcoming season of Advent, we will be using resources by Dan Wilt from Seedbed Ministry Team.  Sermons will explore the ‘Roots’ of Jesus and our connection to Jesus’ story.  In addition, you are invited to purchase a 25-day devotional book for use during Advent.  Click here to order your books!
About the Book
We all come from someone, somewhere, and something—a people, a place, and a story.
So does Jesus.
The heart and mission of Emmanuel, God with us, is more profoundly understood by exploring the well-watered roots that flowered into Jesus’s life as the Word of God made flesh (John 1:14). The roots of Jesus are his family tree and its characters, the land of Israel and its towns and terrain, and the incredible faith-story of God’s covenant people, the Jews.
In Roots: Advent and the Family Story of Jesus, we rediscover that Jesus—born naturally of a mother from a family line herself, and nurtured by a father who knew the names of his own kin many generations into the past (Matthew 1:1–17)—comes from the family vine of the great King David, the son of Jesse, and from a long line of faithful men and women .
The idea known as a “Jesse Tree” will be our map. A Jesse Tree is an approach to the preparation season of Advent, leading us toward Christmas, that encourages us to revisit stories from the Hebrew Bible to help us gain insights into the family line of Jesus and the spiritual mandate of the child born to save the world.
We will draw from both Jesus’ genealogical ancestry and his faith heritage, as we walk together on a journey through the stories of saints and sinners woven into the family line of the Son of God.
About the Author
Dan Wilt is an author, worship leader, teacher, and encourager of pastors and creative leaders. Dan has impacted thousands over his three decades in ministry, across diverse streams of the Church in the US, UK, Canada, Ireland, New Zealand, Australia, and Brazil. He serves on the Seedbed Farm Team as a creator and minister to leaders.

Christmas Eve and Christmas Day Schedule
Saturday, December 24th
5pm – Family Friendly Service, a service with young children in mind
7pm – Traditional Candlelight and Holy Communion
 
Sunday, December 25th
10am – Casual Worship with Carols and Storytelling “Word of God in the Flesh”
 
TEXT TO GIVE
Simply send a text to 833-843-1316 with the amount you would like to contribute. Make sure to include the dollar sign before the amount. Example: $25.

Within a few minutes, you’ll be sent a text with a link to register. Click on the link and enter your cardholder name and credit or debit card information. Once your registration is complete, you will receive a text verification and a receipt via email.

For future giving, simply send a text with the amount you wish to give, and it will process automatically!
 
 


Leander United Methodist Church
107 S West Drive
Leander, TX 78646

www.leanderumc.org

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