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

 
This week's news:
  • Dec 3 | 2-5pm | Chili Chow Down
  • Dec 7 | 12pm |  Advent Mid-Week Worship
  • Dec 7 |  6:30pm | Blue Christmas Service
  • 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
Thanksgiving/ Ways to Serve
  • Gingerbread House Night Candy Donations
  • Staff Christmas Gift
  • New Wineskins Thank You
  • Holiday Events Thank You
Chili Chow Down & Auction is coming on December 3rd from 2-5 pm.  This year it will coincide with Leander's Old Town Christmas Festival, so it's a great opportunity to invite the community in.
 
We're looking for around 25 items to offer people to bid on in the Silent Auction.  Items should have a starting minimum bid of $20 with a value of $50 or more.  These should be unique quality items or experiences. For experiences, it can be in the form of a voucher, reservation ticket, or certificate for the experience.  We will start collecting these items in the fellowship hall on Sunday, Nov 20th.  Please contact Karen Saxer (karen.saxer@gmail.com) for silent auction items.
 
Please contact Jeri Hilsabeck (512-653-4114 or jerihilsabeck@gmail.com) if you'd like to help in any way.  Sign up sheets for chili and desserts will be posted soon.
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.
Blue Christmas is a day in the Advent Season marking the longest night of the year. On this day, we will hold a service which recognizes that the holidays are sometimes "blue" or filled with difficult feelings around painful life events such as the death of a loved one. It is a service of hope and healing.
During the service, we ask the Lord for healing blessings and offer up to Him all that is now lost. It is a time of individual and congregational prayer, a lighting of candles, quiet Christmas music, and comforting scripture readings.
This service is open to anyone in the community who is grieving a loss of any kind. 

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- Maryjane 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
December is rapidly approaching. The children's ministry team is planning to have a gingerbread house build on December 16 at 6 pm.  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. 
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

 
Thank you Leander UMC for your support of
The New Wineskin Initiative!

Because of your support we continue to:
Make Missional Disciples
Catalyze a Neighboring Movement
Multiply Faith Communities Beyond the Walls of the Church
 
Much has happened that we celebrate and give thanks for!
  • Trained over 25 United Methodist Clergy in our learning communities! Each of these churches has grown in their capacity to know and love neighbors and to join God in the work happening beyond the walls of the church!
  • San Antonio community: celebrating Dinner Church monthly in our home, connecting with multiple generations of both church folk and those not connected to church!
  • Working in the two areas (Austin and San Antonio) 10 neighborhoods impacted; hundreds of neighbors through neighborhood gatherings, leadership in our neighborhood boards and associations, faith gatherings, and activities that allow us to serve together. Praise God!
  • The “Joining God in the Neighborhood” weekly small group continues to include members of LUMC and other Leander and Austin Area participants. Special Thanks to Christy Day for being a faithful member of our Group!
  • The Clem family has been an integral part of New Wineskins from the beginning. They’ve now moved to Philadelphia, PA! But the impact the Clem’s have had in their neighborhood as followers of Jesus hasn’t stopped. They’ve connected with over 23 families in their Leander neighborhood to make a more connected, friendly, and thriving place. Praise God for them!
  • A special thanks to Julie Ramsey and Harriet Dunne for their support as our financial support staff! You’ve helped us so much!

We're seeking a Director of Music Ministries whose role is to organize the church’s music ministry.   Work includes directing choir and accompaniment of worship services. If interested, please submit your resume to Pastor Laura at laura.becker@leanderumc.org.
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

Want to change how you receive these emails?
You can update your preferences or unsubscribe from our emails.

Email Marketing Powered by Mailchimp