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The Open Door
VOL. 32 
E-Mail & On-Line Newsletter
With our annual pilgrimage to Bethlehem having begun last Sunday, we are invited in these days of Advent to come and see Jesus as if for the first time – walking with Zechariah and Elizabeth, Joseph and Mary, angels and shepherds to the stable rude and bare. As we walk, our footsteps leave traces that others see, our delight radiates outward in joy and gladness, and our gift-giving prompts us to meditate on the gift of grace to all. I hope that each of us can find moments to separate ourselves from the cultural veneer of Christmas – to pause amid all of the fun, festivity, and family tradition – so that we might ponder the eternal mystery of the Word made flesh. In this edition of the Open Door, you see that a plethora of special events and programs, beginning with the Hanging of the Greens this Sunday, awaits our participation. I hope that each of us will experience this Christmas as a time of renewal, peace, and joy. By the wood of the manger and the cross, let us allow God to craft our lives into the image of the carpenter’s son, even as we listen for the rustle of angels wings! Your Pastor,
Advent/ Christmas time is here and, with it, the joy that being with your family brings! I hope everyone has a very happy holiday season! I want to thank everyone that has been a part of “Get Fit, Roane County!” I appreciate the support of the ones attending and the expertise of Nancy King, Melanie Sherrod, and Julie Bunch and her Tai Chi class. By the way, we would like to start our own beginning Tai Chi class here at Bethel. If you are interested, please call me at 376-6340. If we have enough interest we will contact Julie and her teacher, Ann, and set up a new class. In addition, I am working on Presbytery’s Disaster Response Team. This team will co-ordinate response when a disaster strikes in our synod area. The most recent disaster was the flooding at Spring City a few weeks ago. Our team is looking for a contact person in each of our churches to be called in the event of a disaster. This person will get the church volunteers notified and set up a time to meet and go to the disaster area. Here at Bethel we need to figure out what form our response will take. Will we be tree-cutters, food preparers, builders- or cleaners, perhaps? If you are interested, please call me here at the church. I think our congregation is full of creative people, so please band with me and help those around us during their time of need. As always, to your health ............. Deb
... none listed for this month ... Before you complete your Christmas shopping list, please add one more item, the Christmas Joy Offering. On December 19th you will have an opportunity to contribute to this worthwhile fund. Its fun to share gifts with family and friends, but it’s heartwarming when we can express our thanksgiving to God and share our gifts with those who are less fortunate than we are. The Board of Pensions of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) receives half of the Christmas Joy Offering to fund several of their assistance programs and the Presbyterian-related Racial Ethnic Schools and Colleges receive the other half. The Board is able to help active and retired ministers, as well as other church workers and their families. deal with urgent financial needs. The Racial Ethnic Schools and Colleges provide educational opportunities to young men and women who might otherwise be unable to further their education. Mark your calendars as a reminder to share your gift of love, joy, and blessings as God has given you these gifts. INTRODUCTING ... On Sunday, December 5, we will be welcoming Jennifer Jarvis as our new youth leader. Jennifer grew-up attending Powell Presbyterian Church where she was active in Youth Group and congregational activities. Jennifer has a degree in Spanish from East Tennessee State University, which she put to use last year as a member of "Kindred," a music ministry team to Peru, Bolivia, and the Southwestern United states. In September, Jennifer plans to attend seminary and begin working toward her Master of Divinity and Master of Christian Education. She is excited to begin working with youth and families of Bethel. For a listing of some of the upcoming events that Jennifer has planned, please see the YouthSpeak newsletter. FROM THE EVANGELISM COMMITTEE ... The Evangelism Committee wants to encourage every member during the Advent season to invite friends to attend our worship services. Let's all make a spcial effort to share the spirit of the season with our friends and family. We thank everyone for the extra effort. SUNSET GAP CLOTHING DRIVE Many thanks to everyone who donated to the successful clothing drive for Sunset Gap during October. A special thanks goes to Joni Morgan, Frank and Linda Jones and Phil Walsh for loading and transporting a van and truck load to Sunset Gap the first week of November. Start saving items for the spring drive. CHRISTMAS BASKET UPDATE The Mission Outreach Committee appreciates everyone who is sponsoring an angel and/or donating to the Christmas baskets. You are helping give 26 families food for Christmas dinner and approximately a week after as well as gifts for 63 children. Please return the individually wrapped gifts to the church by Sunday, December 12. The gifts and baskets will be distributed Saturday morning, December 18. Please write the child’s name as well as the number and letter found on the angel on each gift. DECEMBER ACTIVITIES • Hanging of the Greens, December 5th Activities will begin at 3:30 with lots of decorating, crafts, and baking opportunities. Dinner will be at 6:00, followed by worship in the sanctuary at 7:00. During the afternoon period, we will be preparing gifts for others, and we ask that you please bring: • For children of inmates at Morgan County Prison:
• For care packages for our soldiers overseas:
Please bring these items with you, or deliver to the Fellowship Hall by Dec. 5. They will be packaged at the Hanging of the Greens service and sent to our Bethel family members who are serving in the military overseas. Place in a ziploc bag any item that might spill during shipment – packages are handled very roughly en route. If you have questions or suggestions, please contact Margaret Murr or a member of the CE committee. • Host/Hostess for December Fellowships: • Fellowship Sunday, December 12th: Issues Class • Fun Luncheon, Tuesday, December 14th: Nancy King at Nancy’s house. Bring your favorite dish to Bethel by 11:30. We will carpool to Nancy’s house. • Christmas Dinner and Party, Wednesday, December 15th, 6:30: Parish Life Committee Members. We will eat at 6:30, then adjourn to the Sanctuary for the Christmas Pageant, after the play we come back to the Fellowship Hall for punch and cookies. Remember: Please bring cookies for desserts (no cakes or pies) • Christmas Caroling, Sunday, December 19th: Carolers, please meet at Bethel’s Parking Lot at 4:30 p.m. We have 2 long lists and need every voice possible. All carolers are invited to the Hettricks for refreshments and fellowship afterwards. • December 26th: There will be NO Sunday School classes for children on December 26th. Please take the opportunity to enjoy a liesurely breakfast with your family before coming to worship on that day. • Whitestone Singers Phil Walsh has been singing with the Whitestone Singers for three years. They are becoming more and more popular in this area. Each Christmas, they sing during the evening dinner at Whitestone Inn which is located in the Paint Rock area. Dinner, in the past, has been great with enough food for most of us to take home for another meal. Dinner, in the past, has cost approximately $26.00 per person. The dates the Whitestone Singers will be performing at Whitestone are December 2, 6, 7 11, 13, 14, 16, 17, 20, 21 and 23. Reservations are required and you probably should check to make sure which group is performing that night. • Roane Choral Society The Christmas concert put on by the Roane Choral Society will be at 8:00 p.m. Friday, December 3 at South Harriman Baptist Church. • A Head-Start Christmas Party will be held on Friday, December 10, at 1:00 in the Fellowship Hall for the pre-school children and families meeting weekly at Bethel. If you can supply snack food or if you can assist with gluing crafts at the gathering or if you just want to be a part of the merrymaking please contact Amber Jacks (717-6756) or Amy Coen (376-9033). Each Head-Start child will receive a gift in memory of a children-lover among us at Bethel in times past. The names will be displayed at the gathering. All Christmas carol enthusiasts are welcome. • Band Concerts The Christmas concert presented by the RCHS and Middle School bands will be Sunday afternoon, December 12 at 2:00 p.m. in the RCHS gym. The Midway Band Concert will take place on December 12th at 3:00 P.M. CIRCLE NEWS The REa circle will not meet in December but will meet regularly beginning on Sunday, January 9th. We will continue our study of the book of Acts. We always welcome any woman of our church or friends in the community who would like to study with us every second and fourth Sunday of the month at 6:00 p.m. in the choir room. ALPHA MINISTRY NEW COURSE TO BEGIN JANUARY 12th, 2005 The Alpha ministry is beginning registration for its second course! The first course was attended by twenty regular participants who found the Alpha experience to be open, outward-focused, Spirit-led, future-oriented, inclusive and intentional! The teachings of Alpha are Biblically based and sound! Sound good? Well, INVITE A FRIEND TO JOIN YOU DURING OUR NEXT ALPHA COURSE! Click HERE for Alpha details. Forming lasting friendships within the body of Christ is one of the main reasons people stay in the church. At Alpha we get to know new people and learn to minister to one another. We pray together, study the Bible together, and discuss issues arising from the talks: including a few questions like these– Why does God allow suffering? What about other religions? Is there a conflict between science and Christianity? Consider inviting a friend, neighbor, co-worker, or a family member…to attend with you! ALPHA IS IN NEED OF A FEW GOOD PEOPLE ALPHA MINISTRY JOB DESCRIPTIONS What Skills are Required ? FRIENDLINESS! COMMITMENT! What Kind of Help Do We Need
If you are interested in helping with this great outreach ministry:
BOOK DISCUSSION GROUP Bethel’s Book Discussion Group will not meet in December. We will resume our meetings in January. We meet at 1:30 in the church lounge. Upcoming book selections include:
LETTER FROM CAROLYN MATTHEWS Hope this note finds you well and happy. Not a day passes that I don't think of the wonderful folks at Bethel! I miss everyone, but God has blessed us so richly with time to enjoy these two little folks. We discovered that 30 minutes away from the grand babies is too far! As of November 29 we will be just eight minutes away. Could you please change my address and phone to the following: 12 Ann Logan Circle, Raymond, New Hampshire 03077 New phone: 603-244-2027. Best, Carolyn LOAVES AND FISHES Excitement is building for the Loaves and Fishes Experience, coming March 18-19, 2005 at Maryville College! This Presbytery sponsored event is featuring Roger Nishioka, Anna Carter Florence, Miriam Dunson, Jim Kitchens, The Dismembered Tennesseans, and more! Workshops have been planned on such topics as Starting a Praise Band, Healing Touch, Cooperative Games for Youth Groups, Spirituality and Evangelism in the Later Years, plus many more! here will be opportunities to learn about Walking the Labyrinth and using the Mountain Challenge Ropes Course, plus the chance to have worship and fellowship in the company of your fellow East Tennessee Presbyterians! Registration packets will be available at the December Presbytery meeting, so be sure someone from your congregation picks up your church's packet! Or, you can download the registration packet from the PET website at www.presbyteryeasttn.org Mark your calendars now! HOLIDAY SEASON OPPORTUNITIES There are many opportunities this holiday season to share in God’s love at Bethel.
During the next two Sunday’s, youth (all ages) will practice for the pageant during the Sunday school hour.
SKATE PARK UPDATE The skaters met twice in November and had two eventful meeting. First, the name of the group has changed slightly. The group is now called the S.O.S or Skaters Off the Street. Pink t-shirts have been ordered and will be on sale in the near future with the S.O.S. logo. Plans are also underway to possibly sell wristbands and Krispy Kreme donuts all as ways to generate monies for the new park. After the New Year, April Johnson, Kingston Parks and Recreation Director, has arranged for some equipment to come in for the kids to demo. This will help them in making a decision on what they would like to have in the Kingston skate park. The skaters have been great, and they are really taking ownership of this project. The next scheduled meeting of the skaters is December 1, 2004 at 4:00 P.M. at the Community Center. Everyone is welcome to attend. NEW YEAR HAPPENINGS Rev. Marc Sherrod will be conducting a confirmation class beginning shortly after the New Year. There are several youth who will participate in this wonderful journey of their faith. NEED A LITTLE HELP? Boys For Hire! Bram Hyder and Shawn Hart are available for odd jobs. If you have something that they could do, please call Bram at 376-1685 or Shawn at 376-3251. GREETING CARDS STILL NEEDED Diane Griffith is still collecting used greeting cards for a co-worker in Oak Ridge. Her co-worker sends them to a children’s home out west, where they are recycled and used in a fundraising project. ADULT EDUCATION Mid-East Community Action Agency would like to announce that Adult Education classes are available to earn your GED or improve your basic skills. Classes are free for adults age 18 & older. Please call 376-6663 for more information.
... none submitted this month ...
... none reported this month ... From the Cuneos: Dear Marc, Libby and I are not very adept at expressing “thanks,” but we were deeply touched by being included in the Open Door’s prayer corner recently….Our very best wishes and prayers for the wonderful folks and their leader at Bethel. Dave and Libby C. We received a beautiful card from the Varsity Club at Morgan County Prison: “Thanks you for all of your faith, prayers…and friendship!!” (The front of this card is a beautifully made calligraphy version of The Lord’s Prayer, done by one of the inmates. It is hanging on the Parish Nurse bulletin board in the Fellowship Hall – be sure to stop by and see it.) From Amy Coen: Thank you Book Lovers for contributing so many wonderful books to the READING ROCKS project. The young ladies in our local Girl Scout Troop had many boxes from the community to contribute. Women at the shelter and Head Start children through age 14 will certainly be very grateful to have more books to read. How wonderful to support the love of reading.
... none reported this month ...
Bethel Family Prayer Calendar - December, 2004
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NO. 12
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CHUCK BUNCH (04) Brown, Linda & *Travis |
JIM CONDON (05)
Davis, Al & Dot |
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