SUMC at 51 Church St., Schuylerville QSUMC at 466 Route 32 South Sunday Worship Service at 11 AM Sunday Worship Service at 9 AM

Of the Schuylerville and Quaker Springs United Methodist Churches

****************************************************************************

December 2019 ******************************************************************************

UPCOMING EVENTS Sundays @ SUMC Bell choir

Sundays QS Choir rehearsal after Fellowship

Alt. Mon Girl Scouts 6:30PM @ SUMC

1st Monday

SUMC Administrative Council 7 PM

3rd Monday

Odd months QS Administrative Council

4th Monday

Emmaus (informal worship) 7 PM SUMC

Tuesday Pastor’s Sabbath (time to rejuvenate)

Thursdays SUMC Choir rehearsal at 7 PM

Thursdays “12 Extraordinary Women” - Bible Study - 6 PM @ SUMC

Fridays Pastor’s Sabbath (time to rejuvenate)

Friday Overeaters Anonymous 10 AM @ SUMC

Saturday Alcoholics Anonymous 8 PM @ SUMC

Nov. 23 Bible In One Year 9am @ SUMC

Nov. 23 Pasta With A Purpose 4 to 7 pm @ the American Legion

Nov. 24 QSUMC Hanging of the Greens after Fellowship

Nov. 28 Happy Thanksgiving

Nov. 30 SUMC Hanging of the Greens 9AM

Dec. 2 SUMC Ad Council 7PM at the church

Dec. 3 The Way Board Meeting 6:30 @ SUMC

Dec. 7 Bible In One Year 9am @ SUMC

Dec. 7 QS Christmas Party -games & Potluck dinner starting at 4:30 PM

Dec.8 Community Christmas Concert 3 PM @ Old Saratoga Reformed Church

Dec. 9 QS Admin Council- 6:30 PM @ Lagoe’s

Dec.15 Deadline for the January Newsletter

Dec.14 Kids Day Out 9 am to noon at SUMC

Dec. 16 QS Choir/ Admin council party 6:30 at the Lagoe’s

Dec. 21 Bible In One Year 9am @ SUMC

Dec. 21 SUMC Choir Christmas party 6 PM @ Pat Poirier’s

Dec. 24 Christmas Eve Services 7 PM @ SUMC 9 PM @ QSUMC

Dec. 25 MERRY CHRISTMAS

Jan.1 New Year’s Day

Jan. 4 Bible In One Year 9am @ SUMC

2

A MESSAGE FROM OUR PASTOR

Eliza cannot wait for Christmas! She has been

excitedly waiting for Christmas since about

February, and now that Christmas is fairly close,

she is nearly inconsolable. Every day we talk about

Christmas, how many days until Christmas, what

she wants for Christmas, will there be snow on

Christmas, and so on! Her anticipation is palpable.

When you listen to her talk about Christmas you get

the feeling that to her it is the greatest thing

possible, that once Christmas day is here all will be

right with the world. As I have thought about her

level of excitement, I have discovered that there is

an important lesson about Advent in it. Advent, the

church season leading up to Christmas, is a time of

anticipation and waiting for the coming of Jesus.

With word “advent” literally means “coming” or

“arrival”. So the season of Advent is a time when

we anticipate the birth of Christ and remember its

significance; and we also anticipate the second

Advent, Jesus return to establish the Kingdom of

Heaven on Earth – when He will restore creation,

heal our broken world, and make all things right.

This is how the book of Revelation describes Jesus’

return, “Then I saw ‘a new heaven and a new

earth,’[a] for the first heaven and the first earth had

passed away, and there was no longer any sea. 2 I

saw the Holy City, the new Jerusalem, coming

down out of heaven from God, prepared as a

bride beautifully dressed for her husband. 3 And I

heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Look!

God’s dwelling place is now among the people, and

he will dwell with them. They will be his people, and

God himself will be with them and be their

God. 4 ‘He will wipe every tear from their

eyes. There will be no more death’[b] or mourning or

crying or pain, for the old order of things has

passed away” (Revelation 21: 1-4). In short, the

second Advent, Christ’s return, will be the greatest

thing possible, and a day when all will be right in

the world. This is where the lesson from Eliza’s

excitement comes in. As Christians who hope in

Christ’s return, we ought to be giddy about His

return, we ought to be even more excited about the

second coming of Christ as Eliza is about

Christmas. This is because by the first few weeks

of January, the excitement of Christmas will fade,

the decorations will come down, all the Christmas

treats will be eaten or thrown out, and we will have

to wait another year to celebrate. However, the

Kingdom of Heaven that Jesus will establish at His

return will never fade and our enjoyment of it will

only increase as we enjoy the perfect presence of

God forever. Therefore, my encouragement of all of

us this Advent is to enjoy the Christmas season

with all of the parties, fun, and excitement that it

brings. But more importantly, consider the

importance of Christ’s birth and reason He came –

to be our savior! Also, take time to contemplate the

glory of Christ’s return and all that it will mean for

you and for the world. Let the thought of Jesus,

your loving savior, returning in glorious victory fill

you with excitement, hope, joy, and peace!

PRAYER LIST

Prayer - A Divinely inspired support system between God and God's people

During our Worship services, please raise specific names for prayer during our Joys and Concerns. Please let Pastor John know of anyone in need of prayers. Please keep in prayer:

Family, friends and folks we know who are ill, undergoing rehab, chemo, surgery, treatments, recouping or just in need of our prayers.

The Women and Men of our Armed Forces who are working for World Peace

Family and Friends in Nursing and Health Care Facilities

World disaster victims Families and friends of the victims of

violence Safe travel for all those traveling to be

with family and friends for the holiday season

3

Christmas Events The Parks – Bentley Place Home of the Historical Society of Moreau and South Glens Falls will be presenting Nativities from the North and South American continents Location and times: 53 Ferry Boulevard, South Glens Falls, NY Cost is $5 for Adults and $3 for Children ages 12 and under Times open: 1 to 4 PM on: Nov. 30, Dec. 1, 6-8, 13-15, 21 &28 1 -7 PM on Dec. 20 & 27

Christmas Concert

Sunday, December 8th at 3 PM. The Old Saratoga Reformed Church will be hosting a community Christmas concert as part of the Celebration of the Dutch

Christmas Activities in Schuylerville. This wonderful ecumenical event will surely fill your heart with the Christmas spirit. Come join other in the community, hear various choirs sing and join in on some Christmas carols/hymns.

Hanging of the Greens

The first Sunday of Advent will be December 1st, with that, each church has scheduled the hanging of the greens. Quaker Springs UMC will be decorating after the Worship service and Fellowship time on Sunday, November 24th. Schuylerville UMC will being decorating on Saturday, November 30th at 9 AM

NEWS FROM SUMC

Volunteering at The Way

With winter upon us and Christmas around the

corner The Way will be bustling over the next

few weeks. If you would like to volunteer

please contact Jeff Yule to sign up!

Jeff recently joined The Way Board of Directors

and is helping out by assuming the scheduling

duties from Tena Flanders. Jeff's contact info is

as follows:

Cell phone: (518) 364-5461

Home phone: (518) 587-9137

Email: pjyule@gmail.com

Jeff will be calling all volunteers to introduce

himself over the next few weeks.

4

KIDS DAY OUT

Saturday, December 14th

9:00 am to 12:00 pm

Schuylerville United Methodist Church

51 Church Street

We invite all children (under 5 accompanied by a parent). If you have holiday shopping to do, we will watch your kids and entertain them with stories of Christmas, fun games and Christmas crafts, a movie and at 11:30 parents enjoy pizza lunch with us! (This event is free of charge) RSVP if you can but not necessary Name and age of child: Text or phone (518) 638-1402 Or email to loutena1986@gmail.com

Christmas flowers at SUMC will be organized again this year by Yvonne Woolley. Please see her for more information.

NEWS FROM QSUMC CAR WASH COUPONS QSUMC is selling Hoffman Exterior

only coupons for $10. We receive a very generous 50% profit from Hoffman! Please consider purchasing your coupons from us! Please contact Margaret Nolan to purchase the coupons. Checks may be made to QSUMC. We appreciate and thank you for supporting our fundraiser!

Pasta with a Purpose!

A Benefit Dinner To Support Our Women’s Mission

Team to Guatemala

Saturday, November 23, 2019 4:00 to 7:00 PM

American Legion Post #278 6 Clancy Street, Schuylerville

5

Quaker Springs

Church Christmas Party

All are invited to attend a church Christmas Party. Quaker Springs UMC will hold their party on Saturday, December 7th starting at 4:30PM. This will be a potluck dinner as well as a time for great fellowship and fun. So mark your calendar, bring a dish to pass and get ready for some fun. See you there

Christmas Flowers At QSUMC

Anyone wishing to have flowers on the altar at Quaker Springs UMC for Christmas Eve service should bring their flowers to the QS church no later than 12 noon on Saturday, December 21st. Flowers will be displayed on both Sunday, December 22nd and Christmas Eve. A dedication sheet will be circulated after Thanksgiving so that the names may be included in the Christmas Eve bulletin.

Snow Cancellation Policy at QSUMC Our church has to deal with several issues

when bad weather arrives on Sunday morning.

1. We have no on street parking and

must have our parking lots clear.

That’s not always possible.

2. Our pastor needs to travel 14 miles

round trip on dangerous roads to

reach our church.

3. Most of our parishioners travel

several miles to get to our church.

QSUMC has developed the following snow

closing policy. It’s the same as last year.

1. Tim Lagoe will check conditions at

the church and consult with Pastor

John on a final decision before 8:00

AM on Sunday morning.

2. Please call the Lagoe home

(518) 584-1812) after 8:00 AM if you

think our church might need to close.

We all travel different roads and distances to

get to church. If you feel the roads are too

slippery, please stay home. We will miss you

but would rather have you safe.

-----Tim Lagoe, Council Chair

6

Fresh Christmas Trees!

The Lagoe Christmas Tree Farm

(135 County Rd 69) has a limited number of

very nice “balsam” Christmas trees. The trees

on most Christmas tree lots are already 1 – 2

weeks old when you buy them. Our trees are

guaranteed fresh. I won’t cut your tree down

until you arrive to pick it up.

The trees are selling for $30. (Well below the

current market price). Feel free to come early

and look over the field. If you find one you like,

you can tag it and we will reserve it for you.

Please call ahead (518) 584-1812 to make

sure someone is available to help you. All

proceeds from the tree sale are going to

QSUMC for ongoing renovations. Merry

Christmas! (A little early).

---Tim & Deb Lagoe

CHRISTMAS TREE ORNAMENTS

The Quaker Springs UMC Sanctuary tree is graced yearly with many, many personalized Heart ornaments donated each year by our church family and friends in memory of loved ones. The ornaments are bisque and hand painted, and although the style has been changed several times over the years, each one is a loving remembrance of those who have gone before us. The ornaments are $5.00, all of which goes to the church. If you would like one, please contact me ASAP. You can leave a clear message, with spelling on 518 587 6008, by email cabincreekacres@gmail.

Collection of Donations for Adopt A Soldier Program at QSUMC There is a box in fellowship hall that is going to go to Adopt a Soldier in the next couple weeks. A list of items needed is there for your information. This is a year round program, but with Christmas coming you might be cleaning out books, magazines, cds, dvds etc. that our soldiers would enjoy. Personal products, socks and snacks are also some of the things most appreciated. Having just celebrated Veterans Day and Thanksgiving coming soon, it is a small way to say thank you for their service. Bonnie Greenfeld

CODE BLUE SHELTER COLLECTION It is getting very cold outside. While we enjoy the warmth of our homes, the homeless are not as fortunate. From now until Christmas, donations of gloves, mittens, hats and socks will be collected at QSUMC. These will be given to the Code Blue Shelter in Saratoga Springs. Please consider offering a little warmth to those less fortunate.

7

FAIRMOUNT CEMETERY

There has been an amazing change at our cemetery due to lots of people giving lots of time and energy to its cleanup. Many thanks to the people who have noticed and commented. The cleaning of stones and general clean-up of the grounds will continue in the spring. There is plenty to do, so sign on! There are trees that need to be removed, this is a very expensive project. As you are in a giving mood this Holiday Season, please think of the larger needs of this cemetery that is the responsibility of QSUMC. Perpetual Care was designed to cover a couple of cleanups a year with a scythe! In the meantime, it came to my attention that the SARATOGA NYGENWEB, which is the information put out by Saratoga County for all the cemeteries has not had our updated information for several years. This will be a winter project, to trace the records from church or the Town, and get it submitted to the site. Also, there are some graves of Veterans that lack the Flag standard that marks their grave and holds the flag that is put up each spring by the American Legion. The Legion also supplies these standards. It will be a project to find the ones that do not have standards and get them ordered. If you know of one, please contact me; it will save an onsite search. I will need name and branch of service to do this. Thanks again for the enthusiasm that this project brought about. Bonnie Greenfeld cabincreekacres@gmail.com

8

The Messenger A Joint Newsletter of the Schuylerville & Quaker Springs United Methodist Churches 51 Church Street & 466 Route 32 South Schuylerville, New York, 12871 Published monthly The Rev. John Iseman Parsonage Phone: (518) 695-3101 Pastor’s Cell: (518) 222-6722 Email: isemanjohn@gmail.com

Pastor John’s Office Hours

Monday 3 PM to 5 PM @ Parsonage Wednesday 3 PM to 5 PM @ QSUMC December 2019 Morning Worship & Sunday School: 9:00 am in Quaker Springs 11:00 am in Schuylerville The Messenger Staff: EDITOR: Deb Lagoe WEB PAGE EDITOR: Bill Lagoe (www.qsumc.com) WEB PAGE EDITOR: Rev John Iseman (http://www.sumethodist.org) REPORTER, SUMC: Youth group: Tara Mcaughey The Way: Sue Harrington REPORTERS, QS: Linda Campbell,

Bonnie Greenfeld, Connie Turner, Marion Craine, & Deb Lagoe

HYMN HISTORIAN: Tim Lagoe QSUMC HISTORIAN: Tim Lagoe PUBLICATION: Jean Wrisley & Sue Harrington PASTOR: Rev. John Iseman

First Class Postage