a note from pastor andyimages.acswebnetworks.com/1/2984/143297_decemberridge...canned beef stew (15...

“ButMarytreasuredupallthesethingsandponderedtheminherheart.”Luke2:19

What might have been on Mary’s mind? Here is a short list of possibilities…

Where will my family live?

What is Joseph really thinking?

How can I raise this child?

What if he is colicky?

Will I ever get to sleep through the night again?

What do people think of me?

How will I get along with my in-laws?

Can I be a wife, a mom, a daughter, and still be me?

What should I tackle �irst, the laundry, the meal, or the cleaning?

Whose family should we go see �irst?

A Note from Pastor Andy ChurchEvents

Dec8th-GingerbreadFestival—2:00pm

Dec9th–Children’sMusical—9:00am

Dec23th–ChristmasEvent—6:30pm

Dec24th—ChristmasEveServices—3:00pm,5:00pm,7:00pm

Dec25thClosed

Dec26Closed

December 2018 | Monthly Newsle�er of Oak Ridge United Methodist Church

If Angels, Shepherds, and Magi weren’t enough to wrap her head around, she also had to deal with every day life. Bills and budgets. Diapers and disputes. Family, friends, and father-in-laws. Hiccups and heart-aches. Cousins and complications.

Mary, chosen by God to raise the Messiah, couldn’t do it all. Neither can you. What she could do is what she needed to do in that moment. Hold her son, look into his eyes and treasure this moment.

Your to do list for December probably won’t get done. The question is… what needs to have priority? Life feels frantic. Problems are plenty, real, and will not disappear if ignored. There are gifts that “need” to be bought, decorations that “must” be put up, events that “should” be attended.

However, there are blessings to be treasured, glimpses of God’s presence to be pondered.

Take a moment to not look at tomorrow’s urgency or yesterday’s leftover list, but like Mary, look into the face of Jesus. Treasure him. Re�lect on what it means that He has come into the world and your heart.

Pastor Andy

December Events

Saturday, December 8th

2:00 PM

Come and enjoy creating your own Gingerbread

house, nibble on some tasty treats, watch “The Star”

movie, and be on the lookout for a special visitor!

RSVPisrequiredthroughthechurchof�ice.

DecemberFoodCollections

Backpackministry

Canned Beef Stew (15 oz. cans)

Microwave Popcorn

FoodPantry

Tomato Soup

Children’s Musical

Sunday, December 9

9:00am

StarSearch tells the story of the Savior’s birth told from an inspiring perspective. The stars learn that it's not about being the biggest and brightest, but about "being humble, and being kind, if you really wanna be a star!"

Gingerbread

Festival

December9 at 10:00-10:45am

Senior Pastor's of�ice

For more information and to RSVP, please contact

Emily-Sarah Lineback, Associate Director of Welcome

& Witness at [email protected].

CountingtheTime…

Over the past decade a couple of family

members have offered me stoves when they

renovated their kitchens. They can’t understand

that I truly adore my 1956 Hotpoint stove. It’s

beautiful, and vintage versions can bring a few

thousand dollars, but they just see it as old.

Meanwhile, I cherish its history, all wrapped up

in white enamel, big drawers to store cookie

sheets and baking pans, and a timer that

(loudly) ticks down the seconds until the time is

up.

I like the tick-tick-tick of the timer, and it makes

me think of the grandfather clock that stood in

my childhood home. “How do you stand it?” a

friend asked, perplexed at why we’d willingly

keep something that tocked each second and

chimed at varying lengths each quarter hour in

addition to striking on the hour. Constant noise

and intrusion, right?

Truth was, we seldom heard it. The same is true

with my oven timer (sometimes even the �inal

“ding” isn’t heard; what’s worst is when I forget

until the smell—or smoke alarm—alerts me).

The reality? We adapt to what’s constant.

Something that’s always there fades into the

background and the mind tunes it out. What is

initially so prominent can cease to reach us. We

become deaf to it.

What’s sobering is that the same is true with lit-

eral time. It’s always there, ticking away in the

background, dispensing with the minutes that

make up our lives. But how often do we truly mark

or measure time versus allowing ourselves to be

tricked into thinking it’s not there—or that it’ll al-

ways be there (along with us, each person we love,

and every opportunity).

Often, it takes something drastic to remind us that

we’ve lost track of time. On the rare childhood

occasion when Daddy forgot to wind up the

grandfather clock, it was the absence of its tocking

that caught our attention. In much the same way,

when crisis, loss, or death presents itself, it’s then

that all senses are tuned to time and its passing,

�initeness, preciousness.

From redeeming the day (Eph. 5:16) and making

the best use of it (Col. 4:5) to realizing we should

number our earthly days (Psalm 90:12), multiple

Bible verses deal with how we’re to see and use

time…and how our linear lives �it into God’s

eternity.

So during this busiest of months, let’s not merely

manage time; let’s hear and revere (and live!)

every moment of it—with an eternal perspective.

Let’s keep in tune with how moments and days

and years (and habits and pastimes and beliefs)

are connected and build upon one another. If we

revolutionize how we view and invest our time,

we can change this world and the next…starting

with the life we see in the mirror.

*I�irstpennedpartoftheaboveasaletterwhenI

wasamagazineeditor.Now,afewyearslater,I�ind

therealityoftime—linear,cyclical,andeternal—

evenmoreintricatelywoven.Time�lies…andGodis

thepilot!DuringthisAdventSeason,maywelook

fortheChristChildand�indHiminallthatwedo

andallthatweare.

Emily-Sarah

[email protected]

MISSION OF THE MONTH:

ORUMC 2018 Africa University Scholarship Fund

2018 marks the 13th year for the ORUMC sponsored Africa University Scholarship Fund begun Christmas Eve 2005. Present scholarship recipient, (Levy) Tshota Kayembe, is the seventh student to receive the scholarship.

Levy, was orphaned in a past civil war in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) when his parents �led their home. This is a common story of many orphans in DRC. Levy eventually found Kasungami, DRC where Isaiah discovered him and arranged for a family from Nazareth United Methodist Church (UMC) to take guardianship of him. Isaiah enrolled Levy in the CAI education program from which he graduated before attending Africa University. Levy is now 24 years old, a Christian and member of Nazareth UMC in Kasungami, DRC.

In a recent e-mail Levy stated he is thankful for the ORUMC scholarship and the opportunity to study at Africa University (A.U.). Levy’s country language is French and native dialect is Swahili. Consequently his �irst class at A.U. was intensive English, a required course for all new incoming students. His favorite subject is Sociology. He attends the campus church every Sunday and Bible study during the week. He is working hard.

The ORUMC Africa University Scholarship Fund was created when we saw a need during a medical and drinking water mission assignment at Old Mutare Mission Centre, Zimbabwe in 2005. During that project we boarded at nearby A.U. and were fortunate to interact with students. We learned the majority of students depended on scholarships to attend A.U. Upon our return home from Zimbabwe we met with then ORUMC pastor Rev. Dr. John Franklin Howard who sanctioned the creation of the A.U. Scholarship Fund.

(Isaiah) Esaie Njimbu Chot was the �irst scholarship recipient who needed �inancial support to complete his �inal year at A.U. Following graduation in June, 2006, Isaiah returned to DRC and founded Child Action Initiative to educate orphans.

Current tuition, room, board and travel expenses to and from A.U. are $6,500 for one year.

Let us give thanks for our many blessings and open our hearts to give the gift of a future to Levy as we look forward to the birth of Jesus.

2Corinthians9:7-8:Eachofyouhasmadeupyourmind,notreluctantlyorundercompulsion,forGodlovesacheerfulgiver.AndGodisabletoprovideyouwitheveryblessinginabundance,sothatbyalwayshavingenoughofeverything,youmayshareabundantlyineverygoodwork.

Theessenceoflivingisgiving.

Blessings, Bev & Ed Wentz Founders & Co-chair for ORUMC Africa University Scholarship Fund

AcaciaTree

Africa University is a United Methodist institution of higher education founded 26 years ago. In 1987 the Zimbabwe UMC donated 1,542 acres of land adjacent to Old Mutare Mission for A.U. In 1992 Zimbabwe issued A.U. charter making the institution the �irst private university in Zimbabwe. Today there are 1200+ students from 36 African countries attending A.U.

Nurses’ Notes

E-cigarette use, also called vaping, has become

the most popular type of tobacco product for

middle and high school students. More than

two million U.S. middle and high school

students use these devices. In fact, vaping

within this age group has increased tenfold in

the last eight years.

E-cigarettes, vapes, vape pens, JUUL or mods

are all names for the same type of device. It

heats a liquid into a vapor that is inhaled by

the user. E-cigarettes come in many different

shapes and sizes. The most popular of the

e-cigarettes is JUUL, with nearly half the

market share. One reason for JUUL’s

popularity is that it is easily hidden. It looks

like a thumb drive and is small enough to �it in

a closed �ist.

Communities and government at all levels can

come together to help break the cycle of

sickness and death caused by smoking:

Work in your community to protect youth from advertising that makes smoking seem appealing.

Make smoking less accessible, less affordable, less acceptable.

Make stop-smoking resources readily available.

Be persistent. Most people need to try quitting several times before they succeed, but more than half of smokers have successfully quit. If you’re a smoker, free help is available at 1-800-QUIT-NOW (1-800-784-8669) and online at smokefree.gov.

It is never a good idea to start intentionally

inhaling a product for recreation, especially

one that is addictive. Talk to your young

people about the dangers of vaping and

smoking. Let them know about the damage it

can do to their respiratory system and

developing brain.

About the Author: Mohamed K. Mohamed, MD

practices Hematology and Oncology at the

Cone Health Cancer Center at Wesley Long.

1. Nicotine is an addictive stimulant. It causes

a rush of adrenaline, a sudden release of

glucose and increases blood pressure, heart

rate and respiration. Because a young

person’s brain is not fully developed, nicotine

can also cause long-lasting effects such as

mood disorders, a permanent lowering of

impulse control as well as harming parts of the

brain that control attention and learning.

2. Diacetyl is a chemical used to provide a

butter-like �lavoring, most notably in

microwave popcorn. This chemical is used in

�lavoring the juice. Although diacetyl is safe to

eat, its vapor has been linked to a lung disease

called obliterative bronchiolitis, also known as

popcorn lung, which damages the lung’s

smallest airways, causing coughing and

shortness of breath. There is no cure for

popcorn lung.

(Continued on page 7)

IsYourTeenVaping?Here'sWhyTheyShouldn't

(continued from page 6)

3. Volatile organic compounds (VOCs) are most often found in household products, such as cleaners, paints, varnishes, disinfectants, pesticides and stored fuels. Overexposure to these chemicals can cause headaches, nausea, fatigue, dizziness and memory impairment.

4.. Cancer-causing chemicals such as heavy metals, including nickel, tin and lead, formaldehyde and other ultra�ine particles are typically found in vape juice.

Many companies create e-cigarette liquids, each with

their own “blend.” However, there are four hazardous

chemicals in nearly all of them.

E-cigarette liquid, also called juice, e-juice, vape juice

or oil, contains nicotine and other chemicals to give it

�lavor. Blueberry, banana, cotton candy, chocolate and

hazelnut are just a few examples of the hundreds of

available �lavors. A recent report by the Food and

Drug Administration shows that the e-juice �lavoring

is the biggest appeal for young people to begin vaping.

Other reasons include the misconception that that e-

cigarettes are not harmful. Many of their friends use

them. They are easy to get. They can be used openly

because there is no smoke.

SubmittedbyJerryChance

CongregationalNurse

OakRidgeBoyScoutTroop139

Fundraiser

The Oak Ridge Boy Scout Troop 139 is selling Autobell gift cards for the holiday season. Order now through December10. They make excellent — and easy — stocking stuffers, teacher, or employee gifts. Each card costs $20, never expires, and can be used at any Autobell location nationwide; in our immediate area, Greensboro has three locations and Jamestown and Burlington also have stores. Purchased cards will arrive on December 17 to give you time to wrap or mail. Please contact our troop at [email protected] or bring your money (checks made out to Troop 139) and contact info to Tara at the of�ice—or speak with any ORUMC Scout to order cards and support these boys. This is the troop’s annual winter fundraiser (and replaces the Christmas tree lot from previous years).

ORUMC Staff Senior Pastor, Rev. Andy Lambert, [email protected], 336-643-4690

Associate Pastor, Rev. Christi Taylor, [email protected], 336-643-4690, 423-341-9947

Adult Discipleship, Rev. Susan Mitchell, [email protected], 336-643-4690 ext. 222; 336-549-9251

Children & Family Ministries, Larissa Brown, [email protected], 336-643-4690 ext. 203

Music Ministries, Tim Sessoms, Assoc. Dir. of Adult Choirs [email protected], 336-643-4690 ext. 223

Accompanist, Lynn Gordon, [email protected], 336-643-4690

Weekday School, Jamie Hatchell, Director, [email protected] 336-643-4690 ext 208

Associate Director of Missio Dei, Jason Boggs, [email protected], 336-643-4690, 336-403-0934

Welcome & Witness, Emily-Sarah Lineback, [email protected], 336-643-4690 ext. 221

Youth & Young Adults, Harrison Hart, Dir. of Youth & Young Adult Ministries, [email protected], 336-643-4690 ext. 204

Worship Arts, Bev Miller, [email protected], 336-643-4690

Media Producer, Derek Southern, [email protected], 336-643-4690

Director of Operations, Glenn Crihfield, [email protected], 336-643-4690 ext 219

Associate Director of Finance, Jennifer Haymore, [email protected], 336-643-4690 ext 218

Facility & Membership Coordinator, Phyllis Rowe, [email protected], 336-643-4690 ext 211

Receptionist, Tara Shelton, [email protected], 336-643-4690 ext 202

Ministry Support Assistant, Kim Barnes, [email protected], 336-643-4690 ext 201

For unto us a child is born, unto us

a son is given: and the government

shall be upon his shoulder: and his

name shall be called Wonderful,

Counsellor, The mighty God, The

everlasting Father, The Prince of

Peace.

Isaiah 9:6-7

BuildingTeamtoAfrica–Signupnow!

Oak Ridge UMC is sponsoring a team to return to

Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and

work with Isaiah Chot and Child Action Initiative

(CAI). CAI is in Kasungami, DRC and has been

caring for orphans due to AIDS and civil war and

educating them since 2006. The children have

been housed with relatives including great

grandparents, neighbors, friends and villagers.

There are not enough homes for orphans and

there is a need for a Children’s Home. Our team

will be working with locals in the village to build

the Children’s Home.

Pastor Christi Taylor will be joining the team. I

look forward to returning to Kasungami and

serving with Pastor Christi. The team dates are

set for June17–July4, however, the dates

could vary slightly to get the best airfare. The

estimated cost of the trip is $3500.00 per team

member with airfare being the biggest expense.

The actual team fee will be �inalized when the

airfare is set.

Thedeadlineforapplicationsanddepositwill

beJanuary27and the deadline for the team

fee balance will be April 28. If we have more

than 10 on the team and the group tickets work

out, the deposit will be set at $1000. Otherwise,

we will need to set the deposit high enough to

purchase the airline tickets, approximately

$2000.

Our team and church will be raising money to

build the Children’s Home and believe we will

need approximately $30,000 for building

materials and construction labor.

I led a team to Kasungami in 2012 to build a

parsonage for the Nazareth United Methodist

Church. The congregation was very appreciative

of our presence and our help with parsonage.

Our team had a wonderful time working with

them and had opportunities to meet with them to

discuss and compare cultural differences. The

Nazareth UMC congregation and villagers made

10,000 adobe bricks for the parsonage and have

already started making adobe bricks for the

Children's Home.

Levy Tshota Kayembe graduated from the CAI

education program and is attending Africa

University. Oak Ridge UMC is providing funding

for his education at Africa University and he plans

to work with Isaiah at CAI when he graduates. If

you join the building team you will meet him as he

will be helping to build the Children's Home.

Please prayerfully consider joining our team to

Kasungami, DRC, to build the Children's Home.

Feel free to contact me if you have questions. Also,

even though you may not be able to commit now,

please let me know if you have an interest in

joining the team. It will be very helpful to get an

early idea of the number we may expect on the

team.

Feel free to call, text or email – 336-643-7279,

[email protected].

You may also make a tax-deductible donation for

the purchase of building materials. Please make

payable to Oak Ridge UMC, memo “CAI Children's

Home” on your check and mail to 2424 Oak Ridge

Rd, Oak Ridge, NC 27310.

1John3:18Dearchildren,letusnotlovewith

wordsorspeechbutwithactionsandintruth.

Submitted by Max Kern

Looking Ahead to 2019

Friday, January 11th

6:00pm

FLC

Drinks and Popcorn provided

OnceaMonthVolunteerOpportunity!

Have you been wondering how you can serve ORUMC in a limited capacity? Are you looking for an opportunity to meet people at church? If so, please consider vol-unteering your time one Sunday morning per month (at most) by setting up the Cafe for Fellowship Time (coffee and breakfast snacks served in the Cafe before and after the 9am Crosswalk Service). This can easily be accomplished by one person, but the tasks can also be shared with a good friend or family member.

If you are interested, please contact Kim Jackson at 704-576-8429 or by email at [email protected].

CALENDARofCHURCHEVENTSforthemonthofDecember

Pleaseseethecalendaronthechurchwebsiteforcompleteandup-to-dateschedulinginformation.

Sunday,December2

4:30pm Sunday Evening Bible Study (F219)

5:00pm Handbells (F220)

6:00pm Discipleship—Women’s Bible Study (F219)

6:00pm THE RIDGE Youth Group (F112)

Monday,December3

6:30pm Discipleship Group—An Open Chair (F219)

6:30pm Garage for God (Men’s) (Off-site)

Tuesday,December4

9:30am Discipleship—WOW (Women of the Word) (D212)

10:00am Discipleship— Faith in Art Bible Journaling (F216)

3:30pm Stephen Ministers (F219)

6:00pm Basketball League (FLC)

6:30pm Board of Trustees (D215)

7:00pm Stephen Ministers (D219)

Wednesday,December5

9:00am Backpack Ministry (F125)

9:30am Senior Resource Luncheon (C102)

2:30pm Precious Memories (A102)

5:30pm Feed and Seed (FLC)

6:00pm GLOW! Children’s Worship (F220)

6:30pm Children’s Christmas Program Rehearsal (F112)

7:00pm Choir (D205)


Thursday,December6

4:00pm Open Ridge (FLC)

6:30pm Discipleship—Disciple IV (F202)

7:00pm Stephen Minister Training (F218)

Friday,December7

8:30am Livewires Trip —Wohlfahrt Haus

7:00pm Arriving at Potter’s House to serve

Saturday,December8

2:00pm Family Christmas Celebration

Sunday,December9

10:00am Coffee with the Pastor (Senior Pastor’s Office)4:30pm Sunday Evening Bible Study (F219)

5:00pm Handbells (Adult) F220)

6:00pm Women’s Bible Study (D219)

6:00PM The RIDGE Youth Group (FLC)

Monday,December10

2:30pm Blood Drive (F112)

6:30pm Kinetic Christians (FLC)

6:30pm Threads of Love (D212)

Tuesday,December11

9:30am WOW (Women of the Word) (D212)

10:00am Discipleship—Faith in Art Bible Journaling (F216)


7:00pm SPRCommittee Meeting (D215)

Wednesday,December12


9:00am Prayer Card Ministry Team (F202)



7:00pm Choir (D205)

7:00pm Chrismons (D212)

7:15 Basketball League (FLC)

Thursday,December13

4;00pm Open Ridge (FLC)



Sunday,December16

4:30pm Sunday Evening Bible Study (F219)

5:00pm Handbells (Adult) (F220)


6:00pm The RIDGE Youth Group (FLC)

Monday,December17

6:30pm Kinetic Christians (F112)

6:45pm Discipleship Group—An Open Chair (F219)

Tuesday,December18

9:30am WOW (Women of the Word) (D212)

10:00am Discipleship— Faith in Art Bible Journaling (F216)


7:00pm Liaison Team Meeting (D215)

7:00pm Stephen Ministers (F219)

Wednesday,December19




7:00pm Choir (D205)


Thursday,December20


6:30pm Cohorts for Christ (F219)


7:00pm Stephen Minister’s Training (D212)

Sunday,December23

4:30pm Sunday Evening Bible Study (D219)



6:30pm HomeforChristmasMusicProgram

Monday,December24

3:00pm Christmas Eve Service (Service for Families)

5:00pm Christmas Eve Service (Contemporary)

7:00pm Christmas Eve Service (Traditional)

Thursday,December27




Sunday,December30

4:30pm Discipleship—Sunday Evening Bible Study (F219)


6:00pm Discipleship—Women’s Bible Study (F219)

DecemberWorshipVolunteers

SoundTechs

11:15Service:

2— Todd Ring

9—Jeff Hallman

16—Jeff Linden

23—Mark Covington

30—na

ProPresenter

8:15Service:

2—na

9—D. & E Jones

16—James Lee

23—Sydney Wentz

30—Mark Holmes

9:00Service:

2—Tony Beam

9—na

16—na

23—na

30—na

11:15Service:

2—Benjamin Ring

9—Victoria Hallman

16—William Linden

23—Graham Royal

30—

Cameras

11:15Service:

2—na

9—Jackson Hallman

16—James Linden

23—Ben Covington

30—na

Ushers

8:15Service:

2—Bev & Sydney Wentz

9—Jerry & Dan Chance

16—Elizabeth & Glenn McKee

23—Linda & Grey Plummer

30—Cassandra & Gordon Thacker

9:00Service:

2—C. Surette, D. Surette, R. Prosser,

L. Prosser, M. Kiernan, S. Kiernan

9—C. Surette, D. Surette, D. Hall,

T. Hall, P. Sullivan, T. Sullivan

16—C. Surette, D. Surette, D. Bailey,

H. Bailey, R. Marshburn, R. Cox

23—T. Grose, D. Hall, T. Hall, J. Lee

R. Lee

30—C. Surette, D. Surette, M. Brooks,

D. Brooks

11:15Service:

2—B. Royal, D. Englishman, J. Mueller,

L. Mueller

9—B. Royal, D. Englishman, J. Mueller

L. Mueller

16—B. Royal, D. Englishman,

J. Mueller, L. Mueller





Acolytes

11:15Service:

2—Conrad Little

9—Grace Andronica

16—Liam Barnes

23—Emily & Lilly Taylor

30—na

InformationStation

9:00Service:

2—Jeanne Christman

9—Pam Jordan

16—Jeanne Christmas

23—Jeanne Christman

30—Lee Ann Browning

GuestStation

11:15Service:

2—Kim Jackson

9—Lynda Williams

16—Mary Ellen Florence

23—Libby Kendrick

30—na

FinancialWorkers

11:15Service:

2—Todd Ring, Vera Gardner

9—L. Williams, P. Hogan

16—A. Abrams, A. Fahnestock

23—na

30—na

AltarGuild

Cathey Prince

DoorGreeters

8:15Service:

2— Courtney & Pat Craft

9—Barbara Frye

16—Susan & Mark Holmes

23—Vickie & Ward Lambeth

30—Lois Leslie

9:00Service:

2—Nancy Underwood

9—Cheryl & Brian Albrecht

16—Shay & Josh Barwick

23—Beckie & Doug Berlin

30—Denise & Stephen Brewer

Merry Christmas!!!

a note from pastor andyimages.acswebnetworks.com/1/2984/143297_decemberridge...canned beef stew (15...

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