Phone: 486-5473 Fax 486-4480

Open Hearts, Open Minds, Open Doors

Chris t United Methodist Church

January 2007 Editor : Pat ty Cl i f ford

C O N N E C T I O N

Mission of Christ United Methodist Church: To make Disciples of Jesus Christ.

Open hearts. Open minds. Open doors.

The Leadership of CUMC along with the Pastors have developed the following plan to continue to grow in

ministry and faith as a Family of God. Strategy for growth with integrity. 1. To identify what we do well. Surveys indicate that members feel we do LOTS of things well! Programs listed include education, worship, music, children’s and youth ministry and social outreach programs for adults. We do not see ourselves as a church that is known for one particular emphasis of ministry, but more as a church that has a wide variety of excellent programs. Our survey indicated that we should place our emphasis on growth (numerically and financially), and suggested that growth ought to occur more among young people, chil-dren, youth and college aged adults. 2. Areas of most importance for growth with integrity. Sunday morning. a. Worship, including preaching and music. b. Welcoming members and guests (greeters and Master Greeters). c. Nursery. d. Fellowship time. e. Sunday schools; all ages. Congregational care. a. Visitation as needed, including hospitals and homes. b. Regular contact on a systematic basis with church members. c. Activation of inactive members. d. Regular use of community groups and Good Shep-herds. Visitor follow up and new member and constituent activa-tion. a. Frequent follow up with guests and prospective mem-bers. b. Activation of newer members into smaller groups. Aggressive program of exposure to the community at large.

a. Media press releases and articles before and after pro-grams. b. Develop media contacts. c. List church activities on community calendars d. Promote sermon series in newspaper. e. Develop an active Web ministry. f. Make use of changeable outdoor signage, etc. 3. Recommendation to re-structure the Evangelism Com-mittee. The Church Council renewed its commitment to maintain the highest possible level of quality in our Sunday morning programing,and made a decision to replace the Evangelism Committee with three committees that can give proper attention to the priorities listed above. 1. Membership Care Committee. a. Duties include oversight of the Stephen Ministers, Com-munity Groups and Good Shepherds program; oversight of all ministries related to the care and nurture of the congre-gation; activation of new members and inactive members; oversight of the new members class (Spirit of Christ) and all activities related to the process of new members joining the church. b. Membership Secretary will relate to this committee. c. The Parish Visitor (and Pastors) will be assigned to this committee. 2. Hospitality Committee. a. Duties include oversight of the greeters, the Master Greeters program, the fellowship hour (coffee hour), name tags and other ministries related to welcoming visitors. b. The Pastors will be assigned to this committee. 3. Community Outreach Committee. a. Duties include the oversight of a strategy for public rela-tions and marketing, including news media announce-ments, ads, outdoor signage, newsletters (print and elec-tronic), brochures, CD for visitors and all activities related to establishing a community presence. b. The Newsletter Editor (and Pastors) will be assigned to this committee.

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All Digital Photo Takers. We love your photos of church events, members and occasions. Leave

a disc in Patty’s mailbox with your name and phone number. We use the photos for the web-

site, newsletter and wall-art.

New Address Eleanor McCaffrey 451 Bishop Federal Lane #2361 A Salt Lake City, UT 84115 801-493-8917

What a Difference a Day Makes Christmas Day was only one day last year. Just one little day. It was a mere 00.27% of a year – not even a whole percent-age point. But what a difference that day made. In the old song written by Maria Grever and Stanley Adams

and performed by Dinah Washington, we hear, What a difference a day made, Twenty-four little hours Brought the sun and the flower Where there used to be rain… Lord, what difference a day made. What made Christmas Day – twenty-four little hours – so different from all the other days of the year? Although the First Sunday of Advent – four Sun-days before Christmas – was actually the beginning of a new church year, Christmas began the new year for many. Christmas not only began the year, but many believed that if they could get that day right, the rest of the year would fall in place. Like in yoga, if we could position our head properly, the rest of our body would fall into place – the spine would straighten, the hips square up, the legs would move with greater ease, and our feet wouldn’t hurt so much. That’s the way Christmas Day could have been, and if we got it right and positioned properly, then the rest of the year might fall in place, too. So what would it mean to have gotten Christmas Day right? We got Christmas Day right if we genuinely en-gaged in actively listening to what everyone said to us on that special day as well as listening to what people did not say to us and imagining why they did not say something. For example, when our neighbor said, ‘Merry Christmas,’ was there true joy behind those words or did our imagina-tion tell us that we heard a hint of sorrow. Did we ask, “What might our neighbor not be saying to me?” Maybe what they really just said was, “I wish it really was a merry Christmas, but it’s not, because my best buddy, Cleo the Cat, died last summer.” Did we only imagine hearing the “I wish” part, or was it truly there? If we actively listened to what others said this last Christmas Day as well as what others didn’t say, we had a good chance of getting Christ-

mas Day right this year, because it was then that we dis-covered how to serve those in need – even when they weren’t telling us their needs. In this case, we might have found out that our neighbor needed a little more tender-loving-care this Christmas, and so we could have served their need by asking them over to our home for some hot apple cider and a chance to play with our family cat. Let’s try another example. Someone might say to us, “My Christmas Day is going almost perfectly this year.” What words did they just say, and what words did they choose not to say? Based on their words, their Christmas Day sounded like it was going fine. It sounded like they were getting it right, and all seemed fine with the world. And so we might have just gone on our merry way. On the other hand, we might have heard that their Christmas Day was going “ALMOST perfectly.” AL-MOST… What was not being said here? What was lurking behind their word “almost?” By listening closely, we could have imagined what might have been left out of our con-versation. Could it have been that this Christmas Day was almost right, but not as right as it could be, because this could have been their mom’s last Christmas? Mom had grown another year older, and she was already 94; and, the chances of spending another Christmas Day with her were slim to none. So their Christmas Day was almost perfect, except for this little touch of pending loss. If we had listened to their words and heard what they did not say, we might have responded, “I would love to have you and your mother over today so that we can get some nice pictures taken. What do you think?” If we were listening and hearing, we might have gotten our Christmas Day right by responding to what they really needed but weren’t willing to tell us. What a difference a day makes. And what a difference Christmas Day made. Sleigh bells rang; were you listening? Parson Towns

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United Methodist Women: January Schedule

Dorcas Circle: Tuesday, Jan 2, 9:30 AM Multi-Purpose Room. We will be cutting out Christmas stockings for 2007. Please bring scissors. UMW General Meeting: Thursday Jan 4, 12:00 Noon. Potluck Luncheon, bring your own place setting. Program: Memorial Service and Installation of Officers. Day Knitting Prayer Shawls Circle: Monday, Jan 8, 1:30 PM. (New Time) at the home of Lorraine Dale, 985 Foxglove Dr. Murray. (Majestic Meadows Mobile Home Park) Phone 262 7575. Prayer shawls may be knitted or crocheted. Please join us. Martha Circle: Tuesday, Jan 9 7:30 PM Parlor. Planning meeting. Claire Circle: Wednesday Jan 10, 7:00 PM. Parlor. We will be orga-nizing the children’s things from Interfaith. Bring your gently used videos and games to donate. Childcare is provided. Everyone welcome.

Ruth Circle: Thursday, Jan 11, 11:00 AM Parlor. Planning meeting. Bring a sack lunch. Lydia Circle: Saturday, Jan 20, 10:00 AM. Planning meeting. Women’s Book Club: Monday, Jan 15, 1:00 PM Parlor. Book: “Beyond Belief: The Secret Gospel of Thomas” by Elaine Pagels. UMW Executive Board Meeting: Tuesday, Jan16, 8:30 AM Room 101 Evening Knitting Circle: Wednesday, Jan 17, 6:30 PM Library. Beginners wel-come. Deborah Circle: Thursday, Jan 18, 9:30 AM Parlor.

Interfaith Hospitality Network Volunteers Needed

Would you like to make a difference for a family in need? The Interfaith Hospitality Network offers you a great oppor-tunity to serve families who, due to unfortunate circum-stances, have no other place to go. Christ Church will be hosting families in the Interfaith Hospitality Network from January 14 – 21, 2007. We will be providing them with a place to stay overnight as well as dinner and breakfast each day. We need your help with food preparation, meal-time hosting, and overnight hosting. The coordinators greatly appreciated all the new volunteers who helped dur-ing this last year and hope we can recruit some more this time. We are also looking for others to be coordinators for the program. We would be glad to talk with anyone about this great opportunity to serve God and help those who are less fortunate. Please look for the sign-up sheet by the Church office after each service to volunteer to help. You can also contact Doug Hattery at 268-9251 or Sandy Lis-ton at 466-3938 or Gina Williams at 588-0466 to volunteer or for additional information.

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CUMC Electronic Transfer Fund CUMC is working to move further into the electronic age. The Finance Committee is investigating the opportunities of Electronic Funds Transfer with Vanco Services, the recom-mended vendor of electronic and mer-chant services by the General Council of Finance and Administration of the United Methodist Church. Since Vanco does this for United Methodist congregations across the nation, they are able to offer these op-portunities at a cost that no local vendor

can match. Pending approval by the Church Council, and getting our account set up at Vanco, the members of CUMC will be able to pay your pledge electronically. You can do this on a weekly/monthly draft of your bank account, or on a one-

time draft. You will be able to pay your general fund pledge, your building fund pledge, and a donation to the Permanent Endowment Fund, or any other money trans-fer to CUMC, safely and securely through Vanco with out having to write a check. We are also looking at merchant services (credit card) through Vanco. This would allow us to accept any pay-ment of a pledge (or anything else) via your Visa or MasterCard. All of this is designed to make it ”easier to do business with CUMC”. Many people have asked for an alternative to an ordinary paper check, with all of the theft and fraud that is in our world today. If you set-up a monthly bank draft through Vanco, you don’t have to write a check, and CUMC gets the donation more swiftly and securely, which is better for everyone. Watch for further announcements as we get the process further along.

Who is Marcus Borg? Dr. Borg is an internationally known Christian theologian who has appeared on numerous televi-sion and radio programs including: • The NBC Today Show • NBC Dateline • The ABC Evening News • Fresh Air with Terry Gross on NPR He is a Hundere Distinguished Professor of Religion and Culture at Oregon State University. He is the author of numerous books on the subject of Christianity, including The Heart of Christianity and Reading the Bible Again for the First Time.

Why is he coming here?

We are a church of Open Minds, Open Hearts and Open Doors. Through Dr. Borg’s unique perspectives on Christian principles and truths, we will have the opportunity to deepen our application of our Christian faith. Christ United Methodist Church is delighted to welcome Dr. Marcus Borg on February 2-4.

Christianity for the Heart. And the Head: Dr. Marcus Borg to speak at CUMC, Feb. 2-4, 2007. Register today For more information go to christmethodistchurch.net or call the Christ United Methodist Church main office at 801 486-5473.

Page 5 Editor : Pat ty Cl i f ford

CUMC Member and Ministry News

Hopekeepers Our December meeting was very informal and social--very Christmassy. We heard good news health updates from some members(hooray!), no change updates from others(way to go!), and just general family and life changes from all (always good to hear!). As usual, snacks and a prayer helped end our gathering of friends coping with the difficult circumstances of chronic illness and pain. For questions, contact Maxine Garwood.

Missions Dear friends: I am writing to thank you for your wonderful support of the recent medical mission to Guatemala undertaken by myself and several members of First United Methodist and Hilltop United Methodist churches. The money and over-the-counter medications that you donated are being used by Salud y Paz clinics in Camanchaj and Xela. The local di-rector told me that the supplies we took will keep them well stocked through February. We treated several hundred people in remote rural villages and were touched by their gratitude. With great appreciation, Linda Leckman

Congratulations to Linda Leckman on receiving the 2007 Pathfinder Award at the Annual Women and Business Conference in November.

Ulster Project The Ulter Project is a peace program which is now prepar-ing for its twenty-first year in Utah. Teens are brought to Utah from Northern Ireland and placed with host families for the month of July. If you are a family with a teen be-tween the ages of 14 and 16 and wish to participate in a fun, meaningful experience with your entire family, please consider applying to be a host family. Expenses are paid by Ulster Project-Utah. You need only provide an open heart and a space in your family for one month. For more information please phone Nancy Walker at 942-7742.

Parents Day Out and Nursery. The Parent’s Day Out Program is looking for a Teacher’s Aide to work Tuesdays and Thursdays from 9:15 to 2:15. This is a paid position working with adorable 2, 3 and 4 year olds. Contact Dayna at 566-6365. Nursery Program is looking for reliable mature people to work Sunday mornings and during the week for evening events. Childcare workers do not have to be a member of CUMC. Contact Dayna at 566-6365.

Church and Society CUMC is such a generous church!! Over 75 pounds of socks were donated this Christmas season. Church and Society dropped off this huge load at the Road Home Shel-ter. They are very appreciated. Thanks to all of you who gave so generously!

Salvation Army Sandwich Program Need You! Want a rewarding job in ministry? Barbara Jolley is ready to pass the torch to a deserving soul to coordinate Salva-tion Army Sandwich Program. Duties include scheduling the groups to prepare and serve the meals once a month.

Call Barbara with any questions at 556-3810.

Families Anonymous – Help & Support Families Anonymous meetings are open to all who are con-cerned about and affected by someone using mind-altering substances or demonstrating destructive behavior. Its pur-pose is to provide coping skills for the family and friends of the afflicted. Meetings are held each Wednesday at 7:00 pm in room 209 at Christ Church. Use the northeast door. Newcomers are always welcome. Just come or call for more information – 581-0180 or 485-1836. Experienced volunteers.

JANUARY 28TH, AT 2 P.M.

ROOM 101

Did you know that Iran has many physical features similar to Utah–mountains, salt lakes, book cliffs, and desert? Experience the countryside, art, architecture, and people of Iran

through slides taken by Maxine Haggerty when she visited there in 1998. See modern Tehran, the Holy City of Qom, the Shrine of the 8th Imam Reza in Meshad, the Royal Square and blue-domed mosque of Isfahan, the tombs of the poets Hafez and Ferdosi near Shiraz. Visit the great ceremonial palace of Darius I at Persepolis, and the tomb of Cyrus the Great. Lunch with a family in a present-day home in Yazd and

then see the 1000-year-old fire in the Zoroastrian Temple and climb one of their burial Towers of Silence. Admire the wind towers of Kerman, walk through the earthen city of Bam (the "Diamond of the Desert") before the earthquake of December 26,2003, destroyed it, and view other fasci-nating sites of ancient Persia.

CURIOUS ABOUT THE COUNTRY OF IRAN? ENJOY A SLIDE PRESENTATION

Tween Flicks for all 5th and 6th graders will be on

January 27th, from 5:00—7:00

In Room 201

Bring a friend And make new friends.

Welcome to the New Year

Hey, my lad, ho, my lad! Here's a New Broom.

Heaven's your housetop And Earth is your room.

Tuck up your shirtsleeves, There's plenty to do- Look at the muddle

That's waiting for you!

Dust in the corners And dirt on the floor, Cobwebs still clinging To window and door.

Hey, my lad! o, my lad!

Nimble and keen- Here's your New Broom, my lad!

See you sweep clean.

- Eleanor Farjeon

Children’s Ministry

Sue Nissen, Marcy Walzell, Ed Duncan, Larry Taylor, Jon Jolley, Patsy Simons and all the support from Parents. And, most of all to all our CUMC Kids for a great Christmas Play.

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. Deepest Condolences to Marilyn McGill and her family on the death of her aunt, Nelva Scott, on Thursday, December 7th. A Celebration of Life Concert in memory of Nelva Scott was held December 22nd at the Wentworth (south). Tau Papau sang. Deepest Condolences to Marilyn Rankin on the death of her husband John, Thursday, December 7th. A memorial service was held next Saturday,

December 16th at Christ Church. Deepest Condolences to Doris Fagley and her family on the death of her brother.

Many thanks to the people of Christ United Meth-

odist Church for the prayers and expressions of

sympathy that were offered at the time of my

mother's death. I also want to say thanks for the

wonderful memorial service that was conducted by

Steve and the Bell Ringers for my mother.

Also, I very much appreciate the prayers offered

for my daughter-in-law, Gina Ingraham, after she

received serious injuries in an auto accident. She

is now home, recovering nicely from those inju-

ries. And, a special thank you to my wife, Margret

Boes-Ingraham, for her great support and comfort

during this difficult time.

Doug Ingraham

The Future Is Full of Promise The future is full of promise, Holy Mystery,

if only because we discern your forces of

evolution at work everywhere.

Every opening daffodil, every growing child,

every glimmer of human enlightenment,

every bodily process of healing--tells us the

future is not fearsome but is full of promise.

Your face is hidden, your name unknown:

still we turn to you in faith and confidence.

Creating Spirit, we hear your comforting

voice in the steady music of the unfolding of crea-

tion. We give thanks to exist, and to be the joy of your heart.

Amen. --William Cleary | Source: From "Prayers to

an Evolutionary God" c 2004 William Cleary.

Reprinted with permission of the author.

11/19/06: Vivian Helen Tidwell Parents: Miken Jay and Erin Alana Tidwell 11/26-06 : Aiden Dallas Reeves Parents: Jason Alan and Amy Kathleen Reeves Grandparents: Dayna and Tom Beckman 12/24/06: Tyler Zachery Rutherford

Parents: Jacob Zachery and Anne Elizabeth Rutherford Brother: Carter Rutherford

THANK YOU FOR YOUR TIME, SMILES AND FRIENDLY GREETINGS!

from Pat Klentzman

Many thanks to all of you who Rang the Salvation Army Bell at Smith’s Marketplace on Friday, Decem-ber 8. By early next year, we hope to hear from the Salvation Army how much money we collected – but the Red Kettle was looking very, very full that night. We had cute children who came with money for the kettle and many friendly people who didn’t mind tak-

ing a peppermint for their Christmas Treat. The Santa hats were festive, the Christmas music helped spread cheer – and we felt that we were helping others during this season focused on love, giving, and helping oth-ers. Watch for your opportunity to enjoy this Christmas Sharing activity next year.

The Wesley Bell Ringers announce…. The First Annual Valentines’ Dinner

Dance Date: Saturday, February 10, 2006 Time: 6:00 p.m. Place: The Gym at CUMC We will be serving a fantastic dinner complete with music and dancing! This will be an Adults only Event. Babysitting will be provided. (This is included in the ticket price!) Ticket prices will be: $30.00 per Couple or $20.00 Individual Tickets will be sold in the Gym during Coffee Hour each Sunday, beginning on Sunday, January 7th. For more information or questions please call Sally Loken @ 272-6782. Tickets must be purchased in advance. They will not be available at the door! This will be a Fundraising Event for the Wesley Bell Ringers. It will replace the Annual Super Bowl Sandwich Sale which has been cancelled due to conflicts in scheduling at CUMC on the weekend of February 3-4 !! Please come and support the Wesley Bell Ringers in their music ministry.

News From the Rocky Mountain Annual Conference

NEW IRA Tax Law Effects Charitable Giving

The Law is called the Pension Protection Act of 2006 and is the first time in our lifetime that the U. S. government has al-lowed money saved by individuals under the tax-deferred provi-sions to escape tax entirely. Jack Ford, Conference Treasurer, Rocky Mountain Confer-ence, United Methodist Church, writes: Two things--First, this is a new provision that was signed into law by President Bush in August, 2006, it has not been around for too long. Second, you do not have to itemize to take advantage of this new provision! There are three criteria necessary: 1. You must be 70 and 1/2 years old or older and are required to take a minimum required distribution from a qualified IRA. When I was in financial planning, we estimated about 12% of the assets were required to be distributed. Your administrator or tax person can calculate it more accurately. People who put a lot of money into 401(k) provisions are included, but the money must be in a specific qualified (tax-deferred) plan. It is my un-derstanding that all IRA's qualify, but not annuity plans. 2. You cannot receive the money and send it on to the church, that would require you to declare it as income and itemize your deductible gift. You must direct the administering company to send it directly to the church.

3. The church or wherever you send the money must qualify (certain family charities do not) and acknowledge and receive the gift from you, so you have proof of the minimum required distribution, but it does not show up as income and does not need to be itemized. The simple tax form will do. For example, if you have $500,000 in a qualified IRA, and are now reaching age 70 1/2, you must start taking distributions from this fund and pay taxes on it. Using the estimate of 12%, you would be required to take $60,000 and pay federal and state taxes, probably at the 28% level, plus state taxes of about 5%. You may want to do that, but by following this procedure, you direct the administering company to pay whatever amount of this you want to a qualifying charitable organization (a church) directly. The church receives the money and acknowl-edges it to you and it is not income for you to report, but it is income that meets the minimum required distribution require-ment. Therefore, its tax-free! If you give less than $60,000, you would have to pay taxes on whatever amount that you were required to take and did not give directly through this process to a qualifying charity. Jack Ford, Treasurer Rocky Mountain Conference of the United Methodist Church Jack@rmcumc.com You can find more information about this type of giving on our website at christmethodistchurch.net.

Growing Leaders for Growing Churches::

A One-Day Workshop For Training Leaders in

Local Churches

Saturday, January 20, 2007 Christ UMC , Salt Lake City,

The second annual training event is designed to provide both lay and clergy leaders in local churches with tools and tips for leading their congregations in the coming year. The workshops are targeted at some of the key areas of leadership from age-level and program ministries to resource committees like Staff-Parish Relations.

“Growing Leaders for Growing Churches” is the perfect event for training new and existing lead-ers in these areas. Led by local clergy and laypersons, as well as several leaders from the Rocky Mountain Conference, each workshop will provide plenty of opportunities for questions and dia-logue, enabling us to learn from each other.

Check out the list of workshops and bring your church’s leaders for this great day of fellowship and learning!

Event Location: Christ UMC -- 2375 E. 3300 South, Salt Lake City, UT

Date: Saturday, January 20, 2007 from 8:30AM to 3:00PM

Cost: $15 per person with pre-registration ($20 at the door). Includes lunch.

KEYNOTE SPEAKER: Heather Wilson, Field Representative for the Western Jurisdiction from the

General Board of Global Ministries. Heather spoke at Annual Conference this year and is a dy-

namic communicator with a passion for missions. She will lead our worship time in the morning

and lead two workshops during the day.

Non-Profit Org. U.S. Postage

PAID Permit No. 1315

Salt Lake City, UT 2375 East 3300 South Salt Lake City, Utah 84109

Christ United Methodist Church

Phone: 801 486-5473 Fax: 801 486-4480 Email: news@christmethodistchurch.net

We’re on the web www.christmethodistchurch.net

New Year's Blessing From the CUMC Staff During 2007 may you have. Enough happiness to keep you sweet; Enough trials to keep you strong; Enough sorrow to keep you human; Enough hope to keep you happy; Enough failure to keep you humble; Enough success to keep you eager; Enough friends to give you comfort; Enough faith and courage in yourself, your business and your country to banish depression; Enough wealth to meet your needs; Enough determination to make each day a better day than yesterday.

Address Service Requested