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Tracyton United Methodist Church—PO Box 127—Tracyton, WA 98393

5153 Naomi St—Bremerton, WA 98311

Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat

1

Brownsville Tree Lighting 6:00pm

2

Coffee Oasis 3:30pm

3

4

Tree Lighting 5:30pm

5 6

Nominations 5:30pm

7 8 9 10

UMW Unit 10:00am

11 12

13

Finance 5:30pm Church Council 6:30pm

14 15 16 17

18

(Return Angle Tree Gifts)

19 20

SPR 5:00pm

21

Longest Night 7:00pm

22 23 24

Dinner 6:00pm Candlelight Service 8:00pm

25

Service in Brownsville 11:00am

26 27

Trustees 5:30pm

28 29 30 31

DECEMBER 2016 Phone#

360-

373-

6425

Like

Us

On

Facebook Visit us at www.tracytonumc.org

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Advent, 2016

Beloved Church!

The other day I was reminded of a dream that’s stuck with me for a couple decades. At the time, I wrote it down, and set it aside. I won’t tell you the whole dream, but it involved the wearing of masks, and took a decidedly northwest coastal Native American flavor. To accomplish my mission to the powerful Bear people, I wore the mask of a Bear, carved in the style of the Tsimshian people with whom I lived as a child in southeast Alaska.

It was, like some northwest masks, hinged. The face of the Bear could split open, revealing an inner mask. The inner mask could open as well, to reveal my human face.

If I had not worn the bear mask, I would have been in great danger when I entered the sumptuous home of the bears; they would not have received me at all, they would have eaten me. Yet at some point, I would need to reveal the inner mask, and at some point, also reveal my human face.

The biggest mystery to me in that dream is: What was the inner mask? I did not know, and I still do not know.

I’ve been told that the dream is important, shamanic. When it is the right time, I will meditate on it. The right time will come.

Today, though, at the beginning of Advent, that dream launches me to Christ-mas, to the mystery of the Incarnation: the mission of God to humanity, the mission of God to be for us wholly, truly and unreservedly human, yet still bearing the unknow-able mystery, and underneath it all, when all masks are lifted to reveal the reality underlying and surpassing all images, the One whose creative spark lights up the cosmos.

Today, the dream reminds me that deeper, far deeper than all the wrappings with which we hide the event, it’s not going to be a psychologist or a scientist who catches the holy mystery in words. Emmanuel, God-with-us, as Isaiah said. Or, the Word of God, the Light that shines in the uncomprehending darkness, as John put it. Or, the Love that moves the sun and all the stars, the words of wonder with which Dante closed his Divine Comedy. Or, No words. No words to describe it. Poetry! They should've sent a poet! (That last quote, of course, Jodie Foster’s character, Dr. Arroway, in the film, Contact.)

That which is deepest and most essential in all the universe, far beyond the power of words to express or thoughts to comprehend, chooses to come to us, to be among us, to be one with us, to be available for us, and, when the time is right, to open to us (even to us!) wonders beyond all imagining.

We’ll need to send a poet.

Love,

December 2016

Wes

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We designate the first Sunday of the month as

“Food Bank Sunday”

But we gladly except donations anytime.

October Totals 438 lbs. of food and $40

November Donations 85 lbs. Of Food

Your generosity means a lot to many families.

for the year so far 1331 lbs. of food and $1115

We will be able to continue this monthly mission for a while longer

thanks to your generous donations the next first Friday is December 2nd.

We feed between 20 & 30 kids. Even with sale shopping and discount

pricing it still costs between $100 and $150 a month.

They are always looking for volunteers and mentors. Check out their web page at

https://thecoffeeoasis.com/ or like them on Facebook

Any and all financial donations marked “Coffee Oasis” are greatly appreciated.

The Gleaning Table Will be closed for the season!

We have had a wonderful verity of items this year appear on our Gleaning Table from spices to cookie jars, from plants to produce we would like to thank those

who were able to leave a donation to missions. Our Gleaning Table earned $103.50

TUMW Charity Knitting Group Will resume their monthly meetings beginning on the 3rd Sunday (the 15th) of January. If you would like to join this group of talented, giving and creative folks

please call Sally Klein for more information.

Tracyton United Methodist Woman Year End Wrap-up

The final meeting of Tracyton UMW for the year of 2016 is tentatively set for Saturday

the 10th of December at 10:00am. We will dicuss the year end finances and decide

where and how our monies should be distributed. Please come and add your voice.

First

Friday

Fest

Christmas Day Worship

Brownsville UMC at 11:00am

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We need donations of

cookies and brownies

for the Tree Lighting

Party on December 4th

at 5:30pm.

You can drop them off

at the church anytime

during office hours

right up until the

party!

December 21st at

7:00pm

Dinner at 6:00pm

Candle light Service at

8:00pm

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Want to help change young lives in our community? You can do that by donating food for families in need in our community at our third annual Winter Food Drive this Saturday, from 9 am - 4 pm at the new Saars Super Saver Store on Wheaton Way (located at the old Albertson/Hagan's store). Look forward to seeing you there-

If you can help with this ministry to families in need, please call Libby Correll at 698-9082.

We need more volunteers to pack backpacks. The volunteer time is minimal. TUMC packs backpacks the third Friday of every month, starting in October. It takes under two hours. The

more volunteers we have, the shorter the time it takes to pack.

Kids Day at the library Thursday December 1st starting promptly at

2pm.

Tracyton Community Library invites children of all ages to join them. There’s make and

take crafts and of course there will be a story or two maybe even some yummy treats.

Be sure to come join in the fun! If you need more information call 377-3571

L

I

B

R

A

R

Y

L

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B

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A

R

Y

Hats,

Gloves

and

Scarves

You will find

the coat rack

in the

narthex for

hats, gloves

and scarves

for the

homeless. It

is starting to

get cold out

there.

Holiday Food Cards

Thanks to your generosity, TUMC was able to provide grocery store gift

cards for Thanksgiving to four families. We are now collecting toward

Christmas food cards. Please mark your donations “Holiday Food Cards”.

On December 4th the Angle

Tree will be up and decorated

with children’s tags. Please

take one or more tags from

the tree and make a child's

Christmas happier.

When you take a card, please

write your name, phone num-

ber and tag number on the

paper provided under the

tree.

If you would like to give a gift

but are unable to shop, you can

donate money marked "angel

tree" and one of the Missions

Team members will purchase

the gift for you.

Please return

wrapped gifts to the

church by December 18th.

The gifts and food cards

will be available for pick up from the

21st -23rd.

Angel Tree

Classes begin at

7:45am

Facilitated by

Chaplin Ed Carroll

Everyone is

welcome to come!

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If you have not designated

TUMC as your Charity of

Choice this year you may have

to revisit

https://www.fredmeyer.com/

account/update

DON’T FORGET TO USE THAT FRED MEYER REWARDS CARD TO HELP SUPPORT

TRACYTON UMC!

Year to Date Total “$166.37”

By signing up at iGive.com

and then doing your online

shopping thru the site, you generate

a donation for

Tracyton UMC

for every online purchase you make!

If you are an Amazon Shopper there

are ways to shop thru iGive.com and

have your purchases generate

donations to TUMC.

Think about it...Every little bit

counts…it only takes a couple of key

strokes...go to

http://www.igive.com/TracytonUMC

and sign up

Each week the

children meet

downstairs

after the

Sunday

Service!

approximately

45 min.

December Liturgists

4th Bonnie Chrey

11th Kathy Bogue

You are invited to

bring flowers to decorate

the Altar. If you have a special occasion or remembrance of a

dear one you would like to acknowledge

or you just want to assist in making our Sanctuary a place of beauty to share with

each other, call Marilyn Winterowd

and she will schedule a Sunday for you.

377-6650

18th Jim Klein

24th To be Announced

Our

Prayer

Group

meets on

Thursdays at

7:45am

Arts and Crafts

Group meets every

Third Wednesday

of the month-December 14th–

at 6:30pm. This group is

always open to having new

people join them, check it out!

Prayer Shawl Ministry

meets here at Tracyton UMC

on the second Monday of the

month at 2:00pm.

There will be no meeting in December

If you have any questions contact

Debbie Atkinson at 613-0488

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Susie

White For

being

such an

Sally Klein

For Leading

by Example

Daddy

For Being in

the Navy

Marsha M

For Her

Caregiving

& Love

Mom & Dad

For Raising

us Right

Kris

For being there

to listen

My

Grandfather

For Being a

Marine

Ed & Kim

Carroll

For Leading

Sunday School John & Dotty

For Their

Dovotion

to each

Roger

For his

Generosity

Katherine

and Don Jansen

For Being

Wonderful

friends

TUMC

For the

Congrega-

tions

Friendship Pastor

Wes

and Kathy

For their

Wisdom and Love

Amy

For Her

Friendship My Family

For Food,

Shelter and

Support

The TUMC

Kids For

Chal-“Where have

you seen God

at Work” Reminds

me of all the

“God Moments”

Lyla

For Her

Support &

Information

A new thing here at TUMC are the Gratitude Cards that can be filled out and put in the offering

plate on Sunday. These help us to remember that our Church needs more than just our financial

support. The cards give us an opportunity to express our gratitude for the talents and actions of

some of those around us. Below you can see examples of edited versions of the Gratitude Cards that

are posted on the mirrors in the front hallway. Please take the time to read the originals!

Leaves of Thankfulness and Gratitude

December is a month when we give thanks for God's gift of Christ in our lives. We exist as a church to share that gift with the world. Please help us continue that work

by submitting your pledge of giving. Your Finance Team depends on your yearly pledge to plan our budget and our programming for the year. If you haven’t yet turned in your pledge you can find a card on the table in the Sanctuary. You can drop your completed card into the Offering Plate. And remember, if you need to

modify your pledge anytime during the year all you need to do is notify the church office or Elaine Cook, our Financial Secretary.

Thank you for your continued generosity. May it be extravagant, as God's gift to the world is extravagant.

Have you returned your 2017 Pledge yet?

Roberta

For her amazing

Talent and Cheerful

Atitude

Barbara Johnson

For Faithful,

Cheerful, Service

Veterans

For their

Service

Libby

For All she

does for

missions

Abby For

Always

Stepping Up

There once was a Shakespearean actor who was known everywhere for his one-man shows of read-ings and recitations from the classics. He would always end his performance with a reading of Psalm 23. Each night, without exception, as the actor began his recitation "The Lord is my Shepherd, I shall not want"... the crowd would lis-ten attentively. And then, at the

conclusion of the psalm, they would rise in thunderous ap-plause in appreciation of the actor's incredible ability to bring the verse to life. But one night, just before the actor was to offer his customary recital of Psalm 23, a young man from the audience spoke up. "Sir, do you mind if tonight I recite Psalm 23"?

4 Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me.

5 Thou preparest a table before me in the pres-ence of mine enemies: thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over.

23 The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want.

2 He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters.

3 He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name's sake.

6 Surely goodness and

mercy shall follow me all

the days of my life: and I

will dwell in the house of

the LORD for ever.

the Psalm. When he was finished, there was no applause. There was no stand-ing ovation as on other nights. All that could be heard was the sound of weep-ing. The audience had been so moved by the young man's recitation that every eye was full of tears. Amazed by what he had heard, the actor said to the youth, "I

don't understand. I have been performing Psalm 23 for years. I have a lifetime of experience and training, but I have never been able to move an audience as you have tonight. Tell me, what is your secret?" The young man quietly replied, "Well sir, you know the Psalm. I know the Shepherd."

The actor was quite taken aback by this unusual request, but he allowed the young man to come forward and stand front and center on the stage to recite the Psalm, knowing that the ability of this un-skilled youth would be no match for his own talent. With a soft voice, the young man began to recite the words of

"Well sir, you know the Psalm. I know

the Shepherd."

P S A L M 2 3 R E A D I N G

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"Sir,

do you mind

if tonight

I recite

Psalm 23"?

A most courteous and

unassuming child

T r a c y t o n T i d i n g s

Psalm23 (KJV)

After talking to the staff

at Benedict House, the problem

may be solved. If church mem-

bers could just deliver the food,

the men could prepare and serve

it. Some of them have worked in

food service and have a Food

Handler's card. Others are in

cooking classes at Olympic Col-

lege. Although this solution is

not as effective as personally

spreading God's love to

these men, it will be better

than not serving them at

all.

If you have any comments

on this decision, please

contact Libby Correll at

698-9082 or

libbycorrell@msn.com

* Try saying "I'm sorry" when you ought to * Tell a child how great they are * Sing a song about Jesus to yourself * Keep a promise * Call someone just to say hello * Try listening more than talking

* Stand up for what you believe in * Thank God for His beautiful Creation * Encourage someone who is feeling down * Cherish today as if it were your last one * Tell someone about Jesus -- Author Unknown

* Smile at a stranger * Drop a coin where a child can find it * Learn something new and teach it to someone * Tell someone you love them * Hug someone * Forgive someone who has wronged you

B e n e d i c t H o u s e

U P L I F T I N G T H I N G S T O

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Post these

things to do on

your morning

mirror and try

to do as many

as you can each

day!

A few weeks ago a ques-

tionnaire about continuing

to serve Benedict House

was passed around in

church. The result was

divided opinions. About

half of the congregation

voted to continue and half

to abandon the mission. It

did not lead to a definite

decision.

Monday Wash Day

Lord, help me wash away all my selfishness and vanity, so I may serve you with

perfect humility through the week ahead.

Tuesday Ironing Day

Dear Lord, help me iron out all the wrinkles of prejudice I have collected through the years so that I may see the beauty in others.

Wednesday Mending Day

O God, help me mend my ways so I will not set a bad example for others.

Thursday Cleaning Day

Lord Jesus, help me to dust out all the many faults I have been hiding in the secret corners of my heart.

Friday Shopping Day

O God, give me the grace to shop wisely so I may purchase eternal happi-ness for myself and all others in need of love.

Saturday Cooking Day

Help me, my Savior, to brew a big kettle of brotherly love and serve it with clean, sweet bread of human kindness.

Sunday The Lord's Day

O God, I have prepared my house for you. Please come into my heart so I may spend the day and the rest of my life in your presence.

Worship Time 9:00am

T r a c y t o n U n i t e d M e t h o d i s t C h u r c h

D e c e m b e r 2 0 1 6 T r a c y t o n T i d i n g s

D e c e m b e r 2 0 1 6 T r a c y t o n T i d i n g s

We are a multi-generational community growing together in the grace,

love and service of God. Children are always welcome. Should you desire, a nursery is

available for children 5 years and under

Tracyton United Methodist Church PO Box 127 5153 Naomi St Tracyton, WA 98393

360-373-6425 church@tracytonumc.org www.tracytonumc.org