What’s Inside

First United Methodist Church109 S. HarperPoteau, OK 74953

Non-Profit Org.

Permit No. 40

Poteau, OK 74953

Address Service Requested

VOLUME 21 NO. 12 DECEMBER, 2013 SERViNg gOD 120 YEaRS

The United Methodist News

The United Methodist News

(Continued on page 6

PASTOR TO PEOPLE

REV. KYLE CLARK

Sunday School9:30 A.M.

Morning Worship10:30 A.M.

Church Calendar ................... 2Finance Report ..................... 2Preschool .............................. 3News of Youth ....................... 3Kids’ Korner .......................... 3Prayer Shawl Ministry .......... 3Sympathy Note ..................... 3Blue Christmas Service ....... 4United Methodist Women .... 4Cards of Thanks ................... 4Birthdays, Anniversaries ..... 4Christmas Quiz ..................... 5Poinsettias ............................ 5Christmas Love Offering ...... 5Living Christmas Story ........ 6Membership Care ................. 6

Holidays and Holy Days

“The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not overcome it.” John 1:5

We are staring eye to eye with yet another year’s holiday season and all the business (or is it busyness?) and stress that goes along with the holidays. Regardless of the business/busyness of the season and the exhaustion that will follow, people need holidays. They are a break from the routine of everyday life.

The ancient Babylonians, Romans, Greeks, Native Americans, and pretty much everyone else knew this: they celebrated days that gave meaning to their beliefs and provided a respite from the hunting and gathering and herding and plowing that made up most days. The Church also understood this, often adapting the celebrations of other cultures and giving them a Christian spin.

In the seventh century Pope Gregory sent a missionary named Mellitus to the land that we now call England with instructions to recast the holy days of the heathens into Christ-centered celebrations on the grounds that they would be more easily converted if they knew they did not have to give up their holidays. It may have been cultural imperialism, but it was effective.

Christians that follow the liturgical caledar (that includes United Meth-odists) start their liturgical year on the first Sunday of Advent, which is December 1 this year. (You didn’t know to expect a Happy New Year in December, did you?) I love the season of Advent. It is a time of promise and anticipation, of expectant waiting for the presence of God among us. Advent has its own set of preparations and rituals. Many families make advent wreaths, a circle of four candles surrounded by greenery or other decorations, and perform a ritual lighting of one candle each night the first week and an additional candle for each succeeding week. In this way they bring the Advent sense of holy waiting into their daily lives.

Christmas marks the end of Advent. Many Christians celebrate Christ-mas with candlelight services on Christmas Eve. Some even celebrate the event the very moment of its arrival by attending midnight services. Imag-ine the church, the worshippers in the pews waiting expectantly, each

AnnualDrive Through

LivingChristmas StorySunday, Dec. 8

6 to 8 p.m.

1 Katie Redhage and Demi Gilliam 8 Nathan Murray and Nathan Clark15 Wyatt Holt and Tabi Zabala22 Kyson Hardaway and Daniel Ambriz29 Kendrick Hardaway and Kanaan Hardaway

ACOLYTES

PAGE 2 DECEMBER 2013

THE UNITED METHODIST NEWSPublished by the Communications Committee

Carol Baker, EditorFIRST UNITED METHODIST CHURCH

109 S. Harper, Poteau, OK 74953Telephone 918-647-2217

e-mail: rogers2006@windstream.netwebsite: www.poteaufumc.com

Sunday School 9:30 a.m. • Morning Worship 10:30 a.m.Weekly Communion 9:10 a.m. except first Sunday

Bishop Robert E. HayesDistrict Superintendent Darrell CatesSenior Pastor Rev. Kyle ClarkDirector of Youth Ministries Kimberly HardawayDirectror of Children and Family Ministries Tracy HoskinsDirector of Music Ministries Steve ClarkAdministrative Assistant Reenea ThompsonLead Nursery Attendant Jayla CraigOrganist Wendy KellyCustodian and Door Opener Jason Dering

District web page: www.gbgm-umc.org/mc-dist/

1 Pat Shelton and Taryn Shelton 8 Charles and Marilyn Meek15 Ben and Judy Curtis22 Judy Peerson and Liz Perry29 Paul and Amanda Wilson

1 LOGOS kids will be singing during worship. Potluck lunch and “Hanging of the Greens,”

following morning worship. Bring a dish, share a meal, and help us decorate the church. Children are encouraged to bring a decoration with their name on it for a special Children’s tree.

Oaks Nursing Home Service, 2 p.m. 2 UMW meeting and covered dish lunch, 10:30

a.m. 8 Youth-sponsored Christmas Photo Shoot

following morning worship Drive Through Living Christmas Story, 6 to 8

p.m.10 Night of Carols Concert, 7 p.m.15 Choir’s Christmas Medley at morning wor-

ship service17 Scouts Christmas Party, 7 p.m.18 Blue Christmas Service, 6:30 p.m.21 Free Neighborhood Breakfast, 8 to 10 a.m.22 Youth Progressive Dinner24 Early Christmas Eve Candlelight service (kid

friendly) at 5:30 p.m. Traditional Midnight Candlelight Service

11:00 p.m.24 & 25 Church office closed

MORNING WORSHIP GREETERS

DECEMBER CHURCH CALENDAR Worship Bulletin Deadline: 10 a.m.ThursdayNewsletter Deadline: Third Friday of month

Poteau F.U.M.C. Report for October 2013Average Attendance Figures for October: 138

2013 Budget Requirements: $400,000.00Needed for Budget Each Week: $7,692.31

Needed through October: $330,769.33October Receipts: $75,702.92

October Expenditures: $35,198.03 New Building Fund Figures:

Deposits: $1,584,961.47Expenditures: $2,578,463.08

• SUNDAY •UMYF (CHAOS), 5 p.m. – 7 p.m.

• MONDAY • Christian Preschool Monday – Thursday8:30 - 11:30 a.m., Education Building

• TUESDAY •Cub Scouts, 6 p.m., CFLCBoy Scouts, 7 p.m., CFLC

Treble Choir Rehearsal, 6:30, Choir Room

• WEDNESDAY • LOGOS, 3:30 p.m., CFLC

Celebration Choir Rehearsal, 6 p.m.Women’s Bible Study, 6:15 p.m.

(Last Day is Dec. 4)

• THURSDAY •Senior Café, 10 a.m. - 12:30 p.m., CFLC

Girl Scouts, 4:00 p.m., CFLC

• FRIDAY •Church office closes at noon

On January 18 the McAlester District Re-ignite Workshop at McAlester First United Methodist Church will feature keynote speaker Bishop Robert Hayes.

DECEMBER 2013 PAGE 3

News of YouthBy Kimberly Hardaway

News of YouthBy Kimberly Hardaway, Youth Director

ByTracey Gilliam,

Preschool Director

Anyone who knows of someone who would benefit from a prayer shawl, whether a church member or not, should call Cindy Brody at 918-385-1542 or the church office at 647-2217.

(See Cards of Thanks, pg.4)

Women’s Bible Study

UMYF (CHAOS) meets Sunday evenings from 5 to 7 p.m. and is for all youth 6th through 12th grade. The schedule is as follows:

DECEMBER 1 Regular Meeting 8 Christmas Photo Shoots after worship Living Christmas Story, 6 to 8 p.m.15 Christmas Shopping Trip to NW Arkansas,

12:30 to 9 p.m.22 Christmas Progressive Dinner, 5 to 8 p.m.29 No meeting

• • •Christmas Card Photo Shoots Offered!

On Sunday, December 8th following morning worship, the youth will be offering photo ses-sions for your Christmas card photos.

For $5 (single location) or $10 (multiple lo-cations), high quality shots of you and/or your family will be taken at various beautiful loca-tions around our church (i.e. by Christmas tree, in Narthex, with poinsettias, etc.)

The shots will then either be emailed to you for printing or single prints made for you to have Christmas cards developed.

The Christmas Story will be the main theme at Preschool this month. The memory verse for December is “God’s Son is born for us.”

We will be focusing on the shape star, the number 7 and the color green. The letters A-J will be reviewed throughout December.

Preschool Christmas programs will be held on December 18th and 19th in the sanctuary at 10:30. Everyone is welcome.

There will be no preschool December 23rd through January 4th. Preschool will resume on January 6th, 2014.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

Kids’ KornerBy Tracy Hoskins

Director of Children and Family Ministries

Our love and sympathy is extended to the family of Dora Baldwin who passed away recently.

Our Sympathy

CALLING ALL ARTISTS AND CRAFTERS! Anyone who would like to help add some piz-

zazz to the classrooms in the Education Wing, please give me a call. I’d like to get started on it soon!

CANNED FOOD DRIVEOur kids are collecting canned goods for the

holiday meals that are provided by the DAV. Canned goods can be brought during LOGOS and Sunday School until December 22, 2013.

LOGOS HOLIDAY CELEBRATIONPROGRAM

The holiday program will be December 11th at 6:30 in the sanctuary. Come enjoy and sup-port our LOGOS kids as they perform a Holiday Musical.

LOGOSLOGOS is coming to a close for this semester,

but we will start back fresh on January 8th. We will continue to provide a wonderful Christian nurturing experience for our kids. We can al-ways use more help.

I would love to have a couple of more Table Parents, a few more clean up crew members and I definitely need someone to work with the 4/5 grade and middle school aged kids during their game time. The game schedule is on a rotation basis with two weeks on and two weeks off.

Cleaning crews work once a month for a to-tal of three times a semester. If anyone could fill any of these positions, great! Let me know! Many hands make light the work.

Please contact me, Tracy Hoskins, if you have questions or would like to fill one of our needs.

As always, I am available for suggestions. I’m around the church Mondays, Wednesdays and Thursdays. Come see me. My office is next to the Education Wing.

Prayer Shawl Ministry

1 Ed and Cindy Brody 3 Charles and Marilyn Meek 4 Marvin and Janet DeSpain13 Mike and Lindsay Murray14 Fredrick and Nina Ritchie17 Brian and Mandy Roberts18 Henry and Rozelle Hardaway19 Kyle and Kimberly Hardaway23 Joe and Connie Sabatucci26 Joe and Martha Renfro

1 Connie Sabatucci 2 David Roberts, Marilyn Johnston, Ted

Kilgore, Mike Sullivan and Tatum Shelton 4 Judy Moore, Adrianna Johnson, Sam Shore 6 Jaydon Bandy 7 John Perry 8 Virginia Stanley, Shelley Johnson and Dale DeCamp 9 Sheri Zabala10 Jason Bandy11 Jamison Shackelford12 Jo Gee, Curtis James, and Cole Forsberg13 Bryan Gilliam14 David Redhage15 Peggee Werline16 Julie Lee, Judy Peerson and Kyle Matos18 Justin Hebert and Jarot Garner19 Morgan Bandy21 Vera Bullock23 Donna Kendrick and Bob Reynolds24 Becky Fruen25 Gary Brown, Jr., Seth Garner, Steven

Sockey, Heather Emery, and Holley Ambriz28 Jim Skelton29 Joe Sabatucci30 Jerry Thompson31 Rosalind Kendrick and Ronnie Oehlschlager

PAGE 4 DECEMBER 2013

December Anniversaries

December Birthdays

Cards of ThanksUnited Methodist Women

By Dorothy James,UMW President

Many, many thanks to all who participated in helping to make the UMW Conference meet-ing on Oct. 4th and 5th a success. Everyone across the state of Oklahoma who attended were impressed with our youth and the kind-ness by everyone.

And many thanks again to all who helped to make our annual Fall Festival a success for our local and global missions. It was very much ap-preciated.

A Blue Christmas service is planned for Wednesday Dec 18th.

Christmas can be a painful time for some. It may be the first Christmas without loved family members who have moved away or recently died; it may be a time that has always been difficult or painful for any number of reasons.

The constant refrain on radio and television, in shopping malls and churches, about the happiness of the season, about getting together with family and friends, reminds many people of what they have lost or have never had. The anguish of broken relationships, the insecurity of unemployment, the weariness of ill health, the pain of isolation – all these can make us feel very alone in the midst of the celebrating and spending.

For many, this is not a happy season. Our spirits sink, as days grow shorter. We feel the darkness growing deeper around us. We need the space and time to acknowledge our sadness and concern. We need to know that we are not alone. We need encouragement to live the days.

If you are one for whom this time of year is painful, First United Methodist Church in Poteau offers a special “Longest Night” or “Blue Christmas” service Wednesday Dec. 18 at 6:30 p.m.

Everyone, regardless of church background (or lack of it), is invited to join with us as we pray for hope and comfort for ourselves and each other, as we reflect on our pain through scripture, as we remember our loved ones and as we are reminded that God’s presence is especially for those who mourn, are struggling and are alone. We are assured that God’s Word comes to shine light into our darkness.

Blue Christmas

Dear Poteau First United Methodist Church,I want to thank you very much for the prayer

shawl that was delivered to me. I use the prayer shawl continually because I have to sit all day in my recliner because of my disease. May God richly bless you all for your kindness!

Jeff Mattox

Thank you so much for thinking of Walter and sending him the special lap blanket. We also really appreciate you taking such good care of our daughter (Terri Martin) and her girls (Heather and Kelsey)!

Walter and Lorene Johnson

DECEMBER 2013 PAGE 5

(Continued from page 1)

Answer the following questions withoutopening your Bible.

1. Jesus was born a. at night b. in the morning c. at an unknown time 2. Jesus was born a. in a stable b. in a manger c. at an unknown place 3. The shepherds found Jesus a. in a stable b. in a feed-bin c. in a house 4. The Magi found Jesus a. in a stable b. in a feed bin c. in a house 5. Angels a. sang a beautiful song b. terrified farm workers c. told the wise men to go home another way 6. A star a. appeared on the night of Jesus’ birth b. guided shepherds to the manger c. led the Magi westward 7. The animals mentioned at the manger in-cluded a. ox, donkey, sheep, cows, doves b. pigs, lobsters, shrimp c. none of the above 8. The weather at the birth of Jesus was a. not mentioned b. moderate to warm c. snowy 9. When the shepherds arrived, Jesus was a. asleep on the hay b. wrapped like a mummy c. not crying 10. The posture of the shepherds when the an-gel appeared was: a. seated on the ground b. lying in the fields c. not mentioned

ANSWERS: 1. c – The time of the birth of Jesus is nowhere

mentioned. Many carols seem to suggest he was born at night, including “O Holy Night” and “Si-lent Night”

2. c – The exact place of the birth of Jesus is nowhere mentioned. He was placed in a manger, but that does not mean he was born there (very unlikely-nearly physically impossible!) or even in a stable (stables would have been unlikely in a town).

3. b – A “manger” is a feed-bin. 4. c – Matthew’s account mentions only that

Jesus was born somewhere in Bethlehem and that the wise men found him in a house.

5. b – Luke says that the heavenly host SAID

(not sang!) “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth, peace to people of good will.” The Magi were warned by a dream to go home another way. “An-gels We Have Heard on High” says the angels sang this. “Silent Night” has the angels singing some-thing that at most one angel said-”Christ the Sav-ior is born.” No angels are recorded to have said or sang “Alleluia” (also attributed to them in “Silent Night”) in the biblical birth stories.

6. c – The Magi were from the East, and de-pending on how one translates the Greek, the star was either in the eastern sky, or the Magiwere describing the fact that they saw it “at its rising” (astrological term). In either event, since they were from the East, they had to go west (counter to the star if it was in the East!) to get to Judea.

7. c – No animals are mentioned as being at the manger. We are not told what the shepherds did with their sheep. “What Child Is This” and “Good Christian Friends, Rejoice” mention “ox and ass.” “The Friendly Beasts” mentions the others listed in a. The animals in b were unclean and would not have been anywhere near a Jewish settlement.

8. a – The Bible says nothing directly about the weather. Snow would have been unlikely if sheep were out in the fields; but other than this, we are not told. “Snow had fallen, snow on snow,” and “a cold winter’s night that was so deep” are both Northern hemisphere fictions.

9. b – Swaddling clothes were rather like a “body wrap.” There is no mention in Scripture what else was in the manger, if anything. Scripture also nev-er says Jesus never cried as a baby. “Away in a Manger” says both a and c.

10. c – “The First Noel” says the shepherds are “in the fields where they lay keeping their sheep,” and “While Shepherds Watched Their Flocks by Night” has them “all seated on the ground.” The Bible doesn’t tell us.

Christmas Story Quiz

Christmas PoinsettiasPoinsettias to beautify the sanctuary can be

brought or delivered to the church the morning of December 13 or after. (Office is closed at noon on Fridays). They will beautify the sanctuary on Sunday, Dec. 15 and Sunday, Dec. 22.

The Soccer boys of the church are taking orders now for poinsettias for a fundraiser. By purchasing your poinsettia from them, they will all match and create a lovely display. Of course you can purchase elsewhere if you choose.

Contact Kim Hardaway or Tami Matos to order from the boys or for more information.

Staff Love OfferingWe are very blessed at Poteau First United Meth-

odist Church to have an excellent staff who work very hard inministry and service to the community. We would like to present them with a “Christmas Love Offering” to express our sincere appreciation for a job well done. Contributions will be accepted through Thursday, December 19th. Please desig-nate your gift “Christmas Love Offering”.

PAGE 6 DECEMBER 2013

holding an unlit candle. Darkness falls upon the room and a hush across the crowd. The cel-ebrants enter bearing a lit candle that they use to light a small group of others; these in turn are used to light other candles until everyone is holding a small flame. This is a beautiful rit-ual, a symbolic representation of the coming of Christ: the one flame is ultimately the source of the sea of other flames now shining around the room, just as Christ came into the darkness of a world searching for God and lit the flame that now shines in all lands.

Traditionally, Christmas Day is only the be-ginning of the Christmas season. You know the Twelve Days of Christmas is more than just a song? Christmas, the liturgical season, actu-ally stretches from Christmas Day until Janu-ary 5th. The next day, January 6, is the Feast of the Epiphany, which is a two-for-one holiday in the Church: it celebrates the coming of the Magi bearing their gifts to the Christ Child as well as Jesus’ baptism in the River Jordan by John the Baptizer. Both are moments when God’s love embodied in Jesus is recognized by others.

That love is what these holidays are about, ultimately. Throughout the Advent and Christ-mas season, gifts are given, parties are attend-ed, eggnog is consumed, trees are decorated; the standard Western materialistic take on Christ-mas is fully at work. But the Church calls us to remember that this is not what these seasons are about. In fact, this sort of materialism is not what any holy day is about. Yes, people need holidays, but we also need holy days: not just a break from doing the everyday things, but a break from thinking in the everyday ways.

So this holiday season, may we be reminded that the sacred exists right here in the midst of the secular. May we take from this holiday sea-son a new perspective for every day. You see, ev-ery day we remember (or should) that God has come to us, that something wondrous occurred in the past and that something wondrous is tak-ing place here in our present. If we can remem-ber this, then every day becomes a holy day.

Happy Holy-Days

Adapted from a blog post by Dr. Cynthia Stew-art. Dr. Stewart has taught courses in Christian thought, theology, philosophy and medieval studies.

(Pastor to People, cont.)

Each Christmas the congregation signs cards which we mail/deliver to those on our care list. Cards need to be returned to the church no later than Monday, December 16th. Christmas cards and names of those on our Membership Care list are available in the Narthex. The Membership Care Committee will be collecting your signed Christmas cards the next two Sundays, Dec. 8th and Dec. 15th.

You may use your own cards or take cards from the basket in the Narthex. You don’t have to write to everyone on our list, but please take the time to write a personal note.

We will deliver the cards to the following:Vera Bullock Eloine Crews

Jim and Ruth Ann DeCampSlim Durham

Mildred EastonDartha Garner

Jo GeeJack Hammond

Sam HarrisMarilyn Johnston

Ted KilgoreDana Lee

Trudie MathiesWayne Moore

Bessie MorelandChristy OehlschlagerDorthea Sue O’Neal

Jean PottsJoe Renfro

Betty RidenourShirley Rodgers

Jim ShoreDon Spoonemore (Debbie Clark’s father)

Joe K. ThomasThe Membership Care Committee will meet

at 1:00 in the CFLC on the 18th to sort the Christmas cards from the congregation and deliver them before Christmas.

Membership Care Christmas Cards

Living Christmas StoryThe Living Christmas Story will be presented

from 6 to 8 p.m. on Dec. 8. It is one of the most popular events of the Christmas season.

In order to make it possible, many people from our church are needed to prepare for it and to take their turn as characters in the scenes.

It is a wonderful experience for those in it as well as all those who come to see it.

Please say yes if you are asked to participate. You are needed! If you are not asked, please call the church office and volunteer. Thank you!