Volume 53, No. 12 CIRCUIT RIDER December 2, 2016

Hey church! We are hard-core back into the world of cartoon movies in my house. Introducing the kids to some of the oldies, like that Robin Hood with all the animal characters, of course the new ones like Zootopia and The Good Dinosaur. In another year or two it'll be time to watch Aladdin. Do you remember that song "Make way, for Prince Ali!" with Robin Williams promising we're going to love this guy? Now that you have it stuck in your head, you're welcome. : ) I do wonder, though, how good we are at making way. Sitting on a kiddie train, riding past a nativity scene with an admittedly huge baby Jesus, the only comment the mom behind me made about Jesus to her kids was, "There's something wrong with that baby." What part of Jesus do we make way for? How much of Him and His story will we let in? The earliest Christians weren't called Christians, and their religion wasn't called Christianity. It was called The Way, since Jesus announced himself as "the way, the truth, and the life". You are the only one responsible for your priorities, what you make way for. My hope for you this Advent, leading up to Christmas, is that you'll make way for The Way. Take a look at the bar on the left for all this month’s events. And please be in prayer for our upcoming capital campaign. We'll be hosting meetings and sending out surveys in January, and really get underway in a big way in February. Be looking in the mailbox next week for more information about the campaign. Christmas peace and joy!

Coming events… Friday, December 9th 7:00 pm Family Movie Night (Elf) Saturday, December 10th 7:00 pm Encounter Student Ministries’ Progressive Dinner

Sunday, December 11th 8:45 am Traditional Christmas Cantata presented by the Chancel Choir 11:00 am Contemporary Christmas Cantata presented by the Praise Band Saturday, December 17th 5:00 - 7:00 pm Jingle Jam event Saturday, Christmas Eve Dec 24th 5:00 Children’s Contemporary Service 7:00 pm Traditional Worship Service

Look inside for more information on the above events and other activities

Our vision is to bring Jesus from the margins to the center

in ministry for and with neighborhood families

Beckett James Choma

Nov 9, 2016

6 lb, 11 oz; 20 inches

Parents:

Ryan & Tiffany Choma

Proud Grandparents:

Bill & Diana Choma

and

Toni Moore

Great-grandmother:

Barbara McFarland

Chelsea Jewel Mortellaro

Nov 10, 2016

7 lb, 6 oz; 20 inches

Parents:

Carrie Sommerfield

&

Chuck Mortellaro

Proud Grandparents:

Mike & Pat Sommerfield

Siblings:

Allori and Mason Knapp

Welcome our newest staff member Jeana Boswell!

Jeana Boswell has joined the staff of Asbury as Custodian. Jeana has been a part of Asbury for several years. She has been active in the Blankets & Blessings ministry since the beginning. She has participated with our Sager Brown Ministry, and is a member of our Hearts & Handbells music ministry. Jeana currently lives in Atascosita with her husband of 25 years and their son.

Welcome Jeana!

Children’s Ministry Happenings..

Come join us in Club 252 Sunday School and WOW this month as we’re learning about Joy -- finding a way to be happy even when things don’t go your way. Even though we try to find joy through our stuff, or our vacations, or our relationships, joy isn’t dependent upon any of those things. Joy is about being content beyond our circumstances. We can have joy when we recognize that God’s plan is greater than our own. Joy is a response to our trust in God. We look forward to celebrating this joyous season together! Our KidsLIFE group (K-5th grade, 5-6:30 Wednesday evenings) will meet until December 14th, and then resume meeting again after the New Year. Look for more information in the bulletin and on our church website to see what we’ll be digging into as we learn more about the Bible through fun games, skits, and activities! December is packed full of fun things to do! Join us for Family Movie Night on Fr iday, December 9 at 7 pm as we show the family favorite, “Elf”! We’ll have hot cocoa and cookies as a special treat! Then, on Saturday, December 17, we’re having our “Jingle Jam” event from 5 to 7 pm. Come hear the Christmas story told as never before, enjoy a meet and greet with Santa, craft activities, and sweet treats! We’re busy casting the Christmas pageant, and are looking for budding actors and actresses to perform on Christmas Eve at the Children’s Service at 5 pm. You can sign up in the Main Hall, or contact me directly. See you at church! Serving an Awesome God,

Allison

We seek to honor our covenant through our Prayers, our Presence, our Gifts, our Serving, and our Witness...

PRESENCE . . .

Sunday, November 6, 2016 8:45 am Worship Service 105 11:00 am Worship Service 128 Sunday, November 13, 2016 8:45 am Worship Service 75 11:00 am Worship Service 114 Sunday, November 20, 2016 8:45 am Worship Service 87 11:00 am Worship Service 138

Sunday, November 27, 2016 8:45 am Worship Service 72 11:00 am Worship Service 119

Prayer Concerns:

Continued Prayers for: Charlie Bissonnet - recover ing at home Marge Colello - Paramount Jackie Gaw - undergoing Cancer treatment Joe Martinez - undergoing Cancer treatment Sydney Payne - recovering from heart transplant

Please pray for our members and friends affected by cancer and other health concerns as well as all family members and friends currently serving in the Military.

A weekly updated list of prayer concerns can be found in the Main Hall on the table to the right, before you enter the sanctuary.

General Fund Snapshot

2016 Budget $500,940.00

Received thru 11/27/16 $397,596.86

Still Needed: $103,343.14

Thanks Received… Dear Asbury, We would like to thank all those who participated in our annual Turkey Quest ministry this year. We collected food for about 90 families to be able to celebrate Thanksgiving this year. Thank you to all those who collected the food, helped put together the boxes of food, and those who delivered them. Blessings: Albert & Sue Janda

Dear Church Family:

It is with greatly mixed emotions that I am writing to let you know that I have taken another ministry position and will be leaving Asbury UMC at the end of the year. I have been offered the opportunity to work full-time in children’s ministry, and will begin serving at Deer Park UMC effective January 1. Serving in ministry with you here at Asbury has been an incredible blessing. I am so very grateful for the dedicated, tireless and enthusiastic support I have received from each of you over these past 2 years. My prayer is that Asbury UMC continues to grow and flourish, and I am certain that with the amazing leadership of Pastor Lindsay, you faithful church members, and God’s guidance, great things will continue to happen here! Thank you for allowing me to be a part of your children’s faith journey. It has been a great honor to serve this congregation.

Serving an Awesome God, Allison