December 2009

518 North 19th StreetBirmingham AL 35203 www.firstchurchbhm.com

ConnectionsFirst Church Newsletter

an OPEN place for ALL to WORSHIP, GROW, and SERVE

What Are We Waiting For?

Grace and Peace,

As I write this article, I am basking in the remembrances of wonderful worship. The Community Thanks-giving Service was an experience to savor. Joining together with St. Paul’s United Methodist Church and Sixteenth Street Baptist Church for an evening of worship, food and fellowship created a moving and memorable spiritual experience. I suspect I will reflect on that experience of worship for many years to come. What a blessing it was, and is, to have been present for that wonderful experience of worship.

I left the service feeling both exhilarated and sad. I was exhilarated from the magnificent experience of God’s children gathered together in worship in celebration of our uniqueness and our common bonds in Christ. I was sad that I had not worked harder to convey what you would miss if you were not present. This was the fourth time since I arrived at First Church that I was aware of feeling sad that I had not been more impassioned in my encouraging people to make the effort to be there for a special service. What a blessing was missed, which cannot be recovered.

The first time I felt the regret was after the combined service in the Loft area on “City Stages Weekend.” Ethel Gibson referred to that service as a “WOW!” The second time was after the church-wide prayer service on August 9th. What a wonderful intimate experience it is whenever a community is gathered to-gether in a time of prayer. The third experience was after the Vesper Service led by the women of the choir on November 1st. What a serene, beautiful, and peaceful experience of worship the women of our choir provided that evening. To be in each of these services was to be blessed in a unique and unforgettable way.

Advent is a time of waiting for what is promised. There are special worship services scheduled for the Advent Season, each promising experiences that draw us closer to the Holy One. Hear now the invitation to experience firsthand the WOW, the intimate, the serene, the memorable – hear the invitation to experience God.

First Church Birmingham, an open place for ALL to Worship.

FEAR

The music of Christmas will give the whole First Church family the chance to celebrate the coming birth together on December 13 at 11:00 in the Sanctuary. Our three morning congregations will join in singing hymns and carols with the accompaniment of members of the Alabama Sympho-ny Orchestra. The central musical offering of the combined service will be John Linton Gardner’s Christmas Cantata, a work that sets some old familiar Carols, and a few we don’t often sing, in some new and interesting ways.

The Chancel Choir began working on the music for this service back in Septem-ber, and they’re still hard at work learning some very challenging rhythms as

Gardner applied them to such familiar carols as “Angels We Have Heard on High” and “Good Christian Men Rejoice.”

But don’t let the thought of unusual rhythms scare you off! The service also includes some of our

warmest and most familiar songs of the season, so that together we can look for-ward to the birth of the Christ Child making all things new – especially our hearts.

FEAR

FIRST CHURCH CHILDREN’S MINISTRY

City Kids

fear NOT

Musical - Dec. 6th - 6:30 p.m.firstCHURCH

BIRMINGHAM

City Kids Choir Presents

Join us on December 6 at 6:30pm for a behind the scenes glimpse as the angels prepare to bring the Christmas message to earth. This delightful retelling of the Christmas story by our City Kids Choir is something you will not want to miss. The choir has been hard at work preparing this special presentation for their church family. After all - there’s never been an-other night like the one when the Fear Not messengers pierced the starlit skies.

Fear Not

The Festival of 3 Kings is rap-idly approaching. It will be held on Saturday, De-cember 12. Please help make a deserving child’s Christmas memorable by being willing to purchase gifts for him or her. Whether it be your family, your Sunday School class, your Circle, or just you and some friends, please help make Christmas 2009 memorable for these children in the DHR system. To participate, please email Brian Murphy at brianmurphy01@hotmail.com or call him at 999-2010. There will also be information available after the church services prior to the event. Please have all your gifts returned to the church by Friday, December 11. If you would like to par-ticipate at the event on December 12, contact Brian and tell him as well.

For many members of First Church, the Christmas Eve Service is their favorite worship experience of the entire year. The combination of being on the brink of the Christmas event, gathering in candlelight with the entire congregation and possibly extended family, presents a special envi-ronment for worship. Celebrating through song, Scripture, prayer and Holy Communion in an environment rife with hope, anticipation, excitement

and love provides a recipe for a powerful experience. This is truly an exceptional worship service.

As we near the Christmas Eve Service, plan to do two things:

1) attend the service2) invite friends

This service is too spe-cial to keep to ourselves. There are people that you know who will be grateful that you invited them to experience such a profound Christmas celebration.

Thanks for making this a great Christmas

for these children!

Deepen Your Advent Experience

- Ginger Harvill, Library Committee

This book is perfect for those who love the Holidays but would like to celebrate them without all the stress and exhaustion. St. James offers 100 tips on how to make this your happiest Christmas ever.

Simplify Your Christmas by Elaine St. James

The Jesse Tree by Raymond & Georgene Anderson

The Advent Jesse Tree by Dean Meador Lambert

The ADVENTure of Christmas by Lisa Whelchel & Jeannie Mooney

Advent Storybook by Antonie Schneider, Maja Dusikova, & Marisa Miller

The Very First Christmas by Paul L Maier & Francisco Ordaz

Gain a fresh perspective on the Advent Season. Learn about the Jesse Tree. These two books make great resources for exploring the reason behind the Jesse Tree and the symbols that decorate it. Based on scripture from both the Old and New Testa-ments, the twenty-five symbols explain God’s redemptive plan and the spiritual heritage of Jesus. Jesse Trees make unique holiday decorations and can even become conversation pieces when you’re entertaining visitors during the Holidays.

This book of fun activities will brighten the Season for your little ones. Included are cake and cookie recipes, instructions for making wreaths and decorations, and so much more. Suggestions are also offered on how to turn the activities into teachable moments.

Eight year old Chris asks his mother to tell him a bedtime story about real people. She responds by placing a nativity set beside his bed, then reading to him from the Bible about the first Christmas

In this book, donated to our library by Nancy Hornsby, we meet Ben-jamin Bear, an impatient little tyke who can hardly wait for Christ-mas. Mother Bear solves the dilemma by becoming a storyteller and offers up 24 delightful tales that help him prepare for the big day. The artwork in this book makes it even more appealing.

Looking forward, mark your calendars now for Sunday, December 6. The City Kids Choir will present their Christmas musical at 6pm. The children are working hard on this and look forward to performing for their church family. Be sure to come out and support your City Kids Choir.

COLLISIONs t u d e n t m i n i s t r i e s

Over the last month, Colli-sion Student Ministries par-ticipated in a series based on our church’s identity statement, “an open place for all to worship, grow and serve.” Our main focus was to evaluate how we can bet-ter worship, grow and serve personally and as a youth group. While focusing on worship, the students sat in silent reflection in the sanc-tuary, experiencing a quiet worship through the word of God. Students then trav-eled to the Chapel where they shared communion in a very intimate setting. Wor-ship wrapped up on the roof, where students worshiped through songs and prayer under the stars. Students were asked to walk away with one main point from our worship experience; we were created to worship a powerful and loving God with our lives and that wor-ship predominantly takes place outside of church in our homes, in our schools and in our communities.

We then shifted from worship to growth. Growth centered on the student’s personal growth in their relationship with God and numerical growth within our youth group. While discussing spiritual growth, students were asked to examine their relationship with God. I have always encouraged students to ask themselves this question, “Is my faith dynamic or is it stagnant?” My hope is that they may always seek out a dynamic faith, a faith that is ever-changing and ever-growing. When speak-ing of numerical growth, students were asked to read the Great Commis-sion that Jesus gave to his disciples. They were asked to make the verse, “go and make disciples of all na-tions”, a real part of their everyday life. This verse should challenge students to be open and empowered to invite students to church from their schools and in their communities that may

not know God and do not have a church home. True growth happens when stu-dents embrace a dynamic faith and are willing to sim-ply reach out to a friend.

We wrapped up our series the last Sunday night of November with serv-ing as our focal point. To serve as the church, the true church Christ describes throughout scripture, is our calling in downtown Bir-mingham, Alabama. This means getting out of our comfort zone and ultimate-ly being more active in our downtown community. I am hopeful and confident that our students will fully embrace the idea that to serve others is to love oth-ers, just as Christ loves us.

May we all continue to figure out what it means to be an open place for all to worship, grow and serve in the heart of our city of Birmingham.

“ True growth happens when students embrace a dynamic faith and are willing to simply reach

out to a friend.”

The College Ministry of First Church is now a year old! Every second Sunday of the school year we treat our college students to lunch after the 11 am wor-ship services. We started this year off in September at Mellow Mushroom with 45 students and church members in attendance. In October we stayed on site and had Taziki’s cater in a deli-cious lunch. Surin West on Southside was the site of the November lunch which was enjoyed by all. In December we will Ho, Ho, Ho to Rojo on Highland Avenue for some good food, fellowship and Christmas wishes. Our group has grown considerably over this last year and we hope it will continue to grow with the addition of a new Director of College and Singles Ministry.

College Ministry

GroupsAdult Small

Our adult small group ministry has grown this year to include a variety of short term and long term classes on Sunday nights as well as a new women’s group that is meeting every Tuesday at noon at the church. We are looking forward to launch-ing a new slate of Sunday night classes on January 10, 2010. Here are some classes that are being formed in the new year: Yoga, Living Your Strengths and a prayer/support group reading Receiving the Day: Christian Practices for Opening the Gift of Time. In addition to these we are working on a joint venture with the David Matthews Center in Tuscaloosa on a six week study on Health Care Reform.

Class descriptions and sign up sheets will once again be available in the Dining Room beginning in late December.

If you have any questions or suggestions, please contact Nancy Hornsby @ Nancy@firstchurchbhm.com

* Forty-Seven (47%) percent of the pledges received thus far, represent an increased pledge!

* At a time when most churches are hoping to hold steady, First Church is seeing signs of a growth in giving.

* The pledges received thus far show a monetary increase of ten (10%) per-cent when these same pledges are compared to last year.

* Eleven percent (11%) of the pledges received are New Pledges.

* Additional good news is also coming from the Budget Committee and the Board of Trustees, who have plans in place that will enable us to cut

more than $25,000.00 from our fixed costs through renegotiation of con-tracts and eliminating services we do not need.

I know that seeing “Good News” and “Financial” in the same headline is a rare sight these days, but we believe in a God who provides manna in the desert, water from rock, and calls forth life from death. Our Covenant Commitment Campaign has experienced tremendous initial success. Allow me to share some numbers you can feel good about:

First Church cannot be everything it ultimately could be, without YOU.

An Oasis in the Desert -or - Good Financial News!

I am grateful for the diligent work of so many people at First Church, and am thrilled with the number of people who have committed/re-committed to support the church with their prayers, presence, gifts, service and witness.

If you have not turned in your Covenant Card, don’t delay any longer. Come be a part of an exciting time in the life of this wonderful church.

December

December - 6th Second Sunday of Advent4:30 Advent Study Groups Children and Youth Activities

5:30 Supper

6:30 Children’s Christmas Musical

December - 20th Fourth Sunday of Advent4:30 Advent Study Groups

5:30 Christmas Dinner Followed by Children, Youth and Adult Parties

December - 27th 9:00 Christmas Breakfast

10:00 Combined Worship Service

December - 13th Third Sunday of Advent11:00 Combined Worship Service Chancel Choir Program

4:30 Advent Study Groups Children and Youth Activities

5:30 Supper

6:30 Joyous Sounds of Christmas

Calendar of Events

Gifts Received by the ChurchTo the Memorial Fund To the Choir Fund

To the Radio FundTo the Library Fund

In Memory of Dorothy McCauley Batesfrom George W. Bates

In Memory of Virginia Cookfrom Andrea and Larry Whitehead

In Memory of Bill Williams on his 71st Birthdayfrom Bruce and Beverly Williams

In Honor of Ted Cramer and in Memory of Fay Cramerfrom Barbara and Ed Dismukes

In Memory of Quinton Bowersfrom Lita B. Hensley

In Memory of Greg Mestlenfrom Mary Vaughn

In Memory of Elsie Traweekfrom the Bethany-Bible Study Class

December - 24th 5:00 Carol Sing and Candlelight Communion Service

In Memory of A.L. Benefield, Jr.from Larry Ward

On the third Thursday of every other month First Church serves a meal at the Firehouse Shelter, a homeless shelter for men in downtown Birmingham. Their Mission: “To provide to homeless men in the Birmingham area a nurturing and caring environment while empowering each individual to reach his full potential.” Each December we serve Christmas Dinner at the Shelter. We need YOUR HELP on December 17th to bring food and to come and serve either in the Kitchen or at the tables. To volunteer contact Rev. Griff Pemberton (griff@firstchurchbhm.com) or Larry Caine (lcaine@safewayins.com)

Fire House Shelter - Christmas Dinner

Business Side of things

55+ Club

First Church Christmas Dinner

On Monday, December 14, 2009 , the Stewardship and Finance Com-mittee will meet at 5:15 pm in the Wesley classroom. The Administrative Board will meet 6:15pm in the Wesley classroom. There will be a meeting of the Charge Conference immediately following the Administrative Board meeting. All members of the Administrative Board are members of the Charge Conference and should be present for this annual meeting. The meeting is open to anyone who wishes to attend.

Please plan to join the First Church family for dinner on Sunday evening December 20th at 5:30 p.m. This is always a joyous gathering! Those with last names beginning with A-M are asked to bring desserts and those with last names beginning N-Z are asked to bring vegetables.

The Fifty-Five Plus Club will meet Mon-day, December 14. Bible Study will be at 10:30am followed at 11:00am by a program of Christmas music presented by Anne Wheeler. Lunch will be served after the program. All are welcome to attend. Guests are requested to make lunch reservations with Sara Clark (879-6234) by Tuesday, December 8.

First Church Announcements

Save the Date - City Kids

The Music and Art Camp last June was a great success and we would love for you to be a part of the 2010 Camp, so mark your calendars now for June 7th - 11th ! This year we will have a new name: City Kids Art Camp!

firstCHURCH

BIRMINGHAM

an OPEN place for ALL to WORSHIP,GROW, and SERVE

firstCHURCH

BIRMINGHAM

518 North 19th Street • Birmingham AL 35203205-254-3186 • www.firstchurchbhm.com

Sunday Schedule

8:45 - Beginnings Service (ST. JOHN’S CHAPEL)

9:30 - Sunday School

11:00 - The Loft (Modern Worship)

11:00 - Sancutary (Traditional Worship)

4:30 - Small Groups, Collision, & City Kids Choir

5:30 - Dinner

6:30 - Advent Worship Services

If you have something you would like to put in the newsletter or any questions or comments please email: Info@firstchurchbhm.com

Senior PastorKeith Thompson

PastorNancy Hornsby

PastorGriff Pemberton

Youth DirectorJonathan Goss

Children’s DirectorLinda Underwood