Rev. Tim Bracken

From the pastor November 26, 2014

Our Staff:

● Pastor……………….,,,,,,,……..,,.Rev. Tim Bracken

● Minister to Sr. Adults,…,,,,,……..,,,Rev. Pat Hogan

● Administrative Assistant………..……....Molly Near

● Financial Secretary………………….....Mae Wilkins

● Director of Children’s Ministry………......Jill Ingram

● Director of Youth Ministry..……….....Hope Tellifero

● Chancel Choir Director…………..…..Dr. Jim Burns

● Pianist…………………………..……...Tausha Plate

● Organist……………………..………….Terry Barger

● Maintenance Director…..……………...Chris Offrey

● Maintenance……………………...……...Jeff Smith

● Director of CDC…………………….….Cathy Smith

● Director of PDO……………………...Rachel David

● Assist, Director of CDC/PDO…………Karon Steve

Thankful! As we celebrate Thanksgiv-ing this week we remember all of the blessings that we have in our lives, just as our forefa-thers and mothers gave thanks to God for making it through a harsh Winter. Very rarely do we have such extreme circum-stances in which to be thank-ful. We should give thanks because we above all people are blessed beyond measure. Even very simple things like our next meal, a warm or cool house, an automobile to take us wherever we want to go, clothes to spare, a church home and friends and family who love us – simple yet we consider very basic and essen-tial. We know, however, that many in our world, our coun-try and our community have none of these things. There will be no family gathering

and too much food for many in our community. We are in-deed blessed and have reason after reason to be thankful. Yet, we say this every year and we really do mean it, but does that really have anything to do with how we live? Do we live as thankful people? Do we sometimes, even if just a little, take pride in our blessed-ness as if we really had any-thing to do with it? It is difficult to be an American. We are so blessed that we believe who we are and how we live is nor-mal. I wonder what our great-great grandparents would say about us? I am thankful for so many things in my life and if God did nothing more to bless me for the rest of my life He would have still been too generous. This Thanksgiving let us re-member the simple things in

life and treasure them as great gifts from God. Let us do all that we can to wake each morning giving thanks for all that God has done for us and in us!

Staff Christmas Gifts The Staff Parish Relations Committee is asking for your help by giving a monetary gift for our church staff. All monies will be collected and divided among the staff. You may give through December 21

st. Thank

you in advance for supporting our church staff.

Need Something in

the Newsletter?

The church newsletter is printed every

two weeks. Any information wished to

be entered is to be submitted no later than noon the Tuesday before it is

printed and mailed/emailed.

Newsletter request forms are located in

the church office. Information turned in

after this time will not be included until

the next newsletter is printed..

Turn in information for the next news-

letter by noon December 9

This will be the last newsletter of the year.

First United Methodist Church Cleveland, TN

FACTS FROM FIRST

and Communion at 6:00 PM

December 3, 10, and 17

Noon Eucharist at 12:00 PM

Compline at 8:00 PM

Bereavement group

Gad-A-Bout Christmas

Breakfast with santa

Confirmation

Thursday, December 18th

at 7:30 PM You won’t want to miss this night of beautiful music!

Confirmation Prayer Partners 2015 Confirmation is fast approaching! We have at least

6 confirmands and each one is in need of two prayer

partners (1 age 20-35, 1 age 35+). The only pre-requisite

is church membership or desire to join the church along

with the students. Partners will each co-teach one ses-

sion and have the opportunity to learn with the

confirmands. Could you commit to one hour (6-7 pm)

on Sunday nights from Nov. 30—April 5?

On December 3rd at 11:30 AM we will meet

at Longhorn’s for lunch. Please call Evelyn Brunson at

473-8694 for reservations. Anyone who has lost a

loved one and/or a good friend is welcome to join us.

Saturday, December 13th

9:00—10:30 AM Bring the whole family for breakfast! Mr. and

Mrs. Claus will be here for pictures and gift

requests! Each person attending is asked to

bring a canned food item for donation to

The Caring Place. More info to come!

As part of our support for Arnold Memorial Elemen-

tary (our partner school) we will be shopping on

Monday, December 8th for 6 deserving families.

These are families that otherwise wouldn’t have

Christmas. If you would like to help, checks should

be made to the church and marked “Arnold Xmas.”

Your giving is appreciated!

Metropolitan Bells

Christmas Shopping

Thursday, December 4th at 1:00 PM

Down Home Christmas

On Friday, December 5 from 5:00—9:00 PM our

youth will provide activities for kids 5th grade and

younger. We will have crafts, games, and pizza!

Funds will go to the Senior Czech Mission Trip.

Please RSVP to Hope.

Coat drive This year we will be a drop off

point for The Caring Place

Community Coat Drive. We will be collecting new and gently

used coats for all ages from now through

December 31st. Coats may be brought to the church

and placed in the marked box located in the Narthex.

Childcare fundraiser

December 21 at 6:00 PM

This is one of our favorite Christmas activities, as we

get to hear church members and friends of all ages

perform various selections. If you have a song, poem,

drama, reading, dance, or instrumental piece you

would like to share with us, this is your invitation! You

may either email Jim Burns at jim@clevelandumc.com

or call the church office. One presentation per person,

please. The program will be kept to roughly an hour.

Choir Musical Our Chancel Choir will present its

Annual Christmas Musical on Sunday

morning, December 7th. The choir will be joined by

the hand bells, children’s choirs, and a variety of

instruments to celebrate the theme “Gloria, Gloria”

in settings ancient & modern.

India Mission Trip The India Mission trip has been scheduled!

February 22 through March 4, 2015

The cost will be $1,700 which includes round trip

tickets, food, accommodations, and trip to the

Taj Mahal. Contact Kellie Bracken if you are

interested or need more information.

December 11, 2014 at 6:00 PM The Friendship Circle will be selling

tickets for $13.00 after services on

November 30 and December 7.

UMW Christmas Banquet

December 20th at 6:00 PM

Christmas Caroling Wednesday, December 17

5:30 PM Everyone is invited to join us in

spreading Christmas cheer! We will

meet at the church at 5:30 PM. After

singing, the Murphy Memorial SS

Class will have hot cider, hot choco-

late, coffee and sweets!

“I will be loyal to the United Methodist Church and do all in

my power to strengthen its ministry by my prayers, my presence,

my gifts, my service, and my witness.”

Our Prayers Long Term Prayers

Don Alley

Debbie Ambert

Maxine Baker

Doris Burns

Kaye Coultry

Bill and Carol Creech

Austin and Mary Glen

Davis

Lois Ellis

Karen Fisher

Gil Frederick

Toye Gibson

Mike Goodman

Renee Henderson

Clint Hutto

Rusty Johnson

Megan Jones

Our country, our leaders,

and our troops

Bev Johnson and Family

Family of Bruce Hensley

Family of Audrey Mitchell

Family of Charlotte Heron

Family of Robbie Gobble

Family of Thomas G. Sey-

mour, Jr.

Jordan Dempsey

Nancy Lane

Betty McLain

Mary Cozart

Tilley Philips

Helen Leach

Gary Farner

Jenny Chatam

Andy Lowe

Joyce Mary Howard

Sunday School Worship

11/16/14 79 214

11/23/14 77 213

Our Presence

Our Gifts Budget Receipts 11/16/14 17,506.58

Receipts to date: 605,240.23

Expenditures to date: 545,239.51

Receipts/Expenditures + or [-] 60,000.72

Budget to date: 673,428.10

Budget Receipts 11/23/14 10,402.86

Receipts to date: 615,643.09

Expenditures to date: 553,637.91

Receipts/Expenditures + or [-] 62,005.18

Budget to date: 687,161.10

N O T I F Y T H E C H U R C H O F F I C E T O A D D O R R E M O V E N A M E S F R O M

T H E P R A Y E R L I S T .

HAPPENING THIS WEEK

Elaine Larson

Ruth Lee

Dalton Markcloud

Larry and Barb Miller

Gail Ownby

Una Poe

Melissa Rhodes

Bradley Sink

Stuart Switzer

Janice Tate

Judy Watts

Joan Wheeler

Sunday, November 30

7:30 AM Sanctuary Open for Prayer

8:30 AM Early Worship-Communion

9:30 AM Sunday School

10:45 AM Morning Worship-Communion

5:00 PM First Youth

Monday, December 1 5:30 PM District Christmas Banquet

6:00 PM Scouts

Tuesday, December 2

11:00 AM Staff Meeting

Wednesday, December 3

10:00 AM Experiencing God

11:30 AM Bereavement Group Lunch

12:00 PM Eucharist

6:15 PM Experiencing God

6:15 PM Chancel Choir

7:30 PM FUMC String Band

8:00 PM Compline

Thursday, December 4 1:00 PM Gad-A-Bout Christmas Banquet

2:00 PM District Re-think Meeting

6:00 PM Scouting Committee Meeting

6:00 PM District Re-think Meeting

6:30 PM Friendship Circle

Friday, December 5

5:00 PM Youth providing Childwatch

Saturday, December 6

8:00 AM UMM Breakfast

Our service Prayer Team: Buddy Simpkins

Ushers: John Wilkins, Head; Phil Newman, Jerry Clevenger,

Mark Lay, Don Wood, Mark Grissom

Sonshine Kids: Katie Simpkins and Nina Wentz

JAM: Jill Ingram and Holly Vincent

Altar Flowers—sign up outside the church office.

UPCOMING EVENTS: ● December 7—Choir Musical, Elan

Circle

● December 8—Christmas Shopping

● December 9—Staff Meeting, May

Dooley Circle, Martha Hall Circle,

Seekers Circle Christmas Party

● December 10—Eucharist, Last

Wednesday Night Activities, Com-

pline

● December 11—UMW Banquet,

District Re-think Meeting

● December 12—St. Andrew’s SS

Class Party

● December 13—Breakfast with San-

ta, Youth Mission Day

● December 14– Youth Christmas

Party

● December 15—PDO Christmas

● December 16—CDC Christmas

● December 17—Eucharist, Christ-

mas Caroling, Murphy SS Class

Party, Compline

● December 18—Metropolitan Bells Open hearts, open minds, open doors...the people of the United Methodist Church.

Non-Profit Org.

U. S. Postage

PAID

Cleveland, TN

Permit No. 321

Return Service Requested

3425 Ocoee Street North

Cleveland, TN 37312

423-476-4504 Fax 423-476-4505

www.clevleandumc.com

FIRST UNITED

METHODIST CHURCH

Child Development Center

Phone 423-478-1426

To the Mary Diana Samuel Home In memory of Charles Hurley:

Frank and Pat Calfee

In memory of Sarah Grace Tellifero:

Frank and Pat Calfee

In memory of Anne Cooke:

Frank and Pat Calfee

To the FUMC Library In memory of Russell and Karen Musgrove:

Bob and Nancy Boyd

To Holston Home for Children In memory of Harold Thomas Phillips, Sr.:

Judy Biggs and Holli Collins

To the Landscaping Fund In memory of Anne Cooke:

The May Dooley Circle

Gifts to the Church