From Our Pastor’s Desk:

"Make a joyful noise to the Beloved all the earth; break forth into grateful song and sing praises! Yes, sing songs of praise extolling Love’s way; lift up your hearts with gratitude and joy!” Psalm 98

Joy To The World!, a beloved Christmas classic in the European tradition enjoys its 300th birthday this year! Isaac Watt’s interpretation of Psalm 98 unites us all to sing a “new song” and it is a powerful cosmic performance of all creation being renewed and freed through love. Is “joy” another word for, “happiness”? Or is it possible to find joy in the midst of suffering, the work of justice and the presence of compassion – all part of the coming of Jesus to this world as we sing the message of joy this world so dearly needs? We will seek to wander in joy that reaches higher, expands wider, and digs deeper that what we might have imagined.

This Advent season let us travel a road of seeking and recognizing joy in our midst – even where we least expect to find it. In case you like to read ahead:

Dec 1: Hopeful Joy Is. 2:1-5, Romans 11-14

Dec 8: Repeat the Sounding Joy: Loving Joy Ia. 11:1-10 Matt 3:1-12

Dec 15: Make the Blessings Known: Unabashed Joy Is. 35: 1-10 Luke 1: 46b-55

Dec 22: Make the Nations Prove: Peaceful Joy Is. 7:10-16 Matt1: 18-25

Dec 24: (Christmas Eve) The Lord is Come: Incarnate Joy Is. 52:7-10 Ps. 96 Like 2:1-20 (candle light service)

December 29: Wonder of His Love: Compassionate Joy Matt 2: 13-23

With grace and peace and JOY! Rev. Robin Blair, DMin

Sunday Worship Schedule 9:00 AM Sunday Worship 10:00 AM “Coffee Time”

We are a Christ-centered ministry based on faith, hope and love.

Faith: Eternal life through Jesus Christ

Hope: Saved by grace

Love: Following Christ’s commandment to love all neighbors as ourselves

Rev. Dr. Robin Blair revrobinblair@gmail.com

315-729-4485

Pastor Robin’s Sabbath is Friday Pastor’s Office Hours in the E. Bloomfield UMC:

Tuesdays & Wednesdays, 9:00 - noon, and by appointment

Ron Bennett Betty Chapple Doris Daniels Mary & Jim Dunne Mel Inglesby Shirley Kelly Helen Mc Combs Ron Milton Elaine Parrish Leona Parrish MaryAnn & Cliff Pimm Cathy Weld Rev Tom Wickett Our home-bound Those battling disease Our military men and women in all places

“Prayer at Noon” each day, wherever you are, for

those on our prayer list, our nation, the world …

Faith Connections – December 2019 Ionia United Methodist Church

2120 Elton Rd., Ionia, NY 14475 585-657-6984 www.ioniaumc.org

Our 2019 Advent/Christmas Events

Advent Study- Monday evenings, 6:30 PM & Wednesday mornings, 9:00 AM

1st Sunday of Advent: Dec. 1

st,

Advent Brunch, 10:15AM & then Decorate our church afterwards!

Poinsettia Order Deadline, Sunday, Dec 8th

Saturday, Dec. 14th, 4PM: Pot Luck

& Movie “The Nativity Story” with popcorn, & then to the Honeoye Falls Christmas Parade at 6:30

Christmas Food Baskets

Tues, Dec. 24th Christmas Eve Services

Ionia UMC 6:00 PM and East Bloomfield UMC 7:30PM

Christmas Day!

Tues., Dec 31, 5pm: Watch Night/New Year’s Eve Pot-Luck & Games!

Advent Flowers for our Altar Order your flower(s) by Monday, Dec. 3

rd Payment by

cash or checks made out to Ionia UMC Place your order in offering plate, or call Mary at 657-7722. 6 ½” Poinsettias @ $ 7.55 in red, pink, white, marble 6” Christmas Cactus @ $ 7.55

Sundays, 10:20 AM “The True Christmas Story” - Ray Vander Laan’s “Faith Lessons” DVD series, held after our time of fellowship following our worship service.

Monday evenings & Wednesday mornings Bible Study for Advent: Monday evenings, 6:30 pm at the IUMC! We will look more deeply at the scriptures for Advent as we ponder the coming of Emmanuel. Join us for any and all: Dec. 2, 9 or 16! Or, Wednesday mornings 9:00 AM at E Bloomfield UMC in the library.

Free Advent devotionals online from Pittsburgh

Theological Seminary. Download from this link: https://www.pts.edu/UserFiles/File/resources/Publications/Advent%20Devotional%202019/Advent%20Devotional%202019%20-%20Print.pdf

Advent Offering Envelopes are available at

church and are enclosed with this newsletter. Please

place it in the offering plate or mail it to PO Box 8,

Ionia, NY 14475

Holiday Fair Craft Show

We had another very successful craft show & candy booth! Each year the show is definitely a gift to our community & the crafters! The day is full of the true holiday spirit. Thank you to all who helped with the show and candy booth! - All those who taped out the booth spaces Friday evening, those who helped the crafters unload, who worked at the candy booth & at the lunch, those who made candy, & everyone who did all the other jobs that help make it all a success! We made about $ 7,000!

Ways to Share at Christmas: Give a Blessing Tree Gift! Hug someone!

Random Acts of Kindness! Giving of yourself!

Christmas Dinner ingredients! A friendly “Hello!” Donating to a worthy cause! A smile!

UMCOR – US Disaster Response – Advance # 901670 www.umcor.org call 888- 252-6174 or by check payable to Advance GCFA with Advance number on the memo line & mail to: Advance GCFA, PO Box 9068 GPO, NY, NY 10087-9068 100% goes to the relief effort! You are able to make a year-end gift to your favorite UMCOR mission project online at: UMCMission.org/Givelove

Habitat for Humanity - 3040 Co. Rd #10, Canandaigua 14424 or 121 Habitat Street Americus, GA 31709-3498 www.hfhoc.org

Heifer Project – www.heifer.org – gives animals to give people a new life - mail to: Heifer International, PO Box 8058 Little Rock, AR 72203-8058; or call: 1-800-855-848-6437

Salvation Army - PO Box 510, 110 Saltonstall St, Canandaigua 14424 salvationarmyusa.org

Operation Christmas Child & their other relief projects. Samaritan’s Purse, PO Box 3000, Boone, NC 28607; samaritanspurse.org

Open Door Mission – care for the homeless PO Box 14236, Rochester 14608; 454-6696; www.opendoormission.com

Asbury 1st UMC – Asbury Storehouse – they

give clothing & food to those in need in Rochester 1050 East Ave, 14607 www.asburyfirst.org

Church Joys! Check out the renovated ladies rest room! Thank you, Don Frelier! Our church filled 17 shoeboxes with items for children who have very little in the US & around the world through Operation Christmas Child. Thank you to all those who helped and took food to the firemen at Gilbride’s fire. Sydney Layton & Cooper Thompson performed in the Bloomfield Musical in November!

Ad Board Meeting: Tuesday, December 10th, 7pm

Sunday, December 29th Monthly Pot-Luck Brunch

(Note day of the month change to the last Sunday!) Bring a dish to pass.

Table service & beverages will be provided.

Our church continues to share God’s love with others in many ways – through volunteers & monetary donations. For more information about our mission projects & how you can help, contact Carol Hinds 657-7310 or Pete Baldwin 831-0429

The Food Cupboard outreach program

Able to help out? Aware of an emergency need? Call Mary Ann & Cliff Pimm, 905-5299 or 369-5917.

Our Veterans’ Dinner Mission

On the 2nd

Monday of each month, our church prepares & delivers a dinner to the Veterans’ Club house on Foster St., Canandaigua. Please sign up to prepare or deliver the dinner to Canandaigua. Call Dorothy Strapp 657-7598 to help! Let’s continue this worthwhile mission to our veterans!

“It's more than just the birth of a baby in a manger 2,000 years ago. Christmas is a universal celebration of God in our lives every day.”

Ruth Stafford Peale

Drop off your clean “NY State deposit” Pop Cans & Bottles for our Missions into the crate behind the

church. The redemption money will be used for our church’s missions!

Happy December Birthdays!

1 Myrna Belding 2 Mike Giessler 3 Carlie Burse 4 Terry Parrish 5 Anita Robinson 6 Jason Baldwin

Sara Price 7 Bambi Talley 19 Craig Vary 20 Abigail Frelier 23 Terry Dunlop 24 Shirley Kelly 25 Larry Evans 28 Kristen Washburn 29 Colleen Sullivan 31 Bruce Semmler

Ministry Directory Ad. Board Chairman: Bambi Talley 905-1309

Financial Sec.: Norene Adams 624-5463

Food Pantry: MaryAnn & Cliff Pimm 369-5917

Missions: Carol Hinds 657-7310 and

Pete Baldwin 831-0429

Newsletter Editor: Mary Twardokus 657-7722

Sanctuary Chair: Jennifer Layton 455-7602

Staff/Pastor Relations: Judy Baldwin 738-7552

Treasurer: Sue Vary 315-939-4406

Trustees Chairman: Don Frelier 657-4504

What is Advent?

The season of Advent, which comes comes from the

Latin word adventus meaning “coming” or “visit,"

begins four Sundays before Christmas and ends on

Christmas Eve. Advent is the beginning of the

liturgical year for Christians. [Liturgical -- from liturgy,

which means the forms and functions of public

worship.]

During Advent, we prepare for, and anticipate, the

coming of Christ. We remember the longing of Jews

for a Messiah and our own longing for, and need of,

forgiveness, salvation and a new beginning. Even as

we look back and celebrate the birth of Jesus in a

humble stable in Bethlehem, we also look forward

anticipating the second coming of Christ as the

fulfillment of all that was promised by his first coming.

In Our Area:

Sat., Dec. 7, 9am-3pm: 47th Annual Christmas

Teazaar, 1st Presbyterian Church, Honeoye Falls

Sat., Dec. 7 at 7pm & Sunday, Dec. 8 at 3pm. “And There Was Light,” choral, organ, & hand bell music, Fairport UMC, 31 W. Church St. child care available

Sat., Dec. 7 Holiday Super Sale, Rush UMC, 6200 Rush-Lima Rd.

Sat., Dec. 7, 7pm: Honeoye Falls Community Concert Band & Honeoye Falls Presbyterian Bell Choir at the District Auditorium, 619 Quaker Mtg House Rd.

Sat., Dec 14: Cookie Sale at West Bloomfield Congregational Annual Cookie Sale 9am -1pm, $8/pound.

Sunday, Dec 15, Jan. 19, 3-4pm Open Meal at St. Catherine’s, Mendon

Sat., Dec. 21, 4PM, multi-denominational GRACE Choir Christmas Concert at Mendon Church, Cheese Factory Rd.

Sunday, Dec. 22, 4-5 pm, Community Meal, Honeoye Falls 1

st Presbyterian Church

Last Sunday, 4-5 pm., FREE Community Meal at Honeoye Falls 1

st Presbyterian Church

Every Weds Free Community Clothes Closet, Victor UMC

1st Weds. 5-7pm: Spaghetti Dinners, at Honeoye

United Church

Wednesdays, Hands of Hope Lunch at St Bridget’s Hall Volunteers are always needed. call749-2694 or email contact@handsofhopekitchen.org

Every Weds 9:30am – 12:30pm & 5– 8pm Free Community Clothes Closet, Victor UMC, 106 E. Main St., shop for free clothing, etc. in conjunction with the Victor-Farmington Food Cupboard! Donation items are needed: Place them in a bag & put them in the white box near the entrance to the Clothes Closet.

2nd

Weds., of every month, 5-7pm: Spaghetti Dinner at Livonia UMC, 21 Summers St., gluten free available adults $7, children 10 & under $3

3rd

Thurs.: Free Community Lunch E. Bloomfield UMC. Doors open at 11:30am, lunch 12-1

2nd

Saturday of each month 8-10AM: Breakfast , United Church of Pittsford. Proceeds to a local charity each month. $5 per person

2nd

, 3rd

, 4th Saturdays of every month: Free

Community Dinner at 1st Presbyterian Church, 70 E

Main, Victor. Everyone is welcome!

Ionia United Methodist Church PO Box 8 2120 Elton Rd. Ionia, NY 14475

Advent & Christmas Calendar

Advent Study: Monday evenings, 6:30 PM & Wednesday mornings, 9:00 AM

Sunday, Dec. 1st: Hanging of the Greens Brunch

& Decorating our church afterwards

Saturday, Dec. 14th, 4PM: Pot Luck & Movie “The Nativity Story”

& at 6:30 Honeoye Falls Christmas Parade

Tues, Dec. 24th Christmas Eve Services 6:00 PM at Ionia UMC and

7:30PM at East Bloomfield UMC

Tues., Dec 31, 5pm: Watch Night/New Year’s Eve Pot-Luck & Games!