The Bethlehem Star is published 6

times/year by Bethlehem United

Methodist Church, 4 Westtown

Road, Thornton PA 19373, (610)

459-3482, www.bethmeth.com,

Deadline for copy: the 7th day of

the month prior to publication.

Editor reserves the right to edit for

content and space. Unsolicited

material is welcome!

Bethlehem

United Methodist Church

PO Box 57

4 Westtown Road

Thornton, PA 19373

P: 610-459-3482

F: 610-459-0811

www.bethmeth.com

CHRISTMAS AT BETHLEHEM 1

WOMEN’S MINISTRY UPDATE 2

GARDEN OF EATING 3

CHRISTMAS MUSIC 4

LET US ADORE HIM 4

Inside this issue:

The Bethlehem StarThe Bethlehem Star December 2014

Each night features a Live Nativity,

Christmas Musical Performances,

Bonfire with S’mores,

Visit with Mrs. Claus and crafts for children.

Admire beautifully decorated Christmas trees while you

enjoy a home-baked cookie.

Share the Christmas spirit by bringing a canned good for

our neighbors at CityTeam.

2

Our first social was a pleasant time to gather together

to greet old friends and meet new. After a time of

fellowship & food, we watched an encouraging

video which reminded us that God created us, knows

all about us, and loves us. With Christ we are

"New"! Every time we look in the mirror, we must

remember that we are Beautiful and shout with joy,

"TA-DA!" What a great way to start each day! Our Bible Study "Children of the Day", by Beth

Moore on 1 & 2 Thessalonians equips us to be God's

Light in our dark world and challenges us to love as

God loves. It is important to be both close to the

Lord and have the support of others. We need to

stand together, but look outward and share what God

is doing in our lives - show Jesus - leave His mark -

so someone who is down, will get up or will want to

know more about Him or will come back to our

faithful God. This study is proving to be a special

study for such a time as this.

Our annual Christmas Breakfast will be

on December 6th from 9-11 am. Set in a

Dickens flare this year, it helps us focus on

the true meaning of the season. We will be

blessed by an inspirational message given by

Dee Dee Cass entitled, "Faith

Strong....continuance in the Grace of God".

We will also have the opportunity to bless

families by providing for needs of children

through Chester County Women's

Services. It is always a special time to

celebrate Jesus and see the body of Christ working

together.

The New Year 2015 promises something for

everyone. Our Spring Bible Study starting in

March will be "What Love Is" by Kelly Minter a

7- session study of 1, 2 & 3 John. It encourages us to

remain faithful to the truth. It will look at contrasts

of walking in light vs. darkness; truth vs. lies; loving

God more than the world; as well as meaningful vs.

shallow relationships. It reveals not only the heart of

John but also the heart of Jesus.

Special events are available. Liz Curtis Higgs will

be local in Chadds Ford on February 27 & 28. Beth

Moore will be in Atlantic City on March 13 & 14.

But please save April 10, 11 & 12 for our Spring

Retreat. We will be headed back to the shore at the

Golden Inn in Avalon, NJ. Our speaker will be Jessie

Seneca, founder of More of Him Ministries. Watch

for details coming soon. This is a special time to

receive from the Lord and be

strengthened.

God is on the move with the

Women's Ministry . Come, join

us in the journey and experience

the adventure!

Questions, please call Lori Imparato

at 610-459-9451.

WOMEN’S MINISTRY:

Where God Moves in Amazing Ways By Lori Imparato

3

This will be the first

Christmas without my dear

mother. The last full

conversation I had with my

mom, was when I picked her up

from my hometown of Shamokin last year. It was

right before Thanksgiving, her favorite

holiday. (My sister lives in Chester County and for

years traditionally hosted our families Thanksgiving

"feast"). She had recently become more and more

forgetful and repetitive in her conversations. I knew

we had a two and one-half hour ride ahead of us, so

I felt I needed to talk about a subject that tapped

into her long term memory, and go from there.

I knew she would love to talk about the "Eagles"

football team, she still knew every player, when

they were playing etc. Sorry to say, she raised a

daughter who still doesn't know a football from a

shoe, so that subject was immediately ruled out. All

of a sudden, the subject of "cookies "came to mind

(thank you Holy Spirit). You have to realize, that

my mother had cookie baking down to an art form.

She was famous for them for years in the small

town she lived in her whole life. So we talked

"cookies" close to two hours! Ingredients, baking

time, difficulty, size (each cookie had to be tiny and

perfect), even how to store them properly, usually in

a cookie tin with a slice of plain white bread to keep

them fresh. But what sticks in my mind the most

that day, was her smile when she was telling me

each family members "favorite". My mother always

showed her love by sharing her talent of baking to

all she knew. My sister said to me the other day

when we were taking about the up-coming holidays,

that our gratitude this holiday season should

outweigh our grief. She is correct, we have been

very blessed to have had our mother in our lives for

almost 94 years, she did not suffer, and her faith so

strong, she kept smiling to the very last moment,

totally unafraid. Most importantly, we know that we

will see her again, thanks to a small child born in a

manger in a town called Bethlehem so many years

ago. Merry Christmas to all!

These are just a few of her recipes: Sour cream

drops, "Polish" rolled cookies with walnut filling,

Michigan rocks, Welch fried current cookies, thumb

prints with homemade jelly, paper thin traditional

"cutouts", the list could go on and on. I feel

extremely blessed this holiday season to be in

possession of almost all my mother's recipes done in

her own script. What a Christmas gift!

by Jan Samuelian

Sour Cream

Cookies:

These cookies are like little vanilla "cakes". They should never be over baked, and not brown. My mother always topped them with vanilla frosting and coconut. When I was little, she would frost them and sprinkle colored sugar on for me. Cream together the following - Two sticks of REAL butter, room temperature Two cups of sugar One cup of sour cream (not low-fat) Two eggs (preferably room temperature) but not necessary One teaspoon REAL vanilla

Add - One teaspoon baking soda One teaspoon baking powder One half teaspoon salt Add by hand - Four and one half cups all purpose flour Bake in pre-heated, three hundred seventy-five degree oven, for about ten minutes. (About one tablespoon of batter per-cookie) Cookies will spread a little and puff up. Let cool completely on rack before frosting. Enjoy!

Garden of Eating

4

Friday Evening , December 12 features

Various performances from BUMC’s Kids’ Choir

Brass Ensemble

The Bethlehem Dance Project

Solo pieces done by flute, cello, and organ

And a few fun winter numbers from Disney’s “Frozen”

Saturday Evening, December 13 features

BUMC’s Hand Bell Ensemble

A special musical presentation by BUMC’s Praise Band

Cello and Violin performances

Instrumental Holiday classics by our Christmas Pop’s Quartet,

And various vocal solos and duets

Both Friday and Saturday nights conclude

with a Christmas Carols Sing-Along!

Sunday Evening, December 14 features

performances by Sally DiLodovico’s Piano Studio

Let Us Adore Him Sunday, December 21 at 9am and 10:30am

Celebrate the final Sunday of Advent with us as our Worship Arts

Ministries lead us in a time of adoration and praise. Invite your

family and friends to come and be drawn into the mysterious love

and extraordinary power found as we approach the humble gift of

Jesus in a manger. Featuring musical offerings presented by

Bethlehem Church’s Choir, Praise Team, The Bethlehem Dance

Project, Brass Ensemble and more, this will be a morning of

worship that you won’t want to miss!

Christmas at Bethlehem:

Music Program 7:00 to 9:00 pm each evening

MARK YOUR CALENDAR:

Saturday, December 6 -

Women’s Christmas Breakfast,

9:00 AM. (Page 2)

Sunday, December 7-

Communion Sunday

9:00 & 10:30 AM Services

Friday, Saturday, Sunday,

December 12, 13 & 14

Christmas at Bethlehem;

7:00 to 9:00 PM. (page 1 &4)

Sunday, December 21- All

music Worship Sunday

9:00 & 10:30 AM

Wednesday, December 24,

Christmas Eve Services

7:00 pm: Family Service,

Pastor Kevin (nursery

available)

9:00 pm: Candlelight

Service, Pastor Tom

11:00 pm: Candlelight

Service with Communion,

Pastor Tim

Thursday, December 25 -

Merry Christmas!

Friday, December 26 -

Offices Closed