Wesley United Methodist Church December 2020 Newsletter What’s inside: A note from Pastor Zeke Mortgage Burning Celebration Hanging of the Greens
From Pastor Zeke Page 1 From the Desk of Pastor Zeke “Incarnation” “For a child has been born for us, a son given to us; authority rests upon his shoulders; and he is named Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. His authority shall grow continually, and there shall be endless peace for the throne of David and his kingdom. He will establish and uphold it with justice and righteousness from this time onward and forevermore. The zeal of the Lord of hosts will do this.” - Isaiah 9:6-7 The Incarnation is the central theological theme of Christmas. Incarnation means something like “embodiment” or “to take on flesh”. It claims that God became flesh in Jesus. Within the Incarnation, we find valuable questions like: Why did God come to us in Jesus? What was the purpose of the Incarnation? How are we meant to respond to the Incarnation today? These questions are meaningful when we begin to get to the real reason for the season as people of faith. This entire Advent season we will be talking and learning about the Incarnation. We will be doing this by looking at the different titles given to Jesus by the Gospel writers. At a time when we are all experiencing such extreme polarization in our country and our world, this has the unique potential to unite us around Jesus Christ. No one could have ever imagined the change ushered in by a baby in rural Bethlehem of an unwed teenage girl in a manger teeming with farm animals. God’s way of changing the world is unique indeed. The Incarnation is God’s gift to us- a miracle and a blessing. I invite you to each gather again as we journey toward the celebration of the birth of Jesus Christ. In doing so, I believe, we will be changed and unified. This is my hope and my prayer for us all. Keep the Faith strong, Zeke Wesley UMC Newsletter December 2020
Mortgage Burning Celebration Page 2 After 60 years, Wesley is able to celebrate being debt free! During the November 22nd service we celebrated with a mortgage burning. Thank you to Harley for your words and service to Wesley all these many years and thank you to anyone who has ever given and supported Wesley. Without your support this would not have been possible. Wesley UMC Newsletter December 2020
Music Ministry Page 3 Greetings!!! Greetings, Wesley UMC Family! What a great time of year is Advent! It truly is my favorite time of year. I love the songs and traditions of the season, and Christmas carols and songs are simply my favorite type of music. I know many of you are missing the choir singing each week, and Heaven knows that the Choir and I are missing getting to work together. However, I believe that we will soon be back into the swing of things, and in the meantime, our Bell Choir are busy rehearsing to add beautiful music to our Advent and Christmas Eve. Be sure to take time to thank our wonderful pianist, Deborah, for her fantastic playing. I always appreciate her ability to take a simple hymn and transform it into accompaniment that is truly fun to sing to! BTW. Some of you may notice me 'playing' with my phone during services. I just want you to know that I am not checking my Facebook or bitcoin portfolio. I am actually connected through the sound system, which I can control using an APP on my phone. Since we cannot have a cantata this year, we are working on a special Christmas Eve service this year! Be sure to join us on Thursday, December 24 at 5:00 for a special evening of music as we celebrate Christ's birth. Yours in Christ, Shane Wesley UMC Newsletter December 2020
Hanging of the Greens Page 4 Thank you to everyone who helped with the Hanging of the Greens and to Harley and Norma for the purchase of our new 12 foot tree. The sanctuary looks beautiful and ready for the Advent/Christmas season! Wesley UMC Newsletter December 2020
Recipe - Gingerbread Cookies Page 5 It wouldn’t be Christmas without gingerbread. I have looked high and low for the perfect gingerbread recipe and I think this one might be it. Ingredients • 2/3 cup unsalted butter, softened to room temperature • 3/4 cup packed brown sugar • 2/3 cup unsulphured molasses • 1 large egg, at room temperature • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract • 3 1/2 cups flour • 1 teaspoon baking soda • 1/2 teaspoon salt • 1 tablespoon ground ginger • 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon • 1/2 teaspoon ground allspice • 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves Instructions 1. In a large bowl using a hand-held mixer or stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the butter for 1 minute on medium speed until completely smooth and creamy. Add the brown sugar and molasses and beat on medium high speed until combined and creamylooking. Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl as needed. Next, beat in egg and vanilla on high speed for 2 full minutes. Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl as needed. The butter may separate; that’s ok. 2. In a separate bowl, whisk the flour, baking soda, salt, ginger, cinnamon, allspice, and cloves together until combined. On low speed, slowly mix into the wet ingredients until combined. The cookie dough will be quite thick and slightly sticky. Divide dough in half and place each onto a large piece of plastic wrap. Wrap each up tightly and pat down to create a disc shape. Please see photo and description above in my post. Chill discs for at least 3 hours and up to 3 days. Chilling is mandatory for this cookie dough. I always chill mine overnight. 3. Preheat oven to 350°F (177°C). Line 2-3 large baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats. (Always recommended for cookies.) Set aside. 4. Remove 1 disc of chilled cookie dough from the refrigerator. Generously flour a work surface, as well as your hands and the rolling pin. Don’t be afraid to continually flour the work surface as needed- this dough can be sticky. (Cont. on page 6) Wesley UMC Newsletter December 2020
Recipe Cont., Facility Info Page 6 4. Roll out disc until 1/4-inch thick. Cut into shapes. Place shapes 1 inch apart on prepared baking sheets. Re-roll dough scraps until all the dough is shaped. Repeat with remaining disc of dough. 5. Bake cookies for about 9-10 minutes. If your cookie cutters are smaller than 4 inches, bake for about 8 minutes. If your cookie cutters are larger than 4 inches, bake for about 11 minutes. My oven has hot spots and yours may too- so be sure to rotate the pan once during bake time. 6. Allow cookies to cool for 5 minutes on the cookie sheet. Transfer to cooling rack to cool completely. Once completely cool, decorate as desired. 7. Cookies stay fresh covered at room temperature for up to 1 week. Facility Information The new blinds for the sanctuary foyer are to be installed this week. Fall and winter flowers have been planted in front of the office and choir room to add a little color this winter. Pack 19 has relaunched our activities for the year. All scouts are excited to be back together again. October 17th and 18th our pack participated in a district wide family camp at Rogers Scout Reservation outside Booneville. Scouts and their families had plenty of time to become reacquainted as well as engage in archery and BB gun shooting. December 4th we are holding our Pinewood Derby races. The races have been delayed many months and are always an exciting time for all involved. We invite all school age children to check out all the fun Scouting offers Tuesday's at 6:00pm. One Council meets Thursday, January 7 at 6:30 in the Fellowship Hall. This will be our first meeting with the new incoming Council members. Thank you to Frances Hunt and Sydney Fulbright for your service to One Council and to Wesley. Your input and support has been invaluable. Wesley UMC Newsletter December 2020
Wesley’s One Council Members Lay Leader/Lay Delegate: Carrie Miller Clyde Bates Amy Cates Gloria Cates Steve Christian Twana Collinson Suzanne Gibson Billy Higgins Patrice Hulsey George Jensen Donna Moreton Jackie Nichols Joanne Peterson Rick Schmitz Harley Strang Blanche West 2200 Phoenix Ave., Fort Smith, AR 72901 479-646-9702 Wesley UMC Newsletter December 2020
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