2020

JANUARY/FEBRUARY

CARILLON

CENTRAL UNITED METHODIST CHURCH

322 SOUTH LINCOLN ROAD

ESCANABA, MI 49829

REV. ELISE LOW EDWARDSON/PASTOR

CHURCH PHONE: (906) 786-0643

EMAIL: churchoffice@escanabacentral.org

WEBSITE: www.Escanaba CentralUMC.org

OFFICE HOURS: M, W, Th, F - 9:00-Noon

SUNDAY SCHOOL 9:15 A.M.

COFFEE TIME: 10:00 A.M.

WORSHIP SERVICE 10:30 A.M.

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Star Light, Star Bright

When I was a little girl, I had a night light in my room that I turned on every night before I went to bed. After prayers were said and I was all tucked in, my mom or dad would turn out the lights and close the door; the little glow of the night light was all that was left to be seen. I’d been told plenty of times that I didn’t need to be afraid of the dark, but that

little light brought a whole lot of peace to me as a young child. Sometimes, just a little bit of light in the darkness can make all the difference.

There are plenty of times in life when things feel dark and daunting. When our lives are full of change and transition, when relationships become messy and hard to navigate,

when grief settles over us as a thick, relentless cloud – these are all times where it can feel so hard to find our way. Yet, somehow there are things we learn in those seasons of

darkness that we could have never learned in the brighter, more predictable seasons of our lives. The small, persistent light of Christ shines in the darkness, and the darkness has

not overcome it.

Not long after Jesus was born, some wise people found their way through the darkness, following the light of one bright star, shining in the east. The star, of course, led them to

Jesus, and where they gave gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh to the heaven-sent, newborn King. That guiding star was only visible at night. The darkness brought them the

greatest gift they could ever receive: Emmanuel, God-with-us.

Join us this January and February as we look for God’s guiding starlight in the midst of the darkness, confusion, and change that life can bring. Our six week series, “Things I Wish I’d

Never Learned, But I’m Glad I Did” begins on January 12th!

Let’s be the Church,

Pastor Elise

SUNDAY WORSHIP SERVICE 9:15 a.m. Sunday School 10:00 a.m. Coffee Hour 10:30 a.m. Worship Service 10:45 a.m. Children’s Church NURSERY CARE

ELEMENTARY (Readiness Kindergarten - 5th grade) Sunday School teachers will lead students in Bible Study along with playing games, creat-ing crafts, or making a treat. Students will meet in Room 7.

MIDDLE SCHOOL GROUP Wendy DeRouin and Lee Anderson will guide these students through their transition from child to teen with games, discussions and mission projects. This class meets in Room 8 at 9:15 every Sunday morning and is for students in grades 6 - 8.

HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS Holly Hamilton invites those of you in grades 9 thru 12 for a morning of open discus-sion about teen topics every Sunday morning at 9:15 in the Chapel.

WOMEN’S BIBLE STUDY Join the Women’s Group in Room #9 on Sunday mornings at 9:15. Come in and check it out.

TUESDAY MORNING BIBLE STUDY Every Tuesday morning a Bible Study Group meets in the Lounge from 9:30 to 10:30 a.m. Study is based on the Scriptures used in Sunday worship, offering a chance to inte-grate Sunday's worship into our lives throughout the week. You can join in at any time. We begin again on January 14, 2020.

ROSES & THORNS If you have a concern or compliment to pass along to the (SPRC), Staff Parish Relations Committee, please fill out a card and let us know your thoughts. Cards can be found in the church pews. Your opinions are important to us and we will address each concern and/or compliment.

PASTY SALE The first Pasty Sale for 2020 is Friday, January 17th. Help is

needed at 8:00AM Thursday to make/roll dough, cut potatoes, onions and more. Friday, (Sale & Pick Up Day) workers are needed to make pasties, cook and clean-up beginning at 8:00 a.m. Plain and rutabaga pasties will be available. Cost is $4.00. Get your order in early by calling the office at 786-0643 or Arleen at 233-9194.

LOVING FINGERS QUILTERS The Loving Fingers QuiIters meet in Room #9 on Tuesdays at 9:00AM. They make quilts for Escanaba and Marquette Hospice and members of our church or anyone we know who would find a little comfort in a quilt. Our group is made up of young and old, sewers and non-sewers. Please join us for a day, a morning, or an afternoon of good friendship.

HELPING HANDS Please remember our Helping Hands Fund during this difficult economic time. The funds are for Central members who are facing urgent financial challenges and in need of assistance. All help is strictly confidential. Please see Pastor Elise for assistance.

FOOD PANTRY Prayerfully consider bringing weekly food donations to help supply our food pantry. All the donations will help supply the Salvation Army food bank. Winter needs for fuel and electricity are great. Monetary donations can be dropped in the collection or brought to the office. Thank you for your help.

FEBRUARY FINANCE STEWARDS

05 Cheryl Swanson, Arleen Martin 12 Janet Snowden, Bev Ladin 19 Lois Lavelle, Sue Gaudette 26 Laura Kluka, Jackie Johnson

FEBRUARY GREETERS

02 Deanna Robinette, Volunteer

09

16

23

FEBRUARY USHERS 02 Lee Anderson, Richard Blixt Wendy DeRouin, Bev Ladin 09 Harry Badge, Erik Barnhart Anna Morse, Bev Ladin 16 Gregg Bruff/Mimi Klotz Laura Kluka, Bob Hamlin 23 Beth Peterson, Pat Rogers Janet Snowden, Kaylan Thorbahn

FEBRUARY MINISTRY MEETINGS The February meeting night is Thursday, February 20, 2020 with the Committees meeting at 6:00PM and the Council at 7:15PM.

YEAR END STATEMENTS Sign up sheets to request a 2019 Giving Statement are available in the gathering area. Statements will be mailed the week of January 20, 2020 or you can call the office to pick yours up.

COFFEE TIME Thanks to Sue Gaudette & Katy Bunch, Kaylan and Jenny Thorbahn and the

Women’s Bible Study Group for provid-ing coffee and treats during the month of December. If you would be interest-ed in serving coffee one Sunday morning please sign up on the clipboard on an open date. Call Barb Kubont at 212-2019 with any questions. Thank you for your help!

JANUARY GREETERS 05 Gail Schell, Volunteer 12 Deanna Robinette, Volunteer 19 Marge Jewell, Volunteer 26 Diane Bennett, Volunteer

JANUARY USHERS 05 Lee Anderson, Richard Blixt Wendy DeRouin, Bob Hamlin 12 Harry Badge, Erik Barnhart Anna Morse, Bev Ladin 19 Gregg Bruff/Mimi Klotz Laura Kluka, Bob Hamlin 26 Beth Peterson, Pat Rogers Janet Snowden, Kaylan Thorbahn

YOU’RE INVITED!

What: Tubing Party

When: ?

Where: Gladstone Sports Park

Time: ?

Invite a friend and join in some family fun and fellowship. A sign up sheet for snack donations will be circulated in church when the time comes. Keep an eye out in future bulletins for more on this!

JANUARY MINISTRY MEETINGS The Committees will meet Thursday, January 16, 2020, at 6:00PM followed by the Council meeting at 7:15PM. JANUARY FINANCE STEWARDS 05 Cheryl Swanson, Bev Ladin 12 Janet Snowden, Arleen Martin 19 Lois Lavelle, Sue Gaudette 26 Laura Kluka, Jackie Johnson

PRAYER LIST Please remember all those who are home-bound and in nursing homes as they are in need of your prayers for healing, gaining strength, and courage during an illness or injury. May God bless you and keep you in His loving care during this time of illness and concern and know that our thoughts and prayers are with each of you.

HOPE AT THE INN (HATI) Hope at the Inn, Delta County's rotating homeless shelter, is returning to Central the week of Sunday, January 12th. Volunteers are needed for intake and over-night shifts, to provide dinner each night, and for set-up, take-down, and laundry at the end of the week. Signup sheets can be found at church or at hopeattheinn.org. Be a part of this vital and important ministry! See Pastor Elise or Kerry Madalinski for more information.

ALTAR FLOWERS Anyone wishing to sponsor altar flowers for Sunday Worship should call the church at 786-0643 or sign the sheet in the Narthex. Cost is $18 and brightens our altar.

HEAR YE! HEAR YE! You are invited to the Annual Lenten Breakfast and Musical Program at Imman-uel Lutheran Church, On Saturday, Febru-ary 22, 2020. Breakfast is at 9:15AM fol-lowed by the Program at 10:00AM. A free will offering will be taken. Call by February 19th for breakfast reservations.

RADIO BROADCAST WDBC Radio 680 AM on the dial airs the 10:30AM worship service every Sunday. If you are interest-ed in sponsoring a radio broadcast, there is a clip-board to sign in on the

date you prefer in the Narthex. Cost for this service is $100 per week. You can donate the full $100 or any portion of the broadcast.

UNHANGING THE GREENS Thank you to all who helped after church Sunday, January 5th in

taking down our Christmas trees and decorations.

A big thank you to Rocky Blixt for donating our beautiful Christmas trees and to those who helped to bring them in, and put them up.

ANCHOR SUPPORT GROUP Open to Returning Citizens currently on parole and to those who have successfully completed parole. Purpose: to support one another, uplift one an-other, encourage one another, and to strengthen our resolve to lead upstanding, productive, and crime-free lives. We will meet on Tuesdays at 7:30PM at Central Methodist Church in the Lounge. Join us!

GIVING TREE DONATIONS Thank you to everyone who donated suggested items for the Salvation Army Christmas baskets . We had an overwhelming response as Central members always come through. We have a very generous and giving congregation.

LUNCH WITH THE PASTOR Lunch with the Pastor will be Wednesday, January 22nd This is open to all students in grades 10-12. Join us for a yummy meal and fun conversation.

THANK YOU Dear Friends, Thank you for the use of your facility for our monthly OSF sponsored Grief Support Group. Sincerely, Diane & Judy

ASH WEDNESDAY Ash Wednesday marks the beginning of Lent—40 days of intentional journeying with Jesus towards the cross. During the Lenten season, we make more room for God in our lives, perhaps taking on a rhythm or habit that helps us grow, or giving up something as a way of reminding us of our need for God. On Ash Wednesday, we remember that God made us from dust, to dust we will return, and it truly is God who

sustains us on our journey. Our Ash Wednesday service will be Wednesday, February 26th at 6:30pm in the Sanctuary, with a 6:00pm soup supper beforehand. Join us as we begin the Lenten journey together.

LENTEN SOUP & VESPERS Each Wednesday during Lent, beginning on March 4, 2020 and continuing through April 1, 2020 you are invited to gather in room #9 for a soup potluck at 6:00pm followed by a brief service of singing and devotions in the chapel. Watch for sign- up sheets in the nar-thex if you can bring a pot of soup, bread, etc. to share. Fellowship with others will help us along the Lenten path as we listen for Jesus’ Word to us from the cross. Hope to see you there!