216 N Main Street Suffolk VA 23434

Inside this issue:

Pastor’s Column

Calendar/Birthdays

Children’s News

Youth News

Memorials

Stewardship

Prayer Requests

. . . . . . . . . . . . .

Special points of

Interest:

“Go and Tell” Young

Adult Fellowship Group

Angel Tree

Children’s Christmas

Party & Potluck Dinner

Christmas Eve Services

Senior’s Lunch in

January

Women’s Day of

Spiritual Growth at Main

Street UMC

Non-Profit

Org.

U. S. Postage

Paid

Permit No. 33

Suffolk VA

Return Service Requested

216 North Main Street

Suffolk, VA 23434-4421

We thank God for . . .

Mailed: October 17, 2014

Suffolk Christian Church

216 North Main Street

Suffolk, Virginia 23434

November 21, 2014

Office.................................................................................. (757)539-9182

Office Hours, 9:00 - 5:00 Monday - Friday

Fax (757) 539-6008 E-mail office@suffolkchristian.org

Website www.suffolkchristian.org

Webmaster@suffolkchristian.org

Pastor ................................................................... Rev. Michael D. Halley

Choral Director................................................….......…….Janet L. Rock

Director of Youth Ministries ...………………………..Erin C. Kessinger

Director of Children’s Ministries …...…….…………..Priscilla G. Bunch

Church Secretary .....................................................Margaret N. Saunders

Financial Secretary .............................…...................……. Dae R. Nixon

Organist .............................................................................Mary N. Huber

Pianist ..........................................................….........… Carmen B. Halley

Handbell Choirmaster ……………………………...…….. Sean C. Bilby

Sexton ………..... .............................…….………….…..Sarah P. Burford

Interim Sexton …………………………………………….. John Durham

Security Attendants ..................……..….... Gary Williams, John Durham

Nursery Worker.…....………………….………….….…...Logan Masters

Webmaster …………………………………………………… Pat Hawn

Audio Recorders..........................................................………..Jim Goben

Jonathan Martin, Edie Matthews

Schedule of Service

Sunday School for all ages .............…….................... Sunday, 10:00 a.m.

Early Worship Service ...........................…….…......... Sunday, 8:45 a.m.

Worship Service .........................…....……..…...........Sunday, 11:00 a.m.

Children’s Church …………………………….……...Sunday, 11:00 a.m.

Children & Youth Choirs …………………......…….. Sunday, 9:30 a.m.

Youth Fellowship ...........................………………...... Sunday, 5:00 p.m.

Nursery Provided for Regular Worship Service / Nursery Provided for All Other Services

Holy Communion every First Sunday

Circle News

Afternoon Circle The Afternoon Circle will meet Monday, December 1st at 12 noon in the Saints Alive Center at church for their annual

Christmas luncheon. Chicken and rolls will be provided.

Please bring your favorite dish to share. Please come and join

in on the wonderful fellowship! For more information, con-tact circle leader, Jane Marie Dailey.

Evening Circle The December meeting of the Evening Circle will meet at the

home of Elaine Abernathy on Monday, December 8, at 6:30 p.m. Beverly McGahee will have a devotion after they share a

potluck meal. This will be followed by their annual gift

exchange. Please join them for food, fellowship and fun. If you would like more information, contact their circle leader,

Elaine Abernathy.

Our Vision: We Worship. We Disciple. We Serve.

We are Committed to God’s Grace as the Foundation of the Christian life.

November 21, 2014

“Darkness Into Light”

A Christmas Musical Journey

Sunday, December 14

5 p.m.

Suffolk Christian’s Music Ministry will present our annual Christmas musical

celebration on Sunday, December 14, at 5 p.m. in our sanctuary. The choir will tell the remarkable and timeless story of the birth of our Savior, Jesus Christ, through beloved

carols, new melodies and scripture-based narrative. Other groups will provide festive

music of the season.

Our annual Christmas reception follows immediately in the Fellowship Hall.

God sent His Son to offer us hope, peace, joy, love and LIGHT! May we be bearers of

this light to the world and share the good news that His light has overcome the darkness.

Plan now to join us and invite your family and friends.

Children’s Christmas Musical

“UNFROZEN”Sunday, December 14, 11:00 a.m.

This year’s children’s Christmas musical is entitled “Unfrozen” - which may sound

familiar. But it doesn’t have a snowman or a reindeer or a snow monster or an ice

palace but it does have Olga and Inga. They are princesses, who happen to be sisters, and Olga does have special powers that Inga does not. It’s about being afraid and about

a sister loving a sister. It’s a story about the love that Jesus brought to earth when He

was born in Bethlehem. The children will present their Christmas musical during the

11 o’clock worship service on Sunday, December 14. Please come and join the children as they celebrate the birth of Jesus.

My Dear Friends,

As I write this, Thanksgiv-ing Day is a week away.

Although it is a secular

holiday, I can't think of a

more appropriate duty for Christians than to give

thanks. In fact, Saint Paul

encourages us to "give thanks in all things".

Thanksgiving is also, it seems to me, to be a very

appropriate way to come to

the end of the church year.

Sunday, November 30, will begin our new church year

with the season of Advent.

Advent ("coming") is not just a time to celebrate or

commemorate a birth which occurred over 2,000 years

ago; it is our opportunity now to be reminded that we are personally accountable to God for how we have

welcomed Christ into our heart and life. In fact, a

secondary theme of Advent is that of Christ's second

coming at the end of the age, when all things will be brought to their just conclusion.

I encourage you to make Advent a special time in your spiritual life. Let's join together these four Sun-

days and let the light of Christ shine in us in a new

way.

May God richly bless you!

Love,

Michael

Rev. Michael D. Halley Pastor

Pastor’s

Column

Hospital (Salem Memorial, Roanoke)

— Samantha Bright (granddaughter

of Becky & Jimmy

Bradshaw)

(Hampton Roads Specialist Center, Newport News) - Joe

Duke (former member of church staff)

Prayer Concerns

Marjorie Wilkinson …. (discharged from

hospital) …. Randolph Copeland …. (discharged from hospital to Lake Prince Woods) ….. Sara Heu-

berger .... Kevin Beale .... Jenny Smith .... Anne

Potter .... Robin Riddick Blanchard (wife of Randell

Blanchard) .... Dae Nixon .... Dorothy Darden .... The

children and youth of our church .... Steve

Redd ...Debbie Spivey.... Joan Cones .... Margaret

Smith .... Pray for peace .... Haywood Briggs ....

David Darden

On Going Prayer

Forrest Cathey Milton Liverman (friend of Jim Thorsen)

Prayers of Praise

Nita Wyatt John Baron (Wanda & Jim Thorsen’s daughter-in-law’s father)

Deployed

CPL Spencer Best, USMC (husband of Lindsay Goben Best)

LCPL Brandon Conklin, USMC (grandson of Jack & Eloise Byrd)

Travis Hoffman, USN (co-workers husband of Cheryl Ashcraft)

AO3 Bryce Taylor, USN (nephew of Sara Keene)

Codie Newberry (nephew of co-worker of Cheryl Ashcraft)

Extended Family & Friends Prayer Concerns

Rick Pearce (son of Riddick Pearce and nephew of Judy Eure) - now at

home …. Paul Robinson (friend of Pat Hawn) .... Reid Huff-man ....Sue Gardner (mother of Wendy James) - discharged

from hospital .... Jeff Beasley (relative of Kimberly & Jeff

Krzemien) .... John J. Sabatini (veteran friend of Michael Halley) .... Michael “Mr. Mad” Maddox (veteran friend of Michael Halley) ....

Samantha Bright (granddaughter of Jimmy & Becky Bradshaw) ....

Jahquita Ramsey (mother of Kim Comer) .... Louise Winslow (mother of Johnnie Winslow) .... Jay Baines .... WY (website prayer

request submitted October 20, 2014) .... F. J. Brinkley (friend of Eloise &

Jack Byrd) .... Jacob Sprinkle 10 years old (son of best friend of

Sara Heuberger’s daughter) .... James T. Worrell (friend of family of Josh

Worrell) .... Brad Hemstreet (husband of Karen Hemstreet & father of

Jessica Rogge) .... Nancy Williams (mother of Gary Williams) .... Bill

Cones (son of Joan & Billy Cones) .... Hannah (five year old friend of Janet

Rock) .... Barry Hicks (friend of Janet & Richard Rock) ..... Judy Burris

(friend of Janet Rock) ......Nikki Burris (friend of Janet Rock) .... Lyndsey

Hawn & Tim (submitted by Pat Hawn) ....Valerie Winborne (friend of

Margaret Herring) .... Jimmy Hope (friend of Gary Williams) ....Gary

Wieck (father of Ryan Wieck) ....Jeannie Arado (friend of Nita Wyatt) ....

Susan and Dick Chandler (friends of Mike and Susanne Reid) .... The Flagler Family (friends of Pat Hawn) ....The Walker Family (friend of

Jim & Carman Goben) .... Fritz Frizell (friend of Pat Hawn) .... Dora Aston

(aunt of Kathy Parker, Beverly McGahee) .... Sharon Rock (sister-in-law of Billy and

Nita Wyatt) .... Phil Gibbs (father of Gretchen Jones and brother of Joyce Ralph) .... Elizabeth Stephens, Brooklyn, NY (granddaughter of the late June Loon-

ey) .... Harvey Lee Parker (brother of Margaret Herring and Sarah Burford) ....

Conrad Upright (grandfather of Brandon Upright) ....Connie Warren Efird (Aunt of Wendy James) ..... Dean Bridger (neighbor of Nita & Billy Wy-

att) ..... Brian Ringgold (Terry McGahee’s niece’s husband) .....Danny

McIntire (friend of Tommy & Cheryl Ashcraft) .... Connie Walker (sister-in-

law of Judy Eure)

Skilled Care

(Nansemond Pointe) – Doris Gardner (aunt of Priscilla Bunch)

(Autumn Care) -- Patricia Griggs (Lake Prince Woods) – Louise Boone, Alice Grieder (mother of

Diane Grieder)

(Consulate Health Care, Windsor) – S. A. Pylan

Home Bound

Nancy Fulgham, Dorothy Judkins, Margaret Ramsey,

Rita Redfern, Vernon Taylor

Assisted Living (Hillcrest) Marjorie Wilkinson

(Kings Grant House, Virginia Beach) Ruth Howell (Lake Prince Woods) Howard Boone

(Village at Woods Edge) Pete Kidd

(Lake Prince Woods) – Rev. Zach Deal, Jr. (father of Zack Deal)

(Chesapeake Place) – Millie Strickland

In Sympathy - Our Christian love and sympathy to the follow-

ing:

The family of Louise Bradshaw Howell who passed away on

October 22, 2014.

Amy Espinosa and family on the death of her father and

James Coppola and family on the death of his father-in-law,

Durrell Mills, on October 23, 2014.

The family of Carroll Hunter Brinkley who passed away on

October 24, 2014.

Steve and Jennifer Miller & family on the death of his father,

Henry Valentine Miller, Jr. of Por tsmouth, on October 24,

2014.

Jane Dailey Arthur and James Dailey, on the death of

their aunt, Hazel Dailey Delk, who died on November

12, 2014.

Special dates

• Second Sunday of Advent, December 7, 2014 • Third Sunday of Advent, December 14, 2014

• Fourth Sunday of Advent, December 21, 2014

• First Day of Winter, December 21, 2014 • Christmas Eve, December 24, 2014

• Christmas Day, December 25, 2014

• New Year’s Eve/Watch Night, December 31, 2014

Are you a member of a Sunday School class? If not, we invite you to come and try out a class! We have 5 adult

classes, one youth class, and graded classes from nursery

through elementary school. Please contact Priscilla Bunch

(children’s ministries) at 539.8930 or Erin Kessinger (youth ministries) at 934.2325 or Amy Hott (Chair of the Board of

Christian Education) at 242.4849 for more information.

Peace and Joy to you during this Holy Season

Merry Christmas

The Church Staff

Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; He is Christ the Lord. — Luke 2:11 (NIV)

We need pictures! Pat Hawn, our webmaster, needs more photo-graphs to put on our website, www.suffolkchristian.org. Please email them to her at webmaster@suffolkchristian.org.

Missions

Dimes for Missions - $722.10

Missions Allocation

Special Monthly Missions for 2014: January—Genieve Shelter—$310.00

February—CAPS—$595.00 March—Coats for Community (for hats, scarves, gloves)

- $445.00

April—Food Pantry—$570.00 May—Western Tidewater Free Clinic—$609.00

June—Scripture Mountain Memory Mission in Knott County, KY (Jim White) — $315.00

July — Operation Blessing International Relief Fund—$513.00

August — Meals on Wheels—$525.00 September — Crisis Pregnancy Center—$630.00 October — Heifer International — $415.00 (a mission to end world hunger and poverty)

November—Haiti Ministry — $515.00 December — Night Stay Ministry

Donations to the Food Pantry have been given by the West Memorial Bible Class, the Afternoon Circle, and the Evening Circle.

General Fund Stewardship Report

October income—$28,314.76 October expenses—$28,004.57

January - October 2014 income — $292,547.91

January – October 2014 expenses— $298,487.15

Notes of Appreciation

Dear Suffolk Christian Church Family, Thank you for all your cards, calls, thoughts and

prayers extended to me during my recent shoulder

surgery. You are so thoughtful and I greatly appreciate it.

Curtiss Johnson

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Dear Church Friends,

Thank you for the prayers, cards and phone calls during my recent surgery and recovery at home. Your

thoughtfulness is appreciated.

Thanks again, Robert Boyce

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Dear Church Members,

On behalf of Suffolk Meals on Wheels Board of

Directors, thank you for your continued support of our program. Your donation of $525 will help with the de-

livery of meals for those recipients that cannot afford to

pay for their meals. Last year, over 48,000 meals were delivered to 240 recipients. ……. Your donation has

helped us continue providing meals for the homebound

and disabled in our community ….. Thank you for your

continued support and for your awesome volunteers! With grateful thanks,

Roseland Lowe Worrell

Executive Director Suffolk Meals on Wheels

A donation to the Food Pantry in

memory of Emma, Warren and Jim

Rountree has been given by Larry Rountree.

A donation to the Memorial Fund in memory of Calvin Geiss

has been given by Pamela Geiss.

A donation to the Food Pantry in memory of Paulette Cherry

has been given by the Board of Deacons of Suffolk Christian Church.

Donations to the Memorial Fund in memory of Louise Howell

have been given by Bobby and Jean Saunders and Hal and

Nancy Rogers.

A donation to Samaritan’s Purse in memory of Durrell

Vaughn Mills has been given by the staff of Suffolk Chr is-

tian Church.

A donation to the Youth Fund in memory of Durrell Vaughn

Mills has been given by Glynn and Janice Writtenberry.

A special gift was given to the church in memory of Walter

“Shep” Felton and Myrtle Vann Felton by The Honorable

Walter S. Felton, Jr.

A donation in appreciation of Reverend Michael D. Halley

and the staff of Suffolk Christian Church has been given by

Ray and Patti Bozman.

A donation to the Music Fund was

given by the West Memorial Bible

Class in honor of Michael Reid for

making our Bible stand

In Honor of

Tithing envelopes available for

pickup The 2015 boxes of tithing envelopes are available for

pickup at the church in the vestibule area of the sanctu-

ary on the second floor. If you are unable to pick yours up, please call the church office – 539-9182 – and we

will be glad to place yours in the mail. If you did not

get a box of tithing envelopes and would like a box, please email Dae Nixon, financial secretary at

dae.nixon@suffolkchristian.org

I would like to place _________ poinsettias in the church in

honor or in memory of a loved one.

They will be ordered by and deliv-

ered to the church. The cost is $12 each. Deadline for all orders is Tues-

day, December 9. No orders will be accepted after

that deadline.

In Honor/Memory of: [Circle one]

______________________________________

______________________________________

Given by:

______________________________________

______________________________________

Please make your check payable to:

Suffolk Christian Church and mark it “Poinsettias.”

[If mailing, please send to:]

Suffolk Christian Church

Att’n: Mary Emily Dailey

216 North Main Street, Suffolk,VA 23434

“Go and Tell”

Our new young adult fellowship

group, “Go and Tell” continues

to meet each Tuesday evening at

7 pm for discussion and fellow-

ship. Please contact Neal Davis

at 434.637.3520 or Douglas Parr

at 539.1384 for more infor-

mation.

Coffee Social December 21, 2014

On the third Sunday in December, at 9:30 am, stop off in the south foyer and

have a cup of coffee or a cup of juice,

perhaps a muffin or something sweet, and take a few minutes to visit with one

another and get acquainted with our

visitors and new members. It’s a

wonderful time of fellowship.

If you would like to place in church any of the items listed

below, in honor or in memory of a loved one, please con-

tact Mary Emily Dailey at 757.619.2522. Deadline for all

orders is Tuesday, December 9. No order will be accept-

ed after that deadline.

•2 Upstairs Balcony Wreaths .……………..….. $50 each

•2 Upstairs Balcony Wreaths ..……………..…. $35 each

•1 Downstairs Newel Post Swag .………...........$35

•2 Wreaths North Entrance Columns .………....$30 each

•17 Boxwood Wreaths Outside Windows ……...$25 each

•North Second Floor Foyer Arrangement …….. $35 •Miscellaneous items (candles, greens, ribbons, wire, etc.

………..$100

News About

Our People

Congratulations to Bryce Taylor, nephew of

Sara Keene, upon his promotion to Aviation

Ordnanceman Third Class. We have been praying for Bryce and his shipmates on their

deployment and rejoice that they are scheduled

to return soon.

Cooper James Reckley was born November

10, 2014. He weighs 8 pounds, 15 ounces and is

21 inches long. He is the son of Blanton and

Adam Reckley. His big brother is William.

Congratulations on the birth of this new little one!

Congratulations to Jonathan and Selena Layden

on the birth of their son, Benjamin David

Layden, born on October 25, 2014. He

weighed 8 pounds 2 ounces, and is 21 1/4 inches long. Proud grandparents are Betty and

Mike Mazie.

December Youth Dates to Remember Sat. Dec. 6 8:30 am Helping with City of

Suffolk Santa Breakfast

for Special Needs children

Sat. Dec. 20 6—9 pm Christmas Party

Sun. Dec. 28 6:00 pm Lock-in at church

Families Needed

for the Lighting

of the Advent

Wreath During

Worship Services

Advent begins on Sunday, November 30. A sign up sheet

is located on the bulletin board outside the church

office. If you would like to volunteer to take a Sun-day, either the 8:45 am service or the 11 o’clock

worship service, please sign up or email Rev.

Halley at pastor@suffolkchristian.org or email

office@suffolkchristian.org

Lunch Planned for Seniors

IT’S BACK….Our Senior Activities will recon-vene on Wednesday, January 28, 2015, at 11:30

AM, in the Fellowship Hall. We will open with

Devotionals, followed by a Brunswick Stew and Country Ham Biscuit lunch, complete with dessert.

Afterwards we will share in a couple of Winter

Wonderland songs and a few games of Bingo. We

will end with a very important discussion on our plans for the coming year. Come with ideas in

mind. Being new in this position, I need your help.

The cost for lunch will be $7.00 per person. Please sign up by Sunday, January 25, 2015, on the sheet

located outside the Church Office. Bring a friend.

I am looking forward to seeing all of those “young

at heart.” Evelyn Jones

Interim Senior Activities

Director

December 24

6:00 pm—Christmas Eve Family

Worship

11:00 pm—Christmas Eve

Candlelight and

Communion Service

Angel Tree

The tags will be on the Angel Tree on Sunday, November 23rd. When

you take a tag, make sure you sign

your name, phone number and email address on the note pad by the tree.

The gifts will be due back to the

church on Sunday, December 14th.

Remember by taking a tag, you are making some wishes come true for a

little boy or girl in our community!!

If you should have any questions, please contact Priscilla Bunch @539-

8930 or by email pbunch1@verizon.net. Thank you in ad-

vance for supporting our Angel Tree.

Care & Concern Committee The weekly volunteer sign-up sheet for 2015 has

been placed on the bulletin board. We have several weeks still available. If you have not signed up and

would like to volunteer 1 or 2 weeks next year,

please see the sheet for available weeks. We appre-ciate your continued support of this committee!

Operation Christmas Child

Thank you to everyone who filled a box this year. Our congregation filled 78 boxes and they have been delivered to Southside Baptist Church! You will be bringing lots of smiles to some little boys

and girls!! A big “thank you” to Emily King for taking our boxes to the drop off location.

Women’s Day of Spiritual

Growth

On Saturday, January 31, 2015 at 10 am until 3 pm,

Main Street United Methodist Church will have a Women’s Day of Spiritual Growth, a day of spiritual

renewal for women. The keynote speaker is Lea

Carawan. Registration is at 9:30 am. Program will begin at 10:00 am and break for lunch at 11:30. The

afternoon session is from 12:30 until 3:00 p.m. Cost

is $15.00 and includes lunch and materials. Regis-

tration forms are located on the bulletin board out-side the church office. For more information, con-

tact the church office at 757.539.9182 or

office@suffolkchristian.org

Children’s Christmas Party

Potluck Dinner

Sunday, December 7th

5:00 PM

There will be a Children’s Christmas Party on

Sunday, December 7th @ 5:00pm. The congrega-

tion is invited to attend. You won’t want to miss

the smiles on the children’s faces when the

“Special Guest” arrives. Please bring a dish to

share with everyone for dinner.

Thank You Thanks to everyone who helped and supported our children

and youth at their “Capt. Bob’s Fish and Chicken Dinner” fundraiser. Thanks also for all the hard work on the

Children’s Fall Festival, held at the church on October 26.