Happy New Year Everyone! I always love the start of a new year and all the expectation and excitement it brings. 2018 was full of a lot of ministry around the church. We saw our Veterans’ ministry grow, we continued to enjoy plenty of food and fellowship together, we continued to reach out to children in our community through Storytime in the Park, and we continued to worship and serve with

one another. As I look back on 2018, I can’t help but be overwhelmed with gratitude for all the ways God has been revealed through our church and through our lives together!

Every year, when people celebrate the new year, it is a super-common practice for them to make new year’s resolutions. People commit to exercising more, eating healthy, staying more organized, or any number of other positive habits they want to adopt in the coming year. I have certainly taken part in this annual tradition before, but very few of my resolutions have really stuck for very long. One year I wanted to stop pressing the snooze button in the morning when my alarm went off. And let’s just say that the three alarms I set every morning are good proof that that particular resolution did not stick for very long…

I would venture to guess that I am not alone in wavering in my commitment to my new year’s resolutions each year. Most people start giving up by late-February to mid-March. It’s not necessarily due to lack of desire to make a change, but often due to the busyness of life and the difficulty of changing habits.

A practice that I am trying this year instead of making a new year’s resolution is setting an intention for the year. Instead of making a resolution, I am choosing a word for the year that functions kind of like an intention or theme. And I invite you to join me and do the same. What might be your theme or intention for the year? Gratitude? Joy? Contentment? As you consider your own intention for the year, I also invite you to join me in considering what the theme at Wesley UMC might be this year. I can’t wait to see all that God will do in and through our church in 2019!

Grace and peace,

Wesley United

Methodist Church Mission Statement:

!

826 NW 23rd Avenue Gainesville, FL

32609 Office: 372-2845 Fax: 372-9544

We are on Facebook!!!

Pastor’s E-mail:

PastorSarah@wumc.cfcoxmail.com

Secretary’s E-mail: Terri Manche

secretary@wumc.cfcoxmail.com

Witness Articles E-mail: Sharren Gibbs

sharren2@cox.net Deadline for articles: 15th of each

month

Website: www.WesleyUMCon23.org

Weekly Sunday Activities

Sunday School Adult Ages @ 9:30AM Worship @ 10:45AM

(Sanctuary)

Come join Pastor Sarah from noon to 1:00PM in the Conference Room on Tuesdays. We discuss a variety of themes and topics, but there is always rich discussion. All are welcome and we would love to have you join us!

Barbara Baldwin Agnes Burke

Carolyn Clarke Joan Croft

Betty Dees John Easter

Kay Frazier Betty Holder

Paula Mathis Barb Loehr

Beth Loehr-Moody Pam McCormick

Clydia Reichert Jan Ripley

Beth Senn Margaret Singh

Dale Smith Polly Teele

Lester Wigglesworth Jr George Winburn Clarence Witt

ST. FRANCIS HOUSE Mission Statement: The overall mission of St. Francis House

is to provide emergency food, temporary shelter, transitional

housing, and related support services in a safe, secure

environment for people in the Alachua County region who, for

whatever reason, find themselves confronted with homeless-

ness and hunger.

This ministry was established in 1980 by Father Baker, with a

goal to provide the basic necessities to help the impoverished

and hungry in the community.

Contributions may be marked on your check or envelope and placed in the

collection plate or on the altar. You may also mail your checks for St. Francis

House to the church office during the entire month of January.

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We will take the month of January off, and then meet again in February for our Valentine’s Day lunch! More on that later...

Blessings,

~Donna

WESLEY WEDNESDAY SUPPER

If you missed the annual Christmas Dinner on

December 12th, consisting of ham, cornbread dressing,

cranberry salad, and the usual other “fixin’s,” then you

missed a good one. Lots of folks were there, some that we hadn’t seen in a while.

It was a wonderful time of fun, food, and fellowship.

Our monthly WWS will be on Wednesday, January 9th at 5:30 PM. If you are not

on the permanent list for supper, please let the office know by noon January 7th if

you plan to attend. Also, if you are on the permanent list and are unable to

attend let the office know. The cost is $6.

ALACHUA GIRLS ACADEMY Girls' Academy will continue in 2019, and our first goody bags will go over to the academy close to Easter, which is April 28th this year. This year will be funded by donation only since we will not have a budget. Just as a reminder, you can bring your donations to the closet in the conference room. Suggestions for donations include word search games, pens, pencils, sharpeners, hair barrettes, nail polish, key chains, costume jewelry, toothbrushes, toothpaste, crackers, cookies (individually packaged). Items should be small enough to fit into a small gift bag. Thank you, every-one, for your continued prayers for this ministry.

Many blessings,

Joyce Welsh

Storytime in the Park Children's Church will resume around mid-March. Thank you to every-one who helped fill in on Sundays when one of us needed help. Please

continue to pray for this ministry and look forward to upcoming details.

Blessings, Joyce Welsh, Sherry Adams, and Diane Blucher

CELEBRATION BAGS The character trait for December was Compassion - "showing concern for others through words and actions." Omari, one of "our" first graders, is proudly showing his award as Mom and big sis look on! We are pleased that this event happening at Metcalfe has helped improve parent interaction. At the first event, only three or four family members were present. The December event had 16!

Cindy Holmes

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WHAT WOULD HAVE HAPPENED IF THREE WISE WOMEN HAD GONE TO BETHLEHEM INSTEAD OF THREE WISE MEN? THEY WOULD HAVE…

Asked directions.

Arrived on time.

Helped deliver the baby.

Hired someone to clean the stable.

Made a brisket.

And brought practical gifts.

AND WHAT WOULD THEY HAVE SAID TO EACH OTHER

AFTER THEY LEFT?

"Did you see the sandals Mary was wearing with that robe?"

"That baby doesn't look anything like Joseph!"

"Can you believe they let all of those disgusting animals in there?"

"I heard that Joseph doesn't have a job."

"And that donkey they are riding has seen better days!"

"We'll just see how long it will take to get your brisket dish back."

1/9 6:00PM Trustees

1/16 6:00PM SPRC

1/23 6:00PM Finance Committee

1/30 5:00PM Administrative Council

FUN AND GAMES Join the Canasta card club at Wesley United Methodist Church! Have fun and meet great people! Invite family and friends, the more the merrier! When: Thursdays, 12:00 Noon (except holidays) Where: Wesley United Methodist Church 826 Northwest 23rd Avenue Fellowship Hall

Call Harley or Pamela Christensen at 352-505-0694 for information. We have wonderful members waiting to teach you Hand and Foot Canasta!

Card Club Guidelines

Bring a sack lunch and beverage if you wish.

Please arrive on time if possible.

Please help clean up after the games end.

Please give us your email address and phone number in case of scheduling changes.

A sign-up sheet will be passed for volunteers to come at 11:30AM to set up and make coffee.

1st Irma Hales

2nd Joyce Welsh

5th Joe Reichert

8th Paula Mathis

10th Ron Case

14th Linda Yaxley-Nosko

20th Betty Dees

Christopher Blake Grayson Nosko (Linda

Yaxley-Nosko’s grand-

son)

27th Paul Humphlett

28th Jim Nelson

31st Bob Bulatewicz

19th Lisa & Matt Alday