North Shore United Methodist

December 2nd– United Methodist Men’s Breakfast 7:30am

December 7th– Youth Parent Meeting 4:30 pm

December 7th- Youth Night & Y.A.C.H.T. Club 5-7pm

December 14th– Children's Craft Day 2-4pm

December 14th- Youth Chr istmas Party 5-7pm

December 19th– Nativity at CRRC’s North Pole Village 5:45pm December 20th– Youth Christmas Caroling

December 24th– Christmas Eve Services 4:30pm & 6:30pm

December 31st– Youth New Years Eve Party Lock-In 8pm-8am

January 5th– Financial Peace Academy Begins

January 6th– Covenant II begins

December 2014

The

Can You Dig It! Christmas Offering North Shore has a tradition of giving our Christmas offering to a charitable cause in our community or around the world. We have given to CRRC, Heifer International and Habitat for Humanity. This year we have an opportunity to drill a well in Uganda and provide clean drinking water to a village and school. This precious life giving water we often take for granted. I’ve had a long relationship with Uganda Tree of Life Ministries. Recently, I preached a sermon about why God allows suffering in the world. The conclusion was that we could alleviate much of the world’s suffering when we collectively band together for a purpose. For the price of a meal in a local restaurant we could dig a well and provide the gift of water. So many children die needlessly from disease and dysentery from drinking bad water. I asked a group of friends who travelled to Uganda in Sep-tember to look for the place with the greatest need for a well. It just so happens that a man on that trip, Chris Knippa, works for Kinetico Quality Water and his personal mission is to help people receive that precious resource. After visiting several sites he has determined that one village in particular had the most imme-diate need. The village he selected is actually a site where a Ugandan pastor friend I met several years ago has begun a school and church. The people there are currently walking about a mile to draw water and then have to carry it up a steep hill through a swampy area with Jerry cans. Can you imagine? Chris was desperate to try and get them a well. When he heard that a church was interest-ed in helping, his exact words were…what a blessing and answered prayer this news is, Praise the Lord! While in Uganda Chris contacted an engineer that he had worked with at another village. After completing a survey of the property, the engineer feels it is highly likely this area does have water. He feels confident that the water is avail-able at about 150 feet. He also met the well driller and they quoted a very good price as this dig would be deeper. He will be receiving the quote in writing and he is currently waiting on the geographical report and technical detail from the engineer. After speaking with our Mission Team they are in agreement that this would be a wonderful way to share our Christmas offering. Please be praying about your gift. If you will not be here Christmas Eve you can make a donation at anytime during December. Make sure you write “Dig It” in the memo spot of your check. Remember if we all gave 40 dollars…we could change a small part of the world. We will have no way of knowing how many lives this will save and how many souls might be brought to Christ by the gift of clean water. As always thank you for your generosity North Shore! I’m always amazed by your love. May your love for Christ deepen this season, Pastor Kim

December 7th Communion Offering– The Community Resource & Recreation Center (CRRC) provides many services to the Canyon Lake community. The Food Pantry is an emergency food pantry that is funded through local grants, private donations, and church involvement. Through these donations, local food drives, and partnership with the San Antonio Food Bank 500+ individuals per month are fed. For more information see www.crrcofcanyonlake.org

2

W M U UNITED METHODIST WOMEN

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

Thank you North Shore for all of your support. We had enough money raised to provide 4 families with Christmas, put some to CRRC, missions here and abroad and support the church's Dominican trip. Without you this would not be possible. There will be no meetings in December. Our regular

meetings will start on the first Tuesday in January

from 10-12. This will be our pledge service. Please

plan on coming. Also we will have our after the Holi-

days tea January 8th from 2-4. If you don't know what

the UMW is about, but would like to find out join us on

the 8th.

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

United Methodist Men

Brothers in Christ We have important meetings coming up! First up, December 2

nd @ 7:30, we will meet for breakfast,

fellowship, devotions, and ELECTIONS. The nominating committee is presenting the following slate.

President – Fred Glover Vice President – Jimmy Adams Treasurer – Les Robertson Secretary – Pending

Over the next few months, we will have as guests the newest additions to the church staff as well as our District Superintendent. Couple that with our BBQ fundraiser just around the corner and we have lots to do.

It has been a privilege to serve as your president for the past three years and I thank you all for the effort you put into everything we have accomplished. I started to type “a special thanks to” and realized I would need to list virtually our entire membership. So take the word for the deed and know just how grateful I am to all of you for your friendship and support. Hope you all have a wonderful Thanks giving and see you on the 2

nd.

Stan

Each man should give what he has decided in his heart to give,

not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful

giver. (2 Corinthians 9:7)

Music News

It is my pleasure to greet you as the new Director of Music at North Shore. My wife Jan and I have been now to several Sundays to worship with you and we’re impressed by the spir-it of the people of this church! We have felt nothing but the warmest of welcomes from Pastor Kim, from the congrega-tion, and from the members of the Handbell Choir and the Chancel Choir. I find myself counting the days each week, looking forward to our weekly rehearsals on Wednesdays at 6pm for bells and 7pm for choir, and of course to Sunday morning worship. This month, we started almost entirely new repertoire for the handbell choir and Chancel choir, so there have been some intense rehearsals for members of those groups, so kudos to those performers-you are delivering the message about the greatness of God. I find that the beginning point for wonder-ful liturgical music starts once you’ve not only found a way to express the text or subtext but you’ve found a way to do it beautifully. The Handbell Choir and the Chancel Choir have done a marvelous job of finding the way to do this with grace and style. Bravo! Currently in the Chancel Choir and Handbell Choir, we are seeking to add new members. If you are someone who enjoys making music, please consider coming to a rehearsal on Wednesday night to see what all the fuss is about. I would like to invite anyone, young or old to join this wonderful group of people. We are about to add another octave of handbells, so this would be a great time to join that group. Minimal sight reading is necessary. If you can read the notes of the treble or bass clef and know the difference between quarter notes and eighth notes, you have a level of skill that would be fine for handbells. To join the choir, all we ask is that you have a joy of singing. I hear so often from folks when I ask if they would consider joining the choir “Oh, I love to sing, but I don’t think I’m good enough” or “I would be too embarrassed to try”. Ask those who are in the Chancel Choir and Handbell Choir currently-they’ll tell you that it is a judgment free zone. Yes, we’re trying to do the best we can, but anyone of any level is welcome and we’re a friendly bunch. Ben LeClair

North Shore Youth

For the past year change has been on my mind. From changing my morning routine to changing the way I approach prayer to moving to Canyon Lake to serve as the new youth director; my life has seen and experienced a lot of change. Being an intricate planner, change was never something I truly embraced or liked in the past. I actually really fought it! I cringed at the thought of having to adjust MY plans to adhere to the circumstances I found my life in or worse, changing my plans because of the uneasy non-concrete feeling at the pit of my stomach (often how the Holy Spirit puts me back on course). But this past year, change moved from something to be resented to some-thing to be really excited about.

In preparing for the transition into this position, I had proposed that the youth vote on a new name for the youth group, and this past Sunday we voted and our new name was chosen: “Catalyst: youth on a mission to make His name known.” The dictionary defines a catalyst as, “a prime agent of change,” and I believe our students feel called to be those “change-makers” on behalf of a God seeking to make us more like Him.

We serve a God that never changes, but radically changes us from the inside out. Our God who calls us out of complacency, out of our comfort zones, out of the morning routines we love so much, and into a movement for change to bring God all the glory! We are called to be catalysts of change: striving daily to know God more deeply, while being anchored to a God who never changes.

I personally am very excited to see God’s plans continue to unfold for their youth program and would love and appreciate your prayers for this ministry! Feel free to contact me with questions, concerns, and ideas, and thank you for making my transition into North Shore UMC so wonderful!

Blessings,

Melissa Arishita

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

News from the Treasurer - Les Robertson

FINANCE UPDATE October 2014

OPERATIONS Pledges & other offering October Budget $31,500 October Actual $26,500 All receipts Year to date Budget $339,990 Year to date Actual $356,933 Expenditures October Budget $30,421 October Actual $22,596 All Expenditures Year to date Budget $350,033 Year to date Actual $340,166

SPECIAL GIFTS Month End Balance $45,047

BUILDING LOAN BALANCE Year 2014 Start Balance $428,730

October Balance $407,419

Endowment Fund Month End Balance $22,012

3

Children

We are excited to announce that our kids will put on a Christmas play, Christmas Eve during our family worship service. We have started our rehearsals on Sunday following our 11:00 worship service. We are excited that our new music director, Ben LeClair, and Fred Glover are directing the play. If you have a child that would like to be a part of the play it is not too late! Just make plans to attend our next rehearsal on Sunday, December 7

th after the 11:00

service. On Sunday, December 14

th, please make plans to

attend our annual Christmas Craft Day! Our children are invited back to the church from 2:00-4:00 to make crafts as gifts for their family, friends, or teachers. We will have many crafts for the kids to make and once they have fin-ished their craft they will wrap it up for a special person. I would like to thank Kim Mason, she is our leader for this event and she always comes up with new and fun crafts for the kids to make! Mark your calendars and make plans to attend!

On Friday, December 19th our church will be vol-

unteering at North Pole Village and doing the live nativity. Kids and adults are needed to fill all the roles. We per-form the play multiple times during the evening. We will let you know the official start time as we get a little closer. Watch the bulletin and listen for announcements on Sun-day mornings!

Cross Fit(Followers In Training) is in full swing! For those of you that are new, Cross Fit is offered during both services for kids ages 4-5

th grade. It is designed to

be like VBS. Parents drop their kids off in the large room of the Faith center. We meet altogether for music and a Bible story. Then we break the kids into groups and they travel to 3 different stations each Sunday. The stations vary from week to week but include art, cooking, games, drama, and science. Once stations are complete, we get back together in the large room where parents pick their kids up after service. We are also in the process of re-painting and redecorating the Faith Center! Volunteers are still needed and wanted!! If you are interested in help-ing please contact me and we will get you involved! Your commitment as a volunteer would be to share your gifts with a small group of kids one Sunday a month! So far, the kids and adults love this new approach!! Please make plans to join us!

If you have a 3rd

-5th grader you will want to make

plans for your child to join Y.A.C.H.T.(Young Active Chris-tians Hangin’ Together) Club! Y.A.C.H.T. Club is a group of kids that meets on Sunday evenings for fellowship and worship. Calvin Jones is the fearless leader of this group. The group is growing and enjoying their time together!

Please let me know if you have any questions about our new programs or suggestions for us! We would love to see more families join our church family so please invite your friends and neighbors! I hope to see you soon!!

Sharon LeStourgeon children@northshore-umc.org 830-935-4585

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

Prayer Ministry The fruit of the Sprit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, faithfulness, generosity, and self-control. There is no law against such things. Galatians 5: 22-23 The people I know who walk in the ways of God are savory with the fruit of God's Spirit, they're the kind of people I can't be around enough. Their kind and gentle ways radiate peace. Their joy is contagious. Their faithfulness is inspiring. So many things about them make me want to be more like them-and more like Christ. Amen

CHRISTMAS IS COMING! …and here’s a great

gifting idea: Buy your neighbor a bag of North Shore

UMC fair trade coffee ($8.00 for a 1-lb. bag) and then

explain how this helps small farmers throughout the

world get a fair price for their locally produced coffee

beans. Don’t forget this is a great way to invite them to

our Christmas Eve services.

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

18th Annual North Pole Village Once again we have been asked to help staff the Nativity for CRRC’s North Pole Village. We will be working on Friday, December 19th from 6-9pm. Please be there at least 15 minutes early so that we can be ready. Everyone is invited whether you have acting skills or not as there will not be any reading.