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January
2010 Calendar
Click
here for the Current
Smyrna Calendar.
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Annual Reports
The Deadline for Annual Reports
is January 5. Please turn in your reports to Jeannie or Joel, or
e-mail to:
smyrnaucc@canby.com
Smyrna’s Annual Meeting will be
held after worship on January 24—right before the potluck lunch!
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2nd Sunday in
Advent at Smyrna
  In a piece of unfinished
business, the congregation met on Sunday, Dec. 6, to decide
whether to make the Rev. David Akers our permanent settled
minister. He has been serving for 2 ½ years as our interim and
following a decision of the Search Committee not to issue a call
to any of our candidates, he was asked if he would accept a
call. Dave agreed and the committee appealed to the Covenants
Ministry of the Central Pacific Conference to grant us a waiver
from the usual practice.
 Several members attended their
regular meeting to plead our case. A positive decision led to
our meeting in December.
The Search Committee and Pastor
Dave presented the congregation with the general terms and
expectations of the call and after a unanimous vote, all
adjourned to Friendship House for a potluck dinner to celebrate
both the results of the meeting and the beginning of the Advent
Season.
Carly and Nick led craft
sessions for all ages and Jim Daniels brought in a huge tree for
the Narthex which was adorned with mittens and scarves for those
less fortunate than us.
(Click on thumbnail to see
larger photos.)
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Decision Dollars 2009
Following our Advent pot luck luncheon,
we spent some time thinking about our mission priorities for 2010. Each
person was given “Smyrna Bucks” totaling $238 to spend as they saw
appropriate on 18 different buckets. A total of $14,746 was allocated
with the largest amount ($4,647) given to remodeling the kitchen. The
council has already started working on the project, assigning the task
to the reformulated building committee. The committee will be working
both on the design of the “new kitchen” as well as how to finance the
project. You can expect a preliminary report from the committee at our
congregational meeting in January.
Other major priorities expressed
included hand bells ($3,182), Camp Adams ($1,083), Youth programs
($840), and getting a church bus ($779). We saved the “Smyrna Bucks” so
we can use them again next year.
The bucks were in the amounts of 3,
7, 10, 40, and 118. Can you figure out the significance of the numbers?
| Pastor’s Reading Table
I subscribe to a number of
journals, and read books on a regular basis- both for my own
spiritual journey and to find ideas for sermons. It occurred to
me that rather than just throwing away the magazines I should
share them with the congregation. Back issues of The
Christian Century, Devozine and Sojourners will now
be placed in the narthex.
I also will be putting some of
my most recent books there for you to borrow. The first three
books are Have a Little Faith by Mitch Albom, The
Future of Faith by Harvey Cox, and The Boy Who Harnessed
the Wind.
Have a Little Faith is a
story of a writer who was asked to do the eulogy for the rabbi
of the synagogue he grew up in. It compares the faith journey of
the rabbi with a pastor of an inner city church in Detroit.
The Future of Faith is
written by a Professor of Divinity at Harvard. The book relates
the history of Christianity and suggests the future of faith
will be different and perhaps more authentic and spiritual.
The Boy Who Harnessed the
Wind is the true story of a very poor boy that grew up in
Malawi. His family didn’t have enough money to send him to
secondary school. While staying at home and working on the farm,
he started borrowing books and magazines from the primary
school. He learned about windmills, and built one out of bicycle
parts he found in the land fill. He used a bicycle generator to
create electricity from the windmill and brought lights to his
home. The story celebrates the ingenuity and imagination of a
young man.
More books and magazine will be
coming.
—Pastor
Dave—
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Many of the names on the prayer list come from a list of people
that the Diaconate sends cards to every month. Some are get well
cards, others are simply “thinking of you” cards. If you know
anyone who should be on the prayer list in the Behold, please
let Jeannie or Elaine know. If they would enjoy receiving cards
let someone in the Diaconate know.
“Thinking of
you”:
Thinking of you:
Joe Gribble, Mickey
Hester, Eleanor Holbrook, Helen Kappler, Jack Kieling,Tina
Marshall's mother Dephia Krause, Frank & Pat Peterson, and DaNelda
Strode
With Sympathy:
Prayers of sympathy and support for the family and friends of Evelyn
Wormdahl who died December 18.
Prayers of sympathy and support also for the family and friends of Elsie
Eyman Wilson who died December 12.
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Mission Statement
Smyrna United
Church of Christ is striving to be:
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A place of peace where we teach the word of God and the story of God’s
love. |
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A spiritual haven where we accept and care for all humanity in an
outreach of grace. |
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A lighthouse of God’s light, where worship, teaching, learning and
spiritual growth take place in community powered by thought and action. |
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A Christian people, working for God’s realm in ecumenical
harmony with other people of faith and conviction. |
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 Go
To Church?
Oregon is reported to have the lowest
church attendance of any church in the country. That distinction is not
one we should be proud of, although even I will admit that when the
weather is good, there are lots of others things to do. Why do we go to
church?
A Church member wrote a letter to the
editor of a newspaper and complained that it made no sense to go to
church every Sunday. "I've gone for 30 years now," he wrote, "and in
that time I have heard something like 3,000 sermons. But for the
life of me, I can't remember a single one of them. So, I think I'm
wasting my time and the pastors are wasting theirs by giving sermons at
all."
This started a real controversy in the
"Letters to the Editor" column, much to the delight of the editor.
It went on for weeks until someone wrote this clincher:
"I've been married for 30 years now.
In that time my wife has cooked some 32,000 meals. But, for the
life of me, I cannot recall the entire menu for a single one of those
meals. But I do know this . . .They all nourished me and gave me the
strength I needed to do my work. If my wife had not given me these
meals, I would be physically dead today. Likewise, if I had not gone to
church for nourishment, I would be spiritually dead today!" When
you are DOWN to nothing -- God is UP to something! Faith sees the
invisible, believes the incredible and receives the impossible!
Thank God for our physical and spiritual nourishment.
Another story is told of a traveler in
Pennsylvania making his way through the mining country. He observed that
in the fields there were large numbers of mules gazing. Asking someone
why there were so many mules, he was told that all through the week the
mules were kept at work hauling coal deep within the mines. And the word
was, “On Sunday they are brought up to the light, lest they go blind.”
Occasionally, perhaps once a week, we
need to see things in a light that is steady and clear and bright. We
need to let the light of the Eternal shine upon all our concerns.
Why do we go to church? We go for
nourishment, and light, and to support each other as disciples in our
journey together. Good seats are still available.
--Pastor Dave
DavidAkers@smyrnaucc.org
Christmas Thanks
 A big thank you to everyone who came to
the Christmas Program on Saturday, December 19th. The children had a lot
of fun and did a wonderful job. God’s children are a blessing to us all
that we should treasure forever. Thank you to all who helped put the
program together and the December Committee for providing the desserts.
One audience member who came to me said it was the best program they had
heard in a long time. Kudos to all and blessings for a wonderful new
year. (Click on thumbnail to see larger photo.)
--Angela
Stierle Christian Education
Chair.
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Stitch Club
 Stitch Club members met on Monday,
December 14th to assemble Holiday Food Baskets for special
people in our church and community. (Click on thumbnail to
see larger photo.)
We want to thank everyone who
has purchased one of our "New Addition" Cookbooks. (Remember,
they are still available at $10. each.) Over half have been
sold, so our publishing expenses are now covered.
As many of you know, our hope
for 2010 is to help with the cost of replacing the chairs in
Friendship House so that all will be padded and comfortable. We
are asking that if anyone has input on style, durability, or
place to purchase chairs, that they give this information to one
of our Stitch Club members.
Thank you! |
Children for Change
Update - November
During the five Sundays in November the
children collected $327.26 for the poor and homeless in Molalla and
Canby. The collection set a record for one month- thank you!
We split the money between the Molalla
Service Center and the Canby Center. December’s collection along with
all the hats and mittens on the Christmas tree in the narthex will also
be sent to the Molalla Service Center and the Canby Center.
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January Lectionary
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January 3
Jeremiah 31:7-14
Ephesians 1:3-14
John 1:1-18 |
January 10
Isaiah 43:1-7
Acts 8:14-17
Luke 3:15-17, 21-22 |
January 17
Isaiah 62:1-5
1 Corinthians 12:1-11
John 2:1-11 |
January 24
Nehemiah 8:1-10
1 Corinthians 12:12-31
Luke 4:14-21 |
January 31
Jeremiah 1:4-10
1 Corinthians 13:1-13
Luke 4:21-30 |
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Excursions 4 All
  Dec. 13: 14 people, including
Excursions4ALL and WNYC, went Christmas Caroling around Yoder, Mulino,
and Canby, and then had Dinner at Godfather's Pizza in Canby. A joyous
time was had by all. (Click on thumbnail to see larger photos.)
Jan. 2010 — Excursion To be Announced in
the Smyrna Church Bulletin
—Sandra J. Mahar
SandraMahar@smyrnaucc.org
Happy New Year
I have been busy during 2009 going
out to the Starbucks Coffee shop and for pizza at the American Dream
Pizza Parlor. I also attend the End of the Month Spaghetti Feed at my
church on the last Saturday of every month, and attend Sunday services
most weeks.
In July I celebrated my 64th birthday
and had a nice party at the North Portland home of my friend Shirley
Frison. I went to dinner with a church friend at the Canton Grill
Chinese Restaurant. I went with a friend to Canby, Oregon in May to put
flowers on my parents’ graves, and again in December to put Christmas
greens on their graves.
This year I sold things I knit and
sew again at the All Saints Church Bazaar on November 7.
Carol Loe and her Cabbage Patch Doll Family
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Please let us know if you want to
be removed from the Behold!! mailing list.
You may also choose to view a very
colorful version at our church website,
www.smyrnaucc.org . If you would prefer it to
the printed edition, we can arrange that too. You will be
reminded each month when a new Behold!! is available.
Contact
smyrnaucc@canby.com
or
beholdemail@smyrnaucc.org
Announcements are available on our
website each week as well.
In order to avoid an interruption,
let us know if you have a change of address. |
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