Advent and Christmas 2012
Inter-Generational Christmas Pageant and Dinner
Sunday December 16
5pm: Pageant - “A Shepherd’s Story” by Hal Hopson (Sanctuary). 5:45pm: Church family dinner (FH)
Cookie Baking for Older Adults
Saturday, December 22, 1p.m. – Fellowship Hall
The Foster Grandparents and their Grandchildren will bake cookies and prepare Christmas bags to share some Christmas joy with some of our elderly and shut-in members. Please contact your foster grandparent/grandchild to make sure they know about it! Ingredients/decorations/bags will be provided; you get to bake, decorate, stuff bags and sign Christmas cards. We also need volunteers to deliver a Christmas bag between Sunday, December 23rd and Christmas Eve.
Contact Lois Nangle at 703-671-3727.
December 23 Advent IV Worship at 9:30 and 11a.m.
Lessons and Carols with Brass Quintet
On the last Sunday of Advent, the church will be decorated with poinsettias placed in memory or honor of loved ones. A Service of Lessons and Carols with The King Street Brass and combined choirs of Fairlington will be presented.
Christmas Eve Services, Monday, December 24
Family Bell Service at 5p.m.
We celebrate the birth of Jesus singing carols, telling the story of Jesus’ birth and ringing bells. This service is designed especially for children, though persons of all ages are welcome. Bring a bell to ring!
Christmas Candlelight Communion Service at 10:30p.m.
Join us for Christmas music led by our Chancel, Seraphim and Youth Choirs under the direction of Louise Wilson. Pastor Adkins will deliver the Christmas message.
Bishop: Rev. Dr. Young Jin Cho
District Superintendent: Rev. Kenneth Jackson
Pastor: Rev. Dr. Gregory L. Adkins; Associate Pastor: Rev. Barbara Parnell
Lay Leaders: Gerry Hebert, John Johnson, Ashley Moore
Minister of Congregational Family Life: Rev. Christian White
Director of Music: Dr. Louise Wilson; Office Manager: Carol Hunter
Preschool Director: Carol Keller, 703-671-3939,
Administrative Assistants: Mitzi Holder (AM), Sandy Weldy-Cook (PM)
Youth Coordinator: Jenna Adams; Nursery Care: Yesica Cruz
Custodian: Miguel Muñoz
THIS WEEK’S CALENDAR
December 16 to December 23
SUNDAY, DECEMBER 16 – Advent lll
9:30 amBaptism Class Parlor
9:30 amWorship Sanctuary
9:30 amSunday School
10:00 amKingdom Christmas Market FH
10:30 amFellowshipFH
11:00 amWorship Sanctuary
5:00 pmChristmas Pageant & Dinner Sanctuary/FH
6:30 pmCompanions in Christ114
MONDAY, DECEMBER17
7:00 pmRenovaré114
7:30 pmAA112
TUESDAY, DECEMBER 18
5:30 pmAA112
WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 19
7:30 pmOA112
THURSDAY, DECEMBER 20
11:00 amATP Christmas Luncheon
meet in church parking lot
6:30 pmJubilate Handbell Choir106
7:45 pmChancel/Youth Choir108
8:30 pmSeraphim Choir108
FRIDAY, DECEMBER 21
SATURDAY, DECEMBER 22
9:00 amOA308
1:00 pmFoster Grandparent Cookie Baking Party
FH/Kitchen
SUNDAY, DECEMBER 23 – Advent lV: Lessons & Carols
9:30 amWorship Sanctuary
9:30 amSunday School
10:30 amFellowshipFH
11:00 amWorship Sanctuary
5:00 pmYouth Choir108
Sunday, December 16
Worship Attendance: 301
Offering: Weekly Actual: $20,493 Budget: $16,871
YTD Actual: $860,618 Budget: $843,534
Fairlington United Methodist Church
3900 King Street, Alexandria, Virginia 22302
PH: 703-671-8557; FAX: 703-820-7399
E-Mail:
Church Website:
Fairlington United Methodist Church
Open Hearts. Open Minds. Open Doors.
Welcome to Worship
Advent III
December 16, 2012
“R
ejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice!” These words by the apostle Paul are familiar ones. On the 3rd Sunday of Advent we light the pink candle for Joy. The kind of joy we are speaking of is known in Greek as “chara” and isn’t an earthly kind of happiness, but a joy that is inspired by the Holy Spirit. It’s a deep down joy that isn’t totally affected by sorrow or tribulation. Mary seemed to have this great joy as she sang the words of the Magnificat found in Luke Chapter 1. But how do we find this kind of deep joy? How do we keep it even in the midst of busyness, sorrow or tribulation? We find this joy as we deepen our walk and relationship with God through Jesus Christ. This week we have the invitation to rejoice and trust in God. ~ Pastor Barbara
As you arrive we invite you to sign the Friendship Pad that is at the end of each pew and pass it to others on your row. If you have prayer requests, fill out the yellow prayer cardand pass it to the inside aisle for collection during the first hymn. Gift bags for first time worshipers will be provided by the ushers during our ritual of welcoming.
Ushers can help with providing large print hymnals and hearing devices. They can also assist children and families with the Kid’s Pack and direct families with children to the Nursery, or to our Family Room located in the balcony.
Children’s Churchis available for children ages 3-7 as noted in the Order of Worship. If this is your child’s first time in Children’s Church, please plan to walk with him or her to Room 210 to sign-in.
The Flowers on the Altar are given by Donna Williams in memory of her parents.
The White Rose on the Altar celebrates the life of Betty Davis, mother to Russ Davis, commended to God on December 12th in certain hope of resurrection from the dead in Christ.
Remember with Prayers: Prayer is a central practice for Christians. Each week as we begin worship you are invited to place names on the yellow prayer cards located in the pew rack. We pray for them on Sunday morning and during the week during church staff meeting. Your prayer request will be read in today’s service and will be included in the list below for the coming two weeks. You are also invited to contact the church office with your prayer requests.
December 2: Scott; Brynne & Dylan; Dinah & her family; Families struggling with dementia; Debra; Sondra; John; David; John; Frankie; Cathy; Frances Saylor; Barbara K.; The Frank Zwolinski Family; Clark Stapleton; Jean; Carl; Beverly; Betsy & Beth; Rosalie & Morgan; Dr. Hong; Beth Baker; Jetlina, Marie; Aretha & Eunice; Stephen McClaugherty; Elizabeth & Annie Murray; Austin; Mila Hipp & Family; people, especially children, who are hungry & hopeless; Annabelle; Rosie; Ginger; Mark; Pete; Regina; Sherrie; Daniel & Winnie; Carey Barnaclo; Morgan Peters; Patricia & Ann Smith; Inge; Tom; Denielle; Christy; Charlie; Kate; Jim; Corey; Nancy; Delaney Jones; Ronnie; Patricia; Michael; Rosalie Johnson; Samir Ghosh; Andrea Stauffer; Eleanor & Family; The Schulman Family; Ginny Bradley.
December 9: Diane & Family; Mila Hipp & Family; MarenMullody; The Family of Diane Weinworm; The Family of Frank Zwolinski; Bob; Betty; Cecilia; Robert; Marilyn; Bella Ruel; John Charles Rodenberry & AlexaKlesha; all who grieve; Pat Shand; Darcie V.; Jay & Amber McLain; RickiOhl; Regina & Sherry; Wylene and Warren; Beth Baker; Delaney Jones; Lori Cooper; Kyle & Leigh; Mary; Shawn; Kirsten; Anthony; Debra; Sondra; John; Frances Saylor; David; John; Nancy; Frankie; Tonia & Brian Dollinger; Annabelle; Rosie; Ginger; Mark; Pete; Don; Tommy; Mylee; Jill, Marlene & Jennifer; Rev. Richard Clough; Johanna Petri; Shae; Zongmin; David Kranz; Lucy Glomb; Bruce; Janet; Samir; Rosalie; Mildred Taylor; Adrienne & James Wood; The Schulman Family; Jody Eff.
Clara M. Biswas (missionary in Phnom Penh, Cambodia); prisoners, those on death row; families of crime victims; the unemployed; those suffering from natural disasters; UM Clergy Women in Mozambique.
Serving Today
Acolytes: Ross Kinsey; Peyton Johnson.
Readers: Diane Charles, Mike Moss; Nancy Ruel, Beth Strausser.
Nursery: Yesica Cruz: Kathy McGarrill; Linda Smith
Children’s Church: Roma Sexson & Beth Conord.
Welcome Greeters: Ron Greenberg; Zenia Shawler.
Ushers: Stan Beall, Mark Johnson, Linda Hauenstein, Jeff Barnes, David Hauenstein; Sally Lafferty, Oswald Welsh, Joan Bready, Don Cook, Peggy Cook.
CONNECT
If you are interested in joining our church family, please contact Pastor Greg Adkins at or Associate Pastor Barbara Parnell at or call the church office 703-671-8557. Our next New Member Sunday is January 27th,2013.
December Aged to Perfection (ATP) Reminder for those who signed up for theChristmas luncheonat George Washington’s Mount Vernon Inn,Thursday, December 20th. Meet in the church parking lot at 11:00am.
Time to Play! The 2012 Advent/Christmas Offering will be used to fund the installation of a new playground structure on our playground. This installation is part of our 5-year Playground Renovation Plan developed by FUMC and Fairlington Preschool. The new playground structure will be installed in March of 2013. We invite you to make your Advent Christmas Offering to this project. Simply write “Playground” on your check or envelope. Contact Christian at 703-671-8557 ext. 106 or with any questions. You may also use e-giving for a special donation, designating the Playground. A link is provided to e-giving on the church’s website.
Christmas Poinsettias: The sanctuary will be decorated with poinsettias on Sunday, December 23rd. If you wish to place a poinsettiain honor or memory of someone, please complete the pinkform located on the Connect walls and turn it in no later thanMonday, December17 or go to the church website at and submit a form online and drop your payment in the offering plate or you may always bring your form and payment to the church office.
New Year’s Family Potluck Breakfast - Sunday, December 30 (9:30am)
There will be no Sunday School on Dec. 30th. In lieu of our traditional 9:30 Sunday School classes we will celebrate the upcoming New Year with a special potluck breakfast in the Fellowship Hall with games and activities for children. Join us for a morning of fellowship- just bring your favorite breakfast item to share. Event sponsored by the Education Committee. No RSVP required! All are welcome!!
GROW
Are You Prepared? Advent is a time of preparation- one way we prepare is to study. You are invited to participate in an Advent Bible Study, taking place on Sunday mornings, December 16 and 23 at 9:30am in the Parlor. The group will be using a series based on the Revised Common Lectionary titled Preparing the Way, by Susan Wink. The facilitator is Rev. Tim Farabaugh.
Library News: Visit the Church Library in Room 200 and check some Christmas favorites in four hard cover Ideals Publications and two Guideposts Publications. They include stories, poems, songs, recipes, and lovely illustrations. They are: The Ideal Treasury of Best Loved Christmas Stories, In Search of Christmas, A Hometown Christmas, The Merry Christmas, The Joy of Christmas, and Home for Christmas. Our most recent Christmas addition is Who Was Born This Special Day? by Eve Bunting and Leonid Gore. It was not the lamb, goat, donkey or dove born the first Christmas – It was a special child! The unusually soft and gentle illustrations are very appealing. The library has a nice selection of books about the Christmas season. Look for them on display and on the top shelves above the children’s books. They are outlined with Christmas ribbon.
SERVE
Volunteer(s)neededto help inthe Sanctuary: We are looking for volunteer(s) to come once a week to put the Sanctuary in order after worship or other events that may take place during the week. The volunteer refills and straightens the media in the pew racks, removing any trash left behind. Sharpened pencils are replaced. The office provides all materials needed. If you are interested in volunteering please contact the church office at 703-671-8557 or email k you to Laura and Robert Fetterolf for their efforts in this area over the last couple of years.
Service Opportunities for December are provided on flyers on the Connect boards and under “Serve” on our website.
Kingdom Christmas Market: Find gifts that your friends and family will love AND that help support great causes in our community. Join usfor Fairlington's 4th Annual Kingdom Christmas Market on today from 10am -1pm in the Fellowship Hall. It's a great opportunity to put your Christmas dollars to work for many good causes and reclaim Christmas for the Kingdom.
Helping our Neighbors through ALIVE! Alternative Giving Program: Purchase a gift to assist a low-income family in Alexandria through one of ALIVE!’s six programs. You will receive a gift card to present to someone you choose. Gifts range from a $10 holiday turkey to $50 for gas for ALIVE!’s trucks to deliver furniture to a family in need. Everything you’ll need is available on the ALIVE! website ( which contains an alternative giving page with information on the gifts and how to purchase them. 100% of your donation goes directly to assist families in Alexandria.
OTHER NEWS
All God’s Children’s Christmas Party: We want to thank everyone for your support of the All God’s Children Christmas party. We provided gift bags to nearly 200 children from local community shelter programs. 75+ people volunteered to assist with the party. We estimate raising about $7,000 for this event, both cash and in-kind toy donations. Because of you, our church created happy Christmas memories for kids who otherwise might have been forgotten. Thank you FUMC family for your generosity and kindness on behalf of these children.
~ Lana Hurdle and Mark Elder, party coordinators
Bi-District Training Day is January 12th. This full day training will include a keynote address by Rev. Olu Brown of Impact UMC in Atlanta, Georgia, workshops and roundtables. Members of lay committees in the church are encouraged to attend. Information is available at The cost is $30 if you register by December 18th, ($60 if you register on site and if there is space). Questions? Contact BDTD registrar Sharon Sheldon at 703-820-7200 or email to .
Pictorial Directory News: If you want your candid FUMC photos to be considered for inclusion in our directory, please send them to Carol Hunter at . We will have several pages of group photos and candid photos and would love your contribution! If you missed getting your family photo taken, send one of yours to us at .
FUMC Inclement Weather Policy - In times of severe weather we will post updates on the church office phone at: 703-671-8557, WTOP radio (103.5, 103.9, 107.7 FM), WTOP.com, TV Channels 7 and 8, and our website: Closure of the church building during the workweek, including the preschool and church office, follows Alexandria Public Schools decisions.