More Details on Pastors' Leave

Overall Schedule:

Although the due date is not until mid-January, the baby could come anytime now! Therefore, we are prepared for the interim pastor, Rev. Cliff Ives to begin soon.Cliff will begin preaching January 7. Pastor Jamie will be back after four weeks of leave beginning February 5. Pastor Gwyneth will be out for another two weeks, through February 18. The pastors then plan to take vacation during the School Vacation Week the 3rd week in February, Feb 19-25. Both pastors Gwyneth and Jamie will be back to the church full time beginning February 26.

Worship:

Rev. Cliff Ives will focus primarily on preaching. Chris Ward will be putting bulletins together, including selecting hymns, setting up folks to do children’s messages, and other details of worship. If you have any information to provide for worship, please see Chris.

Contact and Office Hours:

Cliff is planning to work at the church Sunday, Tuesday and Wednesday of each week he is serving. He can be reached at home by phone at 797-8930 for pastoral care needs. However, since Cliff is only working half time, please contact Chris Ward first if at all possible - 767-2516 (home) 775-5678 (work) christine.e.ward@smithbarney.com (work email).

Pastoral Care During Pastors’ Leave:

Rev. Ives has many years experience as pastor, district superintendent and bishop, and is more than willing to provide pastoral care during his ministry time at Peoples. However, if there were a major crisis, pastors Jamie and Gwyneth will be close by and will do what needs to be done given the nature of the crisis.

In addition to Rev. Ives, a team of Peoples people have been preparing to serve as “ministers of care” to provide additional pastoral care during the pastors’ leave – and as a new ministry that we hope will continue beyond this short term need.

The training has emphasized skills and gifts in visitation, including bringing communion to shut-ins from the Lord’s Table each month. The ministry of visitation is an incredible blessing not only to those visited but to those visiting.

Those who are on the team so far include: Chris Ward, Doreen Gay, Tom Nelson, Barbara Nelson, and Earle Harvey. Chris Ward will be serving to connect these ministers with folks who would like a visit, going in two’s if at all possible, either with the pastor or with another lay person.

Furthermore, if you feel led and called to serve on the ministers of care team, please let the pastors know and we will get you set up for the next round of training in a few months. What a wonderful way to serve the church body!

Email During Pastors’ Leave:

The pastors will not be checking email on any regular basis while on leave. If you have a prayer request, prayer update, or other announcement that you would like emailed out to the church body, you may email it to the church office (info@peoplesumc.com) or to Susan Angell (angelsuzieq@aol.com) to forward out to the church route list. The church secretary, Maryjean Raymond will also be emailing the prayer requests shared Sunday morning as noted on the cards, but not until Tuesday mornings.

Newsletter During Pastors’ Leave:

We will be printing a combined January-February edition of the newsletter, which will include both calendars. However, if you would like an article posted online during our leave, you may provide the information to Art Tordoff (atordof1@maine.rr.com) or Ellen Dunn (Yadoo@aol.com) who are both able to post articles, including photos. If you would like the church to be notified about the article, you may contact the church office or Susan Angell who can email the church, as explained above.

Committee Meetings:

The interim pastor will not be attending church meetings in any official capacity, except perhaps to get to know you all better during his time at Peoples. However, if your committee would like additional leadership support, please feel free to contact Chris Ward to see if she is available.

Where Will the Pastors Be?

For the first week after delivery, the pastors plan on being in South Portland. For the remainder of their leave, they hope to be living primarily at their winterized camp in Bridgton, Maine about an hour away. Chris Ward and Rev. Cliff Ives have all of the information necessary to contact Pastors Gwyneth and Jamie should there be any crises or issues to discuss.

How the Leave Schedule Was Determined:

The United Methodist Church has implemented a family leave policy that emphasizes the importance of providing not only physical healing time for mother as is required by law, but also support and bonding time for both parents with a new baby – including adopted children. What a wonderful witness this is to a world to reveal the importance of children in and to the church.

However, pastors Jamie and Gwyneth are not planning on taking full advantage of the United Methodist Church’s redemptive policy (8 weeks paid leave plus an additional 4 weeks unpaid leave). Both pastors will only take 4 weeks, and Pastor Gwyneth will take an additional 2 weeks.

Prayers Please!

Please keep Rev. Cliff Ives in prayer as he prepares to serve at Peoples, and for Chris Ward who will working closely with Cliff to plan worship, pastoral care and other needs as they arise.

And please keep Pastors Gwyneth and Jamie, as well as Faith and Dena in prayer as they prepare for the arrival of the new baby, and for a safe delivery, healthy baby, and for their time together on leave that it would truly be redemptive. Please also pray for their time returning to the church full time after their leave, with a new family member! Thank you!

Our Interim Pastor: Retired Bishop S. Clifton Ives

We have just learned that Retired Bishop S. Clifton Ives will be serving as the part time interim pastor during our upcoming four-week maternity/paternity leave. Bishop Ives (who prefers to be called "Cliff") resides in North Deering with his wife, Jane Ives.

Cliff was born in Farmington, Maine and graduated from Univeristy of Maine in 1960. He earned his M.Div and D.Min degrees from Boston Univiersity School of Theology. Rev. Ives was ordained in the Maine Annual Conference, and served UM churches in Cape Elizabeth, Bangor, Waterville and Westbrook. He also served as district superintendent, and was then elected to the episcopacy and assigned to the West Virginia area. More background information, including his passion for world missions, can be found online at Wikipedia.

Pastors Jamie and Gwyneth have worked some with Cliff and Jane in supporting the community marriage policy initiated in the Portland area recently. Although the information is a bit outdated, you can read more about similar work they were involved in while serving in the West Virginia Conference at http://www.gbgm-umc.org/wvacme/ives.htm

Cliff's primary roles while serving the four weeks as our interim pastor will be preaching and providing pastoral care for any needs that arise. We will provide contact information and other pertinent details shortly. We send our thanks to Cliff and Jane, as well as District Superintendent Mike Davis and our own members of the Staff Parish Relations Committee for all the work to bring this transition about; we are truly gracious. We welcome you into our family, Cliff and Jane!

Church Life Training 07

Whether you are new to church leadership, an experienced veteran or just thinking about it, our cluster training event has something to offer you. Many local clergy and our own Art Tordoff will lead this event January 6th from 8:30am to noon right here at Peoples.

There will be classes to prepare members of Staff-Parish Relations, Finance, Stewardship and Trustees. There will be classes in Christian Education, Lay Leadership and more. The Staff-Parish class will be taught by retired Bishop Rev. Cliff Ives, who will also be filling in for Jamie and Gwyneth during their parental leave.

New pastor at Elm St, David Nicol will be leading a class in Natural Church Development, which is a program we are considering following here at Peoples. Rev. David Calhoun will be introducing us to Igniting Ministry, a program for publicizing the church and welcoming visitors. Art Tordoff will lead a session for historians on church record keeping.

For those of you new to United Methodism, Pastor Jamie will be leading a class in "Why I am a United Methodist" (as long as the baby is not coming at the same time). There is no cost, but please email or call the office and let us know you are coming, or just show up. Our whole church will benefit from your experience, so please come.

Thank You From the Church Staff

Thank you church family for your generous Christmas gift!

In Christian love from,
Gwyneth & Jamie Arrison – co-pastors
Dr. Malcolm Cass – organist
Maryjean Raymond – secretary

New Years Eve at Peoples

New Years Eve at Peoples

December 31, 2006 beginning at 5:45 with a Pot Luck Supper

Adults and/or families bring a casserole or salad to share with others

6:30 Let the Games begin! Choose from several for kids, small groups or all at the same time!

8:00 Ice Cream Social Bring yur favorite ice cream or frozen yogurt and your favorite topping(s) to share!

8:30 Memories Night Do you have favorite pictures or slides of pas events associated with your life at Peoples? Bring them and share them. If no pictures you probably have a good story that someone else would be interested in.

9:45 Sing-a-long Carols or jut some favorite tunes that we can sing together. If you have the music it might help.

10:30 Watch Night Service in the Sanctuary for all who are still with us. Come and ring the church bell at the end of the service.

Come one Come all Come on out and be with your church family in Ellis Hall as we approach a New Year!

Good $ense Program Coming To Peoples

Peoples United Methodist Church and the United Methodist Foundation will be jointly sponsoring the Good $ense Personal Financial Management Course on the evening of February 23 and Saturday, February 24, 2007 in Ellis Hall. The Friday session will begin at 7:00 PM and conclude at 9:00 PM. The Saturday session, which is a continuation of the Friday introduction will run from 9:00 AM to 3:00 PM. Costs for participants will be $17.00 and will include the provided book, refreshments on Friday evening and Saturday morning and a meal at noon on Saturday.

This is a perfect opportunity to invite a friend, co-worker, neighbor or family member. In the course you will learn to honor God in your finances by becoming a:

• Diligent Learner
• Generous Giver
• Wise Saver
• Cautious Debtor
• Prudent Consumer

You will:

• Develop a Spending Plan
• Learn how to implement your Spending plan
• Acquire the motivation to follow through with it

You will need to do some work with pre-course materials. All of the pre-work will be confidential and you will not be asked to share it with anyone else.

It will be helpful if you register early. Registration should include the following information:

• Name of participant(s)
• Addresses and e-mail if available
• A check made out to Peoples United Methodist Church, 310 Broadway, South Portland, Me. 04106
• Check for $17

In order to provide participants with pre-course work sheet materials we need to hear from you by January 31, 2007. In order to guaruntee a text for you we need to hear from you by February 12, 2007. Final registration without guaruntee of materials should be received no later than February 19, 2007.

The Lord Will Provide

The budget for 2007 has been approved, although it carries a substantially larger deficit than last year. Though our year end attendance figures may put us ahead of last year, the number of pledgers is down by a few, marking a drop in pledges by $9,532. The budgeted expense increases this year are moderate at about $3,700. The result with additional small projected drops in fundraising is a budget that is $13,300 more in debt than last year for a total deficit of $46,404.

We trust that God has plans for Peoples United Methodist Church in the coming years that include growth and additional outreach. God's plans, though, generally work through the lives of the faithful. As our members take on a deeper trust in God with financial matters, we expect that people will feel led to increase the portion of God's gifts brought together as our family in faith.

In addition, we are taking specific steps to monitor the progress on our budget and stewardship. We will be increasing the level of communication, with regular reports about our current financial condition. We will be taking a fresh appraisal in March as the heating season moves forward about whether the church can bear all the current expenses. We will also be promoting an increased number of tithing Sundays following good feedback from those that tried tithing for the first time. Our tithes are not about giving away, but rather bringing together what God has provided so that our whole community can be stronger.

We are also looking to add to the size of our ministry by regularly keeping each other accountable in inviting and welcoming people and reaching out to the community. Keep our ministry and its finances in your prayers and be ready to respond as the Lord leads. We know God will provide.

Christmas Eve 2006

Christmas Eve at Peoples UMC was once again another special time of worship and celebration. Everyone was especially appreciative of all the work that Andy Folley and Chuck Kamilewicz put into coordinating the outdoor, live Nativity, complete with live animals! Sawyer Marston posed as Baby Jesus, and slept without a cry, just like the carol says.

Another special addition this year was the Peoples Bell Choir (see photo), coordinated by Becky Snoddy and Doug Greer.

With 162 folks the ushers counted, we had a full house. What a beautiful site to behold as the light of Christ traveled throughout the sanctuary to each one's candle; and what a beautiful sound as the church bell broke the reverant silence and ushered in the full celebration of the birth of our Savior, Jesus Christ with everyone's bells ringing!

Thank you to those serving on the worship committee who helped plan the service, and thanks to all who participated including Dr. Malcolm Cass and the choir, ushers and greeters, and sanctuary cleaners after the service! You are an awesome church body.

Praise and glory be to our God and Savior!

Church Trip: The Nativity movie

Peoples hosted a church trip to see the new movie release, The Nativity Story, on the evening of Tuesday December 19, with Pastor Jamie and twelve other disciples attending! We hope to purchase the movie when it comes out on DVD and host a showing at church sometime. If you didn't get a chance to see the movie in the theater be sure to catch the showing at church sometime in 2007! For more information on the movie, see the Christianity Today Movie Review.

Caroling - Great Fun, Great Evangelism

The pastors hosted a neighborhood caroling party on Dec 14 and was great fun. There were 20 some carolors walking the neighborhood streets together proclaiming the love, joy and hope we have in Jesus Christ. Yes, this is evangelism! Most greeted us with smiles of thanks, some came out of their homes to make sure we stopped there to sing, and we were even asked to sing for a few cars that stopped to hear us! After singing, everyone came back to the parsonage for hot chocolate, punch, snacks and most of all good fellowship. We hope you will join us again next year!

Campus Ministry at SMCC

Pastor Gwyneth has been leading the campus' first Christian discussion group this Fall, which finished up last week for the semester. Although the group was small, the students were all very enthusiastic for the discussion and thankful for the chance to connect with others in a meaningful way. The group will re-start on Tuesdays at the beginning of the Spring semester mid-January, and the students are excited to facilitate the group by rotating leadership each week. They are also very excited about the possibility of doing a mission project together and will begin working on plans in January. In February at the end of the pastors' parental leave, Pastor Jamie will join the SMCC group. It has been a wonderful experience to connect with the students and serve as a Christian presence on campus. Thank you all for your prayers and support that has helped this happen!

Mary Craigs, Beloved and Remembered

Mary Richardson Craigs, an active member of Peoples Church since the 1980's when she was married to Harold Craigs, went to be with the Lord on December 1, 2006. You may view the obituary on line at MaineToday. A memorial service was performed by Pastor Gwyneth at Peoples on December 7 to celebrate her life, grieve her loss, and remember that the resurrection reality Mary now experiences is our own hope as those in Christ. Thanks to all who surrounded the family with love and care, and especially to Brad Morrison and the UMW for hosting a beautiful reception in Ellis Hall. We miss you Mary.

Teams and Committees 2007

The Church Council in November made a recommendation to the Lay Leadership Committee that is charged with the task of resourcing all of the ministries of the church, both old and new. Many transitions occur in January of each year, with some folks coming off of committees and going on new committees and teams. This is always an exciting time, but can also be a bit unsettling, especially for committees facing a large turnover.

It has been helpful when the pastor can be present during this time. However, since this transition time will occur at the beginning of our expected paternity/maternity leave this year, I want to request on behalf of Lay Leadership that new folks begin as planned in January, but that others, as they are able, willing and called, to please continue work on their current committee in January and February. The committees understand if this is not feasible so want to emphasize that there is no pressure, just a friendly request for consideration and prayer.

Thank you from the Lay Leadership Committee,
Gwyneth Arrison, Co-Chair

Broadway Lights Christmas Fair 2006

Thanks to everyone who helped to make this year's church fair successful. The kitchen crew was just great! Deocrations were awesome! The fair provides warmth and friendliness and fellowship for all those who work and put the fair together. It also brings together those who come just to see old friends, have lunch, and enjoy everything we have to offer. So once again, thanks to all. I wish everyone a blessed Christmas and a very happy new year.

Your Friend in Christ,
Chris Ward
United Methodist Women, Chair

Nursery Schedule Through March

Nursery Coordinator: Barbara Nelson

January Nursery Teams
12/31 Andy Folley & Pastor Jamie
1/7 Linda Greer & Leah Greer
1/14 Curtis Coughlin & Ken West
1/21 Teresa Folley & Betty Splettstoesser
1/28 Barbara Nelson & Becky Gotlieb

February Nursery Teams
2/4 Becky Snoddy & Barbara Lee
2/11 Betty Splettstoesser & Betsy Morrison
2/18 Betty Lane & Kathy Brann
2/25 Doreen Gay & Curtis Coughlin

March Nursery Teams
3/4 Barbara Nelson & Jennifer Nelson
3/11 Betty Splettstoesser & Ellen Dunn
3/18 Andy Folley & Pastor Jamie
3/25 Linda Greer & Leah Greer

January and February Ushers and Greeters

Usher Coordinator: Charlie Lyons

January Usher Team
Kathy Brann
Brad Morrison
Jim MacKinnon
Tom Nelson

February Usher Team
Keith Snoddy
Chuck Kamilewicz

Greeters Coordinator: Barbara Nelson

January Greeters Teams
12/31 Pat and Merrill Kaiser
1/7 Polly Morrill
1/14 Barbara Kenney
1/21 Dan and Ruth Doughty
1/28 Art and Marlene Tordoff

February Greeters Teams
2/4 Kathy Brann and Louise Aalto
2/11 Barbara Nelson
2/18 Betty Splettstoesser
2/25 __________________

Safe Sanctuaries

Just a reminder that if you are serving your church family by ministering with children (nursery, Sunday School, youth group, youth choir, etc.), you need to fill out a background check form and be familiar with the church's policy. The policy includes, for instance, that no adult will be alone with children in the church building - both for the protection of our children as well as adults.

Although Pastor Gwyneth has been the one collecting forms, Betsy Morrison will be serving in this capacity as a member of the Staff Parish Relations Committee. If you have not yet turned in your form, please get that to Betsy as soon as possible, and most importantly before ministering with children. If you need an extra copy of the form, or a copy of the policy, please see Betsy as well.

Thank you!

Birthdays and Anniversaries

JANUARY BIRTHDAYS

2 William Beddie
3 Diane Bore
5 Paulyne Wakefield
10 Patricia Kaiser
11 Elizabeth (Bette) McGouldrick
12 Sam Seidl
13 Kris Holtenhoff
14 Christine Ward
15 Griffin Loranger
16 Wendy Nelson Diffin
17 Catherine Cook
Pauline Morrill
18 Marita Gould
20 Elizabeth Cook
Robyn Gray
Priscilla Nicholson
21 Amy (Tordoff) France
22 Barbara LaPrino-Porter
Mallory Wade
23 Jayson Craft
Arthur Tordoff
25 Jenna Greer
Ruth McLellan
Marlene Tordoff
27 Ian Dawson
30 Julia Snoddy Chace

FEBRUARY BIRTHDAYS

2 Susan Angell
3 Ivo Damman
5 Viola Darling
Sharon Obie
10 Cynthia Beddie
15 Robert G. (Butch) Teeter
16 Marlene LaShay
18 Patty Tirado
21 Tom Wakefield
Keith Snoddy
24 Halie Lyons
25 Andrew Doughty
26 Amber Lane
Portia Lane

FEBRUARY ANNIVERSARIES

2 Elizabeth (Beth) Flaherty & Scott Flaherty
14 Fred & Linda Wade

December at Peoples

Make a note of these special events going on at Peoples Church in December!

Dec 2 9:00am Broadway Lights Christmas Fair
Dec 3 12:00pm Advent Event (making wreaths)
Dec 3 5:30pm Supper in Ellis Hall
Dec 3 6:00pm Hanging of the Greens in Sanctuary
Dec 14 6:00pm Neighborhood Caroling Party at the Arrisons
Dec 24 6:30pm Live Nativity
Dec 24 7:00pm Christmas Eve Candlelight Service
Dec 31 5:45pm New Years Eve Party and Memories Night

Christmas Caroling Party Dec 14

The Arrison family is hosting a neighborhood caroling party on Thursday, December 14th, and hope you will join them!

Caroling 6-7pm around the neighborhood, for all ages
Meet at the pastors’ home
154 Mussey Street (next to the church)
Bring flashlights and dress warmly!

Hot cocoa, punch and snacks 7-9pm (For non carolers too!)
Why not invite a friend, neighbor, co-worker or family member?
Questions? Call 799-6814

New Years Eve Party

Please join your church family for what promises to be a fun time on New Years Eve, December 31. We'll begin with a potluck supper at 5:45pm. Games will begin for adults and kids at 6:30pm, followed by ice cream. Beginning at 8:00pm, we are hosting a Memories Night in which all are invited to share any memories of Peoples that are meaningful, whether from 50 years ago, 5 years ago, or this week. Please bring photos, scrap books, or any other memorobelia that helps to share your story. And if you have some other media you need help with please contact Art Tordoff, Rosemary Herd or the pastors for assistance.

At about 10:00pm pastor Jamie will be leading us in a special worship service as we celebrate the New Year 2007. We hope everyone will come on out for a great time!

Advent, Then and Now

Advent originated about 1500 years ago as a season of discipleship to prepare new converts for baptism, much the same as Lent was a preparation for baptisms on Easter. In the middle ages, Advent began to emphasize fasting, solemnity and darkness as a way of preparing for the second coming of Christ when he will come in victory to save us. Only in the last century has Advent become a time of anticipating the Nativity or birth of Jesus. Even during this time, Advent has remained a more solemn time of waiting and preparation for the new light of Christmas when we celebrate the incarnation of our Savior Jesus Christ. This is the reason that the cloth on the altar changes to purple during Advent and Lent, and white during Christmas and Easter. For more on the colors used in worship go to http://www.kencollins.com/glossary/liturgy.htm#Colors.

However, even in the most solemn expressions of Advent, Church tradition recognizes that there must be some joy evident in every Lord’s Day because of the joy of the resurrection of Jesus, which trumps all other seasons. For more about Advent go to http://www.kencollins.com/holy-01.htm

The church in this country today, however, is torn in two directions. That of traditional Advent in which we sing somber hymns such as “Come, O Come Emmanuel” and “Lo, He Comes with Clouds Descending” (which is what most worship planning resources still recommend), versus the joyful carols proclaiming that the Baby has already been born such as “Joy to the World, the Lord is Come.” In speaking to previous pastors we found that until recently, Peoples Church has mostly stuck with traditional Advent. However, just in the last several years, Peoples has sensed the tension and begun to sing more of the joyful carols during Advent that proclaim that the Baby has been born.

Your current pastors appreciate the richness of the Advent tradition, but also want to be sensitive both to Peoples traditions as well as potential visitors who are unfamiliar with the season or term “Advent.” We welcome your thoughtful opinions at any time, and would certainly appreciate input for the Worship Committee that helps design morning worship (meets the 2nd Tuesday at 6:30pm).

When the Worship Committee discussed these matters in November, folks spoke of the importance of the Advent Wreath tradition, including the themes of Love, Joy, Hope and Peace. For more information on the history of this tradition, which is fairly recent but very interesting, go to http://www.kencollins.com/question-10.htm

The worship committee also shared how much they have enjoyed singing carols during Advent in recent years, especially those who are unable to attend worship on Christmas Eve at Peoples when we sing carols, carols and more carols!

We also discussed that it might be more meaningful for people to experience a kind of “ramping up” to Christmas Eve than withholding all and then bombarding the Church with carols on Christmas. This allows for a more gradual process of allowing the light of Christmas to break in. The Worship Committee would like to try this out this year, singing mostly Advent hymns in the beginning of Advent and singing more of the carols toward the end of Advent. In addition, the worship committee is scheduling families to light each Advent candle as well lead the congregation in a short Scripture and prayer. We hope these ideas will provide a meaningful Advent for all!

The “Comment Button” is provided at the end of this article, and we would love to hear your thoughts either posted here, or by email or in person. Again, we would also welcome input during the December Worship Committee meeting.

Wayside: Ministry to Those in Need

A group of 14 Peoples people met at the Wayside Soup Kitchen on Wednesday, November 29 to serve a dinner to people in need in the Portland area. We were joined by several other groups making for many volunteers and light work. As their set of volunteers changes each time, we may be short the next time on January 31st, 2007. Peoples volunteers every 5th Wednesday.

The needs are many and the clients ranged widely from teens to the elderly. For all, it was clear that it was important to be able to have this meal. It was particularly special to have enough volunteers to be able to wait on each client's every need. It was also a blessing to be able to serve alongside the same people with whom we worship. Samantha Foote joined us from the youth group only to be surprised that her grandmother Sue was already there!

Our individual volunteer efforts cannot help us understand the Gospel in the same way as working together. We certainly fed Jesus without knowing it that night. The procedures and direction from the staff made the process safe and easy. Please ask the members of groups or committees you share with to go together as a group. It is even a great chance to invite a neighbor to come and serve with us. Mark your calendars for January 31!

What to Expect When Your Pastors are Expecting

As most everyone knows by now, the pastors are expecting their third child, due January 14. The pastors have been working for several months with the District Superintendent Rev. Mike Davis, the Board of Ordained Ministry for the UMC, and Peoples Staff-Parish Relations Committee to plan for the church ministry when the baby arrives.

The United Methodist Church is very progressive in its understanding of the importance for both mother and father to bond with a new child. Therefore, both fathers and mothers are offered eight weeks of paid leave and an additional four weeks unpaid leave. Pastor Gwyneth has requested six weeks, and Pastor Jamie four weeks of leave time, which has been approved by Peoples and the denomination. Therefore, both pastors will only be on leave for one month – Jamie will return half time for the remaining time of Gwyneth’s leave, and after that they will both be back.

The Board of Ordained Ministry has approved $1,000 which will cover salary of a half time interim pastor for the four weeks both of the Arrisons will be on leave. Most likely this pastor will cover morning worship duties and some pastoral care needs as they arise. S/he will probably only be physically present at the church on Sunday and one or two other days of the week. However, if there were any serious crises the Arrisons would be contacted and discern together with the interim pastor and lay leader whether they should respond to the crisis themselves. All of the contact information will be provided in the next newsletter, upcoming worship bulletins, and by email.

During the month that the Arrisons are away, some ministries will need to take leave as well. For instance, the church may need to use the hymnal books during this time rather than having the lyrics projected on the wall. There may need to be a January-February edition of the newsletter rather than two separate mailings. The Gathering worship will most likely convert to a small group study using a curriculum similar to the one being used at the Thursday morning Bible Study. And most likely the youth group will be unable to meet during the pastors' leave. But again, the time we’re talking is only one month. Peoples is blessed by a strong group of lay leadership and this time may well provide some growth opportunities as well.

The Arrisons would be happy to answer any questions or hear any other comments or ideas you may have.

December Birthdays & Anniversaries

BIRTHDAYS

1 Louise Farrington
5 Kelsey Flaherty
Polly McMillan
7 Melissa Cook
12 Paul Skidmore
13 Doug Greer
Marshall MacKinnon
Deanna Pike
14 Anita Lyons
17 Dawn McIntosh Skidmore
18 Jean Allen
19 Laura Hladky
Barbara Hull
20 Barbara Nelson
22 Doreen Gay
23 Nathan Dunn
25 Mary Craigs
28 Philip Bryant
29 Christopher Brann
31 Sarah Brann

ANNIVERSARIES

20 Charles (Chuck) & Joanne Kamilewicz
22 Daniel & Ruth Doughty

More Shawls Blessed, More to Go

On Sunday, November 26, another group of prayer shawls were blessed during worship. Co-Leaders Betty Smith and Marlene Tordoff were invited to come forward to lay hands on the shawls, as well as others who have made shawls as the whole church said a prayer of blessing. Marlene also spoke some about the ministry and encouraged anyone who has been thinking of getting involved to come on out the 2nd Thursday of the month (next meeting in January). There are plenty of folks there who can teach you how to knit if you don't know how! Another way to serve is by donating yarn to the group. You can contact Marlene or Betty for more information.

Almost all of the shawls that were blessed in the Spring have been given out, and have been exactly what their name implies: a real blessing. And more shawls have been completed since the blessing last Sunday! Thank you to all who have made shawls or donated yarn.

The next meeting will take place January 11th during Arts and Crafts night.

Request for Peoples Roots

Submitted by Art Tordoff

As you know as Historian I have been writing monthly articles on the history of Peoples Church. To date I have done 44 and all can be found at http://peoples-roots.blogspot.com/

As we approach December and Christmas 2006 I would like to encourage you to participate with me in writing the December or January 2007 episode. What I would like to do is to solicit from you your memories of what have been the most meaningful Christmas celebrations that have taken place at Peoples in the time that you have attended. You don't have to write a great deal.

Please consider taking a few minutes to think about adult and children's celebrations and why they were most meaningful to you and or to your children. Please make sure that you give an adequate explanation of the event(s) and why they were special. Think of such things as Hanging of the Greens, Christmas Fair, Advent Event, Christmas Eve services etc. Maybe even within one of the above events there was something special such as when the children at the Hanging of the Greens set up the Creche on the altar. Do you remember when you were a young member or attendee and doing something as a Sunday school member or a member of the MYF.

I would appreciate hearing from any and all and then I will incorporate what you have provided in a meaningful episode of Peoples Roots. Thanks in advance.

December Lectionary Readings

LECTIONARY READINGS

December 3
Psalm 25:1-10
Jeremiah 33:14-16
1 Thessalonians 3:9-13
Luke 21:25-36

December 10
Luke 1:68-79
Malachi 3:1-4
Philippians 1:3-11
Luke 3:1-6

December 17
Isaiah 12:2-6
Zephaniah 3:14-20
Philippians 4:4-7
Luke 3:7-18

December 24
Luke 1:47-55
Micah 5:2-5a
Hebrews 10:5-10
Luke 1:39-45

Christmas Eve
Psalm 96
Isaiah 9:2-7
Titus 2:11-14
Luke 2:1-20

December 31
Psalm 148
1 Samuel 2:18-20, 26
Colossians 3:12-17
Luke 2:41-52

December Nursery and Ushers

NURSERY
12/3 Betsy Morrison & Kathy Brann
12/10 Doreen Gay & _____________
12/17 Pastor Gwyneth & ____________
12/24 Betty Splettstoesser & Ellen Dunn
12/31 Andy Folley & Pastor Jamie

USHERS
Kathy Brann
Jim MacKinnon
Brad Morrison
Tom Nelson

Exciting New Leadership Changes

Several leadership positions at Peoples are changing this year. On behalf of the Lay Leadership Team, I want to thank all those who have served so faithfully in these ministry positions, and also welcome those who have stepped forward to prayerfully answer God’s call to serve in new and exciting ways.

Chris Ward has faithfully served as the Peoples Lay Leader for twelve years, working with three different pastors followed by three interim pastors before Bill Beddie and then your current pastoral team. This has required a great deal of flexibility on Chris’ part in working with a variety of pastoral styles as the primary link between pastor and congregation. In addition, Chris has provided the congregation with real stability through a lot of changes and some tough times. She has served these many years joyfully, always with a servant’s heart out of love for her LORD.

Chris will continue as chair of the Worship Committee, as this is her sense of primary calling at this point. In this area she will be continuing in aiding the pastors in worship as was the focus of some of her work as Lay Leader. In addition, Chris has agreed to serve as Lay Leader through our maternity/paternity leave, and so will still be the primary contact if any pastoral needs arise during those four weeks. But even though this change will not be taking place for several months, please take a moment to stop her and thank her for her service as Lay Leader these many years, as well as her willingness to allow others to share in the blessing of serving in this way. Chris is further expanding her ministry with the church as she takes on the role of Church Council Chair.

Earle Harvey will serve as Lay Leader for 2007. What is the Lay Leader? The primary role is a liaison from the pastor to the congregation, and from the congregation to the pastor. The lay leader empowers the entire church in more effective ministry by working with the pastor to develop the congregation and its leadership, and helping the pastor to assess and respond to needs in the congregation. However, the ways this works itself out varies between churches and lay leaders as they bring different gifts.

Merrill Kaiser has stepped up to lead the Missions Team that Earle has been so faithfully leading. Merrill has a particular heart for Heiffer International, though will be continuing our schedule of monthly focus points. We would encourage each small group and committee to take on one monthly mission focus through the year.

Tom Nelson has served as chair of Staff Parish Relations Committee for 3 years, leading the committee through the retirement of Bill Beddie and the process of working with the District Superintendent to find a good pastoral fit for Peoples. Dan Doughty will be a new face on the committee this year but has willingly stepped up as chair. The committee has agreed to rotate monthly meeting leadership, though Dan will take the responsibility of being the primary contact with the district.

Joanne Kamilewicz has become a voting member of Trustees as well as serve as Recording Secretary. Joanne brings a love for our church and especially her husband and dedicated Trustee Chuck. Having accurate minutes is important for this committee with responsibility for our building and investments.

Ministry of Service is a Blessing

Living the Gospel is not just a personal matter, nor is it just an intellectual one. The intended audience of the Bible is the gathering of the faithful as we live as disciples of Christ. Doing ministry together is what brings our faith and Biblical life alive. As we think of God taking on the flesh of baby Jesus this Christmas, let us consider how our faith takes on flesh in our lived lives together. It is this very parallel that leads to the church being called the Body of Christ.

As Paul says, the Body is made up of many members. We are each called into a life of service that aligns with our own gifts, joys and personality. If you are not currently serving in the church, pray about where you may be called. Is it to help with putting together fun events? Giving input to future studies and small groups? Shoveling snow? Painting? Missions work locally or around the globe? Perhaps it is in visiting shut-ins or new visitors? Making some phone calls? Being part of a prayer team?

Service for the Gospel is often less about what the church needs and more about where God is workin in your life. As you consider, think about what area God may be calling you to grow next. None of these opportunities have to begin as long commitments. If you feel you would like to try one of these or other ministries, let the pastors know. If it does not seem to fit, try something else. God is not done with any of us yet.

Youth Group Off to a Great Start

The youth group has been meeting weekly this Fall for about an hour. The pastors have been serving as the group leaders, Eric Detweiler from SMCC as assistant leader, and other adults such as Barbara Nelson helping out too. We begin by playing a few games that are related to topic we’ll be discussing with a variety ranging from silly and athletic to thought provoking and reflective. Then we have some teaching and discussion time on the topic, which currently is “grace.” We close by pairing off youth to share about how life is going and pray for each other, and then gather the group back for a benediction.

For December we aren’t meeting weekly but are hosting some special activities. The youth met at the Wayside Soup Kitchen to help serve the homeless in the area. The youth are also invited to participate in other church-wide events such as neighborhood caroling on December 14 and special worship events. And we are hoping to plan one other special December activity -- some being considered are helping serve dinner and decorate for the Root Cellar Christmas Dinner on December 21, serving again at the Wayside Soup Kitchen, or having bowling/pizza fun night.

If you know of any youth who might be willing to try out the group, either when we are meeting regularly again or for any of the special events, please put them in contact with one of the pastors.

Another Great Auction

Submitted by Doreen Gay

November 3rd, Peoples had it's annual FUNdraising auction. With the professional and very entertaining help from auctioneer Harold Sutherland we raised $4020.10! This amount is much higher than last year and a welcomed surprise, as was the largest audience we have had thus far.

It goes without saying that it wouldn't be possible for me to organize such an event if it wasn't for the support I have from all of you, I can not thank you enough. Please remember to thank these businesses for their generous donation to our auction: Portland Museum of Art, Hair on the Square, Ananias, Shopper's Hardware, South Portland Recreational Dept., Rick Elias from Calm Waters, Portland Stage, Maine Narrow Gauge Railroad, Shaws, Hannaford, ChuckECheese, Eric's Piano Services, Vinny T's, Natasha's, and last but not least Harold Sutherland of Sutherland Auctions in North Yarmouth. If we want continued support from these people it's important that we try to give them our business. Let them know you are from Peoples and that you appreciate their support.

A special note of thanks goes to Howard Wentworth. As you may know, his wife Caro, who is also Sharon Obie's mother, passed away last week. During the time Caro was in the hospital, Howard and Caro were so disappointed they would miss the auction that they sent in a cash donation of $150! To think of the church during this very stressful time is testament to their giving nature. It is very fitting that Pastor Gwyneth would be there for them both near the end of Caro's life here on earth, and that she would be asked to provide a funeral service. Blessings come from unexpected places.

The auction was an exciting time of fellowship, if you haven't attended before please plan to come next year. You are all such a blessing and I appreciate your support and look forward to next year's auction.

Tri-State Superintendency

Art Tordoff on Tri-State Superintendency Committee

The Tri-State Superintendency Committee is similar to local church committees known Staff Parish Committees. It works as a liaison and advisory committee for the District Superintendents and the various parishes in the Tri-State District. In order to become a member it is necessary to be nominated by someone, usually that is already of the committee and then approved by the New England Conference.

Presently the chair of the committee is Reverend David Calhoun of the West Scarborough Methodist Church. Presently there are 13 members of the committee representing all areas of the Tri-State District. Walter Kimball from the Thornton Heights United Methodist Church is also on the committee. Most often when the committee meets it is at the Greenland United Methodist Church or at Eliot since they come closest to the middle of the district.

When I became a member of the committee I was told that it would meet two to four times during the year. Business has been such that since I became a member at the end of September we will have met three times before the middle of December. Well, some one was right! We will have met between 2 and 4 times by the end of this year.

Meetings to date have not been well attended. The type of work that we have been called together to do has been to advise District Superintendents Mike and Jan Davis on matters concerning their office staff in Lawrence and to hear about the work load that they have divided between them. We are presently in the process of developing and piloting a new evaluative tool to determine the effectiveness of the District Superintendents. This latter activity is what has taken the most time to date. No satisfactory evaluative tool has been in place prior to this time.

So far I have found the meetings rewarding including the ride to Eliot or Greenland with Reverend Calhoun on whatever night of the week we meet. I have also met some really great folks who are serving on this committee and who may have a really different perspective on matters than I do.

Art Tordoff

Church Conference 2006

Pictured is Rev. Mike Davis, District Superintendent of the Tri State District of the UMC

This year's church conference was a celebration of our ministry, but not only ministry from the past, a celebration of ministry that may be coming in the future.

We began conference with worshiping with the videos we use for The Gathering while SPRC met with DS Mike Davis. We then had a brief devotion about the people all around us that are wondering about the Gospel, just waiting for us to come along side and help. Mike gave his thanks for the work we have done increasing our payment of mission shares this year well above where we were last year. We voted on a 4% raise for the pastors considering no raise last year. We continued approval of Mike Gray's candidate for ministry. We also approved five Lay Speakers: Chris Ward, Merril Kaiser, Doug and Linda Greer and the new addition of Art Tordoff.

Mike added a new component to our conference with a slide presentation offering training on Natural Church Development. This is a program we will be considering in the coming year. It offers a means of collecting anual data on the balence of our ministries as well as resources for improving the area with the most needs. This builds on the Purpose Driven Life model that encouraged building up the weaker areas of our ministry by providing a means for annual measure and accountability. www.ncd-international.org

This type of training will be part of our annual meeting. Please let the pastors or members of SPRC know if you have ideas for subjects you would like discussed. Thank you to all who facilitated or attended.

Budget, Finances and Pledging

Tudsday December 12th, we will be discussing the annual budget at council. All are welcome to attend and share your thoughts and prayers. The current budget predictions give us a $45,000 deficit for 2007. There are increases in payroll, conference expenses and utilities, but the largest area of concern is on the income side. We have budgeted for less income from fundrasisers and more importantly plan for more than $10,000 less in pledging this year.

If everyone at the church brought a full tithe (10% of income) to the church, it would greatly expand what we could do, covering our whole budget with pledging alone. This would take all pressure off of other fundraising and expand both our outreach into the community as well as our ability to care for members that might need financial help. Please pray for our church budget as we consider it on the 12th and also pray about your own stewardship. It is always possible to further raise pledges.

As to the long-term health of the church, I find that there is a greater sense of outreach than there was even a year ago. If we continue to increase our outreach both in missions and in basic care for our neighbors, I have no doubt the ministry will grow. I point this out, not because we are counting on increased numbers to save the finances of the church. Rather, as long as we have a vital ministry that reaches out to the community with the Gospel of Jesus Christ, I trust God will provide what the ministry needs.

Cluster Training January 6

Whether you are in a new post at Peoples, are serving in familiar territory or want to just seek out what is possible, please plan to come to Peoples on Saturday morning, January 6th for our cluster training event. There will be classes in finance, trustees, staff-parish relations, creative worship, outreach and more. This is an excellent time to learn from local clergy as well as each other.

Last year folks came from as far away as New Hampshire and Bath. There were more than fifty in attendance. The schedule will begin at 8:30 with coffee and snacks and a brief worship time and end with a gathering closing at noon. One brief morning is a great investment in future ministry at Peoples.

Choir Bells Ringing at Peoples

The Peoples Bell Choir has started up under the co-leadership of Doug Greer and Becky Snoddy, and will be performing Christmas Eve. There's a good group already, but if you are still interested in joining up there may be room. Please contact Doug or Becky if interested.

Sunday School Thanksgiving

The Sunday School came together to host coffee fellowship the Sunday before Thanksgiving, including baking cookies and other goodies, making placemats for the tables, and creating a Thanksgiving Banner together. It was great fun for all, and Brad and Betsy Morrison were especially thankful for the break! Thanks to all the youth for making a difference in the life and ministry of Peoples Church.

Arts and Crafts Night Great Fun

Mark your calendars for the 3rd Thursday of each month if you enjoy any kind of arts or crafts. The prayer shawl ministry has been meeting during this time, but was recently expanded to include a larger group of folks who are making cards, scrap-booking, stamping and other artsy wonders.

There will be no group meeting in December (instead all are invited to a church Caroling Party!), but the Arts and Crafts group will be starting back up in January. Come on out!

Newest Member at Peoples

Sawyer Albert Marston was baptized at Peoples on November 19, 2006. Those who participated included parents, Melinda and Bert Marston, and Godparents, Allison & Christian McBrierty serving as Sawyer's sponsors. Brother Caleb and proud grandparents, Jerry and Susan Paige and many other family members were able to witness this beautiful sacrament and conveying of God's grace in Sawyer's life as well. Welcome baby Sawyer!

Wedding at Peoples

Pastor Gwyneth performed a recent wedding for a young couple from Portland, Nathan Sirois and Rebekah Pilling. Gwyneth has been meeting with the couple monthly since Spring for pre-marital counsling, which was a great experience for all of us. The pastors use the Prepare-Enrich relationship inventory to guide the couple through topics such as conflict resolution, family of origin issues, communication, roles, children and parenting, spiritual beliefs, sexual relationship, leisure activities and financial management. Through this process, couples learn about themselves and each other, the strengths of their relationship that will help see them through even in difficult times, and tools to discuss and work out differences in various areas. Rebekah and Nathan did homework together each month, including forming a budget, recording short and long term financial and life / family goals, and working through a conflict resolution process on various topics as they arose. The wedding itself took place on November 4 with reception at SMCC, and the couple has recently returned from their honeymoon in Hawaii. Best wishes to Rebekah and Nathan from Pastor Gwyneth and all of Peoples UMC.

SMCC Ministry

The Christian Study group at Southern Maine Community College led by Pastor Gwyneth has been small but powerful. We have been meeting at the 158 coffee house with just a handful of students. We start with some chat time in the beginning, and then delve into discussion of the book Velvet Elvis, Repainting the Christian Faith by Rob Bell. The students have all loved the book, and occasionally we have had some visitors pop in, one of whom was Muslim. We have recently moved the study to the college dining hall due to some scheduling conflicts at the coffee house, which may increase the group's visibility some as well. The group is determining how to procede next semester while Pastor Gwyneth is on maternity leave, but will most likely rotate leadership within the group and choose another book to study together. Please continue to keep this group in your prayers.

Peoples Roots and Other Links

Make sure to check out the lastest Peoples Roots collated by Art Tordoff by clicking on the link at the top, right of the blog (under "Links"). You can also find the church webpage and monthly church calendar (if you use Internet Explorer as your browser you may need to enlarge the image by clicking on it); December's calendar will be posted shortly. In addition, you may click on the "comment" button at the bottom of each article to discuss the topic or post a note of encouragment, question or loving disagreement.

As usual, please let us know if you have suggestions, revisions or questions about any of the links or blog content by emailing the pastors.

Monthly Mission for December - Red Bird

The monthly mission for December is Red Bird mission, a non-profit agency located in the Appalachian mountains of Southeastern Kentucky. The organization's mission is to empower individuals and advocate justice by providing spiritual, educational, health, and community outreach ministries to area low-income residents, under the guideance of Jesus Christ. Red Bird Mission is an institution in the Red Bird Missionary Conference related to the General Board of Global Ministries of the United Methodist Church.

The areas of ministry include education ( K-12 Christian School, residential dorms, early childhood development), health and wellness (medical and dental clinics and public health), community outreach (elderly and family ministries), economic opportunities (clothing and craft store), and community housing improvement (work camp, home repair, mission facilities). There are volunteer opportunities in each of these areas, as well as ways to support current missionaries.

History of the Mission - Submitted by Earle Harvey:
The Mission was founded in 1921 by the United Evangelical Church on a small piece of property at the confluence of Cow Fork and the Red Bird River in Bell County Kentucky. Under the leadership of Rev. John J. DeWall, Superintendent 1921-28, the school and church ministries were begun. Red Bird medical work began in 1922 and the first hospital opened in 1928. In 1946 the Evangelical Church united with the United Bretheren Churche forming the Evangelical United Bretheren Churches. Ministires to the community expanded during the first 40 years of operation to include a farm program, clothing ministries, and a Work Camp program. The hospital moved to the Queendale Campus in 1959.

In 1968 the Evangelical United Brethren Churches united with the Methodist Church to form the United Methodist Church. The community outreach ministries have grown to be a significant part of the overall ministries in recent years. The clothing and craft ministries increased in scope after moving into the current facilities on Queendale Center. The craft program has grown in recent years through in-church craft fairs. The ministries to the elderly and families of the community flourished in the 1990's. The DeWall Senior Citizen Center started operations in 1991 and the Red Bird Elderly Housing apartments were opened in 1996. In 1997, new family health programs were begun. The Work Camp program has grown to over 2700 participants annually.

Kay Robinson, Beloved and Remembered

Kathleen (Kay) Robinson, a longterm and active member of Peoples Church went to be with the Lord on October 31, 2006. A memorial service was performed by Pastor Gwyneth at Peoples on November 3 to celebrate her life, grieve her loss, and remember that the resurrection reality Kay now experiences is our own hope as those in Christ. Thanks to all who surrounded the family with love and care, and especially to Brad Morrison and the UMW for hosting a beautiful reception in Ellis Hall. We miss you Kay.

Good $ense Financial Program

Good $ence Program Coming To Peoples

Peoples United Methodist Church and the United Methodist Foundation will be jointly sponsoring the Good $ence Personal Financial Management Course on the evening of February 23 and Saturday, February 24, 2007 in Ellis Hall. The Friday session will begin at 7:00 PM and conclude at 9:00 PM. The Saturday session, which is a continuation of the Friday introduction will run from 9:00 AM to 3:00 PM. Costs for participants will be $17.00 and will include the provided book, refreshments on Friday evening and Saturday morning and a meal at noon on Saturday.

In the course you will learn to honor God in your finances by becoming a:
Diligent Learner Generous Giver Wise Saver
Cautious Debtor Prudent Consumer

You will:
 Develop a Spending Plan
 Learn how to implement your Spending plan
 Acquire the motivation to follow through with it

You will need to: Do some work with pre-course materials. All of the pre-work will be confidential and you will not be asked to share it with anyone else.

It will be helpful if you register early.

Registration should include the following information:

Name of participant(s). Addresses and e-mail if available. A check made out to Peoples United Methodist Church, 310 Broadway, South Portland, Me. 04106.
Check for $17.

In order to provide participants with pre-course work sheet materials we need to hear from you by January 31, 2007. In order to guaruntee a text for you we need to hear from you by February 12, 2007. Final registration without guaruntee of materials should be received no later than February 19, 2007.

Preparing for Charge Conference - November 12th

There will be two changes in our charge conference this year. First, there will not be a meal after church as the conference will not begin until 3:30pm. There will be a meal after, however, followed by The Gathering. If you have not yet tried the Gathering service, this would be an excellent night to invite a friend to come meet up with us for the 5:30 supper.

The second change is in focus. We will be spending less time reporting on what has gone on in the last year and taking the time to explore our future. Our DS Rev. Mike Davis will show us a program called Natural Church Development - a program to evaluate our needs and help keep us accountable to reach out in new ways. This is one program we are considering taking on in the coming year, so please come see and learn so you can help with our discernment process.

We will be assembling a booklet of reports to celebrate God's work in our church during the last year. If you have anything to contribute from your committees, small groups or personal ministries, please get them to the church office by November 7th at the latest.

Finally, please come and support our church at this annual charge conference that binds our ministries together.

Mission Focus for November - Hunger

Think globally - United Methodist can make a big difference in the lives of hungry people by supporting UMCOR and Bread for the World. In this way, you will be joining 55,000 others - individuals, families, churches, and religious organizations - who are working together to persuade our nation's decision-makers to adopt policies that will help end hunger in God's world.

For three decades, Bread for the World had worked with leaders from both political parties to craft legislation that gives hungry people - both in the United States and overseas - the tools and resources they need to feed their families and make a living. By supporting Bread for the World, United Methodists join Christians from many other denominations in a strong ecumenical witness to Congress and the White House.

Act locally - We will once again be collecting food for the The South Portland/Cape Elizabeth Emergency Food Pantry during the month of November. Food will begin to collect along the altar rail and be delivered to the pantry at the end of the month. The pantry provides short-term emergency food to fill in gaps before other programs are able to respond. The demand has been high and their shelves are getting low. Please help fill them up and fill up our neighbors in need.

World Hunger Fast

As another way to connect with our monthly mission focus, everyone is invited to participate in a fast to collect money to aid in efforts to assist in the helping to feed the hungry in the world. We will be meeting at on Thursday, November 16 to pray and prepare for a twenty-four hour fast starting on Friday at 7AM and ending at Saturday 7AM with a Break - fast. Peoples involved in this fast may have a total or partial fast of certain foods. The money saved from not eating will be collected and donated to assist the hungry of the world. Those who may not be able to fast may donate to the collection during the Sunday Service on November 19th.

Experiencing the Gathering

During our new alternative worship service, The Gathering, we have been looking at various "I AM" claims made by Jesus in the Gospel of John. One week, worshipers (some blindfolded!) traveled up from Ellis Hall to a pitch-dark sanctuary where we heard and experienced the Light of the World who expells all our darkness proclaimed by candlelight. Another week centered around the theme of Jesus as the Bread of Life while we sensed the growing aroma of home-baked bread cooking while we worshipped and then feasted together in Holy Communion dinner-style. Another week we felt ourselves washed clean by Jesus as the Water of Life in a hand-washing ceremony.

Most recently we experienced Jesus as the Great I AM (John 8:52-58), and claimed the inheritance and blessing of Abraham because of the work of Jesus Christ who has made this possible (Galatians 3:13-14). Each worshipper noted names of people who have influenced their faith in their lives and in Scripture on leaves that folks glued throughout the service onto the handmade tree , finalizing in writing our own names as ones who claim the Scripture as our story and the folks in Scripture as part of our family tree.

For the scheduled themes coming up go to the blog article http://peoplesumcnews.blogspot.com/2006/09/we-have-begun-to-gather.html

This style of worship is not for everyone, but it just may be for a friend or family member who doesn't attend any church. Why not invite them this week?

A Super Time for the Youth!

The youth partied all night long Friday October 26th at the Word of Life Superbowl. Though this is not a football event, there was plenty of sports and celebration. The night began with Pastor Jamie and assistant youth leader Eric Detweiler piling into the car with Jalen Diffin, Dusty Mathews and Sam Siedel to head off to the Civic Center to see the Pirates beat the Lowel Devils in the last few seconds. After the exciting game, the approximately 1200 youth and their leaders moved together to hear a Gospel message and have a time for prayer. Then the party really got going. There were games involving launching prizes up into the stands and fun games down on the ice to watch. Then we were off to bowling in Saco until 3am followed by frisbee, volleyball a mechanical bull and airhockey at Howard Sports. When we got home and saw the sky getting lighter, we went down to Willard Beach to throw the frisbee around until 7am.

It was an excellent time of fun and fellowship. We expect the youth group to grow in numbers and closeness through many fun times in the year ahead.

Golf Tournament Results

The main result was an excellent time had by all in the best weather the Peoples Golf Tournament has seen in years. All the awards were taken down by two teams. The Snoddy team was led by Jay and Julie Chace who made the mens and women's long drives. Jay also made both the closest to the pin awards. All of this was not quite good enough to beat the team of Tom and Barbara Nelson, Dusty Mathews, and Chris Bowker who scored three under par.

All teams were awarded to an excellent meal hosted by Brad Morrison and Chris Ward.

Thank you to Fred Wade, Brad and Chris for all your work making for a wonderful day.

Going Going On November 3rd

The annual fundraising auction of the church is on Friday, November 3rd. The viewing begins at 6:00 along with "good eats" and the live auction begins at 7:00. The church budget relies on this fundraiser and we have been very blessed with successful ones in years past. Most of all, it is always a fun time. Please come and enjoy!

New Look in Ellis Hall

No photo can capture the amazing work that has been completed thus far in Ellis Hall - you have to see it for yourself! All new lighting, ceiling, and walls painted. Next on the list are doors, trim and designing the wall space for effective communication and use of the hall for vital ministry. When you see one of the Trustees, please say a word of thanks and encouragement for their leadership and hard work: Rosemary Herd, Doreen Gay, Kathy Brann, Walter Greer, Chuck Kamilewicz, Brad Morrison, and Tom Nelson.

Worship Ministers for November

Greeters for November
11/5 Barbara Nelson
11/12 Polly Morrill
11/19 Belle Graney
11/26 Betty McGouldrick

Ushers for November
Keith Snoddy
Chuck Kamilewicz

Lector for November
Bert Marston

Nursery for November
11/5 Teresa Folley & Pastor Gwyneth
11/12 Betty Splettstoesser & ____________
11/19 Becky Snoddy & Hank Dunn
11/26 Betty Lane & Barbara Lee

November Birthdays and Anniversaries

Birthdays in November

1 Bernard Bruce
7 Hank Dunn
11 Andy Folley
18 Betty Smith
19 Kristina Kenney
James MacKinnon
22 Carlos Tirado

Anniversaries in November

1 Robert L. & Carolyn Teeter
11 Bruce & Amy Joslin Wellington
17 Walter & Michelle Greer
18 Justin & Lynn Loranger
19 Christopher & Mariah Bowker
Mal & Marlene LaShay
24 William & Sandra James

Art & Crafts Group

The 2nd Thursday of every month at 7pm folks are invited to bring supplies to do arts and crafts together. The prayer shawl group will meet during this time. In addition, anyone interested in scrapbooking, collage, printing, cards, mosaic tiling, painting, drawing or other artsy projects should bring their materials to Ellis Hall. The first group met Thursday, October 12 at 7pm and was great fun. Mark your calendars for the next group on November 9. All ages welcome!

Peoples Garage Painting

Another big thankyou to the Trustees for coordinating the painting of the garage. The painter pictured here is Dick Door who grew up attending Peoples UMC as a kid!

Fun at the Golf Scramble

All are welcome to join in the Peoples Annual Golf Scramble. All skill levels are welcome, as was evidenced by the poor play of Pastor Jamie last year! We have had a great time in past years (even in the rain), and it will be even more fun with better weather this year!

There will be prizes, including longest drive and closest to pin for men and women.

The cost is $33 per player. Please contact Fred Wade or Jamie Arrison with your entry for an individual or a foursome. The fun begins at 8am at the SP municipal course.

The men's breakfast will start early that day with Brad having coffee on as early as 6:30 at the church. Come early for the breakfast and you will still have time to play!

Family-Style Dinner and Creative Worship

The Gathering, a new creative and interactive worship experience, has been an exciting new opportunity for many. The evening begins with a family-style dinner such as pizza or sphagetti. Then folks gather for worship, usually in a large circle to increase the sense of community, but the seating may vary depending on the night's theme. Contemporary style worship is provided through I-Worship videos, and visuals are used to inspire the senses as we worship.


We are working through a sermon series on "Who is Jesus" using the "I am" sayings from the Gospel of John. This past week on October 1, the theme of "Living Water" was enhanced by a baptismal font which was used later for a hand-washing ceremony. As we heard the Scriptures about Jesus providing us with Living Water, we could hear the children playing nearby with a large water toy -- sounds of living water and joyful noises. All are welcome, and bring a friend!

The Contractors are Here!

Ralph Aceto and his crew arrived today, October 5 and will be working on the ceiling in Ellis Hall. Doreen and others have been painting, and the electrical work will begin on Sunday. Thank you to all the Trustees for coordinating this amazing work to improve this space for all of the vital ministry going on in Ellis Hall.

Annual Conference Semi-Annually

Pastors Gwyneth and Jamie attended the second session of Annual Conference last Saturday, September 30. The New England Annual Conference of the United Methodist Church meets every June. However, last year and this year the budget portion of the conference was scheduled to meet in the Fall (with the hopes this is the last year necessary to do this).

Bishop Weaver shared that the conference is 4% ahead in mission shares (the local church tithe to the conference) than last year this time. Although we are just one church, some of this 4% is Peoples Church because of the Finance Committee's decision to step out in faith and send out our mission shares each month rather than waiting until the end of the year to see what's left. Thank you for your faithfulness in giving that has made this possible!

In addition, Bishop Weaver shared that the conference has now pledged $15 million toward the conference capital campaign Together For Tomorrow, when the goal was only $10 million! Thank you to all of you who have also pledged toward this capital campaign in addition to your stewardship at Peoples. If you have any questions about any of these financial details, please feel free to contact the pastors, Fred Wade as Finance Chair, or any member of the Finance Committee.

We also saw many friends at Annual Conference, some of whom you may know too -- Rev Bill Beddie, Pastor Mike Gray, Rev. Meg Queior and others. Then after conference, we attended a "young clergy" party (there was a miracle - that we are still considered young!) and met several other clergy couples and clergy with young children.

Mission Trip Opportunity

Volunteers are invited on a United Methodist mission trip to Suna, Megori, Kenya. The mission team leader is, Gael Orr, UMVIM Coordinator for WNY Conference. The trip cost is $2,500 (price includes: food, lodging, flights, insurance). The team is going for approximately 2 weeks over winter break returning on January 14th. The team will be working with Aids Orphans, widows, and a school building project. The team will have the option to teach HIV/AIDS education in the schools, work doing construction or counsel with the women in the community. The team is going to take a side cultural trek to Masai Mara Game Reserve for safari.

If you would like to find out more about attending, please contact, Gael Orr at: 585-612-6633 or by email.

Peoples Bell Tower

By Chuck Kamilewicz

How many have seen the bell at Peoples United Methodist Church? Not many, up to this point. Now you can say that you have seen it. During the painting of the bell tower by contractors, they were kind enough to let me borrow fall protection and open the bell tower to view and take pictures of the bell.

The reason for the viewing was two-fold. One was to check the condition of the bell and its components and the other was to gather historical information about the bell. Overall, the bell is in good condition and some startling information was gained about the bell.

On September 11, 2006, I was hoisted up in a mobile vertical lift to the bell tower. I removed a section of louvers on the rear side and entered. A former Trustee member, Randy Pike, had been in the bell tower about 15 years ago and did a wonderful maintenance job on it. He carried out many pails of bird droppings, repacked the bushings with 50 year packing and added hardware clothe to the inside of the louvers to prevent the birds from entering. The fruits of his labor continue to serve us even today.

I took a number of photos of the bell and its components, as well as the tower. Information gathered from the bell will be passed on to Church Historian Art Tordoff and Kevin Malcom. Maybe you can read the raised information on the bell from the pictures. If you can, you will see that it was cast in 1884, much later than originally thought. It was also made by the Blake Company, formally the Hooper Bell Company.

Thanks to God and All!

From Chuck Kamilewicz

I felt I must give the glory to God for the help in Ellis Hall. First the partitions with 20 people working 5 hours. Some working an hour some working five on a hot day. Then the upright support removal and then the cleaning of the space over the Ellis Hall rooms and pink insulation installation. Yesterday and today the walls were all washed and spackled in preparation for painting. Then after it is painted, the electrical work and ceiling installation will transform the look of Ellis Hall to a bright welcoming space.

Nobody could have accomplished by themselves, nor all of us without God's help and strength. But a few stand out that need recognition. Doreen Gay who is guiding this project, is tenacious, and never stops. Walter Greer who gives of his strength, big truck and trailer. Kathy Brann who quietly shows up as time permits, digs in and continues to work. Sue Angel finished washing the walls by herself today. Dan Doughty and Hank Dunn for their expertise and wisdom. Countless others who had showed up and pitched in. I do remember each of you and what you have done in the name of the Lord.

Thank you All. Each of you really made a difference in this project.

We Have Begun To Gather

The Gathering, our new Sunday night contemporary service, has begun. About twenty people participated in the first service and we expect it to grow from there. The service includes upbeat music led by a projected video, participatory sermons and various means of response such as small group prayer, personal art projects or discussion.

By meeting in Ellis Hall, we have space to offer a variety of children's activities that coordinate with the service. We want to make this a family friendly service, so we will consider the children part of our joyful noise to the Lord.

Please join us for dinner at 5:30 and be ready to worship at 6pm! And bring a friend or two!

We will be focusing on "Who is Jesus" in the Gospel of John:

Sep 24: The Word
Oct 1: Living Water
Oct 8: Light of the World
Oct 15: Bread of Life
Oct 22: Eternally Existant I AM
Oct 29: Great Shepherd and the Gate
Nov 5: The Resurrection and the Life
Nov 12: The Way, the Truth and the Life
Nov 19: The Vine
Nov 26: The Holy

Youth Group Underway!

The Peoples middle and high school youth group started up on Sunday, September 24, led by the pastors. The group began by attempting to instruct Pastor Gwyneth in making a peanut butter and jelly sandwich...not a pretty site! We then talked about the youth group curriculum we will be using, Combos for Youth Groups. There will be specific focus themes for four-week segments, which include games, faith and life discussion, and time to share and connect with other youth. The youth also enjoyed finishing the evening playing Sardines! The youth are encouraged to stay for pizza, etc., followed by our new contemporary service, The Gathering.

We are also planning a number of special events for the youth group. The first of these is the Youth Super Bowl (see separate article) on October 20. Some additional ideas are a "lock-in" where the youth stay in the church building for a night, fasting and raising donations for world hunger, Christmas caroling, ski/sledding trip at Shawnee, and the August 2007 Soul Fest.

If you know of youth who want to connect with others their age, have a safe place to ask tough questions about faith and life issues, and do lots of fun and meaningful activities ... why not bring them over?

Sundays 4:30-5:30pm (followed by pizza, etc.)
The Gathering @ 6:00pm

Super Bowl - Not What You Think!

We are planning on bringing the middle and high school youth to the Super Bowl this year on October 20. It will involve staying up ALL NIGHT, but it won't involve football. This is a Christian event sponsored by Word of Life.

The event actually begins with a Portland Pirates hockey game starting at 6:30pm, followed by a Christian speaker. Then the games begin; youth are invited down on the ice to play games and win prizes until about midnight. After this, youth groups travel to various fun events around town such as bowling, skating and open gym until about 6am!

All middle and high school youth are invited to attend, even if they have not yet attended the youth group meetings. So spread the Word of Life!

Sunday School - What's Next?

The pastors' six week studies are more than half way completed: Introduction to the Bible, and Survey of the Gospel of Mark, but you are still welcome to join. The pastors will be leading two more classes beginning October 26th.

Pastor Gwyneth will be leading a six-week class called SHAPE, which stands for Spiritual Gifts, Heart for ministry, Abilities, Personality and Experience. A pilot study was completed this summer with rave reviews.

Pastor Jamie's class will look at the problem of evil - why bad things happen by studying various sections of the Bible. This six week class will focus on the scriptural observations of the participants.

Art Tordoff's class on "Parables from the Backside" by Asbury professor Ellsworth Kalas will be continuing. The book is excellent and organized to make it easy to join in on any chapter.

If you have not yet, please consider joining one of these classes.

Monthly Mission Focus October

UNICEF is October's mission focus, and you might have already seen the communication board in Ellis Hall. UNICEF is a world-wide organization working to help children. "Every year 10 million children die totally preventable deaths. Six million of these lives could be saved by basic, cost-effective measures," according to their website www.unicef.org. In addition to nutritian and helping to provide basic needs for children throughout the world, UNICEF also works in areas of education and gender equality, advocacy, children with HIV/AIDS, protection from exploitation and assisting children in times of natural disaster. One of the youth will be presenting more on UNICEF on the 4th Sunday in October so come on out and show your support. If you have questions or would like to volunteer, please contact Earle Harvey for more information.

Bean Supper and a Movie

The first bean supper of the season included a free showing of the movie, Eight Below, with about 15 people attending. This was a great time, and hope even more will stay for the next post-supper movie.

The supper is scheduled for October 21, and we will be showing the Disney/ Pixar film The Incredibles. This fun and thoughtful movie challenges folks of all ages with the question, "How do you use your special gifts?"

Maternity/Paternity Leave

As you know, the pastors are expecting their third child in January! (Yes, it's a boy!). The pastors have been working with the Staff-Parish Relations Committee, District Superintendent, Board of Ordained Ministry and Church Council to facilitate their leave time. The UMC denomination provides 8 weeks of paid leave time and an additional 4 weeks of unpaid leave. However, the pastors who serve together as one full time charge, have requested less than this maximum. Their request has been approved for the following plan: Pastor Gwyneth will take 6 weeks of maternity leave. Pastor Jamie will take 4 weeks of paternity leave at the same time but return to work two weeks sooner. We will also be taking one of our vacation weeks during Faith's school vacation, so this may make the leave seem longer.

We are applying for funds to get an appointed interim pastor to serve part time for the four weeks both of us will be off. We will also be working to form ministry teams to handle minor visitation issues. If there are major emergencies at the church, we will be available through our voice mail. We are excited to have the increase in our own family as well as in the Peoples family!

October Birthdays and Anniversaires

Birthdays

2 Matthew Seidl
3 Rebecca Snoddy
4 Betty Lane
Christopher Seidl
6 Courtney Skidmore
10 Maryjean Raymond
12 Aaron Thomas Matthews
13 Ellen Dunn
14 Ryan Gay
17 Carol Campbell
Parker Wells
18 Ellie Wells
20 Faith Arrison
21 Sally Smith
22 Kayla Huelin
26 Gwendolyn C. Shaw
29 Sally Seidl
30 Bruce Wellington
31 Earle (Lew) Louis Harvey, Jr.

Anniversaries

6 Richard & Cheryl Matthews
9 Michael & Barbara Kenney
21 Hank & Ellen Dunn
23 Christopher & Sarah Brann
30 Brad & Betsy Morrison

October Schedule: Ushers, Greeters, etc.

Ushers, greeters, coffee fellowship workers, nursery workers ... These ministries are vital not only to our current worship experience but also for the future of Peoples Church. If any of these ministries should cease to exist due to lack of workers, it could greatly jeopardize the mission of our church. So a BIG thankyou to all who currently serve in these areas!

Statistics say that visitors and newcomers do not primarily judge a church by the sermon. Perceptions begin the moment they step out of their car or enter our door. Are they greeted warmly so they feel welcomed but not overwhelmed? Do they receive instructions about the facilities? Do they receive a bulletin so they can follow along in the worship without confusion? Is there quality nursery care so that they can leave young children in our care and feel safe doing so?

Every current active attendee at Peoples needs to seriously and prayerfully consider taking on at least one of these responsibiltities. Not necessarily because we feel particularly gifted in these areas, but because we are members of a family that we want to flourish and grow. These ministries are primarily aimed at newcomers: future family members! It may even become difficult for the pastor who is not leading the service to come worship with our children if the nursury is insufficiently staffed. With a full schedule of nursury help, we may be able to lead worship together more often.

In our church family, we want folks to be serving primarily in an area that they feel called, gifted, and passioned to serve. For example, if someone has a heart and gifts for teaching, they can find any number of ways to serve in our discipleship ministries. And the body works best when each person takes on one major ministry (rather than 10!).

However, serving as an usher or nursery worker once every three months is not what is meant by "major ministry." These are more likened to weekly "household responsibilites" (like vacuuming and dusting, cleaning dishes, food shopping, preparing meals, etc.) - everyone needs to take part for a house to run efficiently and be prepared for guests who might unexpectedly drop in! It is easy for all of these tasks to fall to an increasingly small group that can then get worn out trying to keep up.

Perhaps you do not agree with this assessment of "family responsibilities." What are your opinions? We'd love to have a "family talk" -- just click on the comment button at the end of the article.

And please contact the area coordinator where you can serve!

Coffee Fellowship Coordinator: Brad and Betsy Morrison
October Fellowship Team: Brad and Betsy Morrison

Ushers Usher Coordinator: Charlie Lyons
October Usher Team: __________

Ushers Greeter Coordinator: Barbara Nelson
October Greeters:
Oct 1 Paul & Sharon Obie
Oct 8 Rosemary Herd
Oct 15 Sue Angell
Oct 22 Art & Marlene Tordoff
Oct 29 __________

Worship Leader Coordinator: Chris Ward
October Worship Leader: Dan Doughty

Nursery Coordinator: Barbara Nelson
October Nursery Workers:

Oct 1 Barbara Nelson & Betty Splettstoesser
Oct 8 Betty Splettstoesser & Ellen Dunn
Oct 15 Andy Folley & Ken West
Oct 22 Linda Greer & Leah Greer
Oct 29 ______________ & Pastor Jamie

Church/Charge Conference Nov 12

The Peoples Church annual church / charge conference is scheduled for Sunday, November 12. The timeslot immediately after morning worship was not available so we will be meeting at 3:30pm, with Staff-Parish Relations Committee meeting during the hour before. The district superintendent, Rev. Mike Davis, will be leading us in this special time of Christian conferencing together.

Committee chairs and ministry leaders, please begin submitting reports to the church secretary either in writing or by email (info@peoplesumc.com). Reports are due no later than Friday, October 27. Pastor Jamie will be coordinating this effort so you may forward any questions to pastorjamie@peoplesumc.com

Upcoming Wedding at Peoples

Pastor Gwyneth has been providing pre-marital counseling with a young couple from Portland, Nathan Sirois and Rebecca Pilling. They will be married at Peoples on November 4th. The pastors require six 2-hour sessions of counseling, which is a wonderful opportunity for couples to gain the tools necessary for a healthy and lasting marriage. To facilitate this counseling, the couple takes a relationship inventory called Prepare-Enrich, which helps to guide the conversation around the couple's growing edges as well as strengths to see them through the years ahead. The pastors hope that Peoples will consider embracing a marriage policy as a church body to encourage healthy marriages in our community. A draft policy has been reviewed by Church Council.

Peoples Hosts Tri-State District Event

On Sunday, September 17 , Peoples hosted over 100 clergy and lay people for a seminar on creating healthy boundaries in our churches and preventing sexual misconduct. The seminar is required for all clergy, but about half of the attendees were lay people. Brad Morrison coordinated snacks and dinner for the event, which was held between 2-8:30pm, assisted by Art Tordoff. Betty "Splettstoesser and Betty Lane also assisted with childcare, and a few others came in to assist in the kitchen as well. We received many gracious comments about the facility and dinner, and so we pass this along to you! Thank you to all who made this event possible.

Increasing Our Inheritance

Our stewardship campaign this year builds on our study of tithing last year. Last year we found that the tithe was not a tax or a donation, but God's provision for us to have enough to bring together for a big party. This year, we begin by recognizing that the family we inherit from God is our church family.

The Old Testament Law provided for a community that guaranteed everyone a home, a family and a community of support. The failure of their system of support came not as a punishment for sin, but simply by failing to live up to the standard set by the law. Likewise, God has provided us with a community and we have pledged to support it in our membership vows with our prayers, our presence, our gifts and our service. If we do not bring the full portion God calls us to in all of these areas, we are robbing ourselves of the inheritance God intends to provide us with.

Let us take our call seriously by recommitting to these principals. First, we must pray for our church community. Secondly, we must serve in the manner God calls us. Third, we should increase the portion we bring together. We are increasing our pledge this year even though we are beyond the tithe. For those who have not yet tried tithing, please consider bringing a full 10% of a week's earnings on October 15th our Fall Tithing Sunday. Pray for God to provide all you need and remain aware of how God may be working through you for this opportunity. We will have our commitment Sunday to receive pledges on October 29th. Please prayerfully consider increasing your pledge.

Finally, let us consider increasing our presence. If you already attend regularly, how would you do this? Make a pledge to bring someone else to church. Beyond simply inviting someone, bring them under your wing and disciple them in the faith. Make a goal of having one serious disciple every ten years. This modest goal will more than double the size of our church in that time.

By being faithful in our prayers, our presence, our gifts and our service, we will bring the increase in our family and inheritance that God promises us in this age and by faith in the age to come, eternal life.