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As part of the Body of Christ
and this congregation,
we will faithfully participate
in the ministries of the church
by our prayers, our presence,
our giving, and our service,
so that through our witness,
we can lead others in becoming
disciples of Jesus Christ
and thereby change the world.
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Buckingham United Methodist Church
Rev. John Fleming, Pastor
NorthStar
www.BUMCGarland.org
"Listen on Line to weekly services"
Worship times: 8:30 & 11:00 A.M.
Sunday School Hour is at 9:45 A.M. |
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Welcome to Buckingham United Methodist Church
John's Epistle
Happy New Year!
As usual, I started the Advent season with my customary greeting to the congregation: "Happy New Year!" This past Sunday, November 28, we began yet another Christian Year, as we celebrated the first Sunday of Advent, the season of preparation for the birth of Christ.
Obviously, we are far removed from the day when Jesus was born in a lowly stable in Bethlehem around 2000 years ago-no one knows exactly when it was. So the reason for the season, as we like to say, must be something different than the kinds of preparation we make for a literal birth.
Many of us at Buckingham are more in tune with those sorts of preparations than we have been for awhile, due to the fact that we have been blessed with the birth of three little boys into our midst, the children of Connie and David Lipe. How wonderful it is to have this excitement and to think about the kinds of questions a church needs to consider when your nursery is about to get busy again! And this is nothing compared to what mother and father have been considering over the past several months as they prepared for life to change forever.
That's really what we are celebrating in this season: new life. Most of us have been celebrating new life in Christ for many years now. So the preparations become more complex, less about our individual spiritual lives and more about the kinds of things Jesus led people to do throughout his life and ministry: serving others, changing lives, and allowing God to continue changing ours.
BUMC is in the midst of new life right now. We have seen more signs of growth in different ways than we have seen for many years. Our efforts to connect with the community around us are bearing fruit and we are finally preparing for some much-needed building updates. All of this means change, of course, and change is difficult. It requires us to think about things from other people's perspectives, rather than our own.
This is truly what it means to prepare for the birth of Christ. Once again, we hear the stories of how God became human-the ultimate statement of what it means to see from someone else's perspective. As Philippians chapter 2 reminds us,
Let the same mind be in you that was in Christ Jesus,
6 who, though he was in the form of God,
did not regard equality with God
as something to be exploited,
7 but emptied himself,
taking the form of a slave,
being born in human likeness.
And being found in human form,
8 he humbled himself
and became obedient to the point of death-
even death on a cross.
Happy New Year, my friends.
Grace and peace,
Pastor John |
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RECORD OF STEWARDSHIP
...And I will be loyal to the United Methodist Church and will support it with...
My Presence:
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November 21st |
128 | |
November 28th |
139 | |
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My Gifts:
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Giving thru 10/31 $ 223,508 |
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Expenses thru 8/31 $ -223.572 |
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Shortage $ - 10,064 |
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Estimated November Expenses $ 23,350 | |
Weekly Income Needed $ 5,840 | |
Average Sunday giving in Oct. $4,088 |
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Annual Apportionment Goal $ 26,332 | |
Apportionment Paid $ 11,651 | |
Building Fund: |
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Beginning balance $ 6,523 |
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Giving received $ 19,470.52 |
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Expenses paid $ -24,755.85 |
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Loans received $ 25,000.00 |
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Ending balance $ 26,238.01 |
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My Service:
We give thanks for all of our volunteers!
My Prayers:
Sympathy:
Ree Slone and family on the passing of Margret Brown
Concerns:
*Lesa Cooper
*Jane Vaughn
*Buddy Taylor, (Lillie Smith's son-in-law)
*Binnie Smith, (Lori Reynolds' cousin)
Extended Prayer Concerns:
*Don Aswell *Margie Roan *Rosie McCullough
*Connie Lipe *Tommy Cokendolpher
*Carol Campbell *Ruth Beecher *Rosa Preston
*Erin Wyrick *Robert Griffin *Jenna Hemphill
*Claude Beavers *Linda Anderson *Marian Abbott
*Katherine Beavers *Darla Anderson *Winston Short
*Harold Slone Sr. *Mildred Bailey *Linda Callier
*Elizabeth Breyer *Jack Boothe *Luzell Kelley
*The family of Ross Fleming *Joan Brackeen
*Danny Greenwood, (Cindy Compton's uncle)
*Bailey Umphress, (friend of the Flemings')
Military: Andrew Aswell, Caleb Moore, Holly Frederickson, Michael Nelson, Logan Crowe, William Hart, Katie Connaughton, Jonathan Lewis, Colin Peden, Jonathan Smith, Summer Heidleburg, Danny Sutton, James Epps, Jon Ahrens, Carey Millhouse, Matthew Watts, Hunt Vinzant, Eric Comley, Jarrad Ahrens, Kameron Smith, Danielle Petrey, Brandon Vickers, Jesse Chambers, Shaun Chavoya, Jeremy Graves, Scott Collins, Matthew Malone, Leanne Munoz & Jeff Munoz |
Activities and Announcements
Youth Ministries
Contact Kevin McGill for all youth activities
at kevin@bumcgarland.org
See Website for Youth activities |
The Upper Room Devotionals
The November/December edition is available for your reading enjoyment. Please pick up a copy for your daily reading pleasure. They are located on the table in the People Center (kitchen).
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Progressive Dinner
Our annual progressive dinner is scheduled for Saturday Dec.11th. We will meet at the Church and then carpool to the host homes. You will have appetizers at the first home and then off to the next home for salad. After salad it's off to the third home for the main course. Then back to the Church for desert and a gift exchange. This is a great evening of fun fellowship and food! |
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Sign Up Now!
To make sure we have plenty of food, please signup to bring an appetizer, salad or a dessert. The main course is provided. OR just sign up to attend the dinner!! We still need families to open their doors and host the dinner. The food is provided so all you have to do is open your doors to your Church Family! This is a great way for you to show off your Christmas decorations. |
United Methodist Women
The United Methodist Women will meet at 9:00AM on Saturday, December 11th at the home of Liz Applegate. Her address is 6405 Baycrest Cr., Sachse, TX. Please make plans to join the United Methodist Women.
Blood Drive
This Christmas Season you can give the gift of life! Be a blood donor and give the gift that will really mean something! The Blood Bank van will be here on December 12th. And remember, for those folks who are sometimes low in iron it is a good idea to take iron tablets the week before you give blood.
Cantata Recording Available
This year the cantata will be recorded and CDs of this performance will be available for purchase. The cost is $12 per CD and if 2 or more are purchased, the cost is $10 per CD. After covering main expenses associated with this CD (mainly the copyright costs), the remaining money collected will go towards the BUMC building fund. Orders will be taken in advance by contacting Jonathan Reger at RMusicStudio@verizon.net or orders will also be taken at the door on the day of the event (note that money is due upon the order being received). An attempt will be made to have the CDs ready by the following Sunday (& possibly by the Christmas Eve services). If you are interested in ordering a CD or if you have any questions, please contact Jonathan Reger @ 214-924-2556 or RMusicStudio@verizon.net. Thank you.
A Christmas Celebration
Please join us on Sunday, Dec. 12 at 5pm, for A Christmas Celebration at Buckingham featuring the BUMC Children and Revelation 21. The BUMC Children will perform "A Surprising Christmas Pageant." Get ready for some fun and laughs as the children tell the Christmas Story as angels and shepherds in a modern way! Then Revelation 21, the BUMC Youth Ensemble, will have a short concert of several fun Christmas songs, performed with that unique, "Revelation 21 style". This promises to be an evening of enjoyment that you won't want to miss. Cookies and punch will be provided afterwards.
Caroling
The tradition continues! The Choir will host their annual Caroling event and Choir party on December 19th. Look for sign-up sheets to be coming soon!
Youth Lock-In
The Youth are scheduled for a Lock-In on Friday, December 17th. Please see Kevin McGill for all the details.
Christmas Eve Services
There are two services scheduled for Christmas Eve. The first is 6:00PM and second is a communion service at 11:00PM and both are candlelight services. Invite your friends and family to come and celebrate the birth of Christ!
Upcoming Meeting dates
December 5th - Administrative Council (12:00PM)
(If you are planning a meeting and would like for it to be on the Church calendar, listed in the Bulletin or Newsletter, please contact the Church office.)
E-Mail Update
The Church is trying to clean-up the current e-mail list. If you have not been receiving prayer requests, Newsletters or other Church News on your e-mail, would you please, contact the Church office at bumcgarland.org or call at 972-272-6042.
Revelation 21
Please note a change in the schedule for practice on Wed., 12/01 begins at 5:30; 12/8 begins at 5:30 and there will be an extra Sunday practice on 12/5 that will begin at 3:30.
Buckingham United Methodist Church
1212 W. Buckingham
Garland, Texas 75040 |
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Food Pantry
BUMC is serving over 20 families on a weekly basis through the Fishes and Loaves Food Pantry. The food pantry is a weekly mission outreach of our church to the community and we are able to share Christ with food that is donated by you and given out by church volunteers. Thanks for being the body of Christ! Here are a few of the items always needed. Canned vegetables, dry cereal, canned fruit, canned meat, pasta, pasta sauce and as always, donations of any kind are always welcome!
God loves a cheerful giver.
To my church family: Thank you for all your cards, phone calls, & hugs since the death of Bevard. My family & I so appreciate your care for us immediately after his death and for the wonderful food you brought us to share with so many people between the service and the grave site. God Bless you all!
Youth Ministries
Contact Kevin McGill for all youth activities
at kevin@bumcgarland.org
See Website for Youth activities
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Library Book Review
11/22/2010 BOOK REVIEWS: 1st. The Reluctant Cowgirl. Christina Lynxwiler. Beautiful & talented Crystal McCord grew up on a Texas ranch in the safety of a large, loving, close-knit family until at 18 her twin sister was killed in a car wreck and she took it on herself to follow through on his sister's dream to star on the Broadway stage. After 7 years of only returning occasionally, a family meeting has been called about the need to tend the ranch while her parents are gone for a 6 week trip for their anniversary. Suddenly Christina finds herself the only person who is a loose ends for part of that time and of course the cute, single neighboring ranch has agreed to help "re-educate" her on her duties, even though he has his own demons to face. How will the 6 weeks end? Will she return reluctantly to NYC? Will she and Jeremy reach an amicableaccord? A fun read for anyone. Christian Romance *****
2nd. The Gift of Change. Marianne Williamson. A 2009 UMW selected reading. This nonfiction account of the ten basic changes each of us can make, from viewing the world through the eyes of fear to viewing the world through eyes of love to looking at your plan and viewing your life through God's plan, gives step-by-step ways to accept the love of God every day. She points out that obsessing about the future is just as neurotic as obsessing about the past. It is simply just another way the ego robs us of the job of living by directing our attention away from the present. Living in the future is a way of avoiding life right now. She says, "Our goal in any situation should be that God's will be done. She offers spiritual paths such as mediation & prayer. An interesting read based on a class "A Course in Miracles." **** |
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Cantata
The BUMC Chancel Choir and guests are proud to announce they will be presenting this year's Cantata on December19. So, mark your calendar and tell your friends this is a Sunday you do not want to miss. There will also be a Brunch at 9:40 between the two services.
Caroling
The tradition continues! The Choir will host their annual Caroling event and Choir party on December 19th. Look for sign-up sheets to be coming soon! |
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