Cover Story

A Great Year
Your pastors, staff and lay leaders wish you
all the blessings of comfort and joy in this season.
May the gift of the Christ Child fill your hearts
with love and restore our world in peace.
We are blessed to serve you and look forward to all the
new adventures and opportunities that 2007 will bring.

Highlights

HOLIDAY SCHEDULE
Many Opportunities for Worship
We will worship together at ONE service on Christmas Eve, Sunday, December 24, at 10 am. That evening we will offer a Family Christmas Eve Service at 4 pm and a Candlelight Service at 11 pm. On Sunday, December 31, we will again worship together at one morning service at 10 am. See the back cover for details. You may also find this information on the church website and please feel free to contact the church office at any time if you have questions. More...

ALTERNATIVE CHRISTMAS
Share the Spirit of Christmas
The Alternative Christmas fair will be open during coffee hour in Simkins Hall each Sunday through December 24 (the final Sunday in Advent). Stop by to learn more about and make your donation to any of the 12 mission projects in honor of a loved one. It’s the ultimate way to Share the Spirit of Christmas! More...

BEFORE THE YEAR IS OVER
In December we encourage you to complete your 2006 financial pledge to the church and to submit your 2007 pledge card if you have not done so already. We are also still receiving gifts for the campaign for the New Simkins Hall in The Shelby Center. Final planning and permitting is happening now and work will begin in January. Thank you!

NEW YEAR'S EVE PRAYER VIGIL
Sunday, December 31
Begin the New Year with a time of quiet reflection on the theme of peace. Peace within, peace in relationships and peace in the world. Come to the chapel any time between 3 - 8 pm and stay as long as you wish. Materials will be available for self-directed prayer, meditation and reflection.

MID-WEEK RECITAL AND RECEPTION
January 10, 2007 at 12:10 pm
You won’t want to miss the first Mid-Week Recital of 2007. Only eight years old, the pianist Marc Yu has been praised by Lang Lang who stated, “This one is going to be a superstar.” Marc has appeared on various radio and television programs, and has been the subject of many newspaper and magazine articles, including a front cover article in the Los Angeles Times. This is bound to be a joyful celebration of piano music sure to warm your heart and help you to start your new year off on the right foot! More...

A JOB WELL DONE
With deep appreciation for his years of service, we bid farewell to our Business Administrator, George Reiss. Having come on board initially as an interim, George has more than fulfilled his commitment to strengthen the policies, procedures and business practices of the life of our congregation. Now eager to leave behind his daily commute from Long Beach and devote more of his time to his true love - the Pacific Chorale - we wish him Godspeed and thank him for his many contributions to our life and work.

WINTER/SPRING OFFERINGS
“After the Apple” a three-week book study on Biblical heroines and their male counterparts, will begin on Sunday, January 14, from 4 - 6 pm in the Fireside Room and will meet for a total of three weeks. “After the Apple” by Naomi Harris Rosenblatt offers a fresh look at the Old Testament women like Leah, Rachel, Sarah, Rebecca and Jezebel. For more information or to reserve your spot in the class, contact Mary Garbesi in the church office.

The 16-week Disciple Class, “The Gospel of John and Revelation,” will begin on Monday, January 22, at 7 pm and run through Monday, May 13. Rev. Beeman will be teaching this class. The class will explore this most unusual book of the New Testament gospels - John - and the many messages (hidden and obvious) found in what may be the most controversial and often misunderstood of the New Testament books: Revelation. Please call the church office or talk with Rev. Beeman if you are interested in joining this class. It will be both enlightening and fun. Class size will be limited so get your name in as soon as possible.

MARTIN LUTHER KING, JR DAY CELEBRATION 2007
On Monday, January 15, at 9 am, join in on one of Southern California’s largest celebrations of the birthday of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., honoring his memory and his work toward nonviolence. The Keynote Speaker will be Dr. Lawrence Edward Carter, Sr. The multi-ethnic interfaith program includes inspirational readings, music, and presentations of scholarships. Immediately following the program, a Community Involvement Fair (at 626 Wilshire Boulevard) will offer refreshments and informational displays by a variety of community organizations. Co-sponsors for the event include the Martin Luther King, Jr., Westside Coalition; the City of Santa Monica; Santa Monica College; and the SMC Associates. This is a free event and will be held at the Soka Gakai International Auditorium at 525 Wilshire Boulevard in Santa Monica. Call (310) 434-4003 for more details. More...

OUT WITH THE OLD, IN WITH THE NEW
Please help us keep your membership records up-to-date by providing us with cell phone, employment and fax numbers, personal and work email addresses, dates of birth, places of employment, etc. Rest assured, we do not share this information with any other organization. Please call Nancy Perov in the church office if you would like to check your records; or email us. Thanks!

Lost your glasses? Missing an umbrella? Can’t remember what you did with that scarf or date book? This is just a reminder that we keep lost-and-found items in the church office. Check with us if you’ve lost or found something!

BOOK STUDY AND POTLUCK - JANUARY 28
January’s book is Divinity and Diversity: A Christian Affirmation of Religious Pluralism by Dr. Marjorie Suchocki (now available for sale in the church library). Dr. Marjorie Suchocki will be our Guest Discussion leader. Now retired from the Claremont School of Theology, Dr. Suchocki is a renowned author and speaker on the subject of process theology. As our communities—and families—become increasingly interfaith, and as our world is too often torn apart by interreligious conflict, this book provides a very helpful primer for rethinking our perspective and our practice. Join Rev. Patricia Farris on January 28 at 12 noon in the Fireside Room. More...

Horizons

by Patricia Farris
Part of the great joy of the Christmas season comes in receiving and reading cards and letters that come from friends and loved ones. As one who swore at an earlier age that I would never engage in the stodgy habit of printed letters, for several years now David and I have more or less regularly sent off one of our own and I now cherish each one that finds its way into our mailbox. Even on the days when I’m racing off to the next activity or meeting, I try and take a few moments to sit, and read, and be filled with the stories of lives unfolding, challenges faced and adventures shared.

Letters have from the beginning been a central component of the life of the Christian community. Paul’s letters to the early fledgling churches share not only theology and instructions on church matters, but very personal expressions of caring and love for the scattered new Christians. And to this day, letters and emails from our scattered missionaries keep us connected around the globe to those serving in far-flung places.

In this spirit, we can hear Paul’s words from what we know as his second letter to the church community in Corinth. Referring to the common practice of relying on letters of reference, still familiar today to all applying for college, for jobs and for grants, Paul shifts the emphasis from the written page to a life well lived in Christ. “You yourselves are our letter, written on our hearts, to be known and read by all; and you show that you are a letter of Christ, prepared by us, written not with ink but with the Spirit of the living God, not on tablets of stone but on tablets of human hearts.” (2 Corinthians 3:2-3).

The end of another year brings us ‘round to reflecting on our own lives, taking stock and resolving to aim for some higher goals and standards in the new year to come. Are you a living letter of Christ? Can others “read your life,” your words and actions, your commitments and priorities, in such a way that reveals the Christ to them?

May the precious, quiet, reflective moments of this holy season renew and restore you and deepen your faith. May the love of God in Christ fill your heart and mold you even more closely in the image and likeness of Christ. “You are a letter of Christ.”

Community

Births
Congratulations to proud grandparents Joyce and David Landsverk and Joyce Abbott and Robert TeSelle on the birth of Ryan Craig Crafton, son of Christine and David Crafton.

Great Work
Congratulations to Jun Cha, son of Sahng Seok and Jenny Cha, who recently won the first place Virginia Avenue Art Award for an airbrush painting he created at an art event at the Virginia Avenue Park Teen Center on November 2.

Thanks from Beyond
Pauline wanted to express her gratitude for the many cards, flowers, prayers and good wishes during her time of need, as well as her deepest appreciation for the friendly visits. The beautiful prayer quilt provided her with warmth and comfort, and served as a reminder of everyone’s kindness and thoughtfulness. On her behalf, many, many thanks. Sincerely, Harriet Cutler (dear friend of Pauline Daws who passed away on November 24)

Prayer Quilt Thanks
Thank you so much for the lovely prayer quilt you sent for my mother, SaraKay Chandler (the aunt of Dorothy Williams). The thought is lovely, the colors are her two favorite colors and look beautiful. What a blessing to go up, as she sleeps, and quietly tie a knot, and offer a prayer of thanksgiving for the wonderful blessing of her life, or for comfort and a swift passing. -Debbie Parker

Tis the Season for Nativities
Be sure to visit the Santa Monica Nativity Scenes along Pacific Palisades Park, and especially the FUMC display which was put up by several volunteers, under the leadership of Chuck Kearsley. Many thanks also to those who put up our church nativity in the courtyard.

Thanks for Helping
Many thanks to these Flu Clinic volunteers: Charlene Earnest, Aldeane Bissonette, Betty Cockerill, Bee Campbell, Chuck Cole, Howard Hackett, Jan Ellis, Donald Lee Nelson, Edith Schidel, John and Betsy Albright. The clinic could not have been run without you! Mary Jo Dalton, Health Ministry Nurse, received many comments on how efficient and pleasant everyone was and how easy it was to get the flu shot at our church. We had 400 recipients this year!

Missions Update

NOTHING BUT NETS
The United Methodist Church has joined with the United Nations Foundation and Sports Illustrated magazine in a campaign to provide malaria nets for African families. Named “Nothing But Nets,” the campaign has already provided 150,000 nets in Nigeria. A $10 contribution provides a net that can cover a family of four as they sleep, and also pays for a community worker to educate the family on how to use the net. Since 75% of malaria victims are children, church school and youth groups are being urged to participate in the campaign. More information is available at the website www.nothingbutnets.net, and donations can be made through that site.

KATRINA AID TODAY
Katrina Aid Today, a consortium of 25 disaster recovery agencies anchored by UMCOR, has aided 30,112 families toward long-term recovery from Hurricane Katrina, and it plans to assist another 70,000 families over the next 11 months. Housing, job training, employment assistance and utility payments are the most pressing needs for these families. Over 1,400 full-time and volunteer recovery case managers are working in 32 states. For more information, visit www.katrinaaidtoday.org.

GULF COAST PARTNERSHIP REPORT
Contributions: From within FUMC $31,272
From other churches 22,342
From outside individuals and groups 7,748
Total income 61,362
Expense: Landscaping at Bethany UMC (inclusive) 42,526
Gifts to Bethany (chairs, Bibles, baptismal font, etc) 4.056
Misc. work supplies (paint, glass, gutting supplies) 1,322
Work Team expense (food, vans, insurance, etc) 4,703
Donation to host church 1,000
Fundraising costs 1,115
Total expense 54,722
(Note: Income and outgo for the Youth team’s own non-work expense is not included in the above figures.) Visit our Gulf Coast Partnership page for more about this project.

Upcoming Worship

December 17, 2006 = Third Sunday of Advent

9:00 am & 10:30 am
SERMON by Rev. Patricia Farris “Spread the Joy”
SCRIPTURE Zephaniah 3:14-20; Luke 3:7-18

Sunday, December 24 = Christmas Eve

10:00 am Worship Service
(this is the only worship service that morning)
This will be our Service of Lessons and Carols with music
by the Chancel Choir and brass quartet.

4:00 pm Family Christmas Eve Service
(note: this is a new time)
This service will feature the Children's Choir, the Youth Choir, and the Youth Handbell Choir. We will be celebrating "The Alphabet of Christmas" with songs by our Children and Youth Choirs, Congretational Christmas Carols, and Readings also read by our children and youth. The service will be one to remember and designed specifically for families with young children.

11:00 pm Candlelight Service
SERMON by Rev. Patricia Farris “Step Into the Light”
In this beautiful candlelit service with music provided by our Chancel Choir, organ and harp, we welcome the light of Christ coming into the world and into our hearts. As the service is concluded at mid- night, we go forth into the new Christmas dawn, rejoicing in the birth of our Lord and Savior.

Sunday, December 31 = New Year's Eve

10:00 am Worship Service (this is the only worship service that morning)
SERMON by Rev. Larry Young “Covenanting to Live in the Light”
SCRIPTURE Isaiah 60:1-2, 19-20; Matthew 2:1-12
In this service we will celebrate Epiphany and remember John Wesley's Covenant Service.

January 7, 2007 = Baptismal Renewal/Holy Communion

9:00 am & 10:30 am
SERMON by Rev. Patricia Farris

More...