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Courier
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Advent 2016

The
Vol. 66,
Christian
No. 12
Courier The
Bellingham
Christian
First
Courier
ChristianThe
Church
Christian Courier
December
The
2016
C

First Sunday of Advent - Hope

Sunday, November 27

Second Sunday of Advent - Peace

Sunday, December 4
12:15 p.m. Alternative Christmas Fair
Spend your holiday dollars in lifesaving ways. Dig a well, send a
child to school, build a hospital,
co-sponsor a micro-loan for
women. Change the world!

A Gift of Music

Saturday, December 10
Meet at Bellis Fair Mall food court
Noon
for lunch, then carpool to go
Christmas caroling

Third Sunday of Advent - Joy

Sunday, December 11
Someone Cares! Community Meal
2 p.m.
and Josephs Closet - Sign up in
the kitchen to help our neighbors;
this will be our annual turkey
dinner with all the trimmings.

Fourth Sunday of Advent - Love

Sunday, December 18
What Child is This - Chancel
11 a.m.
Choir Christmas Cantata,
by Joel Raney

Winter Solstice

Wednesday, December 21
Longest Night Worship: A service
6:30 p.m.
of solace for those who grieve
during the holidays

Christmas Eve

Saturday, December 24
Candlelight Worship Service
6:30 p.m.

Christmas

Sunday, December 25
Christmas Worship
11 a.m.

Shoes News

First Christian Church

Shoes News

(Disciples of Christ)

Theres No going Back Now

495 East Bakerview Road
Bellingham, WA 98226
360.734.6820
office@bellinghamdisciples.org
www.bellinghamdisciples.org
Follow us on Twitter
Find us on Facebook

Christian Church (Disciples of Christ)

A movement for wholeness in a fragmented
world. As part of the one body of Christ, we
welcome all to the Lords Table as God
welcomed us.
All of Us
Ministers
Rev. Gary Shoemaker
Pastor
gary@bellinghamdisciples.org
Rev. Tamalyn Kralman
Director of Ed. & Community Outreach
Courier Editor
tamalyn@bellinghamdisciples.org
Amelia Nye
Accompanist
Katie Ramstead, Aneesa Ahad
Childcare Providers
Rev. Sandy Messick
Regional Minister
Rev. Sharon Watkins
General Minister and President

Sunday Schedule
9:30 a.m.
10:50 a.m.
11 a.m.
12:15 p.m.
12:30 p.m.
2 p.m.

Office Hours

Sunday School
Gathering Time
Worship
Fellowship Time
Out-to-Lunch Bunch (4th Sunday)
Someone Cares! Community Meal
(2nd Sunday)

Monday - Friday
9 a.m. - noon
Our staff are in and out of the office throughout the
week. Please feel free to stop by during their office
hours or make an appointment that fits your schedule.

Officers
Renee Hoemann, Moderator
Don Hoffman, Vice Moderator
Cheryl Perry, Treasurer
Melissa Henderson, Secretary

To unsubscribe or go paperless:
Contact 360.734.6820, 495 East Bakerview
Road, Bellingham, WA 98226, or
office@bellinghamdisciples.org.

I've told this story before, so if you've heard it, you can
skip ahead. The first time I met Lillian was after worship
nearly 15 years ago. She was visiting family here before
her retirement. She told me her name and my response
was, "THE Lillian Moir!" She smiled and said, "Yes, THE
Lillian Moir."
We all hope to leave a positive legacy when we're no
longer around. That's why we're involved in the Let Love
Be Our Legacy campaign. Lillian was a force that was very
apparent around the church. She was also a force across
the denomination and around the world. Her goal was to
connect us to one another, hence the work for Bolenge
Hospital and the wells in Africa.
She achieved her goal. We are forever connected to the
church around the world because of her influence.
Part of our recognition of Lillian's presence in our
congregation (she attended here as a child and she
attended here in retirement) is now a finished project in
the library. Shannon (Lillian's neice) has kindly given us a
number of special artifacts from Lillian's time in Africa.
Those items were kept in boxes until Max Perry finished
the display case. He did a beautiful job crafting a
wonderful home for those artifacts. Now they are displayed
for all to see.
Please come into the library when you have a spare
moment and look at the artwork, handcrafts and
memorabilia on display. I think that it's a fitting tribute to a
woman who went out into the world with an energy and
drive that impacted the places she served in lasting ways.
We got a small taste of that impact at her memorial service
when we heard portions of letters that had come from
across Africa and the U.S.
It's been one year since she was so tragically taken from
us. Part of her work and special interests remain for us to
see in the library. Enjoy it.
Pastor Gary

December 2016

Jesus Has Left the Building and Other Matters

JHLB
Jesus Has Left the Building
October 30, 2016

What did our teams

accomplish?
Our away team worked at
Amys Place, clearing away
garbage and things that
could be used elsewhere.
Our church team made
blankets (one afghan, 10
quilts, and 18 fleece
blankets, created by Jane
Kletka, Bea Gilfilen, Megan
Shoemaker, and Tamalyn
Kralman, were donated to
Blue Skies for Children)
Stuffed 400+ envelopes
for WHS
Wrote letters (14 people
signed petitions on behalf
of a Malawi albino child, a
Peruvian woman beaten
by police, and Azerbaijan
students imprisoned for
graffiti; six people signed
letters sent to
Representative Larsen,
and four others signed
letters to Representative
DelBene asking for
funding for fighting
hunger in the USA and
overseas.)

Max Perry, Kris Ann Lewis, and Bob Fisher take on chores around the church, in
honor of Stewardship Month.

Jane Kletka, Bridget Becker, and Betty Schmidling work on blankets for kids.

Bruce Radtke, Makena Schmidling,

and James Becker fold flyers and
stuff envelopes for Whatcom
Humane Society.

Brenda Riseland works with Heidi

Unick at Amy's Place, cleaning and
sorting. All extras were delivered to
Value Village.

Thank You Received

December Reminders

Thank you very much for your many gifts to Amys

Place money, meals and prayers. We are very
grateful for your generosity.

Pick up your financial statement in the narthex.

To All

Amys Place

December 2016

Just a few end of year details for you to remember:

If you bring an Advent poinsettia in honor or memory of a
loved one, be sure to jot down the pertinent info on the
tribute sheet in the fellowship hall.

Whos on First?!

Joys and Concerns

December

Sunday, December 4
Elders: Margaret Brown (O), John Riseland(C)
Lock-Up: Leslie Pinkston
In Home Communion: Don Hoffman
Gregg Heyne
Deacons: Kathy Wheeler, Lynn Plancich
Reader: Gregg Heyne
Greeter: Connie Page
Flowers: Advent Poinsettias
Fellowship Time: TBD
Sunday, December 11
Elders: Melody Hofman (O), Kelvin Smith (C)
Deacons: Renee Hoemann, James Becker
Reader: Don Hoffman
Greeter: Connie Page
Flowers: Advent Poinsettias
Fellowship Time: TBD
Sunday, December 18
Elders: Gregg Heyne (O), Leslie Pinkston (C)
Deacons: Ardythe Hannah, Linda Heyne
Reader: Melody Hoffman
Greeter: Connie Page
Flowers: Advent Poinsettias
Fellowship Time: TBD
Sunday, December 25
Elders: Jane Kletka (O), Brenda Riseland (C)
Deacons: Pat Whitney, Kathy Wheeler
Reader: James Becker
Greeter: Connie Page
Flowers: Advent Poinsettias
Fellowship Time: Esther Group

Happy Birthday
Cyndy Koehn
Walter Bayless
Alisha Sanchez
Bill Pribilsky
Terry Udo
Devon Martin

1
2
7
9
9
12

Sandy Grant
Betty Erickson
Joe Plancich
Blair Whitney

13
21
28
30

Happy Anniversary
Robert & Kim Naidu
14
Gary Shoemaker &
Tamalyn Kralman
27
Don & Melody Hoffman 30

Joys and Concerns

Please submit written requests
to update this list.

Medical concerns:
Harmon Woodworth
Mary Ann Teeters
Chloe Gibson
Donna Fairchild
Bill Pribilsky
Nathan Klemann
Lifes challenges:
Matthew, nephew of Kris Ann Lewis
Beyond Our Walls:
65 million plus+ refugees worldwide
Disciples House Residents, past, present and future
Iglesia de Dios, as together we share Gods love
Raices Culturales families in their gardening program in our
field
Kristine Tissinger, missionary partner in Ghana
Rev. Sandy Messick, Regional Minister
Rev. Sharon Watkins, General Minister and President
Our General Church ministries
Yakama Christian Mission
Victims of hatred, injustice, violence, poverty, disease, and
disaster worldwide
All troops involved in world conflict
Peacemakers worldwide

Read the
November
Issue of
the
Regional
Newsletter
Parents: Click here to learn more about whats happening in Sunday School this year.

December 2016

December calendar

December 2016
Sunday
Sunday

Monday
Monday

Tuesday
Tuesday

Wednesday
Wednesday Thursday
Thursday
1

Friday
Friday

Saturday
Saturday
2

7:30a Mens
Breakfast,
Dennys
(no host)
4

2nd Sunday of Advent

9:30a Sunday School
10:50a Gathering Time
11a Worship
12:15p Fellowship Time
& Alternative Christmas
Faire

11

3rd Sunday of
Advent
9:30a Sunday School
10:50a Gathering Time
11a Worship
12:15p Fellowship Time
2p Someone Cares
Community Meal &
Josephs Closet
18

4th Sunday of
Advent
7:30a Elders Mtg
9:30a Sunday School
10:50a Gathering Time
11a Worship,
featuring Choir
Christmas Cantata
12:15p Fellowship Time

25

Merry Christmas!
9:30a Sunday School
10:50a Gathering Time
11a Worship
12:15p Fellowship Time

December 2016

Noon Bible Study

Bulletin
deadline

15

16

6p Bell
Choir
7p Chancel
Choir
Rehearsal
12

13

Noon Bible Study

6:30p
Stewardship
Meeting
19

11:30 a.m.
Esther Group
(no host)

26

20

Noon Bible Study

27

Noon Bible Study

14

Bulletin
deadline
6p Bell
Choir
Rehearsal
7p Chancel
Choir
Rehearsal

Courier
deadline
6:30p Pub
Theology,
Hops N
Headz
22

23

28

29

30

Bulletin
deadline
6p Bell
Choir
7p Chancel
Choir

17

7:30a Mens
Breakfast,
Dennys (no
host)

21

Bulletin
deadline
6p Bell
Choir
Rehearsal
6:30p
Longest
Night
Worship
7p Choir
Rehearsal

10

7:30a Mens
Breakfast,
Dennys
Noon - Meet
at Bellis Fair
Food Court
for lunch &
Christmas
caroling

24

Christmas
Eve
7:30a Mens
Breakfast,
Dennys
(no host)
6:30p
Candlelight
Worship
Service

31

Save the Date

Sunday, January 22, 2016
International Welcoming Church Sunday

First Christian Church

(Disciples of Christ)
A church of grace and welcome for all!
495 East Bakerview Road
Bellingham, WA 98226-9168

PERIODICALS POSTAGE AT
USPS 0589-870

We wish you
a most blessed Christmas.
With love
from your church staff.
Pastor Gary, Tamalyn,
Amelia, & Katie