DECEMBER 2011

Journey of Hope Community Church

NEWSLETTER
8900 Pardee Road <> Taylor Mi 48180 <> 313-292-1660 <> journeyofhopecom.com

Journey Of Hope Community Church Christmas Season Schedule

December 4 ------ Greeting and Assimilation Workshop With Dr. Dottie Miller 6pm December 8 ------------------------------------ 7 pm Movie NightWhite Christmas December 16 --------------------- Christmas Party Pot Luck 7 pm Primetimers Group With A $5 $10 White Elephant Gift Exchange December 18 ---------- Sunday 8:30 Service at Journey of Hope Community Church Sunday 11 am Cantata at Allen Park Church of the Nazarene. There will be no 11 am service at Journey of Hope so come to our Cantata. Corner of Reeck Rd and Goddard Road just east of Allen Road. Our Combined Choir, Drama, and Inspiration! Come early to get a good seat. December 21 ----------- Snack and Sing Night for the entire church (Bring a Snack) December 24 ----------------------------------------------Christmas Eve Service 7 pm December 25 --------------------------------------- Combined Service Today at 10 am January 1 ------------------------------------------ Normal Schedule 8:30 and 11:00 am Several Community Events Listed On the Following Pages MERRY CHRISTMAS EVERYONE FROM JOURNEY OF HOPE 8900 Pardee Road

Thanks Journey of Hope for Participating

Our Beautiful Sanctuary

Each year just prior to the beginning of Advent several ladies from our church get together and decorate our sanctuary. This year on November 21, Ezio Panone got the heavy Christmas boxes out and ran for the hills as Iris Szekely, Lynda McIntyre, Kathy Hazeldine, Sandy Galvan and Dottie Fix went to work. They transformed the Sanctuary decorating it with wreaths, garland, lights, flowers, and a beautifully decorated tree. Thank you Ladies, we appreciate you! Faith Gibson Thanks & Praises God For Journey of Hope and Joseph
Faith Gibsons brother Joseph Maynard Bucho, pictured to the left, went to be with the Lord October 9, 2011 after an extended illness. Faith in the last moments of Josephs life was able to spend time with her brother. Journey of Hope prayed that Faith would make it out to California in time to be with Joseph before he went to his heavenly home. She made it in time and the moments spent with her brother was precious. During Josephs illness the Church prayed and Faith saw time and time again how God was answering those prayers. The memorial service was held in Lake Forest, California. The memorial folder closed with this, Joes Message to you is, Anchor your self in Jesus.

It might snow but why not read your preschooler a book! This is really a free library of books for any child birth through age 5. One free book will be mailed to the home from age 0-5 years. There is a graduation book mailed on the fifth birthday to help the transition to kindergarten. They need the following information submitted to Southeastern Michigan United Way, 660 Woodward, Suite 300, Detroit, Michigan 48226. United way will not sell or distribute your information to third parties. This was brought to our attention by Starfish Family Services and they share our building with Journey of Hope Church.

Free Books For Kids United Way of Southeastern Michigan

To Submit Form:
Fax to United Way: 313-226-9386

Parent Name __________________________________________________ Childs Name: ________________ Date of Birth ________ Gender [ ] M [ ] F Childs Name: ________________ Date of Birth ________ Gender [ ] M [ ] F Family Address ________________________________________________ City: _____________________________ State ______________ Zip ______ Phone Number __________________________________________________ Alternate Phone Number __________________________________________ E-mail address __________________________________________________ Language Spoken in Home ________________________________________ Referring Organization: Starfish Family Services Sign Up For Imagination Library By Completing this Form

Or
Mail It to United Way at : United Way of Southeastern Michigan Attn Imagination Library 660 Woodward, Suite 300 Detroit, Michigan 48226

Family Fun Day December 10 11am2 pm

With United Way of Southeasern Michigan & Panera Bread

FREE EVENT

At Panera Bread26580 Ford RdDearborn Heights

Craft Projects <> Cookie Decorating <> Reading Activities

With Author Robin Morris United Way will share information about free Early Learning Resources & Programming. Help your child start school prepared and ready.

Songs of Christmas
Presented By: The American Liberty Pops Singers
Directed by: Rudolph Blouse
Benefit for Fish and Loaves

Sat. Dec 10 7:30 pm

Santas Magic Forest

Heritage Park Activity Building November 26 Through December 21 Every Weekend Fri 5-8 pm, Sat. 1-8 pm, Sun. 1-7 pm $3 Adults and $2 Children Picture with Santa $7 Fun For All Ages All Proceeds Feed The Hungry For More Information Call (734)442-0031

At Beacon Baptist 21721 Northline Rd.

Adult $10 Children $8 Under 5 Free

OFICE@DOWNRIVERFISHANDLOAVES.ORG

Advance Tickets available at:

Help feed the hungry

Joy To The World

All CHURCH SNACK AND SING

WEDNESDAY NIGHT DEC 21 at 6:30

Bring Snacks & Plan On Singing Some Christmas Songs

PRIMETIMERS POTLUCK
FRIDAY DECEMBER 16 AT 7 PM Bring a Dish to Share $5 White Elephant Gift Exchange Everyone 20 Years Old and Older Child Care Provided

Merry Christmas
From Pastor Bill & Dottie

Handfuls of Purpose Puppet Team from Journey of Hope Church received a Bronze Award at the Creative Arts competition held at Connection Church in Canton, Michigan. The Team was pleased with this reward. The Team had some very unique props that were mentioned on the Judges critique of the performance. Wendy Diebel had the solo puppet with various backup singers and propeteers taking part. Our award winning puppet team is now taking a three month break before they begin another puppet performance season. If you are twelve years old or older and have a desire to be on the puppet team when they start up again in March, please see Dottie Fix, Wendy Diebel, or call the church office. The Puppet team usually practices every Monday night from 7 to 8:30 pm.

Handfuls of Purpose Puppet Team

The All For Him Drama and Dance Team a Ministry of Journey of Hope received a Silver Award at the Creative Arts competition held recently at Connection Church in Canton. The Team danced to a DC Talk song and the choreography was done in black light. The teams routine included mimicking the operation of a machine, A Rap Star with a microphone that changed color, neon hands and feet, and much more. The audience made up of puppet teams, other drama and dance teams, and the general public loved the presentation and so did the judges. The Judges not only gave the team the silver award but also presented them with an Outstanding Choreography Award. The outstanding Choreography award is an award rarely presented by the judges. Congratulations All For Him! Want to join? Call the church at 313-292-1660.

All For Him Drama & Dance Team

Lean On Me

If You Look For Me At Christmas

From the Files of Robert Szekely

If you look for me at Christmas You wont need a special star Im no longer just in Bethlehem, Im right there where you are You may not be aware of Me Amid the celebrations Youll have to look beyond the stores And all the decorations But if you take a moment From your list of things to do And listen to your heart, youll find Im waiting there for you Youre the one I want to be with Youre the reason that I came And youll find me in the stillness As Im whispering your name. Love Jesus
Donated from the files of our resident author, Robert Szekely. Thanks Bob, For your contributions to our Newsletters. We appreciate you and Iris very much.

Several years ago in the midst of the Christmas season, my wife and I were wondering how our two daughters would react to receiving the one small gift we could afford to give them Christmas morning. Our tradition of reading the Christmas story before opening presents would be more meaningful this year. Leona was a teenager and Lynnette was in elementary school. Remarkably, they both seemed to understand how difficult this year had been. On that Christmas morning, we loaded our PA system and a few props into the van and went to a nursing home where we did a little program for the residents there. As we sang Christmas carols and laughed and enjoyed the people, we all realized this was a Christmas we would never forget. Lean on Me is something we have often said to people who were struggling on their journey. On that Christmas, we learned how to lean on Jesus. As we gave and received gifts that day we told each other how special they were to us. It lifted us up in a way we will never forget. Go ahead, Lean on Me! Pastor Bill Fix

JOURNEY OF HOPE
COMMUNITY CHURCH
8900 Pardee Road, Taylor Mi 48180 Telephone: 313-292-1660 Emergency Number: 313-737-8102

Come & Worship With Us Sunday 8:30 & 11 p.m.

CHRISTMAS EVE CANDLELIGHT COMMUNION SERVICE

DECEMBER 24 AT 7 PM 8900 PARDEE ROAD <> TAYLOR <> 313-292-1660
Join us for a Family Friendly Candlelight Communion Service with Christmas Carols, A Childrens Story, and the Reading of the Christmas Story. Come and experience a Sacred Moment as we serve communion and then circle the sanctuary for the lighting of the candles. Invite family and friends and come to this glorious event.

Sun d Our ay Dec e Wo rsh mber 2 Wil 5 l Be ip Ser vice at 1 0a m

Do not Miss The Service Time Change for Christmas Day. We will meet only one time on this day at 10:00 am

Our 11 am Service will be held at the Allen Park Church of the Nazarene on Dec. 18. That church is located on the corner of Goddard and Reeck Road, just east of Allen on Goddard. The Cantata will include some of our members singing in the mass choir with our Drama Team acting out the Nativity. There will be a regular service held at our church at 8:30 am.

Christmas Cantata December 18

Come early we expect a packed house

As we turn the page on a brand new calendar there is much to be thankful for, much to look forward to and much to consider. The church took on an additional portion of the operational costs for this building in December and those costs will increase every three months until we are paying 100% of the operational costs. The Official Board and The Pastoral Staff believe that we can do this if we all work together, give all we can, share our building with other groups for a reasonable fee and if we all invite our friends to our fabulous church. We want to encourage each of you to get involved in small groups and to make a strong commitment to the Lord Jesus Christ. When Jesus comes, lets not leave any of our loved ones behind because we failed to show them the way. Share Jesus with them while it is still day Scripture says, for the night cometh when no man shall work. On January 1 we will return to our normal schedule of having an 8:30 am Classical Service and a 11 am Modern Service. Pastor Hank Sower will be preaching on January 1 so invite someone.

January 1, 2012

Superintendent Thomas and Noni Ramundo Are Coming To Journey of Hope

Our Superintendent, Thomas Ramundo, is personally passionate about the power of the Gospel. Thats right! He is passionate about evangelism and he is coming to Taylor on February 5, 2012 to tell you about it. Thomas can really preach the Good News with zeal and purpose. Superintendents wife, Noni, is such a wonderful encouragement to the Southern Michigan Conference Churches. We will be hopeful that when they visit in February she will grace us with a song. Dottie and I have grown to love the Ramundos for their wonderful hospitality and charm. Visiting their home has always been an encouragement to us. We love going there. Have you ever been in one of those homes that looks good, smells good and even sounds good? Music has always been playing in the background when we have visited; them. Noni has always just baked a sweet smelling dessert; and everything seems to be in order with decorations that fit any holiday or celebration. Obviously they give prayerful thought to any visit. They are wonderfully authentic in their faith and service to the Lord. Their sincerity and godliness is admirable and their prayers for us, coveted. You wont want to miss their visit to Taylor on Feb 5 so mark your calendars.

A Little Christmas Carol History!

Submitted by Faith Gibson
The origin of the Christmas carol we know as Silent Night was a poem that was written in 1816 by Joseph Mohr an Austrian priest. On Christmas Eve in 1818 in the small alpine village called Oberndorf it is reputed that the organ at St. Nicholas Church had broken. Joseph Mohr gave the poem of Silent Night (Stille Nacht) to his friend Franz Xavier Gruber and the melody for Silent Night was composed with this in mind. The music to Silent Night was therefore intended for a guitar and the simple score was finished in time for Midnight Mass. Silent Night is the most famous Christmas carol of all time!

Join us on A Walk to Jerusalem

Submitted by Lynne Meharg
The Walk to Jerusalem is an imaginary trip accomplished by individuals in and outside the church logging and reporting their walking or running miles each week. The walk is designed to increase the physical, spiritual, and emotional health of participants. Walking was first mentioned in the Bible in Genesis 3:8, Then the man and his wife heard the sound of the Lord God as he was walking in the garden in the cool of the day. It was while walking in the garden that God typically spoke to Adam and Eve. How meaningful for us to walk through our neighborhoods, through our parks and through our communities while talking to our Creator, the One who knows us best! It is approximately 6,300 miles from Taylor to Jerusalem. We will collectively add our miles to arrive in Jerusalem by Easter. Our journey will be tracked on a map, and key destinations will be highlighted with information about the region. A booklet will be provided to log your miles, with weekly bible verses and Questions to ponder. We will have a celebration when we reach Jerusalem. This walk is a multi generational program, encouraging all ages to participate. What a great family activity! Miles can be accumulated by any physical activity: walking, aerobics, gym class, sports, chair exercises, physical therapy, etc. We will have weekly prizes and incentives to walk. I encourage you to join us on this journey. Why not create a small group to walk? This would be a great way to introduce Jesus to friends, family, and coworkers. Look for more information at church mid December. The walk will begin in January 2012.

John Cabanaw has been approved by our official Board to serve as a Journey of Hope Community Church Intern. John and Pastor Bill have a great mentoring relationship. John is the son of Paul and Sharon Cabanaw and the grandson of Thelma Rudd and the nephew of Cheryl Henry.

John Cabanaw Interning At Journey of Hope

Dear Sister In Her Glory

On November 23 our dear sister, Terry Dembek went to be with the Lord. The night before as we talked about her surgery, she said, if I make it through the surgery that will be fine, but if I wake up in Heaven that would indeed be glorious. What a picture; Terry waking up in heaven. Like the words of the old camp song says: Heaven is a wonderful place; filled with glory and grace; Im gonna see my Saviors face; cause heaven is a wonderful place, Im gonna go there. Our sister is there. Terry was used greatly by God here at Journey of Hope where she served as Deaconess. She would visit the sick, the shut-ins, the hurting people and read the Bible to them, pray for them and encourage them in such a soft and loving fashion. I would often go to the hospital and Terry would already be there visiting. I was always thankful! Little did people know of her own struggle with a lung disease. After attending the church and making a fresh commitment to Jesus, she came to see me one day. She had a strange request and asked, When I die, will you do my funeral? I told her I would be honored to do her funeral but it was such a strange request. She appeared to be so healthy. She told me of her terrible and terminal lung disease and serious bouts with pneumonia, and her struggle to breathe. She really thought her life was over when it had only just begun. With some training and many prayers, Terry became our deaconess. She told me many times that she felt God had made her for this most fulfilling ministry and she was very good at it. I agree, God made her for that ministry. When her husband Joe became ill with cancer, she prayed for him to surrender his life to Christ and He did. When I would visit Joe and Terry in their home, it was he that initiated prayer. When Joe went to heaven Terry was so happy for where he was but was also stuck with a new loneliness. Everyone in the church loved Terry. When she could no longer visit people in the hospital she prayed for them at home. She would even send scriptures to in the mail and was one of my top three encouragers. When Jim her son married Cheri in our church, Terry had written out the love chapter, 1 Corinthians 13, for me to read at the wedding. She was in the first row, so proud to be a mom. Many times Terry would want to talk about Scripture. We would study it together. Shed say, I knew you would help me figure that out. But, I learned more from Terry than I ever taught her. What a dear Saint. The pictures of her in my mind are many and they always produce joy. Terrys constant prayer was for her children, grandchildren, and great grandchildren, That they would become followers of Jesus. We will all miss our sister but heaven is now populated with another of our finest friends. We must say, Earth to earth, ashes to ashes, dust to dust but to Terrys Spirit and Soul we say, You
are free to live forever with Jesus, free from sickness, free from pain, free from all diseases and free to greet old & new friends and to adventure with them forever in heaven. Amen PB

Wit and Wisdom Page

Like every Sunday morning my son, David (5 years old), attended church with us. It was common for the preacher to invite the children to the front of the church and have a small lesson before beginning the sermon. He would bring in an item they could find around the house and relate it to a teaching from the Bible. This particular morning, the visual aid for his lesson was a smoke detector. He asked the children if anyone knew what it meant when an alarm sounded from the smoke detector. My child immediately raised his hand and said, "It means Daddy's cooking dinner. "Life is 10 percent what you make it and 90 percent how you take it."~ Irving Berlin On Christmas morning a woman told her husband, I just dreamed that you gave me a beautiful diamond necklace. What do you think it means? Youll know tonight, he said. That evening just before opening presents, the husband came home with a small package and gave it to his wife. Delighted, she opened it only to find a book entitled The Meaning of Dreams. Two young boys were spending the night at their grandparents. At bedtime, the two boys knelt beside their beds to say their prayers when the youngest one began praying at the top of his lungs."I PRAY FOR A NEW BICYCLE... I PRAY FOR A NEW NINTENDO... I PRAY FOR A NEW VCR..." His older brother leaned over, nudged the younger brother and said, "Why are you shouting your prayers? God isn't deaf." To which the little brother replied, "No, but Gramma is!"

Rules for Dogs During this Season

1. Be especially patient with your humans during this time. They may appear to be more stressed-out than usual and they will appreciate long comforting dog leans. 2. They may come home with large bags of things they call gifts. Do not assume that all the gifts are yours. 3. Be tolerant if your humans put decorations on you. They seem to get some special kind of pleasure out of seeing how you look with fake antlers. 4. They may bring a large tree into the house and set it up in a prominent place and cover it with lights and decorations. Bizarre as this may seem to you, it is an important ritual for your humans, so there are some things you need to know: a. Don't pee on the tree b. Don't drink water in the container that holds the tree c. Mind your tail when you are near the tree d. If there are packages under the tree, even ones that smell interesting or that have your name on them, don't rip them open e. Don't chew on the cord that runs from the funny-looking hole in the wall to the tree 5. Your humans may occasionally invite lots of strangers to come visit during this season. These parties can be lots of fun, but they also call for some discretion on your part: a. Not all strangers appreciate kisses and leans b. Don't eat off the buffet table c. Beg for goodies subtly d. Be pleasant, even if unknowing strangers sit on your sofa e. Don't drink out of glasses that are left within your reach 6. Likewise, your humans may take you visiting. Here your manners will also be important: a. Observe all the rules in #4 for trees that may be in other people's houses. (4a is particularly important) b. Respect the territory of other animals that may live in the house c. Tolerate children d. Turn on your charm big time 7. A big man with a white beard and a very loud laugh may emerge from your fireplace in the middle of the night. DON'T BITE HIM!!

True story. Over the long Thanksgiving weekend I was tasked with bringing the Christmas decorations up from the basement and trekking the Halloween/Thanksgiving decorations back down again. During one trek down the stairs, heavily laden with boxes, I slipped and luckily only fell about two steps before landing square on my behind. My wife yelled, "What was that thump?" "I just fell down the stairs!" I explained. "Anything broken?" "No, I'm fine." There was just a slight pause before I heard, "Oh, that's good. What about my decorations? Are any of them broken?" Christmas gift suggestions: to your enemy, forgiveness. To an opponent, tolerance. To a friend, your heart. To a customer, service. To all, charity. To every child, a good example. To yourself, respect.

He who hasnt Christ in his heart will never find Christmas under a tree.

Joy to the World

Submitted by Faith Gibson
The words and lyrics of the old Christmas carol 'Joy to the World' were written in 1719 by Isaac Watts (1674-1748). Joy to the World is a popular Christmas carol which is based on Psalm 98 in the Bible. The father of John Watts was a Nonconformist and so extreme were his views that he was imprisoned twice. His father's influence over Isaac was demonstrated when he choose to attend Non-conformist Academy at Stoke Newington in preference to a University. Watts was ordained as a Pastor of an Independent congregation. He wrote many hymns and Carols and was awarded a Doctor of Divinity degree by the the University of Edinburgh in 1728. The music to the carol is by George Frederick Handel (1685-1759).

Finance
Committee Budget Meeting December 6 At 7 pm Official Board Meeting December 20 At 7 pm

Share Your Faith With A Napkin and Marker Easy as 1, 2, 3 and Pretty Cool Too! By Pastor Bill Fix
I actually learned this as a Childrens Pastor long ago but it is something I have used hundreds of times. I hope you like it. I usually write the 1,2,3 down the left hand side of a napkin and I begin with the 1. There can only be 1 number one in your life. For some people, it is themselves, for others it is money, possessions, power, job, drugs, alcohol, etc. But, something or someone is always number one. Do you know who should be number one? Jesus! He laid down his life for us on the cross. Turn the 1 into a t cross. The bible teaches that we were made in Gods image so there is good in each of us but the Bible also teaches that all of us have sinned and fall short of Gods glory. Our evil blots out our goodness. The deepest part of our soul or heart is clouded by sin. Jesus will forgive us if we repent and ask him to. Then our heart is made clean. (at this point turn the 2 into a heart. Invite Jesus into the deepest part of your heart. Make Him number 1 in your life and follow Him. If you will surrender your life to Him he will live within you by his Holy Spirit. And 3, if you turn it sideways makes a W which is the last letter of a word you should consider. NOW is that word. What is stopping you from praying and asking Jesus into your life right now? Close you eyes and pray, God I know I have sinned and I need Jesus to save me, I believe in him, and I want to follow Him. Come into my heart right now and I will follow Jesus and His Word. Amen! (Please use this)

Take a Moment from your busy day and pray that God would bless, protect, and guide our Area Bishops and their families. The Bishop that is assigned to give oversight to our Southern Michigan Conference is Bishop David Kendall. Some of you will remember that Bishop Kendall and his lovely wife Lavone visited our church in 2011. You might also recognize Bishop Roller and his wife Yvonne. When they were missionaries to Latin America, they visited our church. Some of you have met Bishop Matt Thomas and his wife Marlene. They were at Spring Arbor for an event in 2010 and maybe you have seen Bishop Thomas with the other Bishops in one of the Townhouse webcasts that they did just prior to General Conference this year. I have met them all and they are wonderful Godly people. You can be proud to have these men leading our church. Please pray for them, they are your brothers in Christ and their work is eternal as they labor on your behalf worldwide. PB Gary and Jann Allen (pictured to the left) are our Missionaries who live in Mexico City, Mexico. They have been to Journey of Hope prior to their deployment to Mexico City. They plan to be in Southern Michigan from April 1-September 30, 2012. We hope to have a chance to meet with them during that time. They will have programs for all age and group levels. It is good to expose ourselves and our families to people who have given all to follow Gods call. Pray for Gary and Jann they are doing a much needed work in one of the largest cities in the world. .

Honduran Missions Trip Being Planned

Journey of Hope is in the initial planning stages for a summer missions trip to Honduras where our Journey of Hope Missionary, Scott Smith Jr., is serving as a teacher at an orphanage. If you would be interested in going to Honduras, please see Pastor Hank Sower and begin saving for that trip. Pastor Sower is leading the group that will be going. Our Dearborn Free Methodist Church has also shown some interest in this trip as they have a young woman missionary named Kim serving at the same orphanage. For more information see Pastor Hank.