It's the most wonderful time of the year, and here at Shady Grove we are busy preparing to celebrate Jesus' birth! Check below for our December events, but first let's review November! updatesChurch Work Day We had a successful church work day on November 2 with over 20 members participating in tearing down walls in the children's area, power washing the front of the church, and trimming the hedges outside of the church. Thank you to all who came out to help! All Saints' Sunday On November 3rd we held a beautiful All Saints' service to honor the eight members of the church family who passed away in the last year. Turkey Dinner Our annual Turkey Dinner to benefit the Missions Team was a great success, with 268 people served and over $2,500 raised. We had a wonderful group of volunteers from the church who helped pull off this big event. Thank you, church family, for your willingness to support our Missions Team and their service projects! Carnegie Hall In November, our Shady Grove Chancel Choir had the honor of singing at Carnegie Hall! It was such an awesome and humbling experience for us all, and we were thrilled to be a part of Mary McDonald and Joel Ramey's inspired work. Thank you, Linda Matthews, for orchestrating this once in a lifetime experience for our choir! Ignite Youth Escape Room Trip Our youth went to the Escape Room in Pigeon Forge on November 22nd. The youth had fun working together as groups to beat the clock and escape. Pastor Jason's 20th Year Celebration On November 24, the congregation threw Pastor Jason a surprise party in honor of his twenty years of ministry. We all were able to keep it a secret and he was so surprised! We love you, Pastor Jason, and we are thankful to have you with us! what's newkidz CornerChange In Christmas Nativity Play Due to lack of participation among the kids, we are changing our approach to our children's nativity play, previously December 18. On December 11, we will be filming our children's nativity ahead of time, and the film will be shown on December 22 during both services. If your child would like to be in our children's nativity film, please make sure to attend our Wednesday night activities on December 11 at 5:45. King's Kidz Christmas Party We will be having our annual Christmas party on December 11 after we film the nativity scene. All of our King's Kidz are invited for sweet treats, games, and holiday fun! The party will be from 6:30-7:30. Wednesday Night Scheduling December 11 will also be our last Wednesday night of the year. We will take a break for the holidays and be back to our regular schedule on January 15! Nursery Volunteers Ashley is still looking for nursery volunteers to help on Sunday mornings from 8:45-12:15 once every two months and on Wednesday nights from 5:30-7:30 once a month. If you are interested in helping out, you can email her at children@shadygrovedandridge.org. December Birthdays Mrs. Ashley and Co. would like to wish a very happy birthday to Klaire DeMaria, Destiny Mantooth, Austin Shropeshire, Bethany Eisler, and Lilith Hall during the month of December! Volunteer Recognition This month, Ashley would like to recognize our nursery volunteer Ann Bennett. Ann is always ready to step in and lend a hand in the nursery or wherever she is needed. She helps on both Sunday mornings and Wednesday nights on a regular basis, as well as with big children's events. She is great with the kids and is always loving and kind. Thank you, Ann, for all you do for the children's ministry! ignite youthNovember Recap During the month of November, our youth helped with the annual SGUMC Turkey Dinner by serving food, setting tables, and cleaning up for the event. Our youth continues to work hand in hand with our church to help continue ministry at Shady Grove. On November 3, All Saints Day, Ignite high school boys took part in worship. These boys helped make service special as we remembered the ones that went on before us. December Mission Projects Ignite Youth will help support Breakfast with Santa on December 7 from 9am-11am. Our youth will help with activities, serving, and cleaning up. If you are able to help, make sure you sign up with Eddie Thomas. December Sunday Mornings During the next several months our youth will be diving deep into the book of Matthew. We would love for you to join our Small Group on Sunday mornings at 10am. December Wednesday Nights During the month of December we will be doing a series called UNWRAPPED. The big idea is “Get ready to receive GOD’s gift”. We hope to see everyone on Wednesdays at 6pm. Youth Council Meeting Join us Thursday, December 12th at 6:30pm to learn about what’s happening with youth. Volunteers are requested to be there and any youth that would like to participate are encouraged to attend. Volunteer Recognition This month we would like to recognize Helen McClaren, who helps lead our Middle School Group. Helen joined us in 2019. She is an integral part of the success in our youth program at SGUMC. She supports our 6th and 7th graders on Wednesday Nights and Sunday Mornings. Helen has worked with these young people for the last few years and continues to help them develop their faith. We would like to thank Mrs. Helen for all she does for the Ignite Youth program. notes from the music departmentCarnegie Hall Trip The highlight of the month of November was our trip to New York to sing in Carnegie Hall. Thank you to all who bought baked goods and pens, donated for the auction, and then came and bought at the auction. The choir could not believe the support we had. We had a glorious trip which ended with the concert at that great hall. Thank you from the bottom of our hearts. We could not have gone without your help. Just so you know, we sang for the glory of God from our nose to our toes! Chancel Choir Concert December is always a busy month in any church, and ours is no exception. The Chancel Choir will be presenting our Carnegie Hall music in concert on December 15th at 4:00. It will be slightly different from New York in that we will have a nativity scene appear during the music. Our accompanist this year will be Bethany Smith, the daughter of Mary McDonald, who co-wrote the musical. Bethany was here last year and you’ll get to hear her play some solos again. She was a huge hit last year. Come and make this an afternoon for Christmas music-----Sing! Christmas. Children's Choir The children’s choir will sing with the adult choir on December 8th at the 9:00 service. The children requested that we do “Gloria! In Excelsis Deo”---so we’re going to do it! All of December we will bring you your favorite Christmas carols-----come and worship! missions momentCrackers for Christmas During the month of November, the congregation donated boxes of crackers for the Chamber of Commerce Christmas in Jefferson County food baskets. We received 427 boxes in total. Thank you, congregation, for your generosity! What we do for others, we do for Jesus. Scottish Rite Shoe Program The annual Scottish Rite Shoe Program will be held at Brazelton Lodge on Tuesday, December 10 at 8:30am. Volunteers are needed to help fit kids for shoes. Please consider volunteering for this event as you will be greatly blessed by the experience. Holston Home 5th Sunday Our last Holston Home 5th Sunday offering of 2019 will be taken up on Sunday, December 29th. new member spotlightDuring the month of November, we had 6 individuals join the church: Ernie and Jean Jarnigan, Shirley James, Karen Chambers, and Alan and BJ Lemmons. If you see them, make sure to welcome them to the Shady Grove Family! upcoming eventsWednesday Night, December 4th Due to the funeral being held for Billie Jean Chambers at 7:00, our youth and kids will meet only from 5:45-7 and will be staying in the youth suite and children's area. Choir will meet at 5:30, and the Adult Bible Study will be canceled for this week. Breakfast with Santa Join us on Saturday, December 7th from 9-11 as we journey through CandyLand in search of Santa! Along the way we will find pancakes, crafts, and activities and will end at King Candy's castle to take a picture with Santa! All are invited to this free, family friendly event. Come and see your favorite childhood board game come to life! Last Night of Wednesday Night Activities Our last night of Wednesday night activities for the rest of the year will be December 11. We will resume our normal schedule on January 15. Chancel Choir Concert The Chancel Choir will be presenting their Carnegie Hall music in concert on December 15th at 4:00. It will be slightly different from New York in that they will have a nativity scene appear during the music. The accompanist this year will be Bethany Smith, the daughter of Mary McDonald, who co-wrote the musical. Come and make this an afternoon for Christmas music-----Sing! Christmas. Youth Christmas Party The Ignite Christmas Party will be held on December 18th at 6:00. Join us for a time of fellowship, food, and fun. Christmas Eve Service Join us on December 24th at 7:00 for our Christmas Eve Service. It is an exciting time of carols, candles, and Christmas fellowship as we prepare to celebrate our Savior's birth! Office Closures The church office will be closed Tuesday, December 24-Saturday, December 28 and Tuesday, December 31-Wednesday, January 1 for the holidays. Please plan your office visits accordingly. don't forget to check out our calendar for more upcoming events! Sermon Sneak Peak December 1- "The Gift of Gold" (Matthew 2:1-11) December 8- "The Gift of Incense" (Matthew 2:7-11) December 15- "The Gift of Myrrh" (Matthew 2:9-14) December 22- "The Gift of a Baby" (Luke 2:1-7) December 24- "The Gift of a Song" (Luke 2:8-15) December 29- "Living with Us" (John 1:1-5; 14) Shady Grove Prayer Requests Immediate Needs: Sharon Cook, Pam Allen, Robert “Corky” Carpenter, Marilyn Noel, The Chambers Family, Joyce Jones, Evelyn Jenkins, Kevin Fox, Vicki Martinez, Faye McCorder, Betty Reneau Long Term: Jamie Finchum, Howard Matthews, Kyndall DeMaria, Pat Howard, June Hunter, Shirley Hammond, Sherri Franklin, Pat Bettis, Jamie Heald, Tim Barker, Frankie Simms, Jan Enoch, Mark Strange, Frank Miller, Ann-Marie Myers, Joyce Keisling, Dar Cohan We hope everyone has a merry Christ-filled Christmas and a blessed New Year!
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AuthorAshley Wren Archives
January 2021
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