2022-12-04 Beacon

WELCOME

Shalimar UMC

Lead Pastor

Dr. Philip McVay

Dr. Brad Bradford Worship Pastor

Rev. David Garvin Youth Pastor

Rev. Matt Langford Associate Pastor

Gerald Batton Custodian

Chris Bennett Facility & Maintenance Manager

Pat Brantley Office Administrative Assistant

Abigail Denney Media & Communications

Joy Harris Financial Assistant

Denise Heath Finance

Sarah Hicks

Children’s Director

Karen Jadin Preschool Director

Tony Mallini Interim Church Administrator

Heyward McKenzie Chef

Katie Pascoe Nursery Director

Leigh J. Rice Respite Director

Dawn Rozofsky After School & Camp Director

Ben Savage Worship Arts

Jeremy Thiess Ministries Assistant

After Hours Emergency Pastoral Assistance

Dr. Philip McVay: (850) 607-1133

Dr. Brad Bradford: (850) 227-4328

Rev. David Garvin: (850) 319-0072

Rev. Matt Langford: (334) 437-3931

Table Of Contents

Our Vision

Christ-centerd, multi-generational, family & community relevant ministries through worship, discipleship, and mission.

Tite Text Here Page No.

This Sunday in Worship Page 5

Philip’s Focus Page 6

What’s Happening | Church Life Page 8

The Bread House Page 10

Page 11 Weekly Schedule

2022 Advent Calendar Page 12 Christmas Eve Services Page 13

Announcements & Articles Page 14

Missions Advent Calendar Page 16

Our Mission

We REACH out to our congregation, community, and the world. We TEACH the word of God as provided in the Holy-Scripture.

We SEND our members and missionaries to be witnesses to God’s grace and His promise of eternal life.

Worship Services

Sunday at Shalimar

Traditions: 8AM & 11AM

Meet us in the Sanctuary as we celebrate through the rich traditions of our faith. Such as hymns led by organ and piano, seasonal vestments, and Traditional Methodist liturgy. Our Chancel Choir leads the 11AM service.

Connect: 9:30AM

Join us in the Sanctuary as we engage in a fourfold services of gathering, praise, ser vice of the Word, Holy Communion with candle stations of prayer, and sending forth. Worship is a blend of contemporary praise songs and upbeat hymns.

Freedom: 11:07AM

Located in the Family Life Center Gym as we come together and worship through modern music, Fellowship time, and listen to an inspirational message in a contemporary atmosphere.

In Person & Online

Philip McVay

Brad

This is how the birth of Jesus the Messiah came about His mother Mary was pledged to be married to Joseph, but before they came together, she was found to be pregnant through the Holy Spirit. Because Joseph her husband was faithful to the law, and yet did not want to expose her to public disgrace, he had in mind to divorce her quietly.

But after he had considered this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, “Joseph son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife, because what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins.”

All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet: “The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel” (which means “God with us”).

When Joseph woke up, he did what the angel of the Lord had commanded him and took Mary home as his wife. -

Philip’s Focus

A Journey for all to Celebrate Jesus’ Birth

Our Advent journey is four weeks to prepare our hearts to celebrate the birth of Jesus. My grandson Luke was peppering me with Jesus’ birth questions last Saturday. Why did God come as a baby? Why was Jesus born? How was He born? I must admit, even after all these years of preparing Advent sermons, I still have many of the same questions as my six-year grandson.

There is such wonder and mystery in Advent. I still have mystery in answering questions too. How can Jesus be fully God and man? How can a virgin conceive? I have spent 47 years pastoring, swimming in the mystery of these questions.

While I do not fully grasp all the mystery of Jesus’ birth, I do glimpse a little more each year. Over time, I am grasping there are three births of Christmas. One, there is the miraculous birth of Jesus in Bethlehem. Two, there is the new birth in our hearts when Jesus becomes our Lord and Savior. Three, when we engage again in the good news of Jesus’ birth every year, we experience the joy of this new birth yet again.

The first mystery is the actual birth of Jesus. We read the story in the Gospel of Luke of the virgin Mary, no room in the inn, a manger, wrapped in swaddling clothes, a star, shepherds, and wise men. In forty-seven years of pastoring, I have read or heard Luke’s extraordinary narrative and it never gets old! In fact, many times it is like hearing for the first time.

The second mystery is the birth of Jesus in our hearts. The Gospel of John shares the good news of the mystery that the Word became flesh and dwelt among us. Later, John would describe this as a new birth of the heart with the story of Nicodemus. The mystery in Christ is we can be born a second time.

The third mystery is Jesus can be born in our hearts each Christmas at another time. This is the most profound mystery for me. Even though I have celebrated Jesus’ birth over 60 years, each year I observe the season with child-like wonder and the message helps me interpret my current circumstances differently from the last years. Perhaps the mystery of 2 Corinthians 5:17 captures some of the mystery of celebrating Jesus’ birth yet another time… “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come; the old has gone, the new is here.” (NIV) My prayer is all of us will celebrate the birth of Jesus for the first time or another time this year! May our Advent journey make this year the greatest celebration ever!

Lead Pastor Dr. Philip McVay

philip@shalimar-umc.org

Shalom Philip

Stay Up To Date CHURCH LIFE

with what’s happening at Shalimar United Methodist Church.

Join us tonight for our Children’s musical at 6pm in the Family Life Center. Preschool kids from Kid’z Club will be kicking things off and then our Children’s Choir will be performing their Christmas Musical, Straight Outta Bethlehem

Santa is coming to town next Saturday, December 10 from 8-10am in the FLC to join us for breakfast, storytime, photos, and MORE!

You can RSVP by visiting shalimar-umc.org/children and completing the RSVP form.

REGISTRATION CLOSES TONIGHT

Join us as we carol around Shalimar on Sunday, December 18. We will meet in the Family Life Center at 1:30pm and go from there. All singing voices are welcome!

If you have any questions please contact, Nancy Kahrs at (850) 226-3097 or nckahrs@gmail.com

Our very own Chancel Choir and Orchestra will be presenting their Annual Christmas Musical, Love Was Born a King, next Sunday, December 11 at our 8, 9:30, and 11am services.

We would love for you and your family to join us at any of our three Christmas Eve Services. All services include Holy Communion.

For more information about each service go to page 13.

If you are interested and are available, we are in need of bus drivers on Sunday monings!

Every Sunday morning we pick up those who need a ride to the 11am service from the senior living community, The Meridian at Westwood. If this is something you feel led towards or have any questions, please contact Keith Latimer at (850) 218-2366

I am pleased that Bishop Graves has chosen to focus on Prayer during the Advent season. Please read the article below and join us in Prayer throughout Advent.

-James Brantley Shalimar UMC Prayer Ministry Team Coordinator

Year of Prayer

The Alabama-West Florida Conference is centering its work around prayer in the coming liturgical year. Daily conference work, meetings and conferences will all have prayer as the focus.

The first prayers are centered around Advent. Below you will find the date, scripture passage, prayer prompt and the verse or verses.

Musical selections, written by Rev. Darrin Isaac of Pt. Washington UMC, are available below in a video format and sheet music.