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REV. DON HANSHEW, SENIOR PASTOR

REV. RACHEL COLLINS, PASTOR OF DISCIPLESHIP

Advent has filled our lives with light, wonder, and anticipation. The still beauty and reverence of Christmas Eve has come and gone, the excitement of Christmas Day in it’s wake. This time between Christmas Day and New Years once was celebrated as the Twelve Days of Christmas, ending on Epiphany. This space is still held for family, for gatherings, for gifting, for rest…if you are fortunate enough to find it. But somewhere in there is the niggling question of what to do with Baby Jesus now. So much easier to contemplate the devotion given to an infant, compared to a man who turned the establishment of how people and governments treated one another, let alone a King returning to redeem creation.


Father Carlo Caretto (1910-1988), a priest in the order of the Little Brothers of Assisi, postulates

eloquently in his writings concerning the human relationship with God. An excerpt from In

Search of the Beyond takes the dynamic of liminal space in which we find ourselves this week

and melds it with our Bicentennial year of prayer which waits on the threshold.


“What has always struck me about the way in which the desert dwellers receive friends is their

ability to put all activity to one side. You, the guest, become the focal point, and they range

themselves round you in a circle. If the owner of the tent has planned to go on a journey, he puts

it off: now he must concern himself with you. If the wife was thinking of doing the laundry, she

piles it all up on one side: now she must see about serving you. The guest is sacred: everything

else is less important. For the time being you are the one who matters: time is less important. And if the friend, who has left one corner of the world in order to search you out and spend a bit of time with you, has these rights, surely God has the same right, the one who came from heaven itself to find you; who took on flesh in order to become visible for you; who became the Eucharist in order to gain entrance to your tent and stay there as long as possible.”


Happy Twelve Days of Christmas, friends.

Pastor Rachel

SERVING OTHERS



Fountain City UMC provided Christmas gifts for 25 students and siblings at Gresham Middle School this season. Pictured are the Gresham guidance counselors with the presents.

North Knoxville Warming Center

Sign up to join the volunteer movement! Our Warming Center will open on nights of frigid temperatures below 25 degrees. Volunteers will have a 3-day advance notification.


For more information on the North Knoxville Warming Center at FCUMC, please check out our website.

Volunteers Needed For Early Response Team

  • Project Location: Corryton, TN
  • Timeline: Late January or Early February
  • Project Details: House Rebuild. This home was severely damaged by Helene and has been approved for the team to coordinate repairs and rebuild.
  • Contact Information: Kurt Wiberley; Team Coordinator, 865-313-3295 or kwiberley@mac.com


Blessing Box needs:

  • Cereal- single serve packets
  • Granola bars
  • Canned spaghetti sauce
  • Single serve tuna
  • Toilet paper and Cottonelle wipes
  • Feminine hygiene supplies
  • Shampoo
  • Bar soap
  • Toothpaste


Loving gratitude for all your donations in 2024 and for our faithful volunteers:

  • Anne Arehart
  • William Hunley
  • Ann Hunley
  • Gail Clift
  • Jan Tarver
  • Celia Thomas


God bless you all!

NEWS AND NOTES

Combined 11 a.m. Worship Service This Sunday, December 29

This Sunday, we will have an 8:30 a.m. Traditional service in the Sanctuary and a combined 11 a.m. Traditional worship service with the Journey in the Sanctuary. Don’t miss a great way to help our church unite around worship! We will share in Holy Communion.

Youth and Young Adult Director Position Is Open

We ask for your prayers as we search for a Director of Youth & Young Adult Ministry. Though we will publicize in many outlets, the best candidates almost always come from a friend of a friend. That link between us, and finding the best candidate, may be you! Have your friend check out the job description and other information. Applications are rolling, with interviews starting in January.

Discussion Group at St. Paul UMC

One Anothering: Choosing Each Other in a Politically Divided World

Thursdays, January 16-March 6 6:30-7:30 P.M.


Many of us are distressed by the divisive political climate in our country. It seems almost impossible to discuss politics in a way that brings understanding rather than division.

One Anothering will challenge the conventional wisdom that says talking about politics will only drive us apart. This study casts a vision of a Christian community that chooses one another, even in challenging conversations about politics. This group is open to the community. If you would like to participate, please call the St. Paul Church office at 865-687-2952.

FOUNTAIN KIDS



Oh, what fun we had at the Fountain City Christmas parade! FCUMC loves our community!

22nd Annual Father Daughter Dance

February 8, 2025 • 5:30 pm – 8pm

Fathers, grab your best girls and head on down to FCUMC for our ever popular Father Daughter Dance! DJ Tara will join us once again. We will also have a special photo booth opportunity. Let’s make some memories!


Tickets are $15 per father/ father figure & $5 per daughter. This is one of the biggest fundraisers for our Fountain Kids Ministry! Everyone is invited so share with your friends, your family, your neighbors, & your coworkers! All ages are encouraged to celebrate the special relationship between fathers and daughters!


Registration opens on January 1! Space is limited. Unless sold out, registration closes at 11:59 p.m. on February 5.

YOUTH MINISTRIES




Resurrection 2025

January 24-26 at LeConte Center in Pigeon Forge, TN

Students in 6th-12th grades are invited to register for Resurrection. The total cost per student is $200 which includes lodging, food, and entertainment. Please pay the $50 deposit at the time of registration and the remaining balance is due on January 20, 2025. There is a discount for families with multiple students. Partial and full scholarships are available – just ask Donna Lewis!

SUNDAY SCHEDULE

  • 8:30 a.m. Traditional Service in the Sanctuary
  • 9:45 a.m. Sunday Morning Discipleship
  • 11:00 a.m.Traditional Service in the Sanctuary
  • 11:00 a.m. Journey Contemporary Service in the Gym
  • Childcare and children's ministry is provided from 8:30 a.m. through the conclusion of the 11 a.m. worship services.


Bulletin for Sunday, December 29, 2024


FOUNTAIN KIDS SUNDAY SCHEDULE

  • Fountain Kids Sunday School • 9:45 a.m.
  • Fountain Littles Sunday School • 9:45 a.m. 
  • Fountain Littles Childcare • 11 a.m.
  • Fountain Kids Bible Experience • 11 a.m.


COFFEE & FELLOWSHIP ON SUNDAYS AT THE WELCOME CENTER

Join us before or after worship! Stop by the Welcome Center from 8:15-11:15 a.m. and let us bless you! See you Sunday!

THE SPIRIT NEWSLETTER

Check out the December 2024 edition of The Spirit Newsletter.


CHURCH OFFICE HOURS

Monday-Thursday: 9 a.m.-3 p.m. 

Friday: 9 a.m.-12 p.m.


NEXT UP AT FCUMC

MARK YOUR CALENDARS

January 1: Registration opens for Father Daughter Dance

January 15: Fountain City Fellowship on Wednesday Nights returns

January 24-26: Resurrection in Pigeon Forge

Visit our Website

Pastor On Call

After Hours & Weekends

When you need urgent pastoral care while the church office is closed, text or call 865-689-7894 to reach the

pastor on call.


Pastor Don's email:

Pastor.Don@fountaincityumc.org

Pastor Rachel's email:

Pastor.Rachel@fountaincityumc.org

Live-Streamed Worship Services:

11:00 a.m. The Journey Contemporary worship and 

11 a.m. Traditional worship

 are live-streamed on our YouTube channel. Our Tuesday night Celebrate Recovery service is live-streamed on the CR North Facebook page and available on YouTube after its conclusion.

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