Dear JWUMC Pray-ers,

Please hold Kalamba in your prayers. He has been delayed in his flight plans and, instead of being able to return tomorrow, can't return home until Sunday.

Join us in lifting both Kalamba and Kabamba in prayer:

Heavenly Father, we come before You with hearts full of gratitude and concern for Pastor Kalamba and his wife Kabamba. As Pastor Kalamba faces delays in Africa, we ask for Your protection and guidance over him. Grant him peace, patience, and a sense of Your presence during this time. We also lift up Kabamba, asking that You comfort her and give her strength as she awaits his return. May their reunion be joyful and blessed. In Jesus' name, we pray. Amen.

Peace,

Christie Riggsby

Office Manager, John Wesley UMC

"Be A Rainbow In Someone's Cloud"

Announcement: Bible Study Cancellation

Pastor Kalamba's 10:00 AM and 7:00 PM bible study sessions will resume in the new year and we will let you know what date they will start. Thank you!

A Prayer Minister will be available at the

back corner of Dunlap Hall, for at least

15 minutes after the benediction.

Masks will be worn when requested.

Prayer Minister this week is Susan DeNyse

“For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given:

and the government shall be upon his shoulder:

and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor,

The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.”

-Isaiah 9:6 (KJV)

Waiting. It is such a hard thing to do, and most of us are not very good at it. Now don’t be offended, I’m painting with a broad brush! We spend a lot of time waiting in traffic, at the grocery store, or at the airport. Paychecks, vacations, test results, new babies, phone calls, and family or company arrivals are just some of the things we wait for.

As I’ve said we don’t like to wait and sometimes we even refuse to wait. In this ever-increasing fast-paced world it almost feels as if our times of impatience are growing faster than our periods of waiting. You know this to be true. How many times a day do you witness someone running a red light a stop sign or failing to yield? Stand in line at a fast-food restaurant and notice how many are grumbling because it is taking more than five minutes for them to get their order.

With just one more week to go till Christmas, I’m sure some children around the world have asked if they can open their presents early or maybe, “Please, just one?” But imagine if you had been living at the time of Jesus. You would have been waiting a long time to see Isaiah’s prophecy of the promised One fulfilled. In fact the Nation of Israel had been waiting for over 700 years to see the fulfillment of Isaiah’s prophecy.

You’ve heard it said that “Patience is a virtue”, but it is actually more than that. Galatians 5:22 tells us that it is one of the fruits of the Spirit. Patience follows love, joy, and peace, and is mentioned in scripture at least 70 times. Proverbs says patience is better than power. 1 Corinthians 13:4 identifies patience as a characteristic of love(love is patient and kind).

I encourage you this week as we continue to wait to celebrate once again the birth of the Savior, to remember, and thank God for his patience with us. Then ask him to teach us patience, patience with him, patience with each other and patience with ourselves.

Since Christmas and New Years fall on the next two Wednesdays, this will be my last column for the year. Thank you for being faithful readers and for encouraging me along the way. Susan and I would like to wish all of you a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.

Peace,

Dave and Sue       

“Joy to the world, the Lord has come”

4:00 PM – Family Service – This service is geared towards children, youth, and adults alike, and features our Praise Band & Bell Choir

11:00 PM – Candlelight Service – Please join us for a candlelight service celebrating God’s all-reaching Love. We will have Holy Communion, as we celebrate together the birth of the Savior with the family of God.

When Jesus was asked what was the greatest commandment he replied, “Love the Lord your God with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: “Love your neighbor as yourself.” Matthew 22:36-39. Our JWUMC vision calls us to “reach, touch, and serve” our neighbors and we do it throughout the year in many ways. At Christmas, there are some special ways we “love our neighbors.”

1.     Christmas Offering. We will be restocking the Pastor’s Emergency Fund. These are some of the urgent needs that “neighbors” request: assistance with rent payments, utility bills (electricity and water), food (especially around Thanksgiving and Christmas), gas, and education fees (such as for books). Our neighbors might be members of our congregation or folks who live nearby. You can put cash or a check in one of the special offering envelopes or send it to the church office. For a check, please write “Christmas Offering” on the subject line.

2.     Angel Wishes. Now in its 14th year, the Angel Wishes program will be assisting 35 families, including 142 people. These are clients of Tri-County S.O.U.L. Ministries who have applied for and been accepted into our Caring Center. These families have a strong Christian faith and are working to become more self-sufficient.  We are asking you to make a cash donation to "Angel Wishes" so we can help these families with something significant. These are not your typical Christmas gifts; the wishes granted are very practical and necessary. Here are a few "Angel Wishes" that have been granted in the past: Duke or water bill, car repairs, doctor or dental work, rent, car loan payment, tires or gift cards for groceries.

For instructions, find the “Wooden Angel” in Dunlap Hall and take a reminder note and Angel Wishes envelope. Any amount is welcome and helpful. 

Checks can be made payable to John Wesley with "Angel Wishes" in the memo line. If you choose to contribute, please get your donation to the church by Sunday, 12/15. You can mail it or put it in the offering plate.

The 9:00 Sunday school class has converted half of Wesley Hall into two pickleball courts.

We have three times reserved weekly for those of you who would like to join us. We're set up for Tuesdays and Thursdays from 4:00-6:00 and Saturdays from 10:00 to noon. You need to enter by the back Wesley Hall door, and ring the doorbell if you do not have a key.

Contact Lu Anne Gerard if you have questions.

Attention Congregation Members:

We are considering offering AED (Automated External Defibrillator) and CPR (Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation) classes and would like to gauge interest. If you are interested in participating in these potentially life-saving classes, please reach out to me via call, text, or email by

December 20th. Thank you for your attention and interest!

Ron Gossard, Trustee Chair

Contact Information:

• Email: 53rgossard@cinci.rr.com
• Cell: 513-442-8240

Volunteers Needed ~ The Village In Forest Chapel

Our mentors are getting just as much out of the experience as the kids!

They’ve shared how rewarding it feels to be part of something so meaningful

and impactful. We would love to enroll more children in our program but we

need more mentors. Do you have one to two hours a week to make an impact?

• Available on Wednesdays evenings 1-2 hrs
• 18 years or older
• Ready to make a difference
• Passionate about our youth

Call Brittany Jackson at 513-405-0112

Prayer Chain Refresher

Please ALWAYS send prayer requests to: prayerchain@jwumc.com

Whether it's day, night or weekends, always send your prayer requests to the address above. From that email address, your prayer request will be sent along to the main prayer chain distribution list by me (Christie) or by Tavane.

Anyone can send a request to the prayer chain. Also, feel free to call the office and we can write down your prayer request and send it out for you.

THIS PART IS VERY IMPORTANT- Please remember, if you just hit "REPLY", your email message will just come back to me (Christie) or Tavane. You need to put the person's email address in the TO section of your reply. We always try to provide that person's email address when we forward prayer chain emails to make it as easy as possible to respond.

If you have any questions about this information, or about the Prayer Chain in general, please contact me at christie@jwumc.com.

Thank you to everyone on the prayer chain for their faith and devotion in praying. You all are a powerful bunch!

Thank you!

Christie Riggsby

Office Manager, John Wesley UMC

"Be A Rainbow In Someone's Cloud"

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