PRAYER IN ADVENT

Prayer in Advent is a 3-week advent study on prayer based on the book Listen: Praying in a Noisy World by the late Rueben P. Job. There is a weekly prayer practice for each of the 3 weeks: Sitting in Silence, Intentional Listening and Remembering God’s Love. These practices will be part of a structured daily session with prayer. Each Thursday we will have quiet time to calm the noisy Christmas shopping and discuss of your experiences and reflect and pray together. This is an opportunity for time during advent to prepare your heart again to receive the precious gift we receive in Jesus. Taught by Donna Berry, certified spiritual director and credentialed coach. If interested in taking this study, please call Debbie at 883-9717, ext. 138 or email her at reception@stjohns-abq.org to sign up.

MEMORY CAFE TEAM LEADERS NEEDED

We are looking to enlist the assistance of 4 or 5 more team leaders for our dynamic Memory Cafe  Program in 2020. We need a couple of volunteers to plan & provide simple monthly snacks and a couple of volunteers to help with quarterly program planning. If interested, call Angie Young at 715-0292 or sign-up in the Hospitality Center, and Angie will provide more details. 

UMW CHRISTMAS LUNCHEON

All ladies of the church are invited to attend the annual UMW Christmas Luncheon on Thursday, Dec. 5. We'll begin our festive program at 10:30 am in the Family Life Center. Lunch, served by Chef Tim, will consist of a chicken entree, salad, fruit, and dessert, at a cost of $12 per person. You need not be a member of UMW to participate, so please make your reservation, today. Guests and spouses are also invited. Reservations are required by contacting Beth Cudney at randbcudney@gmail.com or 821-8605, by December 1. Payment may be made on the day of the luncheon. We hope you'll join us for this time of food, fun, and fellowship!  

REVERSE ADVENT CALENDAR

Everyone loves advent calendars to count them down to Christmas Day. Have you heard of a REVERSE ADVENT CALENDAR? So, here’s how it works. Pick up a Reverse Advent Calendar sheet at the Hospitality Centers or on-line HERE. Gather a box and each day beginning December 1, add a food item to your box at home. On Christmas Eve (or the Sunday prior) bring the collected items to the Hospitality Centers to be donated to Silver Horizons. If you want to do your own thing during the month, that works! Just find some way to help feed the hungry during the month of December.

SECOND SUNDAY LUNCH - December 8

Food for Friends and Fellowship. Invite someone you know to come to a worship service and lunch with Slow Roasted Prime Rib Carved to Order. Lunch is in the FLC 11:00 am - 1:00 pm. $12: adults, $6: 12-17 years, $3: 6 - 11 years, and under 6 free.

JOLLY ELDERS

Enjoy Christmas carols with the Joy Singers and the Jolly Elders on Wednesday, December 11. Meet at noon in Room 245 for our shared dish dinner; afterwhich the Joy Singers, directed by Doug Arrington and accompanied by Tsufeng, will present their Christmas cantata. Doug will later lead us all in singing our favorite carols. Bring your own table service, a dish to share, and a smile. Adults of all ages are welcome!

YOU HAD TO BE THERE! A LOOK AT CROWDS IN THE BIBLE. 

Moses, David, John the Baptist, Peter, Philip the Evangelist, and Paul all drew crowds, but Jesus was a superstar who attracted enormous crowds wherever he went. Sometimes the crowd filled a house, but other times the crowd encompassed thousands of people. St. John’s email Bible study will examine how big the crowds were, where and why the crowds gathered, and who was in the crowds. During this shopping season, instead of complaining about the long lines in grocery stores, full parking lots, and busy malls, let’s think about what it was like to be one of the crowd in biblical times. Pick up a study guide in the Welcome Center, or call or write Regina Hunter at 294-2877, drhunter@nmia.com, to join St. John’s largest on-going study. Study tips and scripture readings are emailed on weekdays, but we each read at a time of our own choosing.

CHURCH WOMEN UNITED

Church Women United, an ecumenical Christian women’s movement, will be gathering on December 6 at Manzano del Sol Village, 5201 Roma Ave. NE. The morning will begin at 9:30 with coffee fellowship. The Highland Harmonizers, a singing group from the Highland Senior Center will be presenting their Christmas music program at 10:00. Parking is limited so carpool as much as possible. Come join us! For more info contact Amy Costales at 867-4207.

NEW MEXICHORDS CONCERTS:

The New MexiChords will present their annual Christmas concerts, A New Old Fashioned Christmas, on Saturday, Dec 21, at 2:00 and 7:30 and on Sunday, Dec 22, at 2:00 in the sanctuary. Their guests will be St. Johns’ own group, the Joy Singers. General admission tickets are $10.00 (under 6 are free) and they are good at any of the three concerts. Tickets will be available at the door or you can get one from members of the Joy Singers. Call 323-6435 for additional information.

MOUNTAIN CATHEDRALS

Our December hike will be close to town at the Corrales Acequias and Bosque Preserve. We will meet Saturday December 21st at church at 8 am in the east parking lot.

The estimated time of hike will be approximately 8 am to 1pm.

Our planned walk will cross through a unique mixture of adobe homes, small farms, deciduous forest and pass near the Rio Grande. We will be able to identify a number of architectural styles of roofs: Spanish revival, pueblo style, Santa Fe style among them. The hike has no significant rise and remains on either dirt or asphalt trails. We hope to see some wildlife, especially birds. In preparation for the hike dress in layers, bring sunscreen, some light snacks, binoculars if you have them and a hat if you like.

As we walk we will share in a reading from Luke 2, the story of the birth of Jesus and the story of the announcement to the shepherds by angels. Come join us for this hike on the winter solstice as we reflect on what the shepherds telling of the Good News and what Lord is making known to us, now.

Earn all you can, Save all you can, and Give all you can. (John Wesley)

Youth News

ROUND TABLE LEADERS MEET TODAY

Today is the 1st Sunday of the month & we will have our Round Table Students Leaders meet at 9:30 am up in Room 258. Same next week.

YOUTH CAROLING GIG TODAY

Solid Ground goes caroling during youth group tonight 4:00-6:45 pm at one of our local senior assisted living places where our Sponsors will drive us. Please dress in red & green; bring your holiday cheer, so we can share it.

DISTRICT YOUTH CHRISTMAS PARTY

Join us @ Central UMC (201 University BLVD) on Dec 8th, 5:00-7:00 pm for our Gift Exchange & Bake-Off; same great party; new venue. Bring a wrapped non-gender specific gift of $10 in value to swap/steal & bring a baked item you decorated. Tacky sweaters encouraged; Pizza provided. Stay tuned for updates.

SONRISE CHOIR

Hey there! Come sing with us in the Sonrise Youth Choir! Find us on Instagram here: instagram.com/sonrisechoir.

Learn more about our Youth programs here !

Click the image below to access our Advent & Christmas calendar!

CHRISTMAS FOOD BOXES: 2019

for the John Marshall Community Center

 

    Interested St. John’s church members are invited to participate in our program of providing Christmas food boxes to needy families served by the John Marshall Community Center in the south Broadway area of Albuquerque. This year’s timeline looks like this:

 

*by Sunday, December 15, commit to Jack Nuzum (tel. 265-5241, jcnuzum@juno.com , Room 151 at 9:30) as to the number of boxes which will be provided and by whom. There also will be a SIGN UP SHEET in the Hospitality Center/FLC with a suggested LIST OF CONTENTS for the boxes.

*on Saturday, December 21 , 2019 , bring the completed boxes to the west side of St. John’s between 8:00 and 9:00 am.  

*If the Saturday morning collection time doesn’t work for your boxes, we will also collect boxes FRIDAY (Dec. 20) EVENING BETWEEN 5:00-6:30 pm in the Narthex.  We will arrange for refrigerator space at the church for perishables overnight.

Weekly Activities

CHILDREN’S SUNDAY SCHOOL/NURSERY

A Sunday nursery is available for young children in Room 138. See “This Week at St. John’s” for children’s Sunday School class locations.

NEW BOOK STUDY IN THE NEW SPIRIT CLASS - Sundays at 9:30 am

We in the New Spirit Class would like to invite congregation members to join us for an upcoming book study on Sunday mornings. We will be studying John Ortberg's I'd Like You More If You Were More Like Me: Getting Real About Getting Close. Ortberg is both insightful and humorous and this will be a study of developing relationships with God and others by avoiding common relationship pitfalls and responding to our need for others. The study starts on December 8, 2019, at 9:30 AM Sunday mornings, in Room 151.

FAMILY SPIRIT CLASS - Sundays at 9:30 am

The Family Spirit Class meets at 9:30 am Sunday on the second floor in the education wing across from the youth room. Discussion questions will be provided weekly as well as a video clip for class discussion. Everyone is welcome. Please contact Doug Sweet if you have questions at 554-6047.

TAI CHI - Thursdays at 10:30 am in the Family Life Center

It’s a great time to join the Tai Chi class. Tai Chi does not require physical fitness or coordination and may be done standing or seated with some modification. All age groups are welcome. No special clothing or equipment is required. Contact kathleen_sta@yahoo.com or 220-4814.

Mission & Outreach

DECEMBER SPECIAL OFFERING: Two ministries for Children

This month, we have the opportunity to support two wonderful ministries dealing with children. The Methodist Children’s Home in Waco, Texas, has helped troubled children (ages 12-18) find a place to heal and grow in a loving Christian environment for over 125 years. Younger children thrive in homes of loving foster parents. “They (MCH) are here for me when no one else is.” “They never give up on us.” “I now know that God’s going to be there for me. A second Methodist-supported haven for children is Providence Place in San Antonio, Texas. Its motto says it all: “Giving God’s Children a Faith, a Family, a Future.” “Providence Place loved me and helped me make the best decision for my child without any pressure,” said one birth mother in the open adoption program. And, as an adoptive couple puts it, “It is indescribable the joy that Abby has brought into our lives.” Providence Place also helps young adults with physical and/or cognitive disabilities develop their full potential and learn to live on their own with minimal assistance. Both of these fine ministries rely on our generous donations.

WAYS WE CAN SERVE

See what’s happening in December for missions at St. John’s! Come by the Hospitality Center to pick up your copy or download here .

JOIE DE VIVRE VISUAL ARTS MINISTRY

Joi de Vivre Visual Arts Ministry of St. John’s UMC celebrates the blessing of creative expression that has been bestowed upon all of God’s children. We are seeking input from the congregation and other interested parties who would promote both individuals and groups of artists or craftsmen to participate in an ongoing effort to curate and present images that bring glory to God through a gallery setting here at St. John’s. Please submit ideas or website information to Paul Chandler at (505) 260-0090. 

This Week at St. John's

Contact Us

www.stjohns-abq.org

(505) 883-9717

2626 Arizona St NE | Albuquerque, NM 87110

Office Hours: Monday - Thursday, 8:30 am - 4:00 pm