We hope you have enjoyed watching the Advent and Christmas images unfold in the Sanctuary during December. Did you see all the symbols that were used to depict Christ? Humble Servant (clothes). King of Kings (crown), Great Shepherd (cane/crook), Light of the World (lantern). Star of Bethlehem.(Star), Savior and Redeemer (cross behind lantern).
Tucker First UMC News
January 1, 2021
"2021 Arise! Shine!"


Sunday, January 3

Rev. Gerald Varner, Preaching
Two Ways to Worship This Sunday
Worship Online

Live-streamed Worship
11:00 am
Sunday Night Live!

Live-streamed from The Table
7:00 - 7:30 pm
Videos of any of the live-streamed services will be available on the church website at www.tuckerfirst.org or the Tucker First UMC YouTube channel at

Please note: Tucker First has suspended in-person worship. We will not gather for in-person worship again until the COVID-19 numbers have declined to a more acceptable level and sustained for a period of two weeks. You can find the most recent reports on the church website at www.tuckerfirst.org.
News and Notes
Volunteers Needed for Sanctuary Clean-Up
We have all enjoyed the wonderful images and sets that have been created in the Sanctuary during Advent and Christmas. But alas, the decorations must come down. The Worship Team will be dismantling the Christmas decorations in the Sanctuary on Sunday, January 3 at 2:00 pm. Help is needed to take the many Christmas trees and other decorations down and store them correctly.
 
Volunteers are also needed on Monday, January 4 at 7:00 pm to return the chairs and hymnals to the choir loft and to put the altar in its regular position on the platform. If you are interested in helping on Monday night, please RSVP to Morris Tubesing at m.tubesingsr@yahoo.com so that he has a count of who is coming to help.

Sunday, January 3 @ 2:00 pm
Decorations, Christmas trees and lights, Chrismon tree and ornaments, etc.

and

Monday, January 4 @ 7:00 pm
Choir loft chairs and hymnals, Altar moved back into place, etc
Orientation Class This Sunday
Have you signed up for the Disciple 1 class, Disciple I Bible Study: Becoming Disciples Through Bible Study?  The orientation class will be Sunday, January 3 at 6:00 pm and the regular class will be be Sunday afternoons at 4:30 pm beginning January 10 and will be led by Pastors Gerald and Anne via Zoom. If you would like to sign up for the class or have questions, please contact Stephanie Shanholtzer at sshanholtzer@tfumc.org.
 
Additionally, Pastor Gerald will be aligning his Sunday sermons with the weekly Disciple themes. Chris Moss and Mimi Sanders are working on developing the Disciple themes for children and youth Sunday School classes and the adult Sunday School classes are encouraged and invited to follow the same path. Watch for additional information in the next few weeks.
Like any new ministry or outreach, we are in need of volunteers with a servant’s heart and a willingness to learn. Any experiences with gaming, social media, art, music, photography, theater, video production/editing, or computers will be helpful. We would love for you to join us as we develop an effective use of these tools to share the good news.

Please contact Craig Coleman at jcraig_coleman@bellsouth.net for more details. 
Weekly Online Opportunities
In a busy world, you are invited to participate in twenty minutes of silence. Pastor Anne is leading a Lunch Break Centering Prayer on Mondays at noon via Zoom. Please contact Pastor Anne at anne.cumings@ngumc.net for login information.
Thursdays With Pastor Anne
Thursdays at Noon
A Facebook Live Event
 
The church Facebook page is https://www.facebook.com/tuckerfirst
Opportunities to Volunteer in MIssions
Cold Weather Shelter
Needs Overnight Volunteers
The cold weather shelter, which operates out of our Activities Center, is in need of ten women and twenty men to serve as overnight shelter volunteers when it is operating.

The shelter opens only when the night temperatures will drop below 30 degrees without precipitation or 32 degrees and below with precipitation.

Due to COVID and social distancing, volunteers (wearing masks) will provide a box dinner and a box breakfast to our guests. To volunteer, please contact Charlie Lester at charlestlester@comcast.net or 404-694-3028.
Action Ministries Extends SuperPack
Deliveries in 2021
Action Ministries SuperPack deliveries will continue into 2021 to the Tucker Mobile Homes, and the Springdale Glen and Stanford Oaks apartments.

Volunteers are needed on Friday afternoons to pick up bags at the Tucker First Activities Center at 3:30 pm to hand out at each location between 4:00-4:30 pm. To sign up to deliver the Super Packs, please go to:


Please note the tabs at the top of the sign-up for each of the three locations. Questions? Contact Robin Pounds, robinpounds631@gmail.com or 404-918-0069.
Volunteers Needed for Red Cross Blood Drive
Red Cross Blood Drive
Thursday, January 7
2:30 - 7:30 pm | Wesley Center

Blood drive volunteers are needed to greet donors and manage the snack table. You can sign up for a two-hour shift at


Questions? Contact Evelyn Burkett at ehburkett@comcast.net or 404-727-1582 if you have any questions.

Blood donors can sign up at http://redcrossblood.org and use site code TUCK1UMC.
Church Office Notes
Thank you to everyone who has contributed to the Tucker First Weekday Preschool Wish List on Amazon.com. If you would like to continue giving, the Preschool teachers have updated their Amazon wish list with new items. This is a wonderful project for a Sunday School class or small group. Many of the items are very economical. You can find the list online at

Amazon Smile is a program within Amazon.com where you can register a charity (in this case Tucker First) to receive .5% of your purchases.

Go to smile.amazon.com and designate Tucker First as your chosen charity. If you have the Amazon smartphone app, go to Menu> Settings> Amazon Smile> Generate Donation> ON.

Questions? Contact Cindy Petersiel at cpetersiel@tfumc.org.
Members of our prayer ministry team lift your concerns in prayer. You can now submit prayer requests two ways: online at www.tuckerfirst.org or contact the church office at 770-938-3030.
You are doing a great job of being faithful in your giving to Tucker First. Thank you! Please remember to not let your church offering slip. There are many ways that you can give electronically. Use this link to get started:

Tucker First UMC twitter account

Learning About United Methodism
"For many of us Christmas morning means lounging in our pajamas, eating delicious food and slowly opening gifts. For those who started the Methodist church in America, their Christmas Eve in 1784 was the first of ten days of serious church business. In the end, their gift to us was the formation of a new denomination that would change history."


The Christmas Conference at Lovely Lane Chapel in Baltimore, Maryland, began on Christmas Eve 1784. To read more about the Christmas Conference and the beginnings of Methodism in America, click on the chapel image.
Tucker First UMC
5095 LaVista Road, Tucker, GA 30084
770-938-3030

Tucker First News is a publication of Tucker First United Methodist Church.