Happenings at
Lynn Haven
Nov 23rd - Nov 29th
From Pastor, Doug Pennington
Greetings in the name of Jesus. Monday, November 24, is Charge Conference here at Lynn Haven. This annual meeting reviews the accomplishments of the past year and sets important decisions in place for our church for 2009, like the election of church officers and establishing of salaries for our appointed pastors. Our new District Superintendent, Rev. Randy Woodham, will be here to preside. All members of the Church Council are expected to be here, and anyone else who is interested is welcome to come and observe. This is an opportunity to see how the United Methodist Church is governed and get a picture of our connectional system in action.
The two most common forms of church government are episcopal and congregational. A congregational form of government is a church that makes all of its decisions entirely on its own. They develop their own bylaws and make all their decisions relating to ministry, property, personnel and finances independently without oversight from any other leaders or governing bodies. An episcopal form of church government means that every church has oversight from a bishop (the Greek word for bishop is episkopos, meaning overseer). Our bishop, Paul Leeland, is in Montgomery, Alabama and has oversight over about 700 churches with about 150,000 members. There are also eight district superintendents that work under the bishop to give more direct oversight to the local churches. This system of oversight insures that all churches are following the bylaws of the United Methodist Church established in our Book of Discipline. The bishop and the district superintendents work to assure that each church has a qualified pastor, as well as helping the churches with any problems that might develop within the congregation. This is a tremendously simplified description of our system of church government, but you can learn more about it in our Starting Point class or our What Is A Methodist class. Watch the newsletter for announcements about when these classes are offered next.
The good news about our system of government is that at least once a year we have a qualified leader come in and take an objective look at our church organization and ministries. This oversight not only insures that things are being done in order according to our church laws, but it also provides an opportunity for celebration of the things we are doing well and encouragement for the areas where we are challenged. This keeps us as a church from becoming ingrown in our leadership, where we aren't able to see things that we haven't thought about. I hope you will pray for our bishop and district superintendent, that they will govern with wisdom that comes from the Holy Spirit so that Lynn Haven, and the hundreds of other churches in our conference, will move forward in effective ministry for the cause of Jesus Christ.
Hanging Of The Greens
Begin your Christmas holidays with
an evening of music and the
Hanging of the Greens
Wednesday, December 3rd at 7:00 pm!
Come participate in a service of preparation for Christ's coming, which includes hanging greenery traditionally associated with everlasting life, as we prepare for the Christmas Season on Wednesday, December 3rd at 7:00 pm! The celebration will include music from a string trio, the Chancel Choir, the Praise Team, the AWANA children and some of our youth.
Christmas Craft & Fun Day at Pump It Up
DECEMBER 13TH FROM 9:30 AM TO 2:00 PM, for ages 4 years through fifth graders. Parents don’t miss your chance to get your last minute Christmas shopping done while yours kids are at the Christmas Craft and Fun Day. The cost, which includes lunch, is $10.00 per child or $25.00 for the entire family. Join us for an awesome day of crafts and fun at Pump it Up! Registration and information is located at the Sign-Up Center and at or online!
Contact Jennifer Rollins or call her @ 265-5231 you have any questions or would like to help.
55+ Christmas Party
FRIDAY, DECEMBER 5, AT 5:30 PM Ho! Ho! Ho! You don’t want to miss it! Door prizes, entertainment by Pat Garrett and Carl Traylor, and fellowship! We will be serving Orange pecan oven fried chicken with all the fixings. Donations are appreciated. Sign up at the sign-up Center by Sunday, November 30th. For more information contact Jo Nance.
KidZone Christmas Night of Praise
Join us for a
Christmas Night of Worship with our KidZone Kids
Sunday, December 7th at 6:00 pm
This will be a night that is sure to bless all who attend. Come and worship with us as we lift our voices in praise. The kids will be accompanied by a praise team. We hope you will come and be a part of this special night with our kids!
Advent Season
FAMILY ADVENT CANDLE LIGHTING During the four Sundays of Advent, beginning November 30th, we will have families lighting the Advent candles and reading a brief explanation of the meaning of each candle during all of our worship services. If your family would like to participate in one of the services, please contact Jennifer Rollins or call her at 265-5231.
ADVENT SEASON BOOKLET Parents, would you like to teach your children about the meaning of advent this season? Pick up a free Advent Season booklet located at the Sign-Up Center.
Deck The Halls!
A CHRISTMAS DECORATING EXTRAVAGANZA will be held on Monday, December 1st at 9:00 am until we finish or the nog runs out, to decorate the church for Christmas. Sign-up at the Sign-Up Center today so we know how many people to expect! Please contact Mary Ellen Harding for more information. Deck The Halls!
Sacrifice
The sacrifices of the Old Testament were the rituals that defined Israel’s relationship with God. These sacrifices included a way of dealing with their guilt. However, the sacrifices in the Old Testament could never completely meet this need. Rather, they point forward to the one perfect sacrifice of Jesus. In fact, the whole sacrificial system established by God in the Old Testament set the stage for the coming of Jesus Christ, who is the perfect sacrifice that God would provide as atonement for the sins of His people.
Join us over the next several weeks as we see the sacrifices of the Old Testament through the lens of Jesus Christ in our new sermons series, Sacrifices and the Savior.
November 23 - Guilt Offering
November 30 - The Day of Atonement
Charge Conference
A Charge Conference is scheduled for Monday, November 24th at 7:00 pm in the Sanctuary. District Superintendent Randy Woodham will preside. All church council members are expected to attend.
United Methodist Men
Men of all ages are invited to join the United Methodist Men for worship, food and fun on the fourth Monday of each month in the Fellowship Hall. Our next meeting has been rescheduled for December 1st at 6:30 pm, due to the Charge Conference.
New Sunday School Class
A new Sunday School class for Single Adults 40+ will start this Sunday, November 23rd at 11:00 am in Room 418. This class will be led by Roberta Treadwell and Carol Harper. For more information, please contact Roberta.
Thanksgiving Schedule
Wednesday night supper and activities for November 26th have been cancelled as our staff and volunteers spend the holiday with their friends and family. The office will be closed on Thanksgiving day but will reopen on Friday.
Homeless/Hunger Awareness Week
We are holding a blanket drive for Homeless/Hunger Awareness Week during November 16th through November 23rd. Please bring new or clean used blankets to the church and drop off at the container near the Sanctuary. Please help the homeless keep warm this winter. For more information, contact Kelley Close.
Surviving The Economic Crisis
We have put together some ways that we can help each other and teach others to help themselves through this crisis. Please let us know which of the activities you would like to participate in.
Receiving Help/Support:
Financial Counsel We have several qualified people who can look at your financial situation and suggest helpful strategies to help you make wise financial decisions.
Free Venison distribution to families in need of food We will be giving away free venison from our hunters. Someone has volunteered to grind, wrap & freeze all meat that is donated.
Toy/Gift Swap and Sale for Christmas People can bring in toys that are new or like new and sell or trade them for gifts for their children for Christmas.
Sign up to be Sponsored for Angel Food Ministries If you are having trouble making ends meet, please sign up to be sponsored. We have several sponsors in the church. All sponsorship is kept confidential. Please let your church family help!
Helping Others:
Sponsor a family through Angel Food Ministries. For just $30 a month you can help a family with groceries. You would be amazed at the amount of food they will get!
Hunters donate your venison. We have a free service to grind, package and freeze the meat, but it must be gutted, skinned and boned first.
Donate school uniforms
Donate new/lightly used toys for Christmas Toy Swap
Let us know if you need employees or some particular service for which you can hire someone who needs the work (i.e. housecleaning, yard work, painting etc.)
Volunteering:
Volunteer for Angel Food Distribution Help unload the truck and/or distribute the food. Distribution is usually on the last Saturday of the month (November 22nd this month due to Thanksgiving), and lasts from around 10:30 am-2:00 pm.
Volunteer to clean & bone venison from hunters
To sign up, fill out a “Economic Crisis Solutions Participant & Volunteer” form at the Sign-Up Center and drop off in the box provided or online. For more information, contact Wanda MacDonald or Cathy Byrd or call them at 265-5231.
Angel Food Ministries
Angel Food Ministries is a food co-op, where you can purchase $60-70 worth of groceries for $30 which is designed to feed a family of four for a week. There are not any income guidelines so anyone can participate. Information and order forms for December’s Angel Food orders can be found at the Sign-up Center or go to www.crossbridgepc.org and click on Angel Food Ministries. The deadline to order for December is Sunday, December 7th. We are not a order drop-off location. Please follow the directions found at the Sign-up Center or on-line to order.
Yard Sale/Craft Bazaar
On Saturday, December 6th we will have a church-wide yard sale/craft bazaar. Clean out your storage units, garages and closets and bring your items to sell! Also, if you sell crafts, candles, Avon, soaps, etc. you can set up a table as well. You price it and sell it and keep the proceeds. Sign up at the Sign Up Center, or for more information call Cathy Byrd or Wanda MacDonald at 265-5231.
For the "Schedule of Events" for Nov 23rd - Nov 29th or to see "Whose Serving Nov 23rd" our
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