Care

Deaths: We grieve this month with the loss of these members of our church or of our families.

Elizabeth (Bette) Brandenburg, a longtime member of our congregation died December 19th.

The Messenger

Newsletter will continue to be available in print and in electronic forms.

We count on being able to know what is happening in the life of our church!

Mail delivery will continue to be available. What will change is that the church will ask you to cover the first-class postage. As of January 1, we are no longer eligible for bulk mail.

We ask that you contribute $6 to the church if you would like a paper newsletter mailed to your home. We will also welcome gifts to defray the cost of mailings to our homebound and shut-in friends. We don’t want them to feel forgotten!

Alternatively, you can still read The Messenger online or you can pick up a paper copy at the church.
Please indicate your preference on the form of page 9 of this newsletter and return to the office.

This change will take effect with the mailing of our February newsletter.

Our church has a social group for seniors over the age of 55 who enjoy light conversation and food. We meet on the first Monday of each month at 11:30 a.m. at a chosen restaurant. The restaurants rotate monthly to provide a variety of venues and foods. The group is open to singles and couples and averages around 20 each month. If you enjoy fun people, this group is for you. Please join us, we are the Savvy Seniors.

Vicki Nowaczyk

Savvy Seniors get together the last Monday of each month. Watch the bulletins to learn where we’ll be in January.

United Methodist Women

United Methodist Women (UMW) is a faith-based membership organization of women within The United Methodist Church. UMW members are committed to growing as disciples of Jesus Christ in community with other women and advocating on behalf of women, children and youth around the world. United Methodist Women has been in mission for more than 140 years. They are…

A community of women whose purpose is …

to know God and to experience freedom as whole persons through Jesus Christ
to develop a creative supportive fellowship
to expand concepts of mission through participation in the global ministries of the church

Once a month UMW members meet in small groups called "circles." Please consider joining us! There is probably a circle that meets your interests and schedule:

January 8

9:30am Mary Faith Circle

January 9

3:00pm Love/Hope Circle

January 13

Leadership Team Executive Meeting

January 26

Unit Meeting & Luncheon following 2nd Service, Fellowship Hall

January 26

6:00pm Justa Circle

Fun Visiting

Pine Lake United Methodist Camp

Fellowship

The Sunshine Gals loved taking their warmth to the residents at The Gardens and Mount View Care Center the past years. We have spread our sunshine with music, sharing readings and our thoughts, adding laughter and smiles, conversing with memories, and showing our care through our handshakes. We have become good friends with the common cause of spreading love.

If you would like to join us and take part in this ministry of our church, we would truly welcome you!!! Please call me if you have questions at 715.359.7756.

Arlene Trull

Downtown Memory Cafe 2019 Events

January 17: “Turnin’ Wood!” Join us as we meet “woodmaster” Bob Stavran for a wood turning demonstration!

February 21: “Antiques Roadshow!” Wondering about the value of something you own? Local expert appraiser Jim Schaefer will be here to entertain and help us figure it out!

March 21: “For Your Listening Pleasure…” Reminisce together over some Golden Age of Radio favorites like The Shadow…Roy Rogers…Tarzan and more!

April 18: “Our Story” Evoke memories at the downtown Wausau Library as we look at a history of Wausau on microfilm and in local books. Why not create a story of our own!?

May 16: “Happy 5th Birthday Downtown Memory Café!” Back by popular demand, welcome well-known ragtime piano entertainer, Jim Radloff. This promises to be a toe-tapping birthday party!

June 20 “Beauty in Sound” Local mother-daughter harpists Kirsten and Claire Hornby will melt our stress away at this Cafe!

July 18: “Picnic in the Park!” Hot dog! We will be back at River Street Park in Rothschild for a picnic under the shelter and perhaps a stroll along the river?

August 15: “Going to the Fair!” Peplin 4-H Club members will bring the fair to us with animals, vegetable judging and more!

September 19: “Little Red Schoolhouse” Anna Straub from the Marathon County Historical Society will take us on a trip back in time when we meet at Marathon Park’s one-room schoolhouse.

October 17: “Our Fine Feathered Friends” We take flight with help from The Raptor Education Group of Antigo, bringing 4 birds and what promises to be a wing-flapper of a program!

November 21: “The Apple of your Eye” Olivia Telschow from Helene’s Hilltop Orchard will provide bushels and pecks of apple fun!

December 19: “Ho Ho Ho, Who Wouldn’t Go?” Holiday-themed!

Northcott Neighborhood House

Our congregation has been supporting Northcott Neighborhood House in Milwaukee since its begin-ning. We now have another opportunity to do so. In January, United Methodist Women (UMW) will be collecting school supplies, afterschool snacks, and children's/teens toiletries. There will be collection bas-kets near the chapel, in the parlor and narthex through-out the month for your donations. Then on Jan 26, when Tony Kearney, Interim Director, is with us at both services, we will dedicate our gifts to God. If you have questions about Northcott's mission, feel free to talk to Julie Miehe, former Northcott board direc-tor. We invite all women of our congregation to join UMW as we support children, women and youth in mission.

Barb Ritchie

Random Thoughts by Mike Zahn

CAUGHT DOING GOOD

January 2020

I recently heard the best reason ever for someone missing Sunday School. . . A parent apologized to me for their child missing class, explaining that something happened on the way to church. They had come across an older woman that had fallen and was lying on the curb. They stopped to help her up. She did not speak much English, and it took them some time to make sure she was okay and safely with family.

The Holy Spirit works in many ways. Sometimes we can plan opportunities for the Spirit to work through us. Sometimes the Spirit leads us in unexpected direc-tions, as in the example above, calling us to follow even when it is inconvenient; even when it is radical; even when it makes you miss a class at church. In Matthew’s account of the birth of Jesus Christ that we just celebrated, Joseph is faced with an unexpected encounter with the Holy Spirit:

This is how the birth of Jesus Christ came about. His mother Mary was pledged to be married to Joseph, but before they came together, she was found to be with child through the Holy Spirit. Because Joseph her husband was a righteous man and did not want to expose her to public disgrace, he had in mind to di-vorce her quietly. But after he had considered this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, ‘Joseph son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife, because what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins.” . . . When Joseph woke up, he did what the angel of the Lord had commanded him and took Mary home to be his
wife. (Mt. 1:18-21, 24)

Joseph had a plan in mind to do the right thing; the Holy Spirit had another idea, and what might have happened to the world if Joseph had not changed his plan? Jen and Mick also had a plan, and what might have happened to that woman if they had not been moved by the Spirit to change their plan? What good
plans have you had that were changed, or may be changed, for the better, by the Holy Spirit?

First Church's Facebook Page

Please take a look at our church Facebook page! We currently have a meal train up for the Hornbys with opportunities to help with a meal. Some of our other activities are listed there as well.

If you have something you would like to put on the FB page, let Jen Johnson know. She will make all attempts to post it. Her number is 715-470-2527