Author: Owner

The Gate Post

December 2012

Christmas Eve Services
7p.m.- Children & Family Service
9p.m.- Candlelight Service with Communion
11p.m.- Candlelight Service with Communion

Our Mission: To Create Contagious Christian Community
That values children and helps them grow in the light of Love.
That meets people in the midst of crisis and walks alongside to find solace and solution.
That builds deep and caring relationships and fosters a sense of the joy of belonging.
That gathers together in worship in forms/expressions that are dynamic, meaningful and open to all.

The Aldersgate Community~2417 Getz Road, Ft. Wayne, IN 46804~260-432-1524~www.aldersgatecommunity.com

December Weekly Reading Through the Bible

	Sunday	Monday	Tuesday	Wednesday	Thursday	Friday	Saturday
	Gospels	Law	History	Psalms	Poetry	Prophecy	Epistles
Dec. 2	Acts 21-22	Deuteronomy 23-25	Nehemiah 5-9	Psalms 140-142	Song of Sol 1-2	Revelation 1-6	I John 4-5
Dec. 9	Acts 23-24	Deuteronomy 26-28	Nehemiah 10-13	Psalms 143-145	Song of Sol 3-4	Revelation 7-11	II John
Dec. 16	Acts 25-26	Deuteronomy 29-31	Esther 1-5	Psalms 146-148	Song of Sol 5-6	Revelation 12-17	III John
Dec. 23	Acts 27-28	Deuteronomy 32-34	Esther 6-10	Psalms 149-150	Song of Sol 7-8	Revelation 18-22	Jude

Advent- Christmas Is Not Your Birthday
Dec. 2 Expect a Miracle Isaiah 7:14
Dec. 9 Giving Up on Perfection Luke 1:30-34
Dec. 16 Scandalous Love Hosea 3:1
Blue Christmas Service @ 6p.m.
Dec. 23 Jesus’ Wish List Matthew 25:40
Dec. 24 Christmas Eve Services-7p.m., 9p.m., 11p.m.
Dec. 30 By a Different Road Matthew 2:11-12

Aldersgate Financial Update

In an effort to keep Aldersgate Members more informed about the ongoing status of our Church’s finances, the Finance Committee is providing the following information in summary form. Please note that our Church’s revenue and expenses fluctuate throughout the year; and, each Member’s commitment to honoring a pledge is vital to the financial stability of our Church. Thank you for your commitment and participation in giving.

	October, 2012	October, 2011
Need per month	68,917.00	68,306.00
Received	57,846.00	87,662.80
Need YTD	689,170.00	683,060.00
Received YTD	621,840.00	635,816.44
Expense YTD	648,724.00	661,561.73
The total operating budget for 2012 is $827,000.00, which is an average monthly need of $68,917.

Community Outreach Opportunities

Angels will be available on December 2nd and 9th. All gifts need to be returned to the church by December 16th. Gifts will be delivered the following week.
Volunteers are needed to help deliver gifts. If interested contact Ginny Johnson 625-8050.

We, including Scouts, Cub Scouts, Girl Scouts, American Heritage Girls, children, youth, and members of our congregation, collected 464 boxes for Operation Christmas Child!!!! Thank you all for your generous hearts. Thanks also to Jenny Almdale, Lisa Floyd, Susan Knake, Phyllis Kent, Barbara Myers, Pat Riebe and Chris Millay for their help in packing up & transporting boxes to Sonrise. You’re the best! See you all next year!! Ruth Carter

THANK YOU FOR YOUR SUPPORT AND PARTICIPATION IN THIS WONDERFUL OUTREACH MINISTRY

Bear Creek Mission
The tree is up, tags with children's names are on and all is ready for folks to help supply presents again this year for our kids in South Dakota.
The tree is different this year. It is filled with decorations of Native American Traditional colors--red, yellow, black and white. They also represent Native symbols or things of nature. It is in the Gallery (across from the library) so come check it out. And while you're there, consider taking one or more tags to help us with this annual project. We also are attempting to collect as many new hats, scarves, gloves or mittens as we can. They'll be distributed to kids in the Eagle Butte schools.
Please have presents to us in the choir room by Sunday, December 9.
Thank you so much for your continued support of our Bear Creek Mission.

7TH ANNUAL CHRISTMAS SALE
Of Ecuadorian Goods
Once again, members of the Aldersgate Community will be able to purchase beautiful, inexpensive Christmas Gifts from Ecuador. These make great presents for friends and family, especially if you want to give something different, or special.
The 2012 Christmas Sale will take place on the following Sundays, between and after services:
December 9th
December 16th
December 23rd
All profits will go towards funding education in Pucara, Ecuador

ECUADOR MISSION FOCUSES ON EDUCATION
Pucará, the economically marginalized village in the rural Intag region of Ecuador, has been the site of Aldersgate’s Ecuador mission efforts since 2007. Almost all of the children in the village attend public school through the third grade. While publicly funded schooling is available through high school and beyond, completion of Middle School is rare. On a rare occasion, someone from Pucará manages to graduate from high school. After third grade, children typically stay at home, helping their parents with the tasks of subsistence living, until, as adolescents, they migrate to the larger cities in Ecuador, where they mostly work as laborers. They almost never return to live in the village or the Intag.
One of the main barriers to education in Pucara is simply that Middle and High School attendance requires a daily round trip of twenty miles over an extremely poor road. Parents must pay for transportation themselves. The cost, for most, is prohibitive. “It costs about $100 per student per year to provide daily bus service to the high school,” says Peter Shear, Executive Director of Inter-American CASA (CASA), Aldersgate’s mission facilitator and partner in Ecuador. “$100 doesn’t seem like much, but when a family’s total annual income is less than $1000, it’s a huge obstacle.”
Initially, Aldersgate’s mission in Ecuador, with the assistance of CASA, focused on improving Pucara’s infrastructure (housing, community center, water supply, Spanish School, etc). At CASA’s suggestion, Aldersgate has moved the primary focus of its mission to supporting the education of the children and youth. This is a vote of confidence and appreciation for Aldersgate, as we are essentially being called to undertake a long-term commitment to the development and wellbeing of the community. In 2012 we raised $1800 to fund daily transportation of 15 children for one school year from Pucará to the secondary schools in Apuela. Historically, we have been able to raise more than this each year through our Christmas Sale of Ecuadorian items, and other donations - so it should be possible to continue this support indefinitely. We have also established the beginnings of permanent “education fund”, in hopes of generating enough income each year to pay for transportation, and eventually, for other improvements in education.
Planning for our next mission trip and work delegation to Ecuador has begun. With less pressing need for construction labor in Pucará, we anticipate sponsoring a biennial, rather than annual trip for members of the Aldersgate Community. On alternate years, if necessary, a smaller contingent may visit Pucara to develop and keep tabs on the education projects. We anticipate that the next large contingent, open to both Youth and Adults will be in the Spring of 2014. If you have interest in participating in this mission trip, please contact Robin Shear, at 260-602-9054, or drrobinshear@yahoo.com.

Outreach Community Offerings
AA- Every Monday @ 7:30p.m. in room 124
ALANON- Every Tuesday @ 7:30p.m. in room 131
ALATEEN- Every Tuesday @ 7:30p.m. in room 202
12 Step- Every Tuesday @ 7:30p.m. in room 124
Big Book- Every Thursday @ 6:30p.m.
Super Shots- the first Thursday of each month from 4p.m.-7p.m.
Weight Watchers- Every Wednesday from 6:30p.m.-8:00p.m. and Friday from 9:30a.m.-11:00a.m., Down Under
Me-N-U Community Meals- Every Thursday from 6p.m.-7p.m. in the gym

Scouting Ministries
CUB SCOUT PACK 3349 meets Tuesday from 6:30 to 8:00 p.m. Down Under. It serves boys in grades 1 to 5. Contact Cubmaster Aaron Wentland at 260-517-3212 or aaron.wentland@gmail.com
BOY SCOUT TROOP 349 meets Mondays from 7:00 to 8:30 p.m. Down Under. It serves boys 11 to 18. Contact Scoutmaster Dean Wilkening at 260-403-4291 or dwilkening@reawire.com
Venture Crew 2349 meets Mondays from 7:30 to 8:30 p.m. Down Under. It is a co-ed scouting youth group for ages 14 to 20. Contact advisors Forrest and Sarah Bishop at 260-458-4292 or forrestbishop@gmail.com or sarahrosebishop@gmail.com

Do you know what your toes are doing?
Last month, I received a call from Sally Johnson. She had read the last “Toes” and suggested that I should do an exposé of the Senior Adult Council. I talked with Ruthann Keisler, who chairs the Committee.
The SAC mission is to facilitate programs which educate and inform Seniors as well as advocating for them. Probably the best known activity sponsored by the SAC is Jolly Gaters which meets monthly for fun and fellowship. Invariably, food is involved (it’s a Methodist group!) and although this is often self-catered, they routinely eat at restaurants, especially during the winter months. Roy Horther, who has taken over the position of Coordinator of Senior Adult Ministries from Ellen Rhoades, seems to be bolstering his position with supplies of his famous meatloaf and he will also be cooking for the Christmas Meal in December.
The SAC is the organizing force behind the Annual Veteran’s Day Luncheon which they fund from the proceeds of a series of bake sales throughout the year. The SAC also arranges speakers on a variety of subjects. Many are part of a Gater meeting but they also arrange church-wide meetings. Recent meetings have included the annual Doctors’ Panel (answering health questions) and speakers from the Center for Non-Violence and the Honor Flight Project. Future meetings include a visit to Avilla (where they will hear from a speaker whose great-grandfather survived the Titanic disaster) and, in December, Christmas music will be provided by Glenn & Ruth Ann Lebrecht. The SAC also organizes an annual breakfast for the Church Staff.
When asked if they needed extra volunteers, Ruthann told me that among the dozen or so Committee members (which include two brave men!) there is always someone who says “I can do that!” She tells me that the Committee is effectively a small Fellowship Group with each member supporting the other. So what they really need is for us to turn up and avail ourselves of all the activities that they have put together. Health warning: Don’t tell them that they are supposed to back off when they become a “Senior”!
David Carter- Lay Leader

United Methodist Women
Martha Circle: will meet on Monday, Dec. 3rd @ 6p.m. for salad (A-K) & Dessert (L-W) carry-in.
Call Linda Sackman (403-2462) with questions.
Mary Circle: will not meet in December
Rachel Circle: will meet for a Christmas Luncheon @ Kay Voyles’ Home. Call Melinda Fast (625-5315) with questions.
Ruth Circle: will meet Tuesday, Dec. 4 from 11:45a.m.-1:15p.m. and Thursday, Dec. 20 from 6:15p.m.-7:45p.m.. Call Evonne Stephens (625-3227) with questions.
CHRISTMAS CELEBRATION DINNER will be held Tuesday, December 11 @ 6:00 p.m. In the lounge, hosted by Martha Circle. December 2nd is the last Sunday to buy your ticket(s) for the UMW Christmas Celebration, in the Market Place. Please join us for fun, food and fellowship.

Youth Ministry
Youth Group meets on Sunday evenings from 6:00 to 7:45 p.m. (Meal from 6:00-6:30). Join us for….
Discipleship Night:
Sunday, Dec. 2, 2012 – Christmas Is Not Your Birthday by Mike Slaughter, Expect a Miracle.
Sunday, Dec. 9, 2012 – Christmas Is Not Your Birthday by Mike Slaughter, Giving Up on Perfection
Sunday, Dec. 16, 2012 – Christmas Is Not Your Birthday by Mike Slaughter, Scandalous Love
Sunday, Dec. 23, 2012 – Christmas Is Not Your Birthday by Mike Slaughter, Jesus’ Wish List
Sunday, Dec. 30, 2012 – Christmas Is Not Your Birthday by Mike Slaughter, By a Different Road
Our High School Bible Study is meeting in the Youth Ministry office each Wednesday from 6:00-7:00 p.m.
Aldersgate Youth Council will meet Sunday, 2 December at 11:20 a.m. in the Youth Ministry office.
For additional information or questions contact Rev. Christopher Millay at 432-1524.

The Street ~ KidLINKS Children’s Ministry
Kid's Club Walk Through The Bible... On Wednesday, December 12th the children who attend Kid’s Club will have memorized all of the books of the Bible and know who or what the book is about and in some cases they even know who wrote the book! I am so proud of them for all the hard work they have done this year and hope that they continue to read and learn from their Bibles! They will share their hard work in worship one Sunday in December.
J12 Special Event—Wednesday, December 12, 2012 from 5:30-7:30pm. If you are in 4th-6th grade we encourage you to join us on 12-12-12 for a once in a lifetime event! We are planning an awesome Wednesday night event to inspire our tweens to spend time with Jesus during the 12 days of Christmas! Maybe they have a case of the Christmas blues or maybe they feel like they have marshmallows stuck to their faces. On this special night...12-12-12...we are going to talk about the best way to have the time of our lives by giving God the time of our lives. Marshmallows? Confused? Bring your dinner and join us to find out more!
Coming this winter….
December ~ Children’s Advent Celebration and Parent’s Day. If the construction in the gym continues to progress to the point we can use the area for some activities we will host a special day for families at Aldersgate on Saturday, Dec.8th! We will feed, play games, and watch a movie with your children and offer you four hours to shop, wrap, rest, or go on a date (without your children) before Christmas! Joan and John will coordinate the activities for children 4 years old—5th grade. We will also offer to watch younger ones if we can find two adults to be in our nursery. Watch for details to come soon. Interested in attending this event or helping? Let us know - email Joan Schell at kidsmagnet@yahoo.com
January ~ We will host our third Family Event with another Family Dinner and Movie Night. Watch for more information. If you have a great family movie … feel free to pass your suggestion along to Joan.
February ~ Three of our Children’s Ministries’ staff will head to the Children’s Pastors’ Conference with plans to return with new ideas for our Sunday morning classes, Cradle Care, Kid’s Club and J12 program. This conference is open to pastors, children’s ministers, Sunday school teachers, etc. We would love to take more people with us and bring back more ideas! Sound interesting? Check it out at www.incm.org/cpc We don’t have a budget to take more than two— but we are praying for ways to fund more of our ministry staff to attend this amazing conference.
March ~ We will host yet another Family Event with our Stranger Safety Class which we will follow with a five week course for children about how to stay safe when strangers are around. We hope to have Mr. Fred return and teach the children these important safety rules and defensive moves.
Thank You to Susannah, Natalie and Amanda Chadwell for bringing music to Kid’s Club this fall. Your time and talents were much appreciated! Children and Family Christmas Eve Service - December 24th 7:00pm

Music, Worship & Arts Ministries
ADVENT - CHRISTMAS - MUSIC - DANCE
With this season come some very special offerings from the Music and Arts Ministries. We hope you'll not miss any of them.
December 2 will bring some very talented teen ballet dancers trained by Mia Bendele. They'll dance to a gorgeous new arrangement of "How Great Our Joy" sung by the Wesley Choir and accompanied by Piano and String Orchestra. Our bells will ring a beautiful "Let All Mortal Flesh Keep Silent".
December 9 will bring some of Mia's elementary age dancers, dancing to "One Small Child". Our Children's Chimes kids will sing this song with the ladies from the Chancel Chorale and will ring a special song. Chancel will also present a new anthem about Mary.
December 16 Worship will include vocal and handbell selections by our teens and a lovely vocal piece by the Chancel Chorale.
Our Christmas Celebration will be presented on Monday, December 17 at 7:00. The concert will feature the incredible Old Crown Brass Band and Aldersgate's Wesley Choir, Chancel Chorale, Combined Handbell Choirs, Children, Teens, Orchestra and the Beautiful Solo Ballet of Mia Bendele. The concert is free. Donations are appreciated.
December 23rd's Worship will be a huge celebration of music. Christmas Eve services will offer a moving and meaningful way to bring in Christmas Day. Come join us in all of December as we celebrate Jesus' Birth.

The Aldersgate Academy
Aldersgate Academy wrapped up our first fundraiser of the school year – the ever popular Kringles©! Over 400 Kringles© were ordered. Thank you to everyone that
supported the Academy with this fundraiser.
A new security system is being installed that will allow Academy parents to use an individually programmed swipe card during business hours to enter the building. This will maintain the security of the building while providing much convenience for parents and teachers.
This past month teachers were busy completing assessments and progress reports on all students. Parent teacher conferences were held for children ages three to five. All parents are welcome to request a conference with teachers at any time.
Academy Wish List: Holiday Stickers, Diaper Wipes, Paper Towels, Lysol Anywhere Spray.
For more information about Aldersgate Academy contact Sara Lane at 432-4507.

Lifetree Cafe
December 5
Simplify Your Life: How a Hollywood millionaire walked away from it all.
December 12
Finding Peace When Life Is Difficult: How one family faced a life-or-death decision.
Meeting at New Ground Coffee Company
5925 North Clinton Blvd. (Washington Square)
Every Wednesday Evening from 7p.m.-8p.m.

Senior Adults
Veteran’s Celebration Luncheon – Thanks to all who attended, 60 total including 22 veterans. Thanks also to the quintet from the Old Crown Brass Band for their musical program. A good time was had by all.
Jolly Gaters - Tuesday, December 18th at noon, our annual Christmas luncheon. Glenn and Ruth Ann Lebrecht will be doing the musical program with carols and a sing-a-long. Carry-in menu will be baked ham, baked potatoes and other side dishes and always plenty of desserts. Please come and join us.
RADA Cutlery Sales- Sale of soups and dips and order taking of other RADA products (knives, serving/cooking utensils, cookbooks, wax candles and other food products) will be 12/2, 12/9, 12/16, 12/23. A table will be set up in the Market Place. Catalogs will be available for your review. This is a fundraiser for the Sr. Adults.
Have a Blessed and Merry Christmas!
If there is anything that I can do for any Senior Adult, please contact me. I am in room 125 mid-mornings to mid-afternoons on Tuesdays and Thursdays, phone 432-1524, ext 250. Roy Horther- Sr. Adult Ministry Coordinator
Roy Horther, Senior Adult Ministries Coordinator

Parish Visitor
It is my goal to be in contact with those who are unable to come to church, who have been in the hospital or are in rehab and nursing homes. I am not just for the Senior Adults, I am for anyone who could use a visit or a phone call. Please keep me informed of those needing some encouragement. Contact Ellen Rhoades at the church 432-1524
Those currently on my list are:
Marie Albert, Jim Altman, Miriam Baker, Barbara Ball, Clarence Bandelier, Kathie Bell, Jeanette Bridgett, Geraldine Fredrick, Marinell Fry, Virginia Gilb, Deidra Gulley, Rosalie Hofmann, Mary Hughes, Beverly Kissinger, Bounhou Kounbandith, Hilda Kreigh, Elmer Maucher, Thelma Ring, Mable Robinette, Phyllis Rudolph, Gaynelle Shady, Kathern Shurtz, Lynn Tarbell, Annabelle Van Curen, Colleen Ward, Ruth White, Valoice Woodruff .
Please remember each of them in your prayers!
PLEASE CHECK OUT THE CARE NOTES IN THE CONNECTION. Several of them relate to the Senior Adults and questions about health issues.

2417 Getz Road
Ft. Wayne, IN 46804

Non Profit Org.
US POSTAGE
PAID
Fort Wayne, IN
Permit No. 683

Return Service Requested

Our Ministry Staff
Dr. Derek Weber– Lead Pastor derekcw@aol.com
Rev. Christopher Millay- Associate Pastor christopher.millay@inumc.org
Rev. Don Wismer- Life Tree Cafe donaldwismer@gmail.com
Marlane Sturm- Dir. of Music, Worship & Arts Ministries marlane.sturm@gmail.com
Deidra Gulley- Music Assistant on unpaid medical leave deidragulley@comcast.net
Susannah Chadwell- Temporary Music Assistant suschad2@msn.com
Brenda Henline- Accompanist brenda.henline@gmail.com
Joan Schell- Director of Children's Ministries kidsmagnet@yahoo.com
John Schell- Cradle Care and J12 Coordinator johnschell40@yahoo.com
Michele Phillips- Church Administrator aldersgate_office@yahoo.com
Deb Eckler- Financial Assistant ecklerdeb@gmail.com
Ellen Rhoades- Parish Visitor emr7962@comcast.net
Roy Horther- Sr. Adult Ministry Coordinator rehorther@hotmail.com
Sara Lane- Academy Director aldersgateacademy2012@gmail.com
Judy Smith- Volunteer Librarian J_S2802@comcast.net
Roy Horther- Custodian
Tina Mihalec- Custodian
Ken Arend- Night Host