December 2020
Burnt Hills United Methodist Church News
1
The Methodist
O Come, O Come, Emmanuel…
Remember, back in March, when we thought the pandemic would keep us home for a few weeks? We wondered how we would possibly “do” Easter. Now, all these months later, we find ourselves wondering how we will “do” Christmas! I suppose that if we had known how long we were going to be coping with disruption, we would have found it even more difficult to do what had to be done. Not seeing too far into the future can be a gift, allowing us to cope with the troubles of one day at a time (see Matthew 6:34).
The season of Advent is all about waiting and watching, themes that are all the more poignant this year. We are waiting for Christmas, to be sure, but we are also watching for God to act in our world, waiting for the fulfillment of hope and expectation. As the whole world watches for news of a
widespread COVID vaccine, has there ever been an Advent more filled with hope and longing for a better, fulfilled future? Perhaps not in our lifetimes.
Advent reminds us to put our trust in God, and to watch for the fulfillment of God’s promises even amid the world’s chaos. Maybe that is why some of my favorite hymns are Advent hymns, capturing the heart-cry of Advent hope. As I sing them, I wonder about the hopes and fears of people in the times when the songs were written:
Come, thou long-expected Jesus, born to set thy people free; from our fears and sins release us, let us find our rest in thee… (written by Charles Wesley in 1744);
O come, thou Wisdom from on high, and order all things far and nigh; to us the path of knowledge show and cause us in her ways to go… (a hymn that dates to the 9th century; this stanza was added in 1916);
People, look east, and sing today: Love, the Guest, is on the way… (1928)
And perhaps my very favorite, written within my lifetime: All earth is waiting, to see the Promised One, and the open furrows, the sowing of the Lord. All the world, bound and struggling, seeks true liberty; it cries out for justice and searches for the truth.
(Catalonian words 1972; English translation 1987)
Hearts full of questioning, hearts holding out for hope – human hearts have sung out across the ages. And, though our “singing” may take place at home during online worship, or “in our hearts” as we listen to music in in-person worship, may our hearts sing with hope and expectation in this season: O Come, O Come, Emmanuel!
Advent Blessings, Pastor Holly
The Burnt Hills United Methodist Church
Office Phone: (518) 399-5144 Fax: (518) 399-0384 E-Mail: burnthillsumc@gmail.com Web: www.nybhumc.comFollow us on Facebook
https://www.facebook.com/ BurntHillsUMC StaffRev. Holly Nye: Lead Pastor
Rev. Doug Mackey: Associate Pastor
Cindy Peterson: Communications Coordinator Kimberly Spath: Treasurer
Paula Miller: Financial Secretary
Peter Van Keuren & Jill Zygo: Music Directors Charles Hartmann: Sound and Video
Joe Tangrady: Maintenance
Jodi Facteau-St. Gelais & Jen Robbins: Sunday School Superintendents Stacy Herbage & Stephanie Tope:
United Methodist Women
UMW Circles are small groups that meet monthly for fellowship and a variety of programs or projects. All meetings are open and welcoming.
Tuesday Connection Circle will meet on Tuesday, December 8, at 9:30 AM in Knight Hall. We will
try our hand at a number of Christmas crafts. Contact Holly Rogers for more info at 399-8629.
The Community Lunch
The community lunch has been cancelled for the foreseeable future. If our church family can help with any ongoing food concerns that you may have, please let us know.
Caregiver Support Group
Our next Caregiver Support Group meeting will be Saturday, December 5, at 10:30 AM. Originally, it was planned that we would be meeting in Knight Hall. However, COVID cases in the area
have since worsened, so we will be holding a Zoom meeting instead. Please contact me for the Zoom link if you are interested. January’s meeting will also take place via Zoom.
The caregivers who attend this support group are in all stages of caregiving, from just taking care of a loved one in their own
apartment or house to those dealing with hospice in nursing homes.
Lynn Christie is the facilitator and can be reached at 399-8838 or hlchristie@aol.com
The Wednesday Morning Explorers Group will be starting a new series beginning on December 2. Anyone with an interest is invited to join the group at 9:30 AM on Zoom as they begin "Jesus and His
Jewish Influences," presented by Dr. Jodi Magness. This study will
look at "the roots of Jesus’s actions and teachings within the traditions of early Judaism." Approaching the topic "from a
historical, rather than scriptural, perspective; one rooted in ancient texts and archaeological discoveries."
3
Heifer International
For more than 75 years, Heifer International has worked with people around the globe to end hunger and poverty, and care for the earth. This organization provides animals, seeds and trees to farm families, and then mentors the families to build business based on livestock and/or growing plants. The family later gives a gift of livestock or plants and shares
knowledge with another farm family. This chain of help continues within the community. Family income is increased, improving food security and ensuring the well-being of the community. Your gifts save lives.
Because of COVID-19, we are unable to set up an information table in Knight Hall this year. We are therefore sharing the chart that you will find
on the next page. If you wish to make a donation to Heifer (Thank You!!!), please fill in the chart with the amount of your gift and mail it with a check to the church office. Please make the check out to BHUMC with the notation “Heifer” on the memo line. Animal gift cards will be available in the church office. You may send your donation or drop it off at the church office. If you would like to make your offering electronically, please visit the church website at: nybhumc.com/online-giving.html. There is a dropdown box for Heifer.
For the past two years, our church has sent in over $5,000, enough to purchase an Ark. Our church received thanks and a recognition plaque for our super efforts.
Thank you so much! The Outreach Commission
Christmas Offering
Our Christmas Offering helps neighbors near and far. Our church keeps none of your gifts received from this offering.
We will again support Schenectady Community Ministries (formerly SICM). This is a partnership of many faith groups that work together in ministries of social service and social justice. They serve thousands of high-need people each year. A portion of our Conference
Ministries Shares will be paid. We will continue our long-standing tradition of giving money to Chacocente, a community in Nicaragua. The people who live there formerly lived in the Managua
city dump. Now they have farms, homes, a school and a much better life. We will also support
RISSE, a family-based center in Albany that helps refugees and recent immigrants. They provide
classes in English and help to find jobs and housing. We will continue to support Captain/CHS, the local agency that helps so many people in the Burnt Hills area. They provide job matching for youth, transportation for seniors and family classes and programs. We also plan to help our local
food pantries in Schenectady, Ballston Spa and Rock City
Falls.
You may mail your donation or drop it off at the church office. If you would like to make your offering electronically, please visit the church website at:
nybhumc.com/online-giving.html. There is a dropdown box for the Christmas Offering.
Thank you for your generous gifts for people in need. May you all stay healthy and safe.
Merry Christmas from The Outreach Commission
Heifer International Gift Order Form
Please fill in the chart with the amount of your gift and mail it with a check to the church office, or drop it off. Please make the check out to BHUMC with the notation “Heifer” on the memo line.
5
Regional Gathering
In December, Bishop Webb is inviting all laity to join him for Regional gatherings on Zoom. These gatherings will be a time of prayer and conversation around our ongoing commitment to the mission of the Church in these unprecedented days.
Bishop Webb said, “I look forward to gathering with the laity of each region to join together in prayer, celebrate the ongoing ministry within each congregation, and keep our focus upon the common task we share in ‘making disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world.’”
The Zoom meeting for our region will be Wednesday, December 2, from 6:30 PM-8:30 PM
Northeast Region (Northern Flow, Adirondack, Mohawk, and Albany Districts) Link for the Zoom meeting: https://unyumc.zoom.us/j/93360430915?
Safe Sanctuary Training
The Upper NY Conference Safe Sanctuary Team recognizes that as a result of the pandemic, it has not been possible to hold Safe Sanctuary Training since February. Despite that, they also recognize the importance of safe sanctuary training and the need to find a way to continue to provide it. To that end, they have been working to create a Zoom class to present the
material. Safe Sanctuary Trainers will be meeting in December to familiarize themselves with this new format, with the hope that they can begin offering training sessions via Zoom in January for those who need the class.
Pastor Doug will be part of this effort and will keep us informed when classes may be available. Although the training is required for anyone working with children or other "at risk" populations, it is also open to anyone who would like to participate. If you think you might be interested in taking the training after the New Year, please let Pastor Doug know.
Advent Poinsettias
As with many things, the pandemic is changing how we will be handling Advent Poinsettias this year. The Altar Committee plans to order a smaller number of poinsettias using prior monetary gifts from our generous
congregation. Online services will continue to be more comfortable for many of us through Advent. Hopefully, next Advent season we will all be back in the sanctuary and can return to ordering poinsettias in memory of our loved ones.
Preschool News
Preschool friends learned a lot about giving thanks and staying healthy in November. We also thought about all the things we were grateful for. We would like to say thank you to Glenda Hughes and Pete Farrell for making us videos to show on our google slides about people and pet health. We are working on putting together a nativity video to share with our families this month.
The teachers have been working hard on getting the classroom set up for CDC guidelines and scheduling. We are excited to announce that we will be in-person come January! We have very limited space available if you know of any 3 or 4-year olds interested in starting pre-school. Registration for fall 2021 is also starting, so please help spread the word.
