ONGOING EDUCATIONAL
ACTIVITIES FOR CHILDREN, YOUTH
& ADULTS
“GROW-ONE-STEP”
STEWARDSHIP SUNDAY
DECEMBER 8, 2013
Sunday School-- Sundays at 9:45 A.M.:
Nursery, Early Elementary, Older Elementary and
You have probably heard about Grow-One Sunday
Youth--Located on the second level in the
coming up on Sunday, December 8th. We are asking
educational wing.
that you consider raising your giving by 1 percent of
Children’s Church-- Sundays at 11:00 A.M.:
your income (GROW-TOWARD-TITHING) or that you
Children in Elementary School meet in Anne’s
GROW-A-STEP in a dollar amount of your own
office for a Bible lesson.
choosing. When we Grow-One step, how will your
Adult Groups – Sunday at 9:30 A.M. --Genesis
and Friendly Burchette Sunday School Classes
church use the money?
Adult 2nd Cup Sunday School-- 11:00 A.M. --Meet  * Staffing to meet the needs of our youth and
in the Scott-Walford Room.
children, the elderly, and every congregational family
 * Christian Education to maintain and improve our
teaching material, and to offer new and expanded
programs
Monthly FOOD PANTRY Report
 * Property upkeep and maintenance to keep our
property in an appropriate state of repair, and to
October
purchase equipment for the building as needed (These
Your Church Food Pantry gave food to 159
are just a few of our needs.)
households which consisted of 46 elderly, 209 adults
 Our church budget process begins with our income.
and 110 children for a total of 365 individuals
We can only budget our expenses after we determine
receiving food in the month of October, 2013.
our income. We need EVERYONE on the team! Let’s
As a Comparison to last year:
all GROW (at least ONE STEP) together!
The month of October, 2012, your Church food
Sincerely, Susan Hiers
pantry gave food to 77 households, which consisted
Stewardship Chairperson
of 22 elderly, 97 adults and 54 children for a total of
173 individuals who received food.
A special thanks to our growing number of
volunteers! Join our team!
BETHLEHEM WALK
***Donations of non-perishable food items are
always needed. Please leave them on the table
The Bethlehem Walk is an interactive outdoor drama
outside of the Food Pantry.
where guests experience first century Bethlehem.
***If you would like to sponsor a food drive in your
It is located at Salem Baptist Church, Broad Street
place of business, please see Anne Durrett.
Campus, 465 Broad Street Road, Manakin, VA
23103 (6 miles west of Short Pump)
GEMS UPCOMING EVENTS
Greatly Energized & Motivated Seniors
December 12th brings us to our annual GEMS
Christmas Dinner. We will be meeting in the Social
Hall at 6:30 p.m. for light refreshments and
entertainment, followed by a full meal. There will
be no cost. Please RSVP by December 10th to Rev.
Bob Womer at the church office, 262-8651.
December 30th will end our GEMS year by meeting
at the Church at 5:00 p.m. to take our annual
Christmas Light Tour ending at my home for
Christmas treats. Join us! -- Rev. Bob Womer
December 4th & 5th – 6:00 P.M. – 9:00 P.M.
December 6th – 6:00 P.M. – 10:00 P.M.
December 7th – 4:00 P.M. – 9:00 P.M.
December 8th – 3:00 P.M. – 8:00 P.M.
A group from GPUMC will be going on December
5th. Please see Michelle Stoll for details.
YOUTH & CHILDREN’S
DEPARTMENT NEWS
CHRISTMAS EVE PROGRAM REHEARSAL
will take place at the end of children’s Sunday
School and into the snack time between services
each Sunday. The program is called “A STAR IS
BORN. “ All children and youth are invited to
participate in this special program. Adult volunteers
would be greatly appreciated. Please see Anne
Durrett if you can help gather costumes, run lines
with teenagers or help the children soloist rehearse
their singing parts. Full service run-throughs will
be December 22nd.
COOKIES NEEDED for our Shut-Ins. On
December 15 the children will be collecting home
baked cookies to package and deliver to our ShutIns. Please bring any donated cookies to the church
that Sunday and hand them to any child so they can
be properly distributed. Volunteer drivers to deliver
these cookies are also needed.
CHANGE BANDITS :
A CHILDREN’S COIN COLLECTION:
Change Bandits is a coin collection drive held in
conjunction with the 36 Hours for Kids Radiothon,
happening Thursday, December 5th - Saturday,
December 7th. During the next couple of weeks the
children will have piggy banks set around the church
where you can drop your change. We hope to raise
at least $50 that will go to Children’s Hospital of
Richmond at VCU. This is a great opportunity for
children to help other children!
DECK THE HALLS OF THE SIDE DOOR
SERVICE on Sunday, November 24 following the
9:30 a.m. worship service! Please stay after the
service and help us decorate for the CHRISTmas
season!
ELF SHOP will open with items made by our
children during the month of December. Many
items will also be available for children to purchase
for under 50 cents for their family members. This
shop will be open on the Educational Wing.
ELF SHOP donations are wanted. If you have any
small items that will help children buy very low cost
items for their family it would be greatly appreciated
if you would be willing to donate them to the Elf
Shop. These items can be given to Anne Durrett or
left in the church office. Any funds collected will go
into the church operating fund.
SIDE DOOR COOKIE EXCHANGE….Friday,
December 13th at 7:00 P.M. at the home of Donna
and Gary Taylor, 5333 Olde Milbrooke Drive, Glen
Allen, VA 23060. Please bring 2 dozen of your
favorite cookies to share. Children will be invited to
a craft time at Anne Durrett’s home 3 blocks away.
Join the fun!!
OUR PRAYER LIST

Melissa (single mother, recovering from surgery,
financial concerns); Charlotte Croll, Allison Douthat,
Friends & Family of John Stuart Barret, Flo Martin; Betty
Loving; Keith Anderson (Rehab- Charlottesville);Liz
Turner (arm), Tess Bittner (friend of the Kings), Mrs.
Butler, Mary Swing’s Father & Mother, George & Susan
Gumbleton (Friends of Gene Carr), Verna Raup, Mary
Lou Vronek, Jeanne & William Clark, Marian Stringer,
Jean Taylor, Nikki & John Bulluck (Friends of Alane
Herbert), Cindy Morrow, Carson Fox, Phil Trent, Claude
Cheely, Al Foxwell, Helena Burns; Zeke Taylor, Gail
Nichols, Sara Cheely, Heather James, Jill Loren Graham,
Jane Duke, Irene Craig, Betty Blue, Rev. & Mrs. C. Bailey
Jones, Jean Allen, Lee Ford, Dee Dee Roberts.

OUR SENIORS OF THE MONTH
Please remember the following individuals in prayer
or with a note or visit this month.
Betty Loving (Recovering from Leg Surgery)
7090 Covenant Woods Dr., H-102, Mechanicsville,
VA 23111
Dorothy “Flo” Martin (Recovering from hand injury)
6318 Fredonia Rd., Richmond, VA 23227
A NOTE OF THANKS FROM CHARLOTTE CROLL
Thank you for all of the kindness shown to me
during my recent hospitalizations and illness. The
concern shown to Sarah Lynn, phone calls, food, and
flowers were all appreciated. It is a blessing to
know that people care!
THANK YOU FOR ORDERING PANSIES!!!
Thank you to all who ordered pansies in October.
The Richmond District Urban Ministries donated
$2,000 from the pansy sale to support Shalom
Farms and Westview on the James.
THOSE SERVING OUR CHURCH
IN DECEMBER & JANUARY
Would you like to join our Altar Guild? We would
like to have you in one of our groups. Please call
Jean Taylor (427-5038).
Acolytes
Church Opener/Closer
December
Jeff Roberts
January
Earl Ford
Dec. 1
Dec. 8
Dec. 15
Dec. 22
Dec. 29
Grace Durrett & Austin Taylor
Will Plott
D. J. Turner & Kayleigh Douthat
Jacob Durrett & Christian Kontopanos
Grace Durrett & Frankie Baynes
Van Drivers
December
Earl Ford
January
Gene Carr
Crucifers
Dec. 1
Dec. 8
Dec. 15
Dec. 22
Dec. 29
Lee Walker
Amelia Bryan
Kevin Ford
Grace Durrett
Amelia Bryan
LECTORS
Dec. 1 Tom Howard
Dec. 8 Chris Hiers
Dec. 15 Ted Malbone
Dec. 22 Joyce Forcke
Ushers - December
Captain: Barbara Jessup
Altarperson: Debbi Seitz
Team: Shirley Overstreet, Barbara King,
Lee Walker
Ushers - January
Captain: Jeff Roberts
Altarperson: Claude Cheely
Team: Emilie & Andrew Gibson;
Chris & Shannon Kontopanos
Altar Guild - December
9:30 A.M. – Allison Douthat
11:00 A.M. – Laura Roberts, Terry Howard,
Susan Hiers
Altar Guild - January
9:30 A.M. – Allison Douthat
11:00 A.M. – Jean Taylor, Shannon Kontopanos,
Callie Robinson
Each Sunday, the flowers are given in honor of or in
memory of our loved ones. If you would like to place
flowers on the altar to recognize someone or some
event, please contact Jean Taylor (427-5038).
INCLEMENT WEATHER
CLOSING INFORMATION
If you are wondering whether the church will be
open due to inclement weather please stay tuned to
channel 6, and check the scroll at the bottom of your
TV screen for further information. If the church
closes, we will be listed. The church will also send a
phone tree message out to all members should the
services need to be cancelled. Also, you may call
the church and updates will be posted on the
secretary’s extension, #10. ***If you have not
received a phone tree message to date, please call
the church office with the phone number you would
like for us to call.
NEWS FROM THE LIBRARY
I would like to express my appreciation to all who
have so graciously supported the GPUMC Library.
We now have many new books! Donations of books
are welcome anytime. I’m happy to report that there
are a good number of large print books available.
Also, the Five Practices of a Fruitful Congregation,
upon which Dr. Lipke’s September sermon series
was based, is available. Ron Davis has donated a lot
of beautiful National Geographic magazines. The
Reading Program is open if you would like to
participate. Please take a while to come in and
browse or sit and read for a while. Hope to see you
soon!
-- Sally Anderson, GPUMC Librarian
DECEMBER & JANUARY
BIRTHDAYS
December
1
George Baynes
4
James Savage
5
Sonya Franks
Jules Otto
10
S. Cindy White
11
Jeffrey Roberts
Destiny Cocke
13
Kevin Ford
18
Ann Dudley Fortune
19
Kayleigh Douthat
20
Dale Lipke
24
Claire Barret
Martha Long
26
Lillian Mapp
28
Ruth Plott
29
Mason Taylor
Christy Neighbors
January, 2014
1
Sydney Douthat
4
Majorie Smith
Isak Rodriquez
5
Nick Vronek
9
Judith Lee
Julie Layman
10
Sam Wilkinson
Wesley Harris
13
Barbara Ford
16
Rev. Bev Samford
18
Frankie Baynes
23
Caleb Kinney
24
Jacob Neighbors
26
Tyler Sessions
27
DeeDee Roberts
28
Cecily Rodriquez
29
Sally Anne Anderson
30
Laura McKinney
United Methodist Women
Unit Meeting: Tuesday, December 3rd at 11:00 A.M.
(Following Circles) - Christmas Sing-a-Long with
Desserts! Come sing and enjoy!
Saturday, December 7th – 10:00– 11:30 A.M. - UMW
District Advent Service, Asbury UMC
Sunday, December 8th – Singles & Couples Christmas
Celebration & Dinner at Blackstone, Overnight Stay
with Breakfast.
Tuesday, January 7th – Unit Meeting: Installing
officers; many open opportunities for service.
Saturday, January 18th – Day Apart, a spiritual retreat
for anyone interested, at Richmond Hill, Church Hill.
Coming Soon…
Thursday, February 6th – United Methodist General
Assembly Day. Leave early for breakfast and a ride to
the Capitol, and then return for lunch and a talk with
the bishop.
And, don’t forget….
National UMW Assembly 2014, Louisville, Kentucky, 8
days of fellowship, April 23 – 30, 2014. Registration
must be paid by February 1st.
Remember our home bound members: Mary Lou
Vronek, Betty Blue, Frances Rawlings, Flo Martin &
Frankie Irons, Verna Raup, Marge Smith, June Crew,
Beverly Chew, Mary Frances Dirks, and so many
others.
***Thank you very much to Anne Durrett and her
crew of kids for the October, 2013 program. It was
fantastic!***
Stocking Stuffers for Covenant Woods: Please place
items in the box under the table under the UMW
bulletin board in the hallway by Tuesday, Dec. 3rd .
Do not wrap. No large or used items. Items Needed:
Hand lotion or hand sanitizer, liquid soap,
antibacterial lotion or soap, nail kits, emery boards,
fingernail clippers, clear nail polish, Chap Stick,
mouthwash, toothpaste, toothbrush, denture tablets,
polygrip, pocket-sized tissues, knee hi stockings, fuzzy
warm socks – unisex, men’s handkerchiefs, white or
black men’s socks, postage stamps for people in
Assisted Living; ball point pens for people in Assisted
Living, combs, brushes, and purse mirrors, costume
jewelry, necklaces that will go over the head, clip-on
earrings, small boxes of candy - M & M’s, Tic Tacs,
Hershey bars, Life Savers, sugar-free candy, peanuts,
or Lance crackers, little statues - snow globes - small
crosses. Thank you in advance for your generosity and
assistance with this yearly project.
SPECIAL WORSHIP SERVICES &
FELLOWSHIP OPPORTUNITES in
DECEMBER & JANUARY
CHRISTMAS EVE SERVICES
5:00 P.M.—“A Star is Born”
WORSHIP & MUSIC LED BY THE
CHILDREN OF GPUMC
10:30 P.M. – CHRISTMAS CAROLS in the
SANCTUARY
11:00 P.M. – CANDLELIGHT
COMMUNION SERVICE in the SANCTUARY
Sunday, December 29th – 10:30 A.M.
ONE SERVICE in the SOCIAL HALL
Wednesday, January 22nd –
6:00 P.M.- Covered Dish Fellowship Meal
7:00 P.M. – Intentional Interim Task
Presentation by the Pastor
A NOTE FROM
HELEN RUTH ASPAAS
Dear Friends at Ginter Park UMC,
I want to thank you for being my church
home during the 15 years that I resided in Richmond
and taught at VCU. I came to the church my first
Sunday in Richmond (August, 1998) and never
investigated another church because I was made to
feel so welcome.
I have good friends throughout the different
groups of the church and especially the UMW, the
Side Door service and the Food Pantry. I want to
thank the church for the lovely reception you gave
me in late May and for the beautiful print of the
Ginter Park Church. I am remodeling my old ranch
house and plan to have a special place for that print
once the remodeling is complete--a treasured
memory of my life in Richmond.
I am really happy in my retirement and have
become more active in my little country Methodist
church here in southwest Colorado. I treasure my
friends at Ginter Park and wish you all the best.
My address: 17238 Hwy. 140, Hesperus, CO
81326; My phone: 970-385-4500; My email:
hraspaas@vcu.edu. May God continue to bless you
and Ginter Park UMC.
Sincerely, Helen Ruth Aspaas
THE ANIMAL ANGEL TREE
Another Way to Love our Neighbors:
The Animal Angel Tree
God blesses us with the companionship and unconditional
love of our pets. God knows when even one sparrow falls
from the sky (Luke 12:6). His love extends to humans and
animals, indeed to all creation. The Psalmist writes in Psalm
36:6
Your righteousness is like the mighty mountains,
your judgments are like the great deep;
you save humans and animals alike, O LORD.
Pets minister to their owners’ spirits, comfort their hearts
and provide the pure love than only a pet can. Many of our
food pantry clients struggle to feed themselves and their
families and face relinquishing their beloved pets to a
shelter. Still other animals are simply abandoned when their
owners can no longer care for them.
This Advent season we honor God’s creation by collecting
food for the companion animals of our Food Pantry clients,
and other goods for the animals waiting for adoption at the
Richmond Animal Shelter on Chamberlayne Ave. The
Richmond Animal Shelter houses dogs and cats until they
are able to be adopted and does not euthanize any
adoptable animal. When I spoke to the outreach director at
the Animal Shelter, she extended her gratitude to all of you
in advance for thinking of the animals in their care.
Please help God’s creatures this Advent by donating what
you can from the Wish List below, and placing them
around the Animal Angel Tree located in the Social Hall.
Your compassion will make a difference in our community,
and may be the helping hand that allows our neighbors to
keep their pets when times are tough. Please extend the
love of Christ our Savior by caring for His animals.
In His Grace and Mercy,
Michelle Stoll
Wish List:
Canned, inexpensive cat food; Baby food (chicken or
turkey, NO Vegetables) for kittens; Canned Dog food;
Dog Biscuits and Cat Treats; Kong toys; Towels and
Blankets—especially small ones for the kittens (used
are fine!) ; Washable dog and cat beds (used are fine!)
Cages and crates - all sizes (used are fine!); Pet
carriers, all sizes (used are fine!)***Adoption of a dog
or cat!!*** Contact: Michelle Stoll at 804-687-1619, or
You can also make a difference this season by adopting one
of the dogs or cats on the flyer!
For more information, contact Michelle Stoll at 804687-1619 or arkiegoddess@hotmail.com.