During this first week of Advent, we invite you to reflect United Methodist Now: The United Methodist Church Monday, 30 November 2020

 During this first week of Advent, we invite you to reflect

United Methodist Now: The United Methodist Church <umnow@umc.org>

Monday, 30 November 2020 

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Advent

Advent is here! And no gifts are missing

During this first week of Advent, we invite you to reflect on how God loves and has gifted you with exactly what you need. Watch for additional devotionals published weekly to guide us throughout Advent.

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All you need: Advent Devotion

A UMC.org devotion by Joe Iovino*

In this season when so many are focused on what they want, the Bible reminds us that we aren't missing any spiritual gift.

Advent 2020 begins on Sunday, November 29.

Read: 1 Corinthians 1:3-9

3 Grace to you and shalom from God our Father and the Lord Yeshua the Messiah.

4 I thank my God always for you because of God’s love and kindness given to you through the Messiah Yeshua, 5 in that you have been enriched by him in so many ways, particularly in power of speech and depth of knowledge. 6 Indeed, the testimony about the Messiah has become firmly established in you; 7 so that you are not lacking any spiritual gift and are eagerly awaiting the revealing of our Lord Yeshua the Messiah. 8 He will enable you to hold out until the end and thus be blameless on the Day of our Lord Yeshua the Messiah — 9 God is trustworthy: it was he who called you into fellowship with his Son, Yeshua the Messiah, our Lord.

The result is that you aren’t missing any spiritual gift while you wait for our Lord Jesus Christ to be revealed. (1 Corinthians 3:7)(7 So neither the planter nor the waterer is anything, only God who makes things grow —)

For many of us, this first week of Advent is filled with thoughts of want. What do the kids want for Christmas? How about our coworkers? And someone has probably asked you if there is anything you want for Christmas. Do you have an answer?

This season of gift giving and receiving can become stressful. And this year, it seems even more 

Since the global pandemic has many of us staying home this Christmas rather than traveling to visit relatives and friends, we have to build in extra time to ship our gifts. That means even less time to do all the shopping and that we will miss out on the best part—watching the people we love open our gifts.

As our presents are expressions of love for friends, relatives, coworkers and others, your spiritual gifts are an expression of God’s affection for you. Today's reading reminds us that God’s gifts are extravagant. “You aren’t missing any spiritual gift while you wait for our Lord Jesus Christ to be revealed,” we're told.

In this season of waiting God invites us into an ever-deepening relationship with Jesus. And you aren’t missing any spiritual gift you need for that.

During this first week of Advent, reflect on how God loves and has gifted you. What gifts do you have (explore them here)? How do they remind you of God’s love for you? How will you go deeper this Christmas and into the new year?

Prayer: Thank you, O God, for inviting me into a growing relationship with you and for giving me every gift I need. Amen.

Activity: As you wrap a gift this week, whisper a prayer of thanks for the gifts you have already received from God.

*Joe Iovino is Director, Member Content for United Methodist Communications. Contact him by email.

This devotion was published on November 27, 2020.

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United Methodist Communications*

Giving Tuesday is December 1, a day when United Methodists are invited to share in God's mission through a variety of giving opportunities. 

Giving Tuesday is December 1. Check out the variety of opportunities that United Methodists have to help further God’s mission.

Give Love

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Global Ministries invites United Methodists to give love, joy, hope and peace through its year-end giving campaign. Through December 31, Global Ministries will share stories of transformational mission work and the ways financial gifts through the Advance impact lives.

Since 1948, support of the Advance – the designated mission giving channel of the church – has raised funds that positively affect change within communities and empower individuals across the globe. Thanks to faithful giving, the Advance has funneled more than $1 billion dollars to equip ministries worldwide.

Global Ministries connects the church in mission through evangelism and church revitalization, missionaries, global health, and disaster response and recovery. Every contribution makes a difference in this important work.

Mission-funding gifts to the Advance through the year-end campaign can be made at umcmission.org/givelove.

Communication ministries

United Methodist Communications Foundation is a nonprofit organization dedicated to ensuring that vital communications ministries will continue to benefit communities across the globe. From local churches creating meaningful connections with spiritual seekers to radio stations broadcasting inspirational messages, the foundation supports a wide range of mission and ministry initiatives, helping to extend their reach through resources and tailored services. Learn more about how you can contribute to the transformational work through the power of communication.

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Let your apparel evangelize. Spread the messages of The United Methodist Church, including “Church can happen anywhere” and “God speaks all languages.” Pick up an array of denominational branded items, including shirts and masks, here.

*The information was compiled from various sources by United Methodist Communications. For more information, contact UMC.org by email.

This article was published on November 19, 2020.

feeding others

Answering the call to feed others

Sort, pack, bundle, bless. United Methodists at a Houston community center help their neighbors, sometimes as many as 1,000 per week, receive food during the uncertainty of the pandemic.

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Answering the call to feed others

A UMC.org feature by Crystal Caviness*

Cars start lining up at 8 a.m., six hours before the distributions begin. It’s Tuesday at a northwest Houston community center where as many as 1,000 families receive food weekly.

United Methodists at the location, Bridging For Tomorrow (BFT), have been vital volunteers in helping their neighbors throughout the uncertainty of the pandemic. During the past eight months, food donations have totaled more than 1 million pounds.

Pre-pandemic

BFT, which originated as an outreach ministry at Faithbridge United Methodist Church and became a standalone nonprofit in 2013, never intended to be a mega food bank.

Prior to Covid-19, BFT partnered with neighborhood families for relief and rehabilitation services, including counseling, afterschool programs for kids, flu vaccine clinics and vision screenings, ESL classes and tutoring. Providing food donations on a small scale was only one part of BFT.

Changes in 2020

Annually, BFT was distributing about 13,000 pounds of food as part of its usual operation. When the Coronavirus pandemic hit, needs rose in the neighborhood of primarily Hispanic and Vietnamese families. Thankfully, resources did too, including an official partnership with the Houston Food Bank and an influx of volunteers from Faithbridge UMC. Many Faithbridgers, as church members call themselves, were eager to help when the initial call went out.

“This is exactly what I need to be doing,” says Jeff Marsh, a Faithbridger who retired in early 2020.  “For me, it goes back to being obedient to God’s Word. (The Book of) James tells us faith without works is not true faith. We are called upon to live that out. One of the ways to live that out is to serve others. And when we serve in this capacity, we’re also serving Him.”

“As I read through the Bible, I see where God told us to help those who need help,” shares Kim Oswald, a Faithbridger who retired earlier this year to, as she puts it, “become a professional volunteer.”

 Bridging for Tomorrow celebrates the milestone of distributing 1 million pounds of food to the community.

Oswald spends 15 hours per week in the BFT office with a variety of tasks, including helping with client intake forms and registering volunteers. Post-Covid, she plans to add reading to the younger children to her list.

“I do it because I want to do it. I can do it. Not for recognition but because God says that’s what you need to do,” Oswald states.

Jennifer Burton, another Faithbridger, is a longtime BFT volunteer who helps with fundraising for the nonprofit. When the call when out for food distribution workers, she signed up.

“I got hooked and fell in love with the process,” she says, explaining that her shift involves packing dry goods, packing produce, putting boxes in vehicles and interacting with the people in line.

“There’s always this impact of seeing all of these cars drive up and realizing what it’s really about and knowing that someone is waiting for five or six hours for a box of food and they don’t even know what they are getting,” she says. “It’s super powerful to see their smiles and appreciation.

“I feel God’s presence every time I’m there.”

Serving more than food

In addition to serving more than triple the number of families within BFT’s previous capacity, BFT hit the remarkable milestone of distributing more than 1 million pounds of food in 2020, an accomplishment only made possible by BFT’s faithful volunteers.

“I think when people will look back on the time of COVID, yes, there has been hardship and heartbreak,” says Christy Sprague, BFT executive director and Faithbridger. “But what I will remember is the way that this community of believers has come together.

“As God’s people, as the church, this is our opportunity to be a light in the midst of darkness, to be joy and peace in the midst of fear and pain. When cars are coming through, volunteers are saying ‘God bless you. Jesus loves you,’ just blessing the people as they go by. I know that’s why our little pantry is serving so many people. Even if they don’t know it, they are being blessed by the love of Christ.”

*Crystal Caviness works for UMC.org at United Methodist Communications. Contact her by email or at (615)742-5138.

This story was published on November 20, 2020.

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