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Advent

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	A Christmas Message from Thomas Kemper Dear Friends, On behalf of the General Board of Global Ministries, thank you for all you do to share God's love and light throughout the world. Through our work, together we are building a path that Isaiah prophesized--a radical path to liberation, peace, and justice. A path that is possible because of the birth of a small and helpless child. The light of the world lies in the hands of someone as powerless as a newborn baby. Source: GBGM Mission News More about: Advent \| Christmas \| Emergencies \| Justice \| Missionaries \| Natural disasters \| Peace \| Prayers \| United Methodist Church \| Women \| Statements \| Tsunami \| Focus on Ministry with the Poor \| Cote d´Ivoire \| Japan \| Liberia \| Date posted: Dec 16, 2011
	Advent Wreath Lighting Liturgy 2011 Advent is the season in the Christian year when we hear and participate in the time of waiting for the birth of the Messiah. We look with thankfulness and hope for the second coming of Christ. We hear the voice of God in Scripture. We hear the voices of God's people around the earth as we pray together for the joy and peace of Christ's love to warm the hearts and lives of all humankind. Source: GBGM Mission News More about: Advent \| Christmas \| Evangelism \| Music \| Prayers \| United Methodist Church \| Focus on Congregational Development \| Date posted: Nov 07, 2011
	Above, Through, In: Our Deep Connection Our desire to connect with family and friends reaches a peak during Advent and the holiday season. Few people want to be alone on Christmas and New Year's Eve, and many feel distant from God. Source: GBGM Mission News More about: Advent \| Bible \| Christian love \| Christmas \| Ecumenical \| Global connections \| Globalization \| Internet \| Jesus Christ \| Peace \| United Methodist Church \| Partners/partnerships \| Focus on Congregational Development \| Date posted: Dec 15, 2010
	God With Us: A Christmas Message Three images from the Gospel of Luke fill my mind this Christmas: "no room," shepherds, and the manger. Source: GBGM Mission News More about: Advent \| Christmas \| Human rights \| Jesus Christ \| Mission opportunities \| Poverty \| United Methodist Church \| Welfare \| Focus on Congregational Development \| Focus on Ministry with the Poor \| Brazil \| Date posted: Dec 14, 2010
	Advent Reflection: The Gifts and Challenges of the Connected Life The time of Advent reminds me to wait, wait, wait. Yet my social-media habit encourages me to hurry, hurry, hurry. This December I've found these modes--of waiting and of hurrying--are at odds. While I am happy to be connected to so many friends and family through social media, I fear my round-the-clock digital connectedness is distracting me from a deeper relationship with the people in my life and with God. Source: GBGM Mission News More about: Advent \| Global connections \| Internet \| Peace \| Welfare \| Women \| Focus on Congregational Development \| Date posted: Dec 09, 2010
	Advent Wreath Lighting Liturgy 2010 Hope! Joy! Peace! Advent is the season in the Christian year when we hear and participate in the time of waiting for the birth of the Messiah. We look with hope for the second coming of Christ. We pray for the light of Christ to fill "us with joy and peace in believing." We hear the voice of God in scripture. We hear the voices of God's people around the earth as we pray together for the joy and peace of Christ's love to warm the hearts and lives of all humankind. Source: GBGM Mission News More about: Advent \| Focus on Congregational Development \| Date posted: Nov 02, 2010
	Living Nativity is a Witness to Faith Lewes, Delaware, December 18, 2009--Welcome to Palestine in the reign of King Herod, the one history would call "the great." Look around, wander at leisure through 13 scenes that you can also find described in the Bible; watch the animals, some at a manger. Source: GBGM Mission News More about: Advent \| Christmas \| Communities \| Evangelism \| GBGM news \| Jesus Christ \| Mission opportunities \| United Methodist Church \| Focus on Congregational Development \| Date posted: Dec 17, 2009
	Christmas Is Whose Birthday? A few years ago, Pastor Mike Slaughter of the Ginghamsburg United Methodist Church in Tipp City, Ohio, challenged the congregation to remember in their gift-making that Christmas celebrates Jesus' birthday. "Christmas in Not Your Birthday!" became a slogan in one of the most remarkable examples of Christian compassion and care in the contemporary church. Source: GBGM Mission News More about: Advent \| Children \| Christmas \| Donations \| Emergencies \| Global connections \| Health \| Missionaries \| Volunteers \| Focus on Congregational Development \| Focus on Ministry with the Poor \| Africa \| Asia and the Pacific Islands \| Central America \| Europe \| Date posted: Dec 11, 2009
	Connecting Through Song Standing in a ger (a white rounded dwelling tent) in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia, there was much about my surroundings in that moment that pointed to the fact that a little over a week prior I had literally moved to the other side of the world. Source: GBGM Mission News More about: Advent \| Christmas \| Global connections \| Music \| Mongolia \| Date posted: Dec 08, 2009
	Healing Loneliness For years I dreaded celebrating Christmas. Due to an eviction I was separated from my family during my freshman year of high school. Living in a different home each week, I did not understand why, at my age, life took such a drastic turn. I felt so lonely and hopeless, especially during the Christmas season. I watched families eat, open gifts, and share memories together. I would wish that I could experience that same love and joy. I wanted that feeling; I wanted my family. Source: GBGM Mission News More about: Advent \| Children \| Christmas \| Economy \| Evangelism \| Family \| Finance \| Youth \| Focus on Ministry with the Poor \| Date posted: Dec 04, 2009
	Advent: Preparation and Witness Advent, the period incorporating the four Sundays before Christmas, is a time for prayer, fasting, anticipation, and wonder--spiritual disciplines that prepare Christians to once again celebrate the birth of Jesus of Nazareth, the awaited one, the Messiah, Christ. Source: GBGM Mission News More about: Advent \| John Wesley \| Resolutions of the UMC \| United Methodist Church \| Wesley \| Statements \| Focus on Congregational Development \| Date posted: Nov 25, 2009
	Inspiration from Nicaragua Several years ago, I served as a Global Justice Volunteer in Nicaragua. It remains one of the most humbling experiences of my life. I lived and worked for eight weeks with the people of Alamikambang, Nicaragua, in what seemed to be the middle of nowhere. As I reflect on this verse, I am reminded of these inspiring people who are faithful enough to cling to the love of God in everything that they do. Source: GBGM Mission News More about: Advent \| Youth \| Focus on Leadership Development \| Honduras \| Nicaragua \| Date posted: Nov 24, 2009
	Gifts that Make the World a Better Place: Alternative Giving and UMCOR "Christmas is not your birthday, kids. It's Jesus' birthday! For Christmas, do you really think God wants you to have the Warhammer Xbox 360 game? Does God want you to accumulate more toys that just get dusty? Maybe God wants our family to help others this Christmas; to feed the hungry; to welcome the stranger; to volunteer at church; to love one another." Source: GBGM Mission News More about: Advent \| Children \| Christian love \| Jesus Christ \| Poverty \| Focus on Ministry with the Poor \| Date posted: Nov 20, 2009
	Advent Wreath Lighting Devotion 2009 Advent is the season in the Christian year when we hear and participate in the time of waiting for the birth of the Messiah, and we look with hope for the second coming of Christ. It is a time of intentional prayer for the light of Christ to fill the darkest corners of our world. We hear the voice of God in scripture. We hear the voices of God's people around the earth as we pray together for the brilliant light of Christ's love to warm the hearts and lives of humankind. Source: GBGM Mission News More about: Advent \| GBGM events \| United Methodist Church \| Focus on Congregational Development \| Date posted: Nov 13, 2009
	Christmas and Family: Good News for Everyone "Christmas is a time to share with family." Our ears, thoughts, and hearts are so full of such words that we believe that without family there can be no Christmas. For those who can't physically be with our families, Christmas can be a time of sorrow instead of rejoicing. Source: Advance More about: Advent \| Christian love \| Christmas \| Missionaries \| Uruguay \| Date posted: Dec 19, 2008
	The Word that Breaks our Codes Christmas Day, December 25, 2008 I grew up in the US speaking English. At 56, I’ve now also been speaking Spanish for the past 20 years. I still find it magical. It isn’t that I believe what my Spanish teacher said about Spanish being God’s language. Nor does it feel magical because I learned to speak it as if by magic. I did not. Source: Mission Personnel More about: Advent \| Christian love \| Christmas \| Central America \| Honduras \| Latin America \| Date posted: Dec 18, 2008
	The Presence of Grace and Peace Christmas Eve, December 24, 2008 A man sat on a log at the edge of the washed-out hillside. A few hours earlier, heavy rains on the deforested hilltop had become a tidal wave of mud washing everything in its path into the river below. Hundreds of houses were lost. No one knew how many people had escaped and how many were buried in the mud. Source: Mission Personnel More about: Advent \| Bible \| Christian love \| Christmas \| Jesus Christ \| Central America \| Honduras \| Latin America \| Date posted: Dec 17, 2008
	Gratitude and Giving in Tough Times Many of us have never experienced or even imagined anything like the economic downturn headlining the news. The term "recession" has finally been deemed appropriate to describe the current state of the US economy. For many, these are tough times. Source: GBGM Mission News More about: Advent \| Christmas \| Donations \| Finance \| United States \| World \| Date posted: Dec 09, 2008
	Mary from Nigeria Fourth Week of Advent 2008 Sisters and brothers, in those days a decree went out… from the government of Angela Merkel, the new chancellor in the Federal Republic of Germany. All the refugees & asylum seekers in the country had to be distributed among the regions of the whole republic according to their nationalities. Source: United Methodist Churches More about: Advent \| Christmas \| Immigration \| Refugees \| Germany \| World \| Date posted: Dec 04, 2008
	Advent Is Full of People Doing the Unusual Fourth Sunday of Advent, December 21, 2008 Luke 1 and 2 are all full of people doing the absolutely unusual. It is unusual for kings to visit poor folk's babies in a stable. It is unusual for kings to bring presents, kneel down to, and worship some unknown, homeless couple's child. And it is unusual for them to show solidarity with a tiny newborn human being rather than with their colleague king--Herod. That is what the evangelist Matthew reports us. Source: United Methodist Churches More about: Advent \| Bible \| Christmas \| Women \| World \| Date posted: Dec 04, 2008
	Sing the World Round in Advent During the month of December we remember the time of waiting for the Messiah and we look for the second coming of Jesus the Christ. We pray for the "Savior of the nations to come." Singing the songs of the world enlarges our understanding of John 3:16 during this season of preparation called Advent. One way to include global songs in your Advent worship is to choose one song to sing throughout the Advent season. There are several global songs that will enhance your singing this Advent that are available from Global Praise. Here are two suggestions for Advent. Source: Mission Education More about: Advent \| Christmas \| GBGM programs \| Music \| Bangladesh \| World \| Date posted: Dec 01, 2008
	Sing the World Round at Christmas This Christmas season join the songs heard around the globe! Sing "Infant Holy, Infant, Lowly" (Poland), "Angels We Have Heard on High" (France), and "Go Tell It on the Mountain" (USA, African American Spiritual) to share the story of Christ’s birth with the world. But don’t stop with these songs; explore the wealth of music that is available to celebrate Christ’s birth from the traditions, composers, and authors of the globe. Source: Mission Education More about: Advent \| Christmas \| Music \| World \| Date posted: Dec 01, 2008
	God Sang: A Christmas Meditation from Latin America First Sunday of Christmas, December 28, 2008 On November 15, 2008, God sang in Costa Rica. God sang because more than 40 women from 11 countries in Latin America and the Caribbean were loudly rejoicing for what they've learned, shared and lived during a most amazing week together at the Universidad Bíblica Latinoamericana (Latin America Biblical University), an ecumenical institution. Source: Mission Personnel More about: Advent \| Bible \| Christmas \| GBGM programs \| Missionaries \| United Methodist Church \| Women \| Partners/partnerships \| Latin America \| World \| Date posted: Nov 29, 2008
	Mary's Cradle: Advent Reflection on Ministry in Appalachia Third Sunday of Advent, December 14, 2008 The phone call from the physical therapist came hours before we were scheduled to open. She wanted to refer a grandmother who was caring for three special-needs grandsons under the age of four. Before I could finish with the case worker, my other line rang and it was the grandmother, searching for shoes and blankets for "her boys." Source: Mission Personnel More about: Advent \| Children \| Christian love \| Christmas \| Communities \| GBGM programs \| Missionaries \| Women \| Partners/partnerships \| North Eastern U.S. \| United States \| World \| Date posted: Nov 29, 2008
	Road Construction Ahead: Advent Reflections from Zambia Second Sunday of Advent, December 7, 2008 In Zambia, as in much of Africa, we are constantly dealing with simply getting from point A to point B. More than once, I have had our project's Toyota Land Cruiser break through a bridge deck and nearly roll over into a river. Our project workers and I have spent hours unloading cargo and hand carrying them up hills too slippery and rough to ascend with a loaded vehicle. Of course, most Africans don't even have motor vehicles and consider themselves lucky to have a bicycle. Source: Mission Personnel More about: Advent \| Agriculture \| Bible \| Christian love \| Christmas \| GBGM programs \| Jesus Christ \| Missionaries \| United Methodist Church \| Africa \| World \| Zambia \| Date posted: Nov 29, 2008
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