MINISTRY AT McKENDREE!

SUNDAY WORSHIP SERVICES  are regularly at 9am and 11am.  (On Christmas Day we will have one combined worship service at 10am.)  Our Advent sermon series is entitled “Awaiting the Already!”  In this series, we look into the future of the coming of Christ again.  Although we know that Christ has already been born, even before His birth, Christ was among us.

ENCOUNTER@METROCENTER  Each Sunday at 12:30pm, McKendree Church has an alternative worship service for those who feel “church” isn’t for them.  This service meets at the United Methodist Publishing House, 2222 Rosa Parks Blvd.   Everyone is welcome to attend!   For more information on our Encounter Ministries, you may contact Rick Quinn at mckendreerick@gmail.com.

REFRESH! is our mid-week gathering.  We meet in the first floor chapel each Wednesday, 12:00-12:30pm.  This short time of worship includes prayers, hymns, a message and Holy Communion.  Everyone is invited to attend.

BAPTISMS  If you are interested in being baptized, please contact Ruth in the church office at 615-271-2600 or mckendreeinfo@gmail.com.

WEDNESDAY NIGHT BIBLE STUDY  Our Adult Bible Study meets at 6pm in the Pastor’s office.  We will not meet on December 21 so that we may attend the Longest Night service.  On December 28th we will complete our Advent study entitled Christmas Playlist, by Alistair Begg.  Everyone is welcome to join us!

 

MISSION FOCUS!

CHRISTMAS EVE MEAL   This is the 4th year McKendree Church has hosted a Christmas Eve meal and celebration for the displaced in our downtown community.  We are preparing for 300 guests – with a meal of turkey and dressing and ALL THE TRIMMINGS.  The meal will be at 11:30am on Christmas Eve.

We need donations of food items and paper products for our meal.  We also need cash donations to purchase the turkey and other supplies.  And volunteers are always welcome!  Please contact Cindy Ligon at mckendreecindy@gmail.com if you’d like to be part of this special day.

CHRISTMAS EVE GIFT BAGS   Along with our Christmas Eve Meal for the displaced community, we also would like to give each guest a gift bag.  Our goal is 300 bags.  Items needed in the bags are:
Warm socks          Hat (stocking cap)           Hand-warmers          Gloves
Bottled water       Chapstick                            Protein bar                  Christmas candy

Please let Cindy Ligon (mckendreecindy@gmail.com) or Ruth Baggett (mckendreeinfo@gmail.com) know if you can donate gift bags!

ANGEL TREE GIFTS  Thank you to everyone who purchased a gift for our “Angels” from Rose Park School!  These gifts will truly make Christmas much brighter for these students and their parents.  Thank you again for your great generosity!

SPECIAL CHRISTMAS HAPPENINGS!

CHILDREN’S CHRISTMAS PARTY, Sunday, December 18, 9-11am  For all our McKendree Children!

LONGEST NIGHT SERVICE, December 21, 5:30-6:30pm, Sanctuary
Many United Methodist Churches hold these special services on the longest night of the year, December 21, for people who are grieving.  Perhaps due to death, illness, or heartbreak of one kind or another – it doesn’t really matter.  For some people – or for all us at one time or another – Christmas with images of hope, love, family, and togetherness isn’t what they experience.  The Longest Night Service is especially for those who are hurting.  We invite you to join us for this special service of understanding, listening, prayer and healing.

CHRISTMAS EVE CANDLELIGHT SERVICES
SATURDAY, DECEMBER 24
12:30pm, Chapel
5:00pm, Sanctuary

CHRISTMAS DAY SERVICE, We’ll have one service at 10am!

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PASTOR’S SERMON  You may hear Pastor Handy’s latest sermon by going to https://itunes.apple.com/gb/podcast/mckendree-united-methodist/id962978531?mt=2

FINANCIAL GIFTS  Your financial gifts and donations are always appreciated.  Consider adding McKendree UMC to your bill pay account.  Our address is: 523 Church Street, Nashville, TN 37219.  Online giving is always available at https://mckendreenashville.com/give.  Also, you can text your giving!  Just text the amount you would like to give to 615-375-4049.  The first time you give you will be prompted to visit a secure URL.  Just follow the prompts and enter your information.

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HEALTH MATTERS, Holiday Food Traps  ‘Tis the season of tasty foods.  The average person puts on a pound during the holidays.  And if you’re on a special diet because you have high cholesterol or high blood pressure, holiday dishes can be especially tricky.  But you can enjoy yourself and make good choices, if you know which items are nice.

Turkey Skin – The skin of turkey and chicken is loaded with saturated fat.  Per gram, all fats are higher in calories than protein or carbs, and bad fats raise cholesterol.  Dark meat has more fat per bite than white meat.
Nice: Serve yourself turkey breast or other white meat without the skin.

Buttery Mashed Potatoes – Usually, a lot of milk, butter, and salt go into this classic comfort food.  A cup of homemade mashed potatoes made with whole milk and butter can have 237 calories.
Nice: Mash the potatoes with low-fat milk or low sodium, fat-free chicken stock and skip the butter, or salt.

Sweet Potato Casserole – Sweet potatoes are a great choice.  They’ve got vitamins A and C, plus a dose of calcium and potassium.  But if they’re in a casserole made with marshmallows, butter, and lots of sugar, that offsets their benefits.
Nice: Leave out the butter, cut the sugar in half, and lightly top with mini marshmallows.  This will shave calories and fat, not taste.

Pecan Pie – Although pecans are packed with healthy fats, vitamins, and minerals, pecan pie is a minefield of sugar and calories.  A typical slice of pecan pie has more than 500 calories.  That’s because it’s usually made with oodles of corn syrup, butter, and sugar.
Nice: Nibble on a bowl of mixed nuts instead.  If you can’t resist pie, choose pumpkin pie or opt for a very small slice of pecan pie and don’t eat the crust.

Cakes and Cookies – You may find that you crave carbs more during fall and winter.  You don’t want to give in by reaching for too many sweets, but you don’t have to ignore the cravings either.  Carbs taste good and make you feel good by triggering the release of serotonin, a brain chemical that boosts mood.
Nice: The solution is to control portions or snack on complex carbs, such as whole-grain cereal or crackers.

By making better choices now, you’ll feel better in January, without having to make “Lose Weight” one of your New Year’s resolutions!

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As always, remember God’s will for us is good, we must do the rest!

Pastor Stephen