Christmas Extravaganza!

Wow. That was the way to prepare for Christmas. Two weekends, 4 events and everything was wonderful. I hope you all enjoyed the fun. Here is brief montage of the Good News Advent and Christmas events. Merry Christmas from Good News!

We started off with the Leander Christmas Parade. Even thought this year community attendance was down and the the parade route organization was straight from National Lampoon's 'Animal House', the our 3 Kings and Camels were great. Click Here for a short video as we rolled through town plus the slide show below. (slide.com has added a music feature to the free slide shows. Click the speaker the symbol if you're not fan of 3 doors down or find it distracting...otherwise rock on.)

Next was the Christmas Family Festival where we all made Chrismons. Glitter and hot glue = Christmas fun. Below is the Video Christmas Card made from the event.


The next weekend was the Children's Christmas Show - Three Wise Men and a Baby Story. No Ted Danson, Tom Selleck nor Steve Guttenberg did not make an appearance but the kids were precious. Here is an angel of the Lord...now why would the shepards be afraid of this?


Lastly, the Adult and Youth Christmas Presentation - The Miracle. I don't have any pictures or a video to share. Let's just say that a youth black light/white glove presentation, 12 plus songs, piano, drums, guitar, bass, well travelled audio equipment and dancing all came together for a 45 minute flawless presentation. That was a miracle within "The Miracle". Well done by all!

Serving Community and Serving Jesus

VBS rolled on Wednesday with 'Splash Day' and visit from Sherry McDonnell from Hill Country Community Ministries. She talked to the kids about serving the Community and the role HCCM plays in proving food, clothing and comfort to those in need in the hill country. Splash day was big hit with water balloons, water cannons and a slip and slide.

Thursday night was the last night of the full VBS program (crafts, music, recreation & bible story). At each stop the excitement was still there and the kids were eager to recall their stories and memories of serving family, neighbors, community and Jesus. They even tried their hand at acting. During the bible story time they acted out the story told in Acts 2:3-10. 'and the crowd went wild!!!'

We videoed a musical presentation of two of the VBS songs. Come to church this Sunday to see the kids in action.

john

Who is your neighbor?

Today the kids learned who is their neighbor through the story of the "Good Samaritan" told in Luke 10:25-37.

The recreation stop had the kids moving and smiling with a race to bandage the man hurt on the side of the road.

The music stop had the kids singing and dancing.

The kids in the "Snakes" group work together and focus at the craft stop.

Members of the "Crickets" group acting out their part of the bible story. Here are two robbers are hiding beside the roadside waiting for a man walking down the road.

The kids are having a blast in God's Big Back Yard. Check in tomorrow for splash day and a story about serving the community.

john

Vacation Bible School - God's Big Back Yard

This year's VBS is theme is God's Big Back Yard where kids have a blast learning how to serve. Each day there is food, an open and closing assembly, music, crafts, recreation, story time and lots of smiles.


Today's meal was a kid favorite! Corn dogs, chips, watermelon and lemonade. Yum!


Our bible story for the day comes from Mark 2:1-12 and the kids learned to serve friends and to treat others as themselves.



Toddlers the in the nursery get a great view of the older kids during recreation.

Pastor Bob and Cooper appear in the opening and closing assembly. The voice of Cooper is an interesting impersonation, like a southern Edward G. Robinson.

Check back in for Tuesday's post as the kids learn about serving your neighbor.

john

Sunday School - Holy Week Journey

The teachers and children of Sunday school reenacted the Holy Week Journey. (mouse over the photo to pause the slideshow, remove mouse pointer to continue)

Navidad Aledrdor el Mundial(Christmas Around the World)

Another year, another way to celebrate Christmas from countries around the world. As the families entered the cafeteria, each child was given a passport with information about how Christmas is celebrated in five different countries: USA, Brazil, Australia, China, and Poland. After having a family picture taken, the children moved around the cafeteria, stopping at each country to get their passport stamped and create a craft to remind them of how Christians in other countries celebrate Christmas. In the USA they created stockings, in Brazil a candy cane nativity, in Australia a cross shell necklace and visor, in China a paper lantern, and in Poland a place mat. After a trip around the world, the families headed over to the refreshment table for some delicious cookies and hot chocolate.

It was incredible to see all of the children that attended the event, the smiles on their faces as they moved around the room, and the excitement they showed while creating their crafts (check out the "Family Festival" section of the website for pictures). A huge thank you goes out to all who participated in making this event possible. Among those are Curtis (family pictures), Pat and Steve (USA), Beth (Brazil), Nancy and David (Australia), Dana (China), and Marty and Bill (Brazil).

Thank you to all of the youth who participated, Pastor Rainey for an excellent job greeting the people, all of the women who baked and brought cookies, and anybody else that helped out during the Festival. It was a huge success thanks to the efforts of many and we can't wait to do it again next year!

Heather and Michelle

Merry Christmas Charlie Brown!

On Dec 1st in Leander Texas the 5th Annual Leander Christmas Parade was held presented by the Leander Community Club. The event is held each year on the first Saturday of December with local business, churches, clubs and the Leander Police and Fire Departments participating with floats, cars, trucks and more. The beneficiary of the event is Project Blue Santa which collects toys and gifts for deserving kids and families in community. An estimated 2000 people watched and participated in the year’s event. In addition to the parade there was a tree lighting ceremony, carolers, a nativity scene, a reading of the Christmas Story, Santa and an Elvis impersonator?!?! Nothing says Merry Christmas like Elvis.

Good News United Methodist Church entered a spirited and whimsical float with a theme of A Charlie Brown Christmas. Forty to fifty entrants presented a float or marched in the parade. This was our first year to enter a float and with a good idea (thanks Pastor Bob!) and three weeks preparation our entry took 3rd place in the Best Float contest! As I rode through the parade and I saw the smiles and laughter of the crowd I am convinced it was the Peanuts characters and positive message of our float that won the hearts and minds of the judges. Our float entry consisted of a Good News UMC banner leading the way, a beautiful white truck pulling a Snoopy’s dog house, Charlie Brown’s tree, Lucy’s psychiatric booth, signs reading Luke 2:10 and of course the adorable Peanuts gang. Pastor Bob Rainey also read the Christmas Story from the festival stage. While it was disappointing that the reading was the last event of night and the vast majority of the crowd had gone home for the night, the Word was still read and received by those still there to hear it.

Special Thanks! --- to Elizabeth Hollingsworth for making the banner, Brian Marak for pulling the trailer, Warren Waterman for the use of his trailer, Lewis and Lavenda Elmer for making the signs, the many members that walked with the float and passed out candy and of course the Peanuts gang; Richard(Charlie Brown), Ryanne(Linus), Austin(Snoopy), Addison(Lucy), Ashley(Sally), Reagan(Peppermint Patty), Jason(Pig Pen) and Camryn(Woodstock).

As you may recall the story of Charlie Brown’s Christmas begins with him saddened by the growing commercialism of Christmas. Things get worse for him as his friends tease him as he tries to direct them in the school Christmas parade. It seems Charlie Brown can’t do anything right. Frustrated with the play Charlie Brown’s screams "doesn’t anyone know what Christmas is all about?" Then the story’s hero(Linus) steps to the center of the stage and recites Luke 2:8-14

And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. And, lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them: and they were sore afraid. And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord. And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger. And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying, Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.

Lifted by Linus’ message Charlie Brown heads home with a smile on his face. Soon the whole gang meets at Snoopy’s doghouse to shout MERRY CHRISTMAS CHARLIE BROWN and sing Hark the Herald Angels Sing.

GNUMC entry into the parade carried that same message to the people of Leander. In a world filled with mistletoe and ‘ho ho ho’, we shared the birth of Jesus Christ with the city of Leander.

...and that’s what Christmas is all about Charlie Brown.

p.s. A Charlie Brown Christmas first aired in 1965. Did you know that Charles Schultz had to stand his ground and pursued TV executives to keep Linus reciting from the bible? TV execs did not agree with a children’s program on prime time TV reading directly from the King James Version. God Bless your soul Charles Schultz. Thank you from the generations to generations that love Peanuts.