Announcements

🎄 Carter Memorial UMC Christmas Tree Pickup Town of Needham Only - Saturdays Jan 4th, 11th and 18th 🎄

Show your appreciation for our dedicated staff with a thoughtful gift to the Carter Memorial UMC Staff Appreciation Fund and help make their day a little brighter!

Worship with us in-person, or online on YouTube, and Facebook, as well as this site on our Messages page.

Carter is a diverse community of faith grounded in scripture, experience, tradition, and reason. Sunday services are in our Needham sanctuary at 10:00 am and live-streamed on social media. Our service is a blend of both traditional and contemporary worship styles that we hope you find uplifting, fulfilling, and comfortable! To get a preview of what worshiping with us is like, visit our Messages page to view an example of a recent service

📺 WORSHIP SERVICES ARE ON NEEDHAM CABLE TV 📺

Catch our services at the following times:

• Wednesday: 3:00 p.m.
• Thursday: 11:00 a.m. & 3:00 p.m.
• Friday: 1:00 p.m.

Channels:

• Comcast: 9
• Verizon: 29
• RCN: 15

🌐 Stay up to date with the full schedule here:
👉 Needham Cable Schedule

LIST OF HAPPENINGS

Tuesday, December 3, 2024
10:00 a.m., Knitting Group @ Volunteer Office
7:00 p.m., Tuesday Trivia at the Biltmore Bar and Grill
7:00 p.m., Mission Team Meeting
8:00 p.m., AA, Volunteer office.

Wednesday, December 4, 2024
6:30 p.m., Great Plains Square
7:00 p.m., Zoom Church Council

Thursday, December 5, 2024
6:45 p.m., GPS
7:00 p.m., PS96
7:45 p.m., Choir Rehearsal

Friday, December 6, 2024
6:30 p.m., AA, PM Hall

Sunday, December 8, 2024 Second Sunday of Advent
10:00 a.m., In Person and Live Streaming Worship, Sanctuary

Sunday, December 15
The Chancel Choir will present sa Christmas Cantata (see details below).

Charge Conference
December 17th at 7 pm, all are invited to our annual Charge/Church Conference. This is an in person meeting with our District Superintendent.

Please support our 2024 Christmas Gifts for DCF Children!
This year we are again sponsoring gifts as part of the DCF Wonderfund program. Wonderfund is an annual gift drive to help provide gifts to more than 50,000 Massachusetts children engaged with the MA Department of Children and Families. This year Carter is sponsoring 30 children from the Dorchester office. Stay tuned for more details on how you can sign up and the deadline for gifts. Details should be available closer to Thanksgiving. If you have any questions please contact Lynn Rodman.

We're continually planning meaningful gatherings and activities for our community. Please remember to check back regularly to stay informed about these events and join in the wonderful experiences we have in store for you.

Is redemption possible for Ebenezer Scrooge? Pastor and author Matt Rawle believes so as he discovers the teachings of Jesus in the words of the Charles Dickens classic A Christmas Carol. Rawle dives deep into the dark, sad, greedy world of Scrooge and discovers a man in dire need of a second chance. Along with Scrooge, we meet the Ghosts of Christmas Past, Present, and Future and in the process learn about living with and for others in a world blessed by Jesus. Rediscover and reinvigorate your Christian faith this Advent and Christmas season and look at this familiar classic through the lens of faith.

ADVENT STUDY

✨ ADVENT STUDY ✨
🎄 The Redemption of Scrooge 🎩

📅 Dates: December 9, and 16
🕖 Time: Mondays at 7 PM

Is redemption possible for Ebenezer Scrooge? 🤔
Pastor and author Matt Rawle believes so!

Join us as we explore the teachings of Jesus through the timeless Charles Dickens classic, A Christmas Carol. 🌟 Together, we'll journey into the dark, sad, and greedy world of Scrooge to discover a man in need of a second chance.

🌟 What You'll Experience:

• Meet the Ghosts of Christmas Past, Present, and Future 👻🎅
• Learn about living with and for others 🤝
• Rediscover your faith during this Advent and Christmas season 🙏

Sign Up Today:
📱 Online: https://forms.gle/15MdoD5ZshLv6ep47
✉️ To register contact us via our secure Contact Form.

Let's reinvigorate our Christian faith together this holiday season! 🎁

CHRISTMAS CANTATA

🎶 Christmas Cantata at Cater Memorial United Methodist Church 🎶

🗓️ Sunday, December 15th

🌟 The Ballad of Bethlehem 🌟
Presented by the Chancel Choir

On December 15th, the Chancel Choir will present a Christmas Cantata entitled
The Ballad of Bethlehem, by Pepper Choplin.

Described by the composer as "A Timeless Story of God's Love," this Cantata uses the ballad as a unifying segment to tell the story of Christmas.

🎶 Musical Highlights Include: 🎶

Voice in the Wilderness - A call and response style piece where the congregation is invited to sing the brief response:
"Prepare the way of the Lord"

Familiar Carols woven throughout the Cantata, including:

• O Come, Emmanuel
• Come, Thou Long Expected Jesus
• Gentle Mary Laid Her Child
• We Three Kings (refrain)
• O Holy Night

Culminating with:

The Choir and Congregation singing Hark! the Herald Angels Sing!

🎄 Join Us as We Tell the Christmas Story Anew 🎄

We hope you will join the Chancel Choir on Sunday, December 15th, as we celebrate the Christmas season and tell the story of Christmas through the music of The Ballad of Bethlehem.

✨ Bring your family, bring your friends, and come experience the joy of Christmas through music! ✨

CARTER BOOK GROUP

Would you enjoy discussing some great spiritual books with friends? We'd love to have you join us! In 2024 we will meet three more times and have selected these books:

November: The In-between (Hadley Vlahos)

All books are available at local libraries. Feel free to join us for one or more of the discussions. If you have any questions or would like to join the mailing list, please contact Lynn Rodman at lynnarodman@gmail.com.

GENERIC MINISTRY DRIVE

At Carter Memorial United Methodist Church, the Generic Ministry Drive is underway, inviting members and attendees to contribute essential items to support those in need.

A dedicated bin stationed in the narthex awaits donations.

Please donate current immediate needs: adult-sized jeans, hoodies, sweatpants, and sneakers (especially men's 10-13. Men's NEW briefs and boxers - all sizes. Women's NEW underwear sizes 5, 6, 7. Travel-sized lotion and toothbrushes, belts, backpacks, duffle bags, luggage. The Autumn Wish List: zippered waterproof jackets (especially for men), adult mittens and gloves, men's hats, warm socks (clean, good condition, used OK), and sleeping bags.

Through collective generosity, the Carter Memorial community endeavors to make a tangible difference in the lives of individuals facing various challenges.

SUNDAY SCHOOL
Announcing New Sunday School class for grades 3-7.

We are offering a separate Sunday School class for older children. Meeting in PM Hall, we plan to offer more challenging and fun activities around the week's Bible lesson. We also need more teachers to staff this to keep up with our increasing number of children (Hooray!). Please see Tim or a member of the Children's Ministry Team. You can also sign up online to help.

YOUTH SUNDAY SCHOOL
Join us for Sunday School at 11:45 am

Our youth program at Carter offers a nurturing environment for kids in 6th through 12th grades to grow together in their faith and commitment to Christ. Weekly youth Sunday school offers a space for middle and high school students to engage Scripture, ask questions, share experiences, work through problems, and foster a personal, relevant faith.

Youth Group
In addition to weekly Sunday school, our youth have several opportunities to connect. One of the core tenets of our youth development approach is getting youth engaged in mission and outreach as a way to better understand and engage with the world around them.

KNITTING @ CARTER UMC

"The yarn forms the stitches, the knitting forges the friendships, the craft links the generations."

The Knitting Group gathers on the first and third Tuesday mornings of each month from 10:00 am until Noon in the Volunteer Office.

Join in the fellowship and fun. All are welcome!
Questions? Call Cindy Vietor at 781-235-2090.

BREAD OF LIFE

Bread of Life is Carter's meal ministry, offering a meal to any who come. Whether needing food, fellowship, or community and the love of God, Bread of Life welcomed all to a home-cooked meal.

Prior to the pandemic Bread of Life met the first and third Tuesday evenings with a fellowship time, music, and service with a smile. Volunteers set up, cooked, served, and cleaned up each meal, including Carter members, community friends, and teens learning about community service. Costs were paid through free-will donations and Mission funds.

We are currently working to bring our kitchen up to the new requirements of Needham Public Health. When that work is done we hope to restart the ministry.

If you would like to help with Bread of Life, please contact Beth Henrich at brhenrich@yahoo.com to volunteer. We will keep you all up to date on our progress and plans.