The Mountain View December 2005

I lift up my eyes to the hills. From where does my help come?
My help comes from the Lord, the maker of heaven on Earth.

A young lady named Sally, relates an experience she had in a seminary class, given by her teacher, Dr. Smith. She says that Dr. Smith was known for his elaborate object lessons.

One particular day, Sally walked into the seminary and knew they were in for a fun day. On the wall was a big target and on a nearby table were many darts. Dr. Smith told the students to draw a picture of someone that they disliked or someone who had made them angry, and he would allow them to throw darts at the person's picture.

Sally's friend drew a picture of who had stolen her boyfriend. Another friend drew a picture of his little brother. Sally drew a picture of a former friend, putting a great deal of detail into her drawing, even drawing pimples on the face. Sally was pleased with the overall affect she had achieved.

The class lined up and began throwing darts. Some of the students threw their darts with such force that their targets were ripping apart. Sally looked forward to her turn, and was filled with disappointment when Dr. Smith, because of time limits, asked the students to return to their seats.

As Sally sat thinking about how angry she was because she didn't have a chance to throw any darts at her target. Dr. Smith began removing the target from the wall.

Underneath the target was a picture of Jesus. A hush fell over the room as each student viewed the mangled picture of Jesus; holes and jagged marks covered His face and His eyes were pierced.

Dr. Smith said only these words... "In as much as ye have done it unto the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me." –Matthew 25:40.

Until I read this story, I had always thought of "the least of these" as the underprivileged, the poor, the less fortunate. Strangely enough, I had not thought of "the least of these" as the people I have trouble liking. For me, this story puts a "new face" on Jesus.

As we enter the Christmas season, may our love for Jesus grow in a new way as we go beyond our usual standards of whom to love. May we not only love the lovable and those whom traditionally we think of during holiday seasons, but also those whom traditionally we don't think of during the holiday seasons: the ones who are unlovable, the ones we dislike, the ones who dislike us.

After all, the angels DID NOT say, "peace on earth and good will to most people." And John 3:16 DOES NOT say, "For God so loved the lovable people that God sent God's only Son..."

An oft-heard phrase during the pre Christmas season, "I haven't even started yet." This is especially true of those who hear someone else say they have completed their Christmas shopping. It seems that Christmas has become a tiring and even a frustrating experience for many.

The fact that a certain radio station has been playing Christmas music for the last week and will continue playing this music till Christmas doesn't seem to help relieve the anxiety. What do I get for Uncle Bob? He already has everything. What do I buy for my wife? I can't afford to go to Jareds. Did I spend enough for my son's gift? Will he feel that we are chintzy when he compares his presents to the presents his friends got? Will the family remember that gift I have hinted about wanting for the past several months? When we open our presents on Christmas morning, will we be happy or disappointed?

There are so many questions that can run through our minds as we anticipate Christmas. The real question is have we forgotten the reason we celebrate Christmas? Are we losing sight of the real purpose for celebrating Christmas?

The first Christmas was marked by the singing of the angels. There was rejoicing by the angels in Heaven. No concern, no worry about getting it right and a sure knowledge of what Christmas was about. The focus of that first Christmas was to celebrate the birth of the Christ Child.

As we approach this Christmas season may our prayer be for God to help us not lose focus on the real reason for Christmas. Pray that the Christmas music will bring joy to your soul and anticipation to your Christmas celebration. May your celebration be Christ centered.

The Christian Life Center

Hours: Tuesday & Thursday 9:00 a.m.-Noon
1^st and 3^rd Saturday 9:00 a.m.-Noon (by appointment only)

The Christian Life Center is a ministry offered by this church. Its purpose is to help people deal with the troublesome issues of life. It is provided at no cost to you. Call the church office or Dr. Duane Haidle for an appointment.

Christmas Eve Worship Services:

Please join us in celebrating the birth of Christ at candlelight services held at

6:30, 8:00 and 11:00 p.m.

May the peace and joy of our Savior be with you now and throughout the new year.

Every other year, Mountain Vista puts on a huge dinner and theatre show with performances over several weekends beginning in April. This is a fantastic fundraiser. Last year we raised $15,000!!

Tryouts will be held on Sunday, January 8. From 3:30-4:00 everyone will be taught a song and dance. Then you will sign up for a 10-minute slot. Everyone is guaranteed to be in the show – this is just to see where you would fit the best!!! Rehearsals will begin the next Tuesday night and they will continue every Tuesday night from 7-9 p.m. and every Sunday from 3:30-5:30 p.m.

If your talent is not in singing and dancing, don't worry!! You can still take part and more information will be in future newsletters. There will be opportunities to set-up and decorate, cook, serve, clean up, sell tickets and much more. We are looking for a publicity manager to promote the event – i.e., newspaper and radio advertising, getting the posters placed in businesses, contacting other churches, etc. If this interests you, please let Tracy Reinhard know. Also, if you own a business, think about whether you would like to have an ad placed in our Broadway playbill.

If you have, "GREAT!" The people of MVUMC want to express their genuine appreciation and gratitude for your very important pledge of support for the mission we have all joined together to work toward in the coming year.

If you haven't yet, now is the time! It is the responsibility of every member of our congregation to pray for God's blessing on the work of our church. It is also our shared responsibility to contribute joyfully in both our time and financial resources, so that the word of our church can continue to grow in the glorification of God's kingdom here in Utah and beyond.

So, grab a pledge card, fill it out, and return it to the church office as soon as you can – at least before the end of the first week of December! The members of your Finance Committee and Administrative Council, and all your friends in the congregation thank you!

Our fledgling group held its third monthly meeting on November 8^th. Peggy Porter gave a very informative talk on long-term care insurance. She passed out some excellent handouts. If you would like some information on this topic, she probably has a few left. Our regular meeting time is the second Tuesday of the month at 7:30 a.m. The purpose is to network our businesses and to discuss topics of interest. The December meeting will be on the morning of the 13^th. Jerry Selbo will cover some tax topics for both businesses and individuals.

We have a challenge to bring someone new to the next meeting. If you'd like to come, contact Jerry at 282-1268, and I'll match you up with someone in the group. Also, we have gotten approval from the Ad Council to allow advertising in the monthly newsletter, which we will start next month. Again, contact Jerry Selbo for information if you are interested in doing this.

Thanks to everyone who participated in Operation Christmas Child. We collected 53 shoeboxes filled with Christmas joy to be sent to kids around the world!!

How about posting your greeting on the church bulletin board and putting the money you would spend on stamps and cards as a donation to the Building Fund? It’s easy too! Just bring your card, put it on the bulletin board and place your donation in the large envelope. Thanks!!

Ten Thousand Villages* presents
Night of Nativities
Tuesday, November 29
Sprague Library in Sugarhouse

Listen to crèche collector Garrick Hyde and then go across the street to the Ten Thousand Villages store to see their collection of nativities and enjoy a 15 percent discount on nativities purchased that evening. There are also refreshments and door prizes.

The 7th Annual Interfaith Crèche Exhibit
165 N. Center Street in Midway
Dec. 2, 3, 4 and 5th
11 a.m. – 8 p.m. daily
750 Nativities on Display – one of the largest exhibits in the U.S.

*Ten Thousand Villages provides vital, fair income to Third World people by marketing their handicrafts. They work with artisans who would otherwise be unemployed or underemployed. This income helps them pay for food, education, health care and housing. www.tenthousandvillages.com.

They also host Community Shopping Nights to benefit local nonprofit agencies. Crossroads Urban Center will receive 20 percent of the sales during the Community Shopping Night on December 9 from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. Great night to do some Christmas shopping!!

It is time once again for our annual Christmas Cookie Walk. A "cookie walk" is a bake sale where cookies are sold by the pound. The buyer walks around a group of tables filled with platters of cookies, candies, pastries, breads, choosing his/her own assortment and placing them in a box, which is weighed when the buyer is done. There will also be a variety of crafts available and a wall quilt to be raffled.

This event will take place on Sat., Dec. 10, 2005 from 8a.m.-3p.m. All proceeds will go to the Building Fund.

We are in need of lots of donated cookies and candies. We are asking people to donate in multiples of 3 dozen per type of cookie. We would like all kinds of cookies (no chocolate chip, please) with different textures and colors. Pull out your favorite recipes for cookies, candies, breads, etc. Please bring your goodies to the church on a cookie platter or in a Tupperware container (remember to put your name on all containers), Friday, Dec. 9th between 4-7 p.m. so we can set everything up the night before.

How can you help even more? Come to the event on Saturday and tell all your friends, neighbors, and relatives about it so they can come and buy all the cookies/candies they will need for the holidays. These boxes of goodies are a great idea to take to the office, give to neighbors and relatives.

We look forward to seeing you on Dec. 9, for delivery, and Dec. 10, to buy – making this event a great success!

You’re invited to the
Annual Christmas Bell Concert

An evening of Christmas favorites
presented by the Bells of Joyful Sound
December 18
7:30 p.m.

Come early for a good seat
Refreshments served afterwards
CD’s available to purchase for gift giving

Mountain Vista United Methodist Church and Cub Scout Pack 4012 will sponsor a God & Country program for boys and girls this December and January. There will be two age groups – a God & Me group for 1st – 3rd graders, and a God & Family group for 4th & 5th graders. This is a parent/mentor participation program. The 5-week program will be held on Sundays from 12:30 – 1:30 p.m. at MVUMC, beginning on December 11th and 18th, and then January 8th, 15th and 22nd. Upon completion, a religious medal will be awarded to the boys and girls on Scout Sunday in February. Please note that all boys and girls are welcome. Watch for the clipboard sign-up sheets during all services. For more information, contact Dave Elwell.

Please bring canned goods and/or clothing to church and place under the table by the front doors.

Don't forget the Sandwich Mission. Every third week of the month we make and serve sandwiches as an outreach mission.

The dates for December are:
Sunday, December 18: make/or bring sandwiches, 2 p.m.
Monday, December 19: serve sandwiches, 5 p.m. at St. Vincent DePaul Center, 500 West 200 South. (Usually finished by 6:30 p.m.)

Due Dates for Sunday Bulletin and Newsletter
For the Sunday Bulletin: Information due Wednesday of each week.
For the Mountain View: Articles due the 20th of every month. Articles on disk or e-mailed (office@mtnvistaumc.org) preferred.