The Mountain View December 2006

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.

The angel answered [Mary], "The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the holy one to be born will be called the Son of God. Even Elizabeth your relative is going to have a child in her old age, and she who was said to be barren is in her sixth month. For nothing is impossible with God." --Luke 1:35-37

While on sabbatical, one of my poems was inspired as I sat on the front porch, my bicycle leaning up against the wooden picnic table. My thoughts drifted back to a magical Christmas morning when I was twelve years old. All things were possible when I was twelve.

I sit with my bicycle on the front porch,
A reminder of bicycles long ago–
My first shining ten-speed,
A red Hiawatha,
I dreamed of the places that I would go.

My noble steel stallion was ready to ride,
Hitched by the tree, through some White Christmas magic,
At twelve, I had never felt just quite so tall,
I climbed in the saddle,
One foot on the pedal,
The other was "couched" so my steed wouldn't fall.

The Shimano gear shifter, an "Eagle" by name,
Flew me to Egypt and even the store.
With my "ram" handle bars,
Wrapped in shining, black vinyl.
I'd charge to new places like never before.

Red levers, they shifted gears just like Dad’s car,
The brakes now I pulled ‘stead of stepping back hard.
The tires, they were slender,
Just right for the road,
The world just got bigger than my own back yard.

The Christmas Season reminds us once again to believe—if we have forgotten—that all things are possible with God:
A teenage girl can carry the hope of the world.
A baby born in a manger can be a King.
A lowly shepherd can be the first to hear about God’s plan for the world.
A lost teen can find her way back home to God’s plan for her life.
A baby born in poverty can learn skills to break a family cycle through his own initiative and the love of people God places in his life.

Someone trapped in poverty can find value in herself far beyond any monetary worth.
A person suffering from severe depression can find hope.
A person enslaved by addiction can find freedom.
A hopeless marriage can find a future.
A prisoner can find purpose.
A cancer patient can find healing in soul or body or both.
A victim of abuse can discover the love of a God who cries with her.
A victim of war can find peace in his heart and never give up on the belief that God will one day bring peace in the world.

[Mary] gave birth to a son, her firstborn. She wrapped him in a blanket and laid him in a manger, because there was no room in the hostel. There were sheepherders camping in the neighborhood.... Suddenly, God's angel stood among them and God's glory blazed around them… The angel said, "… A Savior has just been born in David's town, a Savior who is Messiah and Master."… At once the angel was joined by a huge angelic choir singing God's praises: Glory to God in the heavenly heights, Peace to all men and women on earth who please him. –Luke 2:7-14

Grace & Peace,
Pastor Steve

The credit card companies are rubbing their hands together in gleeful anticipation. The merchants are carefully watching the numbers and amounts of the sales being made to see if they will have a year end balance that will put them in the black. The customers are anxiously looking over their Christmas gift list, worrying whether they can afford to buy a gift for everyone on the list.

It seems that this time of the year our focus is on giving or receiving gifts. In Church we hear about the gift God has given us through Christ. However, most of our ideas about gift giving seem to center around gifts of material things. The question is, "Can we take the concept of gifts a step further?" Can we move it beyond the realm of material things and into the realm of God given talents? Not material things, but God given talents that can be used to glorify and praise God, talents that can be a source of strength and hope for someone in need.

The parable of the talents can be interpreted that way. We all have been given a talent(s) as a gift from God. This talent may be found in many different areas of life i.e.; good business sense, homemaker, ability to organize and create, craft work, music, visiting the sick or down hearted, being a prayer warrior, offering a caring hand or shoulder in time of need or distress, etc. etc. The list can go on and on.

Do we see these talents as gifts we can share with others? Do we see them as opportunities to glorify God? The Greek word used for talents is, “doma” which actually means to present or make a present of. This can easily be interpreted as giving a gift of ourselves.

When we think of giving a gift in this manner, doesn't it make gift giving a lot simpler?

IT ISN'T ALWAYS SOMETHING YOU HAVE TO BUY!! A gift can be even more meaningful if it is a gift of yourself, your talent or skill.

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. Dr. Haidle has a new office phone number: 565-7538 and a new email address: wdhdle@msn.com.

"The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field. When a man found it, he hid it again, and then in his joy went and sold all he had and bought that field.

"Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant looking for fine pearls. When he found one of great value, he went away and sold everything he had and bought it.

I was talking with a Christian friend at work recently and he shared with his story. He said he had gone to church all his life. He had learned all the Bible stories as a kid in Sunday school. But no one ever gave him a chance to or told him he should give his life to Christ. After years of trying to DO all the right things he felt empty but, he liked all the nice people at church and the activities. He was reading his bible one-day and felt led to ask in prayer to accept Jesus as His savior. He said that after this event his life changed from one in which he tried to do the right thing, to one in which he wanted to please his Savior. He shared this story with me and I got excited also. We pray together at work often and I cherish his friendship. His Church life changed from one of a club type meeting to one in which he was ready to share this treasure he had found. We don't do altar calls like Billy Graham or hold big rivals. We invite people to join small groups, Bible study or attend Spirit filled events like Walk to Emmaus that encourage us to look to Christ and invite him into our lives. Pastor Steve is a good tool God uses to Show us and point us to Jesus. Look for the True Treasure, sell all and Follow Christ. I am a disciple of Christ who turns a wrench to tell about my Savior. "Come, follow me," Jesus said, and I will make you Mechanics of men. Matthew 3:19 What is your calling? "Come, follow me," Jesus said, "and I will make you_______ of men." Your turn, you fill in the blank.

FINANCE NOTES

Estimate of Giving for 2007. This is budget-planning time for our church. The new fiscal year starts on January 1st, and it is our responsibility to be wise stewards of the Lord's rich blessings. It is really critical for church leaders to have a strong and secure estimate of income expectations in order to confidently prepare the expense budgets that we will need to enable our staff and programs to succeed. Like all of us, the church will have higher utility bills, increasing maintenance and operating costs, and plenty of new ideas that need solid support. Please consider how valuable your church is in your life and how strongly you can contribute to its support next year. If you have not already presented an estimate of your giving for 2007, please do it today and drop it into the collection plate or get it to the church office as soon as you can. To help, an Estimate of Giving slip is included with this newsletter.

Year-End Planning. As the end of the calendar year comes closer, you can do something to make your tax burden a little lighter. Making additional contributions to your church increases the size of your itemized deductions, which reduces your taxable income (if you use itemized deductions), which reduces your tax. If you are eligible for a refund, this would also increase the size of your refund. There is one little requirement that sometimes gets blurred or forgotten: the church must receive your contribution before the end of the day on December 31st. If you mail your contribution, it must be postmarked on or before December 31st. So, to be safe, drop your year-end contribution into the collection plate on either the Christmas Eve or the New Years Eve service.

Tax savings available for IRA distributions. If you can answer 'yes' to these questions, you can save money on your taxes in 2006 and 2007.
• Are you age 70-1/2 or older?
• Do you take distributions from an IRA?
• Do you make contributions to the church or other charities?
• Do you normally use the standard deduction on your tax return?
A new law allows you to make distributions from your IRA directly to a charitable organization (such as the church), without it being included in your gross income. Up to now, you have had to include distributions in your income, but have not been able to take advantage of the charitable deduction unless you had enough other deductions to itemize. At least for this year and next, you can bypass this by having your church contributions (up to $100,000 each year) come directly out of your IRA. You should see your financial advisor for details.

Automated Funds Transfers. Your regular contributions to the church can be made automatically next year. You can sign up to have regular amounts transferred directly from your bank account to the church bank account each week, every other week, monthly, or on some other regular schedule. This makes it easier than your having to remember to write those checks all the time. It's also a great way to keep your pledge up to date throughout the year. There are forms available in the church office, and you can activate them by dropping them at the Zion's Bank branch on 104th South at Redwood Road in South Jordan. Note: you do not have to be a Zion's Bank customer for these transfers to be effective. If you have any questions, ask Jerry Selbo or Don Porter.

As many of you may know the youth group went to an event called YLC (Youth Leadership Conference). We had a very big turnout. I think it was one of the biggest turnouts that we have had in the previous years that we have gone. YLC is a conference where you take different classes to help you grow as a person or to help you expand your knowledge of being a leader and ways to put it to work in your youth group. The theme for the weekend was Super Christians, The super hero within us all. The event has daily keynote speakers and a band. The band that played was All At Once a local band from Colorado. There were three keynote speakers this time. They were very good and presented very personal and moving stories about their lives and the ways Christ revealed himself and got them through whatever rough patch was in their way.
The youth that attended the event were: Shane Reinhard, Scott Reinhard, Courtney Curtiss, Malory Curtiss, Josh Coe, Dean Murphy, Chase Harrison, Sarah Harrison and myself. The adults that went with us were: Cory Coward, Samantha Stevens, and Rob Coe. They were very good leaders and helped the whole weekend be more spiritual, which I thank them for. It was a very nice weekend and I hope that any youth that didn't get a chance to go with us this time will come next year because it is such a moving experience and it's like nothing else.

God Bless.

-youth continues to meet Tuesday Nights at 7:30 so if you are between the ages of 6th grade to 12th we would love to see you there!-

SCOUT NEWS
Girl Scouts Mondays 7 p.m.
Cub Scouts Tuesday 7 p.m.
Boy Scouts Tuesday 7 p.m. starting Jan 2^nd!

Cub Scouts - Pack 4012 is sponsored by MVUMC. Our next Pack Meeting will be December 5th, and then again on January 2nd in the Sanctuary. Rumor has it that we will have a visitor from the North Pole at the December Pack Meeting! All boys 1st through 5th grades are welcome to join the Pack. Please contact Cubmaster Dave Elwell at 268-3600 for more information.

Many Thanks to God and to MVUMC - Thank you for the $673.50 donation directly to the Pack from the proceeds of the Broadway Program earlier this year. Thank you for the $500 donation to the Friends of Scouting program; this will give us the 10% Gold Club discount for uniforms and Summer Camp in 2007. Thank you for the GREAT support of our annual Popcorn Fundraiser that generated more than $250 to help send our boys to Camp and for our other monthly programs.

A Special Thank You - During our Popcorn Fundraiser, the Barker Family made a most generous donation of a Trailer to the Scouting program at MVUMC. This donation will surely help our program as well as the boys and girls it serves to grow in a positive direction. THANK YOU so very much. We know that God is Good ... All the Time - All the Time ... God is Good!

Boy Scouts - We are looking for more boys (ages 11 - 17) interested in joining or re-activating their membership in Troop 1012 at MVUMC. Please contact Dave Elwell at 268-3600 for more information.

God & Country Program - The Scouting program, the new Girl Scouts program and MVUMC will be joining together to offer the God & Country program for our youth - both boys and girls. Three levels - God & Me, 1st - 3rd; God & Family, 4th - 5th; and God & Church 6th - 8th grades. A decision was made to begin this program in early January to avoid the conflicts with busy holiday schedules. This program was offered and was well received last year at MVUMC. For more information, please contact either Cory Coward at 209-3734 or Dave Elwell at 268-3600.

Thank You from Girl Scout Troop 2120 - MVUMC sponsors our new Girl Scout
Troop, and we would like to Thank you for the $673.50 donation directly to
our Troop 2120 from the proceeds of the Broadway Program earlier this year.
It has helped us grow rapidly to more than 25 girls as of the time of our
Investiture Program on November 13th in the Sanctuary. It will not be long
before the famous Girl Scout cookies will be available, so keep an eye out
for our Girl Scouts.

Girls Welcome - Our Troop 2120 is looking for more girls to join. Girls ages
K-12 are welcome. Come check us out Mondays at 7:00 PM in the Sanctuary. For
more information, please call Brandy Fox at 280-9528, or Cindy Elwell at
268-3600.

I am the liaison coordinator for our Wasatch Front Emmaus and Chrysalis spiritual retreats. Our Emmaus community is trying to update our database. We are trying to find people from our church who have attended an Emmaus Walk or a Chrysalis Flight either in our Emmaus community or from another community out of state. We would love to communicate with you about upcoming gatherings as well as when the next Emmaus Walks and Chrysalis Flights are.

If you are attending this church and have been on an Emmaus Walk or Chrysalis Flight, and are not receiving Emmaus notice, please contact the secretary at your church or me directly at Reinhardfam@mtnvistaumc.org. It is very important that we help get the word out to our Emmaus and Chrysalis friends about upcoming events.

EVENTS!

Charge Conference Potluck!!!
Come get charged up and filled up!!!
Sunday December 3rd
Potluck at 12:00
Charge Conference at 1:00 p.m.

Salt Lake Interfaith Hospitality Network
December 3-10
Mountain Vista is Hosting IHN families at Hilltop House
Provide meals, support and overnight supervision for homeless families.
Volunteers are needed for:
• set up
• cooking evening meals
• help clean up
• overnight supervision.
The families arrive at 5pm and leave by 7am.

COLLEGE STUDENTS!!
December 9, 5-9 p.m. Food for Finals
Check out the Wesley Foundation United Methodist Campus Ministry!
They would like to include you in activities and on their mailing list. They plan to have mixers, service projects, and a “food for finals” activity where they provide food, babysitting, and a quiet place to study for finals.
Where: Christ United Methodist Church, 2375 E. 3300 S.
Purpose: Meet and mingle with other United Methodist Students.
Contact: Terry Haven at 801-486-7993.

SHOPPING!

Ten Thousand Villages
December 8, 5-8pm 20% of all sales will be donated to Crossroads
Do your shopping at Ten Thousand Villages and benefit Crossroads Urban Center!
2186 S. Highland Drive in the heart of Sugarhouse

The Oasis Christian Superstore offers a selection in Christian books, music and gifts.
Oasis will post Church event information, and has gift-wrapping fundraiser opportunities. Phone: 282-5211
Check it out at 3245 West 7800 South Suite C, West Jordan.
They are open Monday, Tuesday, Thursday 10am-8pm; Wednesday 10am-5pm; Friday & Saturday 10am –9pm.

Christmas Cards for Sale to Benefit Building Fund!
Buy your cards Oct. 29 - Dec. 17th after every service by the kitchen
Beautiful Nature Photography to Affirm your Spirit by Bill Bruce
Greeting Cards will also be available!
All cards are $10/box, with $2/box to the Building Fund
Questions? Call Bill or Laurie at 816-0230

Christmas Concert
The Bells of Joyful Sound will be playing a Christmas concert at 7:00 p.m. on Sunday evening, December 17. A love offering will be taken for the benefit of the building fund.

8:30 a.m.	Traditional Service
9:45 a.m.	Christmas Cantata, "Ceremony of Candles," by the Mountain Vista Chancel Choir
11:00 a.m.	Contemporary Service

5:00 p.m.	Candlelight Service
7:00 p.m.	Christmas Cantata, "Ceremony of Candles," by Mountain Vista Chancel Choir
9:00 p.m.	Candlelight Service

Santa’s Cookie Shop & Christmas Boutique
Saturday, December 9, 8 a.m.-3 p.m.

It is time once again for our annual Christmas Cookie sale. We have changed the name this year from "Cookie Walk" to "Santa’s Cookie Shop." "Santa’s Cookie Shop" 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 at the Christmas Boutique and a wall quilt to be raffled.

This event will take place on Sat., Dec. 9, 2006 from 8 a.m.-3 p.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 at least 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. 8th between 5-8 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 the event 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. 8, for delivery and Dec. 9, to buy, making this event a great success!

INTO THE FUTURE!

2nd Annual Leadership Training
Saturday, January 20, 2007, 8:30 a.m.-3:00 p.m.
Keynote Speaker: Heather Wilson from The General Board of Global Ministries
Workshops: Covering a variety of topics on church growth, administration, worship and leadership.
Location: Christ UMC, 2375 E. 3300 S., SLC
Cost $15.00 per person ($20 at the door)
Save the date and watch for more information!

Also at Christ UMC, Salt Lake City, UT
January 20th the Rocky Mountain Youth Ministry Institute!
Module One -- "Foundations for Youth Ministry"
YMI will provide a network of leadership resources.
YMI consists of three one-day training events for all adults who work with youth: Youth directors, Youth ministers, Youth counselors, Youth workers
For $25 you will receive a full day's training, lunch, a recently published youth ministry book and a gift bag of goodies for you and your ministry.

Christianity for the Heart and the Head
Feburary 2-3, 2007, Christ UMC is hosting New Testament scholar, Dr. Marcus Borg.
Friday 7:30-9:00 PM: Two Visions of Christianity Today: Seeing the Difference, Building Bridges
Saturday 9:00 AM-3:00 PM: Seeing the Christian Life Again
Open Registration begins December 1, seating is limited.
For more information: www.christmethodistchurch.net

Walk to Emmaus dates:
Men’s Walk Feb 22-25, 2007 (the last weekend of February each year)
Women’s Walk March 1-4, 2007 (the first weekend of March each year)

Youth Chrysalis (high school age):
Young Men’s Flight August 2-5, 2007 (first weekend in August each year)
Young Women’s Flight August 9-12, 2007 (second weekend in August each year)
Check with the church office for applications. Come "walk" with Christ.

While they were talking and discussing, Jesus himself came near and walked with them.
-Luke 24:15 DIV

Host Families for Exchange Students are needed for the 2007/2008 school year.
Applications are on line at www.youthforunderstanding.org
Opening your hearts and your homes is very special, it makes the world a much smaller place. And having sons and daughters all over the world comes in handy when traveling! You can select and correspond with your "new family member" as soon as you are approved. Students come with their own insurance and spending money. They speak "school English" and are here to perfect their skills. Students need their own bed, a ride to school and a family to welcome them. Families are provided support from area representatives.

NOTICES!

Poinsettias
Each family is invited to bring a poinsettia to decorate the sanctuary for the month of December. Thank you for the "loan" and please take your poinsettia home after Christmas.

Aluminum Cans
The Choir is collecting aluminum cans to raise money to purchase more music! There is a box in the kitchen and a trash can by the shed to deposit your Aluminum cans. Thank you!

"Save Lids to Save Lives" (Pink Yoplait yogurt lids)
Collecting lids until December ,15, 2006.
Help raise $15 million to fight breast cancer. Yoplait will donate 10 cents up to $1.5 million to the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation.

"Pull The Top, Make The Drop" (pop tabs from cans)
The Ronald McDonald House in Salt Lake City, serves as a home away from home, where families of children with cancer, life-threatening injuries, premature birth, and other serious illnesses can reside while their children receive treatment at one of the area's nearby medical facilities.

"Box tops for Education" (box top coupons)
All the money received though this program will benefit community service. These box tops can be found on products of General Mills, Pillsbury, Hamburger Helper, Betty Crocker, Old El Paso, Fruit Snacks ,Nature Valley, Granola Bars, Kleenex, Cottonelle, Scott, Ziploc, and Pop Secret.

Soup Labels
Save those Campbell’s Soup labels too!!! They will be donated to Red Bird Mission. They are used to purchase needed supplies for the mission.

Remember Out Troops
The Griersons send boxes of "special" items to our troops as moral support. We can all help fill the boxes. Just ask Melinda!

Portrait of Christ
Pastor Steve's uncle, John Naylor, is a professional portrait artist and is selling prints of Jesus Christ for $30. He will donate $10 toward our building fund for every print that he sells to our church. Orders can be made at the church office.

Mothers Of PreSchoolers - MOPS
MOPS Meeting two Friday mornings in December
at Trinity UMC, 4290 West 5415 South in Kearns.
Dec 15 spa day & Dec 22 Keeping Christ in Christmas.
For information contact Vanessa at 548-1279.

Project Rescue Me
Dawson Mcallister Live radio show on 97.1 ZHT Sunday nights from 10pm to 12am. Project Rescue Me is a secular radio show used to reach un-churched teenagers and young adults. Prayers are requested that God may use this show and the off-air HopeLine (1-800-394-HOPE) to draw many area teenagers and young adults to Him. Web site: DMLIVE.COM

CROSSROADS URBAN CENTER
Thrift Store, 1385 W Indiana Ave (850 S)
Pantry 347 S 400 E

December food of the month - canned fruit and milk, canned or powdered
December thrift store item of the month – new underwear
Please bring items to the church and they will be delivered to Crossroads.

Sandwich Mission
December dates are:
Sunday, Dec 17: Make/bring sandwiches to church
Monday, Dec 18: Serve sandwiches, 5:00 pm at St Vincent DePaul Center, 500 West 200 South
For any questions, contact Geniel Woodward 233-8681
The Girl Scouts will be helping make sandwiches every other month, contact Brandee Fox 280-9528.

THANKFUL! THANKFUL!

Midnight Express
Donations over $500!
Thank you to all who supported this effort.

Broadway Show
After expenses the show netted $12,664! Thank you all for donating your time and talents!!

5th Annual Trunk or Treat a TERRIFIC SUCCESS!
This year's Trunk or Treat had over 170 kids of all ages (including us grown-up kids)!!! It was a packed "house"!!! For those of us who attended it was obvious Mountain Vista has a great need for additional space.

Praise God to all the wonderful volunteers who made this event possible! We had so many hands and feet of Christ assisting. Mountain Vista is truly a Christ Centered Community!

Barb McClellan

P.S. Wow!! The next day you couldn’t even tell there were over 170 happy kids in the church!!
Raedell

ON THE MOVE – new addresses
Let the Church office know if you have a correction or change of address.

Help Wanted
Christ UMC is seeking a Director of Youth Ministries, 25 to 40 hours per week with flex time. Salaried position, which includes five hours on Sundays, usually from 4:30pm to 9:30pm for youth meetings. Regular attendance at Sunday worship and 10:00 Fellowship. Out-of-town travel for annual retreats and summer mission trips. Total hours and salary based on education and experience. Requires some setup each week and an ability to lift 15 to 20 pounds on a regular basis.
For more information go to: http://pluto.matrix49.com/15641/?subpages/Job-Dir-Youth-Ministry.shtml

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.

Christmas Concert The Bells of Joyful Sound will be playing a Christmas concert at 7:00 p.m. on Sunday evening, December 17. A love offering will be taken for the benefit of the building fund.

Christmas Concert
The Bells of Joyful Sound will be playing a Christmas concert at 7:00 p.m. on Sunday evening, December 17. A love offering will be taken for the benefit of the building fund.