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A Message from Pastor Kelly
Come on Home
We all know the feeling–
the shaky ground,
sinking sand,
water-is-rising,
sun-is-fading feeling
that makes steady breathing
an entire miracle,
and holding back tears
a marvel in and of itself.
And when those days come,
I call my parents.
And I call my church,
and I call my friends,
and they say in unison
what God has said
from the very beginning,
which is, "Come on home."
Is there anything more healing
than an open door?
If you're seeking sanctuary,
if the waters are rising–
listen.
It may be hard to hear,
but God is always saying,
"Come on home."
–Sarah Speed, sanctifiedart.org God is always inviting us to come on home. Even in years when our physical presence in the building is limited, our spiritual presence amongst the body of Christ is a tangible balm to our souls. And the open barn door in our chancel this Advent has been calling us to heal, to listen, to breathe, from behind masks, yes, but in unison with the family of faith caring for the community.
On Christmas Eve we'll have lots of special music carrying our spirits along, the presence of our Confirmands reminding us that even in the darkness the light was not overcome, and "kids" home for the holidays as readers. Come on home. Join us online. And let us know in the comments that you're worshiping with us. We want to encourage one another in these trying times. -- Pastor Kelly | |  | | Christmas Eve Service
We at Main Street UMC are so looking forward to celebrating Christmas with you this year! The chaos and uncertainty of pandemic have, perhaps more than ever, prepared us for the coming of Emmanuel. We need to experience God with us now!
In order to include as many people as possible in our Christmas Eve celebration, we will live-stream our Christmas Eve service at 7:00 p.m. on Facebook and YoutubeLive. The church website: https://www.mainstreet-umc.org/ will provide links for joining the service online.
If you feel the need to be present in the sanctuary for the service, 100 people (including worship leaders, etc.) may pre-register to attend with masks and physical distancing, beginning on Sunday, December 5th at 1:00 p.m. and ending on December 23rd at noon. Those who wish to register for in-person worship only may do so at the following link... https://www.eventbrite.com/e/christmas-eve-worship-tickets-221504454787 ...or by calling Pastor Kristy at 603-882-3361 x16 and leaving a message. We look forward to celebrating the birth of Christ with you online and in person! | |  | The NEAC Cabinet has created a video service appropriate for our local churches to use on the Sunday after Christmas or another Sunday in January. The service will include a sermon from Bishop Sudarshana Devadhar. This service will be used to give your pastor some well-deserved respite and/or you can integrate parts into your own worship services.
MSUMC will premier this video service online on, Sunday, December 26th. There will be no in-person service that morning. The purpose of using these resources is not only to give staff some time away, but also for our wonderful volunteers and tech team who give their time generously and selflessly each Sunday so that they may have the day after Christmas to relax and enjoy time with their families. | |  | |
Joyful Sharing
The Breniser family welcomes the birth of baby Mason, born on December 22nd 2021; 6 lbs 19 in. Congratulations!!! | |
Dazzling December
Holiday Lighting Contest!
Presented by Granite State Credit Union
Voting takes place December 10th - Jan. 3rd
Great American Downtown's second annual holiday lighting contest invites Nashua homes and Downtown businesses to get festive and brighten up our winter nights with their most magical displays of lights and decorations!
Check out the photos on our contest page, and plan on printing our driving-tour map once it up. Then pile into the car with the kids and be dazzled!
OUR THANKS TO PRESENTING SPONSOR:
Granite State Credit
Please use the following link for more information:
https://downtownnashua.org/dazzling-december-nashuas-lighting-display-contest/
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Earlier this year, we joined together with author and activist, Brian McLaren, to study his latest book, "Faith After Doubt." What a great experience!
After hearing so many requests for more time with Brian, we reached out to him and his colleagues at Convergence to explore next steps.
Now we are excited to announce that beginning in January 2022, New England clergy and laity are invited to register for four online courses taught by Brian and the Rev. Dr. Jacqui Lewis, senior pastor of Middle Collegiate Church in New York City.
For more information, please use the following link:
https://www.neumc.org/newsdetail/online-course-series-features-brian-mclaren-15800841 | | Looking for Art Objects for "Drawn In"
Our next 8 week worship series through the season of Epiphany is called "Drawn In" and will focus on our creativity in all aspects of life. We would like to fill the altar with a collection of artistic pieces that will change somewhat each week. If you have pottery, a basket, painting, photography, weaving or the like, that you or a family member has made and would be willing to share with the congregation for a week or so, please bring it to the church office any time during January and February. Be sure your name and any interesting information about the piece is with it.
If you would like to share photos with us, please send them to office@mainstreet-umc.org
You may see some of your artwork images in the slides during worship.
| | Missions News for December (Update)
Heart of Nashua Food Assistance Ministry:
This Christmas, the Missions Work Area will provide gift certificates to our New American Families instead of assembling boxes. We encourage those families, as well as anyone in the Nashua area who needs food, to go to the Nashua Soup Kitchen and Shelter during the week before Christmas for Holiday boxes. Boxes of produce and other food will be available from 11 a.m. to 2:45 p.m. at the Soup Kitchen on these days:
Thursday. December 16
Friday, December 17
Monday, December 20
Tuesday, December 21
Wednesday, December 22
Thursday, December 23
If you wish to help provide the gift certificates for purchasing gift cards for our New American families, you can add a check to the church into your envelope with "Christmas basket gift cards" in the notes line. Many thanks to those who have continued to support the food pantry. Gift cards will allow them to have traditional foods or some of the basics that an ordinary food basket will not provide. Thank you for your assistance. Special thanks to Beatrice Bahati for making sure that families in need get the cards.
Gifts for the King: Thank you! Some of you shopped online for the Amazon wish list, and some shopped locally for warm jackets, snow pants, mittens, and gloves. And some of you knit hats and mittens yourselves! These are already at the Soup Kitchen, being assembled into Christmas gift packages for client families of the Soup Kitchen. Thanks also for the socks for Stepping Stones and other programs that help our neighbors in need. The bin is filling up!
UMCOR tornado response: Remember that your gifts to the United Methodist Committee on Relief already have provided the base for any specific giving that you want to donate toward tornado disaster relief in Kentucky and other states. You can write your check to Main Street UMC and put "UMCOR December tornadoes" on the note line. All of the money donated now will go to that specific cause. You can give directly to UMCOR at https://advance.umcor.org/p-620-umcor-us-disaster-response-and-recovery.aspx For now, local Methodist teams with chain saws are just beginning to help clear downed trees, and initial grants have been given to the conferences in need of so much help. Later, Volunteers in Missions teams will help with long-term recovery and rebuilding.
NEEDED:
Queen bed frame and mattress needed for a new family resettled from Burundi. Talk with Phyllis Appler if you have a bed frame or connection with local mattress vendor.
| | | There will be NO Mainstreeter Blast sent the week of December 27th. The Mainstreeter Newsletter will go out as planned on or before January 1st. | | | Coming in January: HALF TRUTHS by Adam Hamilton -- Combined youth and adult class The confirmation class and the adult Vestry class will join for this series, exploring popular sayings that miss the point. They are simple phrases: "God helps those who help themselves," "Love the sinner, hate the sin," and others. They sound Christian - like something you might find in the Bible. We've all heard these words. Maybe we've said them. They capture some element of truth, yet they miss the point in important ways. Discover the whole truth by comparing common Christian clichés with the wisdom found in Scripture. This video-based class will be led by Paul Pederzani and lively discussion is assured! Starts Sunday mornings at 9:00 a.m., January 2nd-30th, 2022. | | This is an event that Pastor Kelly and some of the confirmands are interested in participating in. It would be great if we could form a MSUMC team!! If you are interested in joining them on Sunday, February 6th 2022, please contact the Main Office:
office@mainstreet-umc.org
Attention Runners and Walkers:
From February 5th to the 13th, participants will be challenged to complete a 5K, 10K, or Half Marathon walk/run course with challenge stops along the way that we're calling the "Nashua Nor'Easter Run / Walk".
Runners can compete for the fastest time or the most points by completing individual exercises, including lunges, burpees, squats, pushups, army crawls, etc. Throughout, runners will learn about the many great nonprofits that make up the community safety net because that's where the stops are!
The money raised will go to the Safety Net Programs, which is supporting a wide range of needs and people. Runners "win" by doing something great for themselves as well as the community at large! Awards, incentives, and raffles are bonuses available to participants too! It will culminate with a Celebration at Boston Billiards Club & Casino on February 17th.
Register Here: www.tinyurl.com/nn2022 | | November 2021 Finance Snapshot:
General Fund (GF)
Total GF Income Received as of 11/30/21: $374,006.44*
Total GF Income Budgeted through 11/30/2021: $404,064
Total GF Expenses Paid through 11/30/2021: $346,145.84
Total GF Expenses Budgeted through 11/30/2021: $404,250.27
* Includes $22,727 designated for Heart of Nashua Continued and CARES Act PPP Draw 2 Funds of
$41,352.00 received and used for GF expenses. All Cares Act funds were spent and we received
forgiveness from the SBA for the loan which is marked "Paid."
Notes on General Fund
- In November we paid a full month each to World and New England Missions shares. This leaves us about six month's short on each. (Total amount still to be paid in 2021 is $11,507.34. We received $1220 towards missions in November.)
- Except for mission shares and some obligations not yet received, we are current on other expenses.
Heart of Nashua 1 & 2 (GiF) & HON Cont. (Capital Campaign/Elevator, Connector, Renovations)
- Balance Due on HON Loan as of 11/30/2021: $134,296 (Loan was $358,343.45)
- In November the monthly payment was paid. HON Cont. funds on hand 11/30/2021 ($10,546.54) will cover payments for six months.
- Total Paid (including interest) Using HON 1, 2 & Continued as of 11/30/2021: $1,904,044.83
Funding for the Future, 100 for $150 (Endowment) – Received this year as of 11/30/2021: $2465
Anyone can be one of 100 people or families giving $150 each year (or any amount) to grow our endowment for our future.
Parsonage Mortgage – As of 10/30/2021 we owed $63,811.72 on the parsonage. Payments are $896.22 per month. At the present rate, the parsonage will be paid off on 1/23/29. We have used income from the Scrip gift card program to pay extra on the mortgage principal.
Your Continuing Help Needed
The General Fund, as always, is the fund that most needs our donations. This funds our programs, covers our building expenses (utilities, maintenance, insurance, etc.) and our staff as well as paying connectional obligations to the New England Conference of the United Methodist Church. This fund can be used to pay any expense rather than being directed to specific uses.
Thank You
Thank you to all who support this congregation. In November, we received extra giving to support the general fund, missions, and to help provide a salary in 2022/2023 for our associate pastor. Thanks to those who donated to Heart of Nashua Continued supporting the connector and elevator renovation. We are grateful for those who pledged for 2022. We are thankful that some were able to increase their pledges. There is still time to pledge.
Early Reminder
If possible, please send in year-end donations as early as possible to allow time to deposit and use them to pay our obligations.
| | Pastor's Sabbath Days:
Pastor Kelly: Tuesday
Pastor Kristy: Friday
Days to Reach Pastors
Pastor Kelly: Monday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday
Pastor Kristy: Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday | | | | | |
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