Upcoming Events and Announcements

Tryon UMC is no longer live streaming its Sunday morning worship service, but will record and upload each week’s worship service to our church’s website as well as to Facebook. Online viewers can watch each Sunday worship service anytime they wish during the week. Every effort will be made to have each Sunday’s worship service video available to view online no later than Monday at 6:00 PM.

On our church website, www.tryonumc.org, use the dropdown menu and select “Worship Video”. On our church’s Facebook page, www.facebook.com/tumctryon, click on the menu item “Video”.

➢ We continue to encourage you to make your offerings to the church so that we can continue to operate and take care of the essential day-to-

day things to keep us functioning as a church. You can mail in your offering or come by and drop it in our locked mailbox. You can also give on-

line with your credit card. Click on the link on our website under Giving.

❖ Page Turners, December 16th. See below for more information

❖ Staff Christmas Gifts. See below for more information

❖ Christmas Card exchange. See below for more information

❖ Special Services at TUMC See below for more information

➢ Please check the Prayer List each week for those who have asked for our prayers. And please help us

keep our list up-to-date.

If there are names that need to be added or taken off the list, please contact the office at 828-859-9218 or

send an email to tumc1@tryonumc.net

UP COMING EVENTS

~Special Christmas Services at Tryon UMC~

December 19th, 5:00 p.m. - Service of Darkness and Light. We will gather in the Sanctuary for a time of peaceful prayers and reflections. The holidays can be challenging and difficult times for many and we want to offer a service that acknowledges that, while offering compassion, kindness, and grace in ways that reflect God’s love for us in the season of Advent.

December 24th, 5:00 p.m. - Service of Lessons and Carols, Christmas Eve.

➢ Chancel Choir. will resume on Wednesday, September 4 at 5pm in the choir room. All are welcome to come and

“lift a joyful noise unto the Lord”!

➢ Handbell Choir. will resume on Wednesday, September 11 at 6pm in the handbell room. All are welcome to come and

" Paly Bells with us.

➢ Comfort Shawls. Every second and fourth Tuesday. 10:00 a.m. Comfort Shawl Room.

➢ Qi Gong. Monday’s and Fridays. 10:00—11:00 a.m. Fellowship Hall

➢ AA Meetings: Meets on Monday evenings at 5:30 p.m. in the Fellowship Hall.

➢ Girl Scouts: Thursday. 4:30 p.m. Education Rooms, 2nd Floor (Not meeting during the summer.

➢ Living Clean. Thursday. 6:00 p.m. Fellowship Hall.

OPERATIONS BUDGET

Giving for December 8, 2024 $26,872.00* Weekly Goal $3,709.37

Total Giving for December, 2024 $28,007.00 Monthly Goal $16,073.92

Total Pledges and Giving for 2024 (As of December 1, 2024): $185,464.24

* A deposit was made in the amount of $26,062 from our account with the United Methodist Foundation of Western NC to cover expenses for the church.

ATTENDANCE

December 8, 2024 IN PERSON: 34 ON-LINE: 161 TOTAL: 195

Stewardship for the 2024 Budget

Amount Pledged to date: $104,672,672 Total Budget for 2024: $192,887.00

Inserted in your announcements this week is information on giving for the first four months of 2024. In our Gathering Meeting on April 23rd, some of you mentioned you would like to see more information about giving and how we are doing regarding making our budget for the year.

The insert includes weekly and monthly giving for January through April and what we need each week and month to meet our budget. Going forward, you will get a summary each week in the bulletin to let you track how we are doing.

If you have any questions about this information, please contact Lynn Montgomery, our church treasurer, or Pastor Lynnette.

➢ in-person during Sunday worship services.

➢ Drop off your offering in our locked mailbox outside the church office.

➢ Give on-line with your credit card. See our website at www.tryonumc.org Click on “Giving” link. NOTE: Make sure you identify our church as

Tryon UMC in Tryon, NC in the Blue Ridge District (there is a Tryon Methodist Church in Charlotte in the Metro District. Sometimes we get

confused with them).

On behalf of our staff, thank you to everyone for the cards, gifts, and contributions during the holiday season. They were very much appreciated.

Thank you, especially to all of those who have helped in this process.

Tryon United Methodist Church

Mission Statement: The people of Tryon United Methodist Church seek to answer God’s call to be disciples of Christ

Vision Statement: As Disciples of Christ we come together as a loving, caring family of faith:

To share the hope, peace, grace, and love of Jesus Christ.

To worship God and nurture spiritual growth.

To grow in understanding of the Bible and its revelation of Jesus Christ.

To serve the needs of our neighbors near and far.

Staff Christmas Gift Fund for 2024

Dear Friends,

As Christmas 2024 approaches, we are reminded of some of the loving and generous traditions that have emerged over the years at Tryon UMC. One of those traditions is to express gratitude to our staff.

On behalf of your Leadership Team, I invite you to join us in contributing to a voluntary Christmas gift fund for our staff. All monies collected between December 1st and December 15th will be divided equally between Pastor Lynnette and Pam McNeil.

There is a box outside the church office for you to leave your donation. For your convenience, you can place your donation in the locked mailbox outside the church parking lot entrance or hand it to me on Sunday morning.

If you are writing a check, please make it payable to Tryon UMC and write “Staff Gift” on the memo line.

Thank you so much and may God bless you and your loved ones during this Christmas Season.

Pam Monterisi

Tryon UMC Lay Leader

Page Turners. December 16th at 12:00 p.m. Library

“The Copper Beech” by Maeve Binchy

In the little Irish town of Shancarrig, the young people carve their initials—and those of their loves—into the copper beech tree in front of the schoolhouse. But not even Father Gunn, the parish priest, who knows most of what goes on behind Shancarrig’s closed doors, or Dr. Jims, the village doctor, who knows all the rest, realize that not everything in the placid village is what it seems.

Unexpected passions and fears are bringing together many lives, such as the sensitive new priest and Miss Ross, the slight, beautiful schoolteacher . . . Leonora, the privileged daughter of the town’s richest family, and Foxy Dunne, whose father did time in jail . . . and Nessa Ryan, whose parents run Ryan’s Hotel, and two very different young men. For now the secrets in Shancarrig’s shadows are starting to be revealed, from innocent vanities and hidden loves to crimes of the heart . . . and even to murder.

NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • “The Copper Beech is as soothing as a cup of tea.”—People