Christ Community United Methodist Church
UPDATE
November 26, 2025
Hi everyone:
Tomorrow is Thanksgiving. In the US we celebrate Thanksgiving on the fourth Thursday of November. Other countries have other traditions (for example it is the 2nd Monday in Canada) but this is ours. The day usually features feasting, family (and football) with a wild assortment of special or traditional side dishes. Marshmallow candied yams, green bean casserole, and, of course, the turkey stuffing. Karen’s dad did not think the stuffing was right unless he added enough sage to make it a lovely shade of green.
But, food, family (and football) aside. Thanksgiving is a day our nation has chosen to set aside for us to remember our blessings and be thankful. To give thanks to God for God’s amazing bounty and goodness. It has also become a time to remember that part of God’s amazing bounty and goodness is given through us – and so we remember those who have less or are struggling for whatever reason.
One critical factor of an active faith is cultivating an attitude of gratitude. When you gather tomorrow, look around the table, look around the room and see who is there (and who is not there this year) and, in seeing, breathe a word of thanks and appreciation.
Here is what is happening at Christ Community:
1. This Sunday is the 1st Sunday of Advent. The theme is HOPE. We will light the first Advent candle – the candle of HOPE. Theologically, hope is not wishful thinking, it is having confidence moving forward not because of who we are but because of God. God gives us a living and breathing hope that will never make us ashamed. The Scriptures are Romans 5:1-5 and Hebrews 6:13-20. As always worship can be accessed online through our website: ChristCommunityUMC.com.
2. THANK YOU – to Betty Kline and her team for a most excellent first ever Craft Show. Vendors were happy, purchasers were happy, and the church was able to greet and meet dozens of people we would not ordinarily have been in contact with. We look forward to the 2nd annual next November.
3. Stewardship Sunday was last Sunday. We will be mailing “Estimate of Giving” cards to those who were not present Sunday. THANK YOU to everyone who has stepped up and increased their giving, and THANK YOU to everyone (that would be all of us) who are doing what they can to support the work of Jesus Christ through Christ Community. I’ll send out a preliminary report when I have it.
4. PASTOR BJ will be away next week in Florida taking care of his late brother Daryl Norrix’s affairs and business. He will be gone from Tuesday through Saturday (December 2 through 6) and can be reached through his cell phone (315 726 2815) in case of emergencies.
5. In our Prayers: Please pray for Betty Jo Flask, pray for Jim Hockey and his treatments (and all others undergoing cancer treatment), Pray for John Kline, Pray for the Norrix family (death of Daryl) and Chris Hockey and family on the death of Chris’s daughter Jacklyn and the Teegarden family on the death of Betty. Georgia Nemecek has been in the hospital (Community) with a leg issue. Pray for those with seasonal illnesses, those who are hungry, those who are in harm’s way in violent places around the world.
Pray for our Church and the United Methodist Church.
6. Monthly Healing Service kicks off in Liverpool United Methodist Church on Sunday December 14 at 6:00 p.m. Meditative worship, witness, and prayers for healing. This service will come to Christ Community on the 2nd Sunday of January 11.
7. BIBLE STUDY REVISED PLAN–We are starting a Study of the Gospel according to St. Luke. Class will be held on
Wednesdays beginning December 10 at 1:00 p.m. at the Church AND
Thursdays beginning December 11 at 6:00 p.m. at the Church.
Same subject at each gathering.
Sign up at church or by responding to this email (indicate which session)
SCHEDULE FOR BIBLE STUDY (subject to change)
December 10/11 – Luke 1
December 17/18 – Luke 2
December 25 – Christmas Eve/Day (no class)
January 1 – New Years Eve/Day (no class)
January 7/8 – Luke 3
8. Calendar of upcoming events
November 22 – CCUMC Craft Fair 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
November 23 – Annual Stewardship Sunday
November 30 – First Sunday in Advent
December 2 – December 6 Pastor BJ in Florida on Family business
December 4 – Church Council
December 14 – Healing Service 6:00 at Liverpool First UMC
December 9 – OPEN MIKE
December 10/11 – Bible Study of Luke chapter 1
December 17/18 – Bible Study of Luke chapter 2
December 24 – Christmas Eve Celebration at 7:00 p.m.
Parting Thought
I’ve been trying to practice “thanks living” these past few weeks. The idea is to start each day with gratitude and to end each day by giving thanks. It is a little tricky for me, as I have trouble pausing to start the day, and sometimes I forget to give thanks at the end of the day. However, when I do, I am experiencing a deeper enrichment of my soul.
The gratitude at the beginning of the day sets my heart in the right place. I awake and speak that I am grateful for my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, for my life, for my wife, for my work, for having all that I need, for my calling as a pastor, for my ongoing work in Uganda, and for health, etc. These things don’t change much from day to day.
Each giving thanks is different. I give thanks for a random conversation, for insight into bible study, for a quiet lunch with my wife, for new friends and old connections, for whatever else I was privileged to be a part of on that day. Having given thanks, I find I am able to rest better.
What will you do to cultivate an attitude of gratitude?
I’ll see you when the community gathers,
BJ Norrix, lead servant, missionary, thanks giver