Christmas Luminaries
About 33 years ago the Alplaus United Methodist Church introduced the hamlet of Alplaus to Christmas luminaries. Luminaries are small white bags with a burning candle inside that are placed outside along your property on Christmas Eve. They are an adaptation from the small bonfires that were built in front of each home in Mexico to welcome the Christ Child on Christmas Eve. People in New Mexico carried on this tradition for many years. However, one year in the early 20th century, one family had been unable to adequately prepare the traditional home bonfire because of illness in their family. As the holiday season drew near, the youngest child place a broken candle in a paper bag partially filled with sand, and placed it outside their home to keep the tradition and welcoming spirit alive. These “little lights” or “farolitos” have become a popular way to keep this welcome tradition alive. They are supposed to be placed along your property edge along the road and up your driveway or walkway. It is a beautiful sight to see streets lined with these lights. The more families that put out the luminaries, the more impressive the sight is. Luminaries will be available for purchase again this year. There will be some at the church starting Dec. 2, or you can contact Barb or Dan Trask at 399-6454 to place an order. They will cost $3.50 per dozen, which will include the bags and candles.
Sunday School News
The format of our class has changed this year since the girls are now older. We have started to incorporate some of the format used during the regular church service. For example, we are lighting a candle at the beginning of class to emulate what we do during church and have discussed the symbolism of light in the Christian faith. We are also sharing our joys and concerns with one another, and sometimes they also share them during the church service. The girls continue to be our acolytes during the church service which we are very grateful for. During the first month of class we read about various miracles Jesus performed and compared them among the 4 Gospel books. We started to explore the miracles in the Old Testament, but have tabled that so we can work on our Christmas Pageant. The students are excited about the play, so we hope you will stay after church on Dec. 16 to watch their performance of “How the Grinch Found the Christ in Christmas.”
Prayer Chain
The Prayer chain has been revised! There will still be two lists. One list will remain as a phone call list. The second list will be for anyone who would like to receive the prayer request by text message. To activate the prayer chain, please call Mary Herrick (518-399-2113) or call/text Carolyn Koch (518-248-8138). Please contact Pastor Kristi (518-469-7764 or revklvp@yahoo.com) if you have the need for private prayer. If you are not already part of the prayer chain and would like to be included, please let me know. Thanks, Carolyn
The Amblers Walking Club
The Amblers meet every Tuesday at 9:00 am in the Alplaus United Methodist Church parking lot. Open to anyone that wants to join!! The group walks through the hamlet of Alplaus.
All are welcome and hoping the group will grow!
Youth Group
The first Youth Group was a success!!! We welcome all youths grades 6 -12 from any church or school.
Mayan Hands Fair Trade Sales Update
This was one of the best years for our Mayan Hands sale! We took in $3,072.90. This is more than we made in recent years. All the money we take in goes back to the Mayan Hands organization to help the women and children & the scholarship fund.
I want to thank Mandy and Amanda for all the time they put in helping to make this sale a success. We couldn’t have done it without them.
Fall Chili Dinner Update
Many thanks to everyone who helped prepare the food ahead of time, worked at the dinner and/or supported it with their attendance on Sat. Nov. 10. Our turnout wasn’t as high as last year, but the food was delicious and the camaraderie was great! We made a profit of $236.29 which will be placed in the Camp Scholarship Fund to help finance children’s attendance at Christian summer camps. This scholarship program is a joint venture with the Alplaus Residents Association. Last summer we had 2 youth from our church use this scholarship money to attend camp.
Religious-Based Campership Scholarships Available
It’s that time of year when families start planning for summer activities. Summer camps play a valuable role in a child’s life. The Alplaus United Methodist Church and the Alplaus Residents Association have a scholarship fund to help finance the attendance at religious-based summer camps for children in our town or who attend the Alplaus United Methodist Church. Sky Farm Camp in the Lake George area and Camp Aldersgate in Syracuse are examples of such camps that are offered through the Methodist church. Both places have their camp information online at:
http://campsandretreats.org/summer-camp-2018
They both offer numerous camp options during the summer for children of all ages with a wide range of activities. To find out about the various camp programs available at these two camps you’ll need to access their web sites. If your family would like help financing a camp experience for any of your children this summer, please fill out an application form for each child (available on the display table in fellowship hall) and give it to Barb Trask. If you need an application sent to you, Barb can be contacted at 518-399-6454 or dtrask1@nycap.rr.com. Parents are expected to pay the deposit and the scholarship could finance up to $300 additional expenses. We hope some of the children attending our church will be able to attend camp this summer!
About 33 years ago the Alplaus United Methodist Church introduced the hamlet of Alplaus to Christmas luminaries. Luminaries are small white bags with a burning candle inside that are placed outside along your property on Christmas Eve. They are an adaptation from the small bonfires that were built in front of each home in Mexico to welcome the Christ Child on Christmas Eve. People in New Mexico carried on this tradition for many years. However, one year in the early 20th century, one family had been unable to adequately prepare the traditional home bonfire because of illness in their family. As the holiday season drew near, the youngest child place a broken candle in a paper bag partially filled with sand, and placed it outside their home to keep the tradition and welcoming spirit alive. These “little lights” or “farolitos” have become a popular way to keep this welcome tradition alive. They are supposed to be placed along your property edge along the road and up your driveway or walkway. It is a beautiful sight to see streets lined with these lights. The more families that put out the luminaries, the more impressive the sight is. Luminaries will be available for purchase again this year. There will be some at the church starting Dec. 2, or you can contact Barb or Dan Trask at 399-6454 to place an order. They will cost $3.50 per dozen, which will include the bags and candles.
Sunday School News
The format of our class has changed this year since the girls are now older. We have started to incorporate some of the format used during the regular church service. For example, we are lighting a candle at the beginning of class to emulate what we do during church and have discussed the symbolism of light in the Christian faith. We are also sharing our joys and concerns with one another, and sometimes they also share them during the church service. The girls continue to be our acolytes during the church service which we are very grateful for. During the first month of class we read about various miracles Jesus performed and compared them among the 4 Gospel books. We started to explore the miracles in the Old Testament, but have tabled that so we can work on our Christmas Pageant. The students are excited about the play, so we hope you will stay after church on Dec. 16 to watch their performance of “How the Grinch Found the Christ in Christmas.”
Prayer Chain
The Prayer chain has been revised! There will still be two lists. One list will remain as a phone call list. The second list will be for anyone who would like to receive the prayer request by text message. To activate the prayer chain, please call Mary Herrick (518-399-2113) or call/text Carolyn Koch (518-248-8138). Please contact Pastor Kristi (518-469-7764 or revklvp@yahoo.com) if you have the need for private prayer. If you are not already part of the prayer chain and would like to be included, please let me know. Thanks, Carolyn
The Amblers Walking Club
The Amblers meet every Tuesday at 9:00 am in the Alplaus United Methodist Church parking lot. Open to anyone that wants to join!! The group walks through the hamlet of Alplaus.
All are welcome and hoping the group will grow!
Youth Group
The first Youth Group was a success!!! We welcome all youths grades 6 -12 from any church or school.
Mayan Hands Fair Trade Sales Update
This was one of the best years for our Mayan Hands sale! We took in $3,072.90. This is more than we made in recent years. All the money we take in goes back to the Mayan Hands organization to help the women and children & the scholarship fund.
I want to thank Mandy and Amanda for all the time they put in helping to make this sale a success. We couldn’t have done it without them.
Fall Chili Dinner Update
Many thanks to everyone who helped prepare the food ahead of time, worked at the dinner and/or supported it with their attendance on Sat. Nov. 10. Our turnout wasn’t as high as last year, but the food was delicious and the camaraderie was great! We made a profit of $236.29 which will be placed in the Camp Scholarship Fund to help finance children’s attendance at Christian summer camps. This scholarship program is a joint venture with the Alplaus Residents Association. Last summer we had 2 youth from our church use this scholarship money to attend camp.
Religious-Based Campership Scholarships Available
It’s that time of year when families start planning for summer activities. Summer camps play a valuable role in a child’s life. The Alplaus United Methodist Church and the Alplaus Residents Association have a scholarship fund to help finance the attendance at religious-based summer camps for children in our town or who attend the Alplaus United Methodist Church. Sky Farm Camp in the Lake George area and Camp Aldersgate in Syracuse are examples of such camps that are offered through the Methodist church. Both places have their camp information online at:
http://campsandretreats.org/summer-camp-2018
They both offer numerous camp options during the summer for children of all ages with a wide range of activities. To find out about the various camp programs available at these two camps you’ll need to access their web sites. If your family would like help financing a camp experience for any of your children this summer, please fill out an application form for each child (available on the display table in fellowship hall) and give it to Barb Trask. If you need an application sent to you, Barb can be contacted at 518-399-6454 or dtrask1@nycap.rr.com. Parents are expected to pay the deposit and the scholarship could finance up to $300 additional expenses. We hope some of the children attending our church will be able to attend camp this summer!