Pastor's Update

HOPE for ONE

We have the opportunity to reach NEW TERRITORY with the message of the Gospel through the gift of music. We are going to professionally record and produce a CD with a mix of Top 40 and Christian songs and mail it out to every residence in New Territory. There are 4601 homes and 500 apartments. We can reach every home for only $5 per family. What a great and non-threatening way to get into every single family in our immediate area with the message of the Gospel.

We have had some people ask about other areas to reach. Let me assure you, if this is “successful” we will begin to target other ministry areas such as Pecan Grove, Greatwood and River Park. Please help our effort even if you don’t live in New Territory. Everyone can afford to buy for a family, and some of you, maybe a whole neighborhood. Encourage your kids to sponsor a family and make them feel like this is their outreach too. We have designated one of the walls in the worship center as the Wall of Hope. For every family that is sponsored, we will put a card up on the wall that says "Hope for One."

Table Amnesty

Families share and borrow things, and sometimes forget to bring them back. Some of Parkway’s tables have been borrowed and are probably sitting in your neighbor’s home. If you happen to know the location of a table that belongs to Parkway, we sure do need it returned. Please spread the word – December 6th and December 13th are Table Amnesty Day. Simply bring the table (for your neighbor of course) and drop it off in the Ministry Center or the Worship Center. No questions asked, but much appreciated.

Old Fashioned Christmas Party

Sunday, December 13, 6:00 – 8:00PM
Come join us for a relaxing evening of fellowship, traditional foods from your family’s heritage, and Christmas carols. Roast turkey and ham will be provided. Check the website and the bulletin for what to bring. Come share your family’s traditions! To volunteer, or for more information, contact Celeste Conlon.

buns and guppies

Thankful for the blessings in her life and motivated by a desire to “give back”, Bernadette Harris started making jewelry in early 2005 with the intention of selling it and donating part of the proceeds to charity. The name “buns and guppies” came in a prayer, as “the little loaves and fishes”. Jesus multiplied a few loaves of bread and fish to feed the thousands of people who had gathered to hear him. And to humbly follow Him became the mission of this project.

Half of the profit made from sales are donated to charity, an organization called Feed The Children, and the other half is put right back into the business. And with each piece of jewelry purchased, a small card is included explaining the buns and guppies mission. In the past 4 years, Bernadette and her partners have donated over $19,000 to charity and buns and guppies seems to be touching people’s lives in more ways than one. It started as jewelry, but it has become an amazing vehicle to spread the message of God’s love.

The website www.bunsandguppies.org contains a small selection of their work and the project’s full mission statement. Faithworks Bookstore has some of this jewelry. For more information, feel free to contact Bernadette Harris.

Come Pray for Parkway Church

Wednesday December 16, 6:00 - 6:30PM
Parkway needs you! Join us to pray for God's blessings to pour out upon Parkway Church and God's glory to manifest through the ministries at Parkway Church. This is an awesome opportunity to enable Parkway to be the church that God has called us to be. Come worship, praise, and pray with other believers in the Chapel. Childcare provided in Ministry Building Room 168.

Men of Parkway Prayer Event

Tuesday December 8, 7:00-8:00PM
Need a lift, some encouragement, someone to pray with you? Want to join with other men in prayer that honors God and is effective for building up the church? Join us in the Chapel to pray for our church and for one another. We will spend 30 minutes in structured prayer as a group, followed by 30 minutes of prayer individually and in groups. We truly need each other to maintain our Christian walk and to experience the joy of encouraging one another. Let us take this hour apart from the daily grind to do something important for ourselves, for our families, and for our church.

Women's Retreat

Parkway’s Women’s Ministry is hosting an in house weekend Retreat January 29-30th. Our theme is Tapestry and how friends color the fabric of our lives. “It is our relationships with other women which often bring color and brightness, honesty and security, to our lives.” We will have dinner Friday night followed by a speaker, friends and fellowship. Then on Saturday we will serve breakfast and then a day packed full of topics about Taking Inventory, Prayer and Good Friends, Goal Setting and Silence and Solitude. We hope you will join us. Tickets go on sale December 13th for $35.00 on the website www.parkwayumc.org. If you have any questions contact Debbie Mullen (281-343-7197).

Gifts of Love

Collections: November 15-December 6
Event: December 19
Collections: You can bring smiles to families in need. Parkway is collecting new, unwrapped $5-$15 gifts for children, 12 and under, and their parents. We also need wrapping paper, bows, gift bags, to/from labels and scotch tape. Collection boxes for these tax deductible donations are in the Ministry and Worship Center entrances until December 6th. Practice generosity; consider bringing smiles by donating for a whole family.

Distribution: You can participate in a miracle; we need help showing Christ's love and assisting 100 families, in the following areas: Christmas Story-Tellers, Shopping Guides, Greeters, Prayers, Spanish Translators, Personal Wrapping Assistants, Photographer, and Refreshments. If you, your children, and/or your Grow Group are able to serve on December 19 from 11am-5pm at Parkway, contact Pam Johnson.

Refreshments Volunteers & Donations Needed

Saturday December 19th
Donations and volunteers are needed for Gifts of Love in the following areas; donations of cups and napkins (600 of each Christmas themed), lemonade, coffee, baking cookies (120 Dozen needed), set-up at 9am, clean-up afterwards, serve refreshments in Holy Grounds area - 1st shift (12:30–3pm) and 2nd shift (3–5:30pm), serve refreshments in Worship area - 1st shift (12:30–3pm) and 2nd shift (3–5:30pm). Youth can earn volunteer hours for baking cookies!! Cookies should be delivered to Shelia Potter’s house by Friday, December 18th. Contact Shelia Potter with questions or to volunteer.

Parkway UMC Random Dinner

The Parkway Men’s Group is having a Random Dinner on December 12, 2009. What is a random dinner you ask? Simply put, it’s a great way to have dinner and fellowship with other couples at PUMC. Here’s how it works:

• Everyone will meet at Steve and Shelia Potter’s house for hor devours at 5:30
• You will then be randomly selected to go to dinner with other couples at a randomly selected restaurant in Sugar Land.
• What’s the upside? You may go somewhere you have never been for dinner. You also get the chance to hang out with other Parkway couples in a casual setting and get to know them better.
• After dinner, come back to the Potter’s for coffee, dessert, games, and more fellowship.

How easy is that? No cooking, no deciding where to go for dinner, and an opportunity to meet new people. Snap!

Here is what we need you to do and know:

• Please RSVP as soon as you get this information so we can plan for the event
• Dress casual, although a Christmas theme is encouraged
• Arrive at 5:30 and we will leave at 6:30 for dinner
• Bring CASH to pay for your portion of the dinner
• Adults Only!
• Bring your favorite dessert for after the dinner and we will provide coffee

We live in New Territory,
Grey Stone Place 51 Twin Valley Dr. Ph. 281-277-8450 Cell 832-392-5920

We look forward to seeing you all!