afternoon with the fabulous Jubilators, and ending with a time of fellowship (cookies and coffee).

Thanksgiving Eve Worship Service at 7 p.m.

Dec 19 – Christmas Program 7 p.m.

Christmas Eve Worship Service at 7 p.m. 

Bible Study every 1^st and 3^rd Thursdays, 7 p.m. in the fellowship hall.

Fairview Avenue UM Church Events

Nov 1 – Harvest Festival – 9 – 2 p.m. Food, fun, white elephant and bake sale. 

Girl Scouts, second and fourth Wednesdays, 8 a.m., Margie Waltman, leader. 

Calvary UM Church Events

First Saturday of every month, AYCE breakfast, 7 – 11 a.m.  

Third Saturday of every month – prayer breakfast, 7 – 11 a.m.

Brown Bag day, food assistance at no charge, every Wednesday at 8 a.m. 

District/Conference Happenings

Sep 21 – Installation Service for the new District Superintendent at 4 p.m. at Grace UMC, Hagerstown. 

Nov 8 – District Clergy Retreat from 10 –3 in Cumberland, location TBA 

Dec 15 – Christmas caroling, 7 p.m. at Centre Street Church.

(Not all churches were prepared to offer holiday scheduled activities; therefore, a calendar of events for the holidays will be disseminated for the Thanksgiving/Christmas period. Also, for the next newsletter a reminder that we need some happy thoughts and joyful happenings to report, as well as any prayer requests you may have.  Contact Dan at tdtdgt@citlink.net or by snail mail, PO Box 1614, city.)

Prayer Requests

Please add to you prayer lists Rev. Mary Stevens son, David, who is serving his country and the US Air Force in Iraq. 

Tom and Debbie Krogel, Melvin UMC, request prayer for their son who is serving his country and the US Marine Corps in Iraq. 

Request prayer for Rev. Dickle who is experiencing some health problems.  Pray for a healing! 

FROM THE EDITOR

Jesus told a story about a man who had a fruit tree.  He planted it in a vineyard.  He gave it a caretaker, who watered it, and dressed it, and fertilized it.  No labor was spared on that fruit tree.  The man expected fruit, and rightly so; and he came looking for it. 

The symbolism should be clear.  The man is God.  The tree is humanity.  The vineyard is God’s kingdom here on earth.  God has been good to us.  He has watched over us and taken care of us all these years.  He has spared no labor on us.  He has done everything possible to help us to become what He wants us to be.  So, He has a right to expect fruit from us. 

He expects the fruit of service; He expects the fruit of character; and, God expects Christians to be fruitful, multiply, produce other Christians. 

Tucked neatly away in our Charge Conference packet is a new form, asking each church for its evangelism plan.    The form may not be needed, but the question is valid.  How do you plan to produce other Christians?

We lament – our churches are not growing, in fact some of them are dying.  It is a law of nature – whatever does not reproduce itself will die.  Therefore, if a church does not reproduce itself, does not produce other Christians, it will die.

We go to church, we get baptized, we take communion, we fellowship with one another, and that is good.  But God wants

more than that from his children.  The parable is clear.  Christians who bear no fruit are like chimneys in the summer time.  They are as useless as a fruitless fruit tree, as useless as salt that has lost its savor, as useless as a light that never shines.

In the parable, the man came looking for fruit, and when he saw a barren tree, he said, “Cut it down!”  The caretaker loved that tree.  So, he asked for more time, one more year. And, the man capitulated.  But, He will come again, and He will be looking for fruit. 

Jesus is coming again.  One day we will all stand before Jesus and give an accounting of our lives.  Jesus may simply say to us – Show me the fruit.  Some of us will have many stars for our crowns, but some of us will have to come before Him ashamed and empty handed.   

The lesson of the parable is this: God extends grace and mercy to all people.  He provides and meets their needs.  He loves and cares for them.  But He expects us to do something with what He has given us.  He expects us to be fruitful. 

Gateway Cluster Newsletter

Published by the Churches of the Gateway Cluster

Editor ………………….Dan Taylor

Mail address:  PO Box 688, Fort Ashby, WV  26719

Email – tdtdgt@citlink.net

(Deadline for Winter 2004 Newsletter December 20^th)