The City of Greensboro’s Human Rights Commission will honor Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s legacy with a free video production airing at 9 a.m. Monday, Jan. 18, on Greensboro Television Network, Facebook and the City’s YouTube channel. The theme is “Women in the Movement,” featuring keynote speakers Shirley Frye and Zitty Nxumalo and performers Synthia Green and The Poetry Project. 

Local civil rights leaders also will be featured in a short video, “I Am the Four,” honoring the legacy of the North Caolina A&T State University students who participated in the lunch counter sit-ins. Anyone in the community working on improving human and civil rights is encouraged to share their “why” and work on this movement throughout the month with the hashtag #Iamthe4. 

Recycle your Christmas cards—carefully! Plain paper Christmas cards can go straight into the paper recycling bin, no questions asked. However, shiny cards printed on photo paper and ones that have metallic embossing or glitter are no-no’s. But look closely because even they may have a half that is free of the contaminants and can be safely recycled. Before you dispose of greeting cards, take an extra minute to reread them and give thanks for your friends. 

If you are interested in joining the Creation Care Ministry and/or volunteering with the Community Garden, contact us: Albertina McGirt, Esther Carter Buie, Adrian Fleming or Karlah Burton (chairperson). We would love to have you join us!  

The District Winter Leadership Training Events will be offered as a series of Conference-wide training webinars during the week of Jan. 10, 2021, to resource and equip all areas of church leadership. 

Jason Moore of Midnight Oil Productions will lead the keynote webinar to launch the series on “Telling the Old Story in a New Time.” Other topics will include the following and more:

• Financial Faithfulness in Uncertain Times
• The Ministry of the Staff-Parish Relations Committee
• Evangelism During a Pandemic
• Leadership During a Pandemic for Church Councils
• Racial Equity and Justice
• Courageous Conversations 

To register, go to https://wnc-reg.brtapp.com/DistrictWinterLeadership. 

Ministry leaders, please submit your July–December 2020 reports to the church office no later than Jan. 14. Contact Jasmine Williams or Mary Scarlette with any questions. 

The 2021 Northern Piedmont District Equipping Seminars for pastors and local church leaders will be offered via Zoom on Sunday, Jan. 10, 2021, 3-4 p.m. More information is forthcoming.

The prompt for the contest: “We cannot wait to make this world a better place. What would your dream of a better world look like today?” 

The response to this contest may be one of the following:

• Original Essay
• Original Picture/Drawing
• Original Photograph
• Original Sculpture
• Original Painting
• Original Poem
• Original Poster 

The contest is open to elementary, middle and high school students. Three cash awards will be awarded in each category. Winners will be announced at the WNCC Virtual Martin Luther King Jr. Commemoration Service, which will be held via Zoom on Jan. 16, 2021. The winning submissions also will be highlighted at this Zoom event. 

The deadline for submissions is Dec. 31, 2020. Submit contest entries to Mrs. Tina McLendon, tinajmclendon@aol.com. Please include the student’s full name, mailing address, age, grade, school name, church name and pastor’s name. 

Saint Matthews’ own youth, Joshua and Jessica Lewis, were 2020 winners. 

The contest is sponsored by WNCC-Justice and Reconciliation Team (J&R), WNCC Commission on Religion and RACE (CORR), WNCC Black Methodist for Church Renewal (BMCR). 

2020 Liturgical Arts Presentation “The Little Christmas Stars”

Thank you to Gwen Poole, Director of Liturgical Arts Ministry

“Christmas Celebration, Happy Birthday Jesus”  This video is a collection of Christmas Concerts from previous years featuring the Sanctuary and Progressive Adults Choirs (with guest performers) plus Liturgical Arts Drama and Dance Ministries. Click on “read more” to view the video.

The Community Watch Night Service will be held virtually this year with Trinity AME Zion and New Zion Missionary Baptist churches. Dr. Daran H. Mitchell, pastor of Trinity AME Zion Church, will deliver the message. The service will broadcast at 7 p.m. and 10 p.m. on Thursday, Dec. 31, on Trinity’s Facebook page — https://www.facebook.com/trinityameziongreensboro — or on YouTube (search for Trinity AME Zion Church).

• When holiday shopping, protect yourself from exposure to the virus by making purchases online from local businesses, sustainable gifts, or online free-trade food gifts. Cloth novelty masks, scented hand sanitizer, and UV disinfecting lights are popular virus-fighting gifts this year. To avoid spreading the virus, keep gatherings within your family bubble or move them outside, masked, and socially distanced. 
• Real vs. fake Christmas tree? The age-old question of which is better for the environment is easy to answer, according to The Nature Conservancy. They state that real trees are best because of these reasons: Christmas tree farms keep land open instead of being developed, real trees remove carbon out of the air while they grow, they are a renewable resource, and are completely recyclable. Most areas even gather real trees after the holidays and turn them into mulch. If you really want an artificial tree, find a used one at thrift store to minimize their impact on the earth, for example. 
• Use recycled content wrapping paper, butcher paper or reusable cloth or paper gift bags, and reuse tissue, bows and ribbons that are still in good condition. (Whenever possible, use and reuse gift bags rather than wrapping paper. While it might be fun to rip and tear into a wrapped present, the fancy paper itself is most likely to be laminated with plastic, foil, glitter or other non-paper materials that contaminate a recycle bin. The short fibers in tissue paper make it not recyclable too.) Have a paper bag or box ready Christmas morning to collect all the paper wrappings and cardboard for the recycling bin.
• LED Christmas lights use 80% to 90% less energy than incandescent lights, so make the switch when it is time to buy new ones. Use timers on holiday lights so they turn off during the day and while you are sleeping to save energy. 
• Check out this video: https://youtu.be/QdXOd4AiM9g. The Florida United Methodist Creation Care Task Force and United Methodists around Florida shared ideas on how to have a green Christmas.