For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.

Isaiah 9:6

MESSIAH 411

Employee Christmas luncheon

Don’t forget! This year’s employee Christmas luncheon will take place tomorrow from noon-2:30 p.m. in Lottie Nelson Dining Room. Come and enjoy food, fellowship and festive entertainment as we join together to celebrate this holiday season.

Bethesda Mission’s ministries reach men, women and children in the Harrisburg area, seeking to inspire hope in each person. This mission meshes well with the theme for the luncheon this year—the anticipation and hope of Christmas Eve. To participate in our tradition of charitable giving at this event, please bring an item from the following list to the luncheon:

• Toothpaste
• Men’s deodorant
• Men’s white socks
• Sports ball (football, soccer, basketball)
• 1” binder
• Spiral notebook

We’ve provided another visual to help you remember the list of items! See link. Please contact Human Resources and Compliance with any questions. All donations are optional.

Accounts payable reminder

Accounts payable would like to remind the campus there will be no checks issued for the week of Christmas, Dec. 21-31, 2015. Our checks are processed weekly on Thursdays, so please plan accordingly if you will need a check issued over these periods.

Campus budget forum

The annual campus budget forum is scheduled for Thursday, Jan. 7 from noon-1:30 p.m. in Frey 110. There will be a presentation by David Walker, vice president for finance and planning, and a Q&A session. Following feedback from governance groups, College Council is scheduled to vote on potential increases to tuition, room, board and fees on January 21. The forum is open to all employees and attendance is encouraged.

Winter recess P-Card reminders

The deadline for allocating December transactions is Jan. 6, 2016, and the deadline for approving December transactions is Jan. 11, 2016. If you do not work during January, please make sure that your December transactions are allocated prior to your last work day before winter recess. If a transaction has not posted to your account prior to your last work day, please make arrangements with the P-Card administrator to have it allocated. If you do not work during January but typically approve transactions for someone who does, please arrange a delegate to handle the December approvals in your absence.

Questions should be directed to the P-Card administrator at ext. 2211 or to pcard@messiah.edu.

Phone tips

Incoming calls When calling from off campus, you can reach someone by using 717-796-1800 followed by 1 +extension when the recording comes on.

Extension numbers You can use MCSquare or Outlook to find a person’s extension.

Outside calls When you need to make an outside call, dial 9 first to get an outside line.  If the number you are trying to reach is a 717 area code, you don’t need to dial 717–just dial 9 and the number.

If you need to make an outside call not in the 717 area code, dial 9, 1 and the area code and number.

Feb. 10 workshop explores fresh ways to partner with vulnerable and marginalized people to combat extreme poverty

Do you have an entrepreneurial spirit? Do you want to invest in others? Evangelical Seminary has created a one-day event to help those with a passion to use their resources to creatively invest in another’s future. The seminar “Fresh Hope for the Poor: Moving Beyond Charity” brings four successful entrepreneurs together on Wednesday, Feb. 10, 2016, beginning at 9 a.m. at the Dixon University Center, Harrisburg.

The four entrepreneurs are Peter Greer of Hope International and entrepreneur-in-residence at Messiah College, Michelle Kime of ImagineGoods, TJ Foltz of HumanKind Water, and Jo Ann Spidle of Ten Thousand Villages. See more in the flyer here.

$50 reminder

Don’t let all the hustle and bustle of the Christmas season keep you from a chance to win a $50 gift card. Remember to enter the December Safety Question contest. Entries must be received by Dec. 31. Send your submission to Donna Fink, suite 3015, or email to dfink@messiah.edu.

Holiday safety tips

The Red Cross and the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) off the following tips to help prevent holiday home fires:  

Christmas tree care

1. Purchase flame retardant metallic or artificial trees.
2. If you have a real tree, make sure that it has fresh, green needles that aren’t easily broken.  Keep live trees as moist as possible by giving them plenty of water.
3. Use a sturdy tree stand designed not to tip over.
4. Keep trees at least three feet away from heat sources, including fireplaces, portable heaters, radiators, heat vents and candles.
5. Make sure that any light strings or other decorations for the tree are in good condition and follow manufacturer’s instructions for their use.  Do not use anything with frayed electrical cords.
6. Never put tree branches or needles in a fireplace or wood burning stove.
7. Safely dispose of trees as they become dry and needles begin to drop.
8. Dispose of trees through recycling centers or community pick-up services.  Dried-out trees should not be left in a house or garage, or placed against the house or garage.
9. This NFPA/UL video demonstrates the flammability of a dry Christmas tree versus a tree that has been watered regularly.

Holiday lights and decorations

1. Always unplug tree and holiday lights before leaving home or going to bed.
2. Inspect holiday lights each year for frayed wires, bare spots, broken or cracked sockets, and excessive kinking or wear.
3. Some lights are designed specifically for indoor use and some for outdoor use; be sure you are using them correctly.
4. Avoid overloading electrical outlets by not linking more than three light strands or a maximum of 50 lights for the screw-in bulbs.
5. Use decorations that are flame-resistant or flame-retardant.
6. Place decorations at least three feet away from fireplaces, portable heaters, radiators, heat vents and candles.

Holiday candles

1. Always extinguish them before leaving the room or going to bed.  Do not leave a room before extinguishing candles.
2. Never use lit candles to decorate a tree.
3. Keep them at least three feet away from trees and holiday decorations, and other items that can catch fire like clothing, papers and curtains.
4. Keep them out of the reach of children.

Early arrivals

If you are bringing back any students for a college related reason before Tuesday, Jan. 5, you will need to submit their name, date of return and reason for return to housing@messiah.edu.  Requests must be submitted by Friday, Dec. 18.

Deposits are due for The 7 Cities of Revelation and the Greek Island of Patmos tour

This week is the deposit deadline for The 7 Cities of Revelation and the Greek Island of Patmos tour (June 3-12, 2016).

To see a full itinerary description of all the sites and activities included in the tour, please see the attached brochure or visit this link:  http://www.tutkutours.com/BIB_Biblical_Turkey_2016.asp.

Please feel free to email me at mramey@messiah.edu or at meg.ramey@gmail.com with any questions.

CLASSIFIEDS

Wanted:

Male kitten: looking for a male kitten that is ready to leave his mother and has been checked by a vet. Must be available by Christmas Eve. Please contact Annie Minicuci at aminicuci@messiah.edu.