Advent Happenings!

Bethlehem Bound
Remember what Decembers used to be like before life got busy? Lazy mornings were spent with the morning paper, hot coffee and cinnamon rolls fresh from the oven. Remember the days of having all our Christmas shopping completed by December 15^th and handmade Christmas Cards in the mail by December 1^st? And, how nice it was to have the house spotlessly cleaned and decorated for the holidays, the menu for all the dinners planned out and all the necessary items purchased and awaiting our delicate touch for all the homemade goodies we would bake for our guests during the holiday season. You don’t remember those days? Well, neither do I…the month of December is a time I always enjoy immensely, but cannot wait to see pass. There’s just so much going on, I feel like I’ve been caught up in a whirlwind when everything is said and done.

This year, our gift to our families is to give a portion of your month of December back to you. Instead of weeks and weeks of play practices and parents juggling their children’s busy schedules by adding one more item to their to-do lists, we propose a One-And-Done Pageant. “Bethlehem Bound” is the Christmas performance we can complete on one day—from rehearsal to cast party.

Here’s how you can help make this a great event for all our church families…

• Volunteer!—we need 3 actors (1 male, 1 female & 1 either)
• Volunteer!—we need 4 assistant directors
• Volunteer!—we need someone to run the sound system
• Volunteer!—we need food and people to serve the food for our potluck dinner afterwards
• Volunteer!—we need someone to video record the event and take photos

Please let us know if you are willing to lend a hand in sharing the good news of the Christmas Season with all who will gather with us for this year’s Christmas Program, “Bethlehem Bound.”

Living Nativity
This year we welcome the return of the Living Nativity—or Christmas Tableau! It’s been nearly 15 years since we last enacted the incredible Christmas Story for the Paris community. As we all long for a simpler time, we also long to share the incredible news of Christ’s coming with friends, neighbors, loved ones and strangers. This church has a long history of welcoming the community through the Living Nativity. This year, as we resurrect the costumes, the set, the music and story, we would like to share hot cocoa and cookies with all who come. Please let us know if you can donate cookies or brownies to serve our guests or can give a few moments of your time to welcome visitors who gather here each evening December 22-24.

We are also in need of adults to help with the youth who will be standing out in the cold each evening. All you need to offer is a watchful eye, a smiling face, a generous heart and a cup of warm cocoa and a cookie or brownie to cold cast members as the rotate through their time at the tableau.

Blessings,
Tracy