Exciting Things for Advent
Decorating the Church for Advent on Saturday, November 28th at 8 a.m. we will gather at the church to decorate the church and sanctuary for Advent. This is always a fun event and serves to help us individually get ready for a busy holiday season. As we are starting early this year, donuts and coffee will be offered for breakfast instead of our traditional lunch following the decorating. Come out and lend a hand to get the season of Advent started!
November 29th, is the First Sunday of Advent and the beginning of our Sunday School joint study, “Sent: Delivering the Gift of Hope at Christmas.” All Sunday School classes will join together for a brief video in Fellowship Hall. Adult classes will stay in Fellowship Hall for a joint discussion while the children will go to their own classrooms to do their study work. If you would like a copy of the book which serves as a supplement to the study, there are copies available in Fellowship Hall. (Large print versions are also available.) These studies are always great ways to enjoy extra fellowship as we all anticipate what it means for Christ to enter into our lives. Youth are challenged to stay with the adults…spread out and sit with the adults…think critically about what we are studying and offer their own thoughts. Adults, please encourage them to join!
This Year’s Christmas Pageant will be a 4 part mini-series offered to you each week at the beginning of worship. Each week there will be ‘main characters’ and minor characters. If your child or youth would like to take part in any of these ‘skits,’ please contact the church office to let us know. If your child/youth is shy and would rather just be a minor character, we can accommodate that as well and there will be something offered each week for our meeker church members. Additionally, our skit characters will take part in the lighting of the Advent Wreath. This week, Isaiah will Show us the Way to Bethlehem.
Grab your chef’s hats! On December 6, following worship, we’re going to have a Chili Cook-Off and Desserts Auction to help raise money for the Youth Mission Trip to Jamaica! Awards will be given for Spiciest, Most Creative and People’s Choice.
Additionally, we are looking for donations of dessert items to be auctioned off to the highest bidder. The youth will also offer themselves up for auction. Do you need child care? Do you need help putting up all those Christmas Decorations? Or taking them down after the holidays? Maybe you’d like to finally clean out the garage or basement. Weather permitting, you could even get some projects done around the yard that you’ve been putting off. Whatever the work, our youth are willing to lend a hand!
Sign-up sheets are located on the table in Fellowship Hall. Register your chili for competition or your dessert for auction!
December 20th Choir Cantata during worship and following worship we will have our annual Pot-Luck Dinner and Christmas Party where a special guest will come visit the children and regale them with stories and gifts. Christian Education Team will sponsor this event and provide the fried chicken and drinks, you bring the side-dishes and bring enough to share. Plan to stay and have a great time with your church family.
Christmas Tableau/Living Nativity will be held December 22nd and 23rd from 6-8 p.m. and December 24th 9-10 p.m. Set up for the stable and this year’s animal corral will be December 19th. Please see Chad Fuller if you would like to lend your efforts to setting up the tableau. If you or your family members would like to participate in the nativity, please sign up in the Fellowship Hall or see Ginger Wagoner.
Christmas Eve Worship Services—we will have our traditional 11 p.m. worship service on December 24th as usual, but would like to gather your input on whether or not to host the 4:30 p.m. service. This earlier service was offered to families of young children who needed to be in bed at 11 p.m. and for church members who struggle with driving after dark. This year, some of our families who traditionally participated have moved away and others have already said they will be out of town for Christmas. Please let us know if this is a service you would like to attend so we can plan accordingly. We want to make sure everyone has an opportunity to worship on this sacred day.