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Pastor Amy’s Thoughts….

12/5/2019

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Greetings,
The holiday season is rapidly approaching. As I write this, I have a Thanksgiving dinner grocery list in my pocket, the first Christmas gifts are awaiting their wrapping paper, and my church to-do list is growing daily. It sometimes feels like all the lists of Christmas can take the place of the heart of Christmas. But it doesn’t need to be that way. This Advent, I invite you to join me in four practices as we prepare to celebrate the birth of Jesus.
First, practice hope. Paul closes the letter to the Romans with these words:
“May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that you may abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.” Romans 15:13
During this busy season, it is an act of hope to take time for ourselves and our loved ones. When we take care of ourselves, we are saying that we are valued. And when we care for and spend time with our loved ones, we are affirming their value in our lives. Hope is an expectation that the God we love and follow values us so much that God will one day lead us into a future that is worth the wait.
Second, practice peace. In October I took part in a workshop that taught us a few principles of the dramatic art of Improv. One of its key principles is a willingness to stay engaged with your partner in the exercise. To do that, we respond to whatever our partner says with “yes, and…” Not “yes, but.” For instance, if one of my kids said to me, “Let’s go to the zoo!”, I might be tempted to say, “Yes, but it is raining and we’d need to dress for the weather.” Instead, using Improv techniques, I might say “Yes, and we’d better wear our raincoats, it looks like rain.” Responding with “yes, and” keeps the conversation going, affirms the person who started the conversation, and in general helps us to practice peace in our relationships.
Third, practice joy. The wise men who brought the first gifts to the child Jesus, followed a star to find where Jesus had been born. We read in Matthew’s gospel,
2:10 When they saw that the star had stopped, they were overwhelmed with joy.
If you are like me and the wise men, you may also find joy at Christmas in giving gifts to others – whether finding just the right present, or offering a gift of your time or service to another. Listening deeply to one another is always a gift that is received with joy.
And fourth, practice love. As 1 John 4 reminds us,
7 Beloved, let us love one another, because love is from God; everyone who loves is born of God and knows God. 8 Whoever does not love does not know God, for God is love.
As we share the love we have received with others, we are sharing God’s love with them. This is the message of Christmas, that God loved us so much that he gave his only Son so that we may have eternal life (John 3:16-17).
Hope, Peace, Joy and Love are also the themes for our Advent worship this year. I hope you will join me in taking a long loving look at each practice and how it shows up in our lives.
Have a blessed Advent and Christmas season,
Pastor Amy
 

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​Coloring Group Hosts a Gift Exchange!

12/5/2019

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White Elephant Gift exchange & Coloring night – Friday, December 13th, 7PM. Bring a small wrapped gift (less than $5 in value) for our gift exchange. This month we will also be coloring the Christmas Story. Bring a friend and join us on Friday December 13th, 7 -8:30PM.  Coloring pages and pencils will be available, or bring your own. 


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​Property Update

12/5/2019

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At last we have a meeting scheduled in early December with the Presbytery, the architect, and Pastor Amy to go over options. Once again, please keep us in your prayers and look for an update soon.

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​Tuesday Morning Bible Study

12/5/2019

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Tuesday morning bible study is taking a break during December. We will resume our study on January 7th. 

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Parables Class Continues

12/5/2019

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Join us after worship on December 1 & 8 for more lessons from Dr. Amy-Jill Levine on the parables of Jesus. Dr. Levine brings a unique perspective as a Jewish professor of the New Testament at a Christian Seminary.  Each session is a different parable, so feel free to join us when your schedule allows. (The 8th will be a repeat of the parable of the Good Samaritan, which many of us were unable to attend.) 
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Women's Association

12/5/2019

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The Women’s Association will meet at the church on Wednesday, December 11th at 11:30. The Thank Offering for the National Presbyterian Women will be collected since we met at the Pancake Haus in November. After the business meeting, Pastor Amy will lead us in communion.
             Lunch will be a salad luncheon, with everyone who is able bringing a salad to share. If you can’t bring a salad, come anyway so we can enjoy your company.
The Bake Sale will be December 8th following worship. Bake your favorite goodies and bring some of them for the sale. All proceeds go to support missions.

 
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Looking Ahead

12/5/2019

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On Sunday, January 19th, we will hold a special worship service at 10 AM giving thanks for those who care for others, especially those caring for children, spouses, parents, and grandparents.  You are invited to join us for worship and to participate, if you so choose, in a blessing for the hands of the caregivers. Feel free to invite a friend, or to contact Pastor Amy if you have any questions .

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Missions

12/5/2019

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The Christmas Joy Offering is a good way for us to show our thanks for the blessings we have received from God. We will have readers during the first half of December to let us know how the offering is used to help retired and current church workers with unusual medical or housing expenses, to help Presbyterian schools, and to help students of color receive a college education. We will bring our offerings on December 15th. If that date doesn’t work for you, you can still bring your offering another day.
Our mission partner, Tyler Holm, needs prayer for continued healing from his bicycle accident. He is currently recovering in South Africa. He is able to have short physical therapy sessions, though is still in a lot of pain. His wife, Rochelle, and 6 year old daughter are in South Africa to be with him. This is a difficult time for them also. It has been made a little easier with support from a local church, for which we are thankful.
 
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Christmas Family

12/5/2019

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Our family this year is a mother and two girls, ages 11 and 12. There is signup sheet in the narthex if you would like to purchase a gift. You can also give money to Ruth Roberts to help purchase a gift. We also provide the family with a gift card for groceries. Please bring everything to the church by Sunday, December 8th.
 
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Monthly Prayer in the Prayer Room

12/5/2019

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You are invited to join us for an hour of prayer once a month on the third Thursday at 10 AM. This month, that date is December 19th. We will pray together and also have time for silent prayer, meditation, or reading. Please speak with Linda Reynolds, Jean Goodman, or Pastor Amy if you have any questions.
 

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