Dear friends in Christ,
I hope all of you are doing well this week. I wish everyone traveling for Thanksgiving safe and on time travels! As we begin Advent this Sunday, we’ve got a number of things coming up in church:
11/27: First Sunday of Advent & Hanging of the Greens
11/27 is the first Sunday of Advent, and after worship, we’ll decorate the sanctuary for the coming Advent and Christmas season. Join us! Additionally, during worship, the Sunday School children are going to help me set up the advent wreath and lead us in lighting it.
Advent and Christmas Readers Needed:
- Advent Wreath Lighting
- We’re looking for volunteers to light the Advent Wreath and lead the prayer during the Sundays of Advent: 12/4, 12/11, and 12/18. Families or groups of friends welcome!
- Christmas Eve: 5pm &11pm
- For our two Christmas Eve services we need a number of readers to read the scripture lessons plus people to light the Advent Wreath at 5pm and 11pm. Please email me if you’re interested in any of these opportunities: kmanzi@middleburyucc.org
Middlebury Tree Lighting
The Middlebury Tree Lighting is Saturday 12/4 @4:30. Our church will again be providing hot chocolate.
Mission Projects
- Star Tree
- Stars for the Star Tree Children are available. Starting this Sunday, available stars will be on the Star Tree/Christmas tree at the front of the sanctuary. The sign up list will be on the Multiplication Table next to the tree. Please print your name and phone number next to the child you will be purchasing for and take their Star to affix to their wrapped package which will be due December 12th in the office. Gift Range is between $35.00 to $50.00.
- Christmas Baskets for Middlebury Families
- Next week sign ups for items for Christmas dinner baskets for three Middlebury families will go up on the bulletin board in the Social Hall.
Christmas Pageant: 12/11
Our annual Christmas pageant will be held on Sunday, December 11th, during the worship service. There are parts for all ages, so if you’d like to volunteer, please sign up on the bulletin board in the social hall! We are looking for pageant players as well as readers, narrators, and singing roles. If you’d like to participate, we’d love to have you! For more information please see Valerie Beard. (vbeard@middleburyucc.org)
Christmas & New Year’s Services
12/24@5pm: Candlelight Family Christmas Eve Service
12/24@11pm: Candlelight Communion Service
12/25@10am: Christmas Day Service: We’re planning a shorter, more casual service with opportunity to sing favorite carols, hear the Christmas story, a short meditation on Christmas, and get a chance to ask Pastor Katrina anything you’ve wanted to know about Christmas/the Christmas story.
1/1@10am: New Year’s Day Service: This will be a shorter, more casual service, but we will have a sermon, communion, and an opportunity to sing carols and hymns welcoming in the New Year.
Trustees Update on the Roof
The past few months we’ve had a persistent leak from the flat roof on the new addition part of the building. This week a couple of our trustees have put in a lot of work resealing the seams on the roof, and we’re hopeful that this will take care of the issue. Thank you Russ and Sal!
Middlebury Community Thanksgiving Service: Thank You!
Thank you to our musicians, volunteers, and everyone who attended the service last night to give thanks and raise money to help our neighbors in Middlebury! Video of the service is up on our YouTube channel for anyone who missed it: https://youtu.be/yrdi4Jqwn9Y
General Comments
As look ahead to Advent on Sunday, I wanted to share this poem by Kate McIlhagga because I think it captures the sort of transition from fall to winter:
“Christ our Advent hope,
bare brown trees,
etched dark across a winter sky,
leaves fallen, rustling,
ground hard and cold,
remind us to prepare for your coming;
remind us to prepare for the time
when the soles of your feet will touch the ground,
when you will become one of us
to be at one with us.”
Happy Thanksgiving!
Peace,
Pastor Katrina