This Sunday we light the third candle on our Advent wreath, the candle of Joy.  Come celebrate the joy we find in Jesus Christ. 

Pastor will be speaking from 1 Thessalonians 5:12-24.

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The deadline for Angel Tree gifts is this Sunday.  Please leave your wrapped gift under the tree in the vestibule.  (Be sure the tag is firmly attached.)

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Items now on sale ~

150th commemorative ornament - $15; see Carol Thomas or Elaine Risley

Life of Christ bracelets - $20; see Doris Wood or Kris Jenoriki

Mission Team Jan. 3 dinner/concert tickets - $12.00/adult and $6/children 12 and under; see Alice Smith or Loretta Metz

We also look forward to the Fellowship Committee’s holiday pie sale on December 21.  Choose from pumpkin, apple, cherry, peach and pecan.

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Mailboxes are chock full of holiday greetings, 2009 offering envelopes and a brand new church family directory.  Be sure to pick up your mail this weekend!

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Please Note: All 2008 receipts, voucher reimbursements and any other financial transactions must be in the church office no later than Monday!  Our treasurer will be on vacation from December 28-January 5 and will begin closing out the year next week. 

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Please remember in prayer ~

      Mildred Felsberg

      Lillian Fry

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May Christ Be Born In You

Sue Monk Kidd, in one of her books, recalls her youth and how she would prepare for Christmas. In early December, she would sit by the wooden nativity set clustered under their Christmas tree and think over the last year of her life. She would think deeply about Christmas and the coming of Jesus.

She remembers, one time, visiting a monastery. It was a couple of weeks before Christmas. As she passed a monk walking outside, she greeted him with, "Merry Christmas." The monk's response caught her off guard a bit. "May Christ be born in you," he replied.

His words seemed strange and peculiar at the time. What did he mean, "May Christ be born in you?" At the time she was unsure of what he meant, but now all these years later, sitting beside the Christmas tree, she felt the impact of his words. She discovered that Advent is a time of spiritual preparation. It is also a time of transformation. It is "discovering our soul and letting Christ be born from the waiting heart."

King Duncan, Collected Sermons from www.esermons.com

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This Week in Our Church . . .

Sunday            2 Cents a Meal           

              8:30 Christmas Pageant Rehearsal 

  8:45 Breakfast

              9:30 Sunday School & Worship

            10:45 Refreshments

            11:00 Worship & KFC  

Monday           Treasurer’s End of Year Deadline

              1:15 Bible Study Lunch at Phoenix Diner

              6:00 Senior High Youth

Tuesday           

Wednesday                

Thursday        

              4:30 Lions & Lambs

              6:30 Handbell Choir Rehearsal

              7:45 Chancel Choir Rehearsal

Friday

            12:00 Evergreens Christmas Luncheon at Crab Trap

              6:00 Back to Mayberry

Saturday         

            10:00 Deacons make Fruit Baskets