Christian Reporter. Worship. Mt. Lebanon Christian December Reverend Arthur Mace.

Transcription

1 Mt. Lebanon Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) Cedar Boulevard At Hollycrest Dr. Pittsburgh, PA Reverend Arthur Mace Worship Fellowship 9:15 AM CAYA (Contemporary) Worship 9:45 AM Sunday Morning Worship 11:00 AM PLEASE JOIN US! Christian Reporter Mt. Lebanon Christian December 2014 Preparing for Christmas. A woman and her daughter were out Christmas shopping on the day after Thanksgiving. Just as everyone had predicted, the crowds were awful. They had to skip lunch because they were on a tight schedule. Toward the end of the day, Mom was hungry, tired and her feet were killing her. She was getting more and more irritable. As they left the last store, she turned to her daughter and asked, "Did you see the nasty look that salesman gave me?" Her daughter answered, "He didn't give it to you, Mom. You had it when you went in." Advent is a time of personal preparation for Christmas. We have to be prepared if we want to see God's work and revisit the beauty of the Christmas story. We have to stay awake and be alert so that Christmas can be meaningful. We have to prepare our hearts as well as our homes. At the church we will be providing special opportunities for you and your family in finding the real meaning of Christmas. Please include them in your plans. Trite and over used, it still is the truth: Jesus is the reason for the season. Blessings, Art

2 WORSHIP LEADERS 7 - Chuck Sargent 14 - Joy Pajak 21 - Dan Wahl 28 - Lee Ann Wahl COUNTERS 7 - Janet Bowers & Jinny Plavetich 14 - Janet Bowers & Jinny Plavetich 21 - Duane Ready, Brad Montgomery 28 - Chuck & Laurie Sargent SERMON - Reverend Art Mace GREETER - Sally Myton DIRECTOR OF MUSIC - Charles Bieri December 2014 Volunteers ELDERS 7 - Verna McGinley, Sally Myton 14 - Chuck Sargent, Laurie Sargent 21 - Joy Pajak, Lee Ann Wahl 28 - Sally Myton, Jeff Hawn NURSERY 7 - Mary Nicholson 14 - Alice Lawson 21 - Janet Bowers 28 - Laurie Sargent VISION STATEMENT God's vision for Mt. Lebanon Christian Church (DOC) is that we be a Christ-centered church; growing in faith through prayer, worship, and Bible study; growing in service through outreach; growing in love through Fellowship. What will you hear and see this Christmas? Oh, you say, had I been there at Bethlehem that night I would have seen. I would have understood. I would have known it was the Christ child. Would you? There is one way of knowing: Ask yourself what you have seen and heard this Christmas Season. * When you watched the 6:00 news did you see chaos and strife, or did you see sheep without a shepherd. * When you went out to do your shopping did you see only hordes of people in the stores, or did you notice the worried expressions on some of their faces worried because they are facing this Christmas without employment or enough money and they don't know how they are going to make ends meet. What did you hear this Christmas? * Did you hear only the blast of music and carols, or did you hear the silent sighs of the lonely and the bereaved who may be dreading Christmas because it accentuates their loneliness. * And in the midst of the sounds of honking horns and people arguing over parking places, did you hear faint sounds of laughter coming from Mt. Lebanon Christian Church s mission projects because you furnished food and toys for families and children. You see, so often what you see and what you hear is not dependent upon the event but upon you. If you did in fact hear the cry from the lonely, the laughter of poor children, if you saw the sheep without a shepherd, then, and only then, might you have noticed the events that took place in Bethlehem that night. If you lacked that spiritual seeing and hearing then you probably would have been with the 99% who were present but who saw or heard nothing out of the ordinary. In the end perhaps one of our carols words it best: No ear may hear his coming, but in this world of sin. Where meek souls shall receive him still, the dear Christ enters in. Amen.

3 If I Were The Devil Recently I was going through my files and came across this commentary by Paul Harvey entitled, If I Were the Devil. It is so true that it almost hurts to read it: If I were the devil, I would gain control of the most powerful nation in the world; I would delude the minds (of the people) into thinking that their power and prosperity had come from man s effort, instead of God s blessings; I would promote an attitude of loving things and using people, instead of the other way around; I would dupe entire states into relying on gambling for their main source of revenue; I would convince people that character is not an issue I would take God out of the schools, where even the mention of His name was grounds for a lawsuit; I would come up with drugs that sedate the mind and target the young, and I would get sports heroes to advertise them; I would get control of the media, so that every night I could pollute the minds of every family member for my agenda; I would attack the family, the backbone of any nation I would compel people to express their most depraved fantasies on canvas and movies screens, and I would call it art I would convince the people that right and wrong are determined by a few who call themselves authorities and refer to their agendas as politically correct; I would persuade people that the church is irrelevant and out of date and that the Bible is for the naive. I would institutionalize the Church to the degree that her number one priority would be preservation of the institution, not preaching the Gospel of Jesus Christ... I would dull the minds of Christians, and make them believe that prayer is not important, and that faithfulness and obedience are optional, and that it really doesn't matter what you believe about God as long as you are sincere in your belief. I would...well, come to think of it, I would leave things pretty much the way they are now! Here s the bottom line: The world is changing faster than we can imagine, and we re called to stay alert, pay attention and take stock of what s going on around us; and, taking stock, we re called to stand up and speak out for sake of the gospel of Jesus Christ. The Elders pray for those in our congregation who need prayers of healing and spiritual help. We pray for those on our prayer lists and others who have been mentioned to us or during our worship services. If you are in need of prayer and would like to be included in our private prayer list or in the newsletter prayer list, please contact the church office or one of the Elders. If you are asking for prayers for someone else to be listed in the newsletter, please get their permission. Please also pray for our church family and all who are in need of God s healing, comfort and hope. Prayers for Members Betty Archip Harold Hess Dave Koerber Jane & John McCarty Greg, Karen & Clare Newman Jack & Betty Rothermel Peg and Bill Samples Dan & Lee Ann Wahl Prayers for Friends and Family Jesse Belcher (Anne Totin) Marty Hoofnagle (Jane & John McCarty) Kathy Comer (Jane McCarty s sister) Howard Goff (Pastor Art s brother-in-law) Betty Oros (Dan Wahl) Jim Powell (friend of Jane McCarty) Betty Sell (Joanne Houston s sister) Allan Sparks (Alice Lawson) Jeremy Wallace (Audrey Houke s nephew) Jason Wolling (cancer, Joy Pajak) Also, please remember in your prayers our members who are homebound.

4 Mt Lebanon Church Bible Study On 7:00 pm, mid-week Bible Study is held at the church. We are studying the Apocrypha, those 15 books found in the Catholic Bible but not always in the Protestant Bible. Why not plan to join us? Christmas Traditions Around the Globe Although Americans celebrate the holiday with candlelight services, piles of gifts, large feasts, lights and trees, people in other countries mark Jesus birth in many interesting ways: Nine days before Christmas in Mexico, Las Posadas processions reenact Joseph and Mary s search for a place to stay in Bethlehem. Instead of decorating trees, Italians place fruit on small wooden pyramids. The necessity for non-perishable food items continues on. Holidays are especially hard on food pantries. A few extra items in your shopping cart for SHIM means so much to the needy. Thanks again for your continued support! The Outreach Team! Christmas Party Sunday Dec. 7th 5:00pm Come and party with us at our annual Christmas Party. Please bring your favorite dish for a potluck dinner. Cake will be provided. Invite your family and friends for what is always a joyous time. We will have singing and a special visitor from the North Pole. On Christmas Eve, the streets of Caracas, Venezuela, are blocked off so people can roller skate to church. Ukrainian Christmas trees often feature an artificial spider and web. According to folk tale, a poor woman who couldn t afford decorations awoke one Christmas morning to find that spiders had trimmed her children s trees with delicate webs. In Brazil, the gift-bringer is known a Papai Noel (Father Noel), who lives in Greenland, according to legend. When he arrives in Brazil, he wears silk clothing because of the summer heat. It is considered bad etiquette to send red Christmas cards in Japan because funeral notices are customarily printed in red. We are ringing the bells for the Salvation Army on Saturday, December 6th from 10am-Noon at the upper entrance at Macy's South Hills Village. It will be after the Men's breakfast but all are welcome to come.

5 2014 Please mark your calendar November 29 - Hanging of the Greens 10:00 am November 30 - Advent Begins Lighting of the 1st Advent Wreath Candle December 7 - Lighting of the 2nd Advent Wreath Candle Christmas Party 5:00 pm (Pot Luck Dinner) December 14 - Lighting of the 3rd Advent Wreath Candle December 21 - Lighting of the 4th Advent Wreath Candle Choir: Christmas Selections during morning worship Choir: Christmas Caroling following a brief lunch December 24 - Christmas Eve Service 7:00 pm Fellowship to follow from 8-9:00 pm December 28 - Regular Worship With the Holiday season upon us, it is time to place your order for the poinsettias, which will beautifully decorate our sanctuary. The cost of the poinsettias is $6.50. No orders will be taken after December 14, Complete the bottom of the order form and return it to the Deaconesses mailbox in the church office as soon as possible. Please make checks payable to the Board of Deaconesses, Mt. Lebanon Christian Church and enclose payment with your order. Name: Number of Poinsettias: Red: Pink: _ White: Total dollar amount of order: In Honor of: In Memory of: (PLEASE PRINT HOW YOU WISH THIS TO APPEAR IN THE BULLETIN)

6 Christmas Caroling for the Homebound Come and join the Church Choir as we sing Christmas Carols for the Homebound members of our church Sunday, December 21 st after worship. We will have a quick lunch in the Chapel after worship and then go to 3-4 places as we have done in the past. All are welcome to join us. The people we sing for enjoy getting into the Christmas spirit and it is good for all of us to have fellowship with them and others who live at some of these homes. Pastoral Search Team Update The Pastoral Search Team is pleased to announce that Rev. Art Mace has agreed to remain as our Interim Minister for another 2 years. Rev. Mace s unique leadership skills and tireless energies over the past 2 years have been wonderful blessings upon our church family and are greatly appreciated as we continue through this difficult process of pastoral transition. As you may know from past experiences, the search for a permanent full-time minister can be long and tedious. Please know, finding the right minister for our church, a minister that will help us grow and thrive, is paramount in the minds of this committee. As the Pastoral Search Team continues its work in the coming months, we ask for your continued prayers for divine guidance. Dan Wahl Chairman Pastoral Search Team MUSICAL NOTES By Charles Bieri Go Tell It On The Mountain Chalice Page 167 You will bring good tidings to Zion, go up on a high mountain. You who bring good tidings to Jerusalem, lift up your voice with a shout, lift it up, do not be afraid; say to the towns of Judah, Here is your God! (Isaiah 40:9) For many people, another Christmas season is merely a rerun of the trivial. But for the devoted Christian, Christmas is much more than a once a year celebration. It is a fresh awareness that a Deliverer was sent from the ivory palaces of heaven to become personally involved in the redemption and affairs of the human race. The impact of this realization becomes a strong motivation to share the good news with needy and desperate people who need to know that there is an Emmanuel available who can meet their every need. Men everywhere must hear these glad tidings if they are to benefit from them. With absolute clarity they must hear the message, Here is your God! Negro spirituals had their roots in the late 18 th and early 19 th century camp meetings throughout the South as well as in the active evangelical ministry carried on among the black people during this time. However, few of their traditional songs were collected or published prior to about The stanzas for this hymn were written by John W. Work, Jr. He and his brother, Frederick J. Work, were early leaders in arranging and promoting the cause of Negro spirituals. Today s song was first published in Folk Songs of the American Negro in These traditional spirituals have since become an important part of the American folk and sacred music heritage and are greatly appreciated and enjoyed by all of God s people. Go tell it on the mountains, over the hills and everywhere go tell it on the mountain that Jesus Christ is born!

7 Mt. Lebanon Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) A Church Alive with the Holy Spirit! Cedar Boulevard at Hollycrest Drive Pittsburgh, PA Office: (412) Fax: (412) Every Member Is A Minister Arthur Mace Minister arthurmace99@yahoo.com Jeff Hawn Board Chair jhawn.counsel@gmail.com Chuck Bieri Director of Music charlesbieri@yahoo.com Joyce Lackey Secretary churchoffice@mtlebocc.com Men s Fellowship Breakfast Saturday, December 6th, 8:30 am, Eat n Park, South Hills Village, Pittsburgh, PA Please bring cash to easily pay a single check. Come and enjoy breakfast and fellowship with the men of Mt. Lebanon Christian Church. This is a great way to start the weekend by hanging out with the guys for some good fellowship and great food. RSVP to John McCarty at Mrs. Tracy Ergina 24 Hawthorne Drive Irwin, PA Christmas Eve Fellowship We will once again have a food & fellowship time after our Christmas Eve service. This is something that we have done the past couple of years and has been well attended. We will meet in the Chapel after the service from 8-9pm. Please bring a snack or hors d oeuvres for all to enjoy. Restroom Renovation and Elevator Update The past few Board Meetings Suzanne Sekula, a Designer consultant, who works with Greg Newman s company, showed us diagrams and plans for the addition of a restroom on our main floor and renovation of the current one. The plans also include a future elevator that would go to all floors of the church. The initial phase of this renovation will be for the restroom. This will involve changing the current restroom on the main floor and adding an additional room so that we will have a ladies and men s room. These rooms will be handicap accessible with two sinks in each, 2-3 stalls in each and paper dispensers. Final designs for them have been approved by the board. We have also been shown several tile and paint designs and basically finalized the plans at the November board meeting. Suzanne will be giving a presentation of the design and have samples of the tile/paint slips after worship on December 7 th. We will begin a fundraising effort for both projects on December 14 th with a presentation from the Renovation Team. We already have some money in our renovation fund to cover some of the costs. We look forward to these additions to our building. Plans are to have the restrooms completed in time for Easter or by May We hope you all are as excited as we are for these improvements in our building. The children had all been photographed, and the teacher was trying to persuade them each to buy a copy of the group picture. 'Just think how nice it will be to look at it when you are all grown up and say, 'There's Jennifer, she's a lawyer,' or 'That's Michael, He's a doctor.' A small voice at the back of the room rang out, 'And there's the teacher, she's dead.'

8 You can purchase flowers to honor someone or an occasion or in memory of someone special in your life. The flower calendar is on the bulletin board. Please fill out a green flower slip that is attached to the calendar and place it on the desk in the church office. Mark your date on the calendar. Your donation will be acknowledged in the Sunday bulletin. After service you may take your flowers with you. The cost of the flowers is BIRTHDAYS 4 - James Campbell Jr. 6 - Duane Ready 8 - Richard Nichol 11 - Helen Butler 15 - Bill Green 15 - Rocco Campbell 23 - Brian Schwartz 26 - Ann Totin 31 - Bev Hafner December ANNIVERSARIES 26 - Bill & Peg Samples Happy, happy Christmas, that can win us back to the delusions of our childish days; that can recall to the old man the pleasures of his youth; that can transport the sailor and the traveler, thousands of miles away, back to his own fire-side and his quiet home! Gravitation is not responsible for people falling in love. ADVENT MEMORIAL WREATH There will be no Lunch Bunch in December. There is always so much to do during the holidays. We will resume in January See you then! Once again, this year we will be having a Memorial Advent Wreath placed in the Narthex of the church. Members may designate memorials in memory of or in honor of loved ones. Cards of memorial and honor will be placed on the wreath and designated gifts will be utilized to replenish memorial monies used for building maintenance.