Kirkwood United Church of Christ

Transcription

1 KUCC Newsletter December 2018 Page 1 Kirkwood United Church of Christ Our Welcoming Covenant Kirkwood United Church of Christ is called by God to be an open, diverse and caring community of Jesus disciples. In following Christ s commandment to love one another, we welcome all who wish to share in fellowship, membership, leadership, worship, ministry, sacraments, rites, responsibilities and blessings of our faith community. As we affirm every person is a child of God, no one is excluded, regardless of race, ethnic or socio-economic background, marital status, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, age, physical or mental ability, nationality or faith background. We are an Open and Affirming and an Immigrant Welcoming congregation. All are welcome here! A Word from the Pastor December 2018 Absolutely everything you do is a chance to give love. Start any time you d like. - Brian Andreas, StoryPeople The church season of Advent, which this year begins on December 2 and ends on Christmas Eve, provides us with an opportunity to experience the Christmas season (because in our culture Christmas is not a day, but a several-month season ) in a more spiritual, reflective way. What I hear from our congregants is that they re up for that, but don t know how to make it happen. The theme of our Advent season this year is Love, pure and simple. Nothing flashy, nothing overly-dramatic, just love: the essence of how we are created to be. Focusing on love, pure and simple, means being present to the moment. This is no small feat on mundane days, let alone in the midst of our over-stimulated holidays. But consider this: staying present to the moment is actually a spiritual practice, one that can bring deeper meaning to your life. And by staying aware of the moment, opportunities to give and receive love, in the simplest ways, become much more apparent. Here are some ideas that might help you center on the moments of your life: Create a daily ritual that serves as a reminder to stay focused: read an Advent devotion, open an Advent calendar, refer to the Advent activity sheet available from KUCC, listen to a Christmas song, light a candle. Search intentionally for something specific throughout each day - the color orange, a piece of holly, an expression of joy, the chiming of bells, or fruitcake. The possibilities are endless, and fun! Read scripture from the gospel of Luke. There s lots of God s love in Luke. Sit and do nothing for 20 minutes. Nothing. For 20 minutes. Seriously. Before December even began, I started noticing the sighs I ve heard often during my years in ministry: I m exhausted even thinking about it. Who among us has not felt the same? This year, try staying present to the moments of your life. You may be surprised at how energized - and willing to share love, pure and simple - you feel at the end of a day. God s Peace to you, Betsy

2 KUCC Newsletter December 2018 Page 2 Upcoming Sunday Morning Adult Education Classes: Countering Pharaoh's Production-Consumption Society Today December 2, 9 A study for Progressive Christians, these DVD-based materials are led by Rev. Dr. Walter Brueggemann, a renown Old Testament scholar & former Eden Theological Seminary professor, and is ideal leading into the Advent season. From Dr. Brueggemann: "It is a journey from slavery to covenant that we keep making over and over again... [because] Pharaoh has immense power always to draw us back into slavery." Questions to be explored in this study include: how can liberal and conservative Christians engage with each other?, what is the meaning of neighborhood?, how are we to understand the role violence plays in the Scriptures?, and many others. This study is published by the Living the Questions production house, a KUCC favorite. Join us on November 4, 11, 25 and December 2 and 9 as we view and discuss the wisdom and insights of Dr. Brueggemann. Class will be held in the theater. Children s Christmas Pageant December 16 - No Class Christmas Holidays December 23, 30 - No Class Elements of Worship January 6, 13, 23, 30 Our January Adult Ed. series focuses on the Elements of Worship, where congregational vitality begins. As we discover in our discussion, life of a vital congregation begins in worship, however it does not end there. As we journey in worship we discover how we each view and take part in worship individually and yet as a whole congregation. Our exploration of worship will be lead by: Rev. Dr. Christopher Grundy, Associate Professor of Preaching and Worship at Eden Theological Seminary; Rev. Betsy Happel; and Scott Kinworthy, KUCC Director of Music Ministry. Each of these leaders provides a unique perspective on how we may develop as spiritual leaders and explore ways in which we can understand the importance of worship in our lives as well as our covenant and much more.

3 KUCC Newsletter December 2018 Children s Christmas Pageant December 16th During Worship Directed by Phillip Harris A reception with special treats will follow the service. It is as cute as can be! Hope you will join us! Page 3

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5 KUCC Newsletter December 2018 Page 5 8:30 am to about noon Community of Christ Church 830 N. Kirkwood Rd, Kirkwood, MO 63122

6 KUCC Newsletter December 2018 Page 6 God's Helping Hands Breakfast Program The following KUCC members are scheduled to serve breakfast on Sunday morning, December 16: Barb Harris, Wayne Pratt, Jenny Pratt, Katie LaGrand, Kari Adams, Reggie Boon, Larry Willman The breakfast teams serve between 80 & 120 people on the 3rd Sunday of each month. Thank you for your service in this important ministry. Wednesday, December 12th Hi Ladies, We will be gathering again this year at Evie Appel's home on Wednesday, December 12th starting at 11:30 am for our Christmas celebration. As we have done in the past, we will have a gift exchange if you wish to participate. What you do is bring a wrapped gift and we will have a fun Christmas drawing for the gifts. You also need to bring an appetizer to share as part of our Christmas cheer! Vi Hennen and Evie Appel will be the hostess' for this event and we will provide the drinks. Evie lives off of Lockett right down the road from Trinity Lutheran Church. The address is: 1137 Lorien Court Des Peres, Mo phone: Hope to see you! MEN S PRAYER LUNCH Down Under, 1141 Colonnade Center, Des Pres, Our Next Meeting will be December 14.

7 KUCC Newsletter December 2018 Page 7 Christmas Fund for Veterans of the Cross For over a century the Christmas Fund for Veterans of the Cross and Emergency Fund have been a tangible expression of God s love and light in the world. Year after year, United Church of Christ (UCC) members and congregations have reached out in kindness, compassion, and gratitude to those who have faithfully shepherded our Church in the past and who now find themselves facing unexpected financial needs. In 2017, UCC congregations and members generously contributed over $1,500,000 to the Christmas Fund. This enabled the United Church Board for Ministerial Assistance, the charitable arm of the Pension Boards, to provide, on behalf of the whole Church, Supplementation of Small Annuities, Retiree Health Premium Supplementation, Emergency Grants, and Christmas Thank You Gift Checks to individuals in need. At KUCC a portion ($500) of the Mission and Outreach Budget is designated for the Christmas Fund. Individuals may also contribute directly to this Fund at THANK YOU! OCTOBER GIVING/ EXPENDITURE INFORMATION Each month KUCC's Church Council will report on our church's basic giving and expenditures from the previous month. Following is the information for October, 2018: Oct Actual YTD Actual YTD Budget INCOME $23,363 $200,390 $192,500 EXPENSES $21,664 $198,925 $198,244 Because of your generosity, during the month of October, KUCC was able to: Make a contribution to the United Church of Christ Neighbors in Need mission offering, warm our church facility during unusually chilly Fall weather, and provide Pastor Betsy with a week of vacation. Thank you!! Congratulations to Nathan Humphrey, who recently achieved a perfect score of 36 on his ACT exam. Holy moly! Nathan is currently discerning his options for college in the fall.

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10 KUCC Newsletter December 2018 Page 10 Kirkwood United Church of Christ 1603 Dougherty Ferry Road Kirkwood, MO Visit us at Postmaster: Please deliver promptly (time-dated material) December Newsletter 2018 No matter who you are or where you are on life s journey, you are welcome here! JOIN US FOR WORSHIP Sunday Worship & Sunday School at 9:30 a.m. Adult Education at 11:00 a.m. (Sundays) KUCC STAFF Betsy Happel, Pastor (betsy@kirkwooducc.org) Phillip Harris, Student Pastor pharris@eden.edu Scott Kinworthy, Director of Music Ministry (kinworthy.scott@yahoo.com) Ron Bryant, Accompanist (bigfaye1965@yahoo.com) Donna Bay, Administrative Assistant (donna@kirkwooducc.org) All articles for the next Newsletter are due to the church office at donna@kirkwooducc.org no later than December 18st. CONTACT US Kirkwood United Church of Christ 1603 Dougherty Ferry Road Kirkwood, MO Website Phone (314) Fax (314) Facebook us