Merry Christmas!! December Celebrations! 07 Ranita Ezeonu 07 Harry Fisher 11 Don Lenocker 12 Mae Ashley 16 Rebecca Vermillion 20 Evelyn van Gorder

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1 The purpose of the Presbyterian Church of Broomfield is to glorify God as a community of faith that: Welcomes people in worship of the triune God; Shares the Good News of salvation through Jesus Christ to neighbors near and far, and Challenges people to service and a deeper discovery of God's truth and love. The New Wine is a publication of the Presbyterian Church of Broomfield. 350 Main Street Broomfield, CO (303) rejoice@pcofb.org Worship Service Times: 8:00am and 10:30am December Celebrations! 07 Ranita Ezeonu 07 Harry Fisher 11 Don Lenocker 12 Mae Ashley 16 Rebecca Vermillion 20 Evelyn van Gorder Merry Christmas!! 01 Harry & Regina Fisher 03 John & Lori Buechner 23 Stephanie Bogart 23 John Graessle 24 Cathy Erichsen 26 Lee Ann Krigbaum 27 Tyler Bogart 27 Anne Rain

2 Youth Activities The youth will be going to the Operation Christmas Child Warehouse on Thursday, December 21 st. Meet at the church at 4pm. Please let me know soon if you are interested, as we only have 8 spots available! The Christmas pageant is Sunday, December 24th at 9:30am. The pageant is called Heaven and Nature Sing and will be a great celebration of the birth of our Lord and Savior, Jesus. We will serve cake and hot chocolate following the pageant. Contact Susan for details: Education News Our Christian Education program is offering a pageant at the morning service on Christmas Eve day, titled "Heaven and Nature Sing." Our Adult Sunday School Class is beginning a special advent study during their 9:15 classes leading up to Christmas. Our youth are making a special offering to the Heifer Project. There will be no Sunday School classes on Christmas Eve day or New Year's Eve day. Please have a wonderful holiday and Merry Christmas from the Christian Education Committee! Sunday School for Youth Every Sunday, we have available Sunday School for all of our kids. We dismiss for this after the children's moment or after the anthem! Be sure to bring your kiddos (or grandkiddos!) with you every week! 2

3 Kids Hope USA Kids Hope USA is our mentoring program at Emerald Elementary School. We are celebrating 10 years at Emerald with a lunch in the teachers lounge in December. Any guess as to how many kids we have mentored and prayed for in that time? We will find out soon! Mentors, if you would like to buy your child a gift, you certainly can do so. Please have a separate bag that they can put the gift away in to not draw attention from others. Also, please keep it to $15 or less. Christmas vacation is December 25 th through January 8 th. While you are on vacation, take time to look at the website. It is full of great ideas, academics, kids dealing with grief, and it does take some time to get through it: Also, there is a mentor app for Apple or Android with quick ideas for your hour, and Kids Hope USA has a Facebook page. Please feel free to visit our resource room in the church basement to refresh your bags. Thank you for giving your time for these precious children! Susan Fellowship News Saturday, December 2 nd 9:00am Decorate the church for Christmas Please come and help make our church look festive for Christmas! We ll have coffee and goodies, and a light lunch when we finish. We really have fun so come and join us. What s that expression? Many hands make light work Thanks in advance for your help. Sunday, December 3 rd Christmas Craft Sale Our annual Christmas Craft Sale will be held in the lobby between services and after 10:30 service. We have some very talented crafters and wonderful bakers who sell their wares. You can get a head start on your Christmas shopping and help the church at the same time. All proceeds go to the Youth and Fellowship programs. Saturday, December 16 th 9:00am Joyful Hearts Women s Breakfast Ladies! Come and join us for a relaxing and fun time in the Fellowship Hall. Let s take some time at this busy and blessed time of year to be together with our sisters in Christ. Food is provided, so just come with a healthy appetite! Call Mary Hellen, or Cindy Pearson, with questions. 3

4 Presbyterian Preschool December is a very fun-filled month at preschool, as we celebrate traditions from different countries around the world such as St. Nicholas Day and Santa Lucia celebration. The preschoolers seem to enjoy it all, as they work very hard "being good", so they might find a candy cane in their shoe, or enjoy being served a sweet roll by the oldest girl in their group! We are busy planning our Polar Express Day also; so if you come into the church and find us all in our pajamas, it wasn't a hectic morning! We are just enjoying the magical, timeless story of the Polar Express. They really love boarding the "train", drinking hot chocolate, and receiving their silver bell at the end of the day. In addition to all the school day activities, Mrs. Cicotello and I are taking classes to stay current in all the areas that are required by the State of Colorado. We have replaced the S hooks on the swings with State-certified links, and I have completed the FEMA training for teachers, so I will know what to do to keep us safe in the case of a major power outage, a flood, or any number of other events! We wish for all of you a beautiful, heartfelt holiday season, as we follow the advice in the Polar Express..."sometimes the most real things in the world are the things we can't see!" As always, we thank you for providing a church that has decked its halls for the joy that happens this month for all to enjoy! We certainly do! Merry Christmas to all, Connie Gordon Presbyterian Preschool Worship News The worship committee is in need of volunteers to usher and greet for the Christmas Eve service. We are also looking for some who would be willing to come early to set up chairs and collect hymnals for the back area. If you are interested in helping with the important ministry, please contact Pat Kyle, Nancy Jo Stephens, or Carla Helms. Thank you! Mission News Looking ahead to the New Year, our Mission Team will be serving the New Genesis meal on Sunday, January 14 th. Please watch for the sign-up on the bulletin board. We d love to have you join us! 4

5 Dear Congregation, A Letter from Pastor John It s Advent! Truly one of the best times of the year! As you may know, our Advent Devotional Book this year is entitled Expressions of Grace. And I have to ask you, is there a better word in the English language than grace? I know we use it in several different ways, but it always seems to connote something positive. When we gather around the table for a meal at our house, we say grace. We offer people grace periods to get something finished. We talk about how someone moves with grace. We thank God for his grace in our lives, and express our gratitude for what he has done. Mark Young, the President of Denver Seminary writes, in the Bible, grace is used to describe God s undeserved favor or kindness towards us. Grace seems to flow through the stories in the Bible as we see evidence of it in both the Old and New Testaments. In the Old Testament, God s grace comes in the form of an ark built to save the human race from its own wickedness, a scarlet cord hanging from a prostitute s window or even a ram found in the thicket to act as a substitute sacrifice for a man s only son. It is everywhere. He is right. Grace is found in so many places and stories. But John 1:14-18 reminds us that no matter how often we see God s grace in the Old Testament, we never fully saw it until God sent his one and only Son, Jesus. John describes Jesus as full of grace and truth. John also goes on to say in verse 16 that in Jesus we have received grace upon grace. In Ephesians, the Apostle Paul can hardly contain himself as he describes the riches of God s grace that he has lavished upon us (Ephesians 1: 7-8). Our celebrations this Christmas morning may be extravagant or scant when we judge it by the world s standards. But no matter how many packages may be under the Christmas Tree, or how much food is laid on our tables, one thing is sure: the riches of God s grace have been lavished upon us in Christ. Let us celebrate that today and every day! Merry Christmas!! - Pastor John 5