CALENDAR. Live trees were used the first few years; then it became practical to use an artificial tree.

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1 not displaying correctly? View it in your browser. CALENDAR Sunday, December 4th Traditional Worship 9:45 AM A&O Sunday Adult Sunday School Early Childhood Sunday School Elementary Sunday School 11:00 AM Critter Land Big City Worship Monday, December 5th 7:00 AM Men's Prayer Breakfast 8:15 AM Women's Bible Study - Butterfield 12:00 PM Student Ministry Team 5:00 PM Properties Team 5:30 PM Women's Bible Study - Sicola 6:00 PM Children and their Families Ministry Team Music Ministry Team Tuesday, December 6th Prayer Group A 9:00 AM Women's Bible Study - McElreath 10:30 AM Child Care Staff 3:00 PM Affinity Group - Needlework 6:00 PM Dave Ramsey Class Wednesday, December 7th 8:45 AM Prayer Group B 9:30 AM Community Bible Study 10:00 AM Women's Bible Study - Harrison The Chrismon Tree: A Symbol of Christ The beautiful Chrismon Tree is now on display in the Sanctuary. However, did you know that the Chrismon Tree isn't just a plain ol' Christmas tree? It's full of rich history and tradition, proclaiming Christ. "Chrismon" is a combination of two words: Christ and monogram. A Chrismon is the symbol for Christ. The Chrismon Tree originated in 1957 in the Lutheran Church of the Ascencion, Danville, Virginia. Some Chrismons are symbols of Christianity from its earliest days; others are new explanations of God's never-changing presence in our ever-changing world; some are combinations of the old and the new. All Chrismons are made in combinations of white and gold - white, the liturgical color for Christmas, refers to our Lord's purity and perfection; gold, to the glory of God and Christian might. The evergreen tree symbolizes the eternal life which our Savior has won for us; tiny white lights speak of Him who is the Light of the world. The Chrismons proclaim the Name, the Life, the saving Acts of Jesus the Christ. In the fall of 1972, Mildred Carroll told of a beautiful Chrismon Tree she had seen and expressed the idea of how nice it would be if First Pres had such a tree. With permission from the Lutheran Church of Ascension in Danville, patterns and directions for making Chrismons were ordered. For the ornaments to be of lasting quality, it was decided that all decorations used should be of unbreakable and nontarnishable material and all styrofoam used as bases was to be covered in white velevet. Many church members, both men and women, spent countless hours making the smaller ornaments. Much of this was done by working together in workshops; the larger Chrismons were made by individuals. Live trees were used the first few years; then it became practical to use an artificial tree. Here are some of the shapes and their meanings. The Cross and Rose: The pointed ends remind us of the points of the nails, the thorns and the spear used in the Crucifixion. The rose symbolizes the Messiah, The desert shall rejoice, and blossom as the rose, (Isaiah 35:1). Cruciform Nimbus: The sign of the cross in a circle denotes the crucified cross. The Fish (IXOYC): The ancient symbol of Christ was the secret Christian sign during persecution. The letters in the name are the first letters of Greek words meaning: Jesus

2 1:00 PM Affinity Group - Bridge 6:00 PM Mexican Christmas Dinner 7:00 PM 12 Steps with Jesus Thursday, December 8th 10:00 AM NUFFs Program 10:30 AM Women's Bible Study - Wells 11:00 AM Women's Bible Study - Brooks 6:30 PM Sanctuary Choir Rehearsal Friday, December 9th Saturday, December 10th 9:00 AM Me Day for Missions 9:30 AM Women's Bible Study - Neely MEMORIALS November 28, 2011 Margaret Skinner Given by: Gay and Jerry Shelby Christ, God s Son, Savior (John 20:31). Greek Cross Crowned with Nika: Nika, the Greek word for conquer, becomes the ray of a rising sun behind this cross crowned. This design represents the Lord s victory over sin and death. The Crown: Symbol of the kingship of our Lord, the King of Kings and Lord of Lords. This design may also evoke thoughts of his victory over sin and death. Anchor Cross: The Anchor Cross is the symbol of hope. The crescent is the symbol of Mary, the Lord s mother. This child, from Mary, is the Hope of the World. Butterfly and Cross: The Latin cross is the cross of suffering and death. The butterfly is the symbol of the Lord s Resurrection from the death that the Latin cross brought (I Corinthians 15:20-23). Cross with Orb: Artists often show Christ holding a crosstopped orb: The Earth and heavens in the Lord s hands; the world united for Christ. Five-Point Star: The Epiphany Star. The Savior: Manifestation of the Son (Matthew 2:1-11). Eye of God: The eye connotes loving care and watchful judgment. Crown of Thorns: Represents the Savior s crown of suffering. Descending Dove: The Holy Spirit at the Lord s baptism (Mark 1:10). Trefoil: Symbol of the Trinity. The Cross Potent: A shape that looks something like a square divided with a vertical and a horizontal line and with the corners missing. The cross potent represents the Savior s spiritual and physical healing powers. Eight-Point Star: This ancient symbol was used by Christians as another concealed symbol of Christ during persecutions. The eight points refer also to regeneration through baptism, or heaven. Apostles Build 2011 Submitted by Dick Doyle On Saturday, November 5th, members of First Pres joined forces with Amarillo Habitat for Humanity for the Apostles Build. Thank you to everyone who gave up their Saturday to help build a house. Special thank yous are given to John and Merlene Board for providing a great lunch for all of the workers and to Tobe Howard for bringing his spray rig to stain all of the cabinets - they turned out beautifully! First Pres workers painted, stained and hung doors in the house. Pictured (l-r): George Cason, Phyllis Fields, Harry Fields

3 New homeowner, BJ Arcazar. Hopefully, she will be moving in shortly after the first of the year. She was very appreciative of our help. Financial Update Please remember we need your pledge to continue kingdom work; pledged offerings are below budget! Thank you for your continued generosity! If you have any questions, please contact a member of your Finance Committee, an Elder, or the Business Office ( ); or noland@firstpres.com. ANNOUNCEMENTS WORSHIP CELEBRATE! A big thank you to everyone who made a pledge on Commitment Sunday. Partnering with you is what makes ministry happen at

4 First Pres. If you were unable to participate by making a pledge, it's not too late! Pledge cards will be available in your Sunday bulletin or by contacting the business office ( ). Your generosity has been overwhelming. Thank you for giving! POINSETTIAS TO DONATE Christmas will be here soon! If you would like to donate one or more in memory or honor of a loved one, please contact Jean Edwards ( ). The suggested donation for each poinsettia is $9.85. The last date to order poinsettias will be Monday, December 12th. CHRISTMAS EVE SERVICES 4:00, 8:00 and 11:00 p.m. Worship our Savior on Christmas Eve with First Pres! Our 4 o'clock service will be "family friendly" with cookies served afterward in the Great Hall. For the 8:00 and 11:00 p.m. services, there will be carols, candlelight and communion. Invite family and friends, and come early to find your seat! Nursery will only be provided for the 4:00 and 8:00 p.m. services. YEAR-END GIVING REMINDER Important reminder! The Christmas service Sunday, December 25, 2011 will be the last service for offerings to be considered as 2011 offerings. All offerings received during the service Sunday, January 1, 2012 will be posted as 2012 offerings. The church offices will be open until 5:00 p.m. on Friday, December 30, 2011 to accept your 2011 giving. Gifts received by mail must be postmarked by December 31, 2011 in order to be included with your 2011 gifts. Please contact the Business Office ( or noland@firstpres.com) if you have any questions. UPCOMING PREACHING SCHEDULE December 4th Second Sunday of Advent Matthew 1:1-6 Rev. Howard Griffin December 11th Third Sunday of Advent Matthew 1:7-17 Rev. Howard Griffin December 18th Fourth Sunday of Advent Matthew 1:18-25 Rev. Howard Griffin GROW NUFFS DECEMBER PROGRAM Join NUFFs on December 8th for a visit to Christmas Past, fellowship and a wonderful meal. Special guest is Glori Roller, the Little Match Girl. Coffee and fellowship begins at 10:00 a.m., followed by a business meeting at 10:30, and the program begins at 11:00. For lunch reservations, call the reservation line ( ) or Jean Edwards ( ). ATTENTION, WEDNESDAY NIGHT TEACHERS! The Spring semester of Wednesday Night is right around the corner. In order to promote spring classes, we need your information! If you would like your class to be included in the Wednesday night brochure, please send the class name, topic and a two to three sentence description of what the class will

5 cover for the semester to Charlotte Kinch by Friday, December 16th. CONNECT A&O MEXICAN CHRISTMAS DINNER This is the last weekend to purchase tickets for A&O's annual Mexican Dinner on Wednesday, December 7th, from 6:00 p.m.until 8:00 p.m.! Purchase tickets from any A&O student or at the fundraiser table in the Great Hall. Tickets are $10.00 for adults, $5.00 for kids and 2 years and under are free. The dinner will be in the Parlor and Great Hall. Proceeds from the dinner will fund scholarship money for the A&O ski and mission trips. For more information, contact Alana Mitchell (alanam@firstpres.com or ). DESSERTS NEEDED! A&O is asking the congregation to whip out their mixers and bake up some treats (or pick up something from the grocery store) for the annual Mexican Christmas Dinner to be held on December 7th at 6:00 p.m. You may bring your desserts to the Student Ministry office anytime between 8:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m. on Monday, December 5th or Tuesday, December 6th. If you would like, you may drop them off the day of the dinner in the Parlor kitchen before 6:00 p.m. A&O appreciates your hard work and dedication to our students! Questions? Please contact Alana ( or alanam@firstpres.com) SALT SINGLES MINISTRY PRESENTS: SINGLES SECOND SUNDAYS! First Pres Single Adults will meet for a BYO (Buy Your Own) lunch! Where: Acapulco Mexican Restaurant (727 S. Polk Street) When: December 11th (Every second Sunday of the month) Time: 12:30 p.m. - 2:00 p.m. Who: Single adults (35+) A&O SKI TRIP SIGN-UP Sign-up for the A&O Ski Trips has begun and is available online at A $100 deposit is due with your signup. You can also find information on each trip and register online for the Middle School trip or the High School trip by clicking the link below. Middle school trip: December 27th-30th, 2011 Winter Park, CO High school trip: December 30th, 2011-January 3rd, 2012 Jackson Hole, WY SERVE ME DAY FOR MISSIONS -- PARENTS DAY OUT Parents, A&O is having a "Me Day for Missions" Parents Day Out on December 10th! You may finish your Christmas shopping or just have the day to yourself. Bring your children to the CE Building from 9:00 a.m. until 3:00 p.m. Cost for the day is $30 for one child, $50 for two children and $60 for three or more children. Send a lunch with your children and snacks will be provided. Please make your reservation by Wednesday, December 7th with Alana Mitchell ( or alanam@firstpres.com).

6 Our mailing address is: 1100 South Harrison Amarillo, TX Our telephone is: Return Service Requested. NONPROFIT ORGANIZATION U.S. POSTAGE PAID PPS, LTD.