Little Miracles by Pastor Michael Bos

Transcription

1 Newsletter Title December Kids Club, 5 p.m. Youth Group, 7 p.m. 3 Adult Christian Ed, 10 a.m. Decorating Party, 12:30 p.m. 5 Church, 4 p.m. A Taste of Heaven, 4:30 p.m. AA, 6:30 & 7:30 p.m. Yoga, 6:30 p.m. 6 Men s Group, 7 a.m. AA, 7 & 8:15 p.m. Taizé, 7 p.m. 8 Kids Club, 5 p.m. Youth Group, 7 p.m. 10 Adult Christian Ed, 10 a.m. Town Hall Meeting, 12:30 p.m. 12 Church, 4 p.m. A Taste of Heaven, 4:30 p.m. AA, 6:30 & 7:30 p.m. Yoga, 6:30 p.m. Carol Sing, 7 p.m. 13 AA, 7 & 8:15 p.m. Taizé, 7 p.m. 15 Kids Club, 5 p.m. Youth Group, 7 p.m. 17 Adult Christian Ed, 10 a.m. Service of Poetry and Carols Faith Forum, 12:30 p.m. 19 Church, 4 p.m. A Taste of Heaven, 4:30 p.m. AA, 6:30 & 7:30 p.m. Yoga, 6:30 p.m. 20 AA, 7 & 8:15 p.m. Taizé, 7 p.m. 22 No Kids Club/Youth Group 24 No Adult Christian Ed. Family Celebration, 6:30 p.m. Candlelight Service, 9 p.m. 25 Building & Office Closed in Observance of the Christmas Holiday 26 Building & Office Closed in Observance of the Christmas Holiday 27 AA, 7 & 8:15 p.m. Taizé, 7 p.m. 29 No Kids Club/Youth Group 31 No Adult Christian Ed. Little Miracles by Pastor Michael Bos This morning I was sitting at Starbucks facing the window. It was dark and rainy, and because of the scaffolding above, there was a man sleeping on the pavement in front of me along with his faithful dog. My heart broke as I watched them sleep cuddled together for warmth. I began to wonder, what s his story? Is he an addict? Is he struggling with mental illness? How does he stay warm? How does he feed his dog? As I was thinking about these things, someone stopped by and without waking him, left three biscuits in front of the dog. The big, black mixed breed gently picked up each biscuit and ate it. Soon after, two people paused to reach down and pet the gentle giant. Then a little later someone placed some food in front of the dog. All of this occurred while the man slept. I was so touched by people s kindness to the dog, which by extension was to the man as well. New York City is depicted as a fast paced, in your face kind of place, yet on the street this morning I witnessed the kindheartedness of New Yorkers toward one of their own. I felt grateful to witness this little miracle that I could have so easily missed, and probably often do. This year s pledge campaign is a gratitude campaign. It is a time to take stock of the little miracles we witness every day and give thanks for them. As part of the campaign, we encourage you to take the Gratitude Challenge. We re inviting everyone to take time each day to count their blessings or express their gratitude to someone who has impacted them. William Arthur Ward said, Gratitude can transform common days into thanksgivings, turn routine jobs into joy, and change ordinary opportunities into blessings. (More infor- mation on the Gratitude Campaign and Challenge is in the newsletter.) Together as we count our blessings, we also need to consider how we make our blessings count. This really gets to the heart of what pledging is all about. It is a time when we consider how we use our blessings to bless others. It is a time when we pool our blessings so that West End can continue to grow and impact people s lives. Therefore, this year as we consider our pledges may it arise from a place of blessing. As we count our blessings and make our blessings count this holiday season, I leave you with the words of Tiny Tim, A Merry Christmas to us all; God bless us, every one!" -Pastor Michael

2 Musical Notes by Cynthia Powell It's December and time for the beauty of Advent with special musical offerings on each Sunday. On December 3, the first Sunday of Advent, we ll welcome special guest singers The Saddle Brook High School Choraleers, conducted by Malcolm Couden. Pub Theology December 20 8 PM The Dublin House This month we will discuss Keeping Christ in Christmas You get the drink of your choice and pizza is provided! December 10 will feature the Chamberlain Brass Quintet in a setting of the great Dutch hymn Ere zij God (Glory be to God) for brass and choir. Don t miss our Annual Community Carol Sing on Tuesday, December 12 at 7 p.m. It s a fun-filled hour of calling out your favorite carols and singing both sacred and popular Christmas songs at full throttle. Be sure to bring the children because we'll be singing all their top hits too! Following the carol sing, we'll have cider and cookies. And it's FREE. The Choir and Momenta String Quartet are rehearsing for our unique Service of Poetry and Carols on Sunday, December 17 at 11:00 a.m. With readings and poems read by members of the congregation, this service is modeled after the popular Festival of Lessons and Carols so beloved among many churchgoers, but ours includes Christmas poetry through the ages, as well as favorite carols and anthems of the season. It s a great way to introduce friends to the extraordinary beauty of our church and its music! Our special West End Christmas Choir is back to sing a gorgeous piece called I Wish Y ou Christmas by John Rutter in worship on December 17. Open to all adults music reading is not required - learning materials will be supplied. We will rehearse IMMEDIATELY following the services on December 3 and December 10 in the sanctuary and immediately prior to the service on December 17. See me after church for your copy of music or her at cpowell@westendchurch.org and I'll send you a PDF and listening file. Our Taizé services continue every Wednesday throughout the year in the sanctuary at 7:00 p.m. The sanctuary is bathed in candlelight, with simple chants accompanied by oboe, flute, violin and keyboard. The readings are from scripture and poetry. Just forty-five minutes in length, it offers a chance to unwind from the hustle and bustle of New York. Follow us on Want to keep up with what s happening with your WECC family? Finally, the traditional Epiphany service will grace our worship on Sunday, January 7, at 11:00 a.m., with the West End Choir and Melodia Women s Choir. Music, readings and the congregational circle of light signify Jesus message of peace, justice and hope to the world. See you in church, Cynthia Powell Director of Music Ministries Go to Facebook : WestEndChurchNYC and It s a great way to stay connected to our community.

3 The Most Wonderful Time of the Year by Ian Carr McPherson Happy Holidays to all of you! What a joyous season this is, indeed. We have lots going on in our congregation during this season of celebration, so be sure to mark your calendars for these important events: On December 3rd, following the service, we will have our Annual Family Decorating Party! There will be plenty of decorating to do while we sip cider, eat cookies, and sing our favorite Christmas songs. This is an event for the whole family, and we will have fun activities for children and parents to undertake side by side! Can't wait to see you there! On Friday night, December 8, our middle and high school students are invited to a Youth Group Lock-in! From 7 p.m. to 7 a.m. the next morning (December 9), we will play games, watch movies, eat snacks, and (hopefully!) get a little sleep. Please bring your PJs, toothbrushes, and sleeping bags! Our Annual Family Christmas Eve Service will be on Sunday, December 24 at 6:30 p.m., between our regular Sunday morning service and the Candelight Service at 9 p.m. We hope to see you for all three! Remember that Children's Worship Hour will not meet on December 24, 31, or January 7. These are family services (Christmas Eve, New Year's Eve, and Epiphany/Festival of Lights, respectively), and coloring packets will be provided for children of all ages! Also, Kids Club and Youth Group are on hiatus from December 22 through January 12. When we return on January 19, we will officially relocate our activities to the Chapel and Annex upstairs. Many blessings to you and your extended families during this season of celebration. May God's peace and joy be yours now and in the New Year to come. Please join us for a TOWN HALL MEETING on Sunday, December 10 in the parlor following the worship service. We will discuss the next steps in the Senior Minister search process, introduce members of the search committee, share feedback on themes received during the small group sessions, and take additional comments and feedback from the congregation as to what our priorities are for the future of West End.

4 Thank You! by Pastor Jes Kast Dear West End, you really are amazing! For our Thanksgiving dinner at a Taste of Heaven (TOH), we provided over 250 dinners for the unhoused, hungry and lonely. We had a feast and YOU made it happen! We raised $2112. We did this together! You made a difference for hope and love in a world that has so many hurts and anxiety. We brought hope and delicious food! Thank you! As the months get colder we need to continue to support our family in God who lives on the street. Two ways you can help give a Christmas gift that changes lives this year at TOH: 1) Purchase a small, cold weather sleeping bag that we can distribute at TOH. People have already started telling me that they need one this year so let s support each other and give a warm bed. 2) Purchase a coat that turns into a sleeping bag from The Empowerment Plan ( This organization employs folks who have been unhoused. They then make these awesome coats that turn into sleeping bags. Check them out and help us start a new way to support TOH! Each Tuesday Jesus Christ walks in our building and he is often homeless and in need of care. We live our values when we serve the poor. Thank you for being lights of Christian love! Ministering together - Pastor Jes Kast Pub Theology.. Keeping Christ in Christmas: Merry Xmas? Merry Christmas? Happy Holidays? What is the right phrase for a Christian and what does it mean when we want to keep Christ in Christmas in secular New York City? On December 20, we will talk about a new understanding of keeping Christ in Christmas as we sift through what is nostalgia, what is religious conviction, and how we are good neighbors to our interfaith friends and their celebrations. In preparation, pay attention to the department store windows this month. What does our city convey as the meaning for the season? Should be a great conversation with much merriment at the pub! Faith Forums How does faith guide and influence your vocation? What does it look like to live your faith publicly? This year our Faith Forums will focus on members of our congregation and how they are living their faith out loud. You won t want to miss this wisdom during lunch after worship in the chapel! December 17 Wendy Cambor January 28 Kim Yancey Moore Pledge Campaign 2018 This past week you received information for this year s pledge campaign (which is also included in this newsletter). This is an important time for us individually and collectively. Individually, it allows us to reflect on the ways we have been blessed and how we can use our resources to bless others. Collectively, our resources are joined together and used in ways that touch and transform lives through the ministry God has entrusted to West End. When we join together in this way, we experience the reality of Jesus s words: You re far happier giving than getting (Acts 20:35, The Message). The Thanksgiving Pack-a-thon with Shearith Israel was a huge success! Here are the numbers: 120 adults and 60 children packed 3,000 meals in 45 minutes; additionally, we raised over $18,000. It's wonderful to see the difference faith communities can make when they come together in service to our city.

5 SERMONS Four part Advent series: FINDING HOPE IN DIFFICULT TIMES December 3: Discovering Hope December 10: Finding Peace THE BOOK CLUB will not meet in December. Our January 19 book is Budda in the Attic by Julie Otsuka (This book is just 129 pages!) December 17: Experiencing Joy December 24: Knowing Love Family Celebration, 6:30 p.m. Candlelight Service, 9 p.m. December 31: Out with the Old December 6 at 7 a.m. Men s Group will meet to deepen our faith and friendships while we journey through life together. A New Way to Give to West End We are pleased to announce that you can now make donations to West End via your mobile phone. It s very simple to do. Just text Give to and then follow the instructions for the one time registration process. After you ve registered your account and card, you can then make donations at anytime by texting the amount, with the dollar sign, and what it s for. For example, you can text $100 offering or $50 talent show. You will receive immediate verification and a receipt will be ed to you. That s all there is to it! Thank you for your continued support of our ministries.

6

7

8

9