December 20, :30 am

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1 December 20, :30 am Lector Jill Stoll Acolyte Zachary Letchworth Greeters Jackie & Mike Wheelehan Ushers Sam & Virginia Okoloko Offering Stewards Don Adams, Deb Humphrey Coffee Hour Hosts Don & Kari Adams Sound System Mary Wilson, Isaac Grimm Murray Pounds an adaptation Kirkwood United Church of Christ 1603 Dougherty Ferry Road Kirkwood, MO Website Phone (314) CHURCH STAFF Betsy Happel, Pastor Donna Bay, Administrative Assistant Merry Keller, Director of Music Ministry Ron Bryant, Accompanist Anna McCowan, Student Pastor Stephen Stark, Student Pastor MINISTERS The Whole Congregation Facebook us No matter who you are, or where you are on life s journey, you are welcome here! OUR WELCOMING STATEMENT 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 the fellowship, membership, leadership, worship, ministry, sacraments, rites, responsibilities and blessings of our faith community. As we affirm 1 that every person is a child of God, no one is excluded, regardless of race, ethnic or socio-economic background, marital status, gender, sexual orientation, age, physical or mental ability, nationality or faith background. We are an Open and Affirming congregation.

2 ORDER OF SERVICE *All who are able, please stand Hearing assistance is available, please see an usher Welcome Those seated on the aisle, please fill out the welcome sheet on the clipboard in the pew rack, and pass it to the next person. Request: the last person to sign, please put the sheet in the offering plate. Thank you. The Advent Light of Love Lighting by Fernando, Heather and Penelope Brown *Gathering Song One Candle Is Lit vv. 1-4 Page 6 *Gathering Prayer/Lord s Prayer O God, you broke down the barriers when you crept in beside us. In Jesus, your heart touched all, and touches us. You opened our eyes to see how the hands of the rich were empty, and the hearts of the poor were full. You took the widow s mite and the child s loaves and used them to show us the Kin-dom. You gave us courage to take in those who were different and desperate. Here in the company of the neighbor whom we know and the stranger in our midst, and the self from whom we turn, we ask to love as Jesus loved. Make this the place and time, good Lord, when heaven and earth become one, and when we, in word and flesh, know ourselves as beloved. And in this sprit, then, be with us as we pray the words Jesus taught us: *Lord s Prayer Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For thine is the kingdom and the power, and the glory, forever. Amen. Choir Anthem We Wait by Ruth Elaine Schram violin Sarah Heuermann 2

3 Invitation to the Offering The Love of God is born new in the world as often as we embody that love in the works of compassion, peace and justice. Let us offer our gifts in a spirit of generosity and hope. Offertory *Doxology O Come, O Come, Emmanuel v. 7 O come, Desire of Nations bind, all peoples in one heart and mind; Make envy, strife, and quarrels cease; fill the whole world with heaven s peace. Rejoice, rejoice! Emmanuel shall come to thee, O Israel! *Prayer of Dedication Scripture Reading With these gifts, dear God, accept the praise and thanksgiving of our hearts, which rejoice in your goodness and love. May our gifts point to your presence in the world, and further your dream for the world, through Jesus, Emmanuel, God-with-us. Amen. Luke 2:8-20 (Common English Bible) Nearby shepherds were living in the fields, guarding their sheep at night. The Lord s angel stood before them, the Lord s glory shone around them, and they were terrified. The angel said, Don t be afraid! Look! I bring good news to you wonderful, joyous news for all people. Your savior is born today in David s city. He is Christ the Lord. This is a sign for you: you will find a newborn baby wrapped snugly and lying in a manger. Suddenly a great assembly of the heavenly forces was with the angel praising God. They said, Glory to God in heaven, and on earth peace among those whom he favors. When the angels returned to heaven, the shepherds said to each other, Let s go right now to Bethlehem and see what s happened. Let s confirm what the Lord has revealed to us. They went quickly and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby lying in the manger. When they saw this, they reported what they had been told about this child. Everyone who heard it was amazed at what the shepherds told them. Mary committed these things to memory and considered them carefully. The shepherds returned home, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen. Everything happened just as they had been told. Special Presentation The Little Shepherd Girls adapted from the book, The Little Shepherd Girl, by Julliann Henry The Cast: Narrator 1 Narrator 2 Sarah Miriam Father Mother Ali Cleary Annika Gabel Lindsay Tomlin Emily Letchworth Jack Bauer Anna Rodriguez 3

4 Cousins Herschel Hannah Hiram Star People Gabriel Stacy Star Stan Star Stella Star Sheep Sherman Shimmel Sheldon Shprintza Shneir Shaul Shaina Townsperson 1 Townsperson 2 Mary Joseph Jacob Rodriquez Jada Cleary Zach Letchworth Seth Stark Ellie Bowen Jack Cleary Sahar Zaheer Nate Bauer Gabe Mershon Jonah Stark Catie Mershon Robbie Ridenhour Luke Bauer Julia Eisenhart John Carey Kris Pounds Ellie Bowen Jack Cleary Scene 1: At Home Song Why So Many Stars? Song Something to Dance For (written by Lurie, Archontis, Neeman) Scene 2: Out in the Pasture Song Good Night Song The First Noel (congregation, please join in!) The first Noel, the angels did say, was to certain poor shepherds in fields as they lay; In fields where they lay keeping their sheep, on a cold winter s night that was so deep. Noel, Noel, Noel, Noel, born in a manger, Emmanuel. Scene 3: In Town Scene 4: Back Home Song Joy to the World (congregation, please sing along!) Joy to the world! The Lord is come; let earth its praises bring; Let every heart prepare Christ room, and heaven and nature sing, and heaven and nature sing, and heaven, and heaven and nature sing. Joy to the earth! The Savior reigns! Let all their songs employ; While fields and floods, rocks, hills, and plains, repeat the sounding joy, repeat the sounding joy, repeat, repeat the sounding joy. 4

5 Christ rules the world with truth and grace and makes the nations prove. The glories of, God s righteousness and wonders of God s love, and wonders of God s love, and wonders, wonders of God s love. Blessing and Commissioning, Filled With Gratitude *Song of Recession Joy to the World Joy to the world! The Lord is come; let earth its praises bring; Let every heart prepare Christ room, and heaven and nature sing, and heaven and nature sing, and heaven, and heaven and nature sing. Postlude Please join us in the Friendship Room as we thank the cast! ************************************************************* A very special thank you to our wonderful pageant volunteers: Script writing John Carey, Barb Harris, Julie Kies, Anna McCowan Music Merry Keller, Ron Bryant Rehearsals Julie Kies, Anna McCowan, Mara Stoll Set and Props Anna McCowan, Bob Steen Sound Murray Pounds, Stephen Stark Costumes, Fun, General Sheep-herding and Star-Catching - Evelyn Appel, Kristin Bowen, Molly Stark And thank you to the parents, grandparents, and great-grandparents who helped learn lines and songs, and provided transportation to rehearsals! Sources: Call to Worship/Advent Light Reading is taken from All I Really Want: Readings for a Modern Christmas, a book written by Quinn G. Caldwell. Quinn is the Pastor of Plymouth Congregational Church in Syracuse, NY, and is a member of the UCC Still Speaking Writer s team. Gathering Prayer adapted from a prayer posted on the website of Old South Church in Boston. Offering Liturgy written by the Rev. Susan A. Blain, Minister for Faith Formation; Curator for Worship and Liturgical Arts, Local Church Ministries. From 5

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7 KUCC CALENDAR OF EVENTS *Names in italics with an asterisk are community groups which use our facilities. SUNDAY, DECEMBER 20 4 th Sunday Advent 7:15 am Group leaves to cook food for St. Philips 9:30 am Worship/Christmas Pageant 10:30 am Coffee Hour/Cast Reception MONDAY, DECEMBER 21 10:00 am Al-Anon* 7:00 pm SLAA* 7:00 pm COSA* TUESDAY, DECEMBER 22 11:15 am Al-Anon* 7:00 pm Recovering Couples Anon.* WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 23 5:30 pm SIA* 6:30 pm Al-Anon* 7 THURSDAY, DECEMBER 24 Christmas Eve 11:15 am Al-Anon 4:30 pm Intergenerational Christingle Service 9:45 pm Music 10:00 pm Candlelight Service/Communion FRIDAY, DECEMBER 25 Christmas Day Office Closed SUNDAY, DECEMBER 27 9:30 am Worship 10:30 am Coffee Hour ***************************************************** NEWS SPONSORED BY KUCC NATIVITY SCENES MADE BY THE MIDDLE SCHOOLERS The Middle Schoolers went caroling and had a lock-in on Saturday, December 12th. They went on a scavenger hunt and collected items. Once the items were collected they had to figure out what to make. See the beautiful Nativity Scenes in the Friendship Room that they created. CHRISTMAS EVE - What is a "Christingle" service? Our 4:30 pm Christmas Eve Christingle service is intergenerational, with a kid-friendly focus. We'll begin with a Christmas storybook. Then we'll create "Christingles" using oranges, candles and other decorations. We'll journey through the church searching for characters of the Christmas story, learning the meaning behind each. Back in the sanctuary, we will create a nativity scene using our newly-collected pieces, and will end with "Silent Night" sung in Christingle candlelight. A great opportunity for all ages to think about the spiritual reason for the holiday. NURSERY CARE - CHRISTMAS EVE WORSHIP SERVICE 10:00pm Nursery care service will be provided for the Christmas Eve Worship starting at 9:30pm CHRISTMAS GIVING OPPORTUNITIES: Christmas Eve offering for Our Church s Wider Mission (OCWM) Donations from My Christmas Offering envelopes and loose offerings on Christmas Eve have been designated to the support of OCWM for the work of the Missouri Mid-South Conference and the UCC in its wider mission, locally, nationally and globally. At the local level funding from OCWM provides resources and support to clergy, supports and nurtures those who are considering a call to ministry and/or attending seminary, provides assistance to churches seeking to call a new pastor and provides guidance to new church starts. Those of you who receive offering envelopes by mail will find My Christmas Offering envelop in the December packet. You can also write a check to KUCC with OCWM written on the memo line.

8 CHRISTMAS FUND/VETERANS OF THE CROSS Each year at Christmas, the United Church Board for Ministerial Assistance raises funds for supplemental and emergency aid for both retired and active clergy and lay employees. While this is a nation-wide effort, up to 50% of the funds donated will be put to work in our own community for UCC pastors who need financial assistance. Your gift to the Christmas Fund will make a real difference for our UCC clergy neighbors who are in need. Those of you who receive offering envelopes by mail will find one marked Special Offering with Christmas Fund/Veterans Cross on the back. There will also be Special Offering envelopes in the pew racks for your convenience. UPCOMING NEW EVENING BOOK STUDY: Enrique s Journey by Sonia Nazario Illegal immigration continues to be a topic of much discussion and controversy in the daily news. How do we respond to this issue in a faithful and compassionate way? One solution is to learn as much as possible so we can respond to others from a position of understanding and not just the sound-bites that we hear so often. To this end, our first book study in 2016 will be of Enrique s Journey, an astonishing story that puts a human face on the ongoing debate about immigration reform in the United States. Enrique s Journey recounts the unforgettable quest of a Honduran boy looking for his mother, eleven years after she is forced to leave her starving family to find work in the United States. Braving unimaginable peril, often clinging to the sides and tops of freight trains, Enrique travels through hostile worlds full of thugs, bandits, and corrupt cops. But he pushes forward, relying on his wit, courage, hope, and the kindness of strangers. This is a twenty-first-century Odyssey. Join us on Sunday evening, January 24, at 6:30 PM in the Adult Education room for a discussion of this compelling book and topic. The book is readily available online in print & electronic forms. NEEDED COFFEE HOUR HOST January 10 We are in need of Coffee Hour Hosts on January 10th. If you can help please contact Donna in the Church Office. Thank you. MEMBERSHIP INFORMATION LUNCH - January 10 Wondering what Kirkwood UCC is all about? If you have questions about KUCC's history, ministries, hopes and dreams, you are invited to meet with Pastor Betsy and some members of our KUCC Church Council on Sunday, January 10th at Noon in the Friendship Room (where Sunday morning coffee hour is held). We will share information and casual conversation over a light lunch. Whether you're already a KUCC member, or are considering membership at KUCC (or neither of these!), we hope you'll join us. Please RSVP Donna Bay at donna@kirkwooducc.org so we can plan for the meal. We welcome new members into the congregation four times a year, and will be doing so again on Sunday, January 31st. PERSONAL CARE PACKS FOR ST. PHILIPS: Thank you so much for your generous donations of personal care items for the community served at St. Philips. We are always in need of donations, especially deodorant, razors, toothbrushes, toothpaste and wash cloths. Please remember to donate SAMPLE/TRAVEL sized items only. All of the items are packed into quart-sized Ziploc bag so that our clients are easily able to carry them. Thanks to our Sunday School and LOGOS students for sorting the donations and assembling packs each month! HABITAT FOR HUMANITY January 9 KUCC s work day for Habitat for Humanity is January 9th. We will be working in Florissant about 40 minutes away. We need to be on site at 7:45am and work until 3:30. Please contact Bob Steen at absteen4617@att.net if you are interested in voluntering. 8