ECHOES. Monthly Newsletter of Woodland Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) December December Calendar of Events

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Phillip Bennett
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The play is based on a Christmas tradition in Mexico of neighbors going from house to house asking to be let in but find that there is no room at the inn.

1 ECHOES Monthly Newsletter of Woodland Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) December 2013 Children s Christmas Program & All Church Christmas Luncheon Sunday, December 15 During worship on December 15, our children will bring us the message in word and song with the Christmas play Las Posadas. The play is based on a Christmas tradition in Mexico of neighbors going from house to house asking to be let in but find that there is no room at the inn. Those who opened the door then join the others to go to the next house to knock. Finally, at the last house all are invited in for a celebration of the birth of the baby Jesus. Following worship we will have our annual potluck Christmas luncheon (with a special guest appearing toward the end!). Christmas Eve Service, 7:00 pm A traditional service of lessons and carols with communion by intinction and ending with singing Silent Night by candlelight. The service will be less than an hour and children are encouraged to attend to hear the Christmas story read on this Holy Night. Farewell Reception for Ainsley Wagoner December 8 December 8 will be Ainsley s last day with us as organist. She moves to San Francisco the first of the New Year. Join us following worship that day for a thank you/farewell reception for Ainsley hosted by the choir. Advent Devotional Booklets Booklets to use for meditation and devotional time during Advent are now available. Our Elders have each contributed two devotionals for different days of Advent. They are inspired by a scripture assigned to that date by the liturgical calendar. This was a request made by the Worship Committee to the Elders. We all hope you find these helpful and enjoyable. Jackie Diachun Giving Thanks for Our Thanksgiving Luncheon On Thanksgiving Sunday, November 24, at least 75 of us gathered in the fellowship hall for a potluck Thanksgiving with our church family. Thanks to all who brought all of our delicious dishes what a spread! Thanks also to those who stayed to clean up, especially Beth Siesel for stepping in as dishwasher. A special thanks to Scotty and Steve Coon for setting up the day before and making sure all ran smoothly. December Calendar of Events 12/7 New Song in the Bluegrass The Episcopal Church of St. 7:30 pm 12/8 Equal Exchange Candy Youth Fundraiser 12/8 Farewell Reception for Ainsley Wagoner 12/11 Open 2:00 pm 12/15 Christmas Special Offering 12/15 Children s Pageant Las Posadas and Christmas Lunch 12/18 JOY 11:00 am 12/22 Christmas Special Offering 12/22 Youth Christmas Party

2 DECEMBER WORSHIP NOTES A Note from Dalene Prepare. 2 December 1, 1 st Sunday of Advent We light the candle of Hope. Isaiah 2:1-5 Romans 13:11-14 Matthew 24:36-44 Anthem Come Thou Long Expected Jesus December 8, 2 nd Sunday of Advent We light the candle of Peace. Isaiah 11:1-10 Matthew 2:1-12 Anthem Deep Peace December 15, 3 rd Sunday of Advent We light the candle of Joy. Anthem Soon and Very Soon Children s pageant Las Posadas December 22, 4 th Sunday of Advent We light the candle of Love. Isaiah 7:10-16 Matthew 1:18-25 Anthem In the Bleak Mid Winter December 24, Christmas Eve, 7:00 pm We light the Christ Candle. A Service of Lessons and Carols with communion by intinction December 29, 1 st Sunday after Christmas Isaiah 63:7-9 Matthew 2:13-23 Let the list making begin: grocery lists, gift shopping lists, to do to get the house ready lists, calendar activity lists. In the midst of the list making frenzy may we find time to prepare our hearts. May we find time to pause with who we are as we travel this Holy time; owning our loneliness, our grief, our impatience, our unrealistic expectations for perfection, our stressed out/get it all doneness and yes, our hope and our joy! We can t really prepare until we bring out and set down before ourselves all that it is that we re carrying. Set it down and then say to ourselves, Here, God, will you help me carry this? or God, is it OK if I leave this behind? or Thank you, God, for allowing my journey to include... I pray that your church family may be a part of this time to prepare. Each Sunday, as we light a candle on the Advent wreath, we add more light to winter s darkness, more light with which to better glimpse the many way the Emanuel is to be born into our lives. Come as you are and worship with us. The Elders have prepared a wonderful devotional booklet to use for daily readings. You are invited to pick up a copy and use it as part of your season s preparation. If you need a copy mailed to you, call the church office. In addition, as a way of preparing our hearts, the church is providing a variety of ways that you can give during this season of giving: H.U.G.S., Special Offering, end of the year giving, foster children presents, etc. Choose what speaks to your heart... and your budget. Know that you are not expected to give to all or give til it hurts but rather, give til it feels good. May God bless us all during this season of waiting/longing/hoping/preparing.

Chrismon Tree We have a new tree for our Chrismon ornaments. The word, Chrismon is a combination of two words, Christ and monogram. The tree is in the hall just outside the doors by the pulpit.

3 Chrismon Tree We have a new tree for our Chrismon ornaments. The word, Chrismon is a combination of two words, Christ and monogram. The tree is in the hall just outside the doors by the pulpit. Chrismons are a type of Christmas tree decoration used in churches and some homes. Our ornaments are made and were given to us a few years ago by the Needlepoint Guild that meets here. The symbols on them represent a variety of biblical and theological ideas the ornaments are like logos or symbols. They are white, which is the Christmas liturgical color with gold decorations to remind us of Jesus as King. Each Sunday we will add some Chrismon ornaments to the tree. Watch for an explanation of some of them. Jackie Diachun OPEN CIRCLE We are meeting one week later on December 11 for tea at 2:00 pm in the Fellowship Hall. We will do some sharing in preparation for Christmas. We will bring an offering to purchase personal products for the Women s HOPE Center. This has been our tradition for several years. Come and join us for a special time and fellowship. Jackie Diachun JOY We are off on the trolley again! We will meet at Woodland on December 18 at 11:00 am and catch the trolley in front of the church to head to Chevy Chase. We plan to eat at the new Greek restaurant in Chevy Chase then ride the trolley for the rest of the route and end up back at Woodland before 2:00 pm. We will be able to hop on and off as much as we want. The trolley is free. Lunch is on your own. Please direct any questions to Del Osborne or Jackie Diachun. Jackie Diachun TRUSTEES Gerry Hann, Jon and Sam Clay, Stacey Stevens, Michael Wells, and Jannine Baker came out on Saturday, November 9, to help on church building and property tasks. With their assistance, we were able to clean up limbs and other debris from the church property, remove items from the former Mother-to- Mother room for conversion to the Pastor s new office, move and re-arrange furniture within the church main office, install signage on the parking lot and covers on window air conditioners, and perform upkeep in the church gardens. Thank you everybody for your contribution of time and enthusiasm. Trustees are also working to establish contract pricing for winter snow removal and arranging professional cleaning of the building s gutter system. We have had the church s deteriorated hard-copy blueprints scanned and converted to electronic files for future safekeeping. Kentucky Utilities will be performing a free energy audit during December and providing recommendations on building energy use. After the first of the year, we plan to begin the process of mortar repairs on stonework near the Kentucky Avenue entrance. With moving of the Pastor s office to the former Mother-to-Mother room on the second floor, the soon-to-be-vacant current office on the first floor will be converted to Committee Meeting space. Once the office is emptied, Trustees will be working to make the new space attractive and functional for the church s departments, standing committees, and auxiliary groups to use for your meetings and programs. Stay tuned for more details. Craig Locke 3 YOUTH NEWS December s Youth Schedule 12/1 Youth Group 12/8 Youth Group 12/15 No Youth Group / Christmas Lunch 12/22 Youth Christmas Party (Activity TBA) 12/29 No Youth Group

4 OUTREACH The holiday season is a great time to reflect on our blessings and reach out to the less fortunate in our community by joining the Outreach Department to support the following events:

Mark Johnson Angel Tree We have received the names of five boys and one girl this year from the Fayette County Foster Parent Association with the opportunity to brighten their Christmas with gifts.

4 4 OUTREACH The holiday season is a great time to reflect on our blessings and reach out to the less fortunate in our community by joining the Outreach Department to support the following events: Thanksgiving Meal for the Homeless Join us on Friday, November 29, from 12:00 to 1:30 pm as we serve soup and sandwiches to those in need. Mark Johnson Angel Tree We have received the names of five boys and one girl this year from the Fayette County Foster Parent Association with the opportunity to brighten their Christmas with gifts. Please select from the Angels on the tree and place your name on the sign-up sheet. Gifts are due by Sunday, December 8. Mark Johnson Recent Outreach events Woodland joined with East Second Street and Crestwood Christian Churches on Sunday, November 10, for a potluck dinner, discussion of the book The New Jim Crow: Mass Incarceration in the Age of Colorblindness, and communion. The gathering and discussion was a great way to join with our sister churches for fellowship and learning about the impact of mass incarceration on our communities and families. Mark Johnson H.U.G.S. - Hats, Underwear, Gloves, and Socks were collected Sunday, November 17, and Sunday November 24, with a potluck dinner on the 24th after church. The H.U.G.S. gifts were donated to the HOPE Center. Mark Johnson On Tuesday, November 19, several members of Woodland traveled to the Dierson House, a halfway house in Louisville, to partner with Mission Behind Bars and Beyond to lead a worship service and communion. Mark Johnson Christmas Special Offering December 15 & December 22 On December 15 and 22, we will have an opportunity to give to one of the six Special Offerings of our denomination. Each Special targets a specific ministry of our larger church. The Christmas Special Offering supports the manifestation of our denomination known as Regions. Our offering goes to support the work of CCK, the Christian Church of Kentucky. The Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) in Kentucky (CCK) is one of 33 geographic regions of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) in the United States and Canada. CCK is nearly 420 ministers, and 30,000 men, women and youth in 224 congregations throughout the Commonwealth of Kentucky. It is leadership and faith development ministries for women, men, and youth through camps, retreats and conferences. It is Kentucky Appalachian Ministries and the CCK West Area. It is our Kentucky partner ministries Cane Ridge Meeting House, Christian Care Communities, the Kentucky Council of Churches, Lexington Theological Seminary, Midway College and Transylvania University. It is all Kentucky Disciples and their ministries. Camps, conferences, pastor support, leadership training and so much more. Please give generously to support this important work of the church. EQUAL EXCHANGE CANDY FUNDRAISER Have you gotten all your Christmas presents yet? Need some more stocking stuffers? Have you been thinking about that Dark Chocolate Sea Salted Carmel bar since you had it last year? Well we have your answer! The Woodland Youth Group will be selling Equal Exchange coffee, chocolate, and olive oil during Advent to support our activities for the year. See our table after worship on December 1,8, & 15.

WHO S IN THE PEWS! Lauren Sherrow and Denali (Nali) King Lauren Sherrow and her son Denali (Nali) King joined Woodland in October. They are both Lexington natives.

5 WHO S IN THE PEWS! Lauren Sherrow and Denali (Nali) King Lauren Sherrow and her son Denali (Nali) King joined Woodland in October. They are both Lexington natives. Lauren is a teacher at Lafayette High School teaching students with moderate to severe disabilities. She is working on her masters in Special Education and aiming to become a Board Certified Behavior Analyst. Nali works as a student at Maxwell Elementary. He thinks about being a Lego engineer when he grows up. Lauren grew up in the Church of Christ, which was her family s church. She attended until she was 20 but as a teenager had decided it was not the church for her. She wanted to be more authentic to herself and she could no longer pretend to believe. About a year ago (almost 10 years later), she began praying to find a church that was inclusive and focused on being Christ-like, not just Christian. She is grateful to have found Woodland. She wants Denali to have a church family and have the chance to develop his own relationship with God. Both Nali and Lauren are Lego enthusiasts. They love building together and collecting the minifigures. Nali attended Lego Robotics camp this past summer. They go for walks, like reading and taunting their kittens with cat toys that are just slightly out of their reach. Denali is currently obsessed with Doctor Who, Star Wars, Adventure Time and the Hitchhiker s guide to the Galaxy. Lauren enjoys spray painting everything she can get her hands on, being horrified by reality TV shows, listening to records, playing with makeup, and singing when no one else can hear. The positive attitude and inclusiveness are how Lauren knew that WCC was the place for them. On her first visit when Dalene prayed for marriage equality and addressed the struggles of people living in poverty, Lauren was sure they had found a church home. She also likes the older hymns. Lauren says, My prayers were answered. I need a weekly pep talk to help me be the best person that I can be and to live a life that is focused on being loving, kind, and of service to others. We welcome Lauren and Nali to their church home. A Visit to Chalice Christian Church London, Kentucky I m here to assure you that Steve Johnson s voice sounds just as great on the road as it does at Woodland! On November 17, Steve sang My Grateful Spirit Sings to the small congregation at Chalice Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) in London, Kentucky. Steve was one of four WCC representatives who drove to London to support this new church as part of a Woodland Elders project. Others making the drive were Rita and Richard Day and Conley Salyer. We enjoyed breakfast, Sunday school, church services, lunch, and some great conversations with the London folks before dashing back to Lexington ahead of high winds. Some of you at Woodland may know their minister, Rev. Tanya Tyler, who commutes from Lexington twice a week to provide services. Chalice Christian Church was formed to support the broader Disciples policy of being open to all in a part of our state where that openness has not been embraced by many people. They comprise a small church (approximately 20 members) and deserve our love, respect, and support. If any other Woodland members would like to make the Sunday morning drive to services, please let me know. Conley Salyer Thank you! Woodland Christian Church From Doris Snow and Family Our sincere thank you to Dalene, her staff, and members of the church who helped to make my 90 th birthday reception a huge success that I will never forget. Thank you so much! Doris Snow 5

6 6 Birthday Cupcakes Will follow worship on Sunday, December 1. Come and join as we sing Happy Birthday to: Frank Winchester, 12/2 Jodi Falknor, 12/6 Merry Jess Parrent, 12/8 Lin Stocker, 12/8 John Forbes, 12/9 Ed Brown, 12/10 Allen Williams, 12/12 Shirley Brown, 12/15 Steve Coon, 12/16 Lauren Sherrow, 12/21 Maggie Deel, 12/25 Steve Holthaus, 12/25 Connie Payne, 12/25 Ronnie Lanier, 12/25 Nathan McCullough, 12/27 Sam Clay, 12/31 HOPE Mobile Please take a few moments and stop by the bulletin board outside the church office to sign up to bring sandwiches for the HOPE Mobile. Sandwiches should be a meat, cheese, and bread with no condiments and individually wrapped in a sandwich bag. Bring the sandwiches with you on Sunday morning or evening OR no later than 7:00 am Monday morning and put them in the refrigerator. Thank you! Lexington Community Orchestra Concert The Lexington Community Orchestra will give a concert on Tuesday, December 3, at 7:30 pm at the Singletary Center for the Arts Recital Hall. The program will include the Beethoven 4 th Symphony and shorter works by Schumann and Shostakovich. The performance is free and families with children are welcome. Woodland member Nancy McKenney is Principal Cellist of the LCO. Nancy McKenney Winter Retreat is coming January Watch for sign up times in early December.

ECHOES. Looking Toward Summer

ECHOES. Looking Toward Summer ECHOES The Woodland Echoes: the monthly newsletter of Woodland Christian Church. January 2013 Looking Toward Summer As we get out our new 2013 calendars, it s not too early to begin planning for events