Pastor Ann ADVENT & CHRISTMAS WHAT ARE YOU LOOKING FOR? ~ John 1:38. Dear Good People of Mystic Congregational Church!

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1 The Anchor Imitate those who through faith and patience inherit what has been promised. We have this hope as an anchor for the soul, firm and secure. ~ Hebrews 6:12, 19 Mystic Congregational Church Gathered on January 20, 1852 December 2014 Vol. 55 Issue 11 ADVENT & CHRISTMAS 2014 Dear Good People of Mystic Congregational Church! As the Christmas season dawns, what are you looking for? These are the first words uttered by Jesus in the Gospel of John inspiring our Advent and Christmas theme this year. Although John s gospel does not include the story of Jesus birth, it is filled with expectations about the coming Messiah and what his arrival will mean for God s people and the world. Throughout Advent we will explore what each of us tends to look for this time of year while living in a culture emphasizing hurry and consumption and perfection in every realm, from gifts to decorating to relationships. Jesus simple question directed to the first disciples tailing him from behind is one directed to all of us: what are we looking for in our lives and in our God and how do we find it? Jesus answer and invitation to the disciples that day was Come and see, an invitation still open to us at every level. Come and see what you may discover during our Monday night series. Come and see what the Holy Spirit may whisper to you during Sunday worship. Come and see the feast and fellowship awaiting you at our annual Advent dinner. Come and see our children re-tell the story of the Nativity. Come and see the glow in our sanctuary on Christmas Eve. Come and see the love and peace Jesus offers when we center our minds and hearts and souls on him. Christmas is a special time when we engage with each other in a variety of ways to express our love, imitating the love God showed the world by coming to us in the person of Jesus Christ. This Advent, as you look for gifts and turkeys and trees, cards and wrap and time in front of the fire, may you find the love of Christ in every bit of it. Wishing you God s love and all the blessings of Christmas, Pastor Ann WHAT ARE YOU LOOKING FOR? ~ John 1:38 Sundays in Advent: Nov. 30, Dec. 7, 14, 21 8:00 a.m. & 10:00 a.m. Worship & Advent Wreath Lighting Mondays in Advent: December 1, 8, 15 What Are You Looking For? (See details elsewhere in this issue.) Advent Potluck Dinner: Saturday, December 13 5:00 p.m. in the Parish Hall Sponsored by Church Council (See details below.) Children s Nativity: Sunday, December 14 during the 10:00 a.m. worship service A Service of Light Blue Christmas Thursday, December 18 7:00 p.m. in the Church Sanctuary Scripture, Silence and Prayer for all who struggle through the holidays Christmas Eve Wednesday, December 24 4:00 p.m. Service for All Ages 10:00 p.m. Lessons and Carols in Candlelight Advent Potluck Dinner Mark your calendar for Saturday, December 13, at 5:00 pm for culinary delight and carol sing. Please bring a dish according to the first letter of your last name; but parents of young children, please bring food you know they will enjoy. The Council will provide cider, ham and turkey. A F = dessert G O = main dish P Z = salad (or dessert)

2 My, how the year goes by it s December! We will start our month off by visiting and sharing a prayer service with the residents at StoneRidge in Mystic. We have many, many church members who live at StoneRidge and attend church regularly and also have some members who for various reasons cannot always make it on Sunday. They always enjoy spending time with the youth of our congregation so please make a note on your calendar for December 7th at 2:30 pm to participate in this wonderful event. On the 14th, come watch and/or participate in the Children s Nativity. Later, on the 21st we will have our annual Christmas party involving yet once again, a Yankee swap and pizza (or something else Christmassy). December 2014 Calendar Senior HS Youth (Grades 9-12) December 7 2:30-4:00 pm Prayer Service StoneRidge Retirement Community December 14 10:00 am Nativity Presentation during Worship December 21 11:30 am-1:30 pm Senior HS Christmas Party See you all soon! ~Doug O.W.L. (Our Whole Lives) Faith-based Sexuality Education Program We will once again be offering OWL education (faith-based sexuality education program) in This will be offered to either Grades 7-8 or Grades depending on interest level. There will be a brief orientation and Q&A meeting on December 7th at 11:30 in the library. Contact Doug Aaberg. Annual Budget Meeting Mystic Congregational Church Annual Budget Meeting January 4, 2015 (Sunday) 11:00 a.m. in the Sanctuary Dec 07 Dec 13 Dec 14 Dec 21 Dec 28 December 2014 Calendar 10:00 am Communion Sunday & Family Service 11:00 am Nativity Rehearsal in Sanctuary 4:00 pm Nativity Rehearsal 5:00 pm Advent Potluck Dinner 10:00 am Nativity Presentation during Worship 10:00 am Carol Sing at Apple Rehab Center 10:00 am Parish Hall Activity On December 7 we will try something new for our 10:00 am Worship Service. Children will remain in the Sanctuary for the entire worship. The Nursery will be open as usual. Also, our Preschool and Kindergarten friends can have the option of going to their regular Sunday School classroom for a fun lesson. We want the children to experience Communion and Fellowship with the entire Congregation! All children are encouraged and welcomed to join in our presentation of the Nativity on December 14 at the 10:00 am Worship Service (with scheduled rehearsals mostly during or right after Sunday School). However, please note that Music Director Trish Dehls is teaching some of the music for the Nativity during the weekly Song Catchers sessions at 9:40 am in the Sanctuary. Please try to have your children attend these wonderful sessions! On Saturday, December 13, a final Nativity Rehearsal will be held at 4:00 pm in the Sanctuary and the children will receive their Nativity costumes! A Church Councilsponsored Advent Potluck Dinner will follow! Thank you MEGHAN TALBOT Meet our new staff member! Meghan Talbot joins Kathy Graham each week in the Nursery. Meghan is our new nursery attendant and we can't be more pleased with this! A Junior at Stonington High school, Meghan is a lifelong and confirmed member of MCC. She even attended the nursery in her younger years. Meghan is a member of the Tennis Team at Stonington High. She is a Boston Red Sox and Kentucky Wildcats fan! Meghan enjoys drawing in her free time and working on Stonington High drama productions. Some of her favorite things are chocolate chip cookies and "The Last Song" by Nicholas Sparks. Meghan comes to us with lots of childcare experience and certifications in CPR/First Aid. Thanks so much Meghan, we are glad you are here!

3 WOMEN S FELLOWSHIP We will gather for a joyous program of "Sounds of the Season" on Tuesday, December 16 at 9:15 a.m. in the Parish Hall. Once again we will be treated to the wonderful music of the talented Ledyard High School Carolers who will bring a varied selection of holiday classics. We will meet for delicious refreshments first and then progress to the Sanctuary for the program. This is always a crowd pleaser and a great opportunity to invite friends and neighbors to join us. The Mini-Bazaar will feature the Candy Bar again this year, as well as many delightful last-minute gifts for family and friends. Come to the Advent Dinner prepared to purchase your last-minute choices. Cash or check would be appreciated. HISPANIC EDUCATION This year the Committee has renamed the tutoring program at the Church of the City of New London (formerly First Hispanic Baptist Church). We now call it the academic coaching/mentoring program. We have also changed from Monday evenings to Wednesday evenings (7:00-8:30). This allows more time with students when holiday observances fall on Mondays. Pastor Aracelis has led us in a vigorous recruitment of more students and coaches. We now have an average of 17 students each week and enough coaches to work two-onone. As soon as the church on State Street receives a certificate of occupancy we will hold our sessions there. Until then, we will continue to meet at the church on Redden Avenue. We are encouraged by the interest in the program this year, and the commitment of the students and their parents. Please join us as a regular coach, or offer to substitute occasionally. Call Grace Smith at Students range from 4th grade to 12th grade, and help is needed in all subjects. Knowledge of Spanish is not necessary. NANCY PETERSON STORY HOUR at the Norwich Family Shelter is on the 3 rd and 17 th of this month at 6:30-7:30 p.m. December volunteer readers are Natalie Billing, Jody Capen, Betty Guadliana, and Liz Theodore. New members to the group are always welcome. Interested in joining the group? Call Jody Capen ( ) or Betty Guadliana ( ). Come to me, all you that are weary and are carrying heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. ~ Matthew 11:28 A Service of Light will be held in our Sanctuary on Thursday evening, December 18, 2014 at 7:00 p.m. for all seeking comfort and restored hope during the holiday season. A time of prayer and quiet reflection will be provided. CONFIRMATION SCHEDULE Sunday, December 7 2:30 PM StoneRidge Retirement Community Intergenerational Christmas Prayer Service Sunday, December 14 11:30 AM Church Library God in Three Persons Sunday, December 21 11:30 AM Church Library Jesus the Christ and Christmas Celebration CHRISTMAS MEMORIAL POINSETTIAS To order a memorial poinsettia for the church sanctuary, please complete an order form (available in the church office, on the tables in the sanctuary, or in this issue). Deadline: December 8, 2014 (Monday) Cost: $25.00 per plant. Submit forms to the church office with appropriate memorial wording and payment check made out to Mystic Congregational Church (with Poinsettia Memorial in the note line).

4 WHAT ARE YOU LOOKING FOR? ~ John 1:38 As the Advent season dawns and preparations for Christmas begin and our expectations increase what are you looking for? Comfort and security? Safe travel? Reconciled relationships? Quiet moments? Romance? A sense of belonging? Good news? The perfect gift? Join us for discovery, discussion, scripture and prayer Monday evenings during Advent: December 1, 8, 15 at 7:00 pm Mystic Congregational Church Library Facilitated by Rev. Ann Aaberg, Pastor and Rev. Dr. Kent Richards, Pastor First United Methodist Church with special guest Andrew D. Scrimgeour, Author and Storyteller on December 8

5 CTUCC HOLDS 147 ANNUAL MEETING TH Cheshire High School was the site of the Connecticut Conference of the United Church of Christ s 147th Annual Meeting on October 17 and 18 attended by Pastor Ann, Sue Barker, and Greg and Shinny Stone. From opening to closing worship, delegates and visitors engaged in the annual business of electing officers and passing the 2015 budget, the celebration of the 20th anniversary of the Korean Partnership, and thoughtful small group discussions following the remarks of Conference Minister Rev. Kent Siladi on our mutual interdependence and how that can and should positively affect the future of the church. Throughout the meeting attendees were treated to the reflections of Rev. Dr. J. Mary Luti, Our Shared Vision who provided theological grounding to the gathering s deliberations. That They May All Be One The Conference clergy and lay delegates passed two resolutions during its business meeting on Friday night, one regarding the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and the other working to end mass incarceration for nonviolent offenses. The first resolution brought by the Board of Deacons of the First Congregational Church of Old Lyme and Shalom UCC New Haven calls upon the churches of the CTUCC to study the Kairos Palestine document and take heed of its call for solidarity with the Palestinian people and calls upon the CTUCC s Consolidated Trust Fund and member churches to divest themselves of holdings in companies profiting from the occupation of the Palestinian Territories by the state of Israel ; to support boycotts of goods produced by Israeli companies in the Occupied Palestinian Territories ; and to request members of Congress to investigate whether US military aid given to Israel violates US laws. The CT Conference joins with other conferences and at least one other denomination in taking this controversial action and the resolution has been met by opposition both from within the CTUCC as well as in the press. Full language of the resolutions can be found on the Conference s website at Both resolutions will be submitted to General Synod in CTUCC & KYUNG-KI PRESBYTERY CELEBRATE 20 YEARS of PARTNERSHIP In 1994 the Connecticut Conference of the United Church of Christ (CTUCC) joined with other conferences in the UCC in a movement to forge partnerships with ecumenical partners around the globe. Here in CT we entered into a partnership with the Kyung-Ki Presbytery of South Korea. Soon afterward local churches within the CT Conference began partnering with local churches within the Kyung-Ki Presbytery; and 18 years ago Mystic Congregational Church signed a partnership agreement with Dongbu Sunlin Church of Hanam City, an area outside Seoul. (In two years in 2016 we will celebrate our own local partnership s 20th anniversary with DongBu Sunlin.) In October a delegation of six pastors representing Kyung-Ki Presbytery traveled to CT to participate in the CTUCC annual meeting and to celebrate with us these important past twenty years. In addition to several days of sightseeing and sharing meals and memories and worship, on Monday, October 20, our six visiting pastors met with representatives of the CTUCC and local partnership churches for a day of dialogue in Hartford to envision the next twenty years.. Representing Mystic Congregational Church were Pastor Ann and Sue Barker. Several specific suggestions were considered for the years ahead, including: (1) inviting older college students on Sacred Journey; (2) extending the visits of pastors and seminarians to a longer period of time in order to learn the language and how we do church ; and (3) engaging in mission projects together, The overwhelming desire on the part of our Korean visitors, however, was that we engage with them in working towards peace and reunification with North Korea. Citing the history of the Korean War and the cease fire agreed to 61 years ago, our visitors voiced concern that we not forget that they are still separated, still geographically and, in many respects, commercially isolated, still concerned about the human rights and hunger of their families and friends to the North, and still concerned about U.S. foreign policy and what that means for their country in the event of instability in the Pacific region. All involved expressed their true appreciation for the cultural and ecumenical exchange and mutual learning that have taken place over the past 20 years, but now, having laid that groundwork and established those relationships, agree that it is time to become more intentional about what we can accomplish together, as one person stated, how we can change the world. To become involved in the activities of our local Korean Partnership with Dongbu Sunlin Church, please contact Karin Stuart or Sue Barker.

6 A SPECIAL OPPORTUNITY for OUR CHURCH, for a SEMINARIAN and for YOU! At its September meeting our Church Council approved Pastor Ann s taking the necessary steps to prepare Mystic Congregational Church for mentoring a seminarian from Andover Newton Theological School for the academic year and beyond. In order to qualify as a field education site for an interested Master of Divinity candidate, we must establish a Teaching Parish Committee ( TPC ) consisting of 4-6 members of our church. (Yes, another committee!) NEW MEMBERS: November 16, 2014 The TPC will interview candidates beginning next spring and will continue together through the duration of the student s time here (September, 2015 May, 2016), meeting monthly and providing support, a sounding board and guidance to the student. Our church has much to offer someone studying to be a local church pastor, especially the experience and dedication of our congregation. If you would like to take advantage of this wonderful opportunity to serve on the TPC, please contact Pastor Ann at ann@mysticucc.org for further details. Our goal is to have a committee in place by January 1, (Photo courtesy of Doug Aaberg) We welcome our newest members! Left to right with Pastor Ann are Candy and Gabe Rocha, Fredericka Bettinger, Jane Fitzpatrick, Tatia McClintock, Rich Harens and Brett Sandman.

7 MASK-MAKING: October 26, 2014 (Photos courtesy of Doug Aaberg) Youth Group created masks and learned about Day of the Dead customs and rituals at the Mystic Arts Center. CROP Walk, Oct 19 (Photo courtesy of Keith Barker) Crock Pot Cook-off, Oct 26 (Photo courtesy of Keith Barker)

8 DECEMBER 2014 Worship Schedule Sunday, December 7, 2014 Second Sunday of Advent Sacrament of Holy Communion 8:00 & 10:00 a.m. Isaiah 40:1-11 Psalm 85:1-2, Peter 3:8-15a Mark 1:1-8 Sunday, December 14, 2014 Third Sunday of Advent 8:00 & 10:00 a.m.(10:00 a.m. Children s Nativity) Isaiah 61:1-4, 8-11 Psalm 126 or Luke 1: Thessalonians 5:16-24 John 1:6-8, Thursday, December 18, 2014 Service of Li ght (Blue Christmas) 7:00 p.m & Rev. Kent H. Richards Scripture, Silence and and Prayer for all who struggle during the holidays Sunday, December 21, 2014 Fourth Sunday of Advent 8:00 & 10:00 a.m. 2 Samuel 7:1-11, 16 Luke 1:46b-44 or Psalm 89:1-4, Romans 16:25-27 Luke 1:26-38 Wednesday, December 24, 2014 Christmas Eve 4:00 p.m. Christmas Service for All Ages 10:00 p.m. Lessons and Carols in Candlelight Sunday, December 28, 2014 First Sunday after Christmas 8:00 & 10:00 a.m. Isaiah 61:10-62:3 Psalm 148 Galatians 4:4-7 Luke 2:22-40 CHRISTMAS MEMORIALS 2014 If you are interested in having a Christmas Memorial Poinsettia, please fill out the following form and return it to the Church Office by Monday, December 8, DONOR NAME(S): MEMORIAL WORDING FOR CHURCH BULLETIN NUMBER OF 8 POINSETTIA $25.00 each = $ Check for $ enclosed. I will will not pick up my plants after the Service. (Please note Christmas Memorial Flowers on memo line of checks made out to Mystic Congregational Church.)

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10 Mystic Congregational Church where hope is alive and love is visible 43 East Main Street Mystic, CT Office (860) Fax (860) Website: Sunday Services All MCC Members Laurel A. Butler Trish Dehls Suzanne Burns Doug Aaberg Franklin Davis Stacey Herrman Sue Lettrich Karin Stuart Leni Pomeroy 8:00 a.m. & 10:00 a.m.* *Sunday School & Child Care Ministers Pastor Moderator Director of Music Director of Children s Ministries Director of Youth Ministries Treasurer Assistant Treasurer Contribution Treasurer Parish Nurse Office Secretary Non-Profit Organization U. S. Postage PAID Permit No. 31 Mystic, CT Our Mission Statement: to joyfully bring the Christian principles of faith, hope and love to all through quality worship, education, fellowship and outreach.