Advent Charities 2016

Transcription

1 Saint Andrew United Church of Christ The Heartbeat December Browns Lane Louisville, Kentucky Website: Phone: (502) Sunday School for all ages 9:15 AM; Sanctuary Worship 10:30 AM Advent Charities 2016 Advent I We filled stockings for SEAM families. Thank you to all who donated! Advent II December 4th...Gifts for Uspiritus children, ages Please bring games and toys (non-violent), stuffed animals, balls of all kinds, puzzles, dolls, toiletries Advent III December 11...Full-size toiletries for House of Ruth. Please bring toothbrushes, toothpaste, shampoo, deodorant, soap, toilet tissue, Kleenex, diapers, feminine supplies, razors, shave cream Advent IV December 18...The Christmas Fund/Veterans of the Cross. Monetary gifts to the Christmas Fund provide direct financial assistance to retired and active United Church of Christ authorized ministers and lay employees and their surviving spouses, including pension and health premium supplementation, emergency assistance, and Christmas thank-you checks. From the Pastor Rev. Lori Miller-Price Dear Friends, Our church is decorated most beautifully and ready for worship the sanctuary and gathering area both! Many thanks to our worship team and others who came to help! I am looking forward to my first Advent Season/ Christmas Season here at St. Andrew and hope that you are too! This is perhaps the best time of the year to invite someone to church! The theme for the advent season is God s Dream God has a dream for the world and God has a dream for you and for me. We get some ideas about God's dream as it is described in the Advent lectionary scripture passages in Isaiah and in the Gospels. We are called to be co-creators of God's dream and we are able to respond to God's call more fully when we realize that we are favored by God. In the annunciation story of the angel telling Mary that she was favored by God, the bible tells us that Mary believed the angel, not because of anything that she had done, but because she trusted God. When we hear of Mary s favor by God, it can help us all believe that we are favored too, not because of anything we have done, but because God says that it is so! This advent season we will hear more about God s dream, we will dream God s dream, and catch the dream of God together! All of the services in advent will celebrate God s dream. The service on December 18 will do so through a service of music as the choir voices lead us that day. (continues pg 2) Inside this issue: Page 2 Knit for SEAM, Coming Events, Christmas Eve Page 3 SAUCC, Team Leader, Liturgists. POINSETTIA ORDER Page 4 Birthdays & Anniversaries, Thanks, Library Page 5 Taizé, Women of St Andrew, Coffee Shop, Nurture Page 6 Parish Health Ministry Page 7 Daily Lectionary Page 8 Next Heartbeat Deadline

2 HEARTBEAT Page 2 Pastor (continued from pg 1) During the entire Advent/Christmas Season, a labyrinth will be available in the back of the sanctuary for you to take a prayer walk during the week when the church is open or Sunday morning before or after worship. There will be instructions available for you so come and experience the labyrinth! During week of Christmas, you are invited to a new worship service The Winter Solstice! I started doing Winter Solstice services just 7 years ago and it has become one of my favorite services of the year. The Winter Solstice is on December 21 this year and it is the longest night of the year the day with the most darkness. Ancient people experienced days that had less and less sunlight and they were frightened that the sun was going away. They later learned that the sun would return again and that they could trust the darker days and so they celebrated! The worship service is a time to celebrate the beauty of darkness and the hope of light. It is a service of music, candlelight and readings for the purpose of spiritual contemplation, acknowledging grief, experiencing grace and renewal and finding hope. This service is on the actual day of the Winter Solstice Dec. 21 at 6:30 p.m. It is in the midst of a busy week and that makes it a perfect time to come to worship. Hope to see you there! This service is especially meaningful for people who have experienced a big change or loss of any kind, so please use this opportunity to think about those friends and family members that you might invite to this service! On Christmas Eve we will worship at 5:30 p.m. and at 11:00 p.m. The children and youth will be singing at the early service. A special men s ensemble is singing at the late service. Both services will be full of scriptures from the Christmas story and will include a candle lighting service. On Christmas Day we will have worship at our normal time of 10:30 a.m. and our worship will be in the gathering area by the big Christmas tree! Come sing, pray and listen to the story of the Heart House on this holy morning! On New Years Day we will gather for worship at our normal time of 10:30 and our worship will be in the back of the sanctuary facing our beautiful stained glass window! Join us for a time of singing, prayer, readings and contemplation of our journey into the New Year! May you experience the gifts of hope, peace, joy and love during this holy season! Lori Hand made with Love and Prayers for SEAM It s time again to pick up your knitting needles and crochet hooks to make hats, mittens, scarves, fingerless gloves and headbands for the SEAM families. As you are working on these items please say a prayer for those who are hungry, cold and homeless. Please see Mary Wehr to choose yarn from the 224 skeins that have been donated for this cause. If you have a new pattern, please share. Many of you have already finished some items these can be placed inside the cupboard found in the hallway to Gliessner Hall. Beginning November 1 st I will be taking the items to SEAM for their families. For more information, please contact Mary Wehr Cell: or via at marycwehr@aol.com Coming Events! Christmas Eve Worship 5:30 pm and 11 pm Saturday December 24th CHURCH COUNCIL MEMBERS Renée Lage - President John Wicker - Vice President Teresa Aikens - Secretary Elaine Caldwell Judy Johnson Mike Jones Cindy Kasten Rose Mills David Sickbert

3 HEARTBEAT Page 3 SAUCC (Children & Youth) Schedule for December: December 4 - SAUCC at church, 4:00 6:30 (includes dinner) December 11 SAUCC Christmas Caroling 4:00 6:00 (No dinner this night) December 18 - SAUCC at church, 4:00 6:30 (includes dinner) December 25 Christmas Day No SAUCC TEAM LEADERS: Please send 2016 reports to the office (office.saintandrewucc@gmail.com) and Renée by December 20th. Electronic and reports are appreciated! Thank you! Call for Liturgists! If anyone is interested in being a Liturgist during our Church service, please let Cindy Jones or Elaine Caldwell know. The pay isn't great but you get to sit next to our AWESOME PASTOR!! Christmas Poinsettias Ordering deadline is Sunday, Dec. 18 th It s time once again to order the poinsettias that will adorn our sanctuary during the Christmas season. The plants may be picked up following the Christmas Eve Candlelight Service. If you would like to order one or more poinsettias in memory or in honor of a loved one(s), please follow these simple instructions: Complete the form below and return it to the church office with payment of $10.00 per plant. You may drop the form in one of the offering plates, mail the form to the office or drop it by the church during office hours. Due to the hectic pace during the holidays, no telephone orders may be placed. This year poinsettias can be RED ot PINK Please mark the number that you would like to order. Checks should be made to St. Andrew UCC, designating Christmas Poinsettias on the for line. Write the name(s) of the person(s) who are being memorialized or honored. (Clip or tear order form & return with payment by Sunday, December. 18.) CHRISTMAS POINSETTIA ORDER FORM Given By: Number of plants: RED PINK TOTAL X $10.00 = $ Name(s) of person(s) being memorialized or honored (Please indicate which.)

4 HEARTBEAT Page 4 Thank you! 1 st Joyce Volk 2 nd Tim Wemes Dorothy Plasse 6 th Bill Barth 8 th Bill Meffert 10 th Teresa Wright 11 th J.R. Cannaday 12 th Marie Smith 13th Conor Barth 14 th Drew Whitehead 16 th Quentin Sharpenstein 19 th Betsy Holton Bettina Moody 20 th Cassidy Longton 22 nd Mary Wehr 25 th Rose Mills 26 th Phyllis Fultz 27 th Lauren Houser To all who donated items and money for Uspiritus Welcome Baskets, we appreciate your support! Thank you! CONGRATULATIONS SEAM FAMILY! WE EXCEED OUR GOAL: 319 Families (1,469 people) were given Thanksgiving Dinners this year. That is 49 more dinners then last year! From the Library. Advent is a season observed in many western Christian churches as a time of expectant waiting and preparation for the celebration of the birth of Jesus, the coming of the Christ child. Advent begins on the sixth Sunday before Christmas and in some churches is considered a period of fasting. Our liturgical colors in the sanctuary are usually purple or blue and we celebrate the birth of Jesus with favorite and loved music like O Come, O Come Emmanuel. Christmas Eve candle lighting services also may be held. 3 rd Michael and Kelly Childers If we have inadvertently left you off this list, please contact the office so we may update our records. If you are new to St. Andrew, please share your birthday with us so that we may recognize you! There are a number of books in the St. Andrew Library about Advent, Christmas and the birth of Jesus. We ask you to Share the Spirit of the season by reading Christmas Tales, A beautiful book with familiar stories and photographs by Steve Lovi and also the First Christmas written by Marcus Borg and John Dominic Crosson, present day Jesus scholars. The library is open from 9 to 12 on Friday and Sunday mornings.

5 HEARTBEAT Page 5 Women of St. Andrew Business Meeting: Monday, December 19, 2016, Noon Conference Room All Women Are Welcome Bring a Sandwich: Drinks Are Provided The Ladies Day Out JCPS Outreach Project Has Not Been Selected But Will Be Discussed and You are Invited to help make the decision. Thank You to All who made goodies and worked the Election Day Bake Sale. With your help we sold out!!! NURTURE TEAM

6 HEARTBEAT Page 6 Parish Health Ministry It s that me of year again when we enjoy fes ve meals with family and friends, deck our halls with colorful decora ons and listen to squeals of delight as our children open their brightly-wrapped presents. To help ensure your kids have fun and stay safe this holiday, here are a few ps to remember. Decorate Your Tree With Your Kids in Mind Kids are curious and will want to play with the ornaments on the tree, so you might as well prepare. Move the ornaments that are breakable or have metal hooks towards the top of the tree. That makes room at the bo om for the ones that are safer for young kids. Water the Tree Regularly Natural trees look beau ful and smell great, but if they re not watered regularly, needles can dry out and pose a poten al fire hazard. Make sure your tree has plenty of water by checking it regularly. Check the Lights Lights are one of the best parts of holiday decora ng. Take a look at the ones on your tree and in and around your home for exposed or frayed wires, loose connec ons or broken sockets. Blow Out Candles and Store Matches Out of Reach Keep holiday candles at least 12 inches away from anything that can burn, and don t forget to blow them out when you leave the room or before you go to sleep. Make a habit of placing matches and lighters in a safe place, out of children s reach. Avoid novelty lighters or lighters that look like toys. Keep Harmful Plants Out of Reach Plants can spruce up your holiday decora ng, but keep those that may be poisonous out of reach of children or pets. This includes mistletoe berries, holly berry, and Jerusalem cherry. In a poison emergency, call the na onal Poison Control Center at Find the Perfect Toy for the Right Age Consider your child s age when purchasing a toy or game this holiday season. It s worth a second to read the instruc ons and warning labels to make sure the gi is just right. Before you ve se led on the perfect toy, check to make sure there aren t any small parts or other poten al choking hazards. Keep Bu on Ba eries Away from Young Kids Keep a special eye on small pieces, including bu on ba eries that may be included in electronic toys. While these kinds of games are great for older kids, they can pose a poten al danger for younger, curious siblings. Don t Forget a Helmet for New Bikes or Other Toys If your child s heart is set on a bike, skateboard or scooter this holiday season, be sure to include a helmet to keep them safe while they re having fun. Prevent Spills with Pot Handles Kids love to reach, so to prevent burns from hot holiday food or liquid spills, simply use the back burner of your stove and turn pot handles away from the edge. Engage Older Kids in Cooking Teach older responsible kids how to cook safely. Teach them never to leave the kitchen while they re using the stove or oven. Instruct older kids to use oven mi s or potholders to remove items from the oven or stove and teach them how to use a microwave safely. Avoid Placing Foods on an Open Oven Door Your oven door may not be as strong as you think. To prevent oven p-overs, place heavy foods or other items on a counter top out of the reach of young children, and not on an open oven door. An an - p bracket is a valuable tool to prevent oven povers. If you have one, simply follow the manufacturer s instruc ons to install and use properly. Check Your Car Seat Before Holiday Travel Seventy-three percent of car seats are not used or installed correctly, so before you hit the road, check your car seat. Here s a quick car seat checklist to help you out. It takes only 15 minutes. If you are having even the slightest trouble, ques ons or concerns, cer fied child passenger safety technicians are able to help or even double check your work. Find a Safe Kids car seat checkup event near you. Use Booster Seats Safety in the car goes beyond your li le ones. Kids who have outgrown a forward-facing harness seat are not ready for a seat belt or front seat yet. They are safest in a booster seat that enables the adult seat belt to fit properly. Even when children have graduated from booster seats, they should remain in the back seat un l they reach the age of 13. Have an Exit Strategy on the Road So now the car is packed, the kids are in the right seat, the seats are installed properly, and you re on the open road. Nothing can stop you now, right? Wrong. That s when you hear that all too familiar howl that means I want food or Change my diaper. When it happens, please don t worry about making good me. Instead, get off at the next exit and

7 HEARTBEAT Daily Lectionary December 2016 Page 7

8 December 2016 Heartbeat Issue 57 No Browns Lane Louisville, KY No matter who you are, you are welcome here! St. Andrew United Church of Christ 2608 Browns Lane Louisville, Kentucky Phone: (502) Fax: (call first) Website: Sunday School 9:15 AM Worship Service 10:30 AM Office Hours: 9 AM 1 PM, Monday Friday Church Staff Rev. Lori Miller-Price Senior Pastor J.R. Cannaday Minister of Music Mary Rose Linker Church Secretary/Editor Joe Louden Custodian Thursday, December 15th