Colonial Church is a progressive, inclusive Christian community that seeks to nurture people s minds as well as their spirits. December 7, 2017 Sunday Worship December 10, 2017 Worship at 8:30 and 10:15 a.m. Sunday School at 10:15 a.m. for children and youth. Advent 2017 Sermon Series The Untold Tales Leading to Christmas In most Bibles, there is about a 350 year gap between the miraculous rebirth of the Jewish nation to the birth of Jesus. We re going to shine a light on this dark period during our Advent season. Because without knowing these tales, the proclamation of Jesus as Messiah is obscured. These are tales of resistance and hope, so come and hear them for yourself. December 10 Me Too: The Tale of Susanna s Justice December 17 The Great Hanukkah Rebellion: The Tale of the Maccabees December 24 (10:15 a.m. and 8:00 p.m.) One Will Come: The Tale of an Eternal Savior Christmas Concert December 10 5:00 p.m. Join us in the sanctuary for an early evening of joyful singing by the choir followed by a dinner of delicious soups, breads and cookies. Our concert begins at 5:00 p.m., lasting approximately one hour and followed immediately by dinner. During the concert, a freewill offering will be taken to help the choir continue to purchase needed items for the music program. The soup dinner is free. December Sunday Night Movie December s Sunday Night Movie will be critically acclaimed Beasts of the Southern Wild. In a forgotten but defiant bayou community cut off from the rest of the world by a sprawling levee, a six-year-old girl exists on the brink of orphanhood, buoyed by her childish optimism and extraordinary imagination. (Rotten Tomatoes review). We will gather on December 17 at 5:30 p.m. in the Heritage Room for popcorn and snacks. Please join us! Advent Worship at Colonial H Longest Night Communion Worship Service December 21, 7:00 p.m. Our Longest Night service honors the feeling that a number of us have about this season. It is the long, dark night of the soul, the winter of our discontent, in which memories of past experiences and the pain of present experiences can become painful. This is a special service to be with God in Spirit and in Truth. H Christmas Eve Morning One service at 10:15 a.m. H Christmas Eve Worship. 6:00 p.m. Pageant presented by Colonial Youth 8:00 p.m. Communion Worship Volume 68, Issue 25 Inside this issue: Pledge Update... 2 Colonial Friends... 2 Bazaar Proceeds... 2 Roberts Love Gift... 2 2018 Altar Flowers... 2 Colonial Family... 3 Giving Tree... 3 Colonial Women... 3 Food Donations... 3 Cross-Lines Update... 3 Disaster Help Needed... 3 Birthdays/Anniversaries... 4 Calendar... 4 Council Minutes: Minutes of the Church Council are posted on the bulletin board across from the church office. Crier Deadline: Please submit items for the next Crier by Friday, December 15 to Sally Huggins at sallyhuggins@ yahoo.com.
Are we missing your 2018 pledge? In the hustle and bustle of the holidays, it s easy to put some things off until tomorrow. Perhaps filling out your 2018 Colonial Pledge Card is one of those. You are not alone. About 70 other well-meaning members with the best of intentions have not turned in their pledge yet. The Church Council has started making plans for next year worship and education programming, outreach support, staff salaries and more but we need to know how much money we will have to work with first. Your pledge is an important part of that. If you have misplaced your pledge card, call the church office or email Heather at heather.winker@colonialucc.org to request a replacement. The good news is that we received another $32,000 in pledges last week, so as of Sunday, November 27, we reached $299,606. That is about 75% of our 2017 pledge total. Colonial Friends Christmas Lunch Colonial Friends will have their Christmas lunch at Lidia s Kansas City, 101 West 21st Street, in the Freight House district by Union Station at 11:30 a.m. on Wednesday, December 20. To carpool, meet at the church parking lot at 10:45 a.m. to leave at 11:00 a.m. RSVP to Joe Cunningham at runningrev2@aol.com or call 913-341.6303. We need to have a count by Monday, December 18. Roberts Family Love Gift We are again this year offering every member the opportunity to contribute to a special Christmas Love Gift for the Senior Minister s family in recognition of their faithful ministry in this church and the community. The gift will be from the Congregation, as no individual names will be listed. Participation is totally up to each individual family. If you choose to participate, please put your money in an envelope and mark it Love Gift for the Roberts Family. Make checks payable to Colonial Church. Good News From The Holiday Bazaar All the Outreach proceeds from the Holiday Bazaar in November will be used to feed the homeless Sundays on the Plaza. vendors contribute 10% of their proceeds... $356.45 vendors table fees (after expenses)...$302.00 Lee Rowe s plastic rugs -- all proceeds...$150.00 Silent auction...$595.00 Grand Total...$1403.45 The money will fund at least 6 months of meals for the homeless! Many thanks to the fine folks who contributed to the silent auction Blue Moose, Café Provence, Einstein Brothers Bagels, French Market, Nancy Bream at TCBY Yogurt, and also Kar Woo, Elizabeth Uppman, and Marilyn Uppman. Sstop by to thank the merchants and restaurants, and spend some money! Colonial Giving Tree 2017 If you took an ornament from the giving tree in the narthex, please be sure to bring your unwrapped item to the church by this Sunday, December 10, for the kids at Operation Breakthrough. More than 3,000 Kansas City children receive their Christmas gifts through this program. Worship Leaders and Volunteers Needed Please sign up now for the first half of 2018, especially January and February. Sign up at https://tinyurl.com/ worship-2018 or contact Heather in the church office. The sign up page explains each role in more detail. Or, contact Hope Cotten at 816-273-8628 or hopelgarrett@gmail.com to learn more. 2018 Altar Flowers Please sign up to purchase flowers for our altar for your chosen Sunday in 2018. Your cost is $50 and you may take the flowers following the 10:15 a.m. service or designate them for the Care Committee to take to homebound or hospitalized members. You can sign up in the narthex or contact Hope Cotten at 816-273-8628 or hopelgarrett@gmail.com. Participate in Bible Study Our Bible Study is online. To participate, each Thursday at noon either go to https://zoom. us/j/684548229 on your computer or call in at 646-558-8656 with meeting ID 684-548-229. 2
Colonial Family We express our sympathy to Jane Whiles and family on the death of her husband, Jim Whiles, on November 23, 2017. A memorial service will be Thursday, December 7 at 3:30 p.m. at Colonial. We express our sympathy to Allan Flentie on the death of his father, Rex Flentie, on November 30. Hospitalizations If you are going to be hospitalized, please contact Pastor Aaron Roberts or the church office. Watch our Weekly Messages Services and Sermons You can watch our worship services on YouTube and get the sermon, bulletin and study guide on our website (www.colonialucc. org). Our 10:15 a.m. worship service is livestreamed, so please contact the church office if you have a privacy concern. Colonial on Social Media Stay up to date with what s happening at Colonial through Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. Facebook: https://www. facebook.com/colonialucc Instagram: colonial_ucc Twitter: #ColonialUCC Advent Booklet Advent is the season of expectant waiting and preparation for the birth of the Christ child. This year the Advent booklet available to members was written by members of the congregation 30 years ago in 1987. Pick one up in the narthex. Colonial Women Activities Alden Guild Thursday, December 7, 6:00 p.m., at home of Glenna Loomis for a salad supper. Call Glenna at 913-362-1051 for details. Everyone is welcome. Blue Moose Tuesday Not at the Blue Moose Tuesday, December 12, 6:00 p.m. Lin Vaughn s home (3108 W. 73rd St., Prairie Village). Bring an appetizer or beverage to share. Book Group Friday, January 12, 7:00 p.m., Stephanie Graff s home. We will be discussing Small Great Things by Jodi Picoult. Household Supplies for Cross-Lines Christmas Store Many thanks to all of you who have contributed to the fund to purchase household supplies for the Christmas Store. We still need about $1,000 to reach our goal. So, we hope some of you out there will want to make a merry and clean Christmas for our Wyandotte County neighbors. Write a check to the church with Christmas Store in the memo line, or put cash in an envelope and mark it Christmas Store. And God bless us, every one! Food Donations Suggestions for Red Wagon Thanks to all who make a habit of bringing a contribution of food for the red wagon in the narthex. Contents are delivered to Village Church Food Pantry, who distribute items to patrons all over the Kansas City area. Food suggestions: Canned and Jar Food: vegetables, soup, stews, fruit, peanut butter, beans, tuna, chili, canned chicken, canned salmon, canned beans, preferably low-sodium items; Boxed and Bagged Food: Cereals (preferably whole grain and low sugar content), crackers, macaroni and cheese, flour, pasta, pancake mix, rice (brown, white or basmati), sugar, breakfast items, snack bars, gluten-free items, dry beans, nuts. You can also write a check for the collection plate marked Food Pantry on the memo line. You do make a difference. Be a part! Disaster Help Needed Hurricanes Irma and Maria have thrown our neighbors in the US Virgin Island and Puerto Rico into crisis. Severe power outages have disabled water treatment facilities and purification systems leaving people with contaminated, disease ridden water. According to the Department of Defense, 55% of Puerto Rico was left without clean drinking water. Your help is needed. The United Church of Christ is coming together to make a difference with a goal of $10,000 to provide 500 water filters to people living in the US Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico. To make a donation, go to http://www.colonialucc.org/give-online.html or write a check made out to Colonial Church with Hurricane Irma Fund on the memo line. Provide a healthier Christmas for our neighbors in Puerto Rica and the US Virgin Islands. Colonial Staff Senior Minister: Rev. Aaron Roberts (aaron.roberts@colonialucc.org) Connecting Minister: Rev. Lisa Tierney (lisa.tierney@colonialucc.org) Youth Group Leader: Amy Congdon (amy.congdon@colonialucc.org) Sunday School Superintendent: Camille Breckenridge (camille.breckenridge@colonialucc.org) Music Director: Kirk Carson (kirk.carson@yahoo.com) Bell Choir Director: Hayden Ferguson Organist: Dr. Joseph Kern Church Administrator: Heather Winker (heather.winker@colonialucc.org) Communications Manager: Sally Huggins (sallyhuggins@yahoo.com) Building Maintenance: Edson Palacios-Castrejon (edson.palacios-castrejon@colonialucc.org) 3
Advent Festival and Chili-Soup Cookoff December 3 Winners of the cook off children and adult divisions Children s pageant directed by Camille Breckenridge.
Coming Up at Colonial Thursday, December 7 12:00 pm Bible Study 3:30 pm Jim Whiles Memorial Service 6:00 pm Alden Guild, Glenna Loomis home 6:30 AA, Oberlin Room Sunday, December 10 8:30 am Worship 9:00 Bell Choir, Bell Choir Room 9:15 That Was the Week That Was, Library 9:30 Choir Rehearsal, Founders Chapel 9:30 Centering Prayer, Preschool Room 10:15 Worship 10:30 Sunday School 11:15 Fair Trade Coffee, Narthex 5:00 pm Choir Concert and Soup Supper Tuesday, December 12 8:30 am Book Group, Heritage Room 6:00 pm Colonial Women Party, Lin Vaughn s home Wednesday, December 13 9:30 Visit with Pastor Aaron, Einstein Brothers, Prairie Village Shops 9:30 Writers Group, Heritage Room 7:00 pm Colonial Choir Thursday, December 14 12:00 pm Bible Study 3:30 pm Justice & Witness Committee, Library 6:30 AA, Oberlin Room Sunday, December 17 8:30 am Worship 9:00 Bell Choir, Sanctuary 9:15 That Was the Week That Was, Library 9:30 Centering Prayer, Preschool Room 9:30 Choir Rehearsal, Founders Chapel 10:15 Worship 10:30 Sunday School 11:30 Council/Administrative Board, Social Hall 5:30 pm Sunday Night Movie, Heritage Room For the full church calendar, visit our website at colonialucc.org Happy Birthday! Phyllis Yost, Kelly Welch, Shelley Runion, Vada Drayer, Liz Bender, Carol Wait, Amy Congdon Happy Anniversary! Allan and Mary Weil, John-Michael and Lisa Gilmer