Pres Clippings CHRISTMAS EVE MORNING WORSHIP Sunday, December 24 ~ 10:30 a.m. Music by Chancel Choir and Brass Ensemble CHRISTMAS EVE CANDLELIGHT SERVICE Sunday, December 24 ~ 7:30 p.m. Dear Friends in Christ, Brass Ensemble to play ~ 7:10 p.m. We haven t talked at all about Advent Conspiracy so far this year. Initiated Music by in Chancel 2006, Choir Advent and Conspiracy Brass Ensemble is a movement aimed at guiding people through the season of Advent and Christmas Dear preparation Friends in so Christ, that people are less stressed and more focused on the We real haven t meaning talked of Christmas. at all about The four Advent tenets of Advent Conspiracy are: so worship far this fully, year. spend Initiated less, give in 2006, more, and love all. Advent Many people Conspiracy have discovered a movement that by aimed following at these tenets as guiding they prepare, people through they are the much season less of likely Advent to end and up at Christmas Christmas with the sinking preparation feeling so that that they ve people missed are less the point of it all and, stressed in the and frenzy more to focused shop, have on not the been real meaning open to the of soulsatisfying Christmas. experience The of four the incarnation tenets of Advent of God Conspiracy in Jesus. In short, the are: idea worship behind fully, Advent spend Conspiracy less, give is to more, reclaim and Christmas love as a celebration all. Many of the birth people of Jesus, have period. discovered that by following In the spirit these of Advent tenets Conspiracy, as they prepare, let s talk they about are the kind of gifts much that less Jesus likely would to end have up us at give. Christmas In Matthew with 25, the Jesus asked us sinking to give feeling to people that in they ve need and missed asked the us to point give of them it six specific all things: and, food the frenzy for the to hungry, shop, have a drink not for been the thirsty, open hospitality to the for soul-satisfying strangers, clothes experience for those of who the incarnation need them, care for the sick of God and in company Jesus. for the prisoner. (continued That s it. Then >) Jesus says that when we give these gifts to others, we are giving them to him. Since it is Jesus birthday, we can (and should) give gifts to the birthday boy! What of these gifts will you be giving and First Presbyterian Church www.firstpreselmira.org December 19, 2017 Inside this issue: Inside this issue: * Christmas Eve 22 Worship Services Pledge 3 * The Giving 3 Tree Movie Night 4 * Stewardship 4 Appeal Calling Team 4 * Kitchen Women s 44 Renovation Schedule Operati 6 * Upcoming Concert! * 2018 Pledge Envelopes Please Remember! FEED MY SHEEP December 24th: SPAGHETTI & SAUCE and MACARONI & CHEESE 5 5
In short, the idea behind Advent Conspiracy is to reclaim Christmas as a celebration of the birth of Jesus, period. In the spirit of Advent Conspiracy, let s talk about the kind of gifts that Jesus would have us give. In Matthew 25, Jesus asked us to give to people in need and asked us to give them six specific things: food for the hungry, a drink for the thirsty, hospitality for strangers, clothes for those who need them, care for the sick and company for the prisoner. That s it. Then Jesus says that when we give these gifts to others, we are giving them to him. Since it is Jesus birthday, we can (and should) give gifts to the birthday boy! What of these gifts will you be giving and how will you do this? It s not too late. We can still choose compassion over consumption. After all, we are celebrating the birth of the One who gave up riches in order to save the world. Merry Christmas! Betsey THIS WEEK S SUNDAY SERVICE December 24, 2017 ~ 10:30 a.m. Fourth Sunday in Advent The Rev. Dr. Betsey Crimmins will lead us in worship and preach. The Chancel Choir will sing and the Brass Ensemble will play. The Greeters and Ushers will be Harry Fitzsimmons, Ron Rehner, Tom and Betsy Stegbauer. Lighting the Advent candles will be John, Kera, Isabella, and Hazel Stanley and Jalen Fulwood. The Lay Reader will be Ron Rehner. Hosting the Fellowship Hour will be the First Pres Works/Mission Committee. All are welcome to attend! CHRISTMAS EVE CANDLELIGHT SERVICE Sunday, December 24, 2017 7:10 p.m. ~ Brass Ensemble to play 7:30 p.m. ~ Candlelight Service The Rev. Dr. Betsey Crimmins will lead us in worship in the sanctuary. The Chancel Choir will sing and the Brass Ensemble will play. The Greeters and Ushers will be Barb Cacciotti, Mike Crimmins, Pam Mathes and the LaVere Family. Lighting 2 the Advent candles will be Jillian Haner- Gee, Tyler, Kailey, and Mercedes Gee. All are welcome to attend! NEXT WEEK S SUNDAY SERVICE December 31, 2017 ~ 10:30 a.m. First Sunday after Christmas Elder Patricia Kapusta and Tom Leslie will lead us in worship and preach. The Lay Reader will be Alida Schamel. All are welcome to attend! CHURCH OFFICE NEWS The Rev. Dr. Betsey Crimmins will be on out of the office from Monday, December 26, 2017 through Sunday, January 7, 2018. The church office will be closed on Monday, December 25, 2017 and Monday, January 1, 2018. Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to one and all! THANK YOU to Mark and Jane Ivanick for hosting the Yankee Trader Party on Saturday, December 16, 2017. THANK YOU to everyone who participated in the Sunday worship service
on December 17th...the Chancel Choir for singing...donna Hill, Chuck Stewart, John and Judy Arikian for Greeting and Ushering...the Children and Youth for lighting the Advent Candles...Rich Buchheimer, Stacia Kruckow, John and Kera Stanley for Lay Reading Stacia Kruckow, Lynn Hornbuckle, Tom Leslie, John and Kera Stanley, and the YCE Committee for organizing the Christmas Pageant...Donna Hill for hosting the Fellowship Hour. 2018 FLOWER CHART The 2018 Chancel Flower Chart is now posted on the bulletin board in the hallway across from the kitchen. You are welcome to sign up for your favorite date(s) when you chose to provide the Chancel Flowers for worship. Bouquets for the chancel are $40 each. Unless otherwise indicated by the donor, the flowers then are separated into bouquets after worship. The bouquets are then delivered to those who are sick or homebound, by the Deacons. ADULT SUNDAY SCHOOL The Adult Sunday School class will not be meeting on Sunday, December 24th. The Adult Sunday School class invites you to join them at 9:30 a.m. in the parlor area on Sunday, December 31 st to discuss the Gospel of Mark, chapter 4. Please come and join us! THE COLORS OF ADVENT If someone asked you what the liturgical colors of Advent are, what would you say? Red and green? Purple? Blue? Or What? If you said purple and blue, you d be correct. Traditionally, purple is the color for Advent. Purple signifies repentance and points us to the idea that as we repent of our sins, we are then making room for Jesus to be born anew in our hearts. Purple is also the color of kings, and of course, as God s Son, we think of Jesus as king of our lives. In more recent years, blue has also become the color of Advent. Blue represents hope and expectation, like the deep blue that the sky turns just before the THE GIVING TREE 2017 Every year around Christmas the YCE/YIA Committee collects new donated clothes for some of our community schools. Here is a list of items the schools are needing: T-shirts size 7-8 Sweatpants & Sweatshirts sizes 7/8 through 15/16 Boys & Girls Underwear size 7/8 Boys Socks Please place any items in the wrapped box near the Christmas tree in the parlor area. Don t want to shop? Monetary gifts are welcome and will be used by church members to purchase the clothing for the schools. Please make checks payable to First Presbyterian Church with Giving Tree in the memo line. The schools are thrilled to receive these items. Thank you for your help and support. 3
CHURCH FAMILY Our prayers of joy and congratulations extend to God on behalf of Carly Wood and Matthew McGrain on their marriage on Saturday, December 16, 2017 at Watson Homestead, Coopers Plains, NY. The Rev. Dr. Betsey Crimmins was the officiant. dawn breaks. When we see that deep blue, we expect and hope for dawn, in the same way that in Advent we live in expectation and hope as we anticipate the birth of Jesus. Blue is also associated with Mary, the mother of Jesus and therefore, it helps us remember her special role. STEWARDSHIP APPEAL Greg Lamb, Chairperson At this point we are in the midst of wrapping up this year s campaign. There are still a handful of people who have historically pledged, but as of yet not filled in their pledge card and sent it in. I know this is a busy time, however, our church needs to know where we financially stand as we head into the new fiscal year. Our church needs your support. So if you can and do intend to pledge, please get your pledges into the church office to Sue Weaver as quickly as possible. Merry Christmas and Thank you. ~ Greg Lamb VOLUNTEER AT THE FOOD BANK! Volunteers are needed to support the Food Bank of the Southern Tier. We have committed to the Food Bank to work a 6-8 p.m. shift on the 2nd Thursday of each month. The next volunteer time is on January 11, 2018. If you are able and interested in helping our First Pres group help the Food Bank we would love to have you join us. If you would like to get a better idea about what the Food Bank of the 4 Southern Tier does you can go to their website at www.foodbankst.org RED CROSS BLOOD DRIVE Thursday, December 28th 1-6 p.m. ~ Hoffman Great Room When was the last time you thought about donating blood? A momentary inconvenience can save a life! There is a great need for blood in our area. Walk-ins are welcome at any time. You may schedule an appointment by calling 1-800-RedCross or by visiting www.redcrossblood.org. KNITTING4PEACE POD The K4P Pod meets every Tuesday from 3 4:30 p.m. in the Genesis room. Please come and join us to knit and/or crochet. Right now we are in need of Peace Pal dolls, mittens and baby blankets (at least 24 length & width). Every stitch is a prayer for peace. KITCHEN RENOVATION SCHEDULE December 26, 2017 Start emptying out and packing up the kitchen. January 2, 2018 Kitchen demolition starts (Elmira Structures Co.) January 2 16, 2018 (or beyond) - Kitchen being remodeled. The kitchen will not be available from December 26, 2017 January 16, 2018 (or possibly longer).
UNHANGING OF THE GREENS Saturday, January 6, 2018 10 a.m. 1 p.m. How beautiful the Sanctuary looks all decorated for Christmas! The Christmas season ends all too quickly and we have to carefully pack away all the garlands and decorations. It s not just that many hands make light work; it s the fun and laughs we have along the way! There s something for people of all ages to do. Join the good times! UPCOMING CONCERT! SOUTHERN TIER ALL STAR JAZZ BAND CONCERT Friday, February 9, 2018 7:30 p.m. in the Sanctuary The longest running dance band in Central New York State, the Southern Tier All-Star Jazz Band has been together since 1983. Big band sound of Ellington, Basie, Dorsey and more. There will be a dinner prior to the concert. HOST A FELLOWSHIP HOUR! CARRY-IN & CARRY-OUT Due to the upcoming kitchen remodeling, the Fellowship Hour for the month of January 2018 will be a carry-in & carryout system. The sign-up sheet for the month of January is on the bulletin board in the hallway by the kitchen. Coffee will be the only beverage and provided by the church. 2018 PLEDGE ENVELOPES The 2018 Pledge Envelopes are now available to those who requested them. The envelopes are located on a table in the Narthex area, labeled with your name. There are a few extra boxes of pledge envelopes for anyone who wants to request a box. If you would like a box of pledge envelopes, please 5 contact Susan Weaver, Financial Secretary, in the office at 734-1614. PRES CLIPPINGS SCHEDULE There will be no Pres Clippings the week of December 26. Pres Clippings will be published the weeks of January 2 and 8, 2018. There will be no Pres Clippings published the week of January 15. Please submit articles by 10 am on the Monday of the week that Pres Clippings is to be published. Thank you. DID YOU KNOW that an audio recording of each Sunday s sermon is posted on the church s website? If you miss a Sunday or just want to hear the sermon again, check it out at www.firstpreselmira.org. WHAT S IN A NAME TAG? A name tag isn t just a sticker. It is a statement. Instead of being a nameless statistic or just another face in the crowd, wearing a nametag gives you an immediate personal identity. A nametag is a conversation starter. The hardest part of a conversation often is getting it started. Where do you begin? The easiest way to begin a conversation is with someone s name. So what s in a name tag? Lots of power! Name tags contain identity and invite us to do what we are wired up to do which is to connect with one another. Let s be powerful; let s all wear our name tags! If you don t have a name tag, please speak to Rev. Crimmins or send an email to Kelly Stewart, Church Secretary, at kespreselm@stny.rr.com. MERRY CHRISTMAS AND A VERY HAPPY NEW YEAR!
THOUGHT FOR THE WEEK... May Peace be your gift at Christmas and your blessing all year through! The Rev. Dr. Betsey R. Crimmins, Pastor Felix Perez, Outreach & Service Specialist Gary Tucker, Organist Scott Kelley, Instrumental Director Kelly Stewart, Church Secretary Fred Betschen, Church Treasurer Barbara Squires, Clerk of Session Melissa Moore, Director of Music James Stewart, Sr., Church Sexton Susan Weaver, Financial Secretary Paul Kingsbury, Assistant Church Treasurer Church Office (607) 734-1614 Visit our website: www.firstpreselmira.org