Centerville Baptist Church Monthly Newsletter December 2015 Enriching lives by being an authentic Kingdom presence in the community Sunday - Saturday Deacon November 29 to December 5 David Savage December 6 to December 12 Louis Speas December 13 to December 19 Sam Adams December 20 to December 26 Mark Anderson December 27 to January 2 Donnie Baines One Silent Night Christmas Cantata Sunday, December 6, 2015 The CBC Choir will perform during Worship Service in celebration of our Savior s birth. Please join us for this special Christmas event! HOSPITAL VISITATION TEAM Volunteers Needed for January December 2016 Volunteers are needed to serve on our Hospital Visitation Team. If you would like to serve on this team, please contact Cordy Beasley at 757-407-0758 or cordy.beasley@gmail.com. Sunday - Saturday Team Member Contact # November 29 to December 5 Kerry Ray 546-9848 December 6 to December 12 Cordy Beasley 407-0758 December 13 to December 19 Nancy Blevins 287-7935 December 20 to December 26 Gordon Porter 482-5500 December 27 to January 2 David Baldwin 482-1660
As we begin Advent and we think about preparing for our Christmas celebrations, we often look back over the year and consider all of the joy, wonder, and even heartache that we have been through. It can be difficult to think about Advent with Hope, Peace, Joy and Love as our themes because we feel distant from those feelings. When the angels on the hillside with the shepherds sing out Peace on Earth it was not to people that had it all together or were perfectly prepared for meeting the new born son of God. I love this story BECAUSE it shows God s favor for the lowly and outcast, not IN SPITE of that. This action of God coming to be with people in the midst of their heartache and struggle, is why we can have Hope, Peace, Joy and Love filling us up as more than feelings of emotions, but as actions of a loving God. When we have hope, we can do much more than just go from seeing a glass half empty to a glass half full. That is just a change of perspective. Hope delivers us from the misery, gloom and depression that can seep into our lives as busy-ness and chaos begin to drive our lives. Hope says we have a much higher purpose than just earning money, going to school, keeping on keeping on, etc. Our purpose is to commune with the God of the Universe that has a purpose for each of us and for our church as a whole. Our hope for church isn t found in numbers or programs, but it is found as we engage to be zealous in our efforts to advance the Kingdom of our Savior (from the church covenant) When we have peace, our anxiousness about the future struggles in our families and church can be cast out because we know God is at work in and through us NOW! It is not a matter of waiting for Christmas day or that perfect moment that never comes at a family gathering or for just the right song in worship to fill us with peace. It is God s loving, grace filled presence that opens our hearts and minds to see all that God is doing already. When we have joy, we have that something inside that draws people to recognize that we are led by something much more fulfilling than the stuff that..moth and rust destroy and thieves break in and steal. (Matt. 6:19) Joy says to the world that my delight is in the Lord (Ps. 37:4) not in the things that promise happiness, but deliver sorrow. When we have trouble experiencing joy, one of the best things we can do is serve others. You cannot help but be transformed when you serve others. Joy fills each heart when the hungry are fed, the homeless are given shelter, the downcast are lifted up, and the lonely experience true love and fellowship. Those are presents that only God s presence can buy. When you have love, you have it all. You are no longer judging and being judged and controlled by certain conditions that make you good or bad, right or wrong, loved or unloved. Love cast out fear (1 John 4:18) of all varieties and fills us up with God. God is love and to explain it with words, puts limits on love that God does not. I feel God s love and presence filling me when we see folks coming to be part of us by joining the church or through baptism. I am filled up with love when I see so many folks in the church using their abilities and gifts to serve by being part of worship through reading, singing, praying, playing an instrument, decorating, being present! How will you experience Advent this year? I hope it is with Hope, Peace, Joy and Love! In Christ s Love, Kevin Peace On Earth, Goodwill to all People
Please join us for a Centerville Family Christmas! Family Caroling Night December 12th, 4-8 PM Meet at the church at 4 PM and we will travel caravanstyle to sing and visit with our homebound members. All you need is your singing voice and some Holiday Cheer! Afterward, we ll head back to the church for some pizza and some board games (and maybe even a limbo contest!). Fa-la-la-la-la! Christmas Eve Candlelight and Communion Service December 24th, Join us for this service of expectation as we celebrate and anticipate the arrival of the Christ child. This is always a special time of family and worship. All are welcome! If you have questions about these events, please contact Zipper Harfst at zipperharfst@gmail.com or Ginny Page at vpage@vbgov.com.
Brian s Bit Chaos that s the word I would use to describe my perception of the world right now. Violence, hatred, suspicion, bigotry, and fear seem to be having a field day worldwide and domestically. We live in anxious and uncertain time, and most of us feel it in every aspect of our lives in our communities, in our families, in our church, and in our souls. Advent and Christmas invite us, however, to live by other words than chaos (and with it the resulting anxiety, worry, fear, suspicion, bigotry, hatred, violence, etc.). What do we do with lofty ideals like hope, peace, joy, and love? Put them on coffee cups? Well, I pray we can do more than that. Could we be so compelled by our faith that God is, in fact, with us and for us, that we choose hope, peace, joy, and love as ways of life? Hear the words of the angels Fear not! May Emmanuel help us and bless us this season! Grace and Peace, Brian Harfst cbcequipping.pastor@verizon.net Practice for Sunday Morning and Christmas Eve Worship Services: Everyone of any age wanting to do readings and such during Sunday morning worship and especially during the Christmas Eve service is invited to the Family Creative Worship Night on December 2 (6:30-, Sanctuary). Hope to see you there!
CENTERVILLE YOUTH NEWS December 2015 It s been an exciting few months working more directly with the wonderful youth at Centerville and their friends! I had a fantastic Youth Call Weekend at Camp Crossroads in November and look forward to time with our Middle High Youth at the Fall Retreat this month. May you have a great Advent, preparing for the our celebration of Christ s birth, and may your Christmas be filled with hope, peace, joy, and love! Brian Harfst cbcequipping.pastor@verizon.net 540-220-4376 December 2015 Youth Events Sunday School: All Sunday mornings, 9:15 10:15 AM (Upper Room). Susan and Ron Burton lead relevant, engaging Bible studies. Hang Time Christmas Party: December 4, 6-8 PM (Upper Room). A relaxed time of playing games, hanging out, and getting to know one another. Supper is provided. Online Youth Planning Meeting: Anyone interested in youth ministry is invited to join me (Brian) for email conversation and planning over the week of December 14-18. Contact me to let me know you want to be put on the email list. CBFVA Fall Youth Retreat: December 11-13 at Eagle Eyrie. This is the retreat that was postponed from October 2-4. We have 6 Middle High students and 3 adults going. Pray for the group to experience God and community. Look for other events and regular updates (including upcoming info on our big 2016 trips) on our Facebook page, Centerville Baptist Youth Ministry and our web page, www.centervillebaptistchurch.org/youth. If you have questions or would like to include your email or text contact info for regular updates, let me know by emailing or texting me.
CHILDREN S MINISTRY Dear Centerville Family, Do you have warm hugs? A lap for a child to sit on? Half an hour and a friendly smile on Sunday morning to greet children and parents? If so, WE NEED YOU!! Please consider signing up as a Children's Ministry Volunteer! You can use the link below to view the open opportunities and sign up for December. If you are unable to sign up online, please email Zipper Harfst at zipperharfst@gmail.com and let her know what slot you are able to fill, and she will sign you up. Thank you for considering helping with our children! http://www.signupgenius.com/go/20f0549a4a628a3f58-december
Blankets (and more) for the Homeless As one of our Christmas projects, we will be putting together Christmas stockings for the homeless. These can be done for boys, girls, men and/or women. You can get stockings from Dollar Tree, etc., and include travel size personal hygiene items, hair barrettes, hair brushes, combs, small toys, Crayola crayons, coloring books, reading books (for children and adults), chap stick, socks, gloves, knitted hats, rain ponchos, knitted scarves, toothbrushes, toothpaste, small bottles of perfume, lipstick, mints, non-perishable Christmas candy. Think about small items which would put a smile on your face to have. Also, if you have young children, have them make a Christmas card and put inside the stockings. Label boys stockings with a blue ribbon or string, girls with a pink ribbon or string, women s with a red ribbon or string and men s with a black ribbon or string. We will also collect new or gently used blankets, thermal clothes/underwear, jeans (especially men s), walking shoes, gloves, hats, socks, scarves, and toys. As you are purchasing toys for your children this Christmas, think about donating their gently used toys to homeless children. Please do not put any money in the stockings. All these items and stockings will be given to Mariah Smith who started Blankets for the Homeless to be passed out right before Christmas (and through the rest of the winter). Mariah and her volunteers passed out over 800 stockings last year and more will be needed this year. If you have any questions about this Christmas project, or would like to volunteer your time in passing out these items, please contact Faith Powell (729-3352; nana2rt@cox.net or Judy Caldwell (613-6289; jscaldwe@sentara.com).
Lottie Moon Christmas Offering November 29 - December 6, 2015 Our Week of Prayer for International Missions will soon begin. Our theme is Because of who He is. Our scripture: Declare His glory among the nations. ~Psalm 96:3. This year s goal is $3,000.00. Please give sacrificially so that missionaries will be sent to the billions who have yet to hear the good news. Festive red poinsettias will decorate the Sanctuary from December 13th through Christmas Eve service. Poinsettias are $10 each. To order, please place your payment and order form in the offering plate through December 6th.
PERSONNEL COMMITTEE MEETING Sunday, December 6, 2015 4:00 PM Please note the meeting date change for this month. FREE VARICOSE VEIN SCREENING CLINIC VIRGINIA BEACH SURGERY WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 2, 2015 Are your legs hurting? Do you have cramping in your legs at night? Problems with veins can cause aching, cramping, pain, tiredness, restlessness, burning, or heaviness or tingling in legs. If left untreated, varicose veins can progress to a more serious form of venous disease called chronic venous insufficiency. Meet with a vascular surgeon to determine if you re a candidate for treatment. There is limited availability and appointments are required. Please call 481-2313 and press Option O to schedule your free clinic screening. VIRGINIA BEACH SURGERY, LTD. 1020 First Colonial Road Virginia Beach, VA 23454 757-481-2313
Library Lines In recognition of the Christmas season, your church library has the following DVDs available for your family s enjoyment: The Christmas Shoes, The Christmas Blessing, and Max Lucado s The Christmas Candle. For those who enjoy reading, we have Richard Paul Evans The Mistletoe Promise and his newest 2015 release, The Mistletoe Inn. Also available are two Guidepost short story collections, A Cup of Christmas Cheer, Volume Three, Tales of Christmas Past, and Volume Four, Tales of Christmas Present. These DVDs and books are currently located on the Library s table just outside the sanctuary. Complete the checkout card on the back, with the date, name, and which ministry of Centerville Baptist you are a part of, after your name, as indicated on the checkout instructions on the bulletin board above the table. You can leave the checkout cards for anything on the table, or in the cabinet located in the Library. It is very important to complete the checkout card so we know which items are of interest to our Centerville families. Be on the lookout this month for some additional Christmas DVDs for children, and a book on Lottie Moon. There is also a new Veggie Tales children s DVD, Heroes of the Bible! and another family DVD, The Lost Medallion, The Adventures of Billy Stone, located in the library. In this very busy time of year, take the time to relax and enjoy some of these items. Please refer any questions to team members Michelle Armagost, Caroline Bayse, Terri Cartwright, or Betty Robbins. Thanks for your support, and if you have any questions or suggestions, please let us know. ~The Library Team
Family Creative Worship Night Advent and Christmas Eve Practice Wednesday, December 2, 2015 6:30 - Lottie Moon Post Office Through December 20, 2015 Planning to send Christmas cards to your friends at CBC? Just place them in the Lottie Moon Post Office Box located in front of the Sanctuary and the WMU will deliver them for you. A minimum 25 donation per card is appreciated. Proceeds will go to the Lottie Moon Missions Offering.
December Birthdays Mitch King Tyler Bishop Susan Burton Bill Dunkley, Jr. Addisyn Lane Bryson Lane Marissa Wilkey Doug Askew Frank Parker Max Graham Ken Mills Preston Grissom Lewis McGehee Libby Rich Maisie Ritter Brett Wolfram Susan Hunter Luke Askew Garrett Jarman Marshall Hudgins, Jr. Rachel Baldwin Petro Layla Dannar Frank Jamison Ginny Page James Tate David Blevins Nancy Blevins Chelsea Orrell December 1 st December 2 nd December 2 nd December 3 rd December 3 rd December 3 rd December 3 rd December 5 th December 5 th December 6 th December 6 th December 8 th December 9 th December 9 th December 10 th December 11 th December 12 th December 13 th December 13 th December 13 th December 13 th December 14 th December 14 th December 14 th December 14 th December 15 th December 15 th December 15 th Linda Brillion December 16 th Reid Moseley December 16 th Jason Potts December 16 th Jennifer Jensen Walsh December 16 th Ms. Lauren Pillow December 17 th Terry Cutrer December 18 th Ms. Audra Brown December 21 st Danielle Hranowskyj December 21 st Lyla Hranowskyj December 21 st Kaylin Plummer December 21 st Don Willliams December 21 st Alexis Cotterell December 22 nd Lauren McNeil December 22 nd Ryan Sawyer December 22 nd Kelly Bradshaw December 23 rd Mary Reason Ange December 26 th Faye Hurley December 26 th Carson Hedrick December 27 th Myles Lynn December 27 th Donald (Eddie) Irwin III December 28 th Helen Orrell December 28 th Cheryl Atwood December 29 th Sophia Barriault December 29 th Shelli Baldwin December 30 th Paul Cross December 30 th Margie Blevins December 31 st R.G. Gall, Jr. December 31 st Ryan King December 31 st If YOUR birthday is missing or listed in error please contact cbcmaindesk@verizon.net. We apologize for any errors in the listing of birthdays. Please report only your missing birthday.
DECEMBER 2015 EVENTS Tuesday, December 1, 2015 Choir Practice Wednesday, December 2, 2015 Please Note: No Soup Night Tonight Family Creative Worship: Advent and Christmas Eve Practice Wednesday Night Prayer CBC Band Practice Choir Practice Thursday, December 3, 2015 Property Committee Meeting Basketball - Ages 30 and Over Saturday, December 5, 2015 *AA - Saturday Night Special Discussion Meeting Sunday, December 6, 2015 CBC Choir Christmas Cantata One Silent Night" Sunday School Children's Church Worship Service Personnel Committee Meeting Pre-School Extended Care Oversight Committee Meeting Finance/Stewardship Meeting - CANCELLED Church Council Meeting Monday, December 7, 2015 Deacon's Meeting *AA Meeting Tuesday, December 8, 2015 Men's Ministry Book Study Wednesday, December 9, 2015 Wednesday Night Prayer CBC Band Practice Choir Practice Thursday, December 10, 2015 Basketball - Ages 30 and Over Friday, December 11, 2015 CBFVA Fall Youth Retreat to Eagle Eyrie Saturday, December 12, 2015 CBFVA Fall Youth Retreat to Eagle Eyrie WMU (EMC) Brunch Family Caroling Night *AA - Saturday Night Special Discussion Meeting Sunday, December 13, 2015 CBFVA Fall Youth Retreat (Returning Home) Sunday School Children's Church Worship Service DECEMBER 2015 CHURCH CALENDAR 7:00 PM 7:00 PM 6:00 PM 9:15 AM 4:00 PM 5:15 PM 5:30 PM 6:00 PM 8:00 PM 10:00 AM 4:00 PM 6:00 PM 9:15 AM Monday, December 14, 2015 *AA Meeting Wednesday, December 16, 2015 PreSchool Christmas Program Wednesday Night Prayer CBC Band Practice Choir Practice Thursday, December 17, 2015 Basketball - Ages 30 and Over Saturday, December 19, 2015 Men's Breakfast @ Angie's Restaurant *AA - Saturday Night Special Discussion Meeting Sunday, December 20, 2015 Benevolence Sunday Sunday School Children's Church Worship Service Church Conference Monday, December 21, 2015 PreSchool CLOSED--Christmas break *AA Meeting Tuesday, December 22, 2015 PreSchool CLOSED--Christmas break Men's Ministry Meeting Wednesday, December 23, 2015 PreSchool CLOSED--Christmas break Wednesday Night Prayer CBC Band Practice Choir Practice Thursday, December 24, 2015 All Programs and Offices Closed for Christmas Holiday Christmas Eve Worship Service Friday, December 25, 2015 Closed for Christmas Holiday Saturday, December 26, 2015 *AA - Saturday Night Special Discussion Meeting Sunday, December 27, 2015 Sunday School Children's Church Worship Service Church Conference Monday, December 28, 2015 Preschool and Church offices Closed for Christmas Holiday *AA Meeting Tuesday, December 29, 2015 Preschool and Church Offices Closed for Christmas Holiday 8:00 PM 7:00 AM 6:00 PM 9:15 AM 12:00 PM 8:00 PM 6:00 PM 9:15 AM 12:00 PM 8:00 PM CONTINUED ONTO NEXT PAGE...
DECEMBER 2015 CHURCH CALENDAR -CONTINUED- Wednesday, December 30, 2015 Preschool and Church Offices Closed for Christmas Holiday Wednesday Night Prayer CBC Band Practice Choir Practice Thursday, December 31, 2015 Preschool and Church Offices Closed for Christmas Holiday Extended Child Care Closes @ 5:00 pm *Denotes outside event Looking Ahead. For January 2016 Please email any monthly schedule/event changes to the main desk at CBCMainDesk@verizon.net. You can submit, as well, any standing meeting changes for the entire 2016 calendar. Event and bulletin forms are located at the main desk and on the website www.centervillebaptistchurch.org. Please submit an event form for each event to be placed on the church calendar.