SUNDAY SCHOOL – Advent starts on November 29. Did you get your Advent devotional and Advent Calendars? If not, contact Lisa at [email protected]
December 6, 13, and 20 (no class on December 27, Christmas weekend)
• Messages and activities sent home to K-2 grades (no teacher) and3-4 grades (Mary Mitchell will continue for a few more weeks)
• Zoom class at 10:00 am for 5-6 grades (Joe DiMona and Alex Lee)
• Zoom classes at 11:00 am for 7-8 grades (Lisa Niven and Richard Ackerman)
We are still seeking Sunday School teachers. Please consider volunteering to teach K-2 grade or 3-4 grade during the Winter (Dec 6-March 7) or any class during the Spring (March 14-June 13) semester. Contact Lisa if you are interested [email protected]. ________________________________________________________________________________________
YOUNG ADULT DISCUSSION GROUP December 13 at 6:00 pm by Zoom For 9th grade and up and their friends!
Peter and Elena Feroe lead thoughtful discussion about current topics and faith. It is a safe space to share your thoughts and feelings. To suggest topics for discussion or get more information, please reach out to Peter at [email protected] or Elena at [email protected]. Future classes will be on: Jan 24, Feb 28, Mar 21, Apr 18 and May 16. _________________________________________________________________________________________
BOOK CLUB Tuesday, December 14 at 9:30 am by Zoom A Treasury of African-American Christmas Stories by Bettye Collier-Thomas.
A collection of Christmas stories and poems that reflect the Christmas experiences of everyday African Americans written by African-American journalists, activists, and writers from the late 19th century to the modern civil rights movement. For more information contact Susan Breen at [email protected]. _________________________________________________________________________________________
ADULT EDUCATION All classes at 9:00-10:00 am by Zoom.
For an invitation, contact Lisa Niven [email protected] or Susan Breen [email protected].
December 6, 13 by Zoom
Dismantling Structural Racism: PC(USA)’s 21-Day Racial Justice Challenge Daily assignments and weekly group discussion, facilitated by Susan Tedja and Ryan Lyppens. All are welcome, including young people.
December 20 (not 27); and January 3, 10 & 17 by Zoom
Together in Christ The Covid-19 experience has taught us all that humans are social animals, craving some form of contact with all other life, not just other humans. But it may have also taught us some deeper things about forms of contact and our social nature. The “Together in Christ” classes, led by George Bollenbacher, will explore: • The Nature of Social Animals • Forms of Socialization • How We See Ourselves, the World and Others • Christ’s Perspective _________________________________________________________________________________________
IPC COOKIE PROJECT
We had no Advent Mission Fair this year, and have limited opportunities for seasonal service activities for the youth, without gathering in person, so here is our idea: Let people who have to work on Christmas Eve know we are thinking of them and grateful to them, by delivering cookies and other goodies. This was originally conceived as a youth activity, but we are hoping that any and all church members and friends will participate. Here’s what you can do:
1. Help us IDENTIFY places for cookie delivery (places like hospitals, police stations, firehouses, gas stations, etc.).
2. DONATE cookies, brownies, or other treats. These can be delivered to the church (details to come) during the week before Christmas.
3. Volunteer (kids invited) to DELIVER goodies on Christmas Eve afternoon. Share these expressions of God’s love and help make someone else’s Christmas Eve a happy one.
To volunteer for any (or all!) of these activities, contact Lisa at [email protected]
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ADVENT history and meaning –Did you get your Advent devotional and Advent Calendars? If not, contact Lisa at [email protected]
Advent starts November 29 Advent is the 4-week liturgical season of four Sundays prior to the season of Christmas, and marks the beginning of the church year. Like Lent, it is meant to be a season of reflection, preparation and expectation for what God has done, and is about to do.
The word “Advent” means “coming” (from the Latin). In the early church, Advent was a season of preparation for the baptism of new Christians at the January feast of Epiphany. By the 6th century, Roman Christians had tied Advent to the coming of Christ. However, the “coming” they had in mind was Christ’s second, promised, coming when he returns for his people. During the Middle Ages, the Advent season was explicitly linked to Christ’s incarnation at Christmas. Today, the church looks back on Christ’s coming in celebration while at the same time looking forward in eager anticipation to the coming of Christ’s kingdom.
Scripture and readings The first two Sundays in Advent (through December 16th) look forward to Christ’s second coming, with scripture readings often from the Book of Revelation; and the last two Sundays (December 17th– 24th) look backward to remember Christ’s first coming, with readings from Old Testament passages about the expectation of the coming Messiah and New Testament passages about the announcements of Christ’s arrival by John the Baptist and the Angels.
Advent readings are themed for each Sunday of Advent, typically:
1. Hope (or expectation)
2. Faith (or preparation)
3. Joy (or peace)
4. Love (or purity)
Advent wreaths
The Advent wreath first appeared in Germany in 1839. A Lutheran minister working at a mission for children created a wreath out of the wheel of a cart. Eventually, the Advent wreath was created out of evergreens, symbolizing everlasting life in the midst of winter and death; the circle reminding us of God’s unending love and the eternal life God makes possible. Within the wreath are four candles, one newly lit on each of the four Sundays and each representing the theme of that week. In our tradition three are purple and one (joy) is rose-colored. A fifth white candle is placed in the middle and is lit on Christmas Day to celebrate Jesus’ birth. What keeps the wild hope of Christmas alive year after year in a world notorious for dashing all hopes is the haunting dream that the child who was born that day may yet be born again even in us. — Frederick Buechner ADVENT STARTS NOVEMBER 29 FROM PRESBYTERIAN WOMEN 3 Ways to Give with Mission in Mind. Everyone is aware that the cancellation of the Attic Sale created a huge gap in the PW mi
