Dear Folks,
May this unsettled weather not
dampen the feelings and actions of hope, peace, joy, and love
during this Advent season!
A big thank you to everyone who
participated in our Christmas Pageant this past Sunday, especially
Kirsten Keith for her leadership, even without a voice! What
a trooper! The Christmas "Wheel of Fortune" was so much
fun!
This coming Sunday, December 18,
is the Fourth Sunday of Advent. We will be lighting the
"Love" candle. The scripture is Matthew 1:18-25. The
sermon is "What's in a Name?" We will also have a children's
Bag Message.
THE CHRISTMAS FUND for the
Veterans of the Cross and Emergency Fund is the primary source of
annual income used to support and honor those who have served and
are serving the United Church of Christ. Your gift to the Christmas
Fund helps provide a lifeline of hope to many lower-income active
and retired clergy and lay employees of UCC. We will be taking your
offering in this Sunday. Donation envelopes can be found in the
pews. Please remember that your generous contribution can and will
make a difference in the lives of many.
Our 2016 Longest Night Service
will be on Wednesday, December 21st, at 7 p.m., the
longest night of the year. For many people, dark is symbolic
of the harsh things of life. And, those harsh things become
more evident in the light of the "shoulds" of Christmas
time: we should be happy, we should be glad, we should be
joyful. Well, sometimes our life is not conducive to the
shoulds: we have lost a loved one, or a relationship, or a
job, or whatever. We don't feel happy and glad. The
Longest Night Service is a time to realize that for some, all
is not goodness and light. We can come, acknowledge the
darkness, but also look to the Nativity for our hope and our
Light. All are welcome.
Christmas Eve Services will be
held at 4 p.m. and 11 p.m. Come, celebrate the season!
Christmas Day worship will be at
the regular time,9:30 a.m. Service will be informal, so come
as you are to the Fellowship Hall for cookies, hot chocolate,
coffee, tea, with Christmas carol and stories!!
For New Year's Day, worship will
be at 11 a.m. We will be starting off the year by celebrating
Holy Communion. Following worship will be a brunch. A
free-will offering will be taken for Spooner House. A sign-up sheet
for brunch is in the Alcove.
Please have your 2016 pledge
up-to-date by December 31, 2016. The church 2016 financial
books for accepting pledge contributions will close on January 1,
2017 – all checks must be dated December 31, 2016. Any
contributions received after this date will be credited to the year
2017. PLEASE NOTE 2016 in the
memo. Also, if you have not returned your 2017 Faith
Promise/Pledge Card, please do so as soon as possible. Your
generosity is vital to our continued ministry here at HCCUCC.
The 2017 Offering Envelopes are
available in the Alcove.
For Committee Chairs:
Annual Report are due on January 1, 2017. Please make sure
Karen, our Office Manager, has yours!
Let pray. As the old year
winds down, O God, help us to look to 2017 as a year where our
faith and our love shine brightly into the world. In you is
our hope and our peace. Amen.
In Christ's love,
Rev. Lucille
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