Tuesday, December 11, 2018

This Week December 11

Dear Folks,

As Advent marches on, how are your preparations for the coming of Christ?

This Sunday is the Third Sunday of Advent, December 16.  We will be celebrating with our annual Intergeneration Christmas Pageant.  Come and enjoy!

There is still time to get your poinsettia order in for Christmas Eve. Each plant is $15.  Please use the form in the Sunday bulletin or Belfry or contact Judy Tucker.

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 on December 23. 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.


Longest Night Service will be held on Friday, December 21, 6:30 p.m. December 21 is the longest night of the year. For many people, dark is symbolic of the harsh things of life. 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. 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. 

On Christmas Eve, we will have our 4 P.M. Family Service and at 11 P.M., the Traditional Lessons and Carols service.  O Come, let us adore Him!

Women’s Fellowship is offering Keep Christ in Christmas magnets for $4, located on the table by the coat rack. Please leave your money with Sue Lindley or Karen in the church office.

HCNS is accepting donations for Toys 4 Tots. If you would like to donate, please drop them off in the box in the hallway outside the nursery school rooms.

Please have your 2018 pledge up-to-date by December 31, 2018. The church 2018 financial books for accepting pledge contributions will close on January 1, 2019 – all checks must be dated December 31, 2018. PLEASE NOTE 2018 in the memo. Any contributions received after this date will be credited to the year 2019. Also, if you have not returned your 2019 Faith Promise/Pledge Card, please do so as soon as possible.  Your generosity is vital to our continued ministry here at HCCUCC.

Let us pray.  O Holy God of light and love, may you fill our hearts with joy this season that we may know the power of your presence in our lives.  May you motivate us to live for your purposes and will.  Amen.

In Christ's love,

Rev. Lucille

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