Week of November 27, 2016 - Church of the Apostles UCC

Food Bank
Needs: Specifically—cold cereal, rice or rice helpers, pasta, crackers, dry soup, and canned items, including soups, fruits, beans, baked beans, tomatoes, and tuna.

UCC Christmas Fund
This is the month we give a gift to the UCC Christmas Fund. It supports retired ministers in various ways when they are in need. Your gift enables us to support this mission.

Adult Sunday School: The Redemption of Scrooge
The Redemption of Scrooge, an Adult Sunday School class being held in the Parlor during the 9:15 am service, will continue throughout the Advent season (until December 18.) We will be viewing short videos and discussing the old familiar story of Ebenezer Scrooge, identifying Jesus’ teachings as found within this classic novel. The three remaining studies will be broken down into the following chapters:

The Remembrance of Christmas Past
The Life of Christmas Present
The Hope of Christmas Future

It is not required, but if you would like to purchase the book to have as part of the class, you can find it online on several websites. The title is: The Redemption of Scrooge: Connecting Christ and Culture and the author is Matt Rawle. The ISBN is 9781501823084, and it is published by Abingdon Press. Please see Cathy Kenlin or Carol Nielsen if you have any questions.

Children’s Sunday School—Christmas Eve
Attention children who are not already in the choir or in the 7 pm Christmas Eve service: your help is needed! We will need angels, shepherds, and sheep for this service. Please come early (15 minutes early), and as you arrive for the service, please go to the Parlor. There, we will have Sunday School teachers to help you pick out your costume. You will be guided to a leader of your group according to your costume in the back of the Sanctuary where you will be told when you need to come forward during the service.

New Beginnings
Ring in the Christmas season by enjoying some holiday “comfort” food and Christmas carols. This year’s annual Christmas Banquet and Carol Sing will be held in the Fellowship Hall on Friday, December 9^that 12 pm. Transportation will be provided for Homestead residents. Residents will be picked up at 11:40 am. The cost is $20 per person. Please RSVP to Cathy Bernhardt by December 4^th.

Wishing Well
It is time for our holiday ministry to begin! Once again, we are partnering with the Apostles Community Preschool to gift students at Elizabeth Martin Elementary School. We are going to gift 80 students this year to help them have a merrier Christmas. Please consider participating in this wonderful ministry. There are gift tags on the Outreach bulletin board in the Narthex. Each tag has a child’s name, age or grade, and gender on it. Attached to each gift tag is a gift suggestion for that child. When you take a gift tag, please write your name directly on the poster board by the number that is on that tag. Please place your gift around the tree next to the bulletin board by Sunday, December 18. Please consider making the holiday a bit brighter for a student in our community this year! If you have any questions, please see Jane McCartney.

Blue Christmas Service
A “Blue Christmas” service will be held on Wednesday, December 7 at 7 pm. If Christmas is difficult because of a loss, come to this quieter Christmas service to still remember the wonder of God’s gift in Jesus Christ and acknowledge that Christmas no longer feels the same. Musicians participating in the service are Wade Walburn, cello; Jessica Kashetta, viola; Danielle Polizzi and Josiah Sanger, violin.