Newsletter - December 2012 Rev1

7/30/2019 Newsletter - December 2012 Rev1

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P A S A D E N A C O V E N A N T C H U R C H

December 2012

As we begin the Advent season, I am always reminded of how fast pace the world around us

is moving and it expects us to move at the same manner. Perhaps you can relate to what I

am saying. Have you already been hearing songs promising us Christmas is here? Or

perhaps youve already heard that the Savior has been born? I think it would be near

impossible not to with the saturation of these songs in stores, on the radio, maybe even in

your own home. During this Advent season I challenge you to embrace the spiritual

discipline of fighting against the worldly Christmas rush, take time to quiet and prepare

yourself, and try to identify with the waiting, with the expectancy the Hebrew people found

themselves to be wrestling. That very waiting was the waiting that God placed them in.

I have found it is in the embracing of the waiting, that my senses are heightened and when

the time comes to celebrate the birth of our Savior I take all the more joy; all the more love

in doing so.

Our Christmas Eve service this year will be just such a time, a time to celebrate the coming

of the Christ child, the Word made flesh, the light of the world, Immanuel, God with us.

Join us on Monday, December 24th at 5:00pm to celebrate together as a church the birth

of our Savior.

Christmas Eve Service


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Sunday Morning Happenings For Adults

at 9:00 a.m.

Couriers

Repeated Exposure to Gods Word will enrich and change your life. In-depth Bible Study

Sundays at 9:00 am in the Fireside Room, Gym building. John Wipf, teacher; Marilyn Hanks,

facilitator. Coffee and good fellowship. For further information contact Marilyn Hanks (626) 791-

3782.

Companions in Christ

Our adult Companions in Christ small group meets at 9:00 am Sundays for Bible study, prayer,

and fellowship in the room located upstairs off the west side of the balcony. Newcomers are welcome.

For more information, contact Jennifer Mawhorter (909) 621-2389 or [email protected] Together

We meet on Sunday mornings at 9:00 am in the Corner House. We welcome visitors and look

forward to all that God will stir up in us this new year! If you have any questions, please contact Anita

Sorenson at [email protected].

WELCOME NEWCOMERS!

If you started coming to our church within the past year and would like to have the opportunity tomeet others from our congregation and staff, and to ask questions about our faith community in an

informal setting, please join us for our Monthly Newcomers Lunch. The next luncheon will be on

Sunday, December 9th from 12:15 - 1:30 p.m. at the Corner House (on the Northwest corner of

Santa Barbara and Lake Avenue). All family members are welcome! In order to plan for the food,

your RSVP is greatly appreciated to Marianne Hill at [email protected] 626-798-

2097.

Please let us know if you have any dietary restrictions, and also let us know if you will be bringingpreschoolers so that we can plan food and activities for them.

Ministry Opportunity for the Whole Family: Door of Hope Birthday Club

Looking for a fun ministry your whole family can participate in together? Help us plan and develop a

Birthday Club for Door of Hope! Door of Hope is a local ministry providing shelter for homeless

families in the Pasadena area. We'd like to start a birthday club providing simple birthday parties

once a month for the children living there. If you'd be interested in being part of a team to start this

ministry, contact Vikki Randall [email protected].
mailto:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]


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The Koinonia Christmas Dinner will be on

Saturday, December 15th at 5:30 p.m. at thehome of Larry and Clara Spence, 14079

Orangevale Ave, Eastvale, CA. We will be

enjoying a Gourmet potluck; Christmas music

and a Carol sing. As in years past we will also be

providing Christmas gifts for Elizabeth House.

For more information Contact Judy Pruitt at

[email protected].

Womens Book ClubThe Pasadena Covenant Womens Book Club

will meet Monday, December 17th, 7:30 9:00

p.m., for our annual Christmas Reading andCookie Exchange at Judy Balswicks house, 1425

N. Mar Vista. Bring a poem, picture book, or

short story to read aloud. If you can, bring 3

dozen Christmas cookies for the exchange. If you

cant, just come by and enjoy. Newcomers

welcome. If you have questions, please contact

Jennifer Mawhorter [email protected].

Blue Christmas Service, December 18th

Brightly wrapped packages, Christmas trees, holiday parties, holly and the scent of pine, unending

upbeat carols in shops and malls, visits from friends and family, baking and cooking, food everywhere--

and the awed, hushed joy of welcoming a tiny Infant to our world and our heartsthese are the images

and memories of Christmas most of us celebrate and treasure. But each year some people such as the

grieving, the lonely, and the hopelessdread the approach of the holiday season. They have no heart for

the cheer and the bustle, the anticipation and the excitement. Hence, we are going to be offering a Blue

Christmas service for those who are experiencing grief, loneliness, despair, and/or hopelessness this

holiday season.

Blue Christmas acknowledges that while Christmas is a time to make great memories, it can also be a

time when deep wounds are reopened as many are forced to confront the absence of a loved one, family

member, or friend. Blue Christmas also recognizes that grief can visit someone this holiday season for

variety of other reasons such as the insecurity of being unemployed, dealing with broken relationships,

divorce, and broken homes. Whatever the cause of grief or despair, Blue Christmas will validate those

feelings and hopefully encourage us to find and hold onto hope and each other.

Service will be in the sanctuaryTuesday, Dec 18th at 7:00 p.m. The service will give those present the

opportunity to express their feelings to God through appropriate worship and lament, and also an

opportunity to receive prayer and pray for others. If you need more let me know, I can give more servicedetails if needed.

- Phillip Davis [email protected].


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Peace and Justice Ministry Team will meet on

Monday, Dec. 3rd, at 6:45 p.m. in the Santa

Barbara Room. All are welcome to attend.

For more information, contact Jamie Knauss at

[email protected].

Upcoming Trustee MeetingMonday, December 3rd

7:00 pm in the Corner House

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Alpha Parenting Course

Children do not arrive with an instruction manual. Parenting is the most important role we will

undertake. Meeting our childrens deepest needs, setting healthy boundaries, helping to develop theiremotional health, passing on values and teaching them how to make good choices takes skill and

dedication. Discovering we are not alone in these challenges we face and picking up ideas from other

parents can make a huge difference. The Parenting Children Course and the Parenting Teenagers Course

offer an opportunity to hear practical talks and engage in group discussions on these topics and more.

Both courses will run concurrently every Sunday fromJanuary 13, 2013 through March 17, 2013 from

5-8:30 pm in the Corner House. Contact Lina Myrvold for more information at [email protected]

(626) 627-7777.

Gift for Guests!If you are a Guest you are invited to the

Questions table located in the foyer/narthex

and there is a gift for you.

2013 Pictorial Directory

Each person or family who is a member or a regular

attendeewill be receiving a form in mail in next few

weeks for the 2013 pictorial directory. Please fill out

the form and return it to the main office or put it

into the offering plate on Sunday morning.

More information about directory photos will be

available in January.

If you do not receive a form or are not on our

mailing list and wish to be included in the directory,

please call Doreen in the main office @ 626-795-

9381 or email [email protected].

Children's ministry celebrated harvest festivals on

Nov. 25th with this Quilt of Thanksgiving.
mailto:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]


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Weekly Programs

Oikas: Sunday Mornings, 9 am-10:15 am

Oikas is the Greek work for House. When we come together on Sunday Mornings, we cometogether just as we are, in the House of God. Sunday Mornings are a place where we can be totallyauthentic with one another and dig deep into Gods Word together. .

Selah: Wednesday Night Worship and Small Groups, 6:30-8:30 pm

Selah is our midweek program for both high school and middle school students. Selah is a Hebrewword that is used many times throughout the book of Psalms. Were not exactly sure of the meaning,but some good guesses include Pause or Stop and listen. Wednesday nights at PCSM are made tobe just that: a time out in our busy week to rest and listen to God. We do this through spendingquality time together, worshiping through song, and connecting in age and gender specific smallgroups.

December Event(Mark Your Calendar!)

All Youth Christmas Party: Wednesday, December 19th 6:30-9 pm

Its going to be a very special Wednesday night as we celebrate Christmas together! Wear your ugliest

Christmas sweater, bring a hilarious White Elephant Gift, and get ready to enjoy a delicious dinner

together as a group!

Neighborhood Open House on October 31st was filled with fun!


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Sundays 9:00-10:15 am

Edge: Small Group for 4th & 5th graders

Join us Sunday mornings at 9:00 am for Edge-- a special small group just for tweens (4 th & 5th

graders). Edge meets in the Edge lounge, located on the 2nd floor of the gym building, and is led by

Doug Berry and Suzi Edwards

Family Advent Breakfast: Sunday, December 2nd 8:30-10:15 am

Advent breakfast is a time for the entire family to join together and shift focus from our day-to-day lives to anticipating with joyful expectation the birth of our Savior. All ages are invited to join us

for breakfast, followed by a simple family craft and devotional. This year we will be making advent

wreaths which will go along with the advent lessons we will be focusing on in our kids classes during

December. Families will be given a guide that can be used to center a simple family devotional time

each week leading up to Christmas. Breakfast will be provided by PCC Student Ministries, with a

free will offering going to support youth scholarships.

A total of 83 shoeboxes (for Operation Christmas

Child) were collected this year - more than double

last year! Shoeboxes filled with toys, candy,

hygiene items, and school supplies will be sent all

around the world to children suffering the effects

of war, natural disaster, and poverty.

A newly furnished room for nursing mothers is

now available directly off the lobby of the

sanctuary. The room features comfortable rockers,

changing table, and video feed from the worship

service. Many thanks to those who helped make

this room possible: Mike Litteken, Mary Barkman,

Edna Burow, the Sarah Circle, Thomas Hale, Jim

& Caryl Tyberg.


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Fire Station Development PlanYou may recall that several months ago we presented a proposal that a developer, Lowe Enterprises, had

brought to us to consider participating in a development plan on our block to allow the Fire Station torebuild.Although there have been a few meetings that Ive attended since bringing that information to

you, there have not been any definitive directions chosen as yet. Having said that, there may be a few of

you who would like more information or have concerns about the process, and I would enjoy getting

together with you to field some questions. Let me know if you are interested. Pastor Jim Tyberg

[email protected] or 626 795-9381 x101

The BWS is run by ECPAC, but helped by various

groups each night the shelter is open. Pasadena

Covenant mans the shelter every Wednesday night

that the BWS is open. We need individuals to be

on call for the weather activated Wednesday

nights this December (the temperature drops

below 40 degrees or rain is expected). We also

need a several more people to help on a few

Wednesdays in Jan. & Feb. You dont need to

provide all 12 1 5 people, but you, your family,

or groups of friends can join others already

helping. Help is needed between 6:00 - 9:00 pm.

This important ministry cannot happen without

the help from a lot of people. Please help us serve

those who come for food and shelter those

evenings. For more information or to sign up, see

the BWS table during hospitality time after

worship, or contact Wayne Walker at

[email protected] (please put BWS in

Subject line).

Ravioli/Spaghettios

Bulk Dried Pinto

Oatmeal

Onions

Peanut Butter & Jelly

Snack Items

Baby formula

Baby wipes

Feminine napkins

Crackers

Canned Fruit

Canned Vegetables

Fruit Juice

Fresh Produce

Mac & Cheese

Spaghetti Sauce or

Pasta Sauce

Spaghetti or

Noodles

Canned Beans

Potatoes

Canned Soup

Bulk Rice

Canned Meat

Baby Pampers

Canned Chili

We need the following supplies:

Please, no dented cans or outdated food.

Your gracious support is appreciated!

Please bring your donations on Sunday morning

and place them in the baskets under the tables

outside the Gathering Place in the Sanctuary

Building. We deliver the food for distribution

every Monday morning.


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Cross-Cultural Ministry Supported by Pasadena Covenant Church

Praise & Prayer Requests

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Pasadena Covenant Church supports not only 18 individual or family cross-cultural workers, but also threeministries. One of these ministries is CHET (Hispanic Center for

Theological Studies), an affiliate of North park University and Theological

Seminary, is committed to serving the unserved and the underserved and

equip Hispanic-Latinos/as for pastoral and lay ministry, evangelism and

discipleship, church planting and community transformation. CHET

began its ministry in 1989, which grew out of the Evangelical Covenants

commitment to move beyond its ethnic borders, to better express the

mosaic that is the whole people of God, and to take seriously our biblical

responsibility to include the new immigrants.

CHET believes that theological education and ministerial formation belong to all members of the

community of God. Some of their students are pastors, others have just begun their pilgrimage of faith;

some are professionals, others have little schooling; some come from historical churches, others belong to

new charismatic and Pentecostal movements. CHET students, like the educational and administrative staff,

are men and women committed to serving Christ. CHETs services are intentionally directed towards the

Spanish speaking community of God, which generally does not have access to traditional ministerial

formation institutions due to language barriers, high educational costs, long distances, or a myriad of other

inconveniences.

God has blessed this ministry and, in addition to CHET new location in Compton, there are various

satellite sites in the USA, Spain, and Mexico, including new sites in Minneapolis, MN and La Villa, TX.

This past year CHETs enrollment reached 650 with the expectation of 850 enrolled in the Winter 2013

semester.

For more information about CHET, see their website:www.chet.org

Praises

That student registration has increased annually inrecent years

That this past summer CHET was able to offer

summer courses for the first time

Prayer

For the efforts by CHETs board to raise money as

CHET seeks to be financially responsible and

eliminate its property debt, which would release funds

so the seminary can pursue its ministry goals


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Join us in reaching out to our neighbors at PCCs

Neighborhood

Carnival

Sat., Jan. 26th

10 am - 2 pmChurch parking lot (or the gym if rain)

There are lots of ways to be involved in this fun outreach opportunity. You can

participate by:

donating gently used kids books or bagged candy for prizes working with your class or small group to sponsor a game or food booth. Let

us give you an idea, or come up with your own creative concept!

volunteer to work at a game or food booth for part or all of the carnival helping with set up or clean up

For more information, contact Vikki Randall [email protected].


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1 Saturday

2 Sunday9:00 a.m. Family Advent Breakfast

9:00 a.m. Classes for all ages

10:30 a.m. Worship Service

11:45 a.m. Hospitality time

12:00 p.m. Miriam Singers

1:15 p.m. Gospel Choir Rehearsal

3 Monday

7:00 p.m. Trustee Meeting

6:45 p.m. Peace and Justice

4 Tuesday

5 Wednesday

5:45 p.m. Childrens Choir

6:30 p.m. PCSM6 Thursday

7 Friday

8 Saturday

9 Sunday



11:45 a.m. Hospitality


12:15 p.m. Newcomers Lunch

10 Monday

11 Tuesday

24 Monday Business office open from

9 am to12:00 noon.25 Tuesday - Facilities Closed

26 Wednesday


27 Thursday

28 Friday

29 Saturday

30 Sunday





31 Monday Business office open from

9 am to12:00 noon.

December 2012

12 Wednesday

5:45 p.m. Childrens Choir6:30 p.m. PCSM

13 Thursday

14 Friday

15 Saturday

5:30 p.m. Koinonia Christmas Party

16 Sunday





17 Monday

7:30 p.m. Womens Book Club

18 Tuesday7:00 p.m. Blue Christmas Service

19 Wednesday


6:00 p.m. All Youth Christmas Party

20 Thursday

21 Friday

22 Saturday

23 Sunday





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Newsletter - December 2012 Rev1