December 2016

Volume 17 Issue 10 St. John’s United Church of Christ 538 E. Thomas St.

Coopersburg, PA 18036 610-282-3310

On the Journey … at St. John’s

FROM THE PASTOR’S DESK:

During the season of Advent, we have begun a new sermon series, “The Redemption of Scrooge.” This series will look at how we are living out God’s grace and justice in contrast to our human addictions to money, success, and looking out for ourselves before taking care of our neighbor. The bells of the clock tower in Dickens classic “A Christmas Carol” provided a wakeup call for Ebenezer Scrooge. We will use the image of bells ringing to wake us up so that we can be renewed in life, joy, passion, generosity, humility and love.

We are also beginning an Advent Bible Study, “Not a Silent Night.” This is an in-depth study of the Life of Jesus’ mother Mary. Classes will be held Sunday at 9:15 and Tuesday nights at 7:15. Classes will run the same material in the same week so you may pick and choose which class to join. There is no cost for the class. I do ask that you sign up so I can have the proper materials ready for each of you.

Christmas Eve we will be having a traditional candlelight service at 7 pm. Christmas morning, which falls on a Sunday, will be a Prayer Breakfast Service. Breakfast will begin at 10 am. We will be serving breakfast and a short worship service in the Fellowship Hall. We will also be promoting the breakfast to the community inviting those who might be alone or not celebrating Christmas to come and be with us in this celebration of fellowship and Christian love. We are asking that you sign up for the event so that we can prepare accordingly. A free will offering will be taken to cover the cost of the meal. I will also be asking for donations of food and paper supplies.

December 31st, from 4-6pm we will have a drop-in time for a New Year’s blessing. You

may come by at any time for an individual blessing and communion with Pastor Teresa. After you receive your blessing, you can be on your way to ”Ring in the New Year.” We want to offer the chance to stop in and start the New Year right! January 1

st, we will

have prayer service at 10:30 am. This will be a simple service to begin the New Year with prayer.

Keith and I offer our sincere wishes for a Merry Christmas and a Blessed New Year.

In Christian love,

Pastor Teresa

"Christmas began in the heart of God. It is complete only when it reaches the heart of man.”

(anonymous)

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SOMETHING FOR YOU TO PONDER - As we come to the close of the calendar year you and I must have an honest, maybe uncomfortable, discussion about money. We love and I love to talk about our Savior and our blessings and a closer walk with Christ. Most people, including myself, prefer not to talk about money and finances. However, as stewards of this church building and the hopes and dreams of this congregation we should address this piece of the puzzle too. We are starting and/or dreaming about new avenues to grow this church and deepen our faith. As we do so we also would like to have the monies available for financing new programs of outreach, marketing who we are as a church and keep serving our community. Those realities such as the cost of heat, insurance, and building maintenance are part of the picture too. I ask that you prayerfully consider giving a monetary gift to the church beyond your normal tithe. Churches today are competing with many worthy causes, all asking for us to donate. I can appreciate the dilemma, but also remind you that each congregation takes responsibility for its own church in our denomination. We do not belong to a denomination with “deep pockets.” We are the generation responsible to keep St. John’s alive and growing. The best stewardship sermon I ever heard went something like this— Imagine that your checks or your debit card or credit card had Jesus’ name on it too. Would that change your priorities? We give Christ our lives, our loved ones, our joys and concerns. Is the exception our money and wealth? Please pray about the request and respond accordingly. Pastor Teresa

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WHAT DO THE CANDLES IN OUR ADVENT WREATH MEAN?

The Advent wreath, four candles on a wreath of evergreen, is shaped in a

perfect circle to symbolize the eternity of God. In some churches, four purple

candles, one for each week in Advent, are used with one larger white candle in

the middle as the Christ candle. Other churches prefer three purple or blue

candles with one candle being rose or pink, to represent joy. While the Advent

wreath with its four candles did bring light to churches, it was not to illuminate

the interior as much as to symbolize the coming of Christ. The Advent wreath

began in the time of the Protestant reformer Martin Luther.

During each Sunday of the Advent season, we focus on one of the four virtues

Jesus brings us: Hope, Love, Joy and Peace. Others consider the lighting of the

first candle to symbolize expectation, while the second symbolizes hope, the

third joy and the fourth purity. The Christ candle is lit on Christmas Eve or

Christmas Day reminding Christians that Jesus is the light of the world. The

order and exact wording vary among churches, but the wreath continually

reminds us of whom we are called to be as followers of Jesus.

This year our Advent Schedule will focus on Hope, Peace, Love, and Joy. We

do so because on December 4th we are creating our own Peace candles as part

of a special coffee hour. We are asking everyone who is able to bring the

supplies listed on the following page. As a family of God, we are going to set

aside 7 pm on Sunday nights as our “Prayer for Peace” time. If you are home,

we ask that you stop what you are doing, say a brief prayer for peace and light

your candle. We do this as disciples of Christ hoping this season brings healing,

light and peace to our communities, our nation, our world.

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PEACE LIGHT CANDLES

Suggested materials: Mason jars or large jelly jars Mason jar lids (with cut outs) Small wire candle holders Sand (white or colors) Small glass votive candle holders (to put inside the Mason jar) Small decorative glass stones Tea light or small votive candles Battery-powered small candles Decorative ribbon Tulle (thin, fine, net fabric)

“2020 VISION” PROGRESS REPORT

During our September 20, 2015 congregational meeting, we voted to affirm the “2020 Vision” proposal. The “2020 Vision” is an intentional, strategic plan of action steps we will be taking together to fully commit ourselves to follow a path of Transformational Ministry. Our goal is to turn St. John’s in a direction toward growth, vitality and sustainability by the year 2020.

As agreed, we will regularly review our progress toward this objective. Here is what has been accomplished since our last review on February 21, 2016. Most notably Pastor Teresa has accepted God’s call to guide and engage with us in transformational ministry.

Please devote some time to review and reflect upon all that has happened in a little over a year. And, then let your creativity and inspiration spring forth into new ideas for the future.

Oh, the places we may go…

ANNUAL CONGREGATIONAL MEETING

takes place on Sunday, December 4

during worship service

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HAPPY BIRTHDAY

December

5 Martha Helverson

6 Gary Urmy

15 Terry Fegley

17 Beverly Bernd

19 Ken Mohr

HAPPY ANNIVERSARY

December

3 Steve & Judy Mayer

9 Richard & Beverly Bernd

Please help keep this listing up-to-date by contacting the office with

additions and/or corrections! Thank you!

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2:00 P.M. AND 4:30 P.M. SUNDAY DECEMBER 18, 2016

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MISSION OF MONTH—BETHANY CHILDREN’S HOME

The purpose of Bethany Home is to provide residential services for children and youth who are unable to live with their own or a substitute family. Typically, these young people require more structure, more elaborate programming, and more highly trained staff than is possible in a smaller group setting. Bethany Home’s programming is designed to provide a safe environment to maximize the therapeutic components afforded to the youth. Bethany Home follows the Sanctuary® Model of Care. “The mission of Bethany Children’s Home is to continue a Christian ministry,

begun in 1863, to serve children and families within our care. Using the

Sanctuary Model, we strive to provide a safe place of nurture, protection, and

supportive care to aid our residents in their self-understanding, growth, and

healing toward a brighter, healthier future.”

COB CORNER… Hello! The Team continues to work....the Grant Writing Team, the Potential Recipient Interview Team are in full swing and the COBCARES 5K Team will be gathering soon! The first COB Team meeting date will be Monday, January 23 at 7 p.m. at St. John's. Come join us! Excerpt from thank you note from the Miller Family on behalf of baby Finn: "We can't begin to express in words our gratitude for all that you have given to our family. The amount of prayers and support, along with all the money that was raised, has been truly amazing. We are humbled by all of this, but especially that a group of people who had never even met us wanted to help us out financially in such a huge way.....I hope we can convey to you all how much stress the donations have taken off of us. During such a difficult time in our lives, when you question why an innocent baby is going through all of this pain and suffering we were reminded of the kindness and generosity in this world. It helped to lift our spirits and gave us so much hope. There will always be a special place in our hearts for every single person who is involved with COB. We feel so blessed to live in such a wonderful community."

OUR MISSION:

To know and share the love of God through worship,

fellowship and outreach to the community.

St. John’s United Church of Christ 538 Thomas Street Coopersburg, PA 18036 www.stjohnsucccoop.org RETURN SERVICE REQUESTED

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