Pre- New Year’s Connection

Hello!  Well, the weather outside is certainly frosty!  Stay warm and read through your weekly connection 🙂    We hope you enjoyed a wonderful Christmas Day and are looking forward to the New Year ahead!

Sunday worship is at 10:00 in the sanctuary and it will be great to be together to start the year ahead as a church family.  We will continue celebrating the Christmas season with carol singing, the sanctuary is full of beautiful poinsettias (still looking great despite the cold!), the Christ Candle will be lit and you can enjoy the warmth of worshipping together.

 We will also be having a special coffee time for the Nelson family as they end their time of ministry here.  Be sure and be here!

I want to mention that the side parking lot on Nahatan Street is quite slippery – that area seems to stay very cold with not a lot of sun.  And with this extreme cold, not a lot of melting is going on.  For Sunday morning, parking in the back of the church and or the municipal lot is a better choice as those areas seem less icy.    Walk carefully!

A brand new study on the Book of Daniel starts on Sunday, January 7th

The Book of Daniel has it all.

Prophecy and history…

Men of courage and foolish kings…

God’s sovereign power demonstrated…

Past, present and future…

An understanding of Daniel is absolutely for understanding the apocalyptic writings of the New Testament (for example the Book of Revelation).

We will meet on Sunday evenings (from 5 pm to about 6:15) at the church.  Homemade soup and bread will be served at every study.

 

 

Ladies!  Faith Seeds lessons will be available next week for pick -up.  I have quite a few so any and all help will be appreciated!

As was mentioned in church last Sunday, the Open Door volunteers served over 60 people last week!  What a blessing to be able to provide a hearty meal, good conversation and a warm space to those who attended!  As our numbers continue to grow, we are looking for more volunteers to help out both on Wednesday evening and with food donations for each week’s meals.  

Next Wednesday’s meal is:  Beef Stroganoff and these are the items needed for that meal:

12 boxes of bow tie pasta

10 pounds of ground beef

10 large cans of cream of mushroom soup

4 large containers of sour cream

6 heads Romaine lettuce

Dessert – Shannon, Marie, Elyse, Janna and Bev

Please take a look at the Resource Tables around the church.  There are many items that you may find interesting to read and pass along or keep and use for yourself.  Some very user friendly versions of the Bible, the new Daily Bread – regular and large print editions, magazines and newsletters and 2 different Christmas devotionals are there as well.  The message of these is timeless and these are certainly materials to use as you consider regular personal prayer and devotional times.  Something to think about as we turn the page to 2018.

 

LOOKING FAR AHEAD…

The Annual Meeting is scheduled for Sunday, February 11th during coffee time.  PLEASE PLAN NOW to attend this important meeting!  And if you are preparing a report…and I hope you are…those need to be in the office by February 2nd please.

Serving Sunday:

Greeters: George & Buki

Ushers:  Dot Cotter and ? 

Kids:  Meg 

Coffee Set-up: Preliminary will be done on Friday

Snacks: Please bring a snack to share

Coffee Clean-up: please take a moment before you leave to help the clean-up crew! 

 

That’s  all for now.  Looking forward to a great 2018 in our church family here.  Thank you for being a faithful part of our church!  Please be in touch with any need that we can help you with. Thanks! 

Christmas Weekend Connection

Good Morning, At this busy time of year I just want to remind you of a few things to have in mind over the next days.  

Christmas Family worship begins at 10:00 on Sunday morning.  Please be with us as we sing carols, hear from our choir and celebrate Christmas as a church family.  Following worship, coffee and warm beverages will be available in the fellowship hall.

Sunday evening at 10:00 is our Candlelight Christmas Eve service.  This is always a beautiful service and we hope you will join us as we usher in Christmas Day.  Once again, Felice Pomeranz will be our guest harpist, our choir will be singing, readings of the Christmas story and of course, the congregation will light candles for the closing of the service and “Silent Night.”

We are in need of folks to help out after worship on Sunday with putting up the candelabras for the Christmas Eve service.  A few extra hands will make the task much faster and will be a huge help to Scott.  Gather at the front of the sanctuary following worship if you are able to help out.

Also, I was planning on asking for volunteers to deliver a few poinsettias Sunday after church, if someone would be willing to drop off a plant to some of the Norwood/Westwood folks.  See me on Sunday if you can help out with this.

Just in time…we received “The Hope of Christmas” today.  This little devotional offers 10 short passages on the Hope that Christ offers us.  Be sure and pick them up on Sunday from the Resource tables.  These are also great to hand out to others or include with a gift.

A HUGE thank you to everyone who helped out with Wednesday’s Open Dinner Christmas dinner.  More than 60 people were served a wonderful meal, had great conversation and received “The Hope of Christmas.”  Thank you to everyone who helped out in any way with the evening!

Please plan to be with us on December 31st.  In addition to starting off the New Year with your church family, we will be having a special coffee time to wish Meg, Tim and Colin all the best as they move on in their ministry.

Next week’s meal is Beef Stroganoff.  These are the items that are needed:

12 boxes egg noodles

10 pounds ground beef

10 large cans cream of mushroom soup

6 heads Romaine lettuce

Please sign up on the boards outside the kitchen if you are bale to provide any items.  Or…speak to Georgia or Marie on Sunday please.

 

Serving Sunday:

Greeter:  Marie Schuhmacher

Ushers:  Georgia Shaw, Bob Russell

Coffee time:  All set

That is all for now – We look forward to seeing you on Sunday morning!

Christmas Eve 2017!

Mid-December Connection

Greetings!  Christmas is just around the corner!  As you plan these busy days, here are the things to have in mind that are happening at church:

This Sunday is the Third Advent Sunday.  We will be singing beautiful carols that we typically only get to sing once a year, the Advent candle will be lit, our choir is preparing special music, Pastor Kevin will share an encouraging message and we will spend time sharing our prayer needs.  Kids Connection is in place for the younger ones.  Coffee time in Veno Hall follows worship.  Please spend part of your Christmas days with your church family!

Sunday is the final day to place an order for a poinsettia.  The cost is $12.00.  If you are unable to be at church on Sunday, feel free to give me a call in the office or send an email with your info/details.

Monday evening at 7:00, the Church Council meets in the Council Room next to the office.

 

Our Open Door meal on December 20th will be a Ham Dinner for our guests. These are the needed items:

30 pounds of potatoes

3 large bags of mixed vegetables

5 packages of dinner rolls

Please see the sign-up sheets outside of the kitchen if you are able to help out and/or speak to Georgia or Marie.  Thanks for helping out!

 

December 24th  –   Sunday worship for Christmas is at 10:00am for our Family Worship Gathering and our Candlelight Christmas Eve service will be at 10:00pm. Please plan to be here for one or both of these services as we welcome Christmas! Stay tuned for upcoming posts!

 

Sunday Soup and Study for the Ages!

A new Bible study on the Old Testament prophet Daniel starts on January 7th.  Lots of great and encouraging teachings in the Book of Daniel that every Christian needs to know.  We are going to meet at 5pm on Sunday evenings for sixty to seventy-five minutes.  Dinner (hot soup and bread) will be served as we dig deep into the Word of God.

 

Serving on Sunday:

Greeter:  Dottie Cotter

Ushers:  Bev Alty, Marie Pierre-Louis

Kids: Shannon, Barbara, Sharon

Coffee Set-up:  Preliminary will be done on Friday

Snacks:  Linda C., Janna, Shannon

Coffee Clean-up:  Tim Nelson

That’s all for now – hope to see you Sunday!

Second December Connection

Hi everyone,  Hope you are having a great day!  As the days tick down to Christmas please keep these things in mind when you are planning your time.

Saturday (December 9th) – The Women’s Book Study is postponed due to weather.  Stay tuned for when the study will pick back up!

December 10th  is the Second Sunday of Advent.  We had a wonderful service last Sunday, as we entered the Advent season looking forward to Christmas and our Savior’s birth.  Great music from our choir, lighting of the Advent candle and an seasonal message from Pastor Kevin.  Kids Connection is in place and coffee time follows in Veno Hall.  It would be good to see you at worship on Sunday!

The Young Adult discussion group meets this Sunday during coffee time.  This is the final session of their current series.

Sunday afternoon at 3:00 in Veno Hall, we are happy to welcome our Spanish speaking neighbors here  for an afternoon of music!  I suspect some of us will be interested in stopping by – that is great and you are welcome too!

Please remember to order your poinsettias.  Cost is $12.00.  Order forms are in your Sunday bulletin.  If you are not going to be here and still want to order a plant or two, be in touch with me here in the office please.

The Administrative Team meets on Monday evening at 7:00 in Sharon.

Back by popular demand…the bulletin board in the Welcome Center is the place to post your Christmas card for your church friends!

NEW Our Daily Bread devotionals for December – February  are available at the various resource spaces throughout the church.  We have  lots of good reads, articles and seasonal items available in those spaces too.  Take advantage of those!

Seasonal calendars for 2018 are also available at the church.

Check out the Open Door menus outside of the kitchen and see if there is a way you can help out with a needed meal item.

DECEMBER 24th – Family Worship at 10:00am and Traditional Christmas Eve Candlelight Service at 10:00pm

Serving on Sunday:

Ushers:  Russ & Donna Wood

Kids:  Meg, Deb B., Roger

Coffee Set-up:  Please stop by early before the service to ensure everything for coffee time is prepared and ready to go!

Snacks: Please Consider bringing a goodie to share!

Coffee Clean-up: Tim Nelson

That’s all we have for you right now – thank you for supporting and being a part of our church family here at UCN, hope to see you on Sunday!

First December Connection

Hi everyone,  Hope you are having a good week.  It certainly is busy around our church!

The Christmas Fair is upon us! I hope to see you on Saturday, Dec 2^nd.  Even if you haven’t signed up, we can find you a place on Saturday – working together as a family is what makes the Fair fun for all. We want to share the joy of Christ with all who enter. And if you are unable to help, feel free to come by and shop, visit, and enjoy some of Sharon’s famous turkey soup for lunch!  There will also be a bridal & formal wear bargain basement sale by Thistle Rose Bridal on our lower level! Spread the word!

I don’t think Barbara would mind if I mentioned that there is still plenty to be done Saturday to get things cleaned up set up after the Fair.  If you have time on your hands  – feel free to stop by the church at 3pm. There will be plenty to do!

Sunday is the First Sunday of Advent and a Communion Sunday.  Being with your church family is a wonderful way to begin the Christmas season.  It is easy to get overwhelmed when there are so many demands on your schedule, but time spent in worship is time well spent!  Great singing, music from our choir, Advent readings and an encouraging message from Pastor await you.  Kids Connection and coffee are both in place.  Hope to see you!

Young Life meets on Monday evening at 7:27 on the top floor.

Look for the insert in your bulletin on Sunday regarding poinsettias for the sanctuary.  The cost remains the same as previous years.  $12.00.  Poinsettias will arrive at the church on December 22nd.  If someone is available to deliver  them to some of our homebound friends, please give the office a call  We would like to get them delivered BEFORE Christmas.  Thanks.

LOOKING AHEAD…we are excited that our sanctuary will be welcoming a Latino Community Music Event on December 10th.  3:00-4:30.  Omar Medina has met with the Church Council and is excited about reaching out to our Norwood community in this way!  I have already heard that some of our congregation will be coming too – please feel free to join us!

The “Under 40” discussion group meets on Sunday, December 10th during coffee time.  This is the final meeting of this group.

Marion Rich requests are due in the church office by December 10th please.

December 6th Open Door meal needs:   Check out the menu on the board outside the kitchen please if you want to help contribute.

Serving Sunday:

Greeters/Ushers:  Bev A., Steve C., Georgia, Marie P-L.

Kids:  Marie, Melanie, Janna

Coffee Set-up: Please take a moment to stop by before worship to ensure everything is set and ready to go!  Much will likely be done during fair clean-up.

Coffee Snacks: We might have leftover goodies for sale left from the fair, but please bring by a treat to share!

Coffee Clean-up: Please consider staying for a few moments to help clean-up after coffee time!

That is all we have for you – hope to see you at the Fair and again on Sunday!