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Many peoples shall come and say,
‘Come, let us go up to the mountain of the Lord,
to the house of the God of Jacob;
that he may teach us his ways
and that we may walk in his paths.’ Isaiah 2:3
I have a simple poster I bought in 2012 when I visited Israel. It shows people streaming to the Temple in Jerusalem. I was reminded of that poster, which hangs in my office, when I read this passage from Isaiah.
Where is your mountain of the Lord? Where is your house of the God of Jacob? Where do you go to be taught by God and to walk in the paths of God? Hopefully, your answer to these questions or at least one of your answers is The Church of the Nativity and St. Stephen.
We enter this sacred season of Advent, a time of waiting, a time of quiet, at least in our hemisphere. The days are shorter. It's cold out. spending quiet time in silence and discernment makes sense. It is a time to take stock of our spiritual lives. What would you like to learn? What would help you walk in God's paths? Please let me know.
Love, Rebecca+
Announcements
G.I.F.T.: Growing in Faith Together
Godly Play will be December 15.
Rehearsals for the Christmas Pageant will be after church today and on Dec. 15.
There is no Parlor People today.
On December 15, Rebecca will lead a discussion on How Much Hope Do You Have?
At Church of the Nativity
Today we take an additional offering for Caring for Nativity’s Neighbors Heating and Health.
Donations are sent to Join Hands, so people in our community have support for their needs.
Flowers for Christmas.
Donations for Christmas flowers will be taken through December 8. If you have an envelope, you can use for the donation, including marking if they are “in honor of” or “in memory of” someone. There are also envelopes at the back of the church.
Upcoming Meetings
Each Sunday, 4pm, Perry County PRIDE
Wednesday, December 4, after breakfast, Yard Clean-Up
Wednesday, December 11, 10:45am, Property Committee Meeting
Thursday, December 12, 2 – 4pm, Clergy Council
Thursday, December 19, 7 – 10pm, Friends of Newport Board Game Night
Taize’ Tuesdays, 4:45pm.
Twenty minutes of Centering Prayer followed by a Taize’ service.
Join Us For Breakfast!
Wednesdays at 9am. Women will meet at Newport Family Restaurant this week; Men meet at Espresso Yourself
We will be celebrating baptism on December 8 when the Bishop visits and also on January 12, April 12, May 31 and November 1.
Let Rebecca know if you or someone you know would like to be baptized on any of these days.
December Services
Sunday, December 22, 9:30am – Christmas Pageant followed by decorating of the church and Soup Lunch.
Tuesday, December 24, 4:00pm – Christmas Eve Family Service with Eucharist, St. Stephen’s
10:30pm – Christmas Eve Service with Eucharist at Nativity. Hymns and music from 10:30-11:00pm.
Sunday, December 29, 9:30am – Christmas Lessons and Carols
Interested in talking about the Bible with others?
A group is being formed for those interested in discussing or researching the Bible more. The group would meet at the convenience of the members to decide what to read and how often to meet. Let Rebecca know if you are interested.
Community Events and Opportunities for Service
Thistle Farms offers bath and body products to give women a second chance at life.
Purchase products handmade by women who have survived trafficking, prostitution, and addiction and help provide a place to live, a meaningful job and continued support for them. See Rebecca if you’d like to make a purchase.
Newport Christmas Tree Lighting, December 7, 4:30 – 6pm.
Refreshments beginning at 4:30, performances and readings followed by the tree lighting. Also crafts and photo opportunities.– Rain/snow date - Sunday, December 8, 5- 6pm.
The YWCA Greater Harrisburg is opening a new Supervised Visitation and Exchange Center in New Bloomfield.
They are working to gather the items needed to make the center a child-friendly and safe environment.
A list of needs is below.
Couch/loveseat, area rug, table and chairs, refrigerator, microwave, bean bag chairs, toys, toy box, books, puzzles, board games, craft supplies, legos/blocks, game console, pack-n-play, bouncy chair, diapers, wipes, cleaning supplies, paper towels, toilet paper, Lysol wipes, Lysol spray, tissues.
Food Bank Donations are needed!
For a list of the items needed by the Food Bank, go to their website at http://www.perrycountyfoodbank.org/ and click on their wish list. Canned vegetables, fruit, nut butters and protein are always needed.
Help People in Need when you buy your Groceries!
See Gail Shull or Pat Szabo to purchase cards in various amounts to use at Giant, Mutzabaugh's, or Weis Stores. 5% of the cost of each card stays with the church and is used for outreach and mission projects.
