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‘Look, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son,
and they shall name him Emmanuel’,
which means, ‘God is with us.’ Matthew 1:23
Recently I've had discussions about the age-old question: does God cause suffering? We look around and see so much cruelty and human difficulty. We know people who are in terrible physical pain. We know people who suffer with emotional pain. We know people are grieving. We know people fleeing horrible circumstances.
Honestly, I don't have an answer about whether God causes suffering. The only thing I know for certain is that God is with us all of the time. God is with us in our suffering and in our distress.
Each year, our Christmas celebration is a reminder that God is with us, always and forever. I pray you may feel God's presence always!
Love,
Rebecca+
Announcements
G.I.F.T.: Growing in Faith Together
Godly Play will be January 12, 19 and 26.
Parlor People will resume on January 5 with discussions on the Gospel of John.
At Church of the Nativity
Today is the Christmas Pageant presented by the children and youth of the church followed by decorating of the church and Soup Lunch. On January 5, we will un-decorate the church.
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
Upcoming Meetings
Each Sunday, 4pm, Perry County PRIDE
Thursday, January 2, 10am, Stitchers
Join Us For Breakfast! Wednesdays at 9am.
Next breakfast will be January 8. Women will meet at Bitting’s. Men meet at Espresso Yourself Café.
Taize’ Tuesdays, 4:45pm. Next service will be January 7.
Twenty minutes of Centering Prayer followed by a Taize’ service.
Wednesday, January 8, Commons activity, Board games and lunch.
See Wendy, Sue or Lynne if you’d like to help.
Community Events and Opportunities for Service
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. Any assistance the community can offer is in getting this vital service ready to open is greatly appreciated.
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.
Community Dinner every Thursday, 5:30pm, Family Life Center, Newport.
Sponsored by Newport Assemblies of God. No Dinner December 26.
Gifts for Life gives people all over the world the chance to transform their lives in lasting ways.
Visit www.episcopalrelief.org/gifts to send a gift to help fight poverty, hunger and disease worldwide.
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.
