Lighting the Third Advent candle. 

This light reminds us that God’s dream of peace and justice is getting closer and closer – in fact, it is almost here!  Like those who first heard John the Baptist announcing the arrival of the Messiah, we feel our excitement growing.  The world is turning toward hope.

                                                                                                                                                                        This light reminds us that God’s dream of peace and justice is getting closer and closer – in fact, it is almost here!  Like those who first heard John the Baptist announcing the arrival of the Messiah, we
feel our excitement growing.  The world is turning toward hope.

                Children’s Time-   A visit from Elizabeth and John the Baptist

                Introduction and Prayer.

 

                Luke 1:26-38.

                The Angel Gabriel.                               HWB 180, verse 1 & 2

                Luke 1:39-45

                My soul                                                                 HWB 181

                Luke 2:1-7

                Away in a Manger                               HWB 194

                Luke 2:8-20

                Angels We Have Heard on High.     HWB 197, verse 2

                Hark the Herald Angels Sing.            HWB 201 ,  verse 1

                Mathew 2:5-8

                Oh Little Town of Bethlehem.            HWB 191, verse 3 & 4

                Matthew 2: 9-12

                Choir: Beautiful star of Bethlehem.

                Peaceable Kingdom

                Blessing of Food and Offering

                Children bring Light

                Silent Night

                Sending

               

Visitors are invited to stand and introduce yourselves during the sharing time so we can  welcome you.  Visitors and regular attendees are invited to submit the “I wish card” found in the back of the hymnal. 

 

 

 

SERVICE OUTREACH:  CHRISTMAS FOOD DRIVE TODAY --  High protein canned goods needed for Food Gatherers Food Bank:  peanut butter, canned meats/fish, beans, chili, soups/stews that contain meat, and baby food.   You can place your donations in the collection boxes today.  Monetary donations are also accepted. 

 

From Joy Kauffman King:  Visuals for Advent.  A Rocky Mountain Mennonite Conference worship resources team from the Southwest suggested our Advent visuals.  These persons live in a place with expansive sky, prairie and desert vistas, and rugged mountains; a place where Native American, Hispanic, and Anglo peoples meet and blend.  The purple and blue colors provide a backdrop of mountain and sky for the dawning of God's promises.  Tan and sand colors represent the desert.  Each week of Advent a luminary is added with designs that correspond to the Scriptures of the week; turning a sword into a plowshare; a shoot growing from the stump of Jesse; a wild rose as a sign of flowering, fruiting, and peace; the Star of David; and the Christ candle.  At Camp Amigo, the first Sunday of Epiphany, the luminaries will be removed, showing radiant Christian light dispelling darkness in our world.

 

There will be NO Sunday School for adults, children or youth on any of the following Sundays:

 12/16  Pageant --will have nursery

 12/23  Advent/Christmas  --will have nursery

 12/30  Rev. Hicks  --will have nursery

 1/6/08  Amigo Centre/ Epiphany  --No service at Gretchen's House on January 6.

                Worship will continue to begin at 10:00 a.m. through December 30.  January 13 will be the first date back to our regular schedule of Sunday School at 10:00 a.m. and Worship at 11:00 a.m. at Gretchen's House.

 

We are in need of volunteers for the nursery for dates when there is no Sunday School:  12/16, 12/23, 12/30.  Please contact any member of the Nurture Committee (Joy K., Laura P., Miriam W., April H.) if you are available to help.

 

SHALOM COMMUNITY CHURCH HAPPENINGS

Small Group Opportunities: the following groups meet regularly and are open to interested persons in the SCC community.  You can drop in and ‘drop out’ as you  wish.  Call the contact person for information, dates, times, directions or location.

Moms’ Small Group

·          Patti Sprunger                                                

Poetry Meeting :  Saturday, January 12, 7:30 a.m. Reedys’

·          Don Thackrey 

Peace and Justice Interest Group, Monday, January 14, 7:30 p.m., Weaverdycks’

·          Gertrude Warkentin       

Readers Club:  January 13, 7 p.m., Hollander Chamberlains’, Hemingway Anthology

·    Priscilla Chamberlain            

Slow Cookers:  Tuesday,    January 8, 6:30 p.m., Showalters’

·          Gertrude Warkentin 

 Meetings:

Finance Committee                                

Nurture Comm. Meeting       

Worship Committee, January 5 at Camp Amigo

Congregational Life Committee, Monday, January 29, 7:30 p.m., Reedys’

Service – Outreach Committee, Thursday, January 24, 6:30p.m., Miller Polleys’

Dwelling in the Word: A corporate spiritual discipline of being attentive to God through the practice of meditation on Scripture.

·         Suggested passages for the reading are Isaiah 42:1-4, or 1-7, and John 15:1-11, or 1-17.

• Slowly read the passage. What word or phrase, feeling or image stands out? Dwell on this impression and if you are in a group, share this impression with others. 
• We might practice this discipline when we gather in small groups, or for committee meetings, when we visit or when we are alone.
• We are welcome to share our impressions with others online in the blog provided. http://shalomcc.wordpress.com/
• The goal is to be attentive to God and each other through this practice.
• There will be opportunity for formal sharing of our individual and collective experiences with this discipline. We are encouraged to also share in small groups or as we cross paths in daily life.

GUEST SPEAKERS

 December 30 –  Rev. Larry Hicks (father of April Hicks) will be speaking on the topic "WAKE UP TO GOD’S DREAM!"  with a focus on preparing for God's plan in the New Year.

January rotating potluck matches.  If anyone has been missed, please let me know and I'll fix you up.
1. Host:   Cross, Guests:  Warkentin, Nance-O'Reilly, Brubaker
2. Host:  Kanagy, Guests:  Holland, Hicks, Blosser/Burkhalter
3. Host:  King, Guests:  Smith, Showalter, Webster/Hein, Ropp
4. Host:  Reedy, Guests:  Chamberlain/Hollander, Seelbach, K. Tang
5. Host:  Versluis, Guests:  Brubacher/Clingenpeel, Kaufman
6. Host:  Weaverdyck, Guests:  LaFlamme, Ponstein, Nofziger
7. Host:  Shantz, Guests:  J.& P. Sprunger,  J. Brubaker and guest?, Harvey 

The end of the year is almost here.  Remember Shalom Community Church in your end of year giving plans.  If you would like to know how much money you have contributed to 
SCC from January 1 - November 18, 2007, please contact Anita Toews.  Of course, an end of year accounting for income tax purposes will be provided in January.    

You can contribute money to Mennonite Church USA organizations in a single, secure credit/debit card transaction at giving.MennoniteUSA.org.

All Church Retreat at Amigo Centre:  Our annual retreat at Amigo Centre will be the weekend of Jan. 4-6.  We encourage everyone who attends Shalom to come to this retreat. 
There will be no worship or Sunday School in Ann Arbor that Sunday (Jan. 6).  This annual retreat has been an enjoyable and significant aspect of our lives together as a faith community.  Don’t miss this opportunity to have some quality time with your family and friends.  The weekend includes lots of unstructured time for conversation and recreation. 
Meals and hotel-style accommodations are provided.  Donations to help cover expenses are appreciated, but not necessary.  Amigo Centre is a Mennonite camp in southwestern Michigan near Sturgis, about 2 hours drive from Ann Arbor.  A brochure will be available with more information or talk to any of us who have been there.  Please let Tim Smith know whether or not you’ll be there so we can plan accordingly.  See you there!

From Isabel Cross: Dear Shalom, I am collecting money for the Heifer Project.  They will send rabbits to help poor children in Guatemala.  I know it doesn't seem like much but it 
means a lot to me.  If you want to help you can give the money to me or my Mom by December 16.  We will send the money to the Heifer project.  Thanks, it means a lot because I 
am from Guatemala.

Check out www.brethrenworkcamps.org for information on youth service opportunities for 2008.  Registration opens January 3.

 

“Genocide” is the topic for the National Youth Christian Citizenship Seminar, March 29-April 3, 2009, New York City and Washington D.C.  for high school youth and adult advisors, sponsored by the Church of the Brethren.  Register by February 28.  www.brethren.org/genbd/yya

 

 

From Janis Miller:   You can still donate online to the CROP Walk.  Please consider this extended opportunity for CROP Walk support as you designate your December charitable contributions.  CROP Walk website:  www.cropwalkonline.org