- Sunday December 11
- Blanket Sunday
During Church Service
10:30 am
- Sunday December 18
- Christmas Pageant
Church Service
10:30 am
- Tuesday December 20
- Council Meeting
Whitaker Hall
7:30 pm
- Saturday December 24
- Christmas Eve Service
10:00 pm
- Sunday December 25
- Christmas Day Service
10:30 am
Minister's Column
Welcome to the seasons of Advent and Christmas when we prepare for and then celebrate the birth of Jesus, thinking in particular about what his birth means for our lives and for the world. It is always a challenge to hang on to the spiritual meaning of the season when our already busy lives swell with added commitments and finding energy, time and money to do our shopping, but we aim to meet that challenge by creating meaningful worship experiences for all ages throughout the month. Here is a preview of some of the things that will be included Sunday by Sunday.
November 27th marks the beginning of the season of Advent and also the start of the church year. We will begin lighting advent candles with the children and use the prophecies from Isaiah to focus our preparations for what the coming of Jesus may mean for us. We will also be dedicating our toiletry gifts for the Davenport Resource Center and offering ornaments with gifts for a Friends Outside family on the Giving Tree.
On December 4th, we will resume our study of Luke with the story of the angel appearing to Mary, telling her she will soon give birth to Jesus. Who is she and what does her assent to God mean for the world and for us? We will dedicate our Giving Tree gifts this Sunday.
December 11th brings us to Mary's powerful and subversive song of praise. Is the world beginning to tilt? It is also Human Rights Day and an opportunity to connect the dots between Mary and human rights. What is God doing then and now? Today is also our annual Blanket Sunday. Please support this offering with your wonderful generosity.
On December 18th, we will celebrate the story of Jesus' birth with our annual Christmas Pageant. There will be opportunities for all ages to participate so come and be the angel or wise person or whatever character you always wanted to be. We will also celebrate communion together and follow the service with a tasty potluck sponsored by the Women's Group.
Christmas Eve will find us at 10 pm hearing readings, singing carols and enjoying our lovely sanctuary joyfully lit with candlelight.
Christmas day is a Sunday this year. I still remember thinking the last time this happened that nobody would come. I was pleasantly surprised with a great turnout. It will be a family service so bring the kids. It'll be fun!
News of Skyland Ministers:
We are delighted to announce that Patricia Wood has been approved for ordained ministry pending call by an Ecclesiastical Council of the Santa Clara Association of the United Church of Christ. While we are working out the details of her call she has been granted a license to officiate at the sacraments at Skyland and at the long-term care facilities that make up her ministry. Congratulations, Patricia!
Covenant Minister, T'Shala Olivieri was recently named "Employee of the Month" at Odyssey Hospice. Congratulations, T'Shala!
Stephen
Mark Your Calendars With These Dates In 2012!
You're Invited to the Next Step in Patricia Wood's Path to
Ordained Ministry
| Friday Jan. 27th |
Spaghetti Dinner |
| Sunday Jan. 29th |
Annual Meeting |
| Sunday Feb. 19th |
Church-wide Goal Setting |
| Sunday Feb. 26th |
Church-wide Action Plan |
| Saturday Mar. 3rd |
Women's Retreat |
| Saturday July 14th |
Skyland Run |
| Saturday Sep. 22nd |
Harvest Festival |
Details to follow before each date,
Mary Ellen Mctamaney, Moderator
Treasurer's Note
Pledge receipts have picked up, only -$2,530 behind for the first half of our fiscal year. Letters will be sent in early December reminding members of their pledge giving status.
Other income items are also behind, resulting in total income being -$6,225 less than anticipated for our first 6 months.
Thanks to lower than planned expenses our net cash flow is only -$979 less than planned for end of November.
Here are our operating finances for first six months of our new fiscal year.
| |
November 2011 |
6/01/11 to 11/11 |
| Actual |
Planned |
Actual |
Planned |
| Income |
$13,700 |
$12,379 |
$90,699 |
$96,925 |
| Expense |
$11,324 |
$9,043 |
$74,840 |
$80,087 |
| Net |
$2,376 |
$3,337 |
$15,859 |
$16,838 |
Gerald Alonzo
