Happening in Our Church!

Advent Taizé Tonight!

Please join us on December 10th at 7 p.m. in Unity Hall for one hour of meditative Taizé singing, silence, prayers, and lighting of candles. Music Director Ronnie Romano will lead the singing; Pastor Andy will share readings and invite us into prayer.

If you like to sing, join Ronnie at 5:30 p.m. for a brief rehearsal and introduction to the service (email ronnie@midducc.org to let him know you're coming). You may also simply arrive at 7:00 and sing then. This is an ecumenical service open to all—please invite anyone you think might be interested to join us.

Poinsettias

LAST DAY TO ORDER! The flower committee will be taking poinsettia orders now through December 10th. The price is $27/poinsettia and you can choose red, pink or white. To place an order, find Lisa Evarts or Michele Brown downstairs in the fellowship hall after morning service, order online, or call Lisa directly at (802) 349-5788.

You will have the opportunity to dedicate your flower to a family member, friend or acquaintance and choose to pick up your poinsettia anytime after the 7 PM Christmas Eve Service or donate it to someone who you think might enjoy a bit of color this holiday season.

Pledges for 2025

Thank you to the members and friends who have already made a pledge for 2025! With the solid participation of 72 percent of our members, we are nearing our goal of $475,000 with $461,364 pledged as of December 8. If you have not yet pledged, please help us reach our goal of 100 percent participation by pledging what you can! Paper pledge cards are available at the church and can be placed in the offering plate or mailed to the Treasurer at The Congregational Church of Middlebury, 30 No. Pleasant St, Middlebury, VT 05753. We also encourage you to pledge online at the following link: https://www.midducc.org/giving/make-your-pledge Thank you!

Christmas Services

The Congregational Church of Middlebury, UCC will have Christmas Eve Services, Dec. 24, at 4 and 7:30 p.m. The 4 p.m. service will be live-streamed on Facebook and YouTube. Links can be found on our website, www.midducc.org.

There will also be a Christmas Morning Service held in Unity Hall at 10 a.m. on Dec. 25th. Check out our Christmas Guide for all the holiday highlights this season!

Parents & Caregivers Gathering

Parents and caregivers of children 4 and under are invited to our next gathering this Saturday, December 14th at 4 p.m. Enjoy food, fellowship, and provided childcare—come connect with others!

Volunteers Needed

We’re looking for one or two volunteers to prepare soup and a side for our monthly gathering of parents with toddlers on Saturday, December 14 at 4:00 p.m. This group meets once a month, and we’re hoping to enjoy a cozy dinner together at this upcoming gathering. If you’re able to help by making food, email elizabeth@midducc.org. We will gladly reimburse you for the ingredients. Thank you for considering this opportunity to support our community of parents!

The Christmas Pageant

Celebrate the season with us during our worship service on Sunday, December 15th, as we present our Christmas Pageant! Bring your family, friends, and festive spirit as we come together to rejoice in this special tradition.

Celebration of Retirement

Join us at fellowship hour to honor our beloved church member Judy Albright, as she retires from her many years of service as part of the church staff. Extra special treats and smiles will be served up at fellowship hour in her honor!

Hook, Needle & Stitches

Once again it is 3rd Sunday and Hook, Needle & Stitches will be meeting at Fellowship Hour. I will not be in town for this Sunday so I hope you all have a good time chatting and crafting together. Be well. Sincerely, Chris

La Comundad

La Comunidad is an outreach program of The Congregational Church of Middlebury that consists of a free, monthly meal for local, Spanish-speaking people—migrant workers, families of migrant workers, and others unaffiliated with farms. It offers a gathering point and as the name suggests, a focal point for community. This month, La Comunidad is happening on December 15th from 5:00-7:00 p.m. We welcome volunteers to come and join the dinner, play with kids in the nursery, clean up or offer rides for our guests. Contact May Poduschnick (may@midducc.org) if you would like to be involved. Spanish not necessary although helpful.

Red Clover Holiday Wish List

Dear Church Community,

The teachers at RCCC have put together a wish list of new toys and materials to expand children’s learning opportunities and grow our library of resources!

If you are interested in donating a gift to RCCC, please use this Amazon link to choose an item. You are welcome to send them directly to RCCC, but please share your name so we can say thank you!

Gather & Share: December

Holiday Baking Goods

i.e. sugar, flour, powdered sugar, chocolate chips, cocoa powder, vanilla, spices, oil, boxed milk, cookie decorations, coffee, tea, hot chocolate

Thanks to All who helped make our annual Food Drive for H.O.P.E. a success! We are just 228 pounds away from our 3-ton goal for 2024!!! You Rock!

-Wendy Warren & The Board of Mission and Social Concerns

Attention! HOPE is urgently in need of certain food items. While you're at the grocery store, consider picking up a few of these items! list here: list

Next Green Team Meeting

Our next Green Team meeting will be on Monday, December 16 at 7:00 PM via Zoom. If you are interested in being a part of fulfilling our mission as a Creation Justice Church we would love to welcome you to our team! Contact any of our members (Eliana Cañas Parra, Diana Davidson, Hal Colston, Judy Jessup, Leanna Maglienti, Su Reid-St. John, Paige Russell) or the church office if you would like to be involved or learn more about our work.

Lunch Bunches

The Ladies Lunch group will be meeting at American Flatbread at the MarbleWorks in Middlebury from 11:30 a.m. - 1:30 p.m on December 19th. Please sign up here or by calling the church office at 802-388-7634 by Monday, Dec 16th so we can let them know how many people to expect. The cost of the lunch will not exceed $15. We will pre-order a variety of flatbreads and large salad bowls to share. Please note whether you would like meat or veggie. If you are gluten free, you can order when you get there. Also please note the start time is now 11:30 am.

The Men's Lunch Bunch will be held at Rosie's Restaurant on December 19th at noon. If you plan to attend the lunch or have questions, please contact Mal Chase at patandmalchase@gmail.com.

Adult Study !

All are welcome to still join Pastor Elizabeth's Quest for the Spirit class each Monday at 1:30 p.m. in Unity Hall and on zoom. The class explores various practices of Christian Meditation.

No experience necessary!

Zoom link

Please help!

Our Friday night Community Suppers continue to grow. We have a core group of volunteers who serve our guests. But we need more! The commitment is only about 2 hours on Friday night and as frequent or infrequent as you want. The work is not hard but so important: set tables, serve food, clean up afterwards.

Looking for a way to help out at church? Have flexible hours? We are looking for volunteers to join our Hospitality team! You would be welcoming groups using our building during off hours. If interested, please contact Mira Cabrera at office@midducc.org or Jeff Ellison at buildingmanager@midducc.org

Online Fellowship Each Week!

Join us for Online Fellowship each week immediately after worship. Hal and Jean will lead us in sharing the good things that are happening in our lives, while connecting as a beloved community. It will be the same Zoom link every time.

Zoom link

Meeting ID: 876 3774 4686

Passcode: 063702