YouTube Worship with us on Christmas Eve at 4:30pm or 7:30pm and again this Sunday at 10am
While a number of the pieces of the two Christmas Eve worship services will mirror each other (e.g. Silent Night by candlelight, the Advent Wreath, creches that you shared), the 4:30pm service will feature several object lessons woven within the Christmas Gospel Story read by children, youth and Barb.
We will be a little bit more formal at 7:30pm and celebrate the sacrament of communion at our open table - remember to have your bread/crackers and wine/grape juice or whatever for this simple, sacred meal. The focus is on putting our faith into action by looking at the action in the Nativity story from the Gospel of Luke.
Please let others know about our Christmas Eve Worship services that they can experience in their own home.
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Sunday, December 27 will find us in the Twelve Days of Christmas. We promise NOT to sing that song … but we will share familiar carols and jump ahead a bit in the story to the time just after the wisemen leave the holy family and they are warned in a dream to escape to Egypt because of Herod’s jealous, anger, fear.
This worship experience will premiere on YouTube at 10am. Participate then or anytime after that …
Receive two the readings from the Hebrew Bible that speaks to our great joy at Christmas -- Psalm 148; Isaiah 6:10-62:3 and the Gospel Lesson that tells us what happens after the Wisemen depart -- Matthew 2:13-23. Check out these Holy Listening Stones as we will be looking/listening to them (refer to page 2 -- http://haumc.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/HolyListening-Stones.pdf)
We will share a benediction in unison at the end of the service – ‘The Work of Christmas’ by Howard Thurman, an African-American theologian, educator, and civil rights leader.
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Livestream worship on designated Sundays. Look under videos for previous livestreamed services. |
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All our worship service videos in one place! |
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All Mid~Week Meditations that have been recorded on YouTube. |
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Order of worship, announcements, prayer list, birthdays and anniversaries. |
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Sunday School for children through 5th grade:
Meeting ID: 383 733 977
Password: 81968
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Sunday School for Youth/Teens each week:
Meeting ID: 815 6130 3581
Password: 702228
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2nd Mile Advent
We continue to receive your gifts for 2nd Mile Advent – an opportunity to stretch our hope, peace, joy and love across the area and the wider church. All gifts are shared evenly among the three mission partners in January. Please clearly mark your financial gift "2nd Mile Advent." You may want to honor someone in your life with a 2nd Mile Gift – perhaps that person who is hard to buy for and/or who doesn’t have any real needs right now. We are grateful for your generosity.
Circle of Concern is guided by some lofty ideals. Each day, as they feed families from the food pantry, share financial assistance, distribute school supplies, Thanksgiving turkeys or holiday gifts, they are led by commitment to their Vision, Mission and Values.
Mission: Circle of Concern feeds the hungry and provides assistance to low-income families living in west St. Louis County.
Vision: Improving every life in the community by reducing hunger and poverty
Values:
- integrity in all they do;
- respecting the innate worth of every Circle stakeholder, including clients, volunteers, donors, staff and community partners, and striving to reflect that respect in every interaction.
- collaborating with many partners that the work of Circle is successfully accomplished;
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being responsible stewards of the time stakeholders donate, the talents they share and the funds they invest;
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committing to excellence which ensures the highest quality services for clients today and the resources to sustain them in the future.
Emmaus Homes knows that adults with disabilities want to be independent.
In order to do that, they need a home and a community that embraces their unique abilities.
The problem is it’s hard to live without support, which makes EH clients feel frustrated, excluded, and powerless. EH believes everyone deserves the resources needed to live independently.
EH understands it’s tough to manage life alone, which is why for 125 years, as a faith-based organization, they have provided high-quality service caring for the whole person for their whole life – including the individual’s spiritual life.
The Christmas Fund has been caring for active and retired clergy and lay employees of the United Church of Christ for over 100 years, providing emergency grants, supplementation of small annuities and health premiums, and Christmas “Thank You” gift checks each December to our lower-income retirees.
Over the past nine months, because of the COVID-19 pandemic, the emergency financial needs of many who serve the church have increased dramatically.
In such a time as this, the need for the Christmas Fund is more urgent than ever.
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TED Book Group: This I Believe starting 1/12
2nd & 4th Tuesdays | 7:00pm | via Zoom
Please join us for some fun and inspiring discussion of the book This I Believe edited by Jay Allison and Dan Gediman. Volume 1.
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Join Us for Tuesday Afternoon Dialogue (TAD)
1st & 3rd Tuesdays beginning 2:00-3:00pm | via ZOOM
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Brian Sableman & Daphane Tan - PUCC wedding in February; traditional Chinese wedding in 2022 with Daphane's family in Malaysia.
Charlotte Smith and Family - grieving/giving thanks for Dwight.
All individuals and families who are grieving this season.
Jim Winkelmann - in rehab hospital, healing after a stroke. He would welcome encouragement! 314-610-3348… SSM Health Rehabilitation Hospital, 12380 DePaul Dr; Room #219; Bridgeton, MO 63044.
Barb Kuhlmann family - as cousin Steve died of Covid-19 last wknd.
David and Kim Sieber - grieving/giving thanks for her mother who died of complications from Covid. Her father is recovering at home.
John - fighting Covid, currently at home (friend of Barry Luedloff and neighbor of Linda Tossing).
Tom - neck surgery… fusion of vertebrae (Kathleen Tarr’s nephew).
Anne Brodginski - nearing end of her life (Svenson).
Healthcare workers, homeless and many others at risk right now.
Physical Distancing… if anyone needs groceries, medicine and/or other support, please reach out to [email protected]; 314-330-0629
People who are struggling with their mental health.
People who aren’t feeling safe at home but are remaining there.
Individuals in all levels of leadership as they make decisions today.
Healing of relationships between the public and the police.
St Louis Assn UCC Covenant Partner
Week ending December 27 - Calvary UCC, St Louis; calvaryucc.org
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Santa vs Jesus
Not a competition, argument or fight – but a very thoughtful three minutes you will probably want to watch more than once … share it with others!
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What did the gingerbread person put on their bed? A cookie sheet!
What’s every elf’s favorite type of music?
Wrap!
What’s the absolute best Christmas present?
A broken drum — you can’t beat it!
What happens if you eat Christmas decorations?
You get tinsel-it is.
What do Santa's elves learn in school?
The elf-abet.
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Ponder
As we transition from one year to another in the midst of this pandemic, we pray for your bravery, courage and trust:
the bravest thing
by John Blase
maybe the bravest thing
is opening your eyes in the
morning and placing your
two feet on the cold floor and
rising up
against the gravity
of the night.
maybe that's the brave thing
from which all other bravery flows,
the bravery to seek ye first.
maybe that's the single thing
God requires of you,
the spiritual discipline
that takes all your will to muster.
swallow down the fear, my child,
and face the dawning day
for what the surface of the world needs
most of all
is bravery skipping
and you, yes, you are the stone.
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We appreciate your submissions of jokes, quotes, videos, weekly opportunities, Mid~Week Meditation ideas, scriptures that are important to you, hymn/song suggestions, poetry, etc We would love to hear from you [email protected]
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Visit our social media for a mix of pix and to see what other PUCCers would like you to attend/experience/ponder/pray about with them.
Please post a picture of you/yours on our social media:
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WORSHIP SUNDAYS at 10:00am
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2841 N Ballas Road,
St. Louis, MO 63131
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PUCC eNews is published weekly in order to broadcast Parkway UCC events and happenings - and items of interest to the Parkway UCC community of faith - for the upcoming week. Please submit all communications requests, via the button below, by noon Monday.
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