Fear Not! An Advent Sermon Series at Hayes Barton UMC

This Advent we are listening again for the words God speaks into every anxious heart: “Do not be afraid.” The Christmas story is filled with people facing uncertainty and surprise, and God meets each one with grace that gives courage.

Join us for Fear Not!, a four week journey through Israel, Zechariah, Joseph, and Mary. Each week we will see how God replaced fear with presence and turned anxiety into hope, and how that same promise speaks into our lives today.

As the year comes to a close, we wanted to make sure everyone was aware of our upcoming worship opportunities.

• Sunday, December 21: Worship at 8:30, 9:00, and 11:00am
• Sunday, December 28: Combined Worship at 10:00am in the Sanctuary.

Nursery care will be available for infants through 3 years old and all children will be together in one room.

Join us this Advent season for a special combined adult Sunday school class as we explore great works of art that illuminate the themes of waiting, hope, and incarnation. No book or pre-reading required, just come ready to reflect, discuss, and prepare your heart for the coming of Christ. All adults are welcome! The class meets Sundays at 10AM in the Chapel now through Dec. 21. Questions? Contact Lindsey Nugent at lnugent@hbumc.org.

Join us on Monday, December 22 at 6:30pm in the Sanctuary for our Christmas Worship Concert, an evening of music that leads from darkness to light and fear to hope, featuring the Chancel Choir, LightHouse Band, and full orchestra. Through longing, promise, and joy, we arrive at the radiant proclamation: Christ, the Savior is born!

In less than a week, we will gather to celebrate Christmas as a church family! Look for an email Monday with everything you need to know about Christmas Eve, and see below for our Christmas Eve worship schedule.

• Meet Me at the Manger, a child-focused service at 10:00am in Casper Holroyd Hall 
• Family-Friendly Communion Worship at 3:00 & 5:00pm in the Sanctuary 
• Candlelight Communion Worship at 7:00 & 11:00pm in the Sanctuary 

Nursery care will be available for infants through 3 years during the 10:00am and 3:00pm services. All children will be together in one room.  

We are still in need of Christmas Eve volunteers! We need of Ushers, Greeters, Communion Servers and Candle/Glowstick Distributors at all five services. We are especially in need of youth volunteers to serve as crucifers and acolytes. We are so excited to welcome everyone to worship together on this Holy night. Thank you for serving your church in this special way! Click here to sign up.

Whether you have pledged and already contributed, whether you still need to send the check, or perhaps if you find yourself with the means to contribute something additional and help us finish the year strong, we welcome your gifts by December 31, 2025.

To ensure that any 2025 contributions or prepayments for 2026 are credited to the 2025 fiscal year, please keep the following in mind:

• Mailed Contributions: Must be postmarked by December 31, 2025.
• Hand-Delivered Contributions: Must be received at the church office by 12pm on December 31, 2025

If you have any questions regarding year-end contributions, electronic giving, or stock gifts, please contact Brooks Wicker at 919-832-6435 x1118 or bwicker@hbumc.org.

This winter our CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) farmers, the Eatons of Fairport Farms near Oxford, NC, are growing organic produce to be donated to the local Farm to Fridge Program in Granville County. Please support Elvin and Madeline in this effort to provide fresh, nutritious, local food to food insecure individuals in their community by donating in $25 increments. Each $25 donation provides about 5-6 regeneratively grown vegetables. Click here to give now. (Choose CSA-Donations from the drop-down and add “Farm to Fridge” in the Memo box.)

• Sunday December 21st - Youth and volunteers are invited to help assemble Christmas Eve luminaries during JOY Class. Donuts will be provided! If you’re planning to participate in any of our summer service projects, we especially encourage you to attend - luminary sponsorships directly help offset the cost of these trips.

• Parents of Youth: We’re exploring the possibility of launching a new Sunday School class just for parents of youth! Our hope is to create a space where you can build relationships, share the joys and challenges of raising teenagers, and deepen your spiritual lives in community with one another while your children are in JOY Class each week. Please take a few moments to fill out this survey — your responses will help us discern interest, shape the focus of the class, and determine the best time to begin. If you have any questions, or if you would like to talk more about this idea, please reach out to Lindsey Nugent at lnugent@hbumc.org. Thank you for your feedback!

Join us on February 1st from 5-6:30pm for a warm, delicious evening of food and fellowship - all in support of the HBUMC Youth Summer Service Trips to North Carolina and the greater Appalachia region! 

Bring your family, invite your friends, and enjoy both meat and vegetarian chili options, homemade with love by our church community. Whether you’re joining us for dinner, picking up pre-ordered quarts, or grabbing extra for your freezer, every purchase directly supports our youth mission work.

In addition to our chili dinner, we will host bingo and a chili cook-off competition for prizes! Enter your chili to win!! 

Registration closes January 28th at midnight! Click to learn more and sign up.

To sign up, please click here!

We're excited to announce that Alexi Batchelor will serve in our newly established role of Organizational Development Manager. This position comes at an exciting time in the life of our congregation, as we prepare for a significant capital campaign and invest in youth, outreach, and the long-term vitality of our ministries. Alexi will play a key role in strengthening the systems and processes that support stewardship, generosity, and operational excellence.

Norman Wirzba, Distinguished Professor of Theology at Duke University, will help us kick off the 2026 Winter Wednesday Night Dinner season on January 7, 2026. Our theme for the evening is Breaking Bread Together, and Professor Wirzba will explore how the production and consumption of food are ideal windows to explore life with God, with each other, and with all of creation. Food is much more than fuel or a commodity to purchase as cheaply and efficiently as possible. It is instead, God’s declaration of love to us and our commitment to share life with each other. We will reflect on the ways our shared meals embody care for one another and for creation. Drawing on scripture we will also explore how the ways we eat are regular invitations to witness to God’s presence among us.

Dinner will be served from 5:00-6:30pm. The presentation will begin at 6:30pm. Whether you come for dinner, bring your own, or just come for the talk, we hope you will join us! Click here to sign up for dinner.

This winter, we’re offering three new book and Bible studies beginning Wednesday, January 14 and running through Wednesday, February 11:

• Esther Bible Study | 4:00–5:30pm, led by Lindsey Nugent
• Richard Rohr’s The Tears of Things | 6:30–7:30pm, led by Pastor Sarah, David & Dianne Jones
• Parenting & Grandparenting as Prayer | 6:30–7:30pm, led by Matt Ashburn and Mary June Jones

Register here and please note that the signup link includes three tabs at the top — one for each study. We hope you’ll join us!

New Covenant Groups are launching in early 2026, with several day and time options available. A Covenant Group is a small circle of 5–8 people who meet weekly for one hour to share, pray, and hold one another accountable in following Jesus. If you’re interested in learning more, fill out our Covenant Group Interest Survey today and take the next step in growing your faith in community with others.

Hayes Barton United Methodist Preschool is a vibrant part of our HBUMC Children’s Ministry, where faith, learning, and community come together in meaningful ways. This year, our growing partnership with Hayes Barton’s Place Assisted Living and Memory Care has been a beautiful example of that mission in action.

In October, our preschoolers walked to Hayes Barton Place for a morning of fall fun—trick-or-treating, making Halloween crafts, and playing games alongside residents. What began as a seasonal visit quickly became something deeper: a genuine, intergenerational connection.

That connection continued this past week when our preschoolers climbed aboard the Raleigh Trolley for a festive Christmas visit. Bundled up and full of excitement, the children shared the songs they’ve been practicing for Christmas Chapel, filling the room with music, laughter, and joy. Residents even joined in for a jingle-bell sing-along, creating a moment of shared celebration that none of us will soon forget.

These experiences nurture empathy, confidence, and belonging in our children, while bringing joy, purpose, and warm memories to the residents. It’s a powerful reminder that community isn’t defined by age—it’s built through connection.

We are deeply grateful to Hayes Barton Place for welcoming our children so warmly and for partnering with us in this beautiful ministry!

We are seeking applications for the following positions that support the families and children of Hayes Barton UMC:

• Director of Children's Ministry - Full-Time Position
• Nursery Coordinator - Part-Time Position

Click here to view open positions.

Prayer Requests

We believe God is present in the prayers we lift up for one another.

To add a name to the prayer concerns bookmark, published each week in the bulletin, please email prayer@hbumc.org. If your prayer concern is confidential, and you want only to share with the pastors, please indicate so in your email. We will keep names on the prayer bookmark for one month, unless otherwise requested.

Please hold these places and people in your hearts this week:

DEATHS

Frank Burney, husband of Lisa Burney 

PRAYER CONCERNS  

Zack Anstett 

Dorothy Ashworth 

Melissa Carson 

Bill Collins 

Steve Gill 

Pat & Bud Gore 

Gilbert Hay 

Trish Holmes 

Roqia H. 

Jo Ann & Nevelle Jones 

Steve Motter 

Jane Preiss 

Jim Riggins 

Sue Robertson 

Gladys Rose  

Theresa & Dick Stevens 

Victoria Sullivan 

Billie Lee Whisnant 

ONGOING PRAYER CONCERNS

Our Government Leaders 

Those Affected by Natural Disasters 

Our In-Crowd Members 

Peace in Palestine, Israel, Haiti and Ukraine

OUR CHURCH LEADERS

Pastors David, Sarah, Matt, and Claire 

Our HBUMC Ministry Team 

District Superintendent Alan Felton

Bishop Connie Shelton