This Week at FCCLW 12/4/16

Published: Thu, 12/01/16

December 4, 2016

Church Clean Up Day

This Sunday after worship we are going to stick around and work on cleaning up the campus for the Christmas season. Dress in your grubbies for worship and bring lunch for yourself or to share. We will eat together and then do some cleaning. Friends from the Spanish Seventh Day Adventist Church will be joining us to help.

Advent Advent is about actively preparing for and anticipating God coming into our lives – not only preparing for the celebration of Christ’s birth in a few weeks but actively preparing for God to come into our lives EVERY DAY! God’s presence with us – and our presence with those who are precious to God – brings us closer to God. We grow spiritually, love deeply, and work for peace and justice for all God’s people. You can watch this week's sermon, "God's Path of Peace," on our website. Beer and Hymns We are going to sing, drink, and eat all over again! We had so much fun at our last Beer and Hymns that we are doing it again – this time with Christmas carols. We will once again gather at Aioli’s at 7434 S. Dixie Highway in West Palm Beach. Our wonderful hosts will again have beer, wine, soft drinks, and wonderful pub food creations for us to enjoy. The only difference is that this time, all of the proceeds from our purchases will benefit five families in need from North Grade Elementary. Richmond and Allen will lead us in all your favorite songs of the season. We are looking forward to a great night together. As you heard from last time, you will not want to miss this. CLICK HERE for more information. Renewal Book Club Please join us for a discussion of Girl Waits With Gun by Amy Stewart on Tuesday, December 13 at 6:30 pm in the church parlor. This book is based on the forgotten true story of one of the nation's first female deputy sheriffs. This story offers a lighter and more positive perspective on some important themes including gun ownership, prison conditions, and women's empowerment. Christmas Eve Service We will gather together on Christmas Eve at 7:00 PM for a service of song, scripture, and candlelight. If you are in town, we invite you and your family to join us to await the Christ light! Enneagram Journey We will begin a new session of The Enneagram Journey on January 25th. You can find out more information on the website. Facebook Live As much as we love gathering together on Sunday mornings, there are times when we are out of town or otherwise unable to be there in person. You can now watch our worship service live on Facebook right on your computer, tablet, or smart phone. At 10:30 on Sunday just head over to our Facebook page and join us! Facebook First, go to our page and "Like" us. However, just liking us does not mean that you will see everything we post. Each of our Facebook posts only goes to about 2% of the people who like our page. To make sure you see everything, after you like us, go to the pull-down menu on the "Like" button and click "Get Notifications." This way everything that we post will show up on your own Facebook wall. If you are on Facebook, you can keep up with what is happening "between Sundays" on our Facebook page.		Community Advent Wreath On Sunday, December 4, you are invited to bring greenery, ribbons, cloth, or other small items from your home to add to our advent wreath that will grace the sanctuary for Advent and Christmas season. Lake Worth Holiday Parade We will decorate the float Saturday Dec. 4 and again Dec. 10. Parade is Dec. 17, lineup around 4:30 pm. "Grinchmas" is the parade theme. Christmas Party Join us for our annual Christmas party on Sunday, December 11, after worship. Confirmation Next Week Next week, Michelle Ellis and Jordyn and Jada James will confirm their baptism. Join us as we support this step in their spiritual journey. Choir Chime Group Lynne Serratore is organizing a chime choir! If you are interested in being a part of this group, please see Lynne for more information. Christmas Angel Hurry to pick up your Salvation Army Angel. Choose an angel, go shopping and return the items by Dec. 15th. No wrapping required, just place the presents in a plastic bag with the angel tag attached to the outside. Online Giving Have you explored the opportunity of electronic giving? You can choose to have a set amount taken from your bank account on a regular basis or you can make a one (or more) time gift by checking account or credit card on our website. Your regular electronic giving means that your gift is available for ministry even when you are away (or forgot your checkbook!). Thank you for your continued support of the ministry of First Congregational Church! Hey, Thanks! You're sharing this newsletter with your friends! More people read (or at least opened) our newsletter than we send out. If there is something here that interests you, it may interest someone else. If a friend sent this to you and you would like to receive it regularly, you can subscribe on our website. Communicating Events and Opportunities Our "virtual church secretary" Terry Foley, who produces our bulletins, weekly newsletters and edits our website, is now the clearinghouse for gathering news and announcements to go in our publications. You can email her at bulletin@lakeworthchurch.org. Keep in mind that announcements to go in the current week's bulletin or newsletter needs to be sent to her by the previous Sunday.