December 15-16, 2018
News and Notes provides weekly church-wide information (hard copy at Services). News-Blast shares information on weekly coming events and links (sign up on the tear-off to receive), sent on Thursdays via email. Open Door Newsletter provides all announcements, prayer concerns and ministry features. Hard copy available at church, electronic available on the Website and by link on the News Blast.
Sunday School & Small Groups Children's Sunday School 9:45 AM No Sunday School for children this week, please enjoy the Children’s musical Youth Sunday School 9:45 AM No Sunday School for Youth, please enjoy the Children’s musical
Adult Sunday School 9:45 AM Adventurers - Room 201 Faith & Fellowship - Room 202 Girlfriends - Room 208 Wesley Forum - Room 209 Christian Living - Room 210 Wayfarers - Fellowship Hall (lower level) Christianity & Current Events— Parlor Adult Sunday School 11:00 AM Contemporaries - Room 210
Special Notes:
Prayer Needs weekly prayer list may be found at www.fumcva.org/worship/prayer/ HOSPITALIZED: CHRISTIAN SYMPATHY to: Adrienne Padget and family on the death of her mother, Yvonne Padget; Brenda and Glenn Goodpasture on the death of her brother, Charles Jones on December 9; Charlotte and Hubert Edge on the death of her brother, James Weldon Smith III.
Looking Ahead... •
Wednesday night dinner on 12/19 will be Baked Ham. Please make your reservation online at www.fumcva.org/Wednesday-night-dinner or email Don Becker at
[email protected].
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Better Health Class series will resume in January.
God’s Spirit moves powerfully in this Season. God’s Good News message of hope born in Jesus opens and softens hearts of those outside of God’s Church. • Our work is simply to be invitational AND hospitable, while importantly connecting seeking hearts to God’s mission at work among us. Please take an • invite card (or several) today to share and also share event information through our Facebook events and/or links from our webpage. Pick up a yard • sign from the Gathering Space or Extended Narthex or use last year’s if you held on to it.
The Longest Night service will be Dec 21st at 7:00 pm in the Sanctuary. This is a service for all and is focused on those that are struggling to find joy in the season while they are suffering from a loss or difficult time in their lives. If you are feeling this way, or know of someone who is, please come to our service and spend a time together with others in prayer and fellowship. All are welcome to come worship and spend time in prayer. Christmas Eve services this year will have something for everyone! From the Children’s service at 4:00 in Kobler hall with a Charlie Brown Christmas theme, to the Traditional (6:00 and 11:00 pm) and Contemporary (6:00 pm and 8:00 pm) Candlelight services. We hope you will come spend time with us and invite others as we celebrate the birth of Jesus as a church family.
Christmas in Bethlehem. Janet Lahr Lewis (a retired, UMC GBGM missionary in Palestine) will share her experiences on Dec 19th at 6:00 pm in Room 236. Stafford Regional Handbell Society will have a handbell concert on Saturday, Dec 22 at 6:30 pm in the Sanctuary. “It Stinks to work on Christmas Eve” project is underway. Want to bake cookies, assemble trays, and/or deliver on Christmas Eve? Sign up at www.fumcva.org/seek-ministries.
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Purchase 2019 Wayfarer Mosaic Devotional for $15 before or after the 9:45 a.m. Sunday School hour in the downstairs Fellowship Hall or contact John Mann (
[email protected]) or Janine Kuty (
[email protected]). Profits go toward church missions.
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The Church offices will close at 3:00 pm on Christmas Eve and be closed on December 25 and 26. The Food Pantry will be closed December 24-26. The Church offices and Food Pantry will be closed on New Years Day, as well.
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Financial Peace University will begin in January. There is still time to register! Go to https://fpu.com/1072317. Class will begin on January 9th at 6:30 in Room 210. Child care is available, email
[email protected] to reserve your spot.
I Witness: Living Inside the Story of Christmas A Joyous Celebration of the Story in Music
Today’s “I Witness” telling of the Christmas story comes from God’s unfolding of creation, promise, long-awaited fulfillment and redemption. As you listen to music in worship today, reflect upon how God is calling you to witness to or perhaps sing of God’s goodness? Where in our world do you need to share some Christmas joy? This Christmas poem from Ann Weems suggests that joy is possible for all. An Angel-Filled Advent Wouldn't it be wonderful if Advent came filled with angels and alleluias? Wouldn't it be perfect if we were greeted on these December mornings with a hovering of heavenly hosts tuning their harps and brushing up on their fa-la-la's? Wouldn't it be incredible if their music filled our waking hours with the promise of peace on earth and if each Advent night we dreamed of nothing but goodwill? Wouldn't we be ecstatic if we could take those angels shopping, or trim the tree, or have them hold our hands and dance through our houses decorating? And oh, how glorious it would be to sit in church next to an angel and sing our hark-the-heralds! What an Advent that would be! What Christmas spirit we could have! An angel-filled Advent has so many possibilities! But in lieu of that, perhaps we can give thanks for the good earthy joys we have been given and for the earthly "angels" that we know who do such a good job of filling our Advent with alleluias! from Kneeling in Bethlehem
December 15-16, 2018
Welcome to Fredericksburg United Methodist Church. We are glad you are here. Please let us know that you were here by filling out the perforated edge of this worship program and place it in the offering basket. Our Advent Sermon Series is “I Witness: Living Inside the Story of Christmas.” Enter the story to find your own place in the miracle of God’s love made known in the birth of Christ. This week we glimpse inside the story through music. Whether it is the Cantata or children’s musical or the blessing of music on Saturday night, the story is told beautifully and has many lessons to learn. Please join Pastors Gina and Josh for Tea Time with the Pastors on the Wednesdays of Advent at 10:00 am, or on demand at your convenience, through our Facebook live link for a devotional time using I Witness: Living Inside the Stories of Advent & Christmas by Kate Moorehead. This devotional provides daily reflections from the Gospels that help in truly witnessing the birth of Jesus in the here and now.
