Rejoice in hope, be patient in suffering, persevere in prayer. – Romans 12:12
Beautiful Beloveds,
Happy New Year, as Advent turns the page to a fresh start in our liturgical cycle. I find myself anxious, ready for something new. The word of first week of Advent is HOPE, and it’s a good word to kick off the new year. Not and false or tiny hope, but a strong and faithful hope. A hope for God’s presence with us, Emmanuel. A hope for an end to suffering. A hope for God’s will to be made known among and within us. Dig down, deep below the imposed expectations for this season: what are you hoping for?
With hope and peace,
Heather
As United Methodists we promise to support the church with our prayers, presence, gifts, service and witness. Here are some ways you can live into those promises, this week:
Prayers
Please pray for caregivers: loved ones and volunteers, lab technicians, occupational, physical, and respiratory therapists, nurses, doctors, and pharmacists. Please pray for all who administrate, clean, and prepare meals in care facilities. Please pray for all who are working towards a vaccine, including those who volunteer as test subjects.
Please submit prayer requests to Pastor Heather, pastorheather@umcchurches.org and 774.994.3645.
Presence
| CALENDAR | ||
| Virtual—All Links at end of Email | In Person | |
| Wednesday, December 2,
Noon—Deadline for Saturday Tidings Submissions |
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| 10:30 am Chair Yoga in the Solarium | ||
| Thursday, December3 | ||
| 10 am Bible Study via Zoom (Link at end of email) | 9am – 10pm Yoga in the Solarium | |
| 6:30 pm COVID-19 Leadership Task Force | ||
| Friday, December 4 | ||
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3:30pm – 7:30pm Suzuki Violin Lessons in the Solarium | |
| Saturday, December 5 | ||
| 9am – 10pm Yoga in the Solarium | ||
| Sunday, December 6 | ||
| 8:30 am Worship Premiere on Facebook | ||
| 11am Worshipful Engagement continues at the church (Register here. You can now register for the whole month.) | ||
Gifts
Thank you, thank you, Thank you! There are not enough times we can thank all those that worked to make the Holiday Fair and Church Auction a success. We can easily count 32 people and we had considered listing them but thought it would be risky, in case we left someone out. From apple peelers, to bakers, to crafters, to basket donators, to basket makers, to artisans that painted and crafted ornaments and decorations, to seamstresses, to workers, to web designers, to decorators, to all those who purchased, to all those who prayed for success…the list could go on. In a difficult time, we found a way to share our talents and time with the community and it worked. It appears that the total from the auction and fair will top $6000. We will single out 2 people, employees of the church that have gone above and beyond their job descriptions: Jane and Sonja many thanks to keeping the engine running.
Christmas blessings to all.
Wendy and Sharon
Service and Witness
Opportunities for Blessing Others This Season of Advent:
CHAMP Homes: During these times of the pandemic, rather than presents, they would like $25 Food gift cards for each of the 40 residents. You can sponsor a resident by sending a check for $25 made out to BIC to Kathy Sandell, 423 Elliott Rd., Centerville, MA 02632. Kathy will deliver the gift cards to CHAMP Homes from our church. Deadline: December 8th.
Zoom Links
Thursday Morning Bible Study– 10am
Join Zoom Meeting
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