Beautiful Beloveds,
To limit people moving around on Sunday mornings, we encourage you to submit your prayer requests by 10am on Sunday morning.
Peace, Heather
Mark Your Calendars
Sunday, December 13:
Third Sunday of Advent “I Believe in God: Ode to Joy”
8:30am Facebook Premiere Worship, also available on YouTube as early as 5:30am
11am Worshipful Engagement continues at the church. Register Here
**Please remain in your car for our worship.
Monday, December 14:
7pm: Men’s Study Group (via Zoom)
Tuesday, December 15:
Noon—Deadline for “A Word on Wednesday”
7pm – Following the Ninth Film Festival Conversation via Zoom (Link at end of email)
Wednesday, December 16:
Noon—Deadline for Saturday Tidings Submissions
Thursday, December 17:
10 am Bible Study via Zoom (Link at end of email)
Sunday, December 20:
Fourth Sunday of Advent “I Believe in the Light: Illuminating Peace”
8:30am Facebook Premiere Worship, also available on YouTube as early as 5:30am
11am Worshipful Engagement continues at the church. Register Here
**Please remain in your car for our worship.
Monday: December 21
Longest Night Blue Christmas Virtual Worship
7pm Facebook Premiere Worship, also available at your convenience on YouTube
Tuesday: December 22
7pm: Sweet Honey in The Rock: Raise Your Voice!
Film Festival Conversation via Zoom (Link at end of email)
Thursday, December 24: Christmas Eve
5pm Outdoor Worship at the Church, Please register here
**Please remain in your car for our worship.
7pm Facebook Premiere Worship, also available on YouTube
Together in Christ—We worship, learn and grow
Advent Film Festival
Each week watch a different documentary on your own and then join others for conversation.
Week 3: Following the Ninth Conversation: December 15
You can watch this film in its entirety on the director’s YouTube channel.
Week 4: Sweet Honey in The Rock: Raise Your Voice! Conversation: December 22
This video is available on Amazon Video.
Week 5: The Singing Revolution
Available on Vimeo On Demand or Amazon Prime
**Family-friendly film festival:
A Charlie Brown Christmas – Hope
How the Grinch Stole Christmas (animated version) – Love
Frosty the Snowman – Joy
The Muppet Christmas Carol – Peace
The Polar Express – Believe
Longest Night, Blue Christmas Worship—December 21
People have undergone unprecedented loss this year. Family and friends have succumbed to death in this pandemic, millions have lost economic security through loss of jobs, some have lost businesses they built over a lifetime. Most of us have lost our beloved rhythms of life that felt familiar and gave our lives the richness of gatherings and adventure. And we can name so many losses related to hatred and violence.
Throughout Advent we have proclaimed hope, love, joy, and peace in the midst of difficulty. This is the church’s gift to the world–that our faith story is grounded in the presence of God that came and dwelt among us in the midst of hardship. But on the “longest night”–the Winter Solstice–it has become a tradition to acknowledge and remember those we have lost.
Join us at 7pm for our Facebook Premiere of Worship, or check our YouTube Channel at your convenience. While you’re there, subscribe to get reminders of new content.
Christmas Eve Worship: December 24
5:00-5:30 Brief Outdoor Worship at the Church, featuring the Christmas Story, Communion, and “Silent Night”
7:00 pm Virtual Worship offered on Facebook Premiere* and on YouTube
More Christmas Carols, The Christmas Story, and an at-home, Candle Light Silent Night
(The Facebook Premiere feature allows us to interact while worshiping together)
Food for Thought:
Barnstable No Place For Hate to offer Bystander Intervention Training!
This virtual event will be held on Monday, January 25th from 7:00-8:30 pm
Bystander intervention is a practice for community members to use on how to safely intervene in instances where harm is being done to an individual or a group.
Sponsored by Barnstable No Place For Hate, this training will address the underlying elements of hate and how to respond to it. It will be interactive as we discuss specific scenarios.
Annual Conference members asked to express their support for dismantling sexism
Throughout the years, the New England Conference has witnessed a steady stream of gifted women leaving ministry. In fact, the whole denomination continues to lose clergywomen from local church ministry into more welcoming forms of ministry, indicating a persistent, subtle, and often unchallenged sexism that denies women in The United Methodist Church the opportunity to participate fully and equally in all areas of the Church.
The chairs of the Conference Commission on the Status and Role of Women, the Conference Board of Church and Society, and the Conference Commission on Religion and Race are inviting all voting members of the New England Annual Conference (lay and clergy) who support the work of dismantling sexism through legislation and training for all conference, church, and committee leadership to sign this letter to express support for women and families who have been subjected to the sin of sexism.
Wanting: A Homily by John Greene:
When we were children we looked forward to our birthdays.
Our friends and family would always ask us, “What do you want?” We make lists of things that we want for Christmas.
We get married making lists of what we want to start our lives.
The birth of children, graduations, and anniversaries all bring out our wants. Media constantly shows us what we should want, what we need, what we really should have to be happy.
Want is all encompassing. So much wanting that we end up with too much stuff. There are more storage units in our country than there are churches; all from wanting too much.
Why do we want so much when God has offered us so much?
We are given life, love, grace and the promise of resurrection.
What more could we want?
Phillipians 3:10 “I want to know Christ and the power of his resurrection and the sharing of his sufferings by becoming like him in his death, if somehow I may attain the resurrection from the dead.”
Put this on your birthday list, on your Christmas list, on your must do list. You should want the best.
John Greene
Committed to Serve—We are making a difference
Green Tip: Gift Green Books
Creation-caring books for children: “Children’s Lit Love”—a former 3rd grade teacher, now mother of 2 shares book recommendations & literacy tips
All We Can Save: Truth, Courage, & Solutions for the Climate Crisis (2020): visionary essays & poems by 50 women leaders in the climate movement.
Or Google: “Holiday 2020 books for adults & children about Earth care”
Thank you to all who have donated towards Safe Harbor and CHAMP House through our BIC cards. What welcome Christmas gifts they will receive. Kathy Sandell
Looking for a safe way to Christmas shop. Calendars and Note cards make great gifts and they are available at Shop UMCO right now. Submit your order and we will let you know when to pick it up. Christmas cards are also available.
Opportunities for Blessing Others This Season of Advent:
- Safe Harbor Shelter: One can sponsor a mom at Safe Harbor by sending a check for $25 made out to BIC to Kathy Sandell, 423 Elliott Rd., Centerville, MA 02632. Please put “Safe Harbor” in the memo line. You can also donate online using the UMCO web site giving portal.
- Gloves for Miracle Kitchen Guests: Your gift can help keep the homeless warm! Gail Bennett has purchased 40 pairs of winter gloves for the guests who have lunch at the Salvation Army. You can donate online using the UMCO web site giving portal. Additionally, you can mail a check to the church, or drop off your donation in the church mailbox made payable to UMC with “Gloves” in the memo line.
- Alternative Giving for the Pastor’s Discretionary Fund (PDF) and Sierra Leone (SL). Please make checks payable to UMC and put in the memo section either “PDF” or “SL.” Mail to Patty Morell at 35 Loomis Lane, Centerville, MA 02632 for any amount. Patty will mail you back holiday cards and envelopes for the PDF and/or Sierra Leone for you to give to your gift recipients. Your donation will bless those struggling on the Cape or to support the most vulnerable children and families in Bo, SL.
- December Food Collection for Local Food Pantries: We are continuing to collect this Christmas Season! Please put your non-perishable donated items in the large black labeled container to the right of the church front door.
Zoom Links
Tuesday, 7pm Film Festival Conversation
Join Zoom Meeting
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/85642390387?pwd=cEdmdFhiOTdoc2JpYmlZay9FSVh2UT09
Meeting ID: 856 4239 0387
Passcode: 441969
One tap mobile
+16465588656,,85642390387#,,,,,,0#,,441969# US (New York)
Or Call: +1 646 558 8656 US (New York)
Meeting ID: 856 4239 0387
Passcode: 441969
Thursday Morning Bible Study, 10am
Join Zoom Meeting
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/83958360902?pwd=K2Q1enBPQWJ4cGJLamI2UXJWVzhEZz09
Meeting ID: 839 5836 0902
Passcode: 477955
One tap mobile
+16465588656,,83958360902#,,,,,,0#,,477955# US (New York)
Or Call: +1 646 558 8656 US (New York)
Meeting ID: 839 5836 0902
Passcode: 477955