With the beginning of Advent, we wanted to let you know about our plans for Christmas Eve worship. We will have five services, as usual, but with a little different format.
The 3:30 service will continue to be designed especially for families with young children. The Little Lambs (pre-school through kindergarten) and Sounds of Joy (grades 1-5) choirs will share “Chimes in the Night” as the message for the service. We will also sing Christmas hymns (with organ accompaniment) and share communion.
The 5:30 service will be “Christmas Unplugged,” combining elements from our alternative and more traditional services. We will sing Christmas carols (with acoustic guitar accompaniment) and Jubilation (our youth choir) will provide special music. We will also share communion and sing “Silent Night” by candlelight. Teri will provide the message for this service.
At the 7:30 and 9:00 services we will sing Christmas hymns (with organ accompaniment) and the adult choir will provide special music. We will also share communion and sing “Silent Night” by candlelight. Richard will preach at both services.
The 10:30 service will be a quieter, more intimate experience, with soloists and/or small ensembles providing special music. We will still sing Christmas hymns (with organ accompaniment), including “Silent Night” by candlelight, and share communion. Richard will preach at this service.
We look forward to sharing Christmas Eve together. We hope you will plan to attend one (or more) of our services and will invite others to join us. Thank you. |
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Be a Christmas Angel to someone in need. The Angel Giving Tree is up in the Gathering Place. You will find items from Big Brothers and Big Sisters, C L Food Pantry, Faith in Action for McHenry County, Family Alliance, Family Health Partnership Clinic, and Home of the Sparrow. Just take a tag or two and deliver the wrapped gift back to the tree along with the tag(s) by the date indicated. Please don't wrap office items or food items for various agencies. And don't forget to put an ornament in place of the tags taken! ~ The Mission Outreach Ministry |
The adult WEAVE class continues with a 4-week Advent series taught by Teri and Richard called “Wait for the Lord”.
For at least 1,700 years, Christians have observed a season of prayer and preparation leading up to Christmas. Advent is a word that means “to come, to show up,” and in the chaos of the shopping and party frenzy, we Christians try to pull the shutters down on all that and do some soul searching, some praying, some repenting. Company is coming, and it’s a baby—and not just any baby, but Mary’s child, the Savior of the world. The question of Advent is “Will there be room?” Can we sweep out the clutter of our lives and leave a space into which God might become reality?
Advent is about waiting, and waiting is hard for us. We must be tutored in waiting. Wait for the Lord. Let your spirituality feel a bit awkward, for your primary goal for the ramp-up through December need not be to get your shopping done or to have your home ready for guests. Your goal is to grow close to God, to grow into a better person. Your deepest wish, your most fervent desire, even if it’s hidden from even yourself, is for the coming of the Lord into your life.
To get at this, we will explore various characters in the biblical story, and even a few others out of the annals of history, to think through how to “prepare him room” during Advent. We will structure their stories around four themes, for our four weeks. These themes are repentance, faith, holiness, and love. You can pick up the (very small!) packet of readings in the church office. |
This Advent, take some time to refuel. The Advent season is a time of preparation, but not just preparation for presents and parties and big meals—it’s a time to prepare ourselves and our communities for God to break in and change our lives. We hope everyone will take advantage of this opportunity to study and pray together this Advent. Questions? Ask Teri!
The Advent groups are:
Monday Evenings at 7pm
Be Still And Know
Place: church Lounge
Book: Simply Wait—Cultivating Stillness in the Season of Advent
Tuesday Mornings at 10:00am
A New Perspective: Christmas from the Back Side
Place: Borders in Crystal Lake
Book: Christmas from the Back Side
Wednesday Evenings at 6:45pm
Mary Had a Baby
Place: church Lounge
Book: Mary Had A Baby—
an Advent study based on African-American Spirituals
Saturday Mornings at 10:00am
Rejoicing in Hope
Place: TBA
Book: Rejoicing in Hope
Sunday Mornings at 9:30am
Familiar Favorites
Place: Fellowship Hall
Book: Favorite Bible Passages
Sundays at Noon
A Bible Study for people who are afraid of the Bible
Time: Sundays at noon
Place: a local restaurant
Book: No Experience Necessary
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Please join us on Saturday, Dec. 1st in Fellowship Hall to decorate cookies for the Cookie Walk. Bring your cookies that need decorating and we will have all the decorations to beautify them. If you are not able to stay and need help fancying up your cookies, drop them off Friday or Saturday in the kitchen. Hope to see you there! |
The children of RCLP will be celebrating Jesus’ birthday on December 14 from 5PM-8PM. Childcare will be available so we are hoping that children of all ages attend. This will give the parents the opportunity to celebrate the season with a night off! Please check the Connecting Link for ways that you can help. We need donated goods as well as help during the event. We also need you to RSVP soon so that we can plan appropriately. ~The Fellowship Team |
We invite ALL PRIMETIMERS (those of you in the prime of life and free during the day) to join us for a Christmas brunch celebration.
| When: | Thursday, December 13 at 10:00am |
| Where: | The home of Kathy and Lou Rabe |
| What to bring: | A brunch goodie to share with the group
(breads, cookies, fruit) |
Please RSVP to: Wayne and Dale Prindiville. We look forward to fun, fellowship, and of course, good food. Hope to see you all there. |
A Thank You
Our family would like to thank all the wonderful people of RCLPC for all the cards and prayers we received during the illness and death of Erv Hueckstaedt, our husband and father. We are blessed to have such special friends and with your support and God’s presence in our lives we will continue the journey of remembrance. God bless you all.
Esther Hueckstaedt
Wayne and Dale Prindiville |
We are getting ready to do a winter mission project with homeless people in Chicago and we need your help. We are seeking donations of the following things:
- Warm socks
- Trial size hand sanitizer
- Trial size body/hand lotion
- Travel packs of kleenex
- Gift cards to: Jewel, Walgreens, Starbucks or Caribou Coffee, McDonalds, Jamba Juice, or Subway.
Please place donations in the basket on Teri’s office steps. Thank you!
Middle School Youth Group
Dec. 2, 1 - 3pm, Cookie Walk Baking
Dec. 16, 1 - 3pm, Youth Sunday Planning
Senior High Youth Group
Dec. 2, Deposit Due for Mission Trip
Dec. 9, 1 - 3pm,
Youth Sunday Brainstorming
Dec. 16, 1 - 3pm,
Youth Sunday Planning with MS
Dec. 16, 6:30 - 8pm, Christmas Party
Confirmation Class
Dec. 2, 11:00am, Worship together
Dec. 2, 4 - 6pm, Class
Dec. 7, 5:30 - 9:30pm,
Field trip to Oak Park
Dec. 9, 4 - 6pm, Class
Dec. 16, 4 - 6pm, Class | |
A reminder that our stewardship campaign is still underway. If you have not yet filled out a pledge card, we encourage you to do so at your earliest convenience. If you need a pledge card, please contact the church office. Thank you for helping us to catch the Spirit!