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Lindsey Hinds-Brown, our EBPC Childrens' Ministry Director, and Nate Strasser, our Music Director, invite you to come this Sunday to hear our EBPC Kids' Music & Drama Club perform this year's Christmas pageant - Star Search! And don't forget to join us again Sunday night at 5:30 p.m. for Nate's annual Christmas Concert!
WHAT TO EXPECT THIS SUNDAY
 
Silent night, holy night,
Son of God, love's pure light,
Radiant beams from Thy holy face,
With the dawn of redeeming grace,
Jesus, Lord, at Thy birth,
Jesus, Lord, at Thy birth - vs. 3

The radiant beams of light come from the newborn infant in the third verse of “Silent Night.” This verse contains one of my favorite phrases, “love’s pure light.”

Love is the word for the week. Love and grace go hand-in-hand, and the Gospel of John begins with four mentions of that word, grace, and then doesn’t mention it again the entire rest of the book. As one commentator put it, “the entirety of the Gospel will show what grace looks like, tastes like, smells like, sounds like, and feels like".

We hope to see you this Sunday as we continue our worship series celebrating the 200th anniversary of Silent Night, celebrating "love's pure light" and celebrating the grace that God brings to us each Christmas and every day.

This Sunday, we’ll have a great Sunday of music! The Kids’ Music and Drama Club will present their Christmas pageant entitled “Star Search”. Also, Adam Johnson and Shailer Philbrick will play Christmas piano solos. Come Sunday morning as the kids get us in the Christmas spirit! 
OUR GIFT TO YOU THIS SUNDAY
Our Annual Christmas Concert!

What is your favorite Christmas song? Silent Night? The First Noel? The Twelve Days of Christmas? Join us Sunday, Dec. 16 at 5:30 p.m. for a jazz-inspired Christmas concert led by our fabulous EBPC Music Director Nate Strasser where you can listen to beautiful music prepared by Nate and Vocalist Briana Tyson, as well as request your favorite Christmas song for all to sing. Selections will include traditional Christmas hymns, new favorites and the always, popular requests and sing-along songs. This concert is always a special one so we hope you will make plans to join us again this Christmas season. Click on this link for a personal invitation from Nate!

Why not make it a day of joyous singing and celebration? Join us earlier that morning (Dec. 16)  for worship at 10 a.m. to see the children's Christmas program, Star Search.
We are just a few weeks away! Please mark your calendars for our wonderful Christmas Eve service for our EBPC families. All EBPC families and friends are invited to join us in the barn at 3:30pm for a special family-focused Christmas Eve service. Children of all ages will have the opportunity to dress as figures from the nativity story, help retell the story of the birth of Jesus, and sing carols celebrating the birth of our Savior. What better way to celebrate the true meaning of Christmas than to hear the story from the mouths of babes? Children wishing to participate are invited to arrive at 3:20 to choose their costume. Hot chocolate, warm cider, and Christmas cookies will be served following the service. We hope you will join us for this special service.
This year we are offering the Christmas Eve children's worship in the Barn and a candlelight service at 5 p.m. We hope to see you at one of these services this Christmas Eve.  Our nursery will be available at the 5 p.m. service. 
Have you made your pledge yet? If you haven't yet, we ask you to please make your pledge today! To date, we have received 92% of our 2018 pledged income, which is great news. Many thanks to all who have pledged! We are extremely grateful!

We just need a little bit more to meet our pledge goal for next year. If you haven't given yet, we encourage you to do so before the end of the year. Every little bit helps. None of us has too little to offer, and every gift is important. We hope that church member family will give as generously as possible and make EBPC a charitable priority for their family.  Gifts large and small are meaningful as we work toward our common goal of full community support in telling God's story. Again, we hope you will review the chart below and see how YOUR generosity can have a big impact on OUR story and the life of our church.
Welcome to the EBPC Children's Corner! 

This Week in Children's Ministry
This week we celebrate the third Sunday of Advent and all things LOVE! Join us as we add straw to our Giving Manger during worship - and share God's love with our church family as we present our Christmas Play "Star Search" during worship!

Kids' Music and Drama
Calling all performers! Join us upstairs this Sunday at 9AM as we hold our final rehearsal for "Star Search".  Don't forget to wear dark pants or skirt and wear your yellow shirt if you are bringing one from home!

SAVE THE DATES
Monday, December 24: 3:30pm, Christmas Eve in the Barn: A 30 minute, family-focused service in the EBPC Barn.
 

EBPC CHILDREN'S NEWSLETTER
Are you receiving our new EBPC Children's Ministry Connection E-Newsletter? Contact Lindsey if you want to be added to the weekly email!

Is your child interested in being an Acolyte or Water Bearer in worship? Please use this link to let us know which weeks they will participate!  

Want to learn more about EBPC's children's ministry? Contact Lindsey Hinds-Brown, Children's Ministry Director.
Support our EBPC kids this Sunday at 10 a.m. as they present their Christmas Pageant, Star Search, which is based on Philippians 2:3-7 (NLT). Below is a brief synopsis of the play. We hope to see you this Sunday for this fun show. There will be cookies afterwards! 

"The time has come for our Creator God to put His plan into motion, and the search for the Star of Bethlehem has begun! When a Meteorite delivers a memo scroll announcing the search for a special star, most of the stars in the sky are too busy worrying about the competition to read the qualifications. Bob, the sweetest and most humble of stars, shines his light big and bright, to welcome the promised Messiah. What an Illumination Celebration!" 

Please see our Advent worship schedule and key December dates below.


December 16 @ 10 a.m., Love  – Kid’s Music and Drama present their production of “Star Search”.

December 16 @ 5:30 p.m. Gift of Music – Nate’s Annual Christmas Concert with Musical Guests.

December 23 @ 10 a.m., Joy - Service of Worship with Music by the Praise Band and Sermon.

December 24 - Christmas Eve, Calm & Bright 
3:30 p.m. - A Family-focused Christmas Eve service in our Barn
5:00 p.m. - Candlelight Communion Service. Nursery will be available during this service.

December 30 @ 10 a.m., He is born – Worship on the threshold of a new year.
Christmas Eve Requests
We need your help!
 
Do you own or have propane/space heaters or know of a way we could borrow the heaters, along with a bale of hay for use during the 3:30 p.m. Christmas Eve service in the barn? It would be a great help, as we would like to avoid having to pay to rent if possible.

We are also in need of people to serve at various places at both Christmas Eve services.  Ushers, Hospitality, Parking Lot Greeters/Directors (3:30) and Communion (5:00 pm). Please click here for the sign up genius to volunteer or contact Deborah in the front office.
GOT YOUTH?
NEED MORE FAITH?

Our EBPC Youth desire to expand their understanding of their faith through regular participation in youth meetings. During the school year, the high school youth (PYG) meet weekly at 5:00 pm on Sundays for in-depth chats and discussions about the teachings of the Bible along with simple conversations that include topics such as parents, school, world religions, prayer styles and morality. Our middle school youth (608) meet on Sundays from 4-5:30. for conversation, food, fellowship and games that include topics such as peer relationships, school, prayer, decision-making skills and more.
Looking for ways to have a more meaningful involvement in the worship service? Want to tell God's story in a big way? Become a Sunday Worship Assistant! 

For those who are interested in learning more and would like to become a worship assistant, we will have a training in January. We will also hold a Liturgist training on January 20 immediately following worship. If you have served in these areas before, please consider volunteering for our Advent season.

We hope you will think and pray about joining our awesome team of worship leaders. If you have questions or would like more information, please contact Brian Telford or Deborah Robitaille.
Many thanks to all who donated coats for our Group Chapel Offering this week! We were overwhelmed with the response, and we know the students at our partner church, Nueva Vida, will be forever grateful for your generosity. 

As you all know, Sheri Vosel, long time Director for the EBPC Preschool will be leaving us the end of May. Therefore, we must begin the process of finding someone to continue Sheri’s legacy of providing caring and creative leadership to a program that will meet the needs of our current and future children and families. East Brentwood Presbyterian Church will be accepting applications for a full-time Preschool Director.

If you are interested in the position or know of a qualified candidate, please consider or share this information. Resumes may be mailed to East Brentwood Presbyterian Church, Attn. Deborah Robitaille, 9000 Concord Road, Brentwood TN 37027.  You may also contact John Hilley (615) 370-4227 or Lavona Russell (615) 476-7840 with questions or suggested candidate names.  You can find a full job description on our website. 
Electronic Givers: Please use the electronic giving cards located in the friendship pads and near the sanctuary doors to participate in the offering as an act of worship.
The Congregational Care committee would like to provide a ride for seniors for various reasons like doctor’s appointments, fellowship events, etc. If interested, please let Kelly McConnell (615) 504-8634 or Kristine Vasilevskis (615) 403-5713 know a week in advance if possible.
REMINDER! We post lots of pictures, news items, links to the text of past sermons and musings on our Facebook page! Please check our page often and follow our activity as another way to keep up with all that is happening in our great community!
Copyright © 2015, East Brentwood Presbyterian Church. All rights reserved.

East Brentwood Presbyterian Church
9000 Concord Road
Brentwood TN 37027
615.370.4227

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East Brentwood Presbyterian Church · 9000 Concord Rd · Brentwood, TN 37027 · USA

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