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WHAT TO EXPECT THIS SUNDAY

On this final Sunday of Advent, we continue our commemoration of the 200th anniversary of “Silent Night, Holy Night,”

Silent night, holy night,
Wondrous star, lend the light;
with the angels let us sing,
“Alleluia” to our King:
“Christ the Savior is born!
Christ the Savior is born!
 
The word is “joy.” The Scripture is the beautiful and prophetic pronouncement of Mary known at The Magnificat (Luke 1:39-56). Her strong words of trust and joy show how she was grounded in her awareness of her purpose and of God’s. In these days may we similarly seek the commitments of joy beyond the feelings of the seasonal tinsel so that we may know a consistency of peace rather than the turmoil of moodiness.  The music will be led by Nate, the choir, and the praise band. You will hear some Christmas favorites and a beautiful version of “Still, Still, Still”. We hope to see you at 10 a.m. this Sunday.

As we draw near to the birth of Christ, I offer this prayer:

O God, tis the season to be joyful because you did not wait for us to come to you but you made your way into our human experience to know us, lift us and show us a new way to love one another.

So we come in this season and gather to remember the value of a baby and the importance of a poor family. In a manger and a stable may we discover that love could be so strong and tender as to cause heavenly beings to bow in awe of your work through human beings. In so doing you changed our expectations of ourselves and others.
So now we say let there be peace on earth and goodwill towards all. Now we believe that our lives and our choices can usher in the presence and power of God.

Let us be the inn keeper and not the king. Let us be Joseph and not those who counseled him to put away a vulnerable and pregnant woman. Let us be the shepherds who listen to the directions of God and not the soldiers who followed orders of a corrupt king. Let us choose to love, believe and be people of faith instead of doubt. We praise your name, O God!
 
In case you missed it:
Check out this video from our Children's Minister, Lindsey Hinds-Brown, and her lovely children, inviting you to our 3:30pm Christmas Eve service. 
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 two Christmas Eve worship services. Our Christmas Eve children's worship in the Barn and a Candlelight & Communion 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. 
Our Stewardship fund pledge donors make it possible for our EBPC community to do so many things. If you only give $10 a week, you can help our youth group pay for their mission trip or if you can $40 dollars a week, you can pay for a full year of expenses for our children's ministry. What a gift can you give to help our community help others?

If you haven't pledged yet, we ask you to please make your pledge today! We just need a little bit more to meet our pledge goal for next year. If you haven't given yet, we encourage you please consider giving a 100% tax-deductible gift by December 31.

Remember: 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.
Welcome to the EBPC Children's Corner! 

This Week in Children's Ministry
This week we celebrate the fourth Sunday of Advent and all things JOY! There is so much joy to be had at EBPC this Sunday. Join us as we add straw to our Giving Manger during worship and watch our UPWARDS friends perform a puppet show called "The Christmas Mouse" for the younger children during Children's Worship!

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.

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


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.
Thank you to our EBPC community - preschool families and church members - who made a donation to brighten the Christmas of families at our sister congregation, Nueva Vida.  We not only donated 101 winter coats, but gift cards for gifts and food for 40 children and 35 families.

 "Give, and it will be given to you.  Good measure, pressed down, shaken together, running over, will be put into your lap.  For the measure you use it will be measured back to you."  Luke 6:38
There is a new lending library up in the parking lot! This lending library is a source of free and donated children's books that allows users to borrow, take or donate books at any time for free. The library was built and donated by Girl Scout Troop 2855 members Lilly Bartleson and Sofi Stallsmith for their Girl Scout Silver Award Project. The Silver Award is the 2nd highest award you can receive in Girl Scouts. In order to earn this award, the project must provide a lasting benefit to the community or an organization and requires a minimum of 50 hours for each girl scout. The reason Lilly and Sofi chose this project is to help kids get a head start on reading.
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 questions or would like more information, please contact Brian Telford or Deborah Robitaille.
Chapel News
Excitement is in the air at the Preschool! It was such a fun week seeing your children's eyes aglow with wonder! In Chapel we lit all five advent candles (Hope, Love, Joy, Peace and Christ candles) to see how pretty they looked. I retold the Christmas story using my Fisher Price nativity set, and we sang Happy Birthday to Jesus. 

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, 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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