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12/23/18   Join us this Fourth Sunday of Advent
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641-236-3111
4th Avenue and Broad Street
PO Box 322
Grinnell, Iowa 50112
www.grinnellucc.org
December 23, 2018
Join us this Fourth Sunday of Advent
Worship
at 10:30 am

Rev. Jessica Margrave Schirm
Sermon: Mother Mary Comes to Me
Micah 5:2-5a; Psalm 80:1-7; Luke 1:39-55
The Christmas Fund
The Christmas Fund provides direct financial assistance to retired and active United Church of Christ authorized ministers and lay employees and their surviving spouses, including pension and health premium supplementation, emergency assistance, and Christmas thank-you checks.  A ministry of the Pension Boards, the offering is received annually before Christmas. We will collect this offering at our 7 p.m. Christmas Eve Service on Monday, December 24. You may also leave your envelope in the offering on Sunday, December 23.
Christmas Eve Service
Please join us Monday, December 24 at 7pm for a Christmas Eve Service with candles and music.
Fed at Christ's Table,
We Feed Others

Beginning with the first Sunday in January, we will be collecting our non-perishable donations for MICA during the worship service. Instead of dropping them off in the grocery cart, please bring them into the pew with you when you are seated.  The children and youth will collect them from you during the last hymn and take them to the grocery cart near the chancel.  We will be doing this every Communion Sunday, which is typically the first Sunday of the month, going forward.  If, for some reason, you won't be present on Communion Sunday, donations can be dropped in the grocery cart any time during the month.  This is a way of intentionally helping the hungry and poor in and around our community, and it is a tangible act of thanksgiving for the extravagant welcome we receive at Christ’s table during communion.  The cold winter months can be especially hard for those in need, so please be as generous as you can.
Singers Needed!
You are invited and encouraged to lift your voice in song with our Sanctuary Choir! Extra singers are needed this Sunday, December 23, and Christmas Eve, December 24. The music is not difficult; it is "accessible," yet FUN and FESTIVE. Sing for either or both services.  Your participation will be greatly appreciated! SUNDAY: Meet at 9:50am, in the front of the sanctuary. MONDAY: Meet at 6:15pm in the balcony. Thanks! -Ken Davis, Director of Worship Music
Holiday Office Hours
The church office will be closed for the holidays December 24-26 and December 31 - January 1. Pastor Jessica will be on holiday break visiting family from December 25-January 2. For emergency pastoral care during that week, contact Judy Scheer at 563-568-1943.
No Sunday School on Sunday, December 30
We will take a break from Godly Play next Sunday, December 30, and resume on January 6.
2018 Pledges
Here is just a friendly reminder to complete payment on this year’s pledge before year end. Statements will be sent out after December 31st. 
2019 Pledges
Even though Pie Sunday has come and gone, it’s not too late to be a part of our 2019 Stewardship Campaign. Grinnell UCC has so many good things planned for next year, and you can help us turn these dreams into reality. Please drop your 2019 pledge cards in the mail or in the offering plate any time between now and 12/30. If you’ve misplaced your pledge cards, please contact the church office. 
Gift for El Molcajete
As mentioned in the previous mailing from Pastor Jessica, this coming Sunday, December 23, our church and several other Grinnell area churches will be taking up a special cash offering for our friends at El Molcajete. In addition to your regular Sunday giving, please consider bringing some additional cash to put in the plate when it is passed. In order to get this to our neighbors quickly, we will not have time to process checks for them, so cash is the best way to help meet this need. The cash we collect will be added to the money collected at other churches in town and given to our neighbors with love. 
Care for Creation News
Avoid bottled water and bring your own reusable water bottle or mug with you when you go out.  The realities of bottled water are: it is less regulated than tap water; usually it is simply filtered tap water; it is very expensive; and it requires enormous resources to collect, bottle, and ship.  And, of course, it generally comes in a plastic bottle.  Such bottles are intended for single use, so if they are reused or exposed to heat or cold, they will break down faster and leach more plastic residue.  --Jo Entwisle

Weekly Calendar

Sunday December 23
Fourth Sunday of Advent
  • Sunday School 9:15 am
  • Worship at 10:30 am
Monday December 24
  • Church office closed
  • Christmas Eve Service 7 pm
Tuesday December 25
  • Church office closed
  • Merry Christmas!
Wednesday December 26
  • Church office closed
  • NO Choir Rehearsal
Thursday December 27
  • NO Bible Study
Sunday December 30
First Sunday after Christmas
  • NO Sunday School
  • Worship 10:30 am
Worship Participants
Worship Host        JoAnn Britton
Acolyte           Anderson Schirm
Liturgist           Kelsey Sandeno
Greeters         Robin Estes
Ushers       JoAnn Britton
Fellowship      Dorothy & John Noer
Chancel               Sarah White
Mayflower Driver    Shane Estes
Sound System      Shane Estes
Bulletin Cover       Edd Scheer
Nursery           Emily & Laura Nelson Lof
In Our Prayers 
We hold to the heart of our congregation and lift up to the embrace of God all who are in need of prayer.  To contribute prayer concerns to the whole church, please contact the church office.

We pray for health & strength for Jim Ahrens, Bill Arms, Verlene Mitchell, Jack Ulrickson, Phyllis Wood, and Kai Zimsen-Campe.  
Pastoral Care
Anytime someone enters the hospital or Mayflower Health Center, or in any case of trauma, distress, or death, please do not assume that word has reached the church. Contact the church office by email or phone to share information with the pastor. Jessica can also be reached on her mobile phone at 319-883-1375.
Copyright © 2018 Grinnell United Church of Christ, All rights reserved.

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Grinnell United Church of Christ
902 Broad Street
Grinnell, IA 50112

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Grinnell United Church of Christ · 902 Broad St · Grinnell, IA 50112 · USA

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