Wayside Weekly
December 9-15
Wayside Friends,
Welcome to another installment of "By the Wayside" Weekly. As always, if you have anything you would like to add to the weekly email, please contact Robbie in the Church Office (office@waysideucc.org). This includes prayers and Thank You's. The deadline for each week's email is Tuesday morning.
~ Robbie
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Tis the Sunday for the Pink, Gaudete Candle…or as the movie Mean Girls would say, “On the 3rd Sunday we wear pink”. Gaudete is Latin for “rejoice” and this Sunday marks the shift from the penitential somber part of Advent to the excitement of the coming savior. In a lot of ways pink prepares us to rejoice when we are at the point of feeling overwhelmed with the darkness. Could you imagine if Advent was all purple? It would be jarring to have 4 Sundays of fasting, repentance, and apocalyptic focus to suddenly be overjoyed the savior has arrived. Advent would look a lot more like Lent without the pink candle.
In another way it moves us from the “what if” to “what is”. Traditionally the four words that mark each Sunday are: Hope, Peace, Joy, Love. Hope and Peace seem more like a dream, something we are longing for. Joy and Love feel like that dream realized, something more concrete. Advent forces us into the both/and of following Jesus. We both acknowledge our hope for a more peaceful and just world AND we recognize the unconditional joy and love that following Christ’s example gives to our lives in the present. This is not a case of all or nothing.
More than ever the pink candle’s light is needed in our lives. I don’t know about you but I’m suffering through some serious Pandemic fatigue. It feels a lot like I’ve just been lighting those purple candles; giving up more and more and wondering when this dream of being back together will happen. I need that reminder that joy is already here and that love is present. The light of the pink candle sparks in me a renewed sense of why we hope and seek peace. We remember that we have given up worshipping in person, having large holiday gatherings, going to holiday festivals (and more) because we want to honor the lives of our loved ones and neighbors. By giving up our normal gatherings we give into to the joy and love our loved ones and community bring us. In doing so, we continue to dream of a time not just when things will go back to normal but when things will be even better. By experiencing (quarantined) the joy that people bring to our lives we are inspired about what we can do to save them and protect our community. In a way, we give birth to a love that saves.
So on this Sunday don’t forget to get out not just two purple candles but the pink one too because on the 3rd Sunday of Advent we bring joy to our world.
~ Pastor Allysa
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Announcements
- The Wednesday Weekly Gathering is tonight at 6:00pm! Join Robbie, Bonnie, and Jill for fellowship & fun! All ages welcome! BYOBeverage. Sign in HERE!
- Due to lack of response, the Secret Santa gift exchange will not be happening this year.
- On Wednesday, December 16th at 7pm we will have a virtual Longest Night Service. This service is also often referred to as a “Blue Christmas” service. This is a time for anyone struggling this holiday season to pause and acknowledge that the holidays aren’t always so cheery and bright. This service is also a time to honor anyone you are missing (dead or alive) this holiday season. With the pandemic many of us are grieving the traditions we are used to and the fact we will not be able to gather with our loved ones as we originally planned. Sometimes we need to mourn just as much as we need to celebrate. Due to the fact that this is a very intimate service we will NOT be streaming this service or posting it on the Facebook Page. You can access the service HERE (the full Zoom info can be found further down in this email).
- For our Christmas Eve Service we will send out a link for our virtual service and post it on Facebook. What will be different this year is you can watch the service at your convenience that day and after words. The service will include songs to sing along with, candle lighting, and a mini message. Feel free to pass the link along to family and friends who are not part of our community!
- Federal Way Chorale's virtual holiday concert, "We Need a Little Christmas" will be playing live, December 19th, beginning at 7:30pm, with pre-show music beginning at 7:15pm. Links on where to watch can be found on the Chorale's website, www.FWChorale.com. More information can be found below the cookie recipe.
- It was requested that the recipe for the chocolate chip cookies in the Advent Goodie Bags be shared. Thank you Rachel Larsen for making the cookies and to Kim and Rachel for sharing the recipe! You can find it below or a printable copy HERE.
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Charmie’s Chocolate Chip Cookies
In large bowl, mix:
1 ½ cups brown sugar
2 cups sugar
1 ½ tsp soda
1 ½ tsp salt
4 eggs
Add:
6 cups flour
1 lb (4 cubes) mushy butter (must be added last)
Mix in:
24 ozs. Chocolate chips
Cook at 375 F for 8 minutes. Cookies will appear undercooked. Let set up on tray before removing.
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Donation Opportunities
During the holidays there are plenty of ways to help your community during this difficult time.
- Federal Way Food Bank (1200 S. 336th St. Federal Way) in addition to food, is currently able to accept the following New Items for all ages/sizes:
sweatshirts
hoodies
sweatpants
jackets
socks
gloves
scares
- In addition to the above items for the Food Bank, we encourage you to think about also giving monetarily to the Federal Way Food Bank (which is part of the Multi-Service Center) and these other organizations:
- Federal Way Day Center - Donations to Catholic Community Services, ATTN: Fund Development, 100 23rd Ave. S., Seattle WA 98144-5979
- FUSION Emergency Shelter - Donations to Fusion, PO Box 23934, Federal Way WA 98093-0934
- NE Tacoma Healthy Kids Coalition - Donations can be made by going to the Browns Point PTA website (HERE).
We are asking that if you choose to make a donation to any of these organizations, you let our Outreach Team or the Church Office know, so we have a better understanding of our impact in the community.
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Reminders
- We're still in need of a Vice Moderator. If you're interested in filling this vitally important position, please contact Kim Larsen, Pastor Allysa, or Robbie in the Church Office.
- We are still accepting pledges for 2021! You can either mail in your pledge card or pledge online HERE. For those that have already pledged, thank you for your commitment to Wayside!
- The password for the Member's Section is listed near the bottom of this email.
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Joys & Concerns
- Prayers for Pat Lettenmaier and the family of Nikki Lettenmaier. Nikki passed away shortly after her 97th birthday at the beginning of November. Nikki & Pat were long time members of Wayside. Click HERE is the letter from Pat, informing the congregation.
Only prayers requested out-loud during our worship services or emailed to the Church Office will be included in the weekly email. Any prayers written in Zoom comments or on Facebook will NOT be included.
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Gratitudes
- Thank you to those who cleaned the church parking lot! With all the fir needles and moss, the parking lot can get slippery when the weather gets cold.
- Thank you to Barb Miller for being the Pastoral Assistant this past Sunday and for taking on a bit more!
- Thank you to Allison, Sam, and Alden Rise for lighting the Advent candle of Peace!
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Celebrations
Birthdays
- December 10th - Kim Larsen
- December 13th - Rosemary Watling
As many of you probably know, with the pandemic, David Mulder has been pretty isolated without interaction with many others. His birthday is coming up on December 19th. I know he loves to receive birthday cards and I'm sure he would especially love them from his church family!
If you'd like to send him a card, his address can be found in the church directory, which can be found on the church's website in the Member's Section. The password for that page can be found at the bottom of this email.
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Please send checks and important documents to Wayside's secure mailbox:
Wayside UCC
1600B SW Dash Point Rd. #446
Federal Way, WA 98023
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Introducing Tithe.ly, a New Way to Give!
Simply download the tithe.ly app from the Apple Store or the Google Play store and search for Wayside. It's that easy! (Or, just click on the link below)
There are fees; however, the donor has the option to cover the fees. For more information, please visit our website.
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Member Section Password on Website:
W@ysideUCC
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Office Hours
Robbie is in the Church Office:
Tuesday 9:00-11:00 am Wednesday-Friday 9:00-12:45 pm
Pastor Allysa is in the Office:
By Appointment Only
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