The Lights of Christmas - Christmas Eve Worship
December 24 – 3:30 pm & 5:00 pm
All are invited to worship at Westside Christian Church on Christmas Eve
at 3:30 pm or 5:00 pm.
Both services will offer contemporary and traditional Christmas worship music, candlelight, scripture, a message, and communion.
All are also invited to
The finale ofthis year's "Lightsof Christmas" December 25 at 9:00 am at our CHRISTMAS DAY WORSHIP
Be sure to bring family and friends
ChristmasDayis on a Sunday this year.We weekly gather for worship on Sundays. However, on December 25th there will ONLY be justONE service at 9:00 a.m.
Sunday Mornings
9:00 Traditional Service
10:30 Modern Service
Westside Kids Kdg. - 5th Sundays at 10:30am
WestsideKids Jr.6-weeks old through PreK children
Sunday Mornings 10:30am
DEVOTIONAL
Small Packages
Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord. This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.” -Luke 2:11-2
The Earth weighs 13,170,000,000,000,000,000,000,000 pounds. The arctic blue whale is the largest animal on earth and weighs just 400,000 pounds. To compare, it would take 33 elephants to equal the weight of the arctic blue whale. The average human baby weighs between 5 pounds 8 ounces and 8 pounds 13 ounces. The average human male weighs 197 pounds.
A baby is considered small by our standards. Compared to the weight of the world, the baby is miniscule. God chose to use the teeny tiny vessel as the place of entrance for the Messiah. I am sure God could have used an alternate means to present His son. He could have sent a giant, the size of Goliath, escorted by an army of angels.
Instead, He chose an inauspicious background for the birth of our king.
He chose a tiny package. He chose a helpless baby. He chose to show us that big things come in small packages. He chose to present a kingdom that is a stark disparity to the kingdoms known by this world.
This Christmas, remember the choices God made to show His love to us. Even the smallest gift of joy can change someone’s forever. Big things come in small packages.
Be blessed and be a blessing,
Matt
12.08.2022
December 14, 2022
6:30 - 8:00pm at church
Westside's Mission for December continues to highlight
The following information was provided to us by Mark and Krista Haley who "...faithfully serve as church planters in remote Ethiopian villages"
They live northwest of the capital Addis
Read more in Week 2 below about the variety of ways that Mark Haley provides training sessions for local church leaders in Ethiopia
The community of Westside have supported this ministry in varied ways for many years. Folks at Impact Ethiopia strive to"impact lives and communities in Ethiopia by multiplying and growing Christ followers."
Week 2
"Impact Ethiopia Ministries" impacts lives and communities in Ethiopia by multiplying and growing Christ followers. God has called us to bring people to a loving relationship with Christ. And because we want God’s kingdom to multiply quickly, we believe in leveraging the power of national leaders. If we can empower Ethiopian nationals, God's kingdom expands much quicker than if we tried to share with people individually. This brings us to the next part of our MEDS acronym.
“E” stands for empower and train leaders. Mark develops new relevant materials in which we can train church leaders to empower them to grow God’s Kingdom. Materials include Church and biblical leadership, church finances, and management skills. He travels to different areas to train leaders but also records audio trainings that can be sent digitally to many leaders. With the infrastructure increasing more people have access to the internet through cellular network. We are leveraging this to be able to give more training at less cost.
Stay tuned next week to hear about even more exciting things
that the Haley family and their teams do in Ethiopia.
Shipman Family Meal Train
Please join us in surrounding the Shipman family with love in a time of need. Jesse Shipman suffered a traumatic injury that required surgery. He is home now and recovering. We have set up a meal train for our church to support them in this time of need. You can sign up to help provide a meal with the below link:
To all who came out to spruce up our church campus as we get ready to welcome our guests and members for Christmas.
It's not that hard to Host a Potluck at Westside in 2023
1) Gather a group of friends to help host. They don't have to be attending Westside to be a host. (What a great way for them to get a sense of Westside's community!)
3) She'll talk you through the process
and be there to support you and your other teammembers. Groups can sign up at the Connect Center in the front lobby of the church
CINNAMON ROLL SUNDAY
DECEMBER 11TH
If you ordered the infamous cinnamon rolls, thanks for picking your order up at Westside on Sunday, Dec,11th. The members of the Renaissance Church (Ren Church) in Lakewood Ranch. are grateful for you support. They regret that they can't eradicate any pounds you may gain 😜 Enjoy!
Join us as we travel the neighborhood, lighting it up with classic sounds of Christmas Caroling. We will meet at the church at 6:00pm and walk around the neighborhood. Help us to share the sounds of the season and invitations to worship with us this Christmas. We will have the" Russ Bus" with us for those who might need to take a break.
Men’s Breakfast – December 17 – 7:30 am
Calling all Westside men!! We want to have breakfast with you. Invite a friend to join you for this morning of food and fellowship. We meet at the church for this monthly event. Sign up is at the Connect Desk.
Westside's Christmas Play Angels Watching Presented on Sunday, December 18, 2022 at 10:30am
This Early Christmas treat
Is NOT-TO-BE- MISSED !!!
Experience the story of the birth of Jesus as told by the angels. Based on Luke:1. 2
In addition to enjoying the play, we will worship together in song, scripture, and communion.
Cookies and hot cocoa will be served after the service.
Parents of 4th and 5th graders,registration is open for Super Start
January 20-21,2023
Super Start is a high-energy weekend event in which preteens can learn and grow in their relationships with friends, leaders, and most importantly, God! Throughout the event preteens will encounter Christ through worship, interactive teaching and small groups – all of which are designed with their unique needs and maturity in mind. Preteens who attend SuperStart! will leave the weekend with not only a great experience, but also the teachings and foundation to further amplify Christ’s call on their lives to become Kingdom workers.
For more information go to
https://bit.ly/3EXIeXM
Click below to get more complete information about events at Westside.
Scroll to the bottom and Click the button below to download Westside's app.
General Giving =$6283.16 Designated Giving = $360.00
Minimum Needed to Meet Weekly Budget = $7,458.37
Attendance 153
"Each of you should give what you have decided in your heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. " Corinthians 9:7
Newsletter Subscription Information
If you or someone you know would be interested in receiving an emailed copy of Westside's newsletter: Anyone can sign-up at: https://bit.ly/3Hbjwn1
Please send any questions or comments about this newsletter to Margo Ennis, Editor, at margo@westsidechristianchurch.com
