Congregational Meeting immediately following service this morning.
Please stay to share your thoughts and ideas for next year and your reflections on the life of the church this year.  Nominations for elder and deacon will take place at the meeting.  Thank you!

The Greening of our Sanctuary
The evergreens & poinsettias gracing our sanctuary are offered in memory of all our loved ones.  We invite you to take an envelope from the basket in the narthex & make a donation to the Flower Fund to help defray the cost of our Christmastide decorations.  Place the envelope in our offering plate.  Thank you!

Thank you!  Thank you!  Thank you!
Thank you to Elder Pam Ander and everyone who made last night's Advent supper a joyous event!

Thanks to Elder Susan, Deacons Suzanne & Rose and Vincent for special contributions to yesterday's "Breakfast with Santa."

Thank you for your clothing contributions to Jackson County Ministries!

Thank you for the lavish feast prepared for Thanksgiving for our homeless and hungry!

Special collection for the Middle East Council of Churches will be taken on January 5th and a special guest speaker will join us for that service!

Adopt the Homeless for the Holidays!
Thanks to everyone who has adopted a homeless person for the holidays.  We ask that you bring the wrapped gifts and card to church next Sunday.  Please see last week's bulletin for some giving suggestions so that the giving is equal among the recipients.  Please limit your giving to $20 - $25 per person.  Thank you for your kindness!

Our Living Nativity Needs You!
Next Saturday, December 21st 4 - 7 PM
We will have our living nativity, with animals and actors galore!  We need people who will help dress our actors, hand out programs, greet visitors and welcome people to our church.  This is a very important outreach activity to our community proclaiming the birth of our Savior!  Please be part of this evangelization effort!

Living Nativity
Saturday, December 21
4 - 7 PM

Coming January 1, 2003...
The Friends of Historic New Utrecht Website
www.historicnewutrecht.org

 


Hail to the Brightness of Zion's Glad Morning
Thomas Hastings, 1832
Melody by Lowell Mason, 1833

1. Hail to the brightness of Zion's glad morning!
Joy to the lands that in darkness have lain!
Hushed be the accents of sorrow and mourning;
Zion in triumph begins her mild reign.

2. Lo, in the desert rich flowers are springing;
streams ever copious are gliding along;
loud from the mountaintops echoes are ringing;
wastes rise in verdure and mingle in song.

3. Hear, from all lands, from the isles of the ocean,
praise to the Savior ascending on high;
fallen the engines of war and commotion;
shouts of salvation are rending the sky.