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Prepare.
Get out the decorations, find the cookie recipes, buy the cards, make the lists.
Prepare.
Hit the stores, order online, count the dollars, listen to Christmas Muzak.
Prepare.
Worry about spending, yearn for what is out of reach.
Prepare.
Struggle with family, feel alone.
Prepare.
Pray. Worship. Listen to music that includes something about Jesus.
Prepare.
Do whatever leads you to wonder, to joy, to connection with others, to hope.
Prepare.
Give what you can when you can to those in need. Tell a child you know why.
Prepare.
Trust that the God who came is still and always here, the God for whom you do not
have to wait. The God who waits for you and yearns to love you.
Blessings to you as you prepare to celebrate love. Shelly
From the Pastor’s Desk
Special points of interest:
Generosity Campaign, p. 2
Advent Pageant, p. 6
Coffee Hour Sign-ups, p. 7
Poverty Simulation, p. 7
New Group!, p. 9
Advent Devotionals, p. 9
Inside this issue:
Advent Worship 2
Christmas Eve 2
Children’s Faith Formation 3
Adult Faith Formation 4
Missions Team 6
Poinsettias 10
Schedule of Events 11
December 2014
REDEEMER NEWS The Church of the Redeemer
December 7:
Second Advent, Baptism of Nathan Brown,
Sacrament of Holy Communion, Cookie
Potluck after worship along with Alternative
Gift Fair
December 14:
Third Advent, Lessons and Carols for Advent,
Sister City Gift Fair
December 21:
Sunday School Advent Pageant!
December 28:
Guest preacher, Daniel Schlorff, Carol sing
To date, the Generosity Ministry Team has received 89 pledges
for a total of $189,046. So very close to the amount pledged for
2014. We wish to thank all for their continued generosity. We
once again prove we are a “mighty little church” seeking to live
out our mission to our community be it local or global. If you have
not yet made your pledge for 2015, you may still do so by contact-
ing Debra in the church office, [email protected] or (203) 787-
5711.
The Generosity Ministry Team
Page 2
Christmas Eve Worship 2014
Advent Worship Events
Generosity Campaign Update
Redeemer’s service begins with special music from Larry and
others at 5:15. Lessons and Carols, Candlelighting, Completion
of our crèche, and a meditation on the Star as well as more
special music from our choirs and soloists and musicians will fill
our service with wonder!
At 10:00 p.m., join UCC folk from United, Center, Redeemer and
Shalom for a quieter service of Holy Communion at United Church
on the Green (the one on the right hand side as you face the
three churches). Marilyn and Shelly and possibly others from
Redeemer will participate. This is a new service this year as our
congregations begin to work more closely together!
December 2014
Invite a friend or family
member to Redeemer!
Sunday School in Advent
Expectant waiting is what Advent is all about and we have begun that process of waiting in Sunday School. On the first Sunday of Advent, November 30, we will look at Isaiah 64:1 – 9. This passage from ISAIAH is part of a communal lament. In it, the Hebrew people plead with God to intervene in human history to redeem those who walk in God’s way. This passage embodies the central themes on which Advent is based: the sense of a need for redemption, the feeling of unworthiness, the longing for God to act, and the conviction that God will act lovingly to save us.
Our Sunday School Schedule for December November 30: First Sunday of Advent - Hymn of the Month, O Come, O Come Emmanuel December 7: Holy Communion – Family Sunday December 14: Advent Pageant Rehearsal in Sunday School December 21: The Advent Pageant – The Sunday School provides our worship message December 28: Family Sunday – No Sunday School
Calling All Kids – Pageant Time!
On Sunday, December 21, the children of Redeemer will present our annual Advent Pageant. If you know a child or teen who would like to be in the pageant, come to the rehearsal on Sunday, December 14th during our regular Sunday School time when Shelly will prepare the actors for their roles. A full dress rehearsal will take place on Saturday, December 20 at 10 am.
ADULT FAITH FORMATION DECEMBER 14: ANIMATE FAITH – SESSION # 2: RELIGION
Spirituality is not enough | Lillian Daniel What does it mean to be spiritual? Is it the same as being religious? Lillian Daniel pushes back at this question that has been stirring up the cultural conversation for a while now. She asks us to consider how the seeds of faith take root and thrive. What role does organized religion play in helping—or hindering—growth? If religion is the problem, why has it held fast for thousands of years? In this age of religious pluralism, is it possible or even desirable to stick with our age-old traditions? WHY CHURCH? On Sunday, November 9th, I preached a sermon on Why Church. My one line answer was, “The counter-cultural church, at its best, invites us to live in alignment with God.” I asked folks in the congregation that day to write their answer to ‘Why Church’ and here is what Redeemer wrote: Prayer, Peace, music, a chance that this sinner’s soul might be saved A place of focus and realization that I am not alone. My language of peace and hope To please God To pause and connect with God and community To be challenged To share “It takes a village…” Positive vibes Music2 Praising God with song To remember to always walk in love Centering on faith Renewal For peace and music Tradition To find peace with God Renewal A way of centering and preparing for the week Faith support Gemenskap (Swedish) Karlek till livet (Swedish)
Support each other – community of faith Worship God with good friends and music For fellowship, peace and love It is a place where we practice being disciples Church centers me back on God Worship together Shared prayers Family Connections with Christians in other times and places Parental coercion Love of God’s people Coming together as family Worship & others Try to connect with infinite (God) To be fed spiritually To meet God Relationship with God as community To praise God Open up the sacred Faith in action Community God The beauty of holiness
Place of peace Strength in numbers Connect to the Divine A soul feeding place A place of belong(ing) Sacrament Because Christ is Risen! To be blessed and be a blessing to others Belonging to something outside of myself Spiritual healing Elevate us into close community with constant Christ-like consciousness The quiet moment in the week to hear God and each other Draw closer to God A long tradition of faith To receive the fellowship of the church To still a too busy mind Relief Church – it gets me through the week To find meaning in spiritual life Show God your love Be reconciled to God and receive the Spirit to live as God’s child
HAPPY NEW (Church)YEAR! The Church calendar begins with the first Sunday of Advent, which this year was November 30. And so, we start once again with Advent. I think at this start of the year, it would be a good time to look at the entire church year as a whole.
Advent starts on Reign of Christ Sunday – 4 Sundays before Christmas November 30, this year. Advent is a time of hope and expectation. We prepare for Jesus’ birth and our own renewal.
Christmas starts on December 25. At Christmas, we celebrate the joy of Jesus’ birth once again – of “God with us.”
Epiphany happens on the 12th day after Christmas, January 6. Through the Season after Epiphany we read of Jesus’ Baptism, his calling of the disciples, and his ministry of teaching and healing. It is a time of growth as the good news spreads.
Lent begins with Ash Wednesday, 40 days (not counting Sundays) before Easter (February 18th). The Season of Lent is a time of penitence and preparation – a time of decision and commitment. We are reminded that many turned away from Jesus and even the disciples fled when he was arrested. We are encouraged to face those times when we have let Jesus down and fled from issues demanding our presence and support—times when we may have allowed crucifixions to happen.
Easter is the first Sunday after the first full moon after the vernal equinox, this year April 5th. The Season of Easter is also known as “The Great Fifty Days” from Easter Day to Pentecost.
Pentecost is the high point of the Christian Year and occurs this year on May 24th. It is a season to celebrate the resurrection appearances and the birth of the Christian church. We see Jesus’ power being passed on to the disciples.
The Season after Pentecost is the longest season of the year. It extends from Pentecost Sunday ending on the first Sunday in Advent. In it, we look at what it means to be the church – Christ’s hands and feet – carrying on his work in the world.
AdventChristmas
Season
after
Epiphany
Lent
Easter
Season
after
Pentecost
Seasons of the Church Year
Our pageant this year is entitled “Preparing for Jesus.” Our
children and teens will lead us on a journey (literally) to see how
four groups of people prepared for the coming of Jesus: Mary and
Joseph, Elizabeth and Zechariah, the Magi, and the Shepherds
and their animals. Children will rehearse in Sunday School on
December 14 and also on Saturday morning, December 20, at 10
AM! The congregation is needed to be the crowd in our scenes,
so you are important, too! This is one you won’t want to miss;
invited friends and neighbors and their children to come, too!
Page 6
From the Missions Team
Advent Pageant 2014
we’ve been working with for the past several years which
provides assistance and support to children in Connecticut
who are neglected, abused, or at-risk. The money will buy
Thanksgiving and Christmas dinners and gifts for the chil-
dren.
The annual mitten and hat Christmas tree will be going up in
early December, ready for you to decorate with mittens,
gloves, and hats to be donated to Christian Community
Action. It will also have mittens for you to take—paper
mittens, that is, with the name, age, and requested gift for a
child through Covenant to Care. Gifts should be delivered to
the church by Sunday, December 14.
We will be giving a donation to Citizens to Drive Out Ebola, a
local committee which was formed to supply New Haven’s
sister city, Freetown, Sierra Leone, with vans stocked with
medical supplies to serve as ambulances. The vans were
requested by Sierra Leone’s ambassador in a recent visit to
New Haven.
On the horizon: we will be participating in Abraham’s Tent the last
week of February. The Church of the Redeemer will house a
dozen homeless men from Columbus House each night that
week. As in past years, we will need people to bring dinner and
breakfast, to visit with the men during the evening, and to stay
overnight.
As we move into
the holiday season,
the missions team
has many activities
including several
which can use your
participation:
The Alterna-
tive Gift Fair is
scheduled for
December 7 follow-
ing worship. This is
your chance to buy
handicrafts from
third world artisans
and gift cards from
organizations like the
Heifer Project.
The New Haven/Leon Sister City Project will once again be at
Redeemer with its selection of fair trade crafts, local and
statewide products and more. All of your purchases benefit
the work of the Project in Leon and in New Haven. The sale
will take place on December 14 after worship. Please plan
to do some of your Christmas shopping that day!
We are donating $700 for Thanksgiving and $700 for Christ-
mas to Covenant for Care for Children, an organization that
December 2014
Many opportunities to
give.
Advent Pageant, Dec. 21
It’s that exciting time when you get the opportunity to sign up to
help host coffee hour at Church of the Re-
deemer for the upcoming year! We know
you’ve been looking forward to this since last
November, so here are the details:
1. If you are able, please sign up for two
dates. You should be able to scroll
down the calendar and choose
practically any Sunday you want.
2. Most Sundays involve bringing food and
preparing/serving drinks, along with
clean up. If you are looking for some-
thing less involved, consider volunteer-
ing for summer duty when you simply
prepare drinks that are already provided
and clean up paper goods.
3. You will receive an email from Debra in
the church office a few weeks ahead of
your scheduled month just to give you a long range heads
up, and then an automated email from signupgenius.com 6
days prior to your scheduled date.
4. Instructions are always on the signupgenius.com website
and a hard copy is taped to the refrigerator in the kitchen.
Thank you so much in advance for helping out!
The Redeemer Hospitality Team
Send questions/complaints/joys/concerns/etc. to
To sign up, go to:
http://www.signupgenius.com/
go/10c0e4faba62aaafb6-hospitality
Christmas Cookie Potluck!
You are cordially invited to a Christmas cookie potluck following
worship on December 7. Plan to bring some of your favorite cook-
ies and we will sample the baking bounty!
RSVP because space is limited: [email protected]. Shelly is
planning to attend so if you would like to come with her, let her
know.
The United Way invites people from faith communities in Greater
New Haven to join them for an exciting event on Wednesday,
January 14 from 5:30-8:30 (you can get there as late as 6:00 but
no later) at the JCC, 360 Amity Road, Woodbridge, for the Poverty
Simulation. Over the course of an evening, step into the shoes of
a family living at or near the poverty level. This participatory
event will challenge your assumptions and give you a deeper
awareness of the struggles many of our neighbors face on a daily
basis. Dinner and a facilitated discussion will conclude the event.
Teens and adults are welcome to this event, and you need to
Page 7
Hello, Redeemer Hospitality!
December 2014
Sign up to host coffee hour in 2015!
January Event for your Calendar
Redeemer News
Our December meeting will be on December 9 and
will take place at the home of Margaret Bixler with a
potluck lunch and our annual Yankee swap. RSVP
to Shelly.
Beginning in January, we will continue our discus-
sion of Elizabeth Gilbert’s The Signature of All
Things. If you have read the book, or are reading it
now, and are available on the second and fourth
Tuesdays of the month at NOON (note return to
usual time as Shelly’s class is done), bring your
lunch and join us at church.
On Sunday, December 21, we will expand our usual healing
prayer service into what is sometimes called a “Blue Christmas”
service. This service lifts up those who find celebrating anything
difficult because of depression, addictions, grief, infertility or
other illnesses, family struggles, unemployment, or for any other
reason. If you or someone you know experiences these issues,
please come and invite them to come. 6:30 p.m. in the chancel
of the sanctuary.
Page 8
Assorted Notes
Noon Book Group
Christmas Healing Prayer Service
Oratorio Concert at Redeemer
The New Haven Oratorio Choir, formerly the Redeemer Oratorio
Choir, is performing a concert “Songs of Hope” on Friday, Decem-
ber 12, at 8:00 at Redeemer. This is a program of inspirational
music for choir some of which is accompanied by piano and the
beautiful pipe organ. Tickets are for sale at the door; $20 adult
and $15 senior. For questions, email [email protected]. We
hope to see you there!
Congratulations to Victor Bolden on his confirmation by the
U.S. Senate as a Federal Judge! Fortunately, Victor will re-
main in New Haven at the Federal Court here.
Congratulations to Tom Caruso who has been called to be
pastor at the Elias UCC in Pennsylvania! We hope to
celebrate Tom’s ordination at Redeemer in early 2015.
Healing Service, December 21, 2014
Hayli Kinney and Ophelia Hu invite Redeemer’s young adult crowd
(ages 21-35) to join them for Stop & Go: a time of weekly fellow-
ship and discussion. The group will meet at their home in New
Haven, just a short walk from Redeemer.
We’ll share food, drink, conversation, and friendship in a totally
relaxed setting. We know you’re busy, but that’s precisely why we
want to step back once a week and explore topics from spiritual-
ity to skepticism to social matters. Email Hayli at
[email protected] by December 7 if you’d like to attend or
for more information.
On December 21, we will receive the UCC All
Church Christmas Fund offering. This offering goes
to help support clergy who have retired without
adequate pensions (especially those who served
small membership churches for their whole career)
or who have large emergency expenses, and also
those retired clergy who need help affording health
insurance. Please give generously to help those
who have spent a lifetime in service to God and
the church.
Page 9
Advent Devotionals Available
New Group Forming!
Christmas Fund Offering
Christmas Fund Offering December 21, 2014
If you requested one of Quinn Caldwell’s Advent Devotionals, they
are waiting for you in the office: please pick them up soon so we
know how many extra we have. We have a few for anyone else.
They cost us $15, so if you’d like to donate that, we would happily
receive it, but if that is a problem, simply take one! Advent begins
Sunday, November 30.
December 2014
CHRISTMAS POINSETTIA PLANTS
This Christmas Season we will continue our tradition of decorating
our sanctuary with red poinsettias. Please help in adorning our altar with beauty and blessings of the season by ordering a plant in
honor/memory of a loved one. All orders must be received no later than Monday morning,
December 15, 2014.
Order forms with payment may be placed in the collection plate or left in the Church Office.
POINSETTIA ORDER FORM
From __________________________________________________
Phone _________________________
In memory of _____________________________________________
In honor of _______________________________________________
How many? _______________________
__________ I will pick up my flowers.
__________ Please have the Deacons give my flowers to a housebound
church member.
All plants are $12.00.
Remember to include your payment with this order form. Thank you for your generosity.
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New
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185 Cold Spring Street
New Haven, CT 06511
(203) 787-5711
uccredeemer.org
The Church of the Redeemer
small glimmers will grow into expansive
radiance.
In a world darkened in too many corners
by hunger and war, by greed and exclu-
sion, let us remember the many Marys
who, by their courage, keep claiming life
and pointing us toward the light. Let us
rejoice in the One who came among us at
Christmas, setting the world ablaze: the
Price of Peace, the hope of the poor, the
Light of the World. Ours is a promise
birthed in a stable, and a tobacco barn:
“The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not”—and
will not—“overcome it” (John 1:5).
Rev. Joyce Hollyday
Circle of Mercy
Asheville, North Carolina
Several years ago, I joined a dozen other North American
Christians who traveled to Nicaragua to establish a peaceful and
prayerful presence in the war zones of that embattled country.
Just before Christmas we visited a refugee camp near the
Honduran border and met Martita, who was five days old. Her
mother, Rosa, had given birth to her in a tobacco barn, under
gunfire.
I thought immediately of Mary, who brought Jesus into the world
in a drafty stable and laid him in a feeding trough used by cattle,
the only crib available. What stunning courage had been required
for this woman, young and unwed and scared, when confronted
with a miraculous mission by the Holy Spirit, to offer herself with
these words: “Here I am, the servant of the Lord; let it be with me
according to your word” (Luke 1:38).
Back in that Nicaraguan tobacco barn, Rosa reminded me that
the Spanish phrase for “to give birth” is dar a luz--”to give to
light.” In the midst of the darkest of situations, Rosa and the
other mothers of Nicaragua claimed the power of life and kept
offering their children to the light. They did so with fear, but also
with profound hope and fervent prayers that their children would
grow up in peace.
On December 21st, the earth will cross an invisible cosmic plane,
tilting those of us in this part of the world toward the sun. By
barely noticeable increments, the days will begin growing longer.
The 21st is both the darkest day of the year, and the moment
when the light begins seeping back in. Before long, the day’s
Birthing a Promise
Rev. Dr. Rochelle A. Stackhouse, Senior Minister
Rev. Marilyn Kendrix, Associate Minister for Faith
Formation
Cheryl Doss, Moderator of the Church
Henry Sykes, Treasurer
Charles McEnally, Clerk
Marguerite Brooks, Director of Music
Julia Blue Raspe, Chancel Choir Director
Paul Berry, Boys and Men’s Choir Director
Larry Bishop, Organist
Maeba Jonas, Youth Minister
Debra Tangarone, Office Administrator and Financial
Secretary
Geoffrey Johnson, Security
Lou and Valarie Fanelli, Sextons
The light shines in the darkness.