l a c r e s c e n t a p r e s b y t e r i a n c h u r c h

volume 66, number 12 december 2017

2 pastor’s le tter session report 3 lee’s latest student ministries

4 children’s ministries deacons’ beacon

5 calendar

6 church mouse

7 cfc heartbeat

8 Worship schedule

i n s i d e

For families with children: Lambs, goats, rabbits, a donkey and other furry nativity animals will be in front of the church to greet you for the 5:00 PM service. Tell your friends!

Andy Wilson will offer a brief, family-friendly message at both the 10:00 AM and 5:00 PM services, “The Promise of Christmas…for All Who Love God.”

December 24, 10:00 AMA Classic Christmas with the LCPC Choirs

Your favorite carols, including Silent Night/Peace, Peace by candlelight, and special music by the Cathedral Choir make this one of the most beautiful worship experiences of the year.

December 24, 5:00 PMFamily Candlelight Service–with Nativity Animals!

Our Praise Band gives a new beat to old carols at this colorful celebration service. Candlelight and Christmas images enhance the prayers, and readings. Special music includes

a stirring new song and a children’s chorus. We end with “Silent Night” by candlelight. Bring your dinner guests with you to church to welcome the King of kings.

December 24, 10:00 PMFestival of Nine Lessons and Carols

Following a century-old tradition in the Church of England, this colorful, candlelit service will include readings, carols (old and new) and images that illuminate the beautiful

Christmas story. A variety of singers, professional musicians and readers, including our Cathedral Choir, will lead us.

Three Services to Choose From

Candlelight Christmas

The Choirs of LCPC present

ChristmasFavorites

Thursday EveningDecember 21 at 7:00 PM

This festive evening will featureour Cathedral Choir, Cathedral Bells,

a children’s musical, a carol sing-alongand the brilliant keyboard improvisations

of guest artist Bryan Pezzone.Join us after the concert in

Koopmans Hall for a dessert receptionhosted by the Fellowship Committee.

Join the Conversations! We meet once or twice a month on Sunday afternoons at the home of Nancy Coler to discuss the week’s sermon in a peaceful and relaxed atmosphere. Our group is small but mighty. Both services are represented

and new friendships are being formed. All are welcome!

This month we’ll meet on December 3, from 4:30 to 6:00 PM. For more information, please call Nancy Coler at (626) 755-1880.

COnVeRsATiOns in THe GARden

Dear friends,What are you hoping

for this Christmas? What’s your heart’s desire?

God’s incarnation kindles the desire that we carry deep in our hearts for a new kind of life and a new kind of world. There are three great

hopes that are fed by the Lord’s birth.Jesus is our hope for salvation. He feeds our

longing for a new start, and a second chance with God. We live in bodies that get old and creaky and eventually wear out. Death is the curse that comes with sin. It’s the reward we get – the harvest that we reap – for choosing to break God’s law and to reject his plan for our lives.

Jesus gives us reason to hope that death may be overcome. He’s the mediator between us and God. He serves as our representative before our heavenly Father. He reconciles us with God so that we can enjoy communion with him.

Jesus is our hope for a satisfying and purpose-

ful life. He kindles the hope that we may yet fulfill the vision for our lives that God has planted deep in our hearts.

We live in a world that never seems to deliver on its promises. Worse than that, most of us are painfully aware of our personal faults and failures. We understand that we fall short of God’s goodness. We know that instead of carrying resentment we ought to forgive, and instead of thinking always of ourselves, we ought to extend love and mercy to the people around us.

Christ gives us hope that we’re not always going be captive to our vices. The grace that’s in Christ, and that’s communicated to us through his Spirit, enables us to do what we could never do on our own. That grace, Paul writes, “…teaches us to say ‘No’ to ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives in this present age” (Titus 2:12).

It empowers us to cooperate with the Spirit so we might become people of virtue who fulfill God’s dream for our lives.

Jesus is more than an inspiring teacher. He’s our hope for a world cleansed of sin and death.

Even at his birth, Jesus encourages our belief that the world one day is going to work the way God meant for it to work.

It’s often hard to see how God is moving in our world. It’s hard to ignore the cynics who insist that the world is falling apart, and that our hope for a better day is naïve. But Jesus Christ is a light shining in the darkness. He helps us to see into and beyond the ordinary world we inhabit. He reveals a kingdom and a glory that invades even the darkest corner of our planet.

The prospects for Mary and Joseph were grim. They had no money, no medical insurance, no room at the inn, and no midwife to help them. Yet hidden in the manger, among the animals and the straw, is the Alpha and the Omega, the King of kings, the Creator of the universe. Through the power at work in him, a day is coming when life will win over death, love will win over hate, and joy will win over sadness.

If we learn anything at Christmas, it’s that appearances can be deceiving. God specializes in doing a lot with a little – in using what is poor and weak in the world’s eyes to do great things. In his time, and in his mysterious way, God is setting us right and setting the world right so that his Son, Jesus may one day take the throne. Until that day comes, we live in the twilight, and we wait for “that blessed hope – the glorious appearing of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ” (Titus 2:13).

Throughout this month, people all around us who don’t know God are going to be celebrating the birth of the Savior. Let’s do everything we can to encourage their hope for a new life and a better world.

Merry Christmas!In Christ’s love,

Andy Wilson

messenger articles and corrections should be emailed to shawndraws@gmail.com. please put the word “messenger” in the subject line. they can also be placed in the messenger

folder. materials submitted after the deadline may be omitted at the discretion of the editor.

M e s s e n G e R la crescenta presbyterian church

ART diReCTOR/ediTOR shawn Kelly

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publisHeR lois brown

MessenGeR deAdlinefRidAy, deCeMbeR 15

9:00 AM sHARp!

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p a s t o r ’ s l e t t e r

At the October 23 Stated Meeting of Session, the following items were ap-

proved and/or discussed:

• Dominican Republic trip: June 16 - 25, 2018, sponsored by the Mission and

Outreach Committee. Communion to be served.

• Mission Arizona: March 17 - 24, 2018.

• Men’s Mexico Mission trip: May 4 - 6, 2018.

• Meeting of the Congregation to Elect Elders and Deacons: January 7, 2018

(10:30-11:00 AM in the Chapel).

• Ordination and Installation of Officers: January 14, 2018.

• Church-Wide Mission Projects:

“Operation Christmas Compassion,” October 29 to December 24,

2017, Operation Christmas Child, Operation Disaster Relief, and Opera-

tion Mission Supplies.

“Operation Easter Compassion,” February 14 to April 1, 2018,

Vacation Bible School Supplies Drive (for Vacation Bible School events

conducted during both Mission Arizona and Project Dominicana trips

for the local children), and Vitamin/Over the Counter Drive (Domini-

can Republic).“Christmas Special Offerings,” Designated gifts will benefit the

four mission projects sponsored by LCPC (Mission Arizona, Domini-

can Republic, Men’s Mission Mexico, and the Rosarito Orphanage).

In Christ,

Sheri Gray

Clerk of Sessionn

sessiOn RepORT

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“And Jesus grew in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and men.” (Luke 2:52)

The Gospel of Luke tells us that Mary and Joseph raised Jesus to love God. Jesus’ parents followed the law, worshiped faithfully, and trained him to do the same. It’s no wonder the angel Gabriel calls Mary “blessed.” It’s hard for us to think that Jesus had to learn how to love God, but the Bible tells us that’s what happened.

How did Jesus grow spiritually? What did he do to learn to love God? If we look at the Gospels, we’ll find that one of the ways that Jesus grew was by studying, meditating, and obeying the Scrip-tures. Jesus is constantly quoting the Scriptures, especially the Book of Deuteronomy.

This January, we’ll begin a 5-week study of the Book of Deuteronomy. This book was at the heart of Jewish devotion, and was one of the most important sources for Jesus’ own ministry. We’ll study what it means to love God and how we can put that into practice in our daily lives.

lee’s latest

By Andy WilsonDuring this inexpensive weekend adventure

we’ll join with Christian friends from La Jolla, CA and Rosarito, MX to continue construction of the foundation of Casa de Los Angeles, an orphanage that will eventually accommodate 38 children. Taking advantage of the 3-day weekend (February 19 is President’s Day), we’ll work most of the day on Saturday and half days on Sunday and Monday. We’ll be home late in the afternoon on Monday.

The trip will include worship at a dynamic lo-cal church, fun and fellowship with friends old and new, awesome taco lunches and great dinners at two different restaurants. We’ll sleep at a comfort-able, secure mission compound.

You will need a passport so if you don’t have one this would be a good time to get that done.

Save the dates - anyone high school age or older is welcome! Watch for registration materials at LCPC and on the LCPC website.

December is a month to celebrate what God gave us – His one and only son! We will celebrate by reading the story of Jesus’ birth, by singing carols, playing our jingle bells, and working together on a special project. Since God has been so generous to us, we are going to have an opportunity to show generosity to others.

At the beginning of December, CFC classes will be making small ornaments and Christmas cards that will be delivered to local convalescent homes on December 10. If any children in 1st - 6th grade are inter-ested in coming with Ashley and the LCPC Children’s Ministry to deliver the ornaments and cards, please email Ashley at ashley@lcpc.net. We will be delivering them and caroling from 2:00 – 4:00 PM on Sunday, December 10.

Merry Christmas to each and every CFC family! I hope this season is one of great joy for all of you.

CFC FAITH UPDATE

ORPHANAGE OUTREACH - ROSARITO, MEXICO

FEBRUAR Y 16-19, 2018

We’ve got some cool events coming - come join us!

DisneylanD TripOn December 22, we’re going to go to Dis-

neyland to celebrate the Christmas season. We’ll be taking two vans, so we have a maximum of 18 spots. If you’d like to reserve a space, please email me at josh@lcpc.net. Tickets are $124, and we recommend bringing $40 spending money. Jr. High Schoolers and High Schoolers are both welcome. We leave at 9:00 AM and return at ap-proximately 1:00 AM on the 23rd.

youTh sunDayYouth Sunday is almost here. We would love

you to join us on January 21 as we lead both the 9:00 AM and 11:00 AM worship services. We need people to greet, speak, join the band, take the offering, read Scriptures and help a video. If you’re interested, please email or text me at (909) 362-2685

high school WinTer camp

High School Winter Camp sign ups are LIVE on the Abide website (abidestudentmin.com), and spots are quickly filling up. We will be returning to Thousand Pines February 16 - 19, and the cost is $235. If you need financial help getting there, please check out the scholarship section on the Abide website for more info. If you would like to help sponsor a student to go to camp, you can go to the Abide website or contact me at josh@lcpc.net. High School Winter Camp is for students grades 9-12.

Josh

A B I D ESTUDENT MINISTRIES

I broke my own rule this year and began watching Christmas movies on November 1. Usu-ally, I make myself wait until after Thanksgiving, but this year I just felt the need for a serving of yuletide joy a little early. Thanks to the wonder-ful people at the Hallmark Channel, there are “yuletidy” options pretty much 24/7 on television. And I have thoroughly enjoyed the movie about the Christmas baking contest in a small town, the movie about the Christmas ice sculpting contest in a small town, the movie about the Christmas tree decorating contest in a small town and several others.

But I really can’t wait for December to get here because nothing helps me experience the joy of Christ like seeing the children of LCPC serving those in need. And Children’s Ministries will be spending a lot of time this month sharing the love of the Savior, whose birth we are celebrat-ing, through acts of service for our community. Throughout the month of December, all children in preschool and up will be focusing on three projects to meet the needs of others and rediscover the greatest gift of all – Jesus.

They will make ornaments and cards for the people at local convalescent homes. They will pack lunches for Union Station Homeless Services. And they will create small prayer books for Luis and

Yasmine, the two children we support through Compassion International. Each year, the excite-ment that the kids bring to this simple service projects moves me and reminds me of the gener-ous God we worship – a God willing to share with us His own Son.

Also happening this month is our annual car-oling event and our Cookies and Cocoa Christmas Party. Children in 1st - 6th grade are invited to join us on Sunday, December 10, from 2:00 – 4:00 PM as we carol, deliver ornaments, and make Christ-mas crafts with the residents of local convalescent homes. We will begin by walking from church down to the La Crescenta Health Care Center (formerly Verdugo Vista) and then carpool down to Windsor in Glendale. Parents are encouraged to join us on our visits!

Children in kindergarten through 6th grade don’t want to miss our Cookies and Cocoa Christmas Party on Friday, December 15, from 6:00 – 8:00 PM in Koopmans Hall. We will enjoy our treats while playing Christmas games and watch-ing A Charlie Brown Christmas. RSVP to Ashley at ashley@lcpc.net.

Last but certainly not least, the Children’s Christmas Musical will take place during the LCPC Christmas Choir Concert on Thursday, December 21, at 7:00 PM. The musical itself will be presented

during the first act of the concert and will feature 1st - 8th graders sharing the nativity story from the perspective of two curious mice and a stable full of animals. Hope to see you there!

Merry Christmas, LCPC family! I am grateful to share this season with all of you.

In Christ,Ashley Pollock

Kids Say the Darndest Things

Ashley: (talking to a Kindergarten class about being thankful) “Raise your hand if you like to receive gifts.”

5-Year-Old: (not raising her hand) “Umm… what does ‘receive’ mean?”

Ashley: “It means ‘to get something’.”5-Year-Old: “Oh! Oh! Yes, definitely!”

C h i l d r e n ’ s M i n i s t r i e s by Ashley Pollock

ey

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Come shop the Alternative Gift Fair, Sunday, December 3, between and after services, in Koop-mans Hall.

This year, in addition to beautiful crafts from Heavenly Treasures, we will be featuring donation opportunities to benefit poverty stricken folks all over the world. There's likely to be mosquito nets, chickens, or goats that can be donated in someone's name to help out poor households. Gift cards will be provided by the charity to give to your loved one.

Think about whom you might share the love of Christ with this Christmas through craft purchases and donations. Hope to see you on December 3!

A l t e r n a t i v e G i f t F a i rA dear friend who I acquired later in life and

who has been instrumental in my journey of faith recently advised me to read Psalm 30. It was another of those strange “coincidences” arriving in my inbox following Lee’s sermon on Sunday on the importance of giving thanks to God for the gift of his Son and the blessings bestowed on us as a result of that gift. Ash-ley’s Sunday school lesson followed a similar theme.

My friend intended that Psalm as comfort for a particularly difficult situation in my life as it recog-nizes that hardships don’t last, but God’s care does. The last few verses are a song of thanks to God for “removing my sackcloth and clothing me with joy.”

As I write this we are coming into the Thanksgiv-ing season which should inspire us to be thankful anyway - but we all acknowledge that this is a holi-day which, sadly, is sandwiched between Halloween

and Christmas. Furthermore, who actually thinks of actually, you know, giving thanks at Thanksgiving, what with all the food and football and stuff. Anyway to me at least, it seemed the message of giving thanks was strangely all around. Especially the im-portance of giving thanks when rough times make it hard to even contemplate being grateful.

Make no mistake that my own situation not-withstanding, we are going through difficult times. That truth is inescapable and I don’t think that God intends for us to pretend or even just not acknowl-edge that there is a whole lot of ugly going on right now. That ugly can seem even uglier when contrasted with the beauty of the message of Christmas. Psalm 30 asks us to take a long-range perspective and “turn our wailing into dancing.” It is a message of hope and thanks to God for what is now and is to come.

As a relative newby to the Bible, I am always amazed at how the words just flow throughout Psalms. To anyone contemplating this Christmas with a hint of dread, either because of personal difficulty or the worldly evils that seem to numer-ous to enumerate, I urge you to read or reread this particular Psalm and find comfort there. I did.

Thanks to my dear friend, Georgia.Kathy Hill

C h i l d r e n ’ s M i n i s t r i e s

It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas! The carols have been playing on the radio since mid-November. We started the Advent season right after Thanksgiving, and now our beautiful Sanctu-ary is decorated thanks to Jenny Schwing and her team of Student Ministry elves!

The month is packed full of Christmas activi-ties! The Cruisers will be having their annual Christmas party on December 5 and this year the talented Collins family – Noel, Doug and Lexie – will be providing the musical entertainment, along with Doreen Cease on piano. It’s sure to be amazing!

CFC is hosting their Christmas craft night on Thursday, December 7, and this year, their chef Robert will be serving his award winning chili! Dinner will be $3 per person starting at 5:30 PM, followed by caroling, crafts and a photo op with Santa. The whole LCPC family is invited to this festive night.

Ashley is planning another fun night for families on Friday, December 15 – The Kids Christmas Cookies and Cocoa Party from 6:00 – 8:00 PM in Koopmans. In addition to the goodies, there will be Christmas games and they will watch “A Charlie Brown Christmas.” The party is free, but Ashley will be accepting donations to support our sponsored Compassion Interna-tional children.

You won’t want to miss the Christmas Choir Concert and Children’s Musical on Thursday, December 21, at 7:00 PM. Our Cathedral, Bell, and Children’s choirs will all be performing, as well as some special solo and duet singers. The LCPC children will also be treating you to a mini Christmas musical show. It’s the perfect event for the whole family and invite your friends too!

Josh will be taking a group of students to the Happiest Place on Earth on December 22. There is nothing more magical than Disneyland at Christmas time! If you want to join in the fun, contact Josh for details. Students will need to have their tickets purchased and printed before they depart.

Our Christmas Eve services will be a little different this year, since Christmas Eve falls

on a Sunday. We will have a traditional Christmas service at 10:00 AM featuring the Cathedral Choir. The contemporary service will still be at 5:00 PM with the LCPC Praise Band, and of course the live nativity will be out in front of the church. What would Christmas Eve be without Mary, Joseph, Jesus and Jesse the donkey? At 10:00 PM, we will have a Candlelight Lessons and Carols service, with the beautiful voices of our choir once again.

So how about that Chili Cook-Off and Barn Dance last month? Al Nunez chaired the event and Christine Marks’ decorations, kid’s games, and details outdid anything Hollywood has to offer. There are so many people to thank – it would take up this whole page but here’s a shout out to the Marks family, Al Nunez, the Fernandez family, the Carlson family, Doug and Diana Givens, Sharon and Dave DePaoli, Michelle Bouse, Jenny Schwing, Josh and the Youth Band, John Hyde the square dance caller, Mary and Jay Hoehn, all the wonderful chili cookers and our judges! Congratulations to Chuck Andrew, Rachel Wolflick, Robert the CFC Chef, Lee and Nikki Cook, Pat Gramme, and Wendy Palmer on their well-deserved chili trophies and awards. All the chili entries were delicious and unique and everyone had a great time eating, voting and dancing.

Thanks to everyone who packed Operation Christmas Child Boxes! We had another very successful year. Kids Hope Mentor Susie Zadravecz requested items and money in lieu of birthday gifts and was able to make and donate 75 shoeboxes! If the local dollar store was empty, you must have gone right after Susie and Jay! Many children around the world will be blessed by LCPC’s generosity.

Children’s Ministries hosted a special Even-song service last month. The kids did a fabu-

lous job leading worship and prayers and focused on the importance of being thankful. It was one of our biggest evening services this year with about 35 people in attendance.

The SPARKS put on a fantastic Talent Show for everyone on our last PEAK night of the year. Our adorable kids wowed the audience with singing, skits, gymnastics, cello, piano, and ukulele playing! They also raised $205 which will be used to buy shoes for the orphanage that Megan

Doeding works at in Guatemala. PEAK will be resuming on Wednesday January 17, 2018.

It was wonderful to have both services worship together on Dedication Sun-day last month. Thank you so much to our hard working Deacons for preparing and serving the delicious Thanksgiving brunch after the service. What a treat! If you haven’t turned in your Faith Estimate of Giving Pledge card yet, it’s not too late! Just drop it in the offering plate or take it to the church office.

We are excited to be add-ing a few new friends to the Sunday ushering team. Betty Cady, Peggy Bedevian and Jim Granier have graciously offered to usher, and we could still use a few more people! Contact Jenny Schwing if you are interested in helping!

Josh is still on Cloud 9 after his dream trip to London last month to see his favorite soccer team Chelsea FC play in their home stadium before it is torn down and rebuilt. If

you notice he is speaking with a bit of a British accent, he’s just reminiscing.

Congratulations to Bob and Jinny Praun on the marriage of their daughter Heather to Matt Burrows on November 11. Here’s to many happy years together!

Michael Van Citters did an awesome job on a courtyard makeover for his Eagle Scout Project. He renovated all the planters adding new soil and plants and they look great!

Wishing you all a safe holiday season, a very Merry Christmas, and I’ll see you in 2018!

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from theCHuRCHMOuse

CFC HeartbeatThe holiday season always seems like a marker

for me of how my family is changing. This is my last Christmas with Kelsey as a single woman and the last Christmas before Taylor and his wife Lauren make us grandparents! We have much celebrating ahead of us in 2018. As I watch our family wait in anticipation of both of these events, it gives me new appreciation for the season of Advent.

Advent starts on the fourth Sunday before Christmas Day. There are many Christian traditions during the Advent season. The one that stands out in my childhood memories is coming to church each week and watching a family light one of the candles and talking about Hope, Peace, Joy, and Love. I remember as a young mother the pleasure I felt when my family of three was asked to light the candles.

Each week the anticipation would grow as we sang more Christmas carols, told the Nativity story, and added to our manger scene - first the animals, then Mary and Joseph, and finally the baby in a manger followed by the Wise Men.

The four weeks of Advent refocused our atten-tion on the Christ Child when it is so easy to get

distracted by the other parts of the season. Advent also reminds us that Christ is coming again and while we wait for His coming, we are called to seek justice and love mercy for all of God’s creation. Here at the Center for Children we will be sharing the Good News of the birth of Christ with your children.

If you have a tradition that is unique to your family during this time, please share that with your child’s teacher. We would love to expand our Christ-mas experience. The entire staff at La Crescenta Presbyterian Church invites you to join us at any of the many events and worship times we offer during this Advent and Christmas season.

“Faith makes all things possible,Hope makes all things work,Love makes all things beautiful,Peace makes all things calm,May you have all the four for this Christmas.”

We wish you a MERRY CHRISTMAS as we celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ.

Pat

Director’s Corner

Calendar of December Events

The CFC will be closed December 25 and 26 for Christmas and on January 1 for New Year’s. Our winter day camp will run from December 22 – January 5 with the exception of the days listed above. We will have schedule for our Day Camp out soon.

Christmas Vacation and Holiday Camp

December 7 – CFC Craft NightDecember 21 – LCPC Christmas Choir

Concert and Children’s MusicalDecember 24 – Christmas Eve Services at

10:00 AM (Traditional, choir), 5:00 PM (Contem-porary, band), 10:00 PM (Lessons and Carols with Choir)

Scholarship Fund

On Thursday, December 7, we will begin with a dinner at 5:30 PM ($3 per person). At 6:15 PM we will go to the Sanctuary for a little Christmas sing-along, then move into the classrooms at 6:30 PM. Six of our rooms will be transformed into Santa’s Workshops, each with a different craft project. The projects range from easy to more difficult so children of all ages will enjoy the evening. We will be making wooden ornaments, flower pot snow-men, wreaths, and other great crafts for decorating your home.

Don’t forget to stop by the Fireside Room to meet Santa. Bring your own camera and get a great photo, perfect for Christmas Cards! Christmas is a time to be with family and you are our family. We hope to see you there. All crafts and the photo with Santa are free. Invite your friends to join you.

Christmas Craft Night

Our very own Chef Robert won the inaugural LCPC chili cook-off. He took first place in the people’s choice and second place by the judges. Take a look at that trophy. Chef Robert will be bringing his award winning chili to our Christmas

Craft Night, December 7! So be sure to come and taste this chili, cornbread and salad from an award winning chef! It’s just $3 per person, $10 per family. Then stay to enjoy the crafts.

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Our scholarship program is for families already enrolled in the Center for Children that find themselves in temporary financial constraints. We have helped families in the past through job loss, illnesses, home fires, injuries and divorce. Our goal is to allow children to remain in a consistent environment while the family is facing hardships. If you would like to make an end of the year tax deductible gift to our scholarship program, make checks out to CFC – Scholarship. Thank you in advance for thinking of CFC families at this time of the year.

Chili Cookoff Winner!

church staff

Andy Wilson Pastor andy@lcpc.net

Lee Cook Director of Spiritual Formation lee@lcpc.net

Josh Horton Director of Student Ministries josh@lcpc.net

Ashley Pollock Director of Children’s Ministries ashley@lcpc.net

Gary Woodward Choir Director Lindsay Aldana Organist

Dan Blessinger Producer of Contemporary Music Nancy Thomas Office Manager nancy@lcpc.net Pat Murphy Chambers Director, Center For Children pat@lcpc.net

Helen Tuma Assistant Director Teri Reid Office Administrator

lA CResCenTA pResbyTeRiAn CHuRCH2902 montrose avenuela crescenta, ca 91214–3896WWW.lcpc.net(818) 249–6137 Return Service Requested

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WORsHip sCHedule fOR deCeMbeRneW sonG Worship (contemporary), sundays at 9:00 am

service of praise (classic), sundays at 11:00 am

nOn-pROfiT ORG.u.s. pOsTAGe

pAidGlendAle, CA

peRMiT nO. 1701

Many people that don’t have a church home will gladly come to church at Christmas. Don’t just invite your friends – bring them!

The season is brimming with THE PROMISE OF CHRISTMAS! At each worship service in December we’ll explore how that promise brings hope, joy and peace in a crucial area of life. We’ll see how Jesus’ birth fulfills God’s vision and plan for his people in the ancient scriptures (12/3). We’ll learn how Christmas can transform our family life (12/10) and our personal life when we feel spiritually and emotionally depleted (12/17). We’ll remember God’s amazing promise for all who love him (12/24). And on New Year’s Eve, we’ll think about God’s abiding promise for our crazy,

mixed-up world (12/31). Don’t even think of missing this year’s Christmas Concert and

Children’s Musical (12/21). As you’ll learn below, the night will include an eclectic mix of music and drama that will fill you with the yuletide spirit!

Our three family-friendly Christmas services (12/24) will help those without a church home to find their way home to Jesus. Whether they come for the lambs, candles and carols, or the readings, prayers and message, Christ’s joy and peace will abound.

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deCeMbeR 3seCOnd sundAy Of AdVenT

THe lORd’s suppeR“The Promise of Christmas…in the Bible”

deCeMbeR 10THiRd sundAy Of AdVenT

Message by Andy Wilson:“The Promise of Christmas…for Families”

deCeMbeR 17fOuRTH sundAy Of AdVenT

inViTATiOn TO ReneW bApTisM VOWsMessage by Lee Cook

“The Promise of Christmas…When We Feel Empty”

THuRsdAydeCeMbeR 21, 7:30 pM

“CHRisTMAs fAVORiTes”(lCpC CHRisTMAs COnCeRT)

This candlelit, Spirit-filled celebration will be a night to remember. In addition to joyous music of the season performed by the Cathedral

Choir and Cathedral Bells, we’ll enjoy a short children’s musical, a carol sing-along and the brilliant keyboard improvisations of guest

artist Bryan Pezzone. No charge for the concert or for the scrumptious dessert reception that follows in Koopmans Hall. Bring your friends!

deCeMbeR 31neW yeAR CelebRATiOn

Message by Lee Cook“The Promise of Christmas…for Our Aching World”

see fROnT pAGe fOR CHRisTMAs eVe seRViCes