Dear Hope Friends & Family,
We are so delighted and excited to spend the Advent and Christmas Season with you together as a church family! Advent is a time for us to slow down amidst all of the holiday craziness to focus our worship on Immanuel, God with us!
To this end, we encourage you to join us this season in celebrating our coming and returning Savior in a variety of ways:
Advent Devotional – Pastor John Piper has written a wonderful Advent devotional called "The Dawning of Indestructible Joy," which we encourage you to consider using with a start date of December 1st.
Christmas Dedications – If you've been at Hope for awhile, you may recall that each year we've traditionally given everyone the opportunity to order poinsettias with Christmas dedications for loved ones. Unfortunately, both of our pastors discovered that they're allergic to these plants last year. So instead of offering poinsettias for order, we're asking anyone who is interested to make a Christmas Dedication donation to SECA (Spotsylvania Emergency Concerns Association) in honor or remembrance of your loved ones by CLICKING HERE. Choose "Christmas Dedications" from the drop down menu, fill in your donation amount and indicate who you would like to honor in the memo section. You can also stop by the church office to pay with a check in person.
Youth Christmas Party – Our Youth Christmas Party is on Sunday December 17th from 6-8pm in the church fellowship hall! Come for fun games, yummy snacks and our white elephant gift exchange (maximum value $5)!
Advent Sermon Series – "O Come, O Come Emmanuel." As Pastor John Piper writes, "This translation of an anonymous Latin hymn doubles as a prayer for the first and second coming of Christ. It takes us into the midst of old Israel, longing for the first coming of the Messiah. And it goes beyond that longing by voicing the yearning of the church for the Messiah, Jesus Christ, to consummate the history of redemption." Join us in these weeks leading up to Christmas as we put ourselves in the shoes of Jeremiah, Malachi, Zephaniah, and Micah to ponder these promises. We strain to see the dawn of salvation, but we know that the waiting will not be over until Christ returns again to make everything sad come untrue.
Ways to Serve & Share this Christmas Season - We are sponsoring more than 10 families from both our congregation and Battlefield Elementary School this Christmas. We've made great progress so far, but there is a need for gift items for children, gift cards, and food items for a Christmas meal. The deadline to turn in items is Sunday December 10th. Thank you for all who signed up- we have met our goal and are 100% full.
Mitten Tree – Help our Hope Presbyterian Women decorate their Charlie Brown Christmas Tree with gloves, hats, scarves and socks for men, women & children! These will be donated to local organizations that distribute to those in need in our community. Please add to the tree in the main church lobby by Sunday December 17th.
Ways to Worship this Christmas Season...
Children & Youth Christmas Pageant – Our children and youth will present this year's Christmas Pageant, "Come to the Manger," on Sunday, December 17th in the Fellowship Hall at 10:30am. Come however, wherever, whoever you are. With God, you're never a stranger. So, come... everyone. Come to the Manger!
Longest Night Service – We recognize that the holidays are a tough season for many of us who are grieving loss. We grieve the loss of loved ones, jobs, dreams dashed, hopes deferred, all with the knowledge that God is present in the midst of our suffering. Join us on Thursday December 21st, the longest night of the year, at 7pm in the church sanctuary as we gather to remember, grieve and worship with 2nd Advent Hope. Nursery care is available at this service
Christmas Eve Services – We also hope you’ll choose to worship with us on Christmas Eve. We will have two advent worship services on Sunday morning with 9am contemporary worship and 11:30am traditional worship. Since Christmas Eve falls on a Sunday this year, we'll have two Christmas Eve services that evening, each with candlelight meditation and communion. Our Worship Team will lead us in worship at 6pm and our Church Choir and Organ will lead us in worship at 9pm. Nursery care is available at the 6pm service.
New Years Eve Worship – Join us for worship at another single service on Sunday December 31st at 10am in the sanctuary. (Hope's regular worship schedule with Sunday School resumes on Sunday January 7th.)
Yes, Advent is a wonderful time to gather together as a church family to celebrate our Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace!
We're looking forward to everything the Lord has to teach us this season and hope to see you here at Hope!
Many Advent and Christmas blessings to you and yours!
Pastor Jon & Pastor Chrishon