Westminster’s Christmas Eve Candlelight Services will be held at 5:00 pm (nursery provided) and 11:00 p.m. Sunday morning worship on December 27 will be held at 11:00 a.m. (one worship service). We hope that you will join us!

Hard to believe that Christmas is just one week away!  It has been such a peaceful and meaningful Advent season. I think it all started when I got the wonderful experience of taking the Companions Class this fall. We studied the book “Having a Mary Heart in a Martha World”. One of the many things that I learned from this study was the importance of being still and “listening” to what the Lord has to say. I’ll be the first to admit that I am a “Martha”. I am a “doer” and thus sometimes miss out on the most important things in life on account of my busyness. The author reassures me that being a “Martha” is not a bad thing, but stressed the importance of saving time to be at our Master’s feet. So this Advent season, I’ve tried really hard to being still – to appreciate God’s beauty all around me and it sure has enriched my Advent season. When I choose gratitude instead of stress, when I surround myself with Westminster people, when I listen to the thought provoking sermons, when I embrace the powerful music that is lifted up during worship ,when I play the CD that has been made of our Advent Carol night (see below – it is AWESOME!), when I spend time with the little ones at the Advent Craft night last night (oh so cute), and when I visit with people who come into the office during the week – I am so reminded of the true meaning of this season. My prayer is that you also take time to step back from our crazy world to “listen”. We all get forward emails but someone sent this beautiful link to a video – if you have 45 seconds to spare, check out www.theinterviewwithgod.com.  It automatically made me want to listen to Him. So cool. OK – thank you for listening… Couple of reminders:

During the Sunday School hour (10:00 a.m.) we will celebrate Christmas by having breakfast together in the Fellowship Hall. What a wonderful Westminster tradition.

Our Christmas Eve services will be held at 5 p.m. and 11 p.m. A nursery is provided at the first service.

For those who attended (and for those who missed) the wonderful Advent and Christmas Carol Concert on December 1st, we have the opportunity to purchase a CD of the concert.  It would make a great gift for family and friends, or help you stay in the Christmas spirit.  The cost will be only $10 and proceeds will go to Living Waters for the World.  Please let Terrance McCracken know if you are interested. I’ve been listening to it all day – VERY beautiful! I think they have already sold more than 35 copies!

Hugs,

Renee Wiesehuegel

Wednesday, December 16th @ 5:45pm: Mark your calendars for a night of fun, great food and time to just enjoy each other and get into the Christmas spirit. Dinner will begin at 5:45; chicken tenders and potato casserole will be provided. Bring a side dish or dessert to share.  Everyone is welcome! You don’t have to be “crafty” to enjoy making a gift for a friend, neighbor, or for your own tree decorations because Angela has done all the preparations for the craft projects. Invite your friends or relatives to come, it is a really nice tradition that folks look forward to each year.

Caroling:

Sunday, December 13: Meet at Westminster at 4:00 p.m. in the Fellowship Hall. We will divide up into groups and then go caroling.

Christmas Breakfast

Sunday, December 20, is our annual Christmas breakfast that is held during the Sunday School hour (10:00 a.m.). The meal is provided by volunteers from each Ministry Team. Come and enjoy this great Christmas tradition at Westminster. The breakfast will be held in the Fellowship Hall.

Annual Craft Night and Pot Luck Dinner

Wednesday, December 16: Mark your calendars for a night of fun, great food and time to just enjoy each other and get into the Christmas spirit. Dinner will begin at 5:45. Chicken tenders and potato casserole will be provided, just bring a side dish or dessert to share.  You do not have to have children to come, and you don’t have to be “crafty” to enjoy making a gift for a friend, neighbor, or for your own tree.  Invite your friends or relatives to come. It is a really nice tradition that folks look forward to each year.

Christmas Eve Candle Light Services

Services will be held at 5:00 p.m. (nursery provided) and 11:00 p.m. (no nursery).

The greatest gift is love, and that gift was given and received abundantly December 6 through the performances and hard work of all involved in the Children’s Christmas presentation of The Other Wiseman. How often do we fall short or give up when presented with challenges of schedule, money, or ability in our daily lives or especially upon our faith journeys? Artaban’s story inspires us to do what is right and to persevere when roadblocks appear. These children of all ages, their parents, and other adults inspired by the challenge of working together in a ministry of creative worship and development of their God-given talents once again shared an inspiring Advent evening at Westminster! Thank you to all who acted, directed, sewed, coordinated, built, lit, recorded, fed, printed, applied make-up, drove, waited, and attended the performance.  It was a perfect Advent evening.          Lisa Trofatter and Barbara Adamcik

Westminster Players presents “The Other Wiseman” on December 6th at 6:00 p.m. A nursery will be provided.  The production is based on “The Story of the Other Wiseman” by Henry Van Dyke. The Brass choir will be playing some Christmas songs in the Schilling Gallery beginning at 5:40 pm.

Have you ever had one of those weeks that something lays on your heart and you “hear” it all throughout your week? Well, this week the whole idea of “opportunities” keeps grabbing my attention.  It started last Friday while out Christmas shopping. I overheard this lady on the radio tell a simplistic story of a missed opportunity that she had while out shopping with her daughter to get her new tennis shoes. She said that instead of grasping the good news that she in fact got to be the mother to this happy and healthy daughter who desired to play athletics in school, all she worried about was the price of the shoes and the stress of the shopping and the traffic. We all have the “right” to ponder on such things but we also have the choice to grab the opportunity in a positive way. After the fact, she realized her missed opportunity and told her daughter how much she treasures the gift getting to be her mom. Wouldn’t it be cool if we addressed this busy month with a heart full of gratitude? Then when I began this week’s study for the Companions class, the author talked about Mary’s wonderful  gift to Jesus when He showed up at her door looking so tired and troubled. Mary took the opportunity to welcome Him in her home and dropped to His feet to listen to him. She took her only gift that she had to offer which was a bottle of perfume that in today’s prices would be around $30,000 and poured it on His feet.  She gave all that she had to give. When reading Barclay’s commentary on this scripture, he wrote this about opportunities… it is a powerful lesson to be learned… “There is one great truth about life. There are some things which we can do almost anytime; and there are some things which we will never do, unless we grasp the chance to do them when it comes. So often we put it off; we will do it tomorrow; and then the impulse is gone, and the thing is never done. Life is an uncertain thing. Let us remember to do things now, for the chance so often never comes again, and the failure to do them, especially the failure to express love, brings the bitterest remorse of all.” Isn’t this cool?

I am glad that I took the opportunity to come to last night’s Advent and Christmas Carol Concert at Westminster. What a gift these choir members gave us in sharing the gift that the Lord has graciously placed in them!  You could tell that they genuinely  gave from their hearts and enjoyed singing together. The harmony brought me great joy.  What a gift! Thank you, thank you! Margaret Harrison and Karen Yarbro were great accompanists.  And get this, they raised $948 for Living Waters for the World!

So I challenge you this holiday season to grab at the many opportunities that we have here at church, with your family, and within the community. Whether it is worshipping with one another, attending the Children’s Christmas play on the 6th, getting involved with the Lakeshore Christmas party on the 10th, supporting the Heifer International Project, caroling with members on the 13th, making crafts together on the 16th, bell ringing with the Salvation Army, serving at Volunteer Ministry Center, creating wonderful family members, and helping out the needy  — we all should grab the opportunities when they come our way!

Hugs,

Renee Wiesehuegel