Dearest Faith Community Near and Far-
I am so sorry this is being sent on Saturday night. I haven’t gotten back into the rhythm yet of preparing the weekend update on Thursday. A thousand apologies and I hope everyone has had a good weekend. Happy Friday! I hope everyone had a good week. Looking forward to seeing you this weekend. Tomorrow, December 10, we will continue our Sacred Space Meditation service in the garden by the fountain at 8:30am, followed by a time of fellowship/continental breakfast at 9:30am, and worship will begin at 10:00am. During our worship service we will also enjoy the Cantata which will begin around 10:30. Sunday school will follow after worship. We hope you will join for our Advent series “How does a weary world rejoice?” I’m praying this series will speak to us in many different ways. Our series will explore the beginning of the Gospel of Luke, as well Psalms and Isaiah.
The creators of this theme and series share these words: “Joy is often a companion to many other emotions. We can feel joy in addition to feeling many other things at once: grief, anticipation, anxiety, excitement, disappointment, exhaustion. Perhaps many of us live with the myth that joy is not something we deserve—or that it is wholly out of reach. But our joy is rooted in the truth that we belong to God. Can you tether yourself to that deep truth? You deserve to feel joy—fully. The world needs your joy, even if you are weary. Our joy is better when it is shared… And so, this Advent, we will hold space for our weariness and our joy. We will seek a “thrill of hope” in our hurting world. We will welcome joy—even and especially if, like the prophet Isaiah, we cry out for comfort (Isaiah 40:1). In this weary world, may we find many ways to rejoice.” We hope you will join us for this journey.
Every morning at 9am, there will be a devotional on Facebook for you to join. Please feel free to leave thoughts on comments on those posts. In addition, we will be handing out the devotionals in worship this week. If you would like an electronic version, please click HERE, and I’ll send you the link.
Dates to Remember
- New Sunday morning schedule: 8:30- Sacred Space, 9:30- Fellowship, 10:00- Worship
- Cantata with First Presbyterian Church on December 10
Making Headway
We’re making some headway on some more projects around the church.
- Shower permit is still in the final stages. But the final request has been received. Hopefully the project will begin very soon.
- In addition, we are working on getting the cross hung up in the sanctuary. I wish this was an easy project, but it isn’t. Please have patience with us because we do not want it to fall. It is too beautiful for something to happen to it. Praying it is done by the end of the year.
I am looking forward to seeing you all. Again, Fridays and Saturdays are the two days I am taking off every week.
Happy December! And see you soon.
Much love,
Pastor Devon
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| NEW Sunday Morning Schedule Worship with Wintergarden Sunday, December 10, 2023 ++++ Sacred Space Meditation Service @ 8:30 am In the sensory garden by the fountain and on Facebook Live ++++ Fellowship (light continental breakfast) @ 9:30 am Worship following about 10:00 am In the Sanctuary and on Facebook Live +++++How to access the bulletin: Bulletin HERE How to Access Services Online: Join us on Facebook for Worship Services https://www.facebook.com/wintergardenpres Remember, you don’t need a Facebook Account to join us for worship. You can also click HEREfor the Facebook link. |
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| Sunday, December 10, 2023 Fellowship @ 9:30 am Relaxed Traditional Worship @ 10:00 amHow Does a Weary World Rejoice? We Find Joy In Connection Luke 1:1-23 |
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| Every Monday Lectio Divina Food Truck Delivery Wednesday Every Thursday Food Pantry 12-4pm (Pantry CLOSED 12/28 and 1/4) Dec. 19: Homeless Coalition meal Dec. 21: CNS Care N Share (Every 4th Thurs.)Dec. 21: Longest Night of the Year Service 5:30pm Dec. 24: Christmas Eve Service (Indoors) at 4pm Dec. 29: Family Fun Afternoon (ice skating early afternoon, followed by dinner and movie) |
| UPDATES AND MARK YOUR CALENDARS |
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| ONGOING SERVICE OPPORTUNITIES AND EVENTS |
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| Interested in joining our Garden? Garden of Eatin’ – Food Forest For more information click HERE. |
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| At Wintergarden Presbyterian Church we’re eager to pray with you! Please let us know how we can pray by submitting a Prayer Request online (link below). The prayer requests are emailed to Pastor Devon once submitted. |
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| Lectio Divina for Monday, December 11, 2023All are welcome to join us as we continue to engage in the spiritual practice of Lectio Divina together as a community. This Week’s Scripture: Luke 1:57-66; Psalm 126 We will gather via Zoom for an intentional time of listening, reflecting, responding, and resting in the Word of God. We will meet on Mondays from 8-9am. Here are some details about Lectio Divina. Lectio Divina, literally meaning “divine reading,” is an ancient practice of praying the Scriptures. During Lectio Divina, the person listens to the text of the Bible with the “ear of the heart,” as if he or she is in conversation with God, and God is suggesting the topics for discussion. There are four movements for Lectio Divina: 1. Lectio: (Listening to the Word of God or Reading God’s Word) 2. Meditation: (Reflecting on the Word of God) 3. Oratio: (Responding to the Word of God) 4. Contemplatio: (Resting in the Word of God) Here is the Zoom Link: Join Zoom Meeting: Click HERE https://us02web.zoom.us/j/87832080869?pwd=TUxCRThUcEdRbTNTWmJ6emZRamUyZz09 Meeting ID: 878 3208 0869 Passcode: 396015 +16465588656,,87832080869#,,,,*396015# US (New York) |
