November 15, 2024

Dear friends,

If you missed this past Sunday’s organ dedication and music celebration, shame on you! You missed a great event, coordinated by our talented music director, Mary Ann Fisher.

A number of other events are filling the church calendar for the remainder of the calendar year, including a Christmas pageant, our Blue Christmas worship where we invite you to honor and celebrate those loved ones who may not be physically present this holiday season due to death or distance, and our regular service on Christmas Eve. There’s something for everyone this holiday season. The calendar listing is at the bottom of this email.

This Sunday, our sermon will focus on prayer, using Hannah’s prayer in the Old Testament as our guide.

Hannah’s prayer in 1 Samuel chapters 1-2 is a powerful story about faith and hope. At first, Hannah is very sad because she can’t have any children. This makes her really unhappy, showing how hard life can be sometimes. In the temple, she prays with all her heart, showing God her true feelings and how much she trusts Him. She promises that if God gives her a son, she will dedicate him to God. This shows how selfless and trusting she is. When God answers her prayer, Hannah is full of thanks and joy. Her prayer turns into one of celebration, where she talks about how God has helped her. She talks about how God can change people’s lives and help those who are lowly. Hannah’s story starts Samuel’s journey and shows how God is always faithful and can change things for the better.

After coffee hour this Sunday, we will resume our Bible Study of Luke, chapter 2.

See you Sunday!

Pastor Dan

Upcoming calendar of events

4:30 p.m. Saturday, Nov 30: Hanging of the Greens

Sunday, Dec. 1: First Sunday in Advent; Luke class

7 p.m. Wednesday, Dec. 4: Blue Christmas Service

Thursday, Dec. 5: GEMS luncheon featuring the Troy High School choir

6:30 p.m. Friday, Dec. 6: Trivia

Sunday, Dec. 8: Second Sunday in Advent, Pastor Bob preaches

6 p.m., Friday, Dec. 13: Christmas Pageant + pizza dinner

Sunday, Dec. 15: Third Sunday in Advent, Luke class

Sunday, Dec. 22: Fourth Sunday in Advent, Luke class

5 p.m. Tuesday, Dec. 24: Christmas Eve, with communion

Sunday, Dec. 29: regular worship service (no Luke class)

Sunday, Jan. 5: regular worship service, Luke class