Voice of the Foothills   •    December 2009
 

Dates to Calendar:

December 6     -     Women’s Ministries Annual Christmas Gathering 4:00 p.m. Mary Manocchia’s home

December 13   -     Christmas Special Program, 7:00 pm – Fellowship Hall

December 20   -     Christmas Sunday

December 24   -     Christmas Eve Service, 7:00 pm

March 19-20   -     Chapman University Founder’s Day Celebration

Pastor’s Corner

Each of us has favorite memories of Christmas.  And, I am no exception.  Growing up in the small town of Tecumseh, Michigan, I remember, that the first snowfall seemed to say:  “Christmas is just around the corner!”

The stark colors of winter were exchanged for a pristine white.  Looking out my window I could see “a new world,” with a delightful, fresh coating.  Christmas without snow?  It was unthinkable!

And then came the Christmas decorations.  In early December, the street crews would begin methodically working their way through the town, adorning the street lamps with Christmas cheer:  Some festive ribbon around the lamp poles, and red and white Christmas bells suspended from the top of the poles.  Never mind that the bells were plastic! They did the trick.

Add to that the many Christmas displays in the store fronts, along with the houses bedecked with colorful lights and there was no doubt about it:  Christmas was on the way!

But there is something else I remember which meant Christmas was near.  It’s something we called:  “the Christmas spirit”.  It was more than just enjoying the outer trappings of the season.  It was something you felt inside.

To have Christmas, without the Christmas spirit?  That was also unthinkable!  It was a feeling that grew more intense as the day approached.  Part of it was the joy of buying presents for my parents, my brother, and my sisters…and thinking about how they might enjoy them.

But, even more, the Christmas spirit was about the Baby Jesus:  The joy of remembering that God came to us as a newborn infant.  The angel said: “This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger."  I pray that each of us will find him afresh in this blessed Christmas season.

Merry Christmas!

Pastor Jim   

Christmas Worship Music

The Worship Department would like to make sure that everyone gets to sing their favorite Christmas worship music and so Nellie has given us a listing for the songs which will be sung in Worship. We will also sing some songs at the Christmas Program and Christmas Eve (and may repeat some of those below). If you would like to sing something that is not on our worship list, please let Nellie or Maria know and perhaps you will get your wish this season.

Carols For Our Worship Services 2009

DECEMBER 6

Praise songs:                         O Come, All Ye Faithful #148

                                    Angels, from the Realms of Glory # 149

Call to Prayer:                     When God is a Child # 132 vs. 2

Response:                  I Love to Tell the Story # 480 vs. 1

Communion:                    O Little Town of Bethlehem # 144

Closing:                     It Came upon the Midnight Clear # 153

DECEMBER 13

Praise songs:                         Hark! the Herald Angels Sing # 150

                                    How Great our Joy! # 170

Call to Prayer:                     When God is a Child # 132 vs. 3

Response:                  Away in a Manger # 147

Communion:                         What Child is This # 162

Closing:                     Joy to the World # 143

DECEMBER 20

Praise songs:                         Angels We Have Heard on High # 155

                                    Good Christian Friends, Rejoice # 164

Call to Prayer:                     When God is a Child # 132 vs. 4

Response:                  We Three Kings # 172 vs. 1 & 5

Communion:                         Silent Night, Holy Night # 145

Closing:                     Go, Tell it on the Mountain # 167

Let us all enjoy these carols!

Nellie Cleto, Music Director

Transformation Update

Our Unbinding the Gospel Study has given us a lot to consider in the days ahead.  Some of you were unable to be there for all of the meetings, but don’t let that stop you from completing the book!  It is a very useful starting point as we seek to broaden our vision.

Each of us who participated grew in some way.  One of the most unforgettable parts of the study is Martha Grace Reese’s call for us to look at the people around us in a new way.  If you haven’t done so, try this exercise:  Spend an entire day looking at each person whom God brings your way as either someone whom God would like to reach through you, or as someone whom God would like to use to teach you something.

As we practice this, we begin to interact with people in a more meaningful way.  The nice thing is:  it’s true!  Each person with whom we come in contact is, in some way, a divine appointment.

Remember that pitcher of good things which we saw in Chapter Two?  We each have one, and it is filled with the unique blessings which God has given to us through Christ.  Our next challenge, in Transformation, is to explore ways in which God would like each one of us to “tip that pitcher” and bring others to know the rich blessing of our Savior.

Thank you for being a part of this adventure of faith!

Your Transformation Committee

Web Site

You can visit the latest version of the Voice at: http://foothilldisciples.org.   You can also link up through the Disciples of Christ main website at: www.disciples.org.  Take some time each month to visit our home site to keep yourselves up to date on the happenings, as well as visiting the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) main site.  If you would be interested in help in Pastor Jim with this web site, please let him know.

Outreach Department

Janet Hatzer is still collecting items to put in the Children of the Night Christmas boxes.  If you would like to help, please see her.  She will be posting a list on the Bulletin Board.

Louis, who works over at the U.S. Storage facility across the street, is a drop-off location for the Toys-R-Us annual toy drive.  If you are interested in donating a new unwrapped toy, we have a container for you to donate during this holiday season.  This receptacle has been placed in the narthex. 

Christian Women’s Ministries

Our next meeting will be on December 6, Sunday, at 4:00 p.m.  Mary Manocchia has offered to host the Annual Christmas Womens’ Ministries gathering.  We will be revealing secret prayer pals, as well as choosing new ones for the upcoming year.  This meeting is also when the money which has been gathered through the year is designated to various causes – I believe the women  will try to leave only $100 in our accunt at the end of the year.  In addition, we will have a $1 gift exchange, and many goodies.  Please mark your calendars and be there.

Sunday Morning Bible Exploration - “Christ, the Fulfillment”

As this course begins on the second Sunday of Advent, we will be exploring the prophecies made about the Messiah.  Moving through the quarter, our lessons will draw connections between those prophecies and the fulfillment of them that we Christians find in the child born to Mary.

The four lessons in Unit 1, “The Promised Birth Fulfilled,” examine the ancestors of Jesus and Isaiah’s prophecies of Immanuel’s birth, climaxing in the good news that Jesus is born.  The lesson for December 6, “The Lineage of David” looks at Ruth 4:13-17 and Matthew 1:1-17 to investigate Jesus’ genealogy.  Isaiah 7:13-17 and Luke 1:26-38 are the basis for “Prophets Foreshadow Messiah’s Birth,” the lesson for December 13.  “Emmanuel is Born,” which we will study on December 20, examines the uniqueness of Jesus’ birth as seen from the perspective of Joseph and his encounter with an angel in Matthew 1:18-25.  This unit concludes on December 27 with “Magi Confirm Messiah’s Birth,” rooted in Matthew 2. 

Our study of the bible group meets each Sunday in the Fireside Room of the Fellowship Hall.  All are invited to attend and share your opinions, your questions, your doubts and your experiences as we explore the scriptures.  In our sessions, the assigned scriptures are read, interpreted and searched for ways in which their wisdom can be applied to our daily lives.  Writings and opinions from several different authors are used to aid each of us in gaining new insight into the scriptures.  One familiar comment is “I never looked at it that way before.”  Please, come join us at 9:30 on Sunday mornings.  

December Birthdays

20        -           Misty Olson

30        -           Rose Foster

31        -           Jim Wilbar

December Anniversaries

30        -           Brian & Judy Masser

December Schedule

1^st Sunday –  December 6

Worship Leader:                                         Mary Manocchia

Diaconate:                                                     Janet Hatzer / Not assigned

Children’s Moment:                                    Mary Manocchia

Elder:                                                             Fred Macdonald

2^nd Sunday – December 13

Worship Leader:                                         Mary Sue Alvey

Diaconate:                                                     Terry Pardee / Not assigned

Children’s Moment:                                    Pastor Jim

Elder:                                                             Mary Sue Alvey

^3rd Sunday –  December 20

Worship Leader:                                         Betty Nash

Diaconate:                                                     Janet Hater / Not assigned

Children’s Moment:                                    Cathleen Dunn

Elder:                                                             Ray Terry

4^th Sunday –  December 27

Worship Leader:                                         Mary Sue Alvey

Diaconate:                                                     Terry Pardee / Not assigned

Children’s Moment:                                    Cathleen Dunn

Elder:                                                             Beverly Vasquez

1^st Sunday –  January 3

Worship Leader:                                         Mary Manocchia

Diaconate:                                                     Janet Hatzer / Not assigned

Children’s Moment:                                    Mary Manocchia

Elder:                                                             Fred Macdonald

Published by Foothill Christian Church (Disciples of Christ)
Telephone: 818.249.8333
Web Site: http://foothilldisciples.org
Pastor: Jim Wilbar
Editor: Beverly Vasquez
Deadlines for Submission: 4^th Sunday of Month
ISSUE #43–  2009