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1, Peggy Hope You Will Join Me for Another Night Dec First Things A Newsletter of the First Reformed Church, Schenectady, New York December, 2015 Advent and Christmas Celebrations Sunday, November 29 Thursday, December 24 Sunday, December 27 CHRISTMAS EVE 5 PM ....................... Advent Festival 10 AM ................... Morning Worship The First Sunday of Advent! Come 5 PM ........................ Family Service Join our regular celebration with for dinner and craft activities See the story of Jesus’ birth lived- extra carols and Christmas joy. including making advent wreaths. out by children and youth. To include joyful music and personal Sunday, December 6 testaments from high school Advent students. Festival Nov 8:45 AM.... Saint Nicholas Breakfast Join us for a Dutch breakfast 8:30 PM .......... Music of the Season 29 followed by a visit from the The Chancel Choir will present generous and just Sinterklaas, Christmas music accompanied by On the evening of the first Sunday telling stories and giving gifts. flute, oboe, cello, and violin, and of Advent, all ages gather in our organist will offer selections for Friendship Hall for a covered 3 PM ............ Community Carol Sing this extended Prelude to our 9pm dish dinner and crafts. For dinner Carol singing, bell ringing, holiday service. at 5pm, bring food to share (seasonal antlers, blinking noses, plus a suggestion: anything that begins with special guest. Joyful voices 9 PM ... Carols and Candles Service the letter A, for Advent, or food that is encouraged. Our traditional Christmas purple or blue, Advent colors.) After celebration will include the warm our meal, we will make unique Advent Friday, December 11 hope of tiny candles and familiar wreaths from natural materials and songs. Plan on staying and hand-dipped candles! We'll conclude 7 PM ....................... An Advent Word chatting with friends at the good at 7pm with a brief liturgy around our Hear stories of faith and anti- cheer to follow. candlelit wreaths. cipation from Joe Doolittle, Paige Convis and others. 11 PM ........ Christmas Jazz Vespers This year our late service will Breakfast feature quiet jazz renditions of Sunday, December 13 classic carols. Azzaam Hameed with Saint and Pete Toigo will be playing. We Nicholas 2 PM ....... Advent Lessons & Carols will still have Silent Night, Candles, The choirs of St. George’s and a communion opportunity. No matter your Episcopal and FRC will come age or faith together for a traditional service of tradition, join us Advent Lessons and Carols at Sunday, St. George’s in the Stockade. December 6 from 8:45-9:45am for a complimentary Sunday, December 20 Dutch breakfast of chocolate sprinkle sandwiches, strong coffee, oatmeal, 6 PM ......... Unrehearsed Christmas and speculaas cookies, followed by a Pageant visit from the just and generous Join us for this fun, all-ages event, Sinterklaas, telling stories and giving followed by donuts and hot cocoa gifts! in Friendship Hall. The Choirs Combine for Chrismon Advent Lessons and Carols Tree The choirs of St. George’s Episcopal Chrismons and First Reformed, Schenectady, will are come together on Sunday, December a type of 13 at 2pm for a traditional service of Christmas Advent Lessons and Carols at St. tree 91st Annual Carol Sing George’s in the Stockade. Music of decoration Brahms, Poston, Sumsion, and used in many The Thursday Belles invite you to join Gardner will be included. Andrew st churches and often in the homes of the festive 91 Annual Carol Sing on Krystopolski will be the organist and Christians. They were first made by Sunday, December 6 at 3pm in the Julie Panke will direct the choirs. The Frances Kipps Spencer at the church sanctuary. This family event is Klokken Tower Ringers will assist. Ascension Lutheran Church in a lovely way to start your holiday Danville, Virginia in 1957. season with Handbells and Carols Chrismons are white with gold galore. It is a fun event to which the Music of the Season entire community is invited. Blinking decorations of beads and ribbon. 8:30pm Christmas Eve “Chrismon” is a word comprised of noses, jingle bells, and holiday voices are encouraged too! There will also be Christ and monogram. The symbols Beginning at 8:30 pm, prior to represent a variety of Biblical concepts a special guest! The Thursday Belles may be the longest consecutively- Christmas Eve service at 9pm, the that are well known to most believers. Chancel Choir, will present a variety of Mrs. Harrison Todd made the first ringing community handbell choir in the nation! Come and hear why they Christmas anthems. They will be Chrismon tree for a tree decoration accompanied by: Avery Tunningley, festival at the Schenectady Museum. continue to be strong and bring joy to so many! -Judy Moore, Director organist; Olivia Cox, cellist; Abby After the festival, she donated the Norton Levering, violinist; Amy Selkirk, ornaments to the First Reformed oboist; and Sarah Horaczek, flautist. Church, where they have decorated the Chrismon tree in the Dirck Romeyn room. How to Give Memorial Since the early 1990’s the tree has Flowers for Christmas been donated and delivered by the Welch family. Prior to that, trees were As we prepare for the Holiday season, given by the Schweizer family. remember or celebrate a loved one by Recently, Carolyn Jones-Assini has participating in the Christmas Memorial also participated in donating the tree. Flowers. Each year the church is Decorating has been done by Carolyn decorated with plants and greens Jones-Assini and Carol Welch with Thursday Musical Club Christmas Concert during the holiday season. Your loved help from other church members. ones will be remembered in the Several years ago, Mary Carlson bulletin on December 24. The donation Join the Thursday Musical Club all refurbished the Chrismons to extend is $20. Even if you have donated in women’s chorus directed by Julie their life. previous years, you must place a Panke and accompanied by Elinore new order for Christmas 2014. Anyone wishing to help decorate the Farnum, for a Christmas concert on Please call the church office no later Chrismon Tree please contact Carol Saturday, December 5 at 2:30pm in than Thursday, December 18, to Welch, 372-6571. The tree will be the church sanctuary. The Thursday make arrangements. Send payment to decorated Friday Dec 18. We Belles, directed by Judy Moore, will be Chancel Guild, c/o Marlene Risseeuw, encourage everyone to stop in the guest artists. Music of Mendelssohn, 2140 Niskayuna Drive, 12309. Dirck Romeyn room to admire the tree Handel, and Michael Haydn will be between Sunday, December 20 and included in the program. Sunday, January 3. Complimentary tickets are available for all church members from Julie or the church office. Midweek Feast: good food Unrehearsed Christmas for body, mind, & soul most Pageant Dec 20 Wednesdays in Advent! Dinner at 6--bring edibles you like and wish to contribute to the table set in Assembly Hall where food and friendly conversation are shared. Study at 7--delve into discussions led December 4 at 7pm I will be showing by Stacey Midge on significant This year instead of the Living Nativity, the 1987 movie Babette's Feast. This subjects in church and culture (see we invite you to participate in an All is a heartwarming story of two sisters article below for further details.) Church Unrehearsed Christmas who take in a cook, Babette, as a Pageant. All are invited to come at refugee from war torn France. When Worship at 8--end your evening with a 4:30pm to run through the program Babette decides to host a French brief, reflective service of song, with the performance at 6pm. Come dinner for the members of the town, scripture, silence, communion, and and be in it, or come and watch! It will people find unity with each other spoken prayers for those in need. be a fun night of story and song! through her act of generosity. A message from the movie might "never underestimate the power of a really Study at Midweek Feast great meal!" First Forum after Worship For this Advent season, while we This is a foreign movie with subtitles. prepare to celebrate the incarnation of After worship most Sundays at Although it has a soundtrack I will be God, we will be discussing issues of 11:15am in Poling Chapel, playing it "as" a silent movie, with live the physical body and Christian suggestions for programs are welcome accompaniment. It is in color and is spirituality. from any committee or member; simply beautiful in appearance and content. I contact Amy Brule 785-8201, Peggy hope you will join me for another night Dec. 2 - Body and Soul - Christianity King 370-1885, or Joe Doolittle 384- out at the movies! has tended to separate physical and 1700. spiritual matters but centers around December 6: Christmas Offering – Faith Bookshop the opposite: God becoming human, Mission & Benevolence Committee spirit merging with body. Learn about December 13: City Mission – Mike strands of Christian faith that embrace Saccocio Some new reasons for church goers of an integrated view of the whole self, December 20: LGBT General Synod – all ages to browse the Bookshop: You and spiritual practices that celebrate Rev. Stacey Midge will find very reasonably-priced our physicality. December 27: Coffee & Conversation Christmas ornaments and jewelry donated by church members (keep Dec. 9 - Broken Mirror - Our culture them coming; proceeds benefit a local communicates many messages about worthy cause,) CDs of church music what our bodies should look like and Christmas Displays by Front provided by Bill Levering, books at how they should behave, but the Church Entrance discounted prices, prayer cubes, expectations of advertisements and "And a little child shall lead them" stocking-stuffers and more. media are often not the reality.
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