3rd chronicles DECEMBER 2020 Summerville Presbyterian Church 407 S. Laurel Street, Summerville, SC 29483 Vol. XXIV, No. 12 843-871-0280, www.summervillepres.org We are a Christ‐centered church which values an open and friendly congregation that is dedicated to the spiritual growth of all God’s children and is called by God’s Spirit to serve our neighbors, locally and globally. FROM YOUR PASTOR Table Of Contents From Your Pastor…...........1 Brothers and Sisters in Christ, Worship……………..….......2‐3 At the time of this writing, I have begun a six-week continuing Grow……………..…….….....4‐5 education class through Pittsburgh Theological Seminary entitled Congregaonal Care….…...6 “Thinking about the Future of Your Church: Scenario Planning Post Serve…..…………….…...........7 -Pandemic.” I was attracted to this course because I believe that Give………………………………. 8 the church will look quite different post-pandemic, and I want to Things I Remember...........9 acquire some tools that can help us plan for a new reality. Notes from a Church Mouse…………..………..……10 One of those tools is called the Three Horizons framework. The Birthdays…………..…….…..10 Three Horizons is a methodology for working with transformational change, framing the discus- Military Prayer List…..…..11 sion in terms of the shift from the established patterns of the first horizon to the emergence of Historic Tidbits………….....11 new patterns in the third, via the transitional activity of the second. I see the Three Horizons Staff Lisng.....................12 model represented in the Advent season and the work of the church. Ministry Team Lisng…...12 Prior to Jesus’ first Advent, the people were firmly embedded in the First Horizon. They were trying to be good enough for God, and the religious establishment were mandating more and more rules and regulations to try to ensure right behavior. Inevitably these “H1” ways of doing things fell short—the people were walking in darkness and trapped in a cycle of sin from which they could not save themselves. The Third Horizon is defined as that which envisions “change that is transformative, bringing a new pattern into existence that is beyond the reach of the H1 system.” Jesus Christ represented a Third Horizon—a new way to understand who God was, a Church Family Advent new avenue through which to approach him, and a new definition of what it meant to be a part of Workshop December 5 the kingdom of God. 10-12pm in the Education Bldg It would be the church’s role to introduce a Second Horizon, a transition and transformation zone Youth Chili Cook-Off in response to the shortcoming of the First Horizon and anticipating the possibilities of the Third December 6 Horizon. To engage in this “messy” work, the church would have to figure out ways to navigate 11-12pm in the Education Bldg “ambiguous territory where the old ways are dominant but the new is becoming possible,” to show H1 thinkers the beauty and possibilities of an H3 future. In short, the church was to share “the Cantata reason for the hope that we have” and why this is rooted in the redemptive work of Jesus Christ. December 20, 10am The church continues to be engaged in that work today—meeting people where they are in their Living Nativity December 24, 6:15pm H1 realities, and sharing with them the transformative H3 possibilities offered in Jesus Christ. It is messy work, but it is exciting work. It is exciting because we don’t walk into a future to which God Christmas Eve Services is not beckoning us, and for which He is not equipping us. The world has changed, and contin- 5:00 and 7:00 pm ues to turn, but we have been given the knowledge of what the future king- dom of God will entail. And that remains, and always will be, Good News! Christmas Holiday Observed (Office closed) In Christ’s service, December 24 & 25 Pastor Anita 1 WORSHIP Advent Sermon Series: Dressed for Success Advent begins on Thanksgiving weekend, and we have a fun construct to lead us through these familiar (and not so familiar) Advent texts—“Dressed for Success.” This theme works in a lot of ways for this season. We “dress” or decorate our homes with Christmas trees, wreathes, and Nativity sets. On December 5th, dedicated volunteers will be “dressing” the building with our Chrismon tree, the Advent and door wreathes, and poinsettias. Our children are invited to help us by creating art for the Advent bulletins and stars we can use in the gym. For our sermon series, it is interesting to note how often clothing is mentioned in these texts. John the Baptist is famous for his “Camel Hair and Leather,” deliberately echoing the prophet Elijah. The second Sunday of Advent we’ll be tongue in cheek as we look at “Levi’s Genes,” and what we can learn about the human condition and our Savior in the genealogy of Jesus as recorded by Matthew (Levi). The third Sunday of Advent we will consider why Mary, who is “Pretty in Blue,” is so often depicted in that color. On Dec. 20th, the choir will be offering this year’s Christmas cantata, “A Thrill of Hope.” On Christmas Eve, Jesus is wrapped in “Swaddling Clothes.” Please note on Christmas Eve, we will have two services, one at 5:00 and one at 7:00 pm. This year, the services will be similar, though there will be one or two additional elements for our children and families at the 5:00 pm. To aid in our planning in these COVID times, we will be asking the congregation to register their attendance so we can plan appropriately. We will allow additional space for guests who will not have pre-registered. Congre- gants will also be invited to bring a canned or boxed good wrapped in white as a gift to the Christ Child, reminiscent of the gifts of the Wise Men. See below for more information. We conclude December with the presentation of the baby Jesus in the temple, where, nearing the end of their lives, Simeon and Anna see the one who fulfills God’s promise to clothe us in “Garments of Salvation, Robes of Right- eousness.” We will only have one service (10:00 am) on December 27th. Date Focus Title OT NT Nov 29 Advent 1 Camel Hair & Leather Isaiah 40:3-11 Mark 1:1-8 Dec 6 Advent 2 Levi’s Genes Matthew 1:1-17 Dec 13 Advent 3 Pretty in Blue Numbers 15:38-39 Luke 1:26-38 Dec 20 Advent 4 Christmas Cantata Dec 24 Christmas Eve Swaddling Clothes Isaiah 7:14 Luke 2:1-14(20) Dec 27 10:00 am service only Garments of Salvation, Robes of Isaiah 61:10-62:3 Luke 2:22-40 Righteousness White Gifts The giving of gis at Christmas is a way to express our love and care for special individuals in our lives. God served as an example to His children when He gave the Christ child to all of us on that Christmas morning so long ago. The Wise Men also showed their admiraon of the Christ child by the special gis they brought to Him. This Christmas Eve the Worship Team would like to invite all of our congregaon to bring a gi to the Christmas Eve service. We are asking that the gi be a donaon of one or more canned goods wrapped in white ssue paper. During the service, Pastor Anita will ask for these white gis to be brought forward. Aer Christmas, the Service Team will collect the gis of food and take them to a local food bank. The COVID‐19 pandemic and all the hardship it has brought with it has made it very difficult for many to provide food for their families. The food banks have faced difficules meeng the needs confronng them. By bringing gis of food, our church will be able to alleviate some of the hunger right here in our own community, to show care for our fellow man, and to also be bearers of gis that emulate Christ’s love for us. In this small way, our congregaon can show its love and care for those less fortunate. 2 WORSHIP Gearing up for a busy Advent! The Choirs are busy in the middle of preparations for the Christmas Cantata and Christmas Eve Services. We are excited about sharing our music with the congregation! Our cantata this year is “A Thrill of Hope” by Joel Raney. We will incorporate piano, violin, cello, percussion and handbells in the cantata this year. We will have some of our children involved as readers and Colin Martin will serve the role of narrator for us again! We will present our “hybrid” performance of this at the 10:00 am service on December 20th. We hope you join us in person or online as we once again celebrate Jesus’ birth through music. We are still waiting for the results of the third round of results from the NFHS (National Federation of State High School Associations) and CBDNA (College Band Directors National Association) study that is being conducted by the University of Colorado. Until then, we are continuing ahead using the guidelines laid out by the second round of data. Because of this, we are still recording anthems using distancing and masks, and we continue to discuss when we can begin offering live choral music when we feel it is safe. I think the congregational hymn singing has been going well and we will continue to incorporate this as well. We will be doing a Christmas Carol Sing on December 27th during the worship service.