This Sunday, December 19, at 10 am, we will celebrate the final week in the Season of Advent and light the Candle of Love. We will hear from Mandy Todd, Leslie Sheley, and Steve Murtagh. The Choir will practice at 8:30 am and sing in worship!
Dear BFCC!
We hope that you have a lovely holiday season! All the information that you will need through the third week in January is on our website under the link: What’s Happening this Week: https://www.blackforestcommunitychurch.org/whats-happening-this-week
Study Leave/Rest and Renewal:
Pastor Marta will be on Study Leave from December 28-January 18. Marta and her family are traveling to Galesburg, IL (Roger’s hometown) to spend time with Roger’s family and for Marta to get a head start on her final course work for her Doctor of Ministry program (she still has a year or two to go!).
Jesus Has Left the Building:
We will not be holding worship on Sunday, December 26th. We hope you use this time to catch up on the podcast: Jesus Has Left the Building: https://www.blackforestcommunitychurch.org/jhltb. Season 5 will drop one more episode this month, and then we will take a break during the week’s Mandy and Marta are gone. We are excited about some questions that we have gotten from the members of BFCC! We are eager to grapple with these questions! Stay tuned for a late January episode drop.
January plan:
Mandy will be leading worship on Sunday, January 2, and will take a couple of weeks off rest and renewal. Rev. Shelly Wilson, local, semi-retired UCC minister, will be preaching and leading worship the Sunday’s Mandy is not. Rev. Wilson will be preaching on January 2th, 9th, and 16th. Cynthia Robinson will be accompanying and leading music on January 9th and 16th. Our guests in worship will be a treat to all of you as you begin the new year. Leslie Sheley, our Ministry Coordinator, will be a liturgist on the 9th and 16th. She will also be available for pastoral calls. Just to note, Marta is available for phone calls if there is an emergency.
Mark your calendars:
Some fun congregational lead events are coming this January: Centering Prayer with Robin Stretch-Crocker, Epiphany Prayer meeting with Leslie Sheley, and Living Room Conversations with Steve Murtagh! Check out the January calendar.
Christmas Eve, 5 pm!
Christmas is upon us, and we know all of you are scrambling to prepare for the festivities. We hope you join us on December 24, Christmas Eve, at 5 pm for worship. We will experience Lessons and Carols with old familiars and contemporary music and story. Not to mention a handbell choir and a vocal choir performance. Don’t forget to wear your mask!