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A Message from Centenary
Dear Centenary Family,
Advent is a time of expectation. Advent is a time of anticipation. Advent is a time of hope.
It's hard to believe we're entering that season once again. The lectionary readings during this season take us on this journey from remembering God's promises to claiming their fulfillment.
This Sunday's Gospel reading is from Luke 21:25-36. I'm working on a sermon entitled, "Reading the Signs."
I'm struck by the way Jesus tries to help his followers interpret the signs of the times. They were curious, as many of us are, about the meaning of certain calamitous events-signs in the sun, moon, and the stars, distress on earth among the nations, the roaring of the sea and the waves.
Human beings are always trying to understand the hidden meaning of signs and symbols. Whether we are simply trying to understand the meaning hidden behind another person's facial expression, the significance of some natural disaster, the historical importance of some international conflict, or more mundanely, how to interpret a baseball manager's curious hand signals to his players, we are all sign-readers.
Jesus' audience wanted to know what signs would indicate the approaching end of the world so that they could be prepared. But Jesus told his followers that when they saw confusing or ominous signs on the horizon, they should not cower in fear, but "stand up and raise [their] heads."
Advent is a reminder to us that whatever the headlines say, whatever reversals or difficulties or challenges we face, we should never surrender our hope that God will faithfully keep the promises that God has made to us and all humanity.
I look forward to walking on this journey with you. We'll be honest in the weeks to come about the painful realities we and our world experience-but we will, together, lift up our heads and look for God's redemption which is nearer than we can imagine.
Peace,
Matt
P.S. This week's newsletter is filled with news of great things we are doing in this Advent season to grow in faith and reach out to others. I hope you'll be part of it all!
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Sunday, December 2, The First Sunday of Advent
8:40 a.m. Early Service
10:00 a.m. Sunday School
11:00 a.m. Traditional Worship
This Sunday's Sermon is "
Reading the Signs
" with Dr. Matthew D. Bates.
Join us, following our 11 a.m. worship, as Martha Stokes, Coordinator for Church and Community Ministry at the Hermitage, shares with us how to become a dementia friendly congregation.
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ADVENT ACTIVITIES!
Open House/Christmas Parade:
The Reaching Team is hosting an Open House at 9 a.m. here at Centenary on the morning of the Downtown Christmas Parade on
Saturday, December 1, 2018.
We will be passing out coffee, hot cider, and cookies on the sidewalk outside the church as people walk to and from the parade. We will also be offering tours of the sanctuary and the bell tour for those who are interested. If you are able to help by providing cookies or greeting people on that day please see the sign-up sheet on the bulletin board across from the kitchen.
Gifts that Count Cards:
Our annual sale of Gifts that Count Cards will begin
Sunday, December 2!
Feel free to stop by the table in the Fellowship Hall to buy a card in honor or memory of friends, family, or loved ones.
Covered Dish Luncheon:
Join us on
Sunday, December 2,
following our 11 a.m. worship as Martha Stokes, Coordinator for Church and Community Ministry at the Hermitage, shares with us how to become a dementia friendly congregation.
Walk-In Christmas Gift Giving:
We will be collecting gifts for our Walk-Ins again for Christmas to be given out on
Friday, December 21
. We are asking for items our guests might be able to use personally or to give as gifts. Suggestions for items are as follows: scarves, gloves, hats, socks, children's new books or small toys. Please remember, we want to give them gifts we would give to our own family. Gifts may be taken to the office. Thank you for your support of this important program.
Christmas Card Writing Project:
We are in need of some volunteers to help with our Christmas Card ministry for our Friday Walk-In guests. Christmas cards will be made available; but we will need some smiles and hands to make contact with our guests as they choose cards to give to family and friends. They will also be encouraged to send a card to a Veteran at McGuires, which we will deliver for them. We will mail five personal cards for each of them, and they may have as many cards as they need to hand out. This is an excellent opportunity to get to know our guests. Please call or email the Wilsons at 804-320-0941 or dmacwilson@verizon.net, if you would like to be involved in this meaningful Christmas Outreach. The following Fridays are available:
Friday, December 7, and Friday, December 14.
Advent Lessons and Carols:
Join us for our Advent Lessons and Carols services this
Sunday, December 9, 2018
at our 8:40 a.m. and 11:00 a.m. services.
Evergreen Centerpiece Workshop: Join us on
Thursday, December 13, 2018,
for a morning workshop, from 10:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. as you create an evergreen centerpiece for your Christmas table. David Pippin will demonstrate the basic techniques and assist as you assemble your own unique arrangement. Participants are asked to bring a bucket of evergreens to share, a water-tight container, and a pair of floral clippers/pruners. Floral foam will be available for $2.00/block. Some suggested evergreens:
Boxwood (Please DO NOT bring Boxwood! We want to avoid spreading Boxwood Blight.) Pine (short needles), Cedar, Magnolia, Aucuba, Holly, Arborvitae, and Camellia. See the church bulletin board across from the kitchen for a sign-up sheet
Christmas Luncheon:
Join us on
Sunday, December 16, 2018,
for our Centenary Christmas luncheon following the 11:00 a.m. worship service. The church will provide the meat, please bring sides and desserts. We will also watch the children give a special performance as well as a performance from our new formed theatre group! Hope to see you there!
Behind the Scenes Tour of the Executive Mansion: Monday, December 10, at 11:00 a.m.
David Pippin will be hosting a "Behind the Scenes" Christmas Decorations Tour of the Executive Mansion of Virginia for Centenary UMC Members and their friends. The limit is 25 people and the tour is free! We will meet at Centenary at 10:30 a.m. and walk to The Mansion. A sign-up sheet can be found on the bulletin board across from the kitchen.
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If you would like to order a plant in memory or in honor of a loved one, please complete the form below, include your payment and place it in the collection plate, mail it to the church or leave it in the church office by NEXT
Sunday, December, 9.
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The Central Virginia Masterworks Chorale
:
The Central Virginia Masterworks Chorale will present their winter season program which will include J.S. Bach's
Magnificat
along with James Whitbourn's
Missa Carolae
. The
Magnificat
is the first large choral work that Bach composed after his appointment in Leipzig in the spring of 1723. The
Missa Carolae
is a contemporary work by British composer James Whitbourn, and reflects the artist's love of medieval musical language as it fuses American and English Christmas traditions. Ryan Tibbetts will conduct the singers and orchestra, and nationally-renowned organist Daniel Stipe will accompany and perform. The concerts are
Friday, December 14
, at 7:30 p.m. at Grace Baptist Church in Richmond, and
Sunday December 16
, at 3:00 pm. at Duncan Memorial United Methodist Church in Ashland. If you would like to attend, please contact Nancy or Vic Grand @ (804) 495-5674 or
vicgrand@verizon.net
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The Hand Bell Choir will be rehearsing Tuesday evenings from 7 p.m. to 8:15 p.m. Hope to see you there!
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REAL LIFE Community Center is an organization which provides assistance to individuals who have been incarcerated, are homeless or are battling substance abuse. They provide help with anger management, budgeting, computer lab training, family assistance, job preparation and placement, and a sober living home for men. REAL LIFE is holding an open house to familiarize people with their programs on
Thursday, December 6,
from 5:00 - 7:00 p.m. at 406 E. Main St. As this is an important outreach program in our neighborhood, we should show our support and encouragement by seeing what they do.
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The Praise Chorus
PRAISE CHORUS:
The Praise Chorus will be practicing the song "In the Bleak Midwinter," a version from Lee Covington's Mom's vault of music,
this Sunday, December 2, and Sunday, December 9
, and will sing and practice on
Sunday, December 16
.
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SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENT
If you were unable to attend your scheduled photograph dates, Lifetouch will assist you in scheduling a photography session at a nearby location.
To schedule your session, please call 1-866-756-0281. Once photographed, your photo will be provided back to us.
Our church code is 210280 and we are using the BLUE background drape for Centenary photographs.
If you have questions, please call Bob Almond at 804-833-3355.
Our directory will not be complete without you!
THANK YOU
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Circles RVA is in search of volunteers. They are a local chapter of a national organization that offers a relationship-based model to empower individuals and families to permanently move out of poverty and thrive by engaging the strengths, goodwill, and existing resources of community and focus on the collaborative ownership of solutions to break the cycle of poverty.
See the attached flyer for more information.
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A Challenge from Bishop Lewis to Read the Bible with her in 2018
December 2
1 Corinthians 12-14
December 3
1 Corinthians 15-16
December 4
2 Corinthians 1-4
December 5
2 Corinthians 5-9
December 6
2 Corinthians 10-13
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Wendy Tisdale-- family friend of Agatha and Christina Kidd, diagnosed with staged 4 lung cancer
Mark Inge
Gary Coberth-- brother-in-law to Sharon Steele, passed away on Monday, Nov. 5th at age 72. He had heart problems (quintuple by-pass surgery about 10 years ago) & was a diabetic with numerous complications.
Rev. Kathy Talley
JoAnne Judd (close friend of Sharon Steele's, recovering from a massive brain injury in Boulder, CO)
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Photos of the Week!
Thanks to everyone who stayed last Sunday after the 11:00 a.m. service to help decorate the church for Advent! Centenary looks amazing and thank you for help spreading the joy of the season.
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Clip of the Week!
Here's a clip from the Christmas Parade from 2016! We hope to see you at Centenary this Saturday at 9 a.m. to handout cookies, enjoy the parade, Christmas cheer and wonderful fellowship!
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Visit Us: 411 E. Grace St., Richmond, VA 23219
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