Tuesday, December 8, 2020 |
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ILLUMINATED ADVENT SPIRAL WALK:
"A lovely contemplative experience"
FPCB's Discipleship Committee brings you this beautiful new opportunity to celebrate the season. You can participate 'in person' or from home - read on for more information, as well as details about another opportunity, the "Advent of the Spirit" series.
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You have two more opportunities to balance the outward excitement of Christmas with the calm, quiet sense of presence created during the walking of our Illuminated Advent Spiral.
There are guided opportunities to enjoy this experience, from 4:00 – 6:00 p.m. in the FPCB Memorial Garden on the two remaining Sundays of Advent. We encourage you to arrive between 4 p.m. and 5:30 p.m. so you have time for the full experience. (Bad weather: offered on Mondays at the same times.)
You are welcome to stroll the Spiral Advent Walk at any time during daylight hours; the Sunday hours are the only ones that will be guided and lit by candles.
Your walk will be supplemented by scripture, meditation resources and questions that center on a weekly theme of Hope, Love, Joy and Peace. You will receive a small journal, pen, and LED candle (and flashlight if needed) upon your arrival.
We had about 25 participants this past Sunday - some for the first time, and others who returned to enjoy the experience again.
Read below for more information about this Sunday's schedule.
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Irene and I are so grateful that we are having the opportunity to take some time to participate in the Advent Spiral Walk at the Memorial Garden. It is a wonderful opportunity for us to quiet our minds, slow down our pace, and reflect on the Advent theme for the week.
So far, the opportunity to do the Walk has helped us to keep the theme present throughout the week.
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In this current time, reflecting on Hope and Peace throughout the week has truly been a blessing. - George Maunz
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As dusk turned to dark on Sunday evening, our car turned into the church driveway.
I was truly awestruck by the beauty of our church building, ablaze with a trio of trees on the portico with smaller ones drifting down the steps onto the pathway. Never had I seen the church building look so magnificent!
As we drove around the circle to the Spiral Walk entrance, the twinkling of the candle-lined pathway expanded my sense of awesome beauty. The warm greeting, the flashlight, and guiding thoughts regarding Peace, soon erased the winter cold first felt when I got out of the car.
Entering the candle lit walkway, meditation flowed within. Quietly sitting in contemplation, the poem PEACE sparked my heart and mind, and I found myself going inward, quietly and peacefully.
The journey continued as I walked the pathway through the Columbarium - reading names, evoking memories, shedding tears of a church before. Each name and memory important, but a most special time had with Bonnie.
With visiting complete, I strolled back to the entrance, focused once again on the beauty of the trees along with our inspiring steeple! Fingers cold, cheeks red for sure, but spirits undoubtedly warmed by one of my FPCB peak experiences.
Thank you to each one who created the idea, developed the plan, arranged the environment, guided the journey, and then changed the space back again, with all the boxes of candles ready to be placed for next Sunday.
Be kind to yourself. Experience the Spiral Walk! - Becky Gorton
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SUNDAY'S SCHEDULE
For Sunday afternoon, you have several opportunities:
3-5 p.m.: Gratitude Drive-Through
You can plan to bring your stewardship pledge* as well as any donations for the Community Giving Tree.
If you come by during that time via the circular driveway in front of the church building, you will find people waiting for you. You can stay in your car the whole time, and someone will approach your window with a basket (we do ask you to wear a mask for these few moments, as the volunteer will be wearing one, out of an abundance of caution).
You can drop your pledge card in its envelope in a basket that will be offered to you. We also invite you to bring a card or note that offers at least one “testimonial” of gratitude: something, anything, that you consider a gift from God that you have received or seen in your life, the church, or the world (feel free to offer more than one!). These will be collected and displayed in the church building and on Facebook (feel free to sign your name or offer it anonymously, whichever you prefer).
And finally, we’ll ask you to pop your trunk or open your back door so someone (wearing gloves) can place a gift of gratitude there for you, as well: a candle for use on Christmas Eve, whether you come to the in-person service at 5 p.m. or any of the digital services, and a special savory treat prepared personally by me (more on that next week…) as a sign of my own gratitude for you, your generosity, and your ministry as part of First Presbyterian of Bethlehem.
*The stewardship pledge letters were mailed over ten days ago but we know they are still getting delivered. If you do not receive your letter by this Friday, please contact us at info@fpc-bethlehem.org.
4 - 6 p.m.: Spiral Advent Walk
We invite you to plan your time so you can do both the Gratitude Drive-Through and the Advent Walk in one visit. Just tell the volunteers that you would like to park to attend the Advent Walk, and you can drop off your pledge and/or donations before entering the Memorial Garden. And pick up your gift of gratitude!
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For next week
Beginning Sunday, December 13, the reflection will be on "joy". You can print the scripture, meditation and questions here, which you can use as your Advent devotional:
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If you need the devotionals for the previous weeks, you can print them here:
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Let's gather to 'check in'
The Discipleship Committee invites you to gather tomorrow (Wednesday, December 9) at 7 p.m. via Zoom for a half-hour Advent midpoint check-in. We will share connection and prayer, reflecting on the themes of HOPE and PEACE.
To join the Zoom meeting:
Meeting ID: 844 0300 5557
To join via phone (audio only): Call 929-205-6099; when prompted enter the Meeting ID: 844 0300 5557 followed by the # key. You will be asked for the participant ID – simply press the # key again.
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ADVENT OF THE SPIRIT
Read about the new Hearts N Minds (adult ed) Advent series, and how to get involved. You can also use the podcasts for your own devotional practice, without participating in the classes.
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