THE WOODFORDS BEACON
December 2017
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ADVENT: THE COMING OF SOMETHING NEW!
Hard to believe that December is upon us once again! Perhaps because of the extended time of warm and lovely weather this fall, it doesn’t seem possible that Thanksgiving is past, and that December directs us toward Christmas once again.
Already, we seem to be surrounded by the cultural signs of Christmas: wreaths and Christmas trees are up, there’s an aroma of cinnamon and holiday spices in stores and shops, Christmas ads have filled our screens and airways for weeks, and glittery Christmas decorations signal the arrival of Santa Claus weeks in advance of the jolly old elf’s actual due date!
But Christmas isn’t about any of these things any more than Advent is about shopping! Instead, the season of Advent is a time of preparing us for something so new, so out of the ordinary, that we’re still talking about it today – the birth of One who would come to usher in a new way of life –
God’s way of life
: a kingdom that, instead of being built on the backs of those without power and privilege, is built on compassion, justice and hope.
It’s a whole new way of being.
And so we take this Advent time - this time of preparation, expectation and longing – to put away the old, former things and ready ourselves for being re-created, renewed and re-birthed along with the birth of the Holy Child once again.
Curiously, this year, the calendar has prompted us to try something new and different on December 24
th
. This is a rare year when the 4
th
Sunday of Advent falls on Christmas Eve day.
Rather than having 3 separate services that day (a 10 am Sunday service plus two Christmas Eve services, one at 5 and another at 9) we’ve chosen to have two services.
The morning service will be a combination of the 4
th
Sunday of Advent (when we typically embrace the story of the Annunciation to Mary and her days of pregnancy) and the early Christmas Eve service (when we have our children and families re-tell the story of Jesus’ birth and the arrival of the Magi). The one evening service, which begins with caroling at 7 pm, will be the familiar service of Lessons and Carols. And, because many have asked, I anticipate that the change will only be for THIS year because of the curious overlap of the Fourth Sunday of Advent and Christmas Eve Day.
Because this is a different way of celebrating both the Fourth Sunday of Advent and Christmas Eve, we hope you’ll help us spread the word by telling all your neighbors and friends!
Blessings for your Advent Journeys!
Rev. Carolyn
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CHURCH OFFICE HOURS
DURING THE HOLIDAY...
The Woodfords Church Office will be closed the following days for the Christmas & New Years holidays:
Monday, December 25
Tuesday, December 26
Wednesday, December 27
Monday, January 1
Staff Members will be at the church limited hours on:
Thursday, December 28 (8 am - 12 pm)
Friday, December 29 (9 am - 1 pm)
The building will be locked and the thermostat turned down from Friday evening December 22 through Tuesday morning January 2, except for services and the hours listed above.
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A LESSON ABOUT NICARAGUA
This week the Morales family helped lead Sunday school. We were talking about Moses and the Israelites crossing the desert, and relying on God for Manna. This family, who lived in Nicaragua for six months last year, told us the story of how families would prepare rice and beans for the School children every day. For many kids, this was their only meal. In addition, the family showed pictures of life in Nicaragua and shared some of their adventures. It was an extraordinary lesson and a reminder of the gifts we have in our church.
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CHRISTMAS WORSHIP SCHEDULE
CHANGES THIS YEAR!
Sunday, December 24
10:00 am
4th Sunday of Advent & Christmas Pageant
7:30 pm
Christmas Eve Service
(7:00 pm Pre-service Carol Sing and Special Music)
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CHRISTMAS POINSETTIAS
It’s time to place your orders for Christmas Memorial Poinsettias. Remember your loved ones and help decorate the Sanctuary with a beautiful display of poinsettias. The cost for the poinsettia is $10.00. Please send your check to the church office by Monday, December 11, along with
THIS ORDER FORM
.
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CHRISTMAS EVE MORNING SERVICE... Huh?!
This year Christmas Eve falls on a Sunday. Which means we will be gathering at 10:00 am for worship. The deacons have decided that the best way to navigate this calendar quirk is to have the
Christmas Pageant take place during the 10:00 MORNING service
. Later that evening there will be a single 7:30 pm traditional Christmas Eve candlelight service.
What does this mean for families?
We invite you to arrive at church between 8:30-9:00 am on Sunday morning Dec. 24th. We will gather in the 2nd Floor Conference Room where there will be yummy breakfast treats and PLENTY of coffee for the adults. Costumes will be in the adjacent room. Children can find their costume, adults can sip coffee. The pageant will be embedded in the 10:00 am worship service. Once the service is over families can head out into the world and enjoy the rest of Christmas Eve with ample time for cooking, presents or whatever other fun you have in store.
Anyone who is longing for candlelight worship is invited to come back at 7:00 for pre-service music. The service will start at 7:30 pm.
We look forward to celebrating the holiday with you!
Blessings,
Rev. Tamara and the CE Team
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COUNCIL NOTES
•WCC is operating within the budget at 4 months into the year (1/3 of the year)– pledges are at 44% and expenses at 30%.
•Our new signage is coming along, more slowly at the printers than we would like, but it will be up soon. Anyone who is good at putting up level wall hangings, let us know as we will need help to get all these signs up and level.
•The Council – Jeff Brewer, Brent Wooten in particular – are working on a number of critical projects of which you may all be aware. The elevator, security for all users of WCC including our members, a railing for the Chapel and a back-up plan for Louise, Gary, Teri and any staff that are critical to the operation of WCC in the case of emergency or planned absence/vacations. We will be sure you are kept informed of these projects as they progress.
. •We have also established a Staff Personnel Committee and a Pastor/Parish Relations Committee to be sure we are keeping communications as open as possible in all directions. Please feel free to contact Brent for Staff concerns and Fran Seeley for Pastor/Parish Relations.
Just a reminder, you are always welcome to join the Council for it’s monthly meeting – the third Tuesday of each month at 6:30 in the Lounge.
Robin Carter,
Moderator
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BLUE CHRISTMAS
Tuesday, December 12, 6:30 pm, Chapel
This special worship acknowledges there is pain in people’s lives and offers a reassurance that they are not alone, and that they too can experience God’s love, which is at the heart of the season.
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Submitting an article for the January Beacon?
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SNOW DAYS AT WOODFORDS
Looking ahead to stormy winter days with snow and ice, we would like to remind you of Woodfords' policy regarding closing the building and cancelling events. Weekdays and weeknights: if Portland Schools are closed, then Woodfords Church is closed and Woodfords meetings/events are cancelled. Please note that the Church may decide to close EVEN IF Portland Schools are not closed. Please check to make sure before coming to an event on a snow day.
If you are attending a meeting or event not connected to Woodfords, please contact your organizer directly for information about cancellation.
Saturdays: a decision will be made by 7:00 am regarding closing the building and cancelling Woodfords events or meetings. Sundays: a decision will be made by 7:00 am regarding the worship service, closing the building and cancelling Woodfords events or meetings.
In all cases, cancellation announcements will be posted on Facebook, our website (www.woodfordschurch.org), the phone message, and on Channels 6, 8 and 13.
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HAPPY DECEMBER ANNIVERSARY TO...
Waldo & Cynthia Harwood, December 16 (11 years)
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Dec 1, Grant Fund Monthly Team Meeting
The GF Team will meet on Dec. 1 at 10:00 am in the 2nd Floor Conference Room. Please contact Rev. Tamara if there is anything you would like to add to the agenda for this meeting.
Dec. 1, Lunch & Learn
11:30-1:00, 2nd Floor Conference Room
In the midst of what can feel like an endless stream of bad news, have you ever wondered what YOU could do to make positive change in the world? Well, look no further! On Dec. 1st the Grant Fund will be offering an exciting
Lunch & Lear
n with Fran Seeley and Opportunity Alliance. In this workshop, participants will learn about opportunities to become a
Maine Senior Companion
or a
Foster Grandparent
. Adults 55 and older can make a difference in someone's life, have a great time, AND earn a little extra money along the way. 'Tis the season for giving back...so, bring a bag lunch and join us for this special holiday offering!
To RSVP please contact Rev. Tamara Torres McGovern at
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Dec. 8, Magic of Christmas -
5 Tickets Left!!
Noon-5:00pm, Meet in Memorial Hall
What a wonderful way to usher in the holiday season! This year will be the final performance of conductor Robert Moody, so prepare for a real holiday showstopper.
As in years past, we will meet at Noon in Memorial Hall for a simple bag lunch. At 1:00 pm we will board the bus. The show starts at 2:00 pm. We will load back onto the bus around 4:15pm and be here shortly before 5:00pm. While we encourage you to break out your favorite holiday duds, we also encourage folks to wear sensible walking shoes with a solid tread. We will have to walk a couple of blocks to re-board the bus, and the weather could be icy.
We ask GF members to contribute $20 to help offset some of the cost of this event (the total event including lunch and transportation is considerably higher, but the Grant Fund is passionate about making this annual event accessible to all of our members.) You can drop a check off at the office any time before the event.
If you have any
special dietary concerns
or further questions about the event, don't hesitate to reach out to Rev. Tamara Torres McGovern at
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GRANT FUND ONGOING OFFERINGS
Gentle Yoga:
This therapeutic class will help keep your body limber and spirit buoyant! Certified Iyengar Yoga Instructor, Stephanie Abrams, has been teaching since 2001. Hundreds of classes (and three adorable children) later, she continues to experience yoga as a tool of both restoration and refinement. She brings her clear love for the practice, an infectious laugh, and a deep respect for her students to her classes. Join her
Thursdays from 10:15-11:15 in the Lounge.
Jean Koster can take payment.
Book Group:
Led by Suzanne D'Bourget, this group meets the
first Wednesday of every month at 12:15 pm in the Parlor
. The books chosen for the next meetings are:
December 6
Just Mercy. Brian Stevenson.
January 3
The Moth: 50 True Stories. 2013 Copyright. Edited by Catherine Burns.
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CELEBRATING CHRISTMAS WITH MUSIC
Cookies and Carols
Sunday, December 10, 11:30am in Memorial Hall
Invite your friends and neighbors to join us for worship. Then stay for an extended Fellowship Time for a cup of coffee or cocoa, some homemade cookies and the singing together of some of your favorite Christmas carols and songs.
Anyone willing to donate some cookies for this extended fellowship time, please contact Rebecca or Paul Schnell at
prschnell@securespeed.us.
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Pre-service Carol Sing
December 17, 9:45 am
Carols will be accompanied by the Woodfords Family Christmas Orchestra
Christmas Eve
Worship at 10:00 am and 7:30 pm
Christmas Eve is on Sunday this year. The traditional Christmas Pageant will be presented on Sunday morning during the 10:00 am service. In the evening, pre-service music, which will include organ, handbells, carol singing, and the Woodfords Family Christmas Orchestra, will begin at 7:00 pm. A Candlelight Christmas Eve service will follow at 7:30 pm.
Epiphany Lessons and Carols
January 7, 10:00 am
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HAPPY DECEMBER BIRTHDAY TO...
Gladys Stokinger 12/04
Alison Grey 12/04
Samantha Wilson 12/05
Helen Ashley 12/08
Hannah Smith-Erb 12/08
Lucille Twaddel 12/09
Nelson Toner 12/11
Caleb Shields 12/12
Kevin McKee 12/12
Carl Anderson 12/15
Barbara Congdon 12/15
Karen Philbrook 12/16
Bonnie Paris 12/16
Edward Hodges 12/17
Beth Rovnak 12/17
Mary Rokosz 12/18
Elizabeth McGlinn 12/18
Bruce McAfee 12/19
Priscilla Greene 12/19
Virginia Toner 12/19
Jean Wriggins 12/20
Sarah Wriggins 12/20
Lyndsey Sumner 12/20
Meredith Louise McKeeman 12/23
Fiona Kay Johnson 12/24
Dorianne Ross 12/24
Tipton Heminway 12/26
Dorothy Ingalls 12/27
Fran Paris 12/30
Sable Strout 12/30
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UNSUNG ANGELS IN OUR MIDST
Woodfords Church has many “angels” who work quietly and anonymously in numerous ways within our community. This month we would like to recognize members of the Chancel Choir who have extended welcome to two of our newer choir members.
When Matt and Kerryne came to Woodfords two years ago and expressed an interest in joining the choir, members of the choir immediately stepped forward to help provide transportation to and from the Iris Center for the Blind to the church for weekly choir rehearsals and Sunday Worship. Their ministry is greatly appreciated.
We are Christ’s hands and feet.
Thank You! Thank You!
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THE QUARTERLY MESSAGE FROM THE
WORSHIP COMMITTEE OF THE COUNCIL OF MINISTRIES
The past several years have seen our Church embark on a strategic planning process to guide the parish’s development over the next decade and beyond. Several task forces—sounds like Admiral Halsey and “Victory at Sea,” does it not?—composed of laity staff, and council components of our Church community, were created to advance the process by focusing upon specific elements of our Woodfords life and structure. One such subject of consideration was, understandably, the worship experience, and a specific committee was established to focus upon that topic.
This past spring saw the formation and launching—again, think sea power—of this committee of about ten members chaired by Bill Carter. This autumn has witnessed the resumption of our committee’s operation. From the commencement of our work, the group has wished to proceed in its discussions and actions through widespread informing the congregation of our existence, operations, discussions and decisions, and to emphasize to the parish our welcoming of suggestions—and, indeed, through invitations for participation in—the work of the committee and to state our inclination to introduce our proposals through approaches that build upon long-existing worship patterns at Woodfords rather than offer comprehensive changes that ignore continuity.
Among the subjects that have been introduced in the committee’s discussions thus far are the provision of a suggestion or comment box to gain the views and comments of church members, the possible development of church services—such as grieving over personal loss-- that reach out to community members in Greater Portland that have been heretofore ignored or little served through either religious or community organizations, changing seating patterns in the chancel to facilitate different types of services or uses, and possible reconfiguring of seating patterns in the sanctuary. Each of these, and other considerations, would be addressed and introduced in ways that emphasize incremental and experimental actions that enable feedback and refinement before full implementations of any changes.
Inquiries and communications to our committee can conveniently reach us through Bill Carter, our chair, Teri Coviello, our Church Office Manager, and Council of Ministries members Adrienne Wilson and Allan Whitmore. Beyond activities associated with the Strategic Planning process, three other matters merit mention from the Council. First we are contacting recent confirmands to invite their participation in our Sunday services by joining our ushering teams and as lectionary readers. Second, in a similar vein, we would welcome any members wishing to participate in Sunday services as greeters and presenters of stewardship moments to inform one of us as the pool of volunteers needs expansion. Third, a standing invitation continues to exist for members interested in joining the junior and senior choirs as well as the bell choir.
Respectfully submitted,
Allan Whitmore and Adrienne Wilson
The Worship Committee of the Woodfords Council of Ministries
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HANDEL'S MESSIAH SING-ALONG
with ChoralART
Monday, Dec 11 at 7 pm
Woodfords Church Sanctuary
$5 at Door, Students Free,
Food Donations at the Door
Join ChoralArt for a festive
Messiah
sing-along with fun group-format solos and accompanied by the Southern Maine Symphony Orchestra. Food and cash donations for Project Feed, Portland’s emergency food pantry, will be accepted at the door. All of the event proceeds will be donated to Project FEED.
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THE 20
th
ANNUAL
CELEBRATION OF THE WINTER SOLSTICE
Saturday, Dec 23rd at 8 am; Gilsland Farm, Route 1, Falmouth
It’s true – we’ve been gathering and celebrating the start of winter for 20 years! I believe it was Charlotte Wilbur who joined us at the first summer solstice (or autumn equinox?) and gave us the vision that this celebration really could take place outside in December. Once again this year we will embrace the coming of winter – and take pause in the serenity and beauty of the outside world. Prayers, songs, readings and a walking meditation are all part of the morning’s gathering. We’ll be across from the pond, near the rock. Symbols of light and winter for the altar and breakfast snacks are welcome. FMI contact Ellen Smith-Erb at 829-6748 or
eese@maine.rr.com
.
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WOODFORDS CHURCH OFFICE HOURS
Tuesday - Friday, 9 am - 3 pm
207.774.8243
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