The weeks ahead will be filled with many opportunities to celebrate the Advent season! At anytime you can go to www.fpcauburn.org/advent to find out more details about where and when each event will happen and how you can participate. Click on any event in the calendar for more details and/or to add it to your own Google calendar!

This week:

9:45am - Adult Advent Sunday School Class (Baird Hall)

5pm - Longest Night Service

A service of remembrance in our sanctuary

(see below for details)

5pm and 7pm - Christmas Eve Services

We have received several questions about the format of these services -

the 5pm and 7pm services will be identical in format (congregational singing and communion included, nursery available at both service times.)

Masks WILL be required at both services.

(sign up information will be sent out on Monday, December 20)

Next week:

No Sunday School

11am - Worship in the sanctuary (only service for the day)

All are invited to our Longest Night Service of Grief and Remembrance this Sunday, December 19 at 5pm in the FPC Sanctuary.

Join us for time and space to pray, breathe, sing, lament, and seek God’s healing presence this Advent season.

Our sign up genius link is below, along with the bulletin, and the service will also be posted to our YouTube Channel later in the evening for any who would like to worship from home and/or share with friends and family.

ALL current COVID-related policies including worship procedures, building use policies, small group gatherings, masking, and requests for exceptions can now be found on www.fpcauburn.org/covid. This page will be updated as changes are approved by the church's session.

(contact Chris Sarkowski for information on classes ages preK-12th grade

and Rev. Kathy Reed for information on adult classes)

✵ 9:00 & 11:00 a.m.: In-Person, Indoor Worship -  If you attend one of the indoor services you will notice many differences from our "normal" sanctuary worship. At this time, based on recommendations from our COVID Task Force and Session, we will have a very simple service without passing of the peace and several other elements you might be looking forward to sharing with your church family. However, as local conditions and guidelines continue to improve it is our greatest hope that we will begin adding back in all these elements of worship we know and love. Thank you so much for your patience and grace as we try to maintain the greatest level of safety for our congregation, musicians, worship leaders, and our greater community.

At the sign-up link below (and the email containing the sign-up sent on Thursday), you will find detailed information on our current protocols for worship attendance.

✵ 11:00 a.m.: Virtual Worship - We are pleased to announce that we are live-streaming our worship service at 11 a.m. What this means is that those worshiping from home will be able to watch the service live as it is happening in the sanctuary. To view the service you can go directly to our church’s YouTube Channel via your computer, smartphone, or Smart TV app (https://tinyurl.com/t7dl8vh) or you can access the worship service through our website or Facebook page.

If you are unable to watch live at 11 a.m., a recorded version of the service will be available at these same links later in the day.

Although Advent has just begun, the new calendar year will be here before we know it and we are in need of volunteers to serve as lay readers. Any and all are welcome to sign up, and we encourage readers of ALL ages. If youth or children would like to help lead worship, we will be glad to have them serve.

We have a new Sign-up Genius page for those wishing to provide flowers for the Sanctuary! If you would like to cover the cost of flowers for Sunday morning worship, please sign up for a date here: https://tinyurl.com/Sanctuaryfloral.

If you are unable to sign up online, you may contact Sarah Wolak at 334-728-7853 to sign up for a date. While the Sign-Up Genius page only has one slot available for each week, you are welcome to split the cost with another family-- just be sure to write both names in the comments section. The cost of the flowers has been increased to $50 per arrangement, not including tax and delivery fee. As before, you are welcome to bring the arrangements home after the service, or to leave them to be delivered to other members of the congregation.

Children Pre-K through 5th grade

•   Mark your calendars! The Living River You and Me Retreat for children Pre-K through 5^th grade and their families is January 15 -17. See their flyer and visit www.livingriver.org to register. If you are interested in carpooling or caravanning, contact Rev. Kathy Reed at kreed@fpcauburn.org

•   Children’s Sunday school will meet this Sunday from 9:45-10:45. The two classes will be combined and will meet in the 2nd – 5th grade classroom.

•   The nursery is available from 9:30 until noon on Sunday mornings for children birth to age 3.

•   Godly Play: After the Word to Grow By (at 11 a.m. worship), children ages 4 to 1st grade will go to the Godly Play room to worship together for the remainder of the worship service.

•   Worship bags are also available for all children during worship.

•   Masks are required indoors for children 3 & over and youth, as well as all adults working with them.

Jr. and Sr. High Youth

•   No Youth fellowship this Sunday.

•   Jr. and Sr. High Sunday school meets weekly from 9:45 – 10:45am upstairs in the Sr. High room.

•   Mark your calendars, the Charleston Youth Mission Trip for Jr. and Sr. High Youth will be June 5-10, 2022 (this is a new retreat, more info to come)

•   Mark your calendars, the Montreat Youth Conference for rising 9th graders through graduated seniors will be July 10-16, 2022

•   Mark your calendars, the Montreat Middle School Conference for rising 6th through rising 8th graders will be July 20-24, 2022 (this is a new conference, more info to come)

On Monday, Dec. 20, please join us as we prepare our hearts for Christ’s birth and experience Him, listening to seasonal music with prayer, reflection and exercise/movement from 9-10 a.m. in Baird Hall. (No class on Dec. 27.) FPC Covid protocols followed. Worship Arts Ministry: Movement/Exercise - Contact: denise_salo@yahoo.com

The church is now open from 9 a.m.-12 p.m., M-F, for any members needing to drop in on church business. If the door is locked when you arrive, please ring the bell.

Masks are still required, and for contact tracing purposes a sign-in sheet will be placed on the small table outside the kitchenette where you will be asked to provide your name and the date/time/purpose of your visit. Small group gatherings must still be arranged with your designated staff person. Thank you for your patience and understanding as the staff continues to operate without designated volunteers to answer the door and phones.

Birthdays

Dec. 21 - Rusty Cooper, Merilyn Hozer, Myla Ragan

Dec. 22 - Richard Guether

Dec. 23 - Gail Dillard

Dec. 24 - Lynda Tremaine

Anniversaries

Dec. 19 - Bob and Liz Greenleaf

Dec. 19 - John and Kathy Tamblyn

Dec. 21 - Jeffrey and Jennifer Stewart

• Prayers of healing for Mary Burkhart as she waits to learn more about her health issues.

• Continued prayers of healing for Shane Klugh as he recovers at home from back surgery.  

• Continued prayers of healing for Carol Griffin as she recovers at home after successful surgery.

• Prayers of healing for Bill Combs as he gains his strength following a chemotherapy treatment.

• Prayers of healing for a family member of Myrna Walker. Myrna’s relative is now recovering from hip replacement surgery. This is her fifth surgery in the last year. Prayers she will be able to walk again 

• Prayers of comfort and strength for all those affected by the powerful storms and tornados in Kentucky, Illinois, and Missouri. Don and Vonda Ball shared their home in western Kentucky was not effected, but they have friends from Bowling Green who are in the hospital after sustaining injuries.

• Prayers of healing for Belinda (friend of Karen Herring), as she continues treatment and learns the progress of her treatment for cancer. Prayers for her spouse Pooie as she cares for Belinda.

• Please continue to pray for many members of our church who are dealing with illness or significant health issues, but at this time do not wish to be mentioned by name.

• We continue to pray for healing and wholeness for those dealing with issues related to Covid-19. We also continue to pray for all the health care workers as they tend to everyone’s well being.