December 4, 2022

In-person and Online at 10 AM

with Rev. Jim Ewing

"Hope, Peace Joy & Love"

2nd Sunday of Advent

Our sermon today is

"Peace"

Scripture Reading:

Luke 1: 26-38

The Birth of Jesus Foretold

26 In the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent by God to a town in Galilee called Nazareth, 27 to a virgin engaged to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David. The virgin’s name was Mary. 28 And he came to her and said, “Greetings, favored one! The Lord is with you.”[a] 29 But she was much perplexed by his words and pondered what sort of greeting this might be. 30 The angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. 31 And now, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you will name him Jesus. 32 He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High, and the Lord God will give to him the throne of his ancestor David. 33 He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there will be no end.” 34 Mary said to the angel, “How can this be, since I am a virgin?”[b] 35 The angel said to her, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; therefore the child to be born[c] will be holy; he will be called Son of God. 36 And now, your relative Elizabeth in her old age has also conceived a son, and this is the sixth month for her who was said to be barren. 37 For nothing will be impossible with God.” 38 Then Mary said, “Here am I, the servant of the Lord; let it be with me according to your word.” Then the angel departed from her.

Congregational Meeting

December 4

following Worship

for the purpose of election of officers.

Advent at Avondale

Join us at Avondale and find/share hope, peace, joy and love this season.

All are welcome to the passages, programs and presents of Advent.

Please pick-up Advent devotionals, an Advent activity and a program.

Find information for this season's worship, mission/ministry and discipleship on our website also. Advent here.

Welcome

Visitors & Guests

Thank you for joining us in worship. If you are interested in hearing more about Avondale, please take a moment to fill-out our Next Steps form. We look forward to knowing you and the opportunity to share with you how God is working through the Avondale community.

The Offering Plate

Let us give thanks to God!

The financial gifts you give today are used for God’s ministry here at Avondale and beyond. There are many ways to give - auto-draft, mail to the church, Sunday offering plate, and online giving using this link or scan the QR Code above.

More About Finance

As the end of the year approaches, we invite you to think about finance and Avondale.

-Pledge cards for 2023 are available on Sundays and in the office. A pledge card in fillable PDF format (desktop only) is also available.

-Year-End Giving Information - Want to contribute stock? Want to make a gift and apply it to 2022? Read about Martha White and find her contact info and schedule. Find all this here.

- Auto-Bank drafts do not auto-renew each year. Authorize your 2023 draft! Find all forms and Finance contact info here.

Member Care Corner

Please Pray for....

Family of Betty Boyd; family of Billie Coates; Logan Cole; family of Barbara Darling; Dylan Dewyer; family of Maurice Ewing; Paige Hamilton; Fran McCoy; family of Mike Page; Reed family; Amanda and Eric Shanks and the Jernigan family; Betsy and Rick Shanks; Corey, Jessica and Griffin Shanks; and Bill Thomas.

A Prayer

Great God of all, you know us so well. You know our pain. You know our loss. You grieve with us, you cry with us as tragedies plague your people. You work beside us in ministry and mission. God of grace, open our eyes, hearts and hands to the movement of your Spirit in this world. Restore hope to the suffering, mend the hearts of the hurting, grant us the strength to support those in need. As we forage for hope, may we bear the good fruit of faith, turning to each other and to you in love. Restore us, Holy God, with your hope. We pray this in the name of Christ. Amen.

Connect with us

Please do not hesitate to request prayers from Avondale for the joys or concerns on your heart. We encourage you to let us know of any sickness, crisis, or situation where we can provide support or care. You may contact Rev. Jim Ewing.

To update our prayer list, email Caroline.

Member Directory

Our online edition is updated regularly.

Here's a link to the latest directory.

Need the password? Email Caroline Starnes.

Prefer a paper copy of the member directory?

We can provide one! Contact the office or see OLIVIA MAGEE on Sunday to obtain a copy.

Mission & Ministry Corner

Announcements

AVONDALE IN ACTION

Dec 4 - 2nd Sunday of Advent “Peace”

Dec 4 - Congregational Meeting

Dec 4 - Room In The Inn sign-up

Dec 6 - PWA (Women's) Bible Study

Dec 6 - Taizé Prayer Service

Dec 7 - Roof Above Lunches sign-up

Dec 11 - Angel Tree Gifts due info

Dec 11 - Congregational Meal

Dec 15 - ASAP and John Tosco & Group info

Dec 15 - ACE Christmas Party info

Dec 17 - Good Grief (date change)

Dec 18 - "Avondale's Got Heart" tree decorating

Sunday Announcements

There is so much going on at Avondale during the season of Advent. Much to enjoy and share.

CLICK HERE to read about the programs. Find services, food, music, mission, news, updates and more.

These are the slides from Sunday that contain our current announcements.

Read at your leisure!

Save the dates for joyful music this season.

December 11 – The music of our Avondale Adventures children will be shared on December 11 with the Preschoolers sharing songs about Moses before the play and the Elementary age children will sing songs during the play, “The Christmas Movie” that follows worship.

December 18 - “Glorious Light of Christmas” Cantata worship service at 10 AM

“Crossroads Christmas Concert” sing along to your Christmas favorites at 3 PM; refreshments

Children's Ministry on Sundays

Click the box below to learn about navigating Sundays with babies and children at Avondale. Learn about the nursery, activity bags, and Sunday school.

Please complete the Sunday School form if your child goes. It's short!