Happy Holidays Dear Church!

What a joy it is to see our beautiful sanctuary decked out for the season. There is nothing that warms my heart more than the efforts of our Board of Worship. They take a vision and make it a reality. Our first Sunday of Advent was a beautiful time reflecting on the “light at the end of the darkness.” I hope that you are embracing your present circumstances, dark as they may be, and still find the light of HOPE that is at the end of your darkness. As we slowly move through the Advent season, you will begin to see how HOPE, PEACE, JOY, AND LOVE are not just the four weeks of Advent, but are also God’s dream for each of us.  

This coming Sunday we will venture into the promised PEACE of Christ. I am reminded of a song we will be singing this Sunday. A classic, especially at this time of year is “Let There Be Peace On Earth.” Of course, it is not necessarily a “song of the season,” but as we approach the Sunday of PEACE, there is not a better song for us to sing, to remember, and to be challenged by. You will not want to miss Sunday morning. It is also a communion Sunday, the table where we ingest God’s PEACE … PEACE comes alive.  

The World Council of Catholic Bishops wrote a beautiful piece titled, “The Challenge of Peace … God’s Promise, Our Response” In the piece I was most struck by this line:  

“Peacemaking is not an optional commitment. It is a requirement of our faith. We are called to be peacemakers, not by some movement of the moment, but by our Lord Jesus.”

With this truth in mind, I wonder, how are we doing with this responsibility? I invite you to think about that question this week as we reexamine this fundamental truth. Until Sunday, embrace the LIGHT; the light of HOPE, the light of PEACE, the light of JOY, and the light of LOVE. I love being your pastor.

Holding you close and lifting you high!

Pastor Greg

Hark the Herald Angels Sing arr. Kurtis Parks and Chris Douglas

This arrangement of “Hark the Herald Angels Sing” takes the lyrics that we are familiar with and adds an interesting accompaniment underneath. I love to use new takes on traditional carols because I believe that it can really give us a new understanding of the song when we worship with it. 



“Let There Be Peace on Earth” by Sy Miller & Jill Jackson

The lyrics to this song, are some of my favorites. We have used a version that has more inclusive lyrics. I really do believe that peace is only possible if each of us chooses to be a part of it. 

“Hope, Peace, Joy, and Love” by Joseph M. Martin

We will use one verse of this song each week through Advent as a sung response to the Lighting of the Advent Candle. Each verse speaks specifically to the theme for the week: Hope, Peace, Joy, or Love.

“Light at the End of the Darkness” by Larry Gatlin

We will use the chorus of this piece to be our Closing Song for all of Advent. There’s a light at the end of Advent. The birth of Christ is what we look forward to. We will use this song to point us to the light that is coming.

Prayer of Joy - Congratulations to Emilie, the niece of Elma, who was just awarded her doctorate in theology from St Andrews University in Scotland!

Prayers for all caregivers and families

Aunt Ethel, passed on Nov 20th, friends and family

Brooks and family, grandson of Marlene

Sue, friend of Kristie

Joshua, friend of Rosemary

Sue Ryan

Jim Siltanen

Rocelle Melone

Joanne Jonas

Elaine Lemon

Nina Melad

Felicia and Nellie-Felicia’s Sister

The Outreach Ministry

Blessings from Outreach!

We wanted to take a moment to say thank you to everyone  for all your gifts for the Thanksgiving Baskets. Your generosity has made many families happy and full!   You are such a blessing to Outreach, to our little church and to our community.

Happy Thanksgiving Everyone!

Thank you again

Love from the Outreach Ministry

P.S. We found a beautiful little bracelet in one of the Stater Brothers bags that someone brought for Thanksgiving. Please let us know if you are missing your bracelet.

Adopt-a- Family

We are reaching out to you today because our old tradition of adopting families for Christmas is starting! This year we are adding a Military Family. Our Military family is selected by Operation Help a Hero. They are an all-volunteer non-profit organization dedicated to our military heroes and those they love. We wanted to get you this information sooner because their wrapped cards and gifts will need to be returned to the church by December 14th. So look for that special tag on our Christmas Board this Sunday in the Narthex.

We will also be adopting 2 Families from our neighbors at Solara. We are also happy to say we are adopting 2 seniors in a nearby Poway retirement facility too!!!

We are looking forward to making the holiday season joyous for others!

With your generosity and gifts, we can make a difference in our community. And as always, We couldn’t do it without you!

Thank You in advance for making this happen!

You all are truly a blessing.

Holiday Cheer from the Outreach Ministry

^{ADVENT 2022}

^{“There’s a Light at the End of the Tunnel”}

^{The advent season began on Sunday, November 27th. This year, we will focus on the truth that, “there’s a light at the end of the tunnel.” The days of advent are dark; a time to ready your hearts for the glorious light of the Christ child on Christmas. As we travel together through the four weeks to Christmas, we are all called to embrace the darkness, while at the same time, striving forward toward the light at the end of our darkness}

IT’S A BOY

Baby Shower of Mary and Baby Jesus

Every year, your Board of Trustees plans a special party to honor the birth of Jesus and our dear congregation. On Sunday, December 18th, following worship, they will host a Baby Shower for the new mother and her beloved offspring. This event gives us all the opportunity to catch up on our tithes/offerings or make a special Christmas gift, as we approach the end of the church fiscal year. There will be cake and shower party games. You won’t want to miss it. Bring your checkbook and help us all reach our goals for 2022. You are a blessing.  

 Christmas Eve Worship 2022

Mark your calendars for Christmas Eve Worship. 

This year, Christmas Eve falls on a Saturday. CCPUCC will offer ONE worship service on December 24th, at 4:00 p.m. Make your plans now to be with us on this amazing day. 

NOTE: There will NOT be a Sunday morning worship service on Christmas Day.

The JOY of FOOD!

Each week there will be a “Recipe of the Week” for the Buzz!

There will be a red basket in the Narthex where you can drop off your favorite recipes or please email them to julie@ccpucc.org. It can be any recipe from family favorites to ones recently discovered! We will be encouraging you to share your thoughts after you made the dish too. 

This week's recipe is a Brown Butter Sweet Potato Pie!

Sent in by Julie H, thank you! 

Click Here for Brown Butter Sweet Potato Pie!

Adult Scripture Review:

Sunday’s following worship in the fireside room!

Email Susan Gurriell

at sgurriell@gmail.com

Books & More

On Nov. 29 we'll begin our discussion of The Island of Sea Women by Lisa See. 

This is a historical novel about female friendship and devastating family secrets on a small Korean island. 

Books & More will meet at our regular meeting place, the Fireside Room on Tuesday, Nov. 15 at 10:00am.

This is the Books & More meeting schedule for December:

We'll meet at 10:00am in the Fireside Room on Dec. 6.

We'll be off-site on Dec. 13.

No meetings Dec. 20 or 27.

https://zoom.us/j/98440622539pwd=aG1mRjlXVDVoRHhWTWpBaHA3QXZkUT09  

All are welcome to join us.  

Centering Prayer:

Tuesdays at 6:30 Contact Colleen Clementson

at powclem@yahoo.com or on

her cell at 858-663-6584, for the ZOOM invite

Thank you for checking out our BUZZ! Here is what you were waiting for! If you have a favorite joke or any tips to make the BUZZ even better, please send emails to julie@ccpucc.org :)

Jokes of the Week:

J: What cooking season is the most festive?

A: Christmas THYME...

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