Christmas at Old North Church
Although we won’t gather in-person this year, we can be together in Spirit!
Please join us for worship this week on YouTube (Old North Church Marblehead)
And don’t forget our Christmas Offering!
- December 20th: Fourth Sunday of Advent. Children’s Pageant & Bell Sunday (posted at 8 am)
- December 21st: Longest Night Service (posted at 5 pm)
- December 24th: Christmas Eve. Service of Lessons and Carols (posted at 5pm)
Christmas Blessings one and all!
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Sunday, December 20
Fourth Sunday of Advent
Reading:
Luke 1:26-38
Rev. Dr. Dennis B. Calhoun's sermon:
"Changing Plans"
This week's worship video will be posted by 8am this Sunday.
Please click here on Sunday morning to view the service.
Please click here for a copy of Sunday's bulletin.
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Our Latest News and Activities |
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Kindle Ministry
We continue offering our worship service for people who don't have access to the internet on Kindle Fire tablets. They're easy to use (just press one button!) and delivered weekly to the doors of those who need them! If you know of someone who might benefit, let Karen Kilty know at kwkilty@gmail.com or 978-335-6244.
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Coffee Hour Zoom is Back!
Coffee Hour is BACK! Join members of the ONC community for conversation and fellowship on Zoom at 11am every Sunday.
Or call this number:
+1 312 626 6799 (Meeting ID: 566 308 766)
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Children’s Faith Formation
Fourth Sunday of Advent - Love
This Sunday is Pageant and Bell Sunday. We will share The Animal’s Christmas Carol once again, but as all things 2020, it is with a lot more imagination and creativity and with a lot of love. This Sunday is the last Sunday of Advent and we light the Candle of Love on our Advent wreaths. The candle of Love helps us remember that God loves us so much that God sent Jesus to show us what love is. The Next Candle we will light is the Christ Candle, the candle that celebrates Jesus’ birth—Christmas.
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Stewardship Season is Underway
By now you have received our annual stewardship appeal. Despite all the changes in church life due to the pandemic, the challenge of financing our mission and ministry remains. We hope you are able to continue your support of Old North Church as you have in the past, and we encourage you to return your pledge card to the church office, or pledge online at your earliest convenience. As of December 18, we have received 167 pledges for 2021, totaling $319,708.
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Friendly Voices
Feeling isolated as the days get shorter and the nights get longer? Wish you had someone to talk to while sipping a cup of tea. Sign up with the Community Life Ministry here at ONC to get a phone call every so often for a check in. In order to get on our call list, please contact either:
We already have friendly voices contacting people and would love to add you to our list.
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Old North Book Discussion Group
Wednesday, January 13 8:30-10:00am
The next meeting of the Old North Reading and Discussion Group on Preserving our Democracy and Environment will be on Wednesday,
January 13th, from 8:30 to 10:00 AM via Zoom. This is the latest of a series of meetings on preservation of our democracy and environment that have been hosted by the ONC Men’s Group. The discussions are supported by background reading assignments. You are invited to participate regardless of the amount of reading you have done or whether you have attended a previous meeting. At this meeting we will discuss Cailin O’Connor’s and James Owen Weatherall’s 2019 book, The Misinformation Age: How False Ideas Spread, There will be much discussion of current dangers our democracy is facing and the results of the national elections. To join the meeting, click on https://us02web.zoom.us/j/87487160180?pwd=Z0UzSTNhVHJiZHp4alRTQm50RFZRUT09 .
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Gift Card Drive for Plummer Youth Promise
Members of our Outreach Ministry Board have been reaching out to agencies supported by your pledge contributions to see how they are managing financially and in general. Missey Donohoe recently contacted Plummer Youth Promise.
Plummer Youth Promise is a non-profit organization serving youth ages birth to 22 that are in or at risk of entering the child welfare system. Plummer’s Promise is to ensure that all young people find safe, loving families unconditionally committed to them.
This Holiday season, Plummer is collecting gift cards for their Holiday Gift Drive. Some suggested gift cards are Visa, Market Basket, Uber or Amazon. If you would like to participate in the project, you can mail gift cards to:
Plummer Youth Promise
Attn: Emily Lonergan
37 Winter Island Road
Salem, MA 01970
or you can choose to make a donation towards the drive online at plummeryouthpromise.org. Thank you for helping bring joy to our youth, and do whatever it takes to find them a forever family. Happy Holidays to you and your loved ones!
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News From Our Sister Church in Pholela
After being shutdown by the covid virus for many months, the Pholela Congregation is able to meet again for services thanks to our ONC donation which enabled them to purchase the necessary safety supplies for all 25 branches.
Last month they were able to have the whole congregation gather for worship and the first quarterly meeting after the lockdown. Last Sunday they had a baptismal day when twenty babies were baptized, among them was Rev. Simon’s daughter.
Your pledges and donations continue to have a huge impact in the lives of our friends at the other end of the world.
Ginny von Rueden, Outreach Ministry Board
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Anti-Racism Accountability Group
A group of Old North Church folks are committing to get together regularly to hold ourselves accountable to doing anti-racism work in our own lives. This will be a time for sharing and accountability about how we are participating in the work Jesus calls us to do in unraveling white supremacy--whether that's confronting racist language in our families and friends, supporting Black organizers in the local area, immersing ourselves in learning from people of color, or many other things. We're still figuring this out, and we'd love for you to be on the journey with us.
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Ways to Connect With Us During the Week
So that we might stay connected, we've set up several times throughout the week to gather on Zoom. You can join from a computer, iphone, or ipad using the links below, or you can call +1 929 205 6099 and enter the meeting ID (listed with each event).
Lectio Divina (Tuesdays 9am)
A time of contemplative prayer, with scripture and poetry, led by Dennis.
Breakfast Group (Fridays 8am)
A time to gather with one another, with your breakfast and coffee.
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Church Building Access and Office Hours
We are limiting access to the church and office buildings to critical business needs only. Our office is closed for normal business but some of our staff are in periodically to ensure that critical operations are maintained. Please reach out to us via email at office@onchurch.org if you have any questions. Thank you for staying home and staying safe!
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Do You Need Assistance? Here are some Resources.
We are sharing a list of resources which Gordon Lothrop thoughtfully shared with us from the Marblehead Masonic Lodge.
List of Resources
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Swampscott Council on Aging: click here
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Marblehead Council on Aging: click here
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Marblehead Community Support Forum: click here
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Nahant Council on Aging: click here
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Anchor Food Pantry Swampscott: click here
- The Nahant Veteran’s Food Bank operates the first Wednesday of the month for veterans living in Nahant.
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Marblehead Food Pantry, 80 Atlantic Ave. (781)631-5335: click here
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Town of Marblehead: click here
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Town of Swampscott: click here
- Churches
- Synagogues
- Schools
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Contact Us: 781-631-1244
Church Address: 35 Washington St., Marblehead, MA 01945
Mailing Address: 8 Stacey St. Marblehead, MA 01945
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