November 30, 2022

The Advent season enfolds us in the wonder of God’s extraordinary genius. Who else would have the wisdom to send to a world - that is too cynical, too mistrusting, too frightened, too angry - a gift of holy innocence, a ray of divine hope, a whisper of lasting peace? God’s gift of a Child still causes our mouths to drop and our hearts to sing. A Child comes quietly into our dark night with a promise of peaceful unity. It’s easy to sidestep God’s brilliant gift of unconditional love as we argue that Christmas has

become too commercial and we have taken Christ out of Christmas. What NONSENSE! We can’t take Christ out of Christmas. Regardless of what may be said; the heart, soul, and life breath of this season is the Child - the gift, the Christ. Nothing can distort or erase that great truth. God’s gift continues to come, even though the night is dark and a procession of Herods still terrorize the earth, threatening to kill the innocents. The world still knows its Herods, but it also knows the searchers who pack their dreams safely in their hearts and head for Bethlehem. They are faithful against all odds, remaining undeterred by fatigue or rejection or petty argument. They go to kneel to a Child!

Oh, the world still knows those folk wise enough to follow a star, those who do not consider themselves too powerful, too wealthy to kneel to a Child. The world still knows those so humble they are able to hear angels sing. The night is still dark, but by the light of the star, they see to kneel to a Child. In wonder, you, Allisonville Christian Church, kneel to the Child in anticipation, joy and gratitude. You celebrate the Gift that comes in many forms - for you, it is the gift of a new Pastor who will love you, serve you, share with you, grow with you! What joy accompanies this season as we move forward to welcome the holy.

We live in a difficult world. There’s so much violence. There’s too much discord and not enough cooperation. But, Christmas comes with its gentle announcement that there’s MORE yet to be. We recognize in a Child that possibility comes with every breath we take. We kneel to a Child who quietly, passionately, clearly calls us to forgive and lay aside our senseless arguments, to love the people we’ve been deceived to hate. We kneel to a Child who invites us to welcome the rejected, embrace the unacceptable, and to live in peace. Christ can’t be taken out of Christmas, because Christ is Christmas. So, we go quietly, humbly, confidently to Bethlehem kneeling to a Child. The genius of God is that a Child shall lead us to hope… peace…joy…love. Simply breathtaking!

Amen.

Love,

John

Happy Wednesday, Allisonville!

For those of you who use Spotify to listen to music, today is a HUGE day for us! It's the day that Spotify Wrapped comes out! For those not on Spotify, this is basically like a year in review for what you listened to. It tells you how many minutes you listened to Spotify, your top artist for the year, most-played songs, etc. If anyone is curious what I got, it isn't really surprising. My top artist (and she has been each year Spotify Wrapped existed) is Taylor Swift and I listened to her for [redacted] minutes! Which did land me in her top .05% of listeners around the world. Wow...

Anyway, this Spotify Wrapped has me thinking about what my 2022 Wrapped might look like for my life. This year has been so full of so many ups and downs, that January feels like a century ago. Overall, I do feel good about my year and how it played out. There were some downs, like my car wreck the night before Pride and fighting with my leasing office for over a month about my lease renewal (which is still ongoing). But there were DEFINITELY some highs, like the Nashville mission trip, getting tickets to a Taylor Swift concert, and finding a really incredible friend group here in Indy. I could go on!

And so I wonder, what are some of the highlights and lowlights of your year? As you reflect back on it, I also wonder- where have you noticed God at work in this 2022 Wrapped? Each week in youth group, I have the youth share where they have noticed God lately as part of our check-in. Where have you noticed God this year? Did you notice God this year? As we enter into the second week of Advent, a week that celebrates the peace of Christ, I hope you encounter God in some way. Maybe you will on Sunday, it's just a bit of a special day for us at Allisonville, ha!

Peace and blessings,

Josh

Congregational Meeting and Combined Service - Sunday, December 4

December 4 will be a beautiful day of rejoicing as we worship together for a combined worship service at 10:30 a.m. followed by a congregational meeting. This is such an important event as our candidate for Senior Minister will be presented to the congregation for approval. The Search Committee will share their process in selection and why the candidate was unanimously chosen to be submitted to the congregation. Also, our Senior Pastor candidate will be present to offer some words of introduction. This is a day of great blessing. It is a day to give thanks that after a careful search for the right person to serve our congregation, a candidate will be presented to the congregation to approve and elect. There will be time to meet and visit with the candidate following the congregational meeting. Refreshments will be served! There will be cake and light appetizers served. What a day of joy is ahead!

From the Region: Indiana Youth Council Reinstated

The Indiana Youth Council (IYC) is a group of young people from around the state who serve as representatives for Disciples youth throughout the region. IYC plans and coordinates all youth events in the region except summer camps. Those applying for IYC positions should be active in their local congregation, attend camps and/or other regional activities, show interest in being part of youth ministry in the region, and exhibit good leadership qualities. Applicants should review the IYC Constitution and Code of Ethics before they apply. (http://indianadisciples.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/01/IYC-Constitution-Code-of-Ethics-2022.pdf)

Application materials are due: January 9, 2023. Talk to Josh Jackson if you have any questions.

Blue Christmas Service - Sunday, December 4

The Christmas holidays can be especially difficult for those who have lost loved ones recently or in the past. The Blue Christmas service is an opportunity for us to gather together in our shared sorrow, to recognize the pain, and to move together into the wonder and beauty of the Advent season. It gives us a chance to express our needs and to experience the beauty of Christ coming to us once more as a child, bringing hope for better times to come. The service is scheduled for Sunday, December 4 at 5:00 p.m. in our sanctuary. Please join us for this special time of sharing together. Invite all who might be feeling sadness at this holy season. It is a simple but beautiful time of worship as we think of those in need of God’s loving care. Come and join us.

December Food Pantry Requests

Food pantry pickup will be this Sunday, December 4. Special requests for December are:

• Diapers: 4, 5, 6, and wipes
• Sanitary napkins & tampons
• Toilet paper
• Canned fruit
• Peanut butter

Family Promise - Sorting and Packing of Groceries

On Saturday, December 10th we will be gathering together to sort through the groceries and paper goods and boxing them up to deliver them to the Family Promise families, along with their Christmas presents. We will be meeting at 9 am. We will need several volunteers. If you will be able to help with this process please contact Sherilee Mclain by email at sherilee.mclain@yahoo.com. We will also need several heavy-duty boxes for this process. Thank you ACC for your support of Family Promise.

Choir Cantata - December 11

“What Child Is This?” by Joel Raney is the beautiful cantata that our ACC Choir will be presenting in both worship services on Sunday, December 11. The choir under the fine leadership of Chris Higgins and accompanied by Tracy Noens have been working hard on bringing a very special message to the ACC community this Advent season. Please join us and invite your family and friends to be your guests as we celebrate together the wondrous coming of our Savior, Jesus Christ. A special orchestra of local talent has been rehearsing as well and will accompany the choir. It promises to be a beautiful offering of our good news. Join us Sunday, December 11 for “What Child Is This!”

Christmas Eve Traditional Service - December 24

On Saturday, December 24, at 5:30 pm and again at 7:00 p.m., we will gather for our annual Christmas Eve Services in the sanctuary. It is always a beautiful and meaningful service as we share scripture, music and the gift of communion together. Please plan to join us for this sacred night and bring your family and neighbors. May your hearts be full as we prepare for Jesus’ birth once more.

Christmas Day - Sunday, December 25

On Christmas day, Sunday, December 25, we will have a combined service at 10:30 a.m. joyfully celebrating the birth of our Lord. Many will be joining families for special observances, but if you are able, please plan to join us for this very special time together. “I am bringing you good news of great joy for all the people; to you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is the Messiah, the Lord.” (Luke 2:10-11)

November 29 | ACC Book Club

The Allisonville Book Club plans to read a murder mystery next - Maisie Dobs by Jacqueline Winspear. This is the first of about 20 books in the series. We will meet on November 29 at 7:00 via Zoom.

This book is a New York Times Notable Book of the Year, an Agatha Award Winner for Best First Novel, a Macavity Award Winner for Best First Novel, and an Alex Award Winner. Maureen Corrigan for NPR's Fresh Air program called it "Compelling...powerful. [Maisie Dobbs] testifies to the enduring allure of the traditional mystery...even though I knew what was coming this second time 'round, its final scene is still a punch in the gut."

December 3 | Men's Breakfast at Skillets Pancake House

The men's breakfast group will be meeting for breakfast and fellowship at Skillets Pancake House on Saturday, December 3 from 8:00 am until 10:00 am. Come out and join for some hearty breakfast food and good fellowship to jumpstart your weekend!

December 14 | Prime Timers Lunch

Prime Timers in December will be held again this year at Kopper Kettle in Morristown on Wednesday, December 14th at 12:00 pm. The price of $25 will include a complete chicken dinner, drink, dessert, tax, and gratuity. If you prefer cod, the charge will be $28 with everything included. All dinners must be prepaid because the restaurant wants to do one bill. Larry and Pam Rahn are coordinating this year, so checks should be made out to Larry or Pam; they will write the check for the bill. Your reservation will need to be in no later than December 7th and space is limited. You can contact Pam Rahn at pjrahn@hotmail.com or at 317-379-3888. Copper Kettle is a beautiful setting to share Christmas Joy!

Seeking Virtual Scripture Readers

Virtual scripture readers are needed. Now scheduling for January and February 2023. Please contact John Quick (317-294-2709, qman21611@gmail.com) to sign up!

Youth Group Meal Signup

It's that time of year again! Weekly youth group is back, and if you would like to serve and help out with our youth ministry a great way to do so is to provide the weekly meal for the group. Josh will communicate instructions with you the week before, but please click the link below to sign up for a Sunday (or two) to bring lunch for our young people! If you have questions, talk to Josh.

Exploring Worship and Worship & Wonder Volunteers for 2022-2023

Would you like to be involved in our children's ministry next year? We are seeking volunteers for both Exploring Worship and Worship & Wonder. Here are brief descriptions of the roles we are needing to fill:

W&W Greeter - The Greeter helps to welcome the kids to Worship & Wonder and assists the Storyteller in crowd control and keeping the ministry flowing. 

W&W Storyteller - The Storyteller leads the lesson directly from the Worship & Wonder curriculum. We have access to the official W&W training. 

EW Teacher - The Teacher leads the activity for the day, such as the sharing of joys and concerns, reading the scripture for the day, etc.

EW Shepherd - The Shepherd assists the Teacher in getting the kids to the EW space and keeping the activity going smoothly. 

If you are interested in any of these roles or if you would like more information about them, please reach out to Josh!