What is the best Christmas gift you ever received? I remember being desperate for a chemistry set in Jr. High. I had visions of becoming a famous scientist and making new discoveries. I was thrilled with all the bottles of chemicals and test tubes, and I put the periodic table of elements up on the basement wall. But my science phase was over after a few titrations of making chemicals change colors, creating some bad smells and a fizzy near explosion. I crossed off doing things in beakers from my career list. Unsurprisingly, I didn’t follow through on the beer brewing kit my kids gave me one year. That gift was a one-and-done after a hoppy explosion in the refrigerator. 

The gift with the most significant impact on my life was receiving a pregnant sow from my Grandparents. They called it the Farmer’s College Fund. I was 12 years old and started my small herd of pigs. While I made some money and mistakes, learning to be responsible was the real value. I also realized I did not want to be a farmer, so I studied hard in college so I wouldn’t have to use a pitchfork ever again. 

Looking back, the gifts that hold the most profound value are the gifts of people being present in my life. They offered time, love, encouragement, and attention when needed. It’s not the presents so much as the presence. For all the stress about finding the perfect gift or wishing we could give more, the best gift we have to offer is to be present. 

Woody Allen said 90 percent of life is showing up. True, but I would add that it matters to show up well. I can physically show up and be somewhere else in my head. Advent season provides a great opportunity to reflect on what it means to be present. We are watching and waiting for the coming Presence, preparing the way to celebrate God with us on Christmas morning. 

Each Sunday of Advent, we will reflect on a different way to be present. We will incorporate the traditional Advent candles for hope, peace, joy, and love, exploring how we can be present with these gifts. You will notice a few shifts to help us be more present during worship, such as having time for silent reflection during the pastoral prayer. We also have an Advent Reflection Journal you can use during the week to explore each theme for a few minutes. Click HERE to download.  

I hope our Sundays and resources will help you during this busy season to be still so God can be present to you and we can share God’s presence with each other. 

Blessed Advent,

Pastor Todd

Saturday, December 2

Annual Church Christmas Fair

10:00 AM-2:00 PM Fellowship Hall

Sunday, December 3

First Sunday of Advent | Hanging the Greens

10:00 AM Worship

“Being Present with Hope”

Mark 13:24-37

Sunday, December 10

Second Sunday of Advent

10:00 AM Worship

“Being Present with Peace”

Mark 1:1-8

Monday, December 11

Blue Christmas Service

5:30 PM

Saturday, December 16

Christmas Family Fun

2:00-4:00 PM Fellowship Hall

The Sunday School will host an afternoon of Family Fun making gingerbread houses. Everyone is welcome!

Sunday, December 17

Third Sunday of Advent

10:00 AM Worship

"Being Present with Joy"

Luke 1:46b-55

Christmas Caroling

4:00 PM Fellowship Hall

Join the vocal choir for a live-stream caroling special event!

Gather around the piano with the choir and Minister of Music Genie O'Connell, from your home, or come in person. You may watch on channel 7 or 1301 or stream via Facebook and YouTube.

Sunday, December 24 | Christmas Eve

Fourth Sunday of Advent

Family Christmas Service & Pageant

10:00 AM Worship

The Christmas Fund UCC Special Offering

will be collected during the offering.

Candlelight Service of Lessons & Carols

7:00 PM Worship

"Being Present with Love"

Luke 1:26-38

Sunday, December 31 | New Year's Eve

10:00 AM Worship

Glow Advent Devotional 2023

Follow our Facebook page through Lent, where we will post daily devotionals from Glow, a 2023 Advent Devotional from the UCC God Is Still Speaking ®: The Writers’ Group beginning on the first Sunday of Lent.

Advent & Christmas Music 

Welcome to Advent. During Advent and on Christmas Eve, our Vocal Choir will offer anthems, responses, and congregational support during worship. We will also be blessed with an assortment of Handbell pieces.

Blue Christmas is offered on Monday, December 11, at 5:30 PM in the Chapel. A small ensemble of singers will support the worship with an anthem and hymn, while the piano will be the main instrument.

Christmas Caroling from our Fellowship Hall will be enjoyed by all at 4 PM. Our amazing AV coordinator, Violet, will stream it through the usual sources, and we hope that folks who are stuck at home will tune in and sing along.

Copies of the Advent/Christmas hymns from our hymnal will be available on the bench inside the door from the parking lot. Please help yourself and take one to someone who won't be able to attend in person.

BUT... we need all of our congregation to come and join in the singing. We'll have hot cider and donuts for everyone. It would be festive for folks to bring your favorite Christmas mug from home for your cider. This will be a fun and relaxed opportunity to sing many of your favorite Christmas hymns.

Worship on Christmas Eve in the morning will focus on the children who will be presenting their pageant with some help from adult volunteers. They will include singing and ringing their bells, and our amazing Handbell Director, Jamie Knobloch, will be performing one of her solo Handbell pieces.

Worship on Christmas Eve in the evening at 7:00 PM will focus on Lessons and Carols, including lighting our candles and the annual ringing of our own bells as we sing the final hymn, "Joy to the World."

And on Sunday, December 31, our ringers and singers will have a much-needed Sunday off, so we'll want all of our congregation to become the choir. Our church is a singing church, and this is a great opportunity to let loose.

Genie O

Minister of Music

Volunteers Needed for Annual Church Christmas Fair

Famous Choir Cookie Walk

Cookies, Cookies, Cookies! What's Christmas without cookies?

The church choirs again sponsor the famous Congregational Church Cookie Walk at our Christmas fair. Success depends on your donation of special holiday cookies, all to benefit the community fuel fund.

We are asking for frosted, shortbread, snowball, candy kissed, cut-out cookies, etc. You know what I mean — the kind you only bake this time of year, the kind that you'd love to give or receive as a gift, the kind that treats the eye as well as the palate!

If you prefer everyday sorts of cookies — chocolate chip, ginger crinkles, snickerdoodles — please make them larger than "normal" so we can ask a good price for them! $10.00 for a baker's dozen (13).

Very special cookies will be put in separate wax paper envelopes and sold for $1 each.

Questions? Please contact the church office.

Click HERE to sign up to make cookies.

Deacon's Baked Good Table

The Deacons Need Your Help! We are requesting contributions for the Deacon's Table at the Fair: Cakes, brownies, jams, pies, pickles, sweet breads, quiche, lemon bars – whatever you like to make and share with your church family. Your contribution may be dropped off in the Fellowship Hall on Friday, December 1, AFTER 2:30 PM or before the fair on Saturday morning. Please label your item - And Thank You For Your Help!

Questions? Please contact the church office.

Click HERE to sign up to make baked goods.

Soup To Go

The Hospitality Committee needs volunteers to make soup, chili, chowder and rolls for the soup luncheon, as well as people to help set up, clean up, and assist in the kitchen. To sign up to volunteer, there is a sign-up sheet on the bulletin board in Fellowship Hall. If you are signing up to make soup, please include what kind.

Click HERE to sign up to make something for the luncheon.

Order Your Poinsettias Today!

This Christmas season, please consider purchasing a poinsettia in

honor of loved ones to be displayed in the sanctuary during the

Christmas season; or instead, make a donation in honor of loved ones to the CRC Boothbay Region Fuel Assistance Fund to help our neighbors in need this winter.

The Poinsettia/Fuel Fund dedications list will be included in the Christmas Eve Service and printed in the January Newsletter.

Please complete the dedication form below and return it with your check for $20.00 (or greater) by Wednesday, December 13th. Checks payable to Congo Church BBH with "Poinsettias" in the memo line. Click HERE to download the form OR forms are available at the church.

Thank you for keeping this honored tradition alive and helping keep a family warm this holiday season.

Stewardship Committee Update

The Stewardship Committee would like to thank all those folks who have submitted their Time/Talent and Pledge Cards for 2024. We would also like to thank you for attending our Stewardship luncheon that took place on November 5, Stewardship Sunday. Everyone seemed to enjoy the good food and the camaraderie that came with it!  

Here is an update on where the 2024 Stewardship campaign stands as of November 25, 2023:

We have received 85 pledges totaling $240,607.88. This is approximately 89% of our goal of $270,000.00. When compared to this time last year, we are ahead by one pledge and $40,070. This is great news and we would like to thank everyone for their generosity! We will be mailing our reminder letters to those members and friends who have not yet submitted their Time/Talent and Pledge cards and ask them to please consider doing so at their convenience. We hope and pray that these folks will help us reach our goal for next year. 

As a reminder, you may submit your pledge along with your Time/Talent information electronically at congochurchbb.org/stewardship.

We would like to thank you for your continued support of our church and its ministries. We could not do all that we do without your generosity! Have a very Merry Christmas and a wonderful, happy, and healthy New Year in 2024.

Joanne Annino, Richard Annino, Holly Stover, Ella Long, Lana Brandt

Church Life & Education

Contact the church office for ZOOM links.

Adult Education

8:15 AM Sunday

Bible Study

NOON on Mondays

Book & Meditation

6:30 AM Tuesdays

Men's Breakfast

8:00 AM on the first Monday of every month

Mama D's

Spouse Support Group

2:00 PM Wednesdays

Bells Rehearsal

3:00 PM Thursdays

Chapel

Choir Rehearsal

4:30 PM Thursdays

Sanctuary