Pilgrim's Progress 49(21)

From Our Associate Pastor

"I Wonder as I Wander" is a traditional Appalachian folk carol, with a haunting, lyrical simplicity. When the strains of this carol echo through me, they touch a deep place in my heart. In this place of memory and profound longing for God, I find the Christmas Spirit. There is something to the lilting melody ... there is something to the words ...

How Jesus the Savior did come for to die

For poor ordinary people like you and like I;

I wonder as I wander out under the sky."

My Christmas wish for each of you is that you may un-wrap the gift of a moment, sometime during this busy and holy season. I wish for you a moment of wonder and awe, looking at the sky, looking at God's creation, wondering about the miracle of new life, marveling at the surprising ways God gets born in our lives, over and over again!

"When Mary bore Jesus, ‘twas in a cow's stall,

With wise men and animals and shepherds and all,

But high from the heavens a star's light did fall,

And the promise of ages it then did recall."

Amidst the many festivities and celebrations of this month - with the usual overload of work and family life thrown in! - I pray that you find time and space for wonder. Perhaps it will be in the familiar strains of a Christmas carol, perhaps in the words of someone who reaches out to you in love. Perhaps it will be outdoors, walking in the December chill, the beauty of New England winter. Look for wonder! Seek it out! Open your hearts to amazing grace, and let the wonder of a newborn from Nazareth fill you with holy joy.

"If Jesus had wanted for any wee thing,

A star in the sky or a bird on the wing,

Or all of God's angels in heaven for to sing,

He could sure have had it, ‘cause he was the King."

On Christmas Eve, there is wonder of one kind and another to be found in our lovely sanctuary! At 6:00 pm, the people of this Church will present a Christmas Pageant, re-telling the Biblical narratives of Baby Jesus' birth, complete with shepherds, angels, and plenty of singing of our favorite carols. This family-friendly pageant will be filled with all the wonder of the noisy, life-filled stable! Come to Bethlehem and see!

Come, let us wonder, together! Merry Christmas!

Rev. Andrea Castner Wyatt

COMING WORSHIP EVENTS

DECEMBER 16 10:30AM MUSIC SUNDAY

Choir singing selections from Messiah

DECEMBER 20 7:30PM LONGEST NIGHT

A peaceful candlelight service

DECEMBER 23 10:30AM

CHRISTMAS SERVICE

Carols, poinsettias, celebration

DECEMBER 24 6:00PM CHRISTMAS EVE

Intergenerational Nativity Tableau

DECEMBER 30 10:30AM CAROL SING

Sing your choice of carols

JANUARY 6 10:30AM EPIPHANY

God is revealed

JANUARY 13 10:30AM BIBLE SUNDAY

Children receive gift Bibles

THROUGHOUT THE CHRISTMAS SEASON WE ARE OFFERING

GIVING OPPORTUNITIES

During the holiday times, we are often motivated to share with others. Pilgrim makes it easy by connecting you to groups and agencies that do good work in faithful and responsible ways. [See the Mission insert for great ideas.]

CARES AND CONCERNS

To make sure that everyone is aware of the cares and concerns mentioned in the Sunday morning announcements, the Care Committee has decided to post them in the Care Committee section of the bulletin board in the narthex.

A service of reflection and hope.

Thursday  December 20  7:30 pm

The Longest Night

"The light shines in darkness

and the darkness has not overcome it."

Step back from the holiday rush.

Enjoy a quiet candlelight service.

Contemplate the meanings of the season

through familiar carols, meditation, and prayer.

Invitation postcards are available in the foyer. Please send one to a friend.

GIFT OF PEACE VESPERS

JANUARY 3, 7:30PM

Start the New Year with a service of reflection and mediation on Thursday, January 3, 2008 at 7:30pm. David Mislin will offer a program of contemplative organ music and a booklet of readings will be provided to guide personal meditation. The service will also have periods of silence for reflection. Invite your friends, coworkers, and neighbors to take part in this opportunity for spiritual rejuvenation. For more information contact David at (617) 223-1270 or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. .

FROM OUR MINISTER OF EDUCATION

"You'll Go Down in History"

These are the last five words to a popular Christmas song that children learn at an early age. In fact, I would be willing to bet that many of us know every word to this song written in 1949 by Johnny Marks. The song was based on Marks' brother-in-law's book by the same name, Rudolf the Red-Nosed Reindeer. Robert L. May worked for Montgomery Ward when he wrote that story in 1939 as a promotional gimmick. That was 68 years ago, so it is safe to say that Rudolph has gone down in history.

One of my professors maintains that it is difficult to determine what will be remembered in history. Events and people may seem significant in the present time, but as history marches on, they are forgotten. At other times, minor occurrences become permanently imprinted on our memories and become the history we remember.

As Pilgrim celebrates its 50^th birthday next year, what would present day Pilgrims say are momentous, historical events in the life of this small, local UCC church? Recently, I went through the archives of the church and found some fascinating tidbits of information. I was digging around because I was interested in how Pilgrim Church came to be. There are collective memories floating around the congregation today.

We are in the Advent season anticipating the coming of the Christ Child. We pass on this story and treasure its significance for our world, our communities and our own personal lives. For two thousand years, that one momentous event has shaped our Christian lives. For 50 years, the founding of our church has shaped our Pilgrim lives. During the coming months, you will be hearing more and more about how we came to be, who we were, and how that has shaped us into the Pilgrims we are today. I encourage everyone, especially families, to take part in the celebration. Perhaps one day your imprint on Pilgrim will have us saying, "You'll go down in history."

Faithfully, Debra

THE CHRISTMAS PAGEANT IS DECEMBER 24,

REHEARSALS HAVE BEGUN!

Come see the Christmas story unfold in tableau, narration, and music on Monday, December 24 at 6:00pm. Families can be together either participating in the pageant or watching it.

Pageant rehearsals are scheduled for the full cast on December 16 and 23. On December 23^rd there will be a pizza lunch followed by a full dress rehearsal. Children will be fitted for costumes during class this Sunday. Adults will be fitted downstairs after church on Sunday the 16^th and before and after church on the 23^rd.

Please be sure to practice the Christmas Carols! If you need music, let Debra know on Sunday.

SATURDAY, JANUARY 5

5:30PM TO 9:30PM

Pilgrim's choir members - whether regular, occasional or potential - and their families are all invited to a Choir Party at

Dick, Elizabeth and Grace's home, 73 Valleyfield Street, Lexington.

It's a potluck dinner and also a Yankee Swap (anonymous and humorous gifts), and of course Christmas Carols!

For more information please email Dick Edmiston at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. , or call 781-863-8642. Please RSVP by January 3^rd.

A NEW COUNCIL MEMBER

Because of family responsibilities, Matt Ali has found it necessary to resign from the Church Council. Matt has been a productive and wise member of the Church Council, serving as clerk of the Congregation as well as on the Finance and Administration Committee and the Building Committee. We appreciate the time he has given the Council and are fortunate that he will continue to make his valuable contributions on F&A and on the properties evaluation committee. Thank you Matt, for all you have done.

We are very pleased to report that Son-Mey Chiu, the next to be elected in the last Council vote, has accepted the call to join Council assuming the balance of Matt Ali's term. Consistent with precedent, we will schedule an installation ceremony during a January worship service.

We are grateful that Son-Mey has responded to this call to serve.

Gregory North, Moderator

FROM THE ENVIRONMENTAL GROUP

During the cold and quiet of January and February curl up by a warm fire and read a hopeful book about the future of the earth. Then discuss it with us on February 10 at 7:00pm at the Munkres residence. The book is The Great Work, Our Way into the Future, by Thomas Berry, former director of the Riverdale Center of Religious Research, and a historian of the earth and its people. You can purchase the book on Amazon.com, or at discount at Sundial Bookstore in Lexington, or borrow it from a library.

We will also be showing a Canadian film, The Great Warming, on Movie Night, Friday, February 8 at 7:00pm, followed by a discussion. Watch for further details about these events. Our next meeting is January 14 at 7:30pm.

Barbara Munkres, for the Environmental Group

CHURCH SCHOOL COMMITTEE VOLUNTEERS

The first half of the year has flown by with little fanfare and loads of learning about the different ways that God wants us to show God's love. In addition to the Season's of the Spirit curriculum, our children have been learning about God's desire for social justice and how they can actively make that vision a reality.

The Church School Committee, aka Teacher Support and Recruitment, will meet on Wednesday, January 16 at 7:00pm to talk about how we can continue to enrich the spiritual lives of our children and their teachers. All are welcome to attend the meeting, or to send their ideas to Sean Osborne at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. .

The "2^nd Friday Movie Night" was canceled in December because that's when Hollywood traditionally brings out its family and Oscar friendly films, and people gather around their TVs to watch classics like Charlie Brown's Christmas.

But after you've seen them and the Golden Compass and Legend, we hope you'll join us on January 11 at 7:00pm to watch the film, Jesus Camp. This riveting, Oscar-nominated documentary follows young Evangelical Christians attending the "Kids on Fire" summer camp in North Dakota where they are trained to deliver the fundamentalist community's religious and political messages.

Steve Van Evera will lead the discussion following the film. Bring your family, friends and neighbors - this will be a passionate and thought-provoking evening!

BOOKS, BOOKS, BOOKS

JOIN THE PILGRIM BOOK CLUB

Like the Gospel, a good book is better when it is shared with others. The Pilgrim Book Club is a way to strengthen our fellowship while sharing those books. This incarnation of the book club will meet at 7:00pm on the second Sundays of February, March and May.

On February 10 we will share our impressions of The Great Work: Our Way into the Future by Thomas Berry. Barbara Munkres will host this meeting at her house.

During Lent we will look at The Last Week: A Day-by-Day Account of Jesus's Final Week in Jerusalem by Marcus Borg and John Crossnan. On March 9 Steve Van Evera will host this discussion of one of his favorite authors.

And just in time for the final push of the election season, Gregory North will share his impressions of The God of Intimacy and Action by Tony Campolo and Mary Albert Darling on May 11.

We hope that one or two of these books will appeal to you and that you'll join the Sunday evening conversations. And don't worry about actually having to have finished the book in order to come to the meetings! For more information on the Book Club or to suggest books for discussion, contact Sean Osborne at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. .

COPIES OF THE PROPOSED 2008 BUDGET ARE ON THE LITERATURE TABLE.

"LESSONS FROM THE MOVEMENT" JANUARY 13 AT 7:00PM

On the Sunday before Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.'s birthday, Pilgrim will be hosting a commemorative service entitled Lessons from the Movement. On January 13 at 7:00pm, Marjorie German and Steve Van Evera will be sharing their personal experiences of the Civil Rights Movement and how it shaped their lives. The need for social justice is not historical, so all Pilgrims are invited to come out and share and learn how history continues to shape the present.

This event is open to the public. A reception will follow the event. Please contact Beth Graham ( This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. ), Gregory North ( This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. ), or Marjorie German ( This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. ) to sign up for snacks and drinks.

Sara Carabbio initiated a project to collect pocket change from children and adults in order to pool resources to buy gifts and necessities for soldiers stationed in Iraq. The campaign has been a success! And people are contributing a lot more than pennies.

The first package arrived in Iraq just after Thanksgiving. The letter Sara received from the soldiers appears on page 7. Another box will be sent before Christmas.

Keep those pennies coming! The jar is in the entry hall. And if you want to send a check to Pilgrim with "Pennies for Peace" on the memo line, that will be fine too.

High electricity bills got you down? The Pilgrim Utilities Group (PUG) is addressing the same problem for Pilgrim Church. As a first step we have purchased a PowerCost Monitor to help identify and quantify electric consumption. A survey by Derek Gardiner and Beth Graham has given us a lot of information on our base line consumption, and on many individual devices as well. With these data we will be developing plans to take a bite out of our total electric consumption.

Would you also like to take a bite out of your electric bill, and reduce your home's carbon footprint? You could start by using the Church's PowerCost Monitor (PCM) to better understand the energy characteristics of your home. We will be making this device available to help members quantify their electric power usage. The PCM is easy to install on many electric meters, but difficult on others. If you would like to try it out, please call Jean, the church secretary, at

781-862-0357 to put your name on the "PUG/PCM list." A donation of $25-$30 is suggested (but not required) to help us pay for the cost of purchasing and maintaining the monitor.

Thank you, Dick Edmiston

START YOUR "SPRING CLEANING" EARLY ~ SAVE CHILDREN'S CLOTHES

Please save all your children's gently

worn clothes because in the spring, Pilgrim

Nursery School will be collecting children's

clothing for the Lexington Preschool Parent

Teacher Association clothing sale. If you

have questions, contact Leslie Holmes,

PNS director, at 781-861-8853.

CHRISTMAS FUND

OFFERING ENVELOPE

The enclosed Christmas Fund

Offering Envelope will be collected

during church on Sunday,

December 23. Offerings will be

given to the UCC Christmas Fund

which provides support to retired

UCC ministers who are without a

pension.

HAVE A BIG HEART

HELP IN SMALL WAYS

Wider UCC Church Ministries have put out an appeal for humanitarian aid called "$100,000 For Peace" to raise funds for the Iraqi refugee crisis. More than 4 million people - 15 percent of Iraq's population - have been forced from their homes because of the war. 50,000 Iraqis are fleeing each month, and refugee camps are overcrowded.

Your help in providing food, water, health care and education for war-affected Iraqi families displaced in Iraq, Syria, Lebanon and Jordan is desperately needed. A gift of $40 can feed a family of four for two weeks. $85 can provide warm coats and hats for five children. $100 can provide medicine and testing for the chronically ill.

THERE IS A JANUARY 6^TH DEADLINE TO REACH THIS GOAL. With your help we can exceed this amount!

Any donation is welcomed. Make your check payable to Pilgrim Church with "Iraq Humanitarian Appeal" on the memo line. One check will be disbursed when funds have been collected. Please place your check in the collection basket on Sundays or mail it to the church.

Dear Sara,

I want to thank you so much for the boxes of socks, candies, puzzle books, baby wipes and other cool items that arrived yesterday. The packages arrived two days after Thanksgiving. I was anticipating their arrival and was very excited to get them. After they arrived, I had our platoon sergeant gather the medics together and we opened the boxes together. Everyone was very excited!

I have enclosed pictures of the guys choosing items from the larger box (everyone was given soap from the smaller box!). The items that you chose were perfect and there is now nothing left! Some of these soldiers have not received any mail yet - so this was a HUGE boost for them as they considered this to be their first package. Most of our medics are young (18 or 19 years old) and this is their first prolonged period away from home. They are strong and brave but I have seen the toll that the isolation and stressful environment is taking on them. When your packages arrived and were opened, I saw some wide smiles that have been missing since we left the states.

We all read through the cards together. Many of us, to include those with children back at home, felt that the cards were the best part. It means so much to us that you took the time to organize the card writing and that all of the card writers put so much effort into coloring and decorating the cards. We have decided to hang the cards on the inside of our aid station tent so that the sick and injured can look at them while they receive care. The cards will really cheer up our little "hospital."

Your packages are the first of their kind that we have received since arriving in Iraq. I think that all of us were just reaching the low-point of homesickness here and your packages have been a real pick-up. I hope that you are able to tell everyone who worked so hard to make this happen (principally yourself!) how much this has meant to us. You have made us feel much closer to home!

Thank you again, we all look forward to keeping in touch. With Deepest Gratitude,

MAJ Edgerton and the Medics of 2-502 Infantry Regiment

SGT Evans grabs stationery SSG Scott chooses toothpaste SPC Gilman searches for a prize

and envelopes and a toothbrush

DATE NAME

4 Timothy Brzeczek

6 Reed Baer

Carol Chytil

Justin Yates

8 Chet Williams

10 Sandra George

11 Marilyn Lund

Carolyn Stevens

12 Martha Kimball

W. Bridges Smith

13 Stephanie Shore

14 Barry Beauchesne

15 Rebecca Aspell

16 Thomas Collins

17 Chris Worcester

20 Joe Brain

Sylvia Ferrell-Jones

Thelma Lyon

Jennifer Raymond

Sandy Gardiner

21 Charles Litchfield

23 James Faulkner

24 Bruce Dayton

25 Jennifer Cassettari

Ben Johnson

26 Jesse Garcia

27 Ginger Aspell

31 Samantha Smith

If your name is missing from this list, call or email the office: 781-862-0357 - This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. .

The next Pilgrim's Progress article deadline is SUNDAY, JANUARY 6, 2008, noon.

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

COMMUNITY HAPPENINGS

The Lexington Players present

"THE BEST CHRISTMAS PAGEANT EVER"

DECEMBER 14 and 15 AT 7:00PM

DECEMBER 16 AT 2:00PM

This is a hilarious Christmas tale about a couple struggling to put on a church Christmas pageant while having to cast the Herdman kids, the "most inventively awful kids in history." The play will take place at Hancock Church,

1912 Mass. Ave., Lexington. To reserve tickets call 781-862-2866 or www.lexingtonplayers.org.

LEXINGTON'S ANNUAL

CHRISTMAS EVE CAROLING, 4:00PM AT THE GAZEBO, HASTINGS PARK

Bring your family and friends to Hastings Park from 4:00pm to 4:30pm on Monday, December 24 for Lexington¹s annual Christmas Caroling event! Join this town tradition of singing traditional and favorite carols. This is a wonderful opportunity to be part of the Lexington community, meet your neighbors and share in the Christmas spirit! Song sheets will be provided, but please bring your own candles or flashlights. If you have questions, call Jackie Piscitello at 781-861-8772.

JOIN CITY MISSION SOCIETY'S

REV. DR. MARTIN LUTHER KING, JR. DAY OF SERVICE

SATURDAY, JANUARY 19, 9AM TO 4PM

A day of fellowship, faith, fun and service is planned for January 19 to bring together the people of the Metropolitan Boston Association of the United Church of Christ. Please meet at the United Parish of Brookline at 8:30am to register. Transportation will be provided to service locations. For more information contact the City Mission Society at 617-742-6830, ext. 208 or www.cmsboston.org.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

2007 MISSION HOLIDAY GIVING

Some of the projects that Pilgrim Church is supporting this holiday season are listed here. We hope this will inspire you and your family to find an outreach that touches your hearts.

OUR GIVING TREE

We are dedicating our Giving Tree (located in the Sun Room) to two agencies this year:

GIFTS UNDER THE TREE will go to the children at Shriners Hospital in Boston.

Shriners is a 30-bed pediatric burn hospital providing acute, reconstructive, and rehabilitative care. Shriners Hospital specializes in pediatric care at no charge for children up to 18 years of age. Here are a few gift ideas to consider: (Please note: Gifts must be NEW and not gift-wrapped.)

• Infant toys and stuffed animals
• Dolls, cars & trucks
• Puzzles, art & craft supplies
• Umbrella, strollers, and books
• Cozy fleece blankets

NOTE: ITEMS WILL BE COLLECTED THROUGH THIS SUNDAY, DECEMBER 16.

GIFTS ON THE TREE are dedicated to the Church World Services (CWS) Best Gifts Program.

Your gift to this CWS project will help save lives, build communities, and open doors of opportunity. You really can help change the world! Here are the various categories and sample gifts tags for the categories you will find on the tree:

Water For Life: $15.00 for 10 Jerry Cans. Residents hit by disaster or violence use Jerry cans to transport clean drinking and cooking water.

Hope for Vulnerable Children: $10.00 for an oral hydration kit for infants and children;

$13.00 for a school kit; $25.00 provides health care for orphans.

Seeds for Brighter Future: $10.00 for rabbits; $15.00 for seeds and tools.

Opportunities for Women: $40.00 for literacy training; $25.00 for sewing machine, training & fabric.

In Case of Emergency: $10.00 for two blankets; $12.00 for a health kit.

Please place your donation in the container marked "GIVING TREE." If you are writing a check make it out to Pilgrim Church and in the memo line designate which CWS project. If you are donating cash, please add a note with your contribution.

OFFERINGS FROM THE SPECIAL HOLIDAY WORSHIP SERVICES

WILL BE COLLECTED FOR THE FOLLOWING:

Longest Night, December 20 VNA Care-Hospice

Christmas Sunday, December 23 UCC Christmas Fund

Christmas Eve, December 24 half goes to Healing the Children-Northeast and

half goes to Free Wheelchair Mission

The UCC Christmas Fund provides support to retired UCC ministers who are without a pension.

Healing the Children is a non-profit organization which provides medical treatment in cities across the United States to children from throughout the world who lack sufficient access to necessary medical services.

Free Wheelchair Mission is a Christian based organization that assembles wheelchairs at no cost to the physically disabled poor in developing countries.

THANK YOU FOR YOUR GENEROUS SUPPORT! THE MISSION COMMITTEE

ORDER YOUR POINSETTIAS

Poinsettias will decorate the church on two Sundays, December 23 and December 30.

If you wish to order a poinsettia plant, fill in the form below and send it to the church office by Monday, December 17 with a check made payable to Pilgrim Congregational Church. Poinsettias are $8.00 per plant.

I/We would like to order ___________ poinsettia(s) for the Christmas services.

(amount)

Enclosed is my/our check in the amount of $ ____________.

Name ________________________________________________________________

(please print)

Optional: "In memory of

______________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________"

"In celebration of, In honor of, etc.

______________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________"

Please indicate your choice of color:

______ red ______ white

Please check one:

______ I would like my plant(s) to be delivered to a shut-in. (The Care Committee delivers some poinsettias during the two weeks before Christmas.)

______ I will take my plant(s) after December 23.

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