Pilgrim's Progress 50(21)

A Sunday school teacher was using a crèche to teach his 2^nd grade class about the birth of Jesus. He said, "What is this little arrangement of Mary and Joseph and the baby Jesus called?" One of his eager students shouted out, "An activity scene."

Now there's a great description of a Christmas pageant rehearsal. Every Sunday when we practice this dramatic telling of our story, we've got an "activity scene." Sheep "baa" too loud, small shepherds roam more than their flocks, the angel's "special delivery" of the baby Jesus is so quick and painless, that it makes us giggle. People watching this chaos find it hard to believe that it will gel.

But on Christmas Eve, the adults in the cast manage to corral the little ones, the youngsters suddenly realize what they are doing is really important, and the lights, music, and candles all work together to make magic happen. The sound of the angel choir singing "Gloria in excelsis deo" ushers in the birth of Jesus. And Christmas has an anchor. The story becomes real.

This is a sign to me that the spiritual meaning of Christmas can penetrate all of our efforts to manage, control, and over-organize. Let go and let the beauty of Luke's tale carry you to the heart of it all. Emanuel, God with us. Even in situations where we cannot believe anything beautiful will emerge; even in the dark night; even in the muck of a stable. A little candle glows and the message of the angels can be heard, "a light shines in darkness and the darkness does not overcome it."

Emanuel, God with us.

Blessings for a Christmas when hope is victorious over fear.

Judy, David, Debra, Merrie, and Diane

CHRISTMAS AND BEYOND

WORSHIP AT PILGRIM

DECEMBER 18 Longest Night

7:00 pm Organ Concert

7:30 pm Service begins

DECEMBER 21 Advent IV - Love

Christmas Sunday

"Born in a Manger"- Luke 2:1-7

Featuring the "Innkeeper Scene"

from the Christmas Pageant

DECEMBER 24 Christmas Eve

6:00 pm Pageant

DECEMBER 28 Carol Sing Meredith Allen

A last chance to sing your favorite carols.

Your choice.

JANUARY 4 Epiphany

Featuring the "March of the Magi"

from the Christmas Pageant

THE CHRISTMAS PAGEANT - DECEMBER 24

Pilgrim's intergenerational Candlelight Christmas Eve Pageant which will take place on Wednesday, December 24 at 6:00 pm. The Christmas story unfolds in tableau, narration, and music.

INVITE YOUR FRIENDS

Postcards to send to friends will be available for the Christmas Pageant. Pick one up and give it or send it to a friend who might like to attend a simple, family oriented Christmas Eve service.

THE MAGI ARE COMING!

As we celebrate Epiphany on January 4 we're going to dust off an old European tradition of sharing the "king's cake." During the coffee hour after worship there will be cupcakes for your eating pleasure. And if you happen to discover a foil-wrapped penny in your cupcake, you will be declared a Wise Person for 2009 and receive a crown and certificate to prove it! Your regal responsibility will be to spread the Good News

of Jesus Christ in the coming year. Join us!

HOMELESSNESS FORUM

Together We Can End Homelessness in Mass.

Family homelessness has risen by 50% to 2500 families in Mass. shelters nightly due to the current economic crisis. State Rep. Byron Rushing, cochairman, Mass Commission to End Homelessness, will be the keynote speaker at the fifth annual forum of the Advocacy Network to End Family Homelessness, on Sunday, January 25th at Trinity Episcopal Church, 81 Elm St., Concord, from 7:00-8:45 pm. Rep. Rushing, an engaging and charismatic speaker, will talk about the Commission's recommendations and implementation plans to end widespread use of shelters and boost affordable housing. The forum is free and open to all.

Pilgrim is a co-sponsor of this event.

Sean Osborne

ALTAR FLOWERS

The following dates are still available for this year to contribute flowers for the altar in memory or celebration. For Altar Flowers, please contact Ruth Litchfield. You will be asked what you would like printed in the bulletin and if you will be taking the flowers after service or leaving them for a shut-in. You will be billed directly through Art of Flowers by Bonnie in Bedford.

Dates available:

January 4 (Epiphany), 11,

18 (Martin Luther King Day)& 25

February 8 (Annual meeting) & 22 (Mardi Gras)

March 1 (Lent 1), 22 (Lent IV) & 29 (Lent V)

April 5 (Palm Sunday and all white),

19 (Patriot's Day Weekend) & 26

May 17 (Children's Sunday) &

31 (Pentecost - red flowers)

June 7, 14, 21 (Father's Day) 28

COFFEE HOUR

Part of Pilgrim's ministry of hospitality is to provide simple refreshments so people can gather after worship to meet and greet. Can you host? There is a sign up for COFFEE HOUR only in Pilgrim Hall on the Mission board. After you have signed up for Coffee Hour, Connie Guim will then forward you the necessary information a week or two prior to the date it is yours.

Dates available:

January 18

February 22 - Mardi Gras

March 15 - (Lent III)

April 26

May 3, 10 (Mother's day),

17 (Children's Sunday) &

24 (Memorial Day weekend)

June 7, 14, 21 (Father's Day) & 28

Thank you all for your help and support. This is part of being a part of our Pilgrim community.

Blessings,

Ruth Litchfield

This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. (781) 862-9565

TEACHER TRANSITION

This is the time to thank our teachers. Because our volunteers give so much of their time and talents to our children, it is always an appropriate time to thank them. Pilgrim is so blessed to have had the following teachers share their faith with our children.

Preschool: Mary Mackie and

Rebecca Tatem Gold

K/1 - Susan Carabbio and

Bob Litchfield

2/3 - Sean Osborne

4/5 - Julia Kirby

Youth - Marjory German and

Lexi Mannarino

We will say goodbye for now to some of these teachers, but a few of them will transition to other classes. In January, we will welcome the following teachers to their classes.

Preschool - Barbara Yates and Beth Rogers

K/1 - Sean Osborne and Martha Byrd

2/3 - Debbie Childs

4/5 - Kathy LoBuglio

Youth - Julia Kirby

In addition to teachers, there are volunteers who join us regularly to help our program be the best it can be. Susan Vega and Chris Emery roam our space as extra hands to support our teachers by providing extra safety when it is needed. Ruth Smith plays the piano while

Mary Mackie directs our choir rehearsals. And Jane Breiby is our acolyte coordinator making sure we have candle lighters and banner carriers every Sunday. All of these volunteers transform what would otherwise be a ho-hum program into a ho-ho-ho experience!

May the Spirit of the Season live in you always,

Debra

TWO CONFERENCES ON STEWARDSHIP IN JANUARY

Every church has been affected by the economic downturn. We will have to be diligent in the future to ensure our financial viability. Our Massachusetts Conference is offering two workshops in January to help congregations with theological foundations and practical strategies for boosting financial support. Would you like to join the teams that are already signed up to go to these two events? Contact me at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or 781-862-0357.

More details on both of these events can be found on the MACUCC website at http://www.macucc.org.

Judy

SATURDAY, JAN. 10 9:30 - 2:00

HOW TO DEVELOP TIPPERS INTO TITHERS

"Just in time training for these difficult economic times."

When: Saturday, January 10, 2009. Registration is at 9:30 a.m. Workshop runs from 10:00-2:00 with lunch included.

Where: Framingham Conference Center,

1 Badger Road, Framingham, MA

What: This workshop is to learn:

• Principles in Giving

• Re-thinking Motives for Giving

• Re-thinking the Stewardship Letter

• Helping People Grow in their Giving

Who: Our leader will be Jim Griffith, a consultant who works with hundreds of congregations all over the country on issues of church vitality.

THURSDAY, JAN. 15 9:30 - 2:30

Meeting the Challenges of Ministry in the Current Financial Crisis:

For the Living of These Days

Come together with clergy and lay leaders for a day to reflect on what our faith has to tell us about the current economic crisis and to ponder these and other questions...

• Given the current situation, how can the local church model a gospel-based, attractive way of being in the world, that might be different from "how we've always done church"?

• In a time where folks are under increasing economic pressures, and the tendency is to pull in and horde, stay home and cocoon, what Good News does the church have to offer, and how do we get that across?

• What happens to outreach and mission when the needs for each go through the roof, but the instinct is to dig in and fortify?

There will be worship, a panel discussion, round table discussions, and more!

WHEN: Thursday, January 15, 2009

WHERE: Evangelical Congregational Church in Westborough, MA

COST: $25 per person

Come to gather ideas and wisdom from colleagues, come to share what you believe the local church can be doing and what you have done in your setting.

Pilgrim's own Sylvia Ferrell-Jones and our former seminarian Reed Baer are both presenters at this conference. If you are interested, the church will pay your registration.

Mary and Michael Scott-Morton have a few articles they won't be needing and are giving them away. There is a list on the church's bulletin board, and the list will be updated from time to time over the next couple of weeks.

WELCOME NEW MEMBERS

TO THE PILGRIM FAMILY!

On Sunday, November 30 the following were received into the membership of the church.

David Nuss lives in Lexington with his wife Anne, and is a software quality assurance engineer. He is also interested in reading, travel, ethics in government, vegetable gardening, and many, many other things.

Anne Nuss lives in Lexington with her husband, David. She is a mental health clinician/ psychotherapist. Some of Anne's hobbies include art, music, literature, nature, and travel.

Meredith Allen is a UCC minister and lives in Winchester. Merrie likes to knit, read, travel and cook. She has 2 married daughters, and recently visited one of them in Perth, Australia.

Yolanda Taylor lives in Lexington with her husband, Brooks, and their 4 children, Kyle, Ashley, Kaden and Arden. She is happy to be a stay at home mom, after 11 years at Fidelity. Yolanda enjoys running, cycling, and various volunteer work. In addition, she is an active board member for a number of different organizations.

Brooks Taylor lives in Lexington with his wife Yolanda and their children. He is a portfolio manager, and enjoys cycling and running.

Elizabeth Ellis lives in Arlington. She has 3 children - Andrew, Louisa and Olivia. She joined Pilgrim Church largely due to the wonderful people here.

FROM THE MEMBERSHIP COMMITTEE

Our photo bulletin is out of date! Help us bring it back up to date during Advent. Members of the committee will take photos of new members, and also of members whose photos are out of date. If you are not in the directory or want your photo updated, come to the back of the sanctuary any Sunday in December before Christmas and we'll be there to snap your picture. Thank you.

THANK YOU, ELEANOR!

Can one person make a difference? We think so! For three Sundays in a row Eleanor Smith set up shop after worship to sell part of her extraordinary collection of Beanie Babies and Santas which she'd amassed over many years. The Santas came in all shapes and sizes - mugs, doorstops, pot holders, toys, decorations and so much more. It was no small feat to tote the cartons from her home to Pilgrim, set them up in the Sun Room and then move everything to Pilgrim Hall for the final sale. Though she had some help from Beth Rogers, Sis Dexter and Chris Emery with the set up and selling, Eleanor certainly did the lion's share week after week. She was delighted to see the look of happiness on the faces of those of all ages who purchased the Beanie Babies and Santas for themselves or for gifts. Eleanor has donated the grand total of $556.55 to the Care Fund and has shown us all that one person can indeed make a difference.

With thanks from The Care Committee

THANKS FOR THE VASES

Many thanks to those of you who responded to the request for vases which we will use when delivering altar flowers to Pilgrim's ill or homebound. The response was so generous that we have all that we'll need for quite a while.

With appreciation,

The Care Committee

NEW ADDRESSES

Mary and Michael Scott-Morton have a new address. It is as follows:

1010 Waltham St., Apt. F-9

Lexington, MA 02421

Halley Suitt also has a new address. It is:

130 Mass Ave., No. 4

Arlington, MA 02474

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

15 Rebecca Aspell

16 Thomas Collins

17 Chris Worcester

20 Joseph Brain

Sylvia Ferrell-Jones

Thelma Lyon

Jennifer Raymond

Sandy Gardiner

21 Charles Litchfield

23 James Faulkner

24 Bruce Dayton

25 Jennifer Cassettari

Ben Johnson

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. .

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