VIEWS AND REVIEWS “THE COMING OF THE LIGHT”

Shortly after the Winter Solstice we

celebrate the birth of the Savior. Christmas arrives each year during the time when the nights are the longest. Of course, we don’t

actually know the date when Jesus was born. Still it seems appropriate that we honor the Lord’s coming when darkness is most prolonged. He is after all, “the light [that] shines in the

darkness … the true light which enlightens everyone” (John 1:5, 9).

Our times are dark, not only because of

lengthy nights, but because of major events. Clouds of conflict seem to be gathering over Korea. Battles continue in Afghanistan, and serious unrest persists in Iraq. The economy

here in the U.S. and abroad is tenuous. Unemployment remains a major problem. Political hostility and legislative stalemate plagues Washington, DC. These are not the

brightest of days. Nevertheless, we are not without hope.

The light that shines into the darkness of this

world is a light that will not be extinguished. I recall being in the Mammoth Cave with my family when I was a small boy. At one point the tour guide cut off all the lights. Never had I been

surrounded by such pitch blackness. There was no possibility of sight. Then he lit one match. It drove back the utter darkness. The small flame

seemed brighter than I’d ever seen come from a match.

In the prophet Elijah’s time there was a drought in Israel that lasted for years. These

were desperate times for famine inevitably follows drought. Finally the great prophet prayed for rain. The skies did not immediately open up. He had his servant go and look for a sign of rain.

Repeatedly he returned to the place Elijah told him to go and look. Finally, on the seventh time, he announced, “Look, a little cloud no bigger

than a person’s hand is rising out of the sea” (1 Kings 18:44). With that small cloud came a hint of hope. That hope was justified by the downpour that followed, ending the drought.

Hope is what keeps us going in desperate

times, dark times. And even the smallest sign of

hope – a single flame or a tiny cloud – is often enough to keep us going. But in Jesus we find much, much more. We find him saying in the

Gospel of John, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness but will have the light of life” (8:12). We’ve often heard it said, “The night is darkest before

the dawn.” No night is dark enough or long enough to stop the light that comes to us in Jesus Christ. Remember this truth as we celebrate the birth of our Lord this year.

Grace and Peace, Craig

SUNDAY, DECEMBER 19TH

5:00 P.M. – 8:30 P.M. Come spend some time with the Christian

Ed Team, and in short order we’ll put on a fun

Christmas Play. This instant play keeps Jesus as the focus of Christmas, and is an opportunity to share the gospel through interactive fun! All the

action takes place in one night – from rehearsal to cast party! This event isn’t just for the kids – the entire family gets to participate, giving parents and kids a chance to connect in a

memorable way!

Church Chatter December 2010

“We will go out in joy and be led forth in peace; the mountains and hills will burst into song before us, and all the trees of the field will clap their hands.” (Isaiah 55:12)

PRESCHOOL NEWS FROM MS. SUZANNE

Thanks to everyone who helped prepare and serve a delicious Thanksgiving feast to our little preschool children. Prior to this yummy

meal our 2 year olds prepared dressing by tearing bread, our 3 year olds baked pumpkin bread, and our 4 year old classes peeled and mashed the potatoes. So much work and so

much help surely makes us all feel blessed. Each day more and more of the magical

feel of Christmas is appearing. Love is everywhere as we get ready to celebrate the

birth of baby Jesus. Practice for our Christmas programs, singing carols, and making gifts are all part of our days here at preschool.

We are asking for your help in reaching out to local families in our community through Royal Palm Christian Church Gateway helping program. Poor economic times have caused

many to be in need of a little help this year. There is a food donation box outside the preschool office. There is always a need for

canned tuna fish, soup, and small size shampoo, toothpaste, and deodorant. Diapers and formula are also in need. Wal-Mart and Publix gift cards are always needed. Thanks for all you do.

Remember to include your children when deciding what to do to help others. You are always their best example.

Wishing you all a happy and peaceful

Christmas and New Year!

Preschool Happenings

12/7 & 8 Sharing with Pastor Craig 12/13 Christmas Program – 7:00 pm Ms. Darlene & Ms. Eliane’s Classes 12/14 Christmas Program – 7:00 pm

Ms. Cathy’s Class 12/15 Christmas Program – 7:00 pm Ms. Cindy & Ms. Donna’s Classes

12/16 All School Sing-Along – 10:00 am 12/17 Last Day before Christmas Break 12/20 - 24 Holiday – All Closed 12/27 – 30 Full Time Care Open

12/31 All Closed 1/3/11 Preschool & Full Time Care Open

BLESSINGS God is always at work! Do you have a

blessing to share with your RPCC family? We would love to include it an upcoming Chatter. Please email your blessing to the church office at

royalpalmchristianchurch@gmail.com. We received quite a few thank you’s from

people who received groceries as well as a Thanksgiving Dinner at our food pantry. We also

had some “goody boxes” donated from the City of Coral Springs which we passed along to

several of our RPCC families. One family called to say, “We are overwhelmingly grateful for this

gift of food. It is amazing how God knows our needs and provides for us. Thank you!”

Joanne Hemminger is doing well up in NY, but she misses us… (the “choir seriously”). She

sent us a few Fall leaves to “scatter… and they will peacefully blend into the grounds from God’s ground here to God’s ground there!” She also sends her love and best wishes to each of us.

Brenda Hyman sent the following note to the wonderful congregation at RPCC: “Marshall and I thank you for all your most meaningful

prayers for his recovery. Yes, there is power in numbers and all your heartfelt concern and compassion put up to our Creator was heard. Marshall is now on the road to recovery in each

passing day. We both appreciate your kindness. Please keep up your good work. We are all One.”

DECEMBER BIRTHDAYS 3rd Lileth Harris 7th Rick Angle

9th Ingrid Chung 12th Jason Rutkauskas 13th Evey Sikora 15th Scott Kroop

Frank Surgeoner 17th Lavonne Bigelow 19th Kimberly Kimbrell

20th Judith Nembhard Sarah Zorabedian 22nd Fernando Medina 23rd Mark Espiritu

Zakira LaFever 28th Johnny Veliyathil

DECEMBER ANNIVERSARIES 2nd Sean & Natasha Lucas 11th Andrew & Kathy Rutkauskas

20th Michael & Barbara Wolff [We apologize if your name is not on the list. Please call the office to update your information!]

DISCIPLES AND UCC IN FLORIDA…

YOU ARE INVITED! Are you a member of the outreach

committee looking for new ideas? Interested in energizing and transforming our congregation through global mission involvement? Want to

learn more about what Disciples and the UCC are doing in mission around the world so that you can connect and tell the story? If you said yes to any of these questions, this event is for you!

HEARTS UNITED GLOBALLY

GLOBAL MISSION SUMMIT

Winter Park Christian Church

Saturday, January 15th, 9:00 am – 6:30 pm

YOUTH NEWS Our youth meet every Wednesday evening

at 7:00. The D-Unit group [Middle & High School youth] meets in the Youth Room and Sanctuary, and occasionally they experience KRASH [kids

relaxing at someone’s house]. Special activities – including KRASH info – are posted on the D-Unit Facebook fan page, so check that out.

Kidz Praiz [the younger youth] also meets on

Wednesdays at 7:00 p.m. We gather in Room #4 for music and fun. Come join us!

GATEWAY HELP Most of you know that on Thursday nights

we have a food pantry that distributes food to folks in need. We also try to help our clients with non food personal products which cannot be

bought with food stamps. These items include bar soap for showering, toilet paper and feminine pads - all of which we try to keep available weekly. Occasionally we also offer toothbrushes,

toothpaste, laundry soap and dish soap as donations permit. If you have been wondering how you can help, donations of these products

would be very much appreciated. If you don't want to shop yourself, you can make a cash donation, and I will be glad to do the shopping. For $7.23 I can purchase a 20 pack of soap at

Sam's. $11.00 buys 72 sanitary pads and $18.88 buys 40 rolls of toilet paper. Every bit helps and is greatly appreciated by our clients.

We could not operate without the love, support and prayers of our church family. Thank you for your continued devotion to this ministry.

Betsy Medina

STEWARDSHIP WHY DO WE GIVE?

Anyone who has spent time around a 3-to-4 year old child knows that this is the age at which they learn the magic question: Why? Most

of us first try to answer the question with what we consider to be the most logical answer. But, as often as not, our most logical answer is responded to by a repetition of the original

question: Why? This action usually leads to a round robin of answers and repeated questions until we finally arrive at the most basic of

answers: Because! After a few experiences with this round robin, most of us learn to get to the basics as quickly as possible, regardless of the logic of the

answer. Thus, the question “Why is the sky blue?” is responded to with something like:

“Because when God made the sky, he thought blue was a very good color for the sky.” – and,

for whatever reason, a youngster is usually able to accept this. Later, in adulthood, most of us have experiences that lead us to deeper thoughts like

those of George Bernard Shaw, “Some men see things as they are and say why - I dream things that never were and say why not." This is perhaps the best answer to our question: “Why

do we give?” The church exists to be a place of worship for believers, a place of rest for the weary, a

place of peace for the troubled, and, perhaps most important of all, a place for those who simply need a place. Royal Palm Christian Church is a special place that exists because God has a

crucial role for us to play in the lives of people. And so, we return to the most basic of answers that even a 3-to-4-year-old can

understand. Why do we give? The answer is simply “Because.” Because we can see things as they are and say why – or we can let God lead us to dream of things that never were – and say

why not? God be with you,

Bill Vasquez and the Stewardship Team