waiting in light by pastor jes the best part of christmas by pastor

We have officially entered my

favorite time of the year—

Christmas! I love the decora-

tions. I love singing Christmas

carols. I love giving gifts (and

receiving them!). And I love

the general “good cheer” that

is in the air.

But what moves me the most

is the birth of hope that stands

at the center of the season. In

the birth of a little child, the

hope was kindled that there is

something more available to

us.

We easily settle for a life that

lacks meaning and signifi-

cance, just going through the

motions to get through another

day. With the birth of Jesus,

imaginations were enlivened

and the spark of faith took

hold that there can be more to

life. This gift of hope contin-

ues to be offered to all of us. It

is ours to unwrap and see what

possibilities await us.

The force of this usually hits

me when the final Christmas

Eve service has finished, we

blow out the last candle, and I

begin my walk home. Even

when the weather is cold and

the snow is blowing; even

when sirens are blaring and

cars are honking their horns;

for me, it is always a “Silent

night, holy night. All is calm,

all is bright.” No matter what

is going on around me, I stroll

along filled with hope because

“Christ the savior is born.”

No matter what is happening

around you, may the hope of

Christ be within you as we

celebrate that “something

more” that is offered to all.

-Pastor Michael

Waiting in Light by Pastor Jes

As the seasonal decorations

light up the city, I feel both

the joy of this season along

with the longing for hope in

this broken world.

The season of Advent is a

time in which we prepare for

the coming of Christ. We

light candles and sing songs

that express our hopes for a

world where God’s kingdom

come is actualized in every

person, in every place. The

deep purple of this season,

not unlike Lent, represents

the longing for a world made

right by the reign of Jesus.

In Advent we confess and we

cry out for all to be made

right. In Advent we dare to

believe that the light shines in

the darkness, and the dark-

ness will not overcome the

light.

This season, join us as we

proclaim the promise of the

light of Christ. Each Sunday

we experience this light and

experience the grace of God

to then share this with the

world around us. A world

that is in need of a word of

grace and hope.

Advent light to each of you

– Pastor Jes

Newsletter Title

1— Worship, 4 p.m.

Soup Kitchen, 4:30 p.m.

Meditation Circle, 7:15 p.m.

AA, 7:30 p.m.

2 — Men’s Group, 7:30 a.m.

Yoga, 6:30 p.m.

Taizé, 7 p.m.

AA, 7 & 8:15 p.m.

3 — MADD, 6:30 p.m.

4 — Decorating Party, 6 p.m.

5 — Supper Center, 12:30 p.m.

6 — Adult Christian Ed, 10 a.m.

Worship, 11 a.m.

8 — Worship, 4 p.m.


Community Carol Sing, 7 p.m.


AA, 7:30 p.m.

9 — Yoga, 6:30 p.m.

AA, 7 & 8:15 p.m.

Taizé, 7 p.m.

11 — Pageant Rehearsal, 6 p.m.

Book Club, 7 p.m.



Worship, 11 a.m.




AA, 7:30 p.m.

16 — Yoga, 6:30 p.m.

Taizé, 7 p.m.

AA, 7 & 8:15 p.m.

Pub Theology, 8 p.m.

18 — Pageant Rehearsal, 6 p.m.



Worship, 11 a.m.

[Service of Poetry & Carols]




AA, 7:30 p.m.

23 — Yoga, 6:30 p.m.

No Taizé

AA, 7 & 8:15 p.m.

24 — Children’s Pageant, 6:30 p.m.

Candlelight Service, 9 p.m.

25 — Building & Office Closed

Merry Christmas!

26 — No Saturday Center

27 — No Adult Christian Ed

Worship, 11 a.m.

28 — Building & Office Closed



AA, 7:30 p.m.

30 — AA, 7 & 8:15 p.m.

31 — New Year’s Eve

December 2015

The Best Part of Christmas by Pastor Michael

beauty of our church and its

music!

Don’t miss our Annual Com-

munity Carol Sing on Tuesday,

December 8 at 7 p.m. It’s a fun

-filled hour of calling out your

favorite carols and singing both

sacred and popular Christmas

songs at full throttle. Be sure to

bring the children because we'll

be singing all their favorites,

too! Following the carol sing,

we'll have cider and cookies.

And it's FREE.

A special West End Christmas

Choir is forming to sing a gor-

geous piece called “I Wish You

Christmas” by John Rutter in

worship on December 20.

Open to all adults – music

reading isn’t required - learning

materials will be supplied. We

will rehearse IMMEDIATELY

following the services on De-

cember 6 and 13 in the Sanctu-

ary and immediately prior to

the service on December 20.

See me after church for your

copy of music or email me at

[email protected]

and I'll send you a PDF and

listening file.

Our Taizé services continue

every Wednesday throughout

the year in the sanctuary at

December is here and along

with it some terrific musical

offerings. Advent opens with

the ancient matin (morning)

introit set by Palestrina: “I Look

from Afar” on November 29,

the first Sunday of Advent. The

anthem for that Sunday is “E’en

So Lord Jesus, Quickly Come”

by Paul Manz. The Advent

theme continues through the

Sundays in December with a

beautiful new setting by the

British composer Will Todd,

titled “My Lord has Come.”

The Choir is busy rehearsing for

a unique new service on Sun-

day, December 20 at 11:00 a.m.

In addition to a slightly truncat-

ed regular worship service, it

will include a special compo-

nent of Christmas poetry, an-

thems and carols, read by mem-

bers of the congregation from

the youngest to eldest. Modeled

on the Festival of Lessons and

Carols, so beloved among many

churches, we’ll have an instru-

mental ensemble of harp and

the Momenta String Quartet to

accompany the program. Mo-

menta is a cutting edge ensem-

ble and it has received world-

wide recognition.

What a great way to introduce

friends to the extraordinary

7:00 p.m. The sanctuary is

bathed in candlelight, and

melodies to chant or listen to

are accompanied by oboe,

flute and keyboard. Readings

from scripture and poetry.

The service lasts about 45

minutes, and offers a chance

to unwind from the hustle

and bustle of New York.

Finally, the traditional

Epiphany service will grace

our worship on Sunday, Jan-

uary 3, at 11:00 a.m., with

the West End Choir and

Melodia Women’s Choir.

Music, readings and the con-

gregational circle of light

signify Jesus’ message of

peace, justice and hope to

the world.

See you in church!

Cynthia Powell

Minister of Music

Music Notes from Cynthia Powell

Follow

us on

Want to keep up with

what’s happening with

your WECC family?

Go to Facebook :

WestEndChurchNYC

and Twitter:

@WestEndChurchNY

It’s a great way to stay

connected to our

community.

We will meet on Wednesday, December 2 at 7:30 a.m.

Our Men’s Group is a casual meeting that allows us to

build friendships and share life together. We’d love to

have you be a part of this.

mailto:[email protected]

Meditation Circle

Join us on Tuesdays December 1, 8, 15, 22

and 29 for meditation, contemplation and

prayer from 7 to 7:45 p.m. in Room 5 Our

circle is a quiet place to connect with

yourself, others and God. Together, we share

prayers of thanksgiving and support.

ADULT CHRISTIAN EDUCATION

On Sundays, December 6, 13, and 20

(no class on December 27)

we’ll study Scripture from the Lectionary.

Join us in Room 6 at 10 a.m.

December 16th at 8:00 p.m.– Pub Theology: Joy

Come and experience some joy this month and what better way to expe-

rience joy than with presents! Wrap up something in your apartment

that you don’t want anymore and bring it to the pub for a white elephant

exchange as we talk about living a joyful life.

A Neighborhood Church for all People

Sermons

December 6

Finding Our Path

December 13

The Forgotten Jesus

December 20

Blessed

A Service of Poetry & Carols

December 24

Children’s Christmas Pageant, 6:30

Candlelight Service, 9:00

December 27

Losing Jesus

On Friday, December 11, we will discuss The

Elegance of a Hedgehog by Muriel Barbery. We will

meet at 7 p.m. in Rooms 1 & 2.

On Friday, January 22, the book is The Golden

Egg by Donna Leon.

For more information contact Kay at

[email protected] or call 212– 787-1285.

BOOK CLUB

Participate in the Pledge Campaign

The Pledge Campaign has begun and we invite you to prayerfully consider participating in

it. Your contributions support and expand the possibilities for our ministries. From feeding

the homeless to nurturing the faith of our children, from worship that centers us to a place to

go in our brokenness, together our gifts make this possible. Through your pledging and vol-

unteering, you are the driving force behind the good we do in our community both inside

and outside the church's doors. …………………………………………………………..

………………………………………………………………………..

There are pledge forms in the back of the sanctuary or you can email your pledge to

[email protected]. You can also pledge online by going to westendchurch.org.



waiting in light by pastor jes the best part of christmas by pastor

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