December 19th marks the fourth Sunday in Advent. Our reading/scripture pick from today's Worship Service was: 

      For a child has been born for us, a Son given to us; 
      authority rests upon his shoulders; and he is named wonderful counselor, 
     mighty God, everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. 
     His authority shall grow continually, and there shall be endless peace 
     for the throne of David and his kingdom. 
     He will establish and uphold it with justice and righteousness
     from this time onward and forevermore. 
     The zeal of the Lord of Hosts will do this. 
                  -Isaiah 9:6-7

As you light the fourth candle: 

      We light this candle as a symbol of the Prince of Peace. 
      May the visitation of your Holy Spirit, O God, 
      make us ready for the coming of Jesus, our hope and joy...
      O come, O come Emmanuel
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
Announcements: 

• Reminder: Tonight we will gather at the church for Christmas Caroling at 4:45 p.m. to carpool. A chili dinner will follow. Most of the caroling will take place indoors, as we will go to the nursing home and other assisted living facilities. All are welcome! 
• The youth will be having a white elephant gift exchange this evening following caroling and dinner. 
• Poinsettias - This year we are inviting members of the congregation to bring a poinsettia to church for the holiday between 12/19 and 12/24. If anyone would like to have theirs shared as a memorial or in honor of anyone, please contact the office by Wednesday, so we can put it in the Christmas Eve bulletin. 
• There will be NO Sunday School on December 26, 2010.
• Christmas Eve Worship Service will be at 7:00 p.m. 
• Our church family was shook with the death of the infant granddaughter/daughter/niece of long-standing members of our church. Please keep this family in your prayers.

 * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Selected Readings from Sunday, December 19, 2010 Worship Service: 

            Micah 5:2-5a
            Luke 1:26-38

We will be having a lock-in on New Year's Eve starting at 6:00 p.m. We will be making mini pizzas for dinner, but ask that you bring snacks to munch on throughout the evening. We will also have breakfast together the following morning. 

There are lots of games planned and we have a unique twist for you to enjoy with our fellowship time! 

The youth group is having a white elephant gift exchange tonight, December 19, 2010 following the caroling and chili dinner. All youth are invited to attend! 

We hope to see you there. If you have any questions, please e-mail Becca or Josh. 

I apologize for not getting you your weekly Advent fix the past two weeks, but please remember that you can access all things Advent via the children's website. 

This coming Sunday, December 19, 2010 we will be heading out to the community for Christmas Caroling. Meet at the church at 4:45 p.m. to carpool. Following the caroling there will be a chili dinner to follow. 

The Mitten Tree for Intermountain Home has been set up by the elevator. The mittens, scarves, and hats collected will be sent to the Intermountain Home for their children's store. 

There will be NO SUNDAY SCHOOL on December 26, 2010. 

We hope you have a safe and special Christmas with your family! 

The Christmas program was held this last Sunday, December 12th, and it was a beautiful success. The children did a wonderful job, receiving lots of compliments on their singing especially. They worked hard to memorize nine songs - and sounded spectacular! Thanks so much to Sue Simons for accompanying us in our efforts. 

Also, I'd like to send out a thank you to Katharine Keller, as she is a great help to the Preschool classroom, yet she was overlooked in the program. 

This year's program was entitled Christmas: FAQ. As our narrator attempted to tell the Christmas story he was repeatedly interrupted by our students with questions about the story he was telling. As he grew increasingly frustrated with these interruptions and frazzled because he did not necessarily have the answers; he need not have worried because in our classroom we had some pretty impressive "Answer Kids" who took care of business. Additionally we had a marvelous crew of Biblical characters who helped bring the Christmas story to life. In addition to those cast members, our Preschool kiddos made spectacularly adorable stable animals. With one notable preschooler reprising her role as the star. 

All in all it was a wonderful morning topped off with treats provided by the Bowman family. 

Thanks to all who were able to come out and enjoy the show; the kids worked incredibly hard.