Newsletter - December 2012 Rev1

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PASADENA COVENANT CHURCH

December 2012

Christmas Eve Service
As we begin the Advent season, I am always reminded of how fast pace the world around us is moving and it expects us to move at the same manner. Perhaps you can relate to what I am saying. Have you already been hearing songs promising us Christmas is here? Or perhaps you’ve already heard that the Savior has been born? I think it would be near impossible not to with the saturation of these songs in stores, on the radio, maybe even in your own home. During this Advent season I challenge you to embrace the spiritual discipline of fighting against the worldly Christmas rush, take time to quiet and prepare yourself, and try to identify with the waiting, with the expectancy the Hebrew people found themselves to be wrestling. That very waiting was the waiting that God placed them in. I have found it is in the embracing of the waiting, that my senses are heightened and when the time comes to celebrate the birth of our Savior I take all the more joy; all the more love in doing so. Our Christmas Eve service this year will be just such a time, a time to celebrate the coming of the Christ child, the Word made flesh, the light of the world, Immanuel, God with us. Join us on Monday, December 24th at 5:00pm to celebrate together as a church the birth of our Savior.

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Sunday Morning Happenings For Adults at 9:00 a.m.
Couriers
Repeated Exposure to God’s Word will enrich and change your life. In-depth Bible Study Sundays at 9:00 am in the Fireside Room, Gym building. John Wipf, teacher; Marilyn Hanks, facilitator. Coffee and good fellowship. For further information contact Marilyn Hanks (626) 7913782.

Companions in Christ
Our adult Companions in Christ small group meets at 9:00 am Sundays for Bible study, prayer,

and fellowship in the room located upstairs off the west side of the balcony. Newcomers are welcome. For more information, contact Jennifer Mawhorter (909) 621-2389 or [email protected].

Life Together
We meet on Sunday mornings at 9:00 am in the Corner House. We welcome visitors and look forward to all that God will stir up in us this new year! If you have any questions, please contact Anita Sorenson at [email protected].

WELCOME NEWCOMERS!
If you started coming to our church within the past year and would like to have the opportunity to meet others from our congregation and staff, and to ask questions about our faith community in an informal setting, please join us for our Monthly Newcomers Lunch. The next luncheon will be on Sunday, December 9th from 12:15 - 1:30 p.m. at the Corner House (on the Northwest corner of Santa Barbara and Lake Avenue). All family members are welcome! In order to plan for the food, your RSVP is greatly appreciated to Marianne Hill at [email protected] or 626-7982097. Please let us know if you have any dietary restrictions, and also let us know if you will be bringing preschoolers so that we can plan food and activities for them.

Ministry Opportunity for the Whole Family: Door of Hope Birthday Club
Looking for a fun ministry your whole family can participate in together? Help us plan and develop a Birthday Club for Door of Hope! Door of Hope is a local ministry providing shelter for homeless families in the Pasadena area. We'd like to start a birthday club providing simple birthday parties once a month for the children living there. If you'd be interested in being part of a team to start this ministry, contact Vikki Randall at [email protected].

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Blue Christmas Service, December 18th
Brightly wrapped packages, Christmas trees, holiday parties, holly and the scent of pine, unending upbeat carols in shops and malls, visits from friends and family, baking and cooking, food everywhere-and the awed, hushed joy of welcoming a tiny Infant to our world and our hearts…these are the images and memories of Christmas most of us celebrate and treasure. But each year some people such as the grieving, the lonely, and the hopeless…dread the approach of the holiday season. They have no heart for the cheer and the bustle, the anticipation and the excitement. Hence, we are going to be offering a “Blue Christmas” service for those who are experiencing grief, loneliness, despair, and/or hopelessness this holiday season. Blue Christmas acknowledges that while Christmas is a time to make great memories, it can also be a time when deep wounds are reopened as many are forced to confront the absence of a loved one, family member, or friend. Blue Christmas also recognizes that grief can visit someone this holiday season for variety of other reasons such as the insecurity of being unemployed, dealing with broken relationships, divorce, and broken homes. Whatever the cause of grief or despair, Blue Christmas will validate those feelings and hopefully encourage us to find and hold onto hope and each other. Service will be in the sanctuary Tuesday, Dec 18th at 7:00 p.m. The service will give those present the opportunity to express their feelings to God through appropriate worship and lament, and also an opportunity to receive prayer and pray for others. If you need more let me know, I can give more “service details” if needed. - Phillip Davis [email protected].

Women’s Book Club
The Koinonia Christmas Dinner will be on Saturday, December 15th at 5:30 p.m. at the home of Larry and Clara Spence, 14079 Orangevale Ave, Eastvale, CA. We will be enjoying a Gourmet potluck; Christmas music and a Carol sing. As in years past we will also be providing Christmas gifts for Elizabeth House. For more information Contact Judy Pruitt at [email protected]. The Pasadena Covenant Women’s Book Club will meet Monday, December 17th, 7:30 – 9:00 p.m., for our annual Christmas Reading and Cookie Exchange at Judy Balswick’s house, 1425 N. Mar Vista. Bring a poem, picture book, or short story to read aloud. If you can, bring 3 dozen Christmas cookies for the exchange. If you can’t, just come by and enjoy. Newcomers welcome. If you have questions, please contact Jennifer Mawhorter [email protected].

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Alpha Parenting Course
Children do not arrive with an instruction manual. Parenting is the most important role we will undertake. Meeting our children’s deepest needs, setting healthy boundaries, helping to develop their emotional health, passing on values and teaching them how to make good choices takes skill and dedication. Discovering we are not alone in these challenges we face and picking up ideas from other parents can make a huge difference. The Parenting Children Course and the Parenting Teenagers Course offer an opportunity to hear practical talks and engage in group discussions on these topics and more. Both courses will run concurrently every Sunday from January 13, 2013 through March 17, 2013 from 5-8:30 pm in the Corner House. Contact Lina Myrvold for more information at [email protected] or (626) 627-7777.

2013 Pictorial Directory
Each person or family who is a member or a regular attendee will be receiving a form in mail in next few weeks for the 2013 pictorial directory. Please fill out the form and return it to the main office or put it into the offering plate on Sunday morning. More information about directory photos will be available in January. If you do not receive a form or are not on our mailing list and wish to be included in the directory, please call Doreen in the main office @ 626-7959381 or email [email protected].

Gift for Guests!
If you are a “Guest” you are invited to the Questions table located in the foyer/narthex and there is a gift for you.

Children's ministry celebrated harvest festivals on Nov. 25th with this Quilt of Thanksgiving.

Peace and Justice Ministry Team will meet on Monday, Dec. 3rd, at 6:45 p.m. in the Santa Barbara Room. All are welcome to attend. For more information, contact Jamie Knauss at [email protected].

Upcoming Trustee Meeting
Monday, December 3rd 7:00 pm in the Corner House

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Weekly Programs
Oikas: Sunday Mornings, 9 am-10:15 am
“Oikas” is the Greek work for “House”. When we come together on Sunday Mornings, we come together just as we are, in the House of God. Sunday Mornings are a place where we can be totally authentic with one another and dig deep into God’s Word together.
.

Selah: Wednesday Night Worship and Small Groups, 6:30-8:30 pm
Selah is our midweek program for both high school and middle school students. “Selah” is a Hebrew word that is used many times throughout the book of Psalms. We’re not exactly sure of the meaning, but some good guesses include “Pause” or “Stop and listen”. Wednesday nights at PCSM are made to be just that: a time out in our busy week to rest and listen to God. We do this through spending quality time together, worshiping through song, and connecting in age and gender specific small groups.

December Event
(Mark Your Calendar!)
All Youth Christmas Party: Wednesday, December 19th • 6:30-9 pm
It’s going to be a very special Wednesday night as we celebrate Christmas together! Wear your ugliest Christmas sweater, bring a hilarious White Elephant Gift, and get ready to enjoy a delicious dinner together as a group!

Neighborhood Open House on October 31st was filled with fun!

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Sundays 9:00-10:15 am
Edge: Small Group for 4th & 5th graders
Join us Sunday mornings at 9:00 am for Edge-- a special small group just for ‘tweens (4th & 5th graders). Edge meets in the Edge lounge, located on the 2nd floor of the gym building, and is led by Doug Berry and Suzi Edwards

Family Advent Breakfast: Sunday, December 2nd • 8:30-10:15 am
Advent breakfast is a time for the entire family to join together and shift focus from our day-to -day lives to anticipating with joyful expectation the birth of our Savior. All ages are invited to join us for breakfast, followed by a simple family craft and devotional. This year we will be making advent wreaths which will go along with the advent lessons we will be focusing on in our kids’ classes during December. Families will be given a guide that can be used to center a simple family devotional time each week leading up to Christmas. Breakfast will be provided by PCC Student Ministries, with a free will offering going to support youth scholarships.

A total of 83 shoeboxes (for Operation Christmas Child) were collected this year - more than double last year! Shoeboxes filled with toys, candy, hygiene items, and school supplies will be sent all around the world to children suffering the effects of war, natural disaster, and poverty.

A newly furnished room for nursing mothers is now available directly off the lobby of the sanctuary. The room features comfortable rockers, changing table, and video feed from the worship service. Many thanks to those who helped make this room possible: Mike Litteken, Mary Barkman, Edna Burow, the Sarah Circle, Thomas Hale, Jim & Caryl Tyberg.

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Fire Station Development Plan
You may recall that several months ago we presented a proposal that a developer, Lowe Enterprises, had brought to us to consider participating in a development plan on our block to allow the Fire Station to rebuild. Although there have been a few meetings that I’ve attended since bringing that information to you, there have not been any definitive directions chosen as yet. Having said that, there may be a few of you who would like more information or have concerns about the process, and I would enjoy getting together with you to field some questions. Let me know if you are interested. Pastor Jim Tyberg [email protected] or 626 795-9381 x101

The BWS is run by ECPAC, but helped by various groups each night the shelter is open. Pasadena Covenant mans the shelter every Wednesday night that the BWS is open. We need individuals to be “on call” for the “weather activated” Wednesday nights this December (the temperature drops below 40 degrees or rain is expected). We also need a several more people to help on a few Wednesdays in Jan. & Feb. You don’t need to provide all 12 –1 5 people, but you, your family, or groups of friends can join others already helping. Help is needed between 6:00 - 9:00 pm. This important ministry cannot happen without the help from a lot of people. Please help us serve those who come for food and shelter those evenings. For more information or to sign up, see the BWS table during hospitality time after worship, or contact Wayne Walker at [email protected] (please put BWS in Subject line).

Your gracious support is appreciated!
We need the following supplies:
          

Fresh Produce Mac & Cheese Spaghetti Sauce or Pasta Sauce Spaghetti or Noodles Canned Beans Potatoes Canned Soup Bulk Rice Canned Meat Baby Pampers Canned Chili

            

Ravioli/Spaghettios Bulk Dried Pinto Oatmeal Onions Peanut Butter & Jelly Snack Items Baby formula Baby wipes Feminine napkins Crackers Canned Fruit Canned Vegetables Fruit Juice

Please, no dented cans or outdated food.
Please bring your donations on Sunday morning and place them in the baskets under the tables outside the Gathering Place in the Sanctuary Building. We deliver the food for distribution every Monday morning.

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Cross-Cultural Ministry Supported by Pasadena Covenant Church Praise & Prayer Requests
Pasadena Covenant Church supports not only 18 individual or family cross-cultural workers, but also three ministries. One of these ministries is CHET (Hispanic Center for Theological Studies), an affiliate of North park University and Theological Seminary, is committed to serving the unserved and the underserved and equip Hispanic-Latinos/as for pastoral and lay ministry, evangelism and discipleship, church planting and community transformation. CHET began it’s ministry in 1989, which grew out of the Evangelical Covenant’s commitment to move beyond its ethnic borders, to better express the mosaic that is the whole people of God, and to take seriously our biblical responsibility to include the new immigrants. CHET believes that theological education and ministerial formation belong to all members of the community of God. Some of their students are pastors, others have just begun their pilgrimage of faith; some are professionals, others have little schooling; some come from historical churches, others belong to new charismatic and Pentecostal movements. CHET students, like the educational and administrative staff, are men and women committed to serving Christ. CHET’s services are intentionally directed towards the Spanish speaking community of God, which generally does not have access to traditional ministerial formation institutions due to language barriers, high educational costs, long distances, or a myriad of other inconveniences. God has blessed this ministry and, in addition to CHET new location in Compton, there are various satellite sites in the USA, Spain, and Mexico, including new sites in Minneapolis, MN and La Villa, TX. This past year CHET’s enrollment reached 650 with the expectation of 850 enrolled in the Winter 2013 semester. For more information about CHET, see their website: www.chet.org Praises  That student registration has increased annually in recent years  That this past summer CHET was able to offer summer courses for the first time Prayer  For the efforts by CHET’s board to raise money as CHET seeks to be financially responsible and eliminate its property debt, which would release funds so the seminary can pursue its ministry goals

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Join us in reaching out to our neighbors at PCC’s

Neighborhood Carnival Sat., Jan. 26th • 10 am - 2 pm
Church parking lot (or the gym if rain)
There are lots of ways to be involved in this fun outreach opportunity. You can participate by: • donating gently used kids’ books or bagged candy for prizes • working with your class or small group to sponsor a game or food booth. Let us give you an idea, or come up with your own creative concept! • volunteer to work at a game or food booth for part or all of the carnival


helping with set up or clean up

For more information, contact Vikki Randall at [email protected].

Pasadena Covenant Church 539 North Lake Avenue Pasadena, California, 91101-1217 Return Service Requested

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December 2012
1 Saturday 2 Sunday 9:00 a.m. Family Advent Breakfast 9:00 a.m. Classes for all ages 10:30 a.m. Worship Service 11:45 a.m. Hospitality time 12:00 p.m. Miriam Singers 1:15 p.m. Gospel Choir Rehearsal 3 Monday 7:00 p.m. Trustee Meeting 6:45 p.m. Peace and Justice 4 Tuesday 5 Wednesday 5:45 p.m. Children’s Choir 6:30 p.m. PCSM 6 Thursday 7 Friday 8 Saturday 9 Sunday 9:00 a.m. Classes for all ages 10:30 a.m. Worship Service 11:45 a.m. Hospitality 12:00 p.m. Miriam Singers 12:15 p.m. Newcomers Lunch 10 Monday 11 Tuesday 12 Wednesday 5:45 p.m. Children’s Choir 6:30 p.m. PCSM 13 Thursday 14 Friday 15 Saturday 5:30 p.m. Koinonia Christmas Party 16 Sunday 9:00 a.m. Classes for all ages 10:30 a.m. Worship Service 11:45 a.m. Hospitality 12:00 p.m. Miriam Singers 17 Monday 7:30 p.m. Women’s Book Club 18 Tuesday 7:00 p.m. Blue Christmas Service 19 Wednesday 5:45 p.m. Children’s Choir 6:00 p.m. All Youth Christmas Party 20 Thursday 21 Friday 22 Saturday 23 Sunday 9:00 a.m. Classes for all ages 10:30 a.m. Worship Service 11:45 a.m. Hospitality 12:00 p.m. Miriam Singers 24 Monday Business office open from 9 am to12:00 noon. 25 Tuesday - Facilities Closed 26 Wednesday 5:45 p.m. Children’s Choir 27 Thursday 28 Friday 29 Saturday 30 Sunday 9:00 a.m. Classes for all ages 10:30 a.m. Worship Service 11:45 a.m. Hospitality 12:00 p.m. Miriam Singers 31 Monday Business office open from 9 am to12:00 noon.

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