 What do you think about regifting? Some people are offended by the idea that someone would pass along something that they had received as a gift. On the other end of the spectrum are those who celebrate the idea of passing along things that you don't need or want to those who can use them. The real gift of Christmas is Jesus - because of Jesus' life, death and resurrection, we are all enabled to experience forgiveness and new life in Christ. But unlike some gift-givers, God actually WANTS us to regift Jesus. When we share Jesus with others, we both get to experience the blessing! This Sunday, December 31st, we'll conclude our series on the gift of Jesus as we consider how to best share the blessing. I hope you'll be able to join us! Congregational Meeting, Sunday, January 7th Lynette's Kawai piano Immediately after our morning Worship Celebration on January 7th, we will hold a brief congregational meeting to approve the purchase of an upgrade piano for our sanctuary.
Jonathan Owens, our tuner and service technician, has been in communication with the Church Council about the condition and needs of our current piano. Did you know that it is 89 years old?! It's in fairly good condition considering its age, but the most basic repairs needed to get it into optimal performance ($3,000 - $3,500) would be more than the piano's value ($1,000 - $1,500). And the serious work that would bring it up to ideal condition would cost over $20,000. Jonathan has been keeping his eyes open for a piano that would meet our needs at a reasonable price and has found the perfect match. Lynette Westendorf is looking to purchase a top of the line piano to enjoy in her retirement and so she is looking to sell her 1978 Kawai. As you may imagine, she has kept it in top condition and had it tuned/serviced 3-4 times a year. She is willing to sell it for $4,000 which is the price she was quoted for trading it in to a piano dealership. Similar pianos are selling for over $10,000. She's thrilled with the idea of the it remaining in the Valley and enhancing our worship. We will be presenting the proposal of using up to $5,000 from our designated CCC Improvement Fund to purchase the piano, move it to the church, and tune it after the move. We are currently exploring options for our present piano including selling it or donating it. Please plan on attending this brief meeting on the 7th. Thanks. One of the few things that has kind of bugged me about my wife, Tami, is her tendency to delay gratification. When she receives a letter or card from someone, she often waits for a bit before she opens it and reads it. Likewise, she prefers to take a loooooong time to eat her dessert. In fact, she bought some baby spoons so that she can take microscopic bites of her ice cream. I suppose that's not really a big deal and I should be feel pretty lucky if that's what I have to complain about! Afterall, it's not like she never gets around to opening her mail and I know that she won't take my Christmas gift and put it in a closet to open in a month or two. Interestingly enough, that's what too many people have done with the real gift of Christmas: Jesus. God sacrificially gave the most valuable and life-changing gift we could ever receive, and yet there are some who never get around to opening and experiencing the gift in their lives. This Sunday, December 17th, we'll be looking at John 1:11-13 and talking about how we should receive the gift of Jesus. I hope you'll be able to join us. This Sunday's Worship Celebration will also feature our children performing a Christmas play that they've been working on for the past month or so. In addition, they will be playing some Christmas songs on the bells. LOOKING AHEAD: Christmas Eve Worship ServicesOn Sunday, December 24th, we will have our regular morning Worship Celebration at 10 AM.
That evening at 5 PM will be our Christmas Eve service featuring the story of Jesus' coming to the earth as told through scripture and carols. It will also include our traditional candle lighting ceremony as we remember that the Light of the World arrived to a dark world and has filled us with His light to share with others. I hope you'll be able to join us for this special celebration of the reason for the season. At both the Sunday morning worship and the Christmas Eve service we will have a collection box for our Crisis Fund. We are entering a difficult season of the year in which many people find themselves in need. Our Crisis Fund exists in order to share God's love with those in our congregation and community in practical ways. Consider making a special end-of-the-year gift. |
Pastor JeffThoughts about living as a Jesus follower and life at Community Covenant Church Archives
December 2020
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