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Monday, January 18
Newsletter items for February due in Church office
6:30 pm Prayer Connection
Tuesday, January 19
5:45 pm Ad Board – contact Clayton w/any issues
6:30 pm Prayer Connection
7:15 pm Church Council meets on Zoom
Wednesday, January 20
3:00 pm Virtual Coffee (note time change)
6:30 pm Prayer Connection
Thursday, January 21
6:30 pm Prayer Connection
Next Sunday, January 24
10:00 am Worship online

ANNUAL FINANCIAL MEETING: Today at 11:15 am, following the Worship Service, please join by Zoom connection for our Annual Financial/Fiscal Meeting
when the expenditures of the Church for the past year will reviewed, and the proposed Budget for 2021 will be approved by vote of the members. Pertinent documents for the meeting were sent by email on the Holy Hot Line. Printed copies of the documents can also be prepared and may be picked up at the Church (please call ahead) or they can be mailed
to you.
Our Church’s general Zoom connection information:
1) TO JOIN VIA YOUR CONNECTED DEVICE:
Join Zoom Meeting
https://zoom.us/j/9990015170?pwd=MGMwU0lycTNQSFI0cVJVT0xpcC9Udz09 Meeting ID: 999 001 5170 Password: PRAY

2) To dial in by phone:
+1 312 626 6799 US (Chicago)
Meeting ID: 999 001 5170 Password: 427210

Pastor Jill invites everyone to join her Monday through Thursday evenings at 6:30 pm for “Prayer Connection” using Zoom. As a participant, you can use the same connection instructions printed above (see the item about the “Annual Financial Meeting Today.” This
is the general Zoom connection for all our Church virtual meetings. Prayer Connection is a drop-in sort of session and no attendance is taken, so join us whenever you wish. We are reminded by these gatherings how much we need each other and
each other’s prayers!

Virtual Coffee Time is weekly each Wednesday afternoon at 3:00 pm (note change of time). It is a BYOC (bring your own cup) kind of event, but there will be no agenda except to catch up with each other. Please join us on Zoom or dial in by phone.

We have online giving available on the Church website: www.firstcongregationaluccalex.com. Click on the “give” button to give directly. Or you can text the word “Give” to 1-(844) 913-1752. We have several folks who have been taking advantage of this means to support the Church they love. Thank you for your generous and ongoing support!

Status of Giving: A statement of your Church giving to date can be prepared at any time. Just contact the Church office!

Stewardship reminder: It’s not too late to turn in your pledge for 2021. It will greatly help with creating the Church Budget for the coming year. Thank you!

Helpers needed for preparing bags of groceries for the United Way Food Drop on Thursday, January 28. Thanks to your caring generosity, we have collected $2,485 in funds through our “Tree of Lights” campaign to purchase meat and protein from our local stores. This is our share of the gifts to provide groceries for those in need in our community. A note will be included in each of the bags that the gift of meat/
protein was from our Church. Please let Barb Brown know if you’d be available to help fill bags on January 28.

“Remember Your Baptism” letters that contained shower tags were mailed this past week. If you did not receive one, please let us know and we can get one to you.

Next Sunday, January 10/Communion/
First Sunday after Epiphany/Baptismal Renewal
10:00 am Worship online

Our thanks to Rev. Marc Blakesley for leading our worship this morning while Pastor Jill is out of the office until next Sunday, January 10. Marc is on call for pastoral emergencies and he may be reached at 6 1 2 3 2 5-1 4 6 7.

“Tree of Lights:” The Missions Committee is so grateful for your amazing generosity in supporting our ”Tree of Lights” project for this season. We have received more than $2,185 so far!! We will continue to take donations until January 12th. Please get donations to the Church by that date with the notation, “Tree of Lights.” After that date, the Missions Committee will notify local businesses of the amount of meat needed to fill about 250 food bags for the January 28 United Way Food Drop. We will also include a note in the grocery bags that this gift is from the members and friends of First Congregational United Church of Christ in Alexandria. We can use volunteers to help on January 28 during the food drop. Please contact Barb Brown if interested in helping. They are asking us to commit to a 2-hour shift. Thank you again for your generous giving.-Missions Committee

Our Missions Committee is also reminding us of the annual Conference campaign, ”Christmas Fund,” which provides emergency support for our retired UCC Clergy. Please indicate on your check “for Christmas Fund.” Thank you for your generosity.

Prayer Connection is on a brief sabbatical until Monday, January 11, when Pastor Jill returns. During this interim,
please continue your prayers for each other and perhaps make some telephone contacts or have your own face-time session with the people who make your life special.

We have online giving available on the Church website: www.firstcongregationaluccalex.com. Click on the “give” button to give directly. Or you can text the word “Give”
to 1-(844) 913-1752. We have several folks who have been taking advantage of this means to support the Church they love. Thank you for your generous and ongoing support!

Status of Giving: A statement of your Church giving to date can be prepared at any time. Just contact the Church office!

Stewardship reminder: It’s not too late to turn in your pledge for 2021. It will greatly help with creating the Church Budget for the coming year. Thank you!

We have the following birthday coming up:
January 11: Randy Sukovich
We are excited to share your special days with everyone, and we have been compiling a list of dates so we can all celebrate together. We hope to hear from more of you!

Please note: We will close the financial books for 2020 very soon. If you wish to have your gift recorded for 2020, please send it to the Church before next Sunday, January 10, with a notation that it is intended for the year 2020. Otherwise, we will credit your giving statement with the gift for 2021. Thank you so much for your faithful support in this very “different” year.

THINGS TO LOOK FORWARD TO IN JANUARY
Our worship service on Sunday, January 10, will be a renewal of baptism. Please have a bowl of water handy when you join us on YouTube that morning.

Pastor Jill is offering a weekly Virtual Coffee time on ZOOM beginning Wednesday, January 13, at 2:00 pm.
It’s a BYOC (bring-your-own-cup) event; no agenda, just a chance to “catch up.”
To connect to Zoom, click the following link—https://zoom.us/j/9990015170 Meeting ID: 999 001 5170 or to Dial in, call: +1 312 626 6799 (audio only)

Thursday, January 14, is another opportunity to go for a walk outdoors with Joy and the Board of Spiritual Life. Meet at the west door of the Church at 10:00 am unless it’s a very cold wind chill, icy, or snowing.

Sunday, January 17 – Annual Financial Meeting on Zoom
when the finances of the past year will be reviewed and discussed, and the Budget for 2021 will be presented for a vote by the congregation. Connection information will be made available ahead of time for this important meeting.

Thursday, January 28 – is the United Way Food Drop when we will participate by way of our gift of funds collected from the “Tree of Lights” campaign to provide meat/protein for groceries for those in need in our community. Let Barb Brown know if you’d be available that day to help.

Welcome & Announcements
Responsive Call to Worship
Opening Hymn
Reading: Isaiah 60:1-6
Silent Reflection
Unison Prayer of Confession/Words of Assurance/Gloria
Passing of the Peace
Gospel Story: Matthew 2:1-12
Preparation Hymn
Message: “Dreaming of Another Way”
Meditation Music Video
Sharing Joys & Concerns
Silence & Personal Prayer
Pastoral Prayer/Lord’s Prayer (using debts)
Invitation to Give/Doxology/Prayer of Dedication
Closing Hymn
Benediction & Blessing

Monday, December 21
Newsletter items for January are due in Church office
    5:30 pm  “Blue Christmas” on Zoom
Thursday December 24 – Christmas Eve
    4:30 pm  Christmas Eve worship service on YouTube,
                    a service of lessons, carols, and candlelight
Friday, December 25 – Christmas Day
    Christmas Dinners delivered to our shut-ins
Next Sunday, December 27 
   10:00 am  Worship online 
____________________________________________________________
This evening, we invite everyone to join us for carols and candlelight in our Church parking lot at 6:00 pm.  We will wear masks and be socially distanced.
______________________________
“Tree of Lights:”   The Board of Spiritual Life is so grateful for your amazing generosity in supporting our ”Tree of Lights” project for this season.  The Tree now has 19 more lights lit as a result of this past week’s donations.  As you have heard, we are collecting donations to provide protein for all households that participate in the United Way January Food Drop.  Any amount helps us reach this goal.  To give to the project, send donations to the Church office, or call first and see if Barb may be in the office when you might be in town.  She will gladly make sure your donation goes to the right account.  If writing a check, please indicate “Tree of Lights” on memo line.  Keep awake and prepare the way during Advent.   We can help Douglas County residents who are experiencing food scarcity in their lives.  This past week of Advent we were called to sow Joy, and Joy comes in a bag of food, especially with protein.

_______________________________

Our Missions Committee is also reminding us of our annual support of the Conference campaign, ”Christmas Fund,” which provides emergency support for our retired UCC Clergy.  Please indicate on your check “for Christmas Fund.”  Thank you for your generosity. 

________________________________
Prayer Connection will be taking a brief sabbatical starting this week, December 21, and will resume again 
on Monday, January 11.  During this interim, please continue your prayers for each other and perhaps make some telephone contacts or have your own face-time with the people who make your life special.  
____________________________

We have online giving available on the Church website:      www.firstcongregationaluccalex.com.  Click on the “give”  button to give directly.  Or you can text the word “Give” to 1-(844) 913-1752.  We have several folks who have been taking advantage of this means to support the Church they love.   Thank you for your generous and ongoing support!
____________________________
Status of Giving:  A statement of your Church giving to date can be prepared at any time.  Just contact the Church office!
______________________________
Stewardship reminder:  It’s not too late to turn in your pledge for 2021.  It will greatly help with creating the Church Budget for the coming year.  Thank you!
______________________________
We have the following birthdays this week:  
   December 25:  John Etnier
   December 27:  Bill Riggs
We are excited to share your special days with everyone!!  
We have been compiling a list of dates so we can all celebrate together.  We hope to hear from more of you!  
____________________________

KXRA sponsorship is available for Sunday, January 3.  The full cost of this expense to the Church each month is $110 for our monthly broadcast of our worship service on the 1^st Sunday of the month.  If you would like to sponsor the broadcast in memory or honor of someone or an event, please contact the Church office.  Thank you!
_______________________________________________________
      MORE THINGS TO LOOK FORWARD TO IN DECEMBER!

-Tonight, Sunday, December 20:  Carols and candlelight outdoors in the parking lot at 6:00 pm.  We will wear masks and observe social distancing.  Invite your friends and neighbors!!

-Christmas Eve Worship:  At 4:30 pm we’ll have lessons, carols, and candlelight on our direct YouTube channel:  youtube.com/c/firstcongregationaluccalexandria.

–Thursday, December 31:  Joy Wrolson and the Board of Spiritual Life invite everyone to walk outdoors in the fresh air.  Dress appropriately and wear a mask and, as long as it’s not raining or snowing or very icy or super cold, we’ll walk socially distanced.  Meet at the Church West door 
at 10:00 am.   Join us for some friendship, exercise, and good conversation!!

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·         Greeting, Welcome & Announcements

·         Pouring of the Baptismal Water

• Responsive Call to Worship
• Opening Hymn of Praise 
• Unison Prayer
• Special Music
• Lighting the Advent Candle of Love/Sung Response
• Responsive Passing of the Peace

·         First Testament Reading:  2 Samuel 7:1-11, 16/
                                                                       Gloria Patri

·         Anthem

·         Gospel Reading:  Luke 1:26-38

·         Hymn of Preparation

• Message:   “Those Who Dream … Are Not Alone”
• Musical Interlude
• Sharing Celebrations & Concerns/Silent Prayer/
                                                               Pastoral Prayer
• Lord’s Prayer (using debts)
• Invitation to Give/Offering/Doxology/
                                    Prayer of Dedication
• Closing Hymn

·         Blessing & Sending Forth   

Dear Church. Family:

This probably goes without saying but we will NOT be holding our worship service at City Park this Sunday, October 25. Please join us via Livestream from the sanctuary on YouTube at 10 a.m. or watch the service on our local cable channel next week.

Prayer Connection will not meet tomorrow (Thursday) evening. Please plan to join us on Monday at 6:30 p.m. if you would like!

Please stay safe and warm as another storm moves in tomorrow. I have to say that winter arrives early and packs a punch in Minnesota!

Peace:

Pastor Jill