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Fourth Sunday of Advent

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Fourth Sunday of Advent

December 22, 2019

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Glebe-St. James United ChurchReaching – Into Faith, Out to Others

Fourth Sunday in Advent December 22, 2019Portions of the service printed in bold type are to be said by everyone. Please stand in body or spirit for the portions of the service marked *. For hymns: VU = “Voices United,” MV = “More Voices.” All shared prayers and hymns will be displayed on the screens.

Gathered by GodPREPARING OUR HEARTS FOR WORSHIP

Nun komm der Heiden Heiland, BWV 659 (J.S. Bach)

WELCOME

CALL TO WORSHIP & CANDLE LIGHTING

Christmas is here! Well almost.Isn’t it great?So far we have talked about hope (light one candle) and peace (light 2nd candle) and joy (light 3rd candle) but there is one candle left.That’s the candle of love. I think it is the most important one.Why?Christmas is all about love. God loves the world so much God gives us Jesus. God challenges us to love all of our neighbours. With love God gives us another chance to change our lives. Love is a source of heat and light in life (light 4th candle)

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The best love is the kind that awakens the soul; that makes us reach for more, that plants the fire in our hearts and brings

peace to our minds.

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Let us pray for more love in the world.God we remember the song “what the world needs now is love sweet love” and we know it is true. Sometimes we find it hard to love the people around us. Sometimes we are hard to love. But you love all of us. All of the time. And then you give us a chance to change the future by changing the present. Thank you for that. Help us to be like Scrooge and promise to do better, to love better, in the future. Amen.

INTROIT We Light This Candle

We light this candle for Love.Await the new life within.May our hearts now live each day,So love can find a way, so love can find a way.

OPENING PRAYER

May we approach Advent this season as if it were our first-ever Advent.May we come to God new and vulnerable, with open and willing hearts, ready for fresh insights.May we find Jesus wherever there is distress and rely on the Holy Spirit to be with us in every step of our Advent journey. Amen.

*HYMN VU 1 O Come, O Come, Emmanuel

EXCHANGING A SIGN OF PEACE

HYMN MV 221 I Am Walking a Path of Peace

HYMN MV 33 Jesus Came Bringing Us Hope

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Listening for the WordSCRIPTURE Isaiah 35:1-10

The desert and the parched land will be glad; the wilderness will rejoice and blossom.Like the crocus, it will burst into bloom; it will rejoice greatly and shout for joy.The glory of Lebanon will be given to it, the splendor of Carmel and Sharon;they will see the glory of the LORD, the splendor of our God.Strengthen the feeble hands, steady the knees that give way;say to those with fearful hearts, “Be strong, do not fear;your God will come, he will come with vengeance;with divine retribution he will come to save you.”Then will the eyes of the blind be opened and the ears of the deaf unstopped.Then will the lame leap like a deer, and the mute tongue shout for joy.Water will gush forth in the wilderness and streams in the desert.The burning sand will become a pool, the thirsty ground bubbling springs.In the haunts where jackals once lay, grass and reeds and papyrus will grow.

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And a highway will be there; it will be called the Way of Holiness; it will be for those who walk on that Way.The unclean will not journey on it; wicked fools will not go about on it.No lion will be there, nor any ravenous beast; they will not be found there.But only the redeemed will walk there, and those the LORD has rescued will return.They will enter Zion with singing; everlasting joy will crown their heads.Gladness and joy will overtake them, and sorrow and sighing will flee away.

In scripture, the Spirit of God is alive and active.God’s Spirit is alive and among us. Thanks be to God.

GIFT OF MUSIC Thou shalt know Him when He comes (Hal H. Hopson)

REFLECTION ON SCRIPTURE

A few years back the Muppets and CeeLo Green co-performed a Christmas song called “All I Need Is Love,” complete with a music video. In true Muppets form – I don’t know how many Muppets fans we have – but if you haven’t seen it, it’s full of action and humor, and all the favorites show up – from Kermit, Fozzie, and Miss Piggy to Pepe, Gonzo and his chickens, and all the rest. CeeLo and the crew sing about all the Christmas presents they could get – fancy toys and the latest technology. But – perhaps ironically – at its core, the song captures the true message of Christmas. The Muppets and CeeLo don’t want all that stuff. All they want or need for Christmas is love.

I’m quite sure the Muppets never set out to make any grand theological statements with their Christmas song, but the song taps into the truth that all we do need is love. Today as we celebrate together the second Sunday on our Advent journey of God with Us, we are celebrating love. When Jesus came into our world as a baby, He was the human

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embodiment of the gift of God’s love. When He came as Immanuel, God with Us, He came as God incarnate—He came as love incarnate.

We’ve already begun today talking about a love song. Let’s talk now about a love story. Our culture is full of both! Not just our present culture, but really the entire history of humanity. Can you imagine the power you would have if you could harness all the creative energy that has been devoted to writing love stories and love songs throughout history? If you start with the songs and movies and stories we know in our time and start scrolling back through history through the novels and poems and plays and epics and oral narratives, the list would go on and on and on and on. It seems that throughout our entire history, we humans have been inspired and moved and confused and intrigued and motivated by love – and trying to understand it.

But have you ever thought about the story of Mary and Joseph as a love story? I mean, sure, you know the Christmas story. You’ve probably heard it many, many times before. But think about it: Mary and Joseph, a love story.

Imagine with me and place yourself back in the ancient, dusty days of Israel under the Roman Empire. In a small village called Nazareth lives a carpenter named Joseph. He has noble ancestry; he’s distantly related to King David himself, but he lives a humble life working with his hands as a tradesman. He probably learned to build things from his father, who was probably a carpenter before him. Some scholars think Joseph grew up in Bethlehem, but at some point moved to Nazareth, about seventy miles north as the crow flies. Maybe this was so he could build his own carpentry business. Maybe he had relatives there. Maybe the town needed a carpenter. We don’t know for sure, but we can speculate that Joseph had probably been working long enough to establish himself as an honorable and fairly successful craftsman. That would have made him an eligible bachelor, probably around twenty years old, who was ready to marry and establish his own family. The younger girls of the village – or more likely their fathers – would have noticed. You have to remember that the Jewish marriage customs of the day were quite different from ours. They followed clearly defined legal guidelines and took place in three stages: the contract, the consummation, and the celebration. First, Mary’s father would have gone to Joseph to propose and arrange the marriage. A cash price, like a dowry, would be set that Joseph would pay to Mary’s family, maybe along with some gifts, and a contract, called a

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ketubah, would be signed. And at that point, Joseph and Mary were married 100 percent. He was her husband. She was his wife.

Then the couple would get to know each other, more like the dating stage we’re used. Mary would still live with her family, and at some point in the future – maybe a year, maybe years, depending on the bride’s age or other factors – Joseph would lead a procession of his friends to Mary’s house, where she would be waiting with a group of her friends. Then while everyone waited in the house, the couple would consummate their marriage. This stage two of the marriage was called the chuppah. And then everyone would go together and have a marriage feast to celebrate the final stage of the process.

Very different from what we’re used to. And it probably sounds quite awkward to most of us in our day. You’re also probably thinking, how unromantic! Maybe it was. But not so fast. Just because the culture and traditions of those ancient days looked different doesn’t mean that there wasn’t deep love flowing between this historic couple – and possibly even romance.

Use your imaginations with me – the Bible doesn’t fill in all these details, but maybe Mary and Joseph’s story went a little like this:

Mary was certainly younger than Joseph. Tradition suggests that she was probably a young teenager – in that day, a marriageable age. And the options and opportunities of her life’s path would have depended greatly on her marriage and family life. So she would have known who Joseph was still fairly young, rugged, and strong. Certainly, his forearms would be chiseled and his hands rough but sure. From the little bits we’re told about him in the Bible, he must have been even-keeled, confident, and kind. “Father, do you know Joseph the carpenter?” Mary might have hinted to her father. “That Joseph is a good man, kind and honorable. He would make a good husband for our Mary,” Mary’s mother could have suggested to her husband.

For his part, Joseph would have known the young girls of the village. Their fathers were his customers. He would have built furniture for their homes. He would have crafted yokes and ploughs and shovels for their farms or wheels for their carts. He listened as they talked about their families. He knew who was kind and fair in business and in family and

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social life. And maybe, just maybe, there were several local girls or families with their eye on Joseph as marriage material. Human hearts and emotions have been the same throughout history, no matter how formal or different the social mores and relational customs.

“Have you seen Mary?” Joseph might have said to a friend. “Her eyes sparkle like the sun on the Sea of Galilee.”

“I saw Joseph laughing with the little children watching outside his workshop,” Mary could have said to a sister. “The sound of his voice was musical.”

And eventually this young couple was married, bound to each other for life, with their hearts stirring and their future uncertain. Like the rest of us, they could have no way of knowing what they would truly face together in the journey of husband and wife. But excitement must have filled them as the formalities were signed—and nervousness. What are we getting into? And who exactly is this person I will spend the rest of my life with?

Joseph probably carved small wooden gifts for his new wife – maybe a flower to reflect her beauty. Or a bird “because its grace reminds me of you.” Or perhaps a small box with a valuable metal clasp where she could store small treasures or things near to her heart.

Mary might have liked to watch Joseph work, shaping and creating in his workshop, where they could talk and laugh and share moments together. She might have baked and brought him special breads or cakes that she knew were his favorites. And he certainly would have joined Mary’s family for meals and celebrations and religious festivals, sharing life with them.

And with each day that passed, this young couple learned more about each other: what made each other laugh, how they handled challenges and hard days, the strengths of their personalities that shone and the imperfections where they failed, their hopes and fears and dreams for the future, how many children they hoped to have one day, what kind of home Joseph could one day build for his wife and family, how they longed for the day to come when the time was right to consummate their marriage. Each day that passed, Mary and Joseph chose love, and that love continued to deepen and grow.

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So imagine the emotional bombshell that went off when Joseph heard the news. How could you, Mary?! How could you do this, to me, to us? I thought you loved me—like I love you. We were doing this the right way, honoring God and our families and each other and now . . . now . . . THIS!

If you have ever experienced the betrayal of adultery or been close to someone who has, you know the devastation of betrayal. The pain is visceral. The wound feels physical, like your chest has literally been blown wide open. This was the broken trust that Joseph would have felt when Mary came and told him the news. “Joseph, I know this sounds crazy, but an angel visited me and told me I’m going to have a baby. And the angel said His name will be Jesus, and ‘He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High.’ He’s the Messiah, Joseph! You have to believe me. It’s a miracle, but it’s true because . . . because . . . I’m pregnant.”

Maybe he tried to listen to those first words – an angel, a miracle, the Messiah – but all he must have felt was the weight of the word pregnant. Everybody knows there is only one way to get pregnant, and Joseph knew he had not been involved. Everyone would have known he had not been involved – unless he dishonored Mary and her family and all he held to be true. And if he had, then he too would be a disgrace to all their society. This was all too much for Joseph. Maybe he walked away in silence, broken and speechless. Maybe he shouted and stormed and sent Mary away in tears. Things did not go smoothly.

And maybe this was part of why Mary went to spend three months with her aunt Elizabeth, away from her own village in the hill country of Judea. It would buy time for Mary’s family to figure out what to do – how would people ever believe this story from Mary? Could they even believe it? Maybe it would give Joseph time to accept it.

So the lovers parted, with pain and anger and distrust swirling in and around them, and young Mary was clinging desperately to the encouraging words of an angel and a knowledge deep in her soul that for whatever reason, no matter how incredulous it sounded and how miraculous it was, God’s very Son had sprung to life within her. Somehow God would make a way.

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Isn’t that just the kind of crisis that threatens to destroy any good love story? Now, the exact circumstances are different from what you or I will ever face, but the feelings and emotions and relational challenges are no different at their core. Mary and Joseph’s is a true human love story, but it is also a supernatural love story that involves you and me and every human who has walked or will ever walk this earth. Let’s dig deeper into this point and look at how it affects you and me—and how we can experience this supernatural love of God with Us through the Advent season and beyond.

If we were watching a movie of Mary and Joseph’s love story, this would be where we pan back, drifting out of that drab and dusty Galilean village, seeing a wider and wider vision above the ancient landscape and the geographic forms we recognize as continents and oceans, and farther above the great blue ball of Earth, and still farther beyond the solar system and Milky Way Galaxy, and somehow wider still through the limits of the universe and space and light and time themselves until finally somewhere beyond the limits of physics that bind our creation there is only a presence, a supernatural, infinite presence that is love. There is only God, somehow over and within all things and present and moving within all time, including the entire history of humanity that appears as only a tiny blip.

The apostle John said it most simply and best: God is love, and whoever abides in love abides in God, and God abides in him” (1 John 4:16).

This is the nature of our God. Love in its purest form.

Love was there at the center of God’s creative forces that made the universe and formed people in His image to be in relationship with Him. Love was there even when the world fell into sin and rebellion, and despite the catastrophic consequences of humanity’s fall, love was there in shepherding Adam and Eve and their family into this altered world. Even then love was making a way to restore all that had been lost.

Love forged a covenant with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Love continually led the Israelites through relocation and resettlement, through triumph and imprisonment and exile. As we trace throughout the Old Testament, love guided and corrected and exhorted and showed mercy to the ever-disobedient and easily distracted Israelites.

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In Mary and Joseph’s story, love was taking the form of humanity in the Messiah Jesus. Love is God with Us. And love would be with Mary and Joseph to care for them and provide everything they would need.

The test of any good love story is this: Is love enough? Is this love strong enough or deep enough or true enough to handle x, y, or z – from the trivial and annoying to the catastrophic and potentially crushing?Yes, my friends, love is enough. God is enough. And His love is faithful.

Mary’s journey to her cousin Elizabeth’s house couldn’t have been easy. The walk would have been long and hot. The road must have been lonely, and the miles must have echoed in her brain with the recent conversations: the pain and hurt in Joseph’s eyes and words, the disbelief and confusion from her family, and always the hope and promise delivered by the angel. She knew the truth, but how would everyone else see? What was going to happen to her?

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But as soon as Mary arrived, she was greeted with love. “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the child you will bear!” Elizabeth exclaimed. “But why am I so favored, that the mother of my Lord should come to me? As soon as the sound of your greeting reached my ears, the baby in my womb leaped for joy. Blessed is she who has believed that the Lord would fulfill his promises to her!” (Luke 1:42–45). Can you imagine the relief? Immediately Elizabeth, who was carrying her own miracle child, knew and confirmed to Mary that love was here, that God was here, and that everything was going to be all right.

In the midst of Mary’s human crisis, God provided just the love she needed through another person who understood and supported her. That’s often the way God’s love works. As we walk in His love, He knows just what we need, and He brings us support from other people around us. On the flip side, He often uses us to provide that love and support for others.

In Joseph’s case, his needs were a little different. Back in Nazareth in his pain and confusion, Joseph decided he was going to divorce Mary. The pain was too much. He couldn’t believe this was happening. And while legally he could have taken Mary to the courts and had her tried and potentially stoned to death, he still loved her. He couldn’t do that, but he couldn’t handle this breach of trust. And the law allowed him to divorce her quietly and to try not to make a public disgrace of her.

That’s when, in this supernatural love story, God knew that Joseph needed some supernatural love. So Joseph, too, got a visit from an angel with this message: “Joseph son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife, because what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins” (Matthew 1:20–21).

Notice how God knew exactly what was at the heart of Joseph’s hurt: fear. And God gave Joseph the reassurance he needed to trust Mary and her love – and ultimately to trust God and His love to make a way in their amazing, unbelievable, dangerous, supernatural, and ultimately triumphant love story that was looking like nothing either one of them could have ever imagined. Joseph chose love and trust, even though the law told him he could

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do otherwise. And it’s a beautiful reflection of God’s own choice to love and foster relationship with us.

The love of God with Us is God’s perfect love in human form that we celebrate. And this is the love that knows exactly what we need, no matter what we are facing in this season. Whether it’s support from or restoration to another person or whether it’s an encounter with the God of the miraculous that you need, God’s love is with us. It is here for you. And it is making a way to accomplish God’s work in your life. God’s love is eternal. It’s as never-ending as God Himself. It was. It is now. It will be. And He will never stop demonstrating His love in tangible ways that are both daily occurrences and history-changing events like Christ’s birth.

Like any true, God-written love story, Mary and Joseph’s love didn’t end with themselves. It was built upon the foundation of God’s perfect love, and they trusted God and followed Him on a crazy ride, unlike anyone else’s in history.

Mary and Joseph were in it together: the long journey to Bethlehem, the seemingly desperate night with Mary about to give birth and no place to even rest, the birth and first cry of the Messiah held in their arms in a stable. And then the joy of the others: the shepherds; the exotic wise men; Simeon and Anna, the prophets in the temple who recognized their Savior in this tiny baby; the angelic visits and warnings to flee to another country to protect their child and then to return.

Oh, the inside knowledge Mary and Joseph shared. The conversations they must have had and the questions they must have discussed. “Why us?” must have always been at the top of their list. But from the beginning, they recognized that Jesus, their son, was so much more. His life existed for us all. He was God with Us. His love was offered to the world. And with this knowledge, they chose to live with open hands, trusting in and living out the miraculous love that had been given to them.

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In this Advent season, we have the opportunity to reflect on how we can do the same. Jesus taught, “A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another” (John 13:34–35).

The ability to do so begins as we open ourselves to God’s love. It then grows and overflows as we extend kindness and care and support to others around us. Sometimes it takes a small step. Sometimes it requires a bigger leap. But through it all, we can trust and know that it is love that holds us. Because God is with us, love is with us. It is an eternal, vast, and powerful love—yet at the same time a gentle, tender, and personal love. And it is love that will make a way, no matter what we are facing in this season or in the days ahead.

Inspired by the Word*HYMN VU 17 O Ancient Love

THE OFFERING Shepherd's cradle song (Arthur Somervell,arr. Alec Rowley)

*WE OFFER OUR GIFTS TO GOD VU 217 All Creatures of Our God and King (vs. 5)

OFFERING PRAYERFor all that we are –Thank you God of Love.For all that we have –Thank you God of Love.For all that we are becoming – Thank you, God of Love.Now. Forever.Thank you, God of Love.

PRAYERS OF THE PEOPLE

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PRAYER OF JESUS (Our Mother and Father…) VU 959 (David Haas)

Sent by the Spirit* HYMN VU 4 God of All Places

*COMMISSIONING AND BENEDICTION

In love, we are born.In love, we live.In love, we receive.In love, we give.In love, we hope, we serve, we pray.In love, we grieve, we hurt, we heal.In love, we are held. To love, we belong.All of our living, tuned to love’s song.And so we sing:

CHORAL AMEN (Kriewald)

MUSIC FOR THE JOURNEYNun komm der Heiden Heiland, BWV 661 (J.S. Bach)

Thank you for choosing Glebe-St. James United Church.Please join us for a time of fellowship and community

in Fraser Hall following this morning’s worship.

Awesome Teens!!!In the busy week before Christmas seven teenagers who are connected to Glebe-St. James (Anna De Hahn, Grace Stewart, Isaac Thoppil, Josh Thoppil, Lily Richardson, Meg Patni and Oriana Yepes) found time to take a break from essays and exams to

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shop for, organize and pack two Christmas hampers for the Ottawa Christmas Hamper Project hosted by Centretown United Church.

Drivers NeededLooking forward into January, drivers are needed to bring Rev. George Clifford to church as well as occasionally others.

Grocery Gift CardsMarisa, Janice & Donna-Fay ask supporters to bring their 2020 cheques in as soon as possible. It makes life much easier when we have the orders on hand.

If you would like to place an order for cards for pick up in January, please have your order into the office by 4 pm on Monday, December 30 th. Also, please remember to save your empty Farmboy cards. Thank you for your continued support of the Ottawa Mennonite Refugee Assistance initiative (OMRA).

United Church CalendarsWe still have a few UCC calendars available in the office.Cost is $ 6.00 per calendar.

“Thrifty Meals”…..unique cookbookInspired by the 2018 Canada Food Guide, all recipes have been adapted tested and costed by Natasha Hollbach. Please drop by the “Welcoming Table” at coffee hour to check it out.

Friendly VisitsFriendly visits: an empathetic person to listen to you – your celebrations, your sorrows, your concerns and your joys. If you would like a visit, or know someone who would, please contact the GSJ office or Adele MacLeod, 613-216-7519 or [email protected]

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Our Second Annual New Year’s Eve Party - back by popular demand!Want to ring in the New Year with friends in a place filled with joy and laughter? (And where you don’t have to stay up until midnight?)

Come and join us at Glebe St. James in Fraser Hall on December 31, 2019. We will turn the hall into a magic place with pot-luck finger food, Robert's famous meat balls, punch, tons of sweets, of course, entertainment, dancing and maybe a New Year’s quiz to keep you on your toes, if the dancing doesn’t!

The Men’s and Friends’ group are designating the party as their December gathering, the last of the year. Their contributions to the pot-luck food will add to the zest of the evening’s celebrations.

Do you have a favourite song that you would like to hear during the evening. Please send the name of the song and artist into the office prior to 4 pm, on December 23 rd. If the song is available on Spotify then Eric may be able to add it to the evening’s playlist – Thanks Eric.

The evening begins at 6:30 with the New Year celebration happening at 9:00!

Sign-up sheets are available following Sunday worship or in the office. To assist us in our planning, please let us know if you are coming and what finger food or sweets you might bring!

Concerts-in-the-Glebe (brochure is online at glebestjames.ca)Concerts start at 2:30 pm.Tickets are available at the doorCIG Series: $15(Adult), $10(Stu-Sr.)

YA Series: $10(Adult), $7(Stu-Sr.) “Admission by donation” always welcomed

January 19 Be Free! [CIG]Coriolis Piano Trio

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Music inspired by the myth of the Phoenix,(Murphey) the freedom and melodies of Gypsy musicians.(Haydn) and the explosive energy of Tchaikovsky (Arensky)

February 9 Characters [CIG]Christiane Wilke, oboe; Jenna Richards, piano19th/20th cent. music portraying characters and personalities from ghosts to monsters –personalities killed in war --- and covering the breadth of human emotions.

Wake up and smell make the coffee

We are currently recruiting volunteers for our team of Coffee Makers in 2020. Every six to eight weeks you will be scheduled to set up our after-worship Coffee Hour.

Want more information – please speak with Chris Burbridge at coffee hour or e-mail her at [email protected]

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GLEBE ST. JAMES PARTICIPATION

December 22nd December 29th

Presiding Rev. Teresa Burnett-Cole Nancy HuggettMusic James Caswell Robert PalmaiGreeting & Ushering Jim McCulloch

Laura TannerBetty & Bruce Taylor

Jim McCullochKen & Margaret TorranceJanice Vennos

AV Team Susan PalmaiJosh Thoppil Susan Palmai

Scripture Reader Dorothy Phillips Nancy HuggettOffering Counters Donna-Fay Mailhot

Jim McCullochMarsha Hay SnyderRoss Snyder

Making Coffee Inez Kettles Jenifer AitkenMeg Patni

Coffee Hour Greeters Meg Patni Mary AhearnDon Ray

Prayer Circle Coordinator Adele MacLeod Adele MacLeod

Children’s Church Stephanie LangillNursery Tashi Farmilo-Marouf Tashi Farmilo-MaroufSexton Saj Patni Alex Totten-Thomas

Dates to remember…. December 31st: 6:30 pm – New Year’s Eve get together January 26, 2020 Congregational Planning Meeting March 29th: Annual Congregational Meeting

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Page 21: irp-cdn.multiscreensite.com · Web viewIn the busy week before Christmas seven teenagers who are connected to Glebe-St. James (Anna De Hahn, Grace Stewart, Isaac Thoppil, Josh Thoppil,

2019 Glebe-St James Annual ReportIf you have not already done so, please send your submissions should be sent to [email protected]

Givings to the Operating Budget........ $20,263 to go!We are doing okay with the $$$$ givings as of December 17th including PAR, our total is $159,737......only $20,263 to go to reach $180,000 in Congregational Givings this year. Yes, Glebe St. James is much more than a balanced operational budget. However, we do require a balanced budget for stability and vitality in support of our community of faith. Please keep the $$$$ coming in strong. Sure hope we do not get a surprise at this time of year!!!!

Givings EnvelopesIf you would like a box of envelopes for your givings for 2020, please let Jennifer know ([email protected]).

Glebe-St. James United Church650 Lyon Street South, Ottawa, Ontario K1S 3Z7613-236-0617 www.glebestjames.ca

e-mail: [email protected]

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MerryChristm

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