THE VISITOR - ChurchDecember 22 – The Longest Night Service in the TCC sanctuary (7 pm) December...

Calling All Members:

Join together in fellowshipand support at our Annual

Business Meeting to be heldat 7:30 pm in Fellowship Hall

on Thursday, December 1,2016.

TOWNSEND CONGREGATIONAL CHURCHUNITED CHURCH OF CHRIST

È At the Heart of the Community - With the Community in Our Hearts È

In this edition . . .

� “According to Mark”

� Snow Shoveler Needed

� Advent Events, Summary

� Sunday School News

� Advent Events: LivingNativity; “The LongestNight” Service

� Snow Day Policy

� Caroling - Dec. 18

� Our Birthdays

� The Santa Project

� TEO Christmas Baskets

� Holiday Fair Thank You

� Holiday Fair Raffle Winners

� Financial Update and AuctionNews

� Save Your Old Candles

� Messages From Lamontville

� Our Prayers

� Boy Scouts Christmas Tree Sale

� Our Calendar

� December Lectionary

ADVENT WREATHWORKSHOP - NOV. 27

All are welcome in Fellowship Hallat 9 am for our annual Advent

Wreath Workshop. For those ofyou who cannot make it beforeworship, we are still offering aworkshop after worship. Because

supplies must be purchased forthese wreaths, there is a $15 feeand you need to let Sarah Goyetteknow you will be participating:

[email protected]

TREE LIGHTING, MUSICPROGRAM & HOT STEW- DEC. 4 AT 4 PM

The TEO Tree Lighting willbegin at 4 pm at the gazebo onthe Common. This will befollowed by a program that willlead to the lighting of the tree andthe arrival of Santa Claus. Therewill be a concert and hobostew at St. John’s after theevents on the Common.

Everyone is invited.

THE VISITOR

NEXT NEWSLETTER DEADLINE:MONDAY, DEC. 26 - NOON

December 2016

Volume 39 No. 11

Pastor: Rev. Mark BrockmeierPastor’s Line: 978-597-0157

cell # 603-818-2328home # 603-432-3255

TCC Administrative Asst.: John Mims

Office Line: 978-597-8925

Village Common Children’sCenter Line: 978-597-0834

Editor: Catherine Hill

TOWNSENDCONGREGATIONALCHURCH, UCCPO BOX 487TOWNSEND MA 01469

E-MAIL ADDRESSES:Pastor: [email protected]

Church Secretary:[email protected]

Newsletter:[email protected]

Village Common Children’sCenter: [email protected]

CHURCH OFFICE HOURS:Monday - Friday 10 am - 1 pm

PASTOR’S OFFICE HOURS: Wed. 10 am - 6 pmThurs. 10 am - 1 pm

Visit our web page atwww.tcc-ucc.org

Upcoming service opportunities –Looking for chairpersons for the

February and April suppers in 2017.

According to Mark

The holiday season is upon us, andas we recover from ourThanksgiving abundance andfeasting, let's look forward past thework that fall brings and once again

take pause to revel in the wonders of Advent.

The word “Advent” means ‘coming’, or ‘arriva’', and it is atime to prepare ourselves for Christ’s arrival on Christmas.And although Advent is not part of the Christmas season asthe church defines it, our human hearts just can’t wait. So weenjoy Christmas carols, decorations, Christmas bakingtraditions and all kinds of things because we want to bringChristmas as close as possible to our hearts and our loved onesfor as long as we can.

But that’s not what Advent was intended to be. It is a seasonfor solemn, quiet reflection, less penitential than Lent, but inorder to enter into the fullness of Christmas, we must figureout how to reflect on our own hearts and our own lives. Thinkof it: the meaning of Christ’s coming as God became one of us– to be with us – to experience what it’s like to be us – and toenter into our human-ness, so that we could also enter intoGod’s divinity through Christ's living example and leavingbehind the Holy Spirit to help us along when we can’t do it allourselves.

And it’s good to admit that around all the hubbub of activitiesthat we cannot do it all ourselves. Advent is a time for us todrop the expectations of holiday perfection and enter into theexpectations of God’s presence. A presence that only asks thatwe begin to take seriously what we do in daily life, and howwe use Christ’s presence and Spirit in our hearts to live livesmore fully. “What does the Lord require of us”, asks the Bible,“but to do justice, love kindness, and walk humbly with God”.

The Bible doesn’t require us to get everyone the presents theyexpect. There is no magic happiness formula which can begotten from getting presents. I once heard that presents aresomething that you get someone because they want thatsomething; gifts are something that you give to someonebecause it’s what you want to give them. Perhaps that’s whyGod’s grace and intangible presence, and those things that wetreasure in our hearts and desire for – justice, mercy, kindness,peace, and love – are referred to as “gifts” from God.

So as we approach another December and another season ofJoy, Peace, Love, and Hope – the Sunday themes of Advent –are we expectant and preparing, thinking about what gifts wecan give to those who truly are in need of God's graces that wehave to share? Or are we wrapped up in the presents of thepresent, extending Christmas as a kind of 2-3 week tailgateparty but which has little to do with Christ?

Which season do you celebrate? Which season would yourather have in your life?

What's holding you back?Give as your heart directs,and come see me if youhave any questions. Orbetter yet, ask God. God isalways there, whereas I'monly in the office 2 days aweek. I much prefertalking to the One whodoesn't have office hoursand is always open.

Merry Christmas to youall, and hope to see eachof you at least once thisDecember.

Pastor Mark

SNOW SHOVELERNEEDED

The Townsend CongregationalChurch needs a person to shoveland snow blow snow from all theentrances to the Church, front andback. This includes sidewalks andsteps. Also, the person will put

down snow melt. The entrance to the Children’s Center needsto be clear by 6:30 am Monday through Friday. On theweekend, the entrances need to be clear by 8 am. Shovels andsnow blower are on site. The position pays $15 an hour.Candidates need to have reliable transportation and references.Interested candidates should contact the Church at 3 BrooklineStreet, PO Box 487, Townsend, MA 01469, 978-597-8925 [email protected].

ADVENT EVENTS

Advent starts the Sunday afterThanksgiving. This brief calendarof events is to help you prepare forthe season.

Following this will be articles withmore details of our events. Therewill be some repetition as differentleaders report from theirperspective. We hope you plan tojoin with us in fellowship at one ormore of these events.

November 27 – Advent WreathWorkshop before and after worship

December 4 – Tree lighting on the Common (4 pm)

December 10 – Living Nativity (4 pm) on the lawn behindthe church, followed by refreshments in Fellowship Hall.

December 18 – Christmas Caroling (meet at front ofChurch at 2 pm, or in Fellowship Hall at 1:30 for warm-ups)

December 22 – The Longest Night Service in the TCCsanctuary (7 pm)

December 24 – Christmas Eveservices: 4 pm for the family service (seebelow) and 11 pm for the candlelightservice.

LIVE NATIVITY

Saturday 12/10 at 4 pm onthe lawn behind the church.We are in need of fooddonations for fellowshiptime after the nativity.

We need: soup (in crockpots), rolls/butter, cider,deserts (cookies, brownies,banana bread, etc).

Food items can be left inthe kitchen any time on

Saturday 12/10 before 3:30.

Contact Sarah Goyette ([email protected] 978-868-4967)with any questions.

FAMILY CHRISTMAS EVE SERVICE

Please join us for a family-oriented service that will tell thestory of Jesus' birth through scripture and carols, and willclose with Silent Night and glow sticks!

In the spirit of Fellowship and opening our doors to thecommunity, please let others know about these free familyevents and invite them to join us!

Thank you, Sarah Goyette, Superintendent of Sunday School

ADVENT EVENTS - IN DETAIL

Living Nativity at TCC– December 10, 4 pm

Come and see the childrenof the Church present thestory of Jesus’ birth. Theevent will be on the lawnbehind the educational

building. There will be live animals and music. Following thepresentation that will be food and warm beverages inFellowship Hall and a time to continue the fellowship of theseason.

The Longest NightService – December 22, 7pm

Designed for those whoseholiday joy is a little lessbecause of thei r l i fecircumstances, having lostloved ones, or just feeling bluewhen everyone else seems sojolly, this quiet service of prayer, candles and contemplationlets us enter into acknowledging and remembering our loss inhope for renewal. Bring a 2x4 photo of one you've lost –whether mother, child, friend, or furry/feathered companion –and hang it on the Christmas tree so that we remember thesefolks as part of our community of saints during Christmastide.Hangars and frames are available from the Church Office afterNov 27 during office hours or on Sunday mornings.

Submitted by Pastor Mark

LOOKING FOR THE PERFECT GIFT?

Go to www.heifer.org today and give the giftthat really makes a difference!

Please Remember!While you’re making your to-do lists for this

busy season, don’t forget to add in some time tovisit with our friend, Floyd. He misses his churchfamily and treasures every opportunity he has tovisit with us – even if it can only be a card with

a friendly message:

Floyd TruittApple Valley Nursing Center

400 Groton Rd, Ayer MA 01432

Christmas Eve Services: 4 pm and 10:45 pm

Our 4 pm service will feature achildren's program that is open to allthe kids in the Church School. Come and see the joy of ouryoungest members as we singkid-friendly carols and raise ourvoices to celebrate the coming ofChrist, but get families home in

time for supper, Santa, and surprises of the season beforedark!

Our 10:45 service features traditional lessons and carols as wewelcome parishioners and clergy from St John the EvandelistCatholic Church who will help us lift our voices to tell theChristmas story through prayer and song. As we exit thesanctuary around 11:45, St John's invites us to come and bepart of their midnight mass celebration and continue theworship experience. If you've never been to midnight mass, itis a deeply meaningful and holy contemplation that I thinkeveryone should do once in their life.

Submitted by Pastor Mark

Just a quick reminder that, if we arein the midst (or aftermath) of awinter storm and you’re not sure ifthe church is open, there will be amessage left on the church’sanswering machine (if there ispower) and on the church’s website/Facebook. If the power is out in

the center of town, then the church will be closed.

CAROLING! SUNDAY, DECEMBER 18 AT 2 PM!

Bring some Holiday Cheer to your Townsend neighbors– and have a good time yourself!! Come gather together infront of the church at 2 pm and be prepared to bring joy to thehearts of several people. Song books, filled with many of yourfavorite carols, are provided. This is a great family activitymade even sweeter by the generous invitation of Meg andChris Genoter to gather at their home for refreshments andfellowship afterwards.

Warm-Up! – come a half hour early for a warming-up sing-a-long of your favorite carols. Lee McTighe will play thepiano for us and it will be just the thing to get us started.

If you have any questions, please call Lee McTighe(978-790-5699) or Cathy Hill (978-337-0638).

Everyone is welcome!

3-Niles Busler; 5-Julianne Capone; 6-Michelle Enright; 7-LorenaAndexler and Steve Cloutier; 11-Joseph Cloutier; 12-Justin Gay andKyra Genoter; 14-Cathy Parsons; 15-Melissa Gruber and ElsaSedgewick; 17-Donna Howard; 18-Jock Snaith; 20-Pam Snaith; 21-Carol Swenor; 23-Jillian Hersey;25-David Butz; 27-David Young

THE SANTAPROJECT

Organized by Monica Kleeman,and with the help of TEO and thearea churches, the Santa Project hasbeen a source of joy for manychildren and their families over theyears, as gifts are so generouslycontributed by people throughout

the Townsend community.

As in past years, a special display will be set up at thefront of the sanctuary after Thanksgiving. You will findenvelopes with the age and gender of children and insideyou’ll find a specific request for a gift. This is just asuggestion, you need not purchase the exact gift suggested.

Gifts should be left at the church no later than December11, so they can be picked up and prepared for delivery. TheTownsend Public Library will also have envelopes and is anassigned gift drop-off location.

Bless you for your participation.

CHRISTMASBASKETS

Donations of non-perishable foods areneeded for Townsend Ecumenical

Outreach Christmas Baskets.Please leave your offerings at the

back of the sanctuary onSunday, or in the church office during the week. All offerings will be collected by Sunday,

December 11.

A Labor of Love . . .

Okay, so it was really aco r nucop ia o f emo t i onsexperienced over the last fewweeks, but there was a lot of love

involved! We were once again blessed to have an almostperfect late fall day as we came together in community for ourannual Craft and Greens Fair. People flooded through ourdoors, and it was hard to keep track of all the happy faces.

This fair only happens through the efforts of so many peoplein our church, and we hope that everyone who participated feltthe joy that surrounded them. We would like to take minute tosay a special thank-you to those who chaired a specific area:Wanda Wilson, Greens table; Gretchen Churchville,Bistro; Beth Klein, Gift Basket Raffle; Nancy Clough, Billand Louise Coalter, Cash Raffle; Jody Burnham, Books;Santa (whose secret identity may not be revealed here);Karen Baer, Baked Goods; Sarah Goyette, Santa’sWorkshop; and Carole Gustafson, Heifer International.There was a joint effort for the TCC Crafts and the Regiftingtables, but thank you to Michelle Enright for overseeing theTCC Crafts table all day, as well as Nick and JulieZielenkievicz for overseeing the Regifting table all day.

It is so appropriate that the Sunday after the fair isThanksgiving Sunday - with every hymn sung we arereminded of God’s gifts and the simple power of community.As a bonus to all this uplifting community interaction, weraised about $5,000 toward the life and ministries of ourchurch.

Thanks be to God for all our brothers and sisters in faith!

June Cloutier and Cathy Hill

2016 CASH RAFFLE WINNERS

Congratulations to: 1st prize $300, Donna Capone; 2nd prize$200, Bob Lorenzen; 3rd prize $ 100, Donna Miller; 4th prize5 free church suppers, Donna Howard; 5th prize 5 free churchsuppers, Lee Duckett

2016 GIFT BASKETRAFFLE WINNERS

By Beth Klein

Thank you to everyone whocontributed and donated items forthe basket raffle. This year therewere 30 spectacular baskets filledwith a variety of items that were of interest to everyone. I amamazed how everyone is willing to share their talents by

BEYONDOUR WALLS

contributing to this part of the fair. Because of all whocontributed, the raffle baskets were a huge success.

Here is a list of all the people who won baskets.Congratulations to all !!!

Pool Time/Jody Burnham; Tea Time/Tracy Winslow;Cotton Fabric/Wanda Wilson; Specialty Yarn/Sandra Mace;Gentle Jewelry/Rachel Vincent; Puzzles/Sandra Mace;Klever Klippers/Kelly McNabb; Quilted Bird WallHanging/Linda Ireland; Snowman Quilted Items/B.J.Whitman; Coffee Delight w/Dunkin Donuts/Linda Ireland;Italian Basket/Marilyn Fuhs; Ice Cream Scream/LizWeston; Hand Knitted Items/Jeanne Lecuyer; Morning StartMaple/Vicky Brunell; Assorted Handmade Cards/BetsyCzria; Assorted Handmade Cards/Corrine Jones; AssortedHandmade Cards/Laurel Ayotte; Pickle Basket/Dot Roane;Tea Basket/Tamara Modig; Handyman Basket(Husky)/Vicky Brunelle; Money Tree/Laurel Ayotte;Duncan Donuts/Jean Sobol; Handyman (blue bow)/MarySzurley; Poker Basket/Kelly Witherall; Hair Chalk andBooks/Chris Clish; Dunkin Donuts–Patriots/Louise Coalter;Relaxation/Sarah Corey; Spa/Gloria Roddy; ChristmasHome/Gloria Roddy; Kids Fun Basket/Elaine D’Angelillo

I am so thankful for the manypeople who came together to make the greens tablesuccessful. To those who donated their greens to bepicked, baskets and materials, those who came outduring the past few weeks to cut the greens, thosewho helped to make the sprays, those who helped tomove the greens and set up the old vestry for work,

those who came out on Thursday night andFriday to make the greens arrangements, those who workedat the table the whole day of the fair, those who cleaned upthe left over greens after the fair and all of those who cameout to purchase the greens the day of the fair, a very sincereTHANK YOU!

Wanda Wilson

Touching Base & Auction News

by Jennifer Davidson

Hi everyone! As many of you may have heard, I have resignedas Minister for Finance and moved to Bedford NH. Not toworry, I still have my hands in the TCC finances! I am stillworking closely with Nick Z, John Mims, our bookkeeper

Judy, and Pastor Mark to make sure our church finances areaccurate and timely presented to Council and you, thecongregation. I am also working on the 2017 budget.

Thinking ahead, I also wanted to let everyone know that I willbe chairing the TCC Auction again this year. Mark yourcalendars for Saturday night, May 6 at 6pm! It will be asimilar format to last year. Wanda Wilson will once again beassisting me with soliciting and gathering donations. We willalso have, once again, a challenge matching program to raiseeven more dollars for the revitalization and ongoing supportof TCC and its programs!!

If anyone wants to contact me, my contact info is the same:[email protected] and 978 732 9057.

SAVE YOUR OLDCANDLES

Our Scout Troop 10 is always on the lookoutfor old candles. They melt these down andmake their own fire-starting blocks; this is amuch safer way for them to start their campfires. So, bring your old candles and candlepieces to the church any time and MichelleEnright, who is our Scout liaison, will behappy to pass them on to the Scoutmaster.

Messages from Lamontville

June Cloutier, Correspondent

Flo always sends her blessings to us all. She thanked us forour prayers for Veronica in town and their family problemshave been resolved. She is preparing for the Thembelathuholiday party when the children receive gifts & special treatsdonated by businesses & benefactors. Flo attended a youthministries conference and is on their church search committeefor a new minister. She loves children & is praying forBailey's health. She is interested to hear about our churchsuppers & Open Table dinners & our church fair. I told her wewere getting ready for Thanksgiving & she is familiar withthat. Our Sunday School will do a whole unit on Lamontvillein January & we're excited about that. We give our blessingsto Flo who does so much!

OUR BLESSINGS:

While we will miss him dearly, we givethanks for the life of Jim Gage and forthat portion of it he shared with us atTCC. We celebrate with Linda Ireland’sfamily as they got to enjoy a visit byKelly who was briefly home for afriend’s wedding. We give thanks for theblessing of loving pets. We give thanksfor our youth group as they search for

worthwhile community projects that will serve those in need.We give thanks for all those who helped at and contributed toour turkey supper and the free community supper, betweenboth of these events, we served over 250 people in October.We give thanks for answered prayers, Tammy Blackburn’sniece is home and is recovered enough to return to work. Wecelebrate with Meg Genoter as she was accepted into theMaster’s program to which she had applied. The D’Angelillosare thankful for our annual auction as they reap the rewards ofthe bids they won. Alison Wright gives thanks for the staff ofthe VCCC who have so completely welcomed her son Jacksoninto their program. We give thanks that Tracy Winslow hasbeen feeling well enough to worship with us in recent weeks,but pray for her continued recovery. Lee McTighe givesthanks that she is now fully moved into her new home inAshby. Carole Gustafson gives thanks for the fellowship ofpie-making night and greens collecting; and for the hospitalityof the Miller family. Even though she will miss them, LindaIreland give thanks for the opportunities of her children,including Shannon being able to spend Thanksgiving in Africawith her boyfriend, Fungai, and his mother Rudo Buhera, andKelly being back in Australia. We give thanks that PaulMartineau’s sister-in-law is now cancer free. DorothyDuBreuil gives thanks for her returning health and for all theprayers that were offered on her behalf. We give thanks for theopportunity that Brad Bauer’s son has to spend a year abroadserving with Habitat for Humanity. Meg Genoter gives thanksfor our Sunday School children and how God often speaksthrough them. We give thanks for our annual holiday fair; forthe opportunity it gives us to invite thegreater community into our church andshare our varied talents. Wecelebrate that the recent cannedgoods drive run by the Scoutscollected almost 9,000 lbsof food. We arethankful for our twoguest ministers wholed worship for usw h i l e Pas t o rMark was onva c a t i o n : R e v .Harold Lloyd andRev. Brad Bauer.

OUR CONCERNS:

We keep Elizabeth Blackburn (Tammy’s niece) in our prayers;she has recovered from the initial ailment for which we werepraying but is now back in the hospital and newly in need ofour prayers. Our friend Flo asks us to pray for Veronica fromLamontville. We pray for the Native Americans battling forthe right to preserve their sacred lands from pipelineincursions. We pray for more kindness in the hearts of allpeople. We pray for a friend of Pastor Mark, Roger, whosedaughter passed away unexpectedly on 11/2; she was only 23years old. We keep Pastor Mark in our prayers as he grieveswith his friends. We continue to pray for Bailey Mulrenan asshe learns new life habits. We pray for the neighbor of theD’Angelillo’s who has been diagnosed with cancer. We praythat a recent job interview will result in an employment offerfor Joseph Cloutier. We pray for the upcoming newpresidential leadership. We keep Floyd Truitt in our prayers ashe misses his friends at TCC. We pray for Paul Martineau whois going through a difficult time.

OUR HEALING PRAYERS:

We offer healing prayers forKathy’s friend, Toni, as shecontinues to struggle with medicalissues; and for George Gaglianiwho has a serious heart condition;

We offer healing prayers for themother of Summer Goyette’steacher, and for the daughter of Kyra Genoter’s teacher.

OUR CANCER FIGHTERS:

We offer prayers of healing and hope for allthose in our immediate and extended familieswho are in the midst of battling cancer, and forall those who care for and support them. LouiseCoalter’s cousin, Dorothy; Bill, who is thehusband of Heather’s birth mother; Susan Riggins; KarenBaer’s friend, Cathy; Lorraine M who has cutaneous T celllymphoma; a friend of Emily Austin-Bruns, Karen, who hasbreast cancer; Tammy Blackburn’s aunt, breast cancer; PaulMartineau’s work-friend, Diane; Cathy Hill’s sister, Morag,who has lymphoma; Pastor Sally Calhoun, leukemia; KimEmerson’s friend who has lymphoma; Lyn Bennett’s motherwho has colon cancer; Pastor Mark’s cousin, Diane, who hasterminal cancer; Lee McTighe’s cousin, Tony, who has lungcancer; George Bruns (Ken’s father) who has colon cancer;Louise Coalter’s friend, Sherrie, who has lung cancer; AshleyPeroni (Karen Lee Peroni’s sister-in-law), who has a rare braincancer; and for Isabella, a child in Townsend who hasleukemia; Debbie who has leukemia; Mary Lou, a close friendof Pastor Mark.

Holiday Gift Suggestions:

To your enemy, forgiveness.

To an opponent, tolerance.

To a friend, your heart.

To a customer, service.

To all, charity.

To every child, a good example.

To yourself, respect.

– Oren Arnold

Have You Got ChristmasTrees on Your Mind?

Here are some things to consider . . .

Starting on Saturday, December 3, the

Townsend Public Library will feature their

seventh annual Festival of Trees, with 50

decorated trees situated throughout the

library. The trees are all decorated by

individuals or groups, and each has a theme

that reflects a particular book (primarily

children’s). Come in and take a look, it’s

something to behold!

If you want to stay local, the Lions Club will

have their annual Christmas tree sale at the

end of the town common.

If you’re looking to support the Boy Scout

organization, you will have to head over to

1980 Lunenburg Rd in Lancaster. Their sale

starts on November 25 and ends December

17. Their prices are: 5-6 ft is $36; 6-7.5 ft is

$39; and 7.5+ ft is $42.

NEWSLETTERDEADLINE– NOON –

Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday

2016 GOD ISSTILLSPEAKING

Nov. 27

9am AdventWreath workshopand after worship

1

7:30 pm TCCAnnual BusinessMeeting

3 Saturday at 8team, 8 am

4 Worship/SS COMMUNION

4pm Tree Lighting

5

7:30pm Handbells

6 7 3pm FamilyContinuity7:30pm Snr Choir

8 9 10 4 pm LivingNativity

11 Worship/SS

i Santa Pjt giftscollected

2 pm Caroling

12

7:30pm Handbells

13 14

3pm FamilyContinuity7:30pm Snr Choir

15 16

8am VCCCHoliday Program

17 Red Cross

BloodDrive,

7:30 am

18 Worship/SS 19

7:30pm Handbells

20 21

3pm FamilyContinuity7:30pm Snr Choir

22

7pm The LongestNight Service

23 24

4 pm & 10:45 pmChristmas Eve

services

25 No Services 26 27 28

3pm FamilyContinuity

29 30

Please go to the online calendar at www.tccucc.org for up-to-date entries.

TO CONTACT THE NEWSLETTER EDITOR, CATHY HILL: email: [email protected] or call 978-337-0638

LECTIONARY, DECEMBER 2016

December 4, 2016 - Second Sunday of AdventFirst reading: Isaiah 11:1-10Psalm: Psalm 72:1-7, 18-19Second reading: Romans 15:4-13Gospel: Matthew 3:1-12

December 11, 2016 - Third Sunday of AdventFirst reading: Isaiah 35:1-10Psalm: Psalm 146:5-10 or Luke 1:46b-55Second reading: James 5:7-10Gospel: 11:2-11

December 18, 2016 - Fourth Sunday of AdventFirst reading: Isaiah 7:10-16Psalm: Psalm 80:1-7, 17-19

Second reading: Romans 1:1-7Gospel: Matthew 1:18-25

December 24, 2016 - Nativity of the LordFirst reading: Isaiah 9:2-7Psalm: Psalm 96Second reading: Titus 2:11-14Gospel: Luke 2:1-14, (15-20)

December 25, 2016 - First Sundayafter Christmas Day

First reading: Isaiah 52:7-10Psalm: Psalm 2Second reading: Hebrews 1:1-6, (7-12)Gospel: John 1:1-14

OUR COMMON PURPOSE STATEMENT

Being in an intimate relationship with God in the present, we are anever-learning, action-oriented, justice-seeking, community-caringchurch. Our purpose is to use our gifts to make God's love real andalive for everyone.

We are committed to ministering through the use of our gifts,learning to live the Christian way of life, and being together in Christby seeking to fulfill these three commandments of Christ:

e To love God with all our heart, soul, mind and strength (Mark 12:30)

e To love our neighbor as ourselves (Mark 12:31)

e To love one another as Christ has loved us (John 13:34)

Townsend Congregational ChurchUnited Church of Christ3 Brookline St., PO Box 487Townsend MA 01469-0487

Sunday School at 9:00 am & Worship at 10:15 am

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