Volume LXIII No. 28 December 11, 2019fccnh.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/NL121119.pdfPictured above...

Volume LXIII No. 28 December 11, 2019

A Publication of First Christian Church of North HollywoodA Congregation of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) Rev. Dr. Robert M. Bock, Senior PastorLouise Sloan Goben, Associate PastorJennifer Le’au, Director of Children’s MinistriesJeremy Gillett, Director of Youth MinistriesAlfredo Gomez & Loydi Rivas Gomez, Pastors, Spanish Speaking Congregation

Christmas Concert . December 14 . 2pm & 7pm

Christmas Pageant . Sunday . December 15 . 10am

to the

Page � December 11, �019 First christian news

In my last Letter to the Family I asked for Food Angels to step up and feed our volunteers on the Tree Lot. Dorothy Brooks, one of the organizers of the Lot this year, told me Sunday that you had responded with a marvelous and abundant food supply. The volunteers on the Lot are most grateful to you for your generosity.

The Lot has ten more days, possibly less if we sell out before our announced close, and it will be a very busy time between now and then. Please – keep the food coming! It not only feeds the bodies but it lifts the spirits as well.

Thank you Food Angels. You’re the best.

This coming weekend will be the busiest of the Season. The Tree Lot has sold over half their tree al-lotment. If you haven’t gotten your Christmas tree yet, it’s time to get over to church and choose one of our amazing trees. And if you have some extra time the vol-unteers on the Lot would love to have you join them in helping make this year’s Lot the most successful ever.

Operation Santa Claus will be setting up in the Social Hall from Thursday (12.12.19) until the event Saturday morning. Ken Wilson is spearheading this great ministry which has continued for over thirty years. If you would like to help organize, call the church office to check when you should stop by. Saturday morning (12.14.19) you can arrive at 8:00 AM and help bring Christmas cheer to some children and youth from homes who need just a little (or a lot) of assistance at this time of year.

Saturday afternoon and evening (12.14.19) at 2:00 PM and 7:00 PM our amazing and very talented

Chancel Choir will bring their annual Christmas gift to our church family and community. The Christmas Concert is always a highlight of the Season and for many it helps fill them with the Christmas spirit. There is childcare available and the concert is free.

Sunday morning (12.15.19) the children of our church family will give us their Christmas gift – The Children’s Christmas Pageant. I sat through the rehears-al last Sunday afternoon and was amazed at the talents of our children. All of the speaking parts are memo-rized, the singing is marvelous and the story, while old and often repeated, is timeless in its meaning. It will be a memorable pageant.

There is always an overflow crowd on this Sunday so allow plenty of time for parking. Our parking lot has a limited number of spaces since the Tree Lot will still be in operation. You may have to park on the street. Moorpark east of the church and Colfax north of the church (opposite Walter Reed’s athletic field) usually provide an abundance of spaces.

Sunday, following the service of worship, we will have another wonderful Meet and Greet. The women of the Christian Women’s Fellowship will be sponsoring a Bake Sale to help raise money for their mission proj-ects. There will also be the regular M & G fare for ev-eryone. And a special treat – our youth choir, who will be singing at St. Joseph’s Medical Center the following Saturday afternoon – will be singing during Meet and Greet. Even if you don’t usually go to the M & G, come up to the Social Hall this Sunday after church. It will be a festive time for fellowship and supporting our ladies and our youth.

Of course, as every Sunday, there is the SpiritSong service of worship at 5:30 PM with our marvelous SpiritSong Band, singers, and homily by Pastor Louise.

Special Notice: Last Sunday, at the conclusion of

First christian news December 11, �019 Page �

We also want to continue to pray for peace, for wisdom for the world’s leaders, and for the people of all war-torn areas of our world.

Pictured above with Pastor Bob and Pastor Louise, Mary Lynn Jackson joined the FCCNH Family on Sunday, December 8th. Mary is the mother of

Brett Elliott, the mother-in-law of Jane Elliott and Sage’s grandmother. Be sure to say hello and introduce yourself when you see Mary at church.

For those of you who know someone serving in the armed forces, as well as people serving in other capacities, we want to lift them up in prayer... please let us know when they come home!

Chris Diaz • Joshua Bigbee

christmas evediaconate needed

Current or former Diaconate are needed for Christmas Eve — both the 5:30pm Family Service and the 11pm Candlelight Service. To volunteer please contact Kevin Bailey

at [email protected].

the morning service of worship, I had Donna Loyd tell those present about the first annual “Night of Merriment” event which was scheduled for Thursday, December 19th. Due to the busy church calendar we have CHANGED that date. It is going to be on Friday, December 20th in the Social Hall.

Remind your family and friends about our Christmas Sunday worship on December 22nd and our two Christmas Eve services, at 5:30 PM and 11:00 PM on December 24th. We will again have the “Living Nativity Scene” in front of the courtyard patio both pri-or to and following the 5:30 PM service. Both of these services are wonderful events to introduce your family and friends to your church. They are also excellent ways for the community to become even more aware of the ministry of this Incredible Corner.

I look forward to seeing you this Sunday. In the meantime have a wonderful and safe week.

Pergé!Pastor Bob


the approach of the feast.*

As a child, I recall that some of my friends had Ad-vent Calendars. These calendars usually started with December 1st, as the first day of Advent is actually a “moveable” date. The calendar, like the wreath, was de-signed to help children count down to the observance of Christmas.

I also learned about something called a christingle, which in German means “Christ Child.” A christingle (sometimes spelled “chriskindl”) is an object that is made in the home to represent Christ, the light of the world. It was often made as a red ruff that would surround a candle. The word itself sounds a bit like “Kris Krin-gle.” I wonder if there is a relationship.

“Just A Thought ...” by rev. louise sloan goben

I have continued my research into some of the tra-ditions surrounding the Christian season of Advent. I admit I learned a couple of things from Wikipedia! I’ll share this with you.

The concept of the Advent wreath originated among German Lutherans in the 16th Century. However, it was not until three centuries later that the modern Ad-vent wreath took shape.

Research by Prof. Haemig of Luther Seminary, St. Paul, points to Johann Hinrich Wichern (1808–1881), a Protestant pastor in Germany and a pioneer in ur-ban mission work among the poor as the inventor of the modern Advent wreath in the 19th century. During Advent, children at the mission school Rauhes Haus, founded by Wichern in Hamburg, would ask daily if Christmas had arrived. In 1839, he built a large wooden ring (made out of an old cartwheel) with 20 small red and 4 large white candles. A small candle was lit suc-cessively every weekday and Saturday during Advent. On Sundays, a large white candle was lit. The custom gained ground among Protestant churches in Germany and evolved into the smaller wreath with four or five candles known today. Roman Catholics in Germany began to adopt the custom in the 1920s, and in the 1930s it spread to North America. Professor Haemig’s research also indicates that the custom did not reach the United States until the 1930s, even among German Lutheran immigrants.

In Medieval times Advent was a period of fasting during which people’s thoughts were directed to the ex-pected second coming of Christ; but in modern times many have forgotten this meaning and it has instead been primarily seen as the lead up to Christmas, and in that context the Advent Wreath serves as a reminder of


Just A Thought...” continued

Sun . Dec 15 . 10amin the Sanctuary

The Sunday School Children will be leading worship in story and song.

Having grown up in the Christian Church (Disci-ples of Christ), I was a latecomer to many of these tradi-tions surrounding Advent. I honestly don’t know when the tradition of lighting Advent Candles in worship be-gan at FCCNH. I do know that there was a time when we would host church-wide dinners at the beginning of the season, and the church would provide the materials for families or individuals to make their own Advent wreaths. We would offer the Elder’s Advent booklet to accompany the wreaths home so that families could develop the tradition of having devotional and candle lighting time together. It is a way to encourage prayer and family time to draw us closer to the spirit of the season.

This time of year, children often become squirrelly and restless. Christmas is so hyped on television and in the stores. I get a little squirrelly myself. There can be so much joy accompanying Christmas. But we have to get there first. Let’s spend this time in thoughtful reflection of what it means to welcome into our homes and our lives, the Light of the World.

Pastor Louise

* www.en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Advent_wreath

Pictured left to right are Rev. Mike Carlson, Brenden Carlson, and Rev. Louise Sloan Goben. Brenden was

baptized at the 10am service this past Sunday by Rev. Louise and Rev. Mike, Brendens’s uncle.


please join us

Saturday, December 14th

at 2 pm or 7 pm

for the Chancel Choir’s annual

ChriStmaS ConCertour gift to the congregation

and community

featuring

Michael W. Smith’s A Manger Suite, selected Alfred Burt Carols,

Little Drummer Boy, Mark Hayes’ arrangement of Silent Night,

Eric Whitacre’s Glow, and numerous other songs

of the season. _________

free admissionchild care available

In celebration of Christmas, we will once again place poinsettias on the chancel for Christmas Sunday. The cost of the plants is $20 each. If you would care to give a poinsettia, either as a gift or as a memorial, please fill out the order form below, enclose it with your check with “poinsettias” in the memo line, and place it in the offering plate, drop it by or send it to the office. Dead-line for orders is THIS SuNDAy, DECEMbEr 15th. We will print as many dedications as we have by that date in the Christmas Sunday and Christmas Eve bulle-tins, and the newsletter the week before Christmas.

Your Name(s):

Daytime Phone:

Email:

Poinsettia Dedication(s):Please check one of the following and write the specifics

of your dedication(s) in the space provide below

In Honor of Celebration of Memory of ...

No. of plants Total Enclosed $

If you would like to take your poinsettia home, they will be available following the 11:00 PM Christmas Eve service. Plants remaining after Christmas will be taken to shut-ins of our church family. Anyone who would like to help with

taking plants to shut-ins please contact the Elders.

FOUR DAYS LEFT TO ORDER!!!Poinsettias


As Visions of Sugarplums Danced Through Their Heads!

CWF BAKE SALETHIS SUNDAY • DEC 15th

Once again the ladies of CWF are asking for your enthusiastic support and participation in our BAKE SALE/FUNDRAISER! So dust off those rolling pins, dig out those cookbooks, stock up on red and green sprinkles and don’t forget the chocolate!

Please bring your baked goodies (preferably plated, labeled and packaged) to the Social Hall Kitchen by 9:30AM THIS SuNDAy, December 15th, and watch us turn them into camp scholarships, support for our servicemen, school supplies for local homeless students, and so much more!

PLEASE NoTE: Any items containing nuts must be labeled accordingly.

Thank you,The Ladies of CWF

It’s that time of year again when we roll up our sleeves for our annual toy giveaway for underprivileged children. Operation Santa Claus will be taking place once again in the Church Social Hall from 8am to about 1pm THIS SATurDAy, DECEMbEr 14. We’re accepting donations of new, unwrapped toys but could really use funds that will be used for toy purchases — we spend a lot of money each year buying toys necessary to augment the donated toys we receive. When in doubt, gift cards from places like Target (perfect for teenagers!), in the amount of $15 or $20 are easy to obtain and are most welcome. Bring your toys to the church office and we’ll see that they are stored until the giveaway. If you’re writing a check, make it out to FCCNH and include the words “Operation Santa Claus” on the memo line.

This year, we’re also looking for some adult volunteers to help supervise Santa’s elves on the day of the distribution. If you’d like to volunteer, contact Ken Wilson and he’ll tell you how you can help. He can be reached by phone at 818.763.7310 or by email at [email protected].

Did you know FCCNH has a Facebook page? Please check it out and Like us on Facebook. It is a great way to keep up with what is going on in the life of the church.

www.facebook.com/pages/First-Christian-Church-of-North-Hollywood/111570318857728


• • • • • •

DECEmBEr 16Remember the Night (1940, NR)Moved to pity by the Christ-mas season, New York Dis-trict Attorney John Sar-gent (Fred MacMurray) lets pretty shoplifter Lee Lean-der (Barbara Stanwyck) out

on bail and offers her a ride home to Indiana. Along the way they have a run-in with a Pennsylvania sheriff, meet each others’ parents, and eventually fall in love. John’s mother, however, disapproves, and warns Lee to stay away, lest she damage John’s career. Not wanting to cause trouble, Lee resolves to leave the man she loves.

ADVENT FILm NIgHTmonday . 7pm

in the social hall

no charge for admittancerefreshments provided

Caroling has always been a holiday tradition all over the world, bringing good cheer to those we visit with songs from the heart! Well, this time-honored tradition has made its way to our own church fam-ily at the Inaugural Night of Merriment!

ALL ARE WELCOME…FAMILIES, COUPLES, SINGLES,

FRIENDS, FELLOW CHOIR MEMBERS!

PLEASE NOTE THE DATE FOR THIS EVENT HAS BEEN CHANGED TO:

FRI . DEC 20 . 6:30PM - 9PM6:30pm-7:00pm • We will gather in the Social Hall for drinks of hot cider, eggnog, and coffee/tea as we begin our caroling adventure to bring holi-day cheer to the shut-ins/elderly of our church. At 7:00pm • We will caravan in groups, visiting 4 homes per group, singing carols to our shut-ins/elderly…or those that can use some “glad tid-ings”! 8:15pm • We will gather back in the Social Hall for a warm meal of soup & stew... YUM!!

Unable to go out caroling but want to share in the fun? NO PROBLEM! Those wishing to stay back can fellowship over some seasonal drinks, lis-ten to holiday favorites, watch a holiday movie.

I have been privileged to be part of such a“merriment” in years past, truly proving to be such a wonderful holiday evening of fellowship as we visited those who are not fortunate enough to enjoy much of what the season has to offer. We bring the “cheer” to “holiday” as we brighten the night of these beloved church members.

For more information, to RSVP or to volun-teer, please contact Donna Loyd: 310.600.4299 or [email protected].

1st Annual night of merriment

CHANGE OF DATE

The North Hollywood Interfaith Food Pantry serves roughly 5,000 people each month, and we are in need of wholesome, health

giving food—high protein foods are especially needed. Our next Ingathering Sunday is

October 20th. Please bring your donations to the Narthex or the Church office.

ingathering sundayis december 15

First christian news December 11, �019

The Sunday School Children will be leading worship in story and song.

The Longest Night

sunday . december 22 . 7pm

The Longest Night Service is a candle lighting service and a time for us to remember in the midst of the hope-filled

season of Advent, those we have lost in death.

I greet you in the Wonderful and Magnificent name of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

‘Tis the season to be jolly and jolly we are! The youth have a jam-packed weekend. This Friday we will have a sleepover which will begin at 8:30pm. We are going to have food, fun, fellowship, and probably sleep very little. As a matter of fact, I think I will rename “sleepover” to “all-nighter”. If you’ve ever experienced sleepovers with pre-teens or teenagers, you know there is very little sleep that takes place. The kids will be so excited to see each other and be away from home, that they will run on pure adrenaline for about 7 hours! Lit-erally! To be completely honest, I take great pleasure in preparing a breakfast spread early in the morning and waking the sleepy kids up bright and early. They dread it... but I always say, “Do you recall hearing me say ‘go to bed’?” Come on parents, you’ve said that before and you finally get a response on the 30th time “GO. TO. BED”. The next morning the kiddos don’t want to wake up and I’m sure they don’t like hearing... “I told you to go to bed.” In short, we won’t get much sleep this Friday night. Early Saturday morning you can find our youth

helping with Operation Santa Claus in the Social Hall. Putting others before ourselves is very important and I want to instill that in our kiddos at an early age!

Parents: JANCamp(6th-8th grade) and Chalice Camp (9th-12th grade) are coming up quickly. JANCamp be-gins January 17th-20th and Chalice Camp begins Feb-ruary 16th-19th. All registration takes place on online; if you have interest in the regional winter camps please go to www.disciplespswr.org/camp and sign up. Please correspond with me so we can setup adequate transpor-tation for our youth.

Finally, this Sunday the youth will have our end of the year Christmas party in the Annex from 6:30pm-8:30pm. We will partake in great food, a white elephant gift exchange, and I am requesting that you keep gifts $15 and under.

As always I ask that you pray for our youth as we are praying for you.

Blessings unto you,Jeremy Gillett

Direcctor of Youth Ministries

December 11, �019 First christian news

Food Pantry volunteer ContaCtsTransportation Teams:

Maggie Talton [email protected] Representative:

Erin Zavala [email protected]

another way to donate to the pantry

Make your donations to the Interfaith Food Pantry through the FCCNH web page

(https://fccnh.charityfinders.com/Donate%20Cash).

the Food pantry is in need oF:Canned tuna, canned chicken, rice, canned beans (pinto, navy etc.), boxED (Dry)

CErEAL, diapers, powdered milk, baby food, peanut butter and tomato products!

Thursday, December 12 #5 Rosey Tamkin Barbara Erdahl Derek Reisinger Cathy Reisinger

Sunday, December 15 #6 Barbara Erdahl Kevin Kenney Margaret Talton

Wednesday, December 18 Studio City Team

Sunday, December 22 #8 Sally Hallada Joe Beam Eliza Beam Jacob Beam

Thursday, December 26 #1 Art Dielhenn Terri Hall Jackie Fecske

Sunday, December 29 Swing Team

Flowers for the ChancelTo order flowers for the chancel, fill out the

following form and place in the offering plate or drop at the church office with your check for $40.

Today’s Date: ______________________________

Name(s): __________________________________

__________________________________________

Daytime Phone: ____________________________

Email: ____________________________________

Available dates:

Floral Dedication:(Please check one of the following and write the specifics of your dedication in the space provide below)

In Honor of ... In Celebration of ... In Memory of ...

__________________________________________

__________________________________________

__________________________________________

__________________________________________

__________________________________________

__________________________________________

__________________________________________

Check enclosed for arrangement ($40)Arrangements are supplied by Dee’s Flowers.Checks should be made payable to FCCNH.

1/5 1/12 1/19 1/26 2/2 2/9 2/16 2/23 3/1 3/8 3/15 3/22

First christian news December 11, �019

ChurCh staFF

Robert M. Bock Senior PastorLouise Sloan Goben Associate PastorAlfredo Gomez Pastor, Spanish Speaking CongregationJennifer Le’au Director of Children’s MinistriesJeremy Gillett Director of Youth MinistriesTyana Parr Director of Children’s/Youth ChoirsDavid Rigsby Music Director/OrganistChristine Karasseferian Director of FinanceChris CarsonChurch AdministratorGabriela Dorantes Administrative AssistantGlenda Morgan Brown Administrative AssistantTerri Burton Church PublicationsMichele Amundsen Wedding Director Elmer Maldonado Building & Grounds SuperintendentMiriam MancillaDirector of Christian Nursery SchoolGreg Kirkland Media Director

volunteer staFFJacob Beam, Craig Brooks, Janette Jara, Tom Louie, Susan Marble, Jeff McFadden, Denise Ovaldson, Tiffany TappSound Technicians

Luis Oliart Security

in MeMoriaMEarle Immel Minister of Music Emeritus

Merle E. Fish, Jr. Minister Emeritus

by Way oF rePortWeek of Sunday, december 8, 2019__________

10:00 AM Worship Service 215 5:30 PM SpiritSong Service 32 7:00 PM Evenlight Service 4 7:00 PM Wednesday Service 6 Sunday School Children 63 Youth (morning) 21 Youth (evening) 6

10:00 AM Worship Service $9,572.00 5:30 PM SpiritSong Service $1,080.70 7:00 PM Evenlight Service -- Wednesday Meditation Service $17.00 Sunday School Children $13.00

ToTal General offerinG $10,682.70

CWF Fund $600.00 Youth Fund $250.00 Food Pantry $250.00 Operation Santa Claus $170.00 Tree Lot Fund $150.00 Dial-A-Carol $110.00 Special Offering $5,000.00

november crediT card offerinGS____________

General Offering $7,860.18 Food Pantry $20.00 Disciples Mission Fund (Christmas) $20.00

PLEASE SUBMIT ARTICLES VIA EMAIL [email protected] or [email protected]

Please indicate “newsletter” and/or “bulletin” in the subject line if articles are for publication. Articles can

also be delivered to the office M-F, 9am to 5pm.

is midnight sunday!

n e w s l e t t e rdeadline

First Christian News First Christian ChurCh oF north hollywood

a Congregation oF the Christian ChurCh

(disCiples oF Christ) 4390 ColFax avenue

north hollywood, CA 91604 - 2898

THINK GREEN! PLEASE RECYCLE!NOTE: If you would like to receive this newsletter via Email, which saves

on printing/mailing costs and is better for the environment, please contact us. Annual subscription cost for first class mail version is $24.

December 15 - 3rd Sunday of Advent EldErs: 10:00 am Ann Jones (O) Chris Trammell (C) 5:30 pm Bryan Zavala 7:00 pm Bryan Zavala

diaconatE: Terri Diaz Denise Bourne Chris Carson Deb Carson Joan Norland Toni Rossi Gaye Coffman Ian Williamson Larry Brown

Upcoming diaconatE:

December 22 Debbie Geraci & Oleta Diamond

First Christian Church of North Hollywood818/763-8218 • FAX 818/763-8457Web Site: www.fccnh.orgemail: [email protected]

pastor & sEnior Editor Robert M. BockproofrEading Glenda Morgan Brownart dirEction Terri BurtonprodUction sErvicEs Byron Armantrout

EmEritUs

Mary Ann Steuterman Billie KlineLillian Carlson Heather Kenney Margaret Defibaugh Cathy Melendez Fern Donald Chuck Mont Jean Johnson Wanda Kanoy Helen Scarna Kay Smith Betty Van Zanten Shirley McClure Deborah Wheeler Virginia Stebbins Cindy Kaller

Volume LXIII No. 28 December 11, 2019fccnh.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/NL121119.pdfPictured above...

Documents

Transcript of Volume LXIII No. 28 December 11, 2019fccnh.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/NL121119.pdfPictured above...