The Rev. Elaine Bomford
A morning to appreciate the comic relief that lifts our spirits and keeps us from taking ourselves – and this world – too seriously. The Rev. Elaine Bomford has served UU congregations in Massachusetts and Vermont; she has been preaching in area churches for more years than you might imagine, given her youthful appearance.
Hector Constantzos
Our last service for 2012 is on Sunday, December 30, at 11 AM, in Fellowship Hall. The title is "What makes you glow". The theme is a discussion of everyday compassion.
Stories of compassionate acts always emerge during times of tragedy, like the story that happened across the street from Sandy Hook Elementary. However, acts like these do not happen only when great horror strikes. Acts of compassion happen every day. Ones that light a candle flame in our hearts, and makes us glow. Bring with you an act of compassion that you witnessed, heard of, read about, or just know happened during 2012 and share it with us in this service, or just come to listen to the stories.
This congregation is full of heart. We show it through out the year. Let's spend our final service reflecting on our compassionate beings.
ALL ARE WELCOME
4 PM Family Service "Nativity in a Trunk"
Led by our minister, Tom Rosiello and our DRE, Michele Coté. This service will be oriented towards our children. We will have lots of them participating as we act out the Christmas Story and create a Christmas Tableau. Our Junior Choir and Youth Choir will be performing, and there will be familiar carols for all to sing. We will conclude this service with the traditional candle-lighting ceremony.
9 PM Traditional Christmas Eve Service
Led by our minister, Tom Rosiello. This service will feature traditional Christmas carols and anthems, the reading of the story of the birth of Jesus from the Christian Gospels, and a candle-lighting ceremony. It will be a quieter and more traditional service than the 4 PM service, with beautiful music provided by the Adult Choir, under the direction of Mike Pfitzer, organist/pianist Sanghee Kim, and talented guest musicians. An extended prelude of Christmas music will begin at 8:45 PM. Be sure to come early!
9 Am Service "Keeping Christmas Well"
At the end of Unitarian Charles Dickens' "A Christmas Carol," he writes of the transformed Scrooge, “It was always said the he knew how to keep Christmas well, if any man alive possessed the knowledge." At this quieter service we will share excerpts from Dickens' famous story and focus on what it means to "keep Christmas well".
11 AM Family Service "Annual Mummer's Play" A Celebration of the Winter Solstice
We will dispel the darkness of the season with lively music and the presentation of our Annual Mummer’s Play under the direction of Pat Sorn. This is a great family service with lots of children participating. Worship will be led by Minister Tom Rosiello, Director of Religious Education, Michelle Coté, Music Director, Mike Pfitzer and Organist/Pianist, Sanghee Kim.
This will be a very special Vesper Service and will include our Adult and Youth Choirs and many wonderful guest musicians performing Christmas Gospel music. The featured work will be "The Ballad of the Brown King" a cantata in Gospel style by Margaret Bonds, one of the first published African American woman composers. We will all join in singing such Christmas Gospel favorites as, "Go Tell It on the Mountain" and "Children Go Where I send Thee". Sanghee Kim and Malcolm Halliday will be at the piano and organ. Some of our great Jazz players will be adding their talents. Caitlin Felsman will join us as vocal Soloist. All the music is under the direction of FPC Music Director, Mike Pfitzer. The service will be led by our Minister, Tom Rosiello. This holiday event is offered as a gift to the entire community. Be sure to come and bring along neighbors and friends. You won't want to miss this one! Child care will be provided for younger children.
We will focus the passage of the Christmas story from the Gospel of Luke where it says that "there was no room for Mary and Joseph at the Inn." When we tell that part of the story at the early service on Christmas Eve, one of our children plays the role of the Inn Keeper and holds up a big sign saying "No Room." This morning we are going to examine how often we, at least figuratively, do the same. We will explore the ways we as individuals and as a society fail to make room for certain people.
This morning adults, youth and older children will participate in telling the ancient story of Hanukkah as well as how it is celebrated today. The service will include traditional Hanukkah music and a sermon preached by The Rev. Tom Rosiello based on the Hanukkah story entitled "Inextinguishable Hope."
At this time of the year we are bombarded with messages asking us "Are we ready for Christmas?" Those messages are asking questions like, “Have you finished your shopping or decorated the house?” The Season of Advent is all about a different kind of being ready, being ready in a spiritual sense. This morning we will explore if we are ready forsomething wonderful to come into our lives. Our services will feature beautiful music of the Advent season.
Today we will introduce a series of services which will focus on the symbol of light in many different religious traditions. This will be a service of stories and songs about holidays of light that occur in different religions of the World at this time of the year. It will be led jointly by Michelle Cote, our Director of Religious Education and Mike Pfitzer, our Music Director.
Together as an inter-generational community we will give thanks. We will sing traditional Thanksgiving hymns and be treated to a bounty of beautiful music from our FPC choirs and Musicians of all Ages. The service will be led by our minister Tom Rosiello assisted by our music team, and director of religious education and our student minister, as well as children and youth. The service will include the traditional ritual of breaking and sharing of great bread that will be baked for us by the junior youth group.
Please bring non-perishable food and toiletries to the service which will be donated to the Stow Food Pantry.
