Christmas Calendar

[GUMC Guam United Methodist Church]

Dear Friends and Family:

 

I hope the following information will help you work around your schedule that will satisfy your family and community interests this holiday.  And be able to make a commitment to your desire to treat Christmas as a profoundly meaningful spiritual journey, and a religious and personal expression before our diverse community of Guam.

December 13, Christmas Cantata.  Our choir have been busy rehearsing to make this Sunday a special one. Choral presentation is titled, There'll Always Be A Christmas.  Frank L. Cross composed it, music by John M. Rasley. Come and invite friends and neighbors.

 

December 16-23, Christmas Watch.  Simbang Gabi, as known to Filipinos, is nightly services aimed at deepening and stretching the significance of the Christmas season.  It will be a time of reading scriptural passages hinting the coming of the Messiah by prophets of Old, and a clearer and direct pointing to this Messiah in Jesus Christ we find in the Gospel. There will be lots of singing Christmas carols, sharing of past Christmas memories, and prayers both written and straight from the heart. This is a simple tradition trying to counter act the culture of consumerism and accumulation. A time to gather as friends and family mindful that a significant and meaningful way to be in Christmas, for Christmas, with Christmas is to prepare our hearts to the coming of the Christ through intentional acts of contemplation and meditation.  Come and be a part of this Advent preparation. This nightly watch takes place at 6:30.

December 24, 7:00 p.m. Christmas Eve Service. We want to remind our family members, church family, friends, and neighbors to join us in this traditional Christmas worship.  We will be singing Silent night, Holy night at the closing of the service as we light our candles, a symbolic way of our intention to be a part of the broadening of light to the darkened world.

 

Christmas Institute 26-30.  We have 11 people consisting of youth and adults (chaperone) attending the Christmas Institute. The theme of this gathering is focusing to the world community based on  I Peter 2: 9: "But you are the chosen race, the King's priests, the holy nation, God's own people, chosen to proclaim the wonderful acts of God..." Two hundred fifty delegates will stay at the UMC Prayer Garden and Conference Center in Taytay, Rizal (25 miles southeast of Manila).  Guam delegates will have a chance to see first hand the damage created by typhoon Ondoy as Taytay is one of the hardest hit towns where some areas are still under water. A generous Korean business woman gave us brand new pants and shirts to be given away to young people there worth $4,000.00. And our church, through our young people, are so fortunate to be a conduit of this mission charity.  Pastor Fred will be preaching at the sunrise service at 5:00 a.m. during the C.I.  Rina Pelayo is leading our young people in this first ever post-Christmas event.  They are still needing some cash donations to cover some expenses.  All delegates share in the expenses to cover airfare, ground transportation, and registration fees (includes board and lodging).

 

Covenant Renewal Service on the 31st.  We will gather as a congregation on Thursday evening, the 31st at 8:00 p.m. This litany of more than 200 years old will be used to remind ourselves of our covenantal responsibilities to God and to one another.  As we face the new year 2010, we will renew our commitment of faithfulness to be the people of God we always wish we fully become.

 

Devotional Materials.  We have Upper Room for January-February 2010 available to help us along in our daily meditation.  We also have some portions of the Bible, a leaflet written  by Tony Campolo. Please take some with you when you leave church this Sunday to share to your neighbors or anybody who might be interested to read this type of literature.

 

Advent Offering. The special offering you want to give this Christmas (Second Mile giving, on top of your regular/tithe offering) could go either for Aids sufferer or Typhoon victims in the Philippines as the Council of Bishops officially encouraged all the congregations belonging to the United Methodist Church to do.

 

See in you Church

Pastor
Guam United Methodist Church