Posts Tagged: christmas

Becoming Flesh

By Rachel Yates We marked each Sunday in our Advent season with God’s promises for hope, peace, joy, and love.  We lit candles at church or in our homes as tangible signs of these promises fulfilled in Jesus Christ. For many of us in Southeast Wisconsin, however, these promises have felt hollow or distant.  Our… Read more »

When Home is a World Away

At first, nothing about Stillman College reminded Johnykqua [Jon-e-kwa] Bevans and Rayondre [Ray-on-dray] (Ray) Roberts of their home on the tropical island of Grand Bahama: not Alabama, not the food, not their classmates and not the as-yet unfamiliar Presbyterian tradition in which the college is steeped. But then there was the choir. Stillman’s nationally-renowned concert… Read more »

A Gift Opens Doors — Proverbs 18:16

In the story of God, as we tell it, there is a barrier that exists between the Created world and its Creator. A wall. Sin, we say, separates us from God, and separation from God is unbearable. And our story goes on to say that God, seeing that we had no hope in ourselves of… Read more »

Celebrating the 2021 Christmas Joy Offering with Our Youth

Engaging the children of your congregation with the four churchwide Special Offerings has never been easier or more important, whether you are engaging them in-person or virtually. There are numerous ways children can connect with the upcoming Christmas Joy Offering, sharing in the joy of the perfect gift, Jesus Christ. This year’s curriculum was written… Read more »

Christmas Joy: A Life Changed, But Still Fully Lived

Rev. Dr. Stewart M. Pattison has been living with multiple sclerosis for years. As his health has recently forced him to retire, gifts from the Christmas Joy Offering have come to have special meaning for him. A portion of gifts received go toward supporting church leaders in their times of critical financial need. This is… Read more »

Celebrating the Christmas Joy Offering with Our Youth

Engaging the children of your congregation with the four General Assembly mandated churchwide Special Offerings has never been easier or more important. There are numerous ways children can connect with the Christmas Joy Offering. We have a number of resources available online to help you as you engage your young people. This year’s curriculum was… Read more »

#GivePCUSA

Would John Calvin support #GivingTuesday? The Presbyterian Mission Agency, in partnership with the Presbyterian Foundation, invites you to support Presbyterian Mission on Tuesday, November 29, 2016. One of my colleagues asked the Rev. Dr. Charles Wiley III, Coordinator of the Office of Theology and Worship at the Presbyterian Mission Agency, to weigh in on the upcoming day dedicated… Read more »

Looking Forward to Christmas

OK, it’s true. I don’t usually like to think about getting ready for Christmas until my Thanksgiving dinner has fully digested. I like to jump in head first at the beginning of Advent and not slow down til Christmas day. I’m sure many of you who have worked in congregations know how true those words… Read more »