Announcements andf Calendar for the Week of Jan. 2

ANNUAL REPORTS ARE DUE NOW!! In order for the Annual Reports to be available the week prior to the Annual Meeting, the deadline for submitting your reports is this Friday, if you would like your committee’s report to be included in the Annual Report. An e-mail to ellenboylan@snet.net is the best way to submit your report. If you have any questions, please call Ellen in the Church Office.

OFFERING ENVELOPES for 2011 are available in the narthex for those who have requested them. Please pick yours up today!
THE FLOWER COMMITTEE will be meeting on Tuesday, Jan. 4th at 9:00 a.m.at Cheryl Swenson’s. Anyone interested in being on the Flower Committee is welcome to join us.

STRESS FREE ZONE, Thursday, Jan. 6 For youth in grades 9-12
3:00 to 4:00 PM. Stop in at the Hill Church after school and find out about our “Warm up America” project. We’ll have the kettle on for cocoa and tea.

THE RED CROSS will be hosting blood drives in the downstairs area every two months. The next one is this Wednesday, Jan. 5th from 1 - 6 p.m. Please consider stopping by to donate blood!

THIS MORNING’S CHURCH SCHOOL: Prayers of Peace Epiphany Celebration –– As a group, we will offer our prayers of world peace as we circle around the peace pole.
Next Sunday’s Church School –– “The Boy’s Lunch” rotations begin.
Junior Choir Party - Friday evening, January 7th –– Bring your ice skates! Specific details will be sent to Junior Choir members by email this week. Thank you Caroline Chute and Andy Perry for hosting this party!
Junior Choir Rehearsals begin next Sunday, January 9th.




CALENDAR OF THE WEEK

MONDAY
AA 7:30 p.m.
TUESDAY
Flower Committee @ Swensons 9:00 a.m.
Bible Study 10:30 a.m.
WEDNESDAY
PCT 9:00 a.m..
Blood Drive 1 - 6 p.m.
Boy Scouts 7:00 p.m.
Deacons 7:00 p.m.
THURSDAY
SYG Stress Free Zone 3:00 p.m.
FRIDAY
Daisy Troop Meeting 5:00 p.m.
Junior Choir Party at Chute/Perrys evening

Announcements andf Calendar for the Week of Jan. 2

ANNUAL REPORTS ARE DUE NOW!! In order for the Annual Reports to be available the week prior to the Annual Meeting, the deadline for submitting your reports is this Friday, if you would like your committee’s report to be included in the Annual Report. An e-mail to ellenboylan@snet.net is the best way to submit your report. If you have any questions, please call Ellen in the Church Office.

OFFERING ENVELOPES for 2011 are available in the narthex for those who have requested them. Please pick yours up today!
THE FLOWER COMMITTEE will be meeting on Tuesday, Jan. 4th at 9:00 a.m.at Cheryl Swenson’s. Anyone interested in being on the Flower Committee is welcome to join us.

STRESS FREE ZONE, Thursday, Jan. 6 For youth in grades 9-12
3:00 to 4:00 PM. Stop in at the Hill Church after school and find out about our “Warm up America” project. We’ll have the kettle on for cocoa and tea.

THE RED CROSS will be hosting blood drives in the downstairs area every two months. The next one is this Wednesday, Jan. 5th from 1 - 6 p.m. Please consider stopping by to donate blood!

THIS MORNING’S CHURCH SCHOOL: Prayers of Peace Epiphany Celebration –– As a group, we will offer our prayers of world peace as we circle around the peace pole.
Next Sunday’s Church School –– “The Boy’s Lunch” rotations begin.
Junior Choir Party - Friday evening, January 7th –– Bring your ice skates! Specific details will be sent to Junior Choir members by email this week. Thank you Caroline Chute and Andy Perry for hosting this party!
Junior Choir Rehearsals begin next Sunday, January 9th.




CALENDAR OF THE WEEK

MONDAY
AA 7:30 p.m.
TUESDAY
Flower Committee @ Swensons 9:00 a.m.
Bible Study 10:30 a.m.
WEDNESDAY
PCT 9:00 a.m..
Blood Drive 1 - 6 p.m.
Boy Scouts 7:00 p.m.
Deacons 7:00 p.m.
THURSDAY
SYG Stress Free Zone 3:00 p.m.
FRIDAY
Daisy Troop Meeting 5:00 p.m.
Junior Choir Party at Chute/Perrys evening

Announcements and Calendar for the Week of Dec. 19

THANK YOU to all who helped with SANTA’S SITTING SERVICE last Saturday. Our teens gave parents a day off to prepare for Christmas and had a great time baking cookies, doing crafts, and playing outside with the “youngers.” In addition, we raised $168 toward our Boston

THE BETHLEHEM MARKET-PLACE is now open! Feast on a savory menu of Mediterranean cuisine. Our table is brimming with vegetables, fruits, legumes, breads, cheeses, meats, teas and desserts!
Visit our market-place shops! Create a clay doll in the Pottery Shop. Experience the scents of ancient herbs and spices in our Confectionery. Try your hand at grinding grain in the Mill Shop. Make butter in the Goat Shed. Purchase the gift of an animal at Heifer International Table.


SAVE THE DATES! Urban Outreach trip on March 4-6. High School youth and adults who are interested in that opportunity can download registration forms from the church website.

FLOWER COMMITTEE: There will be a meeting of the Flower Committee on Tuesday January 4th at 9am at Cheryl Swenson’s. Anyone interested in joining us is welcomed.

SHARE deadline is Tuesday, Dec. 21!

WEATHER CLOSINGS: For information on church closings or delayed worship services due to severe weather conditions, please tune to WINY Radio in Putnam which is 1350 am, or to the NBC Connecticut Weather Center channel. Our deacons will also send out an e-mail, letting you know if there will be a closing, delay or any other special information pertaining to weather conditions.







WEEKLY CALENDAR
TODAY
9:15 a.m. Sr. Bells
11:30 a.m. Bethlehem event
11:45 a.m. Confirmation Class Huddle
5:00 p.m. Blue Christmas Service
MONDAY
7:30 p.m. Sr. Bells
7:30 p.m. AA
TUESDAY
10:30 a.m. Bible Study
3:30 p.m. Prayer Shawl Ministry
7:30 p.m. Trustees
7:30 p.m. Hillbillies
WEDNESDAY
7:00 p.m. Boy Scouts
FRIDAY
7:30 p.m. Candlelight Service
NEXT SUNDAY
10:00 a.m. Blessing of the Toys

Calendar and Announcements for the Week of Dec. 12

WEEKLY CALENDAR
TODAY
1:30 p.m. Neighborhood group using downstairs for meeting
5:00 p.m. Hospice Tree of Life Ceremony
MONDAY Community Kitchen
7:30 p.m. AA Group
7:30 p.m. Sr. Bells
TUESDAY
10:30 a.m. Bible Study
7:30 p.m. Council
WEDNESDAY
7:00 p.m. Boy Scouts
THURSDAY
7:00 p.m. Sr. Choir
FRIDAY
2:30 - 6 Pageant Rehearsal
NEXT SUNDAY
9:15 a.m. Sr. Bells warm-up
10:00 a.m.. Christmas Pageant
11:15 a.m. Bethlehem event
5:00 pm “The Longest Night” service (“Blue Christmas”)

THIS MORNING’S CHURCH SCHOOL: Pre-K/Kinder –– Advent activities in the end classroom with Kat Bottieri and Kassi Miller.
Grades 1-8 –– No classes today –– worship with families.

JUNIOR CHOIR SUNDAY MORNING REHEARSALS will recess for the remainder of December. We will resume on January 2nd.

A JOURNEY TO BETHLEHEM - Next Sunday, here in this sanctuary amongst a community of friends and family, will be the perfect place to begin the week of Christmas! The church school children will take you on a journey to ancient Bethlehem the night Jesus came to earth as a baby. Meet Mary and Joseph, the wandering Magi, King Herod (Tom Chase), Caesar Augustus (Rick Cloutier), the astounded shepherds, the joyful angels and little baby Jesus (Blake Goodhall). The journey will continue in the Harrison Hall where a potluck buffet of Mediterranean foods such roasted lamb, lentils, stews, olives, figs, pomegranates, cheeses, flatbreads, teas and desserts will be offered. (Please see Jennifer John to find out what potluck food item to bring). Grind some barley on the millstones. Explore ancient herbs and spices, such as spikenard, myrrh, frankincense, hyssop and sandalwood. Partake in miniature clay doll making. Make butter in the goat shed. Spread the Christmas joy by inviting family, friends and neighbors to come experience Bethlehem with you!

CHURCH SCHOOL BETHLEHEM PLAY REHEARSAL –– FRIDAY, DECEMBER 17th. Church school children in grades one through eight, should meet here at the church right after school this Friday. Pre-K & Kinder can easily join in the fun on performance day without coming to rehearsal. We will have older youth leading our youngest ones on the day of our event. We will rehearse, prepare costumes, enjoy a slice of pizza and be finished at 6:00 p.m. Friends are invited to join the cast!

HEIFER CHRISTMAS GIFT GIVING - A sweater or shoes, an electronic game or gadget…….these are nice-to-haves for many of us. But the gift of a pig, cow, flock of chicks or a bunch of bees –– these are life-saving gifts for so many families in so many places. The gift of a Heifer animal provides a warm and wonderful feeling to the person being honored by knowing that he or she is an important part of the solution to hunger and poverty. The church school has collected OVER SIX HUNDRED DOLLARS so far for Heifer International since September! Our goal of 3 pigs has become a reality of 6 pigs! Thank you for your generosity! More gift cards have been ordered and will be on sale today.

Calling all epicures...
It's time once again to turn back the clock and allow ourselves to be immersed in the sights and sounds of an open market as we journey back to Bethlehem on the day of our Savior's birth. Mediterranean and Middle Eastern Cuisine will be made available in the market place following a reenactment of the story of our Lord's birth. We need your delicious offerings and tantalizing dishes which we have come to look forward to each year. With that in mind, please consider what you might like to contribute to the market place food table. I have a comprehensive list of food items and recipes for your perusal and will be available after church today with a sign up sheet. You may also contact me at home any time this week @974-3489 or email me @ rj3j@charter.net. ~Jennifer John

2010 HOSPICE TREE OF LIFE CEREMONY: Share the heartwarming experience of a Hospice Tree of Life Ceremony. Friends, families, and neighbors are invited to attend any of the tree lightings being held today at 5:00 p.m. These lightings honor loved ones and the work of Hospice and Palliative Care of NE CT. Song, prayer, reflection, and refreshments will be offered. Brooklyn - Creamery Brook Retirement Village; Danielson - Davis Park; Pomfret - across from the Vanilla Bean; Putnam - St. Mary’s Church; Thompson - St. Joseph’s Church; Woodstock - Roseland Cottage
Pastor Mike will be offering a prayer at the Roseland Cottage ceremony.


FREE: One of our members would like to give away a 7' artificial Christmas tree with stand and several boxes of ornaments to a family who could use it. If interested, please call the church office.

Announcements and Calendar for the Week of Dec. 5

GIFT SUNDAY: Our Annual Gift Service will be held next Sunday. If you took a tag, please bring the gift(s) to service. Gifts will be distributed by Covenant to Care to needy children in our area. As always, we are asked by Covenent to Care to please place your gifts in a shopping bag along with some wrapping paper and bows. Please don’t wrap your gifts! Although it would “look nicer”, the purpose of this is to give parents the chance to wrap their own child’s gifts. Also, Covenent to Care has some regulations that necessitate inspection of all gifts. And please include the tag with your gift!! We appreciate your understanding and know all of you will honor these requests.

2010 HOSPICE TREE OF LIFE CEREMONY: Share the heartwarming experience of a Hospice Tree of Life Ceremony. Friends, families, and neighbors are invited to attend any of the tree lightings being held on Dec. 12 at 5:00 p.m. These lightings honor loved ones and the work of Hospice and Palliative Care of NE CT. Song, prayer, reflection, and refreshments will be offered. Brooklyn - Creamery Brook Retirement Village; Danielson - Davis Park; Pomfret - across from the Vanilla Bean; Putnam - St. Mary’s Church; Thompson - St. Joseph’s Church; Woodstock - Roseland Cottage
Pastor Mike will be offering a prayer at the Roseland Cottage ceremony.

WOMEN’S FELLOWSHIP: The regular monthly meeting of the Women’s Fellowship will be held on Wednesday, December 8 at 10:30 a.m. at the church.. Our program will be “Crismons”---come see what they are all about! Luncheon will be served by Susan Waldron & Ruth with Trudy Lamb offering our worship. Start your holiday season with friends!

THE SERRV CART will be out after this morning’s worship service for your Christmas shopping needs!! Why not get something unique for everyone on your list - while supporting third world artisans?!!



THIS MORNING’S CHURCH SCHOOL:
Pre-K/Kinder –– Advent activities in the end classroom,
Grades 1-8 –– Pageant Rehearsal until noon today.
The Junior Choir will be singing for the morning worship service next Sunday, December 12th. Singers - please plan to be here by 9:15 for warm-ups! Dress code –– black and white. This will be an intergenerational worship service and there will be no church school classes.
CHRISTMAS PAGEANT/VISITING BETHLEHEM –– SUNDAY, DECEMBER 19TH!
The church school children will re-enact the Christmas story during morning worship. You won’t want to miss the debut of Blake Goodhall as baby Jesus! After the Christmas story, join us in the Bethlehem marketplace where we will have a delicious spread of Mediterranean foods in our food market. Visit the confectioner (Bible times female perfumer) and delight in the aroma of ancient herbs and spices. Try your hand at making goat butter! Grind wheat at the mill. You will absolutely not want to leave until you’’ve made a beautiful clay doll. Please bring along friends and family to celebrate this joyous and blessed event!
Heifer Hurray! –– Last Sunday during Advent wreath-making, the church school made available Heifer Gift Cards for Christmas gift giving. Three hundred forty dollars worth of gift cards were purchased that day! Along with our weekly piggy bank offering, we have reached nearly FIVE HUNDRED DOLLARS! Our goal was three pigs and we now have enough money to purchase four! We are squealing with delight and wish to say THANK YOU SO MUCH! Gift cards will be on sale again today and next Sunday.




GIV2 NORTHEAST presents: “HOMELESS FOR THE HOLIDAYS.” All youth in Grades 7-12 are invited to join us for a visit to the Access Shelter this afternoon. We will meet at East Woodstock at 12:30 PM to carpool to Danielson. We are going to bake Christmas cookies and deliver them to the Emergency Shelter.

SANTA’S SITTING SERVICE will be offered on Saturday, December 11. Youth Group will provide child care from 9 am to 3 PM for children ages 2 years and up. Finish up your Christmas shopping, take a friend to lunch, do your holiday baking... you decide how to use the time. Call Dianna Rebello at 860-928-4001 to make a reservation, or talk to Debby Kirk. This fundraiser will help cover expenses for our Winter Missions Trip to Boston.



WEEKLY CALENDAR
TODAY
12:30 p.m. SYG
MONDAY
6:00 p.m. Bell Choir to Creamery Brook
7:30 p.m. AA Group
TUESDAY
7:30 p.m. Trustees
WEDNESDAY
10:30 a.m. Women’s Fellowship
3:00 p.m. Youth Ministry Team
7:30 p.m. Boy Scouts
THURSDAY
7:00 p.m. Transitional Team
7:00 p.m. Board of Outreach
SATURDAY
9 - 3. Santa’s Sitting Service @ EW
NEXT SUNDAY Gift Sunday
10:00 a.m. SYG Breakfast Club @ EW