Pilgrimage Herald

Sunday, December 12, 2004 --- Third Sunday of Advent

Morning Worship, 10:00 am , Dan Spacek preaching.

Deacon of the Month: Trace Sears

Greeters: The Anderson Family: Sherman, Suzanne, Benjamin, Matthew, Ryan.

The Flowers on the pulpit are in loving memory of Esther Surrey, Danielle McNeely and loved ones. Given by Sandy Mann Santos and family.

The Christmas on North Street celebration on December 3rd was a howling success! The town Christmas tree in Town Square is beautiful and its lighting was a festive occasion. We thank all our Pilgrimage people who opened our Church for the event. We also thank violinist Laura Sylvia for playing carols in the sanctuary. Hundreds of people pushed into Allerton Hall and a large number of people meditated periodically in the sanctuary. Lots of cookies were sold, too! Thank you one and all for helping!

Thank You so very much to all the volunteers who helped with the tree lighting festivities in Allerton Hall last Friday. We served over two hundred people, and the many hands made light work. We took in $175, which will be given to the Capital Campaign fund. We look forward to doing this again next year with a few improvements.

We thank Pedro, Megan, Gracie Verdugo for leading the Advent Candle Lighting Service on December 5th during the worship sevice.

New Member Class: Rev. Marks is beginning to put together a list of people who have indicated an interest in church membership. Another New Member Class will be offered in the New Year. Please call the church office or contact Rev. Marks, if you are interested in becoming a member of The Church of the Pilgrimage.

Pledges for Fiscal Year 2005
Needed to date: $75,005.94
($3,571.71/week)
F/Y 2005 Total Pledge Receipts received to date: $60,232.24
As of 11/21/04 -$14,773.70
Please keep your pledges up to date, so that we can meet our overall operating needs!
Thank you,
Jonathan Porter, Assistant Treasurer


garymarks@8townsquare.org danspacek@8townsquare.org	December 12 , 2004	office@8townsquare.org
Volume LXXVI		No. 50
Dear Friends, A sentence in the Leader's Manual for our Advent Study Group has recurred to me over and over during this season of preparation. It is this: "Advent may just save Christmas." Advent is a season of preparing ourselves not only for the birth of Christ, but also for doing the work of the Messiah in the world until God's realm is a reality. The coming of God's kingdoms, or realm is often referred to as the "Second Advent." Christmas is not just a "birthday party" for Jesus, it is a season in which we prepare and renew ourselves for doing the work of love, peace, justice and righteousness which are, as Matthew calls them, among the "fruits" of the kingdom of God yet to come. Advent may save Christmas from being absorbed into a mere cultural celebration of self-indulgence which over time has come to be referred to as the "holiday season." The focus on the scriptural basis for the coming of Christ once, and again in the future, during this season helps us all to recall that Christ is our greatest, purest gift from God. It is not that we in the church wish to force the Christ onto anyone during Advent, or any other time, but during this season it is the purpose of the church to keep its attention fixed on the meaning of Christ's birth and upon God's coming realm which entered the world in the Christ. It is the work of faith to wait as we work for signs of God's heavenly realm in a world in which God's will have gone badly out of focus. For would this time of the year may be a nice "holiday season," but for us it is a holy and joyful time as we prepare for and celebrate the birth of Christ, and renew our spiritual energies for the pilgrimage toward the realm in which God will restore us and the world to reflect God's original intention for the creation. Advent just may save Christmas! Last Sunday's Gospel reading was written in Matthew 3:1-12. (The account is elaborated in Luke 3:1-18). In that reading John the Baptist is presented as the "voice of one crying in the wilderness..." Such a "voice" was foreseen to be coming centuries earlier by the prophet Isaiah (40:3). The voice cried out, Prepare the way of the Lord,..." It is from texts like those cited that the season of Advent grew in the tradition of many churches. The focus in those texts, and in Advent, is upon preparing ourselves for God's unthinkable grace in entering the flesh and bone world of our humanity. Advent, is upon preparing ourselves for God's unthinkable grace in entering the flesh and bone world of our humanity. Advent is a time to ponder in our hearts just what that great mystery of grace means. For faith expressed in Christ's church on earth it means far more than merely having a "happy holiday" season. It means that we accept the comforts and joys of Christ's coming among us and also that we accept as our own the work he gave us to do. In a sense, we are now the voice of one crying in the modern wilderness that God has come, but is still to come again. We as people of this sublime faith are in joy to show signs of God's works of love, peace, justice and righteousness till the realm of God comes in fullness. Let's not rush through Advent because it will help us appreciate a Merry Christmas during the world's "holiday season." Advent may just save Christmas. Love, © The Church of the Pilgrimage in Plymouth, MA Inc., all rights reserved.
Sunday, December 12, 2004 --- Third Sunday of Advent Morning Worship, 10:00 am , Dan Spacek preaching. Deacon of the Month: Trace Sears Greeters: The Anderson Family: Sherman, Suzanne, Benjamin, Matthew, Ryan. The Flowers on the pulpit are in loving memory of Esther Surrey, Danielle McNeely and loved ones. Given by Sandy Mann Santos and family. The Christmas on North Street celebration on December 3rd was a howling success! The town Christmas tree in Town Square is beautiful and its lighting was a festive occasion. We thank all our Pilgrimage people who opened our Church for the event. We also thank violinist Laura Sylvia for playing carols in the sanctuary. Hundreds of people pushed into Allerton Hall and a large number of people meditated periodically in the sanctuary. Lots of cookies were sold, too! Thank you one and all for helping! Thank You so very much to all the volunteers who helped with the tree lighting festivities in Allerton Hall last Friday. We served over two hundred people, and the many hands made light work. We took in $175, which will be given to the Capital Campaign fund. We look forward to doing this again next year with a few improvements. We thank Pedro, Megan, Gracie Verdugo for leading the Advent Candle Lighting Service on December 5th during the worship sevice. New Member Class: Rev. Marks is beginning to put together a list of people who have indicated an interest in church membership. Another New Member Class will be offered in the New Year. Please call the church office or contact Rev. Marks, if you are interested in becoming a member of The Church of the Pilgrimage. Pledges for Fiscal Year 2005 Needed to date: $75,005.94 ($3,571.71/week) F/Y 2005 Total Pledge Receipts received to date: $60,232.24 As of 11/21/04 -$14,773.70 Please keep your pledges up to date, so that we can meet our overall operating needs! Thank you, Jonathan Porter, Assistant Treasurer
CHURCH RECORD Hospitalized: George Carter, Jordan Hospital. Gloria Johnson, Jordan Hospital.
THIS WEEK Sunday,Dec.12: Morning Worship 10:00 a.m., Dan Spacek, preaching; Missions Dinner and Program in Allerton Hall, 5:00pm; Cherub Choir Rehearsal, following worship. Monday,Dec. 13: Aerobics, 9:15 a.m., Allerton Hall; Girl Scouts #1128, 3:30 p.m., Church House; Tiger Pack 47, 4:00 p.m., Church House (upstairs); Advent Study/Spirituality Group, 7pm, Allerton Hall. Tuesday, Dec. 14: Rev. Marks will be in the church office, 9:30-11:30 am; Aerobics, 6:30 pm. Wednesday, Dec. 15: Aerobics, 9:15 a.m., Allerton Hall; Staff Meeting, 10:00 am; Brownie Troop #122, 4-5:30pm, Allerton Hall; Troop 47/Den 4, 6-7:30, Church House (up);Troop #47, 7pm, Church House; Missions and Outreach Committee Meeting, 7pm, Church House; Prayer Group, 7pm, Sanctuary; Choir Rehearsal 7:30 pm, sanctuary Thursday, Dec. 16: Aerobics, 6:30pm, Allerton Hall. Friday, Dec. 17: Aerobics, 9:15 am, Allerton Hall; Rev. Marks will be in the church office, 9:30-11:30am.
NOTES: MISSIONS AND OUTREACH Missions Dinner: The dinner on December 12th is a gift to all church members from the Mission and Outreach Committee. The schedule will be: 4:30-5:00-craft for the children; 5-5:10-Christmas for others parade (the children are asked to bring a gift to place under the Christmas tree to be delivered to the Old Colony Memorial for distribution to local families); 5:10-6:00-dinner will be served; 6-6:30-program provided by Barbara and Sheldon Peavey and Terry Runnels. Closing Prayer. Please come for a dinner of delicious lasagna baked by Debbie Porter, Tom Healy and Dawn Durmis served with Jenny Healy's superb home-baked bread and Janet Holmes' fresh, leafy salad. Habitat for Humanity: The first house built by Habitat for Humanity in Plymouth, on Braley Lane, will be dedicated on Saturday, December 11th at 1pm. Gary Marks will participate in the ceremony. Everyone is invited to come and tour the home. On December 19th in Allerton Hall, Habitat pins and sweatshirts will be on sale again. Proceeds go toward Plymouth area housing. You may have heard about the refusal of NBC and CBS to air a commercial that is part of the God is Still Speaking Campaign sponsored by the United Church of Christ. The ads airing on other networks and cable stations are intended to identify the United Church of Christ as a place of welcome for millions of people in the U.S. who, for whatever reason, feel alienated from churches and/or established religion. Focus groups have shown that unchurched people want to come back, or become involved for the first time, in a church to which they are invited, made welcome and given good information without judgment. Our ads are geared towards those people who feel alienated. The ads reflect one of the main lessons of the Bible that Jesus did not turn people away. The United Church of Christ seeks to be a place in today's world that welcomes all who come through our doors. Many of us don't find Jesus' way to be "too controversial" for secular consumption! For information check www.ucc.org. Can you be a driving force at The Church of the Pilgrimage? From time to time there are folks who need a ride to our Sunday service. Would you be willing to assist by giving someone a ride? If so, please contact Lynnette Lancaster at (508)746-7231.Thank you. Memorial Poinsettias : This is the LAST day to order beautiful poinsettias to be displayed at the Christmas Sunday service. We'll take your orders at the sign-up table in the lower vestibule following the service. The suggested donation is $15. Flowers may be donated to shut-ins or picked up after the Christmas Eve services. Volunteers will be needed to take flowers to shut-ins following the services on Christmas Sunday. The 11th Annual Martin Luther King, Jr. Prayer Breakfast will be held 7:30-9:30am on Monday, January 17, 2005 at the Plymouth South High School in Plymouth. The guest speaker will be award-winning journalist Liz Walker. Ms. Walker is a news anchor for WBZ-TV news in Boston, and is a graduate of Harvard Divinity School. Tickets purchased prior to the day of the Breakfast will cost $8 for students and $12 for adults. Adult tickets purchased at the door on the day of the event will cost $15. Tickets are available from Ken Heckman or Dan Spacek. Beatrice Biira, Uganda, will be featured on 60 Minutes II at 8pm EST on December 20. Enjoy! The Pilgrimage Women's Fellowship will hold a Holiday Bake Sale after the church service on Sunday, December 19, 2004. Please consider picking up some cookies, square or pies for your holiday entertaining. All of the ladies of the Fellowship will be cooking up their favorites for sale. Keep us in mind and save yourself some time at this busy season of the year. Pastor's Pasta Reminder: Our third annual Pasta sale will be held on Sunday, January 30, 2005. As we did last year, it will include a quart of pasta sauce, a pound of spaghetti, a loaf of Jenny's bread and cookies for dessert for a bargain price of $15. Mark you calendar and we will be taking orders during the month of January. No Confirmation Class on December 10 due to pageant rehearsal. Christmas Pageant Participants- The costume fitting is Sunday, December 12 from 11:30-12:30. This includes the Holy Family, all angels, shepherds, sheep and wisemen. Meet in the upper vestibule after church. Also, the rehearsal is on December 19 form 11:30-1. Meet in the sanctuary. Excellent Gift : Hymnal dedications make an excellent gift. We are planning to dedicate gift hymnals Christmas Sunday, so there is still time to make these dedications, for a donation of $25. See Bill Harting, Louise Brown or call the church office. Can you be a driving force at The Church of the Pilgrimage? From time to time there are folks who need a ride to our Sunday service. Would you be willing to assist by giving someone a ride? If so, please contact Lynnette Lancaster at (508)746-7231. She is updating the list of drivers. Thank you.
COMING EVENTS Dec. 19 Christmas Sunday Service, 10:00 am Dec. 20 Advent Study Group in Allerton Hall, 7pm Dec. 24 Christmas Eve Family Service with Living Nativity in the sanctuary, 7pm. Christmas Eve Candlelight Service with Holy Communion in the sanctuary, 11:30pm.
Clerk - Lois Post; Moderator - Steven Triffletti; Treasurer - David Kegel; Collector - Thomas Mudgett; Music Director - William B Richter; Organist - Chandler Gregg Secretary - Shellie McCormack; Sexton - Tony Nightingale; World Mission Emphasis - Heifer Project International; Church Building Telephone - (508) 747-1341.