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In This Issue
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Worship Week
December Events
Sign Up to Explore Membership
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| Sign Up Now! | We plan a gathering for folks interested in exploring membership at CPC in the new year. Signing up does not commit you to joining, but it will help us prepare for the conversation. If you are interested in being part of a small group conversation during January, please let me know at revdocdee@gmail.com.
Are you interested in worshiping together Christmas Day? If a small group of folks is interested in gathering in the sanctuary at 4:00 p.m. Christmas afternoon we could hold a service of readings and prayers for the day, and sing a few carols as well. If you would like to worship on Christmas Day, please let me know. We will make an announcement on this according to the response. Send a note to: revdocdee@gmail.com.
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Let Us Know What You Think
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We are making plans for the coming year! Please help us focus our
Mission and Outreach in 2010 by filling out a quick survey (9 multiple
choice questions) on Survey Monkey. We appreciate your help and your
comments! Thanks, Molly & Wes
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Pastoral Notes & Words of Thanks
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Jean Ensminger is home recovering from a brief stay in hospital following a heart procedure. Please hold her in the light.
Thanks to John Gunn and Michael Holloway for a delicious coffee time Sunday. This week we look forward to enjoying the culinary arts of Karen Kimmel as we deck the halls.
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Special Worship Notes
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We will have several special treats during worship over the next month or so.
Sunday, Dec. 13, our young people will present the text in their own unique fashion, and Rev. Peg True will join David in worship leadership offering the morning meditation.
Sunday, Dec. 27, we will worship primarily in song, singing lots of carols and sharing a bit of wisdom we've collected in gifts we've received.
Sunday, Jan. 3, the Rev. John Green will join David in worship leadership offering that morning's meditation.
Sunday, Jan. 10, Union Seminary student Allison Unroe will join us in worship leadership. Allison is one of the emerging young church leaders David has worked with at Camp Hanover during the past several summers.
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This Week @ CPC
Progressive ... Inclusive ... Diverse
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December 2009
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Greetings!
 Advent is all about preparation. We scurry around shopping, decorating, going to office parties and family gatherings. But what are we preparing for?
That's the question we will be asking this Sunday, and probably for weeks to come. If we are opening our hearts to the coming again of Christ, what does that mean? What does it look like? Will it change anything?
Well, as Jesus said to his earliest followers, "come and see." Come trusting that the love of God is deep and wide and is for you. Prepare this season to live every day grounded in that love.
Grace and peace,
David
P.S.: Obviously the war news this week is challenging for many. I doubt that I will speak to this in worship beyond encouraging our continued prayers, but I did write a lengthy response that is posted on my blog and will be posted on the Christian Peace Witness web site as that coalition's response to the President's announcement. I recognize that we will not be of one mind of this difficult decision, but I trust that we will be together in praying for our nation's leaders, for those serving under arms and for all those in harm's way.
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Rev. Madeline Jervis Honored with Rights Award
Pastor Emerita the Rev. Madeline Jervis is the 2009 individual recipient of the James S. Hunter Human Rights Award presented annually by the Arlington County Human Rights Commission. The award will be presented in a public ceremony, Thursday, Dec. 10, 7:00 p.m., at the county boardroom on the third floor of the county building at 2100 Clarendon Blvd. in Court House.
Madeline served as pastor at Clarendon for more than 20 years, retiring in 2001, and led the congregation through the process of becoming the More Light Presbyterian church in Virginia. The award citation notes her leadership in opening Clarendon's doors to AIDS support groups in the early days of the epidemic when few community organizations welcomed people with AIDS. In addition, Madeline played a pioneering role among women clergy in National Capital Presbytery, and continues to exercise energetic leadership within the Presbytery. She also serves on the national board of More Light Presbyterians.
In addition to Madeline receiving this honor, the Arlington Food Assistance Center, where we bag groceries each month, is being honored by the board this year in the nonprofit category.
Clarendon Presbyterian Church was honored by the board in the nonprofit category in 2005.
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CPC Worship Week
This Sunday is the second Sunday of the season of Advent. We will light the second light of the Advent circle, and listen as the Layno brothers share reflections on what the season has meant in their lives.
Remember that we have begun a few new aspects of worship, as well. At 10:00 a.m., the chimes will sound as usual, but rather than a call to worship, we will share the news of the community and welcome everyone to worship.
Then we will prepare our hearts for worship and begin to praise the Lord.
The texts for the day come from Malachi (3:1-4) and Luke (3:1-6). The meditation is Prepare the Way.
We will do some preparing of our own following worship as we deck the halls and sing songs of the season during coffee time.
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Holiday Events Calendar
Tomorrow we hold our 2nd annual CCCC-CPC cookie decorating
party at 10:00 a.m. We're getting cookies together for the families of
Doorways. If you'd like to prepare some cookies for decorating, please
let Molly know.
As noted above, we continue the celebration on Sunday with "deck the halls" day. Plan to stick around following worship as we sign carols, enjoy sweets and decorate the sanctuary.
Saturday, Dec. 12, Cheryl and David host their annual cookie bake open house from 10:00 a.m. - 3:00 p.m. Come and bake, or come and eat! If there are any leftovers, we'll share them following worship Dec. 13.
We will be supporting the families of Doorways again this season. They welcome gift cards from Target, Safeway, or Giant, and are in particular need of new twin bed sheets in neutral colors. In addition to our work on behalf of those families, we will receive the annual Christmas Joy offering on the final Sunday of Advent.
We will gather for our annual service of lights and lessons on Christmas Eve at 7:00 p.m. We will receive contributions that evening to support AFAC.
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In the Coming Days
The Clarendon Writers' Circle meets again on the Monday, Dec. 14, at 7:00 p.m. The group meets the second and fourth Monday evening of each month, though we will take a break on Dec. 28.
We bag groceries at AFAC on Monday, Dec. 21, at 7:00 p.m. As you can see from the photo above, bagging is an opportunity to serve that includes all ages. Following our work we meet at Cheryl and David's for a simple meal. This month that meal is a potluck.
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