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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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Your NAME Here
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We are making new names tags. If you would like one, please zip me an e-mail (revdocdee@gmail.com) and your own brand new tag will magically appear! Wear it with pride!
Speaking of names: the final draft of the 2010 church directory will be available Sunday. Check your contact information and make any corrections or additions. Last chance before we go to print.
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PLEASE: 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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Please hold Dar Davis in your prayers. Dar's mother died earlier this week in Arizona. Dar will return home next week.
Karen Kimmel is home recovering from out-patient surgery, and we hold her in the light of healing.
Keep Fred Regetz and the entire Regetz family in your prayers as they walk the difficult path of Alzheimer's.
Thanks to Karen for a delicious coffee time Sunday. This week we look forward to sharing the fruits of many laborers gathered at the cookie bake.
Thanks to everyone who helped deck the halls Sunday. The sanctuary looks stunningly beautiful.
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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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Looking to 2010
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The new year will dawn with great promise, and with several opportunities to dig deeper into your faith and our community.
- We will begin a book study of Harvey Cox's The Future of Faith. Watch for details.
- We have a small task force looking at the future of the Dill House, and we will seek congregational input in January.
- Our next Wii Kirk will be Friday, January 29.
- Session retreats to plan on Saturday, January 23.
- Our January congregational meeting is Sunday, January 31.
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This Week @ CPC
Progressive ... Inclusive ... Diverse
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December 2009
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Greetings!
We are now well into  Advent. Are you feeling overwhelmed by the season yet? If you've been out shopping, sending out cards, hitting the various holiday parties and events, or decking your own halls, then the answer is probably, "yes."
This Sunday, slow down just a bit. Take a moment for reflection in the quiet beauty of our sanctuary, and open your heart to some good news.
In such moments of reflection we hear God's call. As a community, we shape ourselves around our several callings.
In the days ahead, consider what the still, small voice of God is nudging you toward.
Are you called to become a member of the congregation? Are you called to help shape a new mission at CPC? Are you called to teach? To lead worship? To deepen your generosity in tithing? To feed the hungry at AFAC? To work for peace? To do justice in our community?
To come to the manger of Christ is to ask ourselves such questions, and offer up our lives in response.
At CPC we have a wellspring of gifts for helping each other listen for God, and discern God's leading in our lives. If you would like to talk about what God is doing in your life, I would love to listen.
There are several opportunities for expressing your faith mentioned in this edition of the news. Check them out, and respond as you feel led.
There are also numerous opportunities to celebrate and enjoy this season:
Thursday evening, the Arlington County Human Rights Commission honors our own Madeline Jervis with the James S. Hunter Human Rights award (see below). Come out and celebrate.
Saturday morning is the annual cookie bake at our house (see below). Come out and celebrate some more!
And Sunday morning our young people will lead us through the gospel text in their own inimitable fashion. Come out and celebrate!
Grace and peace,
David
P.S.:The e-news is now well into its third month. How do you like it? Do you have suggestions for improving it?
If you are receiving multiple copies to multiple addresses and want to cut down, please use the unsubscribe function at the bottom of the page.
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Rev. Madeline Jervis Honored with Rights Award Tonight
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 tonight at 7:00, at the county boardroom on the third floor of the county building at 2100 Clarendon Blvd. in Court House.
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CPC Worship Week
This Sunday is the
third Sunday of the season of Advent. The Rev. Peg True will join in
worship leadership, preaching "Tlehe Message."
We will light
the third light of the Advent circle, and listen as the Evelyn Woodson
shares reflections on a child's Christmas in Wales -- really!
Also
Sunday morning the children will present the gospel story of the
annunciation of the birth of John the Baptist. The young people present
the word in their own style, and you will not want to miss it.
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.
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Tis the Season for Giving
The first week of the drive for pledges for the 2010 budget resulted in pledges totaling a bit more than $33,000. Our goal for the campaign is $97,500, so we are a third of the way there.
If you have not pledged yet, please prayerfully consider doing so. Your pledges make it possible for us to plan reasonably and responsibly for the coming year.
You do not need to be a member of the congregation to make a pledge to our budget.
There are numerous considerations that go into each person's pledge. The Biblical tithe remains a good point of comparison for each of us. Giving is a spiritual practice that transforms our own lives even as it contributes to the transformation of other lives.
Statistically, given the average income in our area, if each of us managed to tithe we would more than double our goal for the year. As Jesus knew, where our treasure goes our hearts will follow. The answers to all of our budget issues can be found in what we are willing to give.
Pledge forms are available at the church office, or print this news and use the coupon form below.
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Holiday Events Calendar Is Winding Down
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! 2017 S. Randolph St. Arlington, 22204. 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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Session Meets Sunday; Welcomes New Elders
The CPC session holds its December meeting this Sunday morning at 11:45. The top of the docket is the examination and reception of Amber Hodgen, Reg Mitchell, and Travis Reindl, as elders elected by the congregation in October.
Session will also act on the final budget for 2010, which will be presented to the congregation at our January 31 meeting.
In addition, session will consider an overture to General Assembly calling the denomination into a season of prayer, study and discernment on the church's response to violence and war.
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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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