The Ward Hill Church Bell Ringer – November 29, 2020 – First Sunday of Advent

No Midweek Meeting This Week – Our next Midweek Meeting will be our Blue Christmas Service on Wednesday, December 9 at 7 pm.

Thank You! – Pastor Alex and Erin are extremely thankful for the Thanksgiving gift card. Thank you for your generosity!

Angel Tree Christmas Gifts – Christmas is coming – in one month! The Angel Tree Christmas gift program for children of prisoners is becoming a wonderful Ward Hill Church tradition! What a great way to serve, and many thanks to Anne Smith for organizing it. We will be serving 8 children from 4 families this year. We need people to either buy gifts or distribute them (or do both!). Please contact Anne Smith if you wish to participate.

Church Calendar & Lectionary

Season:            Advent – Sunday nearest Nov 30 to Dec 24 at sunset

Color:              Purple – preparing our hearts for the Coming King

This Sunday:   First Sunday of Advent – Hope

Sun, Dec 6:      Second Sunday of Advent – Love

Lectionary:     Isaiah 40:1-11; Ps 85:1-2,8-13; 2 Peter 3:8-15a; Mark 1:1-8

Hymns:           198 – Lift Up Your Heads, Ye Mighty Gates!; 193 – Let All

Mortal Flesh Keep Silence; 162–Of the Father’s Love Begotten

Next Season:   Christmas – Twelve Days from December 25 – January 5

Color:             White – celebrating the nativity and childhood of Jesus

Monthly Prayer Focus for November

Local Church Focus:  First Baptist Church, Haverhill – Rick Harrington, pastor 

Missions Focus: 

Community Resources – Food, Clothing, Shelter, & Other Help www.communityactioninc.org/phocadownload/resource_guide_english_october_2017.pdf          National Suicide Hotline:  1-800-273-8255

Refugee Ministries: Interserve USA (interserveusa.com); Emmanuel Gospel Center’s Greater Boston Refugee Ministry (http://www.egc.org/refugee)

Global Crisis Help:  World Relief – worldrelief.org

Information on Persecuted Christians: Open Doors USA – opendoorsusa.org

Monthly Scripture Memory for November

Philippians 4:6-8 (ESV) – 6 Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. 7 And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. 8 Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things.

Catechism: An Outline of the Faith

Q.  What are we by nature?

A.  We are part of God’s creation, made in the image of God.

Q.  What does it mean to be created in the image of God?

A.  It means that we are free to make choices: to love, to create, to reason, and to live in harmony with creation and with God.

Q.  Why then do we live apart from God and out of harmony with creation?

A.  From the beginning, human beings have misused their freedom and made wrong choices.