Sunday at SPUMC - Dec. 13th, 2009

What a FABulous day at church!

Education Hour started with some great discussions:
* The Children learned about Jesus being the Son of God and were encouraged to thank someone who has taught them about Jesus and sharing the wonderful gift of Christ!
* The Confirmands met with their parents and Pastor Penny to watch the NOOMA video, "Shells" - a discussion about all the ways we find ourselves "too busy" and wondering what our focuses in life should be...
* Wired Word was led by Andrea this weekend - and the topic was an interesting one! The new Uganda laws pertaining to homosexuality, prison time, and the death sentence - how should we, as Christians, respond to this? And how can we live out our daily lives following the commandment to "love our neighbors as ourselves"?
* The Advent Conspiracy group focused on how to bring meaning to our holiday celebrations without focusing on money and materials.

Worship was a celebration today! Jennifer and Bennet lit the Advent wreath... Mark reminded us in the children's chat that one of the most simple and ordinary things we can do this holiday season is give food and gifts to Neighbor's, Inc, to help out other families! Pastor Penny briefly spoke about the "Ordinary" people around the dinner table and in Jesus' family tree... That sometimes the "ordinary" ones can bring the greatest gifts to us all! Think of Mary! Popcorn was handed out as a reminder of an "ordinary" way to spend time with the family and friends in this month of simplicity... Play a game, listen to each other talk about your days, or pray together!

Then... the choir performance! We thank our choir and Jennifer for all their hard work! It was beautiful! Sandy played her harp and sang a solo, Janet and Peter sang solos, and it was wonderful!

Afterward, just about everyone sat down to a warm, yummy breakfast of egg bake, muffins, and COOKIES! What a fun way to celebrate the holiday season together! Thanks to our hosts for doing an amazing job!

Remember: Next, week is the Children's Choir Performance - AND we're asking everyone to bring in their Nativity Scenes for a display of all the variety and beauty they bring to our decorations and traditions!