ADVENT DURING COVID TIMES
First Congregational UCC in Albuquerque is preparing for a drive-through event on November 29th 12:30-2:30 pm. It will include a drive and drop donation for their outreach programs and a drive through to decorate their outdoor tree. Folks are asked to make an ornament(s) at home and bring it to be added to the outdoor tree. The theme for Advent this year is “Those Who Dream”.
On each of the four Sundays in Advent, Casas Adobes will offer an opportunity to drop by the plaza in front of the main sanctuary doors for a time of masked and safely distanced in-person self-guided prayer and contemplation in view of the Advent wreath. The space will be open between 9:00 and 10:30 on Sundays. The appropriate candles will be lit on the wreath, there will be recorded Advent music playing, and a devotional sheet will be provided with Scripture, questions, and guided prayer and contemplation. You are welcome to pause for a moment or sit in the space and soak in the Spirit.
Last Advent season, folks were invited to bring their favorite Christmas ornaments to First Christian Church in Las Cruces to hang on the tree in the sanctuary. This year, the church would still like to gather and display everyone's ornaments, only in a different way- by everyone taking a picture of the ornaments and then emailing them in. Each Sunday during Advent, the ornaments will be inserted into the PowerPoint slides that accompany the service. This will provide a way to add meaning and beauty to worship.
During Advent at Black Mountain UCC, Pastor Jayne, and others will lead a wonderful time together on Tuesday Nights at 7 pm beginning December 1. This will be a time to sing carols, hear some special music, listen to beautiful readings, and enjoy fellowship time. It will be broadcast live on a Zoom link so folks can talk with each other, show off their home decorations or share any special traditions they have.
To help recreate the feeling of Advent in the sanctuary, the Worship Team at Scottsdale UCC invites folks to try their hand at making their own Advent wreath to light right along with the Advent candle during worship each Sunday! There are some cool DIY posts on Pinterest with instructions. Many of them can be replicated with items you already have at home! …Or you can use those ideas to spark your creative imagination and design something that’s entirely unique to you and your family! If all else fails, Michael’s carries kits that are quite reasonably priced and easy to assemble.
Folks look forward to doing some Advent wreath Show & Tell in worship during the Advent season!
IN OTHER NEWS
Church of the Good Shepherd in Albuquerque released a Capital Campaign Update!
To date, they have received $61,570 in cash donations from $92,470 in pledges, well exceeding their original goal of $50,000 in donations. Well done! Now all those work projects can begin.
To raise awareness of the plight of 545 immigrant children who were separated from their parents at the border and have not been reunified, First Congregational UCC in Albuquerque will erect a cage on the corner of Girard and Lomas. This Social Justice artwork will have a Nativity locked inside to symbolize the plight of these children separated from their families. It is a powerful reminder of the plight of the Holy Family as they fled to escape Herod’s persecution. The cage will have signage that reads “We must do better. Reunite Families. Donate to TogetherRising.org or to everylastone.org”, organizations that are devoted to re-unifying children and families.
Looking for something entertaining and meaningful to do during the pandemic? Join the WISE Committee at Desert Palm for a discussion of the movie Crip Camp: a Disability Revolution. The film, which documents the struggle to secure the Americans with Disability Act, is available on Netflix and on YouTube at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OFS8SpwioZ4. Watch it at your leisure and join for a discussion Wed. night, December 2nd at 7PM. You can find the zoom invite on the online calendar (on the DPUCC home page click on connect and the calendar is one of the drop down menu options.) AND, one of the participants in the film will join the discussion live from CA to talk about the making of the film and the disability rights movement!