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Christmas Eve Candlelight Service
Thursday, December 24
5:30pm (Online)

Our online service will combine features of the two distinct services (one family/ children-focused, the other traditional with choir) we have provided in past years - and hope to return to in 2021! The service will be available online beginning at 5:30pm and can be accessed any time after that. (CLICK HERE to visit Concord's home page for the link.)
 

First Sunday of Christmas - December 27
Pastor Steve Clark preaching

    "Center Christ" by Lauren Wright Pittman

     For this Sunday, READ Luke 2:22-40 and REFLECT: As you read this story, what details stand out for you? If you've read/heard this story before, is there anything you hadn't noticed before? Pick one of the characters in story (Mary, Joseph, Simeon, or Anna) and think of a question you would like to ask them. Then imagine a possible response they might make to your question.
     Artist's Statement: "This passage highlights postures of faithfulness. After intense interactions with angels and seemingly impossible directives from God, Mary and Joseph remain faithful to the Mosaic law. Despite a long life of anticipation, Simeon remains faithfully diligent, awaiting the coming Messiah. After losing her husband and living a long, solitary life, Anna faithfully worships, fasts, and prays at the temple. Their faithful journeys converge at the temple where Jesus is to be designated holy before the Lord. I wanted the composition of this image to emphasize the focus of the actions and words of Simeon and Anna. Instead of centering themselves, they center Christ."
     TO JOIN US in worship this Sunday, December 27, CLICK ON THE PICTURE above to go to our Concord website. Near the bottom of the home page, click on the same picture to connect with the worship video. The worship video will be accessible after 9:00am each Sunday morning. 
 

Our weekly MUG & MUFFIN study meets again next Wed., December 30 from 10:00-11:00am, led by Rev. Kathie Pownall. To join the Zoom gathering, follow the instructions below.

To join ONLINE, click on this link.

To join by CALLING IN:
(1) dial 646-558-8656
(2) If asked, enter the meeting number 879-780-5150 (no dashes)
(3) When asked for participant ID, just press the # sign
(4) When asked for meeting password, enter 489133, followed by the # sign

The Church Office, as well as Concord Preschool and Childcare, will be closed until Monday, January 4, 2021. Email and phone messages will be checked periodically, and yearend donations and pledges can be made online, mailed, or dropped through the mail slot in the exterior office door. In the event of a pastoral emergency, Rev. Kathie Pownall can be reached on 302/373-7127.
 

Online worship services for December 27 and January 3 will be accessible on Concord's website at 9:00am each Sunday morning. There will be no Concord Connects on December 31; the next issue will be distributed Thursday, January 7. 

Concord's Youth Group preparing to deliver Reverse Advent Calendar donations to Hanover Food Pantry last Sunday. Many thanks to all who participated.

Cookie decorating at the Rowe house.
Note that syringes are not just for vaccines 😉

It's a Very Kitten Christmas at Kathie Pownall's house this year! 

Prayers of joy and congratulations to Ray Ciabattoni and Ashley Chase, married on Tuesday afternoon in Concord's sanctuary.
Prayers of sympathy for Elinor Weaver and family -  Elinor's sister Jane from TX passed away last week. Elinor and her sister were very close, speaking by phone almost every day.
Prayers of condolence for the family of Christina Pressley's friend Karen Leary, whose sister died suddenly last week. Karen's husband Jeff had passed away unexpectedly in June.
Condolences also for the family of Marj Johnson's friend Carol. She died shortly after beginning hospice care.
Healing prayers for Dottie Harding's mother Polly Rowlett, who underwent emergency surgery Friday evening for a serious lumbar hernia. Following her hospital stay, she will go to rehab before returning to her assisted living facility in Williamsburg, VA.  
Prayers of thanks that Gail Greene is feeling well and able to enjoy food once again.
Prayers for Jo Ann Cipolla, scheduled to undergo surgery this Monday.
Prayers for the Jewetts' 4-year-old grandson Jay, hospitalized again with a severe peanut allergy.
Prayers of healing for Sally Coulson who injured her shoulder in a fall.
Prayers of gratitude that Gail Dill's grandson Nic is on the road to recovery from mononucleosis.
Prayers for Gerry Crock's friend Jackie Hathaway who lives at Maris Grove and has contracted COVID.
Prayers of thanks that the first doses of COVID vaccine have arrived in the state and are being administered to our frontline healthcare workers. Prayers for those responsible for distributing and administering the vaccine.
*** 
A Diaspora Prayer Group prays on Mondays at 9:00am for those on the church prayer list (of which this is just a part). If you would like to add names/needs to this list and this ministry of prayer, click here: info@concordpc.org.

     The Christmas Joy Offering has been a cherished Presbyterian tradition since the 1930s. The Offering distributes gifts equally to the Assistance Program of the Board of Pensions and to Presbyterian-related schools and colleges equipping communities of color. The Assistance Program provides critical financial support to church workers and their families. Presbyterian-related schools and colleges provide education and leadership development while nurturing racial and ethnic heritage.

     We will receive the Christmas Joy Offering throughout the month of December. Checks can be made payable to Concord Church, memo: Christmas Joy. Donations can also be made online - just send an email to Treasurer Ron McKinney to let him know that the gift is for the Christmas Joy Offering. 

                                                                   (Cris Barrish/WHYY)
Friendship House & New Castle County Code Purple

     Covid has changed many things, including how to help people facing homelessness this winter. When the county asked Friendship House to host Code Purple at the Hope Center (the former Sheraton Hotel near Newport), FH Executive Director Kim Eppehimer agreed. The Hope Center will be open for guests Dec. 15, just in time for the first snowstorm of the year. So far, 69 guests have registered to come, with many more expected. Read more about this ambitious undertaking on the FH blog and the WHYY website.
     Many have asked what you can do to help. If Covid-19 guidelines allow, FH will offer volunteer opportunities. They need hygiene items such as toothbrushes, toothpaste, and soap. They will also need non-perishable food items such as bottled water and individually wrapped snacks. Also socks, underwear, and winter items. Donations will be accepted at the Friendship House Administrative Office in Wilmington and the Boxwood Empowerment Center in Newport. Early next year, Concord will look at sponsoring a collection drive to help meet these needs. 

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