SONSHINE

December sends so many mixed signals; It’s the end of the year but the beginning of eternal life. It’s the middle of the winter but it’s usually not the coldest month of the year.

As we turn our thoughts to the celebration of the birth of Christ, we also focus our thoughts and deeds on those less fortunate than us.

It seems like the celebration of our Lord’s birth has been co-oped by all sorts of secular
celebrations. It has even become politically incorrect to show any outward signs of Christianity during the holiday named for our Savior. 

While this may anger some of us, we have no one to blame but ourselves. We seem to be perfectly happy to get up on Sunday Morning and put in our time at Church but do we carry that same Christian Responsibility into the rest of the week.

While Christmas shopping last year, I made a point of wishing every salesperson a “Merry Christmas”.
 Not one single person returned that greeting with the same. It was always “Happy Holidays” or some other  secular greeting that seemed to deliberately exclude Christ.

Are we really so afraid of offending others with our belief in Jesus that we are willing to delete him from our everyday lives even during His Birthday Celebration!

We are, as Christians, stewards of His Church and as such, it is our duty and privilege to see that Christ is truly the reason for the celebration.

This Christmas, don’t send any mixed signals; let’s invite Christ into our Christmas.

                                                                                     God Bless and Merry Christmas.

                                                                                                                      Todd Curren
                                                                                                                          Moderator 

December Calendar 2008
 
 6 - Church Decorating - 9:00 am
 7 - 9:00 am Sunday School / 10:00 am Communion Service
14 - 9:00 am Sunday School / 10:00 am Worship Service
14 - 3:00 pm Ecumenical Music Festival
21 - 9:00 am Sunday School / 10:00 am Christmas Cantata
24 - 6:45 pm musical program 7:30 pm Christmas Eve Service
28- 9:00 am Sunday School / 10:00 am Worship Service
No December Meetings
                              Board of Trustee (next meeting will be Jan 13th)
                                 Board of Christian Education (next meeting will be in Feb.)

From the Music Stand

Christmas Choir Fest

 Don’t forget to mark your calendar for our Ecumenical Music Festival on December 14, at 3:00 p.m.  We will be hosting Southside area churches in a celebration of Christmas through music.  Help us welcome our brothers and sisters in Christ as we raise the roof with song!

Christmas Cantata

 We are busy with preparations for our Christmas cantata, Wonderful Name, which will be presented at morning worship on December 21.  This year’s story in song will also include skits featuring congregation members Anna Mae Curren, Jamie and Melissa Johnson, and Emilie Curren.  Our Narrator for the cantata will be Bob Bachman.  Don’t miss it!

Christmas Eve Concert

 As we have done the past few years, this year we will again present a pre-service concert as we gather together on Christmas Eve to celebrate the Lord’s birth.  The concert will begin at 6:45 p.m. and the service will begin at 7:30 p.m.  Be sure to come early and enjoy the celebration.

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Retired Minister and Missionaries Offering 2008

The RMMO is a tangible way American Baptist congregations can honor retired ministers and missionaries or their widowed spouses. The offering provides emergency and other financial assistance, based on financial need, to over 3000 recipients with at least 15 years of dedicated ABC service. The offering is set this year for December 7.

Second Place East Collection
The following is a list of items that are needed at Second Place East at this time:
socks (both men's and women's),
mittens/gloves, hats, scarves,
personal care kits (toothbrush, comb, toothpaste, sm. shampoo, bar of soap, washcloth),
men's underwear (Med & large).
Donations of these items will be received December 14th and 21st.

 Winding Paths

 When British rule in India ended in the 1940’s, a group of social scientists studied it’s impact on the life of the nation.  They discovered after 6 months of study that many of the villages were not aware that the British had ever been there.  The British had been present since the 1600’s, but the average Indian villager lived and died without any knowledge that the British had ever been present.  Many times God is active in our lives, but we are not aware of, or tuned into, His presence directing our lives.  We use Him as a crutch in hard times when He should be our commander at all times.  Recently, there was a 70th class reunion--there were only 6 people left in the class.  These gentlemen are in their late 80’s and traveling very slowly.  It’s like the man who said, “I can’t see. I can’t hear. But, thank God, I can still drive.”  It’s like what Bobby Bowden, the coach of Florida State, said that his wife does all the driving -- he just gets to hold the steering wheel. Once when Troy Aikman was injured, he was unable to play in a game.  This was back in the days when the Cowboy’s were great.  Now they are so bad they have unlisted jerseys.  The second-string quarterback played, but where was Tony?  He was on the sidelines with headphones on.  They are listening to a higher perspective.  They need eyes from above.  We need eyes from above too. Keep your headphones and cell phones on and listen to God’s signals.

                                                                                                                              Pastor Bob

From the E-mail bag:                     ~  Two Little Boys ~

After a hardy rainstorm filled all the potholes in the streets and alleys, a young mother watched her two little boys playing in the puddle through her kitchen window.  The older of the two, a five year old lad, grabbed his sibling by the back of his head and shoved his face into the water hole.
As the boy recovered and stood laughing and dripping, the mother runs to the yard in a panic.
'Why on earth did you do that to your little brother?!' she asks as she shook the older boy in anger. 
'We were just playing 'church' mommy, ' he said.
‘And I was just baptizing him.....in the name of the Father, the Son and in...the hole-he-goes!'

We have several books in our church library for you to enjoy. Help yourself and remember to sign out the books you borrow.

                                                                  Highlights
                                                 (taken from the book jackets)

FRIENDS ARE FRIENDS FOREVE
  written by Michael W. Smith

You know Michael W. Smith as one of contemporary  Christian music’s most popular artists.  He is the composer of such classics as “Great is The Lord,” “I Will Be Here For You,” and “Friends.”  Now get to know him in a brand new way. 
You’ll be captivated by Michael’s vulnerability in relating incidents from his life, offered so that you might learn from his experiences and be challenged to live boldly for Christ.

COMRADES
Brothers, Fathers, Heroes, Sons, Pals 
written by Stephen E. Ambrose

 Comrades is a celebration of male friendships.  Acclaimed historian Stephen Ambrose begins his examination with a glance inward--he starts this book with his brothers, his first and forever friends, and the shared experiences that join them for a lifetime, overcoming distance and misunderstandings.
 Comrades concludes with the author’s recollection of his own friendship with his father.  “He was my first and always most important friend,” Ambrose writes. “I didn’t learn that until the end, when he taught me the most important thing, that the love of father-son-father-son is a continuum, just as love and friendship are expansive.”

SONSHINE
Please have any information you would like in our monthly newsletter, to me by the 20th of each month.

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   Email - tcurren@npacc.net
   Phone - 570 -537-2077 

                                                             Thank you, Pam Curren

              Our church website www.pinecityabc.com

Pastor Bob Stokes, Interim Pastor
767-6750 (parsonage)
734-8384 (church)

Sunday School 9:00 A.M.  (last day will be June 8th)
 Worship Hour 10:00 A.M.
See you on Sunday!