Author: Ron Hall

Highwater Congregational United Church of Christ
1213 Dutch Lane Rd, Newark, Ohio 43055 740-745-1281
highchurch@windstream.net http://www.highwaterchurch.org
December 3rd, 2017
“Highwater Congregational United Church of Christ, will be an active family of faith in North Central Licking County, dedicated to building awareness of God, Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit through meaningful worship, diverse service, and genuine fellowship.” - Mission Statement

“A prison cell, in which one waits, hopes, and does various unessential things, and is completely dependent upon the fact that the door of freedom must be opened ‘from the outside’ is not a bad picture of Advent.”
-Dietrich Bonhoeffer, in a letter from prison during WWII. Bonhoeffer was a German pastor and theologian who was imprisoned for vocal opposition to Hitler’s regime. Bonhoeffer was hanged in prison as the war was ending.

Rev. Scott Schieber, Pastor
Joyce Oyler, Licensed Associate Pastor
Mark McKimmins, Moderator
Debbie Smetts, Office Administrator / Newsletter Editor
Congregation, Ministers All
Pianist: 8:30a Cathy Bero 10:30a Judy Grace
Liturgist: 8:30a Larry Wright 10:30a Ethan Barnes
Acolyte: Nick Patton
(Please note: If able, Lay Reader takes up offering weekly, and will help with communion if signed up for 1st Sunday. Greeters and Ushers will help with Communion the 1st Sunday. Thank you)

December 3rd First Sunday in Advent - HOPE
8:30a.m. & 10:30a.m. Service
* = stand if you are able † = 10:30 a.m. service only †† = 8:30 a.m. service only

Proclamation of Praise
Prelude / Acolytes / Ringing of the Bell
Welcome / Announcements
* Hymn of Praise O Come, O Come Emmanuel # 123 Gray
Call to Worship
Leader: The Christmas Spirit is that hope which tenaciously clings to the hearts of the faithful.
People: It is the hope that announces, in the faces of any Herods the world can produce
and all the inn doors slammed in our faces;
Leader: it is the hope that says to all the dark nights of our souls that with God, all things are possible;
People: that even now, unto us a child is born!
Advent Candle Liturgy
Leader: In this season of Advent, we wait for the coming of Hope into our world. We await the birth of the Christ-child, the coming of God into our lives in a new way.
People: We are a people of hope. Our hearts are full of anticipation for the coming of our beloved Christ Child. For God is to be among us and we will see a great light in the midst of our night. Let us light the Candle of Hope.
Children’s Message †
Old Testament Text Isaiah 2:1-5 (NRSV)
The word that Isaiah son of Amoz saw concerning Judah and Jerusalem.
2 In days to come the mountain of the Lord’s house shall be established as the highest of the mountains, and shall be raised above the hills; all the nations shall stream to it. 3 Many peoples shall come and say, “Come, let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, to the house of the God of Jacob; that he may teach us his ways and that we may walk in his paths.” For out of Zion shall go forth instruction, and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem. 4 He shall judge between the nations, and shall arbitrate for many peoples; they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruning hooks; nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war any more.
Leader This is the Word of the Lord! People Thanks be to God!
* Gloria Patri
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost; As it was in the
beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.

Liturgy of Holy Communion
Prayer of Confession:
O God, the journey through Advent can be exhausting, stressful and confusing. At times, hope eludes us, peace is out of the question, and joy seems impossible. We confess, once again, our need for your coming into our lives and into our world. Open our ears and our eyes so that we may see the glory of the Lord and hear the voices of angels. Strengthen our hands and our hearts so that we may share your love, for the sake of the world you seek to save, through Jesus Christ. Amen.
Assurance of Pardon Passing the Peace Invitation to the Table
Communion Prayer Words of Remembrance Distribution
Prayer of Thanksgiving
Almighty God, we give you thanks for the gift of our Savior’s presence in the simplicity and splendor of this holy meal. Unite us with all who are fed by Christ’s body and blood, that we may faithfully proclaim the good news of your love, and that your universal church may be a rainbow of hope in an uncertain world. Amen.
Children Dismissed for Sunday School
Homily on Isaiah 2:1-5 Pastor Scott Schieber
Joys and Concerns / Pastoral Prayer /Lord’s Prayer
Candle Dedication: In Celebration of Quinn Preston’s Birthday.
Prayers for Our UCC Congregations: and the CSEOA Personnel Committee
Sharing of our Tithes and Offerings / Offertory
* Doxology
Praise God from whom all blessings flow, Praise Him all creatures here below,
Praise Him above ye heavenly host; Praise Father, Son and Holy Ghost. Amen
* Offertory Prayer
* Hymn Let All Mortal Flesh Keep Silence # 345 NCH
New Testament Text I Corinthians 1:3-9 (NRSV)
Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
4 I give thanks to my[a] God always for you because of the grace of God that has been given you in Christ Jesus, 5 for in every way you have been enriched in him, in speech and knowledge of every kind— 6 just as the testimony of[b] Christ has been strengthened among you— 7 so that you are not lacking in any spiritual gift as you wait for the revealing of our Lord Jesus Christ. 8 He will also strengthen you to the end, so that you may be blameless on the day of our Lord Jesus Christ. 9 God is faithful; by him you were called into the fellowship of his Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.
Homily on I Corinthians 1:3-9 Pastor Joyce Oyler
* Hymn Come, Thou Long-Expected Jesus # 124 Gray
Benediction / Response - A Nativity Prayer # 126 Gray
O Holy child of Bethlehem! Descend to us, we pray; Cast out our sin, and enter in; be born in us today.
Postlude

If you have children…
-Newborn – pre-school A Cry Room is available for your use during the worship service. It is located above the Sanctuary. You can use the stairs located through the door directly to the left as you exit the main doors of the Sanctuary. You can hear and see the service from this room..
-Pre-K – K (pre-K means that your child will start kindergarten in the upcoming school year)…your child is invited to Sunday School with our BUGs (Born Under God’s Sun), which meets in the Lower Level Learning Center. To get to the LLLC, exit the sanctuary, go down the steps, and turn left and find the doorway which leads to the steps leading into the LLLC. The BUGS receive a Biblical lesson, usually the same scriptures we discover in our worship service and do some activities around the scripture lesson. Sunday School ends shortly after our worship service ends.
-1st Grade – 6th Grade…your child is invited to Sunday School with our TIGERs (Trusting In God for Every Reason), which meets in the Lower Level Learning Center. To get to the LLLC, exit the sanctuary, go down the steps, and turn left and find the doorway which leads to the steps leading into the LLLC. The TIGERs receive a Biblical lesson, usually the same scriptures we discover in our worship service and do some activities around the scripture lesson. Sunday School ends shortly after our worship service ends.
Sunday School
Teaching the BUGS in December, (Pre-K and K)
Kathy Preston and Janine Shipley
Pageant Practice TIGERs
December 3rd, 10th at 10:30a
Dress Rehearsal for all Children
December 17th at 11:30a
(TIGERs will remain in Sanctuary for Music Sunday on the 17th)
9:30a Worship Service on the 24th No Sunday School
If you are visiting…
Welcome! We pray that you’ll find our worship service meaningful and uplifting, and our congregation welcoming and friendly. We know that coming to a new church can be a little uncomfortable. If we can assist you in any way, please let us know! During the worship service, please be sure to provide contact information on our pew pads so Pastor Scott can reach out and thank you for attending.
Thank You for Serving …...
Greeters and Ushers for December 3rd - Open
† (Please note: If able, Greeters take up offering weekly, and help with communion on 1st Sunday. Thank you.)

Announcements and Information
Monday Noon Bible Study - Through December. Advent Study: Faithful Christians through the eyes of Joseph (Hamilton).
Choir /Chimes Practice - Chimes will play on Sunday December 10th and our Choir will sing on Sunday December 17th. Dec 3rd Chimes Practice 9:30a , Choir Practice 9:50a. December 10th Chimes at 9:30a, Choir at 9:50a. And December 17th Choir Practice 9:30a.
Christmas Pageant / Family Lasagna Nite- Wednesday, December 20th. Please sign up to bring desserts and salads or bread. We will have dinner at 6p and the Pageant will follow at 6:45p
Advent Series - Wednesday nights:
Be Still, a Time for Quiet Devotion and Discussion - Wednesday, December 6th and Wednesday, December 13th Devotion from 7-7:45p.
WISH Christmas Progressive Dinner- Monday, December 11th beginning with appetizers at 6p at Debbie Smetts’s Home, 7p Dinner at Janet Goodman’s Home, 8p Dessert and Sock Exchange at Cindy Campbell’s Home. Ladies, please see sign-up sheet outside library for details.
UCC Christmas Fund - For 116 years, the Christmas Fund for the Veterans of the Cross and the Emergency Fund has been a tangible expression of God’s love and light in the world. One of the four Special Mission Offerings of the United Church of Christ, the Christmas Fund provides UCC congregations and members an opportunity to reach out in kindheartedness to those who have faithfully shepherded our Church and who now find themselves facing unexpected financial needs. In 2016, UCC congregations and members generously contributed $1,562,260 to the Offering. This enabled the United Church Board for Ministerial Assistance, the charitable arm of the Pension Boards, to provide, on behalf of the whole Church, Supplementation of Small Annuities, Retiree Health Premium Supplementation, Emergency Grants, and Christmas “Thank You” Gift Checks to individuals and families in need. The theme of the 2017 Christmas Fund Offering is Shepherding the Light, and our goal is to raise $1.7 million to help support these ministries of light and love. The recipients of these gifts have faithfully served the church and now, in their time of need, we can be the church to them. We invite and encourage you to shepherd God’s light and support this year’s appeal. Please read the inserts for personal stories. We will collect for this special offering on Christmas Eve Nite.

Highwater Congregational United Church of Christ Prayer List
Prayer Concerns within our Family of Faith:
Betty Nash Gayle Gibson Bob Tucker Dave Nash Larry Steele Larry Smetts
Susan Hatch Ned Campbell Joy Smith Rev. Ed Lopeman Laurie Garno
Prayers for our Shut-ins:
JoAnn Gault, Bruce & Carolyn Claggett, Goldie Campbell, Rosie Shipley
Prayers for Our UCC Congregations: and the CSEOA Personnel Committee
Prayers for Our Greater Church Family: (This list to start over every month)

John Stout
Sharon Mummey
Mark Frick
Carl Richards
Marsha King
Genene Gerhart
Evajean Greenlun
Stewart Krulikoski & Family
Theresa Gonda
Marge Davis
Norman Burgel
Bill Spray
Joy Robertson
Sherry Gibson
Shirlie Cannon

Kathy Barch
Ellen Alheim
Darrell Rinker
Sarah Kaiser
Abby Combs
Donald Davis

Samantha Buchanan
Jim Buyer
Chris Bradley

Continued prayers for all the troops that protect and serve this country and prayers of comfort for their
families as they wait for their safe return. Holly McKimmins and Tanner MacLachlan.
In memoriam for the Family of: Thelma Layman

Angel Tree Gifts need
returned by December 10th

Pastor Scott / Available / Noon Bible Study / In Library / Happy Birthday / Rachel Vaughan	Pastor Scott / Available / Happy Birthday / Ginger / Williams-Carr	Pastor Scott / Available / 7a-10a / Debbie in Church / Office / 7p / Advent / Devotion / Series	Pastor Scott / Available / 7a-12p / Debbie in Church / Office	Happy Birthday / Bill Goodman / Kathy Preston	Happy Birthday / Maddie Parrill / Kody Atherton	8:30a / Worship Service / 9:30a / Chimes Practice / 9:50a / Choir Practice / 10:30a / Worship Service / 10:30a / Pageant Practice / Happy Birthday / Dennis Cox

Help is needed as we prepare to leave Pilgrim Hills and transition to Templed Hills. Can we assemble a Highwater workgroup to donate a Saturday at camp? If you are interested, please email Pastor Joyce at oylerjl@gmail.com. Once we have a group identified, we will determine a date that works well for camp and for us.

This Week at Highwater, Deember 4th7th —December 10th

Monday 4	Tuesday 5	Wednesday 6	Thursday 7	Friday 8	Saturday 9	Sunday 10

Pastor Scott (c) 614 - 226 -1314
Pastor Joyce (c) 614 - 595- 4771

Scripture for December 10th
Advent II—Peace
Isaiah 40:1-11 John 16:20-33

Internet Access In Sanctuary:
Network: Highwater_almond
Password: Highwater1