Prayer & Worship 2015

Prayer

This is a two section guide

Section A

&Worship December 2015

Supplement to The News Sun, The Star, The Herald Republican and The Butler Bulletin December 15, 2015 and The Garrett Clipper December 17, 2015.

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December 2015

INDEX Rev. Merle R. Holden ....................................................A3 102 N. Main Street, Kendallville, IN 46755 (260) 347-0400 www.kpcnews.com

Pastor Jill Wright ...........................................................A6 Pastor Jean Ness .............................................................A8

Terry G. Housholder thousholder@kpcmedia.com President/Publisher

Pastor Sam Hoffman ......................................................A13

Michael Swann mswann@kpcmedia.com Advertising Director

Pastor Mike Albaugh......................................................A14

Ann Saggars asaggars@kpcmedia.com Creative Manager

Pastor Daryl Emowrey ...................................................A17

Tracey Robideau Special Section Designer & Paginator

Minister Brian M. Walter ...............................................A18 Daisy Reinhart Graphic Designer

Church Services Directory ............................... A20, B19, B20 ACCOUNT EXECUTIVES

Kelly Anderson Charlene Condon Jenny Ernsberger Jeff Jones Cindy Miller Terri Myers Michele Trowbridge Machele Waid Sue Yeager

Brother Bud Ownes........................................................B3 Rev. Derrick Sneyd ........................................................B6 Rev. Steve Bahrt .............................................................B8

Randy Mitchell Chief Executive Officer

Pastor Betty Sivis ...........................................................B10

S. Rick Mitchell Chief Financial Officer

The News Sun, The Herald Repubican, The Star, The Butler Bulletin, The Garrett Clipper are publications of KPC Media Group Inc. ©2015 All rights reserved

Pastor Dr. Marcus J. Carlson..........................................B12 Pastor Tim Miller ...........................................................B14 Pastor Tim Terrell...........................................................B16

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December 2015

To me Christmas reminds me that God gave us the greatest of all gifts when he sent his son to die on a cross to be the once and for all time sacrifice for our sins!

Over and over in the Old Testament the Holy Bible records God making agreements with his people and his people violating those agreements over

Prayer & Worship

What Christmas means to me REV. MERLE R. HOLDEN New Life Lutheran Church, Waterloo

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and over!

Once God’s people were slaves in Egypt and they prayed to be released!

So God performed many miracles to have them released and yet at the first sign of any trouble they turned against God! But God still loved them so he sent his Son! Now a whole new agreement!

Those who accept Christ as their Lord and Truly Risen Savior and seek to follow him will spend eternity with Christ in heaven!

Now we no longer have to sacrifice a lamb or a bird when we sin!

Rather we can repent of our sins and

to come & celebrate Christmas with us

Masses:

Sun., Dec. 20 8:00 a.m. & 10:30 a.m.

Christmas Eve Thursday evening 5:30 p.m. & Midnight Christmas Day 9:00 a.m.

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ask God to forgive our sins and since Christ paid the price for our forgiveness on the cross we can be assured our sins are forgiven!

Because of this great gift those who accept Christ as their Lord and Savior and seek to follow him have the absolute and total assurance of spending eternity with Christ in heaven!

When the Christian dies he leaves the land of the dying and enters the land of the living!

Each day on earth we are one step closer to dying but in heaven death and dying are no more!

As mere humans it really is impossible

for us to truly comprehend heaven!

Here is that the great Apostle Paul said about heaven: â&#x20AC;&#x153;No one has seen, no ear has heard, no mind has conceived what God has prepared for those who love him. â&#x20AC;&#x153;1 Corinthians 2:9 NIV Paul was actually taken up into heaven and given a glimpse of it so he knew what he was talking about!

I am also reminded that Christ will come again!

This time every eye shall see him!

Every knee shall bow!

So be ready for we do not the time or the hour of our Lordâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s return!

Merry Christmas!

Come & Celebrate Godâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Greatest Gift to Us Wednesday Evening Advent Services:

TLC Preschool Christmas Program:

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Drive Thru Nativity:

Candlelight Christmas Eve Service:

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Sunday School Christmas Program:

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Christmas Day Service: -YPKH` +LJLTILY H[ ! H T

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December 2015

Sunday, December 20 10:15 AM ~ Norris Chapel Choir performing the Cantata “Breath of Heaven”

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Remembering the Reason for the Season

Thursday, December 24 6:30 PM ~ Candlelight Christmas Eve Service

NORRIS C HAPEL U M 4793 CR 40A, Auburn

SEBERT OIL COMPANY, INC.

5 miles east of Auburn at intersection of CR 40A and CR 47

www.sebertoilco.com

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For additional info, please check out our webpage at www.norrischapel.org and click on the newsletter page.

ETHODIST CHURCH

501 S. Broadway Butler 260-868-2191 800-292-6568

Hours: Mon.-Fri. 8:00 AM-5:00 PM

Happy Holidays!

Thank you for making us your first choice

1917 Dowling St., Kendallville, IN • 260-343-0000 • www.kendallvillehie.com

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December 2015

Honor Jesus on his birthday Christmas is not our birthday, nor most likely is it the birthday of anyone in our family. In fact, most people who have birthdays in December, and specifically on PASTOR JILL December 25th feel WRIGHT left out because Ligonier United their birthdays, their special days Methodist Church are diminished.

Christmas is about Jesusâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; birthday; and his birthday is unimportant except we, as Christians believe in Easter, believe in the resurrection and we believe in the life that Jesus offers us through the grace of forgiveness. Therefore we celebrate Christmas, but our celebration should be different than the rest of the worldâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s celebration.

So each year about this time, I ask

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myself, â&#x20AC;&#x153;What can I do to honor Jesus on his birthday?â&#x20AC;?, rather than ask the question, â&#x20AC;&#x153;what should I get everybody for Christmasâ&#x20AC;?. The answer has always been clear, donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t get more stuff for your family or others that donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t need one more thing, but follow Jesusâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; words from Matthew 25. Jesus has said, â&#x20AC;&#x153; look out for those who are hungry, thirsty, in need of clothes, are in prison, or sick, or are strangers in our landâ&#x20AC;?. Therefore, our family has stopped giving extravagant gifts to each other. Instead we have turned our attention to the need for fresh water in Africa, specifically, Burkina Faso.

In February 2013, I had the privilege of joining 14 other pastors and church leaders from Northern Indiana on a trip to Burkina Faso to see firsthand the needs of those in the 2nd most miserable country in the world (according to BusinessInsider) Fresh water is a critical need because many remote villages are without a clean fresh water

Join Us for Worship this Christmas

source. Many other countries in Africa suffer from a similar plight. In addition, they are in need of sanitation facilities, food, and ways to be employed. The current unemployment rate is 77%.

For me, Christmas means worshipping fully, giving more, spending less, and loving all. Jesus came to change the world, and Christmas can still change the world, but we as Christians must first change the way we look at Christmas and celebrate Christmas. If we give more of ourselves (our time) to those we love rather than spend money on gifts that arenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t needed, we can make a difference in the world by spending our funds more wisely. (From 1999 to 2014, gifts card sales increased from $19 billion to $124 billion. An estimated $750 million in cards went unused.) If we give more of ourselves, we can have fuller, richer relationships that allow us to love all. Our relationships help build up our communities. Jesus calls us to love the unlovable. In Matthewâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s 5th

Merry Christmas

Christmas Eve Eve Family Candlelight Service Wednesday, December 23 â&#x20AC;˘ 7 p.m. at the Crosswalk Facility adjacent to the Ligonier United Methodist Church.

Family friendly service, childrenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s program, Christmas carol singing.

Christmas Eve Candlelight & Communion Thursday, December 24 â&#x20AC;˘ 11 p.m. at the Ligonier United Methodist Church Traditional service with the Christmas story and hymns.

â&#x20AC;&#x153;Not a Silent Nightâ&#x20AC;?

Sunday Worship 9 a.m. Traditional (Ligonier United Methodist Church) 10:30 a.m. Modern (Crosswalk) 2:30 p.m. Nuevo Principio (Crosswalk)

Ligonier United Methodist Church

chapter, Jesus said, â&#x20AC;&#x153; If you love those who love you, what reward will you get?

Are not even the tax collectors doing that? And if you greet only your own people, what are you doing more than others? Do not even pagans do that?â&#x20AC;?

Reaching out to others helps make a difference right where we are. That gift cannot be measured and has a lasting impact on our families, our communities, and to the world. In situations like in Burkina Faso or other places in Africa, we can make a difference by funding the building of fresh water wells and there is always a need for teams to go and build those wells, so we can build relationships with villages across the ocean.

Please join me in finding new ways to honor Jesus on his birthday. Find ways to worship fully. Find ways to give more of yourself. Find ways to spend less, but spend more wisely. And finally, love all. We can love because Jesus first loved us.

601 W. North Street, Kendallville, IN (260) 242-5500 Advertising Partners with:

466 Townline Road, Ligonier, IN 46767 260-894-3765 â&#x20AC;˘ www.ligumc.org Pastor Jill Wright 10/6

December 2015

Come worship with us at St. Paul Chapel

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DRIVE-THRU LIVE NATIVITY SUNDAY, DEC. 20 • 5-8 PM

Christmas Eve, Thursday, Dec. 24 • 8:00 PM Christmas Day, Friday, Dec. 25 • 9:00 AM 8780 E 700 N, Fremont, IN 46737 www.stpaulcatholicchapel.org

CHRISTMAS EVE Thursday, Dec. 24 Mass Times: Children’s Mass 5:00 PM Midnight Mass: 10:00 PM

CHRISTMAS DAY Friday, Dec. 25 • 10:00 AM

St. Anthony of Padua Church 700 W. Maumee St., Angola, IN 46703 www.stanthonyangola.com @STANTHONYANGOLA

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December 2015

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Room at the table

In our family, we have a holiday tradition. We gather together to make chocolates and candies. We place them in Christmas themed papers and then carefully package them to use as gifts.

This tradition has grown over the years and now includes lots of help - my daughters and their husbands/fiancées, PASTOR my husband, my JEAN NESS sister, my mother, my sisters-in-law Howe United and an occasional friend or neighbor.

Methodist Church It’s a great day of laughter, good-natured hassling (they don’t call me the Quality Control Queen for nothing!) creating and eating. But it wasn’t always like this.

I started this process when Pete, my husband, and I had more time than money. We needed a memorable gift to give to farming landlords and we didn’t have the funds to do it. So I began dipping chocolates. It was small-scaled back then. My first year I bought 3 pounds of milk chocolate, 2 pounds of white chocolate and 1 pound of dark chocolate. I worked on the chocolates at night after we put the girls to bed.

But as the years went on, his farming operation grew and so did the opportunity to give landlord gifts. I added more chocolate and worked more evenings.

Fortunately, the girls started getting older and I included them in the candy preparations. It’s grown from there.

Last year, I bought 12 pounds of milk chocolate, 8 pounds of white, and 5 pounds of dark chocolate to dip! The volume of chocolate has increased, the girls have grown up and helping circle has gotten larger. The fun has gotten larger and better, too! It’s so much more fun to do this with a group than by myself late in the evening.

One big difference in the big group candy-making and my solo candy-making is the preparation. I have to be ready for lots of help. I have to have all the chocolate purchased and centers made. All of the papers and all of the boxes must be gathered or purchased. And I have to gather all of the other supplies, like cookie sheets, we’ll need for the candy making so that the group can just get busy. I prepare each year so the group can gather and have fun. God did some major prepara-

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tion work before the first Christmas, too. God had given notice of what God would do through the prophets down through the ages. Isaiah 7:14 says, Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign: The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel. God called a young woman and her fiancé to be Jesus’ parents. And God sent Jesus as a baby.

After his birth, God chose to give notice of the birth of our Savior to a strange group - the shepherds. (You can read about this in Luke 2:8-20.) They were second class citizens. They were not respected. But God honored them by announcing the birth to them first and announcing it with a resounding angel chorus. The shepherds joined the holy family to worship the newly born king.

Later, Magi, wise men from the East, joined the family to worship the new king. (This story is in Matthew 2:1-12) The moral of this beginning? You’re never too poor or too humble of circumsatances to join God’s table and you’re never too rich or important to join God’s table. God wants all people to be a part of the community of faith. God wants a relationship with everyone. God invites all people to God’s table!

And somehow, because God wants a relationship with all people, there’s always room at God’s table, too. Even though Jesus was born into a single family he didn’t keep his message small for long. When he began his ministry he called twelve people to help him – the disciples. Those disciples learned from Jesus about his intention to have a relationship with all of the people of the world. They began sharing the Good News of Jesus Christ with their friends and neighbors and the group following Jesus grew.

It continues to grow today.

Unlike so many things in this world, God’s love is a never-ending, never-exhausted resource. Humans run out of time. We run out of money. But God never runs out of love. And like the growth of my candy making, God wants to grow the table. God’s dining room table is big enough to include everyone; and everyone is on God’s guest list.

This Christmas, won’t you join your friends and neighbors at God’s house?

This Christmas, won’t you accept the love God has for you for yourself? Pull up a chair. We’ll add another leaf to the table, put some extra in the pot, and get you a plate and some silverware, because at God’s house, all are welcome! There’s always more room at God’s table!

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December 2015

Shop Local!

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1109 W. Auburn Dr.,

260-704-5263 Dick Rowe, Plant Manager www.auburnhardwood.com

Long Term Care/Skilled Nursing Rehabilitation Services • Occupational Therapy • Physical Therapy • Speech Therapy • Rehab-to-Home Respite Hospice Wound Care Diverse Patient Types Private Insurances, Medicare and Medicaid Accepted

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Merry Christmas from our home to yours

Kendallville Manor 1802 East Dowling St., Kendallville, IN (260) 347-4374 www.kendallvillemanor.com

AUBURN PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH Invites you to worship with them this Christmas Season!

Thurs., December 24 Christmas Eve Service of Candles and Carols 8:00 PM Holy Communion Hymns by Candlelight

111 W. 12th St. (Corner of 12th and Jackson) Auburn 260-925-2987 www.auburnpc.org Reverend Lyle Ewing

Proudly keeping CHRIST in Christmas! www.rpwakefield.com Your complete source for all your trim projects, crown, Victorian base, colonial casing and many more in stock. All made in Waterloo, Indiana.

600 West Maple

260-837-8841 800-538-4163

It’s Christmas Time!

Let Heaven

and Nature

Sing...

All are welcome to Service on Sun., Dec. 20 at 8:30 a.m. and Christmas Eve Service at 5:00 p.m.

1948 CR 28 • Auburn • maplegroveumc.com

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December 15, 2015

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Happy Holidays 7R \RX DQG \RXUV IURP WKH DGYHUWLVLQJ H[SHUWV DW .3& 0HGLD *URXS

Michael Swann, Advertisng Director

Kelly Anderson, Classified Representative Charlene Condon, Classified Manager Karen Elliott, Archives Jenny Ernsberger, Marketing Representative Katie Hieble, National Sales Assistant Jeff Jones, Marketing Representative

Megan Kline, Administrative Assistant to the Advertising Director Cindy Miller, Marketing Representative Terri Myers, Marketing Representative Michele Trowbridge, Marketing Representative Machele Waid, Marketing Representative Sue Yeager, Marketing Representative

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The gift of presence is the most precious Of all the gifts we receive and give, the gift of presence is of most value.

The gift of just being there for someone.

Because of love, choosing to spend some time with someone. We have all had times of being in true need of a friendly visit. Or a relaxed (the I don’t have anything better to do than to talk to you kind) phone-call. We remember well a shared meal (with eye contact now and again). I believe even children and pets know the value of a person truly being there. For you. The gift of presence.

Christmas was born for this purpose.

God personally gave to us the measureless gift of His love. In person. In Jesus Christ, His son. My small and quite wise niece, Sylvia, said once that God wore a baby costume. He came to us! The Creator of humanity, the Giver of all that is good, came to dwell with us. How amazing is that? Just to be with us, in the moment, for all

the moments of our lives. This space in eternity called time was in desperate need of God to being here in the flesh. Love needed to be PASTOR SAM & fleshed out SERENA HOFFMAN for us. He The Olde did that for us. He is the York Church ultimate gift that keeps on giving.

This gift of presence comes with promise from the One who cannot lie. A promise to never leave us. A promise to keep company with us for eternity itself. As with any gift, this gift requires participation. Acceptance. Focus. Being there

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We’d like to wish everyone a blessed Christmas full of love and joy. As we celebrate the birth of our Savior, we’re reminded of how grateful we are for the gifts of friendship and goodwill.

Sunday Morning Worship 9 AM 2nd Sundays 6:30 PM Worship Concerts with guest musicians

The Olde York Church 8740 E 300 N • PO Box 251 Fremont, IN 46737 Church Phone: 260.495.1911 Pastor Sam Hoffman’s cell 260.495.3125

on our part. It involves real choice on our parts. The added component of love returned. Love without reserve.

Love with complete trust in the almighty God. Even before Adam and Even chose to distrust the trust-worthy One and believe a deceiver, God knew that we would need a Savior. God without fail, has our eternal best in mind. Sin separates. Sin brings death into life. God knows well this wisdom. He warned. He warns.

With the words of warning – He always gives provision for complete forgiveness and new beginnings. Relationship restored. Christmas was His plan to reunite with us. He was born to die for us…to conquer the sin that wants to conquer us….to conquer death. The beautiful truth is that we have the ability to choose to allow His Lordship to dwell within us. His sacrifice of love has the miraculous ability to clean our hearts in such a way that His Holy Spirit can

reside in the hearts that warmly invite Him in. He will be the perfection that we are not, if we allow Him room to be. He longs to be our song when we can’t remember the tune. He offers His strength we when are aware of how weak we really are.

So this holiday season, let’s include the birthday boy in our celebrations. He came to be with us in a humble manger.

In humble hearts. To overlook Him is to miss the point. We are loved. True life comes when we love Him. Let’s decide to give Him the gift of being open-hearted to Him, moment by moment and throughout eternity. His presence is the home our souls sing for with longing….especially this time of year. For it is in His presence that fullness of joy resides.

Merry Christmas from Pastor Sam & Serena Hoffman The Olde York Church! sandshoffman@frontier.com

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Christmas is my favorite time of year. We have the opportunity to share our faith and the reason for CHRISTmas. We live in a culture that is quickly trying to diminish the reason for the season and that is Jesus. The greatest gift ever given to man is shared throughout the land in many different ways. It’s

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December 2015

Christmas

PASTOR MIKE ALBAUGH Destiny Family of Faith

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so sad that many born again believers are less than bold with their faith in Christ Jesus. Our Christmas parades are filled with Emergency vehicles and bands and various other business related floats. It is rare to see a God presence anymore as we watch the parade route come to life with activity. Our merchants have gotten to a place where they are more concerned about the wording in sale ads and their windows that might offend someone or keep them from shopping. Happy Holidays has replaced Merry Christmas all over America.

Our homes are beautiful with lights and wreaths and garland but nativity scenes are becoming a thing of the past.

Reading the Christmas story has gone by the way side. Blessing the needy neighbor will be overlooked in many communities.

How awesome would it be if we got back to sharing with our children that God is watching instead of pushing the myth that “you’d better be good or Santa will pass you by.” I’m not a Santa hater and I do like to get a gift or two, myself.

For those of us that love our faith, God would love for us to have a giving spirit as He did. Sharing the gospel and giving to those in need will always be the greatest gift ever. Scripture is plain that: “it is more blessed to give than receive,” Acts 20:35.

Jesus gave His life so that we could gain our life back. Before that could happen, He had to step out of Eternity and come to earth in human form to fully pay the price for all man and his sin. That is what we celebrate at Christmas time. The birth of Jesus will always be the most important part of Christmas. As long as there is breath, as long as life on this earth exists, Jesus will be the reason for the season whether we think He should be or not. MERRY CHRISTMAS Mike Albaugh DESTINY Family of Faith 445 N. Riley St. Kendallville, IN 46755

Rome City United Methodist Church

Wishing You Peace God is good, All the time Pastor Kevin Brower 297 Washington St., P.O. Box 111, Rome City, IN 46784 (Corner of Washington and Martin) (260) 854-3941

Wishing you and yours a happy and blessed Christmas.

’Tis the season to celebrate life and remember all the good times we’ve shared with loved ones past and present. As we celebrate the birth of our Savior, we give thanks for all the blessings he has bestowed upon us, including the fellowship of friends and neighbors like you.

Beams Funeral Home 200 W. Toledo St., Fremont, IN

(260) 495-2915

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December 2015

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Destiny Family of Faith Invites You to...

December 18th & 20th Doors Open at 6:30 p.m. with a Dessert Bar & Special Christmas Music Musical Starts at 7 p.m.

Please invite your family & friends...

ALL ARE WELCOME! Also...Christmas Eve Service 6:30 p.m.

445 N. Riley Street Kendallville, IN

260.599.0254 destinyfamilyoffaith.com

Thursday Bible Study 6:30 p.m.

Sunday Service 10:00 a.m.

Youth Group Wednesdays 6:30 p.m.

Mini Youth Tuesdays 6:00 p.m.

Pastor Mike & Karen Albaugh

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December 2015

Please come join us as we celebrate the true meaning of the season on Christmas Eve at 5:30 p.m.

300 W. Maple St., Waterloo (Corner of Maple & Elm)

837-6441 • waterlooumc.org

Christmas Eve Come worship with us this

and experience the love of the coming Messiah!

7 p.m. & 10 p.m. Christmas Eve Services

Join us for Sunday worship 10:15 AM

ST. MARK’S EVANGELICAL LUTHERAN CHURCH 302 W. Washington St., St. Joe, IN 46785 Member Church of the Lutheran Congregations in Mission for Christ Floyd Shoup, Pastor

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Redeeming Christmas stories Each year Christmas for me is defined not by the date or even, sad to say, the church year, but by the Christmas shows I have seen. I can track the coming of Christmas through seeing old familiar favorites I grew up with, such as Rudolph, Frosty the Snowman PASTOR and How the Grinch DARYL Stole Christmas.

EMOWREY With the advent of cable, there is now Calvary Lutheran the twenty-five days of Christmas hosted

by ABC family that helps us count down. It has gotten to the point, for me, where it would not feel like Christmas had come if I did not get to see all of my favorite Christmas shows.

Yet, as my brother loves to point out, most of these shows do not deal with the main event of Christmas: God’s Son entering the world for the sake of the world.

They miss the “reason for the season” we might say. As you may guess, my brother’s

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favorite Christmas show is A Charlie Brown Christmas, since it is the only one that, quite literally, has the gospel message.

Thus, as I think about Christmas as the event where God began God’s redemption of the world through Christ, I thought it would be appropriate to begin the process of redemption for familiar Christmas stories and characters that many of us, including myself, love. I will not be able to tackle them all in this brief piece, but will begin with a major character: Santa Claus.

We all know the gist of Santa Claus, he travels around the world in one night delivering gifts to good boys and girls and coal to those who have been naughty. In seminary, I remember being told to stay away from talking about Santa Claus in church because he already gets media attention and can be a symbol of materialistic indulgence. Well, I am going to try to redeem Santa Claus for use in the church (seems crazy, I know, to try to mix modern culture with the church, but here we go).

For those of us who would like to keep the commercialized Santa Claus out of the church, I think it is important for us to remember that the origins of Santa Claus was in the church. In fact, St. Nicholas,

the legend around whom Santa Claus was developed, was a bishop in the Christian church around 300 AD. But before we even dive down that rabbit hole, I think there already is a redeemable message about Santa Claus. How many children wake up Christmas morning and find coal in their stockings? Would that same number match if a strict list was kept around being naughty or nice all year for each child? The answer: probably not.

Santa Claus, and parents, like to give good gifts to children, and yes that often includes “naughty” or “undeserving” children. If memory serves, Jesus himself addresses that very issue (Mt. 7:9-12). See, the way in which Santa Claus gives gifts is the same way in which God gives gifts, freely even to those who do not deserve them.

Christmas is a time we remember God giving the gift of God’s Son so that all may be called children of God. Just as Santa Claus does not give us the deserved lump of coal in our stocking, so too does God not give as we deserve, but grants good gifts to us, gifts of forgiveness and salvation. So even without delving back into the origins of Santa Claus, we can find redeemable material that highlights the “reason for the

season.”

But just for fun, let us do a little delving into the life of St. Nicholas. The story goes that St. Nicholas lost both of his parents early in life, so he had a rather large inheritance at a young age. In his effort to follow Christ, he gave of that large inheritance to help the poor and needy in his midst. Out of his abundance he shared with those in need, even those others might say were “undeserving”. It is amazing to think about the transformative power this gift-giving had. It was enough for people to take notice and continue to commemorate almost 2000 years later. It is important to remember that this largerthan-life character of Santa Claus started as an individual addressing the needs of his own community. Of course, this stemmed from St. Nicholas recognizing the gift of abundant life God had already offered him in Christ. That is what Christmas is all about Charlie Brown: seeing the amazing gift God gives freely, God’s own son, for the sake of the world. Recognizing that gift in our own lives, we may transform communities through offering that same gift to those around us, not only at Christmas time, but every day of our lives.

O’ Come Let Us Adore Him Christmas Eve Service 7:30 p.m.

Worship with us on Sundays at 9 AM Calvary Lutheran Church 1301 Williams Street, Angola, IN 260-665-2516 www.calvarylutheranang.org

Celebrating and Sharing Christ’s Love

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December 2015

The comfort of Christmas I will never forget celebrating Christmas as a child. The sights, smells, and feelings of excitement rush into the forefront of my soul as the world gets ready for Christmas each November. The reminders begin to pop up all around; people begin hanging MINISTER lights outside their BRIAN M. homes, stores begin WALTER the Christmas push, and familiar songs and South Milford carols play on the radio.

Church of Christ Christmas was special to me in those early years because it meant peace and security.

At the age of 4 my parents divorced which left our family fractured. I have good memories of my childhood, but it was also a time of uncertainty and anxiety. Yet, the Christmas season felt different. It was a time when our family tightened up a bit; it was a season when we were more intentional about getting together and spending time with each other. Extended family would come and

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stay, we would have meals with one another, and for a day my sister and I could escape into one or two great toys we received as gifts. Christmas just felt more comfortable and more secure. My fondest childhood memories are bound to Christmas; it truly was a season of comfort and joy in the midst of darker family dynamics.

It wasn’t until I was older that I began to see just how much light, comfort, and joy Christmas brings. In my late elementary years I began to pay more attention to the birth of our Savior. Jesus was the central element for our family at every Christmas, but the significance emerged for the first time as I was beginning to get to know Him personally. Now, as an adult with two children of my own, it’s not difficult to see the gravity of that child born in Bethlehem.

As an adult I’ve endured great pain, I’ve watched loved ones endure great pain, and I’ve witnessed a world that has suffered through tragedies. The uncertainty and anxiety of the family dynamic I grew up in at the wake of my parents divorce was a microcosm of the fractured world in which we live. Life is full of mountain tops and valleys. We spend an inordinate amount of time climbing up steep slopes trying to get out of the valley, or worse, trying not to

Come all ye faithful...

stumble down the other side back into another valley. Suffering is as real and unavoidable as the air we breath. It doesn’t take long to realize this world leaves us with a lot of uncertainty and anxiety. And then there’s Christmas.

In the Bible Jesus reminds us that this world is broken and will be full of uncertainty; John 16:33b says, “Here on earth you will have many trials and sorrows.

But take heart, because I have overcome the world.” And overcome He did…all beginning as brilliant light illuminating the dark, fractured, uncertain, anxiety ridden world from that manger in Bethlehem. Isaiah said it well…Nevertheless, that time of darkness and despair will not go on forever.

The people who walk in darkness will see a great light. For those who live in a land of deep darkness, a light will shine. For a child is born to us, a son is given to us. The government will rest on his shoulders. And he will be called: Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace!

For me, Christmas is still a season of comfort and security in the midst of brokenness, yet in a more tangible and real way. In the words of Brennan Manning from his book “Souvenirs of Solitude”:

“Christmas is the promise that the God who came in history and comes daily in mystery will one day come in glory. God is saying in Jesus that in the end everything will be all right. Nothing can harm you permanently, no suffering is irrevocable, no loss is lasting, no defeat is more than transitory, no disappointment is conclusive. Jesus did not deny the reality of suffering…He simply stated that the kingdom of God would conquer all of these horrors, that the Father’s love is so prodigal that no evil could possibly resist it. Christmas is a vision that enables the Christian to see beyond the tragic in his life. It’s a reminder that he needs the laughter of God to prevent him from taking the world too seriously. The Christian law of levity says that whatever falls into the earth will rise again. God’s laughter is His loving act of salvation, and Christian laughter is the echo of Christmas joy in us.”

If you really accept the mystery of Bethlehem, your heart will be filled with comfort and joy in the midst of the darkness…a joy the world cannot understand.

That’s precisely what I think about in early November when the lights are being hung, the stores begin their push, and the carols begin to ring…and I cannot be thankful enough for the comfort and joy that He brings.

Merry christmas!

TO THE FRIENDLIEST CHURCH IN TOWN FOR

CHRISTMAS SUNDAY, DECEMBER 20 • 10:00 AM

CHRISTMAS EVE CANDLELIGHT SERVICE THURSDAY, DECEMBER 24 FELLOWSHIP AND REFRESHMENTS 6:00 PM WORSHIP 6:30 PM

OPEN COMMUNION

“SHARING GOD’S LOVE UNCONDITIONALLY”

Agape Assembly of God of Waterloo 960 W. LINCOLN ST. • WATERLOO 260 8377897 WWW.AGAPEWATERLOO.ORG

Wishing you a Christmas filled with a whole lot of fun and cheer! and Sons

ASPHALT MATERIALS, INC.

ASPHALT PAVING, INC.

818 N. Orange St., Albion, IN 46701 • 260-636-2288

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South Milford Church of Christ Christmas Services Join us this Christmas season as we celebrate the birth of the Savior!

Christmas Communion Service Wednesday, December 23 • 7:00 PM - 8:00 PM

We want to welcome you to come out to hear the Christmas message in song from our choir, and to be blessed as we observe the Lord’s Supper in honor of the birth, life, ministry, death, resurrection, and coming of Jesus.

Christmas Sunday, December 20 Service 1: 9:00 AM • Service 2: 10:30 AM Come and worship the King with us as we praise Him during the Christmas season. Our worship times are the same each Sunday. We would be blessed to have you join us.

“He is Christ the King” God Bless and Merry Christmas from the South Milford Church of Christ.

St. Rd. 3, 2 miles north of South Milford 260-351-3671

www.southmilfordchurchofchrist.com

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December 2015

Church Services Directory The Olde York Church Pastor Stephen (Sam) Hoffman 260-495-1911 cell 495-3125 8740 E 300 N PO Box 251, Fremont sandshoffman@frontier.com

Fairview Missionary Church Pastor Joel Greenwood 525 E 200 N Angola, IN 46703 260-665-8402 fmc@fairviewangola.com www.fairviewangola.com

Clear Lake Lutheran Pastor Tim Miller 270 Outer Drive Fremont, IN 46737 Church phone number is: 260-495-9790 Nursery only on Sunday morning worship services

Lakewood Park Baptist Church Pastor Scott Taylor 5555 CR 29 Auburn, IN 46706 260-925-2006 lakewoodpark.org

St. Mark Lutheran Church Pastor Floyd Shoup 302 Washington St. St. Joe, IN 46785 419-260-6991 419-260-4664 Email: prshoup@gmail.com Website: stmarkatstjoe.org

Butler United Methodist Church Pastor Kevin Marsh 501 W. Green St. Butler, IN 46721 260-868-2098 butlerumc@frontier.com butlermethodist.org

Bridgeway Evangelical Church Pastor Jeff Wolheter 210 Brians Place Kendallville, IN 46755 260-599-0339 Morning Worship: 10:30 www.bridgewayweb.com

First Christian Church Dr. Thomas Clothier 110 W. Waits Kendallville, IN 46755 260-347-1729 Morning Worship 8:00 and 10:00 firstchristiankendallville.com

Life Changing Realities Fellowship Pastor Byron Adams Angola Campus 2201 W. Wayne St. 260-665-1463 Edgerton Campus 428 W. Vine St. 419-298-1463 LCRFWIRED.ORG

Howe United Methodist Church Pastor Jean Ness 511 Third St., Howe, IN. 46746 260-562-2250 www.howeumc.com

Ligonier United Methodist Church Pastor Jill Wright 466 Townline Road, Ligonier, IN. 46767 260-894-3765 www.ligumc.org

Messiah Lutheran Church Pastor James Tews 2955 E. 700 S., Wolcottville 260-854-3129

Rome City United Methodist Church Contact: Pastor Kevin Brower 297 Washington St., Rome City, IN. 46784 260-854-3941 www.rchurch.com/Rome-City-UnitedMethodist-Church-27513.html

South Milford Church of Christ Handicapped Accessible

Lead Minister Brian Walter 8030 E. 600 S., Wolcottville, IN. 46795 260-351-3671 www.southmilfordchurchofchrist.com MORE CHURCH SERVICES DIRECTORY ON PAGE B19

Nursery Provided

Prayer

Section B

&Worship December 2015

Supplement to The News Sun, The Star, The Herald Republican and The Butler Bulletin December 15, 2015 and The Garrett Clipper December 17, 2015.

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December 2015

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December 2015

The best gift I was going through my girls’ toy room the other day oh, how I realized how quickly they have grown up!

Gifts that they had received over past Christmases, they had quickly outgrown. There BROTHER were dolls that had BUD OWNES collected dust, board First Church of games that were missing pieces, and Christ Garrett stuffed animals that had lost their stuffing. The room

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had the appearance of an abandoned toy store. As we approach another Christmas, my girls have already given me their wish list and I can see already that some of the items they will quickly outgrow.

I’m so thankful that when God gave us His gift that first Christmas morning, His son was born in a manger. It would be a gift that we would never outgrow our need for, unlike our toys, that eventually wear out and break down.

Christ’s love for you and I will never break down or wear out. It’s a love that can’t be lost. He is alive and well and comes with a promise; “I will never leave you or forsake you.”

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Candlelight Christmas Eve Service Evoking memories from days gone by...

It’s finally the “big night.” The little church is filled with family and friends. All the children have assumed the roles of shepherds, angels and innkeepers. The scene is a stable in Bethlehem. Will you remember your part in the Christmas Story?

At 7:30 PM, December 24th, Cedar Lake Church of Christ, with our Cedar Lakers Children’s Ministry, will present the story of Jesus’ birth. We hope your family can come and celebrate with us!

Cedar Lake Church of Christ 1492 CR 27, Waterloo (3 miles north of US 6) • Handicap Accessible Facility Jonathan Pennington, Minister

260-587-3885 cedarlakegospelsing@gmail

He comes to bring us comfort A special invitation for you to come celebrate Christmas with us!

Bring your family and join us for our

Eve Serv s a m t s i i ce C hr CANDLES & CAROLS

Come home for

Christmas

Monday, December 21

and join our family as we celebrate the birth of our Savior, Jesus Christ through candles, carols and scripture.

How Dark is my Night - A Night of

Hope & Remembrance 7:30 PM

Thursday, December 24 Christmas Eve Candlelight Service

9:00 PM 4099 CR 59 • Butler Across from SDI

mountpleasantumc.info butlermountpleasant@gmail.com

Join Us Dec. 24 6pm

Lakewood Park Baptist Church Christmas Eve Service December 24, 2015 6:00pm 5555 County Road 29 Auburn IN 46706 260.925.2006 • Lakewoodpark.org

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Christmas Services

at 7:00 pm and 11:00 pm

Prelude music at 6:30 and 10:30 pm.

There will be Holy Communion at both services.

797 N Detroit St, LaGrange, IN 46761

www.mtzionlagrange.com

December 2015

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December 2015

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wishes you a

Merry Christmas!

Christmas Eve Services Thursday, December 24 • 7 p.m. and 11 p.m.

Butler UMC Chorus Christmas Program Dec. 20 • 9:30 a.m.

Live Nativity

Church Parking Lot • Dec. 20 • 4-6 p.m.

Please come and join us for one of our Christmas services.

501 West Green Street • 260-868-2098 Pastor Kevin Marsh

Auburn Baptist Church Wishes You a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

You are invited to join us for worship during the Christmas season on December 13, 20 and 27 and New Year’s on Sunday, January 3, 2016.

910 N. Indiana Ave, Auburn Worship is at 10:45 a.m.

Child care is provided For more information, call 260-333-0599.

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Messiah Lutheran Church 2955 E 700 S • Wolcottville Corner of SR 9 & 700 S

854-3129

Advent Services Dec. 2, 9 & 16 • 7 PM

The Children’s Service

December 2015

Christmas

CHRISTMAS … the birthday of Jesus Christ, Son of God, Son of Mary, Savior of the world, fulfillment of the ancient promise.

This is what His followers remember and celebrate.

Jesus comes into the world to show us the way back to the Father. This

REV. DERRICK SNEYD Immaculate Conception Catholic Church

assertion is what Christianity is all about for by treading in His footsteps we are sure of our eternal destiny. It is Jesus Who gives new life to our mortal beginnings. So let us put Christ back into Christmas! Midst the tinsel and colored lights and all that surrounds the usual festive celebrations, our focus is on Him born in a stable for there was no room in the inn. May He bring joy and peace to all who open their hearts to receive his love.

A BLESSED CHRISTMAS TO YOU!

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Sun., Dec. 20 at regular 9:30 AM service

Christmas Service Thurs., Dec. 24 • 7 PM

Christmas & New Year’s Schedule SACRAMENT OF RECONCILIATION (Confessions) Any Sat. 4:00-4:45 p.m. & Tues., December 22 6:00-7:00 p.m.

MASS SCHEDULE CHRISTMAS EVE • THURS., DECEMBER 24 4:30 p.m., Concert of Christmas Carols 5:00 p.m., Early Evening Mass 9:00 p.m., Concert of Christmas Carols 9:30 p.m., Late Evening Mass CHRISTMAS DAY • FRI., DECEMBER 25 9:00 a.m., Christmas Mass NEW YEAR’S EVE • THURS., DECEMBER 31 5:00 p.m., Evening Mass NEW YEAR’S DAY • FRI., JANUARY 1 9:00 a.m., New Year’s Mass

IMMACULATE CONCEPTION CATHOLIC CHURCH 500 E. 7TH ST., AUBURN PASTOR: FATHER DERRICK SNEYD VISIT WWW.ICCAUBURN.COM

God

“Glory to in the highest”

Luke 2:14

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December 2015

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The Churches of the East Noble Ministerial Association wish you a Merry Christmas!

Ark of Avilla Assembly of God - Avilla Beacon Baptist Church - Kendallville Bread of Life Tabernacle - Kendallville Bridgeway Evangelical Church - Kendallville Brimfield United Methodist Church - Wawaka Calvary United Methodist Church - Avilla Church of Christ - Kendallville Crosspoint Family Church - Kendallville Emmanuel Lutheran Church - LaOtto Faith United Methodist Church - Kendallville Fellowship Bible Church - Kendallville First Baptist Church - Kendallville First Christian Church - Kendallville First Church of God - Kendallville First Presbyterian Church - Kendallville Gospel Lighthouse Church - Kendallville Grace Christian Church - Kendallville Harbor of Love Baptist Church - Kendallville Harvest Community Church - Kendallville

Hopewell Presbyterian Church - Avilla House of Prayer - Kendallville Immaculate Conception Catholic Church - Kendallville Immanuel Lutheran Church - Avilla Kendallville Assembly of God - Kendallville LaOtto Wesleyan Church - LaOtto Liberty Free Will Baptist Church - Wolcottville Mt. Pleasant Lutheran Church - Kendallville New Hope Baptist Church - Kendallville New Life Tabernacle - Kendallville Pine Hills - Kendallville Rome City United Methodist Church - Rome City St. Gaspar Catholic Church - Rome City St. John Lutheran Church - Kendallville St. Mary of the Assumption - Avilla Trinity Church United Methodist - Kendallville Vineyard Christian Fellowship - Rome City Wayne Center United Methodist Church - Kendallville Weston Street Bible Church - Rome City

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December 2015

Delivering the Gift of Hope at Christmas Do you remember a few years back when, on July 22, 2013, at 4:24 pm, “Her Royal Highness The Duchess of Cambridge was safely delivered of a son”? It wasn’t hard for me to find the date and even time of little Prince REV. STEVE George’s birth, or BAHRT to find the words of the official Faith United Kensington Palace Methodist Church announcement. In Great Britain and elsewhere around the world people’s excitement about the birth of the future monarch was at a fever pitch and the impending birth monopolized the press.

The first Christmas was the complete opposite of Prince George’s royal birth.

No media were present. Joseph didn’t Tweet out details of their journey from Nazareth to Bethlehem. Mary didn’t have a Facebook page where she could show off pictures of her newborn son.

Cable News wasn’t there to provide moment-by-moment updates on the Savior’s birth. Yet what happened that first Christmas transformed the world in ways no other birth before or since could. The world still hasn’t gotten over the birth of Jesus!

The early church set aside time before Christmas to prepare for Jesus’ birth. This season of Advent, a Latin word meaning “coming,” is all about understanding that Jesus’ birth was not

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a one-time occurrence, but that every Christmas has within it the possibility of Jesus being born again in our lives and in our world.

The fourth verse of the familiar carol “O Little Town of Bethlehem” reminds us of this: O holy Child of Bethlehem, descend to us, we pray; cast out our sin, and enter in, be born in us today.

Two-thousand years ago, a baby was born, sent by God to change the world. As God sent Jesus, so Jesus sends you and I to be his hands and feet, delivering God’s gift of hope to a world in need. The end of the book, “Sent: Delivering the Gift of Hope at Christmas” by Jorge Acevedo and four other United Methodist pastors and leaders, closes with this brief prayer, one I hope you will take to heart: God sent Jesus. Jesus sends us, with truth and grace.

I pray that this will be the year when Jesus changes everything for you.

Amen. 1 I too pray that each of us will take the time and effort this busy season to spend some time with God, taking Jesus’ command to heart, so that by the strength and power of the Holy Spirit, not only can we be transformed, but that we can transform the world through the love of God in Jesus Christ.

1

Jorge Acevedo with Jacob Armstrong, Rachel Billups, Justin LaRosa, and Lancecia Rouse, “Sent: Delivering the Gift of Hope at Christmas” Abington Press, Nashville.

2015. P. 104.

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December 2015

Advent Sundays

November 29, December 6, December 13 and 20 • Sunday School 9 AM and Worship at 10 AM

Prayer & Worship

Children’s Christmas Program Sunday, December 20 at 10 AM

Advent Wednesdays

December 9 and 16 • Supper at 6 PM and Worship at 7 PM

Christmas Eve Service with Communion Thursday, December 24 at 7 PM Bring your family to this special service of candlelight, song, anticipation and celebration

REJOICE FOR OUR SAVIOR IS BORN! Christmas Day Service with Communion Friday, December 25 at 9 AM • We gather to celebrate the greatest gift

New Year’s Day Service

Friday, January 1 at 9 AM Start your year off with fellowship, prayer and communion at the table of our Lord.

Zion Lutheran Church, LCMS 0389 CR 12, Corunna, IN 260-281-2286 zionlutherancorunna@aol.com zionlutherancorunna.org

Come Celebrate Christmas with us!

Christmas Sunday, December 20 Worship at 10:00 am

Christmas Eve Worship Thursday, December 24 at 6:00 pm “The Gift” Auburn Church of the Nazarene 2301 N. Main St. Auburn Phone: 260-925-3480 www.auburncn.org email: office@auburncn.org

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December 2015

Advent: A holy season At First Christian Church, Christmas is only the middle of the story. The story begins on the last Sunday in November with the beginning of the holy season of Advent, when with the lighting of the Advent wreath-candles, we will herald PASTOR the coming of Christ.

BETTY SIVIS But you may wonder; First Christian what is Advent?

What is an Advent Church of Auburn wreath?

Advent and its symbol, the Advent wreath, as we know it today, has a rich history in Christian tradition, though the actual origins of the wreath are uncertain. There’s some evidence of pre-Christian Germanic peoples using wreathes with lit candles during the cold, dark days of December.

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They were a sign of hope in the future warmth and extended-sunlight days of spring. In Scandinavia during the winter, lighted candles were placed around a wheel and prayers were offered to the light, to turn “the wheel of the earth” back toward the sun to lengthen the days and restore warmth. By the Middle Ages Christians had adapted the Advent wreath as part of their spiritual preparation for Christmas. After all, Christ is “the Light that came into the world” to dispel the darkness of sin, and to radiate the truth and love of God. By the 1600’s both Catholics and Protestants had developed more formal practices with the wreath.

If we take a look at the rich symbolism of the Advent Wreath, the evergreens signify our eternal life. When laurel is used it signifies victory over persecution and suffering. The pine, holly, and yew evergreens represent immortality and the cedar, strength and healing. Even the prickly holly leaves

Please join us

Christmas Eve at 7:00 PM for a special service

“Festival of Lessons & Carols” with Candlelit Communion

First Christian Church 910 N. Indiana Ave., Auburn Call 925-2798 for additional information

remind us of the crown of thorns, and one English tradition even says the cross was made of holly. The circle of the wreath, which has no beginning or end, symbolizes the eternity of God, the immortality of the soul, and everlasting life found in Christ. Even pine cones, nuts, or seedpods often used to decorate the wreath symbolize life and resurrection. The four candles of the wreath represent the four weeks of Advent. But tradition even holds that each week of Advent represents 1000 years, to sum up the 4,000 years from Adam and Eve to the birth of Christ. The three purple candles symbolize the prayerful and penitential nature of the Advent Season. The rose candle is lit on the third Sunday of Advent traditionally known as Gaudete or Rejoicing Sunday.

It represents that we’ve arrived at the midpoint of this season of preparation and we’re close to the Feast of the Nativity – Christmas Day. The progressive lighting of these candles symbolizes

the expectation and hope surrounding our Lord’s first coming into the world and the anticipation of his second coming to judge the living and the dead.

The lighting of the center white candle (the Christ Candle) on Christmas Eve celebrates the arrival of Jesus Christ, the Light of the World.

This tradition may not have been the church’s original idea, but it has become a sacred time for us; a time of holy anticipation where we quietly and excitedly await the birth of the light that will shine into our darkness and bring us to life everlasting.

We invite you, just as you are, and as you are able, to join us, as we celebrate this blessed birth. We invite you to witness the glory as with each candle, a little more of God’s light is let into a sometimes darkened world. From the family of First Christian Church to your family, may the peace of Christ be with you…

Pastor Betty

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Bridgeway Evangelical Church wishes you a blessed Christmas season with family and friends!

Join us for a night of worship as we celebrate the coming of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ!

Featuring the FCC Worship Choir, Kids Choir, and Praise Team.

December 19 and 20 7:00 PM First Christian Church 110 W. Waits Rd. Kendallville, IN 46755 www.firstchristiankendallville.org

Sunday School: 9:15 am Morning Worship: 10:30 am Bridgeway Evangelical Church 210 Brians Place, Kendallville

(260) 599-0339 www.bridgewayweb.com Breaking Barriers, Bridging Gaps, Building Community

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December 2015

Anticipate When I think about Christmas (and the Advent season leading up to it), three key terms come to mind as we prepare for the coming of the Christ child: waiting, expectation and anticipation. It is certainly a season of preparation. As a church and a culture, we are distracted by earthly preparations like shopping, decorating, backing and wrapping instead of the kingdom preparation. Our goal should be preparing our hearts to celebrating the birth of Jesus, God’s only begotten son who came to earth to point us to God, show us life, save us and guide us to the abundant life God desires for each of us. It is also a season of waiting. As a father of two children, I think of how they eagerly wait for Christmas morning.

I also remember the waiting that we experienced during Jessica’s pregnancy with both kids. I can only imagine Mary and Joseph’s experience. As advent leads up to Christmas, it is also a season of expectation, knowing that Christmas will come whether we are ready or not.

There are certain aspects of the advent season leading up to Christmas we can expect with great consistency, and hopefully our expectation is characterized by joy.

Advent is also to be a season of anticipation, not SR. PASTOR only anticipating the DR. MARCUS Christ child, but also J. CARLSON reminding us that St. Mark’s we can and should anticipate the coming Lutheran Church of God into our lives each day.

The challenge is that we often fail to anticipate God’s work in our lives and relationships. We fail to assume a yes with one another, but also with God. We fail to remember the power of God’s grace as well as God’s miraculously redeeming power. In this way, we

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Please come celebrate the Christmas season with us!

The Touch of Christmas Sunday, December 20 A Touch from God

Thursday, December 24 Touching God With Our Praise Sunday service: 10:30 AM Christmas Eve service: 5:30 PM Nursery Available, Handicap Accessible

Hopewell United Brethren Church 6852 County Road 35, Auburn Church: 925-4568 Pastor John Erwin: 260-925-3667 hopewellub.org • hopewellub@mchsi.com

fail to be a Christmas people. In advent and Christmas we remember and celebrate the coming of God’s only son to earth, the coming of a king and savior in the form of a humble and innocent baby, born in controversy and in the midst of livestock.

Simply put, we forget Emmanuel, God with us. One of the great miracles of Christmas is that God came to earth to be with the people he created out of love. God is still with us, and advent and Christmas are meant to remind us of the great power of Christ coming to earth. We fail to anticipate Christ coming into the world, not just in this season, but also in every season of life. God is with us. God comes to us. We can and should anticipate the work of God in our lives and in the world. It is already here and already happening. If we can anticipate that Christ is with us, assuming a “yes” knowing that God is for us and wants to redeem all things, then I suspect our own relationship with God, our lives, our families, our churches and the world may begin

to look very differently to us. Instead of assuming the worst, we can assume Christ will redeem and at the very least will have our hearts and minds focused on Christ instead of the circumstances that surround us.

In the end, our anticipation is not a matter of hope. It is a matter of trust. It is knowing that the essence of faith is trust and that we can and should trust the God of the universe, anticipating his coming to us in all seasons and circumstances.

The gift of Christmas is that we can anticipate that God is with us and desires to bring his life, grace, mercy, forgiveness and redemption to us over and over again. Advent and Christmas are a time of anticipating Jesus Christ born in a manger so that we might be saved. This Christ child came to save, but also came to demonstrate the love of God who seeks to be a part of our lives and redeem each and every moment, experience and relationship that we have. Anticipate, for Emmanuel, God is with us.

, t h g i N Silent

t h g i N Holy

Sunday, Dec. 20 Worship Service ! (4

Christmas Eve Services 74 ! 74

St. Mark’s Lutheran Church 211 W. 9th Street, Auburn www.stmarksauburn.org

Pastor: Rev. Dr. Marcus J. Carlson

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December 2015

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Where You Find Exceptional Savings!

A Christian Bookstore

Wishing you joy this Christmas season!

Let’s keep Christ in Christmas! He is the reason to celebrate!

Come see us for your holiday baking supplies!

We carry fresh produce, baking ingredients, flour, grains, nuts, snack mixes, candy, cookie decorations, jams & jellies, teas, pasta, spices and many more items. We just opened a fresh meat case with beef, chicken and pork cut daily! Pause and enjoy a freshly made sandwich, salad, wrap or a cup of hot soup in our deli. We have a bakery with amazing cookies, pies, breads, rolls and yummy fudge.

Family Owned and Operated 1265 North S.R. 5, Shipshewana, IN

260-768-4736

• Bibles • CDs & DVDs • Cards • Gifts • Party Supplies • • Children’s Books • Books - Novels, Devotionals, Inspirationals

Your headquarters for Sunday School Classes, Bible Studies, and Church Supplies

NEW RELEASES:

1055 S. Van Buren St. Shipshewana, IN

260-336-7925

Wishing you a very Merry Christmas!

From our family to yours.

FREE estimates and rest assured with our 24/7 emergency service team!

1-800-621-6679

www.jomory.com

HEATING, ELECTRICAL, GEOTHERMAL, PLUMBING, GENERATORS, MORY METAL FABRICATION

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December 2015

Celebrate Jesus “The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us, … full of grace and truth.”

John 1:14 Birthdays lose their fascination PASTOR TIM as we age and MILLER eventually we want to ignore them Clear Lake all together. The Lutheran Church attitude is: “been there, done that, it’s time to move on.”

It is easy for our celebration of Christ’s birth to become buried in the commotion of the holiday. The fascination of, “God becoming man” mellows, and we think “we’ve heard that, and now what else?”

But there is nothing else to move on to. This is the good news of the ages.

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God who created the heavens and the earth, chose to “become flesh and made his dwelling among us”. This is hard to wrap our minds around. He “became one with us” to take our place on the cross.

The child that Mary held in her arms, was so much more than He appeared to be. He was the one that God promised to Abraham would come, He was the Son of David, and He was the hope of the ages. Mary knew the surprise that Jesus was, and pondered it in her heart. She learned what we also have also come to know, that Jesus is the Good Shepherd, the Redeemer of the World, the King of All Kings, and the Resurrection and the Life.

Year after year, there is so much to celebrate in Jesus’ birth. It fills us with thankfulness and joy. There is nothing more to move on to. We are looking forward to celebrating Jesus for all eternity.

Oh Come Let Us Adore Him! Share the greatest gift of all this Christmas: the gift of faith!

Christmas Eve Candlelight Service – 7:00 pm Regular Sunday Worship – 9:00 am Clear Lake Lutheran Church 270 Outer Drive, Clear Lake

260-495-9219

www.clearlakelutheran.org

Christmas Eve Service at First Presbyterian Church On December 24, 2015, the Kendallville community is cordially invited to attend a Christmas Eve Service of Lessons & Carols and a traditional Candle-lighting Service at the First Presbyterian Church of Kendallville. The doors will open at 6:00 p.m. for this 7:00 p.m. Christmas worship experience.

In a reprise of her extraordinary performance last year, we are welcoming back Harpist Olivia Seigel, from Huntertown, Indiana, as the guest musician for this beautiful service marking the birth of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Along with Ms. Seigel, Choir Director Judy Kessler will be leading the Kendallville Community Choir which is composed of vocalists from a variety of Kendallville area churches.

There should be ample parking available for this festive event on the streets in and around First Presbyterian Church, As in past years, there will be a reception following this service open to all attendees. A free-will offering basket to benefit Common Grace Ministries will be located at the back of the sanctuary for those who would like to support this important outreach ministry. We will also be taking up an offering during the service to benefit our congregation’s mission outreach. Hope to see you there!

201 S. State, Kendallville

260-347-3721

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December 2015

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December 2015

What Christmas means to me...

“The Word became flesh and blood, and moved into the neighborhood.” John 1:14, The Message For me the main message of the Christmas story is that in Christ Jesus the God of the universe showed up.

PASTOR TIM TERRELL Angola United Methodist Chruch

In Jesus, God showed up to forgive, heal, and restore us. God made the first move in our world. As Jesus followers, we are called to be people that show up in people’s lives. In being willing to show up, especially when people are hurting, we become channels of God’s love to others. God desires we be people who are willing to show up. A question to ask ourselves this Christmas is; “Where is God calling me to show up this Christmas season?”

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Thursday, December 24, 2015 7:00 PM Family and Candlelight Service 11:00 PM Traditional Christmas Candlelight Service Pastor Tim Terrell Pastor Tracey Zimmerman

Angola United Methodist 220 W. Maumee, Angola, IN 46703 260.665.3914 Website: AngolaUMC.org Email: angolaumc@hotmail.com

Fairview

“Come Grow, Share, and Serve”

Come Join Us!

Missionary Church

See how Fairview Missionary Church is helping people take their next step toward Jesus.

Map to Fairview Missionary Church

Phone: 260-665-8402 www.fairviewangola.com e-mail: fmc@fairviewangola.com

Corner of SR 827 and CR 200 N (1 mile east of Meijer and Menards) Angola, Indiana

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December 2015

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December 2015

May the gifts of peace, love and joy light your way to fulfillment this Christmas.

December 19/20 Weekend (regular identical services)

Edgerton – Saturday 5pm, Sunday 9 & 11 am Angola – Sunday 9 & 11 am KidzWorld/Childcare open for Newborn - 6th Grade

No Services at either campus on the weekend of December 26/27

Special Christmas Services, “A Light in the Darkness” (all services are identical)

Wednesday, December 23 at 6 & 8 pm Thursday, December 24 at 2, 4, 6 and 8 pm Location: Edgerton Campus Only Everyone welcome to attend this FREE event!

KidzWorld/Childcare open for Newborn - 3rd Grade

Two Locations Angola, IN Campus – 2201 N. Wayne St. • 260-665-1463 Edgerton, OH Campus – 428 W. Vine St. • 419-298-1463 Handicap Accessible at both campuses

LCRFWIRED.ORG • Pastor Byron Adams

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Church Services Directory Topeka United Methodist Church Pastor Kevin Dekoninck 104 Pine St., Topeka, IN. 46571 260-593-2941

Prince of Peace Lutheran Church Pastor James Elsner 10275 E. 550 S., Hudson, IN. 46747 260-351-2144 www.princeofpeacestroh.com

Garrett First Church Of Christ Pastor Brother Bud Owens 213 E King St., Garrett, IN 260-357-3625 Garrett-First-Church.com

New Life Lutheran Church Rev. Merle R. Holden, Pastor 365 Lockhart St., Waterloo, IN 574-215-4288

St. Mark’s Lutheran Church Rev. Dr. Marcus J. Carlson 211 W. 9th St., Auburn, IN 260-925-3882 www.stmarksauburn.org

Waterloo United Methodist

New Hope Christian Center

Rev. Mike Halferty 300 W. Maple St., Waterloo, IN (Corner of Maple & Elm) 260-837-6441 www.waterlooumc.org

Pastor Ralph Diehl 900 S. Wayne St., Waterloo, IN 260-837-3631 www.newhope.in

Hopewell United Brethren Church Pastor John Erwin 6852 CR 35, Auburn, IN 260-925-4568 www.hopewellub.org

Cedar Lake Church of Christ Jonathan Pinnington, Pastor 1492 CR 27, Waterloo, IN (13 miles north of US 6) 260-587-3885

Auburn Church of the Nazarene Pastor Doug Thomas 2301 N. Main St., Auburn, IN 260-925-3480 www.auburncn.org Childcare Available for Sunday morning worship only

Calvary Lutheran Church Rev. Daryle J. Emowrey, Pastor 1301 William St., Angola, IN 260-665-2516 www.calvarylutheranangola.com

Angola United Methodist Pastor Tim Terrell & Pastor Tracey Zimmerman 220 W. Maumee St., Angola, IN 260-665-3914 www.AngolaUMC.org

St. Anthony of Padua Father Robert Showers 700 W. Maumee St., Angola, IN 260-665-2259 www.stanthonyangola.com

St. Paul Chapel Father Robert Showers 8780 E 700 N, Fremont, IN 260-665-2259 www.stpaulcatholicchapel.org

St. Michael the Archangel Father David Carkenord 1098 CR 39, Waterloo, IN 260-837-7115 MORE CHURCH SERVICE DIRECTORY ON PAGE B20

Handicapped Accessible

Nursery Provided

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December 2015

Church Services Directory Maple Grove United Methodist Church

First Christian Church

Pastor Jim Kemerly 1948 CR 28, Auburn, IN 260-349-8718 www.maplegroveumc.com

Rev. Betty Sivis 910 N. Indiana Ave., Auburn, IN 260-925-2798 www.fccauburn.com Handicap Accessible

Auburn Baptist Church

Auburn Presbyterian Church

Pastor Bill Weaver 910 N. Indiana Ave., Auburn, IN 260-333-0599 www.auburnbaptist.org

Rev. Lyle Ewing 111 W. 12th St., Auburn, IN 260-925-2987 www.auburnpc.org

Trinity Lutheran Church

Zion Lutheran Church, LCMS

Pastor Jonathan Nack 1801 N. Main St., Auburn, IN 260-925-2440 www.trinitylutheran-auburn.org

Rev. Al Wingfield 0389 CR 12, Corunna, IN 46730 260-281-2286 www.ZionLutheranCorunna.org

Immaculate Conception Church

Auburn Church of Christ

Rev. Derrick Sneyd 500 E. 7th St., Auburn, IN 260-925-3930

Mt. Pleasant United Methodist Church Pastor Christine Fodrea 4099 CR 59, Butler, IN 46721 868-5747 Follow us on Facebook

Pastor Joe Heins 1103 S. Jackson St., Auburn, IN 260-925-3365 www.auburnchurchofchrist.org

Agape Assembly of God of Waterloo

Norris Chapel United Methodist Church Pastor John Cohrs 4793 CR 40, Auburn, IN 260-410-2910 www.norrischapel.org

Faith United Methodist Church Pastor Steve Bahrt 411 E. Harding St., Kendalville, IN 46755 260-347-2616 fumc411@sbcglobal.net

First Presbyterian Church of Kendallville Rev. Jordy Truman 201 S. State, Kendallville, IN 46755 260-347-3721 ldpresbychurch@yahoo.com

Mt. Zion Lutheran Church Pastor Justin Smoot 797 N. Detroit St., LaGrange, IN 260-463-3624 mtzionlagrange.com

Pastor Tom Neddersen 960 W. Lincoln St., Waterloo, IN 260-837-7897 www.agapewaterloo.org

Handicapped Accessible

Nursery Provided