A                          from

Rev. John Scotland

message

November 24th, 2020

EVERY SUNDAY

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Dear Members and Friends,

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Yesterday, the Christmas Season began for me in earnest.  Sister Jean’s Pantry located at the old St. Monica’s Church on Pennsylvania Avenue was a convenient site for friends of the Mayor of Atlantic City to assemble 1000 turkey boxes with all the fixings to give out for Thanksgiving.  I just could not imagine what 1000 “baskets” looked like!  Twenty or so volunteers worked feverishly to assemble boxes, pack each parcel and return the finished boxes to pallet after pallet to be stored and moved the following morning to City Hall.  Such events are what the holidays are all about!  But I thought it would take an hour or two when in reality it took all day.  Just keep that in mind this December.  The holidays can be hectic, even overwhelming.  This year, we all face the disappointment of needing to be socially distant from the ones we love which doesn’t seem like Thanksgiving or Christmas at all!  While we all look for ways to compensate for our loss, keep in mind that all too often, we attempt to pack into two hours a day, that which really takes eight.  Try as best you can, to take time to quiet yourself.  Advent is to be a time of waiting (well, we certainly know what that’s like in 2020), and a time of hope.  For certainly God comes to us in our deepest needs and promises to continue to work in the world in a real way, to bring about our salvation.  In the midst of the missed expectations this year, take time to think about what God coming into our world really means.  We wait and hope!

Last Thursday night, the Session greeted eight new members to the fellowship of our congregation.  It was a joyful celebration.  Some of our new friends came to us through our presence on social media!  Watch during this Advent Season… because we will welcome our new members a few at a time, each Sunday morning on our live stream worship. 

Please watch for news about special opportunities to celebrate Advent and Christmas Eve with our children.  Kim Grahsler and Jeanie Collins have been planning with parents and kids to put on a pageant that we can all enjoy online.  There will also be a copy of the 2007 Christmas Pageant available to watch on our website!  AND… we hope to have a meditation labyrinth (lit with candles on the back green) where we can gather to “wait and pray” and perhaps enjoy some caroling together.  If you have ideas about how we can make the season brighter and more meaningful while remaining COVID-19 safe, let me know!  Adapting is where it’s at!

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Please join us LIVE on Sunday Mornings at 10:00 am for singing, and 10:15 am for worship. Use this link www.facebook.com/brigchurch.org.

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If you haven’t joined us for “virtual worship”, give me a call - you need to join us!  The CHURCH WEBSITE is www.brigchurch.org.  My email is jrscotland@aol.com.  My cell phone is (609) 457-2999.

WE HAVE A DEVOTIONAL GUIDE FOR ADVENT AVAILABLE ON LINE OR IN PRINT, PLEASE LET US KNOW HOW YOU WANT TO ACCESS THIS RESOURCE!

- John