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| It has been quite a year. Very emotional. Jarring. Draining. Disrupting sleep patterns. We're tired. We need to regroup. Revitalize. Take a breath. There is a spiritual practice called Honoring the Body. It is a regular habit of taking care of oneself. Getting good sleep. Good nutrition. Good exercise and movement. Paying attention to what our bodies need in order to thrive. Why is this a spiritual practice? First, scripture says our bodies are a gift from God. A good start is First Corinthians 6.19-20: Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, which you have from God, and that you are not your own? For you were bought with a price; therefore glorify God in your body. Our bodies are the medium through which we are God's own and by which we serve a needy world. Second, as we celebrate in this Christmas season, God thought it good enough to take on flesh and live among us in a body just like ours. God honors us by doing so. Your body deserves respect and care. With it you minister the love and grace and mercy that our hurting world needs. During this season, and throughout the year when you can, honor the body you have been given. Take a nap. Take a walk. Find the revitalization your body needs. We are about to enter into a new year that will surely test us in many ways. God has given us a gift to accomplish God's purposes. Let's take care of it. Interim Pastor, |
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Stewardship 2025 The Stewardship Committee extends its heartfelt gratitude to all who pledged to support the church in 2025. We are deeply indebted for your financial gifts, which sustain the missions of FPC. As of December 13, we are not at our pledge drive goal yet, but we are getting there ($57,090 remaining), thanks to you. For those who have not yet done so, please consider a gift. Any amount truly helps. You can pledge on our website, https://www.firstchurchbrooklyn.org/, or via the pledge cards in the pews. Peace and blessings,
Stewardship Committee |
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| | | Friday, December 20th Needlework Group Elliot Room 6:30 PM Women's Pot Luck Elliot Room Sunday, December 22nd NOTE: You can find the Bulletin for Sunday's worship online here. 9:00 AM Choir Warm-Up and Rehearsal In the Sanctuary 9:45 AM Power Hour Adult Christian Education and Discussion
via Zoom. 11:00 AM Sunday Worship Minister Conor Foley, preaching Title: "Mary Sings Love and Liberation"
Scripture Text: Psalm 25:1-7 and Luke 1:46-55 Worship with us in person, our website, or on our Facebook Page. 5:00 PM Christmas Eve Worship Wednesday, December 25th Church Office will be CLOSED 6:00 PM - 7:00 PM Homeless Street Ministry Peace Garden 8:00 PM No Bible Study Thursday, December 26th Church Office will be CLOSED Food Pantry will be CLOSED for the Christmas Holiday |
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| TUESDAY, December 24 Christmas Eve Service begins at 5pm. The church office will be closed on Wednesday December 25 and Thursday December 26 in observance of the Christmas Holiday. THURSDAY December 26 Food Pantry will be closed |
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Power Hour meets each Sunday at 9:45 am. Come join us at 9:45 am in person in the Thurman Room, or on Zoom (link above in The Coming Week section). |
| Hearing Help We have a wireless headphone listening system available for anyone who is hearing impaired. For more information please see any tech operator for assistance. |
| Delivering Gifts to the Eastern Farm Workers Association (EFWA) 
Mary Robinson, Richard Greene, and Dave Ehlke help unload one of two carloads of toys from First Church in what may be our largest gift ever. 
Erik Brogger and the rest are joined by Joel Biddle, EFWA Operations Manager. 
Joel shows a stack of requests from 150 parents for a total of approximately 800 children. Donations of new toys are matched to the children's ages listed on the forms. Each parent will receive a gift bag of two toys per child during the Holiday party on December 22nd, to share with their children on December 25th. 
Some of the many books that were delivered. Toy donations arrived from nearly a dozen resources: individuals, agencies, and churches. |
| Scenes from "The Herald Angels Sing", this year's Christmas Pageant presented by the children of Sunday School during worship on December 15th 
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| WHITE ROSE Cuban Ministry SPECIAL EVENT SAVE THE DATE! January 24th, 2025 
Come join members of the White Rose Ministry and attend a concert featuring one of the most sought-after Cuban dance ensembles, The Malpaso Dance Company. They are scheduled to perform at the Joyce Theatre on January 24th, 2025 and we have reserved 50 tickets (tax deductible) for First Church Brooklyn members and supporters. Think about what a great holiday gift this will make! To reserve your tickets, please contact Rich Greene at rtgreene2@gmail.com. More information to follow. |
| Looking for Food and Fellowship Volunteers First Church Brooklyn serves a Sunday fellowship lunch once each month at the Church of the Gethsemane, our sister Presbyterian church in Park Slope, Brooklyn, whose members are mostly formerly incarcerated. First Church volunteers prepare a meal, either at home or at the church's kitchen, attend worship at 11:00AM, and serve lunch after service to approximately 15-20 congregants. It's a wonderful opportunity to make good food and even better friends. We are looking for volunteers for December and January, on whatever Sunday works for you. Please contact Marta Nelson if you have questions or would like to volunteer. |
| Food Pantry Serving Thursday, 9:00 AM - 11:00 AM 
On Thursday, December 19th, our pantry served
140 clients with the help of 17 volunteers, including students from Packer. According to the 2023 edition of the State of Food Security and Nutrition in the World report, between 691 and 783 million people faced hunger in 2022, representing an increase of 122 million people compared to 2019. Volunteers are welcome to arrive on Thursdays between 8:00 and 11:00 AM to serve in the pantry. No advanced notice required. Please contact the church office to inquire about volunteering. We look forward to serving with you. 
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| Congregation and Community News |
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NEW SCHEDULE The Needlework Group is now meeting the first Wednesday and third Friday of each month in the Elliott Room. Our monthly potluck is on the third Friday after the meeting at 6:30PM. |
| Men's Fellowship
The Men's fellowship group normally meets weekly for breakfast and discussion at the Park Plaza diner (220 Cadman Plaza West, Brooklyn Heights) - Wednesday at 8:00AM. They are taking the rest of the year off and will resume on January 8th, 2025. The group will decide on a new book at the January 8 meeting, so it is a good time for interested or curious new people to join. All men in the church are welcome, even if you have not read the selection we discuss each week. Contact Dave Ehlke at dave.ehlke@gmail.com if you have any questions. |
| Prayer Requests "This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us." (1 John 5:14 NIV) Our world is changing daily, and yet we still believe in the power of prayer. We still desire to pray with and for our community. If you have a prayer request – a joy or a concern, please send your prayers to us at info@firstchurchbrooklyn.org. We will add prayers to our worship bulletin each week and keep your prayers in our hearts and on our lips for the week to come. |
| Worship service video is streamed live over the internet. We provide the worship bulletin on the website so that you can follow along. Tune in to worship at 11:00 AM Eastern time. If you have access to a connected screen of any size, try our Video LIVE Stream on our website and our Facebook page. |
| We're Social Like us. Follow us. See us. Hear us. Watch us.    
  
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| Wednesday "Minute Message" video! 
Signup for our Wednesday morning devotional and receive a link to a short video message from our staff or an inspirational bible verse or quote to meditate on. Give yourself a boost in the middle of the week! To sign up, simply scan the QR code at the right or text the word DEVOTIONAL to 718-689-6171. This number is private to First Church for this ministry and your information will not be sold or distributed in any way. |
| A full calendar of church events can be found on the church website. |
| This week's eNewsletter was edited by Mark Elsenheimer. Photos provided by Erik Brogger (Farm Workers gifts), and Jim Johnson (Pageant). |
| Online Donations: Set up a recurring gift to the church through a secure online account. To set up an account or to edit an existing gift, go to First Church Brooklyn's website. Flower Donations: We welcome flower donations of $75 or more in memory or in honor of friends and loved ones. Please contact Annie Solages in the Church office via email. Appointments with Ministry: Staff may be arranged by calling the Church at 718-624-3770, or via email. |
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