West Village Courier
Church Activities
7 Albion Christmas Parade
22 Christmas Program & Party
24 Christmas Eve Service
@ 5:30 p.m.
Looking Ahead
Jan. 5-Removing the Greens
Jan. 12-Sunday Night Youth
Resumes
Jan. 12-Sunday Evening
Bible Study Resumes
December Anniversaries
9—Roger & Linda Stennett
10—Ryan & Megan Bunnage
15—Ed & Lila Fewkes
26—Roger & Tammy Wehmeyer
December Greeters
1—Bonita Thomason
8—Kevin & Aline Berger
15—Earl & Jana Ibbotson
22—Lonny & Valerie
29—Chris & Audra Spray
December Sound System
Neil Fearn
Children's Church
1-Kianna
8-Emily
15-Sherry
22-Shayla
29-No Children's Church
Nursery
1-Debbie & Tonya
8-Rhonda & Whitney
15-Sandy & Audrey
22-Michelle & Joyce
29-Sandy & Debbie
Call to Worship
December 1-John Spray
December 8-Jason Biggs
December 15-Eric St. Ledger
December 22-Morgan Moore
December 29-Youth Sunday
December Servers
Roger Shelby
Ben Spray
John Spray
Christmas Eve Service
Join us Christmas Eve at 5:30 p.m. for our candlelight service and celebrate this
glorious season with us.
glorious season with us.
Christmas Sing
A Christmas Sing will be held on December 4th at 6:00pm at the Village on Main. It will be an evening of solos and sing-a-longs with special guests. Snacks and drinks will begin at 6:00 with Christmas music commencing at 6:30. The sing will end at approximately 8:30.
Angel Wish Tree
West Village is sponsoring the Christmas Wish tree again this year. Displays are set up at the church, Citizens National Bank in Albion, and First National Bank in West Salem to pick up cards. Please return unwrapped gifts in a large trash bag with the card attached by December 1st. Thank you for helping make Christmas brighter for kids in Edwards County.
Elementary Youth Food Drive
The Elementary Youth Group is collecting food for WADI. Items being collected to fill boxes are: half hams, scalloped potatoes or instant mashed potatoes, canned corn, canned green beans, canned fruit, boxed macaroni and cheese, and brownie or cake mixes. If you would like to donate money to help purchase some of these items please write a check to the church and put “WADI food collection” in the memo. All food and monetary donations need to be at church by December 6th. If you have any questions please see Ashley Spray or Sherry Mewes.
Christmas Caroling
The Elementary Youth Group (ages 3-5th grade) will be going Christmas caroling on Dec. 15th. They will leave the church at 3:00 and after caroling will head up to Olney to look at the Christmas lights. After eating in Olney, they will return to the church.
Activities at the Village on Main
Dec. 4-Christmas Sing
Dec. 11-Midweek Service
Dec. 14-Ignite
Dec. 18-Midweek Service
Dec. 4-Christmas Sing
Dec. 11-Midweek Service
Dec. 14-Ignite
Dec. 18-Midweek Service
Missions Moment
Pinehaven Christian Children's Ranch and School
We were blessed to have Dan Larsson speak to our church in October. The following is taken from their newsletter:
“We are very concerned about the state of our Christian young people in the USA as statistics are showing up to 7 out of 10 walk away from their faith, and the church, after high school graduation. One of the shocking comments I receive frequently, as I share this in person, is that it is more than 70 percent. We can change this!
“I am more encouraged and excited about what Pinehaven is doing than I have been in the last decade. The changes we are seeing in young lives at Pinehaven are what the ministry of Christ is all about. Our Gap students want help learning how to function and be successful in our world. They want to have the skills to make themselves adept in every situation. They want help to learn how to live and work with the people around them. They want time spent with those generations who have proven themselves in their work, marriage, and faith. They want these mature Christians to speak into their lives. They want to go deeper in their faith so they will not be shaken by the father of lies. Praise the Lord for this time in life when His children desire to know and please their Heavenly Father!”
Thank you for making this ministry possible!
Dan Larsson
We were blessed to have Dan Larsson speak to our church in October. The following is taken from their newsletter:
“We are very concerned about the state of our Christian young people in the USA as statistics are showing up to 7 out of 10 walk away from their faith, and the church, after high school graduation. One of the shocking comments I receive frequently, as I share this in person, is that it is more than 70 percent. We can change this!
“I am more encouraged and excited about what Pinehaven is doing than I have been in the last decade. The changes we are seeing in young lives at Pinehaven are what the ministry of Christ is all about. Our Gap students want help learning how to function and be successful in our world. They want to have the skills to make themselves adept in every situation. They want help to learn how to live and work with the people around them. They want time spent with those generations who have proven themselves in their work, marriage, and faith. They want these mature Christians to speak into their lives. They want to go deeper in their faith so they will not be shaken by the father of lies. Praise the Lord for this time in life when His children desire to know and please their Heavenly Father!”
Thank you for making this ministry possible!
Dan Larsson
Nolan's Corner
Thanksgiving is the last of the non-commercialized holidays. In the fall you have three of the biggies, Halloween, Thanksgiving, and Christmas. Halloween has become all about candy and costumes. And Christmas now starts in September it seems. Society used to at least have the common decency to wait until the day after to start the sales for Christmas. I might make some Christmas people angry but in my opinion Thanksgiving is better. Better because, at least for me, Thanksgiving is about family and thankfulness. Where so much of the rest of our time and effort is spent in pursuit, Thanksgiving should be about setting still, and not in a food comma sort of way.
In Psalms, especially the later ones, there is a phrase that repeats what feels like constantly. “Give thanks to the Lord.” For a number of reasons, we are to give thanks, but it almost always boils down to a singular point. We give thanks to the Lord for what he always provides. Most of this time of year is about what we get. From the baskets of candy collected at Halloween, to the presents under the tree, much of this season is given over to getting. But for just this brief moment we get to take a pause and contemplate what we have been given.
As you read this I just want to encourage you to take a moment to set in the reality of all that God has given to you. And you might say that it has been a rough year. Perhaps you have lost someone, or work hasn’t gone well. Maybe you are dealing with sickness, or chronic pain, and the thought of being thankful is far from your mind. I just want to remind you of this. If everything else is crumbling around you, you still have the love that God showed you in the person of Jesus on the Cross. So today take the time to give thanks to the Lord.
In Psalms, especially the later ones, there is a phrase that repeats what feels like constantly. “Give thanks to the Lord.” For a number of reasons, we are to give thanks, but it almost always boils down to a singular point. We give thanks to the Lord for what he always provides. Most of this time of year is about what we get. From the baskets of candy collected at Halloween, to the presents under the tree, much of this season is given over to getting. But for just this brief moment we get to take a pause and contemplate what we have been given.
As you read this I just want to encourage you to take a moment to set in the reality of all that God has given to you. And you might say that it has been a rough year. Perhaps you have lost someone, or work hasn’t gone well. Maybe you are dealing with sickness, or chronic pain, and the thought of being thankful is far from your mind. I just want to remind you of this. If everything else is crumbling around you, you still have the love that God showed you in the person of Jesus on the Cross. So today take the time to give thanks to the Lord.