Friends:

Behold, I bring you tidings of Great Joy!  

** Advent Taize at San Damiano:  Our Peace Musicians (Gary, Elizabeth, John, Drew) will again lead these Contemplative Prayer Gatherings Wednesday,  December 13 and 20 – 7:00p.  Drop in, have your soul refreshed and prepared for Christmas.

** Christmas Service Schedule: 

• Sunday  Dec 24, 10:00a – Advent 4: Mary Sunday with Baptism!
• Sunday  Dec 24,   5:00p – Christmas Eve Family Service
• Sunday  Dec 24, 10:00p – Christmas Eve with Candles and Communion
• Monday  Dec 25, 10:00a – Christmas Day Carols and Eucharist

**Please bring your Giving Tree gifts this Sunday, December 17th.  We will deliver the gifts next Tuesday, Dec 19th – if you’d like to participate in the delivery of the gifts please contact the office.

** Keep in Your Prayers:  Lee, Drew, Mike and his father, Carol and the death of her father, Linda, those seeking shelter, all of the children preparing for Christmas, the people of San Francisco, and the people of Puerto Rico.

** December Forums: Our final Forum will be this week with Weaving our Stories.  The treasures to be discovered are endless.  And watch our Weaving Tapestry begin to emerge!

**Thanks to our Youth Group for decorating our Christmas Tree!

**Thanks to Pat & Charlene for the joyful Family Service!

** Please bring Photos of your Extended Family on Sundays and post them on our Bulletin Boards in the Breezeway.  This is a beautiful way to experience the circles of loved ones beyond our own congregation.

**Longest Night / Blue Christmas 2017:  Bay Area Services listed below

**Peace Singers – Elizabeth has already secured  7 – 13 non-Peace members to sing in a Christmas Eve Choir.  If you would like to join this group at either service please contact the office.  Beautiful Christmas celebrations are coming your way!

** Interfaith Art Exhibit at the Oakland Islamic Center.  Our own Veil Tapestry is on display!  The remains up through February.  In the New Year we’ll organize a carpool to visit the exhibit.

** Hanukkah Celebration – with Interfaith Friends:  We are outside at Blackhawk Plaza on Saturday, December 16 at 6:30 pm.  Rabbi Dan invites all interfaith friends to attend!

** Rwandan Christmas Gifts:  Thanks to Pastor Lucy who provided these unique gifts.  There are a few items remaining.

Advent Questions:  What do I actually need this Christmas? What gift do I want to give this Christmas?

Advent Blessings,

Pr. Steve

Longest Night/Blue Christmas 2017 / San Francisco Bay Area

What is a Blue Christmas or Longest Night Service?

Brightly wrapped packages, Christmas trees, holiday parties, holly and the scent of pine, unending upbeat carols in shops and malls, visits from friends and family, baking and cooking, food everywhere –these are the images and memories of Christmas most of us celebrate and treasure. But each year some people–the grieving, the lonely, the hopeless–dread the approach of the holiday season. They have no heart for the cheer and the bustle, the anticipation and the excitement. Across the country congregations recognize the struggles grieving people often face during the holidays. In the weeks before Christmas they focus ministry efforts on special worship services that speak to the needs of the downhearted.

Dec 17, 5:05p – Chapel

Trinity Church in Menlo Park (Episcopal)                                              http://www.trinitymenlopark.org/

330 Ravenswood Ave, Menlo Park 94025            650-326-2083

The Blue Christmas Service is an opportunity to acknowledge how difficult the holiday season is for many people. This is a quiet evening service of reflection and healing with communion.

Dec 18, 7:30p – Sanctuary

Los Altos United Methodist Church  https://laumc.org/news/

655 Magdalena Ave. Los Altos, CA 94024           650-948-1083

The Longest Night, a Service of Solace  –  Those who are suffering in their hearts during this season are invited to join us for The Longest Night, a special service for those who need a place where they can be welcomed into the season exactly as they are, without having to put on a holiday face. It is also a service for anyone who would appreciate a little calm, reflective time of peace and worship in the midst of the hectic pace of the season. God comes to us wherever we are – even in our grief, even in our pain – and there is a place for you in this season, too.  Childcare will be available during the service, and refreshments will be served afterwards. For more information, contact the church office.

Dec 20, 5:00p – 6:00p

Calvary Presbyterian Church                          https://calvarypresbyterian.org/event/the-longest-night-2/

2515 Fillmore Street, San Francisco, CA 94551

 Dec 21, 5:30p – 6:30p

Blue Christmas Service — Oakland Diocese https://www.oakdiocese.org/ministries-pastoral/worship/events/blue-christmas-service

The Cathedral of Christ the Light  2121 Harrison St., Oakland    (510) 832-5057

Dec 21, 6:00p – Loper Chapel

First Congregational Church of Berkeley           http://www.fccb.org/events

United Church of Christ              2345 Channing Way, Berkeley, CA                   (510) 848-3696

“Blue Christmas” Healing Service  Are you dealing with grief, loss, disappointment or transition? Could you use support, prayer and companionship, especially during the holiday season? In December, the church carries on an annual practice of offering a “Blue Christmas” service for those who are experiencing loss or grief. It will include prayers (silent, written, spoken), Scripture, music and healing rituals.

Dec 21,  7:00p

St. Paul’s Episcopal Church Blue Christmas service-Benicia                  http://www.stpaulsbenicia.org/

The Longest Night Contemplative Service

120 East J Street, Benicia, CA 94510                             (707) 745-0307

Dec 21, 7:30p

Niles Discovery Church                                                                                     http://www.nilesdiscoverychurch.org/

36600 Niles Blvd., Fremont, CA, 94536                       (510) 797-0895

Longest Night Service

A Service Of Light In The Midst Of Darkness: on the longest night of the year Niles Discovery Church offers a special, meditative worship service that offers time for remembering and sharing our hurting places with God. Join us for a time of special music, scripture, stories, silent reflection, and healing prayer. The service will be followed by a simple time of fellowship for those who wish to participate. Attendees will be invited to light candles during the observance as a quiet response and act of prayer. We hope that the service will provide a space for people “to release their anger, face their emptiness, have a good cry (if that’s what they need), and know that God cares.”