Williston-West Church

PASTOR’S NOTES
Eric Kelley

Advent is an exciting time for many of us. The lighting of candles, the singing of joyful hymns, the anticipation of celebrating the birth of Christ all contribute to our sense of gladness this season. All across the world Christian people gather together to join in Advent services – even in the face of dangerous conditions in their countries.

I am especially mindful this year of Palestinian Christians that I have come to know in Bethlehem. So many days I walked in Manger Square greeting them in their busy shops and joining them for Turkish coffee and sweet rolls. There was always a little tension in the air with a sense of political unrest but the people for the most part were safe and at peace. The Palestinians are a gracious people and a joy to be with.

It is a very different story today. The shops are empty, schools are closed, roads are blocked, they cannot get to their jobs outside the West Bank, food is scarce and people wonder what the night will bring. The e-mails I get from Ali Jaber in Jerusalem are heart breaking and bring the whole conflict down to a very personal level.

None of us knows exactly what to do when we look at a land divided with legitimate claims on both sides. The Israelis have overwhelming military power to such a degree that there is no competition. But when that might comes face to face with the heart of a people who believe they are fighting for their homeland we see into the core of the conflict.

This Christmas Season is going to witness more unrest in the Middle East than we have seen in several years. It is going to raise many questions for us as we look at the meaning of our faith in a world with so much war. Is Jesus the Prince of Peace or are we getting lost in more wishful thinking? I personally believe that Jesus speaks directly to us and to our world but his message is difficult to assimilate in a world that calls us in the opposite direction.

Join us for worship and study through Advent where we will struggle with Jesus’ word to us. The seeds of peace are sown in individual hearts. Let our prayers in this season be for peace in Jerusalem and for peace in our own hearts.

Grace and Peace,

Eric

Advent Program in the Memorial Hall
Bill Whelan

Christmas, 2000. Elections gone awry. Catalog glut. Christmas decorations on display by Halloween. Do you ever wonder what happened to Christmas? How did it get so commercial? How did reach a point where Christmas is merely a great marketing tool? How do we get back to the real meaning of Christmas?
Starting Tuesday, November 28 and running for 4 Tuesdays, Williston-West Church will present an Advent program to give you an opportunity to reflect on the spiritual side of this special season. We will meet in the Memorial Hall - where the Alternative Worship service takes place - from 6:30P.M. to 8:00 P.M. It will be a time for song and a time for prayer; it will be a time to tell your stories and listen to others talk about what Christmas means to them.
Here are the topics for the 4 Tuesdays:

Nov 28: Holiday Traditions. What are your traditions? What are your earliest memories of Christmas? What childhood traditions do you still carry on? We know many came to us from Catholic churches, others form various Protestants churches, maybe some from no faith at all. We all have stories to tell about we celebrated Christmas in our childhood. Come share yours.

Dec 05: Children and Christmas. Building on 'Holiday Traditions', What are the values you enjoyed as a child that you want to pass to your own children regarding Christmas? How will you keep the spirit and joy alive this holiday?

Dec 12: Giving. So many gifts exchange hands on this one day. Is it really better to give than to receive? Why do you give? What is your first memory of giving?

Dec 19: Holiday Memories: Learning from our elders. Please join us for a special night and hear stories of Christmas from some of our older members. What was Christmas like in the early days of the 20th century? Times change, values do not. What can we learn if we listen?

We hope you will join us for any or all of these sessions. All are welcome. Invite your friends. Child care will be provided and light refreshments will be served at the close of the evening.

If you have any questions, please call the office at 774-4060.

$25,000 Challenge Grant - 65.17% of Goal and Counting!
Stewardship Committee

As of November 28, thirty-four members and friends of Williston-West have stepped forward with pledges or contributions to the $25,000 Challenge Grant to our endowment. The total to date is $16,270. The goal of the anonymous donor is to raise awareness of the endowment and its importance to the church. Contributions and pledges so far range from outright gifts of $20 to $500 and pledges over the three-year period of up to $1,000. In order to receive the full $25,000 of the challenge we need to raise another $8,730.

Inside the cover of this month's newsletter is a Challenge Grant pledge form, for your convenience. The pledge form can be returned to the office or placed in the Sunday offering.

Thank you to those listed below who have recognized this opportunity to increase our endowment.

Christian Education
Tom Riddell

We have had an exciting fall with Christian Education. We have seen many changes in our physical space; the large Sunday school room has undergone a large renovation this fall. With many thanks going to Peg Cyr, Roxanne Brophy, who purchased new tables, bean bag chairs and worked with Marge and Chris Harding to find a beautiful new carpet. Many thanks to Marge and Chris for making the new rug possible—without them we would have no new carpet. We also have a Noah’s Ark mural being completed by Amy Partridge-Barber. If you haven’t seen the new room its worth a trip to the third floor.

Christian Ed. has also laid the groundwork for a Youth Confirmation Group, which will be starting in December. The Youth group has been very active with missions this fall raising money for blankets and winter coats for the needy. They are looking forward to their next mission of adopting a needy family for Christmas.

John Tewhey is set to start the Christmas pageant we haven’t set a date so stay tuned.

Finally we are looking for teachers to fill in slots after the New Year. If you have any desire to teach Sunday school please let us know.

What Is A Will?
Stewardship Committee

At a recent meeting someone was asked. What is a Will? Expecting the standard legalize answer they were intrigued when the answer was, " An expression of values". The explanation went on to outline what was meant. " It is the last opportunity for someone to tell their family, friends and community what was of value to them. The simple act of leaving some thing to a spouse or child is not simply a legal act, but an expression that they are valued. That is perhaps the greatest gift of a will. In like manner someone can express their caring for a niece or nephew by picking out a special heirloom or item to have given to him or her. Or it can go further in valuing the friendship of neighbors by leaving a thoughtful item to them for their past kindnesses. It in this same vein that people include their favorite institutions in their wills. To many this is their college or school; to other it is the United Way or a special charity that has served their family and friends. To many it is their church." This is how we can express the value Williston-West has been to us during our lifetime.

Apple Tree News
Betty Furman

One of the four organizations that the Apple Tree supports is Reiche School, an elementary school here in our neighborhood on Brackett Street.  One of the very important things we do for Reiche School is provide nutritious snacks for students through our monthly Food for Thought Sunday--the last Sunday of each month.  On this Sunday (or any time you remember to bring the snacks in) we collect fresh fruit, juice boxes, and other nutritious snacks (popcorn, cheese crackers, peanut butter crackers, granola bars, pretzels, cereal bars, etc.) for teachers to distribute to their students.  The need is great and there is no way we could saturate the demand they have for these snacks. 

At Reiche 60% of the households are single-parent households--you can imagine the financial burden that can create.  In addition to the many very low income households, Reiche has a very large immigrant population--28 languages other than English are spoken in the homes of these students, thereby creating an enormous language barrier and much confusion about details like bringing snacks.  The daily classroom snack time is a time to recharge young minds with nutritious foods, as well as a social time that teachers feel is very important for all to participate in. 

The school social worker told me that sadly, in many cases school meals comprise all the food that a student may have for that day--they receive a small government-subsidized breakfast, a lunch, and whatever snacks the teachers can provide and have no dinner at home. The need is so severe that many teachers are using their personal funds to purchase snacks for their students, and we all know that teachers are not paid enough to begin with. We have recently had a great response to the request for you to support Food for Thought Sunday here at Williston-West, and I urge you to continue your support.  Just adding a couple of items to your shopping list once a month can make an enormous difference in the lives of some of our neighborhood children!

(Snacks can be left any time in the Apple Tree basket, located in the vestibule between the Sanctuary and Fellowship Hall.)

A Word of Thanks
John Hartley

Thanks to all the volunteers who participated in our November 18^th annual clean up.

We go a lot done – cleaning of the pews and woodwork in the apse area, leaf raking, clean out the crammed full closed on the third floor, and clean out of the basement.

The basement clean out project is now in the second year and will continue until all is in orderly condition.

For literally decades, anything that was left over from any project, outdated items, or just plain "junque" that nobody knew what to do with – simply went down to the basement. And did it ever accumulate over the years!

Well, we’ve made a start and in some places, you can actually see the basement floor.

And we will continue this clean up effort next year.

Flower Committee Request
Diane Tyler

Are you interested in donating flowers to be displayed on our Altar one or more Sundays during the months of January and February, perhaps to honor a friend or relative? If so, please contact the Church office. You may provide the flowers yourself, or send a check for $25 or more and we will purchase the flowers.

Either way, you will be recognized in the church bulletin and the monthly newsletter for your kind contribution.

If you plan to donate flowers in honor of, or in memory of someone, please provide the following information:
- - your name
- - your phone number
- - specify either 'In Honor Of' or 'In Memory Of'
- - name of the person flowers are donated for.
- - whether you will provide the flowers or will send a check.

Here are the available dates:

January 7
January 14
January 21
January 28
February 4
February 11
February 18
February 25