‘Lessons and Carols’ service at St. Barnabas Episcopal
St. Barnabas Episcopal Church, at 319 W. Wisconsin Ave. in DeLand, announces that at 4 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 4, the church will present its annual “Lessons and Carols” service.
Featured will be the Adult, Children’s and Handbell choirs, which will perform arrangements of “O Come, O Come, Emmanuel,” “O Little Town of Bethlehem,” “It Came Upon the Midnight Clear” and “Joy to the World.”
A reception will follow, and a love offering will be collected.
Upcoming services at Church of the Holy Presence
Church of the Holy Presence welcomes DeLand-area residents to join in the church’s upcoming Christmas events: Taize Night, at 7 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 17; a Christmas Eve Candlelight Service at 7 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 24; and a Christmas Day Service at 10 a.m. Sunday, Dec. 25.
Church of the Holy Presence will have a New Year’s Day Service at 10 a.m. Sunday, Jan. 1, followed by a New Year’s Day Celebration.
The church is at 355 N. Kepler Road in DeLand.
Hanukah Gift Bazaar and Art Show
Temple Israel of DeLand is hosting a Hanukah Gift Bazaar and Art Show noon-4 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 4. There will be great Hanukah presents for sale, as well as gifts
and plants from local artisans for all your gift giving needs, along with traditional fried doughnuts. The temple is at 1001 E. New York Ave.
Faith sings!
At First Presbyterian Church of DeLand, on this second Sunday in Advent, Dec. 4, the Rev. Harland Merriam will address the joyful message of Psalm 98, as well as Luke 2:8-13, in a sermon titled “Faith Sings.” The three services will gather for Holy Communion and special Advent music.
Psalm 98 declares, “Sing to the Lord a new song” (v 1) and “… all the earth, burst into joy with music to the Lord” (v 4). Thousands of years later, when Mary had birthed the Christ child, “Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and [singing]” (v 13).
Throughout the pages of Scripture, God’s people sing. More examples include Miriam’s singing praise after a rescue from bondage, Mary’s voice at learning she will birth Jesus, and Paul’s urging believers to sing with joy.
Perhaps at no other time of the year do we hear so many songs in the air. And we find a song in our hearts and on our lips when we explore this psalm and realize what God has done in the tiny Christ child!
The church’s Advent devotional, King of Kings and Lord of Lords, guides readers to ponder how, “All we like sheep, have gone astray, every one to his own way” (Isaiah 53:6).
Also on Sunday, Dec. 4, the First Pres Chancel Choir will offer the annual Candlelight Choral Evensong at 5 p.m. Come to the church’s sanctuary to hear music in choral, organ and solo form, hear readings of Scripture, and worship. For an hour, all are invited to gather like “lost sheep” to prepare for the amazing gift of Jesus.
The next event for members and guests is “Blue Christmas,” in the sanctuary at 6 p.m. Wednesday, Dec. 7. God’s sheep who have experienced losses in the past or present time can find solace and comfort in this dignified and loving service of comfort.
Advent preparations find form in the regularly scheduled classes, meetings and studies of First Pres. Closer to Christmas, more events and opportunities to gather will be announced.
Original sin?
On Sunday, Dec. 4, First Unitarian Universalist Church of West Volusia in DeLand will welcome Rabbi Merrill Shapiro, who will present a program about the existence or nonexistence of original sin from the Jewish perspective.
Shapiro will bring to the congregation a presentation about those teachings from the Old Testament. There will be a review of Genesis, Chapters 1-3. Individuals are encouraged to bring a Bible, if you have one.
If time allows, discussion may be included after the presentation. The group, happily, will gather after the service for a social hour to share coffee, tea and conversation.
Those attending in person are encouraged to arrive around 10:15 a.m. for greetings before the service begins at 10:30 a.m. Masks are discretionary, but are encouraged at this time.
The services are also Zoomed, beginning at 10:30 a.m. as well.
The Zoom Sunday-service ID is the same every week: https://zoom.us/i/92718819188. Contact the church for help getting connected at www.uudeland.org.
Unitarian Universalists are an open-minded, freethinking, openhearted spiritual community, where all are welcomed as everyone learns together.
Music at 1st Christian Church
At First Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) of DeLand, at the 10:45 a.m. Sunday, Dec. 4, worship service, there will be a spectacular performance by the Music Makers, guided by the celebrated Conya Hartman, director of music and worship at Trinity United Methodist Church. The young singers will perform the musical Angels Say What to introduce the Advent season of worship.
The Rev. Carlos Perez, with the First Christian Elders of the Day, will provide the Lord’s Supper during the service for all in attendance.
The Music Makers will also perform at 9 a.m. Sunday, Dec. 4, during Trinity United Methodist Church’s worship service in First Christian’s sanctuary.
First Christian Disciple Women host bingo at 7 p.m. Friday, Dec. 9, in the fellowship hall. Proceeds after expenses will be donated to the Salvation Army.
The Disciple Women meet at 1 p.m. Mondays to engage in various projects, closing with intercessory prayer at 3:30 p.m.
The Disciple Men will meet at Daisy’s Diner in DeLand at 8 a.m. Saturday, Dec. 10.
‘Advent, You Say?’
Mosaic Unitarian Universalist Congregation, while not meeting face-to-face, is meeting online at 11 a.m. every Sunday. The Sunday, Dec. 4, service is titled “Advent, You Say?”
In all of the crazy chaos of the holiday season, many people forget that after Thanksgiving and before Christmas, there is a season that is observed in the Christian calendar called Advent, whose name comes from the Latin word for “coming.” Join Matt Pargeter-Villarreal for a discussion on the history and meaning of Advent, and what it has to offer and teach Unitarians.
Worship leader Jane Bradford will guide everyone through the service. All are welcome!
For information on Mosaic, see the website at https://mosaicuuc.org. For instructions on how to join the virtual service, email to mosaicuuc@gmail.com.
‘Jesus Came to Us From a People’
Christmas is almost here. Thoughts of Christmas lead us to thoughts of family and friends and all those around us who make up our community.
“The greatness of a community is most accurately measured by the compassionate actions of its members.” – Coretta Scott King
At First United Methodist Church of DeLand, the focus stays on our community. All those who worship at First United Methodist are a part of the church family.
This week, Sunday, Dec. 4, in the sermon series “Roots,” the topic will be “Jesus Came to Us From a People.” It is so important to recognize the importance of our interdependence on those who make up our natural and our spiritual communities.
“We cannot seek achievement for ourselves and forget about progress and prosperity for our community. Our ambitions must be broad enough to include the aspirations and needs of others for their sakes and for our own.” – Cesar Chavez
You’re encouraged to join in person or online this week to examine how Jesus came to us and how His place in our community affects us all. In-person traditional worship is at 8 a.m. and 11 a.m. in the sanctuary; an in-person contemporary service is at 9:30 a.m. in the Family Life Center. All three services are streamed live on Facebook on the First Church DeLand page, or they can be accessed through the website at Firstchurchdeland.org.
As the holiday season is approaching, church members invite the community to upcoming holiday events. On Sunday, Dec. 4, a Soup/Chili Cook-Off will take place 4-6 p.m., coupled with a Make It/Bake It/Grow It Missions Fundraiser Sale. This is a ticketed event at the cost of $5 per person. Contact the church office to get your tickets.
Also, at 6 p.m. Dec. 4, there will be a Family Outdoor Christmas Movie in the open field at the corner of East Howry and South Alabama avenues. This is a family-friendly free event. Don’t forget blankets and chairs.
On Friday and Saturday, Dec. 16 and 17, a Combined Community Choir will present “Celebrate the Wonder,” a Christmas choral event. The Friday concert, at 7 p.m., will be at the church at 115 E. Howry Ave.; the Saturday concert will be at 3 p.m. at First Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) of DeLand at 1401 W. New York Ave. There is no admission charge; a freewill love offering will be collected.
There will be three services for Christmas Eve: at 3:30 p.m., 5:30 p.m. and 7:30 p.m.
To get tickets to events or for more information, call the church office at 386-734-5113.
