The Beacon
Newsletter
December 29, 2022 Volume 64, No 53
Christmas Eve: Celebrated January 1, 2023
Theme: The Things They Carried: Simple Gifts
Wearing the gospel of peace on our feet.
Please read Ephesians 6: 12-15 and Luke 1: 46-56 to prepare.
Pastor Anna Lisa Gross
Sunday, January 1, 2023
Happy New Year!
9:30 a.m. Eat and Meet
10:30 a.m. Worship
Monday, January 2
Tuesday, January 3
Pastor Anna Lisa onsite.
Wednesday, January 4
Pastor Anna Lisa onsite.
9:30 a.m. Food Bank
7:00 p.m. Search Team meeting
Thursday, January 5
11:30 a.m. Worship Preview meeting
5:30 p.m. Worship Team meeting (offsite)
Friday, January 6
Church Office closed.
Saturday, January 7
Pastor Anna Lisa away at CODE meetings.
Remember to check the Breeze calendar for upcoming events and activities!
The Education Commission is seeking Sunday School teachers! If you would like to be a part of nurturing the curiosity, creativity, and wisdom of our young people, please reach out to Brenda Galbraith for more information.
Weekly Announcements
Moving forward, the regular office hours will be Monday through Thursday, 9 a.m. - 2 p.m.
Meet and Eat is available online - gather in the "Worship and Gatherings" zoom room (the one we used for a couple years for worship) at 9:30am. If you prefer casual conversation, enjoy the Fellowship Hall. If you're looking for some quiet prayer time, find two options in the South Classroom. You are welcome to move between all three spaces on Sunday mornings (unless you're joining online, then you're stuck "in" the Parlor.)
During Meet and Eat: Jan 1 we will conclude conversation with the Advent devotional. Jan 8 we will enjoy the Dunker Punks Podcast in which Pastor Anna Lisa interviews Samantha Farley, with her parents Carla Kilgore and Craig Smith, and grandparents Ev and Bill Kilgore. We'll sort sock donations while we listen!
We plan to print the Church Directory in January. If you have updates to your contact information that you would like to have included in this printing, please make sure to get that information to the office by January 9th!
On Friday, Jan 20, the Board gathers in a special location (see your email) from 7-9 pm for gourmet cheesecake and thoughtful, fresh activities. Then we'll get down to business on Saturday at the church building from 9am-3pm. Your next Beacon e-newsletter (Jan 5th) will list the whole 2023 Board if you're curious!
Statistics 12/25/2022
Worship We had no worship this Sunday, but about 30 people gathered for fellowship and brunch Christmas morning.
Offering 12/18/2022 not counted yet
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Food Bank on December 28:
Food Bank was closed for the holidays.
The food bank needs newspaper bags! If you have unused newspaper bags, please bring them to the church and put them in the labeled box in the office.
Christmas Eve (Postponed)
On January 1st (our date for the postponed Christmas Eve worship service) we not only celebrate the stocking-stuffed-with-socks, but our monetary offerings are all given away, near and far.
Just Neighbors is our local donation. Besides the Homeless Shelter in our neighborhood, they go to court to try to prevent evictions and keep people from becoming homeless.
ARISE is on the Texas-Mexico border. They do a great job of orienting groups (like our delegation a few years ago) to what happens at the border. They help with jobs, education, working with the government for better services, empowering women and much more.
Season’s Greetings from the Beacon Heights Staff!
This Advent and Christmastime we've been celebrating the Simple Gifts of our lives: the shelter and safety we live with. The good food and good friends we enjoy. We are grateful to work and serve with the healthy and lively community of Beacon Heights Church of the Brethren.
In the swirls of so much change at BH and throughout the world, we are mindful of our many blessings, and seek to continue to bless you through our work.
Pastor Anna Lisa, Music Coordinator Melody, Office Manager Melinda
We celebrated a staff holiday outing at Takaoka with our loved ones, and thank you for the opportunity you afford us to be the staff of Beacon Heights Church of the Brethren!
Kevin and Melody, Anna Lisa & Phillip, Melinda & Riley (who chose not to be visible in this picture)
Tenth Annual New Year's Eve Game Night
Everyone is cordially invited to the Tenth Annual New Year's Eve Game Night on December 31. Bring cards, games, snacks, knitting, beverages - and a smile! Beaconers and friends will meet in the Parlor from 8 p.m. to midnight. Hosted by Janet Mitchell and family.
Pastor Anna Lisa will be taking time away in January. First, from Jan 6-11, she'll be in meetings with the Council of District Executives. Since this meeting is in Florida, she and Phillip will then be having vacation from Jan 12-19. They look forward to returning with some color in their cheeks for the exciting final two weekends of January! (Board retreat Jan 20-21, Pastoral candidate weekend Jan 28-29).
Next Sunday: January 8, 2022
Theme & Title: For Such a Time as This
“For such a time as this.” This phrase is used by many in popular culture. In the book of Esther, Mordecai, Esther’s adopted father and cousin, used this phrase to chastise Esther. She was in danger of side-stepping responsibility. Mordecai calls Esther to cease ignoring her heritage and feeling powerless to speak with the voice of integrity to the King, and to step through doubt.
The community of Beacon Heights has nurtured each of us to hold our heritage, peacekeeping, consensus making, creedless, living Gospels, priesthood of all believers, front and center in our daily walk.
Our collective voice of integrity is being pushed, by the culture, into a corner.
Are we succumbing to the negative pressure of speaking our truth to a culture willing to use the famous quote from Mordecai as a radical call for ‘white national christianity’?
As we approach a season of leaning into the work and remembrance of Martin Luther King, Jr, what do we do with ‘for such a time as this’?
Please read Esther 4: 9-14 to prepare.
Deb Romary
Published by Beacon Heights
Church of the Brethren
Editor: Melinda Long
Phone: (260) 482-8595
Email: office@beaconheights.net