THE SEED NEWSLETTER

December 3, 2023

Christmas Concert Reception!

After this year's Christmas Concert, we hope you will join us for some refreshments at Christian Temple.  In order to make this reception a success, we will need volunteers!  Interested in making an item or two for the festivities?  If so, please use the following link to sign-up:   https://www.signupgenius.com/go/30E0F4BAEA82DA20-46439081-christmas#/        

Christmas Concert

Christian Temple's Christmas Concert will feature the musical gifts of our congregation. If you have been waiting for an open call for interest and have a favorite Christmas song to sing or play, please sign up below. We will get back to you and see if there is a slot available.

DECEMBER 17 - 6:00 PM

THANK YOU!!

CLICK HERE: https://forms.gle/Uun1hYNqTe5WE9pu7

First Sunday Fiesta...  Christmas Party!

We will be holding our monthly First Sunday Fiesta for children and youth on December 3rd!  We invite you to leave your kids at church and go out for a quiet lunch.  Pastor John, Pastor Katie, and some lovely volunteers will help to make the Christmas Party meaningful and FUN!   The First Sunday Fiesta Christmas Party will last until 2pm.

EACH CHILD OR YOUTH SHOULD BRING A WRAPPED (or bagged) GIFT UNDER $10 FOR A GIFT EXCHANGE

Intergenerational Godly Play Sessions

Join us for some quality family & friends time!  Parents, grandparents, friends, and kids will experience Advent together this year in Godly Play.  The sessions will be held on Sundays throughout the month of December at 9:15am in the Chapel Room.  Join us as we learn and grow together!

Christmas Poinsettias

It is that time of year! If you would like to purchase Poinsettias to decorate our Sanctuary for Christmas, now is the time to put in that order. There will be a printed list for recognition on Christmas Eve and you can pick up your plant(s) after the service that evening.

Each Poinsettia is $14.00.

Simply CLICK HERE to reserve yours. https://forms.gle/6JQfs7hY5Pb8VTaVA

COMING SOON!   Journey to Bethlehem - December 23rd (6pm - 8pm)

Before you know it... Christmas will be here!  Most of us think about gifts, family fun, decorating trees, and so on... but there is another side to this miraculous story.  On December 23rd, come on a journey with us and experience what happened along the way to Bethlehem. (Reservations for your Journey to Bethlehem are encouraged.  We will have more information on how to reserve a spot in early December.)

Although Mary & Joseph could not find any room in the Inn, we have plenty of room on our list for volunteers!  Please start thinking about how you might want to help out on this journey... 

If you are willing to volunteer, please sign-up using this link:  https://www.signupgenius.com/go/409044AA8AD2DA7F58-46102105-journey

We need assistance on these dates: 

December 2nd (8am-Noon) To set-up the Bethlehem Marketplace;

December 23rd (Noon - 4pm) To set up the rest of the stations;

December 23rd (5 - 8pm) To have actors ready to perform in the Journey to Bethlehem;

December 23rd (8-10pm), To take down everything but the Marketplace;

January 7th (1-6pm) To take down and store the Bethlehem Marketplace.

Please use the Sign-up Genius link above to volunteer for any of these volunteer positions!

Need more information? Please contact the coordinators below:

Amy Luking : amyschweitzerluking@gmail.com 

Matthew and Cathy Bloedorn at matthewbloedorn@gmail.com and catherine.bloedorn@gmail.com

WELCOME, MIKE SEMANCIK!!!

Our new Music Director is Mike Semancik and he can be reached at mike@christiantemple.org.

Mike comes to Christian Temple with a background in teaching music and working as a church musician. He currently works as the Director of Choirs and Orchestra at Baltimore’s own Goucher College. But Mike has worked in church music ministry since 2003, which is when he became the director of music at a Milford Mill United Methodist Church in Pikesville. 

Mike is currently ABD for a doctorate in Choral Conducting at Rutgers, where he is scheduled to graduate in May of 2024. Before that, Mike received his bachelor’s in Music Education as a piano major from Slippery Rock University, which is in Pennsylvania, and then went on to receive his master’s in choral conducting from the University of Delaware.

We are excited to see Mike's gifts become a part of our music experience at Christian Temple!

The Music Director Search Committee worked hard for months and we want to thank Anna, Joan, Bob, and Tori (Chair) for guiding us toward Mike.

Mike's first Sunday will be December 3, 2023 - Hope Sunday - Advent 1.

Operation Warm - Final Call

Announcing the final call for donations for brand new winter coats to the Title 1 Elementary School (Duckett Lane). We are very close to hitting our 100 coat target!

Mail your donation to:

Operation Warm, Inc.

cc: Christian Temple Fund

P.O. Box 822431

Philadelphia, PA. 19182-2431

Donations:

$23.00: Provides a single winter coat for a child and

$115.00: Supplies 5 winter coats to keep multiple children warm this winter.

In closing, your gift will give their parents one less stress about being able to afford warm clothing. Thank you! ~Doug Brice

Nominations, Anyone?

The Nominating Committee will soon begin work to nominate members of the congregation for leadership positions for the church year that begins in July 2024. The committee gives its recommendations to the Christian Temple Board for consideration at the January 2024 Board meeting. These positions include Moderator, Vice-Moderator, Secretary, Treasurer, Assistant Treasurer, Financial Secretary, Historian, Elder, Deacon, and Steward. If you are interested in any of these positions or would like to provide a name of someone you would like the committee to consider for one of these positions, please let one of the committee members know by November12. Feel free to call, email or talk to a committee member at church:

• Kathy Gobbel, Chairperson: 410-715-0323, kgobbel@comcast.net
• Donna Goon: 410-2072938, donna.goon@gmail.com
• Amy Luking: 410-419-9182, amyschweitzerluking@gmail.com
• Betty Moore: 410-314-9746, wbmoore@verizon.net
• Jean O’Donnell: 410-448-5952, jeanodonnell66@hotmail.com
•