OPMH E Gram (Dec 16, 2007)

Meeting House Worshipers: Hear Ye, Hear Ye!

Morning Services (8:30 and 11:00 am)

Scripture

Isaiah 35:1-10

Matthew 11: 2-11

Sermon

Are You the One? — Dr. Laha

Hymns

People, Look East

Prepare the Way

Oh Lord, How Shall I Meet You?

Other Special Music

Prelude:                      8:30 am Creator of the Stars of Night – Johannes Brahms

                                    11:00 am Ring the Bells of Christmas – Covenant Choir

Introit:                         The Angel Band – Cherub Choir

Anthem:                      Adam Lay Ybounden – Ord

Offertory:                    From Heaven Above to Earth I Come – Pachelbel

Postlude:                     Sleepers, Wake – Bach

Coffee Hour: Join us in Fellowship Hall after the 11:00 am service. Sponsored by the Facilities Committee.

Christian Education. Sunday morning education classes and Bridges to Worship resume this Sunday

Children’s Education: Children, age 3 years through Grade 5 continue series of workshops and activitiy centers looking at the Nativity Story. Check the board at the Education Building entrance for your grade’s room assignment. The Nativity Display Room is set up in Room 26 – all (young and old) are invited to take a tour.

Bridges to worship, for children age 5 years through second grade, will meet all four Sundays of Advent. This allows the children to experience the complete cycle of Advent stories as we prepare for Christmas. There will not be Bridges to Worship on Sunday, December 30.

Dress Rehearsal for the Family Christmas Eve Serves is next Sunday, Dec. 23 immediately following the 11:00 worship service. Children should report to Heritage Hall for check in and lunch. We will conclude by 2 pm. For more information contact Priscilla Andre-Colton or Ann Herlin.

Adult Education

Westminster Hall: The Gospel of Matthew, Bible study continues through Dec. 23.

Heritage Hall: “The Nativity in the Arts,” in Heritage Hall, concludes this Sunday. Bonita Billman from Georgetown University will lead a discussion of how the Nativity Story is portrayed in paintings, using slides from the Georgetown University Art Images Collection.

Reformed Institute: Look on the web site for these special offerings.

Fellowship, Study, and Prayer Groups:

Youth: The youth will meet after the 11:00 am service in Fellowship Hall to go shopping for Sponsor a Family. Bring $$$ both for your own lunch and to pitch in to to buy the gifts. Suggested donation: $15-20. We will head out for a quick lunch, go shopping, and then return to the church to wrap the gifts. We should be done between 2-3 pm.

Ski Trip is January 25-27. Forms and $100 deposit are due December 23 to Cristy.

20s/30s: This group is open to all in their 20s and 30s (married, single, members, visitors, friends). Join us Monday nights at 913 Oronoco Street at 7 pm. Our Christmas party will be Dec. 17. All are welcome! Bring a white elephant gift to exchange. For more info., call Mike Campagna at 703-785-4736 or This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it

Advent Sundays with the Stephen Ministers: Holidays can be hectic, stressful, lonely, and difficult times for us. We welcome you for a cup of tea and time to connect with Stephen Ministers during the month of December. We will host an informal fellowship hour each Sunday in December in the Elliot House parlor following the 11:00 am service. We hope you will join us as we all search for joy and meaning during this Advent season. If you would like more information or would like to spend one-on-one time with a Stephen Minister during the holidays, call Susan Grandy at 703-780-4134 or 703.299.4749.

Married couples of all ages are welcome to join Celebration for its January event which will include dinner and a presentation entitled “The Many Faces of Love” given by Dr. Bill Phillippe on Wed., Jan. 16 in Heritage hall. The cost will be $5 per person and childcare will be available (but a separate reservation is required). The dinner will be at 6:15 pm, followed by the presentation and discussion from 7:00 to 9:00 pm Please RSVP by Jan. 22 to Gerry and Gloria Cooper at This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it or 703.837.0291.

Mission

Alternative Giving: This Sunday is the last day for the fair, held in Fellowship Hall following the 11:00 am service. You may "purchase" items destined for use by various charities, such as book bags, medical supplies, Bibles, or livestock; we'll provide a gift card for communicating your purchase. A limited amount of other gifts - such as pins, notecards, or ornaments - benefiting OPMH-supported charitable organizations will also be available. New this week! We have received Christmas cards made by the disabled children in the Community Health Network Program of the St. Thomas Church in Pakistan. Come by and check them out!

Hats-n-Mittens are being collected. Bring your donations to the tree in Fellowship Hall. They will be shared with neighbors in need in Alexandria and Washington, DC.

Christmas Joy Offering Each year the Meeting House receives five special offerings that support the larger work of the Presbyterian church (USA). On Sunday, December 23, we will receive the Christmas Joy Offering. Fifty percent of this offering goes to financial assistance programs for retired and active church workers and their families; fifty percent supports scholarships and costs at historically racial-ethnic Presbyterian schools and colleges. Gifts may be made by using the designated offering envelope from you boxes or found in the pews, or by marking “Joy Offering” on your checks’s memo line.

Caring for our planet – Many are familiar with Matthew 19: 16-22, where Jesus instructs a young man to sell his possessions and give the money to the poor so he can have eternal life. The man “went away grieving, for he had many possessions.” As we ring in a new year and consider our lifestyle resolutions, the credit card bills from last month’s Christmas presents are reminders of our consuming ways. We each make many consumer decisions each day – as you begin this new year, consider a resolution to live lighter on the planet. Look for opportunities to buy local produce and products, re-uuse items, minimize waste, and pollute less.

Music:

Adult Choir rehearses on Thursdays, at 7:30 pm in the balcony. Everyone is welcome!

Children’s Choir’s rehearses on Sundays, in room 22, Education Building. 12:05-12:50 pm.

Churchwide News:

Advent Devotions: To aid in directing your thoughts toward Jesus' coming and all that it means,members of the Meeting House have contributed their own Advent meditations which have been compiled in "A Wreath of Prayers", a small green booklet available in the narthex today. (A limited number of large-print copies are available in 8-1/2"x11" format.) Our thanks to all our writers, and particularly to Betty Heiby, whose lovely sketches of the church have been incorporated into the book. Also available on our website, or by email if requested ( This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it )

Noonday Noël's (Wednesdays, Dec. 12, 19 at 12:05 pm). Refresh your spirit with a half hour of singing, praying, and special holiday music in the OPMH sanctuary. An outstanding line up of community artists will be here to share their talents with us. This week’s program will feature Neil Gladd, mandolin, with Marjorie Bunday, alto soloist (Dec. 19.) A light lunch will be served for $5 after each program to help you get back to home or work full of good cheer. Invite your friends and neighbors to join for this new series of musical offerings here at the Meeting House.

News Update: 2008 Stewardship Campaign – After four weeks we have received 263 pledges, 42 of which are new. These pledges total $1,080,700 with the repeating pledges showing some significant increases. But in order to meet the identified needs for the upcoming year, we will need everyone’s pledge. So, if you have not yet turned in your pledge, please do so as soon as possible. For your convenience, you may submit your pledge online to our Administrator, Casey Naatjes at This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it Pledge cards are available in the friendship pads. Thanks for your support!

Christmas Storytelling - Our 17^th annual Christmas Reading & Carols will be on December 16 in Heritage Hall where you can hear holiday stories and verse to entertain and inspire. It starts at 5 pm with stories that children, as well as adults, will enjoy. After a short refreshment break, the program will continue at 6 pm, with readings more attuned to youth and adults. Childcare for infants and toddlers is available throughout. Bring neighbors, friends and family. Our cast of readers will do their very best to make you laugh, cry and give you that special holiday feeling.

On Dec. 24 (Christmas Eve), services will be at 4:30 pm (family service) and 10:30 pm (candelight communion service). On Dec. 30, there will be one service (11:00 am), and no education classes.

December Offerings: If you wish to record your offerings in the 2007 tax year, please remember to precess stock donations early in the month. It takes several days for these transactions to clear through the brokerage houses. If you are prepaying a 2008 pledge make sure that you mark that very clearly in the memo line of the check. Finally, your checks must be dated with a December date and delivered or postmarked with the same December markings.

Give to OPMH from your IRA, save on your Taxes – If you are over 70 ½ and have an IRA, you are required to make a “Minimum Required Distribution” each year or incur significant penalties. If, however, you ask your financial instutution to designate that the distributions go to OPMH, you will pay no taxes on the amount you designate to OPMH. You must act before December 31, 2007 – so if this is of interest, check with your financial advisor. (Unfortunately, this contribution cannot exceed $100,000).

Flower Dedications/Memorials – Kerry Stevens, the new point of contact for OPMH’s flower dedications, is seeking contributors for January 27 forward. Flowers dedicated during Lent will reflect the more sombor tone of the season – that is they will be less colorful and perhaps more sparse. Donation cost is $65. Please contact her at This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it or 703.966.3895 to schedule your date and related dedication.

Senior Services of Alexandria’s 2008 calendar is dedicated in part to the late OPMH member, Dorothy Thomas. The calendars are on sale at Alexandira’s Saturday Farmers Market at Market Square or get one at Senior Services Office, 200 Princess St, 703.966.3895.