FRIDAY, DECEMBER 18th, 2009 - one week to go!

SUNDAY, DECEMBER 20th, 2009 - join us for worship at 10.30 am - the fourth Sunday of Advent. Rev. Matt McKay leading. This Sunday we celebrate with the children and our annual Christmas play.

MONDAY, DECEMBER 21st, 2009 - join us for our Longest Night service - 7.30 pm. A quiet service of prayer and healing.

A group of us joined together on Thursday to experience the last of the four films in our Advent Film Festival. For all of us, it was a great success and we look forward to a similar event during Lent.

THURSDAY, DECEMBER 24th, 2009 - Join us for worship, carols and Communion at 6:30 pm. and/or Late night communion at 11:00 pm

MISSION CAPSULES: Our gifts to Presbyterians Sharing ... support new ministries across Canada, including Trinity Presbyterian Church in Winnipeg. While the congregation waits for a permanent home, services are held at a local movie theatre. The theatre is an excellent land mark and is just down the street from the property that awaits a church building. Sheila, a member of Trinity, writes; "I feel God's spirit here in fresh exciting ways. I'm looking forward to sharing the challenge and growing with this congregation." Let us pray for Trinity Presbyterian Church as it moves towards having a church building of it's own.


Several people have asked me to include the following again this year.

From 1558 until 1829, Roman Catholics in England were not permitted to practice their faith openly. Someone during that era wrote this carol as a catechism song for young Catholics. It has two levels of meaning: the surface meaning plus a hidden meaning known only to members of their church. Each element in the carol has a code word for a religious reality which the children could remember.

- The partridge in a pear tree was Jesus Christ.

- Two turtle doves were the Old and New Testaments.

- Three French hens stood for faith, hope and love.

- The four calling birds were the four Gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John.

- The five golden rings recalled the Torah or Law, the first five books of the old testament.

- The six geese a-laying stood for the six days of creation.

- Seven swans a-swimming represented the sevenfold gifts of the Holy Spirit - Prophesy, Serving, Teaching, Exhortation, Contribution, Leadership and Mercy.

- The eight maids a-milking were the eight beatitudes.

- Nine ladies dancing the the nine fruits of the Holy Spirit - Love, Joy, Peace, Patience, Kindness, Goodness, Faithfulness, Gentlemess and Self Control.

- The ten lords a-leaping were the ten commandments.

- The eleven pipers piping stood for the eleven faithful disciples.

- The twelve drummers drumming symbolized the twelve points of belief in the Apostles' Creed.

Merry - Twelve Days of - Christmas, everyone!


AND FROM THE CHILDREN ON THE SUBJECT OF LOVE!

Love is when my mommy makes coffee for my daddy and she takes a sip before giving it to him, to make sure the taste is OK - Danny, age 7.

Love is when you kiss all the time. Then when you get tired of kissing, you still want to be together and you talk more. My Mommy and Daddy are like that.
They look gross when they kiss! - Emily, age 8.

Love is what's in the room with you at Christmas if you stop opening presents and listen! Bobby, age 7.

Have a great "Christmas" holiday - there will not be a Tid Bits next week or the week after.
MB