Please enjoy some of the Haven Senior Choir music from our Christmas Eve Candlelight Worship Service Pre-Music selections.

Please enjoy listening to some of our Haven Senior Choirs musical selections.

December 23, 2018 Sermon – Advent 4 – Beloved You Are Light

Announcements December 23, 2018

A: Greetings, favored ones! The Lord is with you;

C: Let it be with me according to your word, Lord)

 God’s peace to all this fourth Sunday of Advent. A special welcome to all guests visiting with us today. Your presence is truly a blessing.

*This fourth week of Advent is very short but you will still find an insert in your bulletin with reflections written my members of Haven. Please take it home with your bulletin and let those reflections bless this coming week.

*2019 church offering envelopes are in the narthex. The monthly and weekly envelopes are separated and in alphabetical order. If you do not find your name OR you would like to begin to have Haven offering envelopes, please put that on your attendance sheet or contact the church office.

*Tomorrow, December 24^th, there will be two Christmas Eve Services at Haven. At 6:30 pm, there will be a Holy Chaos Family Christmas Service with Holy Communion. At 10 pm, there will be special music before the 10:30 pm candlelight worship with Holy Communion. Invite family, neighbors or friends to come with you as we celebrate the wondrous gift of Emmanuel, God-with-us, on Christmas Eve.

*The church office will be closed Monday thru Wednesday for the Christmas holiday. Pastor Alessandri will fly to Atlanta to be with family on Christmas Day and fly back on Saturday. While she is away, please contact Pastor Kaplan if you would have a health or personal emergency and want a pastor’s presence. His phone number is in the bulletin. Be sure to take your bulletin home with you so you can have the information at hand.

This week’s concerns and joys:

*We are happy to report that after some physical therapy at Coffman’s, Sandy Myers is home for Christmas. Please keep her in prayer.

*Best wishes to Jamie Cannon and Peggy Snyder who celebrate birthdays this week.                                              

A:   Prepare the way of the Lord

C:  Stir up your power, Lord Jesus, and come.

Come Join the
Christmas Celebrations at Haven!

        Monday, December 24^th  6:30 pm

        Holy Christmas Chaos:

Family Christmas Eve Service with Holy Communion

Monday, December 24^th  

10:00 pm – pre-music

10:30 pm

Candlelight Service Traditional Service with Carols, Communion and Candles

December 16, 2018 Sermon – Advent 3 – God Bless This Mess

Announcements – December 16, 2018

A: Greetings, favored ones! The Lord is with you;

C: Let it be with me according to your word, Lord.

 God’s peace to all this third Sunday of Advent. A special welcome to all guests visiting with us today. Your presence is truly a blessing.

*We did it Haven! We successfully completed the GREAT HAVEN CHRISTMAS CHALLENGE. We helped eight children and their parents to know the grace and unconditional love of our Lord. Please keep these three families in your prayers this Advent and Christmas season.

*In the church lobby, you will find cards we will put in our Christmas Food baskets. Please take a moment to sign them.

*You will find an Advent 3 insert in your bulletin. It has reflections which were written by members of Haven. Please take it home with your bulletin and let those reflections bless your Advent journey this week.

*Please take note in your bulletin that REACH and Holly Place both have matching funds available this December. That means any contributions you make will double, including today’s monthly Holly Place collection. More details are in your bulletin.

This week’s concerns and joys:

*Sandy Myers is taking physical therapy at Coffman Nursing Home and Rehab Center. Card and visits would be welcomed.

*We have a great deal of gratitude to express this Sunday:

-Thank you to all who stayed last Sunday to help us Deck the Halls at Haven. Thanks to the Parish Life Team for organizing it so well. We finished in less than an hour.

-Many thanks to all who contributed to yesterday’s successful Christmas Concert: Music Director, Steve Pastena, the Choir & musicians and all who contributed and helped with the reception afterwards. The weather may have been damp and dreary outside but here inside Haven it was bright and joyful. All glory be to God.

*Best wishes to Marge Cunningham, Jim Cannon, Becky Plavcan and Jensen Richards who celebrate birthdays this week. Congratulations to Amy and Mike Mason who have a wedding anniversary on Tuesday.                                                 

A:   Prepare the way of the Lord

C:  Stir up your power, Lord Jesus, and come.

2018 ADVENT 1

2018 ADVENT 2

2018 ADVENT 3

December 9, 2018 Sermon – Second Sunday of Advent

Announcements  ~ December 9, 2018

A: Greetings, favored ones! The Lord is with you; C: Let it be with me according to your word, Lord)

 God’s peace to all and welcome to Advent. A special welcome to all guests visiting with us today. Your presence is truly a blessing.

*It’s Deck the Halls Sunday here at Haven. At 11:15 — after worship and some fellowship time — we will prayer in the church and then decorate the church, halls and parlor. Please stay to enjoy a good time of festive fellowship and fun. Please note: There will be no Adult Sunday School class today so they, too, can help deck the Haven Halls….and church….and parlor.

*We’re doing it, Haven! We had eight children, 40 gift tags and 11 days to accomplish the GREAT HAVEN CHRISTMAS CHALLENGE.  All 40 gift tags for our 8 children have been take. 11 gifts were dropped off this week and more have come in today. We need all UNWRAPPED gifts WITH their tags by this Wednesday, December 12^th. We’re almost there! What fun to help eight children to experience the love and grace of our Lord this Christmas. Haven, you rock!

*Haven’s Annual Christmas Concert is this Saturday at 5 p.m. Come enjoy wonderful Christmas music from the St. James Brass Quintet and our own Haven Choir. This is a great opportunity to invite a friend, coworker or neighbor to join you at church. It is a guaranteed good time.

*You will find an Advent 2 insert in your bulletin. It has reflections for your Advent devotional time that were written by members of Haven. Please take it home with you bulletin and let those reflections bless your Advent journey toward the Light of Christ.

This week’s concerns and joys:

*Sandy Myers returned to Meritus hospital last week. We are happy to report that she is doing so much better than she was earlier in the week. They were hoping to move her out of ICU into a step-down unit to get some physical therapy. Please keep Sandy, Ken and her family in prayer.

*Best wishes to Joy Bergschneider, Kevin Pile, Kathy Amos, Lauren Huguenin and Michael Manspeaker who celebrate birthdays this week.                                                  

A:   Prepare the way of the Lord. C:  Stir up your power, Lord Jesus, and come.

December 2, 2018 Sermon – Advent 1

Announcements – December 2, 2018

A: Greetings, favored ones! The Lord is with you; C: Let it be with me according to your word, Lord)

 God’s peace to all and welcome to Advent. A special welcome to all guests visiting with us today. Your presence is truly a blessing.

*Today we begin the church season called Advent. We want each person to have an Advent devotional to help you bring this time of reflection and joy into your daily life.
Adults, if you did not get one as you entered, please get one as you leave. They each have an insert with some very special reflections written by members of Haven,
Children and teens will receive their own devotional booklets during Sunday School.
It is our hope that you will use these devotionals to create a daily haven in God’s presence during this holiday busyness. Blessings on your Advent adventure.

*NEXT Sunday we will Deck the Halls here at Haven. At 11:15 — after worship and some fellowship time — we will prayer in the church and then decorate the church, halls and parlor. Please come enjoy a good time of fellowship and Christmas fun.

*Get Ready for the GREAT HAVEN CHRISTMAS CHALLENGE  Eight children, 40 gift tags and only 11 days to collect them. Together we can do it, Haven! See the bulletin in the narthex to pick up a tag or two. Return the items UNWRAPPED with the gift tag attached by December 12^th. Let’s help eight children to experience the love and grace of our Lord this Christmas. Thank you!

*Several Musical Notes from our Choir and Music Director:

Not quite into the Christmas spirit, yet? Then you should come to the American Guild of Organists Christmas Concert at St. John’s Lutheran this afternoon at 4 PM. Come  hear wonderful music of the season on the mighty 4-Manual Moller organ! Hope to see you there!

Also, next Saturday at 4 PM at Trinity Lutheran, Hagerstown Choral Arts is hosting a  Messiah-Sing. Come and sing along, or just enjoy the beautiful music of George Freidrich Handel!
*The deadline for ordering poinsettias is TODAY. Order envelopes are in the church lobby.

*Copies of the December/January newsletter are in the church narthex.

*Someone asked what our “snow policy” is about Sunday worship and Sunday School. Unless it is a blizzard, Pastor Alessandri will be here for worship and we will not cancel. That said, we ask you to please use your discretion and care for your safety. If we would need to cancel a Sunday worship for any reason, we would put that on our phone message and send it to radio and television stations. Worship with your faith community is important and so is your safety.

This week’s concerns and joys:

* Mike Mason and Sandy Myers are home from the hospital and continuing their recoveries after surgery. Please keep Mike, Sandy and their caregivers in your prayers.

*Best wishes to Jaclyn Muse, JoAnn Shankle, Benjamin Lightfoot, Dorothy Zinkard, and Stephen Kauffman who celebrate birthdays this week.
A:   Prepare the way of the Lord. C:  Stir up your power, Lord Jesus, and come.