Oxford Presbyterian Church

December 4, 2021

Good evening everyone.

Sunday is the Second Sunday of Advent. Thanks to several of our members, the sanctuary is now beautifully decorated with greenery. I hope you join this Sunday so that you are able to receive the Word and the Sacrament, as well as receiving the visual delights of our worship space with its December ornaments.

We invite you to participate in one or more of the following worship opportunities:

At 8:08 a.m. on Sundays, we have our early worship service that now meets in the sanctuary. If you want to come and remain in your automobile, you may park on Gilliam Street and turn your FM radio dial to 89.50 and you will be able to listen to the worship service.

At 11:00 a.m. we gather together in our sanctuary for our Service for the Lord’s Day.

 Our 11:00 a.m. service is also be broadcast via Facebook Live if you are unable to join us. Our livestream experienced something of a technological hiccup last Sunday, but the problem has been rectified. If you have a computer or tablet or smartphone with an internet connection, you should be able to receive the stream. You do not need to have a Facebook account to participate. Our stream appears on the church’s Facebook page which is here à  https://www.facebook.com/Oxford-Presbyterian-Church-152011345379561/. If you miss the broadcast, the service will remain on our Facebook page for the next several days.

At 3:00 p.m., our worship is also broadcast on WCBQ 1340 on the AM radio dial. The radio broadcast of our worship is an easy way to listen in and participate. If you know of someone in our community that does not do computers or finds them frustrating to use, please let them know of this alternative. Please note that as we have returned to in-person congregational worship, the radio broadcast of each service is aired the following Sunday.

The Sunday worship bulletin for those who are unable to join us will appear in your emailbox late Saturday evening or early Sunday morning, complete with hymns and sermon so that you may have your own house-church worship. As always, you can listen to sermons through our website right here à https://oxfordpres.org/media/#sermons, and at The Oxford Exchange, found here à http://theoxfordexchange.blubrry.net/. Sermons are posted the Tuesday following the Sunday they were preached.

Our website, www.oxfordpres.org, has calendars, newsletters, the OPC WEEKLY, sermons, and even ways to give your offerings (right here à https://oxfordpres.org/give/).

Oxford Presbyterian Church also has an offerings drop-box situated next to the door on the back side of the church at the top of the ramp if you want to drop off an offering. Or, you can mail offerings to Oxford Presbyterian Church, P.O. Box 652, Oxford, NC 27565. They will be collected and deposited.

Second Sunday of Advent, December 5, 2021:

Scripture readings: Malachi 3:1-7 and Luke 3:1-6

Sermon title: “How shall we return?”

Liturgist: Paul Hesse

Lighter of the Advent Candles: BK McCloud

Thanks to Carolyn Steger, Cathy Yancey, Rachelle Messer, and Kathy Webb for leading our music.

7:00 a.m. – Faith 4 Five available for viewing on our Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/Oxford-Presbyterian-Church-152011345379561/

8:08 a.m. – Worship in sanctuary with communion with shortrange broadcast on 89.50 FM

11:00 a.m. – Worship in sanctuary with communion also broadcast via Facebook Live. The stream can be found at https://www.facebook.com/Oxford-Presbyterian-Church-152011345379561/

3:00 p.m. – Worship broadcast on WCBQ 1340 AM

Mission of the Month – Our December mission emphasis is the annual Christmas Joy Offering that supports retired Presbyterian ministers here and current Presbyterian ministers abroad. For more information go here à https://specialofferings.pcusa.org/offering/christmas-joy/.

Announcements:

• 7^th – 7:00  p.m. – Choir meets in Sanctuary
• 8^th – 10:30  a.m. – Book club meets at Strong Arm Baking Company to discuss The Man Who Invented Christmas by Les Standiford
• 8^th – 12:30  p.m. – Midday Prayer meets in the sanctuary
• 9^th – 5:30  p.m. – Book club meets at Tobacco Wood Brewing Co. and via Zoom to discuss The Man Who Invented Christmas by Les Standiford

Hey Kids! Advent is here! Don’t you want to know “Who is on the way?” There is an Advent Activity Packet made just for you. You can learn about some symbols of Advent and have a little fun along the way. Some activities are on paper and some will show up each Sunday morning on Facebook Live’s Faith 4 Five! (You can watch here: https://www.facebook.com/Oxford-Presbyterian-Church-152011345379561/.) Request your Advent Activity Packet by calling or emailing Ellen Gould. Copies will also be available for pick up at the church. Activities are appropriate for school-age kids and all former kids. Don’t miss out on the Advent fun!

Book Club – Meets Wednesday and Thursday at our normal times and places. We are reading The Man Who Invented Christmas by Les Standiford. This is the story of how a debt-ridden Charles Dickens wrote a little novella for Christmas one year in hopes of making a little money, only to discover that no one wanted to publish it! Scrooges and sentimentalist alike are both invited to join us.

Midday Prayer – Meets Wednesday in the Sanctuary.

Poinsettias – Poinsettias will once again grace our chancel on December 12^th and 19^th. If you would like to purchase one or more in memory or honor of a loved one, please complete the green insert in your bulletin and return it to Carol Barnes with check payable to Carol on or before December 5^th. The poinsettias cost $12 each.

Prayers for: Frank Anderson, Becky and Isabella Baird, Betty Baynes, Michael Boyd, Cynthia Broaddrick, Linda and Mike Diamond, Randy Downey, Julie Gaydon, Marlene Grenier, Millie Hartford, Heather Hightower, Randall Hightower, Hannah Hobgood, Cotina Jones, Barbara Laurent, Wiley Leonard, BK McCloud, Donnie Messer, Laura Messer, Jeanette Owen, Jason Parkin, Greg and Dottie Price, Mike Reavis, Kelly Ann Sterner, Lynn Stone, Melvin Weaver, and Alice Evans Woodlief.

Happy Birthday to: Paul Hesse – 6^th; Ashlee Morgan – 9^th; David Barnes – 10^th

Remember to utilize our website! – www.oxfordpres.org.

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⁶⁸ “Blessed be the Lord God of Israel,
for he has looked favorably on his people and redeemed them.
⁶⁹ He has raised up a mighty savior for us
in the house of his servant David,
⁷⁰ as he spoke through the mouth of his holy prophets from of old,
⁷¹ that we would be saved from our enemies and from the hand of all who hate us.
⁷² Thus he has shown the mercy promised to our ancestors,
and has remembered his holy covenant,
⁷³ the oath that he swore to our ancestor Abraham,
to grant us ⁷⁴ that we, being rescued from the hands of our enemies,
might serve him without fear,

⁷⁵ in holiness and righteousness
before him all our days.
⁷⁶ And you, child, will be called the prophet of the Most High;
for you will go before the Lord to prepare his ways,
⁷⁷ to give knowledge of salvation to his people
by the forgiveness of their sins.
⁷⁸ By the tender mercy of our God,
the dawn from on high will break upon us,
⁷⁹ to give light to those who sit in darkness and in the shadow of death,
to guide our feet into the way of peace.” (Luke 1:68-79  NRSV)

All blessings in Christ,

Alan