Sunday Bulletin

Prelude           “Carol of the Manger”                  Dale Wood

Introit             “Prepare the Way, O Zion”                

Welcome & Announcements

Special Music      SCC Youth Choir

Advent Candle Liturgy         Lay Leaders: Sawyer Smith
We are a people of hope, a people of peace, a people of joy.
Today, we light the candle of Love.
No other word so completely describes what we know of our God.
No other word so brilliantly expresses the spirit and goal of our faith.
We gather in the transforming power of Christian love.
We give thanks for a love that passes all understanding.

Today, we light the Candle of Love as we wait for the dawning of God’s
enduring love once more this Christmas season.  Please join with me in
our prayer:

Holy one, our wait is almost over. As we remember your invitation
to Mary to be part of your gift to the world, may we be attentive to
your presence with us and the wonder of being touched by your
spirit. May we be your blessing to one another, filled by your love in
Jesus’ name. Amen.

Hymn           “O Come, All Ye Faithful”     #148

The Lord’s Prayer                                                                

Isaiah 7: 10-14
Again the Lord spoke to Ahaz, saying,  “Ask a sign of
the Lord your God; let it be deep as Sheol or high as
heaven.”  But Ahaz said, “I will not ask, and I will not put
the Lord to the test.”  Then Isaiah said, “Hear then, O house
of David! Is it too little for you to weary mortals that you
weary my God also?  Therefore the Lord himself will give you
a sign. Look, the young woman is with child and shall bear a
son and shall name him Immanuel, which means “God is
with us.”

The Gloria Patri                                                                    #35

Mission Moment Clarina Howard Nichols Center Becky Gonyea

Prayers of the People

Offering                                 
Offertory         “From Heaven Above to Earth I Come” Bohn
Doxology*                                                                            #46
Offertory Prayer*

Introduction to Pageant
Prelude/procession
Pageant
Special Music   “What Child Is This?”  Cami, Adella and Evie
Pageant
Carol    #144   “O Little Town of Bethlehem” vs 1 & 2  congregation
Pageant
Special Music    “Mary Did You Know”  Cami, Adella and Evie
Pageant
Carol #147      “Away in a Manger”  vs 1 & 2  Children only
Pageant
Carol #155      “Angels We Have Heard on High” vs. 1 & 2 congregation
Pageant
Carol #172      “We Three Kings”  - vs. 1   congregation
Pageant
Carol #150      “Hark ! The Herald Angels Sing”    Children
Pageant
Carol # 143     “Joy to the World”  vs. 1, 2 & 3   congregation

Benediction      

Postlude        “Sussex Carol”                   Dale Wood

Special thank you to Susanna Burnham accompanying the children and for playing the chimes for us today.

Calendar of Events

Monday, 12/22             Noon AA meeting in Fellowship Hall
Tuesday, 12/23             Poinsettias arrive
7:30 AA meeting in Fellowship Hall
Wednesday, 12/24      Noon AA meeting in Fellowship Hall
                                     3:00 Christmas Eve for families
                                     5:00 Christmas Eve for families
                                     8:00 Christmas Eve with choir
                                     11:00 Christmas Eve special music
Thursday, 12/25 Church closed, Merry Christmas!
Friday, 12/26 Church closed
                                   

Happy Birthday this week to:
John Douglas and Kirby Lindemer today 12/21
Arabella Ziegler on 12/22
Merritt Helmken and Piper O’Neill on 12/23
Alisa Bernat, Lee Damon and Zach Peterman on 12/26
Kenneth Schumann on 12/27

Announcements

The ushers today are Rodrigo Pilla and Ben Brayton. Thank you for helping today.

We welcome Becky Gonyea from Clarina Howard Nichols for our December Mission Moment.  We had tags for the Angel Tree for unwrapped gifts to donate for guests staying at Clarina Howard Nichols this holiday season.  The gifts are intended to help the guests transition into more permanent housing.

Clarina Howard Nichols Center
June 2025 marked forty-four years of the Clarina Howard Nichols Center providing services for survivors of domestic and sexual violence, stalking, and human trafficking in Lamoille County. 
 During the past year, Clarina served 403 individuals, including:

• Shelter for 56 individuals (35 adults and 21 children) for a total of 3,134 bed nights

• Responding to 1,114 hotline calls

We are extremely grateful for the community’s support of our organization. Thank you for your financial contributions, holiday gifts for our shelter guests, offers to volunteer, and so much more. Your support ensures that our services continue to be available and affirms our belief that every individual deserves a life free from violence.   Clarina’s hotline is available 24/7 - 802-888-5256. For more information, about Clarina’s services go to www.clarina.org

Christmas Eve Volunteers Needed!
Greeters- We need two greeters for each of the four services. This involves greeting people on the porch as they arrive, thanking them for coming, and wishing a Merry Christmas.  
Ushers- We need two ushers for the 3 pm, four ushers for 5 pm, and 8 pm. This involves handing out bulletins and candles or glowsticks and taking up the collection. No candles or glowsticks for the 3 pm service.  
Readers- We need readers for the 11 pm services. This involves being up front with Dan to help lead the liturgy during the whole service.   
Also, we will need helpers to fold and stuff the Christmas Eve bulletins, hopefully on Friday, 12/19/25 or Monday, 12/22/25. 
On Tuesday, 12/23/25, the Poinsettias arrive in the morning.  We need volunteers to arrange them in the sanctuary and possibly bring more chairs upstairs for the Christmas Eve Services. 
Let Marylou know if you can help with any of these. Thank you! 

12/24/25 Christmas Eve Services
Stowe Community Church will be holding four Christmas Eve Services again this year: 3, 5, 8 and 11 pm.
The 3:00 pm service is geared towards families with younger children.  We will sing Christmas Carols, special music will be performed, a family message, story time. No candle lighting.
The 5:00 pm service is a classic Christmas Eve service with contemporary music and traditional carols. The service will include a family message, candle lighting and glow sticks for the children.
The 8:00 pm service is a traditional Christmas Eve Service with carols, special music sung by the choir, scriptures, message and candle lighting at the end while singing Silent Night. 
The 11:00 pm service is a traditional Christmas Eve Service of lessons and carols, special music, and candle lighting.
Each service will be a great way to begin Christmas.

2025 Poinsettias given by:

In memory of Alan and Becky

Matt & Leslie Anderson in loving memory of: Jack Turner, Michelle LaBow our family members forever in our hearts and Michael Baumann.  In honor of our service members protecting our country.

Anne Bongiorno in memory of Priscilla Watson and Mr. & Mrs. Joseph Bongiorno

Ben Brayton in memory of Rev. Doug and Elinor Brayton

Marlene and Bob Davison in loving memory of our son, Robbie and Martin Darrow

Evie Dworetzky, Luke & Katelyn O’Toole  in memory of George & Katherine Dworetzky

Annie-Vera Frye in memory of L.Arnold & Susanne J. Frye, Pierre A. Frye, Roald & Vera Dysthe, Jean Roald Dysthe

Lois Hayworth in memory of Steven Hal Hayworth and Galen Earl Mudgett Jr.

Bob and Amy Marshall in memory of our loving families

Karen Monsen in memory of Peter Monsen and Ken Stevens

Greg and Meg in memory of Adrienne Chamberlin

Greg Morrill in memory of George and Ruth Morrill

Dave and Nan Myers in memory of The Robert Ayers Family and the Harvey Myers Family

Laura Nichols in memory of Alice Kruidenier

David and Ruth Roy in memory of our parents, brother-in-law Steven and brother Galen and in honor of our children and grandchildren

Meg Scotti in memory of Frank and Joan Scotti

Nancy Small and Roger Keller in memory of Christina Houghtaling

Penny and Barry Shonio in memory of Haven Sterling Shonio

John and Barb Stotsenburg in memory of our parents

Dian Williams in honor of my grandchildren

Jessie and Jacob Winters in memory of Alice Kruidenier

Bernadette and Lorilei Wyman in memory of Bill Wyman and Dick & Marcia Johannesen

Year-End Invitation to Give

As we approach the close of the year, we invite you to prayerfully consider making a tax-deductible year-end gift to Stowe Community Church by December 31. Your generosity helps us finish the year without a deficit and begin the new year on strong footing.

Your support sustains our shared mission—to care for one another, serve our community, nurture our children and youth, and worship God with grateful hearts. Every gift, of any size, makes a meaningful difference.

Give at stowecommunitychurch.org/giving or scan the QR code in the bulletin.
If you are age 70½ or older, you may also give through a tax-exempt Qualified Charitable Distribution (QCD) from an eligible IRA.

With grateful hearts, we wish you a blessed Christmas season filled with peace, joy, and renewed hope.

Musical Notes by Karen Miller

Prelude:  The melody of the organ piece "Carol of the Manger" is titled "Cradle Song" and was written by William James Kirkpatrick (1838-1921) in 1895.  It is also the music to the Advent hymn "One Candle is Lit" Hymn No. 128 in the Chalice Hymnal.  Kirkpatrick received his early music training from his father and several notable music teachers.  During the Civil War he was a fife major.  He then became a furniture dealer in Philadelphia from 1862 to 1878.  At age 21 he edited his first music collection and after that compiled some 100 books with several collaborators, and published with the John J.  Hood Company of Philadelphia.  He wrote many favorite gospel song melodies for his publications and was a life-long Methodist, ending his career as director of the Grace M.E. Church for 11 years.  In the mid-20th century Californian Dale Wood, composer, organist, clinician, and editor, used this tune to create his "Carol of the Manger".  The melody starts in the soprano line, moves to the tenor, and then returns to the soprano to end the piece.

Offertory:  Cesar Franck's L'Organiste, written near the end of his life, included two short pieces based on old French noels.  This is the one in G Major, also titled "Noel Angevin" (Carol of the Angels).  It is a sweet, spritely little piece, a happy note at Christmas time.

Postlude:  Dale Wood's "Sussex Carol" is also from the collection including the "Carol of the Manger" and titled Wood Works for Christmas.  The melody is an old English, medieval carol and recovered by Ralph Vaughan Williams from a singer in Monks Gate, Sussex.  This is a lively organ piece with the melody starting in the alto voice on a solo stop.  It then moves to the soprano and then the soprano an octave higher.  It lastly moves from C Major to A Major with the melody remaining in the high register.