Thousands of dollars were raised by our Justice Ministry team and our generous shoppers! All donations will go directly to the causes supported!
Share the holiday spirit by shopping to make a difference. JOY Ministry (Justice, Outreach and You) invites one and all to the the Seventh Annual Alternative Christmas Market on two consecutive Sundays:December 4th and 11th, 2011, from 11:00 AM to 1:00 PM. This is the only event like this in Laguna Beach and is open to the public. It is a wonderful way for children to purchase gifts for teachers and family members at affordable prices, and also learn about the needs around the world. Make a world of difference this holiday season. Honor the special people in your life with gifts of meaning this year.
Let us gather to celebrate Blessing of the Animals
December 10, 2011 ~~ 10AM – 12PM
in the Philip E. Gregory Patio
Neighborhood Congregational Church
15 animals were blessed and dozens of food donations were given to our local animal shelter!
Please bring a can of food to donate to an animal shelter in need if you are able.
SCRIPTURE: Isaiah 40:1-11; Psalm 85:9-13
Advent is a time for preparation, and preparation entails a lot of work. But no matter how much work we think it will be, Isaiah and the psalmist warn us that the true gift of the Holy One entails more work still. Think major road construction: “Every valley shall be lifted up, and every mountain and hill made low” (Isaiah 40:4). How’d you like to be caught in that traffic? But that is what it takes for steadfast love and faithfulness to meet, for righteousness and peace to kiss (Psalm 85:10). If we want the blessings, we are all going to have to put up with a little road work.
World AIDS Day Thursday, December 1
3-5 Information Fair – Main Beach
Memorial Quilt Display
Free HIV Testing & Resources
5:30 Candlelight Vigil ~ Main Beach
6:30 Memorial Service – NCC Santuary
See Full Flyer by Clicking Here
SCRIPTURE: 2 Corinthians 9:6-15
In A Return To Love: Reflections on the Principles of A Course in Miracles, Marianne Williamson writes: “Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous? Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God. Your playing small does not serve the world. There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won’t feel insecure around you. We are all meant to shine, as children do. We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us.” This, my friends, is the key to the church’s call for stewardship. God has blessed us beyond measure, but we are too terrified to see it or acknowledge it. In language long before Marianne, Paul gives the call to stewardship this way: “God is able to provide you with every blessing in abundance, so that by always having enough of everything, you may share abundantly in every good work” (v.8). In this Sunday’s service, we will hear Paul’s message to the Church in Corinth (2 Corinthians 9:6-16) and reflect on the challenge and call to acknowledge our blessings and share them with others.
