Sunday, December 8, 2024

Second Sunday of Advent

"Receive the King of Peace"

8:30am and 10:30am Worship Services in the Meetinghouse

(with 10:30am Live Stream)




Our 10:30am service is regularly LIVE STREAMED and RECORDED.

    You can live stream our 10:30am service for December 8th from the following link:   External link opens in new tab or windowhttps://youtube.com/live/S66a_FqCQEo?feature=share

      Additional recordings of our worship services can be found on our YouTube pageExternal link opens in new tab or windowuccbvideo - YouTube   


      Church School & Nursery Care are available: If you have questions about Church School, please be in touch with our Church School Coordinator, Barbara Crandell at External link opens in new tab or windowbarbara@uccb.org.  The Nursery is open for both Sunday services as well.


      Important Advent Season Event Dates & Times

      Advent Season begins this year on December 1st, and we hope to have a faith-filled and blessed season full of opportunities to grow in faith, hope, love, joy and peace. Please mark your calendars:


      Sunday, December 8th“Receive the King of Peace

          • Advent Worship at 8:30 & 10:30am

          • Christmas Tree Lighting & Live Nativity beginning at 4:30pm

        Sunday, December 15th“Repeat the Sounding Joy!”

          • Advent Lessons & Carols Worship at 8:30am
          • Advent Lessons & Carols Worship at 10:30am with Chancel & Bell Choirs

        Sunday, December 22nd“Wonder at God’s Love

          • Advent Worship at 8:30am
          • Advent Worship with Instant Christmas Pageant at 10:30am

        Christmas Eve – December 24th

            • 5:00pm – Family Worship with Children’s Message, Youth Music and Candle lighting

              • 10:00pm – Family Worship with Christmas Message, Special Music & Candle lighting


            By the Light of the Star: Christmas Tree Lighting & Live Nativity

            Sunday, December 8, 2024

            Christmas Tree Lighting 4:30pm – 5:00pm

            Live Nativity 5:00pm – 7:00 pm

            During this busy Christmas time, it is easy to lose sight of the true reason for the season.

            The Congregational Church of Brookfield invites all to our Christmas Tree Lighting and

            Live Nativity. Come enjoy the festivities of our outdoor Christmas Tree lighting, sing Christmas Carols by the fire, warm yourself with hot chocolate, and experience the wonder of Bethlehem and follow the Star to the Greatest Gift. Join us in Fellowship Hall for a Giving Fair, including our SERRV Fair Trade Bazaar and opportunities to offer gifts to those in need this season as well. We will be collecting new and clean gently used coats, hats, and gloves to be distributed through organizations like Dorothy Day Hospitality House, Loaves & Fishes Hospitality House, Integrated Refugee & Immigrant Services (IRIS) and the Danbury Association of Religious Communities (ARC).

            Bring your family and friends, tell your neighbors and share this event on social media.

            ***Note: This is a nighttime event, rain or shine. If you are planning to walk through the Live Nativity, please wear appropriate walking shoes for the weather. No strollers or pets for the Live Nativity walk, please. If you have mobility challenges and would like a spot to participate in the tree lighting from your car, please let Laurie Matson know at lmatson1380@gmail.com.

            Contact the church office (203-775-1259 or office@uccb.org) for more information OR if you would be interested in helping make this event a success!

            We hope to see you all for this great event!


            REMEMBERING A GOVERNOR:
            Funeral service for former Gov. Jodi Rell

            External link opens in new tab or window

            Worship Opportunities

            Labyrinth & Children's Garden:

            Our Labyrinth and the story of how it came to be were recently published in a book of New England Labyrinths, so we are excited to share that with people in our area and beyond. Planted around our Labyrinth, we also have a Children's Garden, where kids are able to experience God's presence in Creation, remember loved ones who have died, and go to play or pray at our church. All are welcome to visit during daylight hours.  You can find the entrance to the footpath to the labyrinth and garden on the left side of the slope down into our lower parking lot.



            Keep an eye on your email, the Congregational Church of Brookfield Facebook Page, or our website on Sunday morning for the links to join us (and please feel free to share the links with family and friends). Afterward, if you are willing to share a photo of you or your family worshipping with us online that may be used on our CCB Facebook page or website, please send it to External link opens in new tab or windowuccbsocialmedia@gmail.com.   If you have missed any of our online worship services you can find them linked below, and you can subscribe to our YouTube channel External link opens in new tab or windowuccbvideo, where our worship services are archived.



            What does it mean to be an

            “Open & Affirming” church?

            What does the Bible say about homosexuality?

             

            If you’re eager to learn more about The Congregational Church of Brookfield as well as our External link opens in new tab or windowOpen & Affirming statement, you can look at the curriculum we used for our June "Open & Affirming" Bible study at

            External link opens in new tab or windowhttps://reformationproject.org/biblical-case/

            External link opens in new tab or window

            Call to Share our Gifts & Offerings, Roy Taylor on YouTube

            Sunday, June 30, 2024

            Click here: External link opens in new tab or windowhttps://youtu.be/bSbUnGVt7bY


            External link opens in new tab or window



            External link opens in new tab or window

            10:30am Sunday Weekly Worship Recordings:

            If you are not able to watch the service live from the beginning, or if you need to join the service late, there will be an opportunity to view the entire recording in a few hours, after YouTube processes it and uploads it to our church YouTube channel. For instant notifications of Live Streams, you can also subscribe to that channel, uccbvideo, by clicking on the red "Subscribe" button on the YouTube page.


             

            Sharing to Build, Building to Share…

            See the New Vision for Fellowship Hall!

            External link opens in new tab or window

            Brochure link above

            This week’s “Sharing to Build, Building to Share” Project Highlight

            Work on our accessibility addition remains on track. We have been blessed with phenomenal weather, which has allowed the site work to progress without issues. All the concrete foundations and retaining walls are complete along with their waterproofing and curtain drains.  The rough drainage system has been plumbed and successfully tested and inspected. The concrete for the first floor has also been poured. Next week, assuming material deliveries arrive, framing the building may begin.

            Thank you for your continued encouragement, and commitment, both financial and spiritual.We are so grateful for the continued support of our church family!

            If you have any questions about the project or how you can help support it, please reach out.

            Pastor Bryn Smallwood-Garcia (External link opens in new tab or windowbryn@uccb.org)             Pastor Jennifer Whipple (External link opens in new tab or windowjennifer@uccb.org)

            Ken Arifian (External link opens in new tab or windowkarifian@sbcglobal.net)                               Laurie Matson (External link opens in new tab or windowlmatson1380@gmail.com)

             

            (Click here to read more)

            Because we are CCB, we have fun whenever we gather! Even as we worship each week in our historic Meetinghouse, fellowship is at the very heart of our church life and we believe Fellowship Hall should be accessible to all.  We invite you to contribute as generously as you can and help us extend God's extravagant welcome to everyone, "no matter who we are or where we are on life's journey."  Whether we walk or roll, we seek to follow Jesus together!



            External link opens in new tab or window

            Pastors Fund Thanks & Information

            Our pastors wish to thank you so much for your generous support of the Pastors Fund during these difficult and ever-changing times.  With your help bills have been paid to cover housing costs, medical bills, and emergency repairs as well as to cover other everyday costs like food, gas, and clothing for members & friends of our church and wider community.  The Pastors Fund is supported through the honorarium from the funerals/memorials that our pastors officiate, as well as through the generous gifts of members and friends of our community.  The Thrift Shop has supported the Pastors Fund with gifts from sale profits, and the Pastors Fund is also one of the options for holiday support through our Virtual Giving Tree this year. 
            If you are feeling moved to make a direct gift to the Pastors Fund, gift cards for groceries and gas are always welcome, as are donations made payable to Pastors Fund.

             

            Your Pastors are Here for You!

            Pastoral Care Appointments

            Pastor Bryn and Pastor Jen are available for individual pastoral care appointments either in-person or via phone or Zoom.  If you have something that you would like to address or speak with them about, please feel free to reach out,  ( External link opens in new tab or windowbryn@uccb.org or External link opens in new tab or windowjennifer@uccb.org ) to set up a time to talk and pray together.

             ndayCB

            Church Office Hours

            Monday through Thursday - 9:00am - 2:00pm

            CLOSED on Fridays.

              The church door will remain locked for safety reasons, but our Ring doorbell system helps us to know who is coming to the door.

            If you want to ensure someone will be available to assist you, you can always call ahead to the Church Office at 203-775-1259.


            We are an Open and Affirming Congregation of the United Church of Christ.

            Know that "No matter who you are or where you are on life's journey, you are welcome here!"

             

             

             At Home Electronic Worship Options

             

            External link opens in new tab or window

            Congregational Church of Brookfield

            Listen to the Congregational Church of Brookfield's External link opens in new tab or windowPODCAST.

            Don't have time or an internet video connection?

            Subscribe to our podcast and listen on the go to past sermons.

            Click on:  External link opens in new tab or windowhttps://soundcloud.com/user-98392082