Sermon: “A Place of Grace”
Scripture: First Corinthians 13:1-13
What happens to us when grace becomes the centerpiece of how we interact with one another? Where is God when that happens? What happens to our hearts? What happens to our community?
Join us for Worship at 10:30 a.m., and for coffee and fellowship after the service. All are welcome!
Offering Envelopes for 2016
If you are newer to our congregation, and interested in having a set of offering envelopes for 2016, please contact Ellen. (ellends1313@gmail.com) The envelopes allow us to credit you for the donations that you give to the church, and allow you to deduct them from your taxes! For those of you who already have envelopes, you will find your box on the table in the back of the sanctuary, by the door. They are in numerical order.
Annual Meeting
This Sunday, January 31st is the annual congregational meeting. We will have a potluck lunch after the service, and then conduct the meeting. Please bring an appetizer, soup, salad, side dish, main dish or dessert to share. (NO NUTS, PLEASE!)
The annual meeting is the time when we look back on 2015 to note what we have accomplished. We will also elect officers, elders, deacons, and approve a budget for 2016. In addition, we will look forward, to begin to decide what we would like to accomplish during the coming year. All are welcome!
Pastor Allen Regular Office Hours
He will be in the church office during the following times unless called away:
Mondays and Thursdays: 10:30 a.m. -12:30 p.m.
1st and 3rd Monday evenings: 6:30 – 8:30 p.m.
Wednesday afternoons: 3:00 – 5:00 p.m.
Rev. Fairfax is generally available for pastoral concerns or other church business at most other times as well, so don’t hesitate to contact him outside of these office hours.
Please drop by the church or contact him: 508-801-7294 (cell)/617-625-4823 (office), pastor@clarendonhillchurch.org.
– – – Upcoming Events – – –
CHPC Bible Study
Bible study meets at Porter Square Panera Bread every other Wednesday. For details on dates, time, place, and more information, please contact Kevin. (kevin.sungwon@gmail.com)
Ash Wednesday Service
Wednesday, February 10th at 7:00 p.m. Please join us as we begin our journey in to Lent.
Lenten Study
For our Lenten study this year, we will be reading and discussing the book, “If God is Love”. Copies of the book will be available at the annual meeting (January 31st). We will likely meet once or twice during Lent, with the exact dates to be decided. After we finish our Lenten study, we will choose a fiction book for our next discussion. If you have suggestions for a fiction book, or if you would like a copy of “If God is Love”, but won’t be at the annual meeting, please contact Pastor Allen. Here’s a synopsis of the book:
Synopsis of If God is Love
If God is love, why are so many Christians fearful, and why do so many church leaders sound hateful? Two controversial pastors address issues the church won′t face, calling us to restore grace as the center of the Christian life.
In “If Grace Is True”, Pastors Philip Gulley and James Mulholland revealed their belief that God will save every person. They now explore the implications of this belief, and its power to change every area of our lives. They attempt to answer one question: If we took God′s love seriously, what would our world look like?
Gulley and Mulholland argue that what we believe is crucial and dramatically affects the way we live and interact in the world. Beliefs have power. The belief in a literal hell where people suffer eternally has often been used by the Church to justify hate and violence, which contradicts what Jesus taught about love and grace. The authors present a new vision for our personal, religious, and corporate lives, exploring what our world would be like if we based our existence on the foundational truth that God loves every person.
Gulley and Mulholland boldly address many controversial issues people in the pews have wondered about but churches have been unwilling to tackle. For too long, the Christian tradition has been steeped in negativity, exclusion, and judgment. Gulley and Mulholland usher us into a new age–an age where grace and love are allowed to reign.
– – – Deacons News – – –
Prayer Request Email
The Deacons are in the process of setting up an online prayer request list. This will be a closed group (to insure privacy.) If you would like to be a member of the group so that you can ask for prayers, and have others pray for you, please send an email to Ellen (ellends1313@gmail.com). Once we have everything set up, we will share information about the group with the congregation, so that others can join.