PARISH PULSE
Parish Pulse – Thursday, December 11, 2025
LEADERS FOR THIS COMING SUNDAY
PowerPoint: Keith Blizard
Greeter: Ed Burdette & Sara Cornett
Leader: Selene Lau
Readers: Gregory Klym (Eng) & Ravaka Andriamahazo (Fr)
Info Desk: Andre Leitao
Audio: Kathryn Jacob
Video: Wentworth Brookes
Refreshments: Anthoula Dounavis, Rosanna & Janelle Bhagwandass
Collection Counters: Michael Lancione & Marcelo Wu
COMMUNION
Communion will be held next week.
UPCOMING PREACHERS
Dec. 14 and 28 – Chris Barrigar
Dec. 21 and Jan. 4 – Tim Keener
ADVENT AND CHRISTMAS SERVICES
Sun. Dec. 14: Annual Service of Nine Lessons & Carols
Wed. Dec. 24: Christmas Eve Services
-5:30 pm: Book of Common Prayer Communion
-7:00 pm: Christmas Service (child-friendly)
CMP FINANCES – LATEST UPDATE!
Givings to date (Nov.11): $198,460; total budgeted givings to break even for 2025: $225,368. This means we are 12.0% ($26,908) short of our year-end needs. This is an improvement from 27.3% four weeks ago, and we have just three weeks to make up the remaining amount. We are grateful for your regular giving, and for any additional giving you may be able to offer to help us break even for 2025!
SAT. DEC. 13 – PARENTS NIGHT OUT
The Kids Connect Christmas Parents Night Out is back! It will be on Saturday, December 13 from 4 to 6:30 pm. The deadline to sign up is December 5th. It’s the perfect time for families to finish their Christmas shopping! Feel fRee to invite friends!
CO-CREATING THE NATIVITY SCENE
Each year the children help fill the nativity scene at the front of the church. This year, inspired by the Lutheran Church in Bethlehem, we will do things a bit differently. Jesus was born in a humble stable and laid in an animal food trough, born to parents barely able to find a place to give birth. God led Mary to give birth in such conditions in order to symbolize that God is for all humanity but especially for “the least of these” and those who are vulnerable. On December 21, we invite CMP members, young and old, to bring something to add to the crèche scene which symbolises for you where Emmanuel, God with us, might be born today.
SAT. DEC. 20 – CHORALE DE GESU
La Chorale du Gesu is celebrating Christmas and the winter solstice by singing on Saturday night December 20 at 4.00 p.m. Tickets can be purchased online or at the door. Come and enjoy some beautiful music of the Season.
DEC. 25 – CHRISTMAS DAY POTLUCK DINNER
At the home of Chris and Fiona, 5pm. If you’d like to come, and if you need details, please contact Fiona by Dec.19, at fcrossling@gmail.com.
BLUE CHRISTMAS CORNER
Christmas can be an emotionally difficult time of year, for all sorts of reasons.
If this Christmas will be difficult for you, and you feel it would be helpful to be able to acknowledge this in some way, feel free to visit our Blue Christmas corner at the front left of the church. There you can write in the Christmas Offering Book (“We offer to God those memories, persons, and/or parts of our lives that make this Christmas Season emotionally or spiritually difficult”), and light a candle off the Easter candle, as a sign that God’s resurrection life is with you in the midst of this difficult season.
ADVENT DEVOTIONALS
https://ccca.biola.edu/advent/2025
https://www.luthersem.edu/godpause/advent-devotional/
LAST SUNDAY’S WORSHIP SONGS
Dec 7th:
Opening Hymn: #108 Hark, a Herald Voice Is Sounding
- Come Thou Long Expected Jesus
- All Who Are Thirsty
- God With Us
Communion Song: Hail To The Lord’s Anointed (Yeldall)
Closing Hymn: #106 There’s a Voice in the Wilderness
RECENT SERMONS AVAILABLE ONLINE
– Dec 7: – Rev. Chris Barrigar. Click here.
– Nov 30: What did you expect? – Sam Farrugia. Click here.
– Nov 23: When Life is Hard – Rev. Chris Barrigar. Click here.
– Nov 16: Dystopia in Gospel Perspective – Rev. Chris Barrigar. Click here.
– Nov 9: Exploring the Evangelical Stream – Selene Lau. Click here.
– Nov 2: Called to Courage – Sam Farrugia. Click here.
– Oct 25: Saints in Scary Times – Tim Keener. Click here.
PRAYER REQUESTS & PRAYER CHAIN
If you have a matter for which you would like others to be praying (petition or thanksgiving), please contact Christine Ball-Creighton (prayer@stmarkstpeter.org), and she will circulate it to members of the CMP prayer chain.
