See you on Sunday at 10 AM as we gather for worship and the word at the Revival Building (813 7th St). Read this rundown of the key emphases, happenings and overall announcements to read before we gather to sing, pray, share and celebrate.

Worship
We begin the morning by praying and singing together, including Advent songs:

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The Advent season invites us to wait for the coming Savior. Everything changed when Jesus arrived, when God the King came as a Child. But when He came, some lowly shepherds were the first to hear the great news. A whole host of angels appeared and sang their heavenly chorus, all about Jesus, in view of these marginal characters. Why did they appear first to the shepherds, who had no supposed importance in society? And when God speaks, how will He speak to us? » Read ahead: Luke 2:1-20.

Renew KIDS

We begin all together to sing and pray. Early elementary kids are welcome to remain in the large group gathering, or may join the the Pre-K class at “half-time” when they head to their classes. Together Renew Kids are learning about the birth of Jesus the Christ in the Gospel Project for Kids.

Birth to two years upstairs, and preschool age (3-5yrs) downstairs, with the option of 1st & 2nd graders (age 6-7yrs) joining them. Thank you to all who serve faithfully in leading children to know Christ through meaningful relationships.

Our new Family Verse:

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Opportunities

  1. The Renew family will gather at 5:00pm on Christmas Eve (Weds, 12/24) for our first-ever Christmas Eve worship service. All ages will worship together in a candlelit gathering of Advent songs and a brief meditation on the Incarnation. Plan on the gathering concluding in less than an hour. 
  2. There will not be a Prayer Meeting on Monday night 12/21. We’ll resume on 12/28. Come at 6 PM for dinner on the 28th, gather to pray from 7-8 PM. 
  3. Men’s Huddle pauses the next two Thursdays (not meeting on Christmas Day nor on New Year’s Day). We resume on Thursday, January 8th (6-7 AM @ Coffee Rush, 9th & Main in Oregon City). We’re intentionally focusing on becoming better spiritual leaders in our homes. (Responses necessary.)
  4. Women’s Bible study will resume in the middle of January. Tuesday mornings, specifics TBA.

Mission update:

  • Last Sunday we gave a brief update on global mission giving, in an effort to make wise use of your generous giving! Kari noted our values in how church leadership chooses which worthy organizations to contribute towards. We set aside 6% of all giving to global justice, mercy, and discipleship initiatives. The most recent funds went to these three global ministries:
  1. Next Generation Ministries in Uganda to support the missionary work of Paul & Pam Hunter. » $2,000 is set aside to fund a women’s clinic for childbirth.
  2. Gospel for Asia » $2,000 given to support five women missionaries for a whole year!  (Also noted the Veil of Tears trailer, though we did not show it with children present.)
  3. World Vision » We ordered mosquito nets for a whole village (cost: $1,260).

Why nets?

The world’s deadliest creature, the mosquito, kills nearly 655,000 people every year. While preventing malaria is inexpensive by U.S. standards, it’s out of reach for poor African families who must watch helplessly as their children suffer and die. Your gift will provide one of the best ways to protect children from malaria — bed nets — as well as critical education for prevention and control.

Every donation you give will help provide long-lasting insecticide-treated bed nets that will protect children from this deadly disease. These nets can be used for approximately four years, making them one of the best investments you’ll ever make!

(Reminder: The City iPhone app is available in the App Store. and the Android app in the Google Play Store.)

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Let’s continue to invite people into our lives, beyond Sundays, just as we invite them to worship with us. Sharing a meal together this coming week — at a restaurant or at home — is a good way to sit down and talk about life. Invite people over, embody hospitality.

RENEW Church

Podcast
Recorded messages are collected in a podcast and now online, including all 39 weeks of our journey through the EPIC Story of God.» You may also subscribe in iTunes here, listen on Godrenews.us or access the podcast feed directly here