December 3, 2012

It was an impressive series of storms that swept through the Bay Area late last week and into  Sunday morning. Many reported that the highways and byways they traversed on the way to church were inundated with falling rain and rushing water and thus to be navigated with great care. Still, we had a good First Sunday of Advent and the Sanctuary and Family Room are beautifully decorated for the season.
Under our theme “With the Voice of Angels” our celebration of Advent continues this Saturday afternoon at Oakland First Baptist Church (22nd and Telegraph) with “Singing the Season,” a beautiful service in the the beautiful setting of the historic Julia Morgan designed OFBC Sanctuary. The program begins at 3:00. A reception will follow.
On Sunday, the second Sunday of Advent, Allison will be our preacher as we consider the words of the angel to Mary “The Lord is with you.” A full cast of LABC musicians will participate in the service and the Candle of Joy will be lit.
Artist Eric Powell will be our guest in the after worship Forum on Sunday. The Sanctuary Art Committee has been working with Eric to develop a vision for an artwork to grace the Sanctuary from the open space above the baptistry. A preliminary idea was presented at the Homecoming Luncheon in September and has been on display in the Narthex and Family Room since then. The Committee has forwarded all your feedback to Eric and Sunday he will present his most recent ideas and invite our further response. The question which will guide our discussion is  “What is your response to what you see?”
Two Concerns: 1.There are still many tags on the tree on the Adopt a Family Table in the Narthex. We expanded our commitment to the families of Oakland this year and I worried that we may have said yes beyond our capacity to deliver. I will be most grateful if you will make a point of stopping at the table after worship on Sunday and making a promise to help make this Christmas a merry one for a struggling family in our community. 2. We have also committed to serving nine meals (for about 25 people) at St. Mary’s Center (a seasonal shelter for seniors) this winter. The first meal is this coming Saturday evening (December 8) and we still need a person, group or family take it on. Please contact me ASAP if you can help out.

Prayers of the Congregation

• Sybil Alexander and family
• Leona  Sims and family
• Erica Quinn for a friend
• All our teachers
• All our shut-ins
• Waltee Douglas
• Kay Baxter for Jamie and Stacey
• Gloria Meads – recuperating from pneumonia
• Cynthia Nelson
• Wayne for a friend
• Mary Lee
• A just peace in the Middle East
• A just peace in The Congo
• All who are grieving
• All who are keenly aware of loss during the holidays
• Karen Hopkins for her brother Jeff and family
• All who minister in the name of our American Baptist family both nationally and internationally
• The ministry of St. Mary’s Center

Announcements

The Christmas tree in the Narthex is both beautiful and functional. It brightens the space and can be used to place your Christmas cards and greetings to the church family. Please make use of it.
Thanks again to everyone who helped with the Hanging of the Greens. You helped make the season bright!