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Please place this card in the offering.

We are glad you are here to worship God with us today! We hope you get a taste this morning of our life together as a congregation.

9:30am Morning Worship Service 9:45am Children’s Sunday School & Middle School Gathering 10:30am Refreshments and Fellowship 11:00am Life Groups

is normally celebrated on the first Sunday of each month.

for infants through 3-year-olds is available in our nursery during worship. The nursery is located on the first floor of our children’s wing. Childcare for elementary school-age children is provided during the Life Groups.

· Jesus Christ as Lord · Loving God wholeheartedly · God’s Word as foundational · Equipping all for ministry · Telling God’s Good News

· Generosity · Compassion and social justice · Prayer and healing · Children, youth, and families · Community

To honor God by helping people become fully-devoted followers of Jesus.

(650) 345-1633 | FPCSM.org

No matter who you are or where you are on your spiritual journey, there are always opportunities to connect and grow!

Women's Monday Evening Bible Study 1st and 3rd Mondays of each month, 7:30pm, Iona Room A time of sharing/caring prayer and learning together about the Holy Spirit.

Men’s Bible Study Tuesdays, 7:00am, B100 An early morning study of the book of Acts.

Women’s Morning Bible Study Thursdays, 10:00am, The Lighthouse Weekly Bible study currently doing a study on the book of Acts. Women of all ages are welcome. Childcare is available upon request.

Lunch with the Pastor 2nd Thursday of each month, 11:45am, The Lighthouse A casual and fun lunch together addressing issues and needs, and discussing FPCSM’s future. Bring your own lunch; drinks and dessert are provided.

Men’s Bible Study Saturdays, 8:00am, The Lighthouse Great fellowship for men of all ages to share God’s grace and to study the book of Ephesians.

Discover First Pres A class (offered 2-3 times per year) that provides a great introduction to FPCSM, and to the foundations of the Christian faith and what we believe.

December 15, 2019

Lord Jesus, Master of both the light and the darkness, send your Holy Spirit upon our preparations for Christmas. We who have so much to do seek quiet spaces to hear your voice each day. We who are anxious over many things look forward to your coming among us. We who are blessed in so many ways long for the complete joy of your kingdom. We whose hearts are heavy seek the joy of your presence. We are your people, walking in darkness, yet seeking the light. To you we say, “Come Lord Jesus!” - Henri Nouwen

After prayerful consideration of missionaries recommended by a few missionary leaders around the world, the Global Missions Team has selected John Becker as a new missions partner. You may remember John as a Global Strategist for African Inland Mission (AIM) organiza-tion when he preached at our church on July 28. He is moving to a new role with AIM focused on reaching African Muslim refugees dispersed into Europe. As a recent example of John’s ministry, the week after Thanksgiving, he traveled to Paris where he brought together outreach teams in specific neighborhoods there while on his way to Tunisia where he lead a workshop for church-planting trainers working in four North African countries. John and his wife Maureen live in Redwood City and have four college and high school-aged children. Please pray for: 1. Increased collaboration between missions-focused organizations John is bringing together within regions of North Africa, Europe and Central Asia. 2. John’s family as he travels extensively.

End of Year Giving—Planning to give a special end-of-year donation? Please use the Christmas envelope in your offering envelope box or a pew envelope and indicate it is for Christmas. For online giving, check the "Special Holiday" fund or write “Christmas” in the comment space. Stock gifts can be made through FPCSM’s Charles Schwab account. All year-end gifts go into the general operating fund unless otherwise indicated and must be received by December 31 for inclusion in your 2019 charitable giving statement. Questions? Contact Melissa Brumbaugh at melissab@fpcsm.org.

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Notes:

Power Station Classes Sunday Morning Children are dismissed from the worship service for Power Station—where Jesus gives us the power to live for God! All classes meet in the children’s wing. Signs are posted with specific classroom information.

Little Sprouts Fridays, 9:30am-11:30am, Geneva Hall Our popular play group for infants through pre-K and their grown-ups.

Middle School Gathering Sundays, 9:45am, Youth Room Today, middle schoolers will remain in the worship service. The Youth Life Group for middle school and high school students will meet at 11:00am.

Youth Group Tuesdays, 6:30pm-8:00pm, Geneva Hall & The Lighthouse Youth group for 6th-12th graders is super fun and a great environment in which to be encouraged, to grow in faith and to spend time hanging out with friends!

Congregational Meeting Immediately following the worship service, sanctuary FPCSM’s Session (i.e. board of elders) has called a congregational meeting for the purpose of hearing a report from the Nominating Committee and to act on the committee’s nominations for officers.

Life Groups 11:00am, various locations Connect with others in the congregation and discuss today’s sermon and how we live out our mission of becoming fully-devoted followers of Jesus. A list of Life Groups and their locations is available in the lobby.

Himalayan Tea 12:00pm, The Lighthouse Please join us as we welcome, D, N and baby K on their first home visit since leaving for the Himalayas two year ago! They will share about their experiences living cross culturally and we’ll enjoy some traditional snacks.

Poinsettias The poinsettias decorating the sanctuary and lobby have been given by those listed below in gratitude for the greatest gift of the season—Jesus the Messiah! Stephen Baumgartner & Lois Gaspari Greg Johnson Craig Mercer & Gia Corsetti Gerry & Elly Buizer Pat Kipp Peggy Morris Gene & Victoria Garcia Cardle Sharon Kipp Rich & Pam Rondeau Dave & Dianne Chiechi Alexa Knight Glen Phillips & Cathy Chang Norman & Diane Cortez Katherine Lee Marco & Gwen Sanchez Art & Jean Johnson Paul & Jeanne Linquist Cyndy Simms

(All is kept confidential)

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Bridge Young Adults Sundays, 5:00pm-6:30pm, Youth Room Bridge is for people between the ages of 18-30 who want to connect with other young adults in a great environment. Follow us on Instagram @FPCSMBridge.

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Today is the third Sunday in the season the church calls Advent, the four weeks that lead up to Christmas. Advent, which comes from the Latin word adventus meaning “coming,” has been celebrated by churches since the 4th century, for sev-eral reasons: 1) as a way to remember the Jews’ looking forward to the coming of their messiah; 2) as a way for us to prepare to celebrate the coming of Jesus 2000 years ago; and 3) as a hopeful and certain reminder for us that Jesus is coming again in the future. One of the many ways that churches, including ours, have symbolically celebrated Advent is through the lighting of the candles of an advent wreath. The circular nature of the wreath reminds us that God is eter-nal. The greenery of the wreath reminds us that God is living and that Jesus is resurrected and alive. The candles, which we light one by one as we move through the four weeks of Advent, remind us that Jesus is the light of the world.

Sandwiches for Samaritan House Sunday, December 22, 8:30am, Geneva Hall Be a part of putting together lunches for Samaritan House clients who would otherwise go without food on the weekend. All ages can help! Let us know you’ll be there by signing up using the link found in Thursday’s eNews.

Christmas Eve Worship at FPCSM! Tuesday, December 24

Family Service - 4:00pm A Christmas worship service for all ages, with carols, a skit, a message, candles and more.

Candlelight Service - 9:30pm A traditional Christmas Eve worship service with carols, choir, scripture and candles.