Advent 2020
Christmas Eve Services
There will be two distinct Christmas Eve Services this year. Both will be available online any time after 6pm on Christmas Eve and can be accessed from the homepage of this website. Read below for details of the services, and how to watch together as a community.
For both services: Have candles at home ready to light so that we all may still enjoy this ageless tradition sharing one of the most amazing and world changing narratives ever.
Family Friendly Service at 5:00 pm – As always, Rev. Mark, Rev. Josh and Laurie Chipman will be in costume and in character as they bring the age-old story of Christ’s birth to life. The three of them will be bringing you their message from various locations around the globe and then all come together to spread the light of Christ. There will be some great music with a special performance of Silent Night by the Stapleton Trio.
We can watch this service together at 5:00 pm on the church YouTube channel, which will give us the ability to chat while watching like we can do at Sunday worship. You can watch the video at any time after 6:00 if the “live” session time is inconvenient.
Service of Lessons and Carols (traditionally held at 9:00 pm) – Our traditional service where we hear the story of Christ’s birth read by various members of the church and listen to tremendous music from our various choirs.
The video will be available on the church YouTube channel at 6:00 pm so you can watch at any time. At 9:00 a Facebook Watch Party will be available HERE to watch together as a church community and enjoy chatting while we watch.
Other Special Advent Happenings
The Christmas season in 2020 will be like nothing in recent memory. The pandemic has caused all of us to make major changes in our lives, and this Advent will be different, too. However, First Church is meeting this challenge by re-imagining some old traditions and adding new ways to connect and celebrate during the 4 weeks of Advent. Additional celebrations of the season may be added, and these listed may be updated, so please check back here for changes.
Please join us for any or all of these offerings, the details for each is below:
Christmas Poinsettias
Help decorate the Sanctuary this season – Christmas Poinsettias are available for purchase! Each one costs $12.95 and comes in one of four colors: red, marble, pink, or white. The deadline to order is Thursday, December 10th. Due to the pandemic, supplies are limited so order yours today! Questions or concerns? Email welcome@fccej.org for details.
***Payment: Please mail your payment to:
attn: Financial Secretary, FCCEJ, 1 Church Street, Essex Junction, VT 05452
Include the words “Xmas Poinsettias” with your payment (or write it within the memo line of your check.) ***
Update: Thank you to everyone who purchased poinsettias to help decorate for our Christmas Eve services. All of the in-sanctuary recording is complete and you can now pick up your poinsettias to decorate your home. Please email the church administrator at welcome@fccej.org to arrange pick-up.
Giving Tree
Help us spread the love of Christmas to young people within our local community by giving them a Christmas gift.
Update Dec. 1st: All SignUp gift requests are claimed – thank you so much!!!
Thank you to everyone that provided gifts!
This year there were 52 children who were given Christmas gifts through this program. It is difficult to describe the feelings expressed by the parents as they pick up the gifts. They are so very appreciative of the generosity of this church. Many express that they would have no gifts for their kids without our assistance. For each of you who helped to make this a time of joy for so many children and their parents, we thank you.
Lighting Advent Candles
Lighting the Advent candles each week is one of the many traditions that we honor each year in this season. This year we will be including a recording each week from various members of our church family. One of the benefits of following this tradition in a new way is that we can enjoy the candle-lightings even after the worship service is over. Each week, the video for the candle lighting will be added here so you can enjoy the messages over and over.
The First Advent Candle – Hope
by Beth Volker
The Second Advent Candle – Peace
by the Johnson Family
The Third Advent Candle – Joy
by the Bourn Family
The Fourth Advent Candle – Love
by the Dooley Family
The Christ Candle
by the Rachel Humphrey & Derek Lyman Family
Christmas Pageant
The Christmas Pageant that our children & youth put on is always a highlight of the season and we are going to have one this year as well, COVID style! Laurie and Josh will be working with our incredible youth to create the parts of the service on the computer and then they will piece them together to create a masterpiece of Christmas JOY.
Parents are asked to submit a photo by December 14th to Pastor Josh or Laurie of their child dressed up as a angel, shepherd or sheep so that they too can be added in and a part of this year’s pageant. Costumes available for pick up, just connect with staff.
The Christmas Pageant will be streamed on December 20th and will be available for later viewing on our YouTube channel. Watch the younger members of our church family retell the story of the birth of Jesus – it’s always a joy to behold!
360° Tour of the Decorated Sanctuary
Are you missing being in the Sanctuary during this Advent season? Thanks to Tony Marthaler we can all enjoy a visual tour that shows us the beautiful space that was renovated this Spring, and is now decorated for Christmas. Sit down with your computer (or tablet or phone) and enjoy making your way around the Sanctuary.
Advent Safe Outing
Drive by the church in the evening to enjoy some beautiful Christmas lights strung on the shrubs, and the festive colors that Pastor Josh has festooned on the Parsonage. You can also park and have a seat by the Nativity scene and ponder the greatest gift of all. There are hay bales placed so you can sit and enjoy the scenery in a safely distanced way.
Not-So-Secret Santa
Jenny Bourn is organizing a gift exchange. This is what she shared recently with the church:
I know there are many folks who would like to bring some holiday cheer to another family/person but may not know who to gift. I want to make this connection possible.
a. Do you want to be a giver?
b. Do you want to be a receiver?
c. Do you want to be a giver & receiver?
d. Do you want to nominate an immediate family member in the area as a receiver & yourself as a giver?
All combinations are welcome. I will adjust and handle logistics. Reach out to me via email: jennybourn4@gmail.com, on Facebook (Jenny Connelly Bourn), or through one of the staff members. Send me your participation level (see options above) as well as your email address, physical address & number of people (if multiple members want to give, or how many will be receiving). I will connect you with your Secret Santa. Stress-free and fun!
All giving will be done safely and contact-free. Gifts can be baked, bought, made, sent via video message (caroling over FaceTime?) – totally up to the giver (everyone is different). It can be a regular weekly occurrence or a one-time thing – myself and other elves will be available for help planning and brainstorming ideas.
Household Advent Sanctuary Time
December 21st – 24th
Come to the church to enjoy some time in the Sanctuary to take in some of the feel of the Christmas season. We can’t be there together due to the pandemic, but we hope that some time in the beautifully decorated Sanctuary will offer some peace and calm in these difficult times. You can sign up to visit for 15 minutes from 10 am – 7:30 pm on December 21st – December 24th. Each reservation is for a single household in adherence to the VT COVID-19 restriction to not gather with other households. Use the SignUp Genius link below to reserve your spot. Please be prompt departing after 15 minutes to allow time before the next household comes in.
