Alternative Resources for Discovering and Celebrating Emmanuel
Throughout the Year #2
Clearly, it is not too early to start thinking about how we may celebrate Christmas this year.
You can be sure the "Christmas machine" is well underway with its plans to affect our Christmas celebration.
To have any impact,
to have any influence,
to have any hope of celebrating Emmanuel,
we need to make our plans now.
A good way to begin is to make a list of what was done last year at your church, or in your family. As you evaluate your list, make a pledge to add ONE MAJOR activity this year -- along with what ever other actions you may deem do-able.
You are encouraged to have a brain-storming session with yourself,
with your key church leaders,
with your family,
with whomever will participate.
Perhaps some of these suggestions will prod your thinking.
You are urged to explore some of the resources in this edition of NewCelebrations
Newsletter.
My wish is that, this year, you and your church will have the most meaningful
Christmas celebration ever: that many will come to see, to know, and to celebrate
Emmanuel in their lives as never before.
I would hope that you feel free to copy some of these resources and circulate them
among your church friends and other acquaintances.
Clyde Griffith
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Preparing for Christmas 2018: Plan New Major Activity
Depending on what you are currently doing, plan an event to extend the reach of
your Christmas doings. Look at what others are doing. Perhaps you will find
something here that stimulates your thinking. Remember, plan now so an event
can be held early enough to make a difference for celebrations this year.
Plan a workshop around the theme: Unplug the Christmas Machine.
Through this workshop your church will help its members create more rewarding,more spiritual, and less stressful celebrations. Participants have an added benefit
of being able to function as a built-in support group for each other during the
holiday season. Highly recommended! Try it!
(Free Leader's Guide Resource available at Simple Living Works.
This most excellent resource was published each year with new material for 26 seasons!
Many churches use the contents of this publication for a church-wide workshop.
Others make varied use of it by Sunday School classes, special children's activities, and other events.
All 26 issues are available free for you to pursue and use from Simple Living Works.
Plan a workshop around Bill McKenna's Hundred Dollar Holiday: The Case for a More Joyful Christmas. This is an excellent resource for stimulating thinking about planning holiday
celebrations around what is really important. Although now out of print, Amazon is still showing plenty plenty of used hardback editions for $4.99 (including shipping).
(There will be more about this particular resource in a later edition of the New Celebrations Newsletter.)
Plan to host an Alternative Gift Market.
Stimulate thinking about new ways of celebrating by hosting an alternative gift market for your church and community. Churches that have done this report excellent benefits.
A whole issue of the New Celebrations Newsletter will be devoted to this topic later next month.
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A Christmas Pledge
Prepare, publish, promote and promulgate a pledge for your church members to use.
(Use this to spur the development of your own pledge.)
Believing in the true spirit of Christmas, I commit myself to
Remember those people who truly need my gifts
Express my love in more direct ways than gifts
Examine my holiday activities in the light of my deepest values
Be a peacemaker within my circle of family and friends
Redidicate myself to my spiritual growth
(From Unplug the Christmas Machine: A Complete Guide to Putting Love & Joy
Back Into the Season)
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Check out our webpage: NewCelebrations . . .
