After the grand visual displays of Advent and Christmas, it is often tough to get anyone excited about creating visuals for the start of a new year. Here is one that is not too difficult to make. With all of the hoopla surrounding the turn of the new century, this visual serves as a reminder that everything—including time—is held in our God's protecting hand.
Brief notes on the banner's construction and a downloadable pattern can be found below.
This service was planned by Alistair Drummond, pastor, Amy Mendez, associate pastor, and Jorge Lockward, minister of music, along with members of a worship planning team at The West End Presbyterian Church, New York City.
Introit: “Live in Charity” (Music of Taizé, vol 1; GIA) (1)
Ubi caritas et amor, ubi caritas Deus ibi est.
Donde hay amor y caridad. Donde hay amor, Dios tambien está.
You’ve been asked to obtain permission to reprint songs for your bulletin, Christmas program, liturgy, or Bible-study song sheets. Or maybe you want to copy the text of the choir’s anthem in the bulletin, make overhead transparencies of songs for your congregation, or copy a special theme song into the church newsletter . . . and you wonder how to do this legally.
I got off the subway and walked a couple of blocks to the big brick church on the corner of Amsterdam and 105th in New York City. West End Presbyterian Church has been on that corner for over a hundred years and has seen many changes, especially in the past generation.
You may want to file this helpful information from the March/April 1999 Children’s Ministry magazine:
Please note that if you show videos to children [other audiences too!], consider purchasing the Motion Picture Licensing Corporation (MPLC) Umbrella License for the public performance of home videos. The license costs $95 per year, and it allows your church to show copyrighted videos legally. Their address is 5455 Centinela Ave., P.O. Box 66970, Los Angeles, CA 90066-6970. Or call 800-462-8855.
Ron B. De Boer is a teacher and writer in Kitchener, Ontario. He wrote this play for the children’s Christmas program at Community Christian Reformed Church in Kitchener.
Flourish Like Grain
Hosea 14; John 12:23-26
Call to Worship
From Scripture: Psalm 96
In Song: “Humble Thyself in the Sight of the Lord” Maranatha! Praise Chorus Book 3 66
Lighting the Advent Wreath
Child: Why do we light four candles today?
