Hello church family! We are in our 1st week of Advent, a time of waiting for the coming of Jesus. ✨
SUNDAY 12/14:
Sunday school breakfast 9:00-9:25 am Come for a simple continental breakfast, coffee and fellowship that will hopefully help simplify your Sunday morning routine, provide extra visiting time and give sustenance for the day
Sunday school classes for all ages 9:30-10:30 am Nursery- Adult
Children’s Christmas Pageant Practice for kids 3yrs.-7th grade – Sanctuary
8th grade-High school – led by Joe & Ruth Navarrete – Pastor’s study
Ladies’ Class – led by Ann Blystra – Room 2
Adult Class open to all – Room 1 – Based on John Lennox’s book 2084: Artificial Intelligence and the Future of Humanity
Worship service 10:45 am
Pastor Nick will continue the Advent sermon series Unsung Characters of Christmas, focusing on Elizabeth, based on Luke 1:23-25, 39-45 . We will be celebrating the Lord’s Supper together
ANNOUNCEMENTS:
The Sing! Hymnal– We are excited to be using the new hymnals during worship, and also want to make them available for personal home and devotional use. Enough were ordered to offer one per household with a recommended contribution of $10 to help offset the cost. Please talk to Mindy Popp if you would like one for your home
Children’s Christmas Pageant- We look forward to the retelling of the Nativity story by the children on December 21st during the worship service. All children between 3 years old and 7th grade are invited to practices during the Sunday school hour on Dec. 7, 14 and 21, 9:30-10:30 a.m. Parts and costumes for all
Choir rehearsal – Next Thursday, December 11th, 7-8:30 pm– Adults and teenagers are welcome. If you have any questions, contact Abigail Hofland at (608) 438-2977 or abigailjeanhofland@gmail.com
Annual congregational meeting- The Council requests your presence on December 14th immediately following the worship service. There will be a discussion and vote on the proposed budget, made available ahead of the meeting, and new office-bearers to affirm
Missionary updates- Be sure to read the recent letters posted on the bulletin board in the foyer from our missionary partners overseas. God is at work around the world. Also, this Sunday we will hear about the upcoming summer mission trip from our church to Rehoboth, NM
The Bible recap 2026- Do you want to read through the Bible in 2026? Several from our congregation have found The Bible Recap to be a great way to read through the whole Bible chronologically, get insights from the app, and share with one another where they saw God in the daily reading. If you are interested in learning more, Betty Harrington would love to tell you how it works and the impact it has had on the participants. It’s life-changing!
Mowing help needed- As we get back to the growing season, we need a person or two to help cut the grass a couple of times each month. There is a riding mower, and training can be provided. (It’s fun!) Please talk to Mindy if you are interested
Looking ahead… Christmas Eve Lessons & Carols Service – December 24th, 6:00 p.m.
Youth Winter Camp Sat-Mon January 17-19
CHILDREN:
- GEMS “Girls Everywhere Meeting the Savior”- Girls from Kindergarten to 8th grade are invited to be part of the GEMS club. There will be songs, crafts, snacks, and games centered around learning the Word of God and becoming followers of Jesus. You can talk with Maria Fry if you have any questions
Cadets- This is a group for boys in 1st through 8th grades to come twice a month to be mentored by their leaders to learn new hands-on skills, while being strengthened to “Stand Firm” in Christ. Reach out to David Harrington with any questions you may have
GEMS and Cadets meet twice a month on Thursdays from 7-8:30 p.m. at the church. Future meetings: Dec. 4 & 18, Jan. 8 & 22, Feb. 5 & 26
Kids Corner: Check out this week’s kids’ devotion at www.kidscorner.net.Check out all the great content at kids corner.net, like KC’s the Bible in One Year Plan
Youth Groups (Please connect with Youth Leader Walt Bales for more information. All groups meet at the church building.)
- Breakaway and 180 Our junior high and high school youth groups meet every Tuesday from 7-8:30 p.m. for fun, worship and study. (Youth group will not meet on Tuesday next week.)
- Candy cane lane– December 13th, 6:30-8:30 pm
- Christmas caroling party– December 16th, 6-9 pm
- Winter camp 2026– January 17-19 in Sonora, CA
BIBLE STUDIES:
- Women’s Bible study meets alternating Wednesdays at Willy Hanneman’s home. We will be learning about, and praying through, prayers in the Bible. Call/text Mindy Popp at 630-390-5736 for details. All women are welcome. Next meeting on December 17th
- Men’s Bible study meets on alternating Mondays at 7:00 p.m. in the Pastor’s study. They are studying the book of Matthew. Please contact Jackson Bales or Joe Navarrete for more information, or the church office. Next meeting on Dec. 15th
COUNCIL:
- The next Council meeting is Tuesday, January 27th. Members are welcome to attend/observe Council meetings for non-executive sessions
- FCRC Council has a broad Child Abuse Prevention Policy. This policy applies to paid staff, volunteers, officeholders, leaders, preachers, teachers, and/or anyone working directly with those under the age of 18. In a small church like ours, that list pretty much covers everyone. But just in case, Council has provided a copy of our current policy here. Be sure to get your completed certificate into Walt Bales ASAP
OPPORTUNITIES TO SERVE:
Building Cleaners: Clean the church on a rotating basis. All training is provided and takes one person 2-3 hours every 5-6 weeks. We would love to have a few more people/families join the rotation. The more people we have on the rotation, the less frequent any one team needs to clean. (And if you only can commit to a few times per year, we would be glad to add you in when it works for you.) Contact Ruth Navarrete for more details
Greeters: Welcome people on Sunday mornings, once a month. This is an important ministry to make people feel seen and welcomed
Scripture Readers: Lead the congregation by reading aloud the scripture passage during the Sunday morning service, as needed
Lawn Mowers: We are looking for a few people to rotate mowing the grass (on a riding lawnmower–it’s fun!) during spring-fall. Training provided
Meal Makers & Takers: Help prepare and/or deliver meals to people in need. Or consider placing a main dish in the church freezer that the deacons can distribute as needed
Community Garden and Grounds: Weeding and tending the garden, as well as help keeping up the property.If you have any interest in serving the church in one of these ways, please talk with Mindy Popp or contact the church office. Prayer Requests If you ever have a prayer request that you would like to have included in the congregational prayer on Sunday mornings, please feel free to reach out to the church office or one of the elders or deacons. You can also write out a prayer request and place it in the offering bags at the back of the sanctuary for the deacons
Fairfield CRC
P.O. Box 2953
Fairfield, CA 94533
Youth Leader: Walt Bales
Church Administrator: Mindy Popp
Church Phone: 707-426-1006
Website: www.FairfieldCRC.org