Every Wednesday
6:45 PM Overeaters Anonymous
8:00 PM Debtors Anonymous

Thursday, December 3
7:30 PM Choir Rehearsal

Friday, December 4
5-7:30 PM Holiday Wreath / Greens / Fair Trade Fundraiser

Saturday, December 5
9 AM - Noon Holiday Wreath / Greens / Fair Trade Fundraiser

Sunday, December 6
9:30 AM Bible Study
11:00 AM Worship/Communion Sunday, Rev. Powers preaching
12:00 PM Congregational Meeting
12:15 PM First Sunday Potluck Lunch & Book Conversation

Thursday, December 10
7:30 PM Choir Rehearsal

Sunday, December 13
9:30 AM Bible Study
10:15 AM Joyful Noise: A Gathering of Young Children, Their Parents & Friends
11:00 AM Worship, Rev. Powers preaching
12:15 PM Session Meeting

Thursday, December 17
7:30 PM Choir Rehearsal

Sunday, December 20
9:30 AM Bible Study
11:00 AM Worship, Rev. Powers preaching

Thursday, December 24
6:00 PM Children's Christmas Eve Service
6:30 PM Christmas Dessert Fellowship
8:00 PM Christmas Eve Service of Lessons and Carols

Saturday, December 26
2:30-5:30 PM Ashland PC Cooks for Sarah's Hope

Sunday, December 27
11:00 AM Christmas Potluck Brunch & Carol Sing
S.O.B.E.R. Sunday

HOLIDAY WREATH/GREENS/FAIR TRADE FUNDRAISER, DEC. 4-5

Tell your friends & neighbors! Holiday wreaths and greens, as well as fair trade gifts, will be available at Light Street Church on Friday, December 4 (5:00 - 7:30 p.m.), and Saturday, December 5 (9 a.m. - noon). This is our church's major end of the year fundraiser!

CONGREGATIONAL MEETING

On Sunday, December 6, immediately following worship, there will be a brief Congregational Meeting for the purposes of electing three elders to the Session in the class of 2012 and approving the pastor's terms of call for 2010.

FIRST SUNDAY POTLUCK LUNCH AND BOOK DISCUSSION

On Sunday, December 6, we will have our First Sunday Potluck Lunch. Please bring a dish to share. We will also continue our discussion of Dorothy C. Bass' Practicing our Faith: A Way of Life for a Searching People. We will be discussing Chapter 4, entitled "Household Economics ."

FALL STEWARDSHIP CAMPAIGN

Last month, members and friends of the congregation received a letter in the mail asking you to make a pledge of support to the church's 2010 budget. Many thanks to everyone who responded. If you have not yet done so, please return your pledge card to the church. If you can't find your card, please call the church office at 410-539-0125 so we can mail you another one. Your pledge is essential for the Session to develop realistic plans for the coming year.

HOUSE OF RUTH CHRISTMAS PROGRAM

Light Street Presbyterian Church's Christmas giving project in Baltimore City will again be through the Adopt-A-Family Program of the House of Ruth of Maryland. The House of Ruth is one of the nation's leading domestic violence centers, helping thousands of battered women and their children find the safety and security that so many of us take for granted.

For the past two years Light Street Church has participated in this program and provided gifts for a couple of their families. This year we are challenging our congregation to provide gifts for two families (up to eight people). On Sunday, November 29, and December 6, a wish list from the House of Ruth will be made available to persons wishing to purchase gifts. The wish list will be divided and presented as ornaments on a tree in the back of the sanctuary. Although we won't know the identities of the family members, we have been provided with profiles that list age, gender, and sizes of each family member. These profiles also include a short wish list of items costing between $10 and $50. The expense of higher priced items can be shared by two or more members, and certain gift certificates are also welcome.

Church members and friends wishing to participate will select an ornament from the tree, and register their name and the gift they have selected to provide. Unwrapped gifts should be delivered to the church no later than December 13, when they will be dedicated at worship that Sunday, and then delivered to the House of Ruth on December 19. We know that our participation in this program will make Christmas a little brighter for families in need! If you have questions regarding this mission, please see Audrey Jewett or Bonnie Cosner.

"JOYFUL NOISE" -- A GATHERING OF YOUNG CHILDREN, THEIR PARENTS & FRIENDS

Light Street Presbyterian Church will continue its Sunday program for babies, toddlers, and young children through age 4 on December 13, from 10:15 a.m. to 10:45 a.m. Children, their parents, and friends, will hear stories, learn simple sign language, and enjoy music together. All are welcome!

THE LSPC GREEN CORNER - CARING FOR CREATION
Faith leaders have 'widest reach' on environment, says U.N. head

by Trevor Grundy
Ecumenical News International

LONDON - United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-moon told religious leaders on November 3 that they are uniquely equipped to pressure secular leaders to combat climate change.

Ban told around 200 leaders representing nine of the world's major religious communities, "The world's great faith communities occupy a unique position in discussion on the fate of our planet and the accelerating impacts of climate change. You are the leaders who have the largest, widest, and deepest reach."

With ARC co-founder Prince Philip of England looking on, Ban said, "We have the know-how, we have resources, but the only vacuum is political will. You can inspire, you can provoke, you can challenge your leaders, through your wisdom, through your followers."

Ban said that the major faiths have established, run, or contribute to more than half of all schools worldwide, compose the third largest category of investors in the world, and produce more weekly magazines and newspapers than all the secular press in the European Union.

"Your potential impact is enormous," he said. "You can -- and do -- inspire people to change."

The U.N. head noted that the world's poorest are also the least responsible for the emissions in the atmosphere, yet "the most likely to suffer first and foremost" from the impact of climate change.

Ban's remarks come as world leaders prepare for a conference next month in Copenhagen, Denmark, on the environment.

Faith groups, Ban said, speak to the heart of humanity's deepest needs. "This is why the voices, the deeds and the teachings of the world's faith groups are so vitally important. In the coming weeks I urge you to make your voices heard loud and clear," Ban stated.

On Nov. 5, a bi-partisan trio of U.S. Senators announced that they will try to salvage a climate change bill in the U.S. Congress prior to the Copenhagen summit. The three are John Kerry (D-Mass.), Lindsay Graham (R-S.C.), and Joseph Liberman (I-Conn.). The U.S. is one of the few non-supporters of the Kyoto Protocols, the renewal of which is the subject of the Copenhagen gathering.

ADVENT CONSPIRACY -- CHRISTMAS CAN [STILL] CHANGE THE WORLD

The story of Christ's birth is a story of promise, hope, and a revolutionary love.

So, what happened? What was once a time to celebrate the birth of a savior has somehow turned into a season of stress, traffic jams, and shopping lists.

And, when it's all over, many of us are left with presents to return, looming debt that will take months to pay off, and this empty feeling of missed purpose. Is this really what we want out of Christmas?

What if Christmas became a world-changing event again?



Welcome to Advent Conspiracy.

Worship Fully
Spend Less
Give More
Love All

COME SING WITH US!

Choir rehearsals have resumed for the fall. We have fun singing together on Thursday nights from 7:30 to 8:45 p.m. On Sunday mornings we rehearse again before worship from 10:20 to 10:50 a.m. Please join us! New voices are welcome!

SOBER SUNDAY DECEMBER 27

As a socially engaged presbyterian church, we believe that faith leads directly into action; therefore, to believe is to do. One of the many ways in which Light Street Presbyterian Church gets involved in the community is by collecting non-perishable and canned goods on the last Sunday of every month, which are given to South Baltimore Emergency Relief (S.O.B.E.R.) for the hungry in our community.

South Baltimore Emergency Relief is in need of:
- For the Homeless: Men's gloves, Socks, Pop-top canned meals, tuna packs, etc.
- For Walk-In Clients: Food supplies to make up kits of (3) days of meals -- canned meats, soups, fruit, veggies, spaghetti sauce, peanut butter, crackers, etc.
- Financial contributions are always welcome. Make checks out to LSPC, earmarked S.O.B.E.R.

Special re-usable shopping bags are available at church for this purpose. Take a bag with you and fill it up with canned and non-perishable goods (pop-top canned meals, tuna packs, spam, corned beef, soup, crackers, peanut butter up to 48 oz., spaghetti sauce up to 26 oz., canned fruits and/or vegetables, etc.) - however much or as little as you want. You can keep the bag in your car and fill it up with "goodies" the next time you go to your favorite supermarket. Another idea is to take the bag to work and have a can drive with your co-workers. Invite them to come to worship with you at Light Street when you return the bag on SOBER Sunday!

NOTE: Please do not donate food that is past its expiration date. It cannot be used, and it will be thrown away.

SUNDAY MORNING BIBLE STUDY

On Sunday mornings at 9:30 a.m., a small group of church members and friends gather for coffee and Bible study. The group uses a variety of curriculum materials, and is currently looking at how we view the Advent and Christmas season. The group is open; newcomers are always welcome. For more information, contact Bonnie Cosner or Debbie Szostak.

VIRTUAL BIBLE STUDY

Interested in weekly Bible Study bud don't feel like getting up earlier on Sunday mornings? Light Street has begun an experiment in on-line Bible Study. Each week the scripture passage for the next Sunday's sermon is posted to the group with a few questions to consider. During the week, participants post their comments, questions, and responses to the rest of the group. Only persons who want to be part of Light Street's Virtual Bible Study receive the emails from it, so if you are interested in trying this, you need to let Roger know to include you in the on-line group.

HELP LEAD WORSHIP!

Volunteers are needed to help lead worship each Sunday. This usually involves leading the congregation in the "Call to Worship" and "Prayer for Illumination" and reading the scripture lesson(s) for that Sunday. There is a sign up sheet on the downstairs bulletin board.

FELLOWSHIP HOUR VOLUNTEERS NEEDED

It's wonderful each Sunday morning, following worship, to be able to gather downstairs for a time of fellowship and refreshment. But, it means someone needs to take responsibility each week for making coffee, providing refreshments, and cleaning up afterwards. If everyone in the congregation signed up to do this just a few Sundays a year, we would have it covered. Many hands make light work! Please sign up on the downstairs bulletin board.

SERMONS

Copies of Roger's sermons are available on the downstairs hall table. Please feel free to pick one up if you missed a Sunday. Or, pass one on to a friend!

DEADLINE FOR JANUARY NEWSLETTER: December 15
Send all newsletter material to John Ginovsky at jginovsk@aba.com