First United Protestant Church, UCC

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Christmas 2008

December 24: Christmas Eve

Our Christmas Eve Candlelight service was filled with beautiful music. The children, many of them babes in the arms of their parents and grandparents, paid a visit to the manger. After communion, when all our candles are lit, it is our tradition to carry the light of Christ out of the sanctuary. While we are singing "Silent Night" we form a big circle on our lawn for the blessing. This year, we had torrential rains, and we doubted that we could do this this year.... but the rains stopped just in time, and as we were in our circle, the clouds blew away and the stars came out...

And, following the blessing, we had a social get-together on the lanai, with hot cider and many goodies.

December 21

      A Christmas Gift from our Kosraean Friends; another Visit to the Veterans Home;  and a Meeting at the Manse

At the end of our worship service, we received the wonderful gift of the traditional Kosraean Christmas procession. It is an event of love and joy, bright with color and song and smiles and gifts. This year, the wreaths the men carried were made of towels, decorated with ribbons and beads ... at the end of the procession, members of the audience received these as leis. In addition to lots of candies...

In the early afternoon, our children and young people paid a Christmas visit to the Veterans Home down the street, with a program of Christmas songs. It was a happy occasion for the singers as well as the audience: quite a few of the veterans were enthusiastically singing along and clapping in rhythms to some of the songs. At the end, the children gave each of the veterans in the audience a Christmas card with a photo of our Christmas tree, signed "from the children of the neighborhood"; and, in keeping with our Christmas theme for the narthex, a star that they could hang somewhere.

Here are some pictures of our narthex:

In the evening, Debbie and Rev. Larry Walter had invited the Resource Committee and the Church Council to have the December meeting at the manse.

It was a festive evening, with wonderful refreshments! We reviewed highlights of 2008, and plans for 2009. What a wonderful way to bring this year to a close, and open the new year to come!

thanks to Rev. Walter and Keoni Dibelka for most of these pictures

December 20: A Christmas Concert

thanks to Rev. Walter for the picture

On Saturday evening, the combined choirs of FUPC,

the Seventh Day Adventist Church, and the Hilo Kamehameha School Alumni

gave a concert of Christmas music in our sanctuary

December 14

Christmas Pageant

Our Sunday School gave us the gift of a wonderful Christmas pageant.

thanks to Dr. Wyatt and Heather Padilla for most of these pictures,

"Munchies at the Manse"

In the early afternoon, we gathered for a party at the manse - great food, and a happy time, with much laughter,  relaxing together in the warm ambiance of Debbie and Rev. Larry Walter's home.

November 30, 2008

The Advent Season Begins

 Rev. Walter mad an Advent calendar for our youngsters. There are 30 boxes in it; each contains a Christmas ornament. On this first day of Advent, one of the children got to open the first box; next Sunday, seven other children will get their turn.

We have big plans for the narthex: as an outgrowth of our map project, which shows all the different places where we have lived, and where members of our families live now, and where our family roots are, the Advent centerpiece in our narthex will be a global "village" where we'll each put an item from our family tradition, clustered by our background.

We will make lots of stars, which will be above our village.

Here, one of the first stars is under construction early in the

morning before worship.

(page updated  02/05/09

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