LOCAL NEWS

🚢 ALL ABOARD — FINAL CALL: 1 PM! Your last chance to “book your spot” for Wednesday’s Family Meal Night is today (Sun., 11/30) by 1 PM! This week’s featured entrée: boneless pork loin with a lineup of sides worthy of a holiday cruise buffet. 🎉 Serving begins at 5:15 PM—don’t miss the boat! To RSVP, click HERE. 

📢 ANNUAL CONGREGATIONAL MEETING + 2026 BUDGET Join us Sunday, Dec. 7, right after worship! Kids will gather in Room 200 so some of the teachers can attend. Youth students & teachers will attend the meeting and then proceed to classrooms for a shortened study. Come to hear numerous updates and review and give feedback on the 2026 budget. Pick up a copy of the budget to review in advance at the Welcome Center or click on the email link we sent out on Fri., Nov. 21st.

TRAVEL & LEISURE

🚌🧭CALLING ALL FRC’ERS: YOUR ADVENTURE AWAITS – DEC. 21ST! Load up the family for The Giving eXperience, a festive adventure where we bring joy through candles, glow sticks, carols, smiles, and gift baskets to those who may need some seasonal encouragement.

Departure Time: 4:00 PM     |     Departure Gate: Fellowship Hall

As part of the adventure, we’re putting together gift baskets and gathering gift cards ($10, $20, or $25) for food or gas. Donations can be dropped off in the office or the lockbox behind the Welcome Center. Join the adventure—and help us deliver the joy! We guarantee you won’t regret this! 

🎭 YOUNG AT HEART – CURTAIN CALL: DEC. 4 Places, everyone! Our Young at Heart Holiday Extravaganza takes the stage this Thursday at 5:30 PM as the bus pulls out. Come dressed in your most festive holiday wear—no need to match (your hosts definitely won’t). And if you’re able, bring a dry or canned good to add to the Making Spirits Bright food collection.  

✈️🎄 FIFTH-GRADE TRAVELERS: PREPARE FOR DEPARTURE! 🎄✈️  Your passport to holiday fun is ready—because it’s time for our annual High Five Making Spirits Bright Outing, where every moment is first-class festive! Fasten your seat belts:  🗓 Friday, December 12     |    🕓 4:45–6:45 PM

FAITH IN ACTION

We are in need of assistance, fairly quickly!🏃👟

• Happy Birthday Jesus Party — our festive way of saying “cake and coffee fellowship” following the 9 AM Children’s Christmas Service on Dec. 14. We still need 10 more volunteers. Click HERE.

• The Usher Crew? Total legends. These folks sign up faster than a Black Friday sale. To finish off December strong, we only need 4 more Sunday spots—and Christmas Eve Candles & Carols could use a few heroes (about 5 downstairs). Click HERE to help us wrap up December with servant-leadership at its finest!

• HELP US FILL DECEMBER FOOD BOXES–We’re so close to filling all of the needs to make the December food boxes a little extra special (set to be distributed on Dec. 9). Specifically, the only items remaining are:
  10 doz eggs
  4 bags of baby carrots
  18 (12-14 oz packages) of Lil’ Smokies
  Click HERE or stop at the Welcome Center to sign-up. Your kindness will bring Christ’s joy to our neighbors. 

• DECEMBER GIVING OPPORTUNITIES. In support of Pine Haven Christian Communities’ Annual Appeal Drive, the Deacons have designated the December Special Offering to benefit Pine Haven. Please note: The Christmas Day offering will support the Reformed Rebuilders winter service trip—more information about this exciting mission opportunity will be shared in the coming weeks.

Back to the December Special Offering, there are two ways you can give a gift to Pine Haven this month.

1. Through our Special Offering, as mentioned above. 
2. By using the Annual Appeal Form included in today’s bulletin.

You will also find a letter from Pine Haven’s CEO outlining the financial needs the organization is currently facing.

🩳NEWS BRIEFS

🎤 KIDS CHRISTMAS SERVICE REHEARSALS ✨Our little stars are getting ready to Illuminate Our Hearts! Practices are Wednesdays, Dec. 3 & 10, 6:00–7:30 PM. PARENTS: give our teachers an early gift of 100% attendance–it will help them avoid sleepless nights! 🎶 KIDS: bring your voices, your smiles, and your best “shining Jesus’ light” energy!

YOU HAVE A ROLE: KIDS CHRISTMAS SERVICE As we mentioned…on Sunday, Dec. 14 (9 AM service) the kids will lead us in worship, helping everyone’s hearts shine a little brighter! We expect a lot of visitors on this day so COME PREPARED to help us welcome and engage our GUESTS–you never know when one small connection point can lead to a return visit! Watch for visitors and please introduce yourself and welcome them. Perhaps mention we’d love for them to drop by for the Happy Birthday Jesus fellowship time following the service in the Fellowship Hall! (Yes, there’s cake involved)!✨✨✨

🕯️LIGHTEN UP! ADVENT IS HERE

A few copies remain of the Advent booklet 📖, Light Shines in the Darkness: Family Devotions for Advent. It’s great for households of any size (one per household, please!) and is waiting for you at the Welcome Center 🏠. If digital is more your style, check out Advent, a devotional series by Derwin Gray 💻 on RightNow Media. Whichever way you choose, we hope these resources help you lean into hope, light, and expectation this Advent season. 

📢SOUNDBITES  

• The Deacons are Black Friday shopping?  Well… sort of. Don’t worry—no one sent them into the scented-candle aisle. Instead, they’re stepping up to meet a critical toy replenishment need for Liz Tenpas and her amazing work in Chicago with Reborn Ministries. In true Deacon fashion, they’ve teamed up with some of our Acts 29 cohorts to bravely enter the stores, hunt down the best deals, and come out victorious—with toys, not trauma! Fun Fact: Liz is FRC’er Zella Wilterdink’s granddaughter!

• Our Christian sympathy is extended to Cal & Vonnie Wynveen in the passing of their brother-in-law, Herb Dirkse who passed away on Nov. 21.

• Attendance last week was 324. YTD average attendance is 357. 

• Last week’s offering was $25,833 and the Special Offering (Words of Hope Persian Ministry) is at $1,899 month-to-date.