No In-Person Services for 6 Weeks
The Ballston Spa United Methodist Church will pause their in person worship at the church for six weeks (12/13-1/17/2021). Concern of the spread of the COVID virus and the rising positivity rates in Saratoga County were the benchmark criteria for the decision. The decision was made with a great deal of care and concern for our congregation and for the community at large.
We will be having worship each Sunday via Facebook, and YouTube postings and on our website. While the building may not be open, we will continue to worship and share God's love. For the current time, the Food Pantry will continue to serve on Wednesday mornings from 9:30 to Noon, using the rear entrance to the Church House off the parking lot.
Advent Greetings to You
We won't be gathering on Christmas Eve - but we are excited to share that we’re recording a very special Christmas Eve service which will be posted on our website, Facebook page, and YouTube for December 24th. We hope you’ll take the time to watch this joyful, music-filled Christmas Eve service.
We’re also excited to share that we have a Christmas gift bag we’d like to deliver to your home. We encourage you to set it under your Christmas tree and open it sometime on December 24th after listening to “Silent Night” as it closes our Christmas Eve service. Inside you’ll find an ornament we hope will remind you in years to come that God’s love – especially in 2020 – went the distance to reach you! There will be other special treats included as a token of our appreciation for you. While it is sad to realize we cannot come together for our beloved, sacred evening filled with carols and Scriptures, when we hang our ornament on the tree, we’ll know that everyone else in our church family is doing the same thing. We may be apart, but we can remember one another with love and thanksgiving.
Another communal experience we will not share in is our Christmas Love offering. This church has a long tradition of giving generously at the Christmas Eve service; in fact, it has often helped us close out the year on a solid footing. We’d be incredibly grateful if you could offer such a gift this year. We are good stewards of all that is given and can assure you that real needs will be met through your giving. If you wish you may send a check to the church office, or you can give electronically here, on the Giving tab of this website.
Now that you have this news, we hope you’ll plan what time you’ll sit down and enjoy the Christmas Eve service. We will deliver your Christmas gift bag before Christmas.
Pastor Kelly Warner
Thanksgiving Thank You from First Presbyterian Church
Thank you for your support to the Thanksgiving meal program. Your donations made it possible to supply over 100 families with a tasty Thanksgiving dinner. In addition we donated food and turkeys to the Veterans Shelters of Saratoga and the Hedgerow House.
11:00 a.m. Sunday Coffee Hour is on ZOOM and by Phone
This first week we chatted about the latest happenings in our lives, then talked about the recent return to online church services. We got to see some beautifully decorated Christmas trees in one another’s homes and did some reminiscing about years long past. It was a really enjoyable time of fellowship. Hope you will join us next week!
Join us for a virtual coffee fellowship via Zoom (either by computer or ipad or phone) Bring your own refreshment and enjoy seeing each other via Zoom. This is the link for the next six weeks (Dec. 20-Jan. 24) at 11:00 AM Eastern Time:
Click here to Join Zoom Meeting
Or use Meeting ID: 963 0143 0502 / Passcode: 956579
You can dial in via phone at 929-205-6099 using Meeting ID: 963 0143 0502 / Passcode: 956579
Add the invitation to your electronic calendar by clicking here.
Pastor Kelly’s Christmas Gift
Up until Christmas, in lieu of collecting for a gift for Pastor Kelly, it is requested that a donation be made to BACA in her honor. Checks can be made out payable to our Church with the notation in the memo line that it is for BACA.
Christmas Eve Music Offerings
Thank you to our music director Cathy King for all of her coordinating and directing throughout the year, but especially through the trials of the closures. Thank you to Greg Wilson and Maddy Wilson for their gifts of music; our Choirtet Mark Warner, Kelly Schmidt, Dorothy Collins, and Anna Wilson; the Handbell Ringers, Marcy, Maddy and Anna Wilson, and Ruth Caswell - as well as all the handbell ringers and singers throughout the year. We are truly fortunate to have such giving and talented people willing to share their gifts with the congregation.
Vacation Announcement
Pastor Kelly and Sue Cramer are both on vacation from December 25th through January 1st. The phone messages will be checked daily and any urgent messages for Pastor Kelly will be given to her. She will not be traveling out of town but wishes she could go to a tropical island. Sue wishes she could fit in Pastor Kelly’s suitcase if she manages the tropical island.
Find Daily Devotions On-line
Devotional resources are one of the needs identified by pastors and other local church leaders in recent research conducted by United Methodist Communications.
The Upper Room and the National Council of Churches are among the United Methodist and ecumenical agencies producing daily devotions online.
The Upper Room: Morning prayer on Facebook, daily, 11 am CDT; Daily Devotionals from The Upper Room Magazine.
National Council of Churches: Prayer and scripture posted daily throughout the pandemic.
Prayer Group
Please consider joining our prayer group. This is an on-line way of praying for each other’s needs and praising God for what is happening in each other’s lives. If you would be interested in being involved, please either call or email the office and you can be set up.
Fair Trade
There was a great response to the arrival of the dark chocolate bars last month and some orders for tea, hot cocoa, and coffee, as well. Thank you to all who have supported this ministry through purchases of Fair Trade products. There are still some dark chocolate bars on hand -- Panama Extra Dark and Orange. Also, on order are Caramel crunch with sea salt and Almonds with sea salt (both are 55% cacao). Also available are coffee (regular and decaf), tea (chai, darjeeling, green and decaf items) and hot cocoa. Please contact Stan Lockwood at 518.885.1552 if you wish to purchase any of these items before or after the Holidays and he will arrange for delivery or pick up.
The Food Pantry Needs Your Help
The Food Pantry needs bars of soap, toilet paper and paper towels.
Reports Due
To all committee chair people…the end-of-year report for your committee is due to the office by January 15, 2021. Reports will be gladly accepted before that time.
Music for Services
If you are interested in singing or playing music during the service, please contact Cathy King at 518 584-2865 or cathys.notes@gmail.com with your availability. She would need a few dates that work for you so she can schedule things appropriately. Many thanks to all for sharing your gifts of music!
The Four Candles of Advent by Royston Allen
The candle of HOPE
Hope for the hopeless and hope for the lost.
No matter the price, Christ has paid the cost.
Jesus has come and was willing to pay
being born as a babe that first Christmas day.
Hope that's a certainty, hope that is sure.
Though the earth is shaken we are secure.
Trusting in Jesus and safe in His care.
Knowing that He's with us and always there.
The candle of PEACE
Peace, all other peace transcending
Peace eternal and never ending.
Peace that passes all understanding
Peace so calming and undemanding
Peace lovely peace floods into our soul
Peace of healing making us whole
Peace from God, peace from heaven.
Peace, Jesus whispers, peace within.
The candle of JOY
The candle is burning, its flame so bright
and joy floods the soul with pure delight.
For the Light of Life has shone upon us
bringing joy so wondrous and marvelous.
Joy unspeakable and full of glory
as we remember the Christmas story.
How The Almighty God had come to earth
born as a baby by a virgin birth
The candle of LOVE
The candle of God's love burns ever bright,
brightening up even the darkest night.
It turns water into precious wine
and these things of earth become divine.
For we're loved with an everlasting love
coming from God and lifting us above
this earthly plain to the heights of heaven
where we rest in Him loved and forgiven
Merry Christmas!
The Ballston Spa United Methodist Church will pause their in person worship at the church for six weeks (12/13-1/17/2021). Concern of the spread of the COVID virus and the rising positivity rates in Saratoga County were the benchmark criteria for the decision. The decision was made with a great deal of care and concern for our congregation and for the community at large.
We will be having worship each Sunday via Facebook, and YouTube postings and on our website. While the building may not be open, we will continue to worship and share God's love. For the current time, the Food Pantry will continue to serve on Wednesday mornings from 9:30 to Noon, using the rear entrance to the Church House off the parking lot.
Advent Greetings to You
We won't be gathering on Christmas Eve - but we are excited to share that we’re recording a very special Christmas Eve service which will be posted on our website, Facebook page, and YouTube for December 24th. We hope you’ll take the time to watch this joyful, music-filled Christmas Eve service.
We’re also excited to share that we have a Christmas gift bag we’d like to deliver to your home. We encourage you to set it under your Christmas tree and open it sometime on December 24th after listening to “Silent Night” as it closes our Christmas Eve service. Inside you’ll find an ornament we hope will remind you in years to come that God’s love – especially in 2020 – went the distance to reach you! There will be other special treats included as a token of our appreciation for you. While it is sad to realize we cannot come together for our beloved, sacred evening filled with carols and Scriptures, when we hang our ornament on the tree, we’ll know that everyone else in our church family is doing the same thing. We may be apart, but we can remember one another with love and thanksgiving.
Another communal experience we will not share in is our Christmas Love offering. This church has a long tradition of giving generously at the Christmas Eve service; in fact, it has often helped us close out the year on a solid footing. We’d be incredibly grateful if you could offer such a gift this year. We are good stewards of all that is given and can assure you that real needs will be met through your giving. If you wish you may send a check to the church office, or you can give electronically here, on the Giving tab of this website.
Now that you have this news, we hope you’ll plan what time you’ll sit down and enjoy the Christmas Eve service. We will deliver your Christmas gift bag before Christmas.
Pastor Kelly Warner
Thanksgiving Thank You from First Presbyterian Church
Thank you for your support to the Thanksgiving meal program. Your donations made it possible to supply over 100 families with a tasty Thanksgiving dinner. In addition we donated food and turkeys to the Veterans Shelters of Saratoga and the Hedgerow House.
11:00 a.m. Sunday Coffee Hour is on ZOOM and by Phone
This first week we chatted about the latest happenings in our lives, then talked about the recent return to online church services. We got to see some beautifully decorated Christmas trees in one another’s homes and did some reminiscing about years long past. It was a really enjoyable time of fellowship. Hope you will join us next week!
Join us for a virtual coffee fellowship via Zoom (either by computer or ipad or phone) Bring your own refreshment and enjoy seeing each other via Zoom. This is the link for the next six weeks (Dec. 20-Jan. 24) at 11:00 AM Eastern Time:
Click here to Join Zoom Meeting
Or use Meeting ID: 963 0143 0502 / Passcode: 956579
You can dial in via phone at 929-205-6099 using Meeting ID: 963 0143 0502 / Passcode: 956579
Add the invitation to your electronic calendar by clicking here.
Pastor Kelly’s Christmas Gift
Up until Christmas, in lieu of collecting for a gift for Pastor Kelly, it is requested that a donation be made to BACA in her honor. Checks can be made out payable to our Church with the notation in the memo line that it is for BACA.
Christmas Eve Music Offerings
- “O Come All Ye Faithful” - Greg & Maddy Wilson
- “Adore” - Choirtet
- “What Child Is This” - Maddy Wilson, saxophone
- “Angels We Have Heard on High” - Handbell Quartet
- “How Many Kings” - Choirtet
- “This Silent Night” - Choirtet
- “Joy to the World” - Greg Wilson, organ
Thank you to our music director Cathy King for all of her coordinating and directing throughout the year, but especially through the trials of the closures. Thank you to Greg Wilson and Maddy Wilson for their gifts of music; our Choirtet Mark Warner, Kelly Schmidt, Dorothy Collins, and Anna Wilson; the Handbell Ringers, Marcy, Maddy and Anna Wilson, and Ruth Caswell - as well as all the handbell ringers and singers throughout the year. We are truly fortunate to have such giving and talented people willing to share their gifts with the congregation.
Vacation Announcement
Pastor Kelly and Sue Cramer are both on vacation from December 25th through January 1st. The phone messages will be checked daily and any urgent messages for Pastor Kelly will be given to her. She will not be traveling out of town but wishes she could go to a tropical island. Sue wishes she could fit in Pastor Kelly’s suitcase if she manages the tropical island.
Find Daily Devotions On-line
Devotional resources are one of the needs identified by pastors and other local church leaders in recent research conducted by United Methodist Communications.
The Upper Room and the National Council of Churches are among the United Methodist and ecumenical agencies producing daily devotions online.
The Upper Room: Morning prayer on Facebook, daily, 11 am CDT; Daily Devotionals from The Upper Room Magazine.
National Council of Churches: Prayer and scripture posted daily throughout the pandemic.
Prayer Group
Please consider joining our prayer group. This is an on-line way of praying for each other’s needs and praising God for what is happening in each other’s lives. If you would be interested in being involved, please either call or email the office and you can be set up.
- Walter Thiem is home recuperating after brain surgery. Please pray for favorable test results and continued healing.
- Please continue to pray for Mary Drake. She has been struggling with frequent, serious headaches and is scheduled for a CT scan on Dec. 22nd. She hopes there will soon be a way to resolve her pain.
- Cherrie Sanders asks, “Please pray for my friend Marcia’s aunt. She has some serious medical issues.”
- Dorothy Collins asks for prayers for a family member of her co-worker named Sue who has medical issues.
- Ilah Sisson Walser asks: “I have a young friend who is a teacher in New Hampshire who has COVID. Prayers for her as well as all teachers who are working through this pandemic. Prayers for health and strength. Lord, hear our prayer.”
- Please continue to pray for Kathy Haege. She is at Albany Med undergoing chemo treatment for leukemia.
- Please also pray for Bill and for their granddaughter, Katie, who has assumed the role of caregiver for them.
- Please continue to pray for Pat Jones. She continues to struggle with the effects of pneumonia.
- Please pray for Melissa who is experiencing medical issues.
- Keep Bob Elbertson in your prayers.
- Ilah Sisson Walser asks: Heartfelt concern and prayers for those suffering from COVID 19 and their families. Give people strength to continue to safeguard against exposure and contacting the virus. Lord, hear our prayers.
- Please pray for Jonathan Warner. He is now in quarantine and terribly upset about not being able to be home for Christmas.
Fair Trade
There was a great response to the arrival of the dark chocolate bars last month and some orders for tea, hot cocoa, and coffee, as well. Thank you to all who have supported this ministry through purchases of Fair Trade products. There are still some dark chocolate bars on hand -- Panama Extra Dark and Orange. Also, on order are Caramel crunch with sea salt and Almonds with sea salt (both are 55% cacao). Also available are coffee (regular and decaf), tea (chai, darjeeling, green and decaf items) and hot cocoa. Please contact Stan Lockwood at 518.885.1552 if you wish to purchase any of these items before or after the Holidays and he will arrange for delivery or pick up.
The Food Pantry Needs Your Help
The Food Pantry needs bars of soap, toilet paper and paper towels.
Reports Due
To all committee chair people…the end-of-year report for your committee is due to the office by January 15, 2021. Reports will be gladly accepted before that time.
Music for Services
If you are interested in singing or playing music during the service, please contact Cathy King at 518 584-2865 or cathys.notes@gmail.com with your availability. She would need a few dates that work for you so she can schedule things appropriately. Many thanks to all for sharing your gifts of music!
The Four Candles of Advent by Royston Allen
The candle of HOPE
Hope for the hopeless and hope for the lost.
No matter the price, Christ has paid the cost.
Jesus has come and was willing to pay
being born as a babe that first Christmas day.
Hope that's a certainty, hope that is sure.
Though the earth is shaken we are secure.
Trusting in Jesus and safe in His care.
Knowing that He's with us and always there.
The candle of PEACE
Peace, all other peace transcending
Peace eternal and never ending.
Peace that passes all understanding
Peace so calming and undemanding
Peace lovely peace floods into our soul
Peace of healing making us whole
Peace from God, peace from heaven.
Peace, Jesus whispers, peace within.
The candle of JOY
The candle is burning, its flame so bright
and joy floods the soul with pure delight.
For the Light of Life has shone upon us
bringing joy so wondrous and marvelous.
Joy unspeakable and full of glory
as we remember the Christmas story.
How The Almighty God had come to earth
born as a baby by a virgin birth
The candle of LOVE
The candle of God's love burns ever bright,
brightening up even the darkest night.
It turns water into precious wine
and these things of earth become divine.
For we're loved with an everlasting love
coming from God and lifting us above
this earthly plain to the heights of heaven
where we rest in Him loved and forgiven
Merry Christmas!