By Lara Bell
I cannot imagine having a year like 2020 without having my family and faith. This may be the time of year that more people go to church or spend more time with family, but why not make it a year-long thing in 2021? I know for myself, I am going to be more intentional about Sunday worship and reaching out to family living away. In the coming pages we introduce you to some places to worship and also stories filled with friends and faith.
Hear the good news anywhere, anytime this Christmas!
It’s been a year of surprises. At every turn, it’s felt as if something was headed for us that we’d never even imagined! Are you ready to be surprised by some really great news? Do you believe that good news can come in unexpected ways and truly change your life? It can! Be ready!
Luke chapter 2 in the Bible tells us about God’s greatest, most unexpected news ever. Shepherds were watching their flocks one night when suddenly a host of angels appeared to them in the fields bringing the most glorious news – the Messiah had been born in a city far away! The messengers were surprising, the timing and place unexpected, and God’s broadcast immediately started them on a journey to knowing Jesus.
Chapelwood is thrilled to join the heavenly chorus in sharing the greatest news through the miracles of technology. For Christmas 2020, we’re thinking of live streaming and Signup Genius as the Heavenly Hosts! We invite you to watch a Christmas service from home, sing along with a streamed concert from your car, and volunteer to provide toys for a Spring Branch family struggling to make memories and make ends meet. As always, we’d love to see you on one of our campuses, but we’re also making sure that you can meaningfully participate from anywhere at any time. Visit www.chapelwood.org to learn more.
Hear the good news! God’s love will always find you right where you’re supposed to be. Merry Christmas from Chapelwood!
Donations in the Spirit of Giving – Houston’s First Baptist
The Faith Centers, with locations at Spring Branch, Harwin, and Timbergrove-Heights, are extensions of the ministry of Houston’s First Baptist Church. Prior to the pandemic, God used the Food Pantry at the Faith Center–Spring Branch to feed more than 400 families and 1,400 individuals monthly. Now, due to the impact of COVID-19, they are serving 2,800 families (600% increase) and 12,000 individuals (757% increase) each month. They are continuing to meet the needs of the community while exercising caution by distributing food using a drive-thru method.
If, in the spirit of giving, you would like to donate during the month of December, food donations are welcome during operating hours and can be dropped off at the Food Pantry at 8244 Long Point Rd on Mon-Thu @ 10a-1p and Sat @ 10a-1p. Donations can also be dropped off in the Missions & Connection Center at The Loop Campus of Houston’s First Baptist Church (7401 Katy Fwy) on Sundays and during office hours Mon-Thu @ 8a-4:30p.
Here are the current immediate needs:
• Rice (2 lb bags)
• Dry rice (2 lb bags)
• Spaghetti
• Pasta sauce
• Snacks
In addition to food donations, there is a need for other products.
• Diapers (size 4, 5, 6, 3t, 4t)
• Toilet paper
Personal hygiene products:
• bar soap
• shampoo
• toothpaste
Thoughts on Racial Reconciliation – by MDPC Senior Pastor Alf Halvorson
MDPC’s members and friends want our church to be an even safer place for everyone to hear the Gospel. Over the past several months, in seeking to be faithful to Jesus’ commands to “love one another” and “go and make disciples,” we’ve invited experts in secular connection and racial reconciliation to MDPC, and then worked to enact what we learned in Christ-centered, biblically informed ways. We will make mistakes as we do this important work, but we remain humble, open to criticism, and committed to moving forward with new knowledge and growth.
We celebrate Christ coming into our midst at Christmas because it means we are not alone; we have hope because God is among us. And though His saving grace is greater than any gift we deserve, He also offers us a path to reconciliation—reconciliation to Him, and to one another through agape love. We are incapable of it on our own, but Jesus, who set aside divinity to live among and then die for us, shows us how to love one another without reserve; to put others ahead of ourselves.
As we take steps toward growth and understanding, we will be tested, but perseverance will lead to a more stable, calmer, healthier community, because God so loved all of us, He sent His Son. May our love grow between us, and may it expand beyond us to all people because of Christ’s arrival in our midst.
Tallowood Church … Are we still having Christmas this year?
Are we still having Christmas this year? Asking for a friend. In a year that has been turned upside down by a pandemic, we may wonder how best to celebrate with our families and our church families. So many other events of 2020 have been disrupted. What will Christmas be like?
Remember the words of the angels at the first Christmas: “I bring you good news of great joy.” Every year, including this one, we celebrate the arrival of our Lord. We remember that God came down the staircase of heaven with a baby in his arms. Honestly, have we ever needed Christ more?
At Tallowood we will begin our Advent celebration on the Sunday after Thanksgiving. We have written an in-house Advent devotional which we would love to share with you. Then on Christmas Eve, we have added extra services to our schedule to make room for all who want to worship with us. We offer family friendly services at 3, 4:30, 6, 7:30 and 11. We hope to see you here.
Christmas is on. And right on time. Good news! Great joy! Unto us is born a Savior who is Christ the Lord. We pray that this is the year we all find the one who came looking for us at Christmas.
Soundfi & The Texas Music Project are teaming up for an exclusive virtual concert series benefiting Texas Children’s Hospital.
We all know music heals. Now, thanks to Lemonade.tv powered by Soundfi & The Texas Music Project they are teaming up for Sunday Sessions, an exclusive virtual concert series benefiting Texas Children’s Hospital.
Throughout the month of December, you and your family can listen to some of the most talented artists from the best seat in your house. Texas Music Project’s “Music Heals” is sponsored by Sennheiser and Taylor Guitars and integrates music into Texas Children’s Hospital holistic healing programs by way of musical performances, instruments, teaching music and providing much needed devices and equipment to ensure children and their families experience the healing power of hope and positivity. There are new artists added every week including actress and singer Haley Orrantia from the hit TV ABC Show “The Goldberg’s.” Yes, she does sing on the show and now you can hear her LIVE on Sunday, December 27th.
To listen, all you have to do is download the Lemonade.tv+ and tune in on Sundays to check out the artists and enjoy!
The Houston Symphony Celebrates The Season With Live Audiences and Livestreaming Of Houston’s Musical Holiday Traditions
Continuing on the performance path that began with livestream-only performances over the summer, and expanding to include live audiences beginning in September, the Houston Symphony welcomes the holidays this year with live audiences and livestreaming access to A Baroque Christmas, as well as the yearly holiday favorite, Very Merry POPS. An annual holiday destination, the Symphony’s concerts range from traditional and classical music to popular festive songs and family-friendly Christmas music.
The holiday season opens with A Baroque Christmas, a Classical Series performance that welcomes back “one of the finest baroque conductors” (London “Independent”) Nicholas McGegan. The program of Baroque repertoire includes great arias from Handel’s Messiah, including “Ev’ry Valley Shall Be Exalted,” “O thou, that tellest good tidings to Zion,” and “The trumpet shall sound.” Also, on the program is Arcangelo Corelli’s Christmas Concerto and arias from Bach’s Christmas Oratorio.
Following A Baroque Christmas, the Houston Symphony welcomes back former Principal POPS Conductor Michael Krajewski to Jones Hall to lead the cherished family tradition, Very Merry POPS, part of the Bank of America POPS Series. Returning Houston vocalist Chelsea Cymone also joins the Houston Symphony in this concert with beloved holiday tunes like “It’s the Most Wonderful Time of the Year,” “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas,” and “We Wish You a Merry Christmas” to get audiences in the festive spirit. The program is full of holiday songs, including an arrangement of the popular classic Christmas pop song “Feliz Navidad,” “O Holy Night,” and “A Charlie Brown Christmas.” In person and live stream tickets are now available for these performances at houstonsymphony.org/2021season.
