Views from The Ridge 11.29.23
Sunset Ridge is a church that desires to follow Jesus, reach people, and radiate God’s love and hope to all.
This Week
Sunday, December 3 First week of Advent
9:15am Combined study in the fellowship hall (book study: Stay Awhile, by Kara Eidson), children’s Roots gathering
10:30am Worship in the chapel
4:30pm Supper Church
6-7pm Parent Group: Every Season Sacred
6-7pm Youth group gathering
Upcoming…
Friday, December 8 Camelot Christmas
Saturday, December 9 Second Saturday
Sunday, December 17
Holiday Luncheon - please sign up to bring side dishes & desserts by contacting Riley or sign up on the sheets available in the fellowship hall
Youth group Christmas party at the Stirmans’
Give a gift to a child!
We are partnering with the families at Camelot Elementary by providing affordable Christmas gifts for 100 of the children at the school with our yearly event, Camelot Christmas
This is only possible with your help, and it’s EASY! Here’s how it works:
Donate to the Christmas party by selecting “Camelot Christmas” on the dropdown menu on our online giving page, or bring a check to the church office with “Camelot” on the memo line. This money will go directly to helping these families.
We’ll set up a toy store upstairs in the teen room for parents to shop.
Caregivers will choose 2 gifts per child at price points of $2 & $4.
They will be able to wrap and take gifts home with them to give on Christmas.
Volunteer and spread Christmas cheer at the party & shopping experience on December 8th by helping with:
Shopping & gift wrapping (upstairs)
Serving food (downstairs)
Leading games & activities (downstairs)
Leading a craft (downstairs)
And more!
Contact Chelsea to volunteer to help
BUT…WHY?
-Riley Stirman
One of the most interesting parts about getting married is realizing how your respective families did things differently. My youth minister once told me that in premarital counseling, he and his wife had been warned about the perils of the syrup debate. Apparently one of the biggest fights the counselor had had in the earliest years of his marriage had been about whether the syrup belongs in the pantry or in the refrigerator. Each person was just doing what they had seen their family do growing up, assuming it was the right way. To give another example, Chelsea has found it more than a little odd that I consider a mason jar to be a perfectly acceptable vessel from which to drink at a dinner party. But if you go to my parents' home in the Dallas area, you'll find our cabinet filled with water glasses and mason jars alike; they were used virtually interchangeably in my house.
Each of us inherits a particular culture from our families of origin. We adopt a certain way of seeing the world based on our upbringing. And there are some things that, as a family, we just
. . . do. Whether we realize it or not, the practices that we grew up with will continue to influence us for the remainder of our lives.
One of the most remarkable gifts that God gives his people is a way to remember his work on his people's behalf for generations to come. God had the remarkable foresight, whenever he intervened in miraculous ways, to help his people memorialize the event. And multiple times throughout our Bibles, God's instructions to build something or do something contains the phrase "when your children ask."
When your children ask why we celebrate Passover, you tell them about the miracles in Egypt (Ex. 12:26-27). When your children ask about the commandments we follow, you tell them that God wanted us to flourish as his people (Deut. 6:20-21). When your children ask why those stones are stacked in a neat pile, you tell them about how God brought you into the Promised Land (Joshua 4:6-7).
God wants us to build practices of remembrance into our lives. In fact, he wants them so ingrained in our lives that our children have no option but to one day ask, "Why do we do these things?" And this gives us a chance to share the story of what God did.
Here are two questions for you as you go about your week. First, what has God done for you? Take some time to really reflect on this question, to identify where you've seen God in your life. And second, how can you ensure you'll remember that work? Are there ways you can practice telling the story? Are there close friends or family members that you could bring into the story? And could you maybe model gratitude for those around you?
They may find it odd, whatever you do to practice remembering. They may ask why. But that's part of the fun. You get to tell the story of what God's done for you. Again and again, all for his glory.
Around Our Community
This Sunday (Dec. 3rd) begins the season of Advent. For the next several weeks, we’ll be taking a break from our usual Sunday morning life group time. All groups are invited to gather in the fellowship hall each Sunday beginning at 9:15 where we will be going through a devotional guide called Stay Awhile: Advent Lessons In Divine Hospitality.
Thru December 10: Designate poinsettias that adorn our Sanctuary during the Christmas season (forms in foyer & the church office)
$20 per poinsettia (cash or check payable to Sunset Ridge by December 10)
On December 17, an special insert will be included in the program with names of those being honored
We had a beautiful Kids’ Night Out with several of our young families right before Thanksgiving. We are especially grateful to Patti, Jan, Holly, Ford, Lisa, Donna, Debbie, and Chelsea for helping make this happen!
Our nursery is in need of a double stroller; if you have a used one in good condition that you would like to donate, please contact Amber Hicks at amber@sunset-ridge.org .
The Sunset Ridge Church of Christ Foundation is designed to extend the ministries of the congregation beyond its routine operations specifically in the Missions, Education and Benevolence ministries of Sunset Ridge Church of Christ. The Foundation is accepting nominations for the purpose of electing several additional Foundation Board members. The nominating committee, comprised of Taylor Bates, Warren Branch and Sean Carlin, will accept nominations through November 30.
Praises & Prayers
Thank you to the church for your prayers for my husband during his illness and for me after he passed.
Blessings on all,
Meta Mancinelli
