4th Sunday of Advent
December 18, 2022

Pastor: Ralph Wrightstone Bulletin . Insert . Photos Music Director: Travis Oaks
On this 4th Sunday of Advent we are looking forward to the end of the Season of Advent on Saturday, Christmas Eve, with our 5pm Candlelight Service in the church. This year, because Christmas Day is on Sunday, to accomodate the family activities that occur on Christmas morning in most households, we are not having a church service on Christmas Day. The Christmas Eve service will include those elements of the Christmas Sunday worship service that would not ordinarily be in a Christmas Eve service, along with the traditional Candlelight recessional.

For this final week of Advent we do have two special online services for you: the Advent Festival of Lessons and Carols introduced earlier in this Advent Season, and the Christmas Festival of Lessons and Carols for the next seasons...of Christmas and Epiphany, beginning next Sunday on Christmas Day and continuing for the Twelve Days of Christmas. (...and, on the topic of Seasons, Wednesday is the Winter Solstice beginning our almost forgotten, Season of Winter.)

The graphics at the top of this page provide links to some information and activities that may help you to while away the time between now and Christmas. They include information about that "other Advent" we look forward to...Jesus' Second Coming, Winter, and links to the special services of lessons and songs for Advent and Christmas...also a link to that fun site: "The Most Christmas Information on the Web!".

Finally, today is the beginning of "Hanukkah", the eight-day "Festival of Lights" on the Jewish calendar. Click here to find out more about this observance.
Click on the "Bethel United Methodist Church" script above
for links to some Resource materials for today's service.
We are also having a service at 11:00 this morning in Bethel's sanctuary. An insert to the bulletin, provided by a link above, presents Bethel UMC's policy regarding these gatherings during the time of COVID-19 restrictions.
:
For those unable to attend the services at the church, a new service will be available here online before 10:00 am each Sunday morning, using the same format as the on-site service. So you may "gather" here for an "Early Service" at 10:00 or the traditional service at 11:00...actually it will be available here at any time all week. We hope that you will find it a refreshing place to come into God's house.
NOTE: Each part of this online service consists of an audio file and, for most, a Link to a pdf file of "projection slides". Click on the symbol to play the audio file under a separate browser tab or in a new window. Then select the "Bethel 12/18/22 Service" browser tab or return to this window to open the Link to the "slides". It is best to stop the playing of one Audio segment and close its tab or window before starting another.

We hope that you will fully participate in the service provided here, taking the time to raise your voice or read along with the hymns and responses, and listening to the recorded messages and songs that have been prepared for you. Realize that, though not meeting face-to-face, you are virtually gathering with many others for this time of worship, celebration and spiritual refreshment.

Thank you for coming. Our prayer will be that we will soon all gather again for worship in Bethel's Sanctuary, but until then we'll be here for you on Sunday morning.
Please let us know of any problems you have with or suggestions about this site by sending an email to "bumctlh@gmail.com". If you have any announcements or prayer concerns you would like included next week you may contact Pastor Ralph Wrightstone directly at: 850-591- 9785