Newsletter December 22, 2023
Newsletter | December 22, 2023
Dear Church Family and Friends,
Merry Christmas! Come, let us adore Him! Christ our Savior is born!
This Sunday will be a whole day of worship and celebration as Christmas Eve falls on the Lord's Day! We will begin the day, as is our custom, with our regular Sunday morning worship with one service at 10:00 am. We will then end the day with our annual Christmas Eve service of Lessons and Carols at 5:00 pm. Please plan to come early, squeeze in, and don't forget to carpool if you can!
As we approach this important day, I think it will be helpful for us to meditate on the incarnation. Many passages of Scripture help us do that, such as Matthew 1, Luke 2, and John 1. Below is a portion of a creed called the Athanasian Creed that was written in response to Arianism, that ancient heresy that taught that Christ was created and not infinite and eternal. Let these words help us all to meditate on the wonder, grace, and love of God in the incarnation of our Lord Jesus Christ!
But it is necessary for eternal salvation that one also believe in the incarnation of our Lord Jesus Christ faithfully.
Now this is the true faith: that we believe and confess that our Lord Jesus Christ, God’s Son, is both God and man, equally.
He is God from the essence of the Father, begotten before time; and he is man from the essence of his mother, born in time; completely God, completely man, with a rational soul and human flesh; equal to the Father as regards divinity, less than the Father as regards humanity.
Although he is God and man, yet Christ is not two, but one. He is one, however, not by his divinity being turned into flesh, but by God’s taking humanity to himself. He is one, certainly not by the blending of his essence, but by the unity of his person.
For just as one man is both rational soul and flesh, so too the one Christ is both God and man.
O come let us adore Him! See you Sunday!
By His grace and to His praise,
Pastor Wilson
Wilson’s Weekly
Pastor Wilson does not personally endorse everything said or written in these links but hopes these articles and/or podcasts will be helpful for Christians in cultivating a biblical worldview.
Resource: Find a devotional for the new year.
Christmas Giving Recap: Joni & Friends and Sacred Road Ministries
Thank you for your generosity towards Joni & Friends and Sacred Road ministries this Christmas. Gifts were collected and delivered to several families and individuals in the Huntsville area, and there was even some singing! $1,000 was donated to the Sacred Road Christmas Fund. We praise God for these two ministries and our partnership with them.
Preparation for Worship
December 24, 2023
This Sunday's Sermon:
“The Genealogy of Christmas: Jesus, Immanuel”
Matthew 1:23
Cornerstone Prayer Requests
Pray for church members caring for family - Diana Akridge, Susan Dupré, Bryan Gassaway, Kyle Mosier, Randy Petcher, Bill and JoAnn Sneed, Bonnie Stock, and Mike and Carol Wellfare.
Pray for healing - Suzi and Bill Bolton, Phil Freeze, Anne Harbarger, Loren and April De Jong, and Earl Myers.
Pray for our homebound friends - Ruby Petcher and Betty Baldwin.
Pray for our expectant mothers - Olivia Clemons (January), Lauren Hudgins (February), Olivia Hitt (June), and the McMillan adoption.
Pray for peace in Israel, Ukraine, and Sudan.
Pray for our Missional Partnerships - Northeast AL Fellowship of Christian Athletes and Christ Presbyterian Church, Hampton Cove, AL (Rev. Michael Calvert).
Announcements
Parking for Christmas Eve Services - Due to limited parking for the morning and evening services, please plan to carpool and arrive early to both services. Parking will be available in the lawn areas in front of the sanctuary and on the east side of the main building. Please save the parking areas near the entrance to the Family Life Center for families and individuals with mobility issues.
Christmas Eve Lessons & Carols Service - This Sunday, December 24 at 5:00 pm
New Year’s Eve Morning Service - Sunday, December 31 at 10:00 am. No Sunday School.
Coffee Not Provided at Christmas Eve or New Year’s Eve Services - Coffee and beverages will not be provided at the Christmas Eve or New Year's Eve services. Please bring your own coffee if you need to. Thank you!
Office Holiday Hours - Our office will be closed from December 25-January 1.
Roots Winter Retreat - The Roots Winter Retreat is January 19-21 for 6th-12th grade at CampToKnowHim. This year’s speaker is Nathan White and the theme is “My Savior Makes Me Whole". The cost is $125 per student. Register here. Next Sunday, December 31 is the last day to register.
Communicants Class - A communicants class for children interested in becoming communing members of Cornerstone will be offered in January. There will be an initial meeting on Sunday, January 14 after the second service. Please contact Pastor Brian at brian@cornerstonehuntsville.org for more information.
Women’s Ministry Save the Date - The ladies’ Tuesday morning Bible study will begin on January 16. Please join us as we study the prophets in the Old Testament in “The Word of the Lord” by Nancy Guthrie. More details and registration information are coming soon.
New Members Class - January 28-March 3 during the Sunday School hour. If you’re interested in becoming a member or learning more about Cornerstone, please email office@cornerstonehuntsville.org to sign up.
Men’s Retreat - Save the date for the men’s retreat on February 23-24 at Alpine Camp in Mentone, AL.
Restrooms Closed - For the next few Sundays, the restrooms on the 2nd floor, west end near adult Sunday School will be closed due to renovations. Please use the single restrooms on the 2nd floor or the restrooms in the FLC.
Benevolence - If you are in need of financial assistance or other needs due to hardship, please see a deacon or contact needs@cornerstonehuntsville.org.
Ministry Opportunity - Interested in reaching out to our church members who need help with minor home improvements or repairs? If so, contact David Hoover at ddhoover53@gmail.com for more information.
Bookshelf Ministry - Be sure to check out this resource ministry in the Family Life Center lobby. There are free books, tracts, and audio teaching CDs for you to take or give to someone.
Missions Moment
Each week we want to highlight one of our missional partnerships. Please take a moment to learn about these wonderful ministries that Cornerstone has the privilege of serving alongside.
This week's highlighted ministries:
Northeast AL Fellowship of Christian Athletes
The Mission of Cornerstone Presbyterian Church is to be a community of Christ's followers who worship, grow, and serve together to glorify God in Huntsville and throughout the world.
Please contact the church office by Thursday for changes or additions to prayer requests.
The Cornerstone Newsletter is a weekly publication emailed each Friday. To notify the church office of church members in the hospital or of births and deaths, or if you have a change of address or name, please contact office@cornerstonehuntsville.org or 256-489-4625.
1413 McClung Avenue, Huntsville, AL 35801
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