What does God require of you but to do justice, to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God. —Micah 6:8

Pullen Update December 18, 2016

Help at Christmas for Young People Leaving Foster Care

If you’d like to give a special gift to someone this Christmas, consider providing gift cards or bus passes for a young person served by the Hope Center at Pullen. They have about 45 young people to support at Christmas and would be thrilled to receive $25 gas cards (Shell, BP), 7-day or 30-day bus passes (available at Harris Teeter Customer Service), $25 Food Lion gift cards, or $25 Target or Walmart gift cards. Small donations in other amounts are also greatly appreciated.

These gifts help young people leaving the foster care system as they learn to navigate the world independently with the help of the Hope Center staff. You can place these items in the Hope Center’s mailbox in the church office or deliver them to the Hope Center during business hours. Contact Pat Hielscher at phielscher@hopecenteratpullen.org.

Missions and Outreach Council and The Hope Center Staff

Kitchen Re-Do

We thank you in advance for your patience and flexibility as we begin the process of replacing the flooring in the kitchen. All of the kitchen equip-ment will be moved to Finlator during this process so please excuse the disarray. Our goal is to have everything back in place in order for Raymond to cook our first 2017 Wednesday night dinner on January 11. Many thanks to Handy Corps, Sylvanda, Warren and an anonymous donor for their assis-tance in this project!

Brooks Wicker

A Visit from Cuba

Pullenites visit with Orestes Roca, pastor of our partner church in Matan-zas, Cuba, and interpreter Stan Dotson from Circle of Mercy in Asheville.

No Wednesday Evening Dinner & Program Please note that we will not have Wednesday evening dinner & program-ming on 12/21, 12/28 or 1/4. We will resume on January 11. Please note, also, that during the break, the kitchen floor is being replaced, so we ask that people please not go in the kitchen. Thanks!

Wednesday Night Committee & Staff

Nancy bearing witness and speaking truth to power at the North Carolina General As-sembly this past week.

2016 Advent Mission Offering

Advent begins today. As you make plans for Christmas gift-giving, please remember our Advent Mission Offering. Once again our offering will go to places around the world where your contributions can make a big difference, including our partners in Cuba, Georgia, Nicaragua, Zimbabwe, Heifer In-ternational and Plenty International. Simple gift cards are available in the information areas to use in notifying loved ones of gifts to our partners in their honor.

Our partners and friends will be grate-ful for your help in supporting their im-portant ministries. The offering will be re-ceived each Sunday in Advent. Offering envelopes can be found in the pew racks.

Missions and Outreach Council

Year-End Giving at Pullen

Pullen’s fiscal year ends on December 31 so any contributions for 2016 or prepayments for 2017 must be dated on or before 12/31/2016, and be received or post-marked by that day to be credited to the 2016 fiscal year. Questions about year-end contribu-tions, stock gifts or electronic giving can be directed to Brooks Wicker.

Finance Committee

Pullen 101 Begins January 8

If you are new to Pullen and trying to find your way around our church, we hope you will join us for our fall series of Pullen 101. It begins on Sunday, January 8, and ends on February 26.

Pullen 101 is a short-term, 8-week Sunday group designed for persons who are new to the Pullen community (but veterans are welcome!). This class will offer an in-troduction to our congregational life and ministry. The class will meet in Room 203 next to the sanctuary from 9:30—10:30 AM. For new people this is the ideal oppor-tunity to get to know what is important in the life of our faith community. For more information, contact Cathy Tamsberg (828-0897, x-214; ctamsberg@pullen.org). Pre-registration is not required.

Adult Education Committee

2017 Pledging Status 2017 Budget: 1,034,189.00 Pledged to Date: $708,814 # of Units Pledged: 187 Totals as of December 15, 2016

To pledge from your mobile de-vice, you can scan this QR code.

Please Note:

Church office closed December 26 & 27

Sunday, December 18 11:00 AM Worship—Advent IV, Sanctuary 12:15 PM Personnel Committee, Library Monday, December 19 7:00 PM LGBTQ Support Group, Poteat Chapel Tuesday, December 20 2:00 PM Round Table Fellowship, Finlator Hall 7:00 PM Young Adults (get weekly details: http://bit.ly/PullenYA) Wednesday, December 21—*no dinner & program*

12:00PM Lectionary Lunch, Library Thursday, December 22 2:00 PM Round Table Fellowship Saturday, December 24—Christmas Eve 7:00 PM Christmas Eve Service, Sanctuary 10:00 PM Christmas Eve Reception, Finlator Hall 11:00 PM Christmas Eve Service, Poteat Chapel Sunday, December 25—Christmas Day 10:30 AM Choral Worship Preparation, Room 128-B 11:00 AM Worship, Sanctuary Monday & Tuesday—Church Office Closed

December 18—25

Pullen people at City Council meeting on December 6 to advocate for new multi-service center for people experiencing homelessness. We are pleased that the Council confirmed the funding for the Oak City Center!

Lessons and Carols, 11 PM, December 24, 2016

Annually, Kings College in Cambridge, UK, broadcasts perhaps the most famous service of carols, the Festival of Nine Lessons and Car-ols. The original service of 1880 was created by Edward Benson, the Archbishop of Canter-bury and took place at 10 PM Christmas Eve in a

large temporary wooden building used during the rebuilding of the Cathe-dral. The Lessons and Carols was first performed at King's College in 1918 to celebrate the end of the WWI. The new college Dean, Eric Milner-White, Army Chaplain in WWI, wanted to revive the service with a mes-sage of peace and hope for a country that had seen the devastations of conflict.

In this spirit, Pullen is revitalizing The Service of Lessons and Car-ols on December 24 at 11 PM in Poteat Chapel. This candlelight service is a story of an Ever-Creating and Ever-Becoming God who is invested in peace, justice and compassion for all creatures. This narrative is expressed through the biblical witness, poems, songs and movement. This service is not only a way to connect with fellow Pullenites, but also to people of faith around the world as we engage in similar texts, thoughts and pos-tures of reverence. This service, crafted by Pullen Youth, celebrates the mystery of the Incarnation that occurred with the birth of Jesus and con-tinues each day with people committed to living out this Divine Relation-ship. Prior to the service, there will be a reception in Finlator Hall at 10. All are welcome.

Brian Crisp

2016 Advent Calendar

Saturday, December 24 Christmas Eve Services, 7 PM and 11 PM

Sunday, December 25 Christmas Day Worship Service, 11 AM

Christmas Eve Offering for Stop Hunger Now

The offerings from our Christmas Eve services at 7 and 11 PM fund our July Stop Hunger Now event when we package 10,000 meals.

Missions and Outreach Council

Book Discussion: Stand Your Ground The Parent Sunday School and the Young Adults invite you to read Stand Your Ground: Black Bodies and the Justice of God by Kelly Brown Douglas, a professor of religion at Goucher College where she teaches Womanist Theology and Black Church Stud-ies. We’ll discuss the book on January 7 at 6:30 PM at Brian’s. In addition, Rev. Dr. Douglas will speak at Wake Forest Divinity School on January 11 at 11 AM. If you would like to join either, contact bcrisp@pullen.org.

Brian Crisp

Pledging Your Stewardship In this season of giving and gratitude, Pul-lenites are responding generously to our annu-al request for pledges toward our 2017 finan-cial needs. You are "Investing in What Mat-ters," and we thank you.

We hope to have all pledges in by the end of this month! That's just two weeks! So if you have been putting it off, please let us hear from you ASAP. We need everyone who be-lieves in doing justice, loving kindness and walking humbly with God to support the work of this church.

Blue pledge cards are available in the pew racks. You may also go to Pullen.org/donate, or scan the QR code on the front of this Update with your mobile device.

Stewardship Committee

One Can Every Sunday

Please consider bringing one can of food to church each Sun-day to put in the grocery cart at the back door or in the infor-mation center. Pullen Mission Women will deliver the food to Urban Ministries. If enough of us make this a habit, we can make a significant impact in reducing the hunger in our midst. Thank you for your generosity!

Pullen Mission Women

Poinsettias in the Sanctuary Please plan to take your poinsettia home on December 25. Thanks!

Brooks Wicker

Pullen Young Adults Pullen Young Adults meet Tuesdays 7—9:30 PM at Brian’s (400 W. North Street, 718). The group engages in discussions about faith, so-cializes over food and drink, plans activities and participates in community service and social justice. Sign up for the YA listserv at (http://bit.ly/PullenYA) or email bcrisp@pullen.org.

Brian Crisp

December 25 Lectionary

Isaiah 9:2-7 Psalm 96 Titus 2:11-14 Luke 2:1-14, (15-20)