THE EPISTLE

Volume 14 Issue 11 DECEMBER 17, 2009

January 3: Second Sunday of Christmas;
SUNDAY WORSHIP DURING Epiphany Sunday
CHRISTMAS AND EPIPHANY The Eucharist
Christmas begins with the services of Isaiah 60:1-6
Christmas Eve and concludes on the Feast of Psalm 72:1-7, 10-14
the Epiphany, January 6. This year there are Ephesians 3:1-12
two Sundays following Christmas Day, Matthew 2:1-12
December 27 and January 3. We will celebrate “A Star! A Star!”
the Feast of the Epiphany on January 3.
January 10: Baptism of our Lord
Renewal of baptismal vows
Isaiah 43:1-7
Psalm 29
Acts 8:14-17
Luke 3:15-17, 21-22
“Who knows your name?”

January 17: Second Sunday after

Epiphany
Isaiah 62:1-5
Psalm 36:5-10
I Corinthians 12:1-11
December 24: Christmas Eve John 2:1-11
5:30 PM: Family Service of carols, candles “Cheers!”
and stories
11:00 PM: Candlelight Festival Eucharist January 24: Third Sunday after
Isaiah 9:2-7 Epiphany
Psalm 96 Nehemiah 8:1-3, 5-6, 8-10
Titus 2:11-14 Psalm 19
Luke 2:1-20 I Corinthians 12:12-31a
“Fear and Glory” Luke 4:14-21
“Hometown Boy”
December 27: First Sunday of Christmas
I Samuel 2:18-20, 26 January 31: Fourth Sunday after
Psalm 148 Epiphany
Colossians 3:12-17
Luke 2:41-52 Youth Sunday
“No Ordinary Child” Our youth will be responsible for leading
worship
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Christmas Greetings from the
Cedarleaf’s
I sing the birth was born tonight,
The author both of life and light;
The angels so did sound it.
And like the ravished shepherds said,
Who saw the light and were afraid,
Yet searched, and true they found it.
The Son of God, the eternal king,
That did us all salvation bring,
And freed the soul from danger:
He whom the whole world could not take,
The Word, which heaven and earth did make,
Was now laid in a manger.
The Father’s wisdom willed it so,
The Son’s obedience knew no No,
Both wills were in one stature;
And as that wisdom had decreed,
The Word was now made flesh indeed,
And took on Him our nature.
What comfort by Him do we win,
Who made Himself the price of sin,
To make us heirs of glory!
To see this babe all innocence,
A martyr born in our defence—
Can man forget the story?
-A Hymn On The Nativity of My Savioiur
Ben Johnson
(1573-1637)
The English poet, Ben Johnson ends his
poem with a question: “Can man forget the
story?” Since the birth of the Saviour, the
story has been told each year at this time in
the words of Scripture: “A decree went out
from Caesar Augustus…….”We sense the
fear of the shepherds the brightness of the
light and hear once more the song of the
angels and there we are in that stable filled
with the smells and sounds of the farm and
with the crying of the new born king.
Our faith is told in story after story of how
the great God, the creator of all things
continually reached out to his people to
bring them back into relationship with
himself and how in the fullness of time, he
came as one of us, to share our common lot.
We’ve heard this story over and over again
and yet it needs constant repeating so that it
becomes part of our very being, reminding
us that what all the story is about is God’s
love and mercy for us and for all creation, in
Jesus Christ, the Bethlehem babe.
Sometimes it seems hard to hear the story in
times like these. We have been at war for
the past eight years in Afghanistan and Iraq.
There has been much pain not only there but
also at home with a financial melt down and
the loss of millions of jobs. Add to this
personal struggles of health and
relationships and is it no wonder we have a
hard time hearing the story.
Yet, hear it we do. The Rev. Herbert Davis
concludes a sermon prepared for Christmas
Eve with these words; words which we send
your way with love and gratitude for your
care and support over our twenty-five years
of ministry in this place. May you and your
 3 THE EPISTLE
family experience in your hearts the “good
news of great joy which will be to all people.”
“So we leave this manger tonight with vision
of a new creation, dreams of a time when
death shall be no more. We leave with
schemes and plans for tomorrow. We leave in
the darkness knowing the light shines and can
never be put out. We leave not as mean
spirited people but as a people of grace and
peace. We leave not trusting in the bailout, or
Wall Street, or Main Street, but our trust is in
a back alley in the little town of Bethlehem,
where,”
in thy dark streets shineth,
The Everlasting Light;
The hopes and fears of all the years
Are met in Thee tonight.
And we sing:
O Holy Child of Bethlehem!
Descend to us, we pray;
Cast out our sin, and enter in,
Be born in us today.
We hear the Christmas angels,
The great glad tidings tell;
O come to us, abide with us,
Our Lord Emmanuel!”
“I don’t know how, but I know you hear the
angel’s song, ‘Be not afraid!’ “
Love and Blessings,
John and Jean
BOARD AND COMMITTEE
NEWS
MISSIONS CORNER
It is at this time of the year that our
congregation is asked to help out with the
Hillside Special Santa Program and we
thought it appropriate to share Hillside’s
mission with you. This month’s
contributing writer is Beth Maybee.
Hillside Children’s Center
Hillside Family of Agencies is one of the
largest non-profit agencies in New York
State and has been a cornerstone of the
Rochester, NY community for more than
170 years.” More than 2,000 staff members
provide services to over 7,000 families on
an annual basis. Crestwood Children’s
Center, Hillside Children’s Center, Hillside
Work-Scholarship Connection, and Snell
Farm Children’s Center all provide these
family services.
Hillside Children’s Center provides
adoption, customized services, day
treatment education services for youth ages
3-21, developmental disabilities services for
youth, home and community based services,
non-secure detention services, residential
services, and therapeutic foster families.
Hillside Special Santas, in which our church
participates, addresses the holiday needs of
the least fortunate children and families
served by Hillside Family of agencies.
Hillside Special Santas provide gifts to over
6,000 children and grocery cards to over
4,500 families. Hillside’s Director of
Community Relations, two full time staff,
the marketing department, a volunteer
coordinator and over 100 volunteers provide
the Special Santa services.
 4 THE EPISTLE
In other related developments the Board of
Missions is still looking for one additional
member. If you have the time, our Board
meets the second Thursday of every month
(no meetings in July and August). Each
member is expected to become a liaison to
two or three organizations that we support.
Please contact Ted Avgerinos Board Chair at
388-1355, or Membership co-chairs Pay May
at 223-3749 or Jim Weidman at 223-8978.
On behalf of the Missions Board, I wish each
and everyone a very joyous holiday.
Ted Avgerinos
RAISE THE ROOF—TO STOP
THE LEAKS!
Maybe you’ve noticed the brown patches on
the ceiling tiles at the back of our church?
That’s due to the flat roof, which allows water
to pool instead of running off after a heavy
rain or snow melt.
After years of chronic roof leaks, the trustees
are planning to install a standing seam low-
pitched metal roof over the rear portion of the
church. This is the area over Upper
Fellowship Hall, the nursery, the Snow Room
and Lower Fellowship Hall. This area is
currently covered by a rubber-seamed flat
roof, which needs to be replaced. Rather than
replacing the rubber roof at a cost of
approximately $20 thousand dollars and
continuing to deal with maintenance
problems, we will install a roof similar to the
roofs that have been installed on the Fairport
schools the last two years.
An architect was hired last summer and has
been working with the trustees on the roof
design since then. The congregation can view
concept drawings of the new roof in
Fellowship Hall. The architect has now
completed the construction drawings. We
will send them out for six bids in January
and expect to select a contractor by the end
of February. Depending on the contractor’s
schedule, we hope that the project can be
completed by late spring or early summer.
There are four aspects to this project. The
biggest is the new roof itself. Second, we
need to improve the drainage around the
church structure to resolve ongoing
problems with seepage around the basement
walls. We will be improving the system of
gutters and will trench out some new
drainage at the rear of the church structure.
Third, we will add a new canopy over the
rear entrance, a new rear door, and a canopy
over the side entrance by the kitchen.
Finally, we will paint the gray cinderblock a
color that will blend in better with the
existing bricks. While we will not know the
exact price of this project until the
contractor’s bids have been received, we
estimate that it will cost approximately
$110,000 - $120,000.
The congregation will receive monthly
project updates via the Epistle. If you have
any questions or comments, please see one
of the trustees.
Jim Franzen
Chair, Board of Trustees
 5 THE EPISTLE
WHAT’S COMING UP IN ADULT
EDUCATION?
Sunday Mornings –
December 20 – Christmas Customs
From Around the World
Join Pastor Cedarleaf as he shares Christmas
customs from around the world on this special
Sunday in Advent.
December 27 & January 3 – No
Christian Education Classes
January 10, 17, 24 & 31 – Not Your
Usual Books of the Bible
Pastor Cedarleaf will discuss some of the less
“featured” books of the Bible during this 4-
week series.
Wednesday Mornings – Bible Study
December 16 -- Need a mid-week pick-me-
up? At 11 a.m., we’ll meet to study and
discuss the upcoming Sunday’s scheduled
Bible readings. Following the Bible study,
participants are invited to a brief communion
service in the sanctuary. Drop-ins welcome.
NOTE: There will be no Wednesday Bible
Study on Dec. 23 or Dec. 30. Classes will
resume on Jan. 6.
MORNING CIRCLE
The Morning Circle will meet on January 12
at 10 AM. Our speakers will bew Bill Cala,
former Fairport schoool superintendent, and
his wife, Joanne. Their topic will be “Mission
in Kenya”.
FAMILY NEWS
Preschool & Elementary School
Happenings
Rotation Classes Learn About “The
Reason Behind the Season”
“The Story of Christmas” will be the focus
for Preschoolers and Elementary students in
December. During the season of Advent,
our students will revisit the timeless story of
our savior’s birth -- told in a variety of ways
in our storytelling, art, and movie rotations.
Spend a Night in Bethlehem on
Dec. 20!
Bring your family to spend a night in
Bethlehem on Sunday, Dec. 20 from 6:30 –
8 p.m. Experience the sights and sounds of
the Bethlehem marketplace. Help in the
carpentry shop. Taste some bread in the
bakery. Make a necklace in the jewelry
shop, and visit Baby Jesus in the manger.
This is a special night to remember! Sign
up in Fellowship Hall.
NOTE: There are no Christian
education classes on Dec. 27 or Jan.
3. Classes resume on Jan. 10.
Junior & Senior High Happenings
Junior High Church School To
Travel Through the Old Testament
During December, our Junior High class
will finish working its way through the
major stories of the Old Testament. We’ll
end the year with a Christmas party in our
classroom on Dec. 20.
 6 THE EPISTLE
Senior High Christmas Party!
The senior high class will be having their
annual Christmas party on Sunday, December
20 during Sunday school. The class will
continue with their traditions of welcoming
returning college students and enjoying
breakfast
pizza.
Students:
please feel
free to
bring some
Christmas
cookies or
a treat to
pass and Christmas or Reach music.
Senior High Sunday Night Bible
Study Continues in January
The Senior High Sunday Night Bible Study
will take a break for the rest of December, but
will begin again in January. In January,
Senior High students are invited to join Mrs.
Hamill on Sunday nights from 7 – 8:30 p.m.
for a Bible study on the Book of James.
Through this study, we’ll see that faith
without actions is dead! These sessions will
be held in the Senior High classroom. Call
Mrs. Hamill at 746-9275 prior to each session
to let her know that you’re coming.
Help Present “A Night in
Bethlehem!”
Calling all JYF and SYF students!! Come
help present “A Night in Bethlehem” for the
families of our church on Sunday, Dec. 20
from 6 – 8:30 p.m. We need shopkeepers,
bakers, carpenters and more! Sign up in
Fellowship Hall.
Bottle and Can Drive – January 3
The 2010 mission trip students will be
conducting a bottle and can drive on Sunday,
January 3. An adult will drive each pair of
students to a designated neighborhood to
collect returnable bottles and cans, which
now includes the newer water bottles.
All interested students should sign up on the
bulletin board in Fellowship Hall. The
money collected will be divided and
deposited into the participants’ individual
mission trip funds. Call Mrs. Hamill with
questions.
REGISTER NOW! To Attend the
2010 Mission Trip
Our youth will travel to Hurricaine, WV on
July 17 – 24 to participate in another
REACH workcamp experience. At this
camp, the youth participate in such projects
as painting, roofing, drywall, repair and
construction of porches, building wheelchair
ramps and more – as they learn to impact
our world for Jesus Christ.
The camp is NEARLY FULL. We have
reserved a block of 18 spaces. These spaces
are reserved for: Amy Hamill, Erin & Sarah
Hoover, Jill & Seth Weidman, Shannon
Johansen, Alex & Brianna Sherry, Becky
Allen, Lydia Eastman, Paul Wright, Jenna
Campolieto, Kurt Rogers and 5 chaperones.
IF YOU WANT THE REMAINING
SPACE, CONTACT MRS. HAMILL
ASAP. We may be able to add additional
spaces, if the camp isn’t totally filled yet.
The total cost of the trip is $500. To secure
a spot, please pay your $50 deposit
immediately. (Checks should be sent to the
church and made out to: 1st Congregational
UCC. Please write “mission trip” in memo
area.) Participation in fundraisers
throughout the year can be used to greatly
defray each individual’s cost.
For more information, call Mrs. Hamill at
746-9275.
 7 THE EPISTLE

VOLUNTEERS NEEDED
OPERATIONS GRATITUDE
Greetings!
I want to thank the Fairport UCC for making a
donation for shipping costs and gifts for the
troops. Your kindness is greatly appreciated! I
wish you a wonderful Thanksgiving and
Christmas. Thanks again for all of your
donations!
SALEM SOUP KITCHEN Sincerely,
The next Salem Soup Kitchen work day is
Allyson Brown
Tuesday, December 22nd. Our volunteers will Honeoye Falls UCC
carpool, leaving our parking lot at 9:15 AM,
and return by mid-afternoon. Come join us in
preparing lunch for those in need.

OUR CHURCH FAMILY
IN SYMPATHY…..
Our sympathy is extended to Marion Pieramico
and her family on the death of her mother,
Elizabeth McAlpine, on November 18, 2009. A
memorial service was held for her at First Church
on Sunday, November 22, 2009. Pastor John
Cedarleaf officiated.
MANY THANKS!
The Perinton Food Shelf is now well stocked as
a result of your many contributions! Your
generous donations of the requested items and
money help us to meet the basic needs of the
hungry in our community. Thanks, also, to the
Church Office Assistants for publishing
the requests in the weekly bulletins. Indeed, we
appreciate the time and care of the volunteers
who bring the bags and boxes to the Food Shelf.
Working together—especially in these difficult
economic times--we are able to help others in
the community who are less fortunate.
-The PFS Board

CONGRATULATIONS ON THE NEW

ARRIVAL!
William
Teague Ruder
was born on
November 4,
2009 in
Washington, DC. He is the son of Liz (Hill) and
Teague Ruder, and the grandson Leon and Val
Hill.
 8 THE EPISTLE
GREETINGS FROM ADVENT
HOUSE!

During this Advent Season, we at Advent House

want to express our deepest gratitude for all that
you have done and continue to do to make our
House a Home. Your gifts of self, time, prayers,
love, and finances make this ministry possible.
Your generosity has touched the lives and hearts
of many, leaving them with the enduring memory
of selfless giving. We thank you and wish you a
very blessed holiday season.

REMEMBER IN YOUR PRAYERS:

Martha Bowman, St. John’s Home
Barbara Cobb, Fairport Baptist Home
Louise Deller, Cherry Ridge
Barbara Eaton, Perinton Park Manor
Dwight Turner, Jewish Home

THE SECRET SANTA

As a young man, Larry Stewart lived hand to
mouth. He occasionally had to ask for a free meal
or a few dollars until he found a job. To him, that
was humiliating. Stewart didn’t give up. He kept
working and saving, and he eventually owned
cable television and long-distance telephone
services in Kansas City, Missouri. He made
millions.

Knowing what it was like to have nothing, Stewart

started anonymously giving money to the needy
every December. He started in 1979 by giving
away $5 and $10 bills. Then, as his own fortune
increased, Stewart handed out $100 bills.

The secret Santa tried to remain anonymous.

Finally, as he was dying of cancer, Stewart was
willing to be identified. He gave to the poor, he
said, “as a Christmas gift to himself.” Giving to
the needy gave Stewart the greatest joy possible.