Each day in the Advent season and the Christmas season offers opportunities to rejoice in the anticipation and celebration of God's greatest gift: Jesus.
Advent and Christmas at St. Paul's
ADvent & CHristmas Worship Schedule - 2026
(in progress)
please scroll down to find special activities.
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Sunday, November 29
Fifth Sunday, One Community: Worship with Communion at 10:30 AM only.
Welcome the first Sunday of Advent! This is also te 5th Sunday in the month. When there are five Sundays in a month, we use the fifth Sunday as an opportunity to bring together all of our worshipers at one time and will hold a single Sunday service at 10:30 AM. (There is no 9:00 AM worship service offered on Fifth Sundays.)
While the usual 9:00 and 10:30 worship formats differ somewhat and each is valuable, it is also valuable to gather all our members and friends together as one community, singing and praying together.
Fifth Sunday, One Community embraces worshipers of all ages. Families will be together in the Sanctuary. (The nursery is available for children pre-K and younger.) This is a time for all to remember and live into the vows we make at baptism to help our young people grow in faith and become familiar with the rhythms of worship.
After worship, visit our poinsettia coordinator, Betsy Sanford, in the Narthex to order poinsettias using check or cash, or scroll down for the online poinsettia order form to pay by credit card. Poinsettias will grace the Sanctuary at Christmas Eve and may be dedicated in honor or memory of someone special.
We are also beginning our Advent Bible Study led by St. Paul's pastors, Rev. Joey Heath-Mason and Rev. Sheridan Allmond. ENjoy a light meal of soup and bread while we dig into the Advent journey guided by Dr. Amy-Jill Levine's text "Light of the World."
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Sunday, December 6
Worship with Communion at 9:00 AM.
Worship with Communion and Sanctuary Choir at 10:30 AM.
The second Sunday of Advent falls at the beginning of the month. Worship includes communion at both 9:00 AM and 10:30 AM services.
Following the 10:30 worship service, gather in the Octagon for coffee, treats, and fellowship time. All of our Sipping Ministry gatherings are hosted by families, groups, or individual volunteers. You can pick up an instruction guide or sign up to be a Sipping Ministry host on the office bulletin board.
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Sunday, December 13
Worship with Communion at 9:00
Worship with Sanctuary Choir at 10:30
This year, the Third Sunday in Advent is our annual Music Sunday celebration at 10:30 AM. Our Sanctuary Choir will be a featured part of worship at 10:30 AM, along with our magnificent organ and guest instrumentalists, and we interweave scripture readings and musical offerings in a Lessons & Carols style journey from the old testament through the birth of Christ.
The 9:00 worship service will continue to offer a smaller, more contemplative community worship experience with communion.
This is the last day to visit our Poinsettia coordinator between services if you wish to sponsor a red or white poinsettia for Christmas. Online order is also available.
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Wednesday, December 16 - Blue Christmas
The Christmas season can be challenging for those navigating an emotional season of life. The Still Wednesday contemplative worship team invite all to a “Blue Christmas” themed hour in the Octagon. We aim to create a holy safe place with the support of music, candles, prayer, and silent reflection.
Still Wednesday meets weekly throughout the programming year offering a variety of ways to contemplate and connect with the Divine, including silent prayer.
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Sunday, December 20
Worship with Communion at 9:00
Worship with Sanctuary Choir at 10:30
Join us for Sunday Worship for the 4th Sunday in Advent. Our Joyful Ringers bell ensemble will provide uplifting anthems during the 10:30 worship service. Representatives of the Scattered for Service program will be available for the last of our Alternative Giving program orders.
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Wednesday, December 24: CHristmas Eve
This year we will hold one Christmas Eve worship service in the Sanctuary.
Tentative Worship Schedule (subject to change):
Join us at 7:30 PM for an organ prelude, then worship with communion at 8:00 PM.
This service will feature the Sanctuary choir and we will offer holy communion. It will also be family-friendly, with the option to have candlelight or flame-free glow-sticks to light the final moments of the service.
Poinsettias will decorate the Sanctuary and wreaths will brighten our doors. (Please note: poinsettia orders must be received by December 13.) A souvenir bulletin listing dedications will be available at worship. To request a copy by mail, contact the church office.
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Sunday, December 27
First Sunday in Christmastide
Worship at 10:30 ONLY
(There will be no 9:00 worship.)
Come for a simple worship serivce and enjoy singing Christmas hymns during this Sunday morning celebration of the birth of Jesus. There will be no Sunday School or Nursery care this day. (Please note: while we have Sunday worship, the church office will be closed to the public during the week between Christmas and New Year's for winter break.)
Poinsettias & Wreaths
Poinsettias in red and white will grace the Sanctuary at Christmas. These plants and the wreaths on our doors are dedicated in honor and memory of loved ones and to the glory of God by members and friends of St. Paul’s.
Poinsettias are $20 each.
All orders must be received by Sunday, December 13.
Click the button here to go to our secure online order form where you can provide your dedication wording and pay by credit card.
If you prefer to pay by cash or check, please visit our poinsettia order coordinator, Betsy Sanford, in the Nathex between worship services on the first three Sundays in Advent - November 29, December 5, or December 13. To inquire about wreath dedications, please contact the church office at stpaulsunited@stpaulsk.org.
Dedications will be listed in the Poinsettia & Wreath Dedications Bulletin. Printed copies will be available at the Christmas Eve worship service, or by mail upon request.
You may take your plants home to enjoy following the 8:00 PM Christmas Eve worship service, or pick up your plant the Sunday after Christmas following the 10:30 AM worship service. Plants remaining after that time may be delivered to friends of St. Paul's who need a little extra cheer.
Christmas Eve Special Offering
To contribute to the 2025 Christmas Eve Special Offering, please use the Christmas envelope in the worship bulletin, mark the memo of your checks with “Christmas Special Offering,” or give online here using your credit card. Click the button to go to the secure online donation page.
Christmas Eve Special Offering 2025
As is our tradition, St. Paul’s Christmas Special Offering goes to serve those in need outside our walls.
This year St. Paul’s church leadership designated that the Christmas Special Offering will go to UMCOR, the United Methodist Committee on Relief. When a natural disaster or humanitarian crisis occurs, UMCOR works with local partners on the ground to offer immediate emergency relief, and remains in the community to assist with rebuilding efforts long after the initial crisis. 100% of tonight’s Special Offering funds will go directly to emergency response and community rebuilding work. From wildfires in California to war in Ukraine, from hurricane clean-up in North Carolina to refugee shelters in eastern Congo, UMCOR teams bring resources and relief to people in their hour of greatest need. You can read more about UMCOR at https://umcmission.org/work/humanitarian-relief
Music Sunday
December 13, 2026
10:30 AM worship in the Sanctuary
An Invitation to Music Sunday, by Tom Pedersen, Director of Music
As is our tradition, for Music Sunday, our 10:30 worship service transforms into a musical celebration of the Advent & Christmas seasons, by turns joyful and contemplative.
On Sunday, December 13, our Sanctuary Choir will be joined by our chamber orchestra featuring strings, woodwinds, French horns, and harp, along with organ, for a special morning of music celebrating Advent and the wonder and joy of Christ's birth.
The service will unfold as a musical journey through the Advent and Christmas story, beginning with the anticipation of Christ's coming in Lo! He Comes with Clouds Descending and the comforting words of prophecy: "Comfort, Comfort, O My People." From there, the music carries us toward Bethlehem, moving from the quiet wonder and mystery of the Nativity to the angels' joyous proclamation and the celebration of Christ's birth.
Along the way, we'll hear two magnificent arrangements by the late Richard Proulx, one of America's most distinguished church musicians: Engelbert Humperdinck's Weihnachten (Christmas Evening) and Joseph Schnabel's exuberant Transeamus usque Bethlehem (Let Us Go to Bethlehem). These beautiful works, with their rich orchestral colors and glorious choral writing, will bring the Christmas story vividly to life.
Scripture, familiar carols, and congregational singing will be woven throughout the service, including a festive setting of Hark! The Herald Angels Sing featuring David Willcocks's soaring descant. The morning will culminate in Jasper Randall's glorious Gloria in Excelsis Deo, bringing choir and instrumentalists together in a jubilant proclamation of the Christmas message.
And the celebration doesn't end with the final chord! Following worship, please join us for a special holiday Sipping Ministry, hosted by the Johnathan Smith family, Donna Griffin, and the Music Department. It will be a wonderful opportunity to share some Christmas cheer and fellowship with our St. Paul's family.
We hope you'll join us as we lift our voices, give thanks, and welcome the Christmas season together. Bring your family, invite a friend, and come celebrate with us!
You can read more about music at St. Paul's and our year-round contributions to enlivening worship on our MUSIC page: https://stpaulsk.org/worship/music.
Advent Devotionals
Advent begins November 30, 2025 and ends on Christmas Eve. Journey meaningfully through the season using one of the free Advent resources available in the Narthex.
- The Advent Calendar of Devotions, publishing by Abingdon Press each year, includes a suggested Scripture, a short devotion, and a short prayer or practice for each day of Advent.
- The Advent Devotional from Sanctified Art this year is on the theme of "Until the Dawn: Actions for the Work of Advent." This devotional offers original artwork, poetry, and opportunities for creative reflection that inspire active engagement with justice and hope during the Advent season.
These resources can help guide us thoughtfully through the Advent season and on towards Christmas.
Children's Advent & Christmas Craft Workshop
Children’s Advent & Christmas Craft Workshop
Held in conjunction with the December Pancake Breakfast each year!
Saturday, December 6, 2025
Craft Station Hours: 9:00-10:00 AM
Fellowship Hall
Bring friends and enjoy all-you-care-to-eat breakfast in the Fellowship Hall with pancakes, fresh sage sausage, scrambled eggs, fruit, and other breakfast dishes. The specialty this month is gingerbread pancakes! Diners are asked to make a donation at the door (suggested amount is $20 for a family of 4).
After you enjoy the pancake breakfast, enjoy this opportunity to make a variety of Advent and Christmas-related crafts. Children, their friends and adults, and youth helpers will all be making projects together. This workshop is free of charge, but donations are welcome.
Gathered for Worship,
Scattered for Service
We are happy to offer the 2025 version of Scattered for Service Alternative Giving Program, available through December 21, 2025.
Instead of giving more “stuff” this year, you can give the gifts of help and hope in your loved one’s honor.
Click the button to be taken to our dedicated Scattered for Service page with more information!
There are local and international organizations serving in a variety of ways. Have fun matching your loved one with a charity from our list! For example, you might donate to Heifer International in honor of your aunt who is a beekeeper, donate to the Oakleaf Club at Walter Reed in honor of your cousin who served in the Army, or donate to Imagination Library in honor of your sibling who loves books!
Scattered for Service volunteers will provide personalized acknowledgement cards for each item, ready for you to send to your loved ones.
You you be able to make your selection online using a credit card, or you can order by cash or check using the Scattered for Service form found in the December edition of The Epistle newsletter.
After the order period closes, the Scattered for Service team will compile all of the receipts and send 100% of the donations we've collected to the organizations as directed.
Questions? Please contact Scattered for Service coordinator Lyn Walker directly or reach Erin Steele in the office at stpaulsunited@stpaulsk.org