This Week (Dec 14-20):

• Sunday, 3:45pm – Walk to Bishop Hills for caroling
• Sunday, 5pm – Church Christmas Party
• Monday, 7pm – Prayer Partners Online
• Monday, 7pm – Kombucha Workshop
• Tuesday, 7:30am – Men's Devotional Breakfast
• Tuesday, 6:30pm – Pickleball
• Wednesday, 7pm – YA Bible Study
• Friday, 7am – REAL Men

FYI:

• Hymn Highlight: About “I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day”
  Henry Wadsworth Longfellow wrote this poem on December 25th, 1863, in a season marked by grief and war. Two years earlier his wife had died tragically, and now his son lay wounded—nearly paralyzed after being shot in the Civil War. That Christmas morning, Longfellow heard church bells ringing out the message of “peace on earth.” The world around him didn’t look peaceful at all, and he felt that tension deeply. Yet the poem turns from sorrow to hope: “God is not dead, nor does He sleep; the wrong shall fail, the right prevail.” Longfellow’s words echo the heart of Advent—waiting in a broken world while holding fast to God’s promise. Even in darkness, Christ has come, and Christ will come again. His peace is sure, even in the dark, God is preparing the dawn.
• Christmas Eve Offering: During our Christmas Eve church service, we will be conducting a special offering for Hand2Hand, a ministry our church began partnering with earlier this year. This ministry helps to feed local children facing hunger in the Rockford area by providing a “weekend backpack” containing breakfast items, lunch/dinner items, and snacks. Hand2Hand not only provides consistent meals but also shares love and hope, reminding families that there is a community that cares. Your generosity will make a tangible difference in the lives of these kids. Together, we can show Christ’s love in action. Checks can be made out to Rockford Reformed Church with H2H in the memo line. If you have questions on the mission of this ministry, please contact Lyn Peterman or Deb Coon.
• A generous member has offered our church a dollar-for-dollar match gift up to the amount of $100,000.00. At its meeting on November 12, our consistory accepted this gift and voted to use these monies, any new contributions, and the matching amounts to repay the outstanding loan from our recent renovation. We now have two great opportunities, first we have the opportunity to reduce our outstanding debt by $200,000.00 and secondly, we have the opportunity to step out in faith to increase our giving over and above our normal amounts and see what God will do. All contributions made to the Renovation/Expansion Fund for November, December, January and February will be counted as contributions toward this match. Please prayerfully consider what you can contribute so that we can fully meet the matching amount in as short a period as possible.

Coming up:

• Church Christmas Party (December 14, 5-7pm, ham dinner, escape rooms, Christmas carols)
• Kombucha Workshop (December 15, 7-8pm)
• Christmas Eve Service (December 24, 4pm, nursery for K and under)
• Mindful Marriage Conference (May 1-2)