Jackson Community Church

Summit, Spirit, Sky: connect to community and creation!

hope

BLUE CHRISTMAS, CHRISTMAS EVE & CHRISTMAS MORNING with Jackson Community Church

THURS, Dec 22 – BLUE CHRISTMAS @ Jackson Community Church

  • 6pm • In-person only
  • Worship service
  • Gathering to observe a time of solemnity, sorrow, and hope in the midst of the holiday season

CHRISTMAS EVE,  SAT, Dec 24 @ Jackson Community Church

  • 5pm • OUTDOOR SERVICE with CAROLS, LESSONS & CANDLELIGHT
    • Hot cocoa
    • Caroling as we walk the journey of the holy family
    • Scripture
    • Candlelight & prayer
    • Dress warmly!
  • 7:30pm • CANDLELIGHT SERVICE 
    • In-person & zoom (link & password available by emailing church by noon on Sat, Dec 24: [email protected])
    • Traditional indoor service with carols, scripture, candelight
    • Harp with Dominique Dodge
    • Solo by Becca Gottlieb
    • Piano by Maisie Brown and Sharon Novak
    • Candellight
    • Carols
    • Live music
    • Zoom
  • 10pm • CANDLELIGHT SERVICE 
    • In-person and zoom (link & password available by emailing church by noon on Sat, Dec 24: [email protected])
    • Tradiotional indoor service with carols, scripture, candelight
    • Debut of Christmas song written and performed by Sharon Novak
    • Candellight
    • Carols
    • Piano with Sharon Novak

CHRISTMAS SUNDAY, Dec 25 @ Jackson Community Church

  • 10:30am • STORIES & BELLS
    • In-person and zoom (link & password available by emailing church by noon on Sat, Dec 24: [email protected])
    • Piano: Sue Titus-Reid
    • Interactive Message: Gail Doktor
    • Text: Children’s Story
    • Come in your pajamas or favorite casual attire
    • Bring a sleigh bell or jingle bell if you have one, but we have plenty to share
    • Prepare to sing and ring jingle bells
By jacksonnhccPosted on Posted in Advent & Christmas, Home, Music, WorshipTagged , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Events with JCC and Around Town: NOVEMBER 29-DECEMBER 4

Events with JCC and around town: Decorate the church, train rides, winter tree ID, sleigh rides, jazz, Nutcracker Sweets, music around town, Advent 2: Peace worship,  and more!

TUE, Nov 29

  • FITNESS CLASS  with Laurie McAleer
    9:30am • Jackson Community Church
    • Free to all participants.
    • Gentle, chair-based stretch and fitness for all levels of ability
  • DECORATE CHURCH
    10:45am • JCC
    • Voilunteers help finalize decoration of sanctuary
  • Community Event: TICKETS for NUTCRACKER SWEETS on sale Call 207.935.4020
    • Dec 3rd (Sat) @ 5pm and Dec 4th (Sun) @ 2pm: Act One Dance Company presents Nutcracker Sweets.
    • Performed at Leura Hill Eastman PAC at the Fryeburg Academy
    • Members of our church community performing in this show.
    • Tickets will be on sale at the studio (Tina Titzer’s School of Dance) and also at Spice and Grain.
    • Note: Attending the December dance performance is an optional event to complement the church’s 3-week Advent book study of Matt Rawle’s The Gifts of the Nutcracker. JCC friends and members will attend the Saturday performance; participants must order their own tickets at phone number above. 
  • Community Resource: LIBRARIES
  • Community Events: HOOT NIGHT
    • Wildcat Tavern: Jonathan Sarty hosts • 6-8:30pm

WED, Nov 30

THURS, Dec 1

  • Community Resource: LIBRARIES
  • Community Service: WAY STATION 
    2-5 • Food collection & distribution
    10-6 • Open shift for drop-ins and apts.
    • Staff and volunteers of JCC participate. Operating in church basement this week: Nativity Lutheran.
  • Community Event: JOURNEY to the NORTH POLE (Believe in Books / Theater in the Woods / Conway Scenic RR)
    • Early – 4:15pm (Boarding begins at 3:45pm) & Late – 7:15pm (Boarding begins at 6:45pm)
    • Info & tickets: Journey to the North Pole including online tickets, dates, departure times and more.
  • Community Events: MUSIC AROUND TOWN
    • Shannon Door: Jeremy Dean • 6-8pm
    • Red Parka Pub: Closed for vacation
    • Wildcat Tavern: Al Hospers

FRI, Dec 2

  • Community Resource: LIBRARIES
  • C3: COCKTAILS & CHRISTIAN CONVERSATION
    5pm • Zoom link required
    • Or dial by your location: 929 436 2866, Meeting ID: 830 2844 2916
    • Join us for cocktails and discussion of this week’s scripture with art
  • Community Event: JOURNEY to the NORTH POLE (Believe in Books / Theater in the Woods / Conway Scenic RR)
    • Early – 4:15pm (Boarding begins at 3:45pm) & Late – 7:15pm (Boarding begins at 6:45pm)
    • Info & tickets: Journey to the North Pole including online tickets, dates, departure times and more.
  • Community Event: SLEIGH RIDES @ Nestlenook Farm
    Nestlenook Farm, 66 Dinsmore Road, Jackson, NH
  • Community Event: FIRST FRIDAY – Dark Train Express
    Noon • Majestic Cafe, Conway
    • Dark Train Express quartet (Chad Cummings, Eben Eastman, Gideon Richard and Joseph Della Valla) will play a spirited hour of Cummings’ pop/rock/jazz fusion originals. Admission is by donation, with open seating in the spacious and well-ventilated Majestic Theatre on Main Street in Conway. Pre-concert donations may be made here. Walk-ins are also welcome.
    • Tickets: https://mountaintop.ludus.com/index.php
  • Community Event: MAJESTIC CAFE CONCERT – The Dan Moore Trio
    6:30 pm • Majestic Cafe, Conway, NH
  • Community Events: MUSIC AROUND TOWN
    • Wildcat Tavern: Al Shafner • 6-9pm
    • Shannon Door: Marty Quirk • 6-9pm
    • Red Parka Pub: The Echo Tones • 8-11pm
    • Shovel Handle Pub; Mountain Music Series – Special Appearance By Annie Sumi from Ontario •  5:30-8:30pm

SAT, Dec 3

  • Community Resource: LIBRARIES
  • Community Event: WINTER TREE ID
    10am • Nansen Wayside Park, Milan, NH
    • 2-hour field program on how to identify trees in winter, both deciduous and conifer. Naturalist Dave Govatski will take participants through the unique characteristics and identifiers of the region’s trees, including twig characteristics, branch arrangement, and bark, this program is appropriate for all levels. We hope you join us! Dress for the weather and bring water & a snack.
    • Space is limited and registration is required. Call 603-447-6991 or click here to register.
  • Community Event: TMCC Nature Learning Center Tour 1pm • Tin Mtn Conservation Ctr, Albany
    • Tin Mountain Conservation Center’s Nature Leaning Center is an exquisitely designed, built and operated “net zero” facility that utilizes both solar-electric and solar-thermal technologies. Our tour includes the many features created by locally sourced materials, the building’s energy systems, extensive natural history library, animal mount display and countless natural treasures. For those who are interested in walking the new accessible trail, bring weather-appropriate clothing and footwear traction for a guided tour of the 1.2 mile “lollipop loop”. The TMCC Nature Learning Center tour offers an informative, fun and beautiful weekend activity.
  • Community Event: NUTCRACKER SWEETS Dec 3rd (Sat) @ 5pm and Dec 4th (Sun) @ 2pm • Leura Hill Eastman PAC at the Fryeburg Academy
    • Call 207.935.4020 fot tickets
    • Members of our church community performing in this show.
    • Tickets will be on sale at the studio (Tina Titzer’s School of Dance) and also at Spice and Grain.
    • Note: Attending the December dance performance is an optional event to complement the church’s 3-week Advent book study of Matt Rawle’s The Gifts of the Nutcracker. JCC friends and members will attend the Saturday performance; participants must order their own tickets at phone number above. 
  • Community Event: JAZZ for the HOLIDAYS – Home Concert in Silver Lake
    2:3pm (sold out) & 7:30pm ª Silver Lake Private Residence
  • Community Event: SLEIGH RIDES @ Nestlenook Farm
  • Community Event: SANTA’s HOLIDAY EXPRESS
    Conway Scenic Railroad
    • Book your tickets online ahead of time
    • Admission rates vary. Visit the Conway Scenic Railroad website for booking details and additional Santa’s Holiday Express info.
  • Community Event: JOURNEY to the NORTH POLE (Believe in Books / Theater in the Woods / Conway Scenic RR)
  • Community Events: MUSIC AROUND TOWN
    • Shannon Door: Sheehan & Holden • 7-10pm
    • Red Parka Pub: The Big Picture • 8-11pm
    • Wildcat Tavern: Jonathan Sarty • 6-8:30pm

SUN, DEC 4 – ADVENT 2

  • INTERFAITH GATHERING
    8am • Old red library or Zoom link required
    • Join us for poetry, conversation, and prayer.
  • WORSHIP with ADVENT 2: Peace
    10:30am • JCC in-person or Zoom link required
    • Advent candle-lighting
    • Message: Rev Gail Doktor
    • Music Sharon Novak
  • Community Event: NUTCRACKER SWEETS Dec 3rd (Sat) @ 5pm and Dec 4th (Sun) @ 2pm • Leura Hill Eastman PAC at the Fryeburg Academy
    • Call 207.935.4020 fot tickets
    • Members of our church community performing in this show.
    • Tickets will be on sale at the studio (Tina Titzer’s School of Dance) and also at Spice and Grain.
    • Note: Attending the December dance performance is an optional event to complement the church’s 3-week Advent book study of Matt Rawle’s The Gifts of the Nutcracker. JCC friends and members will attend the Saturday performance; participants must order their own tickets at phone number above. 
  • Community Event: SLEIGH RIDES @ Nestlenook Farm
    Nestlenook Farm, 66 Dinsmore Road, Jackson, NH
  • Community Event: SANTA’s HOLIDAY EXPRESS
    Conway Scenic Railroad
    • Book your tickets online ahead of time
    • Admission rates vary. Visit the Conway Scenic Railroad website for booking details and additional Santa’s Holiday Express info.
  • Community Event: JOURNEY to the NORTH POLE (Believe in Books / Theater in the Woods / Conway Scenic RR)
  • Community Events: MUSIC AROUND TOWN
    • Shannon Door: Mike & Becca • 6-9pm
    • Red Parka Pub: Blue Sunday with Erin Harpe • 5-8pm
By jacksonnhccPosted on Posted in Advent & Christmas, CalendarTagged , , , , , , , , , , ,

Advent Daily Devotional: BIRTHDAY of CHRIST: Day 28-Sat, Dec 25-Christmas Day

… It was no messenger or angel but his presence that saved them; in his love and in his pity he redeemed them. — Isaiah 63:9

Every generous act of giving, with every perfect gift, is from above, coming down from the Father of lights. — James 1:17

The Lord is God, and he has given us light. — Psalm 118:27

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Light the final, fifth candle. Doing so, welcome Emmanuel—God with Us— into the world and into your life.

            Godself is the holy source of love and light. Yet each person bears that light on behalf of the One who lived among humans, died as a human, and returned beyond death itself to meet you where you are on your own journey. Across centuries, your spiritual ancestors have taught that your hands and feet, your heart and mind, your acts and words embody and reflect the life of Christ.

            In this imperfect, impermanent way, you carry holy light within you. Perhaps, by itself, your light is small in scale. Yet it changes the darkness and creates a point of focus and transformation. Then your singular light connects with others, multiplying its energy and effect.           

            The final candle you light on Christmas Day is an echo of the first and eternal light from which all other lights take their meaning and power. Thus God’s gift of love, reborn into the world, renewed in your heart, reawakened in your community, changes the world one light and one life at a time: beginning with you. Let it burn! — Rev Gail

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Agape doesn’t love somebody because they’re worthy.
Agape makes them worthy by the strength and power of its love.
Agape doesn’t love somebody because they’re beautiful.
Agape loves in such a way that it makes them beautiful.
— Rob Bell

… the light is all. — Ralph Waldo Emerson

By jacksonnhccPosted on Posted in Advent & Christmas, Home, Weekly MeditationsTagged , , , , , , ,

Advent Daily Devotional: WEEK of HOPE – DAY 7 – Sat, Dec 4

Be strong and take heart,
all you who hope in the Lord. — Psalm 31:24

Your word is a lamp to my feet
and a light to my path. — Psalm 119:105

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The final day of its solo vigil, this candle sums up the week’s theme of hope. Alone it burns. Signals to you. Symbolizes everything you can imagine that hope might offer or promise. Dares to challenge its surroundings and add its small brightness to the world. Reminds you that your life, your heart, your mind, your choices, your voice, and your acts make an impact. — Rev Gail

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A lot of people have their big dreams and get knocked down and don’t have things go their way. And you never give up hope, and you really just hold on to it. Hard work and perseverance. You just keep getting up and getting up, and then you get that breakthrough. — Robert Kraft

In the right light, at the right time,
everything is extraordinary. – Aaron Rose

By jacksonnhccPosted on Posted in Advent & Christmas, Home, Weekly MeditationsTagged , , , , , , , ,

Advent Daily Devotional: WEEK of HOPE – DAY 5 – Thurs, Dec 2

But those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint. — Isaiah 40:31

The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? The Lord is the stronghold of my life; of whom shall I be afraid? — Psalm 27:1

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Watch the edge of the candle flame. It shifts. Changes color. Jumps and flickers. It seems to be alive.

            In your own body, your heart leaps. Your breath catches. You, too, are alive.

            Writer and researcher Lee Daniel Kravetz suggests that during the urgency of crisis and other life-changing events, we especially seek hope. Such experiences shift ‘our focus to the legacy we’ll leave … It pushes us to ask the question, “What is truly important to me?”’ Extreme circumstances or changes in perspective cause such clarification of our priorities.

            What has become important to you over the past year or more? What, in this season, arises to claim your energy and imagination? Part of hope is channeling your time and resources into those areas of your life that matter the most and offer the greatest sense of purpose.

            Let your flame be fed by what you value above all else. — Rev Gail

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Hope lies in dreams, in imagination, and in the courage of those who dare to make dreams into reality. — Jonas Salk

Light must come from inside. You cannot ask the darkness to leave; you must turn on the light. —Sogyal Rinpoche

By jacksonnhccPosted on Posted in Advent & Christmas, Home, Weekly MeditationsTagged , , , , , , , , ,
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