Help us celebrate the season of Advent, every Sunday morning in December as we gather around the wreath and candles and sing those songs that make us all warm and tingly inside, eat Christmas cookies, and celebrate Christmas the way it was meant to be celebrated... with friends and food and honest conversation.

What is Advent?

The word Advent means "coming" or "arrival." The focus of the entire season is the celebration of the birth of Jesus the Christ in his First Advent, and the anticipation of the return of Christ the King in his Second Advent.  Advent is far more than simply marking a 2,000 year old event in history. It is celebrating a truth about God, the revelation of God in Christ whereby all of creation might be reconciled to God.  In this double focus on past and future, Advent also symbolizes the spiritual journey of individuals and a congregation, as they affirm that Christ has come, that He is present in the world today, and that He will come again in power. That acknowledgment provides a basis for Kingdom ethics, for holy living arising from a profound sense that we live "between the times" and are called to be faithful stewards of what is entrusted to us as God’s people.

The “spirit” of Advent...

Advent is marked by a spirit of expectation, of anticipation, of preparation, of longing. There is a yearning for deliverance from the evils of the world, first expressed by Israelite slaves in Egypt as they cried out from their bitter oppression. It is the cry of those who have experienced the tyranny of injustice in a world under the curse of sin, and yet who have hope of deliverance by a God who has heard the cries of oppressed slaves and brought deliverance!  It is that hope, however faint at times, and that God, however distant He sometimes seems, which brings to the world the anticipation of a King who will rule with truth and justice and righteousness over His people and in His creation. It is that hope that once anticipated, and now anticipates anew, the reign of an Anointed One, a Messiah, who will bring peace and justice and righteousness to the world.

Advent is celebrated...

Advent is the beginning of the Church Year for most churches in the Western tradition. It begins on the fourth Sunday before Christmas Day, which is the Sunday nearest November 30, and ends on Christmas Eve (Dec 24). If Christmas Eve is a Sunday, it is counted as the fourth Sunday of Advent, with Christmas Eve proper beginning at sundown.

I have a crazy idea... want to hear it?  Just for the month of December!

Weekly, we collect money from YOU at SMG to support a child through World Vision.  It costs us about $36 dollars a month for his care.  What if we could take care of 10 people this Christmas... give them enough food and income for a year.  I think we can, but it is up to YOU!  If we can raise $2,000 dollars by the end of December, we can save 10 people with 28 farm animals and bring hope to an entire village. (each person in GLOW would need to contribute $50 dollars... that's about $10 dollars per week)

OR... we could give 150 people in a village a traditional clean water well for the price of $2,600 dollars. (each person in GLOW would need to contribute $65 dollars... that's about $16.25 per week)

OR... we could give a "safe home" for a struggling single mom and her kids, protecting them from child predators for the small fee of $2,950 dollars. (each person in Glow would need to contribute $74 dollars... that's about $18.50 per week)

Want a bigger challenge?  What if we could save 300 people by giving them a deep water well that would provide 2800 gallons of safe, life-sustaining water every day... Our goal would be to raise $13,700 (each person in GLOW would need to contribute $343 dollars... that's about $86 dollars per week)

YOU AND I HAVE THE POWER TO CHANGE THE WORLD, ONE LIFE AT A TIME!  TIME TO HAVE A LITTLE FAITH and Trust God with our money!