United Christian Ministries requests that we temporarily suspend providing supplies and instead provide monetary donations. Given the current situation with Hurricane Helene’s suppliers, the needs of clients are changing daily. A monetary donation will allow them to purchase specifically what is needed at any point in time. To donate, please drop off a check at 191 Skyland Drive or mail it to PO Box 188, Sylva, NC 28779. Thank you!
Holiday Office Hours
Because of the New Year's Day holiday, our office hours this week are modified.
The church office will be closed on Wednesday, January 1, for New Year's Day.
Thursday, January 2
9:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.
Happy New Year!
1st Explorers Crochet Program to Begin in January
First Explorers would like to teach our students how to crochet. Counselor Bonnie crochets and we are looking for additional crochet artists this winter to help her teach some of our older students the art form. We are also in need of crochet hooks if you have any at home the students could use, please consider donating.
Christmas Eve Service to Be Broadcast Live
Tuesday, December 24 at 5:30 p.m.
(pre-service music at 5:00)
For the first time, our Christmas Eve worship service will be live-streamed!
If you or someone you know is unable to attend the worship service in person, join us online as we celebrate the coming of Christ together.
Join us on December 24 for our Christmas Eve Candlelight Service. Come early at 5:00 p.m. to light a candle in the windows in memory of a loved one and to hear Christmas music before the service. Then, beginning at 5:30 p.m., our family-friendly service will capture the wonder of Christmas with familiar carols, the retelling of the Christmas story, and the glow of candlelight. Afterward, gather your family in front of our beautifully decorated Christmas tree for a classic holiday photo. Don’t miss this opportunity to create lifelong memories with your entire family!
1st Explorers After-School Ministry Update
Giving the Jesus Way
United Christian Ministries requests that we temporarily suspend providing supplies and instead provide monetary donations. Given the current situation with Hurricane Helene’s suppliers, the needs of clients are changing daily. A monetary donation will allow them to purchase specifically what is needed at any point in time. To donate, please drop off a check at 191 Skyland Drive or mail it to PO Box 188, Sylva, NC 28779. Thank you!
Holiday Office Hours
Because of the Christmas holiday, our office hours next week are modified.
1st Explorers Christmas Play
It's Showtime! First Explorer After School Ministry students will present "Twas the Night Before the Birth" on Wednesday, December 18, 2024, at 6:00 p.m. in the Mission and Fellowship Center. Doors open at 5:45 p.m. The show is approximately 30 minutes long.
Wednesday Night Bible Study
Due to a number of Christmas holiday services and events through December, there will be no Wednesday evening Bible study until the new year. Be on the lookout for the date we will gather again for our Wednesday evening Bible study!
Mission Moment 12.18.24
Kan’Dace Brock
Lead Pastor and Co-Founder
The Message Church, San Antonio, Texas
“Zoë, Chloë, come here.” This phrase is often heard in our home when Fredricc and I are trying to get the attention of either our newly-minted seven-year-old or our soon-to-be three-year-old. While most days I can’t tell you if I am coming or going, I am so grateful to be their mother. You see, both of our girls have a birth narrative that almost resulted in their lives being concluded before they even began. So, when I look at them or tell them to “come here,” I am reminded of the prayers I prayed while in college to become a mother. When I hear them laughing, yelling at each other, screaming or playing with each other, I am reminded of the talks Fredricc and I had about being parents one day early in our marriage.
On the days when I am ready to throw in the towel, God uses my girls to give me a hug, climb in my lap and remind me that “I am the best mommy ever!” And while there are some challenging days, I can say without a doubt that these little girls are saving my life. Their love for God, for one another, for their dad and for others is a beautiful reminder of God’s grace in human form. Their long- and short-term memories about the flowers they picked on the walk we went on last week, or the unkept promise to get ice cream after work, to the endless interrogation about “what’s for dinner,” is a beautiful reminder that what I prayed for many years ago, is right here in front of me.
So now, when I tell the girls to “come here,” I know that even if I am wrong in whose name I called, it is the confidence that I prayed to God for this moment and God’s will is made manifest in that I can call out “Zoë, Chloë, come here.”
Pray, Practice, Ponder
As you go throughout your day, ask yourself the question, “God, what are you calling me to hear, feel, taste, see, explore or remember as a reminder that God hears me?” In your time of reflection, may you be reminded of God’s answer to your prayers being made manifest right before your eyes.
Pray. . .Give. . .Go.