Christmas at St. James UMC
Join us in celebrating the birth of our Savior!
Participate in Worship, Fellowship, Service, & Outreach During this Blessed Season of Preparation
Save the Dates and Make Plans!
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The theme for Advent 2025 at St. James UMC is "Out of the Blue." The theme, which will be preached upon throughout Advent and covered in the 2025 Advent/Christmas Devotional Guide, focuses upon our surprising God:
When it comes to God, surprise is a matter of perspective. Few of the characters in the gospel really knew or understood God’s trajectory, but they should have. The message was clearly telegraphed: God will save God’s people. Even if God’s choice of incarnation was surprising, it was still well within the character of God as attested by the ancient Hebrew prophets. God had been sending the messages for quite some time that things would happen just so, yet God still managed to surprise.​
Even Anna and Simeon, the witnesses in the temple, knew exactly who they sought, yet they still felt astonishment and joy when Jesus arrived in the arms of his parents. This is the excitement and the tension we’ve tried to capture in the Out of the Blue theme: the sense that God’s work breaks into our reality in ways that astound even the best prepared.
December 7 — 2nd Sunday of Advent
Wild New Life — New growth refuses to be contained; the unruly surprise of resurrection
Isaiah 11:1-10; Psalm 72:1-7, 18-19; Romans 15:4-13; Matthew 3:1-12
Also: Christmas Market in the Commons
December 14 — 3rd Sunday of Advent
Beyond the Superbloom — The colorful bloom belies more mundane miracles; divine life in daily deserts
Isaiah 35:1-10; Psalm 146:5-10 or Luke 1:46b-55; James 5:7-10; Matthew 11:2-11
Also: The Whitehurst Family — Kelley, Gary, and Bentley — join St. James UMC
December 21 — 4th Sunday of Advent
At the Turning Point — The difficulty in recognizing the turning point; acting in faith at God’s invitation
Isaiah 7:10-16; Psalm 80:1-7, 17-19; Romans 1:1-7; Matthew 1:18-25
Join us for Sunday Worship during Advent!
Weekly Sunday Worship and Sermon Series Topics
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Email Dana Carpenetti at dana@stjconnect.org
for more information.
December 6 at 10 a.m., Fellowship Hall
Cookies with Santa
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December 7 from 3-5 p.m., Fellowship Hall
United Methodist Women in Faith Mother-Daughter Gathering
Email Lynn Gammell at ncgrits@duck.com to RSVP.
Email Theresa Sprague at thsprague@gmail.com for more information.
December 14 at 6 p.m., Sanctuary
Lovefeast
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Email Dana Carpenetti at dana@stjconnect.org
for more information.
Preschool Christmas Program
December 18 at 11 a.m., Sanctuary
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XYZ Christmas Party
December 18 at 12 p.m., Fellowship Hall
$15 admission includes lunch, a fun gift exchange, and carols with Frances!
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Longest Night Service
December 21 at 6 p.m., Sanctuary
Click here for more information
SERVICE & OUTREACH
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Angel Tree
The United Methodist Women in Faith has begun its popular holiday effort to provide gifts to children and youth living at the Methodist Home for Children.
For more information, please contact Lynn Gammell at lynngammell@gmail.com.
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Salvation Army Bell Ringing
Register to Ring — This Year, Wherever and Whenever You'd Like
Go to registertoring.com to sign up!
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These various events can be read further with the link below!
Poinsettia Sale & PDF Donations
To order the poinsettias (at $15 per plant), complete the order form that is available at the front desk or download the form HERE.