Walnut Hill Church Weekly Letter

December 30, 2009

Greetings to all!

As we prepare to open the calendar for a new year, consider the
following reflection by Henri Nouwen.

A new beginning! We must learn to live each day, each hour, yes,
each minute as a new beginning, as a unique opportunity to make
everything new. Imagine that we could live each moment pregnant with
new life. Imagine that we could live each day as a day full of
promises. Imagine that we could walk through the new year always
listening to a voice saying to us: "I have a gift for you and can't
wait for you to see it!" Imagine.
Is it possible that our imagination can lead us to the truth of our
lives? Yes, it can! The problem is that we allow our past, which
becomes longer and longer each year, to say to us: "You know it all;
you have seen it all, be realistic; the future will be just another
repeat of the past. Try to survive as best you can." There are many
cunning foxes jumping on our shoulders and whispering in our ears the
great lie: "There is nothing new under the sun...don't let yourself
be fooled." When we listen to these foxes, they eventually prove
themselves right: our new year, our new day, our new hour become flat,
boring, dull, and without anything new.
So what are we to do? First, we must send the foxes back to where
they belong: in their foxholes. And then we must open our minds and
our hearts to the voice that resounds through the valleys and hills of
our life saying: "Let me show you where I live among my people. My
name is 'God-with-you.' I will wipe away all the tears from your eyes;
there will be no more death, and no more mourning or sadness. The
world of the past has gone." (Revelation 21:2-5) When we choose to
listen to that voice, every choice will open us a little more to
discover the new life hidden in the moment, waiting eagerly to be born.
(from "Here and Now')

The Scripture lessons for Sunday, January 3, observing the Epiphany of
the Lord:
Isaiah 60:1-6
Ephesians 3:1-12
Matthew 2:1-12
(The sacrament of Holy Communion will be celebrated this Sunday,
January 3.)

MEN'S COFFEE - Walnut Hill men are invited to gather for coffee on
Saturday, January 2, 8am, at Paneras on Richmond Road. Feel free to
stop in for as long or short a time as your schedule allows. No rsvp
required.

SUNDAY CONVERSATIONS resume this Sunday, 10am, in Trinity Hall. We
will talk together about the year ahead, including your suggestions
for our "Sunday Conversation" topics. Feel free to enjoy a cup of
coffee, join the conversation, or just listen in.

ACE TRIP - Walnut Hill Church is sponsoring 15 students to
participate in the Athens Chilesburg Elementary School Fifth Grade
Class Trip to Washington, DC. These are students who otherwise do not
have the financial resources to participate. The trip costs
approximately $550/child. Your gift in any amount is welcome. Make
your check payable to Walnut Hill Church, designated "ACE Trip."

HOPE CENTER ITEMS - If you are just back from some holiday travel and
have collected some travel/trial size toiletry items, remember that we
are collecting unused travel/trial size toiletry items to be
distributed among clients of the Hope Center. Place your items in the
"Hope Center" box in the Sanctuary foyer.

CHRISTMAS FOLLOW-UP - Once again Walnut Hill "kept Christmas well"
including...our holiday potluck and party; presentations by the
children and youth; sanctuary decorations; Christmas Eve gatherings; a
carload of gifts for the "Giving Tree" family; gifts for our Iraqi
neighbors; more than $600 for the "Innkeeper's Offering" to shelter
homeless women, children, and families; holiday greetings shared all
around. Thanks to all those who helped make Christmas a special
season at Walnut Hill.

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Mike Ward

Walnut Hill Church Weekly Letter

December 23, 2009

Greetings to all!

Christmas is upon us! Consider the following reflection.

And did it happen that in a stable long ago,
a weary couple, who no-one wanted to know,
should choose a manger, in spite of the danger,
to hold and hallow the Lord below?

And did it happen that in the stillness of the night,
the woman labored to let God see the light,
and bathed and dressed him, nursed and blessed him,
the Word incarnate whose time was right?

And did it happen that news of this first reached the poor,
compelled by angels to tiptoe to the door
and see no trappings, just linen wrappings,
a baby for certain and God for sure?

And did it happen that all of this was meant to be,
that God from distance should choose to be set free
and show uniqueness transformed in weakness,
that I might touch God and God touch me?

(adapted from "Cloth for the Cradle")

CHRISTMAS EVE SCHEDULE - Thursday, December 24:
*5pm - "Carols and Candlelight," a service of lessons, carols, and
candlelight for all ages.
*9pm - "Evening Prayer Fireside," a quieter guided reflection
including prayers, familiar songs, and candlelight, for adults and
older youth.

INNKEEPER'S OFFERING - The Innkeeper's Offering will be received on
Christmas Eve. This offering supports the Salvation Army in their
work to provide food, shelter, and other services to homeless women,
children, and families.

SUNDAY, DECEMBER 27, the First Sunday of Christmas, we will have our
regular morning worship service at 11am. The nursery will be staffed
for infants and small children. Sunday School will be available for
older children. Bring a plate of cookies or other item (holiday
leftovers welcome) for the after worship refreshment table.

"SUNDAY CONVERSATIONS" discussion will be dismissed for this Sunday
(12/27). "Sunday Conversations" will resume on January 3, 10am, in
Trinity Hall.

GIVING TREE - Thanks to all who responded so generously to our "Giving
Tree" program this season. A carload of gifts has been delivered to a
Lexington family who will enjoy those gifts on Christmas morning and
beyond.

HOPE CENTER ITEMS - Remember as you travel this season that we are
collecting unused travel and trial size toiletry items to be donated
to the Hope Center for distribution to their visitors. Place items in
the Hope Center box in the Sanctuary foyer.

THANKS TO....the Trail family, the Children's Choir, the adult Choir,
Spencer Horman, Barbara & Chris Bohmer, Ruth and David Sharrard, and
Phil Bloomfield for their assistance and leadership during worship
last Sunday; our Sanctuary decorators including Kim Thomasson, Thomas
Rawlings, Meredith Rawlings, Barbara Waldmann-Ward, and Ruth Sharrard.

Merry Christmas!

Mike Ward

Walnut Hill Church Weekly Letter

December 16, 2009

Greetings to all!

If you were at worship last Sunday, you experienced the joy of the
Walnut Hill Christmas Pageant as through word, and song, and costume
the children/youth reminded us of the old story we remember at
Christmas. What about that story, the shepherds, the angels, the
stable, etc., etc? There is much debate about the "facts" of the
story these days.

Who knows what the facts of Jesus' birth actually were? As for
myself, the longer I live, the more inclined I am to believe in
miracle, the more I suspect that if we had been there at the birth, we
might well have seen and heard things that would be hard to reconcile
with modern science. But of course that is not the point, because the
Gospel writers are not really interested primarily in the facts of the
birth but in the significance, the meaning for them of that birth,
just as the people who love us are not really interested primarily in
the facts of our births but in what it meant to them when we were born
and how for them the world was never the same again, how their whole
lives were charged with new significance. Whether there were ten
million angels there, or just the woman herself and her husband, when
that child was born the whole course of history was changed. That is
a fact as hard and blunt as any fact. Art, music, literature, our
culture itself, our political institutions, our whole understanding of
ourselves and our world - it is impossible to conceive of how
differently world history would have developed if that child had not
been born. And in terms of faith, much more must be said because for
faith, the birth of the child into the darkness of the world made
possible not just a new way of understanding life, but a new way of
living life.
(Frederick Buechner as found in "Listening to Your Life")

The Scriptures for Sunday, December 20, the Fourth Sunday of Advent:
Isaiah 9:2-7
Titus 2:11-14
Luke 2:1-20
(Sunday morning begins our week of Christmas services. Sunday's
service will be our Christmas Communion service, with traditional
liturgy, choir, and the sacrament.)

SATURDAY COFFEE - Walnut Hill men are invited to gather for coffee on
Saturday, December 19, 8am, at Paneras on Richmond Road. Feel free to
stop in for as long or short a time as your schedule allows. No rsvp
required.

SUNDAY CONVERSATIONS continue this Sunday, 10am, in Trinity Hall.
This week's conversation will include a brief video by Parker Palmer
based on his book, "A Hidden Wholeness: The Journey Toward an
Undivided Life." Feel free to enjoy a cup of coffee, join the
conversation, or just listen in.

CHRISTMAS GIVING: Thanks to all those who picked up an ornament off
the Giving Tree. Remember to return your ornaments, with the
accompanying gift, by Sunday, December 20. For those who missed the
Giving Tree or would simply like ANOTHER OPPORTUNITY TO GIVE during
this season, we are gathering some gifts for the Iraqi family we
helped resettle in Lexington last year. Let us know by reply email if
you would like to provide a gift, gift card, or cash toward this
effort. You may also contact Sherry Warden who is gathering these
gifts for our Iraqi neighbors.

CHURCH ROSTER: Copies of the new church address/phone roster are
available in the foyer of the Sanctuary. You may also contact the
church office (263-5304) to have one sent to you. Thanks to Jim and
Lee Tucker for their work updating and publishing our church roster.

POINSETTIAS may be "adopted" for the holiday season at $15/plant.
Contact Lee Tucker to adopt a poinsettia. Checks payable to Walnut
Hill Church. Adopted poinsettias may be taken home after Sunday
service on December 27.

SUNDAY HOSPITALITY - We welcome a volunteer(s) who would like to
provide refreshments after worship for this Sunday, December 20.
Remember that our Sunday refreshments need not be elaborate, just
something simple to gather around as we visit after service. Use
reply email to volunteer for this Sunday, or check the sign up sheet
in the Sanctuary foyer to host a Sunday after the holidays.

CHRISTMAS WORSHIP CALENDAR:
Sunday, December 20, 11am, Christmas Communion Service
Thursday, December 24, 5pm, "Carols and Candlelight" service for all
ages
Thursday, December 24, 9pm, "Evening Prayer Fireside" for adults and
older children/youth
Sunday, December 27, 11am, Morning Worship

THANKS TO...the children/youth for their words, music, and pageantry
last Sunday, and to Nell Horman, Lauren Fouts, Angela Hurley and many
parents for helping the children/youth present the Christmas story so
wonderfully; to the Bloomfield family for their gracious hospitality
in hosting our annual Christmas party last Sunday afternoon, and to 40
or so members and friends who made the gathering so festive.

Peace to all.

Mike Ward

Walnut Hill Church Weekly Letter

December 9, 2009

Greetings to all!

Anne Weems offers a poetic reflection titled "An Angel Filled Advent."

Wouldn't it be wonderful if Advent came filled with angels and
alleluias? Wouldn't it be perfect if we were greeted on these
December mornings with a hovering of heavenly hosts tuning their harps
and brushing up on their fa-la-las? Wouldn't it be incredible if
their music filled our waking hours with the promise of peace on earth
and if each Advent night we dreamed of nothing but goodwill? Wouldn't
we be ecstatic if we could take those angels shopping, or trim the
tree or have them hold our hands and dance through our houses
decorating? And, oh, how glorious it would be to sit in church next
to an angel and sing our hark-the-heralds! What an Advent that would
be! What Christmas spirit we could have! An angel-filled Advent has
so many possibilities! But in lieu of that, perhaps we can give thanks
for the good earthly joys we have been given and for the earthly
"angels" that we know who do such a good job of filling our Advent
with alleluias!
(from "Kneeling in Bethlehem)

The Scripture lessons for Sunday, December 13, the Third Sunday of
Advent:
Zephaniah 3:14-20
Philippians 4:4-7
Luke 3:7-18

CHRISTMAS PAGEANT: The children will be offering their annual
Christmas presentation this Sunday, December 13, during morning
worship. All children planning to participate are asked to gather in
Trinity Hall at 10am for a final practice. Contact Nell Horman or
Lauren Fouts for more information.

LIVING THE QUESTIONS video discussion series concludes this Sunday,
December 13, 10am, in Trinity Hall. The theme for the day is
"Embracing Mystery." Feel free to enjoy a cup of coffee, join the
conversation, or just listen in.

CHRISTMAS PARTY: The annual Walnut Hill Christmas Party will be held
this Sunday, December 13, 4pm - 6pm, at 1202 Delong Place. Please
bring an hors-doeuvre item for the refreshment table. This gathering
is for adults.

CHRISTMAS GIVING: We are pleased to report that all of the ornaments
were taken from "The Giving Tree" last Sunday. Thanks to all those
who picked up an ornament. Remember to return your ornaments, with
the accompanying gift, by Sunday, December 20. For those who missed
the Giving Tree or would simply like ANOTHER OPPORTUNITY TO GIVE
during this season, we are gathering some gifts for the Iraqi family
we helped resettle in Lexington last year. Let us know by reply email
if you would like to provide a gift, gift card, or cash toward this
effort. You may also contact Sherry Warden who is gathering these
gifts for our Iraqi neighbors.

CHURCH ROSTER: Copies of the new church address/phone roster are
available in the foyer of the Sanctuary. You may also contact the
church office (263-5304) to have one sent to you. Thanks to Jim and
Lee Tucker for their work updating and publishing our church roster.

POINSETTIAS may be "adopted" for the holiday season at $15/plant.
Contact Lee Tucker to adopt a poinsettia. Checks payable to Walnut
Hill Church. Adopted poinsettias may be taken home after Sunday
service on December 27.

THANKS to all those who helped make last Sunday a special day
including: the Choir, the Children's Choir, Garrett Rea, Spencer
Horman, Forrest and Monta Rae Cook, Dorothy Paull, Bill and Maggy
Patterson, Ron Johnston, Cory Sharrard, and Ruth Sharrard for their
leadership during worship; Beth and Oggie Hilliard, Barbara and Chris
Bohmer, and Joanne Hilliard for coordinating our Christmas potluck;
all our great Walnut Hill cooks for a delicious potluck feast; the
Talbott family for preparing the Giving Tree ornaments; Phil
Bloomfield for preparing the Communion elements; all those working on
Christmas Pageant preparations; Gene Brockopp for leading our LTQ
discussion.

CHOIR VESTMENTS DEDICATED: In case you missed it Sunday, Choir members
were wearing new vestments recently purchased through the Memorial
Fund. These vestments were dedicated in honor of our Music and Choir
Director, Dr. Angela Hurley, who was presented with organist vestments
and a resolution in her honor.

Peace to all.

Mike Ward

Walnut Hill Christmas Potluck

December 4, 2009

Dear Friends:

Just a note to remind you of our

CHRISTMAS POTLUCK
SUNDAY, DECEMBER 6
AFTER WORSHIP

Bring a salad, side dish, or dessert.

See you then!

Peace,

Mike Ward

Walnut Hill Church Weekly Letter

December 2, 2009

Greetings to all!

Last Sunday we entered the season of Advent, four Sundays leading up
to Christmas. Dorothy Bass describes the season.

The Christian year begins as the calendar year sputters into its
final month. Its first season is quiet but expectant, leaning, as if
heavy with child, into the future. During the four weeks of Advent,
the season whose name means "coming," we carry our yearning in full
view, like a protruding belly. Borrowing the words of the prophet
Isaiah, we declare our own longing for the eyes of the blind to be
opened and the ears of the deaf unstopped, and for streams of water in
the desert. We dare to hope that God will indeed send good news to
the oppressed and bind up the brokenhearted and repair the ruined
cities (Isaiah 35:1-10; 61:1-4). Then John the Baptist, crying
Isaiah's words in the wilderness, announces that God's promises are
close to fulfillment. "Stir up your power and come," we pray,
yearning out of the depths of history and into the promises beyond
history, and out of the depths of our own lives toward the fulfillment
of our deepest longings.
(from "Receiving the Day")

The Scripture lessons for Sunday, December 6, the Second Sunday of
Advent, the Sacrament of Holy Communion:
Malachi 3:1-4
Philippians 1:3-11
Luke 3:1-6

MEN'S COFFEE - Walnut Hill men are invited to gather for coffee and
conversation this Saturday, December 5, 8am, at Panera's on Richmond
Rd. Feel free to stop in for as long or short a time as your schedule
allows. No rsvp required.

THE CHILDREN'S CHOIR continues its practice this Sunday, 10am, in
Trinity Hall. The children are practicing for a Christmas
presentation during morning worship on Sunday, December 13. All
children through elementary age are encouraged to participate.
Contact Nell Horman for more details.

LIVING THE QUESTIONS video discussion series continues this Sunday,
10am, in Trinity Hall. The topic for this Sunday is "Creative
Transformation." Feel free to enjoy a cup of coffee, join the
conversation, or just listen in.

CHRISTMAS SEASON POTLUCK - Be sure to join us this Sunday, December 6,
immediately after worship for our traditional Christmas Season
Potluck. This gathering is for all ages! Bring a salad, side dish,
or dessert (and your appetite)!

THE GIVING TREE - A favorite Walnut Hill tradition is the "Giving
Tree" with its ornaments representing gifts for the children and
adults of a local Lexington family. The Giving Tree will be up and
decorated in Trinity Hall on Sunday, December 6. Simply take an
ornament from the tree, purchase the suggested gift, and return the
gift and ornament to Walnut Hill by Sunday, December 20.

CHRISTMAS PARTY - The annual Walnut Hill Christmas Party will be held
on Sunday, December 13, 4pm - 6pm, at 1202 Delong Place. Bring an
hors-doeuvre item. This gathering is for adults.

ATHENS-CHILESBURG ELEMENTARY - Once again this Christmas season we are
welcoming donations in support of Walnut Hill's sponsorship of 15
children to participate in the A.C.E. 5th Grade Class Trip to
Washington, DC. Without sponsorship these children would not have the
means to participate in this special experience. The trip costs
approximately $550/child. Your gift in any amount is welcome. Make
your check payable to Walnut Hill Church, designated "ACE Trip."

IN THE COMMUNITY: White Oak Pond Christian Church (Madison County)
will present "Pioneer Christmas In Kentucky" at 6:30pm on December 11,
12, and 13. The program is described as "an 18th century Christmas
evening of dinner and musical drama. " Reservations ($25/person) are
required. Call 859-623-6515 for reservations or more information.

THANKS TO...David Sharrard, Brook and Scott Steede, and the Children's
Choir for their leadership during worship; Gene Brockopp for leading
our LTQ discussion; Nell Horman and Jo Wallen for working with the
Children's Choir; Ruth Sharrard for our Advent Wreath; Susan and Brian
Gillispie for our after worship refreshments.

Peace to all.

Mike Ward