R E H T E G TO
s a m t s i r Ch
unwrapping the Promise
Weekly Advent Devotionals Pg 4 7 Ideas to Serve Your Neighbor Pg 13
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Activities t n e v d A r fo
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Why at r e h t e g o T s? a m t s i r h C
e k a l F n r Co Wre a t h s
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Contents
Grow Together
Weekly Family Devotionals Daily Advent Reading Family Scripture Verse
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Fun Together Why Together at Christmas? Activities for Advent Melted Snowmen Ribbon Trees/Bead Ornaments DIY Nativity Cornflake Wreaths Chocolate Crinkle Cookies DIY Christmas Village
A Note From Us What is the Christmas season like for you? Are you filled with the anticipation of Christmas day and the celebration of the birth of our promised Redeemer? Or do you feel the stress of rushing through your days to get everything completed, having your house decorated to where it truly belongs in a magazine for others to envy, buying the perfect present for everyone you know and baking a multitude of Christmas cookies to deliver to friends, family, and nursing homes? Maybe you even feel a little annoyed with all the expectations that have been laid on you.
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Serve Together Serve your Neighbor Serve with FBCG
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Together in the New Year
Family Ministries has once again created this Together@Christmas magazine to help us focus on the Biblical reason for Christmas: 2,000 years ago God fulfilled His promise to send us our Redeemer: Jesus. It’s an amazing promise and one to be celebrated together as a family – as our own individual families, and as a church family.
Continuing Faith at Home
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This magazine contains advent devotional readings, suggestions of ways to serve together and have fun together. We hope you can focus on God’s promises of blessing, righteousness, faithfulness and provision when we worship as families. May you enter this season with an attitude of thankfulness that we serve a mighty God who always keeps His promises. Our hope in this season is that you will desire to focus on Him and the promised gift of His Son, Jesus.
Merry Christmas FBCG Family Ministry
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the Promise
Weekly Devotionals for Families On the following two pages, you will find devotional content for the four weeks of Advent. The focus of the Advent Series is The Promise. We hope you will see the truth of the gospel as well as a critical aspect of the character of God: our God is a God who keeps His promises, and He has promised to redeem his world through a savior.
Week 1: The Promise of Blessing Questions from the sermon: (Genesis 12) 1. What instructions did God give to Abraham? How do you think Abraham felt about leaving everything he knew and going to an unknown land? 2. God also promised Abraham something. What did he promise? How would hearing that promise help you to follow God’s instructions? 3. What’s the biggest promise God has made to all of us? (Hint: something He would send)
Family Reading Isaiah 9:6-7 “Establishing and upholding it [his Kingdom] with justice and righteousness from that time on and forever.
Family Reading Luke 1:28-45
“Blessed is she who has believed that the Lord would fulfill his promises to her!”
Week 2: The Promise of Righteousness Questions from the sermon: (Genesis 15) 1. When God told Abraham that he would have a big family that would bless the whole world, Abraham didn’t have a single son or daughter. Do you think it would be hard to believe God’s promise, if you were Abraham? 2. Abraham had faith that God would keep his promise. The Bible says that the Lord “counted Abraham as righteous because of his faith.” What does that mean?
Bonus Idea: Memorize Luke 2:11 as a family. See page 7 for a framable picture, or go online to print your own! #FBCGTogether
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Grow Together Week 3: The Promise of Faithfulness Questions from the sermon: (Genesis 18, 21) 1. How do you think Abraham’s faith might have changed after Isaac was born? 2. What do you think it means that God is faithful? How easy is it for you to trust the promises God makes to us? 3. How does the arrival of Jesus reveal God’s faithfulness to us? How is Jesus another example of God keeping his promise?
Family Reading Luke 2:1-7 “She wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a manger, because there was no guest room available for them.”
Weekly Devotionals
Family Reading Luke 1:46-56 “...Remembering to be merciful to Abraham and his descendants forever, just as he promised our ancestors.”
Week 4: The Promise of Provision Questions from the sermon: (Genesis 22) 1. In this part of the story, what does God provide for Abraham to take the place of Isaac? 2. What does God’s provision of a ram teach us about God? 3. How is the arrival of Jesus another example of God providing for us?
Wrap it up!
The theme of this year’s Together@ Christmas is “Unwrapping the Promise.” During your family devotional time, wrap up four gifts labeled with the four promises of God. You could put small toys or candies inside, but the contents don’t matter as much as the message! The real gift is God’s promises to us: promises that He faithfully keeps.
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Grow Together
Family Advent Reading
Advent focuses on the anticipation of the coming King. These readings are designed to be read on each day of Advent. Each night, read the previous portions of the story and add a new line. Copy these, print them out and add them to an advent calendar or read from the magazine instead.
1. A long, long time ago, God created the world and placed Adam and Eve there. Adam and Eve chose to disobey God, and this ruined their friendship with God. But God made a promise that was going to make things better!
2. The promise was that God would send a Redeemer to take away this punishment so that people could be friends with God again, this time…. forever!
3. It took centuries for God’s people to be ready, but now the time had almost come for the best part of God’s Plan. God Himself was going to come: not to punish people, but to rescue them.
4. Everything was ready. The moment God had been waiting for was here at last! How would he come? What would he be like? What would he do?
5. A young girl named Mary was visited by an angel. The angel’s name was Gabriel. He told her that God wanted her to have a very special baby and that she was to call the baby Jesus.
6. Mary put her faith in God. She said, “I am God’s servant. I will do whatever He asks me to do.”
7. Mary was engaged to a carpenter named Joseph. An angel appeared to him and told him Mary would have a baby from God. Joseph was to name the baby Jesus because he would save the people from their sins.
8. Even though Mary was going to have her baby very soon, Joseph and Mary had to make a long journey to a little town called Bethlehem.
9. When they arrived in Bethlehem, there were many people there already, and Joseph couldn’t find anywhere for them to stay. Finally, an inn-keeper told Joseph that they could stay in his stable with the animals.
10. Joseph and Mary settled down there among the animals. God gave the world his wonderful gift. The baby that would change the world was born: His baby son.
11. They wrapped the baby up in warm cloths and laid him in a manger filled with straw as they gazed in wonder at God’s Great Gift.
12. Mary and Joseph named him Jesus, just like the angel had said. He would also be called “Emmanuel,” which means “God has come to live with us.”
13. God sent a big choir of angels to share this happy news! Where would you have sent the choir? To a big concert hall? Or to a palace? God sent His to a little hillside outside the small town in the middle of the night.
14. On the hills outside of Bethlehem, some shepherds who were watching over their sheep noticed something strange. There was a bright light in the sky. They had never seen anything like it before, and they were afraid.
15. An angel appeared and told them not to be frightened. Instead, they should be happy since a very special baby had been born who was the Son of God.
16. Suddenly a great assembly of angels from heaven appeared with the first angel, praising God and saying, “Glory to God in the highest heaven and on earth peace to men with whom God is pleased.”
17. Immediately, the shepherds rushed to Bethlehem to see this special baby. They were filled with joy when they saw the baby Jesus, and they worshiped him. They told Mary and Joseph what the angel had said.
18. This baby would be like that bright star shining in the sky that night: a light to light up the whole world. Chasing away darkness. Helping people to see.
19. Mary knew these things were precious, and she thought about them often in her heart.
20. Far away in the East, a group of wise men who studied the sky noticed this new, bright star in the sky. They knew it was a sign. A great new ruler had been born. They had been waiting, and they wanted to meet this new king.
21. The wise men followed the star to see what they could find. The bright star led them to Bethlehem, and there they found the king. They knelt down and worshiped the baby and gave him expensive gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh.
22. This child was a new kind of king. Though He was the Mighty God, he had become a helpless baby. This King hadn’t come to be the boss; He had come to be a servant who would save us from our sins.
23. God had sent His one and only Son! Nothing would ever be the same. Jesus entered the world as a baby, but He grew into a man who gave His life for all of us. All we have to do is believe.
24. For anyone who says yes to Jesus, for anyone who believes what Jesus said, for anyone who will just reach out to take it: God will give them this wonderful gift!
25. God loved the world so much that he gave his one and only son, so that whoever believes in him will live forever. You see, the most wonderful thing about this Story is…it’s your story too!
Advent Reading from David C Cook Publishers
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Fun Together Why Together at Christmas?
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ogether@Christmas was born out of the idea that families are looking for ways to connect to one another during the holidays, especially on a spiritual level. Faith@ Home is all about families spending time growing in their faith together. We want to create those opportunities for you with some helpful ideas. What we don’t want is to add to an ever-growing list of things you, as parents, feel guilty about not accomplishing. Sometimes the cookies look horrible. Sometimes your kids wear Christmas sweaters with ketchup stains on them. Sometimes, looking at Pinterest and Facebook and other social media can be a reminder that it seems everyone else is crushing this parenting thing. And maybe you feel like you’re not.
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On the following pages, you will find recipes, crafts, fun ideas for things to do as a family and opportunities to serve others. These are meant to be helpful suggestions, not an exhaustive list of everything you need to get done in order to be good parents during the holidays.
Show yourself a little grace because Christmas is about Jesus Christ— the Savior of the world. Use what works for your family, ignore what doesn’t and above all, show yourself a little grace because Christmas is about Jesus Christ— the Savior of the world.
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It’s not about how perfectly your home is decorated. It’s not about the hustle and bustle and the nonstop life. It’s about pointing our children toward Jesus Christ and reminding them that the God of the universe became a man in order that we might be saved. It’s about slowing down and connecting your family to the source of life. Traditions have value because of what they connect us to and what they remind us of. These are opportunities to slow down, to reconnect and to remember the things and people that matter most. So don’t worry if your melted snowman cookies look a little funny, and you had to wrap your gifts with masking tape... it’s not about creating a perfect Christmas. It’s about celebrating Him— the perfect Son of God. www.fbcg.com/together
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Activities for Advent
Go Ice Skating! There are some rinks around Kane County or you can find an indoor rink as well. Make sure you check ahead if you need to rent skates.
Get out there and have fun on purpose!
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No snow on the ground yet? No problem! Create a Winter Wonderland indoors by hanging paper snowflakes all over the house.
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Make and decorate gingerbread houses. For a simple version, make the houses out of graham crackers.
Set up a family game night! Download the Head’s Up App for a low cost. Laughter guaranteed!
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Invite friends to join you at the Celebration of Lights Festival in Batavia! November, 27 at 4:00pm.
Make Christmas cookies together. Try the recipes on page 10 or make a family favorite.
Attend our Christmas Production: Celebrating the Promise. December 11th at the West Campus. 4pm and 6pm. Visit fbcg.com for more details.
Get outside and make a snowman, have a snowball fight or make a snow fort to play in! Follow up with hot cocoa of course!
Load up the car and wear your pjs to drive the Holiday Lights at Mooseheart. Dec. 11th-13th, 18th20th 5:30-8:30 $10/car.
Check out the Annual Christmas Preschool Program. December 4th at the East Campus. 4:30pm.
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Enjoy the Geneva Christmas Walk! Visit the Geneva Chamber website for details on all of the festivities. December 2-3rd.
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Ride the Polar Express in South Elgin. Visit foxtrolley.org for details.
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Fun Together crafts and treats! Great for little hands!
Snowmen Bead Ornaments Supplies:
Pipe cleaners and pony beads
Ingredients:
White chocolate candy melts Milk chocolate candy melts Rolos Candy Orange Tic Tacs Mini Chocolate Chips
Directions:
String beads onto pipe cleaners. Bend the pipe cleaners into different holiday shapes.
Directions:
Melt the white chocolate in the microwave according to package directions. On wax paper, make a flat circle using a spoon to help create the shape. For the top hat: Use a drop of the melted white chocolate as glue to connect the milk chocolate disc and the rolo. Place the hat, one orange Tic Tac for the nose and mini chocolate chips for the eyes and mouth. Don’t worry about perfect placement- remember he’s melted! Allow snowmen to cool, then eat!
Ribbon Trees Supplies:
Sticks, assorted ribbons
Directions:
Tie ribbons around sticks. Cut to shape like a tree. Add a ribbon to the top to hang as an ornament!
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DIY Nativity Supplies:
6 wide craft sticks 1 skinny craft stick 1 gold pipe cleaner Strong scissors Paint/markers Hot glue gun
Cut 3 wide craft sticks in half using strong scissors.
Paint/Color each stick to represent Mary, Joseph, Jesus and the angel.
Assemble the building using 3 craft sticks and 2 halfsize.
Glue pieces together. Cut 1 thin craft stick into thirds and assemble the manger using two pieces.
Create a collar and halo for the angel using the pipe cleaner. Attach with hot glue.
Assemble with hot glue!
Trim the baby Jesus stick 1 inch.
Corn F lake Wreaths
Ingredients:
1/2 cup butter 30 large marshmallows 1 1/2 tsp green food coloring 1 tsp vanilla extract 4 cups corn flakes cereal Mini M&Ms
Directions:
1. Melt butter in a large saucepan over low heat. Add marshmallows and cook until melted, stirring constantly. Remove from heat and stir in food coloring, vanilla and cornflakes. 2. Quickly drop heaping spoonfuls of mixture onto wax paper and form into wreath shapes with lightly greased fingers or gloved hands. 3. Decorate with M&Ms. Allow to cool before removing from wax paper.
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Crinkle C ookies Ingredients:
1 cup unsweetened cocoa powder 2 cups white sugar 1/2 cup vegetable oil 4 eggs, at room temp 3 tsp vanilla extract 2 cups all purpose flour 2 tsp baking powder 1 tsp kosher salt 1/2 cup powdered sugar (for dusting)
Directions:
1. In a stand mixer, combine the cocoa powder, white sugar and vegetable oil. Mix for 2 minutes. Add the eggs and vanilla extract and mix until evenly combined. Add the flour, baking powder and salt and incorporate all the ingredients. Cover the dough and refrigerate for at least 3 hours. 2. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Measure out small ball of dough, I used about 1 tbsp of dough per cookie. Roll the dough into balls with lightly oiled hands. Coat each ball in powdered sugar before placing onto prepared baking sheets. Optional: you can press a red or green M&M into the top of each cookie. Bake for 10 minutes. Let cool slightly before transferring the cookies to a cooling rack to finish cooling. Recipes/photos from whatsgabycooking.com
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Christmas V illage Great for older kids who are past the days of pipe cleaners and pony beads. Create a DIY Christmas Village using downloadable templates from fbcg.com/ together. Print on cardstock, cut out and assemble. We used spray paint, spray adhesive and glitter on ours but you can be as creative as you’d like! Put flameless tea lights inside to light up your magical little village.
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Serve Together Love Your Neighbor Christmas provides us with a unique opportunity to love our neighbors. There is a natural reason for us to gather together as neighbors. During this season, as we remember and celebrate Emmanuel (God with us), let’s remember to reflect that love to those in our neighborhood. Here are some practical ideas that you may want to try as you build connections with your neighbors:
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Gather a group of neighbors to attend our Christmas Production: Celebrating the Promise. December 11th at the West Campus. 4pm and 6pm. Visit fbcg. com for more details. Grab dinner or dessert afterwards as a group.
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Host a cookie exchange. Invite a group of neighbors, and have each person make enough of one kind of cookie to share. At the party, sample the treats, then trade and package them in appealing assortments. Check out our recipes on pages 10, 11 and 12 for inspiration!
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Serve together alongside your neighbors. Sign up to be a bell ringer for the Salvation Army and invite a couple from your neighborhood to join you. Invite the neighborhood kids over for a Gingerbread House decorating party. You can have simple prizes for each of the kids. Put on a favorite Christmas movie for the kids to enjoy, while the parents enjoy some hot chocolate together. Share a meal together. Don’t make it complicated. Just invite a neighbor to join your family for dinner. You can even use paper plates; it’s about friendship, not presentation. Bake a favorite cookie or bread and deliver it to a neighbor’s house. This is a great way to meet someone or strike up a conversation with neighbors and get to know them better. Help an elderly neighbor decorate his/her home for the holidays. Hang lights or a wreath or even help put up a tree. Don’t forget to help with tear-down as well!
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Serve Together
h t i w e v r e S
G C FB
Join in with what FBCG is doing for the Christmas Season. Find out more, contact Cheryl Pacilio cpacilio@fbcg.com Here are a few options for your family:
Feed » Enjoy a Holiday Meal with friends from Lazarus House on Thanksgiving or Christmas day. Information and volunteer sign up at www.lazarushouseonline. com/events.php » Fill a specially marked bag for the food pantry – Bags available at both campuses with collection bins at West back doors and East lower level. » Donate a frozen turkey for the Women’s Refugee Ministry. Contact Ruth Nelson at blackberrycreek2@aol.com
Give
Clothe
Serve
» Give a monetary gift of any size to FBCG’s Serve the World fund which will serve families near and far this Holiday Season and beyond. Use giving envelopes or on-line options at fbcg.com » Adopt a family in need. Contact Joanna Annerino, jannerino@fbcg.com » Grab a tag off the Giving Tree near the Welcome desk at both campuses. Provide an item for a neighbor in need from Lazarus House, the Refugee Community, the Elderly, or our Compassion Clients.
» Bring your used shoes, clothes and small home goods to the Wayside Cross bin to support their outreach ministry in Aurora– outside back doors of West campus » Purchase a new hat or gloves set for needy families in our various outreach ministries, leave in collection bins at back door West or lower level East. cpacilio@fbcg.com
» Salvation Army has a variety of serving options for individuals and families: ring a bell, organize the toy shop, greet shoppers. Go to www.satricity.org then click on volunteer tab for details and sign ups. » Attend one of Aurora’s Feed My Starving Children holiday pack events with a special admission price on Thanksgiving Day or Christmas Day. See www. fmsc.org. » Attend the Blood Drive. Give the gift of life. December 19th at the East Campus. Visit fbcg.com for details.
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r e h t e g To in the
New Y ear
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opefully you have had some precious family times during the Christmas season, celebrating our great God who always keeps His promises. Here are some ideas to encourage family time in 2017. Make a family promise to do it!
5. Choose a family verse(s) for the year. Discuss its meaning, memorize it and challenge family members to recite it at the dinner table. Look for some suggestions or choose your own based on your family values/mission!
1. Become a “2-hour� family on Sunday- worship together one hour, and serve the other or attend Sunday School.
6. Make a family tree together, frame it and hang it.
2. Commit to monthly random acts of kindness that you do together as a family.
Family Memory Verse Ideas:
3. Parents, attend a Spiritual Parenting class, or use the Spiritual Parenting material in your own small group. It will equip you with practical ways to incorporate faith into your home.
Matthew 22:27-39
Genesis 1:27
Isaiah 41:10
Psalm 139:13-14
Proverbs 3:5-6
I Samuel 2:2
4. Let your children choose a weekly fun family activity to do together-- sledding, skating, movie night at home with popcorn, family game night, etc.
Ephesians 4:29
Romans 12:17-18
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Visit the photo booth in the lobby at East or West Campus!
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