Potomac Highlands Pandemic Christmas Ministries – 2020
- Garrett Highlands – Barb Rexroad
- Virtual Choir – Individuals will sing a certain Christmas song in their home and send it to someone who will mesh it together to form a choir.
- Mailing Advent Devotionals.
- Individual families light Advent Candles.
- Wesley, Kingwood – Jonathon Nettles
- Christmas Eve Virtual Lessons and Carols – Facebook watch party & broadcast.
- Antioch – Gwen Wolford
- Photographs of church family in the scenes of the Nativity. There will be a booklet that can be shared and on virtual screen.
- ADVENT – everyone will have their own Advent Wreath Kit and provide for families/those on-line with them. May use battery operated candles.
- People can pick up on the Front Walk…delivery can be left on the front porch.
- People go outside of their home at 8:00 on Christmas Eve with a candle and sing Silent Night.
- Trinity-Waldon – Marybeth Chien
- Monologues of Mary – use each Sunday’s in Advent and Christmas Eve. Young girl will share on video and in written form for those that are not on-line.
- Resource – Reformed Worship Magazine
- Monologues of Mary – use each Sunday’s in Advent and Christmas Eve. Young girl will share on video and in written form for those that are not on-line.
- Grace, Keyser – Lauren Godwin
- Supply families with Advent related activities.
- Record Advent candle lighting to be included in on-line service.
- Kids Virtual Christmas Program.
- Drive-In/Virtual Worship on Christmas Eve.
- Invite people to bring their candle (hold open flame outside car). Battery operated candle.
- People sing in their cars.
- Book Study & Resources – Adam Hamilton – “Incarnation”
- Mathias – Heather Rogers
- Christmas Eve – Glow sticks (instead of candles) and gather in cars to pray at each church in each parking lot. Every car moves from church to church in a caravan.
- Augusta – Gary Rankin
- Leave church open for community members to look at decorations (being mindful of sanitizing).
- Campfire outside while physically distancing – pastor would deliver a sermon.
- St. Paul’s, Williamsport – Ann Harrison
- Laity doing children’s moments telling their childhood stories.
- Advent decorations.
- Watch Night on New Year’s Eve – historical in African American Church.
- Capon Bridge – Alanna McGuinn
- Home Advent Wreath – a blessing jar be near the wreath. Families would write a daily blessing to place in the jar. On Christmas, each family would read the blessings.
- UMW includes within the Thanksgiving baskets an Advent devotional booklet and an Advent calendar.
- Duffey Memorial – Mark Flynn
- Making an advent wreath kit is to provide a slice of a cedar log while holes drilled for the candles.
- Radio Ministry – $75 per week to be on WELD.
- Christmas Ministries to be shared on the radio.
- Riverton – Cindy Skinner
- Prayer Tree – Decorate a Christmas Tree in the Pavilion and invite people from the charge to write their prayer requests to place on the Tree. The charge will pray for these individuals.
- People can come at any time to pray. Socially distanced outside.
- Prayer Tree – Decorate a Christmas Tree in the Pavilion and invite people from the charge to write their prayer requests to place on the Tree. The charge will pray for these individuals.
- Blackwater – Jay Bunting
- Gift box as a collection box for BUMFS children.
- Aurora – Anna Efaw
- “Advent on the Ark” (Theme: Noah and his family had to trust God).
- Mailings to shut-ins and those unable to have access to internet…Email…Share on-line…front porch.
- “Advent on the Ark” (Theme: Noah and his family had to trust God).
- St. John’s, Parsons – Neil Parsons
- Drive-thru Nativity with Music and people socially distanced.
- Advent Lighting
- Retired – Roy Knight
- Resource – “WV Pastors of the Conference” Facebook page
- Trinity, Terra Alta – Eric Beeman
- Blue Christmas Service – Facebook
- Ideas from Cokesbury & YouTube
- Christmas Eve Service – Facebook
- Blue Christmas Service – Facebook
- For those participating in a Live Nativity, it may be interesting to see Joseph and Mary in masks – “A Pandemic Nativity.”
Resources
- UMC Discipleship Ministries
- Sovereign Grace Music – Allowing anybody to use their videos and music without copyright through December. Make sure that you show their copyright if you do not have your own.
- Adam Hamilton’s “Incarnation”
Purchase FM Transmitters
- Integrity Music (Harrisonburg, VA)
- Amazon/On-line
- Robert Oakley may know someone that could have one for sale.
- Communicate with Deborah Coble – dcoble@wvumc.org
Monvalley Pandemic Christmas Ministries – 2020
1. Daily Advent challenges on FB – Barrackville and Central UMC
2. Encourage caroling in your car so that folks can sing and not infect others
3. Ecumenical live nativity in town with the Christmas story being read over an FM transmitter
4. For Longest Night or Blue Christmas services – use paper bag luminaries with prayers written on them.
5. Christmas pageant at the Tygart Lake Golf Course using FM transmitter and hay wagon as the stage.
6. Instead of real candles – battery operated ones. Or BYO candle.
7. Live Nativity with animals at Reedsville City Park on December 13
8. Incarnation Advent study designed for Zoom – likely opportunity for people outside Wesley UMC to participate – contact Randy Flanagan. Also, Judy Flynn is offering it.
9. Janet Flanagan for Wesley UMC is reading and recording a children’s book a week during Advent.
10. Creating a video of church members holding candles to be edited together for “Silent Night.”
11. Illustrated Ministry has Zoom screen backgrounds of the nativity.
12. O Zoom All Ye Faithful – a Christmas pageant written for Zoom.
13. Not Advent but still fun – Suncrest is doing Top 10 hymns and their history on Youtube Sunday, November 15th at 3:00 pm.
14. Meadowdale charge members have decided to mail Christmas cards to each other this year rather than passing them out in the congregation.
15. Many churches will be editing together choirs singing. Also, several churches are recording carols in an extended video, as well as worship service. Life UMC has offered to host videos on their Vimeo for all of our churches to see use. If you have something to share – please send a link to Tim Edin – pastortimedin@yahoo.com or Dusty Merrill – merrill.dustin@gmail.com to be posted. We’ll send the link out soon so that you can be on the lookout for things to use in your service.
16. Western Pennsylvania Conference Advent/Christmas resource link
17. And don’t forget about the Netflix series – Fireplace For Your Home – if you want the look of a fire in your living room without the heat:)
OTHERS
St. John United Methodist Church – Scott Depot, WV
November 22nd will be our Annual Hanging of the Greens – BUT, things WILL be different this year! We invite you and your family to Adopt a Tree, a Bush, or a Hedge to decorate – we are asking you to donate and decorate. If you are interested, please contact the church office, and we will designate a specific one for you to decorate. So, load up your vehicle with your family and decorations and let’s see how magically and beautifully we can make our church grounds ’light-up’ for the Christmas Season.