Looking to Simplify your Advent?

Tired of spending time in malls during Advent? Looking for a way to simplfy your life and catch a deep breath of peace this Christmas? Help has arrived. Instead of tracking down a gift for someone who really doesn't need it, give a gift in honor of your loved one to someone who really needs a gift this Christmas. Presbyterian Disaster Assistance has downloadable and printable cards on their website ready to be given to the people on your list. The cards read:

A gift has been sent in your honor to
Presbyterian Disaster Assistance.

May the knowledge of this gift
and God’s gift of love
fill you with peace during this
special season
and in the New Year to come.

Advent Wreath Lighting, With a Green Twist

Georgia Interfaith Power & Light has a free and fun Advent Wreath lighting liturgy online. Instead of lighting Advent candles, "Preparing for a New Light: Caring for God's Creation during Advent" leads participants to replace old lightbulbs with energy saving ones. After you have replaced the old bulb, the study then describes different benefits to God's creation of doing so. Go ahead and "light a candle and change a bulb" this holiday season! Click here to go to the study.

An Author Among Us

Our very own Barb Chalfant has an article in the new issue of the APCE Advocate. Her article, entitled "Like in a potter's workshop, we are reclaimed, recycled, renewed, remade," discusses how the Christian life lived out by Reformed Christians resembles the process of working with clay on a potter's wheel. Nice work, Barb!

New Immigration DVD

The Resource Center has just acquired a new video about immigration. Dying to Live puts a human face on the immigration debate. It asks, who are these people who are crossing our southern border? The 33 minute DVD discusses the issues that cause migrants to make the difficult decision to try to enter the United States and follows them as they make the difficult journey through the harsh landscape of the American Southwest. The film was made by Daniel Groody, a theologian at the University of Notre Dame. It has aired on PBS. I highly recommended it. Watch clips of the film here.