Hello Everyone! At this weekend’s gatherings we’re upping the cuteness factor by 10X! Well, on Saturday night I guess I’ll be bringing the cuteness personally, so maybe that’s a downgrade (sorry about that), but on Sunday morning we’re welcoming our Treehouse Preschool Kids as move into the second week of Advent. This annual appearance by our pre-school kids is always a hit, and I can’t wait to see your smiling faces as these little ones inspire some Christmas cheer. Let’s be sure to bless and affirm these kids and their families as they point us toward the birth of Christ. And one other quick note, if you’re a regular worshipper at Sherwood Park Alliance you may know that our usual practice is to include communion, the Lord’s Table, in our gatherings the first full weekend of the month. Because of the uniqueness of this coming weekend, we’re pushing communion to next weekend when we celebrate Advent Peace. Hope to see you in-person or online this weekend. Greg Hochhalter | Lead PastorAnnual General Meeting The Elder Board invites you to attend the Annual General Meeting on Monday December 5 at 7pm, to celebrate God's faithfulness this past year, make decisions regarding future Elder Board Members and hear a bit about what the coming year will hold. Everyone is welcome to attend, voting is reserved for church members only. You can take a look relevant meeting document by visiting spac.ca/meeting. We hope you will join us.Christmas Eve At Sherwood Park Alliance Church The Christmas moments we cherish the most are the ones we share together! Sherwood Park Alliance is excited to welcome you, your family, and friends to experience the story of Christmas with one another. The awe and wonder of the shepherds as the angels shared the good news of hope and peace in Jesus' birth! Invite your friends and family to celebrate through beautiful worship, art and words. Our Christmas Eve services are for the whole family and are always a special time for kids to experience the Christmas story. Nursery will be open for children age 2 and under at all Christmas Eve services. All older children are invited to join their families in the auditorium. There will be a child-friendly environment, with limited space available, for families with preschool aged children in the north balcony. We look forward to celebrating with you this Christmas! Join us on December 23 at 6 PM, or December 24 at 2, 4, or 6 PM to celebrate Christmas together. There will be family photos, a Nativity Adventure, live music and more! This year the offering received at the Christmas Eve Services will be going to For Freedom International. This organization was started “with a dream to see the marginalized, vulnerable, and exploited set free from the injustice of oppression.” Working in Phuket, Thailand, FFI is focused on “growing a public awareness and education campaign in Thai public schools to help provide sexual education, anti-trafficking awareness, [and] after school support programs for children, and families at risk.” Funds collected will go towards a building project to provide boys who have been rescued from human trafficking a safe home. You can make your donations here on December 23 and December 24.Justice and Compassion Christmas Projects As the Christmas season approaches, there will be many way to engage in giving by participating in one or more projects that our Justice and Compassion team is leading. International Workers Christmas Cards - Each Christmas we as a church come together to express and encourage our International Workers. Ways to participate are: You can sign one the digital cards. Write your own separate note of encouragement on a card of your choosing, for the International workers, and drop it off at the church. Email your encouragements and Christmas greetings to Annemarie and we'll add them to the e-cards for you (please include who each of the messages is for). Cards can be picked up or dropped off or dropped of at the church during office hours or around a weekend service December 3/4, 10/11, 17/18. Cards are due back January 2, 2022. We Care Christmas Bags - Thank you to everyone who picked up a tote bag. Please return the bag to the church by December 11. Due to an overwhelming response, we do not have any more tote bags to give out. For more information about We Care, please see here.Holiday Hours The regular schedule around here will look a little different during the Christmas holidays. On Christmas Day, Sunday December 25, there will be no in person service but there will be an online service only at 10am. On December 26 and 27, the church office will be closed for Boxing Day and a day in lieu of Christmas Day. We will be open and hold regular office hours on December 28, 29 & 30. On New Year's Eve, Saturday December 31, there will be no service - online or in person.On Sunday January 1, we will have our normal Sunday service at 10 AM online and in person. Kids Ministries Family Advent Devotional Guide The holiday season goes by so quickly with the hustle and bustle of all the celebrations and preparations. We're inviting you to take pause each day as a family and reflect on the presence and peace of Jesus in this season. Sign up here to access our family advent devotional which includes a short reading (separate Elementary and Preschool readings both included) and a beautiful build your own nativity scene document. Guides are available online to print at home, or in-person at the Kids Kiosk in the atrium on weekends or at the front church office.A Call to Prayer For our December prayer gathering on Wednesday December 7th, we invite you to come and pray together as a body of believers. We will be focusing our hearts on Christmas. Praying for all the details of the Christmas services to come together and for all the people who will be coming to Sherwood Park Alliance Church, choosing to celebrate Christmas with us. May all our hearts be open to the wonderful news that Christmas brings and be a shining light in our Community. The prayer meeting will be held in the SCA Secondary's Common (school Library) at 7 PM. Registration is requested.Career Opportunity at SPAC We are currently looking to hire a Human Resources Manager, please see here for more information.