The season of Advent is a special time shared with family and friends. It’s marked with traditions and celebrations both inside and outside IPC. It’s also a time for renewed hope as we anticipate and prepare for the arrival of the Christ-child. His birth brought hope, forgiveness, peace and Good News to Christians 2,000 years ago just as it still does today.
We are marking the days until his arrival with our own traditions at IPC. Last weekend, our adult and youth volunteers helped our families create Christmas crafts at the Advent Workshop before seeing the 5th Grade Christmas Pageant during The Table 5 PM worship service. Our annual Christmas concert is this Sunday at 4 pm. The IPC Choir and Music & Fine Arts director Dr. Jeff McLelland will debut his setting of Gloria. Professional dancers from The Dance Foundation will also perform to Lloyd Pfautsch’s “A Day for Dancing.” Of course, we still have IPC member and storyteller Dolores Hydock, the Holiday House Tour, the Junior League of Birmingham Chorus, the Westminster Choir Tour and our Christmas Eve services coming up later this month. We hope the Advent Conspiracy is helpful in providing you with simple ways to make this season more meaningful. We have several resources to guide you through this season available online.
We also have news to report about two personnel searches. Earlier this week, the Session met and approved a Ministry Information Form (MIF) created by the Pastor Nominating Committee (PNC), chaired by Teresa Pulliam. This form lays out what IPC is looking for in its next senior pastor. Once approved by the Presbytery, it will be sent out in the new year to help find candidates. We have also formed a search committee to find a new director of Children’s Ministries. Committee members for that search are Rebecca Chambliss, Margaret Cobbs, David Fleenor, Jamie Hill, Bev Krannich, Rachel Phillips, Jan Posey, Michael Rediker, Marc Scholl, and Thomas Wells. Rev. Lucy Turner and Rev. David Seamon will serve as staff advisors. Please keep both of these search committees in your prayers.
See you Sunday (in purple)!
Bill
Dr. William J. Carl III, Senior Pastor
