In the Christian calendar, we have now entered the season of Advent. Advent is a time of expectation, waiting, and readiness. Christians are supposed to ready themselves for the arrival of the "Son of Man." Henry David Thoreau encouraged us to keep an "infinite expectation of the dawn." The Buddha claimed that his most distinguishing characteristic was simply that he was "awake." How do we hold ourselves in a state of constant readiness? Why? How do we wake up? The sermon will investigate.

Flowers - The flowers for today's service are donated by Laura and Jon Roberts in memory of Salvatore Rizzari and Evelyn MacKenney.

Steeple Lighting - The steeple lighting this week is donated by Anne and Alec White in memory of John Niemeyer and Katharine Wormelle Meissner.

Chalice Lighters - Members of the Welcoming Committee.

The Current Events Forum invites politically conservative members to join them for a discussion on Sunday, December 5th at 9:30 a.m. in the Conference Room. The goal of the discussion is to expand our collective knowledge of conservative views in a liberal church. Please join us for what will prove to be an interesting and educational discussion.

"Empty Bowls" Soup and Bread Event
Immediately following the worship service on December 12, the Young Church "Empty Bowls" group will host a soup and bread lunch in the Parish Hall. In addition to enjoying delicious soup and bread, you will have the opportunity to buy a beautiful bowl made by one of the children in Young Church. Proceeds from the bowl sales will support a local, national, or international hunger relief organization.

Flowers - The flowers for today's service are donated by Linda, Bob and Will Fuller in loving memory of Bob's parents Arthur Alexander Fuller, Sr. and Margaret Fellows Fuller.

Steeple Lighting - The steeple lighting this week is donated by Penelope Johnson in loving memory of her parents Helen Bailey and Leonard Ware Johnson.

• FRS Partner Church Calendar: The months are in Hungarian, and the pictures are by John Mercer from this past summer. All profits will go toward raising $3,000 to use in bringing our Partner Church minister and his wife and the church president and his wife here on a visit this spring. The calendars are $25.00, of which $15.00 will be the profit. We also have three remaining embroidered items from Transylvania: large, medium, and small.
• FRS History: New England history buffs will appreciate a handsome 2-volume boxed set of A History of the First Religious Society. Volume I, Minnie Atkinson's prize-winning church history, describes 18th and 19th century memorable ministers and Society life of the period. Volume II connects the world-shaking events of the 20th century with Newburyport and change and growth in the church and the City. Both books reveal surprising and interesting facets of Unitarian church life in New England. Each volume is $20.
• Gift Items from Colores Del Pueblo: On Sunday, December 5, from 11:30 to 12:30 in the Parish Hall, the FRS Social Action Committee is selling gift items from Colores Del Pueblo, an organization that sells fair trade, artisanal goods from countries such as Guatemala, Mexico and El Salvador. Gifts include weavings, wood carvings, ceramics, baskets, hand crafted silver jewelry and more. Colores Del Pueblo puts people before profits, paying them fairly for their crafts so they can earn a living wage. Great holiday gift items to fit any budget! Cash or check only. For more information about Colores Del Pueblo, see www.coloresdelpueblo.org on the World Wide Web.
• FRS Christmas Cards: Two different scenes of FRS winters; watch for them at the FRS Store (below). All proceeds to benefit the FRS renovation. These are available with envelopes packaged in groups of five for $5.00 for the group. If you would like to place an order for 100 or more cards, the price would be lower, and the cards could carry your own holiday message.
• The Ever Present FRS Store: Located to the right of the kitchen door in Parish Hall, the store includes the now famous FRS Cookbook, the Weathercock brass Christmas ornament, oil chalices, note cards and photo cards of the buildings, and Maxine Steeves's book of anecdotes. Prices are listed above the merchandise - browse and buy at your leisure during Coffee Hour.

• UUSC Greeting Cards: Holiday greeting cards will be available for purchase during coffee hour every Sunday while supplies last. Cards are $8.00 per pack. All proceeds go to the UUSC. Contact Eileen Fitzgerald for more information.
• CLF's UU-Themed Note Cards and Classic UU Jewelry: Support the Church of the Larger Fellowship (CLF), a ministry to isolated Unitarian Universalists around the world. CLF's popular multi-purpose UU themed notecards come in four colorful designs, and are sold in packages of 10. Our classic jewelry - including pendants, pins, and earrings - make great gifts for the special UU on your holiday shopping list. On the web, go to: http://www.clfuu.org/, and click on Gift Shop. Or call CLF Administrator Lorraine Dennis, at (617) 948-6166.

A reminder to all members of both choirs (Young Church Choir and Teen Choir), that there is a mandatory rehearsal for Candlelight on Saturday, December 18, from 9:00 - 10:00 a.m. in the church. You must attend if you want to sing at Candlelight.

I'm so glad to have so many kids participating in our youth choirs program this year. Both groups are sounding better than ever! If you'd like to join us, please do. New members are always welcome. No previous musical experience is necessary.

Are you already stressed out about the holidays? Here is some recommended reading from the Social Action Committee for parents who want to decrease their Holiday Stress:

• Hundred Dollar Holiday: The Case for a More Joyful Christmas by Bill McKibben
• The Battle for Christmas by Stephen Nissenbaum

Other books with consumer themes which we recommend:

• What Kids Really Want that Money Can't Buy: Tips for Parenting in a Commercial World by Betsy Taylor
• Born to Buy by Juliet Schor
• Consuming Kids by Susan Linn

Loose Plate Report
In December, one third of the Loose Plate will go to Emmaus House, a family emergency shelter located at 150 How Street, Haverhill, MA. It serves up to 15 families at one time, offering a structured family environment, counseling, referrals to outside agencies, and housing search assistance. Most families find permanent housing within 12 months. The average length of stay is eight months. It is the only shelter in the region which accepts men into its facility.

Christmas Flowers — Would you like to help decorate the church for Christmas?

The April 9-17, 2005 tour has been planned and will be led by the Rev. Dr. Gordon Gibson, minister of the Elkhart Unitarian Universalist Fellowship, who was involved in the early stages of the 1965 Selma voting rights campaign and was the Unitarian Universalist minister in Mississippi 1969-84. He led a similar tour in the spring of 2004. The Rev. Ed Harris, a native of Birmingham, will also be on the tour as a resource.

The tour, by luxury motor coach, will include all admission charges, overnight accommodations, and most meals in the $995 cost. Videos on the bus and visits with 1960s activists will supplement the site visits. The tour will begin and end in Birmingham, Alabama.

For full details and registration information, you can go to the Elkhart Fellowship's web site at www.uufe.org. You can also request a printed version by writing UUFE, P.O. Box 584, Elkhart, IN 46515 or e-mailing judygibson@juno.com. Registration is on a first-come basis with almost half of the 30 seats already reserved.

A participant in the 2004 Tour said, "the stories from the folks who were 'in the trenches' make the Movement come alive." Another participant described it as "seeing the Movement through the real experiences of real people."

The Renovation Steering Committee has two related tasks left:

• Conduct additional fund raising to close a $76,000 gap, which resulted, in large part, from the increased budget authorized by the membership in September 2003
• Close on the mortgage which completes the financing of the project The amount of the mortgage depends on how much over the $76,000 we are able to raise. Every dollar over this amount reduces the anticipated mortgage of $240,000 and, therefore, the drain that mortgage payments will have on our operating budget.