This will be a very special Vesper Service and will include our Adult and Youth Choirs and many wonderful guest musicians performing Christmas Gospel music. The featured work will be "The Ballad of the Brown King" a cantata in Gospel style by Margaret Bonds, one of the first published African American woman composers. We will all join in singing such Christmas Gospel favorites as, "Go Tell It on the Mountain" and "Children Go Where I send Thee". Sanghee Kim and Malcolm Halliday will be at the piano and organ. Some of our great Jazz players will be adding their talents. Caitlin Felsman will join us as vocal Soloist. All the music is under the direction of FPC Music Director, Mike Pfitzer. The service will be led by our Minister, Tom Rosiello. This holiday event is offered as a gift to the entire community. Be sure to come and bring along neighbors and friends. You won't want to miss this one!  Child care will be provided for younger children.

This morning  adults, youth and older children will participate in telling  the ancient story of Hanukkah as well as how it is celebrated today.  The service will include traditional Hanukkah music and a sermon preached by The Rev. Tom Rosiello based on the Hanukkah story entitled "Inextinguishable Hope."

Today we will introduce a series of services which will focus on the symbol of light in many different religious traditions.  This will be a service of stories and songs about holidays of light that occur in different religions of the World at this time of the year.  It will be led jointly by Michelle Cote, our Director of Religious Education and Mike Pfitzer, our Music Director.

With the passing of George McGovern, a true war hero and a strong opponent to the Vietnam war, we are reminded of the tension that has existed and still exists between veterans and many in our society.  We will explore our attitudes towards veterans and how we as a nation treat those who have served our nation, especially those who have sustained serious injury. We will also together in spoken words and song honor those who served our country in the military and at the same time pray what is said to be the prayer of every veteran, a prayer to end all war.