Advent & Christmas 2025

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Sunday morning worship during Advent will feature the lighting of the Advent Candles by different groups in the congregation, as well as a special sermon series exploring the traditional themes of Advent—Hope, Joy, Love, and Peace.
Join us each Sunday to experience the season in its entirety!

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Advent Devotionals
Are you seeking a deeper connection to your faith this Advent season? We suggest using Draw Near: Lighting the Advent Path with Hope, Peace, Love, and Joy from the Presbyterian Outlook. To receive this digital devotional, please contact Laura Green in the church office at [email protected], and she will ensure you are added to the distribution list. Additionally, printed copies of this devotional will be available in the church office.
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We also recommend a creative devotional from Illustrated Ministry titled Do Not Be Afraid. This interactive resource encourages coloring and doodling, allowing you to engage more deeply in reflection through its illustrations and creative spaces. You can download it here to print at home or visit the church office to pick up a physical copy.

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The Angel Tree
November 16th is also opening Sunday for our Angel Tree! FISH will be readying the tags for us earlier that week, and the bins with the yet-to-be-chosen angels will be set out on the bridge, so they’re accessible even on school days, any time the building is open. Join Westminster Hall Adult Ed that day to learn a bit about the agencies we support with this ministry.
Consider making your gifting a party by inviting a friend or two to choose angels, too, and making a date to wrap and visit together. Gifts are due in the church office on December 8th, then we’ll need elves to do some last-minute shopping to fill in any gaps, wrap those items, organize, and deliver. Volunteer signup can be found at tinyurl.com/SCPCAngelTree2025
Not a shopper? Our gift to Out of the Cold staff and guests is two of their nights at a hotel that provides respite for staff and guests alike. Not a wrapper? Gifts for Youth Service Bureau participants must be in gift bags so that they can be inspected before distribution, and gifts for Housing Transitions get a “welcome home” note, but they don’t need to be wrapped – they are household startup items that will be distributed as people move out of shelters and into apartments as needed.

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Pathways and Oasis Christmas Celebration!
Mark your calendars for our annual Christmas Party with the children and youth on Sunday, December 21st, at 10:30 AM in the Fireside Room.
Stay tuned for more details! Typically, we have a wonderful time with a cookie decorating session and sing cheerful holiday songs to embrace the Christmas spirit

Christmas Poinsettia Orders
 To order Christmas Poinsettias, please complete the online form here or take a paper form from the back of the sanctuary. These forms are due at the church office by November 18. Poinsettias can be taken from the Sanctuary after the 11 pm service on Christmas Eve. 

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Advent Organ Recitals Wednesdays at 12:30 pm
 Advent Organ recitals will take place on Wednesdays at 12:30 pm and will all be followed by lunch in the Social Hall. Join us for lovely music of the season, plus delicious food and fellowship

Live Streams Below

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Christmas Candlelight Service
We invite you to our Candlelight Service on Sunday, December 14th, at 4:00 PM. This year’s event will feature an Advent and Christmas Hymn Festival by Michael Burkhardt. Join our Candlelight Choir, accompanied by brass instruments, organ, oboe, and handbells, for a delightful evening of choral and congregational music.
The service will include readings from scripture and reflections inspired by the writings of Dietrich Bonhoeffer. Afterward, please join us for a light supper provided by the Deacons in the Social Hall. Childcare will be available in room 101.
Rehearsals began in October, but if you're still interested in joining the choir, please reach out to Heike.

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Live Stream Below

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Gifts for the Christ Child
Gifts for the Christ Child is our Christmas special collection.  This year, the funds collected will be a gift for Hekima Place, a safe, loving and faith-based home for orphaned vulnerable girls in Kenya, which supports excellence in education and empowerment for the girls’ futures.  While we are excited that an SCPC team will be going again this summer to visit and help out, this collection is strictly a gift to our friends at Hekima Place to help them do what they do: teach and learn, nurture and grow.  Find envelopes in the pews, or donate by check or online, memo: Christ Child Gift.  The collection will stay open through Epiphany. 

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Christmas Eve Worship  - Wednesday, December 24

Christmas Eve Worship Services
4:00,  7:00, and 11:00 pm

• 4:00 pm - Our LOGOS children and youth will present “Do Not Be Afraid: A Christmas Pageant” based on the narratives surrounding Jesus’ birth from the gospels of Matthew and Luke. Childcare is available.
• 7:00 pm - A service of Lessons and Carols appropriate for all ages, with plenty of opportunities to sing your favorite Christmas carols.
• 11:00 pm - A traditional Christmas Eve worship service including communion, with music led by the Chancel Choir.

​Each service will include the Festival of Light & singing of “Silent Night”.

Christmas Eve 4:00 pm Service

Christmas Eve 7:00 pm Service

Christmas Eve 11:00 pm Service

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Christmas Day Dinner
Watch the Weekly Update for reservations, sign up sheets, and spread-the-word flyers.
​Reach out to Clark Moose at [email protected] if you’d like to join the organizing team.

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First Night State College ~ December 31, 2025
SCPC will be hosting events on Sunday, December 31st as part of State College's First Night activities.  Buttons are required for performances and may be purchased at various locations downtown or at each venue.

Sanctuary
2:00pm – Hartman & Goslin
4:00pm – PennSOULvanians
6:30pm – House of Hamil
8:30pm – Callanish
 
Westminster
2:30pm – Adam Schwartz Puppets
4:00pm – TBD
5:30pm- Adam Schwartz Puppets
 
Social Hall
2:00pm-4:00pm – Kids Crafts

Click here to visit the First Night website