Saturday April 27, 2024 
Calling All Knitters
BRUNSWICK – Are you someone who likes to knit, but you’ve already made everything you need for yourself and your family? We have a great opportunity where you can use your skill to help others! You are welcome to participate in our Prayer Shawl Knitting Group every first and third Thursday at 12:30 PM in the lobby at Brunswick Church. Shawls are made to share and bring comfort to those who are ill or suffering, and they have always been very much appreciated. For more details about joining the group, or if you know of someone who could use a prayer shawl, please call the church office at 518-279-3792. This is a ministry of Brunswick Church at 42 White Church Lane (just off Rt. 351). Our worship services are Sundays at 9:30 AM and all are welcome; however, church attendance is not required to join the knitting group or to request a prayer shawl.
Church of the Redeemer
RENSSELAER – Sunday service is at 9 AM followed by coffee hour. This is the third Sunday of Advent, a time to step back and reflect on the joy in our lives. On Sunday, December 19 at 6 PM, we will decorate the church for Christmas.
Hot Mess Crafters meets on Wednesday at 10 AM in the Hearth Room.
Bible Study will be held on Wednesday at 4 PM.
Thrift Shop will be open every Thursday in December from 3-6, and on Saturday, December 18, from 9-2. Stop in for those Christmas items you want or need.
The Church of the Redeemer is an Episcopal church located on CDTA bus route #214 at the corner of Third and Catherine Streets. There is handicap parking, a ramp in front, and a parking lot in the rear.
Fr. Robert Haskell may be emailed at rhaskell2@nullnycap.rr.com
Navigating Family Landmines: A Holiday Gathering Survival Guide
STEPHENTOWN – Do you sometimes feel that pit in your stomach around holiday gatherings—and it has nothing to do with the rich foods or treats? The holidays are a time of celebration, family, and fun. They can also be a time where disagreements surface, old fights are rehashed, or stories told we’d rather forget. When politics and masks/vaccine practices can divide a family as much as a nation, it’s helpful to have a few tricks to navigate the landmines. Join our workshop open to the community on how to steer clear of the conversations that feel potentially explosive, if not relationally unsafe. Pastor Chris Garrison leads this discussion at the Stephentown Federated Church, 1513 Garfield Road on Sunday December 12th at 4pm. All are welcome. Handicapped accessible. Masks required.
When Christmas Feels Blue
WEST SAND LAKE – Christmas is a season filled with joy and festivities, but not for everyone. The holidays can be hard on those whose hearts are hurting, who may have lost a loved one, who may be experiencing illness or who are carrying pain. Not everyone feels like celebrating during the holidays. Salem Church offers a Blue Christmas Service, a gentle, contemplative service for those who are feeling pain or loss during a season of celebration.
Blue Christmas is a quiet, reflective worship service, a time to acknowledge our sadness and despair, and remember the season of hope. Christ is coming — no hustle, no bustle. Feel his light and be encouraged.
All are welcome at the Blue Christmas Service. Salem United Methodist Church, Wednesday, December 15, 2021 at 7pm, 349 Shaver Road, West Sand Lake, NY (518) 674-3106. Check our Facebook Page for up-to-date information, facebook.com/SalemChurchWestSandLake
Christmas Services at First United Methodist Church
EAST GREENBUSH – 1 Gilligan Road, East Greenbush – Worship services are every Sunday at 8:30 AM (in person) and 9:30 AM (in person and livestreamed on Facebook at www.facebook.com/FUMCEG.). Starting Wednesday, December 15, 2021, a “Blue Christmas” tree will be in the church entryway for the season, for you to hang written remembrances or prayers on to acknowledge grief or loss. Heart-shaped ornaments will be available for you to write on.
December 24 – Christmas Eve worship times: Family Service at 5:00 PM; Traditional Candlelight Services at both 7:00 PM and 9:00 PM.
Brunswick Church to Host Live Nativity & Open House
BRUNSWICK – December 19, 2-4 pm – As the world busily prepares for Christmas, Brunswick Church invites you to take a break and truly imagine that first Christmas. Feel the night air, see the young couple in search of a place to stay, the young mother ready to welcome her first son. Smell the straw of the stable and pet the unsuspecting witnesses to the unfolding miracle, the humble animals. Feel the peace and the hope of this historic event that is the center of the season.
After visiting the nativity, we welcome all to come in out of the cold for a hot cocoa and a cookie, and to enjoy some family friendly activities of your choice – hear a story, make an ornament or a family craft. And choose a cupcake and toppings to take with you to celebrate Jesus’ birth.
Let the spirit of the season come alive this year. Come, let your hearts be filled with hope and peace.
Church of the Holy Spirit Centennial Information
EAST GREENBUSH – The Church of the Holy Spirit in East Greenbush is preparing to celebrate the 100 year anniversary of the founding of the parish. Events and fundraising are continuing throughout the year with the anniversary celebration taking place in June 2022. A written history of the parish is being prepared and we are currently looking for historical information from parishioners both past and present. If you have any information about the parish that you would like to share, please email the parish office at info@nullholyspiritchurcheg.org or call the parish office at 518-477-7925. The parish website is http://hsceg.org . Office hours are Monday and Tuesday 9 am-1pm and Wednesday, Thursday and Friday 1 pm-5 pm.
Holiday Happenings at Center Brunswick United Methodist Church
CENTER BRUNSWICK – We would like to thank the community for participating in our recent food drive We delivered two cars full of food to the Grafton Food Pantry and we able to provide 5 full Thanksgiving Dinners to families in need.
Our Giving Tree was a huge success providing toys and clothing for 22 children.
The Mitten Tree is filling up with scarves, hats, gloves and mittens which will be donated to local children.
Pet food and supplies are being collected throughout the month to donate to local shelters.
The Children’s Christmas Program will be held December 19 during the 9:00 worship service.
Blue Christmas, December 21 at 7:30 is a time for those with memories of pain and loss to come together to let go of sorrow and remember that God’s light will break through even the longest night.
Christmas Eve Service of Lessons, Carols and a short message will be December 24 at 7:30 pm.
We continue to collect greeting cards to be donated to St. Jude’s Ranch where they have an entrepreneur program for youth and clean pill bottles with caps for Matthew 25 Ministries.
Brooks Bar-B-Q will be January 8, 2022 from 2-6 pm. $ 13 full dinner – $6.00 1/2 chicken only. Call Jill at 518 258-2164 for tickets.
Blue Christmas Service: Honoring Life and Loss in the Holidays
STEPHENTOWN – The Christmas season has an amazing ability to trigger nostalgic memories—both of happy and sad, gratitude and grief. The Blue Christmas tradition honors the fact that for many of us we experience all kinds of loss—the loss of relationships, loss of trust, loss of jobs, loss of health, loss of faith, the loss of joy. Authentic spirituality does not hide this truth, and instead allows us the space for honesty, reflection, community and practices of support. No matter your circumstance, this is an open welcoming service of candlelight, songs, prayers, and hope. Pastor Chris Garrison leads the service at the Stephentown Federated Church, 1513 Garfield Road on Sunday December 19th at 4pm. All are welcome. Handicapped accessible. Masks required.
Christmas Eve on the Mountain
SAND LAKE – Come join us at Zion’s United Church of Christ for our annual Christmas Eve service on Friday December 24th starting at 6:30pm, 741 Taborton Road, Sand Lake, NY 12153. We end the service with everyone given a candle and leave with the lights out.
The Tri-County Lutheran Parish Christmas Eve and Blue Christmas Worship
RENSSELAER COUNTY – Blue Christmas Worship: December 22 at 7:00pm at St. Luke’s Lutheran Church, 1010 Kinderhook St., Valatie, NY. For those having difficulty feeling the joy of the season or needing a more quiet, contemplative worship experience, the Blue Christmas service may be for you. This service will have candles and singing, but there will be quiet time to be in God’s presence. Please join us as we remember and embrace the grief that often overwhelms us at Christmas time.
The Tri-County Lutheran Parish has many opportunities to worship on Christmas Eve. For many Christians, the highlight of the church year. We sing carols, read the Christmas story from the bible, and celebrate Holy Communion, we celebrate Holy Communion with an open table so ALL GOD’S CHILDREN ARE WELCOME to receive the Bread (body of Christ) and Wine (blood of Christ).
Christmas Eve Schedule December 24th:
3:00pm – Emanuel/St. John’s Lutheran Church, 20 S. 6th St, Hudson, NY
5:00pm – St. Paul’s Lutheran Church, 96 Oak Hill R, Oak Hill, NY
6:00pm – Emanual Lutheran Church, 506 County Rd. 46, Stuyvesant Falls, NY
7:00pm – Trinity Lutheran Church, 68 Green Ave, Castleton, NY
7:30pm – Zion Lutheran Church, 102 N. Washington St., Athens, NY
8:00pm – Christ Our Emmanuel Lutheran Church, 19 Park Row, Chatham, NY
9:00pm – St. Stephen’s Lutheran Church, 751 County Rt. 7, East Schodack, NY
10:00pm – St. Luke’s Lutheran Church, 1010 Kinderhook St., Kinderhook, NY
Please visit the TCLP website at TCLParish.org or contact clergy by email: clergy@nulltclparish.org
Candlelight Services
Brunswick – We would like to extend a warm invitation to the community to attend one of our Christmas Eve Candlelight Services. We will be offering two identical events of carols, lessons, and candlelight at 3:00 and 6:00 PM. Both services will be held on December 24th in the worship center at Brunswick Church (42 White Church Lane, just off Rt. 351). We would love to have you join us!
Christmas Eve Service
STEPHENTOWN – Join us at Stephentown Federated Church 1513 Garfield Road, Stephentown, NY as Pastor Chris Garrison leads us in a family friendly service of carols and candles on Friday, December 24th at 7:30. All are welcome. Handicapped accessible. Masks required.
Love Lutheran Church Christmas Schedule
EAST GREENBUSH – O Come, All Ye Faithful…Come Worship with us this Christmas! Christmas Eve Candlelight Service, Friday, December 24th at 7 PM. Christmas Day, Saturday, December 25th at 10 AM. Love Lutheran Church is located at Middlesex Road and Pheasant Lane, East Greenbush. For more information or directions, please call (518) 477-8685.
Keyes Scholarship
TROY – Center Brunswick United Methodist Church offers Keyes Scholarship for 2022 graduates of Tamarac High School
The finance committee of the Center Brunswick United Methodist Church has announced that it will award $500 to a student to be selected from the Tamarac High School Class of 2022. The money may be used for any type of expense related to further education. Students do not have to belong to this church or any other church to be eligible.
Interested student must apply for this award no later than March 1,2022. The application can be obtained from the school’s guidance department.
This award is given in memory of Harold and Mabel Keyes through a trust funded by their last will and testament. Mable taught in the Brunswick Schools and continued teaching Sunday School at Center Brunswick UMC for many years after she retired. Through this award, her love of helping young people learn and grow will continue to reach the youth of our community.
Center Brunswick UMC is located at the intersection of Routes 7 and 142 in Troy.
Cancer Support Group
BRUNSWICK – There are very few of us who have not been affected by cancer, either as a patient, family member, or friend. If you are dealing with the stress of this disease for whatever reason, talking with others in similar circumstances can be very beneficial. A warm invitation is extended to attend a Zoom cancer support group, led once a month (the third Monday) by retired pastor Ted Wright, he himself a cancer patient. If you have any questions or would like the zoom link, please contact Ted at twright@nullbrunswickchurch.org. This is a ministry in conjunction with Brunswick Church at 42 White Church Lane (just off Rt. 351). Our worship services are Sundays at 9:30 AM and all are welcome. Church participation is not required to have cancer support.