Join us for Advent & Christmas 2024
Advent is a special time within the church when we prepare our hearts for the coming of the Christ Child at Christmas. Through Sunday morning worship, special prayer services, and other activities at First Congregational, we hope to enrich your experience of this sacred season and give you opportunities to experience the living God in a new and vital way. Please join us!
First time visiting us? Read about what to expect at a typical service.
Learn more about this week’s worship service and access our livestream link.
Worship Services
Hanging of the Greens
December 1, 10:00 AM
Lighting of the 1st Advent candle, the candle of Hope
At Advent, we enter into a 4-week season of waiting and preparing for Christ’s coming at Christmas. It’s a season of evergreens and wreaths, of lights and colors, of gifts and sacred story. Join us on Sunday for our annual Hanging of The Greens worship service at 10 AM in the sanctuary and online and learn about these traditions in an interactive festive family service for all.
Advent Worship:
December 8, 10:00 AM
Lighting of the 2nd Advent candle, the candle of Peace
Lessons & Carols
December 15, 10:00 AM
Lighting of the 3rd Advent candle, the candle of Joy
Join us for the church’s annual Festival of Lessons and Carols, a beloved tradition from England where God’s word is proclaimed and contemplated in a special sequence of readings, prayers, choral anthems and congregational carols and hymns. This year, the choir presents the music of Hildegard von Bingen with guest vocalist Justina Golden....read more
Service of Light
Thursday, December 19, 7:00 PM
The Service of Light, held in Ripley Chapel, is a beautiful reflective ritual of prayer, candle lighting, readings and music that acknowledges the darkness and difficulty of the season for many and calls forth a Christmas hope that is deeper and more enduring than any troubles we might face Come join us to light candles in the dark and pray for the peace of a world (or a heart) in travail.
Advent Worship: A Children’s Pageant
December 22, 10:00 AM
Lighting of the 4th Advent candle, the candle of Love
Share in the love, hope, and joy of the Christmas story as the children & youth stage the annual Christmas Pageant during the worship service—a delightful First Congregational tradition! Families should look for more information from our youth minister Maggie about how they can be involved in this year’s pageant.
Christmas Eve Services
Candlelight Service
Sunday, Dec. 24, 5:00 PM
A beautiful Christmas Eve service with participation from some of our children and the traditional lighting of candles in the darkened sanctuary to celebrate the birth of the Christ Child! Join us in person or online.
Candlelight Service
Sunday, Dec. 24, 9:00 PM
Our traditional Candlelight Service with scriptural lessons and sacred carols, special music from the choir. We’ll end the service by lighting candles in the darkened sanctuary as we sing together Silent Night, Holy Night. Join us in person or online.
Faith Formation
Cookie Walk
Sun. Dec 15 after worship in Chidley Hall
Bakers Wanted! Junior Forum and Forum are asking bakers to donate homemade cookies or any number of specialty items such as truffles, seasonal breads, confections, etc., for their annual Cookie Walk. This fundraiser helps support the youth mission trips and service projects. Interested bakers can contact Maggie Keeler with any questions. PLEASE NO NUTS.
Youth Progressive Christmas Supper
Sunday, Dec 15 at 6:00 pm
The Confirmation Class will enjoy a meal with the three courses in three different homes and punctuated with some stories, carols and gift giving to make the season bright!
Family Movie Night
Friday, December 20, 2024 Doors open at 5:45 PM Movie starts at 6 PM
Gather your loved ones, bring favorite blanklet to cozy up, and join us for a heartwarming Christmas Movie. Bring picnic dinner or just enjoy some festive treats holiday cheer!
Epiphany Gathering
January 5th 5:00 PM
Join us on January 7th 5:00 PM for a family-friendly Epiphany celebration. We will begin with a potluck dinner and traditional king cake and then journey through the church to find the final resting place of the star. Once there, we will share a blessing for Epiphany.
Community Events
Women’s Advent Gathering
Monday, Dec. 9, 7:00 PM, Palmer & Tucker Rooms
All church women are invited to an evening of fellowship and peaceful contemplation. As a special gift this Advent season, invite your sisters, mothers, daughters, trans and non-binary individuals and friends to join you-in person or on Zoom…Read More
Ripley Presents Songs for the Waiting: An Advent Serenade
Friday, December 20, 7:30 p.m.
Ripley Chapel & Livestream
Featuring Adriana Repetto, Carrie Cheron, Randy McGee, Steven Lauterwasser. Live in-person and live streamed from the stunning Ripley Chapel at First Congregational Church. Please join us for a delightful and poignant evening of seasonal vocal music featuring four of Boston’s most exciting performers: Adriana Repetto, soprano; Carrie Cheron, mezzo; Randy McGee, tenor; Steven Lauterwasser, bass. From beautiful chants to gorgeous motets, from classic repertoire to haunting contemporary carols, these four are sure to bring warmth, beauty, and mystery to a cold winter’s night…read more
Service of Light: A Service of Prayer, Candle Lighting and Music
Thursday, Dec. 19, 7:00 PM
Join us for a time of prayer, candle lighting and music. Designed to move from darkness to hope, the service opens us to God’s quiet presence. Come in the face of life’s challenges, anxieties, and fears. Come when grief or loss disrupts life. Come to remember those whom we hold dear. Come during the rush of the holidays, or invite a friend or loved one facing difficulties. Read more…
Opportunities to Help Others
The Outreach Commission sponsors these annual events. Please participate in any or all of the collections as the spirit of the season moves you. Donations should be dropped off at the church.
Christmas Ornament Fundraiser
The Children and Youth Faith Formation Ministry is selling custom Christmas ornaments to support service projects and mission trips for our children, families and youth. Ornaments can be purchased online for $12 and picked up at the church office during normal business hours. The youth will also be selling ornaments during coffee hour in December.
The Giving Tree
During the holiday season, our church provides gifts to some of our neighbors. This year we will provide gifts for children and youth at Woburn Council of Social Concerns and Youth Villages in Woburn. We are also collecting warm socks for the for the men and women who call the Lowell Transitional Living Center home. Read more and sign up to bring a gift
Cookie Walk
December 15, after worship, Chidley Hall
Bakers Wanted! Junior Forum and Forum are asking bakers to donate nut-free cookies, truffles, seasonal muffins and confections for their annual Cookie Walk on Sunday, December 15th. This fundraiser helps support the youth mission trips and service projects.
Please label baked goods with your name and ingredients and drop them off in Chidley Hall before the service on Sunday, Dec 10th. The youth will box assorted goodies to be purchased during hospitality hour after the service for $10/dozen. We hope to create gluten-free boxes for those with food sensitivities too. Contact Maggie Keeler with any questions.
Poinsettia (Cuetlaxochitl) Dedications
A Christmas Tradition of Joy!
Orders are due by Wed. Dec. 11. If you would like to donate a chancel Christmas poinsettia as a memorial, or in honor of someone, please fill out this form. You can mail a check to the church office, use Venmo, or PayPal. (Please indicate “Christmas plants” in the memo field). New this year are special Flower Offering envelopes in the narthex and office lobby. The plants are $20 each.
The Dwelling Place
Saturday, Dec 21 at 5 PM
We support The Dwelling Place in Woburn every third Saturday, providing dinner and hospitality to those in need of a meal. Thanks for supporting this outreach to our community! Sign up as a family, find a few others in our church community to join you, or simply ‘come as you are’ and enjoy serving with others!
The Outdoor Church
December 29, 2 PM
Sunday, December 29th is our church’s turn to serve the homeless in Cambridge. Please join us after worship down in the kitchen to put sandwiches together. If you are willing to bring PB&J and or Egg Salad and loaves of bread let Rev. Will know. Usually we make about 75 sandwiches. If you are willing to distribute the sandwiches in Cambridge that afternoon, please email both Rev. Will and Lisa Loughlin.
