MADISON AVENUE
PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH
921 Madison Avenue
(at East 73rd Street)
New York, NY 10021
Tel: 212- 288-8920
Fax: 212-249-1466
(at East 73rd Street)
New York, NY 10021
Tel: 212- 288-8920
Fax: 212-249-1466
9 and 11:15 am Service of Word and Sacrament
10 am Christian Education Hour
Isaiah 61:1-4, 8-11;
Psalm 126/Luke 1:47:55;
1Thess. 5:16-24;
John 1:6-8,19-28
“Glad Preparation in Difficult Times”
The Rev. Dr. Fred R. Anderson
9 am - Service of Word and Sacrament
10 am - Christmas Pageant
Special Event For Children, Youth and Adults
11:15 am - Service of Word and Sacrament
2 John 7:1-11, 16; Luke 1:47-55; Psalm 89:1-4, 19-26; Romans 16:25-27;
Luke 1:26-38
“The Mystery Kept Secret for Ages” The Rev. Dr. Fred R. Anderson
5 pm Family Carol Service - Sanctuary
(Child care provided)
10:30pm Handel’s Messiah (Christmas portion)
11 pm Candlelight Communion Service
Isaiah 9:2-7; Ps. 96; Titus 2:11-14; Luke 2:1-20
“Once in Royal David’s City” Dr. Anderson
The Nativity of Jesus Christ
11:15 am Service of Lessons and Carols
(Child care provided)
9 & 11:15 am - Service of Word and Sacrament
Isaiah 61:10 - 62:3; Psalm 148; Galatians 4:4-7; Luke 2:22-40.
Rosanna
M. Piper, M.Div. Preaching
6 pm New Year’s Eve Communion Service
“The Old and the New ” Dr. Anderson
The Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) rejoices in the birth of Jesus Christ in many ways. One way for the church to celebrate this great Joy to the World is by supporting the causes funded by the Christmas Joy Offering. Our gifts to the offering help those who have served the church and now need financial assistance through the programs of the Board of Pensions. Our gifts also support, through the National Ministries Division, the eight Presbyterian-related racial ethnic schools and colleges, where students are developing their own unique skills and talents.
You will find an envelope attached to this issue for contributions to the Christmas Joy Gift Offering that will be received in services Sunday, December 22, 2002.
For the first time ever we will be hearing the most beloved of all sacred Christmas music at the 11 pm Candlelight Communion Service on Christmas Eve. Although the St. Andrew Chorale has occasionally performed Messiah in concert, it has not been a part of our Christmas Eve celebration until this year. We will be hearing Part 1 of this great work, the Advent/Christmas portion, starting at 10:30 pm, with certain selections included in the service itself beginning at 11 pm. A small instrumental ensemble of strings and oboes will accompany the choir and soloists under the direction of John Weaver. The postlude at the conclusion of the service will be Olivier Messiaen’s monumental organ piece, Dieu Parmi Nous (God Among Us), the concluding work in his great Christmas cycle, La Nativité. In the service there will be many carols sung by the congregation. “O come, all ye faithful; O come let us adore Him, Christ the Lord.”
The Taizé service is a unique, inspiring and uplifting opportunity to worship God and feel His presence by continuously singing our prayers together in fellowship. When the prayers are sung and repeated, as a selected one is sung during communion distribution at our regular worship services, the words are empowered and felt deeply within our being. The soulful music and prayerful words remain with us after we leave the church and can be called up time after time to commune with God in our daily lives.
During the Taizé service, one feels connected to God, to each other, and even to the reformed monastery in Taizé, France, which developed this special form of sung prayer named after it.
In addition to several sung prayers, the service enriches us with an organ prelude, a call to worship, three Bible lessons, prayer offerings, the Lord’s Prayer, a closing hymn, and benediction, and greetings of Christ’s peace to one another.
Taizé services are held on the third Wednesday of the month at 6 pm in the MAPC sanctuary. Come, sing out your soul and lift up your heart at this meditative and very moving service.
– Marjorie Norris
This is my annual reminder of the IRS rules concerning year-end contributions of cash and securities. In general, the delivery date determines the year in which a contribution can be claimed as a deduction. If gifts by means of checks are mailed, the date of mailing is the delivery date. If gifts are delivered by any other means, the date the gifts are received by the charity is the delivery date. More specifically, checks mailed with a postmark of December 31, 2002 or earlier, will be credited as a contribution in 2002. Hand-delivered checks, subsequent to January 1, 2003, will be credited as Year 2003 contributions.
For gifts of securities, the date of mailing is the delivery date; if hand delivered, the date of receipt by the charity is the delivery date. When securities are delivered to a donor’s bank or broker, the delivery date is the date the securities are transferred to the charity.
The Church Business Office can assist you in making year-end gifts of
securities by using its account with Merrill Lynch. If you call me, I
will give you the Merrill Lynch DTC number and the Church’s account
number. The transfer of shares can then be made electronically.
Please note that the Church offices will be closing at 1 pm on Tuesday,
December 31, 2002.
Note: The above is not meant to be tax advice. It is presented so that you can complete your gift and receive a tax deduction in the year that you want it. If you have any questions about year-end gifting of securities, please consult your accountant or tax advisor.
— J. Richard Frey, MAPC Business Manager
To ensure the deductibility of your church contributions, please do not file your 2002 income tax return until you have received a written acknowledgment of your contributions from the church. Under IRS rules currently in effect, you may lose a deduction for some contributions if you file your return without the church’s written contribution acknowledgment. We will make every effort to provide you with documentation by January 31, 2003.
Year 2003 Offering Envelopes will be available in the Church House Lobby by Sunday, December 22, 2002.
If you wish to contribute to the Christmas decorations, please make your check payable to MAPC and send it, with the memorial, to the Chairman of the Chancel Committee, Mrs. Allen T. Hazen, 460 Riverside Drive, New York, NY 10027; or telephone her at (212) 666-0563.
The deadline for listing the memorials in the Service bulletins is Sunday, December 15.
The Congregational Nurture Committee will once again host a January fellowship dinner designed to conquer the winter blues. Songbird Questa Anderson, accompanied by pianist David Carleton, will enthrall us with an evening of her favorite Broadway songs. Mark your calendars now for Friday evening, January 17, 2003! Reservation information will be sent out before Christmas. If you missed Questa two years ago, here’s proof that there are second chances in life! Join us for food, fellowship and entertainment to warm body and soul!
Wouldn’t you like to snatch a little time and find a cozy corner just to relax with a good book? Come and take a peek at the enticing new books in The Hood Library. As many of you know, the library is just a step away from the coffee-tea bar.
Ready to go to the first reader/borrower are an array of real life stories of people, events, and places as well as books of fiction, travel, and those of religious topics. For example:
Stanice Anderson: I Say a Prayer for Me; Art Buchwald: We’ll Laugh Again; Kathleen Cambor: In the Sunlight in a Beautiful Garden; Alain de Botton: The Art of Travel; David Gilmore:The Long Recessional (Kipling); Tate Grenville: The Haunting of L; Sebastian Haffner: Defying Hitler; Robert Hughes: The Final Shores (Australia); Mel Levine: A Mind at a Time; Martin Marty: Where Religion and Culture Meet; Jan Morris: Trieste; Steve Neal: Eleanor and Harry; Nathaniel Philbrick: The Heart of the Sea; Anita Shrove: Sea Glass; Everett Story: The Wreck of the Titanic; John Updike: Best American Short Stories of the Century.
Also, see: