Editor
This past Sunday we’ve done what is happening in Christian churches throughout the world.
We started the season of Advent.
Advent is a wonderful and unique time to prepare for Christmas in ways so different from that to which we are exposed on television and through other media.
It is also that time of the year that we have a somber moment on the First Sunday of December to pray for and remember those living with HIV/Aids and the effect this pandemic is having on families in this town and in our country.
If you have not done so, we invite you every day to pause for one minute at noon throughout these 16 Days of Activism Against Women and Child Abuse to remember those who are victims.
If possible, we challenge people in Estcourt to wear a white ribbon to show that we stand for peace and in solidarity with those suffering abuse!
What a sight it would be if people just stood still randomly where ever they are to observe a moment of silence during this time!
I wish to encourage all readers who celebrate of Christmas to really consider making this Advent a special season in your life.
In our church, we will be encouraging each other to SLOW DOWN and to SAVOUR and ENJOY these weeks that lie ahead.
Our theme this year is ‘living the dream’. As followers of Jesus it is crucial for us to remember that our hope is never based on ourselves alone, but is ultimately rooted in the death and resurrection of Jesus. And it is the practice of praise that keeps us mindful of this hope.
Why not spend this season in a constant attitude of praise for Jesus and his dream of peace and justice for our world?
We also would like to invite all the God loving people in our town to a Carol Service on Sunday, December 8 at 6pm at the Estcourt Methodist Church.
Please bring along a candle and if possible wear a white ribbon for this season of peace and celebration.
If you are going to be travelling this time of the year, please be vigilant and careful, and come back safely.
May we celebrate our unity as worshipping communities, as we together enter the new church year, and embrace that fact that there is beauty in our diversity!
May YOU find the peace, hope, love and joy that is the HOPE and the EXPECTATION that comes with Advent.
Look forward to seeing you all at the Carol Service.
Estcourt Methodist Church
