Advent & Christmas at LPC
Click here for Advent & Christmas Schedule
The Music Corner with Dr. Kaori Hongo
KENYON COLLEGE CHAMBER SINGERS COMING IN MARCH 2026!
We are here at the last month of 2025! This year has been a year of joys and challenges, peace and struggles. For myself each experience has been a lesson that God is always with us. As Isaiah 41:10 promises, “So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.”
As we look ahead to the new year, there will be many exciting events happening in the church life. One will be the visit of the Kenyon College Chamber Singers! (Definitely a “joy” for our church community.) We were fortunate to have been contacted by member Laurie Gubanyar’s niece (who is a member of the Kenyon College Chamber Singers) to host a concert in our beautiful sanctuary in March 2026. Founded in 1824 Kenyon College is a private, four-year liberal arts college in Gambier, Ohio. Students can choose from over 50 majors, minors, and concentrations, including self-designed majors (within the fine arts, humanities, natural sciences, and social sciences). Because of its scrupulous emphasis on writing, the college has earned the nickname, “the Writers’ College.”
The Kenyon College Chamber Singers are a small choir of forty-seven members, devoted to the repertoire of chamber music. The group meets five hours every week and each member is required to participate in concerts and the spring tour. As we prepare for their arrival in March, please keep an eye out for details of the event and the possibilities of helping and supporting the concert in March. If you have any questions, please feel free to talk to Laurie Gubanyar or Dr. Kaori Hongo (Minister of Music). Let us prepare to show the Kenyon College Chamber Singers the warm LPC hospitality!
Winter Clothing Drive to Benefit Laura’s Home Women’s Crisis Center
This Advent, please donate winter clothing or supplies for the residents of Laura’s Home, who are endeavoring to return to self-sufficiency. Bring needed items listed below for women and/or children (all ages) to the Atrium anytime through December 21.
- New socks
- New towels
- Unopened shampoo, body wash, lotion, deodorant
- New winter hats
- Other new or clean, gently used winter outerwear, such as:
- Coats
- Gloves/mittens
- Scarves/mufflers, etc.
For women and children, Laura’s Home (part of Cleveland’s City Mission) is a bridge from crisis to stability and self-sufficiency. With 166 beds and 61 rooms, Laura’s Home offers specialized, wraparound services designed to empower families and individuals to live healthy lives.
Your Mission, Outreach and Justice Ministry (MOJ) thanks you for your generosity!
Prepare the Way for the Lord: Christmas Joy Offering
One of the biblical themes of the Advent season is preparation. Before we gather for our Christmas celebrations at church and with our loved ones, we spend the four weeks of Advent getting our hearts and heads refocused on loving and serving God as we follow Jesus into a new year. But Advent is also a time when Christ’s people look beyond the Christmas season and long for a world that looks more like the one God wanted. Isaiah the prophet said it best: “the nations shall beat their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning hooks…they shall not learn war anymore…” “So, prepare a way for the Lord and make his paths straight…”
One of the ways Presbyterians prepare the way for the Lord is the annual Christmas Joy Offering. Thousands of congregations like LPC participate. The offering is intended for two important things: 1) it supports past, present and future leaders who work or worked to prepare the Lord’s way for us; and 2) support Presbyterian educational institutions that prepare future leaders of color (African American, Native American, and Latin American).
For example, 1.1 million dollars of the 2024 offering provided crucial financial assistance to retired Presbyterian church workers in times of specific need, including support of surviving spouses, housing supplements for 1,366 individuals facing loss of their homes, apartments or nursing facility care, and emergency grants to 199 people with unexpected medical expenses.
A special offering envelope is enclosed to be collected on Sunday, December 21, or it can be delivered to the church office anytime during December. Thanks for helping to prepare the way for the Lord.
From the Library: Being Presbyterian
In a wee corner of our library, near the children’s books section, is a treasure trove of books about Presbyterianism. The Rev. Merton McKendry served as LPC’s pastor from 1958 to 1984 and left us with part of his personal library including books on the Presbyterian Church and its beginnings during the formation of our Democracy.
There’s a book by Paul Carlson entitled Our Presbyterian Heritage. It’s small but enormous in scope. Topics include: “The Presbyterian rebellion led by Rev. John Witherspoon — the only clergyman to sign the Declaration of Independence.” Also, “John Calvin has been called the virtual founder of America. The Presbyterians led the American Revolution from the pulpit.” And, “John Knox almost single-handedly destroyed the ascendency of Roman Catholicism in Scotland.” From the author, “this book was intended to help us understand our church better, and our nation, its genesis and its profound need now.”
For a broader history, read American Presbyterians: A Pictorial History, by James H. Smylie — a fascinating overview with amazing pictures.
Among the collection are a number of books about the life of Jesus. Come and browse; bring your wish list. You won’t be disappointed!
–Kathryn Hack
Library Committee
Faith Formation Events for Children & Youth
LPC STORIES WITH ST. NICK
Join us at Lakewood Presbyterian Church for story time with St. Nick. Santa will visit with children and families from 5–7:30 p.m. on Saturday, December 6. During this time, Santa will read a story with each group of children, then your child can take pictures with and tell their Christmas wishes to Mr. Claus. This event is free, and treats and refreshments will be available as well as a few simple crafts to commemorate the season. Please register through SignUpGenius so we know how many to expect. This is a perfect event to attend during Light Up Lakewood!
COOKIE CUTTER CHRISTMAS: A CHRISTMAS PAGEANT
Lakewood Presbyterian Church will hold its annual Christmas pageant on December 21 during the 10 a.m. worship service. Cookie Cutter Christmas brings us into our modern family homes as we prepare for the holiday season. Make cookies with us as we learn about the symbols of Christmas and are reminded to slow down and share the true message of the season. Contact Aliyah Kennedy as soon as possible if your child would like to participate. We want to help everyone have a special and meaningful Christmas. Please join us as the youth and children share their talents and gifts this special season.
Adult Faith Formation: The Coming of Christ
Sundays, November 30, December 7, 14 and 21
The depth of the Birth Narrative of Jesus’ coming in Matthew 1 and 2 and Luke 1 and 2, is a compelling accounting of God’s gracious arrival as Immanuel, God With Us! Lovely Christmas pageants capture the unfolding events. Let’s go deeper!
Starting Sunday, November 30 for the four Sundays of Advent, join Rev. Dr. Steve Gorman for an in-depth look at the (1) anticipation, (2) listening, (3) revealing and (4) seeking — four significant messages of the Incarnation. This Adult Faith Formation class begins at 11:20 a.m. in the chapel. We will also “speak” the lines of some of our great carols, which touch upon these themes. Bring your coffee and join us. May Christmas be all-the-more meaning-filled.
Christmas Cards for Shut-Ins
Fellowship and Member Care will once again be sending Christmas cards to our shut-ins and members who are unable to make it to church. We will have tables in the Atrium so please stop by and be sure to sign these cards. We know these cards will be appreciated and we want them to know that LPC is thinking of them!
Christmas Cookie Coffee Hour
A special Christmas Cookie Coffee Hour will be held on Sunday, December 21. Please consider sharing your homemade or bakery Christmas cookies or treats for this fellowship time. The baked goods can be dropped off at the church on Sunday, December 14, or immediately prior to the 10 a.m. service on December 21. If you drop them off at the church before December 21, please mark them for the Christmas Cookie Coffee Hour. See Heather Greif with any questions.
End-of-Year Financial Reminders
2026 PLEDGE/CONTRIBUTION INFORMATION
For those who receive them, pledge / contribution envelopes for 2026 will be available in the Atrium beginning December 21. After the first of the year, they will be available in the church office. If you do not receive envelopes and wish to have them, please contact Sara Gresh at 216-226-0514.
For those who wish to pay their 2025 pledge or prepay their 2026 pledge by the end of December, please note that the envelope must be received or postmarked no later than Wednesday, December 31, 2025. The contribution records will be closed December 31, no exceptions.
2025 PER CAPITA REMINDER
If you have not already done so, please consider paying your per capita apportionment in addition to your pledge. The 2025 per capita amount is $40.00 per member. Please note “per capita” on the memo line of your check. Per capita for 2026 ($40.00) will be collected after January 1, 2026.
Hand in Hand Program Update
Hand in Hand will NOT gather in December. We will meet once again in April of 2026. Save the second Fridays at 11 a.m.
Appreciating the Church Staff this Christmas
LPC is blessed with faithful, skilled, hardworking and friendly staff members. They help us fulfill our mission and ministry. One of the ways we show our appreciation is a Christmas bonus in their December paycheck. The bonus is for non-clergy, program and support staff members. If you have some extra funds, whether great or small, please consider donating to the Staff Christmas Fund by December 21.
Thanks for Your Support!
Many thanks to those who made contributions to the memorial music fund to help maintain our choir section leader positions through the end of 2025. Kaori Hongo and the Worship and Music Ministry appreciate your generosity and support. Beginning in 2026, this important part of our music ministry will be funded in the annual budget.