Church briefs

JAM SESSION
Harmony FreeWill Baptist Church, Orange, is having a jam session Dec. 4 at 7 p.m. If 150 people or more attend the session, Paul and Betty will sing a solo. Come and hear them sing! Bring along your instrument to play and sing for the glory of the Lord, with refreshments to follow. For more information, call Pastor Paul E. Kirk at 854-8799.

HOLIDAY BAZAAR
The Orange Presbyterian Church, 162 W. Main St, will hold a Holiday Bazaar Friday, Dec. 4 from 1 - 8 p.m. and Saturday, Dec. 5 from 8 a.m. until 5 p.m. Items for sale will include holiday crafts, jewelry, handmade gifts and a silent auction. Delicious homemade baked goods and white elephant items will also be sold. All proceeds will benefit Orange county Habitat for Humanity.

CHRISTMAS BAZAAR
The Orange Community Church of Christ is excited to announce that its seventh annual Christmas bazaar will be held Dec. 4 - 5, 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.. The event will feature beautiful handmade items, costume jewelry, artificial wreaths, children's items, and mouth blown Christmas ornaments, plus many items for children. For the first time, handcrafted items made by the 'Stitchers for a Cause' located at the Glen Allen Church of Christ will be shown. Homemade cakes and pies will be sold and there will be free clothing and household items available. The silent auction item will be a six-lesson package of horseback riding lessons for children donated by Hilltop Farms in Gordonsville. For more information, call 661-1025.

BAZAAR, BAKE SALE AND STEW
Somerset Christian Church, Route 20 in Somerset, will have their annual Christmas Bazaar, bake sale and Brunswick stew or chili lunch Dec. 5 from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. There will be handmade crafts, handmade goodies and tickets sold for a raffle drawing on that day for over $500 in gift cards and handmade crafts. For more information, call 832-3102.

CLOTHING GIVE AWAY
Blue Run Baptist Church, Somerset, will be having a clothing give away Dec. 5. A free breakfast will be available from 9 - 11 a.m.

MISSIONARY SERVICE
Hopewell Baptist Church of Rapidan will be sponsoring its missionary service on Dec. 6 at 3 p.m. as a fundraiser. The church is asking all churches to participate in this 100 women in hats service. All missionaries are asked to be in uniform. Please wear a hat of your choice. Pastor Fred Sales of Rising Sun Baptist Church and the rising stars will be delivering the message and songs of praise. A repast will be served following the morning service.

ANNIVERSARY
Orange Grove Baptist Church will celebrate its 116th anniversary Dec. 6 at 3 p.m. The guest speaker will be the Rev. Leon Easterling of Mount Holy Baptist Church, Unionville.

CHRISTMAS BENEFIT/GOSPEL SING
Abundant Life Christian Fellowship's Christmas benefit and gospel sing is Dec. 11, starting at 6 p.m. with a covered dish dinner and featuring friends and family of Abundant Life. Love offering will be received. Bring a covered dish and fellowship with us. Everyone is welcome. Call 854 - 7433 or 672 - 9867.

CHRISTMAS BANQUET
Union Baptist Church, Trevilians, will be hosting their annual Christmas Banquet Dec. 12 at 6 p.m. at Shenandoah Crossing Resort. The Rev. John Reid of Mt. Zion Baptist Church, Advance Mills, will be the guest speaker for the evening. The cost for the banquet is $35 a person. Call deaconess Brenda Willis at 540-967-1850 for reservations.

TOY BONANZA
Good Shepherd Lutheran Church will be holding a toy give-away on Dec. 12 from 9 - 11 a.m. At this toy bonanza and open house, participants will be able to select from a variety of new and used toys, books and stuffed animals. Videos and Christmas CDs will be given away as well. Good Shepherd is located on Route 15, approximately two miles south of Orange. Call 672-1749 for further information or to make a donation.

CHRISTMAS PARTY
Blue Run Baptist Church, Somerset, will host a covered dish community Christmas party Dec. 12, 5 - 6:30 p.m. A special guest from the North Pole is expected, followed by caroling in Gordonsville. For information call 672-4135.

BONE RALLY
Nazareth Baptist Church will host a bone rally service for their building fund Dec. 12 at 2 p.m. The guest preacher will be the Rev. James Mack of Divine Life Ministries Church, Rapidan. For more information, call Mrs. Shirley Lee at 854-5629 or Mrs. Jane Ware at 672-2197.

BENEFIT CONCERT
Bethsaida United Methodist Church in Brightwood, will host a community-wide benefit concert on behalf of Scott Collier and his family on Dec. 13, at 2 p.m. Collier - a native of Brightwood, a 1990 graduate of Madison High School and an avid hunter and outdoorsman - was severely injured last December when he fell 25 feet from a tree stand while hunting on the grounds of Woodberry Forest School where he had been employed as groundskeeper. Some of the injuries that he received included a collapsed lung, a torn aorta, five broken ribs, a broken right collar bone and a severe spinal cord injury. He spent 17 days in intensive care and was not expected to live. He was, at best, expected to be confined to a wheelchair. With the support and encouragement of his wife Nita, Scott has persevered. He has returned to hunting; and he hopes to return to work at Woodberry Forest next spring. But the road back for Scott Collier will be tough and it will be expensive. There is a spinal cord injury recovery center where Scott has made great progress. The funds raised at this concert on Dec. 13 will help with those expenses as well as general living expenses while Scott is unable to work. Jesse Jenkins and the Blue Valley Boys will be the featured performers and a freewill offering will be taken. Light refreshments will follow the program. For further details about this benefit concert or for directions to the church, please call the pastor Rev. Alan Follett at 672-5233.

THE MESSIAH
The annual singing of Handel's "The Messiah" will take place this year on Dec. 15 at 7:30 p.m. at St. Thomas Episcopal Church, Orange. All singers and listeners are welcome. No rehearsal necessary. This year's director is Allen Miller,minister of music at Orange Baptist Church accompanied by William Drake, organist, and a 15-piece string ensemble. A reception will follow the singing. Admission is free. A donation of nonperishable food would be greatly appreciated.

BLUE CHRISTMAS
A "Blue Christmas" Worship Service will be offered on Dec. 16 at Gordonsville United Methodist Church at 7 p.m. The holidays can be a "blue" time for persons who find the season difficult because of the many reminders they carry of what they have lost or never had. Tough economic times, broken relationships, ill health, grieving the loss of loved ones- these and many other factors can leave us feeling blue in this season of expectation and celebration. We invite you to join us for this comforting service in our beautiful sanctuary. The service will help participants acknowledge the losses that darken their holidays and help them move from feeling blue to experiencing the wonder and hope of Christmas. Please invite friends and neighbors who you feel would appreciate this worship opportunity. Our special guest speaker will be Mr. Steve Herndon; our pastor, Rev. Deborah Koontz will be leading in worship. For further information contact the church office at 832-2940.

CHRISTMAS PLAY
Blue Run Baptist Church, Barboursville, will be celebrating their annual Christmas play Dec. 20 at 5 p.m.

PARENTS' DAY OFF
Waddell Presbyterian Church, Rapidan, will give the Orange/Madison/Mitchells community the gift of a parents' day off so they can go shopping, make plans for Christmas or relax. The church members will provide a day of fun for children ages 3 -12 at no charge on Dec. 19, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Church members will provide day care with Christmas activities such as cookie making and decoration making for the kids to take home, playing games, watching Christmas movies, and playing outdoors (if weather permits). CPR-certified adults will be on hand all day. Reservations required. Call Lynne at (540) 972-4909 and leave a message. Send along a bag lunch for each child. Snacks and drinks will be provided. If a child needs a blanket for naptime or a sleeping bag, please bring that.

CHRISTMAS PROGRAM
The Shady Grove Baptist Church Sunday School will celebrate its Christmas program Sunday, Dec. 20 at 2:30 p.m. at the church.

NEW YEAR'S EVE SERVICE
New Fellowship Christian Center, located on Route 15 north of Orange, will host a New Year's Eve service on Dec. 31 at 10 p.m. We invite you to come and celebrate with us as we prepare to enter into the year of 2010. For additional information, you may call 825-1647 or 672-3869.

WEDNESDAY NIGHT DINNER
Calvary Baptist Church, Monrovia Road, is having Wednesday night dinner at 5:30 p.m. followed by a prayer meeting at 6:30 p.m. and Bible study at 7 p.m. A love offering of $2 per person or $5 per family is suggested but not required. This is a weekly event.

BIBLE STUDY
Mt. Calvary Baptist Church, Nasons will hold Bible study every Wednesday from 6 - 7 p.m. Minister Anne Lawrence will be the instructor.

ROY HALL MEMORIAL DVD
For those of you who were unable to attend the memorial held for Brother Roy Hall at Abundant Life Christian Fellowship Church in Orange, Phyllis A. Mullins has made DVDs of the event. Copies have been given to Sister Alice, her son, Roy and her daughter, Lori. If anyone else would like a copy, write to Phyllis A. Mullins, 32283 Childress Rd., Mine Run, VA 22508-9602. Enclose a check for $10 in order to receive a copy of the DVD. All proceeds will go directly to Alice. Thanks in advance and may God Bless.

FREE LUNCH
The Orange Community Church of Christ is offering free sandwiches for those in need every Thursday from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. We are located at 276 N. Madison Rd. across from the Hornet's Nest. Any questions please call 661-1025. Donations accepted.

FOOD COLLECTION
Knight's Chapel Church of the Brethren, Barboursville, is still collecting donations of non-perishable food to be taken to area food banks, which are currently running extremely low. Bring your donations to the church and they will be taken to the food banks.

AWANAS
The Zion Baptist Church Awana Program is held Wednesday nights from 6:15 - 7:30 p.m. for children ages 4 years old thru fifth grade.

COMMUNITY PRAYER SERVICE
Bethlehem United Methodist Church at Unionville will be holding a community prayer service every Thursday evening at 7:30 p.m. The service will focus on prayer for the community, state, and nation and should last approximately 30 minutes. Everyone is invited to join us in prayer.

SPIRITUAL TIDINGS PROGRAM
The Spiritual Tidings program has served the community for 21 years with Brother Edmond Harrison, Jr., as gospel announcer. From 6 - 8 a.m. join Brother Harrison every Sunday morning for music to uplift your spirit over radio stations WCVA 1490 AM Culpeper and WVCV 1340 AM Orange. Tune in for the best in gospel music that ministers to your heart and soul.