The season of Advent, which comes from the Latin word adventus meaning “coming” or “visit,” begins with the fourth Sunday before Christmas Day and ends on Christmas Eve. Advent has been celebrated as a season of the Christian Church for many centuries and spans the four Sundays leading up to Christmas, each Sunday receiving a special emphasis: Hope, Love, Joy, Peace, and finally, on Christmas Eve, Christ Himself! 

During Advent, we prepare for and anticipate the coming of Christ. We remember the longing of Jews for a Messiah and our own longing for and need of forgiveness, salvation and a new beginning. Even as we look back and celebrate the birth of Jesus in a humble stable in Bethlehem, we also look forward anticipating the second coming of Christ as the fulfillment of all that was promised by his first coming. 

Our liturgical color for Advent is blue, the color of hope. The Advent season marks the beginning of the Christian calendar— so Happy New Year!

Our Prayer for this Advent Season

We pray that during this Advent Season, as we await the coming of the Christ Child on Christmas Day, you will grow spiritually through use of this devotional booklet, that you will find unity in your family and throughout your connections at Wesley Memorial as you discuss what you’ve gleaned, and that you will experience the peace that comes from patiently waiting, hoping, for Jesus, our God wrapped in swaddling cloths— our God who stops at nothing to come to us, Emmanuel, God With Us!

November 26 - Christ The King Sunday

This, the last Sunday of the Christian year, we stand and sing boldy: All Hail the Power of Jesus’ Name!

December 3 - Advent I

The new year begins with a wake-up call: Christ is coming soon! We light the first candle on our advent wreath. We enter the sanctuary, this day, seeing lighted Chrismon trees and wreaths.

December 10 - Advent II

O come, little children; come one and come all! Our annual children’s nativity is held during the 11am worship service, with Mary, Joseph, little sheep, wise-men and shepherds.

December 17 - Advent III

At the heart of our Advent preparation stands John the Baptist, who calls us to repent and make a new beginning.

December 24 - Advent IV

A Festival Service of Lessons and Carols with readers, chancel choir, chamber orchestra and organ.

"Hear the Angels Sing" by James Biery

The Music Ministry of Wesley Memorial United Methodist Church commissioned Dr. James Biery to compose an anthem for our 50th Annual LoveFeast. This is a project that has been in the making for over a year. This work will be premiered at the LoveFeast. Using the text of Edmund H. Sears; It Came Upon the Midnight Clear, Biery has composed a melody that is simply beautiful. The title of the work, "Hear the Angels Sing", is composed for organ or chamber orchestra accompaniment.

James Biery was appointed Minister of Music and Organist at Grosse Pointe Memorial Church (Presbyterian), Grosse Pointe Farms, Michigan, in 2010. Previously he served as Director of Music at Roman Catholic cathedrals in St. Paul, Minnesota, and Hartford, Connecticut.

A Pi Kappa Lambda graduate of the Northwestern University School of Music in Evanston, Illinois, his principal organ teachers were Grigg Fountain and Wolfgang Rübsam. He also holds the Choirmaster and Fellowship Certificates of the American Guild of Organists, winning the Fellowship Prize in 1986.

Mr. Biery has a large number of organ, choral, and brass compositions in print. His publishers include MorningStar, Concordia, Augsburg-Fortress, GIA, OCP, Oxford University Press, and Boosey & Hawkes. He has received commissions for new works from churches and AGO chapters across the country, and received multiple ASCAPlus awards.

Welcome to Who-Ville! Delight in this Joyful experience as you pretend to be a Who in Who-Ville this Christmas. Be on the lookout for…the…the…THE GRINCH and his dog Max. Cindy Lou Who has plans to help GROW the Grinch’s heart by sharing with him the real meaning of Christmas. Visit with Santa and Mrs. Claus while enjoying cocoa and cookies. Sit on their lap sharing what you would like for Christmas and smile for a treasured photo.

Join us on Friday, December 1 at 6pm in the Circle Parking Lot as we gather around the Christmas tree with family and friends singing Christmas carols. Snacks, music and fun provided!

Thank you to all who will be providing gifts to this year’s Angel Tree children. Gratefully, all Angels were selected and now we ask that you return the gifts for your child by Sunday, December 3rd. The gifts can be placed under the Angel Tree outside of the service you attend or dropped off at the Church Office anytime during the week. It is preferred that all gifts for each child be wrapped in the same paper for easy identification, that a gift receipt be included inside or out, and that the Angel be attached to the respective gift. Thank you again for your wonderful generosity!

A Very Merry Midweek Motivation Christmas Party! Wear your tacky Christmas sweater, bring your friends and great prizes for the top 3 winners. Middle School: 6-7:30 PM High School: 7-8 PM Dinner and Dessert provided in the student ministry wing.

Student Ministry's "Christmas Worship Party" for post high school people and their friends! Dinner and Dessert provided in the student ministry wing.

This year’s White Christmas gift collection will take place during all three services on Sunday, December 17th. When you arrive to service, please keep your gifts with you until called to bring the gifts up to the alter. These gifts will go to West End Ministries and Leslie’s House to provide essential clothing, food, and supplies to men and women using those facilities. Please consider the purchase of one or more items from the following list. Items should be wrapped in white paper and may be brought up to the altar rail/platform during the final song. Items specific to men should be marked for West End Ministries and those for women to Leslie’s House. Thank you for your generosity!

Requested items:

• coats (L, XL, XXL)
• sweatshirts (L, XL, XXL)
• white socks
• stocking caps
• scarfs
• gloves
• flip flops
• blankets
• twin sheets
• toiletries
• canned goods

All are invited to drive-thru the Wesley Memorial campus and experience the Nativity story in a unique way. Encounter the Christmas story through audio narration, live actors, Christmas lights and more. Afterward, park and join us at our Christmas Village for free hot cocoa, popcorn, cookies and Christmas carols.

New this year: drive-thru available in Spanish!

Wear your favorite Christmas apparel & bring a fun gift ($10 max) for our white elephant gift exchange! Dinner and Dessert provided.

Don't Forget Your Christmas Memorials

You may order wreaths, poinsettias, and blessings bowls in honor or memory of your loved one to decorate the church this Christmas Season. Blessing bowls are a new addition this year for the Chapel tree. Each design is unique and includes a variety of crosses, angels, nativity, hearts, crowns, fish symbols, butterflies, etc. Place your order now by contacting Isabel Valencia via email at icruzvalencia@wesleymemorial.org or call 336-812-4808. The deadline for ordering and paying for memorials is Monday, Dec. 18th. Your memorial will be listed in the December 24th bulletin. Pricess:

Wreaths: $30

Poinsettias: $25

Blessings Bowls: $25

Christmas Eve Offering

In keeping with Wesley Memorial’s tradition of collecting a special Christmas Eve Offering to provide financial support for organizations involved in essential missions work, your Local Missions and Community Outreach Committee has designated Victory Junction and the YWCA of High Point’s Baby Basics Closet as the recipients of this year’s offering. Victory Junction operates a sleep-over camp for children with complex medical conditions, allowing them to safely participate in all the enriching activities a camp experience provides, with other children dealing with the same health issues. YWCA of High Point’s Baby Basics Closet serves families below the poverty line with emergency assistance of diapers, formula, and clothing which otherwise would impact their ability to pay for other essential services. Both of these organizations have wonderful reputations for providing assistance and services to children and families in highly challenged circumstances - a priority of your Missions Team. Please consider supporting these two worthy outreaches with a Christmas Eve Offering gift. As always, thank you for your generosity!

Christmas Staff Bonus

The Administrative Team invites the congregation to bless our staff with a financial gift at Christmas. To participate, please make a check out to WMUMC and mark “Staff Bonus” in the memo line. You may place your check in a Sunday offering plate, mail to the church, OR drop off at the Front Desk. You can also contribute online at wesleymemorial.org/give and select “Staff-Christmas Bonus” from the drop-down options under “Fund.” Please make your contribution on or before Sunday, 

December 31, 2023.