LOVE: WHEN OTHER THINGS HAVE PASSED AWAY, GUESS WHAT REMAINS

Greetings, Shore Vineyard!
Hope. Peace. Joy. But the greatest of all is Love.
This Sunday we come to the climax of our Advent series, starting in 1 Corinthians 13 and dipping into Romans 12 and 1 John 4 as we consider love both received and given.
It's a wonderful way to conclude this season of church life, and to be truly ready for the Christmas season which follows.
I'm looking forward to sharing on love at our full service (10am), while Fran will also be exploring Advent in our chapel service at 8.45am. Come to one, come to both. It'll be wonderful to see you.
And as this is the Advent week for joy, don't forget to find reasons for gratitude and joyfulness amid the busyness.
We're counting down the days, aren't we, but it's wonderful to gather in the midst of the rush to worship together, be the people of God together, have communion together (both services) and be aware of the bigger Church as we walk the Advent road together.
Of course, we're on the downhill to the end of the year, so here are some things to know about:
Christmas Eve carol service, 7pm on Tuesday, December 24. Please bring strawberries (hulled), chocolate covered almonds or Christmas mince pies (preferably home made) to share.
Christmas Shop with the Good Works Trust, tomorrow - it's been an epic week of Sophie and her team preparing for this wonderful event. Prayers welcome!
Christmas/New Year: We're back in 2025 with a picnic at midday at Milford Beach on Sunday, January 12, and full services from the following Sunday, January 19. Our first chapel service of the new year will be on Sunday, February 2.
A feature of the new year will be after-church lunches for different groups to connect and focus on what's happening in 2025. Please come to some or all of the ones that interest you - Ministries Lunch (January 26), Communities Lunch (February 2), Families Lunch (February 9) and Volunteers Celebration Lunch (February 23).
Camp Out, Friday to Sunday, March 14 to 16, 2025, at Pakiri Beach Holiday Park. We suggest booking through booking.com.
Bless you, Shore Vineyard. Glad you're in my life; glad I'm in yours.
Vic Francis, Senior Pastor