Stacey Hilliard, Author at Crawford Memorial United Methodist Church

Celebrate the Gift of Christmas at Crawford

by Stacey Hilliard | Dec 15, 2024 | News

Please join us on Christmas Eve

We will celebrate with a service of lessons and carols at 5:00 p.m. and again at 9:00 p.m. Both services will feature a retelling of the age-old Christmas story, singing beloved carols, and special music by Occasional Brass and Strings.

And, as is tradition here at Crawford, we invite you to join us in a Christmas Carol Sing-along from 6:30 to 7:00pm in front of our church, led by our Chancel Choir member, Kate Frisoli, and accompanied by members of the Occasional Brass. Caroling is outdoors so do dress for the weather!

Bring Your Baby Jesus

Throughout Advent, we have spent time talking about the characters found in a typical nativity scene and offering blessings over a different categoy (the beasts, the angels, the shepherds, etc.) each week. We invite you to bring the baby Jesus figure from your home nativity with you to either Christmas Eve service for a special blessing.

The Night Visitors: A Conversation

by Stacey Hilliard | Dec 15, 2024 | Sermons

As we continue our journey through the characters in typical nativity scenes, this week we put together two groups that weren’t at the manger even in the same year, let alone the same night: The shepherds and the kings. But looking at them together tells us something that is harder to see when looking at them separately. I am joined by Sal Caraviello for a conversation about the impact of these figures on the Christmas story and on our faith.

– Pastor Anne

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Disaster Response Training Survey

by Stacey Hilliard | Dec 14, 2024 | News

“In response to the recent series of disasters throughout the United States, there has been a significant increase in interest in the New England Annual Conference (NEAC) offering Early Response Team (ERT) and Volunteer in Mission (VIM) training. These trainings represent an excellent opportunity for individuals to develop essential skills that contribute positively to disaster response and relief efforts within our communities.”

Does this sound like something you’d be interested in? Learn more and complete the NEAC’s survey HERE (by January 12, 2025).

Be Not Afraid

by Stacey Hilliard | Dec 8, 2024 | Sermons

For the rest of Advent, we will continue to focus on the characters found in a typical nativity scene. And you’re encouraged to bring whichever character we’re talking about from your home nativity for a blessing during church. Last week it was the beasts. This week is Angels. Angels play several roles in the Christmas story, and on Sunday we’ll look at all of them. But what they have in common is that they always find it necessary to tell those to whom they appear to stop quaking in their boots. “Be not afraid!” they say. What’s that about, and what does their presence in these Advent and Christmas stories tell us about angels and the God who sends them?

– Pastor Anne

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Unite With Light, Winchester

by Stacey Hilliard | Dec 5, 2024 | News

Sunday, December 8, is Winchester’s 6th annual Unite With Light (rain date: Sunday, December 15). Members of Crawford will gather after our Sunday morning worship service to assemble the luminarias, and again in the afternoon to place them along the retaining wall on the Church Street side of the building and light the candles. While casting a lovely glow, the luminarias have a greater purpose than just beautifying Winchester. The proceeds from the sale of luminaria kits are donated to a charity of the organizers’ choosing. Crawford’s 100 luminaria kits for this evening and another hundred for Christmas Eve were purchased with a generous donation by a Crawford member. All proceeds raised by Unite With Light-Winchester this year will benefit the Make-A-Wish Foundation of MA & RI, helping to grant wishes to children living with serious, chronic illnesses. Learn more about Unite With Light – Winchester and see photos from past events on their facebook page, HERE.