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Advent Resources

Advent Graphic

2024 Bishopā€™s Advent Offering

The Bishopā€™s Advent Offering for 2024 will support UMCOR U.S. Disaster Response and Recovery, Advance #901670, a fund to provide immediate relief to those still impacted by natural disasters in the United States. Fall hurricanes have left scores dead, injured, unhoused, and still in need of the most basic necessities like water, food, medicine, and cell phone service. 100% of your offering will go to domestic disaster response. 

Congregations and individuals wishing to contribute to Bishop Bardā€™s Advent appeal can send a check, payable to the Michigan Conference, to this address: Michigan Conference, Attn: Accounts Receivable, 1011 Northcrest Rd., Lansing, MI 48906. Write this phrase in the memo line: Advent Offering. Donations can also be made online using  this secure PayPal link.

Download the offering bulletin for the 2024 Advent Offering 

2024 Advent and Christmas Service Resources curated from previous years.


The Michigan Conference is pleased to offer numerous resources for Advent and Christmas Day celebrations. If you have questions, please contact Rev. Kathy Pittenger.

2024 Christmas Sermon

Coming in early November, share the joy of the birth of our Savior with this conference-produced sermon by Michigan Bishop David Bard, for use by local churches anytime between December 22, 2024 - Sunday, January 5, 2025.  The sermon will be available on VIMEO in early November. Download, share the link, or stream it. Local churches may use this in its entirety or portions that are helpful. If you need assistance downloading this video, click here.

Please take a moment to confirm your local church is listed correctly by clicking the red button below.  For updates or to add your church, please contact conference communications.

STATEWIDE CHRISTMAS EVE SOCIAL MEDIA CAMPAIGN

With most local churches offering Advent and Christmas services online and in-person, the Michigan Conference will again offer a social media and Google Adword campaign the week of December 20-24.  Targeted Facebook ads in state-wide Michigan media markets will guide Michiganders to a conference webpage that lists and links local Christmas Eve services by city.  December 23/24, those searching for key words like "Christmas Eve," "Christmas Service," "Online church service" will be guided to the same page.  Last year, more almost 13,000 people clicked on these ads to learn about a Christmas Eve service in their community. 

 

Make sure your church is listed with a correct link to your website or Facebook page!  Additions or corrections must be submitted to conference staff by December 19th. Click button at left. 

RESOURCES FOR WORSHIP

ADVENT WORSHIP SERVICE RESOURCES

Lighting and waiting

Global Health Ministries 2024 - Dr. Walter Brueggemann

Insights and theological reflections weave together the story of Elisha, the witness of Jesus, and our call as the church to be good neighbors.(free)

ADVENT CANDLE LIGHTING LITURGY

From 2022, a liturgy for lighting the Advent Candles from Discipleship Ministries. (free)

COME HOME FOR CHRISTMAS

Advent series from Discipleship Ministries (UMC). Includes worship planning, preaching notes, liturgical resources, hymn suggestions, discussion guides for youth and adults, and more. (free)

FAMILY CHRISTMAS EVE SERVICES & IDEAS

Children and Family Christmas Eve Service/Pageant Service Ideas

Several scripts are available for churches to use for Family Christmas Eve services. Most of them are free. Explore more here.

Online Children's Christmas Eve Service 

From 2020, a 15-minute children's Christmas Eve worship service featuring 26 families across Michigan. The service shares the ABC's of Christmas. The service has two versions. The video can be downloaded and used as a stand alone version or you can use the editable version to include a greeting from your local church. A script can be downloaded here.

BLUE CHRISTMAS/LONGEST NIGHT SERVICES

Blue Christmas Prayer Service 

This Blue Christmas Prayer Service is from The Upper Room. There is also a devotional book called Blue Christmas that may be helpful for those seeking light during a time of darkness.

Blue Christmas Scripts

Blue Christmas Order of Worship from Rev. Brittney Stephan

Longest Night Script from North United Methodist Church, Rev. Darren Cushman Wood and Mark Gilgallan

For God Alone I Wait, Advent Song Sheet Music that may be used with the North UMC worship script

STAFF PICK FOR ADVENT RESOURCES

Michigan Conference staff were invited to share their favorite Advent/Christmas book, hymn, devotional, study, etc. Click on the slide to open a link with the resource. 

MOTOR CITY WESLEY ADVENT SONGS

#WesleyAdvent2020

Motor City Wesley put together a collection of Advent songs in 2020 that they have made available again in 2021. You may also access the videos and chord charts in the Google Drive.

The Longest Night

During the year 2020, it seemed as though  everyone felt the weight of the pandemic and the way it impacted every aspect of our lives. 12 United Methodist pastors, deacons, and musicians offered a virtual service as a way to find a way of meeting that hurt and grief in a way that leads to healing and wholeness.

RESOURCES FOR FAITH FORMATION

Children as magi

Advent Resources for Families

Advent and Christmas are significant to children and churches. The COVID-19 pandemic continues to provide opportunities for creative ministry around Advent and Christmas. This page has ideas, articles, resources, and children's books. While some of the resources were created with ministry in a pandemic in mind, others may need to be adapted. Many of the resources can also be used or adapted for ministry with all ages.

gloves forming the shape of a heart

#pictureAdvent

#pictureAdvent is a daily online devotional for all ages. Each day offers scripture, photos, reflection questions and a prayer, similar to the visio divina practice. For those who like an active challenge, there is also an Around the World Christmas challenge board.

 

ADVENT candle square

Birthing a promise, building a movement

Anti-Racism Readings and Reflections for Advent

We find ourselves in a time of expectant waiting, anticipation, and preparation for the birth of a Promise in the Holy Child. Christ came into the world in an unexpected place in an unpredictable year. Over 2,000 years later, we find ourselves with similar challenges today, but it is the birth of Christ that reminds us that we are to continue building a movement for the Kin-dom of God that calls us to be in beloved community with one another.

Advent Studies/Devotionals

There are many options for Advent Studies and Devotionals. The links below are suggestions. Please review the resources you choose for theology, context, and age considerations. If you are not sure, Kathy Pittenger would be happy to assist you. 

Cokesbury Advent Studies

Illustrated Ministry

A Sanctified Art

The Salt Project

Seedbed

Creative Communications

RESOURCES FROM 2020

Caleb Williams

Meet Caleb Williams

These resources come to us from Rev. Caleb Williams. Deacon Caleb has led music ministries in a wide variety of congregations. He has led traditional choirs, hand drumming, handbells, contemporary worship bands, and even an opera or two. This summer he launched a new subscription service CalebBWilliams.com for worship music/hymn videos to help local churches offer a quality online worship experience. He is also now serving as Pastor at Milwood UMC in Kalamazoo. 

Free original music to use during Advent

To assist you and your congregation, we'll be sharing two different brand new musical resources for Advent. The first is a new take on the classic carol, It Came Upon the Midnight Clear, with a new, easy-to-sing chorus.
 
The second, Never Be The Same is a new hymn to deepen your worship all Advent long. The hymn wonders what it means for the angels to call us into a new normal. Just like those shepherds in the fields outside Bethlehem. Starting with a teaching video and a single verse on the first week, each Sunday of Advent adds a new verse (and new pre-made video) to the song. To make your worship preparations easier, both songs will be in an easy-to-use video format with lyrics embedded. 
 
Music may be used with a Creative Commons license for free use.  Creative Commons: Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International (CC BY-NC-SA 4.0)
 
 

Never Be The Same: Learning Video

 

Never Be The Same: Week 1

 

Never Be The Same: Week 2

 

Never Be The Same: Week 3

 

It Came Upon A Midnight Clear

 

Music bed downloads - mp.3

It Came Upon a Midnight Clear - 2:01 download
Never be the same/full  - 1:54 download
Never be the same/bumper  - :27 download
Never be the same/bumper  - :16 download

People, Look East

Performed by Carter Cortelyou

 

A Time of Prayer for Advent

15 minutes of beautiful music  by M. Hayes, performed by Eric Strand, piano. 

Do you hear what I hear

Music by Jean Watson and guitarist Phil Keaggy.  This may be used in local churches

Carol of the Bells

Music by Jean Watson.   This may be used in local churches.

jeanwatson.com

Free video bumpers to use during Advent

To assist you and your congregation, we offer this series of free video bumpers and two music underscores.  Most of the video bumpers will be available in two forms; raw and finished.  Use them to transition between service segments. 

1st Sunday of Advent Candle Lighting

2nd Sunday of Advent Candle Lighting

3rd Sunday of Advent Candle Lighting

4th Sunday of Advent Candle Lighting

Christmas Eve Christ Candle Lighting

Last Updated on November 7, 2024

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The Michigan Conference