Christmas candles, carols, and stories from unlikely places make this service of worship and celebration the place to be on Christmas Eve.

This year, the "traditional" Christmas story of the baby Jesus, his mother and father, the shepherds, and three Kings are embellished with the voices not always heard from at this time of year. Our superb choir, under the direction of Dr. Mark Sumner, shares music of the season and we'll hear solos from Madeline Gerlach, David Jones, and Grace Komarek-Meyer. The celebrated trumpeter Tom Dambly leads our charge into Christmas. The Bell Choir, directed by organist Reiko Lane, brings us more sounds of joy.

The Society's ministers — Rev. Fred Rabidoux, Rev. Dr. Kay Jorgensen, Rev. Alyson Jacks — will lead this service along with the Reverend Dr. Douglass Fitch, pastor of the Sunday Afternoon Fellowship, our interfaith partner in ministry which is currently meeting on our Chapel. This congregation is joining us Christmas Eve. I'll offer a homily called "The Shepherd's Quest."

You won't want to miss the singing of "Silent Night" in the dark with only candlelight to guide us — always a special moment.

This year, the entire service will be broadcast in real time in the Chapel (sight and sound), where Faithful Fools minister Denis Paul will serve as officiant. This room offers a more informal space in which to experience this special service.

I encourage you to invite friends and family of all ages to share in our Unitarian Universalist worship service for Christmas Eve.

Coffee hour precedes the service. Come at 4 pm, and bring that fruitcake or homemade cookies to add to the holiday spirit!

Sr. Sheila Flynn will be delivering the sermon "Hope in Human History".

Sr. Sheila comes to us from South Africa where she is a leader in the Kopanang Group and the Sithand'izingane Care Project of Geluksdal, South Africa. Those communities address poverty, the impact of AIDS, violence, and the legacy of apartheid in the local townships of Tsakane and Geluksdal. (The photo above is from the Kopanang Project.)

Joining Sister Sheila on the chancel will be Rev. Fred Rabidoux, and Worship Associates Christine Patch-Lindsay, John McCoy, and Stephen Schwichow.

This Sunday's collection will go entirely to support Sr. Sheila's work in South Africa. Crafts from Sister Sheila's community will be available for purchase in the King Rooms after the service.

Religious education learners will begin the morning at 10 making candles and bread dough sculptures in the kitchen with an emphasis on Unitarian Universalist themes.

At 11 participants will go to the Chapel where they will talk about the ways different people celebrate. Kwanzaa will be emphasized as a celebration that was created recently by African Americans with many meaningful rituals and activities. The group will work together to create a celebration for Unitarian Universalists looking at what makes us good and special.

Starting at 9:45 children up to the age of 5 will explore the concepts of sharing and caring in Education Room 1. What does it mean to share? How do we share in our lives? Who do we share with? What does it mean to care for each other? These are a few questions that Sunday School classes will be discussing. The song for December is called "The Colors of Winter" by Nancy Stewart.

New students are welcome throughout the year. Families interested in learning more are invited to phone Betty at 775-4580 so that they can be welcomed on Sunday.

Do you have experience working with young children? If so, we invite your help with the early childhood program. Please contact Betty Skwarek in the Religious Education office or Marie Roark our Early Childhood Supervisor.

From Thanksgiving through New Years members of our congregation and over 700 other congregations nationwide have kept Guest at Your Table boxes on their dining tables and "fed" them daily with donations to support the work of the Unitarian Universalist Service Committee (UUSC), the Unitarian Universalist human rights and faith-in-action organization.

As families reflected on the stories of people from across the globe who are grappling with human rights challenges and natural and man-made disasters, they welcomed these unseen brothers and sisters as "guests" at their tables.

The Society will gather the Guest at Your Table boxes at the end of this Sunday's worship service. (If you are able to count the contributions in your box and write a check for the total, it will be helpful to those doing the count and tally.)

If you would like to make a donation to the UUSC, you may also use the envelope enclosed Sunday's Order of Service for your contribution. Donations of $100 or more will be matched by the Unitarian Universalist congregation at Shelter Rock.

Can you give a good home to Barbara Bourns' two orphan kitties?

Duzie Do is coal black, 11 years old, and strictly an indoor cat. Lacy Lou is younger, probably 6, a fun-loving tiger who likes to lap water from the faucet.

Both are spayed, healthy females who enjoy cuddling with you and each other. It is important to keep them together. If you have a home to offer these darlings, contact Nancy Evans at her home email.

Photographers John Steele and Sonnie Willis captured highlights of the celebrations.

Welcome to the First Unitarian Universalist Society of San Francisco!