Weekly Photo Challenge: Community

It’s easy to come up with photos for “community” as the word “community” automatically brings thoughts of “church” or “community of believers” to my mind and it’s been a pretty busy week for the Protestant Church in Oman during this 3rd week of Advent! 🙂  Here, as with each of the 4 weeks of Advent, one family from the congregation lights the previous candle(s) of Advent and then lights the next candle until the 4th is lit on Christmas week.  This ancient tradition is one way for the church to celebrate the first Advent (“Coming”) and anticipate the 2nd Advent of Christ.                                      One important aspect of community in the church is fellowship and the breaking of bread together.  This photo was during the last Tuesday night Bible study of the year.This photo was from Friday’s event known as “Christmas Joy” , which is an outreach party to give an evening of joy to female migrant workers in Muscat, Oman (next year is the men’s turn!).  This was the 7th annual Christmas Joy in Oman!  Outreach and charity are important features of any healthy church community.

I hope you enjoyed my interpretation of “community” for this photo challenge.  Finally, here’s a short video from the Children’s Nativity Play this past Friday morning in which the children and youth led us in celebration of Christmas Worship Service”: 

Christmas 2013 at the Protestant Church in Oman

“Tis the season to be jolly!”  For those of you curious about upcoming church services during this festive time of year, here is a list of scheduled services/events going on at the Protestant Church in Oman (PCO) throughout the Christmas season.

If you need any other information such as contact numbers or a map to find the church, check out the updated church website at http://www.churchinoman.com.

We are now in the first week of Advent!  Here’s a nice video message (1st of 4) from Don Moen:

And last but not least, here’s a great a capella version of The Little Drummer Boy by the group  Pentatonix to get you in the Christmas spirit.  They put it on youtube on Nov. 25th and it’s already at 8.5 million views.

Garage Sale Donations Appreciated for Mission Trip Fund Raising!

  There will be a Garage Sale on May 10th in the Ghala Church compound to help the youth of our church raise funds for a worthy mission trip to the Philippines this summer.  Here’s how you can help:

If you are leaving Oman for good and would like to donate items for the Youth Mission Trip in the Philippines such as household items, linen, electrical items, books, clothes, toys, etc. please contact Jess at 99260146 or email jess.pco@gmail.com. Garage Sale is on May 10th from 8am – 1pm then 4-8pm.

The proceeds from the fund raiser will help a poor community of rice-farmers and assist in repairing a church, ministering at an orphanage, encouraging/visiting patients at a local hospital and running a kids/teens games program.  Your donations would help meet the needs of a town, community and church.

“I Saw the Lord”

Here’s the sermon from Reverend Michael Peppin on Friday, January 25th for any of you PCO members who might have been absent.

“There are Signs Everywhere”

Brilliant 1st sermon of the year from Protestant Church in Oman (PCO) Pastor Barry Dawson on Friday, January 4th about seeking new direction in 2013. (from Matthew 2:1-12)