Leader: Look, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and they shall name him Emmanuel, which means, “God is with us.” - Matthew 1:23 People: We give thanks for those who proclaim that God is with us.

Leader: Pastors and preachers tell the Bethlehem story. Clergy sit by hospital beds, counsel the lost, meet with couples who plan to marry, comfort those who grieve, inspire peacemakers and justice-walkers, share the communion table and the committee table, so that we experience God in every aspect of our lives. People: We give thanks for those who teach that God is with us.

Leader: Church school teachers and superintendents, youth group leaders and pageant planners, directors of cantatas, bell choirs and liturgical dance – help us discover God is with us in education and arts. People: We give thanks for those who demonstrate that God is with us.

Leader: Sextons hang the greens, guide the wheelchair, sweep up hay or iron up wax. Administrators type the bulletins, answer the tough phone calls, (counsel the lost), remember the calendar. They show that God is with us in the details. People: We give thanks because we Know that God is with us.

Leader: We celebrate those who have shared God’s love by being people-with-us. Honoring their ministries, we bring our gifts from the abundance of all we have received this holy season to give assistance and blessing tin times of emergency and need. Let us Pray:

People: Gracious God, we give thanks for those who have shared the story of One called Emmanuel, God-with-us, and Jesus – the one-who-saves. Their care for the church is faithful in all seasons. Bless these Christmas Fund gifts that they may express our gratitude to retired and active clergy and lay employees of our churches and our willingness to share the good tidings of God’s love as we have learned it from them. Ames