Here we are and it’s December 23rd! How are you doing? How do you feel? I’m sure there’s a range of emotions out there right now from excited, exuberant and joyful to exhausted, anxious or even melancholy. It’s understandable that Christmas time can affect people in different ways and draw out various emotions from within us. Our prayer for you is that wherever you find yourself that you would take some moments during this holiday season whether individually or collectively to draw near to God and nestle into His glorious presence. For it’s in our Father’s presence that we receive those things that our hearts need the most: love, grace, acceptance, forgiveness, healing, peace, joy, comfort, assurance and hope. These are the truly profound gifts of the season.  It’s always important to remember how much our Father longs to be with us and to bestow those gifts upon us. For after all, it was that deep, compassionate, persevering longing that caused Him to wrap Himself in delicate human frailty and enter our time and space in that old stable in Bethlehem. May the Lord meet you and bless you this Christmas.

RAC Pastors & Staff

DISCIPLESHIP AND MINISTRY OPPORTUNITIES

Christmas Eve Service - Saturday, December 24

Rexdale Alliance Church invites you to our Christmas Eve Service on Sat., Dec. 24, from 6:00 - 7:30 p.m, both online and in person. There will be a photo booth as well for those who attend in person to commemorate the season with a fun photo! If you are able, please consider parking offsite at TCI as this would serve our visitors and those with physical needs who require onsite parking. Thank you very much. 

Online Service Only Christmas Day - Sunday, December 25
There will be no in-person service at church on Christmas Day, but there will be a pre-recorded service shown online at 10:00 a.m, here. We wish everyone a joyous day celebrating the birth of our Saviour at home!

New Years Eve Service - Saturday, December 31
Join us either in person or online to reflect on the past year and celebrate the new one ahead at our New Years Eve Service on Sat., Dec. 31 at 7:00 p.m., here at RAC. The church building will remain open after the service until midnight for your use. Please note, there will be no formal programming during that time but you are welcome to stay and utilize the building to gather with friends and family. Feel free to bring your own event supplies such as games, food, etc. Please note that the kitchen will not be available and children need to be under the supervision of their parents. Happy New Year!

Online Service Only New Years Day - Sunday, January 1

We will be showing a pre-recorded service online, here, on New Years Day at 10:00 a.m. There will be no in-person service. We will resume our regular service schedule on Jan. 8, and meet in-person on that date.

BEDLAM Jr. High Retreat - Early Bird Discount before January 1
BEDLAM Jr. High Winter Retreat is a super awesome off-site, overnight weekend for grades 6-8. We join several Alliance churches in our district at Joy Bible Camp (Bancroft, ON) for a weekend of fellowship, worship, and amazing memories. Bedlam has been an important part of our district's history and has led many students closer to a relationship with Jesus and with one another. This year, BEDLAM happens Jan. 27-29. Register by Jan. 1 for the early bird discounted fee. For more information and to register, click HERE.  

Alpha Leaders Training - Monday, January 2
Please let Pastor Cheryl know if you'd like to be a table leader or hospitality greeter: cguinness@rexdalealliance.ca. Training is happening Mon. Jan. 2 from 7:30 - 8:30 p.m. over Zoom! 

Invite your friends to Alpha - Starting Monday, January 9
Alpha will happen on Mondays from Jan. 9 - Feb. 27, 7:00 - 8:30 p.m. in the Youth Centre. Bring your friend or family member for conversations about life, faith and Jesus! Using high quality & creative videos with numerous real life stories of people encountering Jesus, conversations are created around the tables about the meaning of life, who is Jesus, why He had to die and why it would be relevant to me.
*Who would Jesus like you to invite? Ask Him!
To register: cguinness@rexdalealliance.ca

Youth Alpha - Starts up again Friday, January 13
As usual, Youth happens from 7-9 PM on the 2nd and 4th Friday of every month! Students in Grades 6-12 are welcome. We will be continuing our Youth Alpha series and joining other churches in the area! Stay tuned to our Youth newsletter because the location will be rotating. For more information, please contact: youth@rexdalealliance.ca

Young Adults Alpha - Starts Saturday, January 14
Young Adults will be meeting bi-weekly on Saturdays in the new year and we will be doing ALPHA! Come ready to learn, ask questions and have some great conversations. This month we are meeting on Jan. 14 and 28 at 7:00 p.m. in the Fireside Lounge.

Call to Prayer is Around the Corner
Church family, you are God’s chosen ones, holy & beloved, and called to prayer to be filled with the knowledge of His will in all spiritual wisdom & understanding; pray with us! (Colossians 1:9-14)

Please note: an opportunity to include the spiritual practice of fasting together will be provided. Understanding the how & why to fast along with what to pray about with your fast will be given in early January. Please consult your doctor if you have health issues.

Jan. 22 - Sunday service 10:00 - 11:15 a.m. - Rejoice!
Jan. 22 - Sunday 6:30 - 8:30 p.m. - Repent!
Jan. 24 - Tuesday 7:30 - 9:30 p.m. - Rebuild
Jan. 27 - Friday 7:30 - 9:30 p.m. - Reengage!
Jan. 29 - Sunday service 10:00 - 11:15 a.m. - Review!

ANNOUNCEMENTS, FAMILY NEWS, PRAISE AND PRAYER REQUESTS

Holiday Hours at RAC
Please note that the church office and building will be closed between December 25th and January 1st. As you know, our services on December 25th and January 1st are completely online. During this time, calls and emails will not be answered and there won’t be anyone onsite to receive visitors. Of course, the building will be open on December 31st for our in-person New Year’s Eve service. If you have an urgent need, please reach out to one of the pastoral staff directly via email or using their phone extension.

From January 2nd to January 5th the office will be staffed intermittently by volunteers so, we appreciate your patience as it will take time to respond to phone calls or email messages. Thanks for your understanding as we endeavour to give our staff a break during this holiday time.

Financial Update – December Offerings Target
As mentioned at our November AGM, December is a key month for giving here at RAC!  It’s a special month of celebrating our Saviour’s birth where we can honour God’s gift to us by giving gifts of our own.  December is also that last opportunity to make any final contributions in the 2022 calendar year. We are on our way towards our Ministry Fund target of $175,000 for the month. Up to December 18th, $74,500 has been received. Thank you for investing your financial resources at RAC which is a wonderful demonstration of your generosity and God’s faithfulness.

Custodial Staffing Help
Sometimes, we need a little extra help in staffing for our custodial tasks. For example, we might have some work during an evening or weekend event. In some cases, there are shifts available when our staff take vacation. If you are able to help us out either as a volunteer or in a paid capacity, please check out the job posting on our website. We don’t have consistent hours to offer yet, but our building is being used more and more such that additional work is needing to be done. Feel free to reach out to hr@rexdalealliance.ca if you are interested or have questions.

SERVICE AND PRAYER OPPORTUNITIES

Weekend Services

As mentioned, we are having an in-person/online service on Christmas Eve, and an online service only on Christmas Day. Links to watch these services online will be available on our website: www.rexdalealliance.ca.

For those who do not have internet, you mall call the following number to listen to our services, using the Meeting ID below:
Phone No. +1 647 374 4685 Canada
Meeting ID: 849 6287 9924

You may also join the Zoom Meeting directly:
https://us06web.zoom.us/j/84962879924

Opportunities to Pray Together

• Tuesday Church Online Prayer at 7:30pm. Join here.
• Prayer for International Workers on Tuesday evenings starting at 8:30, immediately following our weekly church prayer time.
• Men's Prayer on Wednesdays at 7:00 a.m. Join here.
• Send a prayer request to our dedicated prayer team here.

Please let us know if there is any way we can help you. Contact the church office at 416-741-1110 or at church@rexedalealliance.ca  

From the Staff and Elders of Rexdale Alliance Church:
Have a wonderful weekend and week ahead!