Annual Christmas Staff Dinner

Each year, our Staff/Parish Relations Committee hosts our staff members and their spouses/guests for a festive holiday meal at the church. They always make it very special by including Christmas decorations and Christmas music.

We have twenty-two staff positions in our church including office support, program, preschool, music, custodial, and clergy. It's very rare that all of us are together in the same place at the same time because of our different functions, but the annual Christmas party gives us the opportunity to enjoy fellowship, celebrate our faith, and reconnect with each other.

The Staff/Parish Relations Committee leaves the entertainment for the evening up to me, so every year I come up with a goofy little icebreaker to bring a little holiday cheer. This year, we sang some Christmas carols and then had some fun with the song, "The Twelve Days of Christmas."

Each staff grouping was assigned two different days of the twelve days of Christmas in which they would stand up when it was their turn and sing their particular day in the song which included a gift that pertained to their particular staff needs. So, for the second day of Christmas, the clergy sang, "On the second day of Christmas, my true love gave to me, two subscriptions to preaching magazines."

By looking at the picture from last night's Christmas dinner, you can tell that we will never be the same again!

From the Faith Community United Methodist staff in Xenia, Ohio, and to all of you:

May God's love made known to all of us through the coming of Jesus Christ bring peace, mercy, and love to you, your family, and to the whole world this Christmas season.

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