December 26th, 2025 | Rev. Dr. Mark Charles

Dear Grace-filled Family,

I hope your Christmas was filled with the light and peace of Christ!

I am still reflecting on the beauty of our Christmas Eve services. It was truly a joy to see our Sanctuary and Maxwell Hall filled with so many faces—both familiar and new—as we celebrated Christ’s birth.

I want to take a moment to say a massive, heartfelt thank you to our incredible staff and the army of volunteers who worked so hard behind the scenes. From the ushers and greeters who made everyone feel welcome, to the musicians and tech teams who ensured our worship was beautiful, and those who helped with the pageant and hospitality—you all ensured that love "showed up" at Memorial this week. It takes a tremendous amount of effort to coordinate five services (6 with the digital) in one day, and I want you to know that you are seen and deeply appreciated. 

As we move into this final weekend of 2025, please take note of a change to our usual schedule. On Sunday, December 28th, we will have only one worship service at 10:00AM in the Sanctuary. For those of you who join us online, please note that our digital service will also go out an hour earlier than usual, at 10:00AM on our YouTube channel.

Immediately following the on-campus service, we will begin the "Browning of the Church"—the process of taking down our beautiful Christmas decorations. If you are able to stay for a little while to help us pack things away, we would be so grateful for the extra hands! Many hands make light work, and it's always a wonderful time of fellowship as we transition toward the new year.

Please be aware that the Church Office will be closed for the holiday break, reopening on Monday, January 5th. Our staff will be taking this time for much-needed rest and renewal with their families.

Finally, I want to say thank you to our entire church family for another truly wonderful year of mission and ministry together. Your generosity, energy, passion, and faithfulness are a constant source of inspiration for me. It is an honor to be your pastor, and I am already excited for all the ways God will guide us and use us in 2026.

May the peace of the Christ-child remain with you as we enter this New Year.

Blessings,

Pastor Charlie

December 19th, 2025 | Rev. Rachel Williams

Dear Beloved Friends,

          Each Sunday of Advent, my family and I sit down for dinner and light the next Advent candle on the wreath. The hope candle is turning into a nub. The peace candle has accumulated an impressive amount of wax, and the joy candle shines proudly with its height intact. The kids keep asking to light the fourth candle, the candle of love, but I remind them each night that we have to wait. It’s not time yet.

Waiting is hard, especially for a little kid. Actually, it seems that waiting is hard for us all. But here we are, six days from Christmas, still in the waiting. As we set our eyes to Bethlehem, may we prepare our hearts for the Christ child by extending love to those around us- our friends, family, acquaintances, neighbors.

May we also pay extra care to see those who might be overlooked in the hustle and bustle of the holiday season. Invite someone to service on the 24^th (you have plenty to choose from!), or join the Homeless Coalition for Christmas Day Brunch in Maxwell Hall on Christmas morning. Carry with you the light of Christ as it grows ever brighter.

Though I’m a few days early, I want to wish each of you a peaceful, bright, love-filled Christmas.

With hope, peace, joy and love,

Pastor Rachel  

December 12th, 2025 | Rev. Dr. Mark Charles

Dear Grace-filled Family,

As we move toward the final weeks of Advent, this season quickly becomes one of the fullest and most exciting times in our church year!

There is so much beautiful worship, service, and connection happening, and I wanted to give you a quick rundown of some key dates coming up.

This Sunday brings one of the highlights of our musical year: the Christmas Cantata! Our Sanctuary Choir will lead us in this powerful worship experience during both the 8:00 am and 11:00 am services. You are warmly invited to attend and I encourage you to invite family, friends, and neighbors to experience this beautiful expression of the Christmas story.

Please note: There will be no 9:30 am service this week. Instead, Maxwell Hall will be transformed into our annual Mission Fair and Mission Gift Shop! This is a wonderful opportunity to support our partners, learn about their great work, and purchase gifts that truly give back. A delicious breakfast will be served as well, so please plan to join us then.

On Thursday, December 18th, we will once again partner with our ecumenical friends for a "Darkness to Light" service. This special service of worship is designed especially for anyone who struggles during the holiday season, particularly those who are carrying the pain of grief. If the season feels more dark than light for you right now, please know that you are welcome and held in this gentle space.

Finally, preparations are being made for another wonderful Christmas Eve at Memorial! This is a high season for worship, and we are excited to welcome our community to celebrate the birth of Christ, our Savior.

Our service times are as follows:

• 3:00PM Family Service in Maxwell Hall

• 4:00PM Traditional Service in the Sanctuary

• 5:00PM Contemporary Service in Maxwell Hall

• 7:00PM Traditional Service in the Sanctuary

• 7:00PM YouTube Livestream @MemorialFernandina

• 9:00PM Quiet Communion Service in the Sanctuary

Over the last several years, we have had to turn people away from our 7:00PM service, and we never want a visitor to be unable to hear the Gospel on Christmas Eve. As a solution, we have added a full Traditional service at 4:00PM. We hope that our many regular worshipers will be willing to attend the 4:00PM service as an act of hospitality to ensure we have room for the many visitors who seek to attend the 7:00PM service. Thank you for helping us make room!

This is a busy season of connection with our community, as well as being a high season for our worship. Please be in prayer for everyone involved in welcoming people and leading worship as we celebrate the birth of Christ, our Savior.

Blessings

Pastor Charlie