On Sunday, Nov 28, the pastoral staff and volunteers handed out Advent bags. Many thanks to Jonathan Sakakibara for his lovely video, and to PPW (Parkview Presbyterian Women) and Christian Education for the bags, which included:

• Devotional book – daily devotionals and scripture to read every day leading up to Christmas
• Candle – to remember that the light of the world has come
• Ornament – a special 2020 ornament to hang on your tree to keep you connected to Parkview and to remember this historic Christmas for years to come
• Mandarin orange – a symbol of good fortune, we are grateful for our own blessings but remain mindful to care for those in need
• Chocolate – to enjoy the sweetness of this time of year
• Homemade cookies from your Parkview family – a reminder of the sweet connection that we have with our Parkview family
• Manju – a popular and traditional Japanese sweet to remember our Parkview heritage
• Narcissus (Paperwhite) bulb – This bulb symbolizes hope and that days of blooming are on their way. Put a shallow layer of pebbles, marbles, or planting medium in the bottom of a glass vase (so you can see your bulb growing) and place the bulb on top of this layer. Fill the vase with water to the base of the root stem of the bulb. Be sure to keep watering as needed. You can plant your bulb in an indoor pot as well. If you plant this on the first day of Advent, your bulb will bloom by Christmas. Be sure to smell its sweet fragrance as well.