The Children's Program will be presented at 10 a.m. Sunday at Butler Church of the Nazarene, 4410 Oakdale Road and Route 68. A Christmas dinner will follow. Meat, drink and rolls will be provided. Participants should take a casserole to share.

Christmas caroling will be at 6 p.m. Sunday. Meet at the church if you are interested in going.

There will be a Christmas party for all children from 1 to 4 p.m. Saturday at the church. Call the church office at 724-482-4116 for more information.

Cast and crew of "The Surprising Christmas Pageant" at Christ Community United Methodist Church, 205 N. Duffy Road, Butler Township, should arrive at the church at 4:30 p.m. Sunday to prepare for the 5:30 p.m. performance.The Mission Team will have a bake sale Sunday to include pies, fudge, nut rolls, apple dumplings and soup. The sale supports church mission projects.A Sleigh of Light decorates the back of the church to collect gifts of children's socks, pajamas and toiletries to be donated to children in the care of Children and Youth Services. Sign the register to honor a church staff member or someone in the church family with the donation.

Community Alliance Church, 800 Mercer Road, will hold a food drive Sunday. Donations will be given to the Lighthouse Foundation to help the needy.The Christmas Cantata, "All Bow Down," a praise and worship Christmas, will be held at 6 p.m. Sunday.

The youth group of Community Life Church, McQuistion Elementary School, will hold service at 7 p.m. Dec. 20 at the home of Ben and Amanda Ogle.

On Sunday, Dr. Kang-Yup Na, associate professor in the department of religion, history, philosophy, and classics at Westminster College, will lead the Seekers Class of Covenant Presbyterian Church, 230 E. Jefferson St. He will teach the parable of the lost coin from Luke 15. The class meets at 9:30 a.m. in the Assembly Room.The Covenant Choir will rehearse from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. Thursday evenings through December.

An Apples of Gold Bible study, sponsored by First Baptist Church, 221 W. New Castle St., will be held from 7 to 9:30 p.m. today at the home of Debbie Broad.A children's Christmas program, involving youth age 2 through grade 6, will be presented at 6 p.m. Sunday.The church will conduct a nursing home Christmas service from 2 to 3 p.m. Monday at Sunnyview Home.Teens from the church will meet at 6:30 p.m. Wednesday at the church for a Christmas party. Caroling will follow.

The senior high youth of First English Lutheran Church, 241 N. Main St., will meet at 10 a.m. Saturday for Christmas shopping.Congregational meetings will be held after the 8:30 and 11 a.m. Sunday services.The junior high youth will meet at 12:30 p.m. Sunday for Christmas activities.Christmas caroling to church members who are shut-ins will begin at 2 p.m. Sunday.New hair products are being collected in the social room for the St. Vincent de Paul food cupboard.There will be no community meals at the church Dec. 24 and 31.

A concert featuring Greg and Rebecca Sparks will be held at 7 p.m. Sunday at First United Methodist Church, 200 E. North St. The event will feature Christmas songs, familiar hymns and contemporary praise songs.

The Men's Fellowship Breakfast of Glade Run United Presbyterian Church, 1091 Pittsburgh Road, Valencia, will be held at 7 a.m. Saturday at Country Kitchen in Penn Township.The youth group will hold their progressive dinner Sunday. For information, call 724-898-1016.There will be a meeting of the Glade Run Cemetery Association at 7 p.m. Monday in conference room 2.The Preschool Place will hold their Christmas pageant Wednesday and Dec. 20. The pageant is open to all family, friends and interested persons. For information or details, call 724-898-2602.The R.O.C.K. Christmas program will be held at 6:45 p.m. Wednesday. Refreshments will be served following the program.

The youth group of Grace @ Calvary Lutheran Church, 123 E. Diamond St., will gather for a Christmas party from 5 to 9 p.m. Friday at the church. Participants should take a $10 gift suitable for a male or female. Dinner will be provided.Angel Food Ministries food orders will be distributed from 8:30 to 10:30 a.m. Saturday.The church council has scheduled a meeting for 7 p.m. Dec. 20.The Pizza Hut fundraiser for the youth group is only available at the Cunningham Street restaurant.

Mary Jo Burkholder and Edith McCandless will provide music for the 10 a.m. Sunday service at GraceWay Community Church, Center Township Elementary School, Mercer Road. To celebrate the third Sunday of Advent, Ron, Mary Ann and Nicholas Mahan will light the third Advent candle.GraceWay youth will meet for a Christmas shopping trip Saturday. For details, call 724-504-7264.The youth Christmas party will be held Wednesday at the home of Dave and Amber Crowe. For details, call 724-504-7264.

The Advent cantata "Child of Peace" will be performed by the chancel choir at the 10:30 a.m. Sunday service of Hill United Presbyterian Church, 501 Second St.The Children's Christmas musical "The Next Noel" will be presented at 7 p.m. Sunday.Buses will leave the church at 5 p.m. Friday for the performance of "The Musical Christmas Carol" at Bynum Theatre in Pittsburgh. The chancel choir and the Hill Youth Chorale will perform at 7:30 p.m., prior to the musical presentation.

The third Advent candle will be lit Sunday at Mars United Presbyterian Church, Crowe Avenue, Mars. Karen and Mac Purvis will light the candle at the 8:30 a.m. service and the Addam Snow family at the 11 a.m. service.A collection for Heifer Project International will be taken at the 11 a.m. Sunday service.Children participating in the pageant will meet at 5 p.m. Friday for rehearsal.The Children's Christmas Pageant will be presented at 5 p.m. Sunday. A pot luck supper will follow. Participants should take a dish to share.

The offering that will be accepted Christmas Eve at New Life Christian Ministries, South Butler Primary School, 328 Knoch Rd., Saxonburg, will be donated to the Moraine Park Summer Festival with Steve Wingfield. The festival will be held June 13 to 15 and will feature nationally known musical artists, a special youth day and family activities.Rehearsal for the Christmas Eve celebrations will be held from 10 a.m. to noon Dec. 22 at South Butler Primary School.Relevant Student Ministries will meet for a Christmas party from 6:30 to 8 p.m. Sunday at the home of Bill and Margaret Gebhart. Participants should take a white elephant gift to share. For details, contact youth leader Brad French at 724-372-0201 or brad@newlifexn.org. Details are also available at www.liverelevant.com.

The Chancel Choir of Oak Hills Christian Church, Disciples of Christ, Old Plank and Township Line Roads, Butler Township, will present a Christmas program, ".....For the Child, A Cantata, Lessons for the Choir and Congregation," at 10:45 a.m. Sunday. The choir is under the direction of Ralph Christy, Jr.

During worship this week, the children of Old Union Presbyterian Church, 200 Union Church Road, Mars, will present a nativity pageant.The youth group will meet at 9:45 a.m. Saturday to lend a hand at Evans City Food Cupboard. They will then go ice skating at North Park and return to the church at 4:30 p.m. The cost is $3 and participants should take money for a fast food lunch.Baking ingredients, canned fruit and vegetables, gelatin, stuffing mix and cranberries are being collected for the Evans City Food Cupboard in preparation for Christmas. Also needed are baby food, diapers, baby juice, powder, lotions and other supplies. Donations are due Sunday.

Sunday school students will present a program at the 11 a.m. Sunday service at Park United Presbyterian Church, 115 E. Grandview Ave., Zelienople.Saint Andrews U.P.The Chancel Choir will present the Cantata "The King of Who I Am" during the Sunday service at Saint Andrews United Presbyterian Church, 201 E. Jefferson St.A chili cook-off will be held New Year's Eve in the Bethany Room. The event is held in conjunction with the annual Ring In The Arts Festival taking place in Butler. Volunteers are needed to bake, set up and decorate on Dec. 30 and to serve, clean up and provide general assistance from 3 until 10 p.m. on Dec. 31. Work will be split into 2½-hour shifts. Donations for the basket auction are needed as well. Volunteers should sign up on the sheet in the narthex if you are interested. For details, contact Lori Love-Franke, Bonnie Martin, Carol Landis or the Rev. Merry Meloy if you have any questions.The Covenant food cupboard is requesting donations of noodles and tuna. Christmas basket food items are also appreciated. Donations can be placed in the cart in the narthex.

An evening of caroling will be held Saturday at Springdale Lutheran Church, 1061 Mahood Road, Concord Township. The event will begin at 4 p.m. Refreshments will be available at 6 p.m. at the church.

Christmas by Candlelight will begin at 6:30 p.m. Sunday at St. John's United Church of Christ, 501 E. Main St., Evans City. The event, open to women of the church and their female guests, is an evening of music, dance, drama, desserts and fellowship in the spirit of Christmas.Upcoming worship services will feature seasonal hymns from the new Chalice Carols supplementary hymnal recently placed in the pews.The adult choir is scheduled to sing Dec. 19 at Passavant Retirement Community. Members should meet at 6 p.m. for the event.

Poinsettia orders are due Sunday at St. Mark's Evangelical Lutheran Church, 201 W. Jefferson St. All pots are 8Z\x inches and have 3 plants each. Cost is $30. Checks should be made payable to St. Mark's Lutheran Church with designation "Floral Gift." These can be purchased in honor or memory of loved ones. Anyone wishing to buy a live green wreath for one of the 12 doors of the church can do so at the cost of $30. These orders are also due Sunday.The youth group will have a Christmas bake sale after all services Saturday and Sunday. Assorted cookies and small loaves of bread will be sold.All mailed church contributions for 2007 must be received in the church office by 9 a.m. Dec. 27 to be deposited for 2007. Any mailed contributions received after that date will be deposited in 2008.Holy Communion will be celebrated at both services Sunday.There will be live Nativity from 9 a.m. to noon Dec. 23 in front of the church. Refreshments will be served.

Volunteers are needed to decorate for Christmas at St. Peter's Episcopal Church, 218 E. Jefferson St. Decorating will begin after the 10:30 a.m. Sunday service.This week's confirmation class has been moved to 1 p.m. Saturday.St. Richard R.C.An Advent reconciliation service will be held at 7 p.m. Dec. 20 at St. Richard Roman Catholic Church, 3841 Dickey Road, Gibsonia. Additional priests will be available following the service for individual confessions.An extra priest will be available after the 5 p.m. Mass Dec. 22 for confession. and Confessions will be heard after all Masses Dec. 23 and after the 9 a.m. Mass Dec. 24.A Mass will be celebrated at 9 a.m. Dec. 25 at the church.In celebration of the Feast of the Holy Family, there will be a blessing of families at Masses Dec. 29 and 30.

The Men of Summit Presbyterian Church, 181 Caldwell Drive, Jefferson Township, will hold a breakfast for all men at 8 a.m. Saturday in fellowship hall. ABible study will follow the breakfast.An Advent luncheon will be held at noon Tuesday in fellowship hall. The Rev. Jonathan Evans provide a message. Christmas carols will be sung.

The Sunday school Christmas program will be presented at 9:45 a.m. Sunday at Trinity Lutheran Church, 120 Sunset Drive, Center Township. All youth classes will participate in the presentation.The Last Supper will be celebrated and shared at the 6:30 p.m. Saturday and 11 a.m. Sunday services.Members of the confirmation class, their mentors and anyone who would like to join in their ministry are invited to go caroling after the 11 a.m. Sunday service. A lunch will be served prior to leaving to sing for shut-ins.Advent's last offering of the Holden Evening Prayer will be held at 6:30 p.m. Wednesday. A light supper will be shared at 5:30 p.m.The Prayer Shawl Ministry is seeking help to make a prayer blanket for Dan Maguire, a serviceman who was injured in Iraq. Church members who would like to participate should knit or crochet a red, white, or blue 12- by 12-inch square and bring it to the church office.Volunteers are needed to assist residents of Sunbury Fields Apartments with tasks such as light housekeeping, laundry, and transportation.The congregation is beginning a Neighbor-to-Neighbor program. Anyone willing to help can sign-up in Trinity Alive or call the church office.

Trinity Presbyterian Church, 107 Staley Ave., Butler Township, will hold a congregational meeting Sunday to elect new officers.Volunteers from Trinity will serve the community meal from 5 to 6 p.m. Wednesday at Saint Andrews United Presbyterian Church.The food item for the Covenant Food Cupboard for December is spaghetti or spaghetti sauce. Items may be placed in the grocery cart in the narthex.Sunday is the last day to contribute items for the Come in out of the Cold mission project.Christmas caroling is scheduled for Dec. 22. Carolers should meet at the church at 5 p.m.Deacons will be delivering dinners to the homebound at 4 p.m. Saturday.

Amy Meigel will provide music for the Sunday service at Valencia Presbyterian Church, 80 Sterrett St., Valencia. The VPC Hands of Faith puppet ministry will provide the Children's Message.Portraits for the family photo album will be taken Monday and Tuesday. Any members of the congregation who have not made their appointments can call the church office to schedule a time.

A Christmas concert will be held at 5:30 p.m. Sunday at Westminster Presbyterian Church in America, 420 N. Main St.The stated Session Meeting will be held at 7 p.m. Tuesday.The Common Ground singles group Christmas party will be held at 7 p.m. Tuesday at the church. The event will include snacks and games. For details, call 724-615-1472 or visit http://www.commong.net.The staff meeting and breakfast will begin at 9 a.m. Dec. 20 at the church.Jan. 22 marks the 35th anniversary of Roe vs. Wade. A bus will leave the church that morning to travel to the March for Life in Washington, D.C. Transportation is free. The event is considered an excused absence from school. The bus will return that night. The sign-up sheet is on the bulletin board in Perrin Hall or call the office at 724-283-4204. www.marchforlife.org.

Full dress rehearsal for the Christmas play will be held at 6 p.m. Friday at Zion Lutheran Church, 266 Zion Church Road, Concord Township.The Christmas play, "Gold, Frankincense, Myrrh and a Ducky" will be performed during the 11 a.m. Sunday service. Alunch will follow the service. Participants should take a dish to share.

Members of Zion United Methodist Church, Bear Creek Road, Sarver, will travel to Concordia Saturday for Christmas caroling. Participants should meet at 2 p.m. at the church to car pool.Anyone interested in attending the Lay Ministry School Jan. 13 to Feb. 10 at Trinity United Methodist Church in Brackenridge should register by Saturday. The courses offered are Basic Lay Speaking, Preaching and Storytelling, All classes are held from 2 to 5 p.m. Sundays. Brochures are in the narthex.