Members and friends will really be singing "Joy to the World" this Christmas Eve, as they gather in their new place of worship to celebrate the birthday of Jesus Christ.
Carol/candlelight services will be at 7 and 11 p.m. Friday with the singing of familiar carols, a magical children's message, special music and words of hope and joy from the pastor titled,"Oh, There's No Place Like Home for the Holidays!"
A special Christmas gift will be given to each worshiper at the close of each service.
After spending several Christmas days in Jacks Valley Elementary School and a number of months in the Genoa Town Hall, it will be a relief for members not to haul the items needed for worship from garage to gym and Town Hall each week, or to set up a hundred or more chairs every Sunday morning an put them away again after church is over.
"After three years, it was getting more and more difficult to get the families to sign up for Sunday morning duty," Pastor E. D. Thyr said, "they were getting a bit weary of hauling stuff around."
The new building, which will eventually be used for the educational program of Shepherd of the Sierra, has a chapel seating 140, several offices, a well equipped nursery, classrooms and a youth center, completed with an in-line kitchen.
Newcomers to the area as well as those who have no church home are invited to join the members and friends of SOS at one of their Christmas Eve services.
The Church is just north of the new Target store on the west side of Highway 395. Until the access road adjacent to 395 is built, the entrance to Shepherd of the Sierra will be into the driveway of Fountainhead Foursquare Church and left to the parking lot at SOS.
Although there will be no service on Christmas morning, Sunday School and church will be conducted on Dec. 26., Sunday school at 9:45 a.m. and church at 11 a.m. On the first Sunday in January, services will be conducted at 8:30 and 11 a.m. every Sunday morning with Bible study for all ages at 9:45 a.m. Call 720-5400 or 782-0255. A