Special Christmas service at St. Paul UMC

GALION — St. Paul United Methodist Church, 746 Cherry St., will have a special service Sunday, Dec. 15. Blue Christmas, a Service of Remembrance, Comfort and Hope, will begin at 3 p.m.

For many, Christmas with the emphasis on family, joy, giving, and “good cheer” can be a very painful time. The loss of a loved one, the anguish of broken relationships, the insecurity of unemployment, the weariness of ill health, depression, the pain of isolation; all these can make us feel very alone in the midst of the celebrating.

We need the space and time to acknowledge our sadness and concern. We need to know that we are not alone. We need to know that God is with us. Emmanuel.

This Blue Christmas Service is a way to acknowledge the pain that the Christmas season can sometimes ignore and sometimes cause. Join with us in prayer, scripture and music acknowledging that God is present with those who mourn, for those who grieve, for those who struggle. God’s word comes to shine light into our darkness. All are welcome.

Friends of Bucyrus Public Library book sale

BUCYRUS — Friends of Bucyrus Public Library will have its before-Christmas book sale Dec. 5-7 in the lower level of the library. This is A Bag of Books for a Donation sale and includes a large collection of gently-used books, both fiction and non-fiction. There also will be large print, paperbacks, softcover and hardcover books for sale for a donation.

Hours of the sale are 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Thursday. Dec. 5; 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Friday, Dec. 6 and 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday. Dec. 7. All proceeds benefit library programming throughout the year.

Portman internship deadline is Jan. 20

WASHINGTON — U.S. Senator Rob Portman (R-OH) is accepting applications for summer 2020 internship opportunities in his Washington, D.C. and state offices.

Internships are designed primarily for Ohio students who have completed at least one full year of collegiate undergraduate coursework. Interns are assigned to work alongside staff responsible for the Senator’s legislative, press, and administrative operations. Students who wish to apply for a summer internship may find application information on Senator Portman’s website in the section titled “Students”.

Application deadline is Jan. 20. Contact Portman’s office at [email protected] or 202-224-3353 for more information.