Advent Booklet

At staff meeting, we started talking about Advent devotional booklets. We provide them for the congregation every year and I was given the charge of selecting this year's. I'm looking, but I don't like what I see -- either I don't like them or we've used them already. And I thought "I wonder if the Webring could do a book..."

I was chatting about this on Real Live Preacher's chatroom and it struck me -- We *can* do this! We could create an Advent devotional booklet and a Lent Booklet based on our reflections on the Common Lectionary. Dylan, Terri C, Rev Stacey and I decided that we could do it three ways: first, a publish on demand book (I'm looking at Lulu Press) that would sell over Amazon for about $5 to $10. The profits would go to Heifer Project. (I need the hard copy because there are so many of my congregation that are not computer literate.) Secondly, we can offer the PDF for download and you can print it yourself. Thirdly, we can post the daily devotional here. For the last two options we can take donations for the Heifer Project.

If you are interested, respond in the comments and I will set up a grid of who can write what. One of the problems I have with the Advent Devotionals that I get is that they just aren't long enough. Most are one single page of text and not very deep. I would like us to aim toward 800 to 1500 words. The second problem I have is that they last only until Christmas Day. I want one that takes us through the entire Christmas season.

Year B is found here. Advent starts November 27. We have enough people to actually do it until Epiphany or January 8. That's 43 days. That's one day each if we (almost) all participate and 2 days if only half of us do. I want the document to be finalized by at least October 16th or 23rd -- and then two weeks to edit.

What do you think?