D E C E M B E R F A I T H L U T H E R A N C H U R C H

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1 Faith Matters D E C E M B E R F A I T H L U T H E R A N C H U R C H The Evangelical Lutheran Church in America WORSHIP TIMES SUNDAYS 9:00 A.M WEDNESDAYS 6:15 P.M. CONTEMPORARY WORSHIP CHURCH OFFICE 255 Roosevelt Street PO Box 369 Valders, Wisconsin Phone Fax Website STAFF DIRECTORY Erica Cunningham, Senior Pastor Direct Office Line Cell: pastorerica@tds.net Nicole Welke, Associate Pastor Direct Office Line Cell: pastornicole@tds.net Christine Olson, Adm. Assistant Faith Matters Editor ...faith21@tds.net Nicolle Behnke, Youth & Family Ministry Coordinator ..FLCyouthandfamily@tds.net David Kriewald, Custodian Derek Luckow, Bell and Mixed Choir Director Kim Bremer, Dennis Luckow, Carol Ulness, Becky Schultz Contemporary Worship Coordinators Peggy Madson & Sue Riesterer, Organists INSIDE In the Life of Faith 2 In the Life of Faith continued 3 Finances 4 Liturgical Roles/Membership 5 Youth and Family 6 Poinsettia Order Form 7 Stewardship Corner 8 Greeting Members and Friends of Faith, We have now reached the busy time that December brings. This often means decorating for Christmas. I know one of my favorite things to put out when my family decorated for Christmas was the nativity scene. It was always located in one of two places, both visible from all areas of our living room. I would spend time carefully placing each and every piece to create the scene that had its own special area. As I have missed decorating at home I have realized how important that nativity scene was to me as I grew up and learned the story of Jesus birth and still is. I am looking forward to being able to set up my nativity scenes this year after receiving a few as gifts last year for my ordination. Growing up I would ask questions about where the pieces went, and why they were a part of it as I set up the stable. All throughout being unaware of the learning and deepening of my faith that was taking place. We would go to my grandparents on Christmas and the first thing my grandma would always have to show us was her nativity, and it was once again set up in a prominent place, central to the room and holiday. This scene is so central for us as Christians especially during this season of the year. I carefully placed each character in its location desiring to have everything just right and for it to be set up perfectly. The Christmas story and the nativity were far from perfect circumstances and more complex for each character than being placed in the right location. This is story much larger than just the one night the star appeared. This scene helps tell a story that hinged on astounding faith of those present. Faith, a Christmas story and scene that relies on the faith of humans, so how can our faith lives be enriched this Advent and Christmas season through the angels, shepherds, Mary, Joseph, Jesus and the wise men who we encounter in the nativity. Who can we resonate with as the nativity scene is put together? Is it the angels who come with some of the most shocking but greatest news imaginable? The shepherds who were not treated with much respect in society, but were faithful to their job and calling. They kept watch and found joy in what God had called them to do, and they were the first to receive the good news of Jesus birth. Then there is Mary who is young and a virgin who is told she will bear the Son of God and faithfully she does despite the fear of what could happen to her. Engaged to Mary is Joseph, who would not have been looked down on for leaving Mary. Instead, he trusted in the message sent by God and stands by Mary s side. Then there is Jesus, the babe lying in the manger, not what would be expected for a king. Nevertheless, proclaims the message of what faith and trust in God s Word can be. The message shines even in the lowliest of places. Finally, the wise men that learn of Jesus through Herod end up trusting in a dream to not return the way they came in order to keep Jesus safe. Faith over and over again plays a vital role in the Christmas story and all those present in the nativity scene. That nativity that I faithfully set up each year with the angels, shepherds, Mary, Joseph, Jesus, the stable full of animals, and the wise men helped me learn pieces of the story. I learned how central it was to my faith and continue to realize how my own faith is deepened each time I reflect on those pieces of the nativity. As we walk this season of Advent together hearing God s Word, I encourage you to take some time to reflect on the pieces found in the nativity. I also pray that it ends up being much more than a story, but a way for each of us to connect and grow in our faith. The nativity is more than a scene that gets set up, but a story of great faith that we are all impacted by. Blessings, Pastor Nicole Welke

2 Christmas Eve, Thursday, December 24. Worship at 3:00, 5:30 and 11:00 P.M. with Holy Communion. Christmas Day, Friday, December 25. Worship at 10:00 A.M. with Holy Communion. Sunday School Christmas Program Sunday, December 13 at 9:00 a.m. and Wednesday, December 16 at 6:15 P.M. Blue Christmas Service of Light in the Midst of Darkness Sunday, December 20 at 11:00 AM Faith Lutheran Church is again sponsoring the Sharing Tree. The tree is located in the Gathering Space. On the tree are tags that represent gift items for two families. A spending suggestion for each tag is $ (Remember to utilize Faith s SCRIP if possible.) All gifts need to be returned to church unwrapped to the container in the information center no later than Tuesday, December 8 th. Support in the past years has been tremendous, so I am confident these families will see God s love made real through your generosity. Any questions can be directed to Julie Endries at Service of Lessons and Carols Sunday, December 27 9:00 a.m. Wednesday, December 30 6:15 p.m. 2

3 Receiving their First Communion November 8 were Peter Cigler, Phoebe Cigler, Kayla Hildebrandt, Makenna Kaderabek, Lilian Larson, Carter Lenzner, Gracelyn Mulhaney, Lauren O Leary, Autumn Robley, Emily Schwoerer, Carter Valleskey, Eliza Wilker and Rhys Wilker. Welcome to the Lord s Table! The Community Thanksgiving Dinner was a great gathering time with 260 attending. Thank you to everyone who brought delicious desserts or who helped with the setup, meal or cleanup. It was a good partnership to have the communities of Clarks Mills, St. Nazianz and Valders teaming together to provide a free meal to everyone. In As Much Sunday I tell you, in as much as you did this for one of the least important of these followers of mine, you did it for me! (Matthew 25:40) God tells us that whatever we do for others, we are doing for God. In the spirit of this, we will have a toy drive for children who are in need this Christmas. We ask that you purchase a new toy/gift that you would like for yourself and give it up for someone else. We will be collecting the items during the children s sermon on Sunday, December 6th and Wednesday, December 9th. You can also drop toys off at Church before December 9th. The toys will be donated to the Salvation Army Toy Shop which distributes toys to children in Manitowoc County. Senior Christians will meet Tuesday, December 15 at 9:00 a.m. at the Fork & Knife. The Manitowoc Health & Rehabilitation Center s Christmas Wish List is on the stewardship cabinet for your viewing. Please have all items returned to the cabinet by December 1. Game Night will be Saturday, December 5 at 6:00 pm at the home of Don and Cheryl Domrath. The address is 3410 Fleetcrest Court, Manitowoc. Please call if attending. Hands on Mission reports that the members and youth of Faith will be doing the Red Kettle Bell Ringing for the Salvation Army at Christel's Piggly Wiggly on Saturday, December 5 during the hours of 8:00 am to 2:00 pm. 3 3

4 Finances Income - October Budget YTD Actual YTD Budget Envelope Offerings $ 20, Loose Offerings $ Other Income $ General Fund Income $ 21, $ 26, $ 218, $ 215, Dedicated Income $ $ 5, Total Income $ 21, $ 223, Operating Expenses - October Administrative/Office $ 1, Benevolence $ 2, Bd. Of Church Property $ 2, Bd. Of Education $ 1, Bd. Of Evangelism $ Bd. Of Lay Ministry $ 8.65 Bd. Of Parish Organizations $ Bd. Of Stewardship $ Bd. Of Youth Ministry $ Personnel Salaries/Benefits $ 15, General Fund Expense $ 24, $ 26, $ 232, $ 215, Dedicated Expense $ $ 4, Total Expenses $ 24, $ 237, Balances as of October 31, 2015 Assets: General Fund Checkbook: $ 45, Year to Date General Fund Net Income : $ (13,791.36) Capital Appeal 9/30/2015 Denmark State Bank Loan Balance - $425, Monthly required payment $ 3, Additional payment for October $12, Total October payment Principle paid $14, Interest paid $1, /31/2015 Denmark State Bank Loan Balance - $411, Donations World Hunger: Nine donations were given this month. Capital Appeal Fund: Thirty eight donations were given this month. 4

5 Liturgical Liturgical Roles Roles ~ Worship Responsibilities Pastoral Acts Baptisms... Harper Dorothy Frank... Edyn Marie Peterson Membership Baptized Confirmed Families Worship Attendance Sunday Wednesday Total 10/ / / / Altar Guild Servers Communion: December... Committee #2 January... Committee #1 Marlene Evenson, Chair (Committee #1) Bev Torrison, Chair (Committee #2) Lectors 12/6 Chloe Cigler 12/9 Kim Bremer 13/16 Youth 12/20 Kaye Jandrey 12/24 3:00: Kerry Schnell 5:30: Jenniffer Zutz 11:00: Carol Ulness 12/25 Stefanie Kaderabek 12/27 Brian Ulness 12/30 Carol Ulness Communion Servers 12/6 Brian & Tammy Brill 12/9 Carolyn Hallberg and Judy Valleskey 12/16 Youth 12/20 Jim and Jeanette Schuessler 12/24 3:00: Joyce Sorenson, Jan Mulhaney, Kerry Schnell, Michelle & Erin Schwoerer 5:30: Bryce Larson and Jenniffer Zutz 11:00 Bob Klessig and Dennis Luckow 12/25 Earl Griffin and Stefanie Kaderabek 12/27 Jan Mulhaney and Brian Ulness 12/30 Dave and Terry Haupt Acolyte/Crucifer Schedule 12/6 Erin Schwoerer 12/20 Hannah Evenson 12/24 3:00: Taylor Zucchi acolyte Kayla Hildebrandt crucifer 5:30: Katie Thomsen acolyte Isaac Petska crucifer 11:00: Dylan Conrad acolyte Kyle Conrad crucifer 12/25 Valerie Valleskey 12/27 Clarissa Ulness Head Usher Schedule- Sunday December... Larry Madson and Tom Madson January... Matt Krogh and Paul Franz Greeters 12/6 Brian and Tammy Brill 12/9 Judy Valleskey 12/16 Youth 12/20 Dennis and Marlene Evenson 12/24 3:00: Lisa and Gracie Mulhaney 5:30: Jared, Cassie and Mitchell Zutz 11:00: Bob and Caynen Klessig 12/25 Geoff and Bridget Valleskey Family 12/27 Jan Mulhaney 12/30 Judy and Megan Valleskey Ushers 12/6 Keith and Audrey Lippert Jim Ahrens 12/20 Lyle and Arlene Roehrig Dennis Evenson 12/24 3:00: Guy and Judy Valleskey Family 5:30: Mark and Jenniffer Zutz Family 11:00: Loren and Carol Ulness Family 12/25 Ron and Jo Jones Stefanie Kaderabek 12/27 Earl and Barb Griffin Larry Naidl 5

6 Youth and Family The Board of Youth and Family Ministry will be sponsoring a Kid s Night Out on Friday, December 11 from 5 9 p.m. in the fellowship hall. Parents can drop your children off at the church for a night of games and activities while you shop, bake or simply relax. A meal will be provided. After dinner, there will be games, crafts, and a movie. Many of the crafts made will be used to help decorate a tree for the baby Jesus! Children must be potty-trained. A free will offering will be collected. Please come into the church building when you drop off your children so you can fill out an emergency contact form. Friends are welcome! We will be Christmas Caroling this year on Saturday December 19 th. The caroling will go from 2:30-4:00 pm. We will begin by going to the Healthcare Center and caroling around there to bring joy to the residents. They will have the whole place decorated by then and are excited to have us come. Then we will go caroling around the village to bring some joy to others that afternoon. Following caroling we will enjoy some hot cocoa and cookies at church. All are welcome to come join no matter your age. We all have voices to raise a joyful sound so come with yours so we can bring some Christmas Cheer! We will need help driving so if you are willing please let us know or if you have questions you can contact, Nicolle Behnke or Pastor Nicole. The more the merrier, so please come join us! 6

7 Poinsettia Order Form Instructions for Ordering One plant order per form. $9.00 per plant. All poinsettias will be red. Please make checks payable to Faith Lutheran Church. DEADLINE for orders is SUNDAY, DECEMBER 13 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ I (We) wish to order a poinsettia to be placed in church during Christmas. Name(s) of person(s) ordering: This plant is (circle one) IN SPECIAL THANKSGIVING or IN MEMORY IN HONOR of: ************************************* World Hunger I would like to give money to World Hunger instead of a plant. Amount of money enclosed This is (circle one) IN SPECIAL THANKSGIVING or IN MEMORY IN HONOR of: You are invited! Rostered, Congregational Leaders and Members are invited to attend a FREE workshop the morning of Monday, December 7 th from 9:30 12:00 pm at the Synod Office. Beth Lewis, President & CEO of Augsburg Fortress and her husband Rev. Dr. Rick Rouse will lead us in 2 excellent sessions. Pastor Rouse will begin with Seven Transformational Keys For a Missional Congregation which is a workshop for leaders who want to learn more about what it takes to be a congregation focused on God s mission. Pastor Rouse will share the vital signs of a missional church and explore ways to help congregations reclaim their vocation as a mission outpost and training center for today s disciples. This practical session will explore how to move a congregation from a maintenance model to a missional model. He will share insights from the book he co-authored with Craig Van Gelder: A Field Guide for the Missional Congregation: Embarking on a Journey of Transformation. Beth Lewis will follow up with Generations & Technology in the Church. As President & CEO for Augsburg Fortress, Beth lives in the both/ and world of needing to lead an organization creating both ink-on-paper and digital resources for the Church during a time of dramatic changes in the publishing industry and is societal expectations of congregational life. In this presentation, she will review some of the life-experience differences in our six living generations, how they interact (or don t) with various digital technologies, and review how congregations can juggle these carrying expectations. Come to an energized morning with 2 excellent leaders as we discover how to be a missional church in this ever changing world! There is no charge, but please Darlene at darlene.kalfahs@ecsw.org if you plan to attend so we know how many people for to set up for. 7

8 Stewardship corner for December This message is written 4 days before our annual budget meeting. We trust that all of you have taken time to review the 2016 budget and help support the programs and ministries here at Faith Lutheran. The boards and committees submitted there portions to the stewardship board and then they were brought forth to the board of directors for their approval and then on to the members of our congregation for your approval. Over the last month we have several members of our congregation share their stories and thoughts on stewardship and generosity. Each of us has our own thoughts on what stewardship involves. The more time we spend looking at stewardship we begin to realize that God is not asking us to think about stewardship a few times each year, but clearly wants each of us to work on creating a culture of generosity within ourselves that not only benefits our own lives and spiritual growth but the lives and spiritual growth for many. This year has been a year when we have asked our members many times for financial support, time and talent. We launched our 2 nd 3-year capital appeal efforts so that we could lower our mortgage and support our 2016 vision to call additional pastoral staff and provide funding for expanded ministries as well. Our members have responded to our requests and on behalf of all the members of our stewardship board and staff we thank you for your support and pray that you will continue your generosity in the future. As Jesus stated in Matthew 22 when he talked about money that the lamp of the body is the eye. Therefore if your eye is good your whole body will be full of light. Bryce Larson Dear Friends of Crossways, Over 100 Junior High Youth and their leaders/chaperons attended the Junior High Blast this past weekend at Imago Dei Village. There were ten summer staff who led Bible study, worship, games and other activities. As I visited with staff and campers it was readily apparent that they were enthused about being at camp even though it was "a bit chilly". The staff gave up study time, regular weekend jobs, and electronic communication to serve as positive role models for the youth. The year-round and summer staff have a major impact on the faith formation of our campers. Congregational leaders and parents appreciate the assistance in preparing these youth for not only Confirmation but greater involvement in the mission of their congregation. It is clear that we must continue to do everything we can to recruit, train, hire, inspire and supervise the most qualified young adults for this important role in camp and congregations. Lots of memories are shared about the staff person who inspired a vocation to ordained ministry, supported campers during a difficult period, influenced an interest in serving on staff, or impacted the faith lives of campers. One of the major initiatives for 2016 is to strengthen our staff recruitment and retention process. Some of the strategies include: --earlier hiring of returning staff before job fairs in February --incentives for returning staff to help us recruit new staff --involvement of summer staff at college job fairs --contact with Lutheran Campus Ministry offices --hiring a Day Camp Coordinator and two teams of Day Camp staff to exclusively focus on Day Camp --expanding our Servant Leadership Internship Program --developing a Servant-in-Training Program to replace Junior YET --developing a Staff-in-Training Program to replace Senior YET One of the ways you can join forces with our year-round and summer staff is to "Sponsor-A-Staff Person". One of the many choices you will be given in our End-of-the Year Appeal is to assist us in developing a highly qualified staff. Consider a gift of $250 to cover a one week salary. Gifts of any amount may be sent to: Crossways Camping Ministries, 912 N. Oneida St., Appleton, WI In Christ's Service, Jake Czarnik-Neimeyer Executive Director 8