From the Pastor.. Advent and Christmas. Newsletter

Transcription

1 Newsletter th Street West Lakeville MN Advent and Christmas Woman s Advent Luncheon Saturday, December 1 at 11:30 am Beer and Carols Monday, December 3 at 7:00 pm Advent Orchestra & Worship Sunday, December 9 at 9:30 am From the Pastor.. Community Christmas Pageant Sunday, December 16 at 9:30 am Trinity Care Center Christmas Sunday, December 16 at 1:15 pm Christmas Eve Services Monday, December 24 at 3:00 pm and 4:30 pm Lessons and Carols Sunday, December 30 at 9:30 am Is Christmas Here Yet? It can often be difficult to trust in God s timing, especially when the wait seems long, or it seems like there is no possible solution to a situation. Advent is a time that reminds us that God does not forget our struggles, but instead intervenes on our behalf, renewing the promises peace, love, hope, and joy, and perhaps most importantly, God promises a savior. Though the time has not yet come, God will be faithful, and is always doing something new. As the details of Jesus birth unfold, God guides Joseph and Mary as they struggle to accept a plan very different than they might have imagined, but one that will reveal God s love to all people in Jesus. By trusting in God s promises and God s timing, we have opportunities to see the ways in which God is also faithful to us. Peace, Pastor Brent

2 Narrative Lectionary Readings for December Follow along with us as we continue to look at the story of the bible. Read one a day or spend a couple hours with a whole week. Each of the readings relates to the Sunday story the week before. Grab a bible and learn God s story. December 2 Sun., Habakkuk 1:1-4; 2:1-4; 3:17-19, Faith as a way of Life Mon., Habakkuk 1:5-11, The Prophet s Complaint Tues., Habakkuk 1:12 2:1, The Prophet s Complaint Wed., Habakkuk 2:5-14, The Woes of the Wicked Thurs., Habakkuk 2:15-20, The Woes of the Wicked Fri., Habakkuk 3:1-7, The Woes of the Wicked Sat., Habakkuk 3:8-16, The Woes of the Wicked December 9 Sun., Isaiah 42:1-9 Mon., Isaiah 42:10-20, A Hymn of Praise Tues., Isaiah 42:21-25, Israel s Disobedience Wed., Isaiah 43:1-7, Restoration and Protection Promised Thurs., Isaiah 43:8-21, Restoration and Protection Promised Fri., Isaiah 43:22-28, Restoration and Protection Promised Sat., Isaiah 44:1-8, God s Blessing on Israel December 16 Sun., Esther 4:1-17 Mon., Esther 1:1-22, King Ahasuerus Deposes Queen Vashti Tues., Esther 2:1-23, Esther Becomes Queen Wed., Esther 3:1-15, Haman Undertakes to Destroy the Jews Thurs., Esther 5:1-14, Esther s Banquet, Haman s Plans Fri., Esther 6:1-14, The King Honors Mordecai Sat., Esther 7:1 8:17, Esther Saves the Jews December 23 Sun., Matthew 1:18-25 Mon., Luke 2:1-14, [15-20], Birth of Jesus Tues., Luke 2:8-20, Shepherds Visit Wed., Genesis 15:1-21, God s Covenant with Abram Thurs., Isaiah 7:10-17, A Sign of Immanuel Fri., Isaiah 7:18-25, A Sign of Immanuel Sat., Acts 13:38-39, Jesus Frees December 30 Sun., Matthew 1:1-17 Genealogy of Jesus Mon., Genesis 25:1-34, Abraham s Descendants Tues., Psalm 132:1-18, David s Heir Wed., Isaiah 11:1-9, The Branch from Jesse Thurs., Ruth 4:13-22, Ruth Enters the Davidic Line Fri., Genesis 21:1-7, Birth of Isaac Sat., Genesis 38:24-30, Tamar Births Perez and Zerah 2 Advent Orchestra - December 9 Currently play and instrument? Played one many years ago and want to dust it off and see if you still have it? Then join us as we celebrate the Advent and Christmas season with a Sunday filled with instrumental music. All abilities welcome to join us as we hope to celebrate the coming of our savior. Sign up for information the Connect and Serve Sheet or talk to Jeremy Mann. Trinity Care Christmas Party Sunday, December 16 Join us as we support the residence at Trinity Care Nursing Home. Pick a stocking from the gift tree in the narthex, take the name out, write your name next to the resident s on the sign-up sheet, then buy and wrap a gift for your person. We ask that you bring the gift to church by December 9, and then come join the fun at Trinity Care Center in Farmington on December 16. Meet at church at 1:15 to help load gifts, or go directly to the center by 1:30. The party lasts until 3:00 p.m. We sing carols, pass out gifts, and get to know the residents. For questions call Kristin Cuddigan at GENESIS Coffee Bar Sunday mornings, before and after worship services, our youth will be serving specialty coffee drinks to raise money the 2019 International Mission trip to Jamaica. Stop by for a Latte, Espresso, Americano or a Chai Latte!

3 The Advent Ladies Luncheon & Basket Raffle Saturday, December 1-11:30 to 1:30pm Donation: $5 Join us as we share a potluck luncheon, Christmas carols, fun games and fellowship. All are welcome! Sign up to bring a dish to share on the board in the Narthex. Any questions please contact Lori Knoke. BEER & CAROLS Join us on Monday, December 3 from 7:00pm-9:00pm at Angry Inch in Lakeville as we celebrate Christmas singing favorite Christmas songs and hanging out with others in our community. Come and bring a friend!!! Season of Giving As you buy your Christmas gifts for families and friends we invite you to join us at Family of Christ with gifts that will make an impact in our congregation and in the world around us. Spruce up the Sanctuary Join us in our ongoing effort to Spruce Up our Sanctuary and Narthex. In the past we have invited the giving of money for poinsettias, but this year we wish to expand that giving to our worship and gathering space. Envelopes are available at the end of each row. Trinity Care Gifts Family of Christ will again be providing gifts for the residents of Trinity Care Center in Farmington. Please pick a name tag from the tree (located in the Narthex) and bring your wrapped gift with a clearly marked label by Dec 9th. We will visit on December 16th to celebrate Christmas with the residents. All are encouraged to participate in this annual event. Community Fund-Gift Cards & Financials We have historically reached out to offer financial assistance to member(s) of our Family of Christ Family and others in our community during the Holiday Season and throughout the year who need our prayers and help due to hardship, illness or family emergency. Please consider purchasing a gift card or make a donation to the community fund to share with our friends and family around us. Cards can be purchased after worship in the narthex. Envelopes for financial donations are available at the end of the aisle. Family of Christ As your end of the year generosity is being spread around, please consider an additional financial gift to the ministries of Family of Christ. We continue to look for ways to build up our financial strength as we enter a new year of ministry in God s kingdom. 3

4 Christmas Pageant The Biggest and Best Christmas Present Ever Sunday, December 16 at 9:30 am It s time for Family of Christ s Christmas Pageant. Please let us know if you or your children would like an active role this year. Whether that s through acting, singing, helping with props and costumes, or anything else, we can use your help. We also need some adults to act and to support the practices and events. Contact Pastor Brent if you re interested in helping or participating. Below is the schedule for this year s Christmas Program: Sunday, Nov. 25: Practice 10:45-11:30 Sunday, Dec. 2: Practice 10:45-11:30 Sunday, Dec. 9: Practice 10:45-11:30 Saturday, Dec. 15: Dress Rehearsal 9:30 am-11:00 Sunday, Dec. 16: Christmas Pageant 9:30 Ryan, Kristin, Owen, Wesley & Gwen Basballe John & Pat Cairl Nate, Alex, & Theo Carlson Ann and Grace Eddy Rian, Jenni, Sjon & Sven Greseth John & Lana Hedlund Jeff, Sarah, Maddie & Alex Lulloff Matt, Gretchen, Jack & Gwen Philpot Brian, Ashley, Henry & Lauren Putnam Jon, Dana, Caleb & Aiden Sahlin Stew & Debby Shepard Rev. Steve Slostad & Doris Digley Mission of the Month The Open Door Pantry Hunger isn t just an issue in the inner city. Many of our neighbors here in Lakeville and the surrounding communities are in desperate need of food resources. Please help us support these ministries with your loose change (Noisy Offering) and food donations. RED CROSS BLOODMOBILE Tuesday, December 4 11:00am to 5:30pm Donors and volunteers are needed. Sign up to help from 11:00 to 2:30 or from 2:00 to 5:30. You may volunteer in registration or the refreshment area. First time donors are always welcome Bring your friends! Call Glenda Lind, for more information. 4

5 Saying Goodbye Almost exactly 19 years ago Pastor Lon Larson asked me to pray about taking on the position of Worker at Family of Christ. At the time, there was no youth ministry, officially, and I had been doing volunteer activities with the junior and high school kids, as well as teaching Sunday school to 4th and 5th graders. The church was very new and I knew how important it was to help build foundations of faith for young people. But, did I feel qualified? No, but I did feel the Holy Spirit tugging on me to say yes? The phrase God doesn t call the qualified, He qualifies the called became my mantra. Fast forward to now It is with a heavy heart that I feel called to move on and open the door for someone else to walk with our youth on their journey of faith. I just want to share a few memories with you, so bear with me; We called the first youth group- CrossWalk. Our very first event was at the MSP Airport. It was a human scavenger hunt. I had some parents scatter themselves inside the airport (Remember, this was back in the day when security was NOT what it is today) and the youth had to try to find all of those adults in a certain amount of time to win. We ve also done scavenger hunts at malls, performed random acts of kindness throughout the community, including handing out cups of hot chocolate to people waiting for buses and the light rail. I remember having to take down chairs in the sanctuary and then set them back up again in order to have lock-ins. I despised those chairs after a while. Those were the days when the church used every single room for Sunday school on a Sunday morning, so the youth and I began meeting in the garage, which we named the SHED (acronym for Sharing Hope Every Day) People donated old couches. We wrapped up in blankets as we talked because It was so cold in the winter. Hot chocolate and Ramen noodles were a mainstay. And then a generous family donated a heater and well, generous people happened all the time! A lot has happened, I can t even scratch the surface. ministry has been a huge part of my life and I will so miss it. Six years ago Children s Ministry was added to my responsibilities, so Sunday school became part of my world. And then I fell in love with those beautiful children. So, yup, now I will miss them too. I ve been very fortunate to have a job I loved and that filled me with such joy. I wanted to find ways to connect kids with a God who loves them no matter what every second of every day and that there is nothing they can do to make him stop. I wanted to show them that if you let your guard down, open your heart, trust each other, ask questions and show up that this youth group would be a great support system of friends who would have their back and help them when their faith faltered. And I wanted to remember to get out of the way and point to God as our focus, our center and our strength. So, yeah that s my last 2 decades in a nutshell. Not without a lot of hard work, tons of hours, sleeping on floors, in boxes and in churches across the country and not without some tears here and there I m grateful for every second. I ll be back, and between now and then, you may find me still doing my ministry outside of this church because that s what I do text me and we ll meet for coffee and talk. Remember to Keep Shining!! Sherry Goodman Interim Children's Minister Cary Whittington has accepted the position as Interim Children's Minister. She will be organizing and leading Sunday School and other PreK-4th grade education and events. 5

6 Stewardship! Thanks Year End Giving Statements Thank you for making your financial commitment to Family of Christ for We are blessed by your generosity and thank you for the many blessing you continue to share. If you haven t filled one out we invite you to make your estimated pledge for the next year. These commitments help us make decisions for the next year of ministry. Cards can be found at the usher stand or in the office. Family of Christ will be sending out end of the year Giving Statements by for all members that have an address. If there is a particular address that you would like us to use or if you would prefer to receive paper statements, please contact Linda at linda@familyofchrist.com or by calling church office. ALTAR FLOWERS The 2019 Altar Flowers calendar is on the bulletin board. Sunday Altar flowers are a beautiful gift to our church and a wonderful way to honor and remember our loved ones. We invite you to choose a Sunday that has special meaning to you. Celebrate a loved one or a special event in your life. Cost of an altar flower arrangement is $40 and the flowers are yours to take home. THANK YOU for making our sanctuary beautiful! Please contact Martha Johnson: mjacobson1@msn.com or the church office with any questions. FINANCIAL UPDATE October 2018 Total income for the month was $31,542 Total expenses for the month was $30,039 YTD Given: $313,948 YTD Budgeted: $321,760 (as of October 31, 2018) November GIVING TO DATE Sunday Electronic GENERAL Date Attendance Giving Giving FUND 11/04/ $2,405 $3,894 $6, /11/2018 $3,012 $3,051 $6, /18/2018 $2,303 $5,266 $7,569 Family of Christ Lutheran Church is a member of the ELCA Family of Christ Staff Ministry Team: Pastor: Interim Children s Minister: Musicians: Choir: Administrative Asst: Custodian: Brent Erler, Pastor, Ext. 202 Cary Whittington Mary Wescott, Laura Porter-Jones, Morgan Jones, Jessica Christensen Debra Capener Linda Bauer Kelly Kritsberg us at: office@familyofchrist.com Visit us at: Telephone: Office Hours: 9:00-3:30 Tues Thurs Closed Monday & Friday FoCus is a monthly publication of Family of Christ Lutheran Church. Please contact the church office to submit items for publication in our newsletter. 6

7 Sunday 12/02/17 Ken Davidson December Family of Christ Servants Sunday 12/09/17 Kris Smith Sunday 12/16/17 Nathan Blilie Sunday 12/23/17 Jeremy Mann Christmas Eve 3:00 PM Donny Bergquist Sunday 12/30/17 Chris Flegel Gerry WIlls Server Sandy Soukup Chad Specht Kirstin Specht Beth Wacholz Gerry Wills Server David /Vicki Lind Martha Johnson Angie Korsa Roger Gilb Janet Guerber Gerry Wills Server Jean Bakken Pete Nelson Kathy Olson Debbie Warner Luke, Josi Hellier family 4 Vicki/David Lind Server Linda Bartz Maury Bartz Dan Benson Becky Donner Paul Donner Setup Jean Bakken Amy Hellier Angie Korsa Setup Kevin Hatlestad Cheryl Wills Gerry Wills Lisa Cecchini Kris Smith Setup Doris Reiners Audrey Carlson Betty Peterson Christmas Eve 4:30 PM Jeremy Mann Setup John Wicklund Barb Buswell Amy Hellier Shirlee Benson Lisa Cecchini Kris Olsen Dave Olson Kevin Gilmore Tammy Gilmore Server 5 Kris Olsen Charlie Johnson Nancy Johnson Amie Hoffman Duane Hoffman Shirlee Benson Chuck Halvorson Amie Hoffman Duane Hoffman Setup Angie Korsa Jim Schiprett Kris Olsen Gerry Wills Reader Brian Knoke Reader Reader Jim Korsa Kevin Hatlestad Reader Brian Knudsen Jim Korsa Barb Martin Ron Nystuen Carla Passon Scott Passon 2 Janeen Immerfall Betty Peterson Marshall Peterson NOTE: Please notify Linda at the church office if you make changes to the schedule. THANK YOU! 7

8 th Street West Lakeville MN December 1 - Ladies Advent Luncheon December 2 - Sunday Worship & Pageant rehearsal December 3 - Beer and Carols December 4 - Blood Drive December 5 - Confirmation/ Programs December 9 - Worship with Advent Orchestra & Pageant rehearsal. December 12 - Confirmation/ Programs December 15 - Pageant Rehearsal December 16 - Christmas Pageant & Worship Trinity Care Center Christmas Party December 19 - Confirmation/ Programs December 23 - Sunday Worship December 24 - Worship at 3:00pm & 4:30pm December 26 - NO YOUTH CLASSES December 30 - Sunday Worship 8 Vision Statement Family of Christ seeks to be a Grace filled family of God, living the Gospel through faith, love and compassion. Our Core Values F-A-M-I-L-Y: Faith Acceptance Meaningful relationships Impact Love