Parish Notes. December 10, 2017

Transcription

1 St. Stephen s Lutheran Church We want to serve our community Parish Notes December 10, 2017 Vision Statement St. Stephen s, an open and loving congregation, will provide a safe and welcoming spiritual home, so all have opportunities to worship God and serve others. Mission Statement St. Stephen s Lutheran Church invites all people into a joyful and faithful relationship with God by following Jesus, teaching, baptizing, and celebrating the Lord s presence. We are committed to share God s love by caring for each other and for the world around us. St. Stephen s Lutheran Church A member of the ELCA 1001 Olson Lane, El Dorado Hills, CA Church Office: st-steph@sslcedh.org Website: Office Hours: Tuesday through Thursday 9:30AM - 2:30PM (Wednesday Office Closed 11am-1pm) Friday Closed~ Meetings by Appointment

2 SUNDAY, DECEMBER 10 #morepeace Second Sunday of Advent 8:30 a.m. Worship with organ in Sanctuary Coffee, fellowship in Parish Hall 10:30 a.m. Sunday School in Parish Hall 10:30 a.m. Worship with drums and guitars in Sanctuary TUESDAY, DECEMBER 12 7:00 p.m. Council meeting SUNDAY, DECEMBER 17 #morejoy Third Sunday of Advent 8:30 a.m. Worship with organ in Sanctuary Coffee, fellowship in Parish Hall 10:30 a.m. Sunday School in Parish Hall 10:30 a.m. Worship with drums and guitars in Sanctuary SUNDAY, DECEMBER 24 #morelove Fourth Sunday of Advent 10:00 a.m. a service with a variety of musical styles #DoNotBeAfraid Christmas Eve 5:00 p.m. a service of carols, candles, communion with a variety of musical styles

3 WORSHIP SERVERS THIS WEEK: 8:30 a.m. Reader: Communion Assistant: Peggy Davenport Ushers: Terri Keil and Ken Goss 10:30 a.m. Reader: Pat Kriz Communion Assistant: Usher: Pati Richardson NEXT WEEK S LESSONS Focus: Joy and Joseph Psalm 95:1-7 Matthew 1:18-25 Can you... usher? serve communion? read scripture? help with fellowship time? (after 1st service) SIGN UP TODAY in entry area!

4 This year, if you would like to donate Poinsettias, please purchase them on your own and bring them to the church any time after December 9. They will be fine on our front porch, or the office is open Tues, Wed, Thurs from 9:30-2:30pm. (We do set aside extra time on Wednesdays for lunch meetings, but someone will make sure the plants make it inside before leaving for the day. SPECIAL GIVING OPPORTUNITY Please share this wonderful Christmas season with our friends at Lutheran Social Services by giving a donation to: LSS Christmas Baskets as a Special Offering. You can use the envelopes in the Narthex, or you can simply add your gift to your weekly offering through December 17th. We will take a check down to LSS in Sacramento on Dec. 20th. Last year we gave $500 for needy fami-

5 Members and friends of St. Stephen s, Those who have given monetary gifts to the church this year were mailed a Contribution Statement in early Nov. for the period Jan. 1 through Sept. 30. It is information which you may use in planning. Even if you do not pledge a specific amount each week or each month, we still prepare the Contribution Statements for your information. If the amount you have given appears to be incorrect, please call Pat Kriz at for clarification. Pastor Trudy and Pastor Jeri do not keep these records. We do not expect everyone to pledge, but we do keep track of all contributions so that you may have a record for your tax preparation using itemized deductions. You will receive a completed Annual Statement in January for the 2017 fiscal year. Please be sure to use an Offering Envelope and mark it clearly with the amounts you are donating for the General Fund (Operations), the Building Fund (Capital Funds Drive), or Special Offerings (clearly identified by name like LSS Christmas Baskets) and written on your check. Unless you note the Building Fund or Special Offering, all contributions will be designated for the General Fund. This will help our counters and our bookkeeper immensely. We gratefully thank you for your continued support of St. Stephen s Lutheran Church. Pat Kriz, Financial Director

6 Daina Nishimoto Suzanne (Yvonne Griffin s Daughter) Recovery from Cancer Cynthia Badal (Connie Badal s Daughter) Addison s Disease Ron Keil Continued James Keil (Terri Keil s son) Ward Page (Lynn Page s brother) Alzheimer s Disease Walter Page (Lynn Page s brother) Lung Cancer Pastor Trudy Lorraine Lindsay Scott Driscoll Grave illness Pastor Gene Jewell Lung Disease Sharon Dickerson Severe Back Pain Theresa B. Breast Cancer Ruth Schedler Jennifer Hoffman Gary Bryant (Pati Richardson s brother-in-law) colon cancer Praying for......those in broken relationships, countries at war, those whose insides feel like a battle zone, for God s people separated by divisions of all kinds..

7 04 Darren Weinreich 06 Mary Kate Mulligan 08 Connie Badal 10 Dan Stein 12 Tina Weinreich 21 Jodi Kushner 22 Carol Nesewich 29 Theresa Goss 29 Jennifer Hoffman Jim & Judy Bergquam 12/16 Jack & Janice Makar 12/16 Matthew & Jodi Kushner 12/21 Steven and Connie Wilkie 12/29 Le & Elaine Wallin 12/31 Angels Among Us Advent and Christmas at St. Stephen s The angels that appear in the story of Jesus birth would have been very comfortable in our world of tweets and hashtags. Their messages were often short and to the point their favorite line being #DoNotBeAfraid. On Sundays in December we are exploring the messages we can offer that counteract our culture of fear, bringing #morehope, #morepeace, #morejoy, #morelove, #morelife to the world! Sun. Dec. 24th services 10:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m.

8 ST. STEPHEN'S LUTHERAN CHURCH IN EL DORADO HILLS Welcome Statement St. Stephen s, an open and loving congregation, will provide a safe and welcoming spiritual home, so all have opportunities to worship God and serve others. We welcome all who are seeking God s love and grace. We welcome all because God welcomes all regardless of race, culture, all sexual orientations, gender identities, or relationships. Our unity is in Christ Council Officers Trudy Franzen - Pastor (916) Bob Dorr - President (916) Pat Kriz - Financial Director (916) Bert Terbijhe- Vice-President (530) Penny Knudsen - Secretary (916) Council Members Bob Dorr (916) Penny Knudsen (916) Bert Terbijhe (530) Stevie-Rae Wilkie (406) Renate Morledge (916) Pat Kriz (916) Yvonne Griffin (916) Council Meetings: Council Meetings are generally the second Tuesday of every month. Members are welcome! Next meeting: Tuesday, December 12th at 7:00pm. Church Staff Jerilyn Dahlke and Trudy Franzen - Pastors Mariia Pechenova - Church Organist / Pianist Seminarian - Carolyn Brodt