Blessings, peace, and joy to you this holy season and always, Pastor Jeff P R I N C E OF P E A C E L U T H E R A N C H U R C H

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1 P R I N C E OF P E A C E L U T H E R A N C H U R C H VOLUME XI, ISSUE XII DECEMBER 2018 [The Angel Gabriel] came to her and said, Greetings favored one! The Lord is with you! Luke 1:28 What make Christmas special for you? Is it the pure joy of seeing children open their gifts? Is it the gathering of family and friends? Maybe it is seeing the lights and displays that transform dark streets into sparking displays of hope and joy. Perhaps what makes the season special for you is the expectancy of Advent or the joy of singing your favorite Christmas carols at the Christmas Eve service. Probably low on the list are fighting crowds to get the Black Friday specials or agonizing what to get that person that has everything. We all have things and people that make Advent and Christmas special for us. For each one the answer is different and yet it is the same It is especially now in this season that we remember that the Lord is with us. The Son of God who left the glory of heaven to be born in a barn, to be a refugee, to grow up in poverty came to save us. This Jesus who showed and taught the Kingdom of God embodies for us the Kingdom. He came to save the people from their sins to save us from our sins. And this Jesus will never let us go. He is Emmanuel God with us and we are the favored ones. Important Contact Information Prince of Peace Lutheran Church 4 Northcrest Drive, Clifton Park, NY Telephone: (518) Fax: (518) Pastor Jeff Silvernail - pastorjeff@poplutheranchurch.org; Pastor Amber Craig - pastoramber@poplutheranchurch.org; Parish Administrator Melanie Edwards - office@poplutheranchurch.org Newsletter Editor Jennifer Van Ort - newsletter@poplutheranchurch.org The Annunciation Henry Ossawa Tanner 1898 Blessings, peace, and joy to you this holy season and always, Pastor Jeff EMERGENCY PHONE INFORMATION: If you have a pastoral emergency when the church office is closed, call the church number, , extension 324. Leave a message and phone number where you can be reached. Immediately after you hang up, a designated on call pastor or deacon will receive a call that there is an emergency message. He/she will retrieve the message from the mailbox and call you back.

2 PAGE 2 Pastor s Pen Christmas Presence Do not be afraid; for see I am bringing you good news of great joy for all the people: to you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is the Messiah, the Lord. This will be a sign for you: you will find a child wrapped in bands of cloth and lying in a manger. ~ Luke 2:10-12 A few short weeks ago the Prince of Peace choir had the amazing opportunity to sing at Carnegie Hall in a mass choir premiering the Christmas cantata, Christmas Presence by Pepper Choplin. Choplin not only composed the piece, but was the conductor for the performance, so we got to spend two days perfecting the pieces under Pepper Choplin s direction. Along the way Choplin shared with us his thought process as he composed the work. The focus of the whole cantata is Christ s presence with us in many ways, and each song explores that in one way or another. We are always so busy around the holidays, with cookies and cards and decorations and parties and shopping and travel. It is easy to get caught up in all the hype and craziness and forget what Christmas is all about. We end up focusing on what must still be done instead of the reason we celebrate at all: God s presence among us in the tiny baby, God with us in so many ways. This Christmas, as you run around trying to cross just one more thing off the to do list, take some time to feel God s presence. Perhaps that comes in a quiet moment alone, or at advent or Christmas eve worship, or singing carols with friends, or a Christmas pageant, or private devotions, or in hearing the choir share Christmas Presence at Prince of Peace. But, take the time to step back and feel God s presence this season. And then take it one step further. Think about how you can be that presence for others. How can you offer God s love in the midst of chaos? How can you encourage others to be their best and live their best? How can you play a part in making God s presence felt in the world around you? Take some time this Christmas to be in the moment, to feel God s presence and then to be that presence for others. Blessings in Christ, Pastor Amber Craig Advent & Christmas at Prince of Peace December 9th - Christmas Presence Cantata performed by the Prince of Peace Senior Choir: 8am & 10:30am December 16th - Sunday School Christmas Pageant: 10:30am December 23 - Service of Carols: 8am & 10:30am December 24 - Christmas Eve Services: Family Service - 5pm Festival Service - 7pm December 25 - Christmas Service: 11am December 30th - One Service Only: 10:30am

3 PAGE 3 YOUTH NEWS FOR DECEMBER 2018 Clown Troupe Clown troupe is in full swing! Rehearsal times are from 6:30pm to 8:30pm on Sunday evenings unless otherwise noted. Sr. High Youth Group We will be planning at least one youth event each month through the school year. These events will fall on a variety of different days and will often be fun activities or service opportunities. All youth in 9 th through 12 th grade are welcome to attend! Welcome to all our incoming freshmen! We are excited for you to join us. It should be a great year! Rehearsals December 16 (new date!) January 6 Upcoming Service! Jan 13 Prince of Peace!! December Activity Christmas Party! ~ We have a date! We will celebrate the Christmas season on December 22 nd from 4-7pm. This is a time to celebrate Christmas and catch up with old friends. We will welcome back those who have gone off to college, have fun, and enjoy each other s company! Please bring $5 for pizza and a wrapped gift (no more than $5 in value for our always exciting gift exchange. POINSETTIA ORDERS Poinsettias are now being ordered See order forms on center table in the Greeting area. We have 7 plants so far. Last year's total was 65. Reminder: We have only 2 Sundays left. COST: $9.75/Each DEADLINE: Sun. Dec. 9th. Come, and help decorate the Sanctuary for Christ's birthday! CHRISTMAS COOKIES FOR THE ILL AND HOMEBOUND- DECEMBER 9TH We will be assembling tins of Christmas cookies again this year to support our folks who can t get to church much anymore and raise their spirits during this Christmas season. It really means a lot to them to know they are not forgotten. And they love the homemade cookies that remind them of their past Christmases. So, if you would like to be a part of this ministry, please bring in a couple dozen cookies to the kitchen on Sunday December 9th. We will be assembling after the second service in the kitchen. If you would like to help with putting the tins together, or help with delivering the cookies, please let JoAnn Koenig or Ann Crivello know. We have several to deliver and could really use help in delivering. Thank you in advance for your support. Staff Christmas Gift Donations The Personnel Team is providing envelopes in the Welcoming Area for this year s Staff Christmas Gift donations. Envelopes will be available through December 24. Please either place in the offering plate or mail in separately.

4 A Big Thank You From the Choir! On November 18th, we were blessed to join with another 250 singers from around the US and Canada in performing the world premier of Pepper Choplin s cantata, Christmas Presence at Carnegie Hall, New York City. We thank all those who made this possible. Your work and generosity is truly appreciated by each and every one of us. Come on December 9 th at either the 8:00 or 10:30 service to experience the cantata live at Prince of Peace. Thursday Morning Women s Fellowship Please join us as we read and discuss The Book of Joy by the Dalai Lama and Desmond Tutu Join us any Thursday morning - 9:45 am Need more details? Call Cheri at IMPORTANT REMINDER MONDAY BIBLE STUDY There will be Monday Bible Study on 12/3 & 12/10. A new curriculum will start in January. BUDGET REPORTS All team leaders please have your budget reports submitted ASAP. No later than December 9th. Thank you. PRINCE OF PEACE IS RESTARTING THE ACOLYTE PROGRAM SOON! This is a great opportunity to share your gifts with the church and serve God in a unique way. We look forward to helping you along your spiritual journey. Those in 4th grade or older and who are interested in helping the pastors and deacons occasionally on Sundays should contact Pastor Amber at church or Diana Foote at There will be a training session scheduled for parents and children once we know who is interested and when we can meet.

5 Americans spend an over $700 Billion on Christmas last year! Is that the story God had in mind at Christmas? Worshiping Fully Spending Less Giving More Loving All This Advent, prince of Peace is asking you to take the money you would have spent on one less gift and donate to the ongoing work of EPES and their Escuela Internacional. Our goal is $3500. Envelopes will be available in the Welcoming area. The Grace Endowment Grant will provide matching funds up to $1,300.00! Faces of Faith Meet Rebecca Coffey! Rebecca has been coming to Prince of Peace since 2004! She moved here from Liverpool, NY and was college roommates with Erica Roberts. Through Erica, Rebecca met Jim and Karen Roberts. Jim had mentioned to Rebecca that once she moved to Colonie, she would need to join the POP choir. Is she ever happy she did that! She had the amazing opportunity to participate in the choir s recent trip to Carnegie Hall! It was a lifelong dream of hers from when she was a little girl to be able to sing on stage at Carnegie Hall. She never imagined that she would get there her dream came true! One of the most special things about the experience was that she was able to be on stage with her father, Mark Sutter. She is so thankful that her father shared his love of music with her and is part of the POP choir as well. She commented that singing under the direction of Pepper Choplin the very moving and beautiful music he wrote, is something that she will never forget for the rest of her life. Rebecca was literally brought to tears by the music, Carnegie Hall itself, the support of her family and friends in the audience, and sharing the stage with her father and POP friends. She is so thankful for the generosity and support the family at POP has given to all the members of the choir for this amazing, once in a lifetime experience. Erica and Brendan Roberts introduced her to her husband, Dave, and they have now been married for 12 years. They live in Colonie with their three children, Anna 9 years old, Ryan 7 years old and Adam - 4 years old. The family of five became members of POP back in December 2015 along with her parents, Joann and Mark Sutter. She feels truly blessed that Erica and Jim introduced her to Prince of Peace. Rebecca loves how welcoming everyone is at POP. She loves her POP family! She feels honored for the experiences the choir has given her and feels so lucky that she can do something she loves singing, every week with such a talented choir. Along, with being in the choir, Rebecca is also on the Environmental Team. She has written a few articles, helped with Earth Day festivities, and is also in charge of the battery and printer cartridge recycling containers. As a reminder, she comments, Don t forget to recycle please! Save the Earth we have been blessed with! Rebecca is a fourth grade teacher in the North Colonie School District. She has been teaching there for 15 years and loves her job. She feels very fortunate to work with amazing students every day. For her hobbies, Rebecca loves singing (of course!), reading, spending time with family, crocheting, and making desserts with her kids. Rebecca shares that POP has helped her to understand that there is always a plan. She has listened to many sermons and sang many songs about how there is always a plan. She is so glad to have the support of her pastors, choir, and POP members that inspire her faith journey every week. The most important thing about her faith is the opportunity to share her gift of singing with everyone. And... we at POP are so thankful that she does!

6 PAGE 6 Environmental Team FAIR TRADE ON THE FIRST SUNDAY OF EACH MONTH, WE OFFER: COFFEE Organic Breakfast Blend Regular Organic Breakfast Blend Decaf TEA Organic Chamomile Decaf Organic Rooibus Decaf Organic Earl Grey Organic Chai Organic Green Tea CHOCOLATE Organic Very Dark Chocolate Bar (71% Cocoa) Organic Milk Chocolate w/hint of hazelnut (38% Cocoa) Organic Dark chocolate Minis (55% Cocoa) Organic Hot Chocolate Mix OTHER Organic Mixed Berry Chewy Cereal Bar Organic Cashews Organic Almonds All Fair Trade products buy direct from small farmers who grow products using ecologically sustainable farming practices. Their trading partner, Equal Exchange, donates $.20 for each pound of Fair Trade coffee, tea, & cocoa we sell. This year we have taken a look at the greenhouse gas footprint associated with the church building. This is often called the GHG footprint and is typically written in terms of tons of carbon dioxide emitted per year. Previously we wrote about the portions of the GHG footprint associated with water and electricity usage. Electricity consumption accounted for a much larger portion of the footprint than water usage. One more aspect of building that can be pulled into the footprint is natural gas. Natural gas is used in the church building for two main purposes, heating air and heating water. The ovens and stoves in the kitchen use electricity. Getting from natural gas usage to carbon dioxide is more straightforward than our previous examples of electricity and water. When natural gas is used for our heating utilities it is burned, which makes CO2. Natural gas usage is measured in Therms, which are equal to 100,000 BTUs of heating value. One Therm of natural gas generates 11.7 pounds of CO2 when burned. Since natural gas is used to heat the building the amount used depends on the season. Winter months, December through February, are the highest and summer the lowest. Hot water use is expected to be fairly consistent over the course of the year. From October 2017 to September 2018 just under 3900 Therms of natural gas were used at the Church. This amount of natural gas generates approximately 22-¾ tons of CO2 per year. Let s compare this to the other GHG sources associated with the facility. Water use corresponded to just over 630 pounds of CO2 per year and electricity consumption was just over 14 tons per year. So, the natural gas GHG footprint is on the same order as the electricity use. The average US household natural gas use (for heating and water only) is about 750 Therms, which equates to only 4.4 tons of CO2 per year for comparison Overall the CO2 footprint for the Church is nearly 38 tons of CO2 per year. Other factors can be pulled into the CO2 footprint calculation, such as travel associated with different ministries, trash generated and landfilled, and many other relatively minor inputs. More important than the actual number are finding ways to reduce and improve the way in which resources are used to operate the Church and the facility. The footprint will never be zero, but means to help improve the sustainability of the facility will benefit both the congregation and the community.

7 Prince of Peace Month In Photos!

8 Celebrate! December Birthdays 1st - Deirdre Bennett, Jeffory Clarkson 3rd - Randy Johnson 4th - Fred Custer, David Halverson 5th - Kristen Petersen, Helen Carini, Christina Powell 7th - Michael Petterson, Sheila Ruby 8th - Lauren Elfner 10th - Veronica Casano 11th - Mary Rurycz 12th - Philip Matthei 13th - John Hofgesang 14th - Alexandria Rurycz, Hillary Bennett, Brian Parsons, Maxwell Kane, Richard Kuehn 15th - Aubrey Waugaman, Michael Burke, Jim Netzer, Rev. Jo Page 17th - Jacob Grimm 18th - Andrew Bodien, Natalie Johnson, Deborah Hahn 20th - Bryan Waugaman, Hailey Cook Ladd 21st - Lois Kelly, Kristin St. Denis 22nd - Donna Walker, Bill Kellar, Bill Yoquinto 24th - Jennifer Salmon, Delaney Steele 25th - Lorraine Munson 26th - Betty Taggart 27th - Kelly Gibson 31st - Virgil Sager

9 December 9-8:00am Bread: Mary Beth Dunn Coffee: Matt Petersen Reader: Dorothy Stuart Ushers: Mark Steele & Dorothy Stuart Counters: Jim Galarneau Deacon: Eileen Bryant December 23-8:00am Bread: Rene Panarese Coffee: Mark Steele Reader: Tom Miller Ushers: Mark Steele & Dorothy Stuart Roy Dunn December 9-10:30am Bread: Susan Zappen Coffee: Judy Rogers Reader: Kayla Doerr Ushers: Valerie Shaw & Ben Pierson December 23-10:30am Bread: Mary Rurcyz Coffee: Deane Vedder Reader: Wayne Petterson Ushers: Valerie Shaw & Ben Pierson December Server Schedule December 16-8:00am Bread: Valois Berger Coffee: Rob Anderson Reader: William Price Ushers: Mark Steele & Dorothy Stuart Counters: Denise Johnson Deacon: Diana Foote Bread: Winnie Petterson Coffee: N/A Reader: Katie Goot Ushers: Valerie Shaw & Ben Pierson PAGE 9 December 16-10:30am Bread: Tina Walters Coffee: Natalie Kaplan Reader: Darrell Walters Ushers: Valerie Shaw & Ben Pierson Susan Anderson December 30-10:30am (Only Service) Counters: Denene Hisgen Deacon: Donna Turner Robin Domm Counters: Donna Turner Deacon: JoAnn Koenig Laurel Cattelier Claimed by Grace, We seek to Welcome All, Worship Joyfully, Grow Spiritually and Share God s Love

10 P R I N C E O F P E A C E L U T H E R A N C H U R C H 4 N O R T H C R E S T D R I V E C L I F T O N P A R K, N Y We sincerely hope you enjoy CONNECTIONS! If you know of any friends or neighbors who might be interested in learning about Prince of Peace, please feel free to forward the electronic copy to them. SUNDAY WORSHIP SCHEDULE 8:00 AM & 10:30 AM *Contemporary worship on the 1st and 3rd Sunday of each month CONNECTIONS is the monthly newsletter of Prince of Peace Lutheran Church. In an effort to be more fiscally & environmentally conscious, we send the newsletter electronically to as many people as possible. You can help by ing the church office to give us your current address or calling the church office if you don t use (we ll be glad to put your copy in the mail). U PCOMING SERVICES & E VENTS December Daily Activities December Weekly Activities 12/9 Worship - 8:00 AM & 10:30 AM - Choir Both Sunday School - 9:15 AM Cookie Tray Set-up - 11:30 AM Special Challenges Christmas Party - 12:30 PM - 3:30 PM 12/10 Prayer Group - 1:30 PM Pastor s Bible Study - 2:00 PM 12/12 Choir Rehearsal - 6:30 PM 12/13 Thursday Morning Women s Fellowship - 9:45 AM 12/15 Sunday School Pageant Rehearsal - Time TBD 12/16 Worship - 8:00 AM & 10:30 AM - Sunday School 10:30 AM 12/19 Choir Rehearsal - 6:30 PM 12/20 Thursday Morning Women s Fellowship - 9:45 AM 12/23 Worship - 8:00 AM & 10:30 AM - Service of Both 12/24 Christmas Eve Services - 5:00 PM - Family Service 7:00 PM - Festival Service 12/25 Christmas Day Service - 11:00 AM Church Office Closed Until Through 12/26 12/27 Thursday Morning Women s Fellowship (Offsite) - 10:30 AM 12/30 Worship - 10:30 AM Sundays: Worship - 8:00 AM & 10:30 AM (10:30 only on 12/30) Mondays: Pastor s Bible Study - 2:00 PM (Ending 12/10 until January) Wednesdays: Choir Rehearsal - 6:30 PM (Except 12/26) Thursdays: Thursday Morning Women s Fellowship - 9:45 AM