Bloomington Living Hope Lutheran Church

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1 Bloomington Living Hope Lutheran Church Weekend of December 2-4, 2017 Welcome! It is a joy to have you with us today and it is our prayer that you are strengthened and uplifted through our worship and fellowship. We especially welcome those visiting. Please pick up information about our church at the kiosk located in the entry. Also, please take time after the service to introduce yourself to our pastor. We would like to get to know you better. A Prayer in Preparation for Worship Lord God, you have brought us safely to this time of worship. We thank you for providing all that we need for body and life. Bless us who have gathered in your name. Speak to our hearts. Dispel our sorrows with the comfort of your Word, and receive our hymns and songs of thanks and praise, through Jesus Christ, our loving Savior, who reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen. New Sermon Series: Have You Scene It? Do you feel like you do not have the right perspective, like Charlie Brown? Do you feel like you are the only one going through hardships, like George Bailey? Have you been feeling stingy, like Scrooge? Or do you feel like an outcast, like the toys on the island for misfits? This sermon series is a play on words. We will be taking a look at famous Christmas movie scenes and themes on perspective, hardships, greed, feeling left out. We will tie those themes to Bible passages, and perhaps you will have a new take from those Scripture readings. When was the last time you really SAW the manger scene? We have all likely heard the Christmas story, hundreds if not a thousand times in our lifetime. Perhaps it is so familiar to us that we do not take the time to really think about it and let it sink in. On Christmas Eve, we ll see how the baby born in the manger truly gives us a white Christmas through the washing away of our sins. Our prayer is that you will be enriched and have a new outlook on the Christmas story. In His Service, Rachel Zahn Church Music Director

2 THIS WEEK Please check the calendar on the back of this folder for all Bible classes and other events over the next four weeks. Sunday, December 3 6:00 p.m. Sr. High Vertical Encounters at LH Monday, December 4 9:00 a.m. OWLS have Breakfast and Decorate at The Lutheran Home in Belle Plaine 7:00 p.m. Board of Education Meeting at BLS 7:00 p.m. MOPS and MOMSnext Meeting at LH Tuesday, December 5 11:30 a.m. OWLS Catered Christmas Lunch at BLC 7:00 p.m. R.I.N.G. Handbell Choir at BLC Wednesday, December 6 12:00 p.m. Advent Worship Service at BLC No 5 th 8 th Gr. Confirmation Classes Attend Advent Service at BLC instead 5:30 p.m. Meal Served at BLC 6:30 p.m. Advent Worship Service at BLC 7:30 p.m. Voices in Praise Choir Practice at BLC 7:30 p.m. Decorate Church for Christmas at BLC Thursday, December 7 6:00 p.m. Christmas Caroling Meet at the Presbyterian Home in Bloomington Saturday, December 9 9:00 a.m. Community Kids Club at BLC LOVE IN ACTION SERVERS Living Hope Bloomington This Sunday Acts Galatians Advent Service N/A Psalms Next Sunday Ezra John UPCOMING MESSAGES New Series: Have You Seen It? Title: The Charlie Brown Christmas December 30 Right Perspective ~ Isaiah 9:2-7 Advent Title: Echoes of the Old Testament December 6 Noon and 6:30 p.m. at BLC Title: It s Christmas, George Bailey December 10 Hardships ~ Isaiah 40:1-5 Advent December 13 December 17 Carol Sing Service Noon at BLC and 6:30 p.m. at Living Hope Title: Don t Be Such a Scrooge! Matthew 6:19-24 We Celebrate the Number of Worshipers in God s House Last Weekend and for Thanksgiving OUR GIFTS TO THE LORD 1,098 Bloomington Living Hope Lutheran Church Weekend of Nov. 26, 2017 Received Amount Budgeted Amount over/ (under) Plate & Envelope $25,269 $34,341 ($9,072) Year-to-Date $510,492 $636,748 ($126,256) ALL CHURCH ANNOUNCEMENTS Baptisms Arie Marie, daughter of Jason and Mandi Brown, will be baptized at Living Hope on Sunday. Cole Christopher, son of Jacob and Katrina Wagstaff, will be baptized privately, along with his father, at Living Hope on Sunday. We welcome Jacob, Cole, and Arie into God s family. Take Advantage of Matching Funds The Build the Dream campaign committee wants you to know that all new commitments received in November and December for Build the Dream can be doubled from a special matching fund up to the $300,000 remaining in the fund. Volunteers will be hosting tables at the upcoming Advent services as well as regular Sunday services on December 10 and 17. If you have not had a chance to make a commitment to Build the Dream, consider stopping by one of the tables to ask how you might be able to take advantage of the match. We thank God for all the generous commitments made thus far! Door Collection for Costa Maya Ministries Our church is in partnership with the mission church Cruz de Cristo, which is part of Costa Maya Ministries and located in Mahahual, Mexico. An important way for us to support this mission is through heartfelt prayers. During 2017, we have had updates on the mission, had Pastor Valleskey (Pastor in Mahahual) visit our church, and taken door collections. For the final 2017 door collection this weekend, we would like to not that each dollar you donate will be matched. Costa Maya Ministries has a matching fund available to them for raising money to purchase the building they have been renting. Please give as you are able to help this mission church bring more people to Jesus, serve their community, and have a permanent home in Mahahual, Mexico. Please Help Decorate Church for Christmas Everyone is welcome to help when we put up the Christmas tree and decorate at our church sites after the Advent worship services on Wednesday, December 6 at BLC and Wednesday, December 13 at Living Hope. Each service will end around 7:30 p.m. and decorating will begin immediately. Join us for fellowship and refreshments as we decorate. Thank you to everyone who gave towards Operation Christmas Child this year. Bloomington Living Hope members and friends donated a total of 248 filled boxes and $68 in donations. This year, the boxes are being delivered to Montana Indian Reservation, and the countries of Niger, Gabon, Trinidad/Tobago, Namibia, South Africa, and India. Please pray for the children who will receive the boxes.

OWLS Organization of WELS Lutheran Seniors, 55+ We welcome everyone to attend our events! Monday, December 4 Decorate for Christmas at the Lutheran Home in Belle Plaine.

The cost of the luncheon is $10 per person, and we ask that you bring some cookies or candies for dessert.

3 OWLS Organization of WELS Lutheran Seniors, 55+ We welcome everyone to attend our events! Monday, December 4 Decorate for Christmas at the Lutheran Home in Belle Plaine. Meet at the Lutheran Home for 9:00 a.m. breakfast, followed by decorating. Tuesday, December 5 at 11:30 a.m. Annual catered Christmas luncheon at Bloomington Lutheran Church. The cost of the luncheon is $10 per person, and we ask that you bring some cookies or candies for dessert. For these events, there are sign-up sheets on the OWLS bulletin board at Bloomington Lutheran Church, or you can call the church office to indicate your attendance. Help Cover the Mitten Tree! A Christmas tree is set up in the church entry to be covered with donations of New Hats New Scarves New Mittens New Gloves Please help fill the tree with new items you have purchased or made by hand. The items will be donated to Lutheran Family Services. Offering Envelopes for 2018 are available in the church entry. Even though you may use online giving, we ask that you still pick up your box of contribution envelopes. The boxes contain envelopes for special holidays such as Ash Wednesday, the Wednesday services during Lent and Advent, Maundy Thursday, Good Friday, Thanksgiving, Christmas gifts for the pastors, and Christmas Eve and Day. In addition, the boxes also have a monthly Build the Dream contribution envelope. If your envelopes are not at the correct site, please write your name on the sheet located near the contribution envelopes. Your box of envelopes will be delivered to the correct place by next weekend. Also, if the address listed on your box is incorrect, the update may be reported on the sheet, too. Please do not use the envelopes until Altar Flower Chart for 2018 has been posted on the bulletin board at Bloomington Lutheran Church and in the 3-ring binder on the info table at Living Hope. Purchasing altar flowers is a beautiful way to celebrate, remember, and honor people and events in our lives. Prayer and Care Ministry Whatever your need might be, our prayer ministry stands ready to pray. Contact Diane Walters at blhpray@yahoo.com or write your request and place it in the box at the Bloomington church. Please let us know how God answers our prayers so we can thank Him. FOR OUR YOUTH Jr. High EMPOWER (Grades 6-8) Christmas Bash Sunday, December 10 11:30 a.m.-3:00 p.m. at Living Hope This event will include an opening devotion and songs, a meal, large group and small group games, free time, and more! Bring a wrapped White Elephant gift. If you have questions about this event or Empower, please joel.hansen@mybllh.org. The Empower schedule for is available at bllh.org/empower. Sr. High Vertical Encounters (Grades 9-12) Save the dates Two mission trips in summer 2018! Trip 1 June in South Carolina During this trip, we will join hundreds of other teens in the Reach Mission Trips program to make a big impact repairing homes in a poor neighborhood. Trip 2 July 7-14 in Mahahual, Mexico BLH will take a team to run English as a Second Language classes and Vacation Bible School at our mission partner, Costa Maya Ministries in Mexico. More details about these trips will be announced. joel.hansen@mybllh.org if you would like to attend one or both of the trips. Sundays, 6:00-8:00 p.m. Living Hope Lutheran Church On Sunday nights, we look forward to gathering together with other Christian teens. It is a great time to connect through snacks and games, and to discuss issues that are looming large in our lives. We do our best to blend in solid Biblical study with real-life applications on the topics in front of us each week. Upcoming dates are December 3, 10, and 17. Deadline Approaching for Submitting Labels It is time to bring Campbell s soup labels and Box Tops for Education in to one of our three locations! Please hand them in by December 15 so they can be sorted and submitted before yearend. Our school would like to maximize all the points it can collect and redeem in Thanks! Opening for Before/After School Care Supervisor The Bloomington School campus is seeking to hire a before and after school care supervisor. The hours are 7:15-8:45 a.m. and 4:00-5:30 p.m. This position receives hourly pay. Care is provided only on days school is in session. A candidate must agree to a criminal history check. For an interview, contact Principal Butzow at mike.butzow@mybllh.org or

Giving God s Goodness During December, Bloomington Living Hope Lutheran Church is anonymously collecting Christmas gifts for

Donating is easy: Locate the display board in the church entry Remove one or more gift request tags (request is written inside or

Include a gift receipt with the donations of all items and gift cards. Thank you for sharing your blessings!

the holiday season make you cringe? It shouldn't.

Advent is a time of preparing our hearts, not just our homes.

12:00 p.m. Worship at BLC 5:30-6:15 p.m. Meal served at BLC Funds raised will support the Costa Maya Mission Trip in February 2018.

Worship at BLC Wednesday, December 13 Enjoy the Advent Carol Sing This year, as we celebrate the 500 th anniversary of the

4 Giving God s Goodness During December, Bloomington Living Hope Lutheran Church is anonymously collecting Christmas gifts for individuals and families in our church membership who are in need. You can help! Donating is easy: Locate the display board in the church entry Remove one or more gift request tags (request is written inside or attached to the outside) Bring the gift(s), with the tag attached, to one of the church offices by Wednesday, December 20. Include a gift receipt with the donations of all items and gift cards. Thank you for sharing your blessings! Thursday, December 7 6:00 PM Meet at the Presbyterian Home 9889 Penn Ave S, Bloomington, MN in the Town Center of the building Share Christmas cheer! Advent Worship Services Wednesday, December 6 Join Us for Our Annual Joint Advent Service Does the very thought of December and the holiday season make you cringe? It shouldn't. In this Advent service, we will reflect on the theme, Good Tidings of Comfort and Joy. Advent is a time of preparing our hearts, not just our homes. We will look at how the use of the traditional Advent wreath can focus our hearts back on the true meaning of Jesus' birth. 12:00 p.m. Worship at BLC 5:30-6:15 p.m. Meal served at BLC Funds raised will support the Costa Maya Mission Trip in February :30 p.m. Worship at BLC Wednesday, December 13 Enjoy the Advent Carol Sing This year, as we celebrate the 500 th anniversary of the Reformation, we will take a look at Martin Luther's Christmas hymn, From Heaven Above To Earth I Come, as well as some other Christian favorites. 12:00 p.m. Bloomington Lutheran Church 6:30 p.m. Living Hope Lutheran Church Order Poinsettias to Decorate the Altar for Christmas Beautiful Plants from Bachman s for $9.50 Order by December 4 th The plants will decorate the altar area during Christmas and may be taken home on Christmas Day. The sign-up sheet and payment envelopes are located on the flower chart bulletin board at Bloomington Lutheran and in the entry at Living Hope. Thank you! Calendars for 2018 BLH Family Ministry is selling the beautiful and popular calendars offered each year. These high-quality calendars feature incredible nature photos with quotations from Scripture. Calendars are available for purchase in the church entry for only $7. Thank you for supporting Family Ministry!

DONATE TO BLH SCHOOL without spending extra money! Here s the riddle you see it every day you ve used it before it s everywhere you go and it keeps on giving what is it?

With scrip, you ll have significant opportunities to provide much-needed funding relief to BLH School.

For instance, just in the past three days has anyone in your family: Refueled a car with gas Stopped to pick up coffee or doughnuts Paid bills Taken a business trip Bought gifts for an upcoming event

experienced a potential opportunity to generate funding for: The tuition assistance program which helps families who want to send their kids to BLH but just can't afford it.

The miscellaneous account which helps the BLS library, the LH library, or the BLS Science Lab with needs which are not included in our school budget.

5 DONATE TO BLH SCHOOL without spending extra money! Here s the riddle you see it every day you ve used it before it s everywhere you go and it keeps on giving what is it? It s scrip, the proven method of generating charitable rebates through common purchases from your favorite stores, restaurants and service providers. With scrip, you ll have significant opportunities to provide much-needed funding relief to BLH School. To get a better idea of what we re talking about, just think of the revenue-generating possibilities arising from your own family s spending habits. For instance, just in the past three days has anyone in your family: Refueled a car with gas Stopped to pick up coffee or doughnuts Paid bills Taken a business trip Bought gifts for an upcoming event Shopped for groceries Dined out with family, co-workers, or friends Had their hair cut Picked up a prescription Planned a vacation If you answered yes to any or all of the above questions, you have experienced a potential opportunity to generate funding for: The tuition assistance program which helps families who want to send their kids to BLH but just can't afford it. It also helps families who already attend BLH and need help. The miscellaneous account which helps the BLS library, the LH library, or the BLS Science Lab with needs which are not included in our school budget. Scrip is just another way to pay for everyday purchases using gift cards in place of cash, checks, and credit cards. You purchase gift cards from BLH at face value, and our coordinator orders those cards from Great Lakes Scrip Center at a reduced price. The difference is an instant rebate for BLH School. It s really that simple! Great Lakes Scrip Center offers over 300 of the country s biggest brands, including grocery, department stores, gas stations, restaurants, hotels, home improvement, and more. ORDER... Option 1: Purchase cards using the order form available in the entryway or print a copy of the order form from our school website Use a SCRIP ORDER envelope to choose which account to apply instant rebate. Place order form inside envelope along with check or cash and insert in the box labeled SCRIP. Make checks payable to BLH School. We will contact you by or phone when cards are ready for pick up. Option 2: Purchase online at ShopwithSCRIP.com (open an account by ing bllhscrip@mybllh.org) SCRIP Now ecards (printable) OR Reloadable gift cards PrestoPay (information available at Option 3: Use your phone or tablet with MySCRIPWallet.com and use your SCRIP instantly (open an account by ing bllhscrip@mybllh.org) Use your ShopWithSCRIP user name and password to access MySCRIPWallet.com on your mobile device. For more information, go to or contact Lisa Fincel at bllhscrip@mybllh.org.

Bloomington Living Hope Lutheran Church

Bloomington Living Hope Lutheran Church Weekend of January 13-15, 2018 Welcome! It is a joy to have you with us today and it is our prayer that you are strengthened and uplifted through our worship and