December Inside this issue:

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1 December 2017 Inside this issue: It s beginning to look a lot like... Advent? 1-2 Morning Glories 3 Men s Breakfast Coming to a Close Advent Devotional 5 Worship Volunteers 5 Dec Appeal - CLWR 6 Vision Event 6 Christmas Services 7 Christian Ed. News 8 Confirmation Schedule 8-9 Faith Gardens Inc. 9 Christmas Hampers 10 Habitat Project 11 Caroling at RPG 12 Shout Out (F.L.Y) 13 Book Clubs 14 Cooking for the King Envelopes 16 Memory Tree 17 Christmas Eve Flowers 17 Upcoming Events 17 December Calendar 18 4 It s beginning to look a lot like... Advent? Faith Lutheran Church 1311 Dakota Street, Winnipeg, MB R2N 1V8 (204) , I know that ever since 1951 Bing Crosby and others have been telling us that It s beginning to look a lot like Christmas, but, as of the conclusion of Christ the King on November 26 th, we ve officially entered into the season of Advent! With the hustle and bustle of retail shops and malls it would be easy to mistake the season of Advent for that of pre-christmas or perhaps even the season of Black Friday Sale extended, thanks to our neighbours south of the border! But Advent, within the cycle of the liturgical or church year has a right to its own status, not to be overshadowed by the event of Christmas itself! We mark the season of Advent with its own unique colour scheme. Many Lutheran churches use the colour blue, which is intended to signify the hope that is associated with the season while others retain the colour purple, a colour which is associated with royalty. For a bit of Advent fun, pick out your favourite blue or purple clothes to wear to church for the season! Our English word Advent stems from the Latin word adventus, which means arrival. This Latin word was used by the church in translating a Greek word παρουσία (Parousia), which literally means arrival, or to be present but is most commonly used in the New Testament to refer to the Second Coming of Christ. Advent then makes reference to both the historical arrival of Jesus, as well as the anticipated return of the Lord.. (continued on page 2) Page 1

2 (continued from page 1) It is this dual nature of the season of Advent, with a focus on both the past and the future, which renders the season as much more than simply pre-christmas. This season serves as a call for us to make things ready for the coming of the Lord not simply in remembrance, or even in a reliving of the past but to make things ready for the return of the Lord into the world in which we live and have our being. The anticipation of Advent is both for the celebration of the historic nativity of Jesus and the return of Messiah at some time yet to come. Within the liturgical season of Advent we make use of the Advent Wreath to mark our journey of anticipation as we move towards the fulfilment of God s promises in the Incarnation of Christ. The circular wreath symbolizes the endless or eternal nature of God, while the use of evergreens are symbolic of eternal life. The four outer candles are traditionally purple or blue with a white candle resting in the center of the wreath. We light one candle each week to mark the passage of time through the season. In many congregations the third outer candle is pink, symbolic of joy. The fifth candle, in the centre of the wreath, is white. It is lit on Christmas Eve to signify the arrival of Christ or the Christmas season. Many congregations have taken up the practice of naming the weeks and corresponding candles during the season of Advent. The traditional ordering of these names or concepts has been hope (week one), peace (week two), joy (week three) and love (week four). This year at Faith we will be adding some festive Advent posters to the mix to help us mark the passing of time in the season. In the narthex, beginning on November 26 th, there will be a large poster and markers for members to colour. The posters will be placed out one week in advance so that they can be hung on the wall to welcome us to each week of Advent. This year our posters will carry various classic Advent themes: Keep Awake (week one); Prepare (week two); Do Not Be Afraid (week three); and My Soul Magnifies the Lord (week four). We invite you to pick up a marker and make your contribution to our Advent décor as you gather in the narthex before each Sunday in Advent. Now for a real twist: This year the fourth Sunday in Advent is also Christmas Eve! Because of this unusual wrinkle (happens again in 2023, 2028, 2034, 2045) we will celebrate both Advent 4 and Christmas Eve at our regular 10:00 a.m. worship service on December 24 th. Our other Christmas Eve services will take place at 3:30 and 5:30 p.m. this year. We will also have a communion service on Christmas Day at 10:00 a.m. As this is the last newsletter of 2017, I would also like to take the opportunity to wish you and your loved ones a Merry and Blessed Christmas, and I pray that you will receive every blessing as we enter into the New Year! May the peace of Christ be with you always! Pastor Chris Page 2

3 Morning Glories December 2 nd :00am ALL ARE WELCOME! The Apostle s Creed I believe in the Holy Spirit ALL ARE WELCOME! As we welcome in a New Year with a new Bible Study called Mirror Mirror we are also coming up with a new name, Women of Faith...in action. Please stay tuned for more information. Faith Morning Glories Breakfast and Bible Study is a small group ministry for women of faith who wish to study and discuss the Word as it pertains to life now. If you are looking to study the Bible and hoping to meet some enchanting women for fellowship and friendship we may be the small group you are seeking. Next Bible Study January 6 th, 2018 Men s Breakfast The Men's Breakfast Group will meet at the residence of Glen Fuhl for the Men's Breakfast on December 9th at 8:30 am. All men interested in attending, please contact Trevor at cottonwood67@gmail.com or call/text to 204/ Page 3

4 2017 Coming to a Close The year is coming to a close and, as Christmas gets closer and closer, there is much that needs to be done to get ready for the holiday season. It is easy to get caught up in the hustle and bustle of holiday shopping and planning for events. At these times, it is important to stop and take a moment to reflect on the reasons for the season the birth of Christ, the opportunity to spread the Lord s Good News, and the love that is shared when family and friends get together. December is also a good time to look back on what was accomplished in 2017 and, as usual, the list is very long. My personal highlights include the 60 th Anniversary Celebration, the new Confirmation program, and the never ending efforts of the Staff and volunteers who keep Faith Lutheran running. I also have to say that I am very much looking forward to the upcoming musical. I think we owe it to the cast and crew who have been working so hard since September to help them make the show a success. The end of the year also requires us to look ahead. We have been talking about our vision for the future and, while we have made some progress, there is more work to be done. I invite you to mark your new calendars with our Strategic Directions follow up session on Saturday, January 13, Members of our Church Council and representatives of our committees will be getting together but that doesn t mean we don t have room for you. Please join us to share your ideas, your hopes, and your fears. Remember, that the goal is to sustain (and, hopefully, grow) our church as we move forward into the future. Of course, this wouldn t be a December newsletter article if I didn t do three more things: 1. Offer thanks to each and every member of our congregation for your ongoing support of the mission that we have undertaken as Faith Lutheran; 2. Remind everyone that breaking even on our budget is always dependent on the generosity of the congregation during the month of December, and 3. Wish you all the merriest of Christmases along with health and happiness in 2018! Murray Douglas, Chair, Church Council Page 4

5 ADVENT During this season of Advent, you will find poster-sized seasonal colouring sheets in the narthex to delight your inner child! Join in adding some colour before and after worship, and once each is completed we ll deck the halls with them! We also invite you to take home one of the devotional booklets in the narthex to let the meditations from Henri Nouwen lead you away from your busy life to the peace of that humble manger in Bethlehem. Then, filled with the joy of Christ's birth, let Nouwen's reflections lead you back out into the world to share the good news of the Child born to us! Worship Volunteer Committee Update We have started reaching out for volunteers to usher, greet, read and assist with communion for the January to June, 2018 worship schedule. If you haven't been contacted and would like to join our team, please call Linda Wilton ( ) or Doug Breckman ( ) to let us know you are interested. Again, a huge thank you to everyone who took part over the past 4 months. Your assistance is so appreciated. Many Blessings, Linda Wilton Page 5

6 December Special Appeal: Canadian Lutheran World Relief Canadian Lutheran World Relief is our monthly appeal for December, and what better way to support their foundation than by purchasing a gift from the heart this Christmas Season. CLWR supports missions work and projects all over the world. The gift catalogue is one way for you to pick specific projects to contribute towards. Their funding helps to provide food security, humanitarian aid, health, education and more to people around the world. Buy a goat, send educational supplies, plant a tree! All of these are great ways to contribute to CLWR this Christmas. Pick up a catalogue from the Advent table in the Narthex or check out their website (clwr.org) for more information. Save the Date! January 13 th from 10 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. Please join us as we craft a vision for the future direction of Faith Lutheran Church. Norm Velnes of the Velnes Group will guide our conversation as we gather over coffee, lunch and pie. Save the date January 13 th, :00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. See you there! Page 6

7 Blue Christmas: a service of Longest Night While the seasons of Advent and Christmas can be a time of celebration and joy, they can also be a time of grief and deep sadness for those who have suffered a recent loss or bereavement. This Longest Night service serves as an acknowledgement of the grief, pain, sadness and loss which many feel during this holiday season. We light candles as a sign of the light of Christ which has forever shattered the darkness, we hear the promises of God in scripture, and lift up our hopes and needs in prayer as we yearn for the presence of God on this Longest Night. All are welcome to join us as we gather in worship of Emmanuel God-with-us, on Wednesday December 20 at 7:00 pm, here at Faith. Page 7

8 Christian Education News Sunday School: The Sunday School Nativity Play will be during the church service on Sunday, December 17th after rehearsing during the Sunday School classes earlier in December. Don't miss out on the loveable sheep and wisemen and all the Nativity essentials. Following the December 17 church service, Sunday School children and their families are invited to the Blue Room for a small reception (with cookies!). There are no Sunday School classes on December 24, December 31 or January 7. We hope to see you in church through the holidays and then Sunday School will resume in the Blue Room on January 14 at 9:00am. Confirmation Schedule Grade 8 & 9 Confirmation: Confirmation sessions are from 1:00 to 3:00pm Date Session Place Life Of Jesus December 10th Baptism & Wilderness/Teachings of Jesus St Mark's (600 Cambridge St) January 14th Miracles of Jesus/The Hard Sayings of Jesus Epiphany (200 Dalhousie Dr) January 28th The Last Commandment/The Passion Faith February 11th The Resurrection/The Great Commission Faith The New Testament February 25th NT Overview/The Holy Spirit Comes Faith March 11th Peter And The Church/The Damascus Road St Mark's (600 Cambridge St) March 25th The Journeys of Paul/The Letters of Paul Faith April 8th The Letter to the Hebrews/The Universal Letters Epiphany (200 Dalhousie Dr) April 22nd The Book of Revelation/The Bible and my Life Faith Page 8

9 Grade 10 Confirmation: The first servant event for the Grade 10 confirmation class will be on Sunday December 17 th, where they will pack and deliver two Christmas Hampers as well as have a discussion on the Creed. The event will take place at the church. The schedule is: 12:30 to 1:00 - Lunch 1:00 to 2:30 - The Creed 2:30 to 4:00 Pack and deliver 2 hampers Faith Gardens Inc. December News Your FGI board members with the help of other groups at Faith Lutheran have been busy working for the betterment of the lives of the residents of River Park Gardens. We are thankful for the hard work of the Wednesday Morning Fellowship who are putting together a number of touch blankets for the residents. These will be really appreciated, as they provide tactile comfort for those who need it. Often it is the little things that make a big difference. The ladies in the group are to be commended for their thoughtfulness. Arrangements are being made with the Men's Breakfast group to do some much needed spruce up painting at RPG. After about 10 years of operation you can well imagine there is a need. Volunteers from the Book Clubs and any others interested, will be doing Christmas decorating again this year. The date is Sat. Nov. 25th. It's great to get the place feeling festive for the residents and their families and friends. FGI has had some 2018 postcard size calendars made up this year. We will try to distribute them to all Faith members and anyone at RPG who would like them. Thanks again to all of our helpers. God bless you. Page 9

10 CHRISTMAS HAMPERS The hamper campaign wraps up midweek this year, with delivery of the hampers happening on Tuesday, Dec. 19th. We are requesting that donations of gifts be in by Dec.10th & food items by Dec.17th. There are sign up sheets in the Narthex for gift wrapping (after worship Dec. 17), food sorting (Dec. 18 at 7 PM), packing (Dec 19 starting at noon) & delivery of hampers (Dec. 19, starting at 2:30 PM & going to 6:30 PM). Note that we will need drivers to deliver both late afternoon and into the evening. A huge thank you to every one of you for your continued support of this important ministry. Cash donations are also welcome to purchase the turkeys/chickens and perishable food items. In Christian Love, Linda Wilton Page 10

11 Newsletter No. 1 St. Vital 2018 Inter Faith Habitat Project The St. Vital Habitat project is an inter-faith co-operative organization which is planning to build a Habitat for Humanity house in St. Vital in All 28 churches, temples, mosques, etc. in St. Vital have been invited to participate. Habitat for Humanity will act as the general contractor and control the design, construction and assignment of the house in accordance with their established procedures. Habitat is working on acquiring land in the St. Vital area. More information to follow shortly. We are planning to build the house next summer using volunteer labor from the participating congregations in St. Vital. The project needs to raise $175,000 for the house build. Donations of $10,000 have been committed by individuals from one of the churches. Additional funds will be requested from individuals, faith groups and businesses in St. Vital. Various community fund raising events will be held during the first half of Several gifts in kind have been offered by local businesses. Jorey Electric will donate the electrical wiring for the house, All City Exteriors will provide the roofing, soffits, fascia and eavestroughs, Homepro Painting will donate the paint. Additional gifts in kind will be solicited from local suppliers. All of these gifts will be counted against the project cost, and receipts will be issued by Habitat for Humanity. Contributions to the project may be made in cash or stocks. Charitable donation receipts for cash or stocks may be issued by your own faith organization or Habitat for Humanity. Contributions submitted before Dec.31 will be receipted for use in the 2017 tax year. Volunteer workers are another essential part of the project. Planning, organizing and serving at community fund raisers will be opportunities for involvement. Construction laborers will be requested once the build is scheduled. Supply and serving of breakfasts, coffee breaks and lunches to the construction workers will also be required. Volunteer labor will not be receipted. For further information or to make a contribution to this project, please contact your congregational representative Orly Friesen. Orly Friesen, project co-ordinator Vernelle Mirosh, Director, Fund Development Faith Lutheran Church Habitat for Humanity (home) , ext jof26@shaw.ca vmirosh@habitat.mb.ca Page 11

12 COME JOIN US AS WE CAROL THE GOOD NEWS OF CHRIST S BIRTH TO THE PEOPLE AT RIVER PARK GARDENS MONDAY, DECEMBER 18 AT 6:00p.m. MEET IN THE FRONT ENTRY OF RIVER PARK GARDENS AT 5:50 WE WILL PROVIDE THE CAROLING BOOKLETS WITH REFRESHMENTS FOLLOWING Page 12

13 SHOUT OUT -Faith Lutheran Youth Brrrr. It is getting cold outside. As December is upon, FLY is about to start flexing those fundraising muscles in the New Year. Keep your eyes peeled for opportunities to help out as we prepare for CLAY 2018 in Thunder Bay, ON. We are looking forward to a wonderful new year. Please see the right column for upcoming events for the fall and mark them on your calendar! If you or someone you know might interested in joining FLY, please feel free to direct your questions to Cyrus Gervais! As many of you may know, we are heading to Thunder Bay for the CLAY Gathering in from August 11 20, If you have any suggestions regarding possible fundraisers, please let us know! We are pleased to welcome Monelle Benjamin to the Youth Ministry Team. You may recognize Monelle if you were lucky enough to make it out to LV over the past couple of summers! Contact Information: Cyrus Gervais cyrus@faithlc.ca Check us out on Upcoming Events: Youth & Campus Service When: December 3 rd Time: 6:30PM (start) Where: (Carpools available) Painting the Youth Room! When: December 8 th Time: 7PM Where: Youth Room Sherwood Park Sleigh Ride When: December 22 nd Time: 6:45 Where: Birds Hill Park Faith RSVP by December 13 th Youth & Campus Service When: January 7 th Time: 6:30PM (start) Where: St. Mark s, WPG (Carpools available) Tobogganing When: January 12 th Time: 7PM Where: TBA Suggestions welcome! Skating at the Forks! When: January 26 th Time: 7PM 9PM Where: Meet at the Forks! CLAY Deposits DUE! When: February 1 st Page 13

14 Lutheran Book Clubs Faith Lutheran Book Club Chapter 1 Chapter 1 does not meet in December to discuss a new book. Instead we meet at the end of November to decorate River Park Gardens for the Christmas season. This has been a much enjoyed annual event by club members and a much appreciated activity by the residents and staff at River Park Gardens. Thank you in advance to the members of Chapter 1 who will gather to decorate on Saturday, November 25 th. After decorating, we will go out for lunch and a time of fellowship and fun. The following is a list of the books we will be reading in the first half of You might want to add them to your library holds or your Christmas gift list. Start your New Year off with a good book! Jan. 23 Cool Water by Dianne Warren Feb. 27 The Sea Captain s Wife by Beth Powning March 27 Road Ends by Mary Lawson April 24 Nocturnal Animals by Austin Wright May 22 The Break by Katherena Vermette Wishing you a Blessed Christmas and a Happy, Healthy New Year! Faith Lutheran Book Club Chapter 2 Join Faith Book Club Chapter Two when they meet and discuss Man Called Ove by Fedrik Backman in December. Ove (Rolf Lassgård) is the quintessential angry old man next door. An isolated retiree with strict principles and a short fuse, who spends his days enforcing block association rules that only he cares about, and visiting his wife's grave, Ove has given up on life. After a boisterous young family moves in next door and accidentally flattens Ove's mailbox, an unlikely friendship forms. Faith Book Club Chapter Two meets off site on Thursday, December 14, Discussion Leader and Hostess: Debbie and Deborah Everyone is Welcome! A new year is coming! Here are our reading selections for the first six months of You might want to add some of them to your Christmas list. January: The Alice Network by Kate Quinn February: Unbroken by Laura Hillenbrand March: The Illegal by Lawrence Hill April: Our Souls at Night by Kent Haruf May: Seven Days in May by Kim Izzo June: The Beauty Of Humanity Movement by Camilla Gibb Welcome the New Year with a good book Page 14

15 Cooking for the King Cooking for the King is a group of members and friends who meet one Saturday a month to prepare meals for the freezer. The meals are cooked to convey God s love to members, friends and relatives of the congregation who are experiencing health concerns, are grieving or celebrating the birth of a new child etc. As well, Cooking for the King prepares and serves meals at The Lutheran Urban Ministry for the homeless and needy three times a year. We are always in need of new people to help in this important ministry. Please consider joining us if you enjoy meal preparation and a fun group to be a part of. On October 28th we cooked Three Cheese Manicotti and Chicken Hash Brown Casserole. Alternatively, if you know someone who is in need and could benefit from a meal, contact the church office to talk to one of the ministers or Cooking for the King members to make arrangements to get meals. As the freezer is located off of the main Day Care Room, please wait until after hours in the Day Care or on weekends so as not to disturb the children. If you would like more information you can contact Sue Care Page 15

16 New Wording on our Offering Envelopes Our 2018 Offering Envelopes will look a little different. Church Council has included the following wording on the envelope: Spending of funds is confined to Faith approved programs and projects. If the objectives of a program or project have been met, or cannot be completed for any reason as determined by Faith Council, the remaining restricted contributions will be used where most needed. Council will continue to ensure that monies dedicated for a specific program or project are, first and foremost, used for that project but we also want to make sure any funds that are left over after the completion of the project can be used in the best way possible. Here is an example: Let s say that Council requested donations for a special fund to help us buy a new electronic sign to advertise our services and programs. If the congregation generously donated $25,000 to the fund and we were able to find a suitable sign for $20,000, what would we do with the remaining $5,000? Under our current system, Council either has to hold on to the $5,000 balance until we need to buy another new sign or we have to contact the people who donated the money to request permission to use it for another purpose. By including this wording on our offering envelopes, we are advising our donors that, once the project objectives have been met or it has been determined that they cannot be met, Council can proceed to use the donations for other programs in the best interests of the church. Council believes that, by adopting this new wording, we can do a better job of managing the funds you entrust to us and ensure that monies donated for a completed project don t sit languishing in our bank accounts when they could be used for a new project. Please speak to a Church Council member if you have any questions or concerns. Murray Douglas, Chair, Church Council Page 16

17 Memory Tree During Advent, we invite you to hang an ornament on the Christmas Tree in the entrance of the sanctuary in memory of a loved one. (These ornaments can be picked up after Christmas.) Christmas Eve Altar Flowers Families wishing to place flowers on the altar for the Christmas Eve services can do so by designating offering donations of $25 to Christmas Flowers on or before December 11th. Please include a note indicating if the flowers are placed in memory of someone, or in thanksgiving for someone/thing. (Please do not bring in flowers/plants due to allergies) Upcoming Seasonal Worship Services & Events Sunday December 17-10:00 am Traditional Worship with Sunday School Christmas Pageant Monday December 18-6:00 pm Caroling at River Park Gardens Wednesday December 20-7:00 pm Blue Christmas Service Sunday December 24-10:00 am with Communion 3:30 pm Christmas Eve Service (Contemporary) 5:30 pm Christmas Eve Service (Traditional) Monday December 25-10:00 am Christmas Day Communion Service (Traditional) Sunday December 31-10:00 am Tradition Worship - Pick Your Carol Page 17

18 December December Special Appeal Canadian Lutheran World Relief Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat 1 2 9:00am Morning Glories 3 8:45am Spirit Sing 9:00am Sunday School 9:15am Men s Chorus 10:00am Traditional Worship/Communion 6:30pm Youth & Campus Service 4 5:30pm Heavenly Metal 7:00pm Al-Anon 5 6:30pm Jubellation 6 10:00am Wednesday Fellowship 7 9:30am Small Group 8 10:00am River Park Gardens Service 4:00pm Youth Orchestra Rental 7:00pm Youth Paint the Youth Room 9 8:30am Men's Breakfast Off site 9:30am Youth Orchestra Rental 10 8:45am Sunday School Practice 9:00am Men's Chorus 10:00am Contemp. Worship/Communion 1:00 pm Confirmation St. Mark s 11 5:30pm Heavenly Metal 6:30pm Council Meeting 7:00pm Al-Anon 12 6:30pm Jubellation 13 12:00pm Wednesday Fellowship Wind Up and Christmas Party 14 6:30pm Book Club Chapter 2-offsite 7:00pm Kirchhoff Gardens Christmas Program 15 7:00pm Youth Skating/ Tobogganing :45am Sunday School Practice 9am Ladies Ensemble 10:00am Traditional Worship/Communion/ Sunday School Christmas Pageant 11:30am Christmas Hamper Gift Wrapping 12:30pm Grade 10 Creed Retreat 18 5:30pm Heavenly Metal 6:00pm Caroling at River Park Gardens 6:00pm Al-Anon 7:00pm Christmas Hamper Sorting 19 12:00pm Christmas Hamper Packing 2:30pm Christmas Hamper Delivery 6:30pm Jubellation 20 7:00pm Blue Christmas Service :45pm Youth - Sherwood Park Sleigh Ride :00am Worship/ Communion 3:30pm Christmas Eve Service (Contemp.) 5:00pm Ladies Ensemble Rehearsal 5:30pm Christmas Eve Service ( Traditional) 31 10:00am Traditional Worship -Pick Your Carol 25 Office Closed 10:00am Christmas Day Communion Service (Traditional) 26 Office Closed :00pm Winnipeg Harvest