Advent and Christmas at GA

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1 D e c e m b e r G A C h u r c h w w w. g a c h u r c h. o r g Gustavus Adolphus Lutheran Church In this month s Newsletter The Gifts of Advent Worship, p. 4 Advent Family Faith Nights, p. 6 The Giving Tree, p. 8 Newsletter Update, p. 9 Advent and Christmas at GA The Gifts of Advent Services - Sundays, 9:00 & 11:15 am This season of Advent we gather together to remember that Advent is a gift itself - a time set apart to prepare our hearts for the coming of Christ. The four Sundays of Advent (11/29, 12/6, 12/13, 12/20) we will highlight four aspects of Advent that become gifts in our lives: patience, speech and silence, hope, and family. See pg. 4 for more information. Festival of Lessons and Carols - Sunday, December 13, 9:00 am The story of God and God s people shared through Bible readings interspersed with the singing of carols, featuring the musical gifts of the chancel choir, bell choir and string and brass ensemble. (At the 11:15 am service we will have the Advent Gift of Hope worship service). Blue Christmas - Wednesday, December 16, 6:50 pm This worship service, sometimes also called the Longest Night service because it is near the longest night of the year in the northern hemisphere, describes the feelings that some of us have during this season. It is a prayer service of light and remembrance for all who have experienced loss and anguish. The Nativity Children s Service - Sunday, December 20, 11:15 am Children and youth will tell the story of Jesus birth through readings, carols and nativity scene. (At the 9:00 am service we will have the Advent Gift of Family worship service). Christmas Eve - Thursday, December 24 3:30 pm Worship with Children s Message and Holy Communion 5:00 pm Candlelight Worship with Holy Communion 10:00 pm Candlelight Worship with Holy Communion Christmas Day - Friday, December 25 No worship services at GA. Please celebrate with family and friends. Christmas Sunday - Sunday, December 27, 9:00 am & 11:15 am We continue our celebration of Christ s birth on this first Sunday of the Christmas season with the singing of carols at both services.

2 Page 2 Gustavus Adolphus Lutheran Chur ch From the Interim Senior Pastor: Fallow Ground Dear Friends, Margaret and I are working with our schedules, trying to find times when we can be with family and friends during the Advent and Christmas Seasons. Tentative plans have been made dates marked as possibilities for holiday gatherings. It once was the case that we were in charge of our daughter s schedules---now we re just happy to fit into theirs! Looking at the Advent and Christmas season as a pastor these weeks between Thanksgiving and Christmas are genuinely exciting! There s just so much going on! And the church keeps pace, or at least tries to with special services, outreach programs, glorious music, and Sunday School Christmas programs that seem always to capture the very essence of the Christ Event. On the other hand, the Advent / Christmas season is a difficult one for many people. The reasons vary, but often, the holidays seem to brush up against the wounded parts of our lives; it pokes at the tender spots in family structures; it uncovers sadness that lurks within memories more easily put aside at other times of the year. Under the season s sobering pressure to be happy, many people end up being neither sober nor happy. Simple, but profoundly important components to wholeness and health---adequate rest, good nutrition, hydration, stress management, exercise---are all too often lost in holiday hub-bub. We can become annoyed, tired and frustrated. But for a few people, four weeks of being hyper-stimulated is completely too much. Also, the holiday season can be a painful reminder of loved ones now gone. It can be a very lonely time. Advent and Christmas can become a truly difficult journey mentally, physically, emotionally, socially, and yes, economically. I call on you folks to help one another focus on the true beauty and mystery and majesty of the Advent and Christmas Seasons. I call on you to filter out the sounds, voices and images that end up being distracting and fatiguing, rather than affirming and redemptive. Please pray for one another, asking our Lord to help us wait with true patience and discernment and humility, holding those things close that bring a sense of peace and wellness and wholeness and letting go of those things that leave us splintered, scattered, depleted and sad. This is a tall order. It takes a determination to turn down the holiday noise to listen instead to the simple melody of an infant s cry; to stand with the shepherds in speechless wonder; to peer into the manger at a God who enters our lives in such vulnerable and beautiful ways. Also, please consider attending the annual Blue Christmas Service on Wednesday, December 16 th at 6:50 p.m. here at GA. The service aims to help us respond to the challenges of the holiday season in honest, yet hopeful ways. I am confident that together, we can enter into this Advent and Christmas season with confidence and joy. I have seen the extraordinary care you continually offer to one another. My holiday wish is that you simply keep up your compassionate care and loving ways in this Season of Lights. Blessings to you all! Love, from Margaret and Lon Larson Offering Envelopes: If you give electronically and do not want to receive offering envelopes, you may opt out! Talk to Maggie Kidnie in the business office.

3 December 2015 Page 3 Thoughts From Pastor Amanda I have many thoughts to share with you this month, dear GA member, so here they are: Merry Christmas! I know that it is not yet Christmas and that we are entering the beautiful and hopeful season of Advent in which we prepare for the coming of Christ, yet, my heart is ready to proclaim to you and all: Merry Christmas! I hope that this season of Advent and Christmas will be a good one for you and that you may know the love, peace and hope of Christ. I also ask for your patience as we continue to transition to that time. The Call Committee is doing an excellent job with this call process. Please thank them for their prayerful work and please let them continue to do that good work. As we continue in this time of transition, I give thanks for Pastor Lon and his ministry and leadership as our interim senior pastor. God is good! And God s Holy Spirit is at work through us and our Gateway of Faith mission. The Gifts of Advent... I am very excited about this year s Advent theme. Christmas is a gift from God for us and the whole world. As we prepare for the gift of Christmas, I invite you to join Pastor Lon and me in opening our hearts to the gifts of Advent. This season we will focus on four Advent gifts - patience, speech and silence, hope, and family. For me, these four gifts evoke different images and feelings. I look forward to entering this season with you and seeing where God takes each of us in our faith journeys. The Christmas Blues... The Advent and Christmas seasons can be the loneliest and saddest times of the year for many people. The reasons are multiple and varied - loss, grief, depression, missing family and friends, unemployment, illness, etc - but the underlying emotions are the same. Please care for yourself and be gentle with yourself and others this season. I encourage you to reach out if you are feeling lonely or sad. And I encourage you to seek out community. The 2016 Mission and Ministry Plan... Advent is the beginning of a new church year. The First Sunday of Advent is the church s New Year s Day. As we begin a new church year, my heart anticipates and prepares for the beginning of another year of our shared mission and ministry together. Our financial giving and support of our mission life together is what enables us to be a Gateway of Faith community with our city, neighborhood and each other. Please faithfully discern how you and your household can support our Gateway of Faith in 2016 with your time, talents and resources. Thank you. Our next senior pastor... Time is coming closer, dear GA friends, and sooner than we know the Call Committee will have chosen a final candidate and our congregation will call a new senior pastor. I rejoice with you as we look forward to our next senior pastor and his or her shared mission and ministry with our Gateway of Faith. My favorite Christmas service is the Blue Christmas service because it acknowledges the grief and loss that many of us have experienced. Sometimes it can be difficult to experience the joy of Christmas in the midst of our own grief. Please come and worship with us at this special service and know that your grief is acknowledged by God. ~ Rev. Amanda Simons, Associate Pastor

4 Page 4 Gustavus Adolphus Lutheran Chur ch The Gifts of Advent Worship A gift is given freely and offered in love. In the weeks before Christmas, we often race around finding just the right gifts for family and friends. The season of Advent is itself a gift - a time set apart to prepare our hearts for the coming of Christ. We give thanks for God s gift to us in the baby of Bethlehem. This Advent Sunday worship series highlights four aspects of Advent that become blessings and gifts in our lives: patience, speech and silence, hope, and family. Sunday, November 29 - The Gift of Patience Waiting is hard. We eagerly anticipate the desires of our hearts and want them to come soon. We wait for the first day of school or the first snowfall. We wait to see a loved one or to hear a doctor s news. Just as the farmer waits for the crops, we are reminded to be patient until the coming of the Lord. Sunday, December 6 - The Gifts of Speech and Silence Encountering the angel of the Lord, Zechariah was struck speechless. His imposed silence became a time to reflect on the wonders of God. Like Zechariah, we are called at times to be silent and listen, at other times to shout with joy. Sunday, December 13 - The Gift of Hope Hope is a word on which our future rests. We cannot know what will come, but with faith we place our hope in Christ. Like Zechariah, we hope for the tender mercy of our God, light in the midst of darkness and death, and the knowledge of salvation by the forgiveness of our sins. Sunday, December 20 - The Gift of Family The Gospel of Matthew begins with a family tree from Abraham to Jesus. Between the recitation of the names, we also hear the story of God at work in our world from generation to generation. The Advent and Christmas seasons highlight the significance of family and friends in our lives. We witness Mary and Joseph, Elizabeth and Zechariah, and the shepherds together tending their flocks. As God s children, we become part of the family tree. A Christmas Prayer Lord Jesus, we remember that you were born into this world on the first Christmas day. Help us to remember, that you were born in a stable and cradled in a manger, and so keep us from coveting wealth and comfort and ease and luxury which you never enjoyed. Help us to remember, that there was no room for you in the inn, and grant that our lives may never become so crowded that there is no room in them for you. Help us to remember, that to you there came the shepherds and the wise men, and grant that learned and simple, high and humble, great and small, may be joined in worshipping you and loving you. Help us to remember, that you grew up in an ordinary home, and went to school and worked in a carpenter s shop; and so grant that we may think task too humble and too common our hands to touch, when you, the Lord of Glory, lived among the common things. This we ask, for your love s sake. Amen. WEEKLY BIBLE STUDY Thursdays, 10:00 am Learn more about the Bible readings for the coming Sunday

5 December 2015 Global Mission: Good Gifts That Last Forever! Thanksgiving is past Christmas will be here sooner than we know. All of us have experienced full stomachs, but that is not the case for so many in our community and around the world. Our special mission focus for December is World Hunger. It fits in nicely with our mission: A GAteway of Faith with our city, neighborhood and each other. Who is our neighbor? This month we focus on those around the world that have so very little to eat. A responsibility of each GA member is to share ministry with our children, teach them that they are a very important part of this family of faith, help them to learn how we share in mission, and to think strategically about how they can help. The Sunday School has had a Noah s Ark theme this fall. Global Mission Committee and the Sunday School children will be doing some fun things to collect money for animals to help families deal with their hunger issues on an on-going basis. Whether it is a noisy offering, a collection jar, or a child in animal costume soliciting your assistance, please give generously. They will choose the animals from the ELCA Good Gifts catalog. It might be piglets, chicks, goats or sheep all were on the Ark and a gift from God. There is a new book in the church library You Have the Watches We Have the Time. Ross J. Benbow did a Ph.D. dissertation, With Hope for the Future: Privatization, Development, and the New University of Tanzania. With many interviews and focus groups, he has a most fascinating book on the development of the partnership between the St. Paul Area Synod and Iringa Diocese of Tanzania from its infancy to today. We often forget all the good things that get done when we work together, and where a need is seen, God put the right people in place. Enjoy! Thank you for supporting our Tanzanian secondary students with scholarship dollars. Hopefully in early 2016 we will have the names and educational level for each student. Watch the Mission kiosk for details. Page 5 In January we will have a meeting of those interested in considering a trip to visit our partner parishes in Iringa. Watch for a date. It is a good time to come with your questions and concerns. Pastor Amanda will be a part of planning this trip. May the Spirit of Christ shine in all of us as we share our time, our gifts of generosity, or a cheerful greeting to those we come in contact. There are lots of clerks in stores, letter carriers, and lonely people that need our kindness too! Lots of ways to make a difference! Christmas Blessings, Jean Schwartz Global Mission Chair MONTHLY MISSION EMPHASIS The Church Council has re-set our Mission Emphases to support ministries beyond our church. Please note that the mission of the month may have changed from last year. December ELCA World Hunger January Global Missions February Iringa Diocese Use the blue giving envelope that comes from the church. If you give electronically, designate a one-time or ongoing gift for Missions.

6 Page 6 Gustavus Adolphus Lutheran Chur ch WEDNESDAY NIGHT MINISTRY Advent Family Faith Nights During the season of Advent we encourage all GA members and their families to participate in Advent Family Faith Nights on Wednesday evenings. These nights are planned to provide inter-generational engagement through worship, faith formation and fellowship so that we can continue to live into our Gateway of Faith core values to GROW in spiritual vitality, WORSHIP creatively and faithfully, EMBRACE our wonder, and BUILD authentic Christian relationships. Family Faith Nights begin with a community meal served between 5:00-6:00 pm. ($5 donation per person requested to assist in covering the cost of the meal). During Advent we have intergenerational faith formation activities beginning at 6:00 pm. Wednesday, December 2 - The Tree of Ruth and Jesse We begin our Advent celebration and preparation with a night dedicated to the ancestors of Jesus. When Matthew began his Gospel with a family tree of Jesus, contrary to the Gospel of Luke and many other family trees of the Old Testament, he included four women. In Jewish tradition these four women (Tamar, Rahab, Ruth and Bathsheba) were considered heroines of the faith. Through creative and fun activities we will learn more about their stories and about the stories of our faith. Wednesday, December 9 - A Night of Carols With joy in our hearts and longing for Christmas we join together for a night of carol-singing. All are welcome to join the confirmation and youth in singing carols at a nearby assisted living center for the elderly of our neighborhood. At 6:50 pm we gather around the Christmas tree in the Gathering Space to sing carols together. Wednesday, December 16 - Blue Christmas Please see pg. 1 for more information about the Blue Christmas worship service at 6:50 pm. All are welcome to join us in Luther Hall for a community meal at 5:00 pm and faith formation time at 6:00 pm. We have various activities, including making Christmas ornaments and writing Christmas cards to homebound members, during the faith formation time. Wednesday, December 23 - No FFN Please join us for worship on Thursday, December 24th for Christmas Eve. See pg. 1 for more information. Family Faith Nights resume January 6th with Epiphany Celebration. Grades Confirmation Ministry ADVENT FAMILY FAITH NIGHTS, 5:00 PM-6:00 PM Meal served 6-6:45 pm Learning Time for all ages 6:50 pm Advent Midweek Worship Dec. 23 & 30 - Christmas Break! Classes will resume on January 6, Sat., Dec. 5 All-Confirmation Service Project! Serve the Seniors Holiday Luncheon (11:30 1:30 p.m.) SIGN UP at the Welcome Center! Students are asked to wear dark pants and plain white or light shirt. Parents help in kitchen would be welcome as well! Confirmation WINTER!BLAST! Retreat at Camp Onomia Feb , 2016 An awesome weekend is planned for youth in Grades 6-9 who want to get away for a FANTASTIC weekend of COOL Christian stuff, FUN activities, AND sweet FOOD. Summer college staff will be around to make this an EXCEPTIONAL event that you will want to BRING your friends to. It is ALL GOOD! Parent consent forms and $15 transportation fee are needed by Feb. 3! Don t miss out on this great chance to come to camp! If you have questions contact Sherrie Nordquist at the church office. (Confirmation Ministry continued on next page.)

7 December 2015 CHILDREN, YOUTH, AND FAMILY MINISTRY Page 7 (Confirmation Ministry, cont.) Service Hour Opportunities! Serve Senior Holiday Lunch Dec. 5, 11:30-1:30pm Caroling Wednesday, Dec. 9, 6 pm Acolytes are still needed for some of the Christmas services. Sign up at the Youth Board on the Youth Ministry kiosk or in the Sacristy. Coffee Hour servers. (Must be accompanied by an adult. This is a great family service opportunity!) Sign up at Welcome Desk Service Team Sign-up Sheets) Worship Greeters. Sign up at the Welcome Desk Service Team Sign-up Sheets) Usher Team in January! Contact Mike or Erin Richie to sign up. Workshop Rotation Sunday School at the Tree House! Sunday mornings from 10:10 11:10 A.M. The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light; those who lived in a land of deep darkness on them light has shined. (Isaiah 9:2) November 29 Jesus is Born! December 6 Jesus is Born! December 13 Jesus is Born! December 20 Sunday School Rehearsal & Spontaneous Nativity during New Life Worship, 11:15am December 27 No Sunday School Sunday, December 20 11:15am A Spontaneous Nativity with GA Sunday School children Rehearsal Schedule for children and youth: Sunday mornings Nov. 29 & Dec. 6, 13, 20 during Sunday School (10:10-11:40 a.m.) WAYS TO BE A LEADER IN WORKSHOP ROTATION SUNDAY SCHOOL Workshop Leader Prepare and lead a learning based workshop such as drama, art, games, storytelling, cooking, science. 2-week commitment. Use your expertise and a little of your time to share the Gospel with young learners. Join one of the next Rotation Teams: Wandering in the Wilderness January 4 & 11 or January 24 &31 The Battle of Jericho February 7 & 14 or February 21 & 28 Banquet with Simon March 6 & 13 or Mar 20 Shepherds Guide a small group of children through the workshops each week. Assist the workshop leaders with activities. Jr.& Sr. High youth are especially needed. Contact Sherrie Nordquist at the church office for details. 651/ or sherrie@gachurch.org The Children s Choir rehearses as part of Sunday School on Sunday mornings and will sing at the start of the New Life Service (Luther Hall 11:15 am) on the 4th Sunday of each month. Director, Camille Farinella Next Performances include Dec. 20 (11:15am New Life Worship with Spontaneous Nativity). Jan.24, Feb. 28, Mar. 20 (Palm Sunday), Apr 24 SAVE THE DATE! Elementary Winter Chill!! Retreat at Camp Onomia January 29 31, 2016 Two nights of fun for youth in grades 3-5. Camp Onomia counselors will lead bible study, games, worship, outdoor play and more. [Parents interested in going as adult drivers/leaders may stay for free! Contact Sherrie.] Sign up on the Tree House bulletin board or call Sherrie for more information. For more information about Sunday School and Confirmation programs, contact Sherrie Nordquist by calling the Church office (direct line) or sherrie@gachurch.org

8 Page 8 Community Caring The Christmas Giving Tree Our annual Christmas Giving Tree is back! We continue our Gateway commitment to build authentic Christian relationships with our city and neighborhood by sponsoring the Christmas wishes of 25 children and youth from Lutheran Social Services (LSS) Homeless Youth Services, with special emphasis upon the Christmas wishes of our local Eastside LSS Lifehaven home which provides supportive housing for teen mothers and their children. Please pick up an ornament tag from the Welcome Desk or Christmas Tree in the Gathering Space and make a youth s Christmas wish come true. Our giving towards these youth is very important. Often these youth and children receive no other Christmas gift other than the gifts received from the local congregations like ours. Thank you for making a difference in these youths lives. Ornament tags with Christmas wishes will be available now through Sunday, December 6 th. Please return your gift(s) wrapped and labeled and with a gift receipt to the Welcome Desk or Christmas tree by Wednesday, December 9 th. (Any purchased gift cards may be safely given to Sherrie Nordquist or Pastor Amanda to keep in the office until the dropoff date). All gifts will be delivered to LSS Homeless Youth Services that week where they will be wrapped and given to the youth at their annual Christmas party. If you are unable to purchase a gift for the Giving Tree and would like to contribute to the purchase of a gift or gifts, please contact Nancy Johnson, chairperson of the GA Care Team Ministry at (651) or njohnsonmn@gmail.com. Nancy has offered to collect donations and purchase gifts for the Giving Tree from the community offering. At the Senior Moments Luncheon on Saturday, December 5 th she will also be taking donations for the Giving Tree. Thank you for your generosity and sharing the spirit of Christmas with youth and children of our community who are often forgotten as they struggle with homelessness. Gustavus Adolphus Lutheran Chur ch Thank you for Giving to the Max! Thank you for your generous support of the Sheridan Story (Farnsworth School Weekend Food Kits)!!! On Give to the Max Day, Thursday, November 12, we raised $2,150 online through your generous giving. With an anonymous dollar-for-dollar matching grant of $2,000 we met and surpassed our $4,000 goal! Thank you all for your support. We hope to have a final count on our fundraising goals by January s newsletters so that we may include all of the generous donations made via check and cash for this important ministry outreach. Thank you for supporting our ministry outreach with Farnsworth Elementary School to alleviate the weekend food gap for our local neighborhood children. Because of you we are able to honor our commitment to feed 100 children at Farnsworth every weekend with a weekend food kit. Thank you. Thank you from Merrick Community Services! On behalf of all of us at Merrick Community Services, thank you so very much for your continued partnership and for holding the Stuff-It food drive for the Food Shelf! Through this event, you donated 1,410 pounds of food on October 1, 2015 towards our Food Shelf. We are extremely grateful for your generosity. Our support of the Merrick Food Shelf helps strengthen families and promote independence for seniors and individuals on Saint Paul s East Side and Maplewood. Non -perishable food donations as well as paper and hygiene products are needed throughout the year. Cash donations are also welcome. Find GA s Food Shelf donation table near the church nursery. Donations are delivered each week on Monday.

9 December 2015 Page 9 Community Caring CHECK OUT THE COLLECTION OF BOOKS, VIDEOS, AND MUSIC CDS IN OUR CHURCH LIBRARY! The Ronald C. Peterson library is open between services from 10:00-11:15 a.m. on Sunday mornings. Thank you for returning materials within two weeks. Librarians: Carol Sandberg, Marlys Siverson GA Women s Book Club meets the 4 th Tuesday of each month, at 1:00 p.m. New readers are always welcome. [No Book Club in December!] January 25 TBD CHECK OUT THESE BOOKS FOR THE ADVENT SEASON IN OUR CHURCH LIBRARY! The First Noel: A Child s Book of Christmas Carols To Play and Sing, Dorling Kindersley Publishing. This delightful book contains thirteen classic carols with easyto-follow musical arrangements for piano and guitar. The carols are complemented by paintings which capture the spirit of Christmases old and new. Christmas Day in the Morning, Pearl S. Buck Author of nearly a hundred books for children and adults, and winner of both the Pulitzer and Nobel prizes, Pearl S. buck has captures the spirit of Christmas in this elegant, hearwarming story about a boy s gift of love. The Christmas Candle, Richard Paul Evans This intriguing original fable about charity is accompanied by lavish, mood-filled oil paintings by artist Jacob Collins. Newsletter Submission Deadlines GA Newsletter submission deadline is the 1st Monday of the month for the upcoming month newsletter: 1st Monday in December for January s newsletter If you are responsible for a monthly article, please put these dates in your personal calendar. Send your article to info@gachurch.org. Newsletter Update Over the next several months, GA will be moving toward an electronic newsletter. This will allow us to reach more people more promptly, will save on staff time in production, and will save money in paper costs, printer ink, and postage! Starting in January, there will be a form in your weekly bulletin announcements for you to fill out if you would like to continue receiving a paper copy of the newsletter. The form will include a place for your updated mailing address, and you can return that to the church office or place it in an offering plate on Sunday. In April, we will make the switch to electronic, and if you have not submitted a form specifying otherwise, you will no longer receive a hard copy, but rather an electronic copy to your . If you have not given the church your updated address, this would be a good time to do so! You can submit that information to info@gachurch.org. More information on this change will be available as we move forward. Gustavus Adolphus Lutheran Church is financed entirely by the generous, direct financial gifts of its members and friends. There are several ways you can bless this mission of Jesus with your gifts: 1. Place your check or cash in the offering plate passed during the service. Envelopes are in the pews. 2. Electronic Funds Transfer from our website, gachurch.org (upper right corner). It gives you options to have your weekly, bimonthly or monthly offerings deducted from your checking or savings account and deposited directly to the GA Church bank account. 3. Bill Pay. Follow the directions for your bank or credit union to create GA Church as a Payee at 1669 N. Arcade St., St. Paul, MN 55106, and choose to make a regular weekly or monthly offering. 4. Stock Transfer to the church. For more information, contact Maggie Kidnie in the business office,

10 Page 10 DECEMBER BIRTHDAYS 1 Michelle Beaulieu Jacksen Nielsen 2 Laura McDonald Terria Meyer Virginia Ringler 3 Norman Espersen Christopher Estes Christian Krueger Joe Norquist 4 Hayley Aarsvold Ryan Zenk 5 Dawson Fischer Bill Lund 9 Jaxton Galvin Kendra Nielsen 11 Susan Meyer 12 Janice Hobbs Gary Simpson 13 Myabella Moua Marian Woodford 14 Brynn Aguirre Daniel Bjorkquist Bailey Foster Maggie Kidnie Annika Miller Zachary Munson 17 Jeannine Carle Benjamin Engelstad Lyndsey Hawkins 18 Don Weiblen, III 19 Julie Hutcheson- Downwind Dean Lundquist 20 Carl Berglund Brian Schulze John Youngren 21 Don Asp Jude Lipetzky Mattie MacLennan Terry Summer Gustavus Adolphus Lutheran Chur ch 24 Angela Hamrick 25 Linda Moe Daniel Sideen 26 Leon Bonrud Carol Sideen 28 Aaron Doherty Janet Haiden 29 Camille Farinella Paul Sanft Tharen Swanson 30 Jennifer Beckman Diane Giovanazzi David Grefe 6 Bjorn Larsen Lorraine Lund 7 Lori Husnik Joanne Nelson John Roberts 8 Darla Himmer 15 Ava Cowdin Douglas Michaelson Natasha Pavel 16 Kara Anderson Caitlin King Vameng Moua 22 Jacob Engelstad 23 Joyce McManus 23 Kristine Estes Declan Martin Natasha Ross John Weisner III 31 Charley Hildebrandt Casey King-Strong Jane Olsen Christmas Garden at Gustavus Adolphus Share in the Beauty of Christmas! Help us decorate our worship spaces with poinsettias that have been given in memory or in honor of loved ones. Your gift goes beyond our walls however; we have been able to purchase and present plants to home bound members of our congregation who are no longer able to physically worship with us. These persons receive plants to brighten their rooms because of your giving. This year s poinsettias will be $20 each. Please complete the form below and return it to the Church office by Sunday, Dec. 6th. I would like to order poinsettia/s at $20 each = $ Please designate: In Memory of LOVED ONES given by Or In Memory of Given by

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12 Gustavus Adolphus (GA) Lutheran Church 1669 Arcade St St. Paul, MN Nonprofit Org. U.S. Postage P A I D Twin Cities MN Permit No. 585 Gustavus Adolphus (GA) is a member of the Saint Paul Area Synod ( of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA), Church Staff & Contact Information Lon Larson, Interim Senior Pastor Amanda Simons, Associate Pastor Maggie Novak, Interim Visitation Pastor l.larson@gachurch.org a.simons@gachurch.org visitation@gachurch.org (none) Jerry Brakke, Dir. of Music Sherrie Nordquist, Dir. of Christian Education Maggie Kidnie, Accountant Brit Barkholtz, Administrative Assistant Judy Hitchcock, Administrative Assistant jerry@gachurch.org sherrie@gachurch.org Maggie@gachurch.org brit@gachurch.org judy@gachurch.org Nelson Tracey & Kevin Berglund, (none) Custodians Kendra Nielsen, Diana Williams, ASL Interpreters 125 years...and forward. We are inspired by the Spirit to: GROW in spiritual vitality WORSHIP creatively and faithfully together EMBRACE our wonder BUILD authentic Christian relationships