Tidings 24 TH. Sunday December 6 th. from St. Philip s Lutheran Church JANUARY. St. Philip s Annual Meeting & Potluck. Pr.

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1 Pr. Don s Message Tidings December 2015 And the angel of the Lord said to them. Be not afraid; for behold I bring you good news of great joy which will come to all people; for to you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. Luke 2:10-11 Sunday December 6 th Christmas Tree Decorating Party Soup Potluck Carols With Psalm 150 Band JANUARY 24 TH St. Philip s Annual Meeting & Potluck We are in a season of celebration. Having just celebrated Thanksgiving with family and friends gathering for special meals, focusing on God s abundant blessings to us, we now begin the Season of Advent with all the extra preparation for Christmas. It s a great time of the year with decorating trees and giving of gifts and expressions of joy and good cheer in our families and communities as well as here at St. Philip s. It s meant to be a special time of the year as we celebrate the birth of Jesus. Here at St. Philip s we celebrate in many ways as we come together for worship, decorating the Christmas trees, and sharing meals here in the congregation as well as in the community. In our support of the Food Bank and providing meals and overnight shelter for the homeless men in our community we are giving gifts not only in this season but throughout the year. We gather Christmas gifts for children and families who otherwise would go without and we support other charities that help provide for those in need. All of these things and more are expressions of gratitude to God for His providing what we need and more, both materially and spiritually. This year on December 20th our morning worship will be a Service of Christmas Carols, with prayers, scripture readings, a brief message and Holy Communion. We will have the same kind of worship Service the Sunday after Christmas, December 27th, which will give us an opportunity to sing and enjoy the Christmas carols, which add to our celebrating this joyous season. We hope you will enjoy this time of worshiping with carols. As always we will have our traditional Christmas Eve Candlelight Service at 5:30 pm on December 24th. We will celebrate together here at church and continue celebrating with family and friends as we return to our homes. It is my hope and prayer that you will find this Christmas Season especially meaningful and enjoyable here at St. Philip s and in your homes and other places where you gather for celebrations knowing that God s gift to us came in that stable a long time ago and continues to be with us every day of our lives! May God Bless and keep you safe throughout this special time of the year! ~ Pastor Don

2 Notes Leadership Team Tidings 2 December 4 th ~ Jamie Eisinger 9 th ~ Ashlee Eisinger Here we are into the Advent season, the beginning of a new church year, full of possibilities. The Leadership Team continues to meet and address the business of the church. We ask that you continue to hold us in your prayers, and keep the lines of communication open with the team. Our next meeting will be Wednesday, January 6 th. Our annual church meeting is scheduled for January 24 th after church with a potluck - mark your calendars now! All Leadership Team members are willing to continue filling their positions. However, we are looking for an additional member to serve as Member at Large. The stewardship committee is asking that you complete your pledge and time and talent sheet in short order. Please fill it out, put it in the offering plate or mail it to the church - thanks. There are several, additional, giving opportunities during this season. Check the Tidings or the bulletin board in the narthex for ideas. As a reminder, the loose change fund the offering continues to support The Food Bank. We have appreciated the ministry of Pastor Don and he has assured us that he will be with us until we call a new Pastor. We are hoping to form the Call Committee after the first of the year and hopefully install them at the Annual Meeting. If you would like to serve on the Call Committee we encourage you to speak to a team member. We are going to have 5 members serving and we would like to have a very diverse group in background and age. The first order of business will be to complete the congregational profile so the synod can suggest candidates. ~ Lowell

3 Shout Out of Thanks!! To Everyone who joined in on our volunteer work day!! Tidings 3 October Volunteer Day HUGE SUCCESS!! Thank you everyone who helped make our first monthly volunteer day such a huge success!! We accomplished many details & projects such as: fixing door locks, cleaning bugs out of light boxes, painted the front and back doors, cleaned & organized the Sunday School room, prepped picnic tables for painting, installed new heating filters, and began organization on our 50th anniversary!! December We also had a wonderful fellowship time with food and laughter. Thank You Nathan Bradley Plumbing for fixing the plumbing issue in our handicap restroom!!

4 Treasurer s Report Tidings 4 Worship Committee Notes November October October Income $13, October Expenses $11, Balance $1, November November Income $14, November Expenses $12, Balance $1, Your spare coins can change lives! December 6 th Family Service Tree Decorating, Potluck, & carols with Psalm 150 after the worship service encourage all to stay and fellowship December 20 th Carol singing, - giving opportunity to sing Christmas carols, abbreviated liturgy (no Chicago Folk service, but Psalm 150 participation in carols) December 24 th Christmas Eve service at 5:30 pm, a compromise last year s time, with continuous communion at the altar, allowing people to kneel format will be explained December 27 th Carol singing - abbreviated liturgy ~ Barbara Battcher New! ELCA Good Gifts The new ELCA Good Gifts catalog is now available. With more than 50 giving options, find something for everyone on your list. The catalog features new gifts, such as the long-drop latrine, and can be a great resource for your congregation. Use the ELCA Good Gifts Fair Planning Guide to help get you started. You can also find special cards to announce to your loved ones the ELCA Good Gift that you have made in their honor. St. Philip s has raised $ this year that will be donated to the Food Bank.

5 Tidings 5 December The beginning of the new church year is here the first Sunday in Advent and the lighting of the first Advent candle has happened. Advent is a time of contemplation and preparation for celebration of Christ s birth at Christmas. Pastor Don continues to include a Children s Sermon each Sunday, for all ages to enjoy. Next Sunday, the 2nd Sunday in Advent, the congregation is invited to stay after the Family Worship service for Tree Decorating, Carol singing, and Soup Fellowship. For the December 20th and 27th Sunday worship services, there will be opportunities for more carol singing of favorite Christmas hymns included with brief liturgies. Because of this change in liturgies, the Chicago Folk Service will not be used in December. St. Philip s Christmas Eve Candlelight Service, November including Christmas hymns and carols, will be at 5:30 pm this year. November Income $12, We hope all have a blessed Christmas, remembering Christ is the reason for the season. November Expenses -$17, Balance ~ Worship Team -$4,988.18

6 December Tidings 6 Word Search Left to right, right to left, up & down, down & up & Diagonal C R E E T N U L O V Q D K U N I E P E R Z I W R O M Y S L O M H T N I A P W C N F Y T H T I E K F N L U J G A Y R A M O E A M I Z A N U P C S C A G I D E N K P L C R A N K I A I U E E Y L A R Q H L A Y B B A G O S T E K X E E N R W O A I A T R T R O K B N C E J S H L J D L O R N W T L W B W J J A N H E K O N E K I M I F G N Y L O R A C L

7 r e b m e c e D Tidings St. Philip s Families & Friends Bring your New Unwrapped Gift to Church We will collect items through December 16th Toys ~ games ~ clothes ~ household items ~ food 7

8 December Tidings 8 Ringing in Christmas Christmas is a time to celebrate the birth of our Savior. It is also a time to remember the message Jesus taught and lived. As Christians we are challenged, especially during this time of year, to balance our obligations with family and friends and with those who are less fortunate. One simple way we can do this is to support the Salvation Army bell ringing campaign. Bell ringers are needed for two hour shifts beginning at 10:00 am and the last shift ends at 4:00 pm. This can be a family or individual activity. Bell ringers are needed at Safeway (Cross Roads) or the Post Office (Carmel Rancho) location. For more information contact Alan Pedersen ( ) and to schedule a time contact Doug Coates ( )

9 Dece mber Tidings 2015 Octoberfest & Pr. Laurel s Retirement Party 9

10 December Tidings 10 Christmas flower Dedication forms are available Now