December Worship Schedule: Sunday 8:00 AM & 10:30 AM Sunday School 10:30 AM. Volume 70, Number 11. December 16th Pageant 10:30 AM

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1 December 2012 Volume 70, Number 11 Reminders: December 16th Pageant 10:30 AM December 16th Christmas Caroling 2:30 PM December 24th Christmas Eve Services 6 & 9 PM December 30 One Service 9:30 AM Church Nursery is available on second floor of PE Building for children 5 and under Merry Christmas! From Advent to Christmas: Preparing to Receive the Gift! Advent begins on Sunday, December 2. With the arrival of Advent we begin a new leg of our journey a journey through the haze of hopeful anticipation into the bright light of a promise fulfilled in the birth of Jesus. Each week of our journey there will be things worth noting little signs and hints along the way. Each step will help us prepare to receive that Gift of Life that promises to change our lives and the world around us. On the first Sunday of Advent, we will be urged to be on guard against things that can dissipate our attending to God s coming reign in Jesus. Everyday life is full of distractions. Armed with the strength that comes through prayer and spiritual preparation, we are better able to stay focused on the most important things in life. God will come to us on a day unknown. Our job it to be ready when he does. On the second Sunday of Advent, we hear the voice of one crying in the wilderness inviting us to prepare the way of the Lord. John the Baptist will remind us, this week, that the kind of preparation we need in life begins first and foremost in repenting of our sin and receiving forgiveness and the new life that comes with true freedom. On the third Sunday, we will take a slight detour as we celebrate Jesus birth a bit early through the Sunday School pageant, Star of Love. Like a star shining in the distance, God s light will guide us through our journey, as it did the wise men seeking the newborn savior. Then, on the fourth Sunday, we encounter two great women of faith: Elizabeth, the mother of John the Baptist, and her cousin, Mary, the mother of Jesus. Here the two women greet one another and wonder at the strange and marvelous events that are transpiring through them. We will be reminded that the most extraordinary things in life have simple, every-day beginnings. No matter what our humble conditions may suggest, everything is possible with God. Perhaps these weeks can be summed up with three simple sentences: Stay focused on that which is essential in life. Prepare our hearts for receiving the Gift of Life. And expect that God has a magnificent plan for each of us. On Christmas Eve, Monday, December 24, we will gather to unwrap that Gift together! Pr. Hugh Haffenreffer Worship Schedule: Sunday 8:00 AM & 10:30 AM Sunday School 10:30 AM

2 Opportunities During Advent Worship: On Sunday, December 2, we will keep our children in worship as we celebrate the Advent season of preparation. Please bring an ornament from home (one that will be returned to you after the Christmas season, but one that is not irreplaceable in the event of a mishap). We will use these ornaments to decorate our Christmas tree as an act of preparing for the birth of Christ. On Sunday, December 16, our Sunday School children and our older youths will present Star of Love, a Christmas pageant for the whole congregation. This will involve the whole congregation as we, together, celebrate in story and song the birth of our Lord, Jesus. Please plan to invite your family, friends, and neighbors to this special Christmas treat! On Christmas Eve, Monday, December 24, St. Paul s will celebrate Jesus birth with a setting based on the St. James Christmas Service. This is the same setting that we have used for the past several years. The St. James Christmas Service has set the words of the traditional liturgy to familiar Christmas carols. Our early service is scheduled for 6PM, and will be geared a bit more toward children and families, including a special Christmas message with Marvin. The choir will present festive Christmas anthems to further set the tone. During our late service, at 9PM, we will turn the lights down a bit lower to create a more reflective atmosphere. Both services will include Holy Communion. Bible Study: During the first 3 Wednesdays in Advent, Dec. 5, 12 and 19, we will explore the biblical account of the birth of Jesus as is found in Matthew and Luke. Fellowship and Service: Join us on Sunday, December 16, for Christmas Caroling and Pizza! See the accompanying article for more information. St. Paul s Lutheran Church Annual Income Report October 2012 Jan - Oct 12 YTD Budget $ Over Budget Annual Budget Income Revenues Weekly offering 108, , (7,931.67) 142, Special envelopes 1, , (377.00) 4, Loose plate offerings 2, , , Sunday Church School (258.90) Total Revenues 112, , (8,044.87) 148, December 2012 pg. 2

3 CHURCH CHAPTERS Join us for Great Reading! We won t be meeting in December. We ll discuss, my stroke of insight by Jill Balte-Taylor at our January 8, 2013 meeting. Contact Sue Agne military Care packages/letters for Kimberlee Ruppar. A list of items is posted on the bulletin board near the coat closet. SPC Kimberlee Ruppar 143rd MP Company FOB Andar APO Ae SAVE THE DATE February 10, PM to 5 PM St. Paul s presents - Atwater-Donnelly, a traditional American folk music and dance band. St. Paul s Usher Schedule for 2013 I want to thank the men and women who graciously served as ushers throughout St. Paul s needs more available ushers. Please consider volunteering. If you haven t ushered before, I will make sure to assign you with an experienced partner. How about a team of father-son or mother-daughter? I m sure the children would be proud to be seen helping dad or mom! I m in the process of drawing up the usher schedule for Please make my day by being among the first to sign up! Don t wait to be called. Let me know of your availability, and you and I can work it out on the calendar. God Bless, Louise Lostocco December Birthdays: 3 Charlotte Homick 4 Carolyn Champagne 4 Richard Seip 5 Kenneth Baumgartel 7 Carole Hughes 11 Christine Wittkop 11 Serge DeBlois 13 Celia Cheyney 13 William Fischer Jr. 15 Brian Beckwith 15 Jim Newmark 17 Ursula Barr 18 Julie Perry 18 Beth-Ann Vogt 20 Mary Baumgartel 22 Kyla Anderson 26 Peter Vanturas 28 Charles Bengtson 28 Charlotte Preuss 31 Timothy Ruppar December 2012 pg. 3

4 Star of Love Pageant Sun. Dec. 16, 2012 at 10:30 am Preparations have begun for our Sunday School Christmas program. The children have been assigned parts and are practicing during Sunday School. Dress rehearsal will be held on Saturday, December 15th from 9 a.m. - Noon (snacks will be provided). In addition, the children will need to be at church on Sunday, December 16th at 9 a.m. for rehearsal before the performance during the 10:30 a.m. service. More volunteers are needed for the preparations day of dress rehearsal, and performance. We also need cookies for coffee hour on December 16th. Sign up sheet in Fellowship Hall! Contact Cathy Evans or cathyfevans@hotmail.com CHRISTMAS CARDS FOR FUEL As we all know, the economy has been bad for some time. Agencies that help the poor have become increasingly busy. One of these agencies that impacts our town is the Wethersfield Fuel Bank, which is entirely funded by donations. Help is provided to people who have been living on or have exhausted their unemployment benefits. It also assists those whose current jobs pay far less than their prior careers. Some have had personal financial crises that have caused them to seek a helping hand. Our annual Christmas card tree has been a means to help this beneficial town program. Instead of buying several cards to send to other members of St. Paul s, place 1 card on our Christmas card tree in Fellowship Hall, and donate the money you d have spent on several cards to the Fuel Bank. Many weather experts are predicting a cold, stormy winter in the Northeast (look what we ve gotten so far) and heating fuel has to be a top priority for everyone. The Outreach Committee Family Movie Night! December s movie, The Christmas Shoes, will be shown in the Fellowship Hall on Friday, December 14 at 6 PM. Please come for the movie and popcorn... and bring a friend or two! December 2, 2012 The First Sunday in Advent -- Family Service We are planning for this December service; mark the date. We will be asking the children to bring an ornament and help to decorate the tree at the altar. More details will be in our weekly bulletins and coming home with the children each Sunday. Advent Wreath Making On Sunday, December 2nd immediately following 10:30 service and fellowship, we will be making advent wreaths. Supplies will be provided to make one wreath per family. We will also be making Holiday cards for St. Paul s Shut- Ins and Outreach Committee holiday dinner recipients. A sign up sheet will be located in Fellowship Hall. If you would like to participate, contact Cathy evans or Debbie viola. December 2012 pg. 4

5 Thursday Group Request Do you have holiday decorations (ornaments, ribbons lights, etc) that you are tired of and no longer want? Our Thursday Group would like to recycle them in new projects. We are also looking for unused Christmas cards and envelopes. If you can help us, please contact Jan Pergande or Judy Lundin Seeking Volunteers the sunday school Committee is seeking volunteers to staff our nursery on the following Sundays: December 2nd, January, 6th, February 3rd, March 3rd, April 7th and May 5th. Please contact Cathy evans Christmas Caroling & Pizza Sunday, Dec. 16th, 2012 at 2:30 pm It is that glorious time of the year again when we get to share our faith by doing something out of love for others. It is a chance for us to share our Lord s message of love for all through song. On Sunday December 16th, 2012 we will go Christmas Caroling together to our shut-ins in Cromwell, Newington, Rocky Hill and Wethersfield. Whether or not you can sing - join us. Afterwards, our celebration will continue with pizza at Village Pizza. We will gather in the PE building at 2:30 PM to organize our caravan. We will head out to convalescent centers and friend s homes for the caroling. That s right - friend s homes too! If you have someone that you would like us to sing to, please let us know. We will leave the church by 3:00 PM, and return back to Village Pizza by 6:00 PM. We hope you can join us and share our message of Christ s love! For more info, contact Pr. Hugh. ORDER YOUR POINSETTIAS The poinsettia orders for the Christmas Memorial Garden can be dropped off at the church office on or before December 16th. It is important that you let us know ahead of time whether you will be taking a plant. All remaining plants will be delivered to our shut-ins. The poinsettias will be ordered from Kim s Florist in Wethersfield. The cost will be $15 per plant Christmas memorial Garden - Poinsettia Order Form Given in memory of: Please print name(s) exactly as you want it (them) to appear Given by: Please print name(s) exactly as you want it (them) to appear Amount $ (Note: cost per plant is $15) Checks should be made to the order of St. Paul s Lutheran Church Memo: 2012 Christmas Memorial Garden December 2012 pg. 5

6 St. Paul s Members In Service for December 2012 AC O LY T E S : Linda Anderson, Coordinator, Dec. 2 - Jared Christensen 9 - Celia Cheyney 23 - Kaitlin Anderson 24 - Cameron Cheyney 24 - Celia Cheyney 30 - A LTA R G U I L D : Linda Anderson, Coordinator, Dec. 2 - Mary Procyk 9 - Debbie Howe 23 - Patty Bengston 24 - Linda & Kaitlin Anderson 30 - Winnie Sawrun & Ann French A S S I S T I N G M I N I S T E R S : Dec. 2 - Jim Newmark...8:00 Mike Coyle...10: Emily Lourigan...8:00 Kathy Coyle...10: William Fischer, Jr...10: Art Bruce...8:00 Mary Procyk...10: Patty Bengston 6:00 PM Jerry Vaillancourt 9:00 PM 30 - Mike Coyle...9:30 C O M M U N I O N A S S I S TA N T S : Sue Agne, Coordinator, Dec. 2 - Joan Kratzer 9 - Mary Procyk 23 - Mike Coyle 24 - Volunteer Needed 24 - Volunteer Needed 30 - Sue Agne TA P I N G : Jan Pergande, Coordinator, Dec. Jan Pergande 6:00 PM 9:00 PM F E L L O W S H I P H O U R H O S T S : Winnie Sawrun, Coordinator, Dec. 2 - Pat Granger & Alan Niederfringer 9 - Lillian Doerschler & Winnie Sawrun 23 - Pat & Russ Bengston 30 - Debbie & George Howe F I N A N C E : Mary Procyk, Coordinator, Dec. 2 - Bob Bowman 9 - Debbie Viola 16 - Winnie Sawrun 23 - Mike Coyle 24 - Mike Coyle 30 - George Howe L E C TO R S : Lillian Doerschler, Coordinator, Dec. 2 - Joan Kratzer 9 - Sue Agne 23 - Carol Bruce 24 - Vicki Anderson 24 - Jerry Vaillancourt 30 - William Fischer, Jr. U S H E R S : Brian Beckwith, Coordinator, 8 AM, Dec. - Brian Beckwith Louise Lostocco, Coordinator, 10:30AM, Dec. December 2012 pg. 6 - Bill Caughman & Bob Bowman 24 Volunteers Needed 6:00 PM 9:00 PM December 16th - Star of Love Christmas Pageant. Please Note: No 8 AM service on the 16th! December 24th - Christmas Eve Service s 6 & 9 PM December 30th - One Service at 9:30 AM

7 DeCemBeR 2012 EVENT CALENDAR sun. mon. tues. WeD. thurs. FRi. sat. 1 First sunday in Advent Holy Comm. 8 & 10:30AM No Sunday School Faith Jam grade 6-12, 9 AM Advent wreath making after 10:30 AM service Office Closed AA 7:30 PM Outreach Meeting 7 PM OA 7:30 PM Bible Study 10 AM AA 7 PM Choir Reh. 7:30 PM Recovery Bible Study 10 AM Thur. Grp 10 AM AA 8 PM AA 10 AM CA 7:30 PM AA 7:30 PM second sunday in Advent Holy Comm. 8 & 10:30AM Sunday School 10:30 AM Faith Jam grade 6-12, 9 AM OA 7:30 PM epistle Deadline Bible Study 10 AM AA 7 PM Choir Reh. 7:30 PM Recovery Bible Study 10 AM Thur. Grp 10 AM AA 8 PM AA 10 AM Family Movie Night 6 PM CA 7:30 PM Pageant Reh. 9 AM- 12 PM AA 7:30 PM third sunday in Advent Christmas Pageant 10:30 AM No 8 AM Service Christmas Caroling 2:30 PM Parish Admin 6:30 PM Council 7:30 PM OA 7:30 PM Bible Study 10 AM Confirmation Class 6PM AA 7 PM Choir Reh. 7:30 PM Men s Breakfast 7:30 AM Recovery Bible Study 10 AM Thur. Grp 10 AM AA 8 PM AA 10 AM CA 7:30 PM AA 7:30 PM Fourth sunday in Advent Holy Comm. 8 & 10:30AM Sunday School 10:30 AM Christmas Eve Service 6&9 PM Christmas Day OA 7:30 PM AA 7 PM Choir Reh. 7:30 PM Recovery Bible Study 10 AM Thur. Grp 10 AM AA 8 PM AA 10 AM CA 7:30 PM AA 7:30 PM Holy Comm. 9:30 AM Sunday School 10:30 AM New Year's Eve

8 Saint Paul s Ev. Lutheran Church 371 Wolcott Hill Road Wethersfield, CT MINISTRY LEADERSHIP & STAFF SUPPORT PASTOR Rev. Hugh R. B. Haffenreffer Office: (860) Cell Phone: (860) pastorh@stpaulswethersfield.org OFFICE MANAGER Janet Vasel janet@stpaulswethersfield.org COUNCIL PRESIDENT Julie Perry jperry@stpaulswethersfield.org COUNCIL VICE PRESIDENT William Fischer, Jr. bfischer@stpaulswethersfield.org COUNCIL SECRETARY Debbie Viola debviola@stpaulswethersfield.org TREASURER Roy Lewis roy@roylewiscpa.com FINANCIAL SECRETARY/BOOKKEEPER Mary Procyk mprocyk@stpaulswethersfield.org MINISTER OF MUSIC Melissa Cheyney COORDINATOR OF SUNDAY CHURCH SCHOOL Cathy Evans What s inside: A Message from the Pastor pg 1 Church Chapters & Birthdays pg 3 Star of Love Pageant pg 4 Christmas Cards for Fuel Family Movie Night Christmas Caroling and Pizza pg 5 Order your Poinsettias Members in Service pg 6 Calendar pg 7 December 2012 Volume 70, Number 11