PARISH LIFE OF OUR LORD S LUTHERAN CHURCH S h a rin g th e jo y of C h rist s lo ve a n d pro m ise o f salvatio n w ith a ll p e o p le.

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1 PARISH LIFE OF OUR LORD S LUTHERAN CHURCH S h a rin g th e jo y of C h rist s lo ve a n d pro m ise o f salvatio n w ith a ll p e o p le. December 2016 From the desk of Pr. Amanda As we begin our Advent journey and move toward welcoming our King anew this Christmas, we often focus on waiting, watching, and preparing. So, what are you waiting on? That s a wonderful question to keep us focused during Advent. Are we waiting to open presents? Are we waiting for healing? Are we waiting for the in-laws to leave so that we can have our couch back? Are you waiting to see the new creation Christ is bringing forth, or are you just trying to remember everybody s name for the next party? One thing which people have found to help them focus during Advent is to pick some situation where we need to be able to see Immanuel (God with us) more clearly, and then pray for that situation all the way through Advent. Waiting expectantly and hopefully for the good news of Christ to make a difference will help us to see, and to take part as the Holy Spirit works in the situation. Then, if it seems right, use your story to build up other people in their faith by sharing it! As we wait, we remember how much Martian Luther loved Christmas, although it was celebrated a bit differently back then! Here is a Christmas Hymn by Luther. (And sometimes people murmur if we sing six verses! Luther did LOVE to sing! ) From Heaven Above to Earth I Come" 1. "From heaven above to earth I come To bear good news to every home; Glad tidings of great joy I bring, Whereof I now will say and sing: 2. "To you this night is born a child Of Mary, chosen virgin mild; This little child, of lowly birth, Shall be the joy of all the earth. 3. "This is the Christ, our God and Lord, Who in all need shall aid afford; He will Himself your Savior be From all your sins to set you free. 4. "He will on you the gifts bestow Prepared by God for all below, That in His kingdom, bright and fair, You may with us His glory share. 4. "He will on you the gifts bestow Prepared by God for all below, That in His kingdom, bright and fair, You may with us His glory share. 5. "These are the tokens ye shall mark: The swaddling-clothes and manger dark; There ye shall find the Infant laid By whom the heavens and earth were made." 6. Now let us all with gladsome cheer Go with the shepherds and draw near To see the precious gift of God, Who hath His own dear Son bestowed. 7. Give heed, my heart, lift up thine eyes! What is it in yon manger lies? Who is this child, so young and fair? WEST HEFNER RO AD O KL A HOMA C ITY, O K (4 05) ww w.ol lc.or g o ail.c om

2 8. Welcome to earth, Thou noble Guest, Through whom the sinful world is blest! Thou com'st to share my misery; What thanks shall I return to Thee? 9. Ah, Lord, who hast created all, How weak art Thou, how poor and small, That Thou dost choose Thine infant bed Where humble cattle lately fed! 10. Were earth a thousand times as fair, Beset with gold and jewels rare, It yet were far too poor to be A narrow cradle, Lord, for Thee. 11. For velvets soft and silken stuff Thou hast but hay and straw so rough, Whereon Thou, King, so rich and great, As 'twere Thy heaven, art throned in state. 12. And thus, dear Lord, it pleaseth Thee To make this truth quite plain to me, That all the world's wealth, honor, might, Are naught and worthless in Thy sight. 13. Ah, dearest Jesus, holy Child, Make Thee a bed, soft, undefiled, Within my heart, that it may be A quiet chamber kept for Thee. 14. My heart for very joy doth leap, My lips no more can silence keep; I, too, must sing with joyful tongue That sweetest ancient cradle-song: 15. Glory to God in highest heaven, Who unto us His Son hath given! While angels sing with pious mirth A glad new year to all the earth.

3 "This Christmas we'll again be preparing gift bags for Reaching Our City (ROC) to distribute to their elderly clients. There is a sheet with suggested gift ideas on the information counter. Please place your gifts under the tree in the narthex. If you prefer, you may donate money to the church, marked for "ROC Christmas drive", which will be used to buy extra items.

4 OLLC s Annual Christmas Buffet You are invited to attend our annual Christmas Buffet will be held on Sunday, December 4th, beginning with punch at 5:00pm in the church s narthex. Doors to our fellowship hall will open at 5:30pm for dinner. Ham, turkey, dressing and vegetables will be furnished. Buffet attendees are asked to provide salads and desserts (8-12 servings each). Donations to offset the cost of the meat are also accepted. So we will know how much food to prepare, please RSVP to this invitation by writing your name on the sign-up sheet located at the Information Center in the narthex. Also please indicate if you will be providing a salad, dessert and/or donation. Plan now to attend this annual fun event. You ll enjoy delicious food and great entertainment! --OLLC s Women of the ELCA Poinsettias It s that time of year! We have ordered 48-6 poinsettias to be used on Christmas Eve. Please sign up for as many as you would like. The sign up sheet is located on the information counter. Cookie Sale December 18th! The cookie sale will take place before and after worship. Everyone is welcome bring their special Christmas cookies to sell. Everyone is welcome to buy the cookies! Funds raised will be used to buy batting for the quilts that the Hands of Mercy make. What an excellent time to buy an assortment of cookies to have on hand for the Holidays or to give as gifts!

5 Thank you to all who attended the Fall Festival, held on Oct. 23! We raised just over $2300 for Habitat for Humanity! Thanks also to all who cooked and who made items for the silent auction and the quilters who provided items for the regular auction. --Congregational Life/Social Life Committees 9am in the Conference Room Adults: Interrupted by Hope: turning toward grace We will gather each Sunday morning at 9am, starting on November 6th, to look at different ways to embody the resurrection by living with defiant hope. Children s Sunday School: Join us to learn bible stories and prepare to share the story of Jesus birth with the congregation on December 18th. Hands of Mercy Quilters will meet on December 10th, from 9am to noon. Let s make this our Christmas Quilting Party. Refreshments will be served after quilting. Children s Christmas Pageant during worship December 18th! OLLC Men s Group will meet Thursday, December 1st, from 6:30pm -8:30pm. Dr. Larry Eberhardt, Professor Emeritus and former Chair, Department of Political Science at Oklahoma City University will present: The 2016 Presidential Election in Perspective LWR PERSONAL CARE KIT Items may be placed in the green box in the narthex. We will begin collecting items again fter Christmas. A full list of items needed is provided at the Information Center. On October 26, Mike Evans pleaded guilty to all eight charges. This is a felony conviction. When all of the details of the sentence are available, I will share them with you. --Tom Ziebell Regional Food Bank, 3355 S. Purdue, OKC. Did you know that last year the Regional food Bank distributed 49.9 million pounds of food to our hungry Oklahoma neighbors in the Western half of Oklahoma? Just think how many folks that represents who lack sufficient food. We are so blessed to be able to feed our families and it is a real privilege to share our time and energy to serve those in need. This month, the following generous members of OLLC assisted: Chuck Wende, Lloyd Scheidt, Tom Ziebell, Sally Ziebell, Sue Lockard, Larry Eberhardt, John Tassey and Lou Ann Bletsch. THANK YOU! Remember, you too could serve by showing up Saturday, December 3 from 9:30 to 12:00 at the Regional Food Bank!

6 OLLC ENDOWMENT FUND The endowment fund currently has $6000 available for distribution. If you have suggestions or a donation request, please contact any of the endowment committee members-- Dick Morrow, Lloyd Scheidt, Wayne Karst, Jenny Myers, or Bob Smith. --Thank You! Advent Munch 2016 will be held at St. Marks on Saturday December 3rd from 9am to 1:30pm. Please bring a Child s Christmas card with $5 inside to send to Oaks Indian Center. The council unanimously voted to accept the request of Christ International Fellowship, a congregation from Africa, to share our space for the purposes for of worship andstudy. They are now in the process of reviewing our proposed building use agreement, and if they find it agreeable, they will begin worshiping on Sunday afternoons in January! We will pray for them and our partnership in the mission of Christ, and look forward to welcoming them! There will be many more details in the January newsletter. October Treasurer s Report October income of $24,490 is greater than budget of $18,140 (35%). October donations of $23,406 is greater than budget of $17,083 (37%). YTD income of $67,058 is below budget of $72,560 (8%). YTD donations of $62,269 is below budget of $68,333 (9%). October expenses of $15,072 is slightly lower than budget, $17,831. YTD expenses of $64, 657 is below budget of $71,325 (9%). Children s Christmas Pageant The Children of Our Lord s will present the Christmas Story during worship on December 18th. Parents, bring your children so that they may hear the Shepherd s story once again!

7 November Church Family in Service Assisting Ministers (D. Gillson) 4 Fred Grosz 11 Tom Ziebell 18 Wayne Craney 24 Larry Eberhardt 25 Deborah Gillson November Cantors ( Bill Fuller) 4 Dick Morrow 11 Chris Henkel 18 Wayne Craney 24 Deborah Gilson 25 Jim Collings Greeters (Dee Sundholm) 4 Amanda Green, Cherylann Kidd, Gene Naukam 11 Jacob Edingfield, Lynn Little 18 Diane Milligan, Linda Scheidt, Karen Foran 24 Len & Connie Erikson 25 Carmen & Wayne Craney/ Lynn Little Money Counters (Diane Milligan) 4 Sally Ziebell/Debbie Gudgel 11 Fred & Karlene Grosz 18 Dolores Spang/Diane Milligan Cal & Judy Benhardt Flowers ($22.00 per bouquet) 4 Joseph/Joseph 11 Joseph/Edingfield 18 Joseph/McMahan-O Brien 25 Collings/Congregation Member Flower Pick Up Deborah Gillson Altar Guild Karen Foran/Jenny Myers Ushers Fred Grosz/Bob Smith Deadline for the January newsletter is December 18th. Articles may be ed to the church at: ourlordsokc@gmail.com or placed in the Office Assistant s mailbox. Flower Orders may be placed by filling out the form located near the office door. Please leave completed forms in the office assistant s mailbox. Bulletin Articles must be submitted by 11am Monday morning to be included in the weekly announcements. Christ in Our Home devotion booklets are available at the information counter. 2 Arthur McAnally 4 Chuck Wende 9 Martha Hodges 12 Debbie Gudgel 15 Christine Henkel 17 Bill Little 18 Ella Dockins 20 Cannon Mc Mahan Tom Ziebell 23 Ginnie Hankey 25 Kyle Hefner 28 Rohan Little 29 Evie Henson Flower: Narcissus Birthstone: Turquoise 13 Marc & Christine Henkel 19 Bill & Lois Joseph Jennifer Myers & Patrick Mason 22 Chuck & Carolee Wende 25 Lou Ann Bletsch & Holly Van Remmen These are the known birthdays and anniversaries for the month of September. If there is an error, or if your special day is not listed, please let us know. We don t want to leave anyone out! Drop us a line: ourlordsokc@gmail.com or

8 Saint John's Bible and the Art of Illumination Sacred Words presents the concept, historical context, technical execution and significance of The Saint John s Bible and illumination as an art form. This exhibition, open through Jan. 8, 2017, will examine the revival of a millennia-old tradition of meticulous handcraftsmanship that incorporates advances in modern technology. Join the confirmation class at the Oklahoma City Museum of Art on Wednesday, November 30 6 pm for the lecture, Making a Bible in the 21st Century: Reviving a Lost Art Presented by Fr. Eric Hollas, OSB, PhD $5 for members; $9 for non-members.