ADVENT LUTHERAN CHURCH

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1 ADVENT LUTHERAN CHURCH Volume 27 Issue 1 January 2016 Join us for Worship! 8:00 and 11:10 a.m. Traditional Services 9:15 a.m. Sunday School 10:25 a.m. Contemporary Service Inside this issue: Tri-Synodical Conference Birthdays & Anniversaries 2 3 Thank You 4 Meaning of Epiphany Chill Out Luncheon 5 5 Chili Supper 6 WHAT WILL 2016 HOLD FOR US? Have you ever wondered what is behind closed doors? We see the signs: No Admittance, Employers Only, Walk In, and many more. What would happen to us after we enter? We stand before a door with the sign It is the door to another year of life. What lies behind it? Sickness? Health? Joy? Sorrow? Success? Failure? Will we live to 2017, or will this New Year be our last? We do not know. At times we might want a forecast of all that is to come. In fact, we might even look at the horoscopes in the newspaper or Internet to get an idea of what a day holds for us. Yet God in His infinite wisdom has hidden the future from us. Instead of knowing everything that is to come, He wants us to Know Him. He desires that, like a father and child walking through the darkness together, we too should walk forward into the future, with our hand in His. M. Louise Haskins put it so well when she wrote: And I said to the man who stood at the gate of the year: Give me light; that I may tread safely into the unknown! And He replied: Go out into the darkness and put your hand into the Hand of God. That shall be to you better than light and safer than a known way. As God opens the door to 2016, let us put our hand in His and walk confidently into each day, trusting in His guidance. Have a blessed and fruitful New Year! Special Collection! 7 Pastor Beck

2 2016 Tri-Synodical Theological Conference The 2016 Tri Synodical Theological Conference will be held January at the Convention Center / Sheraton Hotel in Arlington, Texas. The theme is Luther: Saint and Sinner Preaching What You Practice. There will be worship, fun, fellowship and learning. Pastor Beck is required to attend. If a pastoral need arises during his absence, please call the church office. January Advent s New Pictorial Directory Thanks to everyone who took the time and effort to have their picture taken for our new pictorial directory published by Lifetouch that will be available in the new future. Everyone who had their picture taken by Lifetouch received a free 8X10 photo and will also receive a free pictorial directory. If you missed out and did not get your picture taken, but want to be included in the directory, you can ask Pastor Beck to take your picture or submit your own picture by bringing it to the church office. There is a $10 fee for pictures taken by Pastor Beck or pictures submitted to the church office as a fee charged by Lifetouch to be included in the pictorial directory and for that person to receive a church directory. We thank Travis and Lavina Oevermann for all their many hours of calling, setting up appointments and coordinating our members having their pictures taken. Stewardship Spotlight November 2015 Income $ 27, $ 285, Expenses $ 26, $ 289, $ 1, ($ 4,453.68) 2 Year-to-Date (January 1 - November 25) 2015 Benevolences $ 3, to Gulf Coast Synod $ to MANNA 2015 Attendance (average) 125 $ to Lutheran Social Serv. $ 1, to Campus Ministry $ to Lutherhill $ to Texas Lutheran Univ.

3 We ask for God s care and healing for... PRAYER CONCERNS Tim Schmidt (Connie Norris brother-in-law), cancer; Lola Grenwelge, hospitalized; Roger Toler, health concerns; Larry Johnson, health concerns; Janet Oeser, recovering from surgery; Annie Koopmann, health issues; Corinne Pieper, health concerns; Martha Leonhardt, recovering from surgery; Howard Strange (Connie Cassens uncle), health concerns; Doris Blevins, health concerns; Peggy Daniels, health issues; Debbie Little s Aunt Bonnie, hospice care; Dale Pyeatt, surgery (Laverne Von Gonten s cousin s husband); Rick Place, health concerns (Lauren Place s father-in-law); Betty Louis, health concerns; Tim Shiery, health concerns; Howard Klare, health concerns; Loreldene Trevitt, health concerns; Esther Lehotsky, health concerns; Virginia Scott, health concerns; Jackie Helke, Andy Allen, cancer; Aneva Rogas, health concerns; Bernadette McWilliams, health concerns; George Johnson, health concerns; Sally Roesler, health concerns; Dave Smith Jr., health concerns; Gerry Jaynes, health concerns; Wilma Shiery, health concerns; Lavern Dannhaus Januar y Bir thdays 1/2 Julie Johnson 1/5 Ginger Daily 1/8 Michael Efurd Yvonne Wendler 1/9 Dave Smith, Sr. 1/10 Jimmy Cassens 1/12 Aneva Rogas 1/13 Larry Beck 1/15 Larry Dresch Bruce Elijah 1/19 Kim Efurd 1/21 Corinne Pieper 1/24 Karri Cederburg 1/25 Bob Gryder 1/27 Melissa Tschoertner 1/29 John Cassens Ann Grenwelge Elizabeth Tyson 1/30 Cindy Newbury Bryan Rogas Januar y Anniversaries 1/3 Matt & Judy Roesler (41) 1/18 Al & Janet Oeser (52) 1/22 Bobby & Peggy Leonhardt (33) 1/26 Michael & Devin Carr (3) 1/29 Howard & Kathie Klare (44) 1/31 Jim & Ginger Daily (63) 3

4 Thanks to......the following Church Council members who have faithfully completed their terms of office: Rodney Leonhardt Sr., President; Zakary Leonhardt, Treasurer; Sally Knerr, Board of Deacons; Tyler Cassens, Board of Education; Connie Bathe, Board of Organizations; Ricky Boehme, Board of Outreach; Bradley Morrison, Board of Property; and Mark Bathe, Board of Stewardship. Well done, good and faithful servants! Thank you for your strong leadership and dedication in doing caring ministry in Christ's name....all those people for their time in decorating the sanctuary and Advent Life Center so beautifully for this Christmas Season. Thanks so much for giving of your time so that others can enjoy the fruits of your labors....our dedicated choir members, Holley King, their skilled accompanist, and their gifted director Scott McAdow, for the meaningful Christmas Cantata. It was a blessing for many of us. Thank you for sharing your time and your gifts of music!...all those who helped with the Breakfast with Santa and Mrs. Claus on December 7th. Thanks to Connie and Mark Bathe for making special arrangements to have Santa and Mrs. Claus with us. The children were all smiles as we had a great turn out. We thank Terry & Pam Rodgers, Howard Klare, Zack & Nita Arriola, Mike Knerr, Jimmy Cassens and Mark & Connie Bathe. A special thanks to Kim & Dwayne Harthorne, Patti McCann, Tarita Smith and the ABC Learning Center!...Our Church Family. Thank you so much for the cards, food, flowers, memorials and all the love and support you have shown to our family during such a difficult time. Your kindness and thoughtfulness means so much to our family and we appreciate it so much. And a special thanks to Bruce Elijah and Pastor Beck for their pastoral support at this time. -The Mooney Family Our church family grieves the loss of......long time member Gary Roesler who entered eternal life on November 20, 2015 at his home. We extend our sympathy to his wife, Sally and their 3 children: Timothy, Susan, and Michael and their families. A Funeral Service to celebrate Gary s life was conducted by Pastor Beck at Advent on Monday, November 23, The committal service was held at Forest Park Cemetery in the Woodlands....long time member Harold Mooney who entered eternal life at his home on November 20, We extend our sympathy to his wife, Mildred their three children: David, Michael and Janice and their families. A Memorial Service to celebrate Harold s life was conducted by Pastor Beck at Advent on Tuesday, November 24, The committal service was held at Woodlawn Cemetery. This story can fit words. Your headline is an important part of the newsletter and should be considered carefully. In a few words, it should accurately represent the contents of the story and draw readers into the story. Develop the headline before you write the story. This way, the headline will help you keep the story focused. Examples of possible headlines include Product Wins Industry Award, New Product Can Save You Time!, Membership Drive Ex- 4

5 MEMORIALS/HONORARIUMS GIVEN Harold Mooney Curtis & Yvonne Wendler Doug & Mae Bostock Evelyn Miley Glyn & Rosemary Willborg Howard & Laverne Von Gonten James & Jean Zwerneman Mary Amburn RJ & Anna Dell Marth Vernon & Joyce Fuchs Weyman & Carol Leiber Wink & Melinda Miller Carolyn Beck Ed Ludwig Jim & Janice Wietstruck Jimmy & Angie Cassens Matt & Judy Roesler Paul & Clareace Parnham Dick & Jeanette Miller Advent Brotherhood George E. Metherd III Irma Metherd Gary Roesler Curtis & Yvonne Wendler Doug & Mae Bostock Evelyn Miley Howard & Laverne Von Gonten James & Jean Zwerneman Marie Behrle Mary Amburn Paul & Clareace Parnham RJ & Anna Dell Marth The Holiday Family Vernon & Joyce Fuchs Jim & Janice Wietstruck Jimmy & Angie Cassens Katherine Roesler Matt & Judy Roesler Dick & Jeanette Miller Advent Brotherhood Georgie Brandt Travis & Lavina Oevermann Women s Chill Out Luncheon ON JANUARY 16, 2016, AT 11:30 A.M. in the fellowship hall, all women of Advent and their friends are invited to the Chill Out Luncheon. It is called the Chill Out Luncheon because after a very busy holiday season, all us girls need to take it easy and just enjoy doing nothing. So, you are invited to partake of a good lunch and be waited on by the men of our church. Ask your friends to join you. All ladies are welcome! The cost of the lunch is still only $7 per person and the food is great. Tickets will go on sale January 3rd and 10th. Come and join us for a great meal and we will let the men serve and clean! Hope to see you there! The Meaning of Epiphany Epiphany, which comes from the Greek word epiphaneia, means an appearance or a revealing. Centuries ago, the church set aside January 6, the 12th day after Christmas, to mark the revealing of Jesus as Christ to the wise men, who were Gentiles. Jesus first followers were Jewish, so the revelation of the divine Christ to the non-jewish magi reminds us that Jesus came to earth to save the whole world. Symbols of Epiphany include light, a star, a crown (or three crowns) and a globe or stylized portrayal of the world. The color of Epiphany is green to symbolize life, growth, hope and eternity. On the church calendar, the Epiphany season lasts until Ash Wednesday, which is determined by the date of Easter. 5

6 LWR Quilting Game Night - Friday, Januar y 8, 2016 Game night is Friday January 8, 2016 in the fellowship hall, at 6pm. Bring your friends and a snack to share. We had 19 in December and had a great time. For information, call We thank the Game Night Committee for all of their help this past year and a big thank you to all of the people who came to play games. Quilting for Lutheran Relief will begin again on January 18 at 9:00 AM in the Fellowship Hall. All ladies are welcome.to come fellowship and participate in this needy project. of tying and putting quilts together. Coffee and snacks will be available. If you would like to stay past lunch time, you may bring a sack lunch. See you there.. Brotherhood Chili Supper The Brotherhood is planning their annual Chili Supper for January 20 in the Fellowship Hall. They will be serving chili and tamales. Time: 5-7 pm. Price is $6.00 all you can eat. Tamales will be 50 cents each. Quarts to go will be $8.00. Advent Kitchen Linen Shower WELCA is sponsoring an Advent Kitchen Linen Shower for both of the kitchens at Advent in the first quarter of If you have done anything in either kitchen you probably have noticed that the dish towels, pot holders & dish rags are in pretty bad shape. If you have a chance in January, February or March to purchase any of these items and donate them to Advent we will be collecting them in a laundry basket in the fellowship hall. Thank you, Connie Bathe / WELCA 2016 President 6

7 ABC Learning Center What an awesome God we serve!! We had our first Center-wide Thanksgiving Luncheon on last month and it was a huge success. Every parent contributed towards the luncheon by bringing in a dish and many were able to attend the actual lunch. We had turkey, (smoked, roasted, and fried) mashed potatoes with gravy, stuffing, macaroni and cheese, green bean casserole, sweet potato casserole, fresh fruit, rolls and desserts! It was such a blessing to see all the different families socializing and getting to know one another. As we prepare to celebrate the birth of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, we will have our first Christmas program on Thursday, December 17th. We are also hosting our 2nd Annual Noon Year s Eve Party on Thursday, December 31st from 10:00 am 1:00 pm and we would love to invite you to ring in the noon year with us. There will be food, fun, and activities for the kiddos so please spread the word and come join us as we count down to the noon year! We currently have 38 children enrolled in our center and 1 infant on our waitlist, God as truly blessed us. As always, thank you all so much for supporting ABC Learning Center, a ministry outreach of Advent Lutheran Church, a community of hope making Christ known! Tarita Smith, Director ABC Learning Center WELCA - Collections! Advent Lutheran Church is collecting bar soaps for Lutheran World Relief from January 3, 2016 through February 28t, Boxes for collection will be in the church foyer and the Life Center. We are also collecting items for Star of Hope. From January 3 through March 13, 2016, we will be collecting the following items: Water bottles, Toiletries (toilet paper, women s needs, shampoo, conditioner) Clothes, jackets, socks, gloves, scarfs, hoodies Shoes Purses Hats Soap, lotion, body wash Diapers and all baby items Children Clothes Thank you for your support! 7

8 ADVENT LUTHERAN CHURCH 5820 PINEMONT HOUSTON, TX / SUNDAY WORSHIP 8:00 and 11:10 a.m. Traditional Services 9:15 a.m. Sunday School 10:25 a.m. Contemporary Service THE ADVENTURE JANUARY 2016 Deadline for February Adventure: January 17th Are you Moving? Please notify the Church office of your address change. Phone: 713/ Fax: 713/ Advent Ministers... All Advent Members! Advent Staff Pastor AiM ABC Learning School Director Admin. Assistant Organist Chancel Choir Director Larry J. Beck Bruce Elijah Tarita Smith Chris Ray Holley King Scott McAdow Church Council President... James Cassens / Vice-President... Terry Rodgers / Treasurer... Ryan Zander / Deacons... Holley King / Education... Julie Johnson / Organizations... Marcy Leonhardt / Outreach... Bobby Leonhardt / Property... John Leonhardt / Stewardship... Mark Bathe / Council Secretary... Shirley Taloff / Pastor... Larry J. Beck / A Congregation of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America 8

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10 31 10: :10 Rod Leonhardt Wanda Robinson Rod Leonhardt Virginia Scott, Dorothy Preuss Leonhardt Family 24 8:00 Marilyn Marek Sally Dresch Angie Cassens, Tyler Cassens RJ & Anna Dell Marth Terry Rodgers, Pam Rodgers, Zack & Nita Arriola 11:10 Keith Tyson Scott Wieding Keith Tyson Bob & Martha Leonhardt Aneva Rogas, Joel Vest 17 8:00 Angie Cassens Dick & Jeanette Miller Tyler Cassens, John Cassens Paul & Clareace Parnham Harry Saenger, RJ Marth, Bobie Pieper, James Zwerneman 10 11:10 Bruce Elijah Aneva Rogas Bruce Elijah Aneva Rogas, Dorothy Preuss Bob Leonhardt, Ricky Boehme 10 8:00 Ellie Tyson Terry Holmes Tyler Cassens, John Cassens Sam & Michele Smith Terry Holmes, Linda Holmes, Ed Ludwig, Esther Lehotsky 11:10 Ricky Boehme Sara Boehme Ricky Boehme James & Cathy Tiemann James & Cathy Tiemann 3 8:00 Angie Cassens Michele Smith Patti McCann, Sally Knerr Curtis & Yvonne Wendler Travis Hunt, Curtis Wendler, Margie Haar, Marilyn Marek Time Asst. Minister Lectors Comm. Asst. Greeters Ushers Advent Service Participants Schedule January 2016