Together in Ministry, Pastor Di. December Merry Christmas and God s Blessings to Each of You and Your Families!

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1 December 2017 When was the last time you looked back to remember all God did for you? Has it been a while? This Christmas may we focus on the Lord God who came down at Christmas showing us God s never ending love for us. In simple loving, giving and receiving we find the Heart of the Christmas. God gave us the most precious gift His only begotten Son! God came as a baby, born in a stable, laid in a rough wooden manger, and 33 years later died on a rude wooden cross for our sins. Then Easter morning God raised Him from the dead! I challenge you to find a gift like that on the shopping network, a gift that is one size fits all, a gift that keeps on giving! God gave us the most precious, the most costly gift that Christmas night. And what do we have to give in return? A prayer? A song of praise? Good, but not enough. An offering of a few dollars or a few hundred dollars? That's good, but it s not enough. On Christmas, the only gift that is worthy is to give in response to the gift of Jesus Christ, the only gift that God really hopes for is that which is most precious to us and most costly: our heart, our life, our love, our future. God, at this Christmas time we thank You for Your gift of Jesus. And somehow we want to reciprocate, to give You a gift, but we know we have nothing to compare with Your Gift. Yet, right now we open up our hearts to You. We surrender ourselves to You. We give You our hearts. We give You our lives. Thank you for the gift of Your Son! In Jesus' name we pray. Amen. Together in Ministry, Pastor Di Merry Christmas and God s Blessings to Each of You and Your Families! May the love, hope, peace and JOY of Christ s Birth be in your homes, hearts and community now and throughout the year! I feel so blessed to be your Pastor and to be IN ministry with each of you, and so from my family to yours, THANK YOU for allowing us to be part of your family and for all you do as we work together to further the Lord s Ministry! Merry Christmas and a Blessed New Year!! Together in Ministry, Pastor Di, David, and Family As we let our light shine, we unconsciously give other people the permission to do the same. Nelson Mandela

2 Page 2 The Messenger December 2017 HAPPY NEW YEAR! We begin the Christian Year by celebrating the Season known as Advent. Advent is beginning of the New Liturgical Year, it is also the time when we prepare ourselves for the coming of our Messiah. Advent means Coming. We celebrate these days of Advent in expectation and preparation for Christ s arrival. Through the centuries, Christians have observed a time of waiting and expectation before celebrating the birth of the Savior at Christmas. The Advent season is a time for reflection and preparation, but its mood is joyful. Advent has been enriched by Christian tradition to reflect its distinctive Christian meaning. It proclaims the revelation of God s love as expressed in Christ s birth in a humble stable, His sacrificial death on the cross, and His victorious resurrection! It points to the hope of Christ s coming again as the King of kings and Lord of lords. Advent makes innkeepers out of all of us, asking each of us to make room for the arrival of Christ the King. SO LET S GET READY FOR CHRISTMAS! Why the Christmas Carols, Evergreen greenery, Lights, Poinsettias, Christmas Trees, Nativity Crèche, and Advent wreath? All these symbols help us tell the story of the coming of Christ the King, the real reason we celebrate Christmas! Poinsettias for Christmas: If you would like to order a Christmas Poinsettia to be placed in the Sanctuary this Christmas, please fill out and tear off this form, then put it in the offering plate along with your payment, or place it in the envelope on the desk of the church office. The cost is $6 for each poinsettia. Checks should be made out to Shepherd of the Hills. Number of Poinsettias Your Name In Honor of / In Memory of / In Celebration of You may take your poinsettia(s) home with you after the 4 p.m. Christmas Eve service.

3 Page 3 The Messenger December 2017 This is God s building and God s congregation: We wish to be good stewards of both! Thanks to Scott Yeshnowski, Bob Hoff, Doris Witte and others who care so well for our property. The design subcommittee has chosen a color for the accent wall in the Gathering Area. It will be painted soon. Here is a sample of the color: (It may not print out in this newsletter as exactly the same color as the swatch, but it will give you a general idea of the accent color.) Also, we plan to put new carpeting in the Enholm Fellowship Hall. We continue to receive donations for the Flooring Fund, and when the Fellowship Hall is used for an outside group, the building use donations go directly to the Flooring Fund. Thank you To all who serve in worship as Ushers, Lectors, Communion Assistants, Video Techs, Counters, Altar Guild, Sunday School Teachers, Bible Study Leaders, Community Meal Cooks & Servers & Clean up Crews, Council Leaders, those who bake, and all who come to worship and share in fellowship! Thank you to all who have helped and are working hard to make our December Community Meal a real Celebration of Generosity! You see, we all make up the Body of Christ Together and you are all NEEDED AND APPRECIATED!

4 Page 4 The Messenger December 2017 Thank you to everyone who donated blood on November 12 th! Thanks to Lisa Sorensen, Kay Drain and others who helped make this Blood Drive possible. Faith Formation Classes for 3 year-olds thru High School meet each Sunday from 9-10 a.m. Contact Kathy Nelson at (402) or Lisa Sorensen at (402) if you have questions. An Adult Sunday School Class meets each Sunday at 9 a.m. in the Youth Room. All are invited to this study of Jesus Calling: Experiencing God s Presence. Women s Circle will meet December 11 th at 1 p.m. in the Gathering Area. All women are invited for Bible Study and Fellowship. Elda Juracek Lutheran Women of Omaha will meet at St. Matthew Lutheran Church, 1725 S 60 th St. on Tuesday, December 12 th for a noon luncheon. The program will be Christmas Carols. The freewill offering will be given to the Salvation Army Heat Fund. For reservations, contact Jean Mortensen at (402) or jmort@centurylink.net. Community Meal: Tuesday, December 19 th from 5-7 p.m. All are welcome! SPREAD the word! INVITE your friends and come celebrate with our community and church family! Thursday Bible Study meets each Thursday at 1 p.m. in the Gathering Area. We are beginning a study of The Life and Teachings of the Apostle Paul. Please join us! If you have any questions, contact Del Finlay at (402) or delf60@cox.net. Come Sing in the Choir! Choir rehearsals are right after worship on Sundays. Join us in the sanctuary as we make a joyful noise. All are welcome. Contact Janelle at (712) or hmiller26@cox.net for more information. Monday Movie Matinee is on hiatus for a few months. Join us again after the holidays and winter weather for food, fellowship and a movie. Project HOPE: Pantry times = Monday, Wednesday & Friday, 11:00 a.m. to 2:45 p.m. Receive clothing and food pantries! Call (402) Volunteers from the congregation are always needed! Financial, clothing & food donations are appreciated. Project Hope is always in need of Hamburger Helper, Pasta, Canned Vegetables, Creamed Soups, Peanut Butter, Tuna, Soda Crackers, Juices and Cereal. January Newsletter Deadline: Friday, December 22 nd. The Newsletter Folders will meet on Thursday, December 28 th at 9 a.m. Grieving the loss of a loved one is painful and often leaves us feeling all alone. Don t hurt alone. Together with God s help we can go through this journey of grief and find a new normal. Please contact Pastor Di if a compassionate Grief Support Group Ministry would be beneficial to you and your family or friends. Visit us Online at or on Facebook Shepherd-of-the-Hills-Omaha-ELCA Upcoming Important Events: December 3 Advent 1: Angel Sunday/Lunch/Advent Workshop December 10 Advent 2 December 17 Advent 3; Children and Youth lead worship with the Christmas Story December 24 10:00 a.m. Advent 4 worship service December 24 4:00 p.m. Christmas Eve Candle light Worship December 25 Nativity of Our Lord

5 The Messenger December 2017 Page 5 Highlights of the Shepherd of the Hills Council meeting of November 19, 2017 The Annual Meeting has been set for January 28 th. Annual Reports will be presented. Two Council seats are up for election this year. Council will meet on January 8 th to set the budget for Council approved a lighting incentive program from OPPD to replace our light bulbs with energysaving LEDs. Change in the Office Hours: Dwight will be in the office Monday through Thursday from 10-3, and on Fridays a volunteer will answer the phones from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Thank you to Doris Witte for choosing a new color for our accent wall in the Gathering Area. A reminder to all members and friends that it is helpful to receive an Estimate of Giving Card for It is not a bill or a contract, but a spiritual exercise and helpful information for making a congregational budget. We welcome Veda Keebler as the new Director of Project Hope! Veda was born and raised in Omaha, a graduate of Central High School. Veda is a widowed mother of three adult children and a member of St. Matthew Lutheran Church on south 60 th Street. She has a bachelor degree in nursing, with experience in hospitals, nursing homes, home health care, vocational training as well as being a director of quality management. She retired from nursing 20 years ago with the birth of her third child, and for the past 14 years she has served as the church secretary at St. Matthew. Please drop in and introduce yourself. We are fortunate to have Project Hope nested in our building. The Pastor and Staff of Shepherd of the Hills Lutheran Church wish you, your neighbors, friends and family a very blessed Christmas! Please feel free to contact your SHLC Council Members when you have questions or concerns. Bob Hoff Council President 4706 Redick Ave Omaha hoff860@cox.net (402) (402) cell Deborah Becker Council Vice President 2022 S. 80 th Ave Omaha the-beckers@cox.net (402) (402) work (402) Pam Cummings Treasurer pdcummings@cox.net 9607 Florence Heights Blvd, Omaha (402) Connie Helmberger Secretary 6803 N 60 th St. Omaha helmberger@cox.net (402) (402) work (402) Kay Drain 4502 Larimore Ave Omaha (402) Bill Myers 4021 Verona Ave Omaha williamjmye@msn.com (402) Marvin Knapp 8267 Iowa Street Omaha BlueIndianMarvinKnappBlueIndian@outlook.com (402)

6 Page 6 The Messenger December 2017 Personal Notes: For Bob Hoff s sister Arlene Lee, who is in Hospice Care; For Ann Hoff s sister Linda Lennon who is being treated for breast cancer, and for Ann s brother Marcus Jarrett with prostate cancer Prayers for the people of California and other areas of the west coast recovering from wildfires; Prayers for the people of Puerto Rico, Florida, Texas, Montana and Louisiana All who are recovering from surgery or illness; Pam Cummings & others who are preparing for surgery Those battling cancer For our unnamed loved ones who suffer with emotional issues or mental health struggles The vulnerable ones in this world: refugees, immigrants, poor, those who are young and those who are elderly, and minorities of all types For Shepherd of the Hills, members, friends, our Pastor, our Bishop, and the Synod Thursday Bible Study This study will introduce you to one of the most fascinating people who ever lived in the service of Jesus Christ. We will follow Paul s life and teachings from his conversion on the road to Damascus to his imprisonment in Rome - - with brief stops along the way to look into his letters to the churches. What we ll discover are the scriptures that Lutheran doctrine are based on. Please join our group on Thursday afternoons at 1 p.m. in the church gathering area. Contact Del Finlay at (402) for more information. Advent is the season four weeks before Christmas in which we prepare for the coming of Christ. It begins on Sunday nearest to the 30 th of November. Advent is the period of preparation for the celebration of the birth of Jesus and its name comes from the Latin word adventus, which means coming. The season also celebrates Christ s anticipated coming again in the fullness of time to rule triumphantly over life in heaven and earth, as well as the coming of Christ as the infant Savior whose birth we celebrate at Christmas. There is much about Advent to enjoy; the Advent wreaths found in our churches where they have four candles to be lit each Sunday and one for Christmas Day. But in the midst of our church we know that just as we prepare for Christmas, so we have to make ready to welcome Jesus in our lives. Are you ready for the coming of Jesus? This year we are excited to have a special celebration on the First Sunday of Advent, December 3. It is Angel Sunday! You will be invited to worship, followed by a lunch, and an Advent Workshop for all ages. There will be Advent crafts and projects you can take home!

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8 Shepherd of the Hills Lutheran Church ELCA 6201 North 60 th Street Omaha, NE Phone: (402) Fax: (402) Office Hours: 10 am to 3 pm Monday-Thursday 10 am to 1 pm Friday Every Sunday: 10 am Worship in the Sanctuary Pastor... Rev. Diana ME Kuhl Office Manager... Dwight Williams Organist... Janelle Miller Custodian... Scott Yeshnowski 2017 Church Council: Bob Hoff... President Deb Becker... Vice-President Pam Cummings... Treasurer Connie Helmberger... Secretary Ushers: Video Tech: Altar Guild: Counters: Serving in December Jon Becker, Dave Adler Ken Schroeder, John Quist Angie Yeshnowski Kathy Nelson and Lisa Sorensen Virginia Driver and Pam Cummings December Birthdays 5 th Marla Serflaten 8 th Hunter Yeshnowski, Angela Yeshnowski 11 th Pamela Cummings 13 th Beverly Findell 16 th Rich Nelson 19 th Bob Hoff 28th Harrison Raper 29th Ken Schroeder 30 th Kristin Gabelhaus 3 rd RJ and Cindy Hoff December Anniversaries If we have inadvertently omitted your birthday or anniversary, please contact the church office so we may update and correct our records! Shepherd of the Hills Lutheran Church 6201 North 60 th Street Omaha NE 68104