24th December Christmas

Transcription

1 24th December 2017 Christmas Welcome to St Petri this morning! We are glad that the Lord has brought you into this gathering of people where his word of grace is on offer for everyone here. We have been asking the critical question that all people eventually come to asking in their life at some stage in one way or another; What child is this? It is a question made famous in the words to one of those Christmas tunes we hear every year, first penned by an Englishman named William Chatterton Dix, in His words were put to that well-known tune, Greensleeves. For close to a century and a half the question found in the title of this carol has become an annual reminder that something significant happened on that night in Bethlehem as someone significant lay wrapped in baby clothes in a feeding trough. This child would change the world forever; but what child is this for me? We are praying that you are inspired to respond to this question deep within over the festive season. We pray that here in the community of God s grace, you find the faith and the freedom to discover the love, the hope, the peace and the joy of what this little boy would go on to give at great cost to himself, in the wood of the cross ; and all for the love of everyone here. The peace and the love of this Christ Child, Star Child, Go Between of God, Saviour-Child, Son of God be yours as you gather with his people in this place. In the peace of the Prince of Peace Pastor Adrian

2 Sunday 24th December This Week at St Petri 9.30 am Combined Worship with Holy Communion 5.30 pm Christmas Eve Readings and Carols 7.30 pm Christmas Eve Readings and Carols (repeat) Monday 25th December 9.30 am Combined Worship with Holy Communion Sunday 31st December 8.30 am Worship - Service of the Word am Worship - Holy Communion 7.00 pm New Year s Eve worship with Holy Communion Cuppa and supper in the hall to follow if you would like to spend time with church friends - all welcome! Wednesday 3rd January 9.30 am Mid-Week Holy Communion in St Petri Hall Sunday 7th January (Pastor Noel Due) 8.30 am Worship with Holy Communion am Worship - Service of the Word Tuesday 9th January am Ladies Guild Exec Committee - Programme Planning Office closed and holidays The office will be closed from Friday 22nd December and re-open on Monday 8th January. Maureen will look after the office Monday - Wednesday of that week. Pastor Adrian will be on holidays in that time. For emergency assistance please contact Greg Schubert (after 3rd January) or Rosie prior to that. If you leave a message on the answering machine it may be few days before someone will get back to you. Office Rosie Edwards admin@stpetri.org.au 21 Second Street, Nuriootpa Phone Pastor Adrian Kitson Greg Schubert Peter Lange Sue Vogt Sharon Green The Cottage f Website pastor@stpetri.org.au chair@stpetri.org.au businessmanager@stpetri.org.au familycentre@stpetri.org.au childyouthfamily@stpetri.org.au cottage@stpetri.org.au St Petri Lutheran Church stpetri.org.au

3 Nuriootpa Lutheran Parish St Petri, Ebenezer, Neukirch, Holy Trinity (and Strait Gate) PARISH SERVICE TIMES - Christmas Worship Times Sunday 24th December 9.30 am St Petri Worship with Holy Communion 9.00 am Ebenezer - KLIC Christmas Eve am Holy Trinity 5.30 pm St Petri - Readings & Carols 7.00 pm Neukirch 7.30 pm Strait Gate lay led children s 7.30 pm St Petri - Readings & Carols Monday 25th December 9.00 am Parish Combined worship at Ebenezer 9.30 am St Petri - worship with Holy Communion Sunday 31st December 8.30 am St Petri - Service of the Word 9.00 am Neukirch combined with Ebenezer at Neukirch - worship with Holy Communion am St Petri - Worship with Holy Communion am Holy Trinity & Strait Gate combined at Holy Trinity - with Holy Communion 7.00 pm St Petri - New Years Eve with Holy Communion CHRISTMAS EVE OFFERING This Christmas, we can help protect the lives of children in poor communities in Indonesia through ALWS Christmas Action. PARISH OFFICE Krieg House 21 Second Street Nuriootpa P: F: E: admin@nuriparish.org OFFICE HOURS Mon-Fri 9am-5pm Closed for Lunch pm pm Open Sunday morning 9.30 am am The Office will be closed over the Christmas break from 5.00 pm on Friday 22nd until Monday 8th January. First bulletin after Christmas will be Sunday 14th January, 2018 The Christmas Eve offering envelope (in your offering packets) goes to Australian Lutheran World Service. You can also use the envelope provided by ALWS (tucked in their pamphlet) or any envelope just mark it Christmas Action Appeal. Please fill in your name and address details if you require a tax deductible receipt. Loose offering on Christmas Eve goes to the congregation.

4 CHILD SAFE ENVIRONMENTS - 4 HOUR REFRESHER TRAINING (formerly Mandatory Reporting) REPORTING CHILD ABUSE AND NEGLECT Thursday 18th January 9am - 1pm Cost $35 for workers or free for volunteers Please bring your lunch Coffee and Tea provided Registrations: Sue Vogt Venue: Hand in Hand Family Centre, 24 Second Street, Nuriootpa. This refresher is designed to protect young peple from all forms of abuse. It updates participants understanding of their obligations, and the correct response if abuse is identified. The course covers: The various forms of abuse how to recognise indicators of abuse the value of early intervention common values and why abuse is sometimes overlooked how and when to notify the authorities dealing with concerns about reporting abuse January Movie Night at Holy Trinity Church Hall Sunday 14 January 7 PM Still just $5! Jimmy Based on the novel by best-selling, faith-based author Robert Whitlow, JIMMY is a story about an over-looked mentally challenged boy who views the world through his own unique lens. Through the course of life-changing events during one Fall season, Jimmy s family and those around him come to fully realize his impact on their community. LWSA/NT 2018 retreat Where: Australian Lutheran College, Enter from Ward Street, North Adelaide Theme: Are we there yet? Tell me again Where are we going? John 14:3 When: 19th 21st January 2018 Chaplain: Pastor Murray Smith Fees: Full time $150 (includes ALC staff wages and admin fee) Check enrolment form for part time costs. Enrolment forms available from the office admin@stpetri.org.au Or the back of the church. All enrolments and Full payment must be received by 8th January for catering purposes. Send forms to Margaret Reimann PO Box 636 Greenock SA marg.hds@gmail.com Building redevelopment planning - St Petri If you have concerns about the building redevelopment concept please take some time to complete the feedback form which you would have received via your pigeon hole or can be downloaded from our website stpetriorg.au there are also extra copies at the back of the church. Please consider your concerns prayerfully and share them with us. If these could be returned by 21st January, 2018 to the box at the back of the church or in the office, that would be appreciated. Ruth Prescott for the Redevelopment Planning Committee

5 A sincere thank you to the people of St Petri who lovingly cared for Marnie Renner at a special Surprise birthday celebration on Wednesday for his 90th Birthday. A big thank you to Pastor Paul for organizing this special birthday gathering and bringing him to Nuriootpa from Eudunda. Thank you also to Val Petering and the Visitation Team for helping this all come together beautifully.

6 To all the Hand in Hand Family Centre Volunteers and helpers, THANK YOU for all your support this year. You have made a difference in so many people s lives as you have provided biscuits, crèche, administration, playgroup, gardening, food, cleaning and sorting, and most importantly built relationships through the love of Jesus Christ. May your Christmas be filled with peace and joy, as we celebrate our Saviour s birth. Blessings to you and your families, Sue Vogt - Child and Family Encourager A Thank You from Sharon Green - Child Youth & Family Ministry A sincere thank you to the many volunteers who have supported Child, Youth & Family ministry at St Petri throughout Thank you to our Hoot leaders, Ingrid Gallasch & Heidi Schultz. Thank you to our REACT leaders, David Liersch, Gabrielle Schutz, Jane Nitschke and Libby Krahling. Thank you to our H2H Confirmation leaders, Phil Krahling and Lyn Albrecht. Thank you to our Kids Connect and Messy Church team. I would love to name you all, but there are so many dedicated volunteers. To people who pray for our young people and families a heartfelt thank you. Thanks for the commitment and love you show in all you do. As the saying goes, it takes a whole village to raise a child and I believe that this is true for our St Petri church family. We can use our gifts and abilities God s given us, whether we are young, or the young at heart. The Lord has given us each a special SHAPE (Spiritual gifts, Heart, Abilities, Personality and Experience) and we can use it to His glory. Thank you for serving God and his people in the special way that you do. Looking forward to all that the Lord has in store for us in Christmas on the Green Thank you What an awesome night! The place to be if you wanted the opportunity to feel the joy and anticipation of the birth of Jesus. God blessed us with beautiful weather to be outdoors in. Our talented actors and the sassy innkeeper Holly McNamara, simply told the message of the birth of our Saviour Jesus. The community singing was led by the sweet tones of Jane & Kathie Renner backed by talented musicians including Pastor Adrian, Leanne, Mitch, Dan & Tom Kitson & Andy Voigt. We thank the many people who helped out prior to and during the night; Johnathon Edwards & Brett Geyer for sound set-up and pack up. Sue & Gary Vogt tent setting up, Kelvyn Prescott, Greg Minge and Mike Kurtz set up and Craig & Kirsty Moore packing up. Kym Dutschke & Marty Gallasch, our crowd safety team. Welcomers, lolly packers, photographers; Kelly Adams, John Kleinig & Julia Edwards (check out the back page). Andrew Kelly kindly loaned us Redeemer s shade tents. Sharon Green for co-ordinating all the drama practices and costume trying-on. Costume help - Rae Hampel & Ingrid Gallasch. Everyone who came to join in praising a wonderful God! Thank you so much- and wasn t it worth it, to share the love of hope of Jesus!

7 We pray... We pray for all who are worshipping at our Christmas and New Year services (and for Christians all over the World) that hearts would be opened to the power of God s love. May God bless those of our Church family who are unable to worship with us because they are in aged care facilities, or are unwell- may they be blessed with the joy of Jesus in their hearts. We pray for families/marriages that are torn apart, broken or in conflict, that God s love would renew their relationship with healing and hope. We pray for all those celebrating this Christmas Season without a loved one, that the love of the Saviour may fill them with fullness of life. May God protect all those traveling on the roads at their busy Christmas season, as they travel to visit family and friends. We pray a birthday blessing for John Alexander who celebrated his 70th birthday on Saturday. We pray for God s healing and peace for those of our church family who are ill, facing medical treatment or recovering from surgery - and those who care for them: Barb Alexander, David Whitehead, Margaret Pfeiffer, Audrey Gersch, Stella Schulz, Rosemary Angel and Joan Leahy. We pray for members of our church family: Andrew, Jeannette, Elizabeth and Emilie HANCKEL, Trevor IRRGANG, Ruth RICHARDS, Wes SCHILLING, Kate OBST, Adam & Naomi RIDLEY and Barbara McLEAN. Thank you from the Office Staff At this special time of celebrating Jesus birth and coming to the close of another year we reflect on how God has blessed us. We are amazed at the huge blessing that our people are here in our St Petri family - people who share so much of their time and talents for the good of our community. We thank all who serve on our worship roster and those who help out for special extra services like funerals; Guild catering people, our ushers and sound people. We thank our wonderful Parish Nurses Jenny Wood and Gayle Gerhardy whose practical help and care brightens the lives of many - as also does our people who are on the visiting team. A big thank you to those who help around the office and our church grounds: Helen Walker, Ken & Rose Dadds, Leo Lindholm John Leschke, Hedy Stanley, Jean Biar, our Sunday secretaries - and our bulletin collators and proof reader, Ted Stoll. The food-to-share team who make our job easy to just make one phone call and all is organized. We know there are many who help in many ways, seen and unseen - who share the joy of the Lord. We thank you for your prayers throughout the year and the may encouragements we receive from this amazing church family that we all belong to - we are truly blessed! Thank you all so much and God s peace, joy and love to you all!

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