Dear Friends in Christ, Leaves are mostly off the trees and the weather has turned cool. Fall is ending as we look ahead to winter. And so it is with the end of the church year. We draw the liturgical year to a close on November 26 with Christ the King Sunday as we look forward to beginning a new year with Advent s promises of a wonderful celebration around the birth of the Christ child. As we continue to think about next year and our giving, we welcome Pastor Larry Westfield from the ELCA foundation as he returns to Christ the Servant one last time to bring us the message on November 5 th, All Saints Sunday. At our coffee hour Pastor Larry will talk about planned and estate giving and how you can leave a legacy to the church. We will of course honor those who have gone home to be with the Lord in the last year by lighting a candle for them during worship. Thursday, November 9 th brings a special evening service at 6:30 pm as we gather to bless the hunt and the hunters. Terry Tarras and the men s group will be leading the service that will be followed by fellowship and some hunter s treats. The month and our liturgical year end as we celebrate Christ the King Sunday. We gather on this day as we do every Sunday to celebrate the reign of Christ and his victory over death. Christ s death and resurrection give us the promise of abundant life, forgiveness and salvation. As we wait the consummation of all things yet to come, our merciful ruler sends us forth so that His reign can be known through our loving words and deeds. I so hope that you will join us for worship this month. It has been an exciting year here at Christ the Servant. Come join us as we give thanks to God for all He has done for us and through us. In the Joy of Jesus, Pastor Gwen
NOVEMBER BIBLE READINGS November 5th - All Saints Sunday Rev 7:9-17 Psalm 34:1-10,22 1 John 3:1-3 Matthew 5:1-12 November 12th 23rd Sunday after Pentecost Amos 5:18-24 Psalm 70 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18 Matthew 25:1-13 November 19th 24th Sunday after Pentecost Zephaniah 1:7,12-18 Psalm 90:1-12 1 Thessalonians 5:1-11 Matthew 25:14-30 Therefore confess your sins to one another, and pray for one another, that you may be healed James 5:16. Please remember these people and requests in your prayers. Health/ Concerns: Sarah, Patty, Joy, Leigh, Chuck, Dina, and Debbie. Military: Erica, Kevin, Anton, Natalie and Kevin D. November 26th Christ the King Sunday Ezekiel 34:11-16, 20-24 Psalm 95:1-7a Ephesians 1:15-23 Matthew 25:31-46 CTS Church Council, HLSHC Team, Men s Group, WELCA, Quilting Ministry, Adult Bible Studies, CTS Youth, AIDS orphans in Malawi, hunger, and poverty in the world, and victims of Hurricane Harvey. **********
WELCA News November 2017 Holiday time is approaching quickly. That means it is time for our biggest project of the year. HOLIDAY MARKET will be Saturday, November 11 th, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Bring your friends and get a start on your holiday shopping while supporting our WELCA ministries. Here are some of the items that will be available: -Just Pies and Just Brunch, the two newest editions of the WELCA mini cookbooks. -Delicious soups to take home in quart or pint sizes. Choose from Lemon Chicken Noodle, -Mama s Beer Chili, or Ham & Bean Soup. Sign-up sheets are in the narthex. -Cheese balls in four flavors - Cheddar, Cranberry Pecan, Feta, and new this year, Pumpkin. Sign-up sheets are in the narthex. -Handcrafted items. -Homemade salsa, jam, relish, etc. -Baked goodies and treats. Again this December we will be sponsoring the Mitten Tree. Watch for this opportunity to provide Christmas gifts for a family in need. The quilters meet every Monday from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. with a noon lunch break and Bible study from 12:15 12:45 p.m. We are continuing to work through the food section of The Daniel Plan and learning how making good food choices can not only make us feel better, but also give us the energy we need to serve God better. We are learning that God is the source of complete nourishment, and He will give us the wisdom to make healthy choices spiritually, emotionally and physically. Join us if you can! Happy Thanksgiving to all and see you at the Holiday Market, Liz C.
Do you ever wonder? Want some questions answered? Put your questions in the Questions for Pastor box in the narthex. I will try to answer all of your questions. Whether they be about Lutheran theology and polity or questions of a Biblical nature, I would try my best to answer them in this monthly newsletter. Office Hours for Pastor November 1st November 8th November 13th November 15th November 20th November 29th 2-5 pm 2-5 pm 1-4 pm 2-5 pm 1-4 pm 2-5 pm Advent/Christmas Advent Candle Reading-There is a sign up sheet for families to sign up to light the advent wreath each week of Advent. There is a Scripture reading and a prayer that need to be read as the candles are lit on Dec 3, 10, 17 and 24 th. Mark your calendars-looking ahead to planning your Christmas celebrations, please put our worship services on your calendars. December 24 th we will be having Sunday worship as usual at 9:30 am. It is the 4 th Sunday of Advent. Christmas Eve Candle light service will be held on December 24 th at 6:30 pm with carols and candles.
Men s Group November 2nd November 9th November 9th November 16th November 23rd November 30th 5:00 pm 5:00 pm 6:30 pm Blessing of the Hunt 5:00 pm No Group-Thanksgiving 5:00 pm Sunday Bible Study - November 12th 11:00 am November 26th 11:00 am Confirmation 5:30 pm November 1st Margaret McCulloch November 8th Ann Wojcieszak November 15th Margaret McCulloch November 22th No class November 29th Margaret McCulloch Sunday School November 1st November 15th November 29th 4:30 pm 4:30 pm 4:30 pm Women's Quilting Group November 6th November 13th November 20th November 27th Quilting 11:00 am 4:00 pm Lunch 12:00 pm Bible Study 12:15 pm Quilting 11:00 am 4:00 pm Lunch 12:00 pm Bible Study 12:15 pm Quilting 11:00 am 4:00 pm Lunch 12:00 pm Bible Study 12:15 pm Quilting 11:00 am 4:00 pm Lunch 12:00 pm Bible Study 12:15 pm
Mark your calendars: The Lord s Cupboard - Reminder that the first Sunday of each month is Lord s Cupboard donation day. Please bring items and drop them n the box in the narthex. Some of the items that are needed are proteins such as canned meat, tuna, peanut butter and non-sugar breakfast cereal. We also now have a need for paper grocery bags. ELCA Foundation Regional Gift Planner, Rev Larry Westfield will be joining us for worship and bringing us the message on Nov 5 th. This will be his last visit as he is retiring at the end of the year. During coffee hour he will be taking with us about financial planning. All are welcome to attend. Sunday Bible study at 11am. We will be using another DVD from Dr Mark Allen Powell on Our Duty and Our Delight: Stewardship. When we have concluded that study we will go on to talk about the characters in the Bible study as found in the book by Walter Wangerin called Preparing for Jesus. Sunday School-Classes will begin on Wednesdays every other week on November 1 st at 4:30. All children in school are welcome to attend. Please register with Pastor Gwen. Confirmation Class-Confirmation class continues. Thank you to all who signed up to be present for this hour each week. Blessing of the Hunt Service- 6:30 on Nov 9 th Terry Tarras and the men s group will be leading a special service to honor the hunt and ask God s blessings for safety during the 10 day gun deer hunting season. Snacks and fellowship will follow the service. Dead Line for having something included in the December Pathfinder is November 22nd. December Charity is Pastor s Discretionary Fund.
Thanksgiving Trivia In 1953, Swanson overestimated the number frozen turkeys that it would sell on Thanksgiving by 26 tons. The company decided to slice up the extra meat and repackage it--creating the first ever TV dinner Pilgrims did not wear buckled hats or dress only in black and white. Buckles did not come into fashion until later in the 17th century, and the pilgrims usually saved their formal black and white colors for Sunday. The average American will consume about 4,500 calories on Thanksgiving Day, or about 3,000 for the meal and an additional 1,500 for snacking The Butterball Turkey hotline answers over 100,000 questions every November and early December. The average long-distance Thanksgiving trip is 214 miles, compared with 275 miles over the Christmas and New Year s holiday. The turkeys typically depicted in Thanksgiving pictures are not the same as the domestic turkeys most people eat at Thanksgiving. Domestic tur keys usually weigh twice as much and are too large to fly. Now a Thanksgiving dinner staple, cranberries were actually used by Native Americans to treat arrow wounds and to dye clothes. Established in 1924, the Macy s Thanksgiving Day Parade ties for second as the oldest Thanksgiving parade. The Snoopy balloon has appeared in the parade more often than any other character. More than 44 million people watch the parade on TV each year and 3 million attend in person.
Volunteer/Participation Opportunities Altar Guild Annual Work Day Assembling baby kits Assembling personal care kits Assembling school kits Assignment from Pastor Gwen Assisting Minister Attend Worship Service Attending Ice Cream Socials Attending Special Events Bake for Holiday Market Coffee Hour Host Craft for Holiday Market Decorating the church for the seasons Donating Blood Donating items for Holiday Market Donating items for rummage sale Eating Pie on Pie Day Filing, Sorting Greeting Card Ministry - Military Greeting Card Ministry - Sick Helping at the Food Pantry Helping with the mitten tree Maintaining Building & Grounds Make food for funerals Make soup for Lent meals Men's Bible Study Office Work Packing Back Packs Participate in Coffee Hour Phone calls to shut-ins/sick Picking up branches Pulling Weeds Put up posters for Holiday Market Put up posters for rummage sale Quilting - Ironing Quilting - Piecing Top Quilting - Set up and take down Quilting - Sewing Quilting - Sorting Fabric Quilting - Tying Raking Leaves Reading labels on donated food Serve food for funerals Serve on church council Serve on property committee Set-up/take down funerals Set-up/take down Holiday Market Set-up/take down Lent soup meals Shopping for baby kits Shopping for mitten tree gifts Shopping for personal care kits Shopping for school kits Shoveling Sidewalk Sit with Sunday School/ Confirmation Classes Staffing Blood Drives Supporting Farmers Market Sweeping Sidewalk Take care of trash Usher Visit shut-ins/sick Walking the Prayer Path Washing Windows WELCA Women's Bible Study
CTS Worship Volunteers October December 2017 Date Assisting Altar Coffee Greeter/Usher Minister Guild Hour November 5 Liz Carpenter Barb Lofthus Carol & Fred Matson Carol & Fred Matson Hunters Service 9 CTS Men will staff the service 12 Carol Matson Patty Tarras Patty & Terry Tarras Patty & Terry Tarras 19 Terry Tarras Barb Lofthus Ann Wojcieszak Margaret McCulloch & Ann Wojcieszak 27 Barb Schindhelm Ann Wojcieszak Carol & Fred Matson Carol & Fred Matson December 3 Lori Becker Julie Kiser Barb Lofthus Rodney Downing & Ann Wojcieszak 10 Carol Matson Barb Lofthus Chuck & Barb Schindhelm Chuck & Barb Schindhelm 17 Chuck Schindhelm Patty Tarras Gwen & Rodney Downing Rodney Downing & Ann Wojcieszak 9:30 AM 24 4th Sunday of Advent Christmas 24 Eve 6:30 PM Terry Tarras Ann Wojcieszak Patti Arthur Ann Wojcieszak & Patty Tarras Liz Carpenter Margaret McCulloch No coffee Margaret McCulloch & Rodney Downing 31 Liz Carpenter Barb Lofthus NEED VOLUNTEER Margaret McCulloch & Ann Wojcieszak