REDEEMER'S REFLECTIONS NOVEMBER BIRTHDAYS 2, Jim Schlegel 8, Sten Hult 9, Tyler Leonard 13, Nancy Ulloa Maya Gonzalez 14, Chris Weinbrenner Andrew Grotts 20, Alison Gunner 21, Karan Scholtens 22, Dan Fransen 23, Amanda Frawley 26, Linda McDonald Veterans Day, which is November 11 each year, is a holiday to honor America s veterans for their patriotism and willingness to serve and sacrifice for our nation s common good. Christians follow the Prince of Peace, so war is a dilemma that often challenges people of faith. Some Christians are pacifists, while others believe in a just war. Many believe that the goals of freedom, justice, equality and democracy are worth the cost required. Whatever individual Christians decide about any given conflict, most Christians believe that men and women who strive to make this world free of tyrants are to be respected. As Winston Churchill said, Never in the field of human conflict was so much owed by so many to so few. Thank you to all the men NOVEMBER 2009 and women who served or are now serving our country. NOVEMBER ANNIVERSARIES 3, Terry & Linda McHugh 6, Robert & Gina Graniczny 8, Ed & Dorothy Rickert Frank & Erin Caswick There are three kinds of giving: grudge giving, duty giving and thanksgiving. Grudge giving says, I have to ; duty giving says, I ought to ; and thanksgiving says, I want to. The latter comes from a full heart. Thanksgiving is an open gate into the love of God.
2 Robert N. Rodenmayer NOVEMBER ALTAR FLOWERS Given by: 1, Marilyn Fisher in loving memory of Mom & Dad Roberta & Art James 8, Carol Mathera in loving memory of Richard & Dorothy Mathera 15, The Schoenbeck Family in memory of John Riordan 22, Deb & Dan Frawley in memory of Dan s parents Don & Lu 25, Thanksgiving Eve Feast, The Moore Family for blessings received 29, This date is open be comforted by the resurrection and the life yet to come. ANNUAL MEETING The Annual Meeting will be held on Sunday, December 6 th (after the Worship Service) in the Fellowship Hall. All adult (confirmed) members of the congregation are encouraged to attend. Reports for the Annual Meeting may be emailed to rlcreflections@yahoo.com or placed on the secretary s desk by November 8 th On Sunday, November 1 st All Saints Sunday, there will be a special prayer for all those who have gone to be with the Lord. This year we are encouraging people to bring pictures of loved ones who have passed so that we may remember them. take what you need; the remainder is needed by others. Take the time to give thanks to God from whom all blessings flow. Thanksgiving Eve Worship is Wednesday, November 25 th at 7:30p.m. COMMITMENT SUNDAY Commitment Sunday is a time to prayerfully consider the amount of your tithe and understand the importance of its connection to the ministry of our church. Our prayers go out to the DeLeeuw Family at the loss of Joan s sister. May they all Find out how much God has given you and from it
3 will be held on November 15 th and we look forward to seeing you. Redeemer s Thanksgiving Dinner will be held on Sunday, November 22 nd following the 9:30a.m. Service. This year we will also need people to help cook the turkeys and potatoes. If you would be willing to help in this capacity please sign up on the sheet in the bulletin or talk to Pastor Janet. Please bring a vegetable, salad or dessert. We also need people to set-up, cleanup, and serve. In the past this has been a most enjoyable event. The food is great and fellowship is warm. Please plan to attend our Annual Thanksgiving Dinner! Please fill out the sheet in the bulletin. On Sunday, November 22 nd at 9:30 A.M. Redeemer s will hold a service for healing. REDEEMER S & CARSON S SHARED COMMUNITY DAYS We will be selling Carson s Community Days coupons each Sunday after church for $5.00. Redeemer s gets to keep the money and you get a $10.00 coupon along with other discounts to be used at Carson s on Saturday, November 14 th. We will also be selling the coupons in the store as well, and there is a sign-up sheet in the narthex if you would be interested in volunteering. If we sell enough coupons we will get an extra bonus. All money raised from the coupons will go to the Redeemer Lutheran Church ministries. ADOPT A BILL We have some outstanding bills that need to be paid and we will once again be putting them up on the Adopt a Bill bulletin board. If you are able to give beyond your normal giving please put an envelope in the collection plate marked Adopt a Bill today. Thank you for your faithful response I helping us carry out the ministry of our congregation. We would like to thank everyone for their generous support of our annual cookie dough fundraiser. The cookie dough and popcorn will be delivered on Wednesday, October 18h. Please make arrangements to pick up your order between 10am and 3:30pm on that day. Parent-Teacher Conferences are scheduled for Thursday, November 19 th. The children do not attend school that day. Our preschoolers will celebrate thanksgiving with a Thanksgiving Feast on Tuesday, November 24 th. Each preschooler may invite one guest to attend and share in the fun. There will be no school on Wednesday, the 25 th or on Thursday the 26 th
4 in observance of the Thanksgiving Holiday. extended family I would have never known what it is to have roots. Without them I would not know what it means to be loved unconditionally. They love me just as God loves each of us. With thanksgiving, Pastor Janet HAPPY THANKSGIVING! It s hard to believe that we are about to celebrate another Thanksgiving. Is your glass half full or half empty? Thanksgiving is a day when we celebrate the glass being half full. It is a time to remember all the blessings that are in our lives each and every day. I tend to be one of those people that looks at the half empty instead of the half full. So today as a thanksgiving exercise I am going to think about all the wonderful things God has blessed me with. First and foremost I am thank-full for my two sons Gabriel and Nathaniel. Without them I would never have learned how much God loves me. It is through them that I have experienced what it means to be a loving parent. I am thank-full for my parents, siblings, nieces, nephews, cousins, aunts and uncles. Without my large I am thank-full for my faith and church community. Without my faith in Christ and the community that I live out my faith I would be pretty empty in side. God has blessed me with a faith family that has sustained me throughout my entire life. I have lived in many places in my 50 years and without my church family I don't think I would have survived. I thank God for all the wonderful loving people I have come to know as a part of the church. Without all of you I don't think I would have grown in my faith. Each one of you has taught me something valuable about faith. I am thank-full that I live in a free country where I can speak my mind without fear. I thank God for my health, home and food. In a world where so many people have so little I am ever grateful to God for all of my blessings. Please join us this Thanksgiving Eve where we will gather to give thanks to our God. The one from whom all blessings flow. We will be decorating the church for Christmas on Saturday, November 28 th at 10:00 A.M. There will be a sign up sheet in the narthex. Please watch for the sign-up, and bring an appetizer or dessert to share, and join us in the hanging of the greens! Once again, we will be helping Lutheran Social Services and their Open Arms Program. The tree will be up for the first week of advent. We are waiting for a list of gift suggestions. We requested younger children
5 this year. As soon as the list arrives, information will be put in the bulletin. Thank you for being so generous in the past. These are the only gifts the children receive. WOMAN TO WOMAN Recently I celebrated my 37th anniversary. All in all, it's been a great ride so far. I learned early on to pick my arguments and we truly have very, very few. Who cares what position the toilet seat's in as long as it works. Toothpaste comes in a pump so there's no worry about where to squeeze. Socks on the floor can get kicked under the bed. However, there is one thing that does still bother me. What is with guys and the one drop rule! If you're gonna get up in the middle of the night and have some ice cream, then finish the container. Don't leave one drop! At least, leave a spoonful. Or how about the milk? It takes more than one drop to cover my cereal. If I drank coffee, I could understand leaving a drop but I haven't even had so much as one cup of coffee in 37 years. Why would I start now? I guess this really bothered me when I was asked to bring cookies to an event the other day and I foolishly decided on peanut butter. I had looked in the pantry and that's what I had all the ingredients for or so I thought. When I opened the peanut butter jar, I found a thin coating along the walls of the jar. The thin coating had Ritz cracker tracks in it. The peanut butter was one drop worth. Ladies, if this is happening in your home too, don't say a word when you see me, just give me a fist bump and I'll know. Maybe we could start a support group for each other. If this isn't happening, you don't know how lucky you are. Til next month nice chatting with you. -Jan Strojny ALTAR FLOWERS We have received a letter from R & D Florist stating that in January the cost of Altar Flowers will stay at $17.50 per Sunday. Please leave your checks on the secretary s desk and please pay for the altar flowers two weeks prior to your date. The Poinsettias will be $9.50 and the sign-up sheet for them will be on the narthex table in the middle of November A man grows in grace as he grows in gratitude. -Leonard Griffith November will be hosted by the delightful DeLeeuws. We'll gather on Thursday evening, November 19th. Our book is entitled Dream When You're Feeling Blue written by Elizabeth Berg. The novel takes place in Chicago during World War II Where the Heaney sisters sit at their kitchen table each evening to write letters. Louise to her fiancé, who just left to fight overseas, Kitty to Michael, also a soldier who she wishes would propose, and Tish to an ever changing group of men she meets at USO dances. Find out what happens to each. It's a picture of strong, compassionate women in a tale of family, love and war. SAVE THE DATE
6 Ladies, mark your calendars for December 13th when we will have a Christmas Brunch following service that morning. Look for more news in next months Reflections.