CHRISTMAS AT ADVENT Vivaldi s Gloria - Sunday, December 18, at 8:00 and 10:45 AM Blue Christmas - Monday, December 19, 7:30 PM Christmas Eve Family Service - Saturday, December 24, 7:00 PM Christmas Day Worship - Sunday, December 25, 10:45 AM New Year s Day Worship - Sunday, January 1, 10:45 AM PARKING NEXT SUNDAY AND CHRISTMAS EVE If you are able to park in the back parking lot on December 18 and December 24, that will leave spaces in the front lot for visitors..
GLORIA BY ANTONIO VILVALDI Performed by an 80+ member intergenerational choir consisting of singers from the South County area. Directed by Phillip Robb, current choir director of the Advent Lutheran Church Chancel Choir. Phil Robb is also the former choral director/teacher at Gilroy High School, Christopher High School and Gavilan College, and the past church choir director at Gilroy Presbyterian Church and Gilroy 1st Baptist Church. The mass choir will be accompanied by members of the South Valley Symphony. Sunday, December 18 8:00 AM & 10:45 AM at Advent Lutheran Church 16870 Murphy Avenue in Morgan Hill 4:00 PM at Gavilan College Theater in Gilroy 2
OPPORTUNITY KNOCKS A listing of how you can support the mission of this congregation at this time.. CHILDREN S AND YOUTH MINISTRY Children s Time is on Sunday mornings, 9:30 10:30 AM. All children are invited for active learning as we tell Bible stories together. Please contact Pete McElheny at peterandmasuyo.net if you would like to tell stories, lead music, lead a craft or art, or lead a cooking project. SUPPORT FOR HOMELESS FAMILIES WHO SLEEP IN THEIR VEHICLES Contact Kathy Munk at 408-332-8482 for contact information to connect with a new community group that is forming, with police department support, for this new effort, likely out of the St. Catherine s church parking lot. FAITH BASED TASK FORCE Do you have an interest in the homelessness situation in South County? We need someone who is interested in representing Advent on the Faith Based task force on homelessness in South County. Contact Marcia Nelson at 408-779-4481. CECELIA S CLOSET NEEDS COATS AND SWEATERS ALL SIZES Sew Seeds will be collecting gently used coats and sweaters in the bin in the gathering area until December 18. Cecilia's Closet works with the Compassion Center, Community Solutions, the homeless, and the police department. CHURCH DIRECTORY UPDATES We will soon be adding an insert to our Church Directory to include the contact information of new members. We would also like to include any changes to the current directory. If you have had any changes in address, phone number, email address, or family members, please contact Sherry Quick at the church office or at office@advent-lutheran.org with your updates. Look for directory sheets in the gathering area. 3
GROWING YOUNG Six essential strategies to help young people discover and love your church by Kara Powell, Jake Mulder, Brad Griffin Sunday morning conversations for youth and adults we ll be working our way through this book and its meaning for our congregation. You are welcome to purchase and read this book, either in hardcover or as an ebook. All are welcome, whether or not you are reading this book. Bring your passion and interest in vibrant faith and vibrant ministry for today s world. In addition to working on the book s content and questions, we will spend time each Sunday growing the organizational side of our ministry with youth, children and families through developing teams. SANTA CRUZ EL SALVADOR It is time to put together gift bags for our children in El Salvador. Please remember it needs to be a gallon size bag with your name and your child s name. If you don t know your child s name, I will add that. Gift bags are due by Sunday December 4th, to either Catherine Holmes or Lori Katterhagen. For those that presently do not have a child to sponsor we are always looking for new people to either give a one-time donation or to become a prayer partner and sponsor a child in El Salvador. For more information please see either Tom or Judith Dunham, Lori Katterhagen, Ian Hopkins or Catherine Holmes. We are have a craft sale to support Santa Cruz Al Salvador between and after services on November 13th and December 11th. Thank you for your support. 4
FROM HEAVEN ABOVE TO EARTH I COME CHILDREN S CHRISTMAS PROGRAM preparation begins! There will be a Children s Christmas program during worship on Christmas Eve, December 24, at 7:00 PM. The program will feature the Christmas hymn From Heaven Above to Earth I Come by Martin Luther, and well-known Christmas carols. All children are invited to participate! Junior high school and high school youth are invited to have speaking parts and/or support the children in learning the songs, and to help in teaching. Adults are warmly invited to help in all the ways listed below. The children and others will begin working on music during Children s Time, 9:30-10:30 AM, every Sunday in Room 1. Please contact the church office if you can help: - teach a short lesson during the last 20-30 minutes of Children s Time - work with costumes during December - copy music onto CDs for families or create.mp3 files to share 5
POINSETTIA TIME IS HERE! The Liturgical Arts Committee will be purchasing 30 poinsettias. If you would like to donate a poinsettia for Christmas, please fill out the special envelopes found in the poinsettia basket in the Narthex. They are $10.00 each. Thank you. FOURTH QUARTER MISSION Provide gas and grocery cards for those in need in our community. Your contribution will go toward purchasing these cards for the church office to distribute to people requesting assistance. Checks should be made out to Advent Lutheran Church with 4th Quarter Mission-Gift Cards on the memo line. WORSHIP ASSISTANTS FOR CHRISTMAS EVE 7:00 PM If you can help with the worship service on Saturday evening, December 24 th at 7:00 PM, please sign up on the sheets located in the Gathering Area. We will need Ushers, Acolyte and Crucifer and Lector. 6
END OF YEAR OFFERING PROCEDURES --by Bruce Naylor, Church Bookkeeper In order to be credited to your 2016 contribution statement, end of the year offerings must be: 1. Received in the offering by the last service of the year (this year Sunday, 12-25), or 2. Received in the church office by the end of the business day on Friday, December 30, or 3. Received through the U.S. mail in an envelope postmarked 12-31-2016. IRS regulations prohibit Advent from reporting contributions received on or after January 1st 2017 to your 2016 statement, regardless of the date on the check. Such offerings will, of course, be reported as contributions for 2017. ADVENT MAIL THEFT Advent s secure mail box was broken into during the Thanksgiving holidays. If you sent mail to Advent during the past two weeks, please let Sherry in the office know what was sent, especially if you sent in a donation. We now have a secure box at the Morgan Hill Post Office. Our new mailing address will be: Advent Lutheran Church P.O. Box 607 Morgan Hill, CA 95038 7
DID YOU KNOW? From Your Stewardship Committee Sound and Light Team ( S.A.L.T.) Did you know that there are currently six volunteers who run the sound and lights for worship on Sundays at Advent Lutheran Church? They are Gayle Carlile, Steve Barr, Dave Paulsen, Andrew Munk, Dave Pepper and Terry Pratt. Members of S.A.L.T. work hard to make the worship at Advent the best it can be. Good listening and observation skills are one of the most important aspects of being a good team member. There are usually five different microphones that need to be turned on and off during each service. Different sound levels must be set for every microphone. There are at least a half-dozen light changes that must be made during a single worship service. The lights are pre-set for every lighting change. S.A.L.T members also set up and take down all microphones every Sunday. The S.A.L.T team also changes all of the visuals that we have been enjoying in church this year. They also hand out and collect the hearing assist devices. Advent is lucky to have such faithful team members to support the technical side of worship at Advent. New volunteers are greatly needed. If you are interested in becoming a S.A.L.T. member, or if you have any questions about the technical side of Advent s worship, please contact the church office at 408-779-3551. Members of the Sound And Light Team are asked to take the communion elements to the altar for recognition of your stewardship to Advent Lutheran and to receive a blessing from Pastor Warner. -Your Gifts and Participation Make a Difference THOUGHT FOR THE DAY The hand of God is wonderfully evident at those times when He pens stories whose lines we ourselves are far too fearful to pen or whose imaginations are far too limited to envision. And I would unashamedly suggest that the Christmas story is that very story. Craig D. Lounsbrough Author and professional life coach 8
NURSERY CARE IS AVAILABLE ALL MORNING IN BERKLAND FELLOWSHIP HALL CHILDREN Grades 4-6: Marvelous Mondays on the third Monday of each month (In December Bethlehem on Dec. 11) CONFIRMATION January 7 th - Prophets HIGH SCHOOL AND ADULTS Growing Young Sundays at 9:30 AM MID-WEEK BIBLE STUDY Tuesday mornings @ 10:00 AM All are welcome every Tuesday in the Library WOMEN S SPIRITUALITY CIRCLE Meets on Thursdays @ 10:00 AM in Library WOMEN S BIBLE STUDY MARY AND MARTHA CIRCLE Meets 2 nd Wednesday of the month @ 10:00 AM in Berkland Fellowship Hall INDIVIDUAL AND GROUP SPIRITUAL DIRECTION For support in your prayer life, deepening your relationship with God and living out your faith with the gifts you are given, please contact Lee Tyler at 778-1876 or ltyler3@juno.com 9
. Week of November December 11-18 Sunday 8:00 AM Third Sunday in Advent Worship Service 9:30 AM Children s Time- Christmas Program Prep Growing Young in Fellowship Hall 10:45 AM Third Sunday in Advent Worship Service 1:00 PM New Life Church Worship Service 6:00 PM Marvelous Mondays meet in Santa Clara Monday 7:00 PM Alanon in Rm. 2 7:00 PM Executive Committee Meeting Tuesday 10:00 AM Mid-Week Bible Study in Library 10:00 AM Sew Seeds Quilters in Fellowship Hall 5:00 PM Community Table Dinner in Fellowship Hall 7:00 PM Overeaters Anonymous in Room 2 Wednesday 7:00 PM New Life Worship Service in Sanctuary 7:00 PM SAA Meeting in Room 1 Thursday 7:00 AM Second Harvest Brown Bag Program 10:00 AM Women s Spirituality Circle in Library 7:00 PM SAA Meeting in Room 1 Friday 8:00 PM New Life Prayer Service Saturday 8:30 AM Men s Fellowship in Library 10:00 AM Gather and Cantor Rehearsal 10:00 AM Women for Sobriety in Room 1 4:00 PM Iglesia de Cristo Church Service in Room 2 7:00 PM AA in Room 1 Next Sunday 8:00 AM Gloria by Antoino Vilvaldi in worship 9:30 AM Children s Time Christmas Program Prep 10:45 AM Gloria by Antonio Vilvaldi in worship 1:00 PM New Life Church Worship Service 10