St. James Journal Our Mission Statement: We Proclaim and Practice Christ s Love December 2015 www.stjamesmc.org SUNDAY SCHEDULE December 6 (Communion) 8:00 AM Traditional Worship 9:15 AM Contemporary Worship 10:15 AM Sunday School 11:00 AM Traditional Worship December 13 8:00 AM Traditional Worship 9:15 AM S.S. Christmas Program w/ Brunch to Follow 11:00 AM Traditional Worship December 20 (Communion) 8:00 AM Cantata Worship 9:15 AM Cantata Worship 10:15 AM Sunday School December 27 8:00 AM Lessons & Carols Worship 9:15 AM Lessons & Carols Worship CHRISTMAS WORSHIP SCHEDULE 3, 5, 10 PM Christmas Eve WEDNESDAY SCHEDULE There is something for EVERYONE on Wednesday nights at St. James! 5:15 Join us for a great supper! 6:15 Confirmation for 7 th and 8 th graders ONE for 4 th -6 th graders WOW for pre-school-3 rd Graders High School Youth Group 6:15 Adult Bible Study 6:00 Worship Band 7:00 Choir BULLETIN ARTICLES for Sunday, December 27th and January 3rd are due by December 18th at noon. 1
News From Our Members THOSE WE HAVE REMEMBERED IN PRAYER: Susan Saltou, Becca Mason, Dave Frenz, Dorothy Nuehring, Dennis Bryant, Charlie Mickelson If you wish to be added to our Sunday morning prayer list, please contact the church office or Pastor Jeni. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ DUE TO INCREASED PRIVACY REGU- LATIONS at the hospital, it is very important that you call the Church office when you or someone you love is hospitalized so we can make sure you receive a visit. You can leave a message on the machine or call Pastor Jeni at home or on her cell phone. Thank you! ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ OUR CHRISTIAN SYMPATHY is extended to: Carol Edwards and family at the death of Allen. Hal Pohlman and family at the death of his mother, Hazel. Our prayer is that you feel the love of God from the hearts of those who care and share in your time of sorrow. Our prayer is that you feel the love of God from the hearts of those who care and share in your time of sorrow. When there is a death of a family member, please call the church office so that we may make a note of it in an upcoming Journal. Also please call the church office if a name has been inadvertently omitted. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ BAPTIZED: Nolan Aaron Upmeyer, son of Abbie and Blake Upmeyer and grandson of Steve and Julie Nuehring. Nolan was baptized on November 15, 2015. May God grant your little one all the blessing of His gentle love and may your little one enjoy a lifetime of health and happiness! Congratulations! THANK YOU to our St. James family with words of sympathy, cards, memorials, prayers, visits, and gifts of food during this difficult loss of Jeff. A special thank you to Sherri and the workers that provided the wonderful lunch. Thanks to Pastor Jeni and Bryan for your prayers and comfort at this difficult time. ~Jeff Trask Family HOLDEN EVENING PRAYER will be held on Wednesday evenings December 2, 9, and 16 at 6:15 PM in the chapel. All are welcome to join us for this time of quiet Advent devotion and prayer. CHURCH DIRECTORY! If you have any activity photos from events here at St. James, the Growth and Life Board would love to have copies of them as we put the Activity Pages together for the new directory. You can e-mail those pictures to pastorjeni@mchsi.com or drop off a cd or flash drive with the pictures to her. Pictures should be submitted before December 4. MISSED YOUR PICTURE? If you didn t get a chance to get your picture taken for our new directory, but would still like it included, you can submit a photo. Please bring that by the church office by DECEM- BER 4. Professional photographs need to have a release from the photographer who took them. DIRECTORY INFORMATION: We need accurate addresses and phone numbers for our new directory! Please fill out the sheet enclosed in this newsletter and drop it off, e-mail it, or turn it into the office. Even if you filled out this information when you had your picture taken, we would like to have the sheet turned in. ADVENT RESOURCE TABLE: There will be a number of resources available in the Narthex to aid with your Advent celebrations at home. Feel free to pick up any of these resources for yourself and a friend! 2
St. James News Dec. 6 Dec. 13 Dec. 20 SCRIPTURE READERS If you are unable to read on the scheduled Sunday please call the church office. 8:00 AM 9:15 AM 11:00 AM George Arduser Ralph Preuss Chris Frenz Gary Lafrenz Sue Ollman Carmen Madson Cantata Cantata No 3rd Service FELLOWSHIP TIME TREATS! Beginning in January, we would like to have baked goods, fruit, and other snacks during our fellowship time on Sunday mornings. You are invited to bring items to share. There will be a free-will donation basket each week and money donated will go to our youth going to Bible Camp. There is a sign-up sheet in the Fireside Room by the snack table. Sign up with another family, a group, your board, or on your own to bring treats to share. You are more than welcome to bring treats even if you don t sign up. To aid with clean up, please bring unfrosted snacks if you bring baked goods. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ THE JANUARY JOURNAL deadline is by December 18 by 12:00 PM. THE JANUARY JOURNAL will be assembled on December 28 at 1:00 PM. Please call the church office if you are able to help. BULLETIN ARTICLES are due on Wednesday by 9:00AM every week. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ GREETERS AND USHERS are needed for the 9:15 service. Please contact the church office if you would like to help. RIVERSIDE CAMPERS will host our coffee and fellowship time Sunday, December 6. They will be providing baked goods and other treats before the 8 AM service and between services. A free-will offering will be taken that will benefit our children going to camp. WEDNESDAY EVENING ACTIVITIES will be held December 2 nd, 9 th, and 16 th and then have a short winter break. We will resume on January 6. In case of bad weather, check our Facebook page and KIMT for notices of cancellations. If school is not held or let out early due to bad weather, Wednesday activities will not be held. NURSERY STAFFING: We are looking for people to staff the nursery each Sunday of the School year during the 9:15 worship service. Please sign up on the sheet outside the nursery if you are able to help out. Thank you! BLOOD PRESSURE CHECK TIME AGAIN! Blood pressure checks will take place on Sunday, December 6th. This will be in the Board Room across from Amy s office. ~Growth & Life Board BLOOD DRIVE: The blood drive originally scheduled for December 7th has been postponed until January. Please look for information coming soon. ~Growth & Life Board HOPE CIRCLE will meet on December 15th. DO DAYS QUILTING meets every Tuesday at 9:00a.m. SENIOR SAINTS will meet on December 17th at 5:00. 2016 FLOWER MINISTRY sign up sheets are now available in the Narthex. Flowers are $21. 3
St. James News ELEMENTARY SHARING TREE: The Elementary Sharing Tree will be set up in the Narthex in November and December. Socks, boy and girl underwear, sweatpants, hats, gloves and mittens are the most desired items the area schools need. Scarves are not requested because of the dangers they present on the playground. While you re out Christmas shopping, please remember to help decorate the tree with any of these items. The decorations will be delivered to the area elementary schools the first week in January. Donations collected last year were taken to Harding and Roosevelt elementary schools, where they were most appreciated. Thank you for your support in this cause. ~Mission Action DID YOU KNOW? You can hear our Sunday sermons on our website! Just go to www.stjamesmc.org and click on the sermon link for audio versions of each week s sermons. They are usually posted by Tuesday. Christmas $0.25 Store: While you are digging out your holiday décor, please consider donating any unwanted items to the St. James Christmas $0.25 Store. Donations can be placed on the stage at any time. Riverside Campers will be hosting the sale this year on December 12th from 9:00noon with all of the proceeds going towards helping them attend camp. Cookie Walk: If you would be willing to donate a dozen cookies/candy to the St. James Cookie Walk, please sign up on the sheet located in the Narthex. All of the proceeds from the Cookie Walk on December 12th from 9:00-noon will benefit the Riverside Campers. THANK YOU to the women of St. James for your generous gifts! Through your offerings given in response to the many blessings you have received, $667.06 was contributed at the Thankoffering Service. It will be greatly appreciate by the many people who are served by WELCA outreach. ~Mission Action STEEPLE UPDATE Milkhouse Soy Candles: The next month your Steeple Committee will be selling Milkhouse Soy Candles from Osage, Ia. The candles are $25 each, and the money will go toward the bell tower repair project. Candles will be cash and carry. There are three fragrances (Cranberry Amaretto, Hazelnut Praline, & Pure Vanilla) in 16oz. black reusable crocks. They have a wooden lid with our St. James Lutheran Church building and bell tower/steeple picture lasered on it. CHRISTMAS DINNER WELCA is again sponsoring the FREE soup supper for any woman (or guest) in St. James on Tuesday, Dec. 1st at 6pm. What a wonderful way to usher in the holiday season: great food, fellowship and Adam Frederick. He will be speaking about "Weathering growing up with a Lutheran pastor father." Call the church office to be included in the fun, or watch for the sign-up in the narthex or talk to Karrie Frenz, Marvyl Ransom, Jeanette Priebe or Kathy Follmuth. You are not going to want to miss this night of fun! Thank you, The Steeple Committee 4
St. James News St. James Advent GOOD SHEPHERD CHRISTMAS GIFTS Good Shepherd is in need of small Christmas gifts for the residents. Examples are small bottles of lotion, playing cards, handkerchiefs for men. Please put any items in the basket in the narthex by December 15th. Thank you. Advent begins November 29. This year, our Advent theme is Wait with St. James. We will look closely at the ways we wait for Christ to come. Each week during worship, we will read a children s book as we think about how we wait. We will also invite you to think about different ways you can live in waiting times. Get involved on Social Media this Advent by using the hashtag #waitwithstjames. You can post pictures, statuses, or tweets based on each week s theme, or post pictures of the ways you are preparing to celebrate the birth of Jesus, or check in when you come to church, or any number of other things to spread the real message of this season. SALVATION ARMY BELL RINGING! SIGN UP TO SERVE! St. James has reserved slots to ring bells for the Salvation Army Kettle Campaign. There will be sign-up sheets in the Narthex. Sign up your family or a group to help you. Maybe get a group of carolers together! Or your confirmation small group! Or take some instruments and play some songs. We have spots at Hy-Vee East on December 3 from 3-5. Sign up at church on Sunday or call or e-mail the church office to sign up! +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ VOLUNTEERS NEEDED MEN AND WOMEN The St. James Circles need help with Bingo at Good Shepherd. St. James Volunteers do Bingo only 6 times a year. Each session is from 1:00 to 3:00 PM on Wednesdays. Please Give your time. We are appreciated so much by the residents. Please help, so Bingo can Continue. Call Marlys Wendel God Shepherd Auxiliary 423-1375 Thank You WOULD YOU LIKE TO PROVIDE SPECIAL MUSIC DURING THE MONTH OF DECEMBER? If you would like to sing of play an instrument on a Sunday or for Christmas Eve, please contact Bill Grant at honeyguitar@msn.com. Any special music for Christmas Eve or the Sunday after Christmas should be arranged by December 18. 5
St. James Youth & Family News CHRISTMAS PROGRAM REHEARSALS are held during the Sunday School hour. Youth are practicing songs and parts during Sunday School each week. A dress rehearsal will be held on December 12 at 10 AM. The program is at 9:15 on December 13. CELEBRATION BRUNCH: A brunch will be held following the Christmas Program on December 13. The program is at 9:15 and the brunch will immediately follow. If you have not yet signed up for the brunch, you can call or e-mail the office. Check for sign-up sheets at church for items to share at the brunch. ANNUAL COOKIE WALK DECEMBER 6 th from 9 AM to 12 NOON: There will be a Cookie Walk and 25 Store for kids to shop in for giving. If you have any questions, call the church office. FAMILY CHRISTMAS CAROLING will be Sunday, December 6, at 4:45 PM. What a wonderful way to share the message of Christmas!!! Koinonia will serve pizza after we carol. The best way to spread Christmas cheer is singing loud for all to hear! Join in the fellowship, fun and the true meaning of Christmas. EVERYONE is encouraged to attend! FIRST COMMUNION INSTRUCTION will be held Saturday, January 30 for all those in 3 rd grade, and older youth who have not yet had first communion instruction. Mark your calendars! First Communion Sunday is February 7. SPECIAL MISSION FOR CHILDREN: This summer at Vacation Bible School, we welcomed a counselor from Tanzania, Kelyana Kamunyu. She does a lot of work on behalf of young girls in Tanzania and our children would like to find ways to support her. During the offering at 9:15, beginning in October, children and youth will be invited to bring coins and dollars to buckets in the front of the Sanctuary to support this Mission Project. All Sunday School offering between now and Christmas will also go to support the work Kelyana is doing. HEY KIDS! We have TWO groups on Wednesday nights! Pre-School through 3 rd Grade come to our WEEKLY WOW Group. 4 th -6 th Grade will continue the ONE Youth Group on that same night. Come early for a delicious meal! Then meet for opening worship at 6:15 before we divide up into our groups. Invite a friend and join us! All are welcome!! 6
Pictorial Directory Information (Please fill out and return to the church office via mail, e-mail, or in the narthex after worship.) Name Address Phone Number Publish? Yes No Cell Number Publish? Yes No E-mail (E-mail will not be published.) Can we e-mail the Journal to You? Yes No POINSETTIAS Poinsettias are requested to beautify the sanctuary. Poinsettias may be ordered through the church office for $15.00 each. Orders with payment need to be turned in by Sunday, December 13 th. I would like to provide (quantity) poinsettia(s) My/Our Name To be place in honor of To be place in memory of Attached is $ ($15.00 each) The poinsettias are being purchased from Baker Floral 7
WEDNESDAY NIGHT MEALS FOR DECEMBER December 2 Chicken Ranch Wraps, BBQ chicken sandwiches, Chips, & Hot Dogs December 9 Walking Tacos, Soft Tacos, Nachos & Cheese, & Hot Dogs December 16 Spaghetti or Lasagna, French bread, & Hot dogs December 23 & 30 NO MEALS CHRISTMAS BREAK Home-Cooked suppers are served every Wednesday Night, beginning at 5:15. Suggested donation is $5 per person. All meals include lettuce salad, dessert and beverages. MERRY CHRISTMAS! ~Sherri ST. JAMES STAFF Pastor Jeni Bohls pastorjeni@mchsi.com Assistant Minister Bryan Odeen bryanatstjamesmc@gmail.com Administrative Coordinator Amy Halverson stjamesofficemc@gmail.com Financial Secretary Mike Fitzgerald stjamesfs@gmail.com Building Supervisor Bill Trask bljjjt@msn.com Worship & Music Coordinator Bill Grant honeyguitar@msn.com Choir Director Zack Carlson Kitchen Coordinator Sherri Fitzgerald ST. JAMES CONTACT INFORMATION 1148 4th St SE Mason City, IA 50401 (641) 423-4702 fax (641) 423-4755 www.stjamesmc.org www.facebook.com/ @St James 8