Special Music is
Planed forAdvent
and Christmas
Dwight Williams
Director of Music Ministries
The Advent season is here and I want to invite you to enjoy the musical events here at Grace this month. Our Chancel Choir will be presenting the Advent Music Service on December 11 at 9:30 AM. This will feature our choir , our worship team, our women's choir and guest Reuben Dahlquist, an outstanding tenor soloist. Also, we will have music from Jessica Gensmer and Ginny Gardner. This will be a marvelous service of music with a special message from Pastor Dan.
Then on Christmas Eve our Chancel Choir will again be singing songs of Christmas, featuring soloist Jeanne Ness.
Don’t miss this wonderful time of year when we honor our Lord's birth!
God Bless You!
Preschool Holiday Bazaar: A Big Success
Gwen Cosgrove, Director
On Saturday, November 12 the preschool hosted a holiday bazaar for the first time. Eighteen vendors supported our preschool. All the vendors pledged a portion of the proceeds to support the preschool. We were so blessed to have such kind and generous people to spend a few hours with us. We were equally blessed by those who came and shopped or donated funds to support the preschool. We received wonderful feedback from everyone and are looking forward to doing it again next year—possibly making it an annual event.
The results of the fundraising will not be known for a while as vendors have not closed out orders at the time I write this. Then you might ask how we could say the bazaar was a big success?
(Please see “Bazaar” p. 3)
Prayers at Christmas
Pastor Dan
During my personal devotional time, I find myself praying both spontaneous prayers and prayers that are written down. Sometimes I take a hymn (Christmas Carol) and pray the lyrics. Hymns are filled with great expressions that come from the heart.
Prayer is an important part of the Christmas Story. In Luke’s Gospel we find four prayers that are spoken. The first is the Magnificat, Mary’s prayer of praise (Luke 1:48 – 55). The last is the Nunc Dimittis, Simeon’s prayer when Jesus was dedicated in the temple (2:29 – 32). Both of these prayers are used in the liturgies of the Church. Mary is the first “pray-er” in the Christmas Story. A young woman (girl) starting out in submission to the Word of the Lord—and Simeon, an elderly man and the last “pray-er” in the Christmas story, prays a prayer of completion. All his life he had been praying and anticipating the one who would come to redeem Israel. As he takes the child in his arms, Simeon holds the purpose and meaning of his life and ours.
May your Christmas celebration be filled with prayer. Here is one that I have written and used in our Christmas worship service: “This Christmas season help us, in a new way, to receive a greater glimpse of how wide and long and high and deep is your love for us.” “Love caused your incarnation, love brought you down to me, your thirst for my salvation procured my liberty.”
To that I have added the lyrics from a verse of “O Little Town Of Bethlehem”:“O holy Child of Bethlehem, descend to us, we pray. Cast out our sin and enter in, be born in us today. We hear the Christmas angels the great glad tidings tell. O come to us, abide with us, our Lord, Immanuel.”
May you be enriched this Christmas as you pray prayers found in the Bible and prayers from the lyrics of Christmas hymns.
from the Sollies
It is with gratitude in our hearts that we greet you with “Merry Christmas.” May all the joy and wonder and blessings of this season fill you to overflowing. We thank you for the privilege of serving you another year.
Pastor Dan and Kim
Financial Report
as of October 31, 2016
Jim Cosgrove, Council, Finance
Rob Severson, Finance Secretary
Please keep a special Christmas gift for Grace in your prayers. We have mentioned that our campus has required some unexpected repairs this year. Below are our results:
ActualGiving / $228,512.02
Spending / 314,162.97
Shortfall / $-85,650.95
Last year’sNovember/December gifts totaled a whopping $148,333. Please keep our request in your prayers.
“Bazaar” (continued from p. 1)
The success of the bazaar is not in how much money was raised, for we trust that God will provide what we need. The success for us is in building relationships, and working together for the greater purpose of serving the education of young children. And that happened!
Thank you to everyone who supported us in this event! We are blessed with families and friends and a church who believe in what we do as a preschool – We couldn’t do it without you! We pray that for each person, God’s blessings are evident each day.
Have a very blessed and Merry Christmas!
An Advent Assignment
Kim Sollie, Council
Outreach
I’d like to challenge you with an Advent assignment this year. Christmas is one of two times during the year when people go to church. Who can you invite to church during the month of December? On December 11 we will have our Christmas Music Service, December 15 is the Preschool Christmas Program,December 18 will be the Family Worship Celebration, Christmas Eve is our Candle Light Service and with Christmas Day on Sunday this year we will gather for a Christmas Morning Carol Sing. Pick up a few postcards with the schedule of services and be in prayer about who you should ask to join you at one of these services.
The Christmas season is a joy for many but there are many people who are lonely, hurting and need a loving touch and invitation to experience hope once again. Let’s finish 2016 by embracing and walking out our vision statement, “We are called by God to share the Gospel message, trusting the power of the Holy Spirit to lead people to into a relationship with Jesus and to serve our community.”
Beautify
Our Chancel
The Altar Guild will be decorating the chancel with poinsettias for Christmas. You are invited to participate by buying a plant as a memorial, an honorarium, or a gift to the glory of God. Or, the plants may be delivered to shut-ins in the New Year.
Return this form to the church office, along with a check payable to Grace Lutheran Altar Guild. Suggested price is $10 per plant, but any contribution is very much appreciated!
The last day to participate is Sunday, December 11, 2016.
Please Print:
Number of plants ordered: ______
Name: ______
______
In memory of: ______
______
In honor of: ______
______
To the glory of God.
After the January 3 worship celebration,
Please deliver to a shut-in
and/or
I will pick up ___ plants
(number of plants purchased). Plants may be picked up after the worship service on Sunday, January 1, 2017.
Flower of the Holy Night
Judy Severson, Altar Guild Director
Poinsettias or “Flor de la Noche Buena” are used to decorate the church at Christmas time. Their star shape reminds us of how a star led the wise men to the manger. Poinsettias, native to Mexico, were introduced to the United States in 1825 by Joel Poinett, our first Ambassador to Mexico (1825 – 1829). The legend from Mexican folklore tells of a poor child who had nothing to lay at the foot of the local church crèche, so he gathered weeds in a field. By Christmas morning the weeds had fully bloomed into poinsettias.
As you attend Grace and gaze at the poinsettias surrounding our altar, imagine that special “star” leading us to the manger and Jesus.
On duty for December are Eleanor Norton, Florence Netland and Mary Sonderup.
Our next meeting will be our annual Christmas dinner Monday, December 5, 6 PM at Judy Severson's home.
Grace Good News / 1 / December 2016