Hi, Everybody:
This Sunday, December 15, is the 3rd Sunday of Advent, Fill the Food Barrel Sunday (bring in your Reverse Advent Calendar accumulations!), and Choir Sunday. The choir will present a musical message called A Light Still Shines during the usual Message part of the service. It was composed by Randy Vader (no relation to Darth), Jay Rouse (probably responsible for the louder sections), and Camp Kirkland (is that a name, or a Costco training facility?). It’s the last Sunday to sign up to bring Poinsettias and still have your dedication appear in the Christmas Eve bulletin. The Council Meeting has been moved to 11 am due to there being No Sunday School after worship.
Sunday School is done for this year, and the last Tuesday Bible Study of the year is on December 17. They will both be back some time in January.
The Rev. Jeff R. Johnson, Bishop of the Sierra Pacific Synod of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America has written a letter of encouragement to all for the 3rd Sunday of Advent. It’s attached to this email and there are a few copies available on the Media Table.
Living Lutheran, the ELCA magazine which stopped print publication about a year ago, will be back in print on a quarterly basis. Each issue (spring, summer, winter and fall) will feature the stories you know and love, along with updates on the church and your ELCA community. The cost for one year will be $19.95 for an individual subscription. You can sign up now at https://www.livinglutheran.org/subscribe/. You will be invoiced for your subscription before March 2025. If your subscription had not lapsed at the end of 2023, you will receive a renewal notice when your subscription expires. If you have questions, please contact them at livinglutheran@elca.org or call them at 800-638-3522.
Christmas Eve Services will be at 4 pm & 8 pm, both with a sleigh-load of traditional carols and the requisite singing of “Silent Night” by candlelight. The choir will be singing only at the 8 pm service. Between the services, there will be the annual gathering at Randy and Vicky Kuhlmann’s house. This year’s food theme is the Italian-American tradition of the Feast of Seven Fishes. All are invited! (don’t feel like you need to bring anything – especially fish!) There are no Christmas Day church services.
The Sunday after Christmas, December 29, will be our Service of Poems and Carols, when we’ll sing whatever carols we couldn’t squeeze into the Christmas Eve service!
– Keith
your friendly Parish Life Coordinator