1. family and parenting
2. children

December 2014
Volume 12 Issue 12
Advent Joy Christmas
Concert
Sunday Dec 7th
At a glance
December 3: Midweek Advent service – 7:00pm
December 7: Advent Joy Christmas Program
5:30 - Dessert fellowship
6:30 – Christmas entertainment
Dessert hour at 5:30 pm: join us in the
Narthex and munch on Christmas goodies.
This is a great time to visit with your fellow
church family members while you await the
evening’s entertainment!
December 10: Midweek Advent service – 7:00pm
December 17: Midweek Advent service – 7:00pm
Christmas Concert at 6:30: You will be
blessed as you hear Christmas come alive
through solos, choirs and instrumentals. This
is a time to prepare yourself for celebrating the
real reason for the Christmas season – the
birth of our Savior, Jesus Christ!
December 21: Children’s Christmas program at
10:00 worship service
December 24: Christmas Eve worship services
4:00 Contemporary
10:00 Traditional
December 28: One worship service – 9:00am
“Hymn sing”
5879 Wyoming Trail,
PO Box 583
Wyoming, MN 55092
Phone - 651.462.5212
Fax - 651.462.8312
www.sharingchristslove.org
Church Staff
Rev. Renee Patterson, Pastor
Organist: Jeanne Richards
Allyson Thiele, Office Administrator
Custodians: Cindy Gruett, Jan Taylor
Janet Nutter, Director of Children’s Ministry
Music: Praise and Celebration Team
Patti Lichtscheidl, Preschool Director
Parish Nurses: Karen Carlson, Jan Brainard
Sheila Byl, Contemporary Music Coordinator
1
Upcoming Worship
Counter’s Schedule
December 7 — 2nd Sunday in Advent
8:30 Traditional Worship
10:00 Contemporary Worship
December 7
rd
Rosie Quale, Jessica Schmidt
December 14—3 Sunday in Advent
8:30 Traditional Worship
10:00 Contemporary Worship
December 14
December 21 — 4th Sunday in Advent
8:30 Traditional Worship
10:00 Contemporary Worship
Jessica Schmidt, Karen Rozeske
December 21
December 24 — Christmas Eve Services
4:00 Contemporary Worship
10:00 Traditional Worship
Karen Rozeske, Dale & Jan Brainard
December 28— 1st Sunday of Christmas
9:00 Hymn sing
December 29
Dale & Jan Brainard, Arlie Post
January 4 – 2nd Sunday of Christmas
8:30 Traditional Worship
10:00 Contemporary Worship
January 4
Arlie Post, Georgia Burg
WORSHIP PARTICIPANTS FOR DECEMBER 8:30 & 10:00am SERVICES
Date
Dec. 7
8:30
10:00
Assistants
Acolytes
Readers
Ushers
Greeters
Shirley Z, Fran & Dave N
Arlie Post
Karen C
Andy S
Nick Jones
Ericka C, Lily W
Dave H, Dale B
Ihfe family
Doug & Pat M
Chris & Brandy T
Dec. 14 8:30
10:00
Dale & Jan B, Lois R
Angie Olson
Dave N
Lisa L
Collin Jones
Zach B, Travis D
Dean G, Andy N
Walesheck family
Claudia & Jerry N
Brian & Rita Y
Dec. 21 8:30
10:00
Neil & Judy G, Jan T
Karen Carlson
Dave H
Kids
Autumn Tillman
Marie R, Noah D
John P, Ellsworth L Dave & Fran N
Hubrich family
Laura W, Barb H
Dec. 24 4:00
10:00
Jean Reed
Dale & Jan Brainard
Karen C
Katie E
Kenny Hyrkas
Ben H,
Jon & Rosie Q
?????
Jim & Karen C
John & Darla P
Dec. 28 9:00
Hymn sing
Carrie Reed
Eileen R
Ben Hanson
Dave H, Dale B
Josepine P, Lois R
Frank & Katie E
Jan. 4
Kathie M, Zella O, Cheryl G
Laura Walesheck
Lois R
Arlie P
Jack Beaudette
Noah D, Sam H
Dean G, Andy N
Hanson family
Jon & Rosie Q
Marshall& Michelle I
8:30
10:00
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When Jesus Comes Knocking….
The knock came at the door of the inn. It was late.
We can imagine the innkeeper had been burning both ends of the candle. The
census crowd packed Bethlehem and he had finally locked the doors for the night.
Until the knock. He shuffled his feet through the dark, probably even stepping over people sleeping
on the floor, and made his way to the door. Opening it with the slightest of cracks he peered out to see
a young couple. Looking more closely he saw a young woman who was about to give birth to a child.
Rooms were full. It was late. And they didn’t look all that special. He had to decide whether he would
find room for them or not. And you will too. John’s rendition of the birth of Christ comes in a few
short words: “The Word [logos] became flesh and made His dwelling among us” (John 1:14).
Greek hearers understood the word “logos” as the representation of God. The essence of God was
found in His Word. Hebrew readers perked up to John’s message too. John writes: “In the beginning
was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the
beginning.”
He book ends the first sentence of his book with the phrase “in the beginning.” They knew it as the
words that began the first book of the Torah, or Genesis. John writes about beginnings. John writes
about God’s very being dwelling among us. And he writes to tell us that we have the same decision to
make as the innkeeper.
Will we find a place for Jesus in our lives or will we send Him away?
Some send Him away because He looks too plain…almost ordinary. Nothing special about Him.
Don’t make that mistake. He comes to common places like your home and common places like your
heart…..with a message that is not common at all.
Some send Him away because life is crowded. Too many demands and too many deadlines. Who has
time for that...or Him? How in the world can I fit one more thing in? But He doesn’t come so you
can “fit one more thing” into your already busy life. He comes to give you something that this world
(or a busy life) can’t….forgiveness. He desires to give you forgiveness.
And then there are some that send Him away because they think it’s too late. They’ve already done
too much that can’t be forgiven. They’ve already gone too far away.
But it’s never too late. Not with the One who comes and makes His dwelling among us. You need
only to open the door.
Spend some time this Advent season reflecting on the knock at the door of your heart….and what
your response will be when you open the door.
And may you and yours experience the Christ child, born to us once again, making all things new!
Trusting in Him,
Pastor Renee
PASTORAL CONCERNS: Since the inception of the Privacy Act, hospitals no longer call us to let us
know when a member is admitted. So we are asking you to CALL AND LET US KNOW!!! Also, if
you have concerns or wish to talk to Pastor Renee
please call the church office, 651.462.5212.
3
Preschool News
What a wonderful year this has been so far at the
Preschool. The kids have settled into the routine
and are really enjoying their time here. Some fun
things we’ve done this year so far include our
annual trip to Lendt’s Pumpkin Patch, and a visit
from the Wyoming Fire Department during our fire
safety week. Even Pastor Renee enjoyed a tour of
the inside of one of the fire trucks with us, and
speaking of Pastor Renee, the kids LOVE Chapel
Days with her.
At this time we are right in the middle of our
fall fundraiser. If you haven’t had the chance to
order one of the great boxes of handcrafted
greeting cards we’ve been selling, you still have a
little time left. We will be taking orders until
December 2nd. There is an order form out in the
Narthex on the Preschool bulletin board, along with
some samples of the cards, otherwise you can call
Patti at the Preschool number, 651-462-6832 and
place your order.
We’ve been practicing very hard already for our
Christmas Program “Happy Birthday Jesus” which
is coming up on Thursday, December 18th and
Friday, December 19th. The program begins at
10:00 a.m. both days. Anyone interested in
watching the children sing are welcome to come.
The program is short, but very sweet, and there
will be birthday cake! Also, at the program we will
be sponsoring a book fair from Usborne books. We
will have it set up both days froms 9:00-11:30.
Books make WONDERFUL Christmas gifts if you’re
still shopping!
Reach for the Stars
St. Paul Lutheran Church hosts
this exercise program that is
lead by instructors from Parmly,
Mon., Wed, & Fri., from 10:30 –
11:30am. Cost is $1 per
session but if you have
insurance that covers Silver
Sneakers there is no cost.
Come and Enjoy!!
For to us a child is born,
to us a son is given,
and the government will be on his
shoulders.
And he will be called
Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God,
Everlasting Father, Prince of
Peace.
7
Of the greatness of his
government and peace
there will be no end.
He will reign on David’s throne
and over his kingdom,
establishing and upholding it
with justice and righteousness
from that time on and forever.
The zeal of the LORD Almighty
will accomplish this.
4
Isaiah 9: 6-7
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Pastor Renee Patterson:
Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday
Allyson Thiele:
Tues-Thurs 9:00am-4:00pm
Friday 9:00am - 12:00
In case of an emergency and you need to reach someone
immediately, you may call Pastor Renee’s cell,
651.271.6882. You may also leave a message at the
church, 651.462.5212 and someone will return your call as
soon as possible.
NOON,
Tuesday
December 16
Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell
God what you need, and thank him for all he has done.
Philippians 4:6 (NLT)
Those grieving the loss of a loved one
Those giving PRAISE!
Those dealing with parent(s) with health issues
Laura Walesheck
Those in need of Healing
Brandon: Kim Olson’s former son-in-law; bear attack
Daniel Morency: father of Brian & Lisa Fashner; ill
Jessica: high school senior; in serious car accident
Tracy: daughter of Pat Crawford, continuous pain and
potential surgery
Leah VerSteeg: relative of Zierkes; pregnancy complications
Wyatt: friend of Zierkes; ulcerative coilitis
Farrah: friend of Zella; bulged disc in neck
Laura: Pat Crawford’s daughter; seeing specialist
Pat Crawford: multiple health issues
Joan Johnson: Jan Brainard’s sister; house destroyed by fire
Shawn: relative of Elodee Hudon; pneumonia, influenza and
bacterial infection
Chuck Crawford: advanced muscular dystrophy & personal
issues
Those on a Cancer journey
George Bisek: bladder cancer treatment
Bill Oswald
Josephine Peterson: slow growing carcinoid tumor
Jo: Kim Scherer’s mother, Emily’s grandmother
Carl: friend of Damien; bone marrow transplant
Verdelle: co-worker of Elodee; breast cancer
Pat Brant: Pat Miska’s Aunt; unknown pain
Rick Olsen: friend of Cindy Gruett; cancer & congestive heart
failure
Ken Thorson: recovery from stomach cancer surgery
Ron Carlson: Jean Reed’s father; prostate cancer
Sicily: 5yr. old relative of Linda Headley; starting chemo due to
Burkitt lymphoma
Bob Oswald: Bill’s brother, recent prostate cancer diagnosis
Janice Endres: hysterectomy due to cervical cancer
Kim: family friend of Cindy Gruett; stage 4 colon cancer
Shelia: Jan Taylor’s sister-in-law; cancer & family issues
Kevin: friend of Kim Coppersmith, brain tumor
Megan: 6th grade girl with leukemia
Those serving in the military
Those in law enforcement protecting us at home
Those looking for employment
5 Those affected by tornadoes, floods, adverse weather
What’s happening in Children’s/Youth Ministries??
Sunday School Christmas ProgramFrom here to December 22, it’s ALL about the Christmas Program in Sunday School. Practices will be
during Sunday School on Sunday and Scene Rehearsals on Wednesday Nights before Advent Services.
Please join us for our Christmas Program Sunday December 22nd during the 10:00 Worship as our
littlest SPL Members tell us the Christmas Story, and sing those beautiful Christmas Songs.
Mission TripThe Mission Trip Students are working hard to earn the money for their trips.We had Turkey BINGO
and bagged groceries at Cub Foods the weekend before Thanksgiving....THANK YOU for your support
of these Fundraising Events! We earned $1100 at Turkey BINGO (and SUCH a fun evening), and the
Forest Lake Community gave us $1000 in tips at Cub Foods! St Paul Lutheran should be PROUD of
these 22 Young People, they worked hard and represented St Paul Lutheran WELL!
Please add our Winter Fundraising Events to your Calendar- Craft Retreat January 23-24 and our
Annual Spaghetti Supper February 21st.
Safeguarding God’s Children
THANK YOU, St Paul Lutheran, for your support of Safeguarding God's Children. I appreciate the
support of the Council in responding favorably and encouraging participation. 80 People went
through our Safeguarding classes earlier in November, including Staff and Council Members. I feel that
this is a very important yearly reminder. I especially would like to thank Cheryl Glassel for conducting
these sessions with me!
Trunk or Treat
We ended up with about a dozen cars for Trunk or Treat, and a lot of kiddos! It was a REALLY cold
out, but a great Community Event! THANK YOU for your donations of candy, and THANK YOU to
all the trunks that came and participated with us!
At the November meeting, Council approved a motion
to accept Cheryl Glassel as our interim Vice President
filling the position previously held by Brian Hamilton.
Cheryl has been an active member of the Council
through her efforts on the SPRRT team and as a
member-at-large for the last two years. We are very
excited to have Cheryl move into this interim position
and thank her for the many contributions she’s made
to St. Paul Lutheran Church!
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DECEMBER
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Lisa Landherr
Roger Harms
Nancy Brant
Bill England
Devin Olson
Arne Ranta
Craig Reed
Karen Carlson
Michaela Ihfe
Krista Bosman
Katie Edwards
Jan Ranta
Carol Bisek
Wally Klecker
Laura Miller
Calvin Warner
Lucas Byl
Lindsey Quale
Laurie Drexler
Nicole Parsonns
Diana Hubrich
Andrew Brant
Claudia Lee
Jack Storlie
Chris Johnson
Ann Stanina
Leann McGowan
Cindy Gruett
Lois Rustad
Katie Dubois
Hazel Korlin
Janet Taylor
Ron Gilbert
Ellsworth Larson
Heidi Klecker
Ernie Adamczak
Erica Jasmer
Rosa Diaz
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Joanna Kroschel
Carmen Boerboom
Haley Huberty
Tate Storlie
Blake Johnson
Jesse Taylor
Lukas Gilbert
Linda Graeve
Logan Carlson
Austin Reed
Marshall Ihfe
Brandy Timmons
Joel Chapin
Brennan Engel
Rayna Ohr
Samuel Lundgren
Samuel Kroschel
Olivia Brant
Harper Marie Cedarbloom
Hailey Nenn
Claudia Nelson
In October Council asked a small group to assemble a Task Force to discuss the activity we’ve seen blossom
when it comes to fundraising efforts in our congregation. This Task Force consisted of three members of
Council (Pastor Renee Patterson, Nan Renstrom and myself), along with a group of ministry team
leaders/members:
 Julie Coozenoy (Loaves & Fishes Team, Fall Festival Team)
 Janet Nutter (Children’s Ministry)
 Dave Nordhausen (Global Missions Team)
 Shirley Zierke (Preschool Board & Loaves & Fishes Team)
Since we have experienced an increase in fundraising activity over the last year, the team was asked to assess
the various activities and identify ways we may need to modify our current fundraising process.
First of all, let me say THANK YOU to the team for taking time to discuss this topic and for coming up with a
fantastic recommendation to Council!! Over the next few months, we’ll share more of the specific
recommendations, but for now I wanted to recap the highlights:
COMMUNICATION

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New communication/training on fundraising efforts coming from the Loaves & Fishes Team
called Mission Explosion. WATCH FOR MORE on this exciting effort!
Ministry teams should review their fundraising efforts with Council prior to starting their
program.
Include the purpose and the target for the congregation to know what’s included in the effort and
how it ties into our Mission and Vision.
All efforts will wrap up their activities with a recap of the results (number of participants, funds
raised, amount tithed back to the church and a reminder of how the funds will be used).
COLLABOCOLLABORATION & COMMUNITY
 We’ll be adding a fundraising calendar of events to the monthly
newsletter and announcements monitor so you can see what’s ahead for
fundraising efforts.
 Team will be asked to expand their fundraising efforts to include the
greater community, including family, friends, neighbors and other community
members.
 Many of our fundraising efforts have a dual purpose where the host
team is raising funds for their initiatives and at the same time providing an
event for you to participate in part or in total (our craft retreats/creation
vacations, turkey bingo, a meal, etc.). We are encouraging this approach going
forward as it’s another way to bring congregation and our community together.
CONTRIBUTE A TITHE

One of the most exciting concepts from the Task Force is the idea that each team should practice
tithing. With that in mind, we’re asking each fundraising effort to challenge themselves to give
10% of their earnings to the general fund that helps us all live into our Mission and Vision.
We all make a difference when it comes fundraising efforts – some bring the ideas forward and help
coordinate the activities, some participate in the events, others donate or buy the product and/or services
brought forward, and for many others we’re blessed that you participate in more than one of these options.
Regardless of how much or how often you participate in fundraising efforts for our church, please know we
all feel truly blessed to be part of this wonderful congregation that puts their hearts into Sharing Christ’s Love
with Joy!
Julie Ohmann St. Paul Lutheran Council President
8
I wish to express my many thanks and gratitude to all of my friends at St. Paul Lutheran for helping make the
Bake Sale in conjunction with our Fall Festival a large success. The Lord blessed the Bake Sale so richly that
we raised $1,923.60 for His work in our community. The cookie raffle brought in $172 of this total.
A successful sale doesn’t “just happen”. It takes a lot of time and effort by many people and of course LOVE
to donate their time and generous donations of goodies for our sale.
Thanks you so very much to all of the ladies who baked, made phone calls, and helped in different ways.
Special thanks to Jim Carlson for baking the delicious bread that is always a big “seller” at our sale. And
thanks to everyone who bought our large variety of goodies that were made with loving hands and hearts.
The winners of the cookies raffle were Wally Klecker and Shirley Zierke.
I thank my Lord for giving me the love that was needed to coordinate the bake sale once again.
Whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus.
Colossians 3: 17
God is Good!!
Dee Wilkinson
Bake Sale co-coordinator
The Bega Kwa Bega Fall Festival was held Saturday, November 8th at Augustana
Lutheran Church in West St. Paul. Pr. Renee, Fran and Dave Nordhausen, and Kathie
Marabella joined more than 200 people representing over 60 congregations. Peter
Harrits, the Director of Bega Kwa Bega who visited our congregation this fall on
Tanzania Sunday, and our new St. Paul Area Synod Bishop, Patricia Lull, were featured
speakers. We worshiped together, attended workshops, viewed displays provided by
organizations supporting affiliated missions and had coffee and treats (we are
Lutherans, after all). We ended the day by celebrating the 20th “birthday” of the
University of Iringa.
The morning was a celebration of life together as a worldwide community of
faith. As we heard during worship: “With our sisters and brothers in Tanzania, we are
One Body in Christ (Moja). We pray and live and work in unity - a spirit of 'one-ness'
(Umoja). We share life together, in one place (Pamoja).”
Submitted by Kathie Marabella
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St. Paul Lutheran Council Meeting
Tuesday November 18, 2014
Attending: Pastor Renee Patterson, Julie Ohmann, Julie Hyrkas, Nan Renstrom, Cheryl Glassel, Neil Gatzow, Dave Haselbauer,
Marshal Ihfe, Jim Carlson, Janet Nutter, Patti Lichtscheidl
Call to Order: 6:30pm by Julie Ohmann-Marshal Ihfe opened meeting with devotions.
Review of Minutes
Motion was made, seconded and unanimously approved to accept the minutes of October 21, 2014.
Review of Finance Balance Sheet
October 2014-Income: $27,311.17 Expense: $28,447.19.
Motion was made, seconded and unanimously approved to accept the Treasurer’s Report.
Review of Reports
Pastor’s Report Pastor Renee reported that the Fall Festival reported brought in approximately $5000, of which, 10% will go
back to the church general fund to keep in line with our new fundraising guidelines. Discussed how to use our Celebration strips,
one proposal was to put them together during coffee time in the Fellowship Hall one Sunday. Pastor Renee also discussed putting
together a Ministry that consists of adults in the middle age group.
Loaves and Fishes No Report
Finance Report Nan mentioned that Jerry is going to look for some used fire safe options. The Finance Team is waiting to see
pledge dollar amounts prior to making a decision before on the Business Manager. Statements are scheduled to go out in the
beginning of December asking people to complete their pledged giving for 2014, and giving a final date for contributions to be
included in the statements for 2014. The Audit Team has established a list of 40 items that they will be auditing. To date 27 items
have been completed, 4 are in progress, and 9 will be started soon. They plan on having the final report by the January Council
Meeting.
Children, Youth & Family Development Ministry Team
Pre-School: Patti reported the preschool has just kicked off their fall fundraiser, “Cards for a Cause” this week with the preschool
families. Information has been put up on the preschool bulletin board in the narthex. The preschool program “Happy Birthday
Jesus” will be on Thurs, Dec. 18, and Fri. Dec. 19 at 10am.
Children’s Ministry: Janet reported that Nov. 9 was the Children of Christ Sunday. From here to Dec. 22 it’s all about the
Christmas Program in Sunday School. SPLASH 5/6 are making their way through “The Story.” Janet mentioned that 80
people went through the Safeguarding Classes. Pastor Renee will send in the background check consent forms and a donation
was made to purchase the DVD’s for this course. Advent Joy is coming up on Sun Dec. 7. Trunk or Treat had about a dozen
cars and a lot of kiddos.
Youth Report: Pastor Renee mentioned the Anonymous Santa toy sorting has been moved to Mon Dec 15. The Sr. High
continues to meet after confirmation on Wednesdays. Janet and Pastor Renee are working on a mentoring program that would
involve 5th-9th graders on Wednesday evening. It would consist of small groups of one adult and 2-3 youth. They would meet
at 6pm in the sanctuary and hear about the lesson together as a large group, then they would break into the small groups and
then back into a large group discussion. Lenten worship would begin after that at 7:00pm. Janet reported that the Mission
Trip students are working hard to earn money for their trips. There is 22 youth and 4 adults registered to go next Summer.
Adult Education/Sunday Forum: Pastor Renee reported they are continuing the weekly Bible study in “The Story.” They will
deviate from “The Story” during Advent; rejoining our chronological journey in Jan.
Global Missions Report The team reported the balance in the Tanzanian account is $6,754.34, in which the TZ Sunday brought
in about $2,200. The Mtera School Project has $1595.84 in its account. The team discussed changes to student funding, in which
they need to commit to a dollar amount for 2015 instead of a student number. Costs will vary dependent upon both the school and
the student. TZ Sunday went well and the music was great. The Creation Vacation weekend, Oct 24-25 had about 22 people for
both days.
Congregational Life/Missions The team reported a discussion on changing the name from Congregation Life/Missions to
Outreach. There was a new member dessert on Nov 11 with 34 new members. Miss you cards were sent out to members that
have not been seen in church for a while, 24 cards were sent out.
Property, Building and Grounds Report Pastor Renee mentioned that Neil Gatzow has stepped forward as our council liaison
for this team. The team consists of 6 members: Neil Gatzow, Dave Haselbauer, Jim Carlson, Jerry Nelson, Brian Young, and Ron
Gilbert. The team has drafted a preventative maintenance schedule that will be used to maintain the building. Jerry created a
binder of the vendors and repair companies that will be used if issues arise. Snow Plow removal has been added to the preschool
sidewalks.
SPPRT No report
Worship, Art, and Music Ministry Report Dave reported that Nov. 30 Richard Bauman will preach while Pastor Renee is gone.
On Dec.24 the Praise band will play at 4:00pm and the adult choir is at the 10:00pm service. A hymn service is Dec. 28 at
9:00am. On Jan. 25, 2015, the annual meeting is scheduled and the team is working on the survey questions about worship time
changes to be presented then. Feb.18, 2015, is Ash Wednesday. Palm Sunday is March 29, 2015. April 5, 2015 is Easter Sunday.
Old Business
1. Council members position opening on January 2015.
2. Thank You Notes.
New Business
Cheryl Glassel was nominated and approved by council to fill10in for the remainder of the year, 2014, as Vice-Chair.
Meeting was adjourned at 8:24pm
Respectfully submitted by Julie Hyrkas
Anonymous Santa
For the past several years people of St. Paul Lutheran
have generously donated to the Anonymous Santa
program in Chisago County. This program provides
toys, hats, mittens, and many other items to those who
cannot afford to purchase gifts for their children. You
will find a tree in the narthex with "wish list" tags.
Please take one, or more, and purchase the gifts
needed, OR....be creative, ask your children or
grandchildren what they would like from Santa. There
is a great need for teenage gifts this year. If you prefer,
monetary gifts are also appreciated, just memo your
check to St. Paul Lutheran "Anonymous Santa".
Thank you to everyone who helped
to make the Fall Festival a huge
success.
Without each person’s generosity in
their donations and their willingness to
attend the Fall Festival, we could not
have done it!
Dear friends at St. Paul,
Thank you for the prayers, cards and
expressions of concern when I was in
the hospital. It was very comforting
and reassuring to receive them. You
are kind and wonderful people. Thank
you so very much.
Sincerely,
Jeanne Richards
A BIG thanks for all who have given
Birthday bags. We are such a giving
church. May God bless you all!
Yours in Christ,
Cindy Gruett
To my church family,
I am so thankful for the visits, cards
and prayers while I was healing
from pneumonia. I feel blessed to
have such a supportive church
family.
Jan Brainard
Thank you to all who attended the Creation Vacation and to those who spread the
word about this event! We had our best attendance yet and we were able to raise
over $1300 for the Global Missions Team. This money will be used for
various expenses including the Mtera Well Project, congregational projects, and
other financial support that may occur throughout the year. Thank you again!
--Global Missions Team
11
We Are Church Together
Informative, energizing, challenging - these are some of the words that describe
the Region 3 ELCA Networks for Mission Event that Dave and I attended in St.
Cloud on November 13th - 15th. Exhausting would be another - we could not
believe so much could be packed in so short a time!
The event was organized and facilitated by staff from the ELCA Churchwide
office in Chicago. The purpose was to discuss and discover ways to collaborate
and coordinate for common ministry and mission within an increasingly
specialized world and in the midst of a changing church. We attended large
group sessions, skill workshops and small group sharing with participating ELCA
ministries and networks. Dave and I chose to attend the network events around
Global Mission and Companion Synods. We learned what networking is, the
many ways and places the ELCA works in accompaniment, attended skill sessions
around race and culture and on inviting people to our interest table, discussed
how the time in which we were born (1930's, 40's 60's for example) influences
our thinking, as well as participating in inspirational worship. ELCA Bishop
Elizabeth Eaton spoke on the final day and entertained questions.
We were amazed by, and yes - proud of, all the work that we do as part of the
ELCA, and we were in awe of the young people we met who managed the entire
event. Many of these young people had participated in the ELCA Young Adults in
Global Mission program. The future of the church is bright in their hands!
Fran Nordhausen
The Book Nook
2014 Year-End Contribution
Information:
To include as a charitable deduction
for your 2014 income tax returns,
your check or cash gift must be:
 Dropped off in the church office
before noon on December 31,
with the check dated 2014.
 If mailed to the church, you need to
ensure that the mailed envelope is
postmarked
by
Wednesday,
December 31, 2014 and checks
are dated 2014.
Thank you for your special year-end
giving. Gifts are greatly appreciated.
As we close out 2014 many of you may be making
New Year’s resolutions; perhaps…to pray more or
find a good daily prayer book or Bible Study. One
way to find a good fit is to go on Amazon and
preview (send sample) books. If you are looking for
suggestions, “Jesus Calling” by Sarah Young,
“Morning and Evening” by CH Spurgeon, “Christ In
Our Home” from Augsburg Fortress and “Every
Day Prayers” by Scotty Smith are all good choices.
Happy hunting and Happy New Year. Make a
resolution to share ideas and books with the Book
Nook!
HAPPY READING!!
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Knots
What kind of knots have you encountered?
There are those knots in your stomach when you are under stressful situations. When was the last time you
tried tying your shoelaces without knots? Splitting firewood is always tougher when the pieces of wood are
knotty. These are all things that can and do complicate our lives. If we could avoid those situations that
aggravate us enough to do things that we would not normally do, life would be so much simpler. But it is
not these knots that we have to really worry about.
It is that other list of NOTS we should be more concerned about. You know them. They are the ones that
are so important that they were carved in stone. Yes, they are better known as the TEN
COMMANDMENTS. When was the last time you looked, really looked, at them. Thou shall not kill.
Thou shall not steal. Thou shall not covet. If you look at each one independently, there are some things we
may have ignored most of our lives. When we read them, we tend to take them literally. But they are open
to a finer interpretation. Take the Thou shall not steal. Isn’t it easy to say this means the bank robbers,
where 10’s and 100’s of thousands are taken. Look again. There is not dollar amount specified. Anything
taken without the owners knowledge or permission is stealing, regardless of value. One cent or one million,
it doesn’t really matter. Stealing is stealing. That is the way it goes with the rest.
When you honor your father and mother, do you always treat them with respect due any elder? I don’t
think being disrespectful, physically or verbally, would be acceptable. It doesn’t take very much thought
about each one of the commandments to realize we all may have broken every one of these NOTs. So,
what is a person to do? Study the Ten Commandments. Know them and understand what they really mean.
Don’t try to find the ways out or around them. They were written by the best. There are no loopholes.
Rather than wasting your time trying to manipulate them spend that time in praise and admiration of the
Lord. For a list of the Ten Commandments check out the following:
(1)Exodus 20- first set that Moses broke (2) Exodus 34 second set (3) Deuteronomy 5.
Prayer Intercessory Team Leader (PIT)
Keep the Faith
Bill Oswald
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“Come to the corner”
An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone
over them. They were terribly afraid, 10 but the angel said to them,
“Don't be afraid! I am here with good news for you, which will bring
great joy to all the people. 11 This very day in David's town your Savior
was born—Christ the Lord! 12 And this is what will prove it to you: you
will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.”
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Suddenly a great army of heaven's angels appeared with the angel,
singing praises to God:
“Glory to God in the highest heaven,
and peace on earth to those with whom he is pleased!”
Luke 2: 9-14
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In loving memory of:
Sandy Snethen
John & Darla Peterson
Martha Ayotte
Chris & Shirley Zierke
Attention Ministry Leaders…
Mobile Food Truck update
Needed: Annual
Our church will be hosting Family Pathway’s
mobile food truck December 20th. Our
volunteers will begin at 8:00 that morning
with setup. The food truck will be available
for qualified shoppers from 9:00 a.m. until
11:00am. Our volunteers will then tear
down. See the sign-up in the narthex.
Family Pathway’s staff will be here to handle
most of the logistics. Our job as volunteers
will be to warmly greet people and help the
staff as needed.
Reports
Yes! It is that time of the
year again. I need your
ministry’s Annual Report by
Sunday, December 14!
Please send to
In preparation of the event, we will have the
grocery cart out in the narthex. All food
collected here will go directly into the
shopping area December 20th.
[email protected]
Thank you!
This letter came in
from someone that we
helped through our
Good Neighbor Fund:
Dear SPLC,
I don't even know how I could repay you for what you
did for me and my girls. You literally kept us from
being homeless. Words cannot express the gratitude I
have for (everyone at SLPC). I cried when I opened
that letter from you (all). You didn't have to do that,
but again, I appreciate it so much...more than you
know. I can't articulate exactly how I'm feeling, I'm
just overwhelmed with gratitude and appreciation!!
Thank you again! You're my guardian angel (s)!
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Community Events and Opportunities
A Great place to donate!
Need help with groceries?
Did you know that you can donate:
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Financial contributions
Time – volunteer
Food, household or personal care items
Clothing, household items and furniture
A Great place to shop!
The next “FARE FOR ALL”
food distribution is
WEDNESDAY, Nov 26, 4-6PM
At Forest Lake VFW (near Target) www.fareforall.org
Or
RUBY’S PANTRY,
North Branch: 2nd Sat. of the month, (Nov 8) 10-11:30am
39404 Grand Ave., North Branch
Look for bargins in:
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Forest Hills UMC: 3rd Sat of month, (Nov 15) 8-11:00am
1790 11th St. SE, Forest Lake
Clothing
Home décor
Furniture
Household goods
Best of all, the proceeds go to help with
programs and services for families,
youth and senior citizens in our
community!
Cost per family $15.00
Christmas Tea
Thursday, December 4
1:30 p.m.
Wyoming United Methodist Church
A time of fellowship and singing Christmas carols
Hosted by BeFrienders of WUMC
donations accepted for JOY BELLS, an outreach to children in the
community who might not have a blessed Christmas without your help.
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