November 18, 2022
This Sunday we give thanks to God during one worship at 10:00 am in the Sanctuary! Read below for more details, and we look forward to seeing you!
DEAR GOD, THANK YOU SUNDAY!
ONE WORSHIP
10:00 a.m. | Sanctuary
Join us for this special Sunday Banquet Worship of Thanks-Giving! The Sanctuary will be set with tables and chairs, and a lovely home-cooked breakfast will be on the tables. We will begin Worship, sing a song, eat together while we elect council members, and then continue with worship as we praise God through the offerings of our gifts and pledges for 2023. Thanks be to God for this very special Sunday!
About the elections: There are five council seats on the ballot, as well as a space for write-in candidates. Tamara Allen, Ted Powell, John Robertson, Denise Seidel, and Michael Watt have been nominated as candidates. Bobby McQuiston is the candidate for the Endowment Board. Read more about the candidates here.
*There will be a pre-recorded worship shown online at 10:45 a.m. for those unable to attend in person.
*8:15 + 10:45am Worship, 9:30am Adult Bible Study, and 9:45am Sunday’Scool will resume next Sunday, November 27
CHRISTMAS GIVING TREES
Thank you for supporting this joy-filled ministry! Please return your gifts anytime before Sunday, November 27 by placing them beneath the shelves by the stairs in the Gathering Space. Contact Linda Roesle with questions.
ADVENT BEGINS NEXT SUNDAY!
FIRST SUNDAY IN ADVENT
Sunday, November 27
8:15 + 10:45 a.m. | Sanctuary
God–Immanuel–Everywhere! The untold stories of the Nativity are told for Advent. We begin with the question, “What do you want to fill your heart this season?” Added bonus: get in the Christmas spirit and help us decorate the Sanctuary after the late service!
ADVENT FESTIVAL FOR CHILDREN AND FAMILIES
Sunday, November 27
9:45 a.m. | Family Ministry Space Upstairs
Come catch the spirit of Christmas at Sunday’Scool’s special Advent Festival! Celebrate the season by making an Advent Wreath, decorating cookies, and trimming the Christmas tree.
THIS WEEK
Check the calendars on Realm or the website for a complete list of events!
PALS (Parents of Addicted Loved Ones)
Monday, November 21
7:00 p.m. | Library + Zoom
Open to every parent with an adult child dealing with substance use. Come find hope and support. For more information about this group, visit www.palgroup.org or contact Rebecca Guengerich.
WEDNESDAY BIBLE STUDIES
No Bible Studies this Wednesday!
7:00 a.m. + 10:00 a.m. will not meet on November 23. Happy Thanks-Giving y’all!
THANKSGIVING EVE WORSHIP
Wednesday, November 23
Noon + 7:00 p.m. | Sanctuary
We will be giving thanks for God’s blessings with beautiful music and a message. Don’t forget to take home a loaf of home-baked bread. We desperately need your help this year with our Food Drive benefitting our neighbors in Montopolis. Please bring a bag of non-perishable food and diapers for the Bread for All Food Pantry. Read here and learn why your food donations are so important this year.
ADVENT MID-WEEK
Wednesdays, December 7 + 14
7:00 p.m. | Butterfly Center Chapel
Take a deep breath this season and remember the meaning and purpose of Advent. This short meditative worship will give you time for reflection and peace while you prepare your heart for the arrival of our newborn King.
CAMPUS CLEANUP FOR CHRISTMAS
Saturday, December 10
9:00 a.m. | Meet in the Courtyard
We are looking forward to rolling out a warm welcome to our visitors on Christmas Eve! Come help us make God’s campus and buildings ready. We have projects inside and out, for all ages and abilities! View the “to-do” list and find where you can help!
HOPE FOR THE HOLIDAYS
Gathering Space Display
Stop by the table and pick a Christmas card from one of the cards supplied, write a brief message (we have prompts!), and put it in the “mailbox” in the Gathering Space. The Developing Missions Team will package and send your cards off for distribution to families being detained at the border. Available through November 27.
BEREAL PERSONAL HYGIENE ITEMS
Gathering Space Display
There is a new Tree Display on the Gathering Space Shelf! Pick a card and bring some of the suggested hygiene items to put in the box. These will be distributed to the young women of BeREAL, a ministry of Upbring supporting youth transitioning out of foster care.
GIVING
Giving is an expression of joy and gratitude for the bounty of God’s goodness! There are so many ways to give-both financially and through serving.
BREAD FOR ALL DONATION NEEDS
Gathering Space Bins
Last week Bread for All served 108 families. This week Bread for All needs peanut butter, canned tomatoes (all kinds), plus spaghetti sauce, pasta including spaghetti, and Mac & cheese. Bring your donations anytime! Read here and learn why your food donations are so important this year.
DEAR GOD, THANK YOU! 2023 STEWARDSHIP
Prayerfully consider making a gift in support of our Mission and Ministry Fund and/or Campus Care Fund for 2023. Use the pledge card sent in the mail with your Stewardship Brochure, or make a pledge online. Pledges are an estimate of giving, and can be changed if your financial circumstances change.
PLEDGES, GIFTS, AND DONATIONS
Keeping current with your pledged or regular giving has never been easier because you can do it all online!
BEYOND CAPITAL FUND APPEAL
Thanks to your early giving support, we were able to avoid another draft on our loan saving more interest! So far, we have saved almost $5600 in interest costs by not borrowing as much as budgeted. We now have 147 Households participating with pledges to date of $2,292,681 towards our goal of $3 million! Learn more about Beyond is accomplishing and how you can particpate.
SERVING
Serving is a great way to give back and get to know others in our community. Whether you are interested in serving locally, being part of a global mission, or volunteering to help in a variety of ways on Sundays, we have a place for you!
Sunday’s Altar Flowers are given by Cecilia Neuhaus Deaton, in loving memory of Russell W. Neuhaus.
PRAYERS
In need of prayer? Please contact a pastor to be put on the prayer list.
Would you like someone to pray alongside you during troubling times? Contact a Stephen Minister who can travel with you on life’s sometimes bumpy road.
We pray for Rodney Varner, Shirley Murray, Marc Wissman, and Curtis Johnson.
We pray for family and friends of Shepherd members: Sophie Ahumada, granddaughter of Nader and Debra Ayoub, and Adryana Aldeen, Director of Advancement at Mariposa.
We pray for the people of Ukraine caught in the middle of war and violence. Our hearts break when women and children are displaced and families torn apart by the evil actions of others. May you break open hearts so that swords may be beat into plowshares, spears into pruning hooks.
We pray for our global ministry partners: Rev. Karen Castillo in Guatemala; Iglesia Luterana Augustina Virgen del Rosario, Aurora 8 de Octubre, Guatemala. We pray for Malcolm and Joy Henderson and the ministry of CHARIS in Haiti.
We pray for our local ministries: Mariposa Family Learning Center, Bread For All and Upbring Ministries.
We pray that our faith community make a saintly difference that we may behold and courageous in our generosity. May the pledges we make be a sign of our gratitude and love. May we say Thank You with humble hearts and renewed commitment to being a beacon of hope in the world!
We pray for our faith community, that we may be a church without walls and live out loud…faithfully!
*Prayers for family and friends are listed for 2 weeks, unless we are notified otherwise.