Augustinian From the Pastor’s Desk Augustus Lutheran Church D EC E M BE R 2 014 Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, Let me begin this letter with a small request: Please make sure your email address book includes the newer email addresses for Karen McClain, the Parish Administrator, and me. Karen’s email address is: office@augustustrappe.org My email address is: pastor@augustustrappe.org As of January 1, all older email addresses ending in “@oldaugustus.org” will be deleted. Why not check that now while you think of it? I would like to thank all those Voting Members who attended the Congregational Meeting in November. Attendance at that meeting was 60% higher than we typically get. Your presence and participation are greatly appreciated. The overwhelming vote for the Vestry’s motion to conduct a Feasibility Study to determine the level of support for a possible Capital Campaign bodes well for the results. By the time you read this, the Steering Committee will have set up interviews with prospective firms to see which company best fits the current character of Augustus. More news will be included in the January Augustinian. We were honored to host the Collegeville-Trappe Community Thanksgiving Service on Sunday, November 23rd. Attendance was higher than in previous years and the offering, which is used to help neighbors in needs, was double the customary amount. Much of the credit for the organization and leadership of the service goes to Laurie Mueller, our wonderful Director of Music and Organist. Elsewhere in this newsletter you will find details of the various special Christmas programs in December. These events are an excellent opportunity to invites others to join you at Augustus. The Christmas Eve Services will be held at the usual times and in the usual locations: 5:00 PM Living Nativity (in the Old Church) 7:00 PM Family Service (in the Old Church) 9:00 PM Candle Carol Communion (in the Brick Church Nave) Please invite everyone you can think of to join you at Augustus for one or more of the Christmas Eve Services. It will be a great blessing to them. Please remind them that if they attend the services in the Old Church, they should dress very warmly and bring a flash light with them. Advent is a great time to prepare, watch, and wait for the Lord. See you in church. Yours in Christ, Pastor Weleck Page 1 Advent & Christmas Worship Advent 1, November 30 8:00 am Holy Communion 10:30 am Holy Communion—Lighting of the first candle of the Advent wreath Advent 2, December 7 8:00 am Holy Communion 10:30 am The Service—Lighting of the second candle of the Advent wreath Advent 3, December 14 8:00 am Holy Communion 10:30 am The Service—Lighting of the third candle of the Advent wreath Sunday School Christmas Program Advent 4, December 21 8:00 am Holy Communion 10:30 am The Service—Lighting of the fourth candle of the Advent wreath. Christmas Eve, December 24 5:00 pm Old Trappe Church Living Nativity 7:00 pm Old Trappe Church Family Carol Service 8:40 pm Choir Music in Brick Church Nave 9:00 pm Candlelight Carol Communion Service in Brick Church Nave Christmas Day, December 25 No Service 1st Sunday after Christmas, December 28 9:30 am Service of Lessons and Carols Church Office Holiday Hours December 24, 2014 December 25, 2014 December 26, 2014 December 29, 2014 December 30, 2014 December 31 2014 January 1, 2015 January 2, 2015 Page 2 9:00 am ‘til 12:00 noon Office Closed Office Closed Office Closed Office Open Normal hours 9:00 am ‘til 3:00 pm 9:00 am ‘till 12:00 noon Office Closed Resume Normal hours 9:00 am ‘til 3:00 pm Christmas is a great time to invite your friends and neighbors to come to Augustus. There are services for all kinds of families. Start a new tradition! Christmas Caroling The Middle School Youth Group will travel to nursing homes in the area on Sunday, December 14, to sing carols and spread Christmas cheer to the residents. All are welcome to join us! The bus will depart from Augustus at approximately 1:30. Baptism Holy Baptism was administered to Jackson Dunloe Wagenseller on Sunday, November 9, 2014. Jackson is the son of Brent and Amanda Wagenseller. May God bless this little one and his family as he begins his journey of faith. Sympathy and Prayers Sympathy and Prayers are offered to the family of Mr. James Geiser, recently deceased. Mr. Geiser was the brother-in-law of Mr. and Mrs. Ronald Oelschlager. May God grant eternal rest to James, and comfort to his family during this difficult time. Sympathy and Prayers are offered to the family of Mrs. Arlene Kantner, recently deceased. May God grant eternal rest to Arlene, and comfort to her family during this difficult time. Why Advent? The Church Year does not begin on January 1 as the secular calendar does. For the church, the new year begins with the Season of Advent and the four Sundays that lead up to Christmas. This is because the Christian Faith began when the Son of God took human nature of the Virgin Mary and was born as a baby in Bethlehem. And the Church has set aside the four weeks of Advent to represent the time of preparation for the Birth of our Savior Jesus Christ. It does this by using for the scripture readings at worship that proclaim that one day God would act decisively to save the world from sin and evil, and to turn the human race towards goodness and love. And he did it, not by sending just a teacher, but his own Son, who taught the love of God the Father, not only in words but in what he did. He came as a helpless baby, lived as a poor and humble man, and died willingly on the Cross – all to show that God his Father’s love was made powerful, not with armies or force, but with the patient, gentle, magnetic love of Jesus his Son. The prophets had taught that such a person would come, and they even predicted what cruel men would do to such a loving person. So even the lovely scene of the birth of Jesus at Bethlehem has the shadow of the Cross hanging over it. But the Church teaches that we should rejoice, be glad, throw ourselves into the merriment of Christmas, because through the life and death of Jesus, just beginning on Christmas Day, light and joy have entered the world. This is why we give presents at Christmas, to thank God for the greatest gift of all – Jesus Christ. The Advent Season is when we buy (or make) our gifts and our cards, so that when December 25 arrives, we will have done all we can for our family and friends. It is the Season when we prepare our hearts and lives for a new thanksgiving to God for our Lord and Savior, so that when we greet him at the Christmas Eve services, he finds us full of faith, hope, and love, ready to face the next Christian Year in thankfulness and joy. Page 5 3 Welcome to the new liturgical year, as Advent is here again! In this season of hope and joyful expectation, we are reminded of the coming of Jesus, not only at Christmas, but of his second coming at the end of time. As Advent progresses over these next four weeks, the lights of the Church grow stronger and brighter, as one by one, the four Advent candles are lit. Christmas comes for us at the darkest time of the year, and yet the Light of Christ overcomes that darkness. As we prepare for Christ’s coming, I encourage all of you to come and invite your friends to our Christmas Cantata on Saturday, December 13 at 3:00 pm – see the full page ad elsewhere in this newsletter. Thanks to Brian O’Hara for our flyer and program design, to Tracy Wessner for coordinating our reception afterwards, and to all our musicians who will make this a very special presentation. We will sing as the angels did on the first Christmas, “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth, peace to people of good will!” From the Bench On the lighter side, here’s a little Christmas music fun for you… Guess the Christmas Carols (or lines therefrom)! Answers at bottom... TITLES OF CAROLS 1. 5 p.m. to 6 a.m. without noise 2. Miniscule hamlet in the far east 3. Ancient benevolent despot 4. Adorn the vestibule 5. Exuberance directed to the planet 6. Listen, aerial spirits harmonizing 7. Monarchial trio 8. Yonder in the haystack 9. Assemble, everyone who believes 10. Hallowed post meridian 11. Tin tintinnabulums 12. A dozen 24-hour Yule periods 13. Befell during the transparent bewitching hour LINES FROM CAROLS 14. Slumber in ethereal quiet. 15. Hey there! The announcing celestial beings 16. O greetings of ease and happiness 17. On commencement of Yuletide my honey bestowed upon me. 18. Decorate the passage with branches of evergreen sprigs. 19. Ohh, celestial body of marvel, celestial body of strength. 20. Ourselves bid yourselves a joyous Noel and a cheerful neoteric 365 days... 21. O sacred darkness, the asterisks are brilliantly shimmering. 22. Royalty of royalties always and always... 23. O approach, y'all devoted happy and victorious... 24. Remarked the evening breeze to the tiny sheep... 25. Harmony on the planet, kindness to Homo sapiens... 1. Silent Night 2. O Little Town of Bethlehem 3. Good King Wenceslas 4. Deck the Halls 5. Joy to the World 6. Hark the Herald Angels Sing 7. We Three Kings 8. Away in a Manger 9. O Come All Ye Faithful 10. O Holy Night 11. Silver Bells 12. The Twelve Days of Christmas 13. It Came Upon a Midnight Clear 14. Sleep in heavenly peace... "Silent Night" 15. Hark! the herald angels sing... 16. O tidings of comfort and joy... "God rest ye merry gentlemen" 17. On the first day of Christmas my true love gave to me... "The Twelve Days of Christmas" 18. Deck the halls with boughs of holly... "Deck the Halls" 19. Ohhh star of wonder, star of night... "We Three Kings” 20. We wish you a merry Christmas and a happy new year.... "We wish you a Merry Christmas" 21. O Holy night, the stars are brightly shining... "O Holy Night" 22. King of Kings, forever and ever... "Hallelujah Chorus" 23. Oh come all ye faithful, joyful and triumphant... 24. Said the night wind to the lamb... "Do You Hear What I Hear” 25. Peace on Earth, goodwill toward men... "I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day" Page 4 Page 5 Vestry Contacts 2014 Vestry/Council Members Gary Wessner Office/Special Area Home Phone E-mail Address President/Property 610-454-0106 gtwess@comcast.net Richard Allebach Vice President/Mutual Min. 610-948-3488 dallebach@verizon.net Richard Clapper Cynthia Snyder Judy Bubeck Secretary/Old Church Treasurer/Finance Worship & Music 610-454-9732 610-409-8333 610-287-6356 Richard@clapper.org yosua@aol.com doot44@gmail.com Mona Chylack Outreach/Spiritual Life 610-948-4407 mchylack@ursinus.edu Jeanne Funk Communication/Technology 610-792-3830 jfunk@kpinterface.com Ron Hess Judi Lien Brian O’Hara Jim Richvalsky Stewardship Parish Life Worship & Music Christian Education 610-489-9427 610-970-9209 610-489-0417 610-495-9203 rhess@ursinus.edu judilien@comcast.net Brian.ohara24@gmail.com Richvalsky@gmail.com Jack Schatz Christian Education 610-489-3176 Please pray for the following people as they recover: Leon Linsenbigler Dick Landes Bob Reiff Charles Newton Ann Lachenmayer Alan Shunk Dutch Long Connie Schwirian Charity Jennings Dolores Allebach Emma Turner Tom Lachenmayer Ken Missimer Words of Thanks I cannot say “Thank You” enough for all the prayers extended to me throughout my two surgical eye procedures. May God continue to bless you and your families. Love, Dolores Allebach Remember During the Holidays Some Augustus Family members are unable to attend services and may be unable to venture out during the holiday season. Please remember these people with cards and good wishes this Christmas and throughout the year. Stanley Hedrick Telford Lutheran Community 235 Washington Telford, PA 18969 Thelma Hess 354 Ridgeview Harleysville, PA 19438 Richard Landes 99 Bethany Rd. Rm 231B Ephrata, PA 17522 Janet Saylor Rhoads Colonial Manor 111 Oak Street Gilbertsville, PA 19525 Evelyn Yeagle 815 Maplewood Dr., Apt. 161 Harleysville, PA 19438 Page 6 Ed Linkiewicz 4310 Twin Silo Dr. Blue Bell, PA 19422 Charity Jennings 3739 Skipview Lane Collegeville, PA 19426 Leon Linsenbigler 127 Pennapacker Road Trappe, PA 196426 Dutch Long Parkhouse Nursing & Rehab Ctr Room 218, N2 1600 Black Rock Road Royersford, PA 19468 Mr. & Mrs Thomas Lachenmayer 839 Locust Street Collegeville, PA 19426 Mary Missimer 120 W. 5th Street #217 Boyertown, PA 19512 Dick Weicheld 109 Hopwood Road Collegeville, PA 19426 December Birthdays Sunday Monday 1 Tuesday 2 Wednesday 3 Thursday 4 Friday 5 Saturday 6 Madison Cooper Richard Althouse Robert Price Russell Wilson Evelyn Yeagle Karen Yuan Charles Interrante Mary Keyser Daniel Reiser Sarah Wagenseller Raymond Waltz Jr. Deborah Harley Paul Kerr Holly Lucas Rachel Yost Elimchili Lyaro Carter Tantillo Kelli Wilson 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 Sam Dogonniuck Fran Espenship James Lorah John Vossen Marcus Hernandez Harriett Houser Samantha Nelson Connor Ottinger Brianna Doering Bruce King Gayle Neborak Michael Pot Logan Shafer David Cornish Danielle Halteman David Stufflet Amber Whitman Erin Barnitz Charles Beishl Landon Raupp Debra Augustine Rachel Hamilton 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 Christine Napier Lilly North Alexis Romano Samantha Penny Sara Jane Shaffer Dan Smith Allison Christy Justin Maurer Colin Smith Matthew Hamilton Ryan Hackett Jack Neborak Ronald Pakkala Rachel Schaffer Jennifer Wentworth Cheryl Anderson Brendan Cooney Christopher Moffo Elizabeth Sheeder Liam DePaul Corbin Schindler 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 Laura Fritts Patricia Reiser Holly Birch Elizabeth Ehret Alexa Kozacheson Susan Schatz Bill Weaver Judy Bubeck Margaret Schwirian Cooper DeWane Karen McClain 28 29 30 31 Dale Ehret Caitlyn Hacker Kevin O’Hara Matthew Schweitzer Ann Walker Christia Keim Kaitlyn Mulle Anthony Scelza John Nolan V Karen Evans Gloves and Hats Tree The Social Ministry Committee will be collecting gloves and hats for the children at Silver Springs this winter. They will place their collection tree in the lower narthex during the first week of December. Thank you so much for your donations of hats and gloves ranging in size from toddler through adult. PLEASE NOTE: Silver Springs cannot accept mittens or scarves due to the disabilities of the children they support. Book Club Break The Augustus Book Club will be on break during the month of December due to our busy Christmas schedules, but we’ll re-convene in January on the 19th in the Vestry lounge at 7:30 pm. We’ll be discussing The Prayer Box by Lisa Wingate. Planning to make a resolution to read more? Here’s your chance to make it fun! Refreshments always served! Questions? Contact Karen McClain at 610-489-9625 or office@augustustrappe.org. SHUT-INS FRUIT BASKETS On Saturday, DECEMBER 13TH Volunteers will be needed to help with Augustus' shut-ins baskets. We will need volunteers to purchase fruit (a day ahead), wrap and deliver baskets for Augustus shut-in members living in their homes and in nursing and retirement homes. Holly berry sprigs, decorative baskets, Christmas wrapping paper, stiff clear plastic wrapping, etc., will be needed for the fruit baskets. Your contribution to this effort will be much appreciated. Thank you. Fran Ivarson Page 5 6 December Worship Assistants Altar Servers: Acolyte Crucifer Torch Bearers December 7 Dylan Crothers Jeremy Wenger Bradley Hart and Jake Smith December 14 Timothy Pot Andrew Meeley Elizabeth Meeley and Samantha Hiergesell December 21 Billy Stender Rachel Schaffer Anna Schweitzer and Alexa King December 24 5:00 pm Ally Napier December 24 7:00 pm December 24 9:00 pm Sean McClain December 29 9:30 am Kayleigh Funk Alexa King Evan Griggs and Rachel Schaffer Readers 8:00 am 10:30 am Lector 10:30 am Prayers December 7 Ron Hess Jennifer Wentworth Jolie Wenger December 14 Sandy Trauger Kent Wenger Cheryl Camuso December 21 Jeff Stuffle Dick Clapper Cynthia Snyder December 24 5:00 pm Youth Group December 24 7:00 pm John Wallace December 24 9:00 pm Alan Shunk Diane Mills December 28 9:30 am Jeanne Funk Ed Hiergesell Communion Assistants December 7 Bill Penny, Mona Chylack, and Bob Rodenberger December 24 9:00 pm Jeanne Funk, John Kochel, and Walter Mills Ushers December 7 Scott Halteman, David Halteman, Mike Beattie, and Dick Allebach Nursery Attendants December 7 Ally Napier December 14 Kevin Beattie December 21 Timothy Pot December 29 No Nursery Greeters December 7 Bert Long and Dolores Allebach December 14 Molly and Kevin Hynes December 21 Members of the Sr. Youth Group December 24 December 28 Offering Tabulation Mona Chylack, Richard Clapper, and Jeanne Funk Altar Guild 8:00 am 10:30 am Sally Sweeney Deb Scholl Communion Assistants The Worship and Music committee is looking for volunteers to join our Communion Assistants. Experience is not required. We have a wonderful group of veteran servers who will assist with training. To join us, contact the church office or Karen Lachenmayer @ karenlachenmayer@gmail.com. Page 8 Remember Augustus Lutheran Church in your Will! Including Augustus Lutheran Church in your Will is an important way to assure that the church will be here to serve the needs of the congregation and community in the future. We benefit today because members of Augustus in years past have taken this important step. Have you included your congregation in your estate planning? A Gentle Reminder The generations of faithful Lutherans that have gone before us have left us a great legacy at Augustus Lutheran Church. Please do your part to keep our buildings neat, clean, and presentable to the many friends and visitors we welcome throughout each week of the year. Thank You. The Quilting Ladies Are Looking for Some New Volunteers! These women make more than 100 quilts over the course of a year. The quilts are shipped all over the world by Lutheran Disaster Relief among other charities to provide warmth for people who could definitely use it! They also make afghans for Laurel House Women’s Shelter and cards for shut ins. No Experience Needed! Contact Bert Long at 610-489-7717 or the church office for more info! Christian Education SUNDAY SCHOOL I saw Christmas sneaking around the corner! So, I need to share Christmas activities with our children and youth! Of course the children are excited! Our Christmas program this year is called The Christmas Star. The fifth and sixth grade will be the “players” with a few exceptions. I thank in advance Jolie Chylack and Linda DuBois, teachers, for all of their hard work. The younger children will sing a few songs led by Laurie Mueller, and the seventh and eighth graders will be in charge of lighting for the play in the balcony! SUNDAY SCHOOL CHRISTMAS PLAY DECEMBER 14 – 10:30a in the Nave PLEASE PLAN TO ATTEND! …A “FAMILY” EVENT… CHRISTMAS HOLIDAY FOR SUNDAY SCHOOL DECEMBER 21 AND 28 ….RETURNING ON JANUARY 4… MIDDLE SCHOOL YOUTH/CONFIRMATION CLASSES Our 3 in 1 students just completed Advent Chains to be given to our Sunday school kids. What are they? Advent chains are red and green strips of paper looped together with a string at the top. Our kids will take one link off of the chain each day – until Christmas Day! This gives our Sunday school kids a visual look at the classic question: “How many days until Christmas?” I thank our 3 in 1 kids for their hard work! All of this done in one night mind you! In the afternoon of December 14, our youth (ALL OF OUR AUGUSTUS FAMILY IS INVITED!) will board the “Christmas Caroling Bus” and visit nursing homes, and homes of shut ins from our church family. When we return, the 3 in 1 kids will enjoy a pizza party at church followed by a party with games and prizes! It’s a “marathon day” for some of our staff! CHRISTMAS CAROLING/VISITING PEOPLE IN NEED DECEMBER 14 1:30P – 4:00P …A “FAMILY EVENT”… 4:00P – CHRISTMAS PARTY FOR OUR 3 IN 1 STUDENTS 6:00P – PICKUP FOR ALL STUDENTS It’s a good thing to give God our thanks and praise! By serving His people, our youth are showing thanks to God for all that they have! They are giving of themselves! PLEASE JOIN US FOR CAROLING…PLEASE? Page 10 Our youth – all ages – do many of the jobs needed for our Christmas Eve 5:00p Family Service – held in the Old Trappe Church. Our young folks usher, take offering, count, protect the balcony of this church by only allowing 100 people to sit upstairs, greet our guests, just to name a few! They also help light the Luminaires along the walkways. It’s a wonderful service! Please come with your families! DECEMBER 24 5:00p CHRISTMAS EVE FAMILY SERVICE …A FAMILY EVENT…IN OLD TRAPPE CHURCH! OUR YOUTH WILL BE LOOKING FOR YOU! NO LIGHTING…NO ELECTRIC! DRESS WARMLY! I hope to see much of our church family during December! Are you children attending Sunday school? Do your young people attend 3 in 1 (First Communion and Confirmation class plus dinner plus youth group fun?) Are your high school students attending senior youth group? Do you come to church to worship with your family? No need to be embarrassed! God is waiting for you! COME LET US ADORE HIM MERRY CHRISTMAS FROM ALL OF OUR TEACHERS AND ADULT YOUTH STAFF! WE ARE A VERY BLESSED CHURCH! THANK YOU ALL FOR WHAT YOU DO IN THE NAME OF JESUS! SENIOR YOUTH GROUP NEWS November was another active month for the Senior Youth Group of Augustus. We kicked off the month with our 2nd Annual ‘Trunk or Treat’ event in the church parking lot on Saturday November 1. The weather was a bit ‘iffy’ but it cleared up so we went ahead and a good time was had by all. Decorated cars, plenty of goodies, youngsters in costumes and the Wessner’s even brought a fire pit to help keep warm and make popcorn! We were joined by some of our friends from Quakertown UCC church and afterward had pizza and fellowship. Thank you to everyone who provided cars and treats! The Thanksgiving Apple Pie Sale is in its fourth year and is growing. This year we made over 40 pies! Our next holiday event will be the Christmas Cookie Sale, look for details in this Augustinian and the Sunday bulletin. Planning for our summer trips has already begun! Our main trip will again be the joint Mission Trip with First UCC of Quakertown, likely back Camden NY, and we have two youth and one adult joining St. Andrews Lutheran Church in Audubon to attend the National Youth Gathering in Detroit. In addition, two Youth Group alumni are planning to join the SEPA Synod Young Adult Ministry Trip to the Cherokee Nation in North Carolina. We will keep you informed as the exciting plans come together! Soup sales return in January - Please consider making a pot of your favorite soup! We have a great group of volunteers, but always looking for new people to make 4-6 quarts of soup to provide an even better variety. Containers are provided by the Youth Group. Page Page10 5 Waiting in the Dark Have you ever been awake at night when the electricity went off and everything got dark? That can be scary! It can also be a time of hope, because you know that the electricity will come back on eventually, and daylight will come again. That’s what Advent is all about. The word Advent means “coming.” We see things differently because Jesus came to us and will come to us again, and that fills us with hope. That’s why Advent’s color is blue—for hope. It could also be purple—reminding us that Jesus is a royal king. On the “New Year’s Day” of the church—the first Sunday of Advent—we start using a different series of Bible readings in worship. Some years we read from the book of Matthew, the next year we use Mark, and then we use Luke. The Gospel of John is used every year. Advent is a time of waiting. Sometimes the four weeks of Advent seem like a long time, but that time can help us remember that there is more to Christmas than shopping for Christmas presents! Some people light a candle on each of the four Sundays of Advent, both at church and at home. Some people use Advent calendars to count the days until Christmas. Some people drill holes in a log, one for each day before Christmas, and put a candle in each hole. One candle is lit each day. Sometimes Advent carols are sung, and prayers for those who are homeless or hungry are shared. Why not try some of these ideas in your home this year? Jesus came to save us all! From Family Newsletters on Disk, copyright 1995 Augsburg Fortress. 2014 Christmas Poinsettias POINSETTIAS CAN NOW BE ORDERED FOR CHRISTMAS! Please include payment with your order. Make checks payable to: AUGUSTUS FLOWER FUND ORDER DEADLINE: Sunday, December 7, 2014 Mail to: Karen Lachenmayer Phone: 610-287-2827 412 Dartmoor Road E-mail: kal412@comcast.net Schwenksville, Pa. 19473 NAME______________________________________ RED QUANTITY TOTAL $ QUANTITY TOTAL $ ________ @ $9.50 ea ________ WHITE ________ @ $9.50 ea ________ Check One: _____ I will take my plants after the 9:00 P.M. Service 12/24. _____ Please distribute my plants to others. I would like the bulletin acknowledgement to read: _______________________________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________________________ Page 12 Opportunities to Celebrate and Remember Your Loved Ones at Augustus Each week, there are several opportunities for you to honor, remember, or celebrate loved ones or special events—and support Augustus at the same time! All of the following items are printed in the bulletin each week. Bulletin Dedications: Each Sunday, Augustus prints bulletins for each worshiper. Bulletins are also often sent to shut-in or sick members or friends. For $40, which helps offset paper and printing costs, you can dedicate a particular Sunday’s bulletin for any purpose you specify. Your dedication will be printed in that week’s bulletin. If you’d like to dedicate a particular week’s bulletin, you can call the office or go to http://bit.ly/PnjJrN, find the week you want, and sign up! You will be sent a reminder when it’s time to pay; you do not submit any financial information online or over the phone. Sanctuary Lamp: In the Brick Church, the red-globed candle that hangs from the ceiling in the front is the Sanctuary Lamp. This candle burns all the time, and is sometimes referred to as the “Eternal Candle.” For $6, which offsets the price of replacement candles, you can dedicate the Sanctuary Lamp on any available week for any purpose you choose. At only $6, this is a great way that even younger children or teens can participate in the church’s life—perhaps a youth could dedicate the Sanctuary Lamp in honor of a parent’s birthday or anniversary. If you’d like to dedicate the Sanctuary Lamp, call Anita Halteman (610) 489-1595, or go to http://bit.ly/PnjJrN, to sign up! You will be sent a reminder when it’s time to pay; you do not submit any financial information online or over the phone. Altar Flowers: Flowers are placed on the altar each week, and they also may be dedicated. For the two altar pieces, the cost is $40 plus tax, for a total of $42.40. The center vase costs $20 plus tax, for a total of $21.20. To donate flowers on a particular week, contact Sally Lorah (610) 489-2872, or send her an email, orahsal@aol.com. You can also use the new neon green sheet that is in the bulletin each week at church, and someone will get back to you. What a Great Morning! Several Augustus Moms and Youth met with this great family on a Saturday morning to go shopping! The family, refugees from the Congo, is being sponsored by Trinity Lutheran Church in Fairview Village. We went to the Kohls in Blue Bell and, thanks to a generous stipend from Thrivent Financial, were able to purchase “winter gear” for everyone! What a wonderful experience for the youth and adults who helped with this project! Thanks to Pr. Weleck and Mary Schlichter for getting it together. Thanks to Sue Stender, Debbie, Dawson, and Keyleigh Funk, and Karen and Sean McClain for participating! Page Page12 5 Family Stages Returns to Augustus Church The Snow Queen will be performed on Sunday, December 7 at 2:00PM and Monday, December 8 at 10:00 AM. Two actors play all the roles in these fun-filled, one hour productions designed for ages 3 and up. Tickets are $12.00 and $10 for seniors and grandparents. Children under 3 are free. Special group rates are available for schools for the Monday shows. Ticket information at 215-866-9341. Tickets also can be purchased on line at www.familystages.org Christian Parenting Eating Together In the Bible, we often read about people eating together. Jesus ate with his disciples and the early Christians shared their meals. These stories show the importance God places on eating together. Yet many families almost never eat together. When family members make the effort to eat together, they can share experiences, voice concerns, discuss topics, and laugh. Sharing of faith and values takes place during a family meal. Many families begin their meals with prayer. Some add a devotional time. Many children first learn about prayer at the family meal. The Christian church is strengthened when its members eat together. Holy Communion is the special meal shared by church families together in worship. Eating together as a family at home provides blessings as well. From Family Newsletters on Disk, copyright 1995 Augsburg Fortress. Page 14
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