Come to worship

Sunday, November 19

On this Twenty-fourth Sunday after Pentecost we will celebrate Holy Communion at 8:30 a.m. 10:45 a.m. using liturgy from LBW, Setting Two. The Cherub Choir will sing at 8:30 a.m. , and the Bell Choir will ring at 10:45 a.m. At Donuts & Dialogue, Deaconess Deb will reflect on her Sabbatical.

Thanksgiving Eve, November 22

Thanksgiving worship will be held at First Congregational Church, beginning at 7:00 p.m.

Sunday, November 26

On this Christ the King Sunday, we celebrate Holy Communion at 8:30 a.m. and 10:45 a.m. using the liturgy from LBW, Setting Two, featuring the Sanctuary Choir at 8:30 a.m. and special music at 10:45 a.m. Pastor Jacobs will reflect on Thanksgiving at Donuts & Dialogue.

Sunday, December 3

On this First Sunday in Advent we celebrate Holy Communion at 8:30 and 10:45 a.m. with the lighting of the Advent Wreath, and using the liturgy from LBW, Setting One, featuring the Christus Choir at 8:30 , and the Sanctuary Choir at 10:45 . All are invited to the Advent Event in Fellowship Hall.

Interim Pastor

One of the saddest commentaries on American life came from an architecture student at UW-Milwaukee. She told me that many new homes being designed today were being designed without a dining room. As I thought about this, I reflected on how important the dining room had been in my own home as a child and teenager, as well as how central it has been to my own family in Milwaukee. With the Thanksgiving holiday approaching, the thought of a house without a dining room seems to me incomprehensible.

I grew up with four brothers and aunts and uncles and cousins and, if that were not enough, my mother always managed to invite some odd folks and orphans to join us at Thanksgiving. I remember one year when I was in college, I asked my mother why we couldn’t have Thanksgiving with just family members for once. Rarely had I seen my mother get angry, but she shook a serving spoon in my direction and said that she never wanted to hear me talk like that again - I didn’t. That was one of my first lessons in the importance of hospitality.

Shared meals are central to every community of hospitality - central to sustaining the life of the community and to expressing welcome to the stranger. When we invite and eat with those who are hungry and lonely and without family, we make the biblical connection between hospitality and justice that was central to the practice of Jesus and the early church. The Open Door Community of Atlanta, Georgia, is known for its sustained efforts at social justice. But, as one of its members noted, “Justice is important, but dinner is essential ... Without supper, without love, without table companionship, justice can become a program that we do to other people.”

It is not by accident that the meal we call a Sacrament is named “Eucharist” - Thanksgiving. We declare in the Preface that “It is indeed right and salutary that we should at all times and in all places offer thanks...” And one of the most important things that I say each week is just before the Distribution of Holy Communion: “This is the Lord’s Table and all are welcome here.” Thus our homes and our church must be mirror-images of each other with regard to hospitality: places of welcome, safety, warmth and, in good Lutheran tradition, good food.

My friend Harvey Taylor is one of Milwaukee’s great poets. I close with his words:

This time of year, I can always count on

finding presents at my door:

leaves from neighboring trees,

dried by the sun, and gathered by the wind.

I’m slowly learning

To start the day

By saying Thank You.

~Pastor Jacobs

In Deepest Sympathy

We offer our Christian love to the family of Kevin Telschow at the death of his grandmother.



Give unto the Lord

“Responding anew to God’s Grace”

Thanks to all of your who have filled out your 2007 Stewardship Responses! We appreciate your gifts to the Lord. Those of you who have not yet made your response, please pray about your giving for 2007, and return your response form at your earliest convenience. If you have not received a form, you may pick one up at the kiosk near the Welcome Center, or call the church office at 452-2401, and we will mail a form to you.

Also, if you are interested in giving electronically through the Simply Giving Program, the application is on the back of the pledge form. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans underwrites the cost of this program.

Please consider increasing your percentage of giving to God through First United. When we “respond anew to God’s Grace,” we can do so much more to help those in our church family, our community, and around the world.

Special Offerings for the Holidays

As the end of the year approaches, there will be many opportunities for congregation members to give to special benevolence. Thanksgiving offerings will be given to support the Lutheran World Relief Fund. Christmas offerings will be given to several charitable organizations: the ELCA Disaster Relief Fund, Greater Milwaukee Synod Outreach Fund, Sheboygan County Interfaith Organization’s Transitional Housing Fund, and our own Foundation Fund here at First United.

Year-end Reminder:

The end of the year is very busy for most of us, so just a reminder that if you are considering a year-end donation to First United in the form of appreciated stock, to please allow adequate processing time so the gift can be accounted for by the end of 2006. Also, it is very helpful to let Kori (in the church office) know of the gift. She can then follow-up with the organization distributing your gift if it is getting close to December 31.

Sunday School Christmas Rehearsal

Our annual Christmas Program Practice will be held on Wednesday, December 13. On that evening we will enjoy family pizza in Fellowship Hall and a birthday cake for the Baby Jesus. When families are finished eating they will be invited to make Christmas crafts for the shut-ins of our congregation, or members of their own families.

The 7th and 8th grades will also be a part of this year’s Christmas Program and they will need to be here at 6:15 p.m. for the start of rehearsal.

If you can help out with pizza and activities on this busy evening, please contact the church office, or see the sign-up sheet in the Gathering Area.

These are the specific times for that evening:

5:00-7:00 p.m. Pizza & Crafts for families in Fellowship Hall

5:00-5:30 p.m. Cherub Choir Practice

5:00-5:45 p.m. Praise Band

5:30-6:15 p.m. 3's-2nd Grade Sunday School Practice (Meet in classrooms)

5:30-6:15 p.m. Christus Choir Practice

6:15-7:00 p.m. 3rd Grade thru 8th Grade Practice (Meet in classrooms)

Both programs will be held on Sunday, December 17. The 3's-2nd grade takes place during the education hour between services. The 3rd - 8th Grade program takes place during the 10:45 a.m. worship service.

Circles of the Christmas Season

This year’s Advent Event, scheduled for Sunday, December 3 between worship services, is entitled “Circles of the Christmas Season.” We are looking for individuals willing to help with activities for this intergenerational event. If you would be willing to help, please contact Mary Gorges in the church office.

Giving Warms the Heart

The Sunday School classrooms are a doing hands-on mission project this Christmas Season. We are asking children ages 3 through 6 th grade to bring new socks, mittens, hats and gloves to Sunday School. These items will be distributed to needy families in Sheboygan in time for Christmas. Please be sure to get your items to church by Sunday, December 11, and can be dropped off in your child’s Sunday School room, or in the boxes located in the Gathering Area, or by Fellowship Hall. Our thanks to all who have already donated items.

Donuts & Dialogue

All are invited to Donuts & Dialogue the next few weeks. Come and see a power-point presentation of Holden Village , a Lutheran retreat center in the northern Cascade Mountains of Washington, on Sunday, November 19, as Deaconess Deb shares some highlights of her sabbatical. She will also share her reflections on the books she read, the anti-racism training she took, and her time away.

And on Sunday, November 26, Pastor Jacobs will share reflections on Thanksgiving. As a holiday, Thanksgiving is more of a secular/ national celebration than a “religious” one. It was first proclaimed by President Abraham Lincoln on October 8, 1863 , in the midst of the Civil War. Lincoln wanted the nation not only to give thanks for its prosperity and blessings, but to do so “with humble penitence for our national perverseness and disobedience.” What Pastor Jacobs proposes is to ask whether America has a “Divine Calling” and a “Destiny,” and if so, what is it, and how are we doing? Come and join in the discussion and the dreaming.

Please note on the following schedule that there is NO Donuts & Dialogue throughout the month of December.

11/19 -Deaconess Deb’s Sabbatical Reflections

11/26 -Thanksgiving Reflections

12/3 - Advent Event (No D&D)

12/10 - Annual Meeting, Part I (No D&D)

12/17 - Christmas Program (No D&D)

12/24 - Christmas Eve (No D&D)

12/31 - New Year’s Eve (No D&D)

Monday Night Books

Order your book now! Our next Monday Night Books meeting will take place on Monday, January 22, but with the busy holiday season fast approaching it might be a good idea to read ahead! We will be discussing Pope Joan by Donna Cross, a favorite of many church book groups across the county. The legend of Pope Joan says that she disguised herself as a man and rose to rule Christianity for two years. A full book description can be found on the kiosk in the Gathering Area, along with a sign-up sheet. Join us!

Daily Devotional Book Available

Are you looking for a good daily devotional? The Upper Room Disciplines is one of the most popular daily devotional books available. “Disciplines” follows the same revised common lectionary that we use for our Sunday morning worship. It offers daily scripture reading, wonderful stories and reflections from 53 different Christian writers. Each scriptural and real-life based meditation includes suggestions for prayer and further reflection that will help you be more open to God’s love and guidance. The Upper Room Disciplines are $11.50 each, ($9.75 each if we have an order of ten or more). Please sign up on the Kiosk by Sunday, November 26, to order.

THREE Opportunities to Share with Others!

Christmas Treasures will be Sunday,December 3. On that day we invite you to please bring an unwrapped toy or gift for a child in need to worship. These gifts will be given to local children of all ages through the Christmas Service Committee of Sheboygan. There is always a special need to remember teenage youth when selecting gifts. Gifts will be collected during worship at both services on Sunday, December 3.

The thirteenth annual Thrivent Cookie & Bake Sale will also be held on Sunday, December 3, from 9:00-11:00 a.m. This is a wonderful opportunity to purchase delicious homemade baked goods for the holidays and support our Adopt-a-Family program at the same time! All proceeds will go to our Adopt-a- Family program. Please help make this year’s event a success by donating some of your favorite homemade baked goods. Sign up on the Kiosk to indicate what you plan to bring. Thank you in advance for your support and donations!

Adopt-a-Family names will be available through Sunday, December 3! Through our Adopt-a-Family program, individuals and families of First United are given the opportunity to “adopt” one or more individuals and families from the Sheboygan area who, because of their financial situation, are not able to afford Christmas gifts for themselves and their family. You may select names on Sunday mornings in the Gathering Area, or by calling Cindy Van Akkeren at 458-3761.

If you are able to adopt an individual or family, we ask that you please spend an average of $50 per child and $25 per adult.This is very important, because it helps ensure that the gifts will be equally distributed between families and with the individuals within a family. Our Adopt- a-Family program is meant to share a little Christmas joy with families; it’s not to provide an over-abundance of gifts! If you want and are able to give more than the amount we ask, please consider adopting another individual or family rather than over-spending on one!

For those who would prefer to have someone else do the shopping, financial contributions are also appreciated and very much needed. Financial gifts are also needed to purchase food certificates, which are given to each individual and family with their gifts.

It will take many hands to make this year’s Adopt-a-Family a success. Please sign up on the Kiosk, or call Cindy Van Akkeren (458-3761) or Deaconess Deb (452-2401) if you are able to help in any way. Thank you for sharing your gifts with those in need!

Thank You for Supporting LUTHERAN WORLD RELIEF!

 THANK YOU to everyone who supported our 2006 Lutheran World Relief Boxcar Drive ! With your help, seven large boxes of clothes, sewing, health and school kits, and 226 quilts were given to help people in need.

Thank you to all who donated clothing and kits. Thank you to the Quilters, who meet regularly, year after year, to sew so many beautiful quilts! Thank you to all who helped to pack the items, and to all who loaded our donated items and quilts onto the LWR boxcar. You are all a blessing, and your generosity and help is very much appreciated!

“Grounded in Prayer” Group Time Change

The Grounded in Prayer Group will continue to meet every Thursday morning, but will now meet from 9:00-10:00 a.m. in the Genszler Room. Please join us for a time of devotion and prayer!

Annual Meeting Part 1

December 10

On Sunday, December 10, the first part of the Annual Meeting of the congregation will take place in the Genszler Room at 9:40 a.m. Voting for various offices will take place at this meeting. All members of the congregation are encouraged to attend!

Church Decorating

The Roever’s are looking for volunteers to help decorate our church for Christmas! Please come to church on Saturday, December 16, at 10:00 a.m. to help decorate the trees. There will be pizza afterwards for all who helped! It would be helpful if you could sign up on the kiosk if you plan to attend, and indicate how many slices of pizza you plan to eat so that we can order enough for everyone. Thank you!

Altar Flowers

Each Sunday flowers are placed in the chancel in memory of loved ones, or in honor of anniversaries, birthdays or baptisms. The 2007 flower chart has been posted on a kiosk near the Welcome Center . There are a number of Sundays available in the coming year. Please sign the chart with your name, phone number and reason for placement. The cost is $35 (checks made payable to FULC). Your check can either be placed in an envelope marked “flowers” and placed in the offering plate, or brought directly to the church office.

Congratulations!

Our congratulations to Dave Adams and Ann Stewart who were united in marriage on Saturday, November 4. May God bless them as they establish a new life as husband and wife!

Good News Deadline

The next deadline for Good News articles is Monday, November 27. This issue will include December and Christmas activities. Please get your article/s to the church office by noon on that day. Thank you!



Thanksgiving Worship

Give thanks to the Lord, and join us for worship as we share a special service with our friends at First Congregational Church, 310 Bluff Avenue . The service begins at 7:00 p.m. on Wednesday evening, November 22, and will be followed by a pie social in their fellowship hall. Invite your friends and family, and let’s praise our God for all his blessings!

SCIO - Helping our Neighbors in Need

As members of the Sheboygan County Interfaith Organization, we have received a list of events and needs. Please check out the following:

Drivers Needed: Requests for transportation are on the rise, especially for residents that need to get to medical appointments. Please call Judy at 457-7272 ext. 11 if you are interested.

Winter Farmers Market: The first ever Winter Farmers Market is planned for Saturday, January 20, from 10:00-2:00 at Ebenezer United Church of Christ. The types of products are different and include cheese, eggs, yogurt, root vegetables, honey, maple syrup, sorghum, goat milk soap and wool products. Ten percent of all winter market sales go to the “Harvest of Hope Fund” which provides gifts to farm families who need financial assistance.

Ecumenical Free Thanksgiving Dinner: (see the following) Please call Keith at 457-4393, or Gert at 208-8871, to volunteer.

Free Thanksgiving Meal

Don’t spend Thanksgiving Day alone, and don’t miss out on Thanksgiving dinner! The 19 th Annual Ecumenical Free Thanksgiving Day Dinner will be held at Immaculate Conception Church, 2722 South Henry Street , Sheboygan , on Thanksgiving Day, Thursday, November 23, from 11:30 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. EVERYONE is welcome!!

Transportation is also provided if needed, and meals can be delivered to shut-ins. Reservations are necessary ONLY if you need a ride to and from the church or if you want a meal delivered, and should be made by Monday, November 20, by calling 457-1405.

Volunteer help is also needed on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday, November 21, 22 and 23, at Immaculate Conception Hall. You will be assigned to prepare and cut turkeys and other food; set tables; serve meals; clear tables; visit with the people partaking of the meal; clean up after dinner; deliver meals; and provide transportation. Volunteers are encouraged to join in the meal. If you can help, call 457-1405.

If you cannot help in any of the above ways, you can still help by baking a pumpkin pie (please bring in a disposable container), or making bars of any kind. These should be brought to Immaculate Conception on Wednesday, November 22, between 1:00 and 6:00 p.m. , or Thursday, November 23, before 10:00 a.m. Thank you!