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| Newsletters > Good News > 12-19-07 | ||
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As the twilight of Jesus’ birth approaches, we are reminded of this amazing gift God gave us in his promised Son - this little one who came into the world to do the things we couldn’t do ... ... to love us in ways we can’t love ourselves; Our prayer for you and your loved ones is that this special, holy season is filled with the Christ-child who is the Prince of Peace. May this baby sustain you in love from this day evermore. From your Church Staff at First United - may you and your family have a blessed Christmas! God bless,
The Results Are In! The following people were elected to office on Sunday, December 9: Congregation Council - Sue Kieffer, Sara Larson, Steve Schick, and Rob Thomas; Nominations Committee - Sue Potter and Vickie Sauve; Long-Range Planning Committee - John Rosenthal; Foundation Board - Sandy Sachse and Russ Wiverstad, and Mike Molepske filling an unexpired term.
The second part of the Annual Meeting of our congregation will take place on Sunday, January 27, 2008 , at 9:40 a.m. The purpose of this meeting will be to adopt a budget for 2008. Reports from the ministry committees will be available. The Stewardship committee will present an update. Your attendance as a voting member is most important!
We wish to thank all the people who helped out with the Christmas programs this year. Your time and energy was so greatly appreciated. A very special thanks to Colleen Bertram for all of her help creating the wonderful props for this year’s Christmas Traditions program! Thank you to the teachers, guides, angels, and all other adults who helped to make these programs a great success!
Giving Warms the Heart thanks! Thanks to all the families who donated items for the Sunday School and Great Beginnings Mission Project. We collected over 250 items (socks, mittens, hats and gloves) to donate to the Salvation Army to distribute to needy families in Sheboygan County . Thank you so much for your generosity!
Celebrating with the Kamanas The congregation is invited to a potluck luncheon on Sunday, December 30, at 11:00 a.m. , in Fellowship Hall to celebrate with Emmanuel and Rebecca Kamana as they celebrate their December birthdays. Please bring a dish to share if you are able.
VILs: Let us warm your belly this January! Join us on Monday, January 21, for our annual Soup Luncheon in Fellowship Hall beginning at 12:00 noon . The Trubys will help to warm you up by preparing some of their incredibly delicious homemade soups and breads! Following lunch, it will be a time to sit back and relax with warm soup in our bellies and warm company, and enjoy an afternoon movie, “A Prairie Home Companion.” Please call the church office to make your reservation!
2nd Graders Receive Bibles January 13 On Sunday, January 13, the Second Grade parents will present their children with The Kid’s Devotional Bible at the 8:30 a.m. worship service. Old Testament Bible instruction will follow at 9:40 a.m. in Fellowship Hall and in the Chapel. New Testament Bible instruction will then be held on Sunday, January 20, at 9:40 a.m. , also in Fellowship Hall and in the Chapel. Parents are encouraged to attend both sessions so they can further help their children understand the scriptures at home.
SCIO News First United is a member of SCIO (Sheboygan County Interfaith Organization), which works hard to provide much-needed services to people in need in our county. SCIO relies on the help of many dedicated volunteers, like you, to make their programs work. And because they are a non-profit organization functioning on a very limited budget, they also need and appreciate donations of various basic personal care and cleaning supplies. Following is a listing of needs and a copy of the December “SCIO News.” Give them a call and get involved! URGENT NEEDS SCIO Programs are in urgent need of the following items: Hair Conditioner Winter Farmers Market – SCIO is excited to introduce a Winter Farmer’s Market, held at First Congregational Church UCC in Sheboygan, 310 Bluff Avenue. Wholesome meats, honey, jams and jellies, apples, cheese, eggs, and soaps are a few of the many items that will be available. The market will be held from 9:00 a.m.–2:00 p.m., December 15 & 29, January 12 & 26, February 9 & 23, March 29, April 12 & 26, & May 17. Any group or person interested in selling coffee, donuts, a light lunch or providing music during the Winter Market can contact Judy at 457-7272 ext. 11. “We Care” Donations made easy. Support SCIO through the Pick ‘n Save “We Care” Donation Program. Just add our organization number 073450 to your Advantage Plus Savers Club Card by filling out an application at the service desk. Every time you use your Advantage Plus Savers Club Card SCIO will receive a monetary donation. Thank you! Volunteer Transportation Drivers Needed – A variety of hours and options are available (daily, weekly, monthly, part-time casual). You choose how much time you can volunteer. Transportation is needed for doctor appointments, to out of town county hospitals, counseling sessions, to help transport children from Bridgeway to and from field trips, etc. If you can help, please contact Judy Tauschek at 457-7272 ext. 11. SCIO is also looking for volunteers to be a part of our Building, Maintenance, and Grounds Committee to help maintain the building and grounds as well as assessing the future needs for the building. They are looking for individuals who have a passion to help with their hands as well as their minds. Please contact Kristin Blanchard at 457-7272 ext. 12. Bridgeway Needs, Wants & Wishes for December: Gift Cards (grocery, gas, restaurants, pharmacies, home and hardware, department stores, discount stores, etc.); also fall and winter maternity clothing size Medium - must be in good condition; bed pillows, first aid kit, and metal shelving for basement storage. Working Women’s Wear - Donations accepted on Saturdays from 10:00 a.m.-12:00 p.m. or by appointment. Building Bridges Childcare Center is now collecting McDonald’s receipts, Milk Moola and Donuts to Dough (Nature’s Touch products, Kwik Quenchers Fruit Drinks, Glazers Donuts) and Campbell’s Labels for Education (UPC Codes–Campbell’s soup, Spaghetti O’s, Prego, Pepperidge Farm, lids from V8, V8 Splash, and V-Fusion). Please save these items and turn them into SCIO’s Building Bridges Childcare Center. Transportation Program: the newly formed program is in need of reliable vehicles to be donated to Bridgeway mothers. If a limited amount of automotive work needs to be done, LTC has agreed to partner with us to bring the automobile up to good working condition. If you have an automobile to donate, please call Bonnie at 457-7272 ext. 15. Automobiles will be assessed as to appropriateness in meeting the needs of the new program. IMPORTANT: Vehicles may NOT be dropped off at Bridgeway without having an assessment on the vehicle completed first. Employment Program - If you own a business or know of a local company willing to partner with Bridgeway to provide a chance for a mother to gain full time employment, please contact Bonnie at 457-7272 ext. 15. Many of the mothers that come to Bridgeway are extremely hard working and dependable and are only looking for an opportunity to be considered. We are looking for employment in the areas of factory labor, housekeeping, food service, hotel hospitality, grocery store (checkout, packer, stocker) laundry. Do you know of others? Would you be willing to partner with Bridgeway to provide a job opportunity so a mother can support her family? Give us a call to discuss the program. All donations can be dropped of at Sheboygan County Interfaith Organization at 1251 Geele Avenue (across from Washington Elementary School). Please call 457-7272 ext. 13 before coming. Anyone interested in volunteering, please contact Bonnie at 457-7272 ext. 15, or via email at sciobw@excel.net. Thanks!
Great Beginnings Preschool Notes During the month of November, the children were very busy in their classroom cooking as they prepared pumpkin breads and chicken noodle soup for their families to enjoy during their Thanksgiving Feast. There was a lot of stirring (large motor development), measuring (math skills), mixing (science) and chopping (fine motor development). The children were so proud of their meal that they did the serving to their families (self esteem). It was a great family event enjoyed by all who were able to attend! The children also had a blast on their YMCA trip! They got to run, jump, balance, hop, crawl, swing in a rope and much more as they spent the morning in the gymnastic center. In December their lesson plans are filled with days of learning letters, numbers, giving, sharing and also joining the Sunday School children in the Giving Warms the Heart service project, collecting items for the Salvation Army. It’s also a month of learning about the awesome gift God gave us on Christmas, and how we can share that gift with others. Merry Christmas from Great Beginnings! Enrollment for Great Beginnings Preschool for the congregational members of First United will begin January 15, 2008. Please watch for more information to come! Contact Mary or Cindy in the church office if you have questions!
Advent Message from Cathy Daharsh Cathy was the former Youth and Family Minister at First United. She is currently enrolled at Wartburg Seminary in the Master of Divinity program. What are you waiting for? Advent is a time of anticipation and hope. Advent is a time not only of waiting for the coming of our Lord, but of preparation for that coming. The journey from Advent to the Epiphany unfolds as all good stories should, step by step, perhaps so we can take in the awesome truth it bears. During our Wednesday evening Advent services at All Saints Lutheran in Wales , Wisconsin, we listened, watched and anticipated through a traditional folktale called, The Tale of Three Trees, by Dawn Matheson. Each week we read a portion of this book and enjoyed the unfolding of this wonderful tale. The story is about three little trees who dream about their future - would they grow up and become a holder of treasure, a fine ship, a hilltop beacon point to God. Life proved to have something rather different in store for these trees. They were disappointed that their lives were so mundane. And, as the years passed, “the three trees nearly forgot their dreams.” Yet each eventually gets its wish, although not in the way it had foreseen. Throughout the Bible, God uses frail and imperfect humans to do His work. If God can use them and reveal God through them in such marvelous ways, it means that God might be able to use us, even through our imperfections. It also means that we need to be careful not to put limits on what God can do with the most unlikely people in the most unlikely circumstances. I believe that the anticipation of God’s work in all of our lives is part of the wonder of the Advent Season. Enjoy the journey of anticipation and hope as God works in your life and in the world. Merry Christmas to you all! Thank you for your generosity in supporting me and my family with prayers and donations through my seminary journey. I am currently an intern at All Saints Lutheran Church in Wales , Wisconsin . I will be there until August. My family is thriving in this community. We thank God for you and the care you have given me and my family. You have truly made a difference in our lives. Peace and blessings to you, Cathy Rainbow Kids Facilitator Training Bring help, hope, and healing to children and adults dealing with death, divorce, separation, or abandonment. Become a RAINBOWS volunteer and help people who are hurting learn to cope with their grief. January 9 & 10, 2008 There is no fee. Attendance on both Wednesday and Thursday is required. Please register by calling Rainbow Kids at 452-2838, or after 3 p.m. call Judie Meise at 458-4429.
Special Offerings for Christmas Christmas offerings this year will be given to the following charitable organizations: *the ELCA Disaster Relief Fund
Year-end Giving Reminder: Our thanks to those who give securities to First United at the end of the year. The end of the year is very busy for most of us, so this is 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 2007. It is also 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. Thank you!
Good News Deadline The next deadline for Good News articles is this Friday, December 21. We need the extra time before Christmas to get this newsletter processed. Thank you for your understanding and your speed in getting your article/s to the church office.
Attention members The Pension Protection Act of 2006 allows donors to consider tax-free gifts from IRA’s directly to First United Lutheran Church . Tax-free IRA rollover gifts must be made from Traditional or Roth IRA’s, not from pension plans, stock option plans, etc., and these gifts can only be made in 2006 and 2007. Contact your IRA Plan Administrator for additional qualification details. For any other questions, please call Kori in the church office.
In Deepest Sympathy We offer our Christian love to the family of Kristin Krebsbach at the death of her mother; to the family of Barbara Booher at her death; to the family of Beth Stockdale at the death of her father.
Sunday School There are NO Sunday School classes on Sunday, December 23, and Sunday, December 30! Classes will resume January 6, 2008 .
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