You may have heard the monthly mid-week concerts, but now we are delighted to welcome the Griffon String Quartet to play for our Sunday morning 10am worship service on December 15th.
Don’t miss the opportunity to hear these four wonderful string players during this special season. Bring a friend or neighbor!
The calendar is about to turn to December, the cold air is beginning to sink in and snow’s even flurrying which means our Christian Education Committee has plans well underway for our annual Ski Trip!
Although the event is primarily coordinated with Youth Group, the ski trip is considered a family event so all are welcome to join!
Mark your calendars for fun on the slopes January 31st. Our ski destination is Ski Brule and we’ll be checking in on Friday the 31st, checking out Saturday, February 1st at the Chicaugon Lake Inn https://chicaugonlakeinn.com/.
Registration forms with more details will be coming in our January Newsletter. We will need a minimum of 20 skiers to take advantage of the Ski Brule group discount so spread the word to family, friends and neighbors. The more the merrier!
We hope to see you on the slopes!
Break out your favorite Christmas pajamas or ugly Christmas sweater or even just a festive tie—it has become our tradition to celebrate the Sunday between Christmas and the New Year by encouraging folks of all ages to wear pajamas or other seasonal garb to our 10am worship service!
The Worship committee will serve hot chocolate and donut holes BEFORE worship in the back of the Sanctuary. Our service will feature all the Christmas carols you want to sing one more time, and Bruce Deadman and friends on brass will add to our festivities.
Please join us!
On this Christ of King Sunday, our readings are Revelation 1:4b-8 https://bit.ly/4g3GtZM and John 18: 33-37 https://bit.ly/3OmVjz3. Pastor Katie will preach on “Singing the Truth”.
On this 26th Sunday after Pentecost, our readings are 1 Samuel 2:1-10 https://bit.ly/4fz3MLs and Mark 13:1-8 https://bit.ly/3CzI2Al. Pastor Katie will preach on “Great Is Thy Faithfulness”.
On this 25th Sunday after Pentecost, it’s Generosity Commitment Sunday! Pastor Katie will preach on “Imagine Abundance” based on Mark 12: 38-44 https://bit.ly/4hDeZMj. We also welcome special guest Jesse Nummelin of the Griffon String Quartet on the cello. Following worship everyone is invited to a catered dinner in Banner Hall.
On this All Saints’ Sunday, we look forward to a special guest playing the harp, lighting candles in memory of the saints in our church and our lives who have died in the past year, songs by our children’s choir and our chancel choir, and a reflection on Revelation 21: 1-6 https://bit.ly/3YIwzad by Pastor Katie called “All Things New”. We will also celebrate the sacrament of communion.
In early Christian tradition, Saints’ days began as a way to mark the anniversary of a martyr’s death — his or her “birthday” as a Saint. By the middle of the church’s first millennium, there were so many martyrs that it was hard to give them all their due. All Saints’ Day was established as an opportunity to honor all the Saints, known and unknown.
All Saints’ Day has a rather different focus in the Reformed tradition. While we may give thanks for the lives of particular luminaries of ages past, the emphasis is on the ongoing sanctification of the whole people of God. Rather than putting Saints on pedestals as holy people set apart in glory, we give glory to God for the ordinary, holy lives of the believers in this and every age. This is an appropriate time to give thanks to members of the community of faith who have died in the past year.
It is our tradition to remember and give thanks for all the “Saints” of this congregation and throughout our extended families who have gone on to their heavenly homes in the past year. On Sunday, November 3rd we will celebrate All Saints’ Day in worship, remembering especially Harland Merrell, Wayne Price, and Theda Nero. As photos are projected, we will join in prayer for all the Saints and remember each name. As the names are read, a family member or friend will come forward to light a candle for each one. Following the recognition of all our members, others will be invited to come forward and light a candle for a friend or family member they have lost in the last year as well. We’re delighted to have a harpist to accompany our commemoration this year. We remember and give thanks for all those who have gone before us to show us the way—don’t miss this special worship experience.
December 1st is the first Sunday of Advent and our annual Advent Workshop will be held that day following worship in Banner Hall. Look forward to lunch and plenty of activities to start off the season.
A new Bible study for Advent will begin on Wednesday December 4th at 6:00pm online and Thursday December 5th at 10:30am at church. We will be studying together the book Season’s Greetings: Christmas Letters from Those Who Were There.
Twelve vividly-imagined letters from the familiar characters of this narrative speak to the many meanings of Christmas—awe, wonder, disruption, scandal, and hope. The author is a seminary classmate of Pastor Katie’s and promises to make a Zoom visit to us sometime during the study! Books will be available in the church office for $10. Join us!
Imagine this: cello music by Jesse Nummelin of the Griffon String Quartet, an anthem by our own choir, and increased commitments of time, talents and treasure to the glory of God!
Our annual generosity campaign will conclude on Sunday, November 10th as we dedicate our pledges in worship and imagine what God wants of us in our next year. We hope that you have ‘been framed’ in one of the picture frames and added to our gallery of imaginings, and that you have added your own post-it note visions for what our impact could be in the coming year to the frames in the sanctuary.
Your pledge to the work and ministry of our church in 2025 will help us all to imagine the next great things God is doing among us. Remember to bring your pledge card to worship and plan to stay for a celebration lunch in Banner Hall catered by Renards. All are welcome!
