www.nativityarden.org
828.684.0352
              Weekly e-news                12/03/15

+  give

  So, the question is:  "How do we respond?"  How do we respond to the changes in our midst?  How do we respond to the challenges and opportunities in our community?  How do we respond to the call of discipleship that our Lord puts in front of us each and every day?  How do we respond to the gifts that were first given to us by God? 

         

2016 Offering envelopes are available for you to pick up after each service on Sunday.  If you have any questions, please contact Jen Loizzo in the church office. 828-684-0352.
 
 + worship


Starting Over:  Return

The prophets warned of the coming exile.  And when it hit, their message became one of comfort.  They announced hope that the exile was to be for a limited time.  They promised that one day the children of Judah would return to Jerusalem.   In the meantime, they had God's blessing "to be fruitful and mulitply in exile".  And it was so.  They prospered in exile, and it went no longer than seventy years.  At that the time the prophet Isaiah announced the awaited invitation:  Return.

We have had our own times of exile:  Penalties, surgeries, unemployment, deployment, separation.  We know the joy at the end of an exile and the return to "normalcy".  We know that the good news reigns even in the midst of exile.  We trust the message from Isaiah  this Sunday  as it comforts us with good news, hope and promise.
+ learn

Christ in our Home booklets
 (first quarter of 2016)
are available at the WELCA table in the preschool hallway.


+  care

 
Thanks to Flesher Nursing Home Volunteers,
 
The folks who don't serve quietly but importantly in providing recognition to the residents once a month at Flesher's Nursing home deserve a deep appreciation and thanks.
 
They provide cake, ice cream, assistance in serving and much needed attention to the residents. This quiet Nativity "people ministry" is enjoyed by many of the men and women who find themselves confined to a nursing home setting - often lonely and neglected.
 
Therefore, let me give heartfelt thanks to these "angels" who provide this care:
 
Linda Blake, Ann Dasher, Libby Ann Dick, Corrine Feid, Princess Ferguson, Joyce Horton, Zilla & Don Kimmell, Nadine Lloyd, Peggy Mann, Debbie, McGinnis, Susan martin, Susan Montella, Thelma Nesbitt, Peggy Oehm, Jeanne Russell, Helen Summers, Sandy Vlahos.
 
If you would like to join our team of volunteers just let me know.
 
Jane Ehlers
Co-ordinator

  Click  for Nativity's
 
2015 End Well

4 Sundays
29 days

$62,227

girl-lights.jpg

Join us SUNDAY at 9:45 to put up the Nativity outdoor Christmas lights. We will start after 
the early service.
 

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CHURCH OFFICE
HOURS
Mon-Thurs
9am-2pm


 
See who's celebrating!!
Calvary Food Pantry
Saturday December 12th
1:00-3:00
signup is located at the welcome desk  
Make Room!   During Advent, we are encouraged to open our hearts and share gifts of love with  those in need.  Join us for Advent Prayer Services at 6:30 p.m. on two Wednesdays: Dec. 9 & 16, featuring "Behold Our Light" liturgy.   Our theme is "Making Room" and we'll celebrate making room for the Christ Child to live in us. You're invited to bring a gift from home on each Wednesday evening. 
On Dec. 9, make room in your closets by bringing a gently used coat for Helpmate.  On Dec. 16,
share a fellowship meal at 6:00 p.m. & make room in your hearts by bringing a new toy for Eblen Ministries.  Our children will present the musical   Room for Christmas  by Mark Burrows.  In the story, it's one week before the church Christmas pageant, but the director is sick, no one's learned their lines, and the pageant feels like "just one more thing" in an already busy time schedule.  The children discover a way to make this old story feel brand new, and find joy and wonder by 'making room' for what really matters.  During the show, the congregation will be invited to present a new, unwrapped toy as an offering.  Our worship ministry here at Nativity hopes that you will 'make room' and 'make time' in your busy schedules for these special Advent Prayer Services on Wednesday evenings in December.