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Quick Notes and Reminders
Please check the calendar for more information.
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Faith Feast Menu:
December 7 will feature ham or turkey sandwiches with cheese on hamburger buns, chips, fruit and dessert.
Food Pantry Items The items for December is
Diapers, baby wipes, formula and baby food.
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Looking for glad tidings of Christmas cheer?
Sorry to say, but you won't find it in the Gospel of Matthew this week...yet again.
Instead we've got a man gone wild, shouting insults at people in the wilderness. He's making threats with an axe. It's Jack Nicholson from The Shining crying out, "Here's Johnny!"
https://vimeo.com/150423192
That doesn't seem right.
It seems, um, not safe for church (NSFC).
Very clearly someone made a mistake...either the folks who put together the Revised Common Lectionary that dictates which lessons are read in worship each Sunday...or the Gospel of Matthew for not giving us a manger scene...or maybe even God for choosing this kind of messenger?!
But remember what angels, God's messengers, say each and every time they show up in the scriptures?
Do not be afraid.
They have to tell us not to be afraid, because they are terrifying. They are terrifying because those messages they bring from God are so different from what we want to hear. They are terrifying to us because they ask us to take part in something so different from what we are already doing. They terrify us because they ask us to trust in the impossible, putting aside everything we thought to be true.
We are terrified, because they ask us to be changed.
So really, John the Baptist in all his camel's hair glory, is nothing less than what we should expect coming from God. We should not be surprised that his words are not sweet to our ears, for the only thing he's honey coating are his locusts. With his fiery words and a metaphorical axe, he's clearing the way for something new.
And maybe, just maybe, this wildly inappropriate-some would even say offensive-delivery might get us to turn away from every other distraction and turn back to God, so that we can behold what God is about to do next.
Pastor Sarah
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Sunday Breakfast Reminder
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Just a reminder that there will be breakfast from 9:00-10:30 a.m. in St. Michael's Hall. Enjoy breakfast casseroles, fruit, milk, juice, muffins and fellowship.
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 On Wednesday, December 14, at 11:00 a.m., Learn, Laugh and Lunch will feature a musical presentation by Bill Tillman and his assistant Carolyn. They will be presenting Christmas music along with other selections. On the menu is baked, spiral sliced ham, scalloped potatoes, vegetables, jello salad, Christmas cookies, plum pudding, and hot spiced apple cider. If you are willing to bring a plate of Christmas cookies to share, please let Miranda know when you make your reservation. If you plan to attend, please contact Miranda at 225-8334 or mirandakurtt@faithlc.org. A reservation must be made by Monday, December 12. All are welcome!
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This week's discussion topic for Faith Journeys, our Adult Sunday School class will be:
Enriching our Christian Tradition: The Lost Gospel of Mary.
Faith Journeys meets from 9:30-10:15 a.m. in Messiah Hall, rooms 203 and 204, and is facilitated by Dee Paddock. Please join us.
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Please join with Faith members on Tuesday, December 6, at 6:30 p.m. for Cooking Club at the Gathering House. We will be celebrating the Christmas season with appetizers. Bring one of your favorite appetizers or try a new recipe! Don't forget to bring the recipe to share. Drinks will be provided. We will also have an exchange of a wrapped kitchen gadget or food item valued at around $10.00. All are invited and welcome.
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Faith Ministry will be hosting homeless families in the Gathering House the week of Christmas! Our guests will arrive on Christmas Day, December 25, and exit on Sunday, January 1. We will need your help, especially for evening and overnight hosts, and volunteers for setting up and taking down. Signup for Faith members will begin the weekend of December 3.
New this hosting event, volunteers signing up for evening or overnight hosting will be asked to sign a consent for a background check which will be done by Julie Crane. This is a new requirement by the Des Moines Area Family Promise Board. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact Bob Shaw.
As a congregation, let us consider this opportunity to-be-as that of the inn keeper who found lodging for Mary and Joseph on the night of Jesus' birth
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Last Weekend for Crestview Holiday Baskets
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 For the fourth year in a row, we are again partnering with the City of Clive and the Clive Lions to supply holiday food baskets for approximately 60 families at Crestview Elementary. For the month of November, we are collecting:
- any variety dried beans
- canned meats: tuna, chicken, salmon
- vegetable oil
- cereal
All donations can be left in the Commons at Faith. We will collect food through Wednesday, December 7. Thank you for your support as this project gets bigger every year!
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Advent invites us into a season of waiting and anticipation. Living into the hope of Christ's coming we are encouraged to take time for prayer and reflection. Be looking for Advent devotions each Wednesday morning leading up to Christmas through email. If you would like to share with others in the weekly devotions join, Jerry Waage here at church at 7:15 p.m. on December 7, 14, and 21.
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Faith Book Club will meet for dinner at 7:00 p.m. on Tuesday, December 20, at the Club Car Restaurant in West Des Moines. This month's book is
Present Over Perfect
by Shauna Niequist. All are welcome! Please contact Sara Broadrick at sbroadrick75@gmail.com or 515-528-6881 to let her know you are attending or to be added to the Faith Book Club email distribution list.
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First Tuesday Women's Fellowship
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The First Tuesday Women's Fellowship will begin the holiday season with a Christmas supper at Susan Petersen's home, 927 40th Street, West Des Moines, on Tuesday, December 6, at 6:30 p.m. Please bring a salad, side dish or dessert to share. The main course (lemon chicken), beverage and table setting will be provided. Please let Susan on or before Sunday, December 4 at 371-5441 or by email at susansandholmp@gmail.com if you plan to attend. Please use "Reply to All" progressively to let everyone know what you will bring to the Christmas supper. The group will share in a devotional, "Advent Waiting," from the December
Gather
. For more information, contact Susan at the number or email address above or Stephanie Hoff at 278-4003 or sah@netins.net .
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 Children and Family Ministry will host a cookie exchange, open to all members of Faith, at the home of Becky Lachenmaier on Thursday, December 15, at 6:30 p.m. Please bring 3 dozen cookies to share and be sure to bring along an empty tray to fill. Please contact the main church office by Wednesday, December 14, if you plan to attend.
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Children and Family Ministry
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Youth and Family Ministry
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Youth and Family Ministry Party
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On Wednesday, December 21, 7:30-9:30 p.m., the mission trip reunion and SHYG white elephant/Christmas party for 10th-12th graders and the Leach Lake Mission Trip group will gather at the Waage's to view the video and share some Christmas spirit. Look for more information in the near future.
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Youth Mission Trip Registration
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Registration is now open for the 2017 mission trip to Las Vegas, Phoenix, and Tucson. Any Faith student currently in grades 9-12 is eligible to participate in the trip, which is scheduled for Saturday, June 10 - Sunday, June 18, 2017. The journey, a joint effort of the ELCA's Southeastern Iowa Synod and its partner synod the Grand Canyon Synod, will open our eyes to the opportunities that Christ sets before us as we serve and learn about the joys and challenges of the culture and the church's role in responding to issues like human trafficking, homelessness, and immigration/border issues. To register, go to http://faithlc.org/youth-mission-trip.
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