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www.nativityarden.org
828.684.0352
Nativity Notes: 12/22 /16
+ worship

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Saturday, December 24, 
Family Friendly Service 
- 5:00 PM

Saturday, December 24, Candlelight  Worship 
with Holy Communion 
- 10:00 PM

Sunday, December 25, 
Holy Communion Service 
- 10:30 AM

Saturday, December 31, 
New Years Eve Service 
- 5:00 PM

Sunday, January 1, 2017, 
Holy Communion Service 
- 10:30 AM

+Care

Many thanks to our Nativity family for your love and support as we walked with Carolyn's mother through her declining health and ultimately, her dying.  
Your prayers, meals, visits, and encouraging words brought us comfort, and made difficult things easier to bear.  We feel so blessed to be a part of this community.  
Thank you again. 
- Carolyn, Tim, Sarah 
and Ben Anderson

+ women of the ELCA

Women of Nativity  will meet on  Thursday, January 12 at 11:00 am  in the Fellowship Hall. We are studying the Gospel of John, chapter 4. You may join the group at any time; the study is not dependent on the previous lesson. Bring a bag lunch if you wish. Call Linda Blake, 684-8378, for more information.
 
Nativity Card Ministry 
Immediately following the Women's meeting ( Thursday, January 12 at 12:30 pm ), the Nativity Card Ministry will meet to make cards for the members on the weekly prayer list. Everyone is welcome to come and make these beautiful cards. The cards are made step by step and artistic ability is not required. 
Call Ruth Tracy, 628-7807, 
for more information.
 
Ladies Lunch Bunch All ladies are welcome to meet at the Roux (in the lobby of the Hilton Hotel) 
in Biltmore Town Square at  1:00 pm  on  January 26  for lunch. 
Nadine Lloyd is our hostess. 
Please call her at 687-3655  so she can make a reservation for you.


+ Flesher Assisted Living

Flesher's Assisted Living celebrates its residents' monthly birthdays due to the women of Nativity who provide the cake, ice cream, "sing along," and personal attention. This is a quiet ministry which is enjoyed and appreciated by many at Flesher's. This caring Nativity "people ministry" is enjoyed by men and women who find themselves confined to a nursing home sitting -- often lonely and neglected.
 
On behalf of these residents, a heartfelt thanks is extended to the following folks for their faithful service this past year: 
Linda Blake, Ann Dasher, Corinne Feid, Linda Fox, 
Billie Jean Flynn, Joyce Horton, Cathy Janney, Zilla and Don Kimmel, Nadine Lloyd, 
Peggy Mann, Debbie McGinnis, Thelma Nesbitt, Peggy Oehm, Jeanne Russell, Chris Scronce, Helen Summers,  and 
Sandy Vlahos .
 
If you would like to help just one day out to the year, please call me. It would be greatly appreciated.
 
Jane Ehlers (684-5891)

+ check us out
on social media!
Like us on Facebook
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Want to get  the word out?
Please submit your communications, 
articles, events,  
and updates to:    
by noon on Wednesday  for weekly 
Nativity Notes  and  Son Times .
Click here for an interesting travel and entertainment opportunity offered to Nativity members and friends by David Lloyd. 
 
The flower chart for 2017 is posted in the Fellowship Hall 
near the north entrance. 
If you would like to donate flowers to enhance our worship, please sign the chart and note any "in honor of" or "in memory of" designations. 
Plan to take the flowers with you after the late service or pick them up on Monday morning. They will be in a disposable container across the hall from Pastor Mark's office. 
Enjo y them at home or take them to someone you know will enjoy them. Each vase is $30 and payment may be put in the offering plate. 
Thank you for providing flowers that enhance our worship.
+ Support Nativity Preschool

One of the easiest ways to support Nativity Preschool & Kindergarten financially is to tie our school to your Ingle's Advantage Card. This can be accomplished easily by clicking  here .
CHURCH OFFICE
HOURS
Mon-Thurs
9am-2pm
 Click  for Nativity's
+ Ending well in 2016

There is  one more Sunday  remaining in this calendar year. W e have made progress towards meeting our giving goal for 2016, but we aren't quite there yet. 
In order to end well this year, we need to receive  $46,963  by  January 1, 2017 .  
If you haven't already, please complete your pledges for the year, so that we can end this calendar year well.  (Unpledged gifts are also welcome!)  Thank you for contributing to the ministry of Nativity! 

Year End Reminder: All contributions delivered to the office or postmarked by 12/31/16 will be counted towards your 2016 contribution statement.

+ book discussion group

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January's meetings will be Tuesday, January 10 and Thursday, January 12. The book is  Circling the Sun  by Paula McLain. Everyone is welcome to attend either meeting.

For Discussion Guidelines, click here.
For upcoming books and corresponding synopsis, click here.
+ learn

Daily Scripture Readings:
Sunday: Luke 2:8-20
Monday: 2 Kings 19:20-34
Tuesday: Isaiah 7:10-25
Wednesday: Isaiah 57:14-21
Thursday: Psalm 89:48
Friday: Isaiah 52:7-12
Saturday: Isaiah 49:1-7

God's Story, Our Story
Weekly devotional materials relating to the Narrative Lectionary are available on the Welcome Desk.
+ give

Calvary Food Pantr y volunteer sign ups are going digital. If you would like to sign up, please click here to view upcoming weeks and select your volunteer position. A sign up sheet remains at the Welcome Desk. To learn more about Calvary Food Pantry, contact  Pastor Rachel or  Heather Neal 

You can help stock the pantry shelves by placing items in the grocery cart in the fellowship hall. Special requests for this month: your favorite breakfast cereal (hot or cold), soups & stews, and foods especially for kids home for the holidays (macaroni & cheese, spaghettios, microwave popcorn, canned fruit, etc.).

Thank you for all you do to contribute to this ministry. To read about the impact the food pantry has, click here and hear from one of the grateful families.
+ Girl Scout Service Project

Advent greetings from Girl Scout Troop 2511 in Fairview. During this season, the girls are working on a service project of giving. 
They have chosen to collect supplies for Helpmate, a shelter for domestic violence victims and their children. 

During the next month, the girls of Troop 2511 will be placing boxes here at Nativity 
(a box near the Welcome Desk)
and at Abiding Savior Lutheran Church 
in Fairview. 
The troop is collecting:
  • wipes and diapers in sizes 2-6
  • socks for women and children in all sizes
  • underwear for women and children in all sizes
  • bath and body wash
  • pocket kleenex
  • pocket sanitizer
  • pajamas for women and children in all sizes
  • seasonal items (jackets, gloves, hats) for women and children in all sizes
  • shelf staple food/pantry items

For assistance with donations, please contact troop co-leader Jennie Gillette828-707-8343.

Thank you for your help in assisting 
Troop 2511 in their service project!

+ Bulletin Cover Art is Back!

We are returning to one of our most popular ministries: Bulletin Cover Art. If you are interested in providing art for our bulletin covers, we invite you to check out the online schedule here
We simply ask that you not volunteer for more than one cover per month  and that you submit your art by the Monday before the Sunday for which you're scheduled. 

If you have any questions, 
please email  Pastor Gregg  here .

+ council corner

Minutes from previous meetings can be found on the church's website here.

+ stewardship

Each household was mailed a Stewardship Packet which included a 2017 Commitment Form. You have the opportunity to pledge your financial commitment to Nativity by placing this form in the offering plate during worship. 
Our final commitment Sunday 
will be January 8, 2017.  Please faithfully consider how God is calling you to give to the ministry of Nativity. Your pledge enables us to live our mission statement, "Making Christ Known." 

+ ELCA Good Gifts

Searching for a gift for that person who has everything?  Consider giving a gift in their honor instead!  ELCA Good Gifts lets you purchase gifts like livestock, equipment, and health care items to send to those in need around the world. There are over 50 options! Click here  to learn more about these gifts, or check out a catalog at the Welcome Desk.