Message of Grace December 2018 | Vol 11 Issue 12 Articles are due the 15th of the month preceding publication. Send to dreamstar_00@msn.com

Welcome to Grace Lutheran's eNewsletter! Click on the links at the right to view or print the calendar and volunteer schedule , plus you can go directly to our website, Facebook and sites in the ELCA family. If you have anything you would like put in the newsletter, send an email to me at dreamstar_00@msn.com. Read last month's newsletter

Quick Links Calendar Volunteer Schedule Grace Website Facebook Northern Illinois Synod ELCA.org

A Word from Pastor Andy

Pastor Andy Tyrrell Children's Christmas Program December 16th The Sunday School children will present a short program at the 9:30 service on December 16th.

Contentment "I am not saying this because I am in need, for I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. ” - Philippians 4:11 “Have you finished your Christmas shopping yet?” That's a question you will inevitably be asked or ask quite a bit over the next few weeks. Some of you may get your shopping done early. But others will be buying right through Christmas Eve. Whoever you are, you will probably feel some pressure this year to make or give the perfect gift. If it's not a gift, maybe it is a certain type of food as you get ready to host visitors. But the question I have this year is, is it really up to us to make Christmas perfect? If we don't do or give certain things is Christmas less meaningful?   Over the next few weeks we will gather to hear the story of Jesus' birth. One of the many things we will be reminded is that there is nothing that we can do to give the perfect gift. Because the perfect gift has already been given to us in a manger. And not only to us, but to all people around the world. We don't need to make Christmas perfect, because Christ has already made Christmas perfect. This year I would encourage you to give, not to meet a worldly expectation, but because you already have been given so much. When you feel the pressure of making Christmas important, realize that Christ has already made Christmas important. Realize that the greatest gift you can share is not something that can be put under a tree, but the love of Jesus. A gift that is special, not simply on December 25 th , but now and all eternity. Yours in Christ, Pastor Andy

Upcoming Events, How You Can Participate

Christmas Giving Tree Update

The Giving Tree is up in the Narthex which will give you an opportunity to provide gifts for children in need, through the Salvation Army, or the children of prison inmates through Angel Tree ministry of Prison Fellowship. A local church in Crystal Lake sponsors the Angel Tree by providing angel tags for specific children and hosting a party for the children of prisoners who live locally. Learn more about the Angel Tree Ministry of Prison Fellowship . All of the 'Angels' for the prison ministry have been taken! Thank you, thank you! Please remember to WRAP the Angel Tree gifts and affix the sticky-back angel to the package. The Salvation Army post, also in Crystal Lake, provides gifts, food and gift cards for hundreds of local families in need. They host a 'Christmas Shop' where family members can pick out gifts for their children that they know will be appropriate and appreciated. That is why these gifts are NOT wrapped but do include the tag in the box or bag so we can account for them. All gifts for both ministries are due back at Grace by December 9th. Thank you again. If you can help with check-in or delivery please contact Chris at 815-529-0789 or dreamstar_00@msn.com

Outreach Cafe December 23rd

Take a break from shopping/cooking/decorating and join us for our next Outreach Café on Sunday, December 23rd from 8:30-9:30. All funds raised will be donated to PADS, Habitat for Humanity, Richmond Food Pantry and our Haiti Mission. Thanks to Thrivent Financial for their support to purchase food and supplies. To help out or donate food, see Tina Peterson. Live Generously! Outreach Café Contact: Tina Peterson, tinap59@hotmail.com 815-678-4335

Habitat McHenry - 29 Homes So Far

Since 2014, Habitat McHenry has taken a total of 29 derelict homes from neighborhoods across McHenry County; rehabilitating and returning them to the tax rolls while creating affordable housing opportunities for low income residents. Habitat for Humanity is able to achieve its mission of helping local families attain decent, affordable housing because of the many hours donated by volunteers. Without volunteers, they wouldn’t be able to do what they do!   Habitat has multiple projects “in the works” at this time so maybe one of them is the right fit for you! Thank you for considering! If you are thinking about volunteering or for any questions or suggestions, please contact Rose McGuire at springgrove.rose@gmail.com or 815.245.0566.

Stewardship in the Christmas Season

For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation to all, training us to renounce impiety and worldly passions, and in the present age to live lives that are self-controlled, upright, and godly,  Titus 2:11-12 Many of us cherish everything about the Christmas season -- except those incessant advertisements telling us to buy this and buy that. We ask, “Where’s Jesus in all this commercialism?” This is the right question. Though it asks us to examine every aspect of our lives, stewardship particularly challenges us to question the role money plays in our personal lives and our culture. Christmas presents are wonderful expressions of love that make both giver and recipient feel good. At the same time, we want to be wary of advertising’s lure to make us overspend, or to think that the cost of our gift is proportionate to our love. Most of all, we need to be sure that the main point of our Christmas is not the gifts we give , but the gift we receive from God – Jesus. Here are some ideas:   Challenge yourself to spend less for presents this year. Set a budget and stick to it. Attend worship regularly in Advent and Christmas. Give some handmade presents: A scarf or hat, a photo album, a batch of fudge, a card, a poem. Prayerfully read Advent daily devotions (Richard Rohr’s Preparing for Christmas is amazing!). Give your time: a concert together, a shared meal, a day at a museum, a walk in the woods Use an Advent calendar to help you remember all that God has given you. Give service: Shovel a neighbor’s driveway, wash a loved one’s car, help clean the garage, paint a room, babysit for an evening. Play Christmas music that has religious themes (More “Silent Night,” less “Frosty the Snowman.”) Instead of buying a present, make a donation to a charitable organization in honor of your loved one (or check out ELCA Good Gifts!). Make a generous year-end contribution to your congregation.   Our thoughtful practices for Advent and Christmas not only make for good stewardship of our time, talents, relationships and money, they also help us to draw near to Our Lord and experience God’s greatest gift to us.   Copyright © 2018, Rev. Robert Blezard. Reprinted by permission. Submitted by Ray Yoder  Stewardship: “Everything we do after we say I Believe.”

Bits and Pieces from the Church Mouse  M erry C hristmas to all of my Church friends!

December is a busy time of the year with getting preparations ready for Christmas . Don’t forget that Christmas is for giving and sharing. If you signed up to help give a gift(s) for the Angel Tree and the Salvation Army, many, many thank yous for your generosity. Also, remember... Angel Tree: This gift needs to be “wrapped” and returned back to church by December 9, 2018. Salvation Army: This gift needs to be “unwrapped” and returned back to church by December 9, 2018.

There will be two Christmas Eve Services - one at 5:00 pm and the other 11:00 pm. There will be no Christmas Day Service . I hope to see you and all of my friends at the Christmas Eve Services. There is going to be a Children’s Christmas Program which I am really looking forward to seeing all our children performing to their best for us. My heart and my smile grows so big watching them perform. The performance will be on December 16 th during the 9:30 Service. With winter approaching, below are a few safety tips : Watch for children, especially now that the sun sets earlier. Don’t crowd snow plows. Snowplow drivers need room to operate and they may not be able to see your vehicle on the road. Keep your gas tank full, fuel lines can freeze when gas tanks are less than two-thirds full. Carry a fully charged cell phone and tell someone of your travel plans. Keep an emergency road kit in your car: such as jumper cables, flares, ice scraper, blankets, a first aid kit and don’t forget about the non-perishable food. Now that the weather is getting colder outside, PADS is in full swing. There are many ways you can help out with PADS. If you are interested donating items or your time, contact Curt Bjorklund at 815-529-7746.

I love this Christmas saying so I would like to share it with you: “My idea of Christmas , whether old-fashioned or modern, is very simple: loving others . Come to think of it, why do we have to wait for Christmas to do that? We can do it all year round.” Kinda warms me up like drinking hot chocolate. Aahhhhhh! Talk to you next month and stay warm. M erry C hristmas to all of you!!

Bible Study Opportunities

Women's Friendship & Faith Monthly Bible Study What: We will use Max Lucado’s Life Lessons Series to study Romans. We will read about how the earliest Christians were lead by Paul to learn to make better choices. We will be reminded of the importance of a relationship with God to help us make better choices in our own lives. Who : Women who want to grow in faith and share fellowship with other amazing women When: Second Monday of the month at 7pm at the church Where : Grace Lutheran Church Library Cost: $7 for the book. Please contact the church office or Thorey Ellis at (815)276-2456 to sign up so we have enough materials. “ And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose. ” Romans 8:28 Click for more information

Women of the ELCA - WELCA

Well winter has arrived in all her glory with cold, snowy and icy weather. Below is a brief summary of events to take place now and in the coming months. -You can still signup for the annual Christmas luncheon held on Saturday, December 1 st at Crandall’s Restaurant at 12:30pm. Call Ann Katzenberg or Sandy Messick for arrangements. -Our annual Bake Sale will be held on Sunday, December 16 th during and after services. We are asking our bakers for donations of pies, breads, cookies, fudge and other candy items. Family and friends are welcome to donate their specialty. Please bring to church early Sunday morning. Funds received from the Free Will offering will be donated to the Richmond Fire and Rescue Squad toward the purchase of a LUCAS 3 Chest Compressor Machine. If you have any questions contact Nancy Keppel who is handling this bake sale. Also thanks to Carol (cj) Steadman who made the initial inquiry with the Fire Department - Meal Train.com had a message on the computer stating that it is set up to help families in need of food or other assistance. Issue has been tabled for future discussion. - Election of officers was held. The following have been elected:  President, Sandy Messick Vice President, Lynn Jambor Treasurer, Kathy Zank Secretary, Rita Popenhagen Our next meeting will be Monday December 10th at 1:00pm. We’d love to have you come . All women are WELOME . Contact Sandy Messick for more information. 815 354 6521

WELCA Bake Sale December 16th

Calling all bakers! Baked goods are needed for the WELCA sponsored bake sale Sunday, December 16th. Please consider baking and donating. Your goodies can be brought to church Sunday morning, or dropped off on Saturday, December 15th between 10 am and noon. And please stop by and pick up some treats for your holiday get-togethers! A portion of the profits from the bake sale will be donated to the Richmond Fire Department for specialized equipment. Thank you all.

Remember – -1) collecting tabs from cans, 2) Sentry/Richters MarketPlace receipts request sticker on back (Twin Lakes store only, 3) Empty pill containers for Haiti. Containers for these items available in hallway to church office, 4) boxes for canned goods and staples for the Richmond Food Pantry placed in the box by the entrance, 5) coin jar on Welcome Counter for purchase of canned goods and staples for the food pantry. - Curt Bjorklund who heads up PADS has requested only new items such as gift cards to McDonalds or Burger King, socks, underwear, gloves, scarves, and hats. They can be placed in Luther Hall in bags below the left freezer on the floor. Please do not donate any other items at this time. - Please mark in permanent marker any plates or dishes that will have or had food donated. We have several dishes that need to be picked up from the counter in the kitchen. - the signup sheet for the coffee service after church has openings in December and January. If you wish to sign up for one of these dates contact Jan Heynis or Pat Peterson for information. If you are new you will be trained by another volunteer and not left alone. Thanks – - to all new volunteers who have come forward and joined the ranks with our older members with their expertise, and donating their time and materials to maintain our church home. Many of our older volunteers cannot do the work they did when they were younger. - again, it is a blessing to see so many young families coming to our church. Hopefully, many will decide to become members. Dates to Remember in December – Saturday, December 1st - WELCA Luncheon at Crandall's in Hebron Sunday, December 2nd - People of Praise will sing at both services Sunday, December 16th - WELCA Bake Sale 9-11 am Sunday, December 23rd – Café Breakfast 8:30 – 9:30 am Monday, December 24th - Christmas Eve - services at 5pm and 11pm Tuesday, December 25th - Christmas! GOD BLESS AMERICA

GraceNotes Quick notes, reminders, who to contact

Electronic Giving is Easy Download and print the form here. Fill it out and return with a voided check to the church office. Forms are also available in the Narthex at church. Please note that if you wish to donate to the building fund or other specific causes you will need to write a check or use cash as before.

People of Praise Rehearsals Mondays 7:00 - 8:00pm Note: There will be NO rehearsal on Dec 3rd. Instead we will meet after 2nd second service on December 2nd. Director, Danielle Cairoli

WELCA holiday bake sale December 16th Calling all bakers and buyers! Why not bake a little treat and buy a little treat for your holiday bonanza! The bake sale will take place between the morning church services.

Sunday School at 9:30 for children age 4 through 5th grade. The children start in the sanctuary with their families and after the children's sermon, they go to their classes and return in time for communion. Call the church office for more information. 815-678-3082.

P.A.D.S. Homeless ministry at St. Joseph's Catholic Church. First Thursday of every month from October thru April. Every week from October through April, St. Joe's hosts from 25-50 homeless individuals with a hot meal, sleeping arrangements, breakfast and a sack lunch. McHenry County PADS provides transportation. Different churches in the area sponsor each week with meals, set up, clean up and laundry services. Contact Curt Bjorklund at chbjorklund@hotmail.com or call 815-529-7746.

DivorceCare is a friendly, caring group of people who will walk alongside you through one of life’s most difficult experiences. Don’t go through separation or divorce alone. WHEN: A new session will begin in February 2019. Call to sign up or click here to sign up online. Contact: Linda Davis 815-347-5982

ALPHA is our confirmation class open to 6th, 7th and 8th graders and is led by Pastor Andy. We meet Wednesday nights beginning with a meal at 5:30 and then enjoy a time of learning and fellowship. Register your children in the church office or contact Pastor Andy.

October Giving: $14,881; Average Attendance per Sunday: 147

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