December 2019
NOTE FROM PASTOR JOHN:
Welcome to the Advent and Christmas season at Community of Hope!
"Surely this is our God; we trusted in him, and he saved us. This is the LORD,
we trusted in him; let us rejoice and be glad in his salvation." (Isaiah 25:9) 

The Advent season focuses on expectation and it serves as an anticipation of Christ’s birth in the season leading up to Christmas, as well as the anticipation of Jesus’ coming again. Advent literally means “coming.” Is there room in your heart for Jesus? Will you allow Him to come in to your heart in the midst of many activities and events that fill up your calendar? May all of the things that surround Christmas point you to Jesus, the Savior, who has come for you and for me, who is returning to take us home to be with Him.

Come and join us at Hope during December! Our Sunday morning worship services in December are based on the theme “Away In A Manger.” Each Sunday we gradually light the candles on the Advent wreath of Hope, Joy, Love and Peace, as we focus on key people in the Christmas story that God was using to tell the world about the Savior, Jesus, who was to come. Finally, on Christmas Eve, Tuesday, December 24, we celebrate the birth of Jesus with candlelight worship services at 3, 5 and 7 pm.

Make sure to start the season out with a celebration and join us for our annual Advent Family Festival on Sunday evening, Dec. 1 at 5:30 pm for food, fun and crafts (see the description in this newsletter). This is a great event to help us all focus on what is most important, the gift of Jesus. Bring your family and friends!

Together with you, serving our living Lord Jesus Christ,
Pastor John
Upcoming Events: December
Sunday, December 1
Advent Festival & Youth Missions Silent Auction
5:00-7:30 pm

Join us as we prepare our hearts for the season of Advent. Potluck dinner from 5:00-5:30 pm.
5:30-7:30 pm create Advent projects and crafts for the whole family.

The youth mission trip silent auction will start at 8:45 am on Sunday morning during church, and will end at 7 pm during the Advent Festival.
Wednesday, December 4
6-7:30 pm
First Wednesdays Soup Supper & Prayer Night

Dottie Cook has arranged a testimonial for our prayer time with Fredna Grimland. This promises
to be a “faith building” special treat for all of us!
Sunday, December 15

Voices of Hope Kids & Youth Christmas Choir Performance during the 10:30 am worship service!

The kids and youth will have rehearsal on Saturday, December 14 at church from 9-11 am.
December 22:
Going to look at Christmas Lights 

Join us for hot chocolate at the church before we leave to go to Keizer to see Christmas lights in the Miracle of Christmas. We will meet at the church
at 6:00 pm and leave by 6:15 pm to carpool.
We will return back to the church by 8:30 pm.
They ask everyone to bring a soup or non perishable can donation. Sign up in the
entryway if you would like to come.

Contact Debi Carpenter 503.504.3059
or debiandkj@comcast.net
for more information
NOTE FROM COUNCIL:  UPCOMING COUNCIL POSITIONS OPEN
According to our Constitution for Community of Hope, this coming year we need the following Council positions to be filled by nomination of new volunteers and then election of the volunteers at the January 2020 Annual Congregational Meeting :

  • Vice President - Member of Executive Team (Presently Brenda Melum)
  • Treasurer - Member of the Executive Team (Presently Charles Benson)
  • Outreach - Council Team Leader (Presently Chris Utterback)
  • Fellowship - Council Team Leader (Presently Julian Chambers)
  • Property - Council Team Leader (Presently Stephen Boone)

Please prayerfully consider to which position God might be calling you to use your talents, time, and experience. If God calls you, He will enable you with wisdom and grace to fulfill the responsibilities of that position. Previous members of Council can serve again after a year gap from any previous position.

Please notify any member of the 2019 Nominating Team if you are willing to stand for election in January and then serve for one of these crucial positions which will be vacant. The 2019 Nominating Team Members are Don Etzel, Vern Hopper, Loren Shrock, and Janelle Earnshaw.

Please talk to the person presently serving if you need more information about what the position's actual responsibilities entail.

In Christ,
Henry Phillips
President
Royal Family Kids Camp Update
Our Royal Family KIDS Christmas Party is coming up on Saturday, December 14th. We are asking for donations for the campers Christmas Stockings. With a $40 donation we can fill each stocking with a stuffed animal, blanket, jacket, hat and gloves, art activity, and legos for the boys and nail polish/hair accessories for the girls. If you would like to donate please visit our PayPal here: paypal.me/WilsonvilleRFK or you can mail a check to Wilsonville RFK, PO Box 1433 Sherwood OR 97140. Thank you for helping us make special holiday memories for our campers!

We will be hosting our very first dinner/auction fundraiser on Saturday, March 7th, 2020. We are finalizing all of the details but for now block the date out on your calendar so you can join us for a night of fun! We need help to make this event a success so if you are interested in being a part of this event team or have connections for potential donations to raffle or live auction items, please email us at wilsonville.royalfamilykids@gmail.com. 
Upcoming Events: January
Starting January 8, 2020

Over 5 million people have learned to pay off debt, save and invest for their future with Financial Peace, created by Dave Ramsey. Join us at Community of Hope as we begin this 9-week series on Wednesday nights, beginning Jan. 8, at 6:30 pm. Childcare provided. There is a cost of $99 per family for this series. Sign up at church or send an email to pastorjohn@commhope.org if you would like more information.
January 17-19, 2020

Join the Community of Hope/ Wilsonville men along with Community of Faith/West Linn for a weekend retreat at Cannon Beach Conference Center. Guest speaker Mike Bradley will inspire and encourage us to deepen our walk as men of faith in our family, church and workplace. If you are interested please sign up at church and look for more details on cost, etc. coming soon. 
Annual Meeting - January 26, 2020
The Annual Congregational Meeting of Community of Hope Lutheran Church will be held on Sunday, January 26, 2020, right after the 10:30 AM service.  The meeting will include reports from Pastor John, the Treasurer, the Secretary, and the Ministry Teams. The meeting will include approval of the annual 2020 budget recommended by the Council and approval of the new storage structure design recommended by the Land and Property Use Team. We will also have nominations and elections for the open positions of Vice President, Outreach Team Leader, Fellowship Team Leader, and Property Team Leader. Please plan on attending as it is important that we have a quorum to make these important decisions for the advancement of our Christian impact on the people and communities around us.
Highlights from November
Sunday, November 10 our middle and high school
 youth had a blast at the Blazers game.
Sunday, November 17
was the last day to collect shoeboxes for Operation Christmas Child. Look at how many wonderful shoe boxes of goodies and toys were donated!
We had over 30 people
join together for the
Singing Christmas Tree event on November 24. What a fun time kicking
off the holiday season!
Food 4 Thought Volunteers
Thank you to the Food 4 Thought Team for packing bags each week!

Team members: Mary Ott, Barb Nichols, Judy Ray, Art & Judy Morales, David Smith, Dan Dahle, Kim Finsand, Lisa Bippes, Stephanie Yang
Don't forget that EVERY 2nd Sunday of the month you can pick up Food 4 Thought shopping bags!
Every bit helps as we support these kids and youth. The bags will be available on Sunday, December 8.
Staff Life Update
Hillary will be gone until December 6
in the Dominican Republic. She will be coming back to Oregon with her fiance, Juan Fernandez Colon. Please be sure to welcome him at church on December 8. They will have a small wedding in February 2020. Stay tuned for a way to celebrate their marriage at church sometime after the wedding.

YOUTH MINISTRY

Sunday, December 1
Join us for Advent Festival
from 5-7:30 pm

Sunday, December 8
MS & HS Youth Group: 6:00-7:30 pm
Christmas Bingo Game
Join us for a fun evening of Christmas Bingo with EPIC PRIZES! Potluck dinner, please bring your favorite dish to share.

Sunday, December 15
MS & HS Youth Group: 5-8:30 pm
Zoo Lights
Join us for a light dinner beforehand and then we will head to Zoo Lights. Drivers needed! Please let Hillary know if you can help.

Tuesday, December 17
High School Bible Study
6:30-8:00 pm
Join us for high school Bible study and treats! We will do a special Advent study you won't want to miss!

Youth Bible Class & Youth Group will resume Sunday, Jan. 5, 2020.

For more information about Youth Ministry contact hillary@commhope.org
CHILDREN'S MINISTRY

Children Pre-K through 5th grade are welcome to join us for Kids Church during the 10:30 am worship service

Sunday, December 1
Kids Church Lesson:
The Trials of King David

Sunday, December 8
Kids Church Lesson:
The King Who Had It All

Sunday, December 15
No Kids Church due to Voices of Hope Kids and Youth Choir Performance

Kids Church will resume
Sunday, January 5, 2020.

For more information about Children's Ministry contact dana@commhope.org

Voices of Hope Kids & Youth Choir
Children Pre-K through 5th will practice after the 10:30 am worship service for
15 minutes. Youth practice on their own using the CD.

Rehearsal: Sat., Dec. 14, 9-11 am
Program: Sun., Dec. 15 at the 10:30 am worship service
ADULT MINISTRIES
Advent Family Festival is coming on December 1st!!

Our very own Lundeen and Foodies Community Groups and
Dana Eaton and friends, have all volunteered to help put on this very important event.  

You may remember that this whole event originated when a member of the Lundeen Community Group’s house burned to the ground just before Christmas. The Community Group put together all the elements to replace the family’s
lost Christmas preparations (and a whole lot more). As each Christmas came, following that event, the Community Group made a tradition of making Yule logs, swags, wooden ornaments and other wonderful things for Advent, as a Praise to the Lord for His provision in a devastating time.  

Of course, because of the Lord’s blessings, this event has grown to serve 109 people last year! Praise the Lord! This year the Foodies Community Groups and other wonderful folks have volunteered to manage the potluck dinner part of the Advent Family Festival so that the Lundeen Community Group does not have to carry the whole load of this big event. Our High School Youth made and helped distribute flower bombe invitations to new people in Wilsonville, too. Good job kids!

Please come, have dinner, make Advent decorations with your family and celebrate Jesus arrival on earth!
“We Had Never Heard of Jesus!” This is the opening line to a letter I received from Franklin Graham at Samaritan’s Purse, the sponsors of Operation Christmas Child where we get, all of our Christmas Shoeboxes that we send oversees.  

You, all, did a wonderful thing! I set out 100 shoeboxes and asked everyone to fill a shoebox and return it, full, 2 weeks later. Not only did all the boxes come back, quite full, but you gave back 3 more boxes than I set out! Bless you!

In his letter to all of us, Franklin said, “Often, these gift boxes become the seeds for new churches in places that have never been reached with the Gospel of Jesus Christ. We praise God that in the past few years, we have seen more than 1100 churches planted in 54 countries as He has worked through these wonderful Shoeboxes.” In another part of his letter Franklin, also quotes a pastor of one of these new churches saying, “Before Operation Christmas Child came, we had never heard of Jesus or knew who God was. If we had difficulties, we sought the witch-doctor for help. Now, we have abandoned witch-doctors and seek God alone in prayer and worship.”  

I was stunned when I read of the miraculous things that God has done with a little shoebox of toys! We serve a God of miracles and I pray that as we prepare for the miracle of His coming to earth as a baby, we also remember how powerful is His story. I think our services do not always have to be huge or difficult. Sometimes, like filling a shoebox with toys, serving our mighty Lord can be simple and fun! Merry Christmas, indeed!
Our 1st Wednesdays Supper & Prayer times continue through this Winter. Our next one is on Wednesday December 4th, at 6:00 pm.
Dottie Cook has arranged a testimonial for our prayer time with Fredna Grimland. This promises to be a “faith building” special treat for all of us!  We are delighted to add these wonderful two new folks to our Prayer Minister’s Team: Linda Baker and Dottie Lunde. Watch for them when you come forward for prayer at the end of our worship services on Sunday mornings.  

If you would like to join our Prayer Ministers Team, we would be delighted to have you. Training's are available following 1st Wednesday Prayer times. If you would like to receive prayer at any time during the week, call Dottie Cook at 832-443-7949 or Koko at the church office 503-682-8855.

James 5:14, NLT: "Are any of you sick? You should call for the elders of the church to come and pray over you, anointing you with oil in the name of the Lord." 

In His Hand,
Koko
Join a community group and go through The Story this school year! 
NEED PRAYER?
If you have a prayer request please let us know, you can complete a prayer request card from your Sunday bulletin and drop it into the Sunday morning offering basket or contact Pastor John or our staff and let us know how we can pray for you.

If you would like to be added to the prayer chain to pray for others, please send us an email to prayer@commhope.org. Thank you to Chris Snodderly for coordinating our prayer chain requests!
Your shopping can help earn Community of Hope money!
(at no extra cost to you!)
Fred Meyer rewards program
To sign up visit: https://www.fredmeyer.com

Between July 1-September 30, 2019 6 families raised $12.29 for Community of Hope through Fred Meyer Rewards.
  
Log into your Fred Meyer account, select "Community Rewards" from the menu, then search for Community of Hope, ELCA either by name or use DH375 and then click Enroll. New users will need to create an account which requires some basic information such as a valid email address and a rewards card.

You will still receive your personal rewards in addition to the rewards that are dispersed to Community of Hope by the program.
Community of Hope is registered as a charitable organization with AmazonSmile. 

If you sign up, each quarter Amazon donates 0.5% of your purchases to Community of Hope. 

Between July 1-September 30, 2019 we raised $17.00 for Community of Hope through AmazonSmile!

Please consider directing donations from purchases you make on Amazon to Community of Hope ELCA. 
 
HOW TO PARTICIPATE:
Go to https://smile.amazon.com/ and register. 
Type: "Community of Hope ELCA" into the search engine and select our church. Under "location" it will say Wilsonville. Every time you shop go to https://smile.amazon.com/ and Amazon will give .5% of all your purchases to Community of Hope!
GIVING ONLINE

This program is an easy way to manage your giving.

Via the internet, you can set up one-time or recurring donations, 
and view your giving history. Choose to debit automatically from your
checking or savings account,or credit card. 

Giving online offers convenience for you, and provides
donation consistency for our congregation.  

Go to the Community of Hope webpage www.commhope.org and select the blue "DONATE" on the top right of the page to get started. Or click HERE .

For more information, contact Dana Eaton: dana@commhope.org, 503.682.8855 
Community of Hope
Office Hours: 9:00 am - 4:00 pm Monday - Thursday
27817 SW Stafford Rd, Wilsonville Oregon 97070
Mailing Address: PO Box #98, Wilsonville, Oregon 97070
Phone: 503.682.8855
Website: www.commhope.org   Email: office@commhope.org