“Therefore, the Lord Himself will give you a sign: Behold, a virgin will be with child and bear a son, and she will call His name “Immanuel.”
Isaiah 7:14
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In 735 BC the prophet Isaiah prophesied to the struggling nation of Judah about a child that would change the trajectory of the world forever. Isaiah called this child “Immanuel” 730 years before He was even born!
I have heard it said that all the truths of Christmas can be stated in just three words: “God with us.” We tend to focus our attention at Christmastime on the human birth of Christ. But the greater focus should be on His deity-who He really is- “God with us.” Immanuel means that we are not isolated from a God who sits on some distant throne. He came to be with us. He had human skin and wore human clothes and walked among the people just like everyone else.
Let us celebrate Immanuel in the coming weeks as we talk about hope, peace, joy, love and His coming into the world.
Come Immanuel…God is with us!
Mike Wilson
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To watch this Sunday's live-streaming service click on this link. "Hope Has A Name"
Or go to youtube.com and search for "First Christian Church The Dalles" You will also be able to watch any service at any time.
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PRAYER REQUESTS:
- Please pray for Christian Velasco. He's depressed and having a tough time with forgiveness. His heart's desire is to know Jesus intimately but anger and deception are trying to conquer him. Thank you for your prayers; they're powerful.
- Please pray for my dad as he is in such pain with his knees and feels lousy all the time. He sounds really depressed. ~ Joyce
- Please pray for my dad's friend Ida. She fell and cracked the bone below her hip replacement and refused to go to the nursing home asn is home alone. ~ Joyce
- Please pray for the Operation Christmas Child shoeboxes as they are on their way to the processing center and then onto kids around the world. Pray for the kids to be impacted with the love of Jesus. ~ Joyce
- My son & his wife are separated. Pray that God will renew their love for each other and bring them back together.
- Pray for peace for our country.
- Pray for our government and church leaders as restrictions are easing.
- Pray for those in our body who are experiencing loss of income.
- Pray that by doing what we are asked to do by staying home, we will be protected from the virus.
- Pray for God's special protection on those with underlying illnesses that make them more vulnerable.
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We ask you to reserve seating each week online HERE or by calling the church office 541-296-6189. (seating limited to 50)
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Update
Helen Trautman has transitioned from Skilled Nursing and into an Assisted Living facility, that is about 2 miles from Mike Trautman's home in Tigard. She’s close by, doing well, and starting to settle in just fine. She is slowly, but surely, making progress on getting better from the effects of her stroke. She can stand with assistance, walk a bit with assistance, and is speaking well and though she has some memory issues, she is her usual sweet and talkative kind self!
Her contact information is as follows:
Oswego Place by Bonaventurre
Room #201
17450 Pilkington Road
Lake Oswego, OR 97035
Reception phone: 503-697-1025
Direct Dial: 503-697-1115
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OPERATION CHRISTMAS CHILD SHOEBOXES
We made it through our first year of being a Drop-off site for shoeboxes. We learned a lot that will be useful in the future if we are to continue this. When we were approached back in early March, there wasn't Covid-19 and it sounded like an easy thing to do. Becoming a curbside drop-off changed things considerably. We received a total of 476 shoeboxes from as far away as Grass Valley, Kent, Carson, Goldendale, Lyle, Dufur and The Dalles. We filled 51 cartons with 799 shoeboxes.
We want to thank the following faithful servants who helped: James & Nancy Love, Randy & Claire Sparks, Sarah Smith, Sarah Pickette, Mike & Marilyn Miller, Mike Wilson, Marlene Long, Janny Hall and Jack Cherry. We couldn't have done it without you!
Joyce and Jennifer Goodman, Operation Christmas Child Project Leaders
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Megan Lenardson (daughter of Mindy & Rick Lenardson, St. Peters)
and Ethan Hansen (son of Dottie and Nathan Hansen, First Christian)
are very active in Sea Scouts, and the group will be serving the community and raising money this winter by helping folks with outdoor chores.
Sea Scouts on the Job!
Teen members of the SSS Freedom, the BSA Sea Scout unit in The Dalles, are willing, able and happy to help folks in/near town with outdoor chores November - January, such as:
- Rake leaves
- Wash cars
- Clean exterior windows*
- Shovel snow
- Help with exterior Christmas decorations*
- Directed gardening
Donations to support the ship are gratefully accepted in return.
To schedule a time, please call Rymmel Lovell at 541-296-6546
*One story only; for safety reasons, Scouts will not be on ladders over three steps
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Online Baby Shower
Covid has us doing everything differently now. The Mercy House is hosting an Online Baby Shower for resident Samantha. Her daughter is due mid-December.
You can find a gift registry on Amazon. Go to Baby Registry and look for Samantha Kulp in The Dalles
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Church Service Attendance Guidelines
1. One service at 10:30am
3. Enter church through south side entrance; exit through north or south entrances.
4. Please stay in your seat for the entire service.
5. Face masks will be mandatory during entire service.
6. If you are sick, sneezing, coughing, have a fever of 100.4º or more, stay home.
7. Those who are at high risk for severe complications (over age 60 or underlying medical
conditions) should consider staying home even if you feel well.
8. Social distancing of at least six (6) feet between you and people you do not live with will
be practiced.
9. Social interaction will be limited to parking lots and at your own risk.
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The Winter quarterly devotional Our Daily Bread is now available.
You can pick up a copy in the sanctuary or drop by the church office between 9am and 12noon M-F
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CHRISTMAS CARDS TO MISSIONARIES
This year due to Covid-19, we will not have Christmas cards out for everyone to sign. We are asking you all to please encourage our missionaries by sending your own cards to them at the following addresses:
CHILD EVANGELISM FELLOWSHIP
Julie Fritts & Lorna VanHee
820 E 3rd St.
The Dalles OR 97058
Chaplain Clyde & Mary Keizur
624 East 12th St.
The Dalles OR 97058
Andrew & Karina Smith
David & Johnathan Smith
79779 Shellrock Rd.
Dufur OR 97021
Ritha Matta
Kotak Pos 217/WR
Waru-Sidoarjo 61256
Jawa Timur
INDONESIA
Ramon & Monica Rios
Apartado Postal 4
C.P. 22850
Ensenada, B.C. MEXICO
Sam Owen
PO Box 2774 - 00606
Nairobi, KENYA
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ISRAEL 2022
Join us for a Biblical studies trip to Israel! Tentative dates March 18-30 2022. Experience the stories of Scripture as they come to life in their own home town!
We will be challenged from God’s Word as we learn from an incredible Bible teacher, Dr Randy Smith of Christian Travel Study Programs. Physical demand will be 3-5 miles of walking throughout the day in short segments. For more information contact Sarah Smith at (541)993-9874 or harsie_smith@yahoo.com.
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Make someone's day a little brighter today - reach out and make that phone call. |
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First Christian Church, The Dalles |
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Watch for updates on Facebook and our website |
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