DECEMBER | 2020

ADVENT: WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR? You can’t wake Mom and Dad up before 8:00 AM. This was the Christmas-day rule implemented in our household after my brother and I had, a few years in a row, bounced into our parent’s room at the crack of dawn, eager to begin tearing open our newly wrapped Christmas presents as soon as possible. But not this year. No, this year my parents were determined to teach their two overly-excited children the value of patience (and to sneak in a few extra hours of sleep while they were at it). And so, even though I couldn’t sleep a wink past 6:00 AM, I anxiously anticipated each second as it ticked by until, eventually, that anticipation turned into irritation. Don’t you know that Santa stopped here last night? I fumed at my sleeping parents. Don’t you know that the presents are wrapped and ready to be opened? Don’t you know that Christmas is finally here? What are you waiting for?! What are you waiting for? It was an easy question for me to answer that Christmas morning. I was waiting to open the gift poking out of my Christmas stocking that looked like the toy drumsticks I had asked for from Santa. For most people, this question is easy to answer around the holiday season. What are you waiting for? A college student prepares for finals as they wait before traveling home to visit family. An employee waits for a few days of holiday vacation. A grandmother waits and anticipates the arrival of her visiting grandchildren with freshly baked cookies. But, ironically, for Christians, this question is deceptively tricky. What happens on Christmas Day, much like Easter, is no secret to us. The Christ-child has already been born. What are we waiting for? We will ponder this question together as we prepare and wait in hopeful expectation. Join us as we explore how the knowledge of Christ’s birth calls us to live differently this Advent season by Loving All (November 29), Spending Less (December 6), Giving More (December 13), and Worshipping Fully (December 20). Vicar Kate

VINJE PHOTO DIRECTORIES If your family’s photo is in the Vinje directory, updated copies have arrived. Call the church office to make arrangements to pick up your directory.

PLEASE SEND US A PHOTO!  We’d love to include your family’s photo or your Christmas card during one of our December worship services. Please email your photo or a copy of your card to Sara or mail a Christmas card to the church office by December 15th.

EXPLORING VINJE'S HISTORY: ELDERLY DAY SERVICE PROGRAM Pastor Andrés is digging into Vinje’s unique history. This month, he asked Karen Olberg to share her memories of the Elderly Day Service Program at Vinje. Elderly Day Services Program was offered by the community mental health center, WCCSC and located at Vinje for many years. The Vinje members who developed the program starting in 1978 were Joann Hamilton RN and Maureen Pierson OTR. They led the program for several years after which Karen Olberg took over the leadership role. The program served the frail elderly and handicapped adults of the community. Physical and mental health services were provided to those people who were unable to remain in their home without supportive services. The program served approximately 15 to 20 people daily, four days a week. Eventually an adult day care component was added to the schedule one day per week. The Arthritis Support Group also was started by this program. Vinje was a wonderful welcoming host location for the program. Clients enjoyed seeing the church staff as they took their group strolls around the church after their dinner. They also enjoyed opportunities to interact with the preschool children especially at holiday time. The program stayed at Vinje approximately 18 years before moving to a new location. The day care program was eventually taken over by Bethesda Homes. Those of us who worked in the program for many years still have great memories of times spent at Vinje. a little

We all know how important it is to recycle your plastic: it is a petroleum product and it has been a real problem in polluting the ocean and creating litter. However, not all plastics can go into your recycling bin and it is also very important that you sort it correctly. The County Recycling Center contracts with West Central Sanitation to pick up and process the recycling.  The plastics they except are containers with the numbers 1, 2 and 5 in the triangle. This covers the most widely-used plastic containers such as pop bottles, milk containers, liquid soap containers, etc. DO NOT put the following in your recycling bin: Plastic bags (they can be brought to Cash Wise and other retail stores) Styrofoam Containers that have the numbers 3, 4, 6 or 7 in the recycling triangle. Christmas gift suggestion: a subscription to the DNR’s monthly magazine, Minnesota Conservation Volunteer. Go to their website for information.

CONFIRMATION UPDATE Wondering what's happening at Confirmation lately? Well, things have shifted in the last couple of weeks due to the pandemic. After being able to meet for the first part of the year in person we are now in "virtual confirmation". Pastor Justin and Vicar Kate are still teaching through recorded videos and online worksheets. We are grateful for the opportunity to be creative and for the chance that youth have to do some faith formation conversations with their parents, but we look forward to returning to the in-person lessons when we can safely do so.

SUNDAY SCHOOL UPDATE This Advent, we are taking a break from online Sunday School lessons and instead will be delivering care packages following our Advent theme of "What are you Waiting For?" to our elementary school age families. These kits include some fun crafts and activities, Advent candles, and devotional materials. We hope that as families share the faith in their homes that they are able to experience the love of Jesus in a meaningful way, and make this season of waiting a memorable one. If for any reason you are a family that hasn't received this Advent package, please contact Melissa and let her know!

LSS HOMELESS YOUTH PROGRAM LSS is in need of warm hats, gloves/mittens, socks (reg/lg one size fits all male and female adults) and travel sized hygiene products. You may also make a donation to help with the weekly food packages they buy from Hope for the city.  Donations can be dropped off in the labeled box right inside the door by Loving Arms.

History of Christmas Carols What would Christmas be without singing the carols we all love? The history of Christmas carols has been traced to 129 AD when a Roman Bishop said that a song called “Angel’s Hymn” should be sung at a Christmas service in Rome. Over the next six hundred years, more songs were written all over Europe. However, these songs were generally written and sung in Latin, making them unpopular among most people.  This changed in 1223 AD when St. Francis of Assisi started Nativity Plays in which people sang songs that told the story, usually in a language that the people could understand. This idea spread across Europe and new carols were written. When the Puritans came into power in England in the 1640’s, celebrating Christmas and the singing of carols was stopped. However, people continued to sing the carols secretly until the mid-1800’s, when it became acceptable to sing again. Since then, new carols have been written around the world. Our red Evangelical Lutheran Worship hymnal includes Christmas songs from England, Germany, Sweden, Poland, China, France, Denmark, Czechoslovakia, Spain, Malawi and America. Can you name a well-known Christmas carol from the African-American tradition? Information from whychristmas.com/customs/carols-history A New Choir Room Piano For several years, Vinje musicians have enjoyed the loan of a baby grand piano from Mary Pieh in the Choir Room. This fall, Mary’s family had room again for the piano, so it has been returned to them. After discussion by the Worship Committee, designated Music Funds have been used to purchase a new digital Yamaha Clavinova for the Choir Room. We don’t know how soon choirs will be able to gather and sing in that space, but when they do, the digital piano will be put to good use. Thank you to the Pieh family for the use of their piano and thank you to everyone who has contributed to the Designated Music Fund!

LOVING ARMS UPDATE We are continuing to try to provide our friends with a sense of normalcy in these crazy times! We are so grateful for their smiling faces and for all of your prayers and support too! WE ARE HIRING! IF YOU KNOW OF ANYONE THAT COULD JOIN OUR TEAM ON A FULL, PART TIME OT TEMPORARY BASIS, PLEASE HAVE THEM CALL CHRIS AT 320.235.7271.

VINJE COUNCIL MEETING RECAP November Council Highlights… In recent years we have seen fewer members needing office staff on Fridays and thus the Vinje Council has decided to close the office on Fridays. Pastoral staff will remain available for emergencies and Pastor Andres does work on Fridays, but our office staff will not. Because of this and other realities that have been accelerated by Covid-19 the council also made the difficult decision to downsize the hours of our Office Manager position. Janet White remains a vitally important member of our staff and Vinje's ministry but will only work Monday-Thursday from 9:00-3:30. While the building is again closed due to Covid, Janet and the rest of the staff remain available by phone and email. Other council items: Work is being done on the 2021 budget and will be presented to council in December.  We are applying for our PPP loan to be forgiven.  Council discussed Christmas Eve worship plans.  The annual meeting is set for February 7 at 11:00.

LIGHT OF CHRISTMAS FUND As we prepare to celebrate Christmas, we want to share the joys of the season with others in the community. This year contributions to the Light of Christmas funds will once again be used to assemble gifts and food baskets for families in our community. In the past we have also collected donations for poinsettias, trees, wreaths, and other Christmas decorations. While we are not gathering in the sanctuary for worship this year, many of these decorations will still be used for our recorded worship services in Advent and as we prepare for Christmas Eve. Certainly, this will be a Christmas unlike ones before, but your generous gifts to these special projects are still greatly appreciated. Please used the enclosed form to mail contributions to the church office (or make a donation on our website) by December 11th. Also, if you know of someone with specific needs in our community please contact Melissa Hansen.

Make a one-time contribution or set up reoccurring giving here. Need help? Call the church office!

VINJE ON THE GO! RADIO Listen on Sundays at 9:30 am on KWLM, 1340 AM. INTERNET Watch anytime! (go to YouTube and search Vinje Willmar).  TV Watch local access channel, WRAC 8/180, Sundays at 2:30 pm and 8:30 pm, Tuesdays at 8 am and 5 pm or Saturdays at 6 pm.