Faith's Friday Update

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“Gathered faithfully to love and serve God and all others.”

Faith's Friday Update

December 10, 2021

Sunday, December 12, 2021

Third Sunday of Advent

Worship Services:

8AM (in person) & 10:15AM (in person & live-streamed)

Worship Bulletin

This Week's Readings:

Zephaniah 3:14-20 - Rejoice, the Lord is in your midst

Isaiah 12:2-6 - In your midst is the Holy One of Israel. (Is. 12:6)

Philippians 4:4-7 - Rejoice, the Lord is near

Luke 3:7-18 - One more powerful is coming, baptizing with fire

WORSHIP NEWS: ADVENT MIDWEEK SERVICE & CHRISTMAS EVE

The final ADVENT MIDWEEK PRAYER SERVICE will take place this Wednesday, Dec. 15 at 11AM. Don't miss out!

There will be a light lunch afterwards with a free will offering. RSVP's are encouraged but not required. If you plan to attend, please help us plan by CLICKING HERE to RSVP.

CANDLELIGHT CHRISTMAS EVE SERVICES:

December 24 at 5:30PM & 8PM

INVITE your family, friends, and neighbors. Invitation postcards are available in the narthex; take some and pass them on! If you use Facebook, help spread the word by visiting our Facebook page and sharing the Christmas Eve Service events!

Note, on Sunday, December 26 there will be one service, time to be announced.

LUTHERAN SOCIAL SERVICES GIFT DRIVE UPDATE

All of our Lutheran Social Services clients have been adopted! Thank you to all who adopted one or more clients this year. Together we have helped to make their Christmas special.

Wrapped gifts are due this Sunday. Be sure to mark the outside of the gift with the client's name and number.

HELP BRING CHRISTMAS JOY BY CAROLING IN OUR COMMUNITY!

Join us on Wednesday, December 22 at 1PM for caroling to those who can’t venture out. We will meet at the church and depart together for homes of shut-ins and a local nursing home. We plan to finish around 3PM.

Wear your most festive clothing and bring your cheer! (Santa hats welcome!)

If you can participate, please let us know by calling or emailing the office for planning purposes.

A couple of notes; 1) we will carol outside of the homes we visit, and 2) the nursing home we will visit requires all carolers to be fully vaccinated. We will make that our last stop in case any carolers are not.

CHRISTMAS POINSETTIAS NOW AVAILABLE!

Help decorate our Sanctuary for Christmas while honoring a loved one or special occasion by dedicating one or more Christmas Poinsettias!

CLICK HERE to make your dedication. Or, at church, you may complete a poinsettia envelope and place it in the offering plate. The cost of each poinsettia is $12. (Envelopes are located on the table near the entrance/exit.)

There are many upcoming Sundays that need coffee hour hosts. Please consider hosting a future coffee hour. You can team up with friends and meet new ones too. The signup sheet is located on the coffee counter in Fellowship Hall or contact the church office.

Let’s all support this special time of fellowship!

CATCH OUR OWN DR. JOSEPH HOLT ON DEC. 19 AT A LOCAL LIVE CONCERT!

2021 ELCA GOOD GIFTS

The new ELCA Good Gifts Catalog has arrived! Copies are available to view in Fellowship Hall. Shopping may be done online at https://goodgifts.elca.org/all-gifts.

AVAILABLE GIFTS INCLUDE Barnyard animals & farming, water systems, women & children, business & education, agriculture and health/hygiene items. See the catalog for more details.

STITCH 'n CHATTER RETURNS JAN. 6!

This lively group will meet weekly on Thursdays at 1-2:30 pm in Room 212. We mainly work on baby items and donate the items to Sarasota Memorial Hospital.

All are welcome to join us! (We chat more than we stich!)

ADULT BIBLE STUDY will resume on January 19! Details coming soon…

BUILDING WISH LIST

The Property Committee has identified needs that are not currently in the regular budget but are needed to maintain and improve our church.

Current needs:

1. Upgrade Narthex Restrooms to ADA (cost TBD)

2. Electronic Sign Upgrade on Beneva (cost TBD)

3. Touch-Up/Repaint the Gym (cost TBD)

4. Reseal the Parking Lot

Please consider supporting the church building by making a special offering. Any amount, small or large, is appreciated! To contribute by check, please indicate “Improvement Fund” in the memo. To contribute electronically, please visit our website at www.faithlutheransrq.com/online-giving or using via the Vanco Mobile app (be sure to select “Improvement Fund”).

AMAZON SMILE PROGRAM

Support Faith Lutheran Church when you shop on Amazon – there is no additional cost to you! CLICK HERE to learn how!

ALTAR FLOWERS

ALTAR FLOWERS are a beautiful and meaningful way to honor/remember someone or a special occasion, while decorating our altar for worship. The new 2022 Altar Flowers signup poster is available in Fellowship Hall. Next available date, January 2!

When you purchase altar flowers, your name and dedication will be published in the bulletin on your selected Sunday and the flowers are yours to keep after the service!

To make a dedication: At church, complete an 'Altar Flowers' envelope with your payment, and place it in the offering plate; By mail, send payment with a note indicating your desired date and dedication; or CLICK HERE to order online. The cost is $60, which is for 2 vases. Please make checks payable to Faith Lutheran Church and indicate ‘altar flowers’ in the memo.

Thank you for making Faith Lutheran’s altar beautiful!

EMPTY INK CARTRIDGES COLLECTION

Please consider donating your empty ink cartridges to help the church and environment! When we bring the cartridges to Staples, we receive store credit from Staples to help offset office supply costs.

The ink collection bin is on the counter in Fellowship Hall.

DAILY PRAYER

VENTURES

The ELCA offers daily Prayer Ventures, which may be found on their website, https://www.elca.org/en/Resources/Prayer-Ventures. The prayers for this weekend are below. Visit the website if you would like to follow the daily prayers!

10 Reflect on your hopes and what you anticipate as a child of God; express them to God and thank God for accompanying us in times of waiting and anticipation and for remaining faithful to the promises God has made to us.

11 Give thanks for how our siblings in Christ observe and celebrate Advent, Christmas and the birth of Jesus Christ in diverse cultures. Pray that these rich and meaningful traditions, practices and perspectives will deepen our understanding and appreciation of the gift and good news of Jesus Christ — God’s sacrificial expression of love and mercy.

12 Pray that, through the work of the Spirit in us, every aspect of our life will manifest the good fruits of love, generosity, justice, peace, service and faithfulness to the word of God.