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Sunday, December 3
1st Sunday in Advent
Mark 13:24-37
Multigenerational Sunday School: 9:30 am
- "Birds of Bethlehem" Advent/Christmas Program in the Sanctuary
Worship: 10:30 am
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"The Birds of Bethlehem" No Rehearsal Sunday School Advent/Christmas Program
THIS Sunday, December 3, 9:30 am
Sanctuary
Children and adults are invited to come join and hear the story! Please arrive at 9 am if you are participating.
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Angel Tree Help Still Needed
There are still 60 unclaimed slots left on our Angel Tree!
Sign up to help T.A. Brown Elementary families in need this Christmas. Grab an ornament from the Narthex tree for instructions or sign up now. Gifts are due December 17.
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Swedish Women’s Education Association (SWEA) Christmas Market & Lucia Choir
Sunday, December 3, 3-6 pm, MPR
Enjoy holiday treats, visit with Market vendors, dance around the Christmas tree. Be inspired by the annual Santa Lucia Choir concert led by the Austin choir Lagom Singers. Santa Claus will present to hear the Christmas wish lists. There will be a crafting station for the children. Admission is $5 per person, and children under 12 are free.
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Dinner, Devotions, and Holden Evening Prayer
Wednesdays in Advent: Dec. 6, 13, 20
Dinner & Devotions: 6 pm
Holden Evening Prayer: 7 pm
Join us midweek during Advent for a soup dinner, devotions, and a brief Holden Evening Prayer worship service to fill your heart with the sights and sounds of hope this Advent season!
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Campfire Carols & Cocoa
Saturday, December 9, 6-8 pm
MPR Lawn
Warm your hearts by singing carols of the season together around a campfire while enjoying warm drinks. Meet on the Gethsemane lawn outside of the gym around the fire for hot cocoa, coffee, cider, and carols, of course! Bring a blanket or lawn chair. You are welcome to bring a sack supper or eat beforehand.
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Gethsemane Food Pantry
Reverse Advent Calendar
December 1-24
Each day add one food item to a box, then donate the box on Christmas Eve!
Please consider participating in the Gethsemane Food Pantry Reverse Advent Calendar this year. Instead of getting something each day through an Advent calendar, give something each day - the gift of food to those in need. Reverse Advent Calendar copies are available in the Narthex.
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Mental Health Ministry
The holiday season can be an especially difficult time for those struggling with mental health. The Mental Health Ministry team met last week to continue the momentum that started with the mental health grant awarded in 2019. The team is conducting a community needs assessment to discern the next phase of this ministry. Please contact Pastor Susie for more information. If you are struggling with mental health right now, please know that the Gethsemane community is here to support and pray for you.
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"The Dawn Chorus" Advent Devotional
Songbirds know a thing or two about singing into darkness: in the wee hours of the morning before the sun appears over the horizon, they begin a great symphony that scientists call the “dawn chorus.” Advent is the church’s dawn chorus. In this devotional designed for individuals and families of all shapes and sizes, we walk with scripture through the season’s four weeks of hope, peace, joy, and love, singing into shadows and looking to the light. Pick up a copy in the Narthex or download a digital version.
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TLU Vespers Performances
December 1-3 & 10
This year's Vespers performances will be in Jackson Auditorium on Dec. 1, at 7:30 p.m., Dec. 2, at 7:30 p.m., and Dec. 3, at 4 p.m. An additional performance will be held on Dec. 10, at 4 p.m. at St. Martin's Lutheran Church in Austin. Tickets are free, but required to attend all performances on campus. Learn more.
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Mark Your Calendar for Upcoming Gethsemane Events
- December 3: "The Birds of Bethlehem" No Rehearsal Advent/Christmas Program, 9:30 am
- December 6, 13 & 20: Dinner, Devotions & Holden Evening Prayer Services at 6 pm
- December 9: Campfire Carols & Cocoa
- December 17: Angel Tree Deadline, Advent Cantata and Children's Chime Time
- December 24: Christmas Eve Services at 10:30 am, 4 pm & 7 pm
- January 12-14, 2024: Encuentro/Encounter Trip to Eagle Pass
- February 24-25, 2024: "No Greater Love" Annual Gethsemane Chrysalis Retreat
- June 10-14, 2024: VBS Week
- June 23-26, 2024: Confirmation Camp
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Angel Tree
Complete your gift by Sunday, December 17.
Gethsemane Lutheran members and families are invited to continue a neighborhood holiday tradition by sponsoring T.A. Brown Elementary School children and families. We're asking individuals/families to donate gift cards.
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Prayer for Peace
Following 10:30 am Worship
Gethsemane members Tammie Danielsen and Reverend Sharon Wiggins invite you to join them as they pray for peace beginning this Sunday, November 26 and through the Advent Season. Sharon and Tammie will be in the chancel area of the sanctuary to pray with you or join with participants in a moment of silence/ prayerful reflection for those suffering from the violence of war and conflict, particularly civilians, and families with children in the Holy Land. The prayer sessions will be informal and will last for approximately 20 minutes.
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Give to Gethsemane
Thank you for your faithful giving and involvement at Gethsemane. Your gifts of time, talent and treasure are truly “God’s Work, Our Hands.” Every dollar you donate goes to support ministry to our church, to our local community, and to our partners around the world.
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ELCA Good Gifts and
LWR Gifts of Love
Gethsemane members are invited to consider giving ELCA Good Gifts and/or Lutheran World Relief Gifts of Love during the holiday season. Show your family the joy of making a difference for others. Both catalogs are in the Narthex and online.
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Annual Gethsemane and San Lucas Encuentro/Encounter Weekend
January 12-14, 2024
Registration is open for this special “encounter” or “encuentro” weekend for Gethsemane and San Lucas congregations to work side by side and expand our vision of ministry together. San Lucas is celebrating their 36-year history and Gethsemane has been a part of that ministry for over 27 years. Learn more and register.
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GLCM is designed to meet the needs of children through an inclusive preschool program that offers a wide variety of activities and experiences while providing an environment that emphasizes the basic Christian values of love, trust, pace cooperation, and respect. Gethsemane congregants are encouraged to tell family and friends about this quality ministry. | | | | |
