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Social Concerns:
NEWS FLASH! We have just learned that, due to the generosity of two donors, all gifts which you contribute to ELCA WORLD HUNGER through First Lutheran Church during the month of December will be doubled! So--if you didn't manage to make a contribution to this fund which tends to the desperate needs of our brothers and sisters of all ages in more than 60 countries--there is still time! There are still brochures with envelopes attached at the Welcome Center. Your gifts will be added to those received earlier in November and to the income from our Summer Garden Market, but ALL GIFTS must be received by the ELCA prior to the end of the year in order to qualify for the match, so we encourage you to make your contribution as soon as possible! Thank you for your generosity!
During this ADVENT SEASON we invite you to take a look at the CHRISTMAS ALTHERNATIVE GIFT EXHIBIT in the narthex. It could solve your dilemma of what to do for "the person who has everything" and help others in need--a win-win situation! This year we are focusing on God's Global Barnyard (global), Lutheran Disaster Response (global and regional), and the Washington County Food Pantry (local). Each gift counts twice--once for your loved one and once for someone whom you may never meet. An animal can make a world of difference for a family in need--providing food to eat, fertilizer to grow crops, and offspring to sell on the market. Thus with one gift you can help a family escape poverty. Or you can bring hope to a family devastated by the loss of their home in a hurricane. Or you can make a difference to a struggling local family by providing basic food through your gifts to the Washington County Food Pantry. You can find over 50 options in the ELCA Good Gifts catalogs which can be picked up at the display--from pigs to water wells, school uniforms to microloans--and honor a friend, a loved one, a pastor, or a teacher at the same time. Gift cards for the above- mentioned gifts and others, Christmas cards, and "in loving memory" cards are also available there. You might also consider ordering gifts from the SERRV catalog, a Christian nonprofit resource which helps provide needed income to Third World artisans and their families by marketing their products at fair price. Perhaps you are looking for "stocking stuffers." EQUAL EXCHANGE Fair Traded products--coffee tea, and chocolate are also available at the exhibit to "fill that bill."
We are currently having a WINTER OUTERWEAR INGATHERING for Joseph's Coat and Open Door Mission. Please bring new or gently used winter coats, caps, hats, scarves, mittens, gloves, and/or warm socks for children and adults. You may either drop them in the tub so marked near the CHRISTMAS ALTERNATIVE GIFT EXHIBIT or in the larger box near the south entrance of the church by December 21. Thank you in advance for your generosity.
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