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Dear disciples of Jesus at American Lutheran,
It's Black Friday and the rush towards Christmas has begun! Frantic shoppers are vying for the best deal, people are filling their calendars with holiday events, and the most wonderful time of the year has turned into the busiest, craziest time of the year.
Unless you're someone who also pays attention to the church year, and not just the calendar year, as part of the faith community which observes Advent.
And so on this 1st Sunday in Advent, instead of picking up the pace, we slow down. We take time to savor this rich season of waiting. The word advent means "coming." Together we wait with bated breath for the celebration of God's coming into our world in human form, as one of us. As we also wait, too, for the day Christ will return and God's kingdom will come on earth as it is in heaven. While at the same time we wait for the way Jesus will come into our lives right now, with grace-filled gifts of joy and peace.
May this time of waiting fill our hearts with great hope and expectation for Jesus' coming into our lives and world.
See you in church,
Pastor Gretchen
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2015 Advent Devotionals
A new church year begins with the season of Advent starting November 29th. To help keep this rich time of hope and expectation, you are invited to use this year's Advent devotional, "
Creator of the Stars of Night" at home. "
Creator of the Stars of Night," is available for download in standard print and large print. The devotions are written by Luther Seminary faculty Adam Copeland, Cameron Howard, Lois Malcolm and Mark Throntveit.
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Order your Christmas Poinsettias
Order your Christmas Poinsettias in honor of loved ones or in celebration of special occasions. The cost for EACH poinsettia plant (6" pot) is
$7.00.
Deadline is
Sunday, December 13th.
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Online Giving: Step-by-Step Guide
Please click on the image to download a step-by-step guide that will help you set up your online account. Once your account is set up, you can make donations automatically using your debit card, check card, Visa or MasterCard. You can update your personal information, review your giving history and make changes anytime you want.
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Hanging of the Greens, December 4th
Come join the fun on the weekend of St. Nicholas Day,
Friday December 4th at 6:00pm. We'll start with a potluck in the gym and then work together to decorate the sanctuary for Christmas. There will be lights to string, greens to hang, ornaments to put on the tree, and luminaries to prepare for Christmas Eve, all to the sounds of the music of the season.
Everyone is invited to the festivities.
RSVP HERE to let us know what you'll be bringing!
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Blessing of the Pets, December 5th
The bond between person and pet is like no other relationship. Join us on
Saturday, December 5th at 5:00pm as we celebrate and honor our beloved pets with a Blessing of the Pets ceremony.
All family pets are welcome, but please make sure each one is on a leash or in an appropriate cage or crate.
Please email pictures of your pets, both past and present, to
[email protected] so we can add them to the slide show.
***NEW THIS YEAR: SUPPORT OUR LOCAL ANIMAL SHELTERS!***
We are having a drawing for REALLY, REALLY cool gifts (courtesy of our paw-some pet blessing coordinators!) You don't even have to attend the Blessing of the Pets ceremony on December 5th to enter the drawing.
All you have to do is make an online donation using the Give Now feature on our website
and choose the Blessing of the Pets in the menu for which fund your money will go to.
100% of the funds raised for this event will be donated to local animal shelters, including the Burbank Animal Shelter and Pasadena Animal Shelter.
The GIFTS ARE AMAZING! You might easily receive:
- a night of Pet Boarding,
- a one-hour Dog Training session,
- a 30-minute Pet Reiki session or
- a fully stocked pet gift basket!
Please share this! Let's raise funds to support our local animal shelters!
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Christmas Toy Give Away, December 6th
They need toys for
girls ages 2 years - 12 years and
boys for ages 0 -12 years.
There will be a basket for these toys at the church entrance.
Last day for toy donations at the church is December 6th.
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Leftovers
Our lifelong stewardship is much like the thanksgiving meal. We make certain that the first fruits are given to God before satisfying our own needs. At the end of our life, there will be leftover gifts from God which we no longer need as we enter into His Kingdom. Before our departure, we package those gifts into a will or trust. We put names on the packages in the way of beneficiaries of financial assets. Was God present at your table during your lifetime? Is God's name on one of the leftover packages?
To help plan your leftover gifts through a will, trust or financial asset, contact our ELCA Gift Planner,
Greg Shepherd at (909) 910-6823
or
[email protected].
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