It certainly is apparent that Thanksgiving is upon us...Pumpkin Spice everything is everywhere! There has even been a meme making the rounds on Facebook about Pumpkin Spice communion wafers. I guess I ought to check this out on my next visit to Trader Joe’s!

 

Humor aside, November has arrived and the church year is coming to a close. The month begins with All Saint’s Sunday and ends with Christ the King Sunday; and sandwiched in between is the secular holiday of Thanksgiving. Last year over 50 million people traveled over 50 miles to spend the holiday with family and friends, and I look forward to being among those traveling this year. I have a lot to be thankful for.

 

The writer Anne Lamott says there are only three essential prayers: Help, Thanks, Wow . Asking for assistance, appreciating the good we witness, and feeling awe in the world are three simple, formative truths. Anne reminds us that gratitude is a balm: it soothes our aching hearts. When we say thanks and really mean it, it leads to a crazy thought: what more can I give? Gratitude begins in our hearts and dovetails into behavior. The more we practice being thankful, the easier it becomes. It becomes a habit.

 

It’s good to give God thanks, not only because God has graced us with so much, but more importantly because of what gratitude does for us. It’s hard to be anxious when you’re grateful. It’s difficult to keep your guard up, to be cold and defensive when you are overcome with thankfulness. Being grateful opens your heart so God’s love can enter.

 

Looking at the word Thanksgiving , I notice when you break it up…you get Thanks and Giving . I think that our thankfulness calls for a response of giving…giving of our bounty and blessings to others. This month you will be receiving information about our upcoming stewardship drive here at Emmanuel. I encourage you to prayerfully consider your current giving and what you hope to be able to contribute in the coming year. Your giving helps sustain the many ministries at Emmanuel as we continue to love our neighbors here in Prescott Valley. We hope that everyone will feel comfortable submitting a pledge card. I am so thankful for this congregation and the loving work it does.

Blessings,

Pr. Tricia

Please show your support of the Tree of Life Synagogue shooting victims on the north steps of the Prescott Courthouse on Saturday, November 3, at 6pm.

For more information, please click here to see the Prescott eNews article.

Stewardship is about recognizing that all we have belongs to God. Whatever we have during our lifetime is simply entrusted to us for the journey.

Everything belongs to God.

The spiritual discipline of giving is an important discipleship practice, just like worship, prayer and service. There are two important aspects of this discipline: take time to reflect on and appreciate how God has blessed you; determine how your household will regularly practice giving. 

 

Having an emphasis on what it means to be a steward helps us to grow better stewards in our home, church and community. Stewardship is not about paying the bills. It is about using the gifts God has entrusted to us, individually and collectively, to do God’s work. An emphasis or theme each year helps teach us about what it means to be stewards of God’s varied grace.

 

Our theme for this year’s stewardship emphasis is: More than Enough . Watch and listen for more over the next several weeks.

Join the confirmation class for a potluck dinner, devotions and crafts to celebrate the beginning of Advent. The church will provide Swedish meatballs and noodles from IKEA, and you bring a side dish or dessert to share!

 

After dinner and table discussion there will be Advent and Christmas crafts for all ages. Help bring in the Christmas season with a family-style dinner shared with friends of all generations. Please sign up on the clipboard in the Narthex, and let us know what you will bring. See Pr. Tricia for more information.

The Welcome Ministry is happy to announce and invite all potential new members (or folks even sort of thinking about maybe joining our Emmanuel Lutheran family at some point in the future ) to our next Inquirer's Gathering, New Member Potluck, and New Member Sunday—our first since welcoming our new pastor, Pastor Tricia (Welcome again Pastor Tricia!). Please see details below:

And for those of you who love to welcome others in any way, whether by welcoming a new friend to church on Sundays, delivering a loaf of bread, or just telling others about Emmanuel at a community event, please check out the Welcome Ministry bulletin board in the fellowship hall. If you have a heart for welcome, sign up to help in your favorite area. We want you!

Wow, wasn’t the installation of Pastor Tricia a neat experience? Her son Ben’s beautiful singing was really something. Bishop Deborah Hutterer, who had her parents with her, gave such a good message. And then, there was the nice reception following the service. The organizer for this part was Council Vice-President Janet Santiago. She was assisted by many people: Mary Jensen, Rhonda Medina, Dana Diller, Gary Kiser, Brian Bucholtz & Brooklyn & Cooper, Nance Busboom, Clara Farmer, Bruce & Sally Newcomb, Gary & Karen Coe, Marjie & Jim White, Becky & Jim McIntyre, Debra & Bruce Deutsch, and Marsha & Mike Beno. Thank you all.

We have accomplished another milestone as a congregation, the Call of new pastor. Just last year, we celebrated our 25th Anniversary and the departure of our long-time spiritual leaders: Pastor Kirk Anderson and Faith Formation Director Brita Hammit. We were blessed to have, for almost a year, Interim Pastor Sarah Isakson as our spiritual leader; aside from her insightful sermons, she helped straighten out several administrative issues.

The response of our members to supporting our 2016 building capital campaign, taking on many of Brita’s roles as volunteers, setting goals, and cooperating and compromising with one another has been very gratifying to me. Our ministry teams have given us stability throughout this two-year transition period, with a fairly constant set of dedicated members and leaders. Two new ministry chairs were added this year: Bee Sena with the Welcoming Ministry and Carol and Parker Northrup with the Stewardship Ministry. Congratulations to all.

We truly are a family that works together.

Now, where do we go next? That’s a good question! The council is ready to move forward now that Pastor Tricia is here and getting familiar with our congregation. We are planning a Council retreat for early December to delve into what the results of our Holy Cow Survey are telling us about the directions for Emmanuel. We will also be discussing the possibility of a new Emmanuel mission statement and the need for, and timing of, adding space to our existing building. You will be kept informed of developments.

Don Dimmel

Interfaith meal? What is that? You keep seeing it mentioned in the service folder every month but don’t know if you are supposed to attend or help work on it, and you just don’t really get it.

Here’s the scoop: the Interfaith Meal is an Outreach Ministry project of Emmanuel Lutheran Church coordinated with two other area churches: St. Germaine and Trinity Lutheran. The goal is to provide a nourishing hot meal for people, especially those of limited means. Each participating church hosts a lunch one day a month. Emmanuel serves our meal on the second Friday of the month. For some guests, this is the only hot meal they get each week. But it’s not just for the poor – like most other things at Emmanuel, Everyone Is Welcome . And if you feel guilty accepting a free lunch, there is a donation basket available for your contribution. The food is always wonderful and the fellowship with our neighbors is even better.

You are not only being invited to lunch, you are also being asked to consider being part of the team that makes it happen. If you like to work in the kitchen, you could help prepare the meal on Thursday (the day before it is served). Or if you would like to host or set up on Friday, that help is needed, too.

The bottom line is this: the Interfaith Meal team really needs more hands. If enough people join the team, commitment time might only be once every two or three months.

Along time ago Jesus told his disciples, “Feed my sheep.” This is a great opportunity for us to answer a call to discipleship.

The next Interfaith Meal: Friday, November 9.

(You can be sure there will be a Thanksgiving theme to the room and the food.)

For more information about the November meal or becoming part of the Interfaith Meal team, contact Mary Jensen or Phyllis Pohlman.



Everyone Is Welcome

We’re excited to host a free livestream of Dave Ramsey’s Smart Money event here at Emmanuel on Thursday, November 15, 5:45-8:45pm . Dave Ramsey has spent over 25 years teaching his program Financial Peace University , hosting the third largest talk radio show in the country, and helping people find hope and change the unhealthy habits of preceding generations .

Dave and Chris Hogan will take the stage on November 15 in San Antonio, and we will stream the event live. The best part? It’s absolutely free for you to attend! We’d love for you to join us and learn the steps you and your family can take to live like no one else. Please contact Jenni Johnson with questions.

Click on the image below to RSVP by November 12!

Chayah is a prison ministry patterned after the Cursillo movement. Chayah is an ancient Hebrew word that means “new life.” The intent of the Chayah ministry is to provide troubled youth with a religious experience that will show them that this new life is possible for them through faith in Jesus Christ.

The program is run by chaplains, clergy, and adult volunteers as well as incarcerated youth who have gone through the Chayah weekend and training. Volunteers spend around 12 hours per day on the retreat in the prison: eating, praying, sharing and singing with the youth.

Find out more about Chayah by clicking HERE . During November, you can make a contribution to Chayah through the monthly outreach, and if the project is close to your heart, you may learn more and volunteer.

A Starter List for Your Prayers

November 10: Mary & Ron Mayer, 28 years

November 22: Casey & Jodi Rooney, 16 years

November 24: Willie & Betty Hermann, 57 years

November 24: Ken & Lorrie Leighton-Boster, 34 years

November 27: Doug & Millie Meyer, 48 years

See anything that needs to be updated? Click here to let the office staff know!

Click on the calendar to find out!

See anything that needs to be updated? Click here to let the office staff know!

Emmanuel Lutheran Church

7763 E.Long Look

Prescott Valley, AZ 86314

PH (928) 772-4135 • FX (928) 759-3541

website: emmanuellutheranpv.org

email:  [email protected]