2605 S Signal Butte Rd

Mesa, AZ 85209

480-396-8300

What's Going on at Spirit of Hope?

Download/print a copy of the calendar here: December Calendar

From Pastor Kevin's Desk

Spirit of Hope Lutheran Church community,

Advent is here! This is an important time in the life of the church as we wait in

hopeful expectation for the Christ child and the coming again of our Lord. Being

Lutheran comes with paradox, it is a gift (admittingly frustrating for some) that we

witness in Advent. We are in the now of Christ coming every day through all kinds of

unexpected times and places (even people), and the “not yet” of the fulness of his glory

– the day when death will be no more and every tear will be wiped away. I pray that we

continue to live faithfully in this tension and that God would make us people of hope in a

world so desperate for it.

Additionally, our Christmas Eve services will remain at their traditional times this

year, 4:30 PM and 7:00 PM. You are welcome to invite friends and family to worship with

us. Both services will have Holy Communion and the candlelight singing of “Silent Night.”

With the holidays coming, we will be communicating the planned holiday office

hours soon.

We encourage you to ensure your contact information is up-to-date with

Spirit of Hope.

Additionally, the Spirit of Hope office hours are as follows:

• Closed Sunday (Worship at 9:30AM with fellowship after service)
• Closed Monday
• Tuesday: 9:00AM – 5:00PM
• Wednesday: 12:00PM – 5:00PM
• Thursday: 9:00AM – 5:00PM
• Friday: 9:00AM – 5:00PM
• Saturday: 1:00PM – 4:00PM (Fellowship at 4:30PM and worship at 5:00PM)

Grace and peace,

Pastor Kevin Anderson

Office: (480) 396-8300

Emergency After Hours (call or text): (480) 359-7048

Email: prKevin@spiritofhopelutheran.com

Donating a Qualified Charitable Distribution from an IRA

As we get closer to the end of 2025 some of us might have funds that need to be disbursed from our IRAs as minimum distributions.

Rather than just getting a distribution from the IRA and paying tax on it before giving the remainder to a charitable entity, like Spirit of Hope, you can request the administrator of the IRA to make a direct payment to your charitable entity.  In this way, you are not subject to taxes on the funds being distributed.  With this donation method, you can provide your charitable entity with more funds without a tax liability to you. Using the “Qualified Charitable Distribution” has many advantages but the trade-off to the tax-free donation is that this donation can not be deducted as a contribution on your tax returns if you itemize.



If you have further questions concerning this method of donating to Spirit of Hope or another charitable entity please contact your IRA administrator.

Nativity Scene Showcase at LDS Building

Our LDS neighbors wanted to invite you all to their Community Nativity Showcase, which features Nativities from around the world. This is a free

come-and-go community event that will be held on December 5 from 5:00PM to 9:00PM and December 6 from 3:00PM to 8:00PM at 3440 S. Signal Butte Rd, Mesa AZ. There are postcards in the Narthex with the

information for the event.

Help us Decorate for Christmas!

We will be Decorating the church for Christmas on:

Saturday, December 13th at 9AM

All children are invited to decorate the Christmas tree on the altar.

There will be treats after decorating.  

Volunteers are also needed to help decorate the narthex.  

Poinsettias at Spirit of Hope

You can make a donation of any amount toward the purchase of poinsettias

that will be on display for Christmas. You can make a donation in memory or in honor of someone if you would like. Information and envelopes are in the Narthex. Donations are due by December 7th .

 Children's Christmas Party at Spirit of Hope

We will host a Christmas Party for kids on

Saturday, December 20th from10:00-11:30AM



We will have crafts, snacks, and games. Please invite your children or grandchildren to join us.

Outreach Activity

During November, we collected food items and cash donations for the 1st Evangelical Lutheran Church's Food Pantry in Mesa AZ. This food pantry is also a branch of the Lutheran Social Services of the SW program.  At the end of the month, we had delivered food items twice to the pantry and also donated $185 in cash. Thanks to everyone for helping to feed people in need!

The month of December, we'll to helping the elderly and veterans with new items for their apartments/housing. In the Narthex, you will find a Christmas tree covered with small tags asking for specific new items for the Justa Center! This is a fantastic project and everything given is greatly appreciated. Thanks to Senior Rock and Wendy Sontag for heading up this project.  

The Season of Advent 

Candles burning bright and slow, four weeks of waiting, hearts aglow.

Advent's calm, a peaceful pace, A time for reflection, a time for space.

The world outside may be cold and grey,

but in our hearts, hope starts to stay.

The promise kept, the promise given,

A season of joy, a time to thrive in.

O come, O come, Emmanuel,

Our hearts are waiting, listen to your call.

Come, Desire of nations, come,

And lead us to the morning sun.

The seasons change, the years unfold,

but God's love story is forever told.

In Advent's quiet, we find our way,

to the heart of love, to a brand new day.

 ~ Wendy

Serving in December

5:00 PM Readers

December 6 - Daryl W.

December 13 - Pete D.

December 20 - Melody O.

December 27 - Chris S.

9:30 Readers

December 7 - Viviane

December 14 - Linda W.

December 21 - Margaret A.

December 28 - Greg C.

9:30 Greeters

December 7 - Bob & Marilyn Johnson

December 14 - Daryl and Cathy

December 21 - Hans and Diane

December 28 - Mike and Carol L.

DECEMBER BIRTHDAYS!

1 - Gerald Borucki

1 - Cathy Wilkens

2 - Carl McCoy

2 - Karen Torgersen

12 - Glen Hamberg

16 - Bob Johnson

18 - Chris Palmer

24 - Rosemary Brant

26 - Amanda Klick

28 - Nancy Palmer

Seniors Rock

Seniors Rock will be having their potluck on December 11th at 9 AM.

They will not be meeting on December 18th , 25th , and January 1st . Meetings will resume on January 8th .

Seniors Rock! We're not just a group, we're a movement! 

Dedicated individuals come together every Thursday to make a difference in our community. Founded in 2012, we've been spreading joy and kindness one project at a time. 

From collecting books for our troops to packing lunches for those in need, we're always looking for ways to give back. But our favorite project - Supporting the Justa Center! They help homeless seniors and vets find stable housing, and we provide the essentials to make their new place feel like home.  Please see above in the Outreach Activity for details on the current collection effort.

Join us for coffee, conversation, and making a difference! We're all about friendship, sharing, and giving back. Open to all, every Thursday at 9 AM.

Come be part of something amazing! 

Seniors Rock is Friendship, Warmth, Wisdom, Sharing, Talking, Giving,

Part of Yourself, Togetherness

Immerse Yourself in The Word!

Spirit of Hope currently offers 3 bible studies weekly. See below for your options and join us anytime!

Bible Study with Pastor Kevin

Pastor's bible study will be offered on Tuesday mornings at 10:30 AM in the Large Classroom. We will begin our class by looking at a series called, “How Lutherans Interpret the Bible” and then we will spend time looking at the text for the upcoming Sunday.

Bible Study resumes on November 11^th at 10:30AM.

All are welcome!

Bible Study – “Too Big For Starbuck’s”

Start your day off with us! Men and women are invited to join us on

Thursday mornings at 6:30 AM at Church. Bring your Bible and your coffee.

Led by: Bobbi Edwardson 

Women's Thursday Afternoon Bible Study

This bible study is held on Thursday afternoons at 1:00 PM in the church classroom.

New members are always welcome as together we grow in God’s GRACE and LOVE. 

Led by: Dar Stucke

Did You Know???

The Grand Canyon Synod (which Spirit of Hope is part of) is a very active community of 89 churches in Arizona, Nevada and Utah. There is always much going on. The Synod has a website that posts all the news of the synod. The link to the website is here: Grand Canyon Synod of the ELCA and if you click on "News" in the toolbar, you will find a link called "Get Our Newsletter". The Bishop's office puts out a weekly newsletter chock full of GCS happenings! And you can have it sent right to your email!

When you get a chance, take a look and see all the good things happening in Our Church!

Spirit of Hope communicates electronically in many ways!

First - this newsletter is created weekly! You can receive it electronically via email or view the current and past newsletters on the Church Website www.spiritofhopelutheran.com under the "Newsletter" link. You can register to receive the newsletter on the main church website page - www.spiritofhopelutheran.com. Click on the "Click Here to Subscribe to Our Weekly E-Newsletter" button.

Second - Our website has so much useful information and is a great source of all things Spirit of Hope. You can see what's going on, view the 9:30 church service live, or view past services, or find a list of helpful resources.

Third - Spirit of Hope has TWO Facebook pages! One is public and you can find it by searching in Facebook for Spirit of Hope Lutheran Church. Don't forget to click on "Follow". The other Facebook page is PRIVATE, meaning you need to request access or be invited. Search for Spirit of Hope and/or contact Tina Gilson with questions (tinag963@gmail.com).

Fourth- the church website has an app for your phone! In the Apple App Store or Play the Android Play Store and search for the "Our Church" app. Once downloaded you will be prompted to search for your church. You will have the church website in a phone-friendly format at your fingertips! Pretty cool, huh?

Phone: 480-396-8300

Email: admin@spiritofhopelutheran.com

Website: www.spiritofhopelutheran.com